Triumph Family by Bob Skewis, President

Transcription

1 The RAGTOP Volume 18, Issue 5, May Triumph Family by Bob Skewis, President VTR Aftermath It was loud, smoking, dripping oil from the engine and rode with a noticeable vibration while you sat in rather uncomfortable seats. No, I m not talking about a Triumph that is need of repair and restoration. I m talking a B-25 vintage WWII bomber! Our friends at the South Texas Triumph Association put on a good show in San Marcos over the last weekend in April. Our days were filled with welcome parties, road rallyes, autocross racing, a concours show of our beautiful cars and topped off on Saturday night with a banquet of prime rib and shrimp. The banquet did not take place in any regular hotel banquet hall it was held in the hangar of the Comemorative Air Force with all of the trappings of the 1940 s -- from the squadron banners hanging on the walls, the Recreation Room, museum, huge single bulb lights hanging from the ceiling, various vintage planes and rides in the vintage bomber. I didn t mention the rides? Well, some of the crowd took advantage of the opportunity, but at $ per person they only took two trips of 5 people each. Still, it was a really neat thing to see the old bird sputter to a start, taxi to the end of the runway and take off into the sunset in what seemed like slow motion. As usual, our group did very well when the awards were handed out. You can see from a list on the following pages that we can challenge the best from our multi-state region in every category from TR3 s, TR6 s, and TR7 s to Autocross. I know of at least two instances where our crew suffered mechanical problems that were repaired in parking lots repairs that would have put other club s members on a trailer back home. We really have an incredibly talented, resourceful and growing club on our hands. In addition to all of this, member Art Graves won the Gary Johnston Memorial Trophy. This award is given each year to honor Gary s memory and salute the person or persons that are the best in promoting the spirit of the Triumph marque in their clubs. Art deserves the award and we are proud to share it with him and his new club, Green Country Triumphs. I hope those of you that missed the show this year will have the opportunity to attend next year s regional in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Until then, I ll see you at the meeting and on the road! The RAGTOP 1 May 2005

2 Officers President Bob Skewis Vice-President John Carl Treasurer Earl McGlothlin Secretary, Membership Nel McPhail Ragtop Editor Carol Pennington Webmaster Dan Julien The Hill Country Triumph Club, the 50th Chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR), was founded in 1990 to bring together the owners of Triumph automobiles in the Central Texas area surrounding Austin. In 1991, the membership decided to include other British car fans as associates due to lack of other clubs in our area that represent some of the other marques. As owners and lovers of our unique types of cars, we have a special kinship, which draws us together. Membership is open to anyone who is a British car enthusiast, with or without a car. Annual dues are just $15.00 per family group or address per year. We have dinner meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and at least one other event each month. We encourage you to join and support us, even if you don t drive your car regularly. We also offer technical assistance if needed. One goal of the club is to help its members keep their cars on the road. Please call one of the club officers listed in the newsletter for more information about club benefits and spread the word about our club to others. The Hill Country Club is a local chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR)/Triumph Sports Owners Association, which is open to all drivers of Triumph motorcars; a chapter of the Triumph Register of America, exclusively for TR2 through TR4A sports cars; and a chapter of the 6-PACK, dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation, and restoration of the Triumph TR250 and TR6 sports cars. Membership in these national organizations is encouraged. Visit their websites at and The RAGTOP is published monthly by the Hill Country Triumph Club. Material within may be freely reproduced providing Ragtop and the authors are credited. Any and all newsletter contributions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is the end of each month. Submissions may be sent to: Carol Pennington; 105 Etta Place; Austin, TX or ed to cpenn33@yahoo.com. Photos in jpeg format are always welcome. Classified ads will run for three months unless otherwise instructed. Membership Application Name: Address: City/State: Zip: Home Phone: Work Phone: address: Car Make: Model: Year: Color: Car Make: Model: Year: Color: Please circle which method you would like the newsletter delivered: Snail Mail How did you hear about the Hill Country Triumph Club? Please mail application and check to: Nel McPhail, 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr., Dripping Springs, TX, The RAGTOP 2 May 2005

