Exhaust Notes

Newsletter of the St. Louis Triumph Owners Association

www.SLTOA.org April 2004

April Meeting, The Crossings, Tuesday Apr. 20^th, 2004, 7:00 PM

The Crossings is located in Webster Groves at 35 North Gore

Dues Are Past Due

Your trusty newsletter editor goofed! Dues were due last month. March. But if you haven’t paid you have a good excuse. No one reminded you! If you would like to remain a member of St. Louis Triumph Owners Association, please mail Bonnie David a check for $20 made payable to St. Louis Triumph Owners Association (or SLTOA). Her address is 500 Marie Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301-0500. Some people have paid for 2004. If you don’t remember if that is you or not, call Bonnie at (636) 949-0825.

Persident's Epistle, By Dave Massey

As Tom Leher said: "Spring is here, spring is here, life is skittles and life is beer." Although we won't be poisoning pigeons in the park, 'tis the season to be driving British cars. As you read this the Tartan Day parade will be history. Participating this year were Jack David, Gary

Allgood, Richard Etz and Linda Massey driving various dignitaries of the city of St. Charles and of the parade itself. I still don't know who drove Miss Tartan Day (lucky stiff). Other reasons to drive our cars (as if you need a reason) are the Easter car show (and the wash-up/tune-up the day before, the spring Relaxation Run (nee Polar bear run) on May 2 and the Drive Your British Car Week, May 23-30.

There is a whole rash of activities scheduled for the up coming year and Karen Kresser has taken the trouble to list them (elsewhere in the newsletter). Thanks to her efforts you can clear your calendar of any unnecessary activities (such as kid's birthday parties and weddings and such) and attend each and every one of these. Or not. At any rate, the intent is to give advance notice of the car related activities and pick and choose what you want to do. All too often these things come and go and somebody wasn't properly notified and would have liked to have participated had they but known. And if anyone has any additions to the calendar, please let me or Creig or Gary know. We'd be happy to add it.

Of course there will be impromptu runs. If anyone has an urge to drive to (for example) Hermann some Sunday morning, call anyone you can and invite them along. Some of the rest of us may need only this little nudge to avoid the evils of the sports channel and get some fresh air instead.

Cheers, Dave

Welcome President Dave, by Creig Houghtaling

I was in attendance last month when Dave got weaseled in to being president again. I know he would prefer not to have the position, but when it looked like we were not going to have anyone for president, Dave accepted. I think Dave is the BEST person we could have for the post, not just an acceptable alternative to no one. With Dave at the helm, SLTOA will be a FUN place to be for the next two years! Dave’s e-mail address is: 105671.471@compuserve.com. His number is: (314) 966-6056. His address it 321 Peeke, Kirkwood, MO 63122-2745. If you have an idea of something you would like to do for SLTOA contact Dave at the above mentioned, or at our monthly meeting, but above all make sure you tell him thanks for all he does for the club. Send him an e-mail, call him on the phone, drop him a Hallmark Thank you card or tell him thanks in person at our next meeting!

March 2004 Minutes, By Chris Allgood

We elected the following people

Dave Massey Club President

Joe Mueller Vice President

Bonnie David Treasurer

Chris Allgood Secretary

Creig Houghtaling as Editor of the Newsletter

Chris and Cathy Kresser are the Actitives Coordinators

Gary Allgood Webmaster

Bonnie reminds us that our dues are due.

The cost of the dues is $20.00.

You can mail it to her at: Bonnie David, 500 Marie Drive, St. Charles Mo. 63301

We would like to welcome a new member -- Dave Layton Protector of a TR4A.

Next Meeting will take place at the Crossing on April 20^th

The following people have offered to host the upcoming (summer) meetings at their house.

Bonnie and Jack David in May.

John Lamberg in July.

Steve Street in August.

Gary and Chris Allgood in September.

We will make sure you have their address and maps before the meeting. (Directions will be published in the May, July and August newsletters.) You are asked to bring along a sack lunch along with any beverages you would like to drink. Check the meeting prior as the hosts may have some other plans, like brats on the Barbie and such.

