Abingdon Rough Rider Review January 2013 Vol. LV(55) no. 1 President Norman Tuck Vice President - Activities Director Secty/Treas/Newsletter Editor- Eminence Gris WebMaster Syd Saperstein Brian Sonner Allan Chalmers Bill Traill Rick Storms Sunday January 13 Annual Meeting at the Warehome in Oakland We will be meeting at the Warehome of TA Terry and Cindy in Oakland where we will plan the next year, elect a group of executives, kick tires and enjoy ourselves. A not-to-be-missed event! The usual time : 1:30 Bring a wee snack & libation and think about what 2013 will look like. >>>>Dues she are doo - $25 cheap to your humble servant! Made out to Allan Chalmers 1231 12 th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122
An advisory from our webmaster For those receiving the web version, remember, you can contact your esteemed officers by clicking the About Us link and clicking on the name of the officer. This protects us from malefactors! On the Events page, each month's event includes three icons. One is to email the host, one is a link to a google map that shows the starting point of the run, and finally, one to show weather conditions. Rick If you d like to drop the printed version and read this on the web site let me know Coming Events Naught but the Annual Meeting at the Warehome Sunday the 13 th of the January. Fail to be there and you could become an executive! ************************************************************************ Holiday Party A fine time was had by all! A great spread at the perfect hosts Healdsburg place. There were about 22 folk there. Linda Chalmers illustrated why we call it a Holiday Party, by ecumenically lighting the last of the eight days of Hanukah candles. Sam and Betz Miller were appropriately dressed for the occasion. A few stayed over and we continued with a morning walk (women went, men kicked tires).
Phil Frank s FUN504 has landed in Colorado (now owned by Larry Pate) I thought you might like to see a few pictures of FUN504, taken today, as the snow was coming down in Denver. My other car, a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, was in the shop with a spike in one of the tires and I had a doctor's appointment to get to, so I fired up my TC and off we went. It has been nearly 30 years since I have driven a TC in snow and I had forgotten how little traction they get with those thin tires! There was a time, years ago, when a TC was my only car, and I drove it every day, rain or snow, but that was a long time ago. I never made it to the doctor's office today. I got only a mile or two down the road and it was just too risky to keep going. But it sure was fun! Hello Dolly! The latest acquisition in the Taylor ménage and another 2CV is on the way. The two Deux Chevaux join a Traction Avant, a 1929 Model AA dump truck and of course, the TC! *********************************************************************************** Following is an interview by Joe Marcotte with one of our faithful Rough Riders Bill Traill
For many years the masthead of Abingdon Rough Riders Review has included six titles, three of which are elected by popular vote each year and three are permanent. Among the latter is the position titled Eminence Gris, which on reflection might strike you as being an odd designation for a member of a car club, even for one as comparatively unstructured as the ARR. The expression Eminence Gris (Grey Eminence) refers to an invisible yet influential power behind the throne, an unofficial adviser whose guidance is valued. Considering the prominence of the designee, this title is absolutely appropriate. Bill Traill, the mechanic s mechanic is among the most senior of Rough Riders members. Bill and his business partner are the founders and owners of Clover Machine and Manufacturing, Inc., located in Santa Clara. Founded in 1978, the company s initial product offering included manufacture of obsolete parts and assemblies for T series MGs. From that, the firm has evolved into a state-of-the art source for prototype and small lots of high precision parts. Bill s daily challenges include working with customers to design and create high tolerance components. Aside from his day job, Bill s interests include antique engines and steam railroading, both of which are nurtured by volunteering as a docent and mechanic at the San Jose History Park s Trolley Barn. He has also contributed his expertise in making possible the restoration of a couple of prominent old motor vessels and tractors. Along with a couple of buddies, (from his grade school days!) Bill also has an interest in astronomy. Following up on the informative interview of TA Terry in the September ARR Review will not be easy, but my assignment is to enlighten the readership about the ARR s Eminence Gris and his passion, the enjoyment and maintenance of TC 5221, which he has owned since he was a teenager. Following is the result of an interview, focused on Bill s background and his encyclopedic knowledge of the formative years of the ARR. 1. Let s start this conversation with a brief biographical sketch. Tell us about your pre-tc life. I was born in San Bernardino, CA. My folks worked in gold and tungsten mining in the Greenhorn Mountains, east of Bakersfield, CA. I grew up around mining equipment (that s me sitting on the air compressor with my