Inside This issue President's Corners ..................................... 1 Editor's Gas ............................................... 2 April Events ............................................... 3 The ABC's of LBC's ...................................... 3 History: April Five and Ten Years Ago ............. 5 Rallye To Reno: The Untold Story .................. 5 Some People think they are Machinists.. ......... 8 Comedy Corner......................................... 18 BMCNC 2013 Events Calendar .................... 20 Other Happenings..................................... 21 To Contact the BMCNC .............................. 21 Classified Ads ........................................... 21 BMCNC Officers for 2013 President Paul Estock Vice President John Woodward Secretary Sonya Feneis Treasurer Debbie Lugo Event Coordinator Howard Stussman Oil Rag Editor Craig Perry Webmaster Jason Franikowski Membership Chair Russ Hulting Awards Chair Kevin Spooner Historians Linda Aiken / Wadene Hall Members at Large Kingsley Meldrum, Deb Hulting, Daniel Nanninga President's Corners By Paul Estock Greetings, Many thanks to all who have paid their membership dues for 2013. Your support has helped our club grow in members and has enabled the club to offer regalia not available in the past. I know some of these items have been available, but the selection has grown. Your support will enable us to replace items such as banners and canopies when necessary as these items won‟t last forever. I also want to thank those who have volunteered for past events and for future events. Please remember these events need to be as self-supporting as possible. I realize some special or larger events will need help from our club funds, but I must stress the importance of good planning to get the most bang for our buck. I am looking forward to a great driving season and with that in mind I encourage you to attend the Glenwood Rallye. It makes for an enjoyable weekend with lots of miles covering some of the best roads in Colorado. In years past I have not attended many of the Saturday night banquets, but this year LaDonna and I are planning to attend. Should we have enough interested club members we could make arrangements to be able to sit together as a group. Remember this rallye is open to all types of cars. Make your plans early, get signed up and make hotel reservations. If you have never attended this rallye and enjoy driving your LBC (or whatever) through colorful Colorado, you don‟t want to miss this one! Make it safe! Make it reliable! Make it fun! Let‟s drive, Paul Estock Newsletter of The British Motoring Club of Northern Colorado The Oil Rag April 2013 Volume 17 Number 4
Transcript
Inside This issue
President's Corners ..................................... 1 Editor's Gas ............................................... 2 April Events ............................................... 3 The ABC's of LBC's ...................................... 3 History: April Five and Ten Years Ago ............. 5 Rallye To Reno: The Untold Story .................. 5 Some People think they are Machinists.. ......... 8 Comedy Corner......................................... 18 BMCNC 2013 Events Calendar .................... 20 Other Happenings ..................................... 21 To Contact the BMCNC .............................. 21 Classified Ads ........................................... 21
BMCNC Officers for 2013 President Paul Estock
Vice President John Woodward
Secretary Sonya Feneis
Treasurer Debbie Lugo
Event Coordinator Howard Stussman
Oil Rag Editor Craig Perry
Webmaster Jason Franikowski
Membership Chair Russ Hulting
Awards Chair Kevin Spooner
Historians Linda Aiken / Wadene Hall
Members at Large Kingsley Meldrum, Deb Hulting,
Daniel Nanninga
President's Corners By Paul Estock
Greetings,
Many thanks to all who have paid their membership
dues for 2013. Your support has helped our club grow in
members and has enabled the club to offer regalia not
available in the past. I know some of these items have
been available, but the selection has grown. Your
support will enable us to replace items such as banners
and canopies when necessary as these items won‟t last
forever.
I also want to thank those who have volunteered for
past events and for future events. Please remember
these events need to be as self-supporting as possible. I
realize some special or larger events will need help from
our club funds, but I must stress the importance of good
planning to get the most bang for our buck.
I am looking forward to a great driving season and with
that in mind I encourage you to attend the Glenwood
Rallye. It makes for an enjoyable weekend with lots of
miles covering some of the best roads in Colorado. In
years past I have not attended many of the Saturday
night banquets, but this year LaDonna and I are
planning to attend. Should we have enough interested
club members we could make arrangements to be able to
sit together as a group. Remember this rallye is open to
all types of cars. Make your plans early, get signed up
and make hotel reservations. If you have never
attended this rallye and enjoy driving your LBC (or
whatever) through colorful Colorado, you don‟t want to
miss this one!
Make it safe!
Make it reliable!
Make it fun!
Let‟s drive,
Paul Estock
Newsletter of The British Motoring Club of Northern Colorado
The Oil Rag April 2013 Volume 17 Number 4
Page 2 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Editor's Gas By Craig Perry (Oil Rag editor – apprentice)
Happy April everyone. We are fast getting into driving season and I can’t wait. I will take my removable hard top off
my car in the next few weeks and can’t wait to start motoring around in the open air. I have put together a rather long
article from an email I received that I think you will find rather fascinating, ‘Some people think they are machinists’,
enjoy!
