November, 2010

Next MeetingsNovember 1st, 2010 7:00 pm at The Weathervane in Bedford

(603) 472-2749

1974 MGB

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Car of the Month

continued page 6

By Bill Merisotis

From the time I was in elementary school,I would see all kinds of British cars intraffic whizzing by. To me, they allseemed like works of art. I can still pic-ture a pale yellow TR-3 at a traffic lightin the rain, and then driving off with thatrich exhaust note. My music teacher inthe eighth grade had a 61 or 62 red MGMidget. We all thought she was prettycool and were surprised that she fit into itdue to her height.

Once I was in high school, my friend andI would go into dealers’ showrooms andsit in a TR or MG and try out the clutchand gear shift. I’ll never forget the newBritish car smell. Whether leather or vi-nyl, it was intoxicating. I was sorry tohear, years later, that those smells wereharmful. When a salesman came by Iwould give the ‘just looking’ explanationand wander out to dream for a few moreyears until I got out of college. I wouldread test reports in magazines like“Mechanix Illustrated”, “Motor Trend”,and “Sports Car Graphic”, memorizing thevarious specs, such as suspension typeand 0-60 times.

The cars I learned to drive on were theexact opposite of the typical British car.In high school driver’s ed we had the firstmodel of the Olds Toronado to learn on.It was a real behemoth and the teacherloved to show off the raw power of thatfront-wheel drive machine when he tookus home. My dad had a 63 Ford Galaxiefastback, which I thought was good look-ing but was really clumsy around corners.It was nice to look at but was not a“driver’s car”. Somehow, I just never gotinterested in big V-8 equipped cars.

So what was my first car? A used 1967Simca 1000 sedan, because it corneredwell and was cheap and was all I couldafford while attending Keene State andworking summers. Has anyone else ex-perienced one of these? It was way un-derpowered, had a horrible bouncy stagecoach ride, and the four drum brakes

made scraping sounds when they got hot.Plus, the gears clashed if you tried to shifttoo quickly. One thing I did like about itwas that you could lift the inner front wheeloff the ground if you took a turn a littletoo fast. I did what I could to spruce it upwith rally stripes and fog lights, but it didn’tgo any better afterwards.

Two years later I opted for a used ’69VW Beetle, one of the most reliable smallcars on the road back at the time. Itserved me well for two to three years butwas far from being a sports car. Mostpeople I talk to have owned one or moreback in the day. I still like them today andwould not mind restoring one if I had thetime, equipment, and knowledge.

At Keene State college, I met severalpeople with British cars and got to learnfrom them the pros and cons of eachmodel. Several guys in college had MGs,TR-3s, and one had a twin-cam MGA.Another had an MG 1100 sedan and oneprofessor had a fairly pristine MGB GT.Most were the well-used variety and theowners did enjoy talking about them andI loved hearing about them. One espe-

cially tall guy had an old Mini Cooper withaircraft landing lights mounted on the frontand the ten inch wheels. Another guynamed Andy had a really beat up Jag XK-120, which he clearly enjoyed.

Once I got out of school and had a steadyjob, I headed straight for the MG dealerin Manchester and bought a blaze color(orange) MG Midget with wire wheels.It would serve me as a daily driver forthe next two years.

I found the Midget to be a thing of beautyand it proved to be very reliable for dailycommutes from Manchester to Nashuaas well as a few long trips to far off placessuch as to Nova Scotia. And, it’s hard toforget those accidental 180 degree turnson the icy city streets. It was so differentback then when they used to conservesalt and the snow stayed around for sev-eral days.

Below is a picture of my long time friend,Frank, who is 6’ 2” and managed to sharethe driving to Nova Scotia, though it wasjust a tad awkward for him. That was theonly time where being 5’8” was an ad-vantage.

The main problems with the midget werethe ultra loud exhaust system that it camewith, and a tendency to surge. I think thatwas due to the air pump and leancarborator settings, which I could neverquite correct. In the coldest part of thewinter the carburetors would freeze upon the Everett Turnpike on the way hometo Manchester from Nashua and I wouldpull up to the toll booth stuck at full throttle.It didn’t bother me too much since the

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AC – ALLARD – ALPINE – TVR – DAIMLER – MORRIS MOTORCYCLES – TRIUMPH – MG - JAGUAR – AUSTIN HEALEY

LAND ROVER – RELIANT SCIMITAR – LOTUS

BRITISH CARS OF NEW HAMPSHIREMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Visit us at www.bcnh.org

Please send application and $30 annual dues (payable to BCNH) to:Linda Cagan, 25 West Country Road, Bedford, NH 03110

If possible, please submit a photo and article of your car to be included inThe Boot, Hood & Bonnet - BCNH’s monthly newsletter.

Any photos submitted will be returned.

Name_______________________________ Spouse______________________

Address__________________________________________________________

City____________________ State____ Zip________ Phone_______________

E-mail address____________________________________________________

Year, Make, Model of Your Auto(s)___________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Name of Referring Member_________________________________________

British Cars of New Hampshire (BCNH) is an organization devoted tothe preservation, restoration and enjoyment of all British automobiles.

BCNH provides to its members and their families British auto-orientedactivities and social events throughout the year. Benefits of the club par-ticipation include monthly meetings, rallies, tech sessions, club socials,car shows and other events.