Upcoming Events are as Follows:

Bester’s Wash Up – Tune Up April 10 -- 10:00-3:00

At the following address 115 N.Sappington Rd. Oakland Mo. 63122-4844. -- Phone number 314-821-2372. People usually bring food or drink to add to the potluck picnic. Give Keith a call to see if he has any preferences of what you might bring.

Easter Car Show April 11^th

Attendance combined with the Healy Car Club. Contact Ron Varley for entry.

Stress Reduction Run May 2nd

Mel and Gail will sponsor this event. End of the drive meeting at Mel and Gail’s house.

SLTOA summer picnic. (And June meeting.) Wednesday June 9^th. Same location as last year.

British Car Festival May 28^th – 30^th Champaign Illinois

Theme is Dress as your favorite celebrity. http://www.wvbscc.org/cbcf/

World’s Fair Car and Motorcycle Show May 29 Th.

Contact Dave Massey for more information.

SLTOA 2004 Events Schedule

April 10 Austin Healey Wash-Up, Tune-Up, an annual tradition for 15+ years

Saturday Location: The home of Keith Bester, 115 S. Sappington, Oakland, MO (314) 821 2372

Pot luck lunch, chili based. See Dave Massey rebush the front end of a TR3

April 20 SLTOA Meeting at The Crossings in Webster Groves

Tuesday Time: 7:00 p.m.

May 2 Relaxation Run

Sunday Meet: Beaumont/Antire Exit (No. 269) off Interstate 44

(Approximately 7 miles west of Interstate 270)

Time: 10:30 a.m., depart promptly at 11:00 a.m.

Enjoy brats/beer at the Mel and Gail Parentin's after the run.

Address: 1404 South Rock Hill Road,

Webster Groves, 63119

Telephone: 314-961-8567

May 18 SLTOA Summer Meeting hosted by Bonnie and Jack David

Tuesday Address: 500 Marie Drive, St. Charles, 63301

Telephone: 636-949-0825

Time: Anytime after 6:00 p.m., meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Bring: Picnic dinner, beverages, lawn chairs

May 28-30 All British Car Show

Friday-Sunday Location: Champaign, Illinois

Website: www.wvbscc.org

Contact/Telephone: Dick Brown

309-662-3020

Email: altmgb2@yahoo.com

May 29 100 year celebration of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Music, games, food, children's activities and a car and cycle show. For more information visit http://www.worldsfairstlouis.com

Location: Lower Buder Park in Valley Park.

June 5 20th Annual Marques on the Green

Saturday Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Website: mikes72mgmidget@earthlink.net

Contact/Telephone: Michael Leezer

502-239-8343 Home

502-451-3230 Work

June 6 St. Louis European Car Show at Plaza Frontenac, Clayton Rd. and Lindberg Blvd. $20

Sunday pre-registered, $23 day of show. For more info call Rick Siefert at (636) 532 1051 x105

11:00 to 3:00 or (636) 273 6971 or Rodger Van Ness at (314) 576 3647.

June 9 SLTOA Annual Picnic

Wednesday Location: Des Peres City Park

Time: 6:00 PM

June 9 - 11 Gold Cup Historic Races at Virginia International Raceway featuring Denise McLuggage as Grand Marshal. Go to http://www.virclub.com for more info.

1245 Pine Tree Road Alton, Virginia 24520

888.RACE099 434.822.7700 F 434.822.8033
info@virclub.com

June 24-26 TRA 2004 Annual Meeting in

Thursday- Location: Springfield, Ohio

Saturday Website: www.triumphregister.com

www.miamivalleytriumphs.org

Contact/Telephone: Bruce Clough

937-255-2831

Email: clough@erinet.com

July 14-17 Vintage Triumph Register 2004 National Convention

Wednesday- Location: Richmond, Virginia

Saturday Website: www.vtr.org

Contact/Telephone: Ken Nachman

804-272-7523

Email: kmntr6@hotmail.com

July 15-18 19th annual Canadian Classic in Kingston, Ontario Canada. Track time on Nelson Race Track, Wolfe Island Tour, Dinner at Ft Henry and the Kingston Symphony Orchestra and the Kingston AutoFest at the Royal Military College with Triumphs as the featured marque. For more information contact Dave Massey.