We also have an updated Calendar of Events.
Also, check out the website below, you may get lost in it for a couple of hours!
http://www.vintageautoposters.com/index.php
Till next month.
Don’t let your Classic car languish in your garage for the crime of being Collectible. PeterEgan, contributing editor, Road & Track
Ben Cordsen reported that the new BMCNC car badges are in, and they are spectacular.
The April program was a presentation on Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing. Members and
vintage racers, John Pantaleo and Larry Hoy made the presentation.
On April 27th members ventured to Second Creek to enjoy a day of vintage racing.
Membership Chairman, Sue Spooner, reported that our membership had topped 50 paid
members.
Rallye To Reno: The Untold Story By Ken Thompson
Chapter 6
Seminars, Workshops and Racing at Fernley
When we last left off, our group of MG enthusiasts was driving around Lake Tahoe. Our last stop
at Tahoe was the town on the northwest side. From there we took the highway northwest back to
the Interstate and back to Reno.
One of those evenings, I forgot which one, we went walking along “the strip” which was Virginia
Street for some window shopping. There was a restaurant advertising an “awful awful burger” so
we went in. The girls went off to find something a little healthier, but us guys went in anticipating
some good food. John, Craig, Todd, Larry and I all ordered the „awful awful‟ burger. It stood for
“awfully big, awfully good”. The burger was about a 6 in. diameter bun and about 6 in. high. It
Page 6 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
came in a red and white checkered box about 1 ft by 1 ft and completely full of French fries. Out of
the five of us, if I remember right, only my friend Larry was able to eat the entire box of food. The
rest of us took it home for a second meal. My box of French fries made up lunch the next day
during the big car show. (Hey! I‟m a bachelor!)
Wednesday turned into a free day because it was all seminars, workshops and racing. Todd took
Sonya shopping in the local mall. I took my MGB to the “rolling seminar” of John Twist and Craig
showed up there right after I got in line. The day before, we met John Twist in the hallway of the
Silver Legacy, and I asked him about getting my car into his rolling seminar. It was located on the
top floor of the parking garage, which gave it plenty of ventilation but a roof overhead. When I got
there, there were almost ten cars in front of me and another ten waiting in the parking area.
Everybody was gathered around the current car, watching John work his magic. He explained
things as he worked, so it was truly helpful and educational. When it was my turn, and I pulled my
car up, he just looked at it, and told me right away that the vacuum advance wasn‟t working. My
car had been converted from HIF carbs to the HS2 carbs and was missing the large u-shaped
brackets that are nuts for the air filter bolts, and he made it clear that those needed to be added.
One of my carbs was way way too rich, so he adjusted them up using the simple trick of a piece of
hose and listening to the air flow to the carbs. He explained that all it took was simple tools, like a
quarter inch ratchet and sockets, to do a good tune up. After all the adjustments, he hooked up the
timing light and set the timing. When I drove the car away, it was like having a new engine. The
next morning, when it was cold, I pulled out the choke and hit the starter, and it started just like
an MG should.
One thing that John Twist DID caution about was the timing. Since the vacuum advance didn‟t
work, and it would be a thousand miles to drive back home, he set the timing slower to lessen the
chance of burning a piston. At sometimes it ran sluggish, but it was fine out on the highway. Even
though we had such good weather, the engine was still running a bit hot, at 200 to 205 degrees
Fahrenheit, so I was happy to have the timing slowed.
Also, because the carbs had been out of sync, we found an Autozone and I got four new spark plugs.
Todd had a spark plug socket, so it was a quick simple fix. That must have been on Thursday
because I didn‟t see Todd and Sonya at all on Wednesday!
In the town of Fernley, about 28 miles east of Reno, there was a race track similar to High Plains
Raceway. The local MG club had made it available for
the day, with driving classes in the morning and
running on the track in the afternoon. I wanted to go, so
Larry and I headed east on the interstate to Fernley. In
the town I expected to find signs, or some sort of
advertisement or directions to the track. But there was
nothing. I took one road that led to the outskirts of town and thought I‟d find it, but there was
nothing there. Then I took another road that led to the outskirts of town, but it didn‟t go anywhere
either. Finally I saw a NAPA parts store and stopped in to ask. The first guy didn‟t even know that
there was a racetrack in Fernley. Then I talked with another guy who knew where it was and gave
me directions. So, we finally got there, and because I wasted so much time just trying to find it, we
were the last ones there. There was still a green MGBGT and then the red MGBGT of Pete
Manley, and a couple of Miatas, and they wanted to make one more run around the track, so they
let me follow them in a “parade lap”.