father) and machinery and this may have influenced my interest in everything mechanical. My folks had been in the mining business from 1943-55. But eventually my mother had had enough of it, so we moved to San Bernardino, where my folks owned some rental property, which consisted of about 20 spaces for trailers and about 8 apartments. We lived there until the early 60s. Shortly after we d settled in, one of the tenants decided to move into a retirement home. In lieu of rent for the trailer pad he occupied, he offered my dad his 1936 Dodge Business Coupe as payment. My dad gave the car to me and, at the age of 10 years, I used to drive the car around the trailer park (only first gear allowed). One day we ventured onto a public road in a 1951 Chevy pickup. Alongside my dad I was nonchalantly driving down a country road and a cop pulled up behind us! I sat up as straight as I could and eventually he passed us (after I successfully negotiated a stop sign intersection), but I m sure he knew that I was just a kid. Eventually my dad sold the Dodge to a guy down the block who took very poor care of the car, which was a shame as it had been in absolutely mint condition. My folks sold their properties and we moved to San Jose in 1962. My buddy Paul and I were very much into model airplanes but in high school we graduated to cars. Paul s brother-in-law Carl raced motorcycles and sports cars at tracks all around the state and sometimes Paul and I would spend the weekend with Carl and Paul s sister Bonnie in El Cerrito, CA. One day Carl and I had gone out to buy some briquettes for a barbecue. On the way to the store and again on the way back we saw two different MG TDs. I d seen them before but this
time the car really made an impression on me. Later Paul and I decided that we just had to have a TD. We and my dad had been partners in a 1925 Dodge coupe project. The Dodge was soon sold. I was 16 at that time but I didn t have a driver s license yet and I was sure that I wouldn t be able to pass the test because I knew that I needed glasses, but I didn t want to get them (high school vanity). 2. OK, so one of the things that we ve learned so far is that you had been seduced by MG. After you were hooked, where did you find TC 5221, how did you get it, what kind of shape was the car in when you bought it and what happened after that? My parents offered to help me with buying a car. My dad and I looked at a couple of TDs and then only TCs but couldn t find anything that was acceptable. One morning my dad pointed out this ad for a TC that was on a used car consignment lot. The car looked good and we bought it for $1650, a lot of money for a TC in those days, but I still didn t have a license. So I took the plunge and became legal when I was 18, taking the driving test in my TC. I repaid my folks $50 a month from summer jobs at local canneries over three years. This is a picture of me in TC 5221 on the consignment lot just after we d bought it. The car was in pretty good shape but it needed some work. I knew nothing much about working on cars, so I took the car to a local MG mechanic, who got the job done (starter), but whose work was too rough around the edges for even my unrefined taste. After that my dad offered to help me in rebuilding the engine, due to a broken crankshaft; he could do anything! The TC was pretty reliable after that. In 1969 I took the body off the car, cleaned it up over the summer, and repainted it, while working swing shift at a local Dole pineapple cannery. I didn t care for the new color though (it turned out a dull a brick red), so in summer 1972 I again took the body off and repainted it in its current color, while working a split shift delivery job, which allowed a few daylight hours to devote to the TC. TC 5221 since then is a 1969 Volvo red. Before mining, my dad s primary trade was upholsterer, owning a large furniture company in Detroit, MI, so he helped me in expertly fitting new wood in the body and re-did the seats. My mom was very supportive too except when I baked painted parts in her oven or used the turkey baster to suck gasoline out of the float bowl, etc. 3. Do you know anything about TC 5221 s history? I m the sixth owner and I ve found and spoken with almost all of the owners of my car. I purchased the TC from Mr. Bert Jensen. Bert bought the TC from Mr. Don Titus in 1962. Don and his son bought two TC's from a neighbor, Mr. Art La Herne, in about 1958. Art raced both TCs on local tracks. Art had moved away and I never met him. But, Don knew Art had bought TC 5221 from Mr. Andy Jett who lived nearby. Andy was the second owner of TC 5221. Andy bought TC 5221 in 1952 from the original owner but didn't recall any information about that person. Andy showed me the family photos of TC 5221 and then gave me a box full of original tools, parts, books that somehow remained in his garage all those years. I like the fact that my car was produced just in the middle of the production run and, I m sure like everyone else, I feel a special attachment to my TC. TC 5221 is very special to me; we go back a long way! 4. Here we are in the year 1967. You ve bought a TC and I would guess that you were looking for some other like-minded souls with whom you could talk about your new car. So, did you find the Abingdon Rough Riders or did they find you?