3 April 12 found us at a la Carrerra on 183. I counted four TR3s, a TR8, and three TR6s all lined up in a row in the parking lot. And what a pretty sight it was! New members Wayne and Stephanie Mueller were in the beautiful, gold, 1980 TR8. Welcome Wayne and Stephanie! There was much discussion around the upcoming fix-it day at the McPhails house and VTR Regionals in San Marcos. Both events proved to be outstanding and I am anxiously awaiting more car shows this summer. The highlight of the evening was the little quiz that Bob Skewis created to test our British knowledge. Dan Julien came in first winning a club t-shirt, Bob Baker was second and took home a really nice Thomas Graphics note pad, followed by Mike McPhail in third. He gave away his I don t give a rat s ass sticker to the highest bidder. As always, I m looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting. New Members Stephanie and Wayne Mueller Austin 1980 Gold TR8 Mark Atkinson Georgetown 1960 Red TR3A Greg and Alison Blake Austin 1958 Red TR3A In Memory of Sam Emrick By Bob Kramer We barely had time to settle in after getting home from the VTR regional when we found out that fellow club-member and British car nut Sam Emrick passed away Sunday from bladder cancer. I didn t know he was sick, but I probably should have. I saw the ad in our newsletter saying they were selling their Jaguar due to health reasons and I should have known that it was serious. I let it slip by and I regret that very much. When I think of Sam, all I can see is the big grin on his smiling face. Had I known him better, I would have called him Smilin Sam, but our friendship was one more of passing along the same paths from time to time. I think we could have been good friends, but as it often happens our lives took us in different directions much of the time. My three kids kept me busy enough that I sometimes didn t have enough time for my own hobbies, and Sam had a similar situation raising his son and then there was his passion for Karate. We attended the service Tuesday evening held at Cook Walden and learned a lot more about who Sam was. I knew him only as a car guy, but he was more than that. At the service he was remembered as having his priorities in this order; God, family, work and Karate. Then it was mentioned that he also had a thing for British Cars. Since Sam will be buried in West Virginia, this was one of those less formal services where people can come up and talk about their friend. Karate guy, after karate guy came up to talk about how Sam had influenced them, all positive and life affirming comments. It was quite moving. I was embarrassed that I didn t even know about this side of Sam s life. We meet many people through the car club that have so much else going on in their lives. Sam was a karate instructor and a second-degree Black Belt. He taught Karate classes, and judged at Karate events. No wonder he couldn t make it to more of our stuff! I first met Sam Emrick at one of the early All British Car Days in Zilker Park. Sam had an impeccable, dark green, Austin Healey Continued on page 4 The RAGTOP 3 May 2005