The club publishes a monthly newsletter, The Boot, Hood & Bonnet.News of upcoming events, club activities, car show results, technical tipsand articles submitted by members are included in the newsletter. Mem-bers also receive a discount on a subscription to the British Marque, amonthly car club newspaper.

A club logo window decal is provided. Additional decals may be pur-chased.

Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Weathervanerestaurant unless otherwise announced. All members are encouraged toattend and bring guests.

BCNH invites you to become a member of our active and growing clubby submitting the application above.

___ Paper Newsletter or ___ electronic copy of the Newsletter

BCNHMONARCHY

DIRECTORSWade dos SantosRobert Mitchell

TREASURERJohn Giese

NEWSLETTERJohn Giese

Irene MacDougallLinda Pendleton

REGALIA(open)

SECRETARYNorma Karle

WEBMASTERKate Stanley Robinson

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORSLinda Cagan

Louis Belanger

TECH SESSIONS COORDINATORWade dos Santos

ADVERTISING COORDINATORLinda Cagan

PUBLIC RELATIONS(open)

INTER-CLUB COORDINATORJeff Abbe

SOCIAL DIRECTORSGinger Christiansen

Cheryl BernsteinIrene MacDougall

CALENDAR COORDINATORNorma Karle

SHOW OF DREAMS DIRECTORMike Sweet

HISTORIANMike Sweet

www.bcnh.org

Contact information on page 4

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Emperor’s Stoop

Contact informationJeff Abbe 243 Queen Street, Boscawen, NH 03303 796-2922 mgdurango@yahoo.comLouis Belanger 11 Forest Lane, Litchfield, NH 03052 424-7835 80mgbman@comcast.netCheryl Bernstein 14 Franconia Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 882-8682 Cherylbern@comcast.netLinda Cagan 25 West County Road, Bedford, NH 03110 472-5212 lcagan@comcast.netGinger Christiansen 7 Sycamore Lane, Nashua, NH 03063 883-0288 gingchrist@aol.comWade dos Santos PO Box 840, Manchester, NH 03105 623-5209 wade@grolen.comMaggie DuPont 75 Island Pond Road, Derry, NH 03038 434-4627 grammymag@comcast.netJohn Giese 153 Crooked S Road, Lyndeborough, NH 03082 654-2565 johgie@tds.netNorma Karle 22 Partridge Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053 437-8931 karle01@comcast.netIrene MacDougall 147 Concord Street, Nashua, NH 03064 305-5976 limacd@msn.comRobert Mitchell PO Box 270, Stratam, NH 03885 772-1116 RBMit-MM@comcast.net

Kate Stanley Robinson PO Box 235, Chocorua, NH 03817 491-4667 webmaster@bcnh.orgMike Sweet 42 North State St, Apt 11, Concord, NH 03301 715-5346 CoventryCat71@comcast.net

Emperor Wade

$3935.43$43.00

-$.75-$124.79$3852.89

Treasurer’s Report

Start Balance50/50 RaffleBank FeeNewsletterEnd Balance

September15 to October 15Club account

$9612.79$5.00

$45.00$8500.00$1162.79

Start BalancePostage refundRegalia salesHigh HopesEnd Balance

Show of Dreams account

As your self-appointed Emperor-In-Ex-ile, I am writing to tell you that

I will return! And, when I return, you willall be forced to enjoy your British car,

submit to the happiness of our club events,be compelled to have pleasure at our clubparties, and to … to … wait a minute! Aguard is looking over my shoulder and heis LAUGHING!!! What did you say? The elected me a couple of years ago tobe what? Oh well, in that case:

As the 2010 BCNH driving season comesto a close I wish to look beyond the funand hard work and view the big picture.This year we managed to have a coupleof tech sessions. The Sunday Driveevolved into the Sunday Drive and Din-ner, with the options of drive, dinner orboth.

And, the Show of Dreams is on the thresh-old of a new state in this event. It is nolonger just an event for British car enthu-siasts, nor is it a regional gathering for allEuropean vehicles. It now has somethingfor everyone, with side events for peoplewho live in the greater Wolfeboro areaand for visitors to this “the oldest resorttown in America.”

Next year we hope to have more and dif-

ferent types of club events so that youwill continue to enjoy life with your Brit-ish car.

Bob Mitchell and I are starting a resourcedirectory of suppliers of British car parts,people and companies who provide ser-vices for British cars, places that providediscounts for club members, and clubmembers who will lend specialized tools.

I plan on hosting a British car area withinthe Cruzn’ Manchester event. I am go-ing to notify the New England British CarClubs and ask them to join in this event. Iwill ask the event organizer if we couldreserve the entire block of MerrimackStreet, as well as having someone comeand sell British hot & cold food items anddrinks.

At our December club meeting I will askmembers to consider going back to sepa-rate January and February issues of theclub newsletter.

At our January club meeting I will askmembers to consider:

1. Sending our newsletter to other Britishcar clubs that are located throughout NewEngland.

2. Offer Interested non-club individualsa chance to subscribe to our newsletterfor $10 a year.

3. Change the first year membership feeto a joining fee of $?? Plus a proratedper-month charge to the end of the year.The joining fee will pay for two BCNHname badges and a membership packet.

4. A budget of $300 for the club librarianfor the purpose of buying British car ori-ented resource books, booklets, pamphletsand videos as well as library support ma-terials.

Director’s Corner

Disclaimer:As a matter of policy, British Carsof New Hampshire does notendorse any of the businesses thatadvertise in this newsletter.

