Abingdon Rough Rider Review

November 2011 Vol. LIII(53) no. 11

President – Syd Saperstein Vice President - Jeff Glenn Activities Director Linda Chalmers Secty/Treas/Newsletter Editor- Allan Chalmers Eminence Gris Bill Traill WebMaster Rick Storms

Sunday November 20 Our November event has been changed to a later date - November 20 - an early - 5PM - Sunday dinner at the famous Capp's Co rner in North Beach.

The dinner is a reprise of the 2009 event, organized by Syd & Judi Saperstein. The price is $36 per person, table wine included, but otherwise a

cash bar. Come on out and begin the holiday festivities. Judi will need a check by November 11th, preferably earlier, for $36 each, se nt to their address, 22

Saratoga Lane, Alamo, CA 94507. Phone 925 820 7805. Or call me at 415 823 9796 with questions. Menu on a following page.

Holiday Party, Sunday December 4 The Holiday pot luck brunch is at the Swack's in San Jose on December 4th. Please let Sue or Barry know if you are coming. Info on a following page. Important that you contact Sue or Barry per the notice!

Annual Meeting We will be meeting January 7 at a venue to be decid ed

Our web site: www.abingdonroughriders.org 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.

Coming Events

Sunday, November 20

Dinner in San Francisco, a new tradition started by our beloved president, Syd Saperstein, who planned our North Beach foofarah a year or so ago.

Sunday December 4

A Holiday Brunch, at the Swackhamer’s in San Jose. This time we will do it potluck. Sunday, January 7 Annual Meeting

West Marin Run A small group gathered on Oct. 30 for a West Marin run on a perfect Fall day. Norman Tuck, Linda and I in TCs and our son Craig and fiancée Willa in my 356 Porsche met up with Rick Storms, TC, and Bill Clark, bugeye Sprite at Larkspur Landing and took off to Lucas Valley Road, out to Hwy 1, thru Point Reyes Station and out Point Reyes several miles, then back to Vladimir’s in Inverness for lunch. Norman, Craig and I went over the twisties from Bolinas on the way back. Some day I’ll count the number of turns on that bit of road. Really good upper body workout. Even more so when I was running the Bishop steering.

ABINGDON ROUGH RIDERS HOLIDAY PARTY DECEMBER 4 !

Come celebrate the holidays with a brunch at the Swackhamer’s on Sunday December 5 around 12 noon. This will be a potluck so when you respond you can talk to Sue about what to bring plus bring whatever you would like to drink.

Please RSVP by November 28. Directions to the Swackhamer’s at 135 Destry Ct. San Jose, CA 95136 408-227-5887 barry_sue90@hotmail.com Via 85

1) Exit Highway 85 South at Blossom Hill Road

2) LEFT onto Blossom Hill Rd.

3) LEFT onto Lean Ave (about 5 lights)

4) LEFT onto Chynoweth (light)

5) RIGHT onto War Wagon

6) RIGHT onto Destry Ct Via 101

1) Exit Highway 101 South at Blossom Hill Road

2) RIGHT onto Blossom Hill Road

3) Bear RIGHT toward Monterey Rd.

4) Right on Monterey.

5) LEFT onto Chynoweth (first light)

6) RIGHT onto War Wagon (1st street after light)

7) RIGHT onto Destry Ct The Swackhamer’s house is on the corner of War Wagon and Destry and has the big RV in front.

