BONNEVILLE BANTER Monthly Newsletter of the Bonneville Austin-Healey Club November, 2014 www.bonnevillehealeyclub.org Vol. 31 No. 11 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Page1 PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS: Hey folks, it’s November. The November 11 th meeting will center on nominations for the 2015 officers. As discussed at the October meeting, two positions need to be filled. The vote was to return to having an Activities Chairperson, and if we are to sponsor the Park City Show again, we need a person to chair that event as well. My BJ had a malfunction of the crankshaft oil restrictor causing a rod bearing to seize onto the journal. The results are a crankshaft that needs to be rebuilt and a rod that may need replacement. The internals of the motor seem very good for the 40,000 that I have driven the car, and no idea about how far it went before I acquired the car in 1985. Interestingly the cam shaft has minimal wear, yet the lifters are what I classify as junk. The only other problem internally was that the cam bearings were badly worn. Since the car is now disabled it appears to be a good time to do some structural repairs. (Rust removal). I may even break down and repair the damage the rear end sustained about 12 years ago. Get your reservations for the holiday party to Jim Revel soon. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Tuesday evening than with the fellow Bonneville Healey Club members. See you at the November meeting Happy Healeying, Dave +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EDITOR’S COMMENTS: At the risk of being redundant, I’d like to repeat my plea for articles for the newsletter or if you can’t do that, some suggestions on content. The Member Profiles have been great but it won’t be too long before everyone that will, will have written their article. Some members have been too busy or just didn’t want to write their profile. The profiles, however, are an excellent way to get to know each other and everyone has a story about what made them interested in driving, restoring and showing their Healeys. If you’ve completed a project, how about an article on what you did and what you learned from the experience? Odds are that someone else may be thinking about doing the same thing and could benefit from your experience. If you’re interested in Healey history, how about an article on a particular model or maybe some racing
Transcript
BONNEVILLE BANTER
Monthly Newsletter of the Bonneville Austin-Healey Club
on nominations for the 2015 officers. As discussed
at the October meeting, two positions need to be
filled. The vote was to return to having an Activities
Chairperson, and if we are to sponsor the Park City
Show again, we need a person to chair that event as
well.
My BJ had a malfunction of the crankshaft oil
restrictor causing a rod bearing to seize onto the
journal. The results are a crankshaft that needs to
be rebuilt and a rod that may need replacement.
The internals of the motor seem very good for the
40,000 that I have driven the car, and no idea about
how far it went before I acquired the car in 1985.
Interestingly the cam shaft has minimal wear, yet
the lifters are what I classify as junk. The only other
problem internally was that the cam bearings were
badly worn.
Since the car is now disabled it appears to be a good
time to do some structural repairs. (Rust removal). I
may even break down and repair the damage the
rear end sustained about 12 years ago.
Get your reservations for the holiday party to Jim
Revel soon. I can’t think of a better way to spend a
Tuesday evening than with the fellow Bonneville
Healey Club members.
See you at the November meeting
Happy Healeying,
Dave
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDITOR’S COMMENTS: At
the risk of being
redundant, I’d like to
repeat my plea for
articles for the
newsletter or if you
can’t do that, some suggestions on content. The
Member Profiles have been great but it won’t be
too long before everyone that will, will have written
their article. Some members have been too busy or
just didn’t want to write their profile. The profiles,
however, are an excellent way to get to know each
other and everyone has a story about what made
them interested in driving, restoring and showing
their Healeys. If you’ve completed a project, how
about an article on what you did and what you
learned from the experience? Odds are that
someone else may be thinking about doing the
same thing and could benefit from your experience.
If you’re interested in Healey history, how about an
article on a particular model or maybe some racing
BONNEVILLE BANTER November, 2014
2 | P a g e
history? If you see a good cartoon, send it along.
With your help, we can make the newsletter a
useful tool and not just something you look at to
determine when the next meeting will be held.
Our annual Christmas Party will be held at Faustina’s
on Tuesday, December 9th. Details and menu are
contained in this issue. We always have a great turn
out so please, get your reservations into Jim Revel
by November 8th at the latest.
