Changes at The South Lansing Centre For Wayward Sports Cars
Y'all know how a common occurence in the car hobby is the need for an
adjustment in car ownership due to major changes like getting married,
buying a house, or having a kid?
Well, such an event at the SLC has resulted in the need for changes in
our car collection. (with the usual SLC twist).
The Event: Anouncing the birth of Ian Benjaman Garnett, bringing our
pit crew to a total of 2! (Kim is just getting just about big enough
to put to work under the dash, and is enjoying her electric truck...)
Due to this event, it's time for a change in the SLCFWSC's collection.
First (next?) new *addition*: (I told you there was a twist)
I have aquired a former 50's MG Hillclimb Special. It's based on the TD, with
a tube frame, aluminium body work, TD front end and driveline, and torsion
bar springs in the rear. I say former tho, cuz it's basicly stripped (no
engine, tranny, or most other parts) & rusted away, and would require
starting almost from scratch. But it may have a history if I can trace it,
and would be an athentic base for a Vintage Hillclimber.
MG Hill Climb Special
-Built in the 50's in California
-Dash-plaque: 1st @ Belnap 1957 in under 1500cc Modified. Anybody know
where Belnap is? There supposedly used to be a lot of other dash plaques...
-Pikes Peak at some time or the other.
-Brought East in the early 60's by a Paul Gorman (to R.I.)
-Aluminum body, 2 main tubular rail chassis, small interconnecting tubes.
-Had a slab-style gas tank behind the drivers head.
-Alpine(?) aluminium, finned brakes, dual cylinder, horizontal shoes.
-15" Wire wheels, 3 remaining.
---------------------------------------------------------------
#2.
OK, all you Triumph freaks, it's finaly happened. I'm aquiring
some TR iron. Sorta. (Other than the 1500 Midget in need of block).
Remember my query last month? Right, the Peerless one. OK, here it is:
1958 Peerless GT.
Car # 34 (of 179)
TR3A engine # TS 35023E (What does the "E" mean folks?)
This car is a major project. Complete, but damaged. The tube framing is
rusted, and one side of the car (fibreglass) took a hit from a
forklift while in storage. (Ouch!) The process will require first
tacking together some broken framing, and trueing the shape. Then,
gluing together the broken parts, filling in any voids. (At least
at that point it'll look complete) Next will be making molds of any
sections that need to be re-made. Then, (oh joy) de-riveting and cutting
away the frame from the body, which is partly built up around the frame.
The frame will be jigged up and repaired/reconstructed with fresh (square,
chrome moly) tubing. The body can then be reattached and completed.
Whew! See you in a few years...
The driveline ought to be easy, pretty much straight TR3A, except for
the DeDion rear end. (which may be a salisbury?). Then I'll need to
find things like Aston Martin/Humber rear light lenses,
A-H brake rear brake parts, and maybe one of the Rolls Royce 1/4 turn
window winder mechanisims.
Things I could use some NET.HELP with:
-ANY references, specs, articles (or photo-copies of), owners, etc.
regarding Peerless or Warwick GT's. I have a brief reference
in an Encyclopedia of Motor Cars, and Ency. of Motor Sports,
as well as a short article from July 1988 Sport & GT magazine
(Sport & GT is now defunct).
-Address/phone # for a Peerless/Warwick register. (England, probably. I
don't think there's one in the US, yet.)
-Information regarding the 1958 LeMans, and the Peerless which finished 16th.
(There were 2 entered, only one ran. The engine may have been
prepped by Triumph. It only spent 7 minutes in the pits, and got
22 MPG!)
-Any other competition histories. (A friend remembers one at the Glen in
the early 60's)
-A copy of the (April?) Throughbred and Classics with an article on a
Warwick V8. I have talked to the owner of that car- it may be
the only remaining of 4 Warwicks which were fitted with the
Buick V8 in 1961, and was certainly the only LH drive. He will
be good for some info. He needs a windshield for his car BTW,
which he thinks is the rear window from a Morris Oxford. (not
sure what year.) Anyone know of a good source?
The festivities have begun!
________________________________________________________
Roger Garnett (Roger_Garnett@cornell.edu)
"The South Lansing Centre For Wayward Sports Cars"
"All donations of stray, orphaned, odd, neglected, etc.
sports cars and bits in need of a good home accepted."
"The drop off bin is right there- behind the barn..."
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