4 continued from page 3 Sprite, of the later Spridget variety. The car easily won its class at that and every event Sam brought it to. I don t remember seeing Val that year, so I have a suspicion that she was home, either pregnant or tending to their infant son Sammy. That same year we traveled together to the San Antonio ABDC in Boerne. I remember it well, more for the trip back, than anything. The Sprite suddenly died on FM165, the road between Blanco and Dripping Springs. The throttle cable had broken off cleanly at the edge of the casing, leaving little cable to work with. Since we were both so confident in the quality of our preparation, neither of us had much in the way of tools. I think I had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers in the glovebox along with the mandatory set of points and condenser. It must have been that Kung-Fugrip, because Sam somehow pulled enough cable out (after a long struggle) to reattach the cable as darkness settled in. The Emrick s joined our club because they also had a Triumph Stag. I remember seeing him with the family loaded into the Stag at Zilker the year they moved us over to the Polo field. It was one of those Stag s where the previous owner had given up on the Triumph V8 and replaced it with a GM V6, and I got the impression that Sam wasn t satisfied with its shortcomings. He preferred his cars to be better than that; I hesitate to say it, but he preferred them to be perfect. So he sold it. I vaguely remember Sam owning an MGA and more recently he jumped up to the V12 Jaguar, completing the cycle of favorite British Sports cars. The Emrick s made it to a lot of our All British Car Days over the years and Sam s cars always won an award. Val and Sam hardly ever made it to a club meeting but they sometimes made it out to events. They moved to Lake Travis a couple of years ago, not too far from us. Sam, Val and Sammy have visited us by boat and that is how they came to the Lake Party last summer. I think Sam spent much of the day towing the younger generation (Sarah and her friends) around the lake. I also remember a road tour that we all took. Somehow we ended up at the 5 Mile Dam near Sam Marcos for a rest stop. It was one of those extremely muggy, buggy, overcast days that are just miserable when you are attached to your sticky, vinyl TR6 seats for hours on end. We couldn t wait to get out of our cars and walk around, but Sam and Val just sat there in the Jag. Sam had his famous Cheshire Cat grin on his face, A/C running, smug in his choice of what car to drive. We were all jealous. I ll remember Sam for what he was, a fun loving guy that drove fun British cars, a smart guy with a great engineering career at IBM, and a father and husband who kept his priorities in order, right until the very end. He was a man that followed his passions. I ll also remember and learn from the fact that I didn t take enough time to get to know him fully. As evidenced by his close friends, it was my loss. If there is a lesson in Sam s passing, it is that we should take the time to get to know each other better. Our club has always been a melting pot, blue and white collar, old and not so old, pretty and not so pretty show cars (and drivers!) and always the opportunity for the diverse to come together and share in common interests. We ll toast Sam at the next opportunity we get, and remember him by sharing friendship. HCTC is donating $100 to his boyhood church in W. V. Val and Sam Emrick at the 2004 All British Car Day. First Place for their 1994 Jaguar XJS and raffle winner for a Robbins top. The RAGTOP 4 May 2005

5 Clunk Clinic a Success The clunk clinic / fit-it day was a big success by all measures. A big THANK YOU is due to Mike and Nel McPhail for providing the venue for our get together and to all of you who brought food and drinks. The day started about 9:00 with breakfast tacos and coffee in the garage. A large crowd and several cars were present (see accompanying photo) to see Sam the 250 go up on the rack for diagnosis. I had purchased a new set of polyurethane differential mounts and had them at the ready. Once Roger Bolick had inspected the brackets and pronounced them sound, Bob Kramer stepped forward and asked What are you waiting for?. With Kramer s help, we tackled the hardest part of the project removing a 20-odd year old muffler from the exhaust pipe so we could access the differential. Naturally, we did some damage to the pipe and had to patch a piece in, but Mike had a well stocked garage and was able to provide us with clamps and spare pipe to do the job. loose and then took the car for a test drive. No clunk. This leaves the removal, repair and refit of the half shafts to complete the necessary repairs to the rear end but that s another day. After my car was down, we worked on some minor fixes on Bob Baker s TR3 and Wiley Christal s TR6. Also, during the time the 250 was hogging the lift, Mike and Ralph Herter were installing a new clutch in Jeffie Herter s new 65 Spitfire. During all of this work there were lots of questions and advice flying around and the ladies got in a good card game under the shade trees in the back yard. We did manage to take time out for barbequed hot dogs with all the trimmings and some wonderful desserts. Of course, there were a few beers consumed and by mid-afternoon our work was done. Everyone had a good time and we got a lot done what more could we ask for? Once the exhaust pipe was movable, the differential was loosened from the drive shaft and brackets and we were able to shift the differential from side to side to install the new mounts. I swear, installing the mounts didn t take but 30 minutes thanks to Mike s lift but the whole job probably took 3 hours due to the exhaust system problem. Afterward, we fixed a boot on the right half shaft that had come The RAGTOP 5 May 2005