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BONNEVILLE AUSTIN-HEALEY CLUB 2014 OFFICERS
President: Dave Maxwell: 801-943-4803 1752 E Paulista Way, Sandy, UT.84093 [email protected] Vice President: Ernie Reno: 801-969-2521 5711 So.4270 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84118
Membership: Jim Thornton: 801-485-9404 3503 Millcreek Cir. SLC, UT 84106 [email protected] Newsletter Editor/Historian: Craig Mossberg: 801-942-0750
2026 Brady Creek Dr. Sandy, UT 84093 [email protected] Webmaster: Jon Hanson: 801-583-7512
1375 Roxbury Rd. S.L.C., UT 84108 [email protected] AHCA Delegate: Dave Maxwell: 801-943-4803
UPCOMING EVENTS Nov. 11: General Meeting- Joe Morley’s. Nominations for 2015 Officers. December 9: Christmas Party- Faustina’s. See Menu and costs in this issue. Get your reservations to Jim Revel as soon as possible.
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Graham Hill racing Sprites at Sebring.
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October 14th Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM. Dave Maxwell conducting. The meeting was held at Joe Morley’s. Members in attendance: Joe Morley, Don Hughes, Dil Strasser, Dave & Sandy Maxwell, Doug & Ann Lewis, Jim Thornton, Ernie Reno, Craig Mossberg, Ken Clifford, Allen Brown. Membership: Currently there are 47. Allen Brown brought possible new member Craig Lee. Craig recently purchased a 1961 BT7 at an auction in Monterey, California. Treasurer’s Report: The checking account balance is adequate for the club’s needs. Newsletter Editor: Craig said he is having problems receiving member profiles. Please send Craig articles to print in the Bonneville Banter.
Other Business: Members were again asked do we want to sponsor the Park City Car Show??? No comments were made by members in attendance. If we continue with the car show, a chairman is still needed. Nominations for Bonneville Austin Healey Club officers will be held at our November 11th club meeting, please come and volunteer to HELP our Club in 2015. New Business: Jon Hanson has created some Austin Healey bumper stickers he purchased 4 if you want one they are $4.00. Our next club meeting will be held at Joe Morley’s on November 11th. Updated Activities for 2014: November: November 11th General Meeting at Joe Morley’s. Nominations for 2015 club officers will be held. December: On Tuesday December 9th the club’s Christmas Party will be held at Faustinas, 454 East 300 So., SLC. Jim Revel volunteered to help set up. As of tonight’s meeting, Jim had only received 1 RSVP. See the November edition of the Bonneville Banter for menu & prices. Money & menu selections should be sent to Jim Revel by November 10th The meeting was adjourned at 8:14 PM.
Submitted by Sandy Maxwell
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QUESTION: What is the “Spirit of Ectasy”? For the
answer, see page 6.
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Member Profile: Ann Lewis
I grew up in a family that consisted of a mother,
father, and two daughters. I am 5 years younger
than my older sister, Marian. Marian was ultra-
feminine: loved to play house with dolls and dishes;
fairy houses in the garden and wore frilly things with
bows and sashes and Mary Jane shoes. I was the
tomboy: could play all sports fairly well; climbed
trees, rode bikes; wore jeans, pigtails, and lace-up
shoes. Our mother was a housewife and an
excellent cook. Our father was a Mechanical
Engineer working for the State of Utah at the
Bureau of Public Highways. You can just imagine
the conversations at our family dinner table.
I was the child that helped my father with the
repairs and mechanics around our place. I was the
one that mowed the lawn with the power mower; I
knew how the damned thing worked; my sister was
afraid of it (do you think this was a ploy?)
My best friend was Denny Leonard; we were
inseparable. He was an adventurous boy, (red-
haired and freckled) and I, of course, was at his side.
I would ride on the handle bars of his bike and he
couldn’t see around me, so I would direct him on
which direction to steer. At one point I directed him
down the stairs from the upper playground to the
lower ground and unfortunately we crashed into the
brick wall of Uintah Elementary School. It removed
the freckles from the left side of his face. Other than
scrapes and bruises we were fine and did a lot of
rolling around and laughing.
In the early 1950’s we were constructing go-karts.
What fun! We would drive around and around
Mayfair Circle (a cul de sac off of 13th South). We
graduated to cars without bodies (rails). We would
drive to Emigration Canyon and drive up and down
the hills; bouncing on the upholstered seats, clinging
to whatever we could hold on to; driving home at
dusk in a conveyance that was definitely not street
legal. We were only caught once by the police. I
produced the tears and we were only lectured on
safety and sent home.
I was the one that had to help my father with the
family car. I was given a small basin, and gasoline
for cleaning the carburetor and new gaskets; I had
to learn about floats and jets, etc. I helped gap
points and plugs. Helped bleed the brakes. I had to
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learn to change tires, and most of all, I had to learn
all about combustion engines. My father was an
engineer and figured I should learn as much as
possible for a decent life. Go figure!
