Boy! You get the prize!
I thought my BCW3 was bad-I was sick all week in bed with some sort of flu
or virus and Nigel's master cylinder started to go. I had a good week in
comparison (I got to drive my poor gimpy baby to the doctors and back
twice!)
Let's hope for a better BCW4!!! And for a much better summer!!! (YEAHHHH!!!)
Laura G. and Nigel
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Terrick <dterrick@pangea.ca>
To: spitfires@autox.team.net <spitfires@autox.team.net>; Triumph list
<triumphs@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, May 27, 1999 7:58 PM
Subject: BCW 3 - my story
>
>Well all, BCW 3 was a hollow victory for me. My GT6 which was garaged
>last fall after that nasty vintage race accident (and also my only anywhere
>near ready car) wihtout much hope of a return this summer. I feel that -
>on my own - to have stripped it of the tub, blasted and re-prepped the
frame
>and flip front, and re-assembled it all into a sort of runnign beast inside
>one month was a real feat and should get "some" credit.
>
>That said, it's first highway voyage was back to the track, and it didn;t
>like that at all. electrical fire ensuing, only the kill switch saved
>thingsfrom getting very warm... I had not replaced the extinguisher and
will
>NEVER again leave ANYTHING unfused - even ifthe coimp book says to do so
>because there is "no danger". Trust me, a 10 ga wire can create a lot of
>heat and it cost me an Alpine pullout deck and some things near to it!.
>
>I managed 1,000 miles before my tags expired, but by then the car was
>handling like a sack of decomposed organic matter from the bovine family.
>Diagnosis, a seized Koni at the front. Stripped the threads right of the
>shaft and left me with 3 corners sticking to the pavement. No wonder.
The
>beast lived in my single car garae over the frigid Manitoba winter as I
>tried in vain to keep things warm enough to do bodywork on the well-beaten
>spare hood I had blasted.
>
>After spending many hours reading auto shops texts on how to "properly" do
>things like shrink metal,etc, I decided that this car should be a racer,
>not a show car, and as such I was wasting my time. Well, that and my daily
>driver was protesting about the outdoor treatment. Actually, it killed my
>VW, but that's another story.
>
>I hosted a TDC spring rally two weeks ago and had made my best efforts to
>have the car running, at least, so I could save face with my fellow
>clubbers. The dead short in the battery caused whenever, caused another
>electrical fire. I connected the jumpers to the Honda and the TR and went
>inside to get a coke. I return to find the cables - and the big brown
wires
>on the GT - puddling themselves into oxydized copper. So much for saving
>face.
>
>Since that battery was borrowed anyway, Dad replaced it. After taping
back
>the bare copper (so much for my 20 or so hours of re-hand wrapping the
>previously bastardized harness) I heard the rumble of a well rested 2 liter
>for the first time since October!
>
>Now the fun. Assuming that I would not be licensing the car this summer, I
>dug around and found a stock spare GT shock and substituted for the
granaded
>Koni. I removed the bald race rubber and refitted the 185/70 I normally
>would run. Both front tires rub on the "new" bonnett and I can see I will
>have some massaging to do to the fender arches as I suspected.
>
>BUT I DID DRIVE THE CAR DOWN THE LANE, UNLICENSED AND ILLEGAL AS HELL, BUT
I
>DID PARTICIPATE!!!!
>
>Now that I remember how bad the car is when it is not set up correctly, I
>have more incentive to finish the mechanicals. Sadly it will come nowhere
>near the VTR this summer due to finances more than time, but if plans gel,
I
>may trailer it to the other Portland. Y'know, it'll run sometime next
>century.
>
>I hope you all are enjoying your LBC 3 - you don;t know what you've got
till
>its gone.
>
>Dave T
>Winnipeg
>
>
>
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