5

Minutes

Norma

October24th Mystery Tour (page 14)

November1st Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

December6th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

BCNH 2009 Calendar of Events

The October BCNH meeting was heldon October 11th at the Weathervane inBedford, NH. Bob Mitchell called themeeting to order at 7PM. There were 24members in attendance. We welcomednew member Tom Mulligan who has a1960 TR3.

The minutes were accepted as printed inthe newsletter as was the treasurer’s re-port.

The first order of business was an updateon the Autozone BCNH commercial ac-count. Bob Mitchell will send out anemail with all of the information. Clubmembers may use the account to receivediscounts on their purchases.

Second order of business was to presentthe Show of Dreams check to HighHopes. Chris Forkey a High Hopes boardmember was there to receive the checkfor $8,500. Chris thanked the club mem-bers and talked a bit about the work thatHigh Hopes does.

Wade thanks everyone for their cards andletters and wishes. Current status is thathe will be back after Dec 4th. Keep thecards and letters coming!

We spent quite a while going around theroom and asking members to share whatthey liked and did not like about the Showof Dreams. Comments Included:

- The weather was perfect- would like to see more cars on Sun-day- the teamwork was great- we should open the show up on Sun-day to other cars- liked the layout of the field- need more focus on the children’sactivities- the clown car was cute, open up vot-ing for spectators- ask sponsors to vote on a sponsors’award- we need a written schedule ofevents to publish on the web site- we need more activity on Sunday- we need better/ more signs indicat-

ing where the Nick is- more information on the Master’sClass- would like to see more backgroundinformation on the cars- parking needs to be improved- free drinks on the Winnie Belle (oopsthat was me)- singing and dancing lessons for thoseof us who made a spectacle of our-selves on the Winnie Belle (yes, thatwould be me).

Another past event was British Invasion,we had quite a few winners from theclub. We did not have a list at the meetingbut the winners list is available on theBritish Invasion Website. Winners fromour club included Best of Concours - BobCushman with his 1939 AC, Bob also wonClass 1 in the Concours.Ski & MarieRaymond took first in the Concours class5 with their 1951 MG-TC. In the People’sChoice arena - Congrats go to DavidLeBlanc with his 1958 AustinHealey. Maggie & Ivar Wold won 3rdplace in Class 5 with their 1956 AustinHealey, Theresa Barnicott & DavidDiRienzo won first place in Class 20 witha 1969 MGC, Roger & Crystal Treadwell2nd place in Class 21 ina 1972 MG Midget,Don & Karen Irving won 2nd place inClass 33 with a 1970 E-type 2+2, Firstplace in Class 34 was new member SandyCotterman with her 2000 Jaguar XKR,Class 41 was won by Barry & CarolPodmore with their 68 Triumph 250,Chuck & Doreen Giorgio won first placein Class #42 with a 1973 Triumph TR6,Bob & Diana Stanley were thrilled to winFirst place in Class 46 on the maiden voy-age of their GT6, new member JohnGallagher won class #48 in his 1965 AstonMartin DB5, Beverly Bonner won thirdplace in class #53 with her blue SunbeamAlpine, Bob Cushman won first in class#59 with the 1958 AC Ace. Sorry if Ileft anyone out. Congratulations to all ofthe winners! By the way,BCNH definitely had the best hospitalitytent!

Several club members participated in theMG T-Party event at the Kitzhof Inn. Hopefully there is an article in here some-where.

The last driving event of the season ap-pears to be the Murder Mystery Tour onthe 24th. More information elsewhere inthe newsletter.

Other upcoming events - the BritishMarque Triathlon IX. We have 5 or 6 ormaybe more teams already registered. Iknow there are at least 26 teams alreadyregistered (not all from our club). It willbe held on August 26-28th 2011 at PointLookout Resort, Northport, ME. Go tothe British Marque website to downloadthe form and register. We have the partychalet reserved and we plan to win theclub award!! This is a fun event and weneed your help to win! This is limited to100 cars / teams so sign up early!

Next Show of Dreams meeting is on Nov4th in Milford at Paul and Doris Karle’s6PM, there will be food and drink and Ipromise no dancing and singing. Pleasejoin us.

Oh we also had officer nominations to bevoted on next month. We nominated mefor secretary (if you want the job just letme know - it’s yours), Bob Mitchell andWade Dos Santos were nominated for theDirector’s slots, and John Giese wasnominated for the Treasurer’s slot. LindaPendleton volunteered to help with news-letter as an apprentice. And we vote nextmeeting.

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brakes still did their job quite well. Thatcar was still endearing to me in spite ofthose few shortcomings. At least theheater put out lots of heat. In the sum-mer, unfortunately, it was a pretty warmride. It could have benefited from a zip-out rear. That is, when you didn’t feel likehaving the top down. I wish that I couldhave kept it safe somewhere and beenable to resurrect it years later when itcould have served as a great second car.