July 17 Southern Indiana London to Brighton Run

Saturday Contact/Telephone: Don Hayman

317-887-3867

Email: mgdr@quicknet.net

July 20 SLTOA Summer Meeting hosted by John Lamberg

Tuesday Address: 14148 Cross Trails, Ladue, 63017

Telephone: 314-434-4467

Time: Anytime after 6:00 p.m., meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Bring: Picnic Dinner, Beverages, Lawn Chairs

August 6-7 Summer Party at The Roadster Factory. Armaugh and Indiana Pensylvania.

August 17 SLTOA Summer Meeting hosted by Steve and Sandy Street

Tuesday Address: 2378 England Town Road, St. Louis, 63129

Telephone: 314-846-2554

Time: Anytime after 6:00 p.m., meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Bring: Picnic Dinner, Beverages, Lawn Chairs

September 12 British Car Fest

Sunday Location: Palos Hills, Illinois

Website: www.birtishcarunion.com

September XX St. Louis All British Car Show

Engine rebuilding 101:By Arlie King

As most of you know I overheated my TR3 engine on I270 last summer. I could not get over to the side as the temperature gauge went red and the oil pressure started dropping off to 15psi. Before I could get to the roadside the temp was maxed and the oil pressure was about 5psi. As a result of the overheating I had knocking on start up and loss of oil pressure at operating temperature and had to rebuild the engine.

I dropped the oil pan first and looked at the center main bearing and rod bearings.

The main was ok but the rod bearings were galled. So that meant the crankshaft had to be removed and ground down undersize. The engine was then taken apart and inspected.

As I found out from this process, you can’t assume that the bearings were the only problem.

The pistons were galled on the skirts, the piston liners had score marks and the cam and end main bearings were also galled. This meant that I also had to explain to my wife how a supposedly new engine was now going to be the new money pit.

If you’re married then this is a process of complex negotiation. Being an understanding person who has been through it all she settled for a condo on the lake and I got to do my engine.

The engine was inspected by Charlie at JCM Machine. He also found the timing chain tensioner was also broken. We made up a list of parts that were needed and I got most all of them from Victoria British. Charlie is very thorough and will not use anything marginal. As a result of his willingness to work with me and let me purchase the parts I probably saved 30% on the rebuild. If you know machine shops, they buy where ever they can get them and cost is not their consideration.

If you buy an engine as I did not knowing first hand its true condition you may have serious gremlins hiding.

The broken tensioner could have caused the timing to be off enough during that hot day to let the engine get slightly off timing and start the process. Charlie also found evidence of the carburetors running rich. He thinks that was as much of a problem as being to lean because gas can get into the cylinder liners and reduce lubricity from engine oil. Oil has two jobs one is to lubricate and the other to reduce friction. Maybe it was just a combination of broken tensioner and rich carbs but a hard lesson was learned.

If you suspect problems with your engine there are two indicators of an engine needing further study: 1.) Low oil pressure at idle especially warm. Also oil pressure not above 50psi when above 2000rpm (use a known good gauge) 2.) Check the compression on each cylinder, if it is less than 100psi new rings and boring to the next oversize piston may be needed. Also have the piston rod big end sized and milled for out of round. If the compression is over 100 and within 10% of all cylinders then chances are you may get away with new bearings if the oil pressure is just low. Cam bearings are often over looked when replacing the engine bearings because of expense and ignorance. They are as responsible for low oil pressure as the main and rod bearings.

One rule of thumb to remember, oil pressure is the opposition to oil flow. When bearing clearance is higher than specification, hot engine oil will have little resistance to flow because of the higher clearances and the low pressure will not allow the vital parts of the engine to get the lubricity and cooling it needs

The oil burner engines that we have all experienced are a direct result of all these factors. See you this spring. Keep’em on the road. Thanks

Arlie King 1959 TR3A phone: 636-677-0545

Welcome Jim Buck

From: Jim/Lucy/Sarah Buck [mailto:sbuck@csj.net]

Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 2:58 PM

To: oldtoys@brick.net

Subject: sltoa

Creig Houghtaling

Thanks for the welcome to SLTOA, and sorry for the slow response. My interest in sports cars is many years old:

