sscg happenings - Sierra Sports Car Group

SSCG HAPPENINGS
SUMMER 2014
Issue 3, Vol. XXIII
SIERRA NEVADA BREWERY TOUR June 22 saw an adequate number of sports cars gather
at a meeting place in Penn Valley for a run up to Chico for the express reason of enjoying a good lunch
and perhaps to sneak into a guided tour at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Well, we arrived for an early
lunch to beat out all patrons for the best table in the joint but missed out on the guided tour, which was
booked up for a couple days. As always a great lunch was enjoyed which was followed by a selfguided tour, however our self-guided tour guide didn't provide any beer for us to sample!
Joining the fun were of course Todd & Nancy in their TR6, Brian & Jackie in 911 Porsche, Rich &
Holley MGB, Bruno in his YELLOW Sprite on its maiden run, and Vinnie & Toby in their original
plum-colored TR6. Below we see the impressively polished copper mash tank at the brewery along
with one of several cycling jerseys from bicycle race teams Sierra Nevada Brewery sponsors.
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ALFA ROMEO ENGINE INSTALLATION Mid-June brought a few “volunteers” to Jim &
Barbara W.'s home for the purpose of installing an engine in his Alfa Romeo race car to take to the car
show. As sometimes befalls good intentions, the engine did not get installed due to circumstance but a
fine luncheon was enjoyed as well as an extensive bull-session during a very satisfying visit to their
R&R home. Thank you Barbara & Jim!
BIG SPRINGS GARDENS
LUNCHEON Good ol' Dick Tracy
organized a run to Sierra City and reports:
“And a good time was had by all,” pretty
much describes the July 26 run to Big
Springs Gardens, where about 18
participants enjoyed the food, conversation
and other-worldly atmosphere of the famed
gardens.
Alerted that this may be the last year the
gardens are open to the public (a sale of the
property is pending) the SSCG’ers drove
up on a relatively hot day to lounge
beneath the shade of trees and giant
umbrellas and listen to soft music while
eating (great food) and chatting.
In light of the sometimes demanding climb
to 5,000 feet outside Sierra City, some
classics (including the club’s only Humber
Super Snipe) stayed in the garage in favor
of more modern vehicles, but the caravan
still drew a good deal of attention winding
through Downieville.
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BY THE SLEEPY LOOK IN EVERYONES EYES, LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE ENJOYED THEIR MEAL!
Afterward, some participants retraced the journey back down Highway 49 while others took 49 east
through Sierraville and on to Truckee, then home. “We drove back through old town Truckee,” tour
organizer Dick Tracy reports, “and were blown away how busy it was, flocked with college-age people
seeing a car show and a bike race. Going past Donner Lake on the old highway we were stunned by the
number of boats on the water, and the beach looked like Coney Island, NY it was so crowded.”
For those who were unable to make the tour, but would still like to enjoy the magic of Big Springs, it’s
open though mid-September. For a complete rundown, go to www.bigspringsgardens.com or call (530)
862-1333.
THE PENN VALLEY FOREIGN CAR SHOW This August event avoided extremely hot
weather normal at this time of year and by all hearsay was successful in that a reasonable number of
cars were in attendance along with many hot dogs & bar-b-que goodies being sold. Little feedback has
come from any attendees, no photos have surfaced nor much else to report on this one.
BOIDO OVERNIGHT RUN This September outing had several who joined Lou & CP on a run
south to Murphys, over Ebbett's Pass to Reno & Virginia City environs. It is reported a great time was
had by all, which always is a guarantee whenever Lou & CP put on an event!
LUNCH RUN TO CAMPTONVILLE Todd & Nancy again have given extra energy to
provide some interesting events for members to enjoy and venues for getting the ol' sports cars out for a
stretch. A “local” outing on October 11, that involved a relatively short drive down through Brown's
Valley past Bullards Bar Reservoir thence to Camptonville, a detour to make the drive 'worthwhile',
ended at the little restaurant named Burgee Dave’s at the Mayo. According to Todd they serve good
hamburgers but the prime thing on the menu is a Bloody Mary that is something to write home about.
Besides the usual ingredients, this concoction includes a hamburger, salad & maybe even dessert! Todd
took the dive and ordered one (photo below) and even made it back home in good shape. Methinks this
one might be just a little overboard Todd!
