LANCO MG and the
Transcription
LANCO MG and the
F E B R U A RY / M A R C H , 2 0 0 5 VO L . X X I V NO . 1 Andy Schneggenburger President 717.854.3666 [email protected] Feb. 13 LANCO Club meeting - 3:00 p.m. Elephant and Castle Pub. New Cumberland, PA—http://www.elephantcastle.com Vice-President 717.699.5498 Feb. 24-27 “Indoor Collectible Car Event & Auction”. Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ. (800) 227-3868 [email protected] Mar. 13 LANCO Club meeting - 3:00 p.m. Coakley’s Irish Pub, New Cumberland, PA www.coakleys.com Apr. 9-10 LANCO “Spring Thaw Tour”. Destination to be determined. Attend the February meeting to help plan this event! Apr 20-24 Spring Carlisle. www.carsatcarlisle.com Apr 30May 1 Hershey Vintage Hillclimbs & Show. Hershey, PA. www.svvscc.org May 1 Lancaster Museum of Art “Artistry in Motion” Vintage Grand Tour and Car Show. Lancaster, PA. Triumph is the featured marque for 2005. Additional information—[email protected], telephone (717) 394-3497, or visit www.artistryinmotion.org. Steve Dellinger May 1 Board Member 717.299.5884 MGs of Baltimore “Get the Dust Off Rally”. Details available soon. LANCO Club activity for May. May 20-22 Import Carlisle. www.carsatcarlisle.com Scott Walter Laura Donecker Secretary 717.341.7473 [email protected] Sue Hurley Treasurer 717.993.3220 [email protected] [email protected] May 28June 5 “Drive your British Car Week”. Show the world (or at least your neighborhood) how much fun our little British cars are. www.britishcarweek.org Michael Lang June ? Board Member 717.235.7691 LANCO outing. To a neighboring club show. Date and location to be determined. Attend February and March meetings to help plan this event. July 10 LANCO’s “British Invade Gettysburg” British Car and Bike Show. Gettysburg Outlet Village. Ralph Eriksen, event chairman. Aug. 14 LANCO Club Picnic Aug. 28 LANCO “Taste of Britain” British Car and Bike Show. Rothsville, PA. Sept. 11 LANCO Club meeting. 3:00 p.m. Joan & Tim Martin’s residence. Millersville, PA. Sept. 24 MG’s of Baltimore 26th annual “MG’s on the Rocks” car show. Rocks 4-H Park, Bel Air, MD. www.mgsofbaltimore.com [email protected] Gloria Ciarrocca Founder/Historian 717.285.7379 [email protected] Dennis Blevins Editor 717.548.2457 [email protected] Oct. 9 LANCO 8th annual Poker Run. York County. Nov. 13 Dec. 3 LANCO Club meeting. Location T.B.D. LANCO annual club banquet and awards party. http://www.lancomgclub.com un Fo de d 198 3 LANCO MAI LGRAM FROM THE DESK OF ANDY S…: I trust everyone had a Happy New Year and your thoughts have now turned to getting ready for that first Spring drive. I would like to express my thanks to all of the departing members of the Board for their help over the last two years. Your new Officers and Board are a mixture of new and long-time members who are dedicated to making membership a fun experience. We look forward to supporting your suggestions for making Lanco an active club and to be doing some new activities over the next two years. To break up the winter months Lanco has several monthly meetings for you to attend. Along with offering you an opportunity to meet with old friends, make some new ones, and have a great meal, the meetings also provide you with a chance to decide what the club will be doing this year. As you review the calendar, you will notice there are several events that are not yet set (April, June, and November). The February and March meetings offer you the chance to help decide what activities and shows we will be going to in those open months. The suggestion jar is a little low on ideas so if there is a show you want to attend or an activity you want to do please speak up. You will notice on the cover of the MailGram that we have a new website address. I owe a huge thank you to Jack Butler for his assistance in getting the site up and his continued support on the membership section and monthly updates. Jack’s attendance has dropped off because of work on Sundays but his dedication to the club is as strong as ever. While still under construction, our wish list will be complete when the membership section is running. Included items will be Classified Ads, a Rally Hound Section, Enthusiast of The Year point submittal form, and a listing of our club regalia and Resource Library (books and films). Look the site over and send us your thoughts (try out the "contact us" section). The current password for any member-restricted areas on the website is “lanco”. FROM THE EDITOR 1 Years and years ago, Carol’s grandmother remarked as to how fast the years went by as one got