6 How I Was Introduced to Triumph Sports Cars By Harry Taggert My introduction to Triumph was one of those things that just happened. In the 70 s my wife was with the University Credit Union. They had repossessed a 69 TR6 and had it sitting in their parking lot. At this time, I had never heard of Triumph. I did like the looks of the car and when I found out the color was British racing Green, I fell for it. Whoever heard of such a great name for a paint color. They couldn t sell it because it wouldn t shift into first gear (thanks to the needle bearing in the cluster gear). I paid them $400.0 for the car and found another transmission. Driving a TR6 was something new and I really liked it. I sold the car and bought another TR6. I saw the 69 about four years later and was really let down as the owner had let it go to the dogs. I don t remember much about the second and third TR6, except that one was yellow. One day a friend at work told me that his next door neighbor had one of those funny looking cars I like sitting in his driveway. I went by to see him and found that the TR6 had been sitting for four years. There wasn t anything wrong with it, he just didn t like it. I bought it and gave it a lot of care and a new interior. It turned out to be one of the best cars I ve ever had. I drove it to Colorado twice on skiing trips and put a lot of miles on it. It was my only car. As I remember, there was never a bit of trouble with it. I sold that car to one of our computer operators and he put miles on it. I was into other cars for a while (including a 65 Mustang convertible). Last year, I saw a red TR6 parked in a service station. It really looked good from a distance. I stopped and looked at it. Up close it was a real dog. For some reason, I was bitten by the bug and bought another 6, as a project. At the present time, my car has passed inspection and is about ready to be painted. I have an 03 Mustang convertible and am trying to decide which one I ll drive this summer. Dell Car Show on Friday, June 3 Hi Bob: Just a note to give you more details on our Car Show in June. It will be held at the Parmer South 3 location in the front parking lot. If you could let people know to come between 11a - 1p that would be great! We will have a band and snow cones between 11:30a - 1p. This will be a car/truck/ motorcycle show for Dell employees, but it is always more fun to have lots of different car clubs come in to show off their vehicles. There is no fee involved, they would just get to show off their cars! The physical address is 701 E. Parmer Lane (IH35/Parmer - east on Parmer, turn right on McAllen Pass, follow Car Show signs). People usually start signing up in May, so I won t know exactly what we will have until then. I can send you another closer to the date if you like. Thanks! Jeane Dodson Assistant to Bruce Bell Desktop Platform Development Assistant to Leo Quintero Desktop Engineering PS3-2, MS 6555 (512) Fax: (512) Bob Kramer, VTR Regionals, Autocross in a borrowed TR250. The RAGTOP 6 May 2005

7 Drive Your British Car Week May 28 - June 5, 2005 Drive Your British Car Week will be observed from May 28 through June 5 this year, so be sure to mark your calendars. Then, put a big circle around Saturday, June 4. More on that later. First, Drive Your British Car Week is a British car awareness week celebrated around the world. It s an opportunity for all British car owners to get their cars out of the garage and on the roads in their part of the world at the same time, and show them off to the people who normally don t get the chance to enjoy them. A time to create awareness of automobiles that used to be plentiful on the roads, but are now much less common. It s also a great opportunity to get together with other British car owners in your community, regardless of marque, and display your cars to the general public. I guarantee you ll meet some great people. These treasured automobiles are an extremely exciting pleasure to own and drive, and as time goes on they are becoming less known to the common public. If it weren t for the great efforts of those who get them out on the roads regularly every year, they would become long forgotten by many more. Cheers to those people who keep them on the roads! and they have something exciting and different planned for the day to make it worthy of a celebration of Drive Your British Car Week. Rather than going out to the country and away from the crowds, this Treasure Hunt Rallye will be held right in the middle of downtown Austin. This will ensure the maximum exposure of our British Vehicles to the general public while still providing a fun event for all participants. Three trophies will be awarded to the three British cars that locate the most treasure during this fun drive around our capital city. The drivers meeting will start at 10:00 sharp in the parking lot of Threadgil s (Riverside), with the first car out soon after. The rallye will end at Pok-e-Jo s Smokehouse on 5th Street, where we ll grab a bite to eat. Awards will be presented at 1:00, or as soon as the rallye-masters can score the results. There will be a $5.00 entry fee to help defer the cost of the trophies. Make your plans now to spend a few hours driving your British car around the capital city and be part of the international event know as Drive Your British Car Week. Visit for updates as the date approaches. Visit for more information on this marvelous event. So grab your goggles and driving gloves, and be sure to top off your dashpots! It s time to have some fun! In celebration of this world-wide time set aside to show off our historic British Gems, the Capital City MG Club is hosting a Treasure Hunt Rallye on Saturday, June 4, 2005, open to all vehicles of British heritage, irregardless of marque or club affiliation. The Rallye-Masters for this event will be Alan and Debb Ferretti of the Capital City MG Club, The RAGTOP 7 May 2005