For Sale Jesse Bregman is reluctantly selling his TC. He says it’s mechanically quite good, could use a paint job He also thinks tires might be needed soon. He is asking $20K or offer. We don’t put email addresses on the internet, but his phone # is 831 427 1644. Because I like to keep email addresses off the web site, give him a call, or on the web site, under “About Us” email me thru the “secretary” link Upholstery for sale Betty Miller has a used but good black upholstery kit. She put a biscuit kit in her car. Make an offer. She is at (707) 539 3654 or contact me as above. New Member Roger Morse 504 Snake Hill Road Poestenkill, NY 12140 (518) 461 7606 rgmorse@morse-associates.com Roger is a member of the T-ABC group and has a nice collection of our favorite cars:

“I have 3 TCs

Two 1947 TCs vin number TC3737 and TC3738. Both left the factory on the day I was born, how lucky is that. TC3738 is in the later stages of a rolling restoration and gets driven every chance I get. TC 3737 is about 50% of the way through a nuts and bolts restoration. My goal is to take it to a few concourse this coming summer, and then drive the wheels off it. I also race a TC. It is a 1948 TC vin number TC6073. I run with the VSCCA. We just had our last race of the season at Lime Rock last weekend.

I have a TA, TA2399, that is awaiting restoration. It came out of a barn in Georgia. I think it will be a vintage race car in the relatively near future.

I also have a TB, TB0432, that I bought from Tom Hampton of Chico, CA, who may have run with your group. It was a stalled restoration that I plan to complete as a trials car, but a really nice trials car. Tom has since moved and I have lost contact. If anybody knows anything about his whereabouts, or about the history of the car, I would very much appreciate hearing.”

I don’t remember Tom Hampton and can’t find him in the archives. Anyone remember him?

From Jim Hill

Here’s a new book out on our favorite subject. Has all the usual suspects plus some you never heard of. Jim says he’s mentioned as a rider rather than a driver with Karl Ludvigsen . Also see Bill Lloyd page 167. He had a 1950 RHD TD, probably one of the first into the US. He fitted SU carbs to an Offy Midget race car engine (1500cc) and had one of the few, if any, Offys that worked for sports car racing applications. I think in 1952 it was third in points won on the East Coast SCCA rankings. I still have the SCCA competition plaque as fitted to the dashboard. I bought it as fitted with a Mark II spec TD engine. It had cycle fenders, aluminum bucket seats and floor boards, Alfin

drums, Andrex shocks as fitted in Mark II specs. 4.55 rear end and slow as hell going up long grades in 4th. Transmission didn't grind too bad after never being rebuilt after all that racing. I must say that some strange bits came out with the oil when the transmission was drained. I once had the car weighed at a local junk yard and it was about 1500 lbs. However, I knew the owner of the junk yard and often wondered if everything weighed light on those scales ! 4 Wheel Fun Bob Anderson sent me this joke book.

TC’s FOREVER – DOWN UNDER

There were 10,000 MG TC’s manufactured in England from 1945-49. According to Nuffield Exports, only 33% “stayed home” and the remaining 66% were exported. The 2nd largest number of exports went to Australia (total of 1774). In retrospect, this large Australian segment has had a profound and lasting impact on the very survival of our little cars today. Early on, there was a deep rooted sense of brotherhood amongst the Australian TC owners that helped cast the now infamous phrase: TC’s Forever. How did it all begin? On the 1st of June 1961, seven TC owners met in Perth on a Thursday night, whereby the attendees agreed to have a follow-on meeting 2 weeks later. As the 2nd meeting approached, a young TC owner recalled having difficulty with his XPAG and was feverishly working to get it back on the road. In his words, “enough was back together to drive so I flung the spanners aside, leapt to the wheel, and raced off to the meeting 20 miles away arriving around 11 PM.” The young enthusiast that almost missed the 2nd meeting was Mike Sherrell. The meeting lasted well into the early morning hours as there was much to do to. Elections, club rules and policies were all part of the evening activities for a club that would become known as the TC Owner’s Club. From this point forward the club has met every fortnight with growing attendance and solid participation. Total club member ship today is about 80. The normal venue is quite simple, meet at a different member’s home each time. Meetings start at 9PM and minutes are recorded for each and then read at the next meeting. As Graham (club member) said, “We really have not had to publish a club newsletter, because if you come to the meeting, you know what the news is”. There is also a great competitiveness and camaraderie at each meeting as the attendees get a “point” for attending and an extra for driving their car. With other opportunities for earning points there is a year-end “Club Champion” award given to the member with the most points. No wonder, these members drive sometimes 100 miles just to attend a meeting. Each meeting is also recorded with a meeting number. This past June the TCOC celebrated their 50th anniversary. As part of that celebration they are having the minutes of the 1st 1000 meetings published in a book for each of the members. There most recent meeting was #1254 held the end of Sept, where the group welcomed Bob & Lynn Douglas back from their “Barnsley to Beijing & Beyond 2011” (across Asia trip from June through Sept). The Douglas’s drove in excess of 15,000 miles in their TC. How fitting that Bob & Lynn would finish their trip to be part of the TC Owners Club celebration. For details go to: http://www.tcthewanderer.com/ And what about the young founding member, Mike Sherrell? Mike went on to serve in a number of leadership positions within the club. In the 80’s Mike took a brief sabbatical from club politics and wrote a book entitled: TC’s Forever. This book has been, without dispute, the most sought after reference for the TC globally. In addition to the technical detail on TC originality, it also chronicles much of Mike’s life experiences. As the patriarch to the TC

