Be Wary of Automotive Forum Advice

Kiwi, the mighty Mini from the Southern Hemisphere is a bit under the weather. The little car has been in my garage for nearly ten years and this is the first time that it's ridden on a roll back carrier. 

That's not my oil on the roll back. Jus' sayin'

While enjoying a drive in this late season warm weather on Sunday, the missus and I were confronted with a sudden case of cylinder deactivation- amazing technology in modern cars but not good at all in our older rides. We pulled over and I verified that I had sparks, fuel and air but the 3 & 4 cylinders were dead. I called Richard Cunningham who runs Classic Motorcar Services in Daphne, Alabama and he surmised that it could be a head gasket failure between the two cylinders. 

Knowing that he was very likely correct, I called the folks at Hagerty Insurance and they arranged a ride for us on Tony's Towing of Fairhope, Alabama. Richard kindly allowed me to drop the wounded car off at his place and he quickly performed a compression test. It went like this:

• Cylinder 1 - 150 psi
• Cylinder 2 - 160 psi
• Cylinder 3 - nuthin' psi
• Cylinder 4 - still nuthin' psi

Time to pull the head and have a look-see. 

Today, I ordered a head gasket set from the folks at Seven Mini Parts in Northern California. Genuine Payen gaskets come highly recommended so that's what is on the way. Afterwards, I spent a little time browsing some of the Mini forums on the subject of head removal. Many of the members posted helpful information but one stood out as simply asking for trouble. I've included a screenshot below.

Click for a full size image

I'm very far from being an expert in the ways of engine work, but sanding a head sealing surface with 240 grit paper seems to be an almost criminal suggestion. Granted, a plastic scraper and maybe some soft Scotchbrite might be OK but the coarse sandpaper would likely leave deep scratches that could lead to poor sealing. If you have used this practice and had success, please let me know, but for now I think I'll pass.  

British Car Festival Preparations Going Strong

"Goodies" Laid Out for the Bag Stuffing

In any organization, the strength of the group lies within those who unselfishly offer their time and efforts in achieving the goals set. South Alabama British Car Club's British Car Festival is one of those events that runs solely on support of its members who volunteer.

A Stool on the Assembly Line?

At the event this coming Saturday, October 25, you'll see many people doing tasks that they raised their hand to assume, but keep in mind that for every hour that the show runs, many more hours were spent in planning and performing tasks in preparation for the day. Dozens of SABCC'ers rounded up door prizes, solicited class sponsors, arranged printing or worked to obtain publicity. Tonight was one event that supports THE event.

The club has always put together a hospitality bag of items of interest to visitors in our area and classic car enthusiasts in particular. Members contact business that they patronize to seek donations of small gift items or brochures that show participants would find interesting. And then the time comes to actually get the items in the bags. What better way than to call it a party and invite members to help?

Not Up to Henry Ford's Standards

This evening, about 20 members of the club got together in the spacious garage at the home of Richard and Donna Cunningham in Daphne, Alabama to assemble the guest bags. Folding tables were arranged in a line and the items to be stuffed were laid out. After a couple of announcements (and several stops at the snack table), the line workers stepped up to their stations and the empty bags started their trip up one side of the row of tables, then across to the other side and back down to the end where they were boxed up. 

During the proceedings, conversation about the upcoming show, British cars and inquiries about family took place while the "goodies" were loaded in the bags. Eventually, good natured ribbing about a co-worker's work ethic or filling technique broke out to much laughter all around. With friends and fellow enthusiasts, a task like this is never "work". 

British Car Festival 2014 is on track to absolutely smash all previous participation records. The club is truly excited and looks forward to a fine event.  

British Car Festival 24 is Upon Us

Yes, indeed it is October and the South Alabama British Car Club's biggest event is just a few short weeks away. This year's show committee has worked harder then ever to make sure that the show participants have a great time. 

Third-gen MINI Cooper S

As you may have read earlier in this humble blog, BCF 2014 is moving to a new venue due to planned (but ultimately delayed) construction at our usual  Faulkner State Community College campus in downtown Fairhope, Alabama. Instead, we will be just one block south at the campus of Fairhope United Methodist Church. Last year's show attendees who made it to the Friday night welcome party will remember it as the venue for that evening event. SABCC is indeed grateful for Fairhope UMC's invitation to conduct this year's show on their lovely, tree shaded campus.

Jim O'Brien's Sunbeam Tiger at BCF 2013

Again, our friends at MINI of Pensacola will be displaying the new third-generation MINI hatch and other examples of the growing product line. The MINI folks will also have some cool swag on sale at their featured display area on the field. 

Do You Remember These Guys?