8 VTR REGIONALS HCTC CONCOURS Carol Pennington, 2nd place, early TR2/3 Ralph Herter, 3rd place, early TR2/3 Mike McPhail, 2nd place, late TR3 Dan Julien, 2nd place, early TR6 Roger Bolick, 1st place, mid TR6 Herb Valient, 3rd place, modified AUTOCROSS Bob Kramer, 1st place, modified Bob Kramer, fastest time of day Barbara Kramer, 1st place, ladies WAY TO GO HILL COUNTRY TRIUMPH CLUB! ART GRAVES with the Gary Johnston Memorial Trophy The RAGTOP 8 May 2005

9 I m looking to buy a Triumph TR 250, preferably one that is drivable but could use restoration. Bob Baker bcbaker@austin.rr.com Hello, My name is Aaron Alter and I represent BK Automotive in Houston, Texas. We are a one stop full service custom, fabrication, restoration, and acquisition shop that specializes in building TV / movie replica cars (star cars) for movie car museums and dedicated collectors. On behalf of BK Automotive I would like to personally offer you and the rest of the members of your club a 10% discount along with a free estimate on a vehicle requiring any type of special attention. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to hearing from you in the future. Sincerely, Aaron Alter BK AUTOMOTIVE 4051 Hollister rd Houston, Texas aaronbkauto@sbcglobal.net Beautiful 1959 TR-3A Triumph Roadster for sale. General Robbie Risner bought his pride and joy new in Spain & owned this car until I bought it from him 10 years ago. Red with black interior, rare factory hardtop, chrome wire wheels, overdrive transmission, new brake system, other new work done recently. Runs great! A very handsome driver! Car: $15,500 Hardtop: $750 Both: $16,250 Steve Richards (512) /05 Hill Counry Triumph Club Shirts, Sweatshirts, and Hats are always available! Shirts are 100% combed cotton pique tri-color pullover JERZEE golf shirts. Sweatshirts are 95% Lee hooded with muff pocket. Shirts, hats, and sweatshirts have the HCTC logo embroidered on the front. Shirts and sweatshirts are $25.00 and hats are $ Buy yours at the next meeting or event! You can also take your own garment to be monogrammed with the club logo to Monograms Today, Simon Bedoya, 1738 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, The RAGTOP 9 May 2005

10 Hill Country Triumph Club 2005 Events MAY Hill Country Triumph Club Meeting. 7PM. Location below. 28-June 5 Drive your British Car Week See page 7. JUNE Dell Auto Show, 11:30. See page 6 for more information. 5 Treasure Hunt Rallye, 10 AM, Threadgill s on Riverside. See page TRA National Meet Branson, MO. Visit JULY VTR National Convention, Rockford, IL Visit 15 Houston All British Motor Vehicle Expo Trader s Village OCTOBER Texas All British Car Day, Round Rock; 15 Houston All British Motor Vehicle Expo, Trader s Village Hill Country Triumph Club 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr. Dripping Springs, TX Address Correction Requested The next meeting will be May 10 th, 7PM, at Hang Ten, 701 N. Capital of Texas Hwy. It is in the shopping center at the intersection with Bee Caves Road. The RAGTOP 10 May 2005