Page 7 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
I hooked up my camera to do video on the windshield mount, and when everything was ready, got
in behind the MGBGT of Pete Manley. There was no way, absolutely no way, that I could keep up
behind Pete. I tried zooming in with the lens, but that added vibrations to the video. All in all I
have about 10 minutes of video of the lap, but parts of it are not watchable. But it was still a heck
of a lot of fun!
Page 8 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Some People think they are Machinists.. By Craig Perry
Smallest Petrol Engine
SCIENTISTS have built the smallest petrol engine, tiny enough to power a WATCH. The mini-
motor, which runs for two years on a single squirt of lighter fuel, is set to revolutionize world
technology. It produces 700 times more energy than a conventional battery despite being less than a
centimeter long (Not even half an inch!). It could be used to operate laptops and mobile phones for
months doing away with the need for recharging. Experts believe it could be phasing out batteries
in such items within just six years. The engine, minute enough to be balanced on a fingertip, has
been produced by engineers at the University of Birmingham . Dr Kyle Jiang, lead investigator from
the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: “We are looking at an industrial revolution
happening in peoples‟ pockets. The breakthrough is an enormous step forward. Devices which need
re- charging or new batteries are a problem but in six years will be a thing of the past..” Other
applications for the engine could include medical and military uses, such as running heart
pacemakers or mini reconnaissance robots. At present, charging an ordinary battery to deliver one
unit of energy involves putting 2,000 units into it. The little engine, because energy is produced
locally, is far more effective.. One of the main problems faced by engineers who have tried to
produce micro motors in the past has been the levels of heat produced. The engines got so hot they
burned themselves out and could not be re-used. The Birmingham team overcame this by using
heat-resistant materials such as ceramic and silicon carbide. Professor Graham Davies, head of the
university‟s engineering school, said: “we've brought together all the engineering disciplines,
materials, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. What better place
to have the second industrial revolution in Nano-technology than where the first took place, in the
heart of the West Midlands.
V-8 and V-12 Engines in Miniature!
For all you out there who like big, honking V-8's and screaming' V-12 engines, check out these tiny
versions that you could run on your workbench or kitchen table. These models were built by
craftsmen the same way the big ones are made by machining billet stock and castings, but in
miniature. These are not just models that look like engines, they are real running engines. Some of
these photos were taken from the Joe Martin Foundation Craftsmanship Museum but many more
images can be found elsewhere on the web, and engines like these can be seen in person at model
engineering shows around the country. Here are some really nice examples:
Page 9 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
The late Lee Root built this � scale Corvette engine. The major components were machined entirely
from solid billet aluminum that has been bead blasted to look like castings, and it will turn 18,000
RPM! The coin you see in some of the photos for size reference is a US Quarter. The valve covers are
just 4-1/2" long, and the miniature spark plugs are commercially available.
Page 10 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
This 1/3 scale billet machined, supercharged Chrysler 300 Hemi racing engine from the 1960s was built by James
Weber. It has a 1.0" bore and 0.90" stroke displacing 5.65 cubic inches. The engine burns gasoline or methanol
(methyl alcohol) on dual electronic spark ignition and incorporates a two-stage pressurized dry-sump lubrication
system. It will turn around 12 grand and uses a couple of computer cooling fans on the radiator to keep things cool.
Note the professional looking throttle and gauges on the stand.
Here's a V-8 and a half ; a � scale Ferrari V-12 by Jeron Classic Motors. It has double overhead
camshafts, burns methanol on glow ignition and is equipped with two oil pumps for dry sump
lubrication. All six carburetors function and are linked together for smooth operation. The heads
and block are about 7-1/4" long. Only a few of these were made before the company went out of
business, so it's pretty rare. Like many of the engines you see here, it is on loan to the
Craftsmanship Museum courtesy of Paul and Paula Knapp and their Miniature Engineering
Museum .
Page 11 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Here's another twelve. The late Al Ingersol built this Curtiss D-12D 1/6 scale V-12 airplane engine completely from
billet stock and also built a model Curtiss Wright P 6E biplane to put it in. The engine is only 9" long and weighs 6
pounds. It has a 0.80" bore and 1.062" stroke, displacing 6.46 cubic inches.
One of the more popular model V-8 engines over the years has been the Challenger. This one was built by Ron
Colonna. Casting kits are still available for this 1/3 scale engine through Coles Power Models, although it is
definitely not a beginner project.