older. I was twenty-something at the time and thought she was full of you-knowwhat. Just a few days ago I celebrated the double-nickel and now realize the truth in her words; "Just where did 2004 get to"? And looking ahead to the 2005 MG calendar; "How in the heck can we fit all of that into the schedule"? There are just so many events I cannot list them all in the newsletter any longer. What we will do is give as much detail as possible for the next several months, and then just fill out the year list with only the LANCO events. For the complete (as complete as we can keep it!) list please go to the club’s new website www.lancomgclub.com. As always, if there’s an event that you know about, and we don’t show it, be sure to forward the details so we can get it added. While I’m asking for input, please send your questions or ideas for topics for "Tuck’s Tips" to Alan at [email protected]. We’re in need of some inspiration! As you read through this issue you’ll probably say "What? A two-page obituary for some English guy"? Well, I think it is interesting and shows some personal insight into the history of our cars. Another item that I read recently that I’d like to pass along comes from "Automobile" magazine and the article that they did on the 200 mph "supercars" available in the U.S. (Ford GT, Lamborghini Murcielago, Mercedes SLR McLaren, and Porsche Carrera GT). They closed with, and I will too, "Driving 200 miles per hour is stupid. But driving badly at 35 mph is just as stupid". See you down the road…. Dennis LANCO MAI LGRAM by Laura Donecker LANCO CLUB MEETING, January 9, 2005 held at Isaac’s Restaurant & Deli, Granite Run Square, Lancaster. Thirty members were in attendance and five British cars were driven to the meeting. The Meeting was called to order by Andy Schneggenburger as our new President. The other newly elected officers and board members were introduced. Vice President: Scott Walter Treasurer: Sue Hurley Board Member: Mike Lang Secretary: Laura Donecker Historian/Founder: Gloria Ciarrocca Board Member: Steve Dellinger Andy made the following announcements: • The club will send a card and a $25.00 donation to Hospice of Lancaster County in memory of Dexter Sturgis, LANCO MG member since 1997, who passed away on January 5th. • The club will send a card to Roberta Shank who has suffered a broken ankle. • Alan Tucker is still recovering from back surgery. The secretary will give a call to see how he is progressing. • Alan Little and his 1973 Red MGB were recently noted in a York Sunday Dispatch article. 2 Given that our last meeting was the Holiday dinner there was no report from the secretary. Sue Hurley recapped the financial statements for 2004 and presented the Treasurer’s report noting total funds available as of 12/31/2004 are $7,027.66. No committee reports were given. Old Business discussed included the recent Holiday Dinner Party and the Toys for Tots donations. Also, our new website: www.lancomgclub.com is now up and running with help from Jack Butler. Classified items will be listed free of charge for LANCO members for one month. Send in items by the third week of the month as that will be the deadline for monthly site updates. Pages will be set up to record enthusiast of the year data. The current password for all restricted sections is "lanco". This will be changed every three months. Upcoming events were discussed under new business. Inputs for an April "Spring Thaw" outing (two days) were solicited. A drive to Solomon Island (MD) was suggested with a stop in Annapolis, and possibly a visit to the Maritime Museum. Andy will look into a block of rooms or B&B accommodations and report back with details. A show of hands indicated sufficient interest to move ahead with this plan. Other open dates on the calendar were reviewed: continued on page 4 LANCO MAI LGRAM 2004 Annual Banquet and Awards Program On December 4th the club membership had another opportunity to enjoy an evening of fine food and fine fellowship at the General Sutter Inn in Lititz. As always, the Inn was festive and the food was delicious. In addition to recognizing and thanking all of the various activity organizers and volunteers of the past year’s events, President Sally Harbold presented the following awards: Ten year memberships: Mark Anderson Randall Carlton David Maliniak 3 Fifteen year memberships: Robert Derr Ronald Peffer Pete Slesser Twenty year memberships: Joel Beck Marlyn Hahn Tim & Joan Martin Pam Preston Mike Schmuck 2004 "Hard Luck" Award: Dale & Claudia Glatfelter (for their eventful trip to Stowe) Joan (& Tim) Martin (for the concave "C" on the way home from the Taste of Britain) Taste of Britain Injury Award: (our first, and hopefully our last) Andy Myers (What’s the joke about blowing up a car? Something about a hot tailpipe…..) LANCO MG Enthusiast of the Year: Dennis Blevins Most Enthusiastic New Member: Phil Kinsey "Enthusiast of Two Decades": (Special recognition award) Gloria Ciarrocca (nee Charles, our Founder) Presentation to Lancaster County Toys for Tots (see separate article in this MailGram) Gloria Ciarrocca receives the "Enthusiast of Two Decades" award. Special "Thanks" was given to Cleft Stone Works (member Chuck Steifvater) for making and donating the dark slate octagons used for this year’s plaques. continued on page 4 LANCO MAI LGRAM continued from page 2 September 11 LANCO meeting will be hosted by Tim & Joan Martin at their home with a possible tech session. November Meeting—Andy to check with Triple C as a venue. Annual Poker Run (October)—to be hosted by Jim & Sally Harbold, taking place in York County. The "Library" inventory will be listed in both the upcoming newsletter and website - ideas for updating/adding material are welcome. Club regalia was briefly discussed. By vote, Toys for Tots was approved unanimously as a charity recipient for 2005. Under miscellaneous items, Bob McFarland will be traveling to Dublin, Ireland in a few weeks and requested (and received) some LANCO regalia items and newsletters to take along for the MG club there where he has made friends while on a prior trip. continued from page 3 2004 Annual Banquet and Awards Program Sally then introduced the newly elected club officers (pictured to right). They will serve for 2005 and 2006. Incoming president Andy Schneggenburger thanked Sally for her service to the club and presented her with a token of our esteem – a Tee shirt with a photo of Sally firing the Civil War-era Gattling gun at the bullet-ridden car (from Mayor Charlie Smithgall’s cannon shoot) with the caption "DAMN IT, JIM – I SAID, NO MORE CARS"! Outgoing President Sally with her gift from the club. 4 LANCO Officers for 2005/2006 (from left to right): Scott Walter – Vice President, Laura Donecker – Secretary, Steve Dellinger – Board Member, Andy Schneggenburger – President, Michael Lang – Board Member, Sue Hurley – Treasurer Sally Harbold introducing our new president – Andy (which way did they go?) Schneggenburger LANCO MAI LGRAM MG and Mini History Jack Daniels Engineer and suspension expert who helped create the Morris Minor and Mini. Excerpted from the London Times Obituaries –December 04, 2004 JACK DANIELS was right-hand man to Alec Issigonis, designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini. A reflective man of measured responses, he offered the perfect foil to the idiosyncratic genius of Issigonis, and his skills as a draughtsman and as a development engineer were central to the success of both cars. Daniels summarised the partnership pithily: “His was the inspiration, mine was the perspiration.” 5 William John Daniels was born in 1912 into an Oxford farming family, and was educated at Oxford Central School. In 1927 he joined MG as its first unindentured apprentice, moving two years later to the drawing office. Under the tutelage of the design chief H. N. Charles, he found his feet as an engineer, appreciating in particular Charles’s skill at suspension design and his invention of machinery for the workshop testing of cars and components. Daniels worked on the chassis design of the R-type racer with its later to stand him in good stead: he was to be adamant that the Minor would have secure handling without the need for an anti-roll bar. In 1935 Charles and Daniels transferred to the Morris design office at Cowley to work on a new generation of MGs more closely based on Morris components: best-known of these projects was the famous T-type MG Midget. In 1936 Alec Issigonis joined Morris as a suspension engineer, and he and Daniels soon became the nucleus of a small design and development team. Together they created a new independent front suspension, incorporating the feature, advanced for the time, of rack-and-pinion steering. Adapted after the war by MG, this coil-spring arrangement was used right through to the last MGB of 1980. Wartime work by the duo included an elegant oneperson reconnaissance vehicle with torsion-bar front suspension, and a motorised “wheelbarrow” that could be dropped by parachute in its carrying canister. By 1943 Issigonis had begun work on a new small Morris car, then known as the Mosquito, so it was without him