The show will feature the Sunbeam Tiger in observance of the 50th anniversary of this Anglo-American hybrid (designed before hybrid meant electricity is involved somewhere) that was developed by Carroll Shelby. In fact ALL Rootes Group marques will be honored and their owners will receive some special treats on the day of the show.

Where were YOU when the Beatles made their American debut? We'll also be remembering the start of the "British Invasion" in American pop music. We'll have some background music during the day that will certainly get you singing along with the best of Britain. 

Here is a calendar of events and details associated with the 24th annual British Car Festival:.

Friday Evening Welcome Party 7:00PM at the Abundant Life Center building at Fairhope United Methodist Church 155 South Section Street in Fairhope. Meet fellow British car enthusiasts and enjoy some great homemade goodies courtesy of SABCC member families.  

British Car Festival 2014 9:00AM at the campus of  Fairhope United Methodist Church in downtown Fairhope, Alabama. Day of show registration closes at noon and popular choice ballots will handed out shortly thereafter. Balloting will close at 2:00PM and awards will be begin at 3:30PM

To allow you to park your car quickly and with the least delay, we urge you to pre-register. You can print a form here and mail it in.

We look forward to seeing you at the 24th Annual British Car Festival. Stay tuned for news about next year's show, too - our 25th anniversary year event!

Hemmings Motor News Reports on BCF 2013

The May 2014 issue of Hemmings Motor News carried an article featuring the 2013 British Car Festival. The two-page spread included a write up by Executive Editor Richard Lentinello and numerous photos from the event.

Details in the article about the community of Fairhope, past cars shown at the event and dates for the 2014 event were included as well. I recommend that you purchase a copy from your favorite bookstore or newsstand, but if you can't wait, the nice folks from Hemmings have an excerpt from the feature that you can browse here.

Mugs & Motors - Car Collection Edition

A tropical system churning off the Mississippi coast that dumped rain on our part of the world wasn't enough to keep around 20 SABCC members away from the club's August activity.

We met at the Schillinger Road location of Panera Bread where we settled in for breakfast items, coffee and conversation. As the members arrived, we added more tables to already growing line, eventually spilling over into nearby booths. Members caught up on the current state of projects, compared notes for the upcoming British Car Festival and generally enjoyed the company of like-minded individuals. 

Unlike previous Mugs & Motors events, only two SABCC'ers drove their British cars -Michael King in his MG Midget and Keith Jarvis in his MGB. As we made arrangements to leave Panera Michael allowed discretion to be the better part of valor and stopped by his house to swap his open topped Midget for something a little more snug. The gathering clouds bothered Keith not a whit since his MGB was equipped with a hardtop.

We more or less caravanned over to the activity of the day at the Henderson Collection in south Mobile. 

The collection is owned by Jim Henderson, president of Mobile Lumber Company and reflects his own tastes in classic automobiles. Henderson is a fan of the "shoebox"
Ford sedans of the early fifties, primarily the 1951 model. Our host for the morning, collection caretaker Mark Gwin, related that Henderson had the first date with his wife in a 1951 Ford. He has gathered as many examples of the various trim levels offered in 1951 as he can find, ranging from the bottom of the heap Customline to a very nice Victoria. A Country Squire "woodie" wagon rounded out his collection.

The Detroit "Big Three" was well represented with models from nearly every GM and Chrysler division as well as a selection of Fords from the very early days to a modern Shelby Mustang. The spacious building has been made even more efficient through the use of four-post lifts that allow cars to be "stacked" on one another. I'm not sure who the lift manufacturer is, but they certainly had a very nice order to fill. 

Mark told us that all of the cars in the collection are driven frequently or at least started and ran weekly. 

 A couple of Packards that participated in the most recent Great Race were being stored as a courtesy to their owners since their transport rig experienced mechanical problems prior to the race's end in Mobile. One of them was decked out in livery that recalled the epic Carrera Panamerica races of the 1950s held in Mexico. 

As far as British fare was concerned, the Green and Pleasant Place was represented by a Black Cab (in left hand drive) and a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow once owned (and customized) by none other than Liberace. The Roller had its
interior leather replaced with brocade fabric and the exterior chrome had been gold plated in the spirit of excess for which the showman was so well known. 

Sadly, a vehicle identified as a 1953 MG was actually a VW pan with a Fiberfab body on it. Most guests that visit the collection are likely none the wiser. 


Once we took in the main collection area, Mark showed us through a building where the collection's transporters are stored. From dual axle trailers to a rollback to a couple massive enclosed transporter rigs, the cars in the collection travel in style. 

