Exhaust Notes

Newsletter of the St. Louis Triumph Owners Association

www.SLTOA.org                                               May 2006

June Meeting, Des Peres City Park, Tuesday June 6th, 2006, 6:00 PM
East side of North Ballas Road, just North of Manchester Road

Driving Directions:  Hwy 270  --  Exit Manchester Road.  --  Drive East about ¼ mile to Ballas Road.  --  Turn left (North) to Park entrance on right.

The annual members picnic is scheduled for 6:00 pm Tuesday evening, June 6th.

Members and their immediate family are invited to attend at no cost. We will all enjoy appetizers, salads, brats, and hotdogs; all of which will be supplied by the club. Sodas will be furnished, and you can BYOB if you care to.  If anyone has any special dietary needs/desires, please contact Karl Schmitt.  (636) 797-4203

There is no need for members to bring anything except their family. However, should you care to, a small quantity of dessert would be appreciated.

The picnic takes the place of the regular June meeting, which normally is held on the third Tuesday of each month. For the picnic, we have reserved the pavilion in the Des Peres City Park, on Ballas Road just north of Manchester Road. For most members the easiest way to get there is to take I-270 to Manchester, exit and go East to Ballas about one quarter of a mile. The left (North) and go about a city block, which will be on your right hand side.

See you at the picnic,  BratMeister - Karl Schmitt

Presidential Ramblings, By Craig Madsen

They caught me off guard this month!  I got an e-mail to the effect of - Article due today! Not much new to share, but I'll tell what I know, (you thought last month was short).  Karl called me to inform me that all is in place for the Barbecue and tell the girls all they need to bring is desert, he'll handle the rest. We do need to bring drinks of our choice, but he was quite adamant that we should limit our contributions to desert because we always have way more than we need. His main concern here is that it's not a treat for the ladies if they have to "prepare" something. 'Nuff said, and you're all going to do whatever it is that you want to do anyway and I wouldn't want it any other way. