British Car Week Report
Day Four,
The Minor starts to smell like petrol. I pull over and pop the bonnet. fuel
is leaking from every hose and hose clamp and I have a bunch cause I'm
running twin SUs and both a chrome & glass fuel filter and an adjustable
pressure regulator from the speed shop. Chevy technology that has somehow
overlapped into the Minor. I drive over to Peter's Marina Motors and leak
all over his forecourt. It seem that the MTBE fuel additive that the law
demands here in CA has eaten up all of my hoses. Pete says to ashcan the
regulator as we just put in one of those Moss solid state, original looking
pumps a few months ago and he says that it puts out the proper pressure. He
gives me some German fuel line that he says won't disolve in MTBE and a
knife. We are on the road in a short time, car is running fine.
I thought I would cheat a bit on my British car sightings as Peter's place
is usually full of Britiron. This time it was mostly Land Rovers as Pete
was preparing a few for a safari film that is being shot this month. He
also has a Sunbeam Talbot/Alpine getting a super quality restoration and an
XK140 Jag Roadster on the lift.
Back on the street I see a pretty blond girl in a BRG, rubber bumper MGB
getting a ticket from a bike Cop - what a drag! And on British Car Week!
Over on Venice Blvd, in front of the library, I spy two more - a red Jag
XK150 drophead coupe (stock looking but with a Ford V8/4-speed) and a
silver Jag XJS cabriolet with the removable "targa top" panel removed but
the folding rear portion in place. Also on Venice Blvd, a white Daimler
Limo out in front of a Public Storage facility. That's it! Nothing more
Rick Feibusch reporting from the beach area of Los Angeles.
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A collection of Prince of Darkness jokes:
Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they still claim "sudden,
unexpected darkness"
Lucas--inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF. The other three
switch settings--SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.
The original anti-theft devices--Lucas Electric products.
"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...
Did you hear about the Lucas powered torpedo? It sank.
It's not true that Lucas, in 1947, tried to get Parliament to repeal Ohm's
Law. They withdrew their efforts when they met too much resistance.
Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked
the owner "How can you tell one switch from another at night, since they
all look the same?" "He replied, it doesn't matter which one you use,
nothing happens!"
Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began
manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which
didn't suck.
Quality Assurance phoned and advised the Engineering guy that they had
trouble with his design shorting out. So he made the wires longer.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.
Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb.
Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.
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