When I first got my Driver’s License I drove my
father’s old car, which was a 1950 Buick Roadmaster
with a Dynaflow transmission. It was a huge car
with about 3 feet of leg room in the back seat. It
was a heavy car. I never was stuck in the snow in
that thing.
When I was about 20 years old I was working as a
bookkeeper for Alta Glass Company. I had enough
money to buy my own car. I had been dating a guy
whose family owned Capitol Chevrolet, so I looked
at the used cars at their lot. I was debating between
an Austin-Healey and a Corvette. The Corvette
seemed a little too refined for my life-style so I
chose the Austin-Healey. It was a 1958 BN6 red
with a red interior. It also had a great radio. I swear
the car was Reno Red, but everyone now says the
‘58 BN6 was only painted Colorado Red. I drove
that car day in and day out; in the rain and in the
snow.
I had a cousin that lived in San Francisco; he had
bought a Triumph TR2. He drove to Salt Lake in his
Triumph. I drove this Triumph up and down
Emigration Canyon. He thought I should learn to
drive that canyon without using the brakes, just the
gears. I got so that I could drive down from Little
Mountain by only gearing down around curves and
corners. Doug has since said that was foolish. It is
cheaper and easier to replace brakes than a
transmission.
One evening, before I married Doug, I met Doug and
his friend Pete at Ruth’s Diner for a beer. His friend
Pete asked me to take him for a ride in my Healey.
So I took him to the top of the canyon and came
down the canyon. As I passed Ruth’s Doug said it
sounded like I was going way too fast for the curve.
And, of course, I was showing off for Pete and was
going too fast. The rear end broke loose on the
curve and I was turning out of the spin and all of a
sudden the car jumped up and I had absolutely no
control. Pete flew out of the car on the first contact
with the guardrail. I still was trying to get control
and rode that thing from side to side hitting the
guardrail on every spin. Finally, I was thrown out at
the last of the guardrail onto the roadway. I could
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hear my fuel pump tick, tick, ticking. I crawled over
to the car, pulled myself up and turned the key off.
Pete had made it back to Ruth’s to tell them what
had happened. As they were approaching my car,
Doug saw me sprawled across the back with my
head down inside the cockpit. He said “Oh, My
God! She’s been decapitated.”
The Sheriff’s Officer arrived at the scene and would
not believe I had been driving and tried to pin the
whole thing on Pete. Doug noticed that the
handbrake had been pulled on and bent way back.
It was no wonder I could not gain control of the car,
Pete had pulled on the handbrake. To this day Pete
thinks he saved our lives. And I know he made the
situation a lot worse than it needed to be. Pete has
since gone on to have disks repaired in his lower
back.
My insurance company insisted on repairing the car.
I believe the repair cost was about $150 below the
value of the car. I paid the insurance deductible and
the Utah State charge for the guardrail I had
damaged. The insurance company cancelled my
insurance after the repairs were finalized. It seems
if I didn’t have any more claims against my
insurance I was still 15 years ahead of them.
I continued to love that car, even after we sold it
and bought our 1962 Pontiac. And then, 25 years
later, we bought the Healey we have today. Not as
good as my first car, but then it will have to do.
Editor’s Note: Photos of Ann’s first Healey were not
Cost $38 or $49 per person including tax & gratuity
No Corkage charge for wine
Parking on the street and in their parking lot, enter
on the East Side
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Make your reservation by November 10th by
sending your check to:
Jim Revel
2040 Mahre Drive
Park City, UT 84098
Please make your check payable to BAHC and
include your meal choice
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Providence Court-London dealership.
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Missing Wife....The Male Mind. A husband went to police station to report his missing wife: Husband: I've lost my wife, she went shopping yesterday and has still not come home. Sergeant: What is her height ? Husband: Oh, 5 something . . .
Sergeant: Build? Husband: Not slim, not really fat. Sergeant: Color of eyes? Husband: Never noticed. Sergeant: Color of hair? Husband: Changes according to season. Sergeant: What was she wearing? Husband: Dress/suit/blue jeans -- I don’t remember exactly. Sergeant: Did she go in a car? Husband: yes. Sergeant: What kind of car was it? Husband: 2015 Corvette Stingray 3LT with the Z51 Performance Package, shark gray metallic paint, with the 6.2 litre V8 engine with Direct Injection generating 460 HP. 8-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, and GT bucket seats, and has a very thin scratch on the front left door.... at this point the husband started crying....
