NOVEMBER 2005
“Steve Lambley demonstrates alternative two seater
TRransport !! ”
NOVEMBER 2005
“Steve Lambley demonstrates alternative two seater
TRransport !! ”
MEMBERS
PRESENT: Paul Bowler
Reg
Bowler
John
& Chris Day
Martin
Faulkner
Mick
& Linda Forey
Dick
Goodey
Phil
& Rachael Gunn & Sam & Hannah
David
Guzzetta
John
& Margaret Martin
Ray
Mills & Heather TR6
Andy
& Claire Moltu
Terry
& Sue Pruce TR6
Tony
& Ruth Richards
Tim
Sharp & Kathryn Morris
Ben
& Lisa Ward
Martin
& Jenny Ward 2000
Estate
Chris
Shepard
Yes that is correct;
this is the final edition that Sue and I will be doing. Having done the job for five years we now
feel it is time for someone else to take over the reins.
MINUTES OF THE LEICESTERSHIRE TR GROUP AGM, 17th November 2005
Another good year had by all, with good regular attendances at all meetings which I feel says most about our group.
In no particular order:
·
Two LTR Group weekends away to
both
· Trip to the Goodwood Revival by nine of us. Have we set a new precedent I wonder?
· Good attendance at the International as ever.
· First run out of the year to Dovedale. 22 of us and a good day out had by all. This must be a record for this event.
· Final run out, nobody went but a fine evening at Paul Bowler’s afterwards.
· Always good to hear the updates from the good old US of A
· Short on the raids this year, do we still keep planning them?
· Lots of other events attended. The Lakes, Castle Howard, European, Welsh, Triumph Day, Track Day etc.
Treasurer’s Report – Rachael Gunn
Rachael presented the annual report (see copy of accounts attached).
It was agreed that we keep the subs for next year the same as this year, at £15.
Social Scene Scribe
Nil Report
Scribe’s Report – or
alternatively “What a Load of TRipe!”
Firstly as always, a big thanks to all who have contributed articles or photos for the TRipe this past year. In particular, special mention must again go to Pete & Heather for all their hard work providing us with a taste of life, and “TR”ing, from across the pond. All of you who have contributed have not only made my job easier, but also make TRipe a whole lot more interesting as well.
I gave notice last year that this year I would like to stand down as TRipe editor. I took on this role from Allan in January 2001, where he laughingly suggested the post should be held for a minimum of 4 years - I know because I have it minuted in the January 2001 Newsletter! So after 5 years I feel it is a good time for someone else to take over the reins.
It’s become tradition at this point to give a few brief (and in many ways useless) statistics, so let me close on the following:
· During the past twelve months over 530 issues of the TRipe were published; and of these 76% have been via e-mail. The numbers mailed out are lower again this year, with only 128 posted this year compared to 154 last year, with a corresponding saving in postage.
· Over the last 5 years a total of 2824 TRipes have been sent out, with the percentage going by email rising year on year, full details below:
|
Year |
No. posted |
% posted |
No. emailed |
% emailed |
Total TRipes Issued |
|
2001 |
264 |
46% |
312 |
54% |
576 |
|
2002 |
237 |
40% |
360 |
60% |
597 |
|
2003 |
205 |
38% |
336 |
62% |
541 |
|
2004 |
154 |
27% |
420 |
73% |
574 |
|
2005 |
128 |
24% |
408 |
76% |
536 |
|
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
2824 |
The Final Election Results were:
Group Leader - Martin Ward
Deputy Group Leader - Ruth Richards
Treasurer - Rachael Gunn
Social Scene Scribe - Chris Day
Following the formality of the AGM, although many would argue that’s never an appropriate term to apply to a LTR Group meeting, a little other business was conducted by Martin W, our new Group Leader.
Martin W first thanked Phil for carrying out the role of group leader during the last year.
Now that Martin is chairing the meetings he has unfortunately had to resign his post of chief heckler. Fortunately we have found a worthy replacement in Reg, who has obligingly stepped into this role. I am sure you all join me in wishing him well, and he will, I am sure, try to live up to Martin’s previous achievements.
It was then remarked how
we in the LTR Group obviously have a problem with
There was then much debate on when and where to hold this year’s Christmas meal. I usually switch off the note taking at this point, preferring to wait until a decision is made instead of trying to record all the details of what, why and where. Finally it was decided that this year’s Christmas meal will be held on the 21st January, 2006 at the Kibworth Working Men’s Club. The cost will be a very reasonable £10 per head, with a deposit of £5 per head required at the next meeting. A menu is included with this edition of TRipe, more details and directions will be available at the next meeting.
Martin asked that if anyone has any new ideas or suggestions for the group, then please feel free to discuss them with him. There was obviously some undercurrent I was missing, as at this point Reg asked Martin “did he want to dance”, and earlier Dick was overheard saying, “he was considering sequins and lycra”!