community, it is no surprise that Mike is the current president of the TC Owners Club during this historic 50 year anniversary period. The influence of the TC Owners Club has been equally important on the preservation of our cars. As depicted in TC’s Forever, it was the Australian segment that has defined and documented much of the now recorded TC history. As you read through the book, please note the multitude of TCOC member names throughout and the level of expertise to their offerings. It was only fitting that Mike Sherrell dedicated the first section of his book to the lifeblood of the TC referred to as “Clubmanship”. As a finale to this year’s historic festivities, the TCOC will be holding a club rally in Collie, Western Australia 14-17 Oct. Carol and I will be travelling to Perth to attend meeting #1255 on Thursday evening, 13 Oct. Then we are off south for the “Collie Rally” to tour Southwestern Australia. To follow this and other events, please visit our friends “down under” at: http://www.mgtcownersclub.com Doug Pelton, doug@fromtheframeup.com

Scene of the North Beach Event Obviously Phil Frank was here!

Capp’s Corner is at 1600 Powell st at the corner of Green St.

$36.00 including house wine, coffee, CA sales tax and 18% gratuity

FILET OF SOLE lemon butter and capers EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA breaded baked eggplant with marinara, béchamel & mozzarella CHICKEN SCALOPPINE sautéed breast with mushroom sauce PORK TENDERLOIN roasted with rosemary & garlic

The menu begins with minestrone followed by green salad with beans, beets and a creamy vinaigrette. A choice of main course above is served with pasta marinara and braised vegetables. Dessert is spumoni ice cream.

The Conclave photo without bus & Israelis thanks to Steve Simmons

DOOMSDAY! By Phil May

(Continuing the memoirs of our displaced Californian in Virginia)

Bob Windhorst kindly towed me back up to the top of the hill my folks lived on. I coasted down, swung wide and almost made it up the steep, short driveway. Quickly it went into gear and handbrake on. Somehow we got the TC back into the garage. Bob went home for his B-17 bomb hoist. I was worse than upset. We took the engine out quickly and set it on the garage floor. Bob went home with his hoist. Then it hit me… Dummy! I hadn’t drained the oil! Thus we come to the third memorable part of this rebuild story. I needed to get that oil out of the engine. I didn’t have the bomb hoist. What did I do? I was young and stupid! I removed all the bolts holding the sump to the engine. Then, imagine this, I hooked my feet onto each side of the sump and lifted the upper part of the engine, hoping to leave the pan on the floor and put the engine down on its side on cardboard. Tried once. Didn’t work. Twice… Strange double pulls in my groin. I stopped. Next morning I had a dull but persistent ache in lower abdomen. Off to the Doc. Double inguinal hernia. Didn’t cause me much trouble actually and did keep me out of the draft when I failed the physical the summer of ‘62. Nothing done until 47 years later when both started to bother me and got repaired. Fourth memorable part of the TC rebuild was when I got the head off the engine. One piston was basically welded to the cylinder walls. Remember back in the story when I put rags into the engine ports and had the engine steam cleaned prior to painting? Aye, there’s the rub! Some of that caustic solution had gotten in past the rags and through an open valve where it wreaked havoc. I removed the three untouched pistons and had to use a short hunk of 2x4 with a hand sledge to pound the wrecked piston down out of the cylinder. Engine down to Auto-Sport where all cylinders were bored out slightly. Then I did a partial engine rebuild! New pistons, one con rod, new bearings, etc. I learned how to use Plastigauge. But I got ‘er dun and the engine ran like a champ. And I finally went for a ride! Cool! (to be continued) photos of Don & Suzanne Scheu and the redo of the Miller/Chalmers/Bradford/Scheu TC