Mark showed us a Ford pickup/Airstream travel trailer combination that once belonged to the late Larry Hagman of I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas fame. The normally bright-finished Airstream was painted dark blue to match the Ford truck and the interior had been decorated to resemble the inside of Jeannie's bottle. Hagman took this personal dressing room with him wherever he was working.

Finally, we were shown through to the garage area were the cars are kept in rude running health. The spacious facility had nearly anything a do it yourself home mechanic could dream about. 

After nearly two hours, we expressed our thanks to our host and went on our way, another SABCC activity in the books. 

MGB Seatbelt Guide

Most drivers of MGB roadsters here in the States are well familiar with the hassle of finding the combination lap/shoulder belt from under the stowed convertible top. If the inertia reel retractor works, the belt has been drawn back under the folded top. If not, it is in a puddle around the seat waiting for you to untangle it before you snap it across yourself. There are ready made (albeit pricey) solutions on the market, but what British car owner shrinks from the challenge of creating a hack and saving a buck or two in the process?

My MGB-owning younger brother, Alan, is no stranger to scrapyards and it was during one of his recent forays into his favorite automotive recyclers that he found a solution to the seatbelt issue that was both cheap and a project. Here is a brief step-by-step how-to guide to creating your own pair of seatbelt guides for your MGB:

First, locate a suitable donor car in the form of a late nineties Chevy Cavalier two door coupe. They look something like this:

 

GM designed a heavy plastic seatbelt guide that attached under the headrest of this generation of Cavalier. This is what you're looking for:

 

You'll need to remove the seatbelt guide from under the headrest. This will involve raising the headrest to its full height and then removing a wire ring from around east headrest post. Access is gained by cutting the upholstery at the base of the two posts and cutting the rings with wire cutters. The headrest will pull out and you can remove the parts you came for - the guides.

Get them back to your workshop/lair/kitchen table and remove the headrests from your 1970 through 1980 MGB. Turn them over and you will see a plastic piece that holds the vinyl headrest cover on. It is attached with two screws. Remove the screws and slip the plastic piece off. This will be your template for the next steps.

  

As if by magic, the two screw holes on the plastic retainer match the two headrest post holes on the Cavalier seatbelt retainer. All you need to do is center the two sets of holes and mark the location of the MGB headrest post on the Cavalier seatbelt guide:

 

Once the location for the MGB headrest post has been marked on the Chevy seatbelt guide, you'll need to choose your favorite oval-hole-making tool from your arsenal and get to it. Since he does not have access to a well-equipped machine shop, Alan drilled two holes in the oval he marked out on the Cavalier guide:

 

The next step is to open up the oval. Alan used a jig saw with a coarse toothed blade. You could use a Dremel tool or other cutter to accomplish this step, too:

 At this point your adapted Cavalier seatbelt guide should something like this:

A little cleanup of the oval hole will be in order. A fine file or sandpaper will do the trick, although this part will live under your headrest. It's up to you. At this point, if you were not lucky enough to score a pair of the guides in a color that compliments you MGB's interior, you can paint them using any one of a number of fine spray paints formulated for vinyl or plastic.

Slip the plastic headrest cover retainer and the newly-adapted guide onto your MGB headrest in the correct orientation. Since the guide adds about 3/8" more thickness, you may need to replace the screws with some that are appropriately longer:

Return the headrest to the MGB seat and feed your unruly seatbelt through the split in the guide. Stand back and admire your work. A refreshing adult beverage is optional:

 

The guides can be obtained from your local you-pull-it scrappers for slightly more than the lint in your pockets. Alan bought a pair for less than five bucks from one of the local yards in Mobile. 

  

    

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 25 and Home Again

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation. 

 

Apologies that we haven't written a proper post since our return on Saturday night.  It was a very long day, and we've spent the last couple resting and seeing family before Stella's flight back to the UK tomorrow.

We decided to make Saturday the final push; by then getting home was our top priority.  We didn't fancy another night in a hotel, and stopping anywhere east of Alexandria, Louisiana, seemed silly...so, we kept going!  Crossing parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, it was a record day for the number of states visited.  Our license plate was no longer the attention-attracting oddity it had been out West.  We were amused by sights along the road like the Y'all Come Back Cafe and the It'll Do Deli. 

By this point the starter motor was dead weight so our main criteria for choosing gas stations or eateries was, "Does the parking lot have a hill?"  We slinked off ever-so-quietly from each place we stopped...sometimes with one foot out the door to get some momentum.  The ongoing electrical fault with the tail-lights meant wiring up the brake lights to serve in their place as it grew dark in Slidell, Mississippi.  MG owners: Always travel with a jump wire. 