I attended what I think were the first sports car races at Mid America Raceway at Wentzville somewhere around 1964 and attended regularly into the late Seventies or early Eighties. My first sports car rides were in a Gullwing 300SL (a college student taking it out to warm the oil!) and a TR-2. My first car was a 1956 TR-3 that I resurrected enough to drive from IL to CA and back in the late Sixties, top down all the way both ways, not exactly by choice since the top was in shreds; I suffered hypothermia on the way there in the spring and about cooked my brains on the way back in the summer. Since then, I have owned two 850 Minis, another TR-3 ('a' this time), a TR-4A, a Bugeye, plus oddities like a DKW Jr., a Karmann Ghia VW, a Simca 1500 four door sedan. Currently I own a patio ornament of a GT6.

I usually attend the Champaign British Car Show (and met some SLTOA members there last spring), have attended two St. Louis British Car shows, a British car show held in the 'Quad Cities' area, and the Chicago British car show.

My wife and I operate a roller skating rink here; that limits my time away so I don't get out much, but, if possible, I try to attend at least an event or two every year. I am hoping to get to Gateway International to see Andy ___ race his GT6; I have read of his exploits in the

"Spitfire and GT6" magazine.

Anyway, I enjoy the newsletter; I read it first online when I found the SLTOA website while searching for St. Louis area Triumph club activity.

Thanks, again, and i hope to see SLTOA members at events I am able to attend.

Jim Buck

Welcome Matt Gossett

Last month Matt Gossett introduced himself in this newsletter. Then he managed to make our meeting and those in attendance got to meet him first-hand. He is an enthusiastic Triumph nut. He probably has the best condition Spitfire on four wheels. He missed getting a picture in the last letter, so here it is this month.

Prior to writing this letter, Matt was thinking about showing his car at the Easter Car Show and meeting more people at Keith’s the day before. Hope many members get a chance to meet Matt.

Stories About Those Triumph Cars, By Kathy Kresser

Last year while attending TRA in Auburn, Ind., I met Mark Shaw from Rhode Island. He is the proud owner of a red 1959 3A, Mark shared this interesting story with me about finding his car and getting to know the previous owner. Subsequently, Mark wrote the story for TRA National Newsletter and it was printed in Issue 88 and reprinted below.

A very original TR3 By Mark Shaw

In 1995 while driving down the same street that I had been driving for almost 20 years, I noticed a Triumph, a TR3, crammed in a single car garage. My mind quickly went back to the summer of 1966 when I was 16 and purchased my first car, a 1957 TR3. I stopped to inquire about the car from Ted Poole, the original owner. I was shocked to find out the car only had 23,000 miles and had been in the garage right in front of my nose. I told him if he ever considered selling the car I would be very interested. For the next four years we would see each other and I would politely remind him of my interest in the car. At Christmas 1998, I saw him and he said he was going to Florida, and to stop by when I saw that he was home.

For the next few months I wondered if he would really sell the car, and if so, how would I pay for it with two daughters in college. To make a long story short, in March 1999, near my 49th birthday, we negotiated the sale and purchase of the car.

About a month later, Ted called to let me know he had a folder of papers concerning the car, so I immediately went to this house and retrieved the documents. Much to my surprise I realized he purchased the car on March 7th, 1959, the day I turned 9 years old!!!

It was a bittersweet moment when he handed me the keys, the tears rolling down his cheeks told me he loved this car and would miss it.

Obviously, many owners feel the same way about their cars. Lou Metelko from Auburn, Ind. shared his sentiments as follows, "The more I think about it, the more I envy the life that our TRs live!"

I would welcome your comments as to why you love TRs or how you came to appreciate their special beauty. Send comments to my e-mail address: chkresser@aol.com, by mail: 114 Maple Lane, Ballwin, MO 63011, or call 636-394-3012.

For the TR enthusiasts, here are more details about the car from Mark Shaw

I recently finished a complete restoration of the car, and had it transported to both the TRA 2003 and VTR National. The car won first place in the TR3 A&B class in both. In addition, the car took first and best of show at the New England VTR 2003 Day of Triumph Show in Brookline, MA.