The California Autumn

Classic

Concludes with Great 2011

Event

The California Autumn Classic had its final show of a nineteen year run with the 2011 concours and tour. A record turnout of cars, beautiful weather, an enjoyable tour plus a delicious Italian Welcoming Dinner, allowed the event to finish on a high note. The Santa Cruz British Motorcar Club has been one of the co-sponsoring clubs of this event from the beginning. Bill Reade, the founder and organizer said, "It's been a long run of many great shows and tours but the time has come to retire the Autumn Classic event and name. Perhaps someone will start another exclusively British, year-end show in the future but the California Autumn Classic name is now a part of history."

And our Jim & Karen Silva took Best of Show with the Arnolt!

Jim Fleming has the first three programs for the Pebble Beach road races for sale, Rare items in great condition according to Jim. Make an offer, he’s in Phoenix at (480) 945 3485. He’s going to list them on

Ebay also.

A Pilgrimage to Abingdon by Dan Shockey This October, Nancy and I realized a long-time ambition to visit England, home of our literary heritage and of our beloved MG cars. We did it on a budget but got a nice hotel and were near a Tube station for getting around London. On the weekend that we were there, we rented a very-small Fiat Punto and drove to Abingdon. There was the annual general meeting (AGM) of the MG Car Club that day. I was tempted to go to a vintage racing weekend at Brooklands instead. But I needed to see Abingdon. We had trouble following the route to Abingdon but after several wrong turnings and difficult turn-abouts on very narrow lanes, we got there. Abingdon is a busy suburb of Oxford these days. The downtown is still quaint but the traffic on a Saturday is like some California towns I remember. We had a hard time finding the location of the meeting. It was at a technology park in the premises of a software company - also seemed like California rather than misty England. The weather was sunny and warm. The meeting was for the employees of the MGCC and those who run the various geographical Centres and car model Registers. It was interesting but we didn't stay long. They invited us to lunch and we got to meet some of the good club folks. There was a sampling of MGs in the parking lot. After lunch we set out to find the remnants of the MG Car Company. The MGCC has a house, Kimber House, just outside the site of the former factory. It is a popular destination for MG tourists but closed this Saturday. The former office building is all that remains of the factory site. It has been converted into "flats" (apartments) and clad with wood over the hallowed brick. The windows have been changed except for those at the west end where Cecil Kimber's office overlooked "the Works." We spoke to a resident of the flat below Kimber's office. He and his roommate were following Formula One qualifying. He thought it rather neat to live in what was left of the MG Works. The city of Abingdon is developing a new museum that will include displays of the MG Company. Kimber House often has former MG employees, Abingdon residents, on hand to answer questions. One site silent and unchanged is immediately across the drive from the office building. This is the old cemetery where hundreds of MG workers keep their vigil for MG faithful from over the seas. Dan is a former “Beloved President” of our august society and, with Nancy, now lives in Illinois. He was out for the Fall Festival in Morgan Hill. Sorry we missed you!