Otherwise Madge didn't miss a beat during 617 miles at near-constant high RPMs.  We were blessed with temperatures in the mere high 80s (although no longer what they call 'a dry heat'!), and some clouds.  We crossed the 20-some miles of the Atchafalaya swamplands.  Traffic for the most part was manageable, though some more challenging - including a near-incident between another car and a motorcyclist going so fast they appeared out of thin air. 

Nancy was surprised that we'd be back a day earlier than she expected.  When we arrived home just after 10pm, she'd made us a really tasty meal - just what we needed.  We all enjoyed it together with a well-deserved bottle of wine.  It was wonderful to be home to familiar surroundings - and beds!  It will probably take some time to get used to being stationary and to stretch out after 6,251 miles cramped in an MG.

Above all, looking back at where we've travelled, what we've done, and who we've seen and met, we feel incredibly lucky to have been able to make the journey.  Even without the MGA's great performance all the way there and back, it would have been the trip of a lifetime.  We've loved regaling family with stories and looking at photos since we got back. During the trip, it was no small comfort to think of friends following our progress here on the blog. 

Some scary, some mundane, some gross, some funny - we've made a wealth of special memories.  Thanks so much for keeping up with us and letting us share some of them!

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 24

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

We focussed on covering ground today:  510 miles from Clayton, NM to Greenville, TX.  We made few stops except to change drivers, eat, and refuel.  At one of them, the guy across the gas pump cracked us up – watching Mike squeeze into the passenger’s seat with the top up, he said, “Dang!  I think that’s the first car I seen where you hafta lay down an’ roll over to get in it!”  We laughed and said he ought to see us try to get out!  Moments later, the starter motor gave up the ghost; we took advantage of the slight hill behind us for a reverse bump-start.  Later in the day Stella jumped out to push for another at a red light.  It wasn’t the first push of the day – earlier we’d mysteriously lost power in traffic and took refuge in a nearby parking lot.  Mike investigated but couldn’t deduce the cause; he had no problem restarting.  We’re hoping the problem isn’t with the generator / charging system.  As we get closer to home we’re slightly more inclined to cross our fingers and just hope Madge makes it! 

Our last excitement came just 30 miles short of our stopping point for the night.  Hoping to arrive before dark, we came upon a stationary convoy of tractor-trailers with oversized loads – entirely blocking both eastbound lanes of the highway.  Flummoxed, several of us took to the centre turn-lane to pass the blockage.  But, thwarted by the median and surprised by an angry truck driver standing in the road waving his arms, most turned round.  I ended up driving down the (thankfully quiet) wrong side of the road for 20 yards or so to a turn-off.  From there we watched the cock-up across the road as a flag man at the head of the convoy waved frantically and a driver sprinted up and down, until all six concrete bridge-spans had finally turned off.  The time we stopped allowed Mike to rig up a jump-wire to give us functioning tail-lights – eliminating our cause for concern about arriving after dark. 

Checking into Super 8, Dad was asked where we’d driven from today, but he couldn’t remember right off.  I think that says it all: we’re tired!  A very long push tomorrow would take us home.  All being well, we’d love to be there by evening.

But we’ll just have to see…

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 23

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

After a reasonably early departure from Farmington, we followed Highway 64 through northern New Mexico most of the day. Varied terrain made it an interesting drive. From sandy high desert we drove up and up into lush mountains. Green meadows and conifer and aspen forest made the air cool and fresh.

At about 10,000 feet, it was a bit thin too! Madge simply could not speed up the steep hills but that’s just as well – sharp bends abounded. Mike adjusted the gas mixture before we left Farmington but had to play with the idle speed on the road to stop the car dying in traffic. Tomorrow we’ll have to readjust it as we descend to lower elevations. The starter motor definitely sounds worse for wear…fingers crossed it makes it home. Otherwise we (I mean, Mike) will resort to the trusty crank handle for the final legs of the journey.

In forested areas we spotted a couple of elk. On the way over theTaos Mesa we crossed the Rio Grande, carving an impressive canyon. Skies ahead threatened as we passed a remarkable community of eco-houses, off-grid and built from recycled materials. The dark clouds were a mixture of dust, smoke from a fire in Los Alamos to the south, and thunderstorms (which would hopefully put it out!). News said a rare dust storm happened today in Albuquerque, further south
along the interstate route we’d decided against.


After some tense moments approaching the menacing weather, we stopped to put the top up. Of course this ensured no further rain! We stopped in Taos, with its distinctive pueblo buildings, for lunch and coffee. The local arts and crafts scene is so vibrant we couldn’t resist some shop browsing. Heading out of town we passed lots of pleasant canyon campgrounds and steered carefully round lots of curves. The elevation and breeze made it chilly enough for a jacket – a big change from yesterday! In Cimarron Canyon 
Mike dipped his feet in the river.