Because I had the car but no driver s license yet, one day in February, 1967 my buddy Paul was driving us up to the Lick Observatory at Mt. Hamilton, near San Jose, CA. During the trip we passed a bicyclist coasting rapidly down the hill, yelling for us to stop, named Jack Nadeau, who also owned a TC (5688) and mentioned that there was a club for these cars. Up until then I d never given a thought to finding anyone else who owned a TC and, though for some reason I wasn t too excited about the idea of joining a club, we exchanged phone numbers. A couple of months later I went over to see Jack s car, in restoration. He told me that the club, the ARR, was going on a tour that Sunday. We went in my car to Berkeley, where we met Allan Chalmers, and there was also a guy from the Los Angeles club named Dick Mura, visiting from (what!) another TC club in Los Angeles! Later, in January, 1968 there was a business meeting at the home of Gert and Ann Jensen and it was there that I forked over, I think, $10 for membership dues. After that I went on a lot of tours. I was more active in the club in those days and I d think nothing of driving for over an hour up to the Golden Gate Bridge and touring in Marin or wherever else the club was going. It seemed to be easier then because there was so much less traffic than there is today. 5. How was the club different in those days than it is today? I d say that it s really not that different then than it is now. We had one business meeting each year and it was a pretty laid-back organization. I think that the reason that the club has always been so informal is because Allan Chalmers has always overseen the club seeming to hover over us (like an eminence gris! JM) and things like committees were never really necessary nor desired. We ve had some members who tried to shake us into shape in the early years but they always left in disgust. There are probably as many people who tour today as did back then and I think that we had about the same number of tours then as we do today. For a long time we d go for a tour on the third Sunday of the month. Gert and Ann Jensen (they had a PA Airline coupe and a TC and were the spark plugs of the ARR for many years) left the club to return to Denmark. After they left we d make the Gert and Ann Jensen Memorial Tour to Occidental for dinner each year. They both passed away during the past 5 years. 6. What about the size of the club? Is it bigger or smaller today than it was in the 70s-80s? The size of the roster has inched upward from 40-50 in the early days to closer to 100 today, while the size of the TC Motoring Guild (TCMG) has always been about 100+ strong. In those days there was no benefit to a member not living in the area but today we have several members world-wide, due to the internet. I joined the TCMG later on in order to be part of the bigger picture. We used to have a trophy that was awarded at the Conclave to the club with the largest number of members driving TCs. After a while it got a little complicated because there were a lot of us who were members of both clubs, and the trophy itself ran out of room to list the later events. I believe that we ve had 57 annual TC Conclaves now! At one Conclave I appropriated the trophy and kept it for a year; the ARR had won it anyway. The LA guys were always trying to hide something of ours, kind of like the Stanford Ax tradition. The next year I dropped it into Frank Borgardt s car and he got caught with it! Just in fun. 7. How was the role of Eminence Gris conferred on you? I started out as what was then called the Parts Secretary and Barry Swackhamer also had the job for a while. Allan put me into this unelected position sometime later. I ve received calls from people over the years asking how to do it, where to find it, or what does it do? I ve been through everything in the car at least twice and I think that I ve got a pretty good idea about what s what with the TC. 8. It seems to me that there are very few venues available today to MG owners who want to participate in judged or, for that matter un-judged, show competition. When such events were more common were there many ARR members who showed their cars?
In the early days a lot of people talked about Pebble Beach, which was very different then. It used to be affordable ($3.00 admission in 1965! JM). When I first joined the ARR I thought that everybody was expected to restore their car and enter a car show, but I was a little bit intimidated but that turned to not be true, so I decided that I was just going to make my car a solid road car and enjoy it. I painted the car twice, restored it and kept it in the best shape that I could, but it needs new paint now and looks a little tatty. But I think a slightly tatty-looking classic car more appealing to the general public than a restored car. A beautiful, glistening restored car is nice to look at and admire but is too far out of reach, that glove fits me now, but some day I will hope to spritz TC 5221 up with new paint. 9. Were there more social activities in those years than there are today? One thing that I especially like about the ARR and the TCMG is that especially all of the active people are close friends. The depths of the friendships go beyond cars. They travel together and socialize beyond the scope of the club. Lots of us know about the others families and we don t dwell on the cars too much, which I think is just great! I don t want to convey the impression that it s a clique, because it s always been my feeling that everyone is very welcoming. So many of our members have had their cars and have known each other since the 50s and 60s that the ARR and TCMG is really just an extended family. 