In a message dated 2/13/03 18:28:08 Pacific Standard Time, rstca@hemmings.com
writes:
<< Mr. Gibbons was a wonderful man, and we all missed him when he passed away.
>>
Amen to that.....Ray was a large part of what made that list great. I was
just shocked when he passed so suddenly. Like we didn't get a chance to say
good bye. I saved a lot of his emails.......here they are in memory of Ray.
Date: Thu, 13 May 1993 10:49:55 -0400
From: gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (Ray Gibbons)
To: british-cars-request@autox.team.net
Subject: Refurbishing exhaust manifolds
I used the "stainless steel coating," part 1256, sold by Eastman on the
exhaust manifold of my Bugeye engine (948 stage IV). I sandblasted it
thoroughly and brushed the coating directly on. No primer is recommended,
and I doubt if any could stand the heat. The instructions recommended
baking the manifold in an oven. I was not sanguine about subjecting the
oven we use for food to whatever vapors might arise, so I didn't do it. I
let the manifold air dry, and put it on the engine, figuring the baking
would occur when the engine was started. It has been 9 months and about 800
miles; the manifold still looks good--but I admit I don't spend a lot of
time minutely examining it. The car is in a garage about 20 miles away; if
the precise condition of the manifold is important to anyone I will examine
it closely next time I have the car out. I should also say that mine has
not been a very rigorous test; the car is only out on sunny days, and the
engine has yet to be washed. However, freshly sandblasted cast iron rusts
pretty fast just from humidity, and the coating seems to be protecting it.
One can is enough for 3 or 4 manifolds.
Ray Gibbons, <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
UVM Medical Research Facility
55A South Park Dr.
Colchester, VT 05446-2500
Voice (802) 656-8910 Fax (802) 656-8915
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1993 10:34:22 -0400
From: gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (Ray Gibbons)
Subject: Survey
The british car survey was indeed a fine idea. Unfortunately, I'm one of
those who hasn't the faintest idea how to uncompress it, decode it, or, for
that matter, how to separate it from the rest of the text without screwing
things up. Does everyone except me know how, and if so, did they learn it
somewhere or did it come with mother's milk?
Ray Gibbons 60 AH Sprite
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1993 15:52:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: "W. Ray Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: percolating carbs?
I don't suppose one ever really finishes a restoration. Certainly if one
loses his head and drives the car rather than trailering it, things that
need doing or redoing keep cropping up. After 6 months or so of trying to
keep the bottom of my Bugeye shiny, I decided that wasn't much fun, and
I have started driving the car, even when the sun isn't out (which
around here is much of the time). When I am stuck in traffic, the engine
temperature seems to stay in reasonable bounds (180 deg thermostat, temp
seems to climb to about 190 and stabilize--if one can believe a 33 yr old
gauge). But after a time, the idle gets irregular and drops to roughly
500 RPM, threatening to die completely. I have to keep blipping the
throttle to keep it going. Once I start moving, the problem disappears
quickly. A mechanic friend (who rebuilt the engine and carbs) says gas is
percolating in the carbs. I have to say it sounds a bit like the "they all
do that" bit you get when you complain about the behavior of a new car.
The engine is the original 948 tweaked a bit--it has Janz racing pistons,
a later cam, approx. 9.5:1 compression, ported, etc. It has the stock
brass top SU carbs. The exhaust manifold is a later model with the three
bolt flange. The stock heat shield is between the carbs and exhaust
manifold. Does it sound as if gas is really percolating in the carbs as
he says, and if so, is there any known fix for the problem? Did Bugeyes
always do this (I recall that traffic had been invented in 1960), or are
the engine mods somehow responsible?
Ray Gibbons, Tree-frog green 60 Bugeye, Environs of Burlington, VT
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 15:13:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: "W. Ray Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: MGB problems, screws, rainX
A friend wants me to help him check out a rubber bumper MGB (think a 79)
that he's interested in. I have been told that some later B's had smog
control devices and tuning that were frantic efforts to meet regulations,
and cars made in some years cannot be made to run well in stock configuration.
Is this true, and if so, what years should be avoided?
The car has not run in some time, supposedly because the fuel pump went
out. The inner and outer sills appeared bad to my friend. How hard is
sill replacement? I have done some plain and fancy cutting and welding on
my bugeye and can assist him, but he has never done such things before.
The owner is asking $1000. Assuming we cannot hear car run, sills are
indeed bad, and the usual rust is elsewhere, what might the car be worth?
In regard to postings on pozi-drive screws. They can be distinguished from
phillips because pozi-drive generally have 4 dimples or 4 radial lines
on the heads. Every machine screw on my bugeye was pozi-drive. If anyone
knows of a source for stainless steel pozi-drive screws for the aluminum
cockpit surround of a bugeye, I'd appreciate hearing of it.
I tried rain-x. It was amusing at higher speeds, useless at lower speeds,
and did not last long. I would recommend only as a spare to carry on a long
trip in a car with questionable wipers.
Ray Gibbons 60 treefrog green bugeye; environs of Burlington, VT
------------------------------
I have more but they will not fit in this email......so if you want them
email me off list and I'll attach them as a .txt file to you.......
Terry
/// british-cars@autox.team.net mailing list
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|