that Daniels carried out key engineering work on the Argosy tracked amphibian and on the development of the suspension — comprising 32 separate torsion bars — for the heaviest tank of the Second World War, the 85-ton “Tortoise”. In early 1945 Daniels — as chief design and development engineer — joined Issigonis on the Mosquito. To evolve into the Minor of 1948, it showcased design obsessions that were to stay with Issigonis all his life: safe handling and the maximum interior space for a given overall size. Daniels, fresh from his tank work, set up rigs to stress-test the car’s torsion-bar front suspension, determined that the vehicle would stand up to colonial conditions. Disappointed not to achieve a full 100,000 test-cycles without breaking any bars, he instigated a hardening process that resulted in the bars safely doing half a million cycles. “My mind was on this tank — I over-engineered bits of the Minor, there’s no doubt about that,” he subsequently admitted. Issigonis came to see front-wheel drive (FWD) as the next step forward, in terms of space-efficient packaging, but after the merger of rivals Austin continued on page 6 LANCO MAI LGRAM continued from page 5 and Morris to form BMC he had departed in 1952 to Alvis. Left behind was a partbuilt prototype Minor with a transverse engine driving the front wheels. Daniels had the car completed and it became his regular transport, thereby inevitably coming to the notice of BMC’s top brass. Daniels regarded it as a key factor in persuading them of the viability of FWD when it came to designing the Mini. Issigonis rejoined BMC at the end of 1955, and he and Daniels at first worked on an experimental midsized saloon. With the Suez crisis, however, Leonard Lord, the BMC chief, instructed Issigonis to abandon all other projects in favour of designing a minimalist vehicle to combat the sundry “bubble cars” then on the market. Announced in August 1959, the Mini was a radical new interpretation of the small car, with a transverse engine, the gearbox in the sump, and a rubber suspension that transmitted substantial loads into a lightweight structure. It was an unrivalled exercise in packaging, fitting four people and adequate luggage space into a motor car that was only 10 feet long. Two years and one month after the project had been commissioned, the Mini was in production. It was an extraordinary feat that speaks volumes for Daniels’s abilities as a development engineer and his skill at worrying away at problems — testing and retesting, calculating and recalculating, until the drivetrain was reliable and the tightly packed mechanicals fitted in a bodyshell that was feasible for cost-effective, production-line assembly. Daniels continued to work on developments to the Mini right through the 1960s, most notably exploring ways of eliminating the bolt-on subframes on which the mechanicals were carried and in exploring alternative suspension systems. More concrete results, though, came when he deployed his skills at rig-testing and calculation — all done on a six-inch slide rule — to achieve the successful final design of the Moulton Hydrolastic suspension used on the best-selling 1100 and on later versions of the Mini. Similar development work on the Maxi followed. Daniels was also closely involved with the creation of a lightweight air-portable Mini-based vehicle for the Armed Forces. Turned down by the Army, it was launched in 1964 as the civilian Mini Moke. An intriguing spin-off was the construction of three Mokes with a second engine mounted in the boot. During the snowy winter of 1962-63 Daniels delighted in demonstrating the prototype’s prowess to the press, not least by having it tow a sizeable BMC lorry. The failure of the Moke to interest the Armed Forces rankled, and Issigonis instigated work on a four-wheel-drive go-anywhere vehicle. Known as the Ant, it came close to production, and was principally designed by Daniels and his body-engineering colleague John Sheppard. A distinctive feature was the mounting of the suspension and steering on the engine/gearbox assembly; drawing on Daniels’s long experience with this medium, the suspension used torsion bars. In later years Daniels was to make the point — proudly, if with his characteristic diffidence — that the Ant was the first car to combine 4WD with a transverse engine. With the formation of British Leyland, Daniels was briefly involved with the early stages of designing the Morris Marina, and as chief engineer, advanced vehicles, he was latterly responsible for a series of safety vehicles before retiring in 1977. Tall and bushy-eyebrowed, Daniels is remembered as being a not particularly communicative person: he was the sort hardly to say a word, but to be quietly taking in everything that was said, while puffing on his trademark pipe. Never one for over-exuberance, he would permit himself a wry smile if something went the way he had predicted it rather than the way envisaged by Issigonis. Wrapped up in the minutiae of his work, and as often as not wreathed in pipe smoke, he was regarded as a private person, respected above all for his meticulous engineering abilities — and for the enviable synergy he and “Issi” enjoyed. continued on page 9 6 LANCO MAI LGRAM LANCO MG LENDING LIBRARY The following is a list of the videos and books we have available for members to borrow. Please contact the club librarian, Jim Harbold, at [email protected] or (717) 292-0579 if you’d like to check out any of these materials. VIDEOS Battle of the B’s, The — Narrated by Neville Mariner. Sights and sounds of B’s from stock to monster V8’s 35 min. Best of British — From "Old Number One" to the MG-F the story of the brand that wouldn’t die, that wouldn’t lie down and roll over even when the factory has been closed for over 20 years. 76 min. Classic MG — Video features the Speckled Hen Run, Pendine Sands Dash, Abington international and RV8. 50 min. Dr. Doolins MG Engine Rebuild — Includes removal, dismantling and rebuild of engine and transmission. 90 min. Guide to MGB Maintenance, The — Using simple tools and equipment to perform regular service on the MGB. 64 min. MGB Experience, The — From development in the 30’s to cars on the track today, model changes, club info, and buying guide. 60 min. Inside the Octagon¸ MG 1921-1945 — The birth of Britain’s most famous sports car. 96 min. International Indy 1996 — Footage of the ‘96’ MG International event from the car show to the race track. 110 min. MG Magic — A celebration of Britain’s best loved sports car. Takes you from club events to a classic car auction. 55 min. My Classic Car with Dennis Gage — 7th annual MGB Register Convention and restoration tips on body fillers. 55 min. Lead work and Plastic Fillers — How to on these two materials and how they should be used on classic cars. 58 min. Romance of Restoration, The — Basically a presentation from White Post Restorations. 18 min. Safety Fast — Overview of the T-Series car which introduced the world to the MG Marque. 58 min. 7 Story of the MG, The — Covers a complete range of all models of the MG. 60 min Taste Of Britain — A 1998 version of the annual car show, mainly showing vehicles arriving for the show. 8 min. 23rd Annual MG Summer Party — An overview of one of the largest gathering of MG’s Sponsored by John Twist and attended by Lanco members over the years. Approx 100 min. BOOKS Book of the Car, The From the well-known motoring author A. D. Clausager, brings the MG story vividly to life covering all the developments at MG from the very beginning to the last MGB model. 100 illustrations many in colour. 95 pages. Guide to Purchase and Restoration of the MGB Lindsay Porter’s excellent book used by many novice and knowledgeable "B" owners in the restoration and maintenance of their cars. Montezuma’s Ferrari By the vivid entertaining author Bert Levy, covers the adventures of narrator/mechanic Buddy Palumbo (whom several readers liken to Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger’s classic Catcher in the Rye) as he makes new friends, meets new challenges, and learns new lessons about everything from life to love, race craft to religion, and carburetors to capitalism. So sit back, grab a favorite beverage, and hang on to your easy chair. You’re in for one hell of a ride…395 pages Motor, Auto Body Repair Twenty chapters of tech school level information, covering everything from shop safety, panel replacement repairs, plastics, material types and equipment use to estimating and finishing costs. Edited by Robert Scharff. 