Then about four years ago, I startedthinking about whether there werestill any classic MGs around in goodrunning condition. I had seen oneor two Bs in California where wehad attended a wedding. At thatpoint, thanks to the web, I startedresearching the various modelyears and began reading the nu-merous MG forums, especially theMG Experience. I wanted to learnall that I could about what to ex-pect, what sorts of problems peoplewere running into, and if I could dosome of the maintenance myself.I knew that I preferred to buy froma dealer, especially if there were any thatwere experienced with British cars, forthose repairs that I was reluctant tohandle. I looked for a place not too farfrom home and then I paid a visit to BritBits in Rye, New Hampshire. Having notseen many of these cars for so manyyears, it struck me as better thanDisneyland. All those great colors fromthe ’70s were there. There were severalreds, orange, British racing green, white,and a few blue ones. Some had great look-ing paint while others were starting tofade. I tried to sit in a couple and found itawkward. It must have been all thoseyears of ‘healthy eating’ and working ata desk job that had made me less limber.My first impressions were: “What hadhappened to that great new vinyl smell Ienjoyed in the 70s” and “Why were somemuch more expensive than others?” Afew good looks underneath provided someanswers. Many of the more affordable

ones would soon need body work to holdtogether. I opted to go out on a limb, cost-wise, and reasoned that I should pay morefor a body without major rust than haveto deal with it myself. I was shown a niceone in the showroom that had a nice paintjob, in a beautiful mineral blue. The onlyholes were a few small ones in the floorin the area of the drivers feet, which couldeasily be dealt with by a simple patch ortwo. I found the car irresistible, I lovedthe color, and it had overdrive to boot. Inever tire of the view down the long curvybonnet and the reflection of the sky andclouds in the finish.

The MG adventures began right on thatfirst trip home. The hood was not quitelatched, it popped up slightly, and I had topull off the highway to take care of it.Luckily the safety catch held and nothingserious resulted. As I pulled over, I madethe mistake of turning on the 4-way flash-ers. That’s when I found about the uniquerelationship that the switch has with theturn signal wiring. Of course the turn sig-nals and blinkers stopped working at thatpoint. I read in one of the web forumsthat you could flip the flasher switch sev-eral times fast and it would clean the con-tacts. Sure enough, that worked. A fewmonths later I decided to take apart theflasher switch, clean it and add dielectricgrease to prevent corrosion. That turnedout to be a much more permanent fix.

I was told that the person who had previ-ously owned it had not driven it muchlately and wanted it to go to a good home.These cars definitely thrive on regular use

and suffer if left to sit for long periods. Ifound out first-hand how true this was.The previous owner must not have donemuch to the car in the way of mainte-nance, other than, fortunately, change theoil. It wasn’t too long before I started toaddress some of the major rattles andthings about the car that bugged me. Oneof the first surprises was found to be theway that the twin 6-volt batteries weresecured. A couple of short pieces of 2X4lumber were jammed between the bat-teries and their compartments. Well, Ithought, that must have been the rattle Iwas getting. To fix it I added some proper

tie-downs. I’m sure that the bat-teries were hopping up and downon rough roads.

I found the source of the next rattleto be missing weather stripping un-der the boot lid. Actually, there wasa thin stick-on piece of ¼ inchfoam, which allowed the nicelypainted trunk lid to chip on its lowerrear edge and did not really hold itup off the body. Someone musthave run short of funds after hav-ing the car painted.

Another rattle turned out to be amisadjusted (maladjusted?)

driver’s door and had an easy and obvi-ous fix. The last rattle was a bit moreelusive, and was fixed by my mechanicwho found that some of the shock ab-sorber bolts as well as the steady rod hadloosened over time. Now that I have beenunder the car so many times for oilchanges and lubes, I have a better suc-cess rate with checking on the suspen-sion components.

One of the more discouraging things thatI did not want to tackle was the leakingmaster brake cylinder. That one took afew trips to the garage to get straight-ened out plus some damaged carpetingand old sneakers that got dripped on. Iguess this was the car’s way of gettingmy attention if I was not good aboutchecking the reservoir. I really began tounderstand the way that British cars coulddevelop human characteristics.

Sometimes it feels like you are caring foran old friend or relative. I find that I can-

Car of the Month continued

7

not hesitate to spend money on it, but Ialways resent spending the same amounton my more modern daily driver.

Some of the other tasks I paid to havedone during the 3 years I owned it:

·Rear brake cylinders and brakeshoes, since they got saturated, abouta year after the master cylinder fiasco.

·Replaced steering gaiters and tie-rodend gaiters, which were split

Some of the things I did myself in thethree years that I have owned the car:

·One of the first jobs was to replacethe windshield washer hoses, whichhad fallen off, and rebuild the washerpump. This is the worst and most frus-trating thing I have ever attempted be-cause my arms aren’t that long andthe washer hardware is nearly inac-cessible. Taking out the speedometerhelped a bit, but I probably could haveused a tetanus shot after all the abra-sions from sharp metal under the dash.I had to come up with some clever, Ithought, methods to tighten the nutsthat attach to the squirter pieces wayup under the dash. It’s as though thecar was build around them.

·Replaced the courtesy lamp whichhad short-circuited and melted theswitch and wire within it.

·Added interior footwell lighting.

·Replaced the trunk lock which hadceased to operate.

·Replaced the small foam air filterswith some used Coopers units that Irefurbished. I never liked the suctionnoise the foam filters created.

·Replaced the oil in the 4-speed over-

drive transmission with the correct 30-weight, non-detergent oil recom-mended by Quantum Mechanics.(Now it shifts into OD without jarringmy teeth.)

·Replaced both vent window seals,which had fallen apart, and windowchannels. Taking apart the doors wasactually fun since it required so manydifferent tools.

·Added relays to the headlights andhorn (lights were dim and now they’regreat)

·Drained and flushed cooling systemand replaced thermostat – constanttemperature now and right near themiddle.