10. Do you remember much about the Conclaves in those days? Were they held annually in the 60s-90s or were they held more frequently than that? I ve missed several conclaves over the years but about 25 or so years ago I resolved not to miss another if I could help it. It was a lot easier to drive for hundreds of miles back then and not be hobbling around after the drive was done. I remember my first Conclave (1968). It was at King s Canyon and it must have been a late one because it was cold! Jeff Stobbe, Jack Nadeau and I brought a tent (we were starving students in those days), but it was so very cold in the Sierra that we decided never to camp out again. Dave Gumz had his bagpipes and would wake everyone up in the morning. The format was pretty much the same back then except, because a lot of people were working, not everyone arrived at the conclave site on Friday. Those who couldn t take Friday off work would drive like crazy and arrive early Saturday morning. The Conclaves are about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles or about a 200-mile morning drive; done it a few times. There would be a tour on Saturday, banquet that night and the lineup would be on Sunday morning, as it is today. It s been going on since 1957, which is just amazing! 11. How about the cars; TCs seem to be more reliable today than they were in the 60s-90s. Do you agree? Well, I would say that people seem to be taking better care of their cars today. Maybe the cars aren t driven as much now as they were then. In the early days I borrowed the ARR Reviews that described events that were held before I was a member and I recall reading about wheel bearings that would go out, maybe an occasional broken axle or burnt valves, but I don t recall ever reading about someone being totally destitute. 12. If there s one single attribute that many ARR and TCMG members associate with Bill Traill it s the red car with the cool, distinctive cord-wrapped steering wheel. But, obviously a guy who has as much of his life invested in MGs and making things work as you do must also own more than just TC 5221. Tell us about the inevitable other MGs in your garage, what kind of shape they re in, and what their future is. In 1970 I bought a 1967 MGB GT. I retired the TC, which had been reassigned from service as my daily driver to be used from then on only for ARR events, etc. I clocked about 80,000 miles on the TC by then. drove the B for 19 years, putting 280,000 miles on it. In 1971 I bought a 1933 J2. It was a complete basket case, just a bunch of parts. My dad and I had been working on it and almost had it together, but both my parents became ill and passed on during the mid-70s. I dropped out of college and quit my part time job to take care of
them 24/7. I was their only child and they were the most wonderful parents anyone could wish for; it would have been the least I could do for them. After my dad died the J2 restoration went dormant, but I then became more taken up in the shop/business. The J2 was almost complete; all that remained to be done was engine assembly, paint and upholstery. One of these days I ll get around to finishing it up. I still have 3 MGs, the B needs some body work, paint and interior and I ll do that before I finish up the J2. 13. Earlier in this talk the subject of reliability was mentioned. What are the top three most overlooked weak spots/causes of trouble on the road today in the thoroughly modern TC? What should their owners be doing to limit these problems? I guess that this is up for debate but I would say that (1) the rear axle is a weak point, although there are firms who supply better axles than the originals, (2) brake systems should be maintained, (3) probably the generator, making sure that the brushes are not gummed up and sticking. Mechanically, the engines are pretty good and TD race car drivers used to always be looking to retrofit TC transmissions, so no worry there. 14. Finally, I d like to complete this interview by hearing your thoughts on mortality. Sooner than any of us want to think about it, club membership is going to dwindle. The unfortunate trend that we see in the newsletter today is only going to get worse; where we often see 1-2 cars in excellent shape advertised for sale each month due to death of its owner, that number s going to accelerate. What do you think is going to happen to our cars? I think that our California TCs, which are in such nice shape, considering the climate, are going to dissipate, with cars being sold on the internet and shipped all over the world. TCs used to be passed on to new local owners. As the TC population becomes more spread out, I think that it will be more difficult to keep driving clubs going. I think that they ll become pet cars, to be displayed to guests at cocktail parties. I think that in the future TCs will be a little more expensive than they are today and won t be driven; they ll be included in collections as trophy cars, not driven much. And I think that this will be true of all of the collector cars on the road today. I don t see the TC ever becoming a really expensive car, because they don t have roll-up windows or heaters and there are still a lot of them in circulation. I see these disadvantages as an advantage that renders the TC a classic car at an affordable price. For that matter, who knows, when Google has perfected the self-driving cars maybe they ll ban our cars, MGs, Model A Fords and all human-driven cars off the road. JM. Thanks Bill! Our lad with a lovely J2 crank & rods a few years ago, for that restoration project
YT For Sale Here s a gorgeous car for you: http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/mg/yt/1509815.html?refer=news From our resident cartoonist, Brian Patty Browder I m sorry to have to inform you that Patty has died very suddenly. She is gone way too soon and we will miss her and her gracious hosting of the Browder s wonderful barbeques in Aptos.
Here s our own Alan Patterson racing at Monaco and featured on the cover of Sports & Exotics Next time in the TC Alan! Don t forget the dues! If you d like to pay by PayPal, let me know.