Finally, all are invited to a New Year’s Eve party at Andy & Claire Moltu’s. Please try to help out by bringing some drinks and food etc. It would be helpful to let them know numbers before hand, so if you are going please give them a ring, on 0116 2862637.
Martin finished the meeting by saying he had nothing else to say, that must be a first!
Easter 2006.
Martin & Jenny Ward
are planning to go on the Continentel Car tours TRip to
Martin has also obtained a full list of Continental Car tours Trips for 2006. If anyone fancies going on any of them then come and discuss it at a group meeting where more details will be available.
30th October, Mussel Run – AKA - The last Run Out.
At the October meeting much talk was given to The Mussel Run and the The Mussel Fest that follows. Various folks said they were going including myself, others said they were going to the Restoration show, others said they’d come on afterwards for the food. There were other excuses for not going either – sick, lame, lazy etc. etc.
As I knew definitely I was going, I didn’t take too much notice of exactly who said they would be there – big mistake – sorry Alan F you’ll have to shout above the din next time! Anyway, we ended up having our Little Fella for the weekend and he was subsequently collected Sunday afternoon.
So on Friday /Saturday
all those I could remember were contacted re the change of plans. So it just
left Reg, Rog, Alan W & Trev who were heading for
Unfortunately on Saturday afternoon the Mussel collectors weren’t able to go either…………..!
Anyway we were able to make contact with a local Fishmonger who got his mussels from the same chap in Norfolk so we had loads and didn’t have to burn gallons of fuel fetching them – how’s that for a contribution towards keeping the planet green ?
However, well done to Sue and Alan who did the TRip and took in the sea air.
So in the early evening a whole host of us
descended on Paul’s place and the mussels were expertly cooked in a variety of
mouth watering ways, plus contributions from others too. Paul had cooked garlic
mushrooms and fresh bread and lots of other tasty morsels, so as the saying
goes – if you missed it you missed out !
The photo shows Reg nicking mussels behind Paul’s back whilst he was having his photo taken – you can’t trust anyone these days!
Many thanks to Paul for hosting the evening.
Martin W.
REBUILD OF BLACK TR 4 CT14790 LO
– A PRETTY GOOD MONTH
I left you last month with the engine re-build started and I had expressed my concern that the crankshaft felt somewhat tight. In went the pistons, everything fastened down torque re-checked and aarrgghh!! 20 ft/lbs moved it (sort of if you weren’t into accuracy of reading the gauge) but the big problem was that there was a very tight spot encountered consistently as numbers 2 and 3 pistons were rising. I didn’t bother measuring, as something was clearly wrong. So I took it all apart again, re-measuring as each individual piston came out. The tight spot was still there, so I slackened the main bearing caps. Moved more freely, but now that I knew what I was experiencing it could still be found. I wish I had been more meticulous in turning the crank immediately after installation. Front cap off, middle cap off, and still the stickiness was there, so amid much cursing the rear came off. (Those of you who have been at this particular point of the engine rebuild will understand why – that rear oil seal and bearing cap are brutal.) On examination of all the faces of bearings and shells the only evidence of anything unusual was on the shells that came off the rear bearing, where I found some marks that ran parallel for about 1½” on either side of the centre groove. Anyhow, I polished every surface, re-lubricated everything, re-assembled the whole lot and the finished assembly turned smoothly at just under 20ft/lbs with no hint of any tight spot or similar warning flag.
Martin F and I went to an engine rebuild seminar a few years ago that was run by Steve Hall, and I remember Steve emphasising very strongly many times during the day that cleanliness in the assembly operation is paramount. With this in mind, I wonder whether I had managed to get a speck of something in there, or whether the shell wasn’t seating properly. More puzzling, why wasn’t the effect noticeable through the full 360° rather than just as 2 and 3 were rising? Andy thought that only if there were two faults that happened to meet at the same point in the rotation was that likely to happen. Whatever the problem I seem to have sent it packing at the expense of some backtracking.
Since then I have zipped
up the bottom end and am ready to attack the camshaft and its timing. Could be an interesting phase coming up. I
really want to get the engine finished and in during Christmas, but this depends
on getting the gearbox back from my man in
I spent some time re-checking electrics and finishing off the bits I had earmarked to return to. I had to buy new horns which are pretty decent replicas of the originals. Bought a battery this week and hooked it up today. I didn’t really fancy burning down the house started by a vehicle’s electrical fault (I don’t have any insurance yet on the car) so this afternoon at -1°C amid snow flakes the car was pushed on to the drive (I had already put mine in the street and sent Heather shopping). I grabbed my next door neighbour, gave him a crash course in how to operate a fire extinguisher, stationed him close to the car and instructed him to look and smell for electrical burning after I made the battery connection. We keyed 911 into his mobile phone so that all he had to do was hit ‘send’. Gingerly, the earth lead was attached to the battery. The horns started blaring to break the neighbourhood’s Saturday silence, and the snow clouds fled in fright. What the hell’s going on? I took off the steering wheel centre insert and removed the horn plunger, then re-attached the battery lead. More blaring! Magic. Now what? Didn’t have a clue what was going on so I disconnected the horn leads. Good start to testing the electrics, I thought to myself. By the time the neighbour had returned with ear plugs I was ready to try all the switches and to run through my carefully-prepared testing checklist. I first tried all the items that should work without the ignition switch, and all worked except headlights. I was then able to check through all items that operated through the ignition, and all was good. There are items that cannot be checked until we move to a next phase – items that depend on the engine running, or fuel being in the tank, etc. (Which reminds me that the I haven’t finished the brakes yet as I need to change the wheel studs for solid wheel use.) I couldn’t see whether the instrument lights were on or not, so I had to wait for it to go dark and switch off all the lights in the garage to check that all were working. They worked fine, but my impression was that they were a bit on the dim side. Perhaps I’m comparing too readily to modern electronic flight-deck stuff that’s in my daily car.