Further east, the scenery changed dramatically where the Rockies meet the plains. Our final 85 miles ploughed practically straight across flat, empty scrubland. Pretty antelope grazing at dusk caused us to keep vigilant eyes open, but thankfully none leapt into our path. In Clayton tonight, the sky outside our family-run motel is very dark indeed, showing plenty of stars along with the crescent moon.

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 22

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

Temperatures of 100°+F (over 38°C) challenged us during the first part of the day. From Green River, where we had a (too-)hearty breakfast in a quirky café, Arches National Park wasn’t far. Blistering sun kept us from doing any long walks. However, we enjoyed incredible views and did explore one beautiful formation up close. Touring the unbelievable arches and towers, we speculated about early explorers’ reactions when they stumbled upon the place, and the significance it must have held for native people since long before. We also felt grateful to be modern travellers, not
stumbling through the desert heat, hallucinating amongst towering stone figures. Mike did keep saying something about seeing palm trees and a waterfall, though…

Travelling south and east on fast highways, we left Utah and crossed
briefly into Colorado. Just before the state line, a crazy truck driver
began overtaking us despite oncoming traffic. To avoid the car in the
other lane, they pushed back into our lane before getting past us, so we were nearly crowded off the road. We honked our horn, shook our fists and decided to chase the truck down to get its license plate number. Crossing the state line snapped us out of that futile mission, and we stopped to take photos instead. Hopefully the driver was just having a moment and won’t do the same to others on the road…

Speaking of dangerous road incidents, we realised today what fortunate travellers we’d been on Monday. Looking at news and speaking with family, we heard about a 26-car pile-up in a sandstorm just west of Winnemucca and
floods in nearby Reno. Complaints about a rainstorm and blowing sand seem petty; we feel very thankful for our safe journey so far.

We weren’t long in Colorado before entering New Mexico. We travelled through the Navajo people’s tribal lands before stopping in Farmington. The MG has performed well again today with only minor idle speed issues. Remarkably, there’s been no overheating yet – without wanting to tempt fate, we’ve been delighted that this common MG problem hasn’t plagued us. Even with hot temperatures and long uphill drags, judicious use of the heater blower keeps the
temperature down. Mike’s theory is that installation of an
advanced thermostat, a high water to antifreeze ratio,
and the use of Water Wetter all contribute to
good radiator performance.

Long may it continue!

 

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 21

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

  

Today we crossed from Nevada into Utah, leaving a state famous for legalised prostitution for a state famous for Mormonism.  Not that either has been remarkable in either place!   Just over the border we found ourselves in moon-like terrain, on bright white salt flats.  We took a short detour to visit the Bonneville Speedway, of record-breaking speed trial fame (à la The World’s Fastest Indian).

What a surreal place.  Mirages, hazy whiteness and seaside smells in the middle of desert made the next hundred miles’ drive bizarre and memorable.  To the north and south of the interstate lie vast military testing grounds inaccessible to the public.  The contrast with Oregon’s ‘People’s Coast’ – signed into law as public lands from end to end – as well as the contrast in scenery and temperature made me nostalgic for the place we left yesterday.  However, after discussing why anyone would ever choose to live in a place without trees, we had to acknowledge that plenty of people appreciate wide open spaces too.  For them, this is the place! 

 A rest stop we paused at marked the spot where the final wire-splicing of the first East-West telephone line took place, linking New York to San Francisco, almost exactly 99 years ago. 

Just south of Salt Lake City – after passing roadside sailboat marinas on the lake itself - we participated in 8 lanes of heavy traffic.  It only cost us about half an hour.  The car never showed signs of overheating, even if we did!  On the move again, the ubiquitous gusty winds kept us cool.  Highway 6 provided uncrowded, fast-moving, interesting driving and a change of country:  white salty sand flats gave way to striated, lava-stained buttes and patches of scrubby green.  Price, Utah seemed an oasis of trees and green parks amidst dramatic evening shadows in the surrounding mountains and canyons.  Green River, where we’ve stopped tonight, lives up to its name. 

There’s much of nothing to report about Madge today, except that she’s been splendid:  gears shifting nicely, running at good temperature, starter motor functioning well, smooth body-work getting plenty of compliments.  Cruising at about 68mph suits Madge just fine.  I don’t want to jinx anything with this kind of talk, but it wouldn’t be right to leave praise unsaid. 

Tomorrow we hope to visit Arches National Park, which means we’ll have a break from long-distance driving – 421 miles clocked today.