·All new radiator & heater hoses –just in case.

·Added battery cutoff switch forsafety and tinkering with wiringprojects.

·Replaced distributor ground wire,which made for a much smoother idle.

·Filled shocks making them work muchbetter.

·Replace Lucas fuel pump with elec-tronic one (no points)

·Replaced shift lever damping plunger/spring, and shift lever bushing. (Nowshifts smoothly and quicker withoutgrinding and much less vibration andnoise.)

·Added seat belt holders attaching toheadrest post (no more chafing on theneck)

·Added mesh wind deflector – greaton long trips especially on the high-way – quieter and less buffetingagainst the back of my head/neck.

·Added LED brake lights (20 or soleds on a circuit card) making the backof the car way more visible.

·Added stainless steel brake flexhoses, which do help make the brakesmore effective.

·Added a cup holder since a cold drinkis a must without air conditioning in

July and August. I built into it a voltmeter, which is one of the star attrac-tions in the segment below.

Voltmeter / Cup Holder

My latest adventure came on the wayhome from the British invasion a fewweeks ago. The red charging light stayedon, and after stopping to check on the fanbelt, I observed that the charging rate onthe volt meter was down to ten or elevenvolts. I thought that I might as well headfor home since all gauges otherwise readnormal and the car ran fine. By the timethe two-plus hour trip to Concord wasover the voltmeter was down to abouteight volts and yet the engine kept run-ning. The next day, I removed the alter-nator and did some tests with a batterypowered test light that I had read aboutin the MG electrical systems book. Therectifier failed the test so I ordered a newone from Moss through Brit Bits. Once Igot the part and soldered it back in andreattached it to the car, it all worked fine.It just goes to show you that a formershop teacher turned programmer can doa lot with a little reading and patience.Saving money isn’t a bad thing either.

Faulty rectifier from the alternator

continued next page

8

Last winter I managed to change thefaulty fuel pump, replacing it with a newpoint-less electronic one. Once I figuredout how to stem the flow of gasoline downmy arms, it was pretty straightforward,though awkward. I jacked up the side ofthe car (right) where the fuel pump re-sided until the flow stopped. Once I heldthe old unit in my hands, I thought of howthe first heart surgeons must have felt. Itwas really a great feeling when the newunit was in place and ticking away. Thepatient lives on once again!

My MG has become a nice rattle-free andpleasant car to drive after nursing itthrough all the usual glitches. I enjoy it asmuch as I can and like visiting it in mysmall garage to see how it’s doing, evenin the winter.

I always got the sense that these arepretty simple reliable cars; not much inthe way of complex electronics, thankgoodness. The nice thing is that they arenot beyond the capabilities of a deter-mined do-it-yourselfer. British cars tendto have nice throttle response, reasonablygood ride, and a seldom boring to drive.They do remind you that they are a ma-chine and require your attention.

Car shows are a lot of fun for sharingideas and experiences with other own-ers. Joining BCNH, has shown me whata lot of very talented and creative peopleare out there, and I hope to be able toenjoy this hobby for many years to come.

So, drive safely, have fun, and watch outfor teens in SUV’s on cell phones.

Car of the Month continued MYSTERY TOUR

October 24, 2010

You are hereby notified to appear at the Airport Diner (Manchesteron the way to the airport @ the Holiday Inn)

On Oct. 24th @8:00 am to collect and /or give evidence regarding themurder of THE GREAT RADINSKI.

All suspects and investigators will be present for the pleasure of theCHIEF OF POLICE under penalty of shunning.”

For more information see page 12

Leesa Knudson HudakDon Hudak, Owners

www.BritBooks.com

800.732.3646BritBooks@BritBooks.com

149 Morrill RoadCanterbury, Nh 03224

9

We have now established a Commercial Account with AutoZone. Discountswill vary by the actual product purchased.

This is a COD Account – no charges are authorized so individual AutoZonestore personnel don’t have to worry about whether you are “authorized” ornot.

The Account can be used at any AutoZone store in the system. Simply tell thesalesperson that you are a member of the British Cars of New Hampshire andthat we have a Commercial Account. When they type British Cars of NewHampshire into their System, the account should come up and they will askyou for a PIN. (Email johgie@tds.net for the PIN)

Account Name is: British Cars of New Hampshire

PIN is: (see above)

I don’t expect that you’ll find many LBC Specific parts at AutoZone, but youcan feel free to use this account for any items you buy – including those foryour “everyday car.”

Fall Foliage Tour –The Kizhof Inn, Dover,

VermontOur thanks to Roy Crane of the T-Party(not the political Tea Party) for doing allthe grunt work to set up for the VermontFall Foliage Tour which used the KitzhofInn (www.kitzhof.com) in West Dover,Vermont as its base of operations.

About twenty Club Members (both T-Party and BCNH) braved roads whippedby wind and rain to drive eleven LBCs(and one or two “non-conforming” ve-hicles) northward and westward fromMassachusetts and New Hampshire. Thefollowing listing was taken from the Inn’sregistration info.

Walter Angoff, Rudy & Barb Krueger,Roy Crane (Road Captain,) Robert &Kim Dougherty, Charles Dyer (CurrentT-Party Pres.) George & Linda Colburn,Steve Neal, Roger Sienkiewicz & LindaBlackford, Judy Krongelb, GeoffreyDupont, Bob Mitchell & Joyce Heck andDon & Karen Irving. In addition, RayBoas, who lives just across the river inWalpole, NH, drove over for the day inhis TR3A.