My car may be the best-documented TR3 in the country. In addition to the original bill of sale and invoice, I have all the repair bills, the warranty certificate, a TSOA application and membership documentation, the hand brake instruction tag, the oil break-in tag, and even a Holiday card from Standard Motors in the shape of a TR3 sent in 1959 -- to name a few.

Other surviving original bits include three of the five 155 X 15 Michelin X tires, all five wire wheels, the complete interior including the floormats, carpet, seats and door panels, the original date coded windscreen, starter, generator, wiper motor, flasher and all the original chrome except the hood and truck hinges. The water transfer on the oil filler cap and the Girling transfer on the fluid reservoir remain. The tonneau cover and hoodstick cover have never been fitted to the car and the tool roll had never been opened. The story could go on and on.

When I purchased the TR in 1999, I had intended to keep the paint original. The car had been undercoated, however, and this I decided to remove. After a hundred hours or so of heating, scraping, applying mineral spirits and scrubbing with nylon brushes, the underbody was steam cleaned. This work resulted in the paint on the underside of the car being better than that on the rest of the car.

I then spent a couple of days removing small dents and such, and touching up the paint. My life-long friend, who owns a small, high quality body shop came over, looked at the car, and then at me, and asked, "What the hell are you doing?" He reminded me that I am a perfectionist, and suggested that people would look at the TR and say,

"What a beautiful car. I wonder why he didn't paint it?" Then, I decided to completely disassemble the car and restore it.

The Road Beyond, By Richard Etz

This is my first newsletter column, post-presidency. What an opportunity to talk about my new (but non-British) car! I have acquired a 1968 Corvette. This does not diminish my interest in the Triumph marque, but I am a fan of all makes of excellent vintage cars. This Corvette is the first year of the Mako Shark II body style, the one most familiar since its variants were produced until 1982. It has some desirable options. First, it is a convertible. Next it has the four speed manual transmission and the 350 horsepower 327 cubic inch engine. The 350 horsepower engine is a high performance set-up, with 11 to one compression, a 6,000 rpm redline, and a hot cam that was developed by early Corvette engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The car shows no signs of accident damage on body or frame. "Matching numbers" are especially important on Corvettes. Thus far, I have verified that the VIN on the body matches the engine code, the engine date is correct, and the engine application (350 hp, 4 speed) code is correct as well. The color and trim codes are correct, corresponding to yellow with black vinyl interior. The previous owner had it for 27 years. It is highly original and makes a good but not concours, appearance.

I have been spending spare time correcting minor problems. Brake and directional signal lights were repaired with a new directional signal switch. Thanks to a fellow named Roland at Boemler Chevrolet I have what may be the last new old stock signal switch in the country, no kidding! Dash lights were repaired with a new fuse. A new speedo cable worked once I drilled a broken stub out of the back of the speedo. Hesitation in acceleration was remedied by a new distributor (internally loose, would not hold a dwell), and new plugs. A special note about Corvette plug wires. Replacing them is way worse than you or I might imagine! A fiberglass car with vintage wires caused ignition--radio interference. Chrome plated metal shields and bizarre wire routing was the solution. These plug wires are threaded through the engine mounts, through metal shields held down with the engine mounting bolts, behind the starter on one side. Suffice to say I am still nursing a very deep cut on my hand!

This car has been a blast so far: a huge sports car with dragster acceleration, decent handling, power windows, and an endless supply of fans.

We'll see how things go this summer.

Happy Motoring!

Richard Etz

Tips From the Pits -- What's Going On in the Two Dog Racing Camp, By Andy Stark

Hi all, It's race season again and Two Dog Racing is getting ready for the first race in May. This is a long lead invitation to joining us on the First weekend of May to watch some door to door action.

This year things will be a bit different. Most of you know the Gt-6 lost a brand new engine last Oct. The engine was torn down and I found that the oil system could not handle the 8000rpms required by my right foot. Frank and I decided over the winter that we would concentrate on one car. We chose the Spitfire. Even though it had an over all rough season last year, we came out of the season with almost a new car. We now have two brand new engines, new wiring and ignition, two transmissions, five Differentials, new suspension and a completely new brake system. In 2003 we just could not get all the parts working at one time. 2004 will be different. Frank and I (predominately Frank, as I suffered through two semesters of school). Completely rebuilt and tested the car.

