Thanks to John and Judy Carter for arranging the presentations for the March club meeting.   David Whitehead, from TAP plastics gave an overview of the different resins and fiberglass sheets.

Lee Ennis, owner of A1 Mufflers demonstrated welding a modification to John’s Sprite seats so the seat back would be at a more comfortable angle.  We all know how important comfort is to us British sports car owners.  Right up there with reliability!

The presentation on fiberglassing discussed different types of resins and their uses.    Discussed were  polyester laminating resins and finishing resin.  The finish coat resin has a wax additive that rises to the surface as the resin cures.  The wax will dry smooth and non-tacky.  After a light sanding you can paint right over it.   Two other more expensive polyester resins are fixatropic, which means that the resin doesn’t sag or run off.  It soaks in to the fabric very fast.  One of the expensive resins is also fuel resistant.  But, according to David,  all are good and people choose what they like.

The wax additive can be added to any of the resins.  The reason it isn’t in them to begin with is because the  wax is used only on the last finish layer.  Once the wax layer is cured you can’t laminate another layer on top of it without sanding the layer to get microscopic ridges for the next layer to bond to.

After talking about resins, fillers were discussed.  Instead of using Bondo, you can make your own using resin and fillers.  The different fillers have different properties.  All of the fillers can be mixed together to customize the properties to fit your needs.

After discussing resins and fillers we looked at different fiberglass fabrics.

The interesting fact about the fabrics was the range of different fabrics.  Some had fibers pressed together randomly (kind of like press board), others like the image above, were woven.  Which you would choose depends on your application.  Some work best on flat surfaces, others can be molded to curves.

After the fiberglass presentation we drove over to A1 Mufflers to listen to John discuss how to modify your seats in your Healey so that the backs are sloped back in a more comfortable angle.

The modification basically involves raising the mounting point for the seat back on the seat frame. This is done by cutting the old mount point off and welding an extension between it and the frame.

The image above shows the cut off  mount (bright spot in front of J0hn’s right hand), and at the bottom of the image you ca see the top of the other mount point.

The image above shows the other mount point with the extension (the lighter colored metal).   By raising the mount  point the seat back leans backwards.  John said that a half an inch to three quarters is enough.

After describing the modification all that was left to do was to have Lee weld in the extensions:

First one side…

Then the other.

During the welding John gave a glowing testimonial for A1 Mufflers.

There were about 16 club members in attendance and one guest,  Greg Paris  from Lotus Elites only.  Greg was especially interested in the fiberglass presentation and asked some good questions.

Thanks to Richard Mayor for hosting the meeting and discussing compression and leak down testing.  I, for one, am quite envious of his shop.  We had fourteen club members in attendance and had a good time watching Richard demonstrate the tests on Mark Schneider’s Healey.  In addition to the demonstration Richard also talked about transmissions, his racing experiences and the various Healey components he has managed to destroy.  Photos below (click on photos for larger view):

The last photo shows the results.  The Max PSI column shows the compression measurements on each cylinder.  The third percentage column shows the leakage percentage.  Number 3 cylinder isn’t looking too good, but the car is still running well.  So Mark has some thinking about how long to wait before tearing into the engine!  Stay tuned, Mark has promised to write up some more about the tests.

Additional photos here

I thought a reminder concerning the January meeting might be appreciated during the holiday rush.  On January 10th two important events will occur.  First, will be a technical session starting at 10:00 AM at John and Judy Carter’s home located at 16173-SW DeKald St, Tigard, OR.  Directions are available elsewhere on the website under the “Events”.  The second event will be the January business meeting starting at 1:00 PM at Max’s Brew Pub located at 12582-SW Main St in downtown Tigard.  Directions are below and there is ample off-street parking behind the pub.