Innkeepers Simon & Alison Ferris hada welcoming meal prepared for those thatmade it through the rain on Friday after-noon and Friday evening was spent so-cializing in the Common Room and view-ing Disc 1 (the Pre-war years) of theHistory of the MG Car Company.

Saturday morning brought a hearty break-fast in the dining room of the Inn and wethen broke up into manageable groups to

go out and experience Southeastern Ver-mont in the fall. Yours truly lead one ofthe groups and, in my typical fashion, tooka wrong turn and didn’t end up exactlyfollowing the Covered Bridge Tour thatwe had planned to follow.

But we all agreed that we were just outfor a ride anyway, so it really didn’t makemuch difference which road we took. Wedid find our way to MacLaomainn’s Scot-tish Pub in Chester in time to eat a thor-oughly enjoyable “pub fare” lunch and stillhad time to visit both the Vermont Coun-try Store in Weston and the Grafton Vil-lage Cheese Company in, well, in Graftonactually.

All drivers made it back to the Inn in time

for a Fish & Chips Dinner followed bythe second (post-war years) disc of theHistory of the MG.

The photos included with this article weretaken after Sunday morning breakfastwith participants dispersing after thephoto-op.

Joyce and I wended our way northwardthrough Newfane and Townsend andSaxton’s River on the way home withseveral stops at antique stores and at theGreen Mountain Spinnery in Putney wherethe shorn fleeces of sheep and llamas andalpacas are still commercially spun intoyarn for knitting and weaving.

It was a beautiful weekend for a drive,once we got there.

Bob Mitchell

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by Dennis Magnan

Stowe Vermont was the place to be Sep-tember 17-19. Why??? It was the 20th

British Invasion of Stowe Vermont! Forthose of you who have never attended,you are missing out on a really great funevent and weekend! The third weekendevery September the town of Stowe Ver-mont is ‘invaded” by between 600 to 800British cars of all sizes, shapes, ages andconditions! To say this is a Premier mo-torcar event is an understatement!

The weather for the weekend was clearand bright, we just missed a downpour onThursday the 16th, and the roads wereclear and dry. A group of our members(around 18) went up on Friday and stayedat the Commodores Inn in Stowe to es-tablish a “base of operations” (translation:party central) for the weekend!

Friday evening the town of Stowe closesoff the downtown area to start off thefestivities. British car owners park theircars on Main Street around dusk and visi-tors and fellow BC enthusiast enjoy theview while eating a variety of food soldby local merchants and restaurants. Ofspecial note was the appearance of the“Beatles” !! No not the bug, but that fa-mous music group from England!! Well,actually, they are not THAT famous mu-sic group, and to be honest, they aren’tactually from England either! I believethey were actually a band called “BeatleMania”, a great Beatles Tribute Band. Itshould be noted that a number of our

members sporting their ‘hair” hats wereobserved dancing and sing to the soundsof the 60s. ( the guys that is.)

Saturday arrived bright and clear with thefield opening up around 8:30 to welcomein the approximately 670 cars that wouldgrace the field for the next two days. Ihave to say it is quite a sight to see somany distinctive British cars in one place. If you’ve never been to the British Inva-sion I suggest you go, if even for the day. I’ve been to the invasion twice now, andeach time it’s been well worth the trip. Our crew from BCNH fielded abouteleven cars and set up a “BCNH” hospi-tality tent on the field where our mem-bers shared some good food and drink.In fact, our club was the ONLY club tohave a tent set up for club members! Itwas a great place to sit down and take abreak from viewing the show cars, buy-ing items from the vendors and lookingat the cars for sale. (In the area of carsfor sale our members managed the saleof one TR6 and an acquisition of a Jag-uar. Thus the Zen balance of BC’s in ourclub was kept!) As the day progressedwe all examined the cars on display andcast ballots for car we thought was thebest in their class. There were 63 classesto judge and it wasn’t an easy task.Which car to choose was a pretty hard

decision to make as each was remark-able in its own ways. Finally, at 4 p.m. itwas time to retire from the field and headback to our rooms for a rest and recharge.The evening was spent by members invarious ways. Some stayed in and enjoyedthe hotel restaurant while others got to-gether as a group to enjoy the variouseating establishments Stowe has to offer.

Sunday arrived, a bit cooler and not asunny as Saturday was. The number ofcars that returned was down from the to-tal on Saturday. Despite that, the day wasstill enjoyable with a few new cars to seeand various special events that took placesuch as the Competition of Colors, theTailgate Picnic Competition and the BackSeat Drivers Competition.

The invasion finally concluded with theannouncing of the car class awards. I amhappy to say that our club scored big inthat area! We had a number of winnersthat took awards in a variety of catego-ries!

After the awards were made and thewinners congratulated we all slowly madeour separate ways back to New Hamp-shire with visions of the weekend past andthoughts to next years Invasion. All inall, it was a wonderful weekend spent inthe company of some really great people,all together enjoying shared interest andexperience.

You can view the winners atwww.britishinvasion.com

Best in ShowDave Leblanc

Astin Healey 100-6

11

McLean Enterprises Inc.