Our goal is to make it to the runoffs this year. We think the car has been developed enough to be at least a top ten finisher. The way the Runoffs go, if you can get in the top ten it only takes one good spin out or crash to win.

The Gt-6 has been put into storage and the engine is under development (actually sitting on a stand dripping oil) as I figure out how to guarantee the engine gets oil to the bearings at high rpm. The solution is money, but who has that? I may have it running by October this year to try it again. If not it will be ready for the 2005 season.

One interesting thing that Frank and I have both come across is suspension-bushing failure. After looking at several of our problems it is apparent that nylon or other types of stiff bushings just don't last that long. When and if I build another street car I am going to install original rubber bushings. I have rarely seen stock bushings completely destroyed. The only problem with the stock bushings is that the steel insert tends to rust to the bolts. Using anti-seize compound when you are putting the suspension together easily cures this. It is also good to clean and oil all moving suspension points at least twice a year on an old British car.

Well that it for today. See you all at the next meeting. School is over on Tuesday nights so I can go out and have some fun. Thanks, Andy

Ninth Annual Missouri Endurance Rally, By Creig Houghtaling

Craig Ingraham couldn’t make the rally this year, so he let me drive his beautiful TR6. I invited Gary Allgood to help me drive and navigate. We only managed to make 9^th place out of 19 entries for the full rally. We didn’t place better because we took a big gamble on one of our routes and lost. But along the way we hooked up with Patrick Hughes and his friend Raymond Maxwell. (Patrick drives a beautiful ’65 TR4A.) I think we all became very good friends that day and night. I wouldn’t trade our adventures for any first place trophy. Not in a million years!

This newsletter is getting a little long, so I’ll save the adventure story for the April meeting. I hope that Gary, Patrick, and Raymond can be there to tell their side of the story. (Or defend their honor as the case might be. ;-)

Classified Ads: Contact Creig Houghtaling at the address listed below, or oldtoys@brick.net or 636-305-1143 to place a free ad in this newsletter.

SLTOA Shirts, $25, Call Bonnie David for delivery to out next meeting. (636) 949-0825

Castrol GT LMA Brake Fluid $10.00 per quart. Major mail-order vendors sell 12-ounce containers for $5 plus shipping. No major auto suppliers sell it locally. So I bought a 12-quart case from the St. Louis distributor so that I could have a quart to do some brake work. This is the fluid recommended for our Triumphs. I’ll use nothing else! Creig Houghtaling oldtoys@brick.net 636-305-1143

Auto Painting Steve Street is looking for someone to do some body and paint work on his Spitfire. If you know of someone who can do good work at a reasonable price, please give him a call at: (314) 846-2554

Transmission Repair Jim Jones wants a recommendation for a good shop to service a 72 TR6 transmission with A-type overdrive. Send recommendations to jimjcmo@yahoo.com or call 800-743-4033.

St. Louis Triumph Owners Association

Creig Houghtaling, Editor

36 Copper Mountain Court

Fenton, MO 63026

Exhaust Notes

Newsletter of the St. Louis Triumph Owners Association

www.SLTOA.org April 2004

April Meeting, The Crossings, Tuesday Apr. 20th, 2004, 7:00 PM

Dues Are Past Due

Persident's Epistle, By Dave Massey

Welcome President Dave, by Creig Houghtaling

March 2004 Minutes, By Chris Allgood

SLTOA 2004 Events Schedule

Engine rebuilding 101:By Arlie King

Welcome Jim Buck

Welcome Matt Gossett

Stories About Those Triumph Cars, By Kathy Kresser

The Road Beyond, By Richard Etz

Tips From the Pits -- What's Going On in the Two Dog Racing Camp, By Andy Stark

Ninth Annual Missouri Endurance Rally, By Creig Houghtaling

April Meeting, The Crossings, Tuesday Apr. 20^th, 2004, 7:00 PM