The club members have an important decision to make in the first month or two of 2009 regarding the 2010 Rendezvous, specifically, selection of the site for the meet.  In support of this decision pertinent information will be presented and discussed at the the January meeting.  First, will be a Power Point presentation prepared for the club by Mr. Alan Smiles, Executive Director of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce.  Next will be two presentations concerning Eugene.  Ms Sue Harshbarger of Convention & Visitors Assoc. of Lane County (CVALCO) will propose Eugene as the venue for our Rendezvous.  Then, Mr Dan Miller, Director of Corporate Sales at the Valley River Inn in Eugene will provide a briefing on the merits and offerings of his establishment as a potential headquarters for the 2010 event.

Directions from Carter’s to Max’s Pub – From Carter’s home return to Bull Mtn Road and turn right.  Head easterly on Bull Mtn to HWY 99 South, turn left.  Drive north to Main St in Downtown Tigard.  (Main St is the last intersection before the bridge crossing over the RxR tracks.)  Turn right at the light onto Main St.  Max’s Brew Pub is about one block ahead on you right.  If you pass A-Boy Electric and Plumbing Supply on Main you’ve gone too far.  A drive way to the parking lot is along the bank of Fanno Creek and alongside the Pub building wall.

Start saving your nickles and get ready for our Club party with our Christmas Charity Auction which will be on Sunday Dec. 7 at the East Morland Golf Club.

As in years past, our Charity Committee is hoping that AHCO members will consider donating something to this great fundraiser. Remember, it can be a bottle of wine, homemade jams and jellies, handcrafted items, a weekend stay at your 2nd home or whatever. Your generosity in the past has been outstanding and our Club has been able to help many organizations in our area. Just this past year alone we’ve assisted:

• Oregon Food Bank
• Albertina Kerr Art Therapy Center
• Coffee Creek Women’s Correctional Institute
• Ronald McDonald House
• Vale High School Automotive Program
• Muscular Dystrophy Children’s Summer Camp
• Veterans Hospital Portland/Vancouver

Thank you again for your past support anI we look forward to another great auction on Sun. Dec. 7th.

Our monthly meeting will be held at the Harrison Beach Hotel in Harrison Hot Springs BC at 9:30 a.m. Sunday Sept. 21, 2008 in the main floor meeting room. It’ll be a great way to wrap up this great event.

There are two sports car events I look forward to each year, the Historic Races in July and the All British Field Meet on Labor Day weekend.  For the Healey Club the second one is a huge job.  And, there is much of the event planning and implementation that I am not yet familiar with.  All I have contributed is helping to count the ballots and handing out the awards at the end of the process. This year the effort on Saturday went very smoothly due to the efforts of President Jeff Mach and a group of club volunteers.  It was clear that Jeff had put a good deal of thought into the tasks.  At 10:00 AM Saturday morning he briefed us on the forthcoming challenge.  The team launched with Larry Clemenson serving as a runner retrieving the ballots while the rest of us counted the votes.  By 2:00 PM the deed was done and that was even after a lunch break arranged by Jeff.  Besides the “free” lunch the volunteers were awarded a classy looking dark maroon T-shirt.  The team included: Jerry and Pat Barron, George Koeber, Bob Wallace, Ken Parcher, Linda Adams, Jim & Kaye Maguire, Tom & Cecelia Magnusson, Alan Gross & son, Ric Curry, Skip Monaco, Kym Randolph & Larry Clemenson, Jeff & Dawn Mach,and me.  Doug Auburg helped with award presentations. While all this was going on Carole Trenko & Jaci Koeber ran the AHCO regalia booth.  The AHCO owes these folks a big “Thank you”. 

Next year will come along soon enough.  The vote counting task will be there again and the ABFM committee will be asking for volunteers to help.  If this is a project you have not participated in I urge each member give it some thought.  Sure, it is work but we all had fun working with our club-mates, had lunch together, got a T-shirt, contributed to the success of the ABFM, and the AHCO coffers will be healthier for haiving done it.  Try it, you’ll like it.

On Sat. Oct. 4th (the first Sat.- not the usual 2nd Sat. ) our monthly event will begin at 10 a.m. sharp with Club members departing for a wonderful 3 hour tour of our beautiful coast range with our destination being the Seaside home of Tom and Skip Monaco.