Sales & ServiceOrderingInformationFax

Over 30 Fine British Sports Cars in stock14 Sagamore Road (Rte.1A) Rye. Nh

Check out our Web Site at www.britbits.com

603 436-1989800 995-2487603 433-0001603 433-0009

MG • Austin Healey • Triumph •Sunbeam • Jaguar • Morris MinorSales & Service • Parts, New & Used • Gifts • Clothing • Accessories

Brit Bits at

Welcome ourNewest Members

Chuck & Doreen Giorgio44 Brewster Street

North Andover, MA 01845britcarman@aol.com

1973 TR-6

Dan & Alice Grandmont173 Wellington Road

Rindge, NH 03461(603) 899-2240

grandmoth4@msn.com1978 Triumph Spitfire

John & Lorraine Gallagher4 Nathaniel Drive

Amherst, NH 03031(603) 769-7797

johnpgallaghers@earthlink.net1994 Mini Cooper

1965 Aston Martin DB-51998 Jag XJ8 Sedan

John & Susan LaPlante3 Samoset DriveSalem, NH 03079(603) 898-4506

hagar66@aol.com1969 TR-6

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MURDER MYSTERYSunday, October 24, 2010 at 8:00 AM

There will be a review of all the evidence on the murder of theGreat Radinski.

All members of BCNH are hereby subpoenaed to appear at theAirport Diner, 2280 Brown Avenue, Manchester (603) 623-5040

Investigators will interview the suspects, gather additional evidenceand travel to the site for a bit of CSI.

Confirm your acceptance of the subpoena tocarstuff131@comcast.net

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DEATH!The Great Radinski, world-renowned magician, performed his ultimate and final performance at his lakeside home in the townof Mystic. In what was supposed to be a cheery gathering amongst close family members and intimate friends and admirers toset off the annual weeklong Halloween festivities, The Great Radinski was found murdered.

Neighbors were shocked at the horrible discovery in their quaint little corner of the world. To many, the eccentric Radinskiwas both admired and sometimes gently teased for his flamboyant ways. “He could charm the mask off a raccoon”, stated afriend who wanted to remain anonymous. Radinski always planned the most entertaining and mind-boggling acts before thisexclusive coterie of individuals before he took his show on the rounds from one winter resort to the other.

The police quickly gathered all the costumed party attendees to question them and discover exactly who would commit sucha deed? Was it a crime of passion? Revenge? Anger? Detectives are gathering their information and will soon crack this case.

Last year, and in the same county, another murder occurred. Thankfully, that crime was solved and the perpetrator is nowbehind bars. Francine Cooper, former fashion icon, has been true to her word. Her fellow inmates have a confident air aboutthem as they walk about in well-cut and stylish uniforms. It appears that that old adage clothes make the man hold true forladies as well.

To order your BCNH name badge con-tact Linda Cagan at:

(603) 472-5212

13

An Invitation to Subscribe to

British MarqueCAR CLUB NEWS

We are now a Participating Club of the British Marque Car Club News, a monthly tabloidnewspaper featuring the news of our club and numerous other British car clubs as well.

Members of Participating Clubs can subscribe to the Marque at a discounted subscriptionrate. You can use the form below to subscribe and begin receiving 11 issues/year full ofinformation about British car events, tech tips, special features, parts supplies andclassifieds.

Free Classified Privilege

Each subscriber from Participating Clubs is also entitled to one free non-commercialclassified (up to 20 words) per issue. An additional 15 cents will be charged per wordover the 20 word limit. Photos are also additional, at $7.50 each.

Subscriptions for U.S. Participating Club members are only $14.00/year.Subscriptions for Canadian club members are only $17.00 (U.S.)/year.

Subscriptions for U.K. and elsewhere overseas are only $22.00 (U.S.)/year.Regular subscriptions are $22.00 U.S. and $26.00 Canadian, and $31 U.K./year.

Don’t delay ~ Subscribe today!

British Marque Car Club Newsc/o Enthusiast Publications, LLC5 Old Nasonville RoadHarrisville, RI 02830U.S.A.

PARTICIPATING CLUB SUBSCRITION FORM

Club Name _________________________________________________________

Member Name ______________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________

City ______________________ State/Prov.______ Zip/Post Code ____________

Phone (Optional) (____) _____-_________ Date ___________________________

Attach cheque or money order payable to Enthusiast Publications, LLCForm and cheque must be received by the 20th of month prior to receive next issue.

14

Marquette DTNA VISIONOwned by a local garage since NEW. Ithink one cable got lost asI never got it from owner.I never used it because Ihave 2 others in mygarage. A real classic toolpriced to move $150.00or best offer Ivan.chuck23@metrocast.net

British Motor Corporation AM RadioNo knobs, no idea if it works. Best offer.call or e-mail Mike, (603) 715-5346sweetm@graphicpkg.com

Free to good home1. Owners Workshop Manual (softback)for MGB Roadster & GT Coupe 1962to 1974 by Haynes2. SU- Hitachi Carburetors Manual(softback) by Carbooks, Inc. - Tune,Adjust, Repair, Rebuildemail me at: Robert.Weller@Bdal.com

1959 Abarth Double Bubble Coupe- Good Condition, $60,000 (603) 654-6057

Two Car Covers Made for Mercedes240D/300D and Jeep Cherokee. Similarto one in picture. $25 each (originallycost over $100 each). (603) 654-2565johgie@tds.net

Traffic Light - Nice shape, 12"lens. Pith helmet not included.$50.00 Call Mike at603.715.5346 or e-mailcoventrycat71@comcast.net