So, to the horn and headlights. The horn was easy. A quick look at the wiring diagram made me wonder whether the connections were sensitive to polarity or not, so in the absence of any clues stamped on the horns themselves I just swapped the leads round and the problem went away. The headlights were a bit more of a problem, however. If you don’t know the 4, the switch pulls out to stage one for sidelights and to a second stage for heads. The dip switch is on the floor, and there is a main beam warning light on the dash. The symptoms were these: Sidelights worked perfectly at stage one, but at stage two the only thing that came on was the main beam warning light. The dip switch made no difference to anything, and the light remained on whatever you did to the dipper. I rechecked the connections at the light switch, ignition, fuse box, headlights and dipper, finding all good and in the correct places. A visit to the diagram led me to the conclusion that the fault must be at the dipper switch, as in one position it feeds juice to the normal beams, and in the other position it sends it to the main beams and warning light. I re-checked that the connections were to the correct terminals and validated to my old loom that I have kept marked up for problems like this. So, buggered dip switch, methinks. It seems to make all the correct noises when operated, but clearly it isn’t moving the internal connector from one position to the other. One is ordered and I hope it sorts the problem, because if it doesn’t it points to the loom, and frankly I can’t see that being the problem. If the new unit doesn’t solve it a session with circuit testers etc will be the order of the day.
Although I have the light problem I’m really pleased with the electrics so far. Electrics ain’t my strongest point, but to see the lovely crisp rear lights (thanks again for getting the units for me Andy) and the ignition key in use for the first time is really encouraging.
I’m attaching a couple of piccies taken on the drive this afternoon. They might convince some of you that I’m not lying all the time, but I do understand that there will always be a handful of skeptics.
We both hope you have a fantastic Christmas and that when I write the next installment there will be further solid progress to report.
Peter
CALENDAR
FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS:
|
December |
|
|
15 Thurs |
Group Mtr |
|
January 2006 |
|
|
19 Thurs |
Group Mtr |
|
21 Sat |
Christmas Meal |
CCT: EVENTS SCHEDULE
2006
D/Cal ferry assumed, Eurotunnel
& other ports of departure available
March
18 – 20 Le Touquet Classic Rally Tour £269 p/p
April
1 - 3 Folembray Track
Day,
April
14 – 17 Easter B/Hol Mosel Valley
April
22 - 24
April
29 - 31 KHC Gapers
May
20 – 22
May
25 – 31 British Classic Car
Week Gothenburg £339
p/p
May
27 – 29 B/Hol Picardie
Chateau Tour,
June
3 – 5 Laon Historique –
June
15 – 19
Le Mans 24hrs Tour £149
p/p
June
15 – 19 Le Mans 24hrs Hotel
Package £179 p/p
June
18 London Le
Touquet classic car run–
June
23 – 26 Brittany Classic
Rally Tour £395
p/p
June
30 – July 7
July
6 – 10 Le Mans Classic £159
p/p
July
6 – 10 Le Mans Classic £309
p/p
July
28 - 30 Cotswold Tour £129
p/p
Aug
10 – 14 Nurburgring Old
Timer
Aug
26 – 28 Aug B/hol Brugge Classic Car Festival. £139 p/p
Sept
9 – 11 Le Touquet Classic
Car Meet £119
p/p
Sept
10 – 20 Pyrenees &
Circuit des Ramparts Angouleme £735 p/p
Sept
– 15 - 18
Sept
23 - 25
Sept
tba Zandvoort track
day,
Oct
14 - 16
Oct
22 Donor
Card GT £95
entry
Nov
18 - 20 Beaujolais Rally
Drivers Ball -
Dec
30-Jan 1 Belgian New Year’s
Eve Dinner Party £199 p/p
AND THE FINAL “AND FINALLY”: Back to
where it all began
Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
Or what about the other 3 settings: Smoke, Smoulder and Burn?
Next meeting, Under New Management, Thursday 15th December 2005, the Rose & Crown, Tilton on the Hill.
See you there, over and out,
Martin & Sue.
f-MOSEL
Easter Bank Holiday