824 pages. Original MG T series Restorers guide to the "T" series cars by Anders Ditlev Clauseger. More than 150 colour photos showing every inch of the cars. Indispensable for all owners, restorers, buyers and enthusiast’s. 103 pages SU Carburetors Overhaul, tuning and maintenance of the most widely used carb(s) on many of the beloved British cars we own. LANCO MAI LGRAM LANCO MG and the “Toys PROGRAM for Tots” Ralph Eriksen LANCO has been supporting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve “Toys for Tots” program for a number of years now. Since the money donated specifically supports local area programs, we have been involved with not only the Lancaster area program, but also the program in the Gettysburg area. A portion of the support money comes from our two car shows: “British Invade Gettysburg” and “A Taste of Britain”. In 2004 alone, the club, and our show participants, donated over seventeen hundred dollars to these two groups. Every year, while most of us are opening our holiday gifts, there are millions of children all over the U.S. that do not get to experience this event. The U.S. Marine Corps is doing something about that. They are the unchallenged leader in caring for needy children in America at Christmastime. “Toys for Tots” unofficially started in 1947. The wife of Major Bill Hendricks decided that she was going to construct a Raggedy Ann doll and then create them to be given to needy children through some sort of organization. Hendricks looked all over for such a group but could not find one. With his wife’s encouragement, he decided to start his Ralph Eriksen presenting a check for over $700 to the Adams County program. own program, and they collected over 5000 toys that first year. In 1948, the program was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted it. The program was then extended all over the country as the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. Since that year, Toys for Tots has collected over 313 million toys. I personally took part in the local Gettysburg distribution on December l7 of this year and was truly amazed at the logistics of how everything is distributed and the system controls that make sure the program meets the goal of distributing to needy families. Our British Invade Gettysburg Show on July 10th of 2005 will have active Marine Corps support at the event. Mark your calendar President Sally Harbold and the LANCO club receiving recognition for our now and save the date for what we call “Christmas in July”. $1000 donation to the Lancaster County program. Toys ready for distribution in Gettysburg on December 17th. 8 LANCO MAI LGRAM CLASSIFIEDS: FOR SALE 1952 MG-TD. Red. Older restoration. Owned since 1971. New black top. Garage kept. Lightly driven. $22,000. Richard Mylin – (717) 848-4722 days, (717) 757-9445 evenings (York) CLASSIFIED AD POLICY: One two-line classified ad (up to 35 words) per issue is FREE to LANCO MG Club members. A photo (up to 2-1/4” x 3-1/2”) may be included for $5.00. Commercial/non-member classified ads of the same size are available for $5.00 (text only) or $10.00 (including photo). Display Ads: 1/8 Page 1/4 Page 1/2 Page . . . . . . . .$10/issue . . . . . . . .$35/year (6 issues) . . . . . . . .$20/issue . . . . . . . .$55/year . . . . . . . .$30/issue . . . . . . . .$110/year Ad copy and payment must be submitted to the Editor by the 14th of January, March, May, July, September, or November in order to be included in the following issue of the “MailGram”. 9 PAUL NICHOLS 6 ROBERT RD LITITZ, PA 17543 05-562 74 1/2 MGB WHITE [email protected] BOB & DIANE HAEHNLE 403 E. LEXINGTON RD LITITZ, PA 17543 05-564 77 MGB RED [email protected] W. KONRAD CRIST 7734 HARMONY GROVE RD WELLSVILLE, PA 17365 05-563 72 MGB TEAL BLUE [email protected] EDGAR C. FEARNOW 218 OVERLAND LANE LANCASTER, PA 17601 05-568 FORMER OWNER OF A 52 MG TD RED EDGAR C. FEARNOW III 684 GOOSE NECK DR LITITZ, PA 17543 05-569 52 MG TD RED (FORMERLY OWNED BY HIS FATHER, ABOVE) continued from page 6 “If Issigonis was the composer, or the conductor, it was Daniels who as first violin led the orchestra,” recalls one colleague. More bluntly, it was Daniels who kept the Issigonis feet on the ground, and transferred his ideas to the metal. “Issigonis was very much a designer rather than an engineer. His ideas were phenomenal but it took people like Jack Daniels to turn them into reality,” says another contemporary. “Daniels had that sense of the practical that meant he could turn an Issigonis idea into something that would work. Without people such as him the Mini wouldn’t have happened.” Jack Daniels, automobile engineer, was born on February 8, 1912. He died on November 27, 2004, aged 92. LANCO MAI LGRAM CLUB MEETING—FEBRUARY 13— 3:00p.m. 10 CLUB MEETING—MARCH 13— 3:00p.m. FRED HEISTAND AUTOMOTIVE, INC. 717-665-7100 Import Auto Repairs On All Makes MG & Classic Sports Car Mechanical Restoration Chuck Callis President MANHEIM, PA 17545 They’re Never Too Young! Dan Leonard’s Pit crew (Grandson Austin Tippitt – age 8) Watkins Glen—2004 Vintage Grand Prix DEADLINE FOR INFORMATION FOR THE APRIL/MAY ISSUE OF THE MAILGRAM IS MARCH 14th Questions? Call Dennis 717.548.2457