1974 TR6 Older restoration of rust freeCalifornia car. Owned for 12 years.Thousands invested in the restoration. Allmechanicals work properly. This car isturn-key ready to drive and enjoy. Pleasefeel free to call for additional info orphotos. Asking $11,500 Call: 603-303-8485

For Sale: 1965 Austin Healy Sprite Mk 3Project car - $650Called Spridget, same car as MG Midget Mk 2. This is a project, current condition is completely stripped down and somewelding of repair panels has been done. Frame appears to be solid, there are some panels (floor & trunk floor) that should

be cut & replaced. Some patch panels are included, some have been weldedin already. Just about all parts arethere, many have been rebuiltalready (front end, new controlarms, rear end re-sealed, carbsbushed) and many new parts areincluded: seat upholsetery, wheels& Michelin tires are Brand New,new hubcaps, top, tonneau, all new brakes (including new master cyl) and lotsmore. Pix can be seen at: flickr.com/valed1, 65spridget by valed1. Engine &

trans are said to have been running. Both turn. Windshield has North Carolina sticker from 1980. Miles on odo 77597. Billof sale only. Body can be lifted onto trailer or truck bed by 2 of us, dims are 52" wide 10' long. At least 2 manualsincluded. Contact Ed at (603) 770-9436, valed@usa.com

Magazine back issues free toanyone who wants them.

Car & Driver1961 Jun: Lotus 19, SunbeamAlpine 2, Aston Martin DB4GT1963 Mar: AC Cobra, AH 30001967 Dec

Road & Track1964 Jul:Lotus Cortina1973 Sep & Oct1975 Jan Feb Apr: TR7, May:TR7 & Jag XJS, Jun, Jul, Aug,Sep, Oct: Jag XJS, Nov, Dec1976 Jan: Lotus, Jun: AH, MGB,Midget, TR7, Spitfire1977 Jan, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep1979 Mar1980 Jan1981 Jun1982 Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec

These are give-a-ways so it'spick-up here (or pay thepostage), I'm in Hebron, NH,Karl Braconier, (603) 744-8444

7” Lucas Pre-Focus Headlamps,good shape withbulbs and holders$40.00 for thepair. Mike(603) 715-5346 orsweetm@graphicpkg.com

15

Wanted

1953 TD Engine I would appreciateanyone’s help in finding a 1250cc Engineto rebuild. Ivan Dorechuck23@metrocast.net

1973 MGB 4-speed with new head.Good top, fair interior and seats. Needsnew floors. Rockers are solid. $3500 orBO. Call Ivan at (603) 652-4717.chuck23@metrocast.net

1975 TR6 - 54,087 original miles. Redwith black interior. This is a two ownervehicle and the first owner is family.Always garaged. Never had any bodywork except paint about twenty yearsago. Bondo-free. Michelin red-lines.Seats and carpet were to be next project.Small patch on conv top, but otherwise ingood shape with very clear windows.New stainless exhaust. $10,250. Pleaseemail with further inquiries and photos.dhreedjr@yahoo.com

TR6 Metal rims for sale: I'm convertingover to wire wheels so I'm selling 4 newlypainted rims, spare tire rim, four chromewheel trim rings, and black hub caps.The 4 wheel rims were bead blasted andpower coated only about 5 months agoand look great! Spare rim in good shapebut has not been repainted. Chrome wheelrim rings are in great shape with no rustor nicks... Black hub caps are also in verygood shape.I'm looking for: $275 for the 4 newly painted rims $25 for the spare tire rim $50 for the 4 chrome wheel trim rings $35 for the 4 hub capsLocal pickup only. Willing to meet you foran exchange if the distance isn't too far.Please call (603) 512-2675, ask forDennisNote: pictures show the rims mountedon red line tires... this sale is for therims, trims and caps only...not the redline tires.

Wanted Jaguar XKE, - manuel, straight6, convertible, in driver condition. If youknow of one or can give me advice onfinding one please contact Nancy at:nar05@hotmail.com

1948 MGYA 4 door with large sunroof.Will sell to club member for $16,500 now.Not many of these. Active club in UKhas most parts. Uses some MGTD pieces.No time for this car. No space to store it.Car in Bedford, NH.wmann@mannad.com

MGA 1500 short block - fresh groundbalanced crank and rods crank .020 and.030 Bore .020 Block only No head. Allwork preformed by Auto machinist$2,400.00 call 603-652-4717 Ivan.

1980 TR-7 convertible, white (originalpaint), no visible rust or major dents, carwas never in any accident. Engine runswell and shifts well. Tires in goodcondition. Top is black and in faircondition. Car is garaged. It was registerin NH for many years and in MA the past12 years. I was a previous member ofBCNH and as such you may have seenthis car at shows. Asking $3300. Dr.Bruce Witte (508) 875-5552

2 rebuilt Zenith carburettors Ser#175SCD-2, plus 2 new air filters $400,BO. Also 1 new manual choke $100, andother misc. parts for British sports cars.Call John 225-6915

Jensen Healey Factory Workshopand Owner’s Manual Both in verygood condition, $100.00 for both

TR6 and Spitfire Restoration Guides.Like new, $20.00 each

Big Healeys Collector’s Guide.Excellent condition, $30.00

MGB GT V8 Owner’s Manual.Damaged cover, $10.00

Contact Mike at:coventrycat71@comcast.net or603.715.5346

British Cars of New Hampshire25 West County RoadBedford, NH 03110

BNCH presents a check for $8,500To High Hopes