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RECYCLING AN SUV
There may be larger used car lots in the greater Sacramento region, but none more interesting - or fun than the Sierra College Auto Fair.
Every weekend, hundreds of people bring their cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, recreational vehicles,
all-terrain vehicles and boats to Parking Lot H on the school's Rocklin campus – following specific
instructions found on the Sierraautofair.com website.
Now in its 16th year, the site operators go out of their way to help sellers transfer titles and avoid scam
artists.
It costs $39 to have your prized possession on display from Friday afternoon to 6 p.m. Sunday, after
which the site becomes student parking again.
Patrolled by student attendants who accompany potential buyers as they start the engines of the
vehicles (demonstration drives are permitted only with owners in the passenger seat) and then they may
decide to take a paper slip with the owner's telephone number and strike a bargain.
All makes and models are among the hundreds of vehicles, parked with an open space on either side.
Probably to prevent accidents as newcomers back into parking spots.
What sets the Auto Fair apart from a traditional consignment lot is its “carnival” atmosphere as buyers
study the biographies of each automobile (posted inside the passenger side door).
One man, accompanied by family, is reading aloud the information on a beautiful gray high-end
Mercedes which once probably cost over $75,000 and is now on sale for $16,500: “Zero to Sixty in 5.9
seconds! Whoa! I've gotta have this!”
Nearby there are Porsches, Corvettes, a bright red Jaguar sedan and a Dodge truck, all spiffy clean and
looking for a new home. And yes, there are even some “classics.”
While walking to the kiosk where paperwork is dispensed, people ask one another: “What'd you
bring?”
The atmosphere is as cordial as a walk in the park. Even if you're not in the market for a new vehicle,
it's fun.
And, all proceeds go to the college to further educational programs.
Dick Tracy, who wrote the accompanying article about the Sierra Auto Fair, had brought his beloved
1998 Lexus LS 400 to the Fair on Friday, Sept. 26: “It attracted some attention as soon as we drove in,”
he says, “but interest in the car faded when it was disclosed that despite its appearance it had travelled
264,500 miles. And had a big ding in the lower left portion of the windshield.”
“My wife and I were talking about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and there had been no calls from
prospective buyers and I'd just said, 'I wish someone would call, 'when the telephone rang.
“It was a man named Michael who said, 'I'm here at the auto fair and I want to buy your car.(' Not
'test drive.' BUY!) And when we drove down to meet with him he did buy it, with cash, without even a
test drive. He drove a Lexus LS 430, much newer than mine.
“He said, 'I'm a broker. I buy cars for a man in Bahrain.' We signed the transfer papers and that
was it.”
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R
emoving rust from small parts can be a labor-intensive job involving sandpaper, wire
wheels, nasty chemicals or, in some cases, bead blasting or an expensive trip to the metal
stripper. I am faced with this situation as I am in the process of returning my 1962 Alfa
Romeo Spider to its appearance during the years I was actively racing.
There was a recent posting on an on-line forum for Alfa owners where the writer was extoling the
virtues of a product named ‘Evaporust’. I have seen ads for this stuff but never bothered to investigate.
Now would seem to be a good time to look into it. I tried several local places without luck but found,
again from the internet, that a major chain was a possible supplier. Sure enough, after looking all
through the local store, I found what I was after. I won’t mention which store it is but will tell you if
you ask me. And by the way, they don’t have local quality customer assistance.
The part I want to work on is this canister from a FRAM fuel filter. It has been sitting for a long time
and acquired a significant coat of rust. I could just replace it but I want to use as many original parts as
I can. Besides that, a new one costs almost $150.00.
So, did it remove all the rust? Well, it looks like there is a little residue in the bottom but by and large I
am satisfied that it performed as advertised. After all, the part had been rusting away for nearly a
quarter of a century.
Amongst a host of other claims the manufacturer lists these attributes:
Water-soluble
Reusable (until ineffective it goes on to say later)
Non-toxic
No fumes, safe on skin and eyes
Given the results I may go ahead and get some gas tank sealer and treat the canister. So, bingo, I just
saved $135.00 as I don’t have to replace the filter and I still have all of the Evaporust. That’s called
Alfa logic of Jim W.
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DONALD DUCK'S ROADSTER
THE LAST MEETING WASN'T WELL ATTENDED
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