Several V-8 engines by Ken Hurst are displayed at a model engineering shows like the recent Western Engine
Model Exhibition (WEME) in Vallejo , CA . How about that supercharger! Behind the first engine is his blue
Challenger V-8. The 103 cc engine sounds great running on a mixture of white gas and high octane racing fuel.
Eugene Corl built this 1/3 scale Chevy V-8 using engine castings he produced himself. The engine is seen here at
the Gas Engine Antique Reproduction Show (GEARS) in Portland , OR .
Page 12 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Seen above are some of the wooden patterns, molds, cores and raw castings that had to be made to build Gene's 1/3
scale Chevy V-8. Once cast, the parts must be precisely machined just like real engine components. When you look
at one of these finished little engines, keep in mind all the planning, preparation, featuring and behind-the-scenes
work that goes into making one.
The three photos above show the world's smallest known running Chevrolet V-8. Jim Moyer built this 1/6 scale
Page 13 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
version of a 1964 365 HP Chevrolet Corvette 327. Note the tiny firing order cast into the intake manifold just like
on the real thing. The heads and block are machined from billet aluminum. Jim even made stamping dies to make
the oil pan, rockers and front cover. The valve covers are investment cast.
The finished 1/6 scale 5-bearing crankshaft fits in Jim's hand.. It utilizes real Babbitt bearings.
Here you can see the cylinder heads of the Moyer 327 plus the stamped oil pan and front cover. Some parts inside
the engines are made to scale like the 30-30 Duntov camshaft, but some things have to be modified to make a small
engine run. Electricity and fuel molecules don't scale, so some parts have to be slightly heavier or larger than exact
scale would dictate. Getting a small engine to run requires skill and careful work; getting one to run well is an art.
Here's a shot of Jim's tiny Corvette V-8 being test run. He is now working on a 1/6 scale Chevy 409.
Page 14 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Gary Conley came up with the � scale Conley V-8 in the 1980's. This version has twin carbs. You could buy it as a
kit or as a completed engine. Gary is now building what he calls the "Stinger 609" V-8 that will soon be available as
a complete running engine. A supercharged Stinger 609 running in a 1/4 scale dragster. Impressive!
Paul Knapp built this great looking version of the Conley V-8. It runs twin carbs on a fully functional Roots style
671 blower and will turn 12,000 RPM on methanol. Note the nicely painted and highly polished finishes on this
beautiful engine. (Did you notice that the ignition switch even has its own set of keys like a real engine?)
A Cirrus V-8 by Profi M.E. of the Ukraine is based on the Merritt Zimmerman design. The exposed rocker arms
need to be manually lubricated before running the engine. Again, note the really nice finishes on every part.
Page 15 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
This is one of only six air-cooled Micro Cirrus 1/12 scale V-8s produced by Profi M.E. using the components from
a run of 4-cylinder Micro Cirrus engines. Six water-cooled versions were also built. The cylinder heads on this rare
V-8 are only about 2" long. Note the size of the quarter at the bottom of the photo. This thing is TINY!
This 87 cc V-12 by Martin Ohrendorf of Germany has a 21 mm bore and stroke, 24 exposed rocker arms and three
carbs. It will spin a 24/10 propeller at 4500 RPM. One just like it can be seen running on YouTube.
Page 16 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
This scale 426 Hemi V-8 by Roger Butzen was made by using parts of a plastic model kit for reference. This one,
however, is all metal and it RUNS! Only the air cleaner decal from the plastic kit made it to the final running
version.
Here is another Challenger V-8 at the WEME show in Vallejo . This one was built by Dick Pretel and sports triple
carbs. Starter, batteries and other peripherals are hidden in the wooden base. It even has carrying handles! Big fins
on the valve covers help with cooling.
The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship has a machine shop in their museum in Vista , CA ,
where they are currently building a miniature Howell V-4 engine. They have documented the build step-by-step so
you can see what it takes to put together a running miniature engine. The craftsmen who build these little beauties
deserve plenty of recognition.
Page 17 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Page 18 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
Comedy Corner Compliments of Louis Beard
A driver was stuck in a traffic jam on the highway outside Washington, DC. Nothing was moving.
Suddenly, a man knocks on the window.
The driver rolls down the window and asks, "What's going on?"
"Terrorists have kidnapped the entire U.S. Congress and they're demanding a $10 million dollar
ransom. Otherwise, they are going to douse them all in gasoline and set them on fire. We are going
from car to car, collecting donations."
"How much is everyone giving, on average?" the driver asks.
The man replies, "About two gallons."
Tools we all know and love: Compliments of Craig Perry
DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh --' SKIL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters. BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing
Page 19 The Oil Rag Volume 17 Number 4
race.. TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper. BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge. TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are trying to hit. UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.