Everyone will gather from 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. just off Sunset Hwy (Hwy. 26) exit 65 where- from 26 you can see the Phoenix Inn on your right (north side of 26). Take a right turn at that exit stop (NW Cornell Rd.) and just ahead you’ll see (also to the right) a Minit Mart/fueling station where we’ve met many times before. Here, you can fuel up and grab a quick cuppa joe or snack for the trip.

Hopefully the weather will co-operate so that we can get the full enjoyment of the winding roads and trees turning their spectacular autumn colors.

We’ll wind up the drive in Seaside at Tom and Skip’s beachhouse located at 1832 S. Roosevelt Dr. (Hwy 101) at approx. 1 p.m. We’ll be treated to a delicious chuckwagon style meal (compliments of AHCO) with attendees needing to only bring their beverages of choice. Meeting will begin at 2 p.m

For those who wish to stay the night in Seaside, there are 2 very reasonably priced motels close by. MicroTel Inn, 2455, S. Roosevelt Dr., 1-800-771-7171. Motel 6, 2369 S. Roosevelt Dr. 503-738-6269.

So that the “Cookies” (a chuckwagon term, you know) purchase and cook the appropriate amount of food, please go to the ‘comments’ section and leave your names so that we know how many to expect. Thanks for the cooperation, Pardner.

The meeting will be at Gary Jackson house at Eagle Crest Resort (588 Widgeon Rd, Redmond OR, Phone 541-923-9766). The day will start at 10:30 with a tour led by John Wilson. We will gather at the Safeway store in downtown Silverton and proceed from there. Please be filled up with gas and ready to depart prior to 10:30. There is a planed stop along the way for a picnic, so bring a light lunch. You can call John at 541-221-9213 if you have questions.

The tour should arrive at Eagle Crest around 2:00 with the meeting around 3:00 followed by a Mexican Fiesta with all of the timings. Lodging has been arranged at the Redmond Inn Motel (541-548-1091) for August 16 at a Rate of $65.00 +Tax. Be sure to say you are with the Austin Healey Group. Any room not reserved by August 4 will be released, so be sure to call early.

There will also be a Sunday brunch, location yet to be determined, before everyone takes off for home. So come on over to the sunny side of Oregon for a great weekend in the sun.

June 21, 2008 (note change to 3^rd Saturday). Doug and Tammy Auburg will be our hosts for this event. They are both members and officers in the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association and they are anxious to show us why they enjoy this activity so much.

We will meet in the Safeway parking lot in Battle Ground Washington at 10:45am. We’ll depart the parking lot promptly at 11:00 and caravan north to Yacolt. In Yacolt we’ll board the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad for a fun ride in the very scenic backwoods of Clark County. The train will depart at Noon. The cost of this ride is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors (60+), $10 for children 4-11 and $8 for children 2-4. Children under 2 ride free.

Directions from I-5 to Battle Ground Safeway for tour: Exit at 179th St. (Exit 9), continue straight as the exit ramp becomes NE 10^th Ave, turn right onto 219^th St., 219th St. becomes Main St., proceed eastward and look for Safeway on your left just beyond the intersection with SR503 (SW 10^th Ave.).

Following the 1-3/4 hour train ride, we will head back south to hold our meeting and no-host refreshments at the City Grill in Battle Ground. City Grill (1710 SW 9th Ave) is located in a mall a couple blocks south of Main Street on SR503 (aka NE 117^th Ave). The meeting will commence at approximately 3:00pm.

Directions from I-5 to City Grill (if you don’t attend the tour): Exit at 179th St. (Exit 9), continue straight as the exit ramp becomes NE 10^th Ave, turn right onto 219^th St., 219th St. becomes Main St., turn right onto SR503 (SW 10^th Ave.) and then turn left at the next intersection onto NE 199^th St. and then immediately left onto SW 9^th Ave and proceed into the parking long to the left of SW 9^th Ave. City Grill is near the north end of the parking lot.

You can register for the Portland All British Field Meet online at http://www.abfm-pdx.com.  It’s a great way to spend time with others who love classic british cars.  It is held on Labor Day weekend out at Portland International Raceway.  Check the abfm-pdx website for more information and register early.