Hi all,
Last night Reid completed the final leg of his 1,110 mile drive from San
Francisco to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Thursday morning dawned bright but cold
in McCall, so he bundled up and jumped into the 100-M for an early launch.
The car wouldn't start.
This is one for the books! Upon opening the bonnet for an initial
inspection he found that the dashpot plungers has rattled loose and had
floated up in the oil! This kept the mixture too lean to start the car.
Once they were tightened down the car started right up and ran flawlessly
for the remainder of the trip.
On a lark, Reid walked into a Napa Auto Parts store he found along the way.
He asked for a radiator cap and thermostat for an Austin-Healey BN2. They
had the correct parts in stock! Clearly, there are greater forces at work
here! Ok, the book did list the BN2 as being built in 1962, and Sprites
were listed under 'Spirit', but they did have the parts!
The skies were blue with big white clouds, but no rain. US95 was full of
twists and turns but free from traffic. A perfect Healey road! To quote
Ried, "This was the best day I have ever had driving a Healey."
Over the past two weeks Stu, Reid and I have driven LBCs over 4,000 miles,
from coast to coast, encountering only the most minor of mechanical
adventures. You can do the same, even if it is only to drive to the market
for a quart of milk. Many of us tend to treat our cars like museum
pieces, which they are not! These cars were designed to be driven, enjoyed
and (dare I say it?) used! British Car Week was not started so you could
read about somebody else driving thier LBC. It was started to encourage
YOU to DRIVE your CAR!
So, having read the accounts of our journeys it is now your moral
obligation to get you car on the road and DRIVE!
Cheers,
Mark
Mark Allen
Membership Director
Austin-Healey Club USA
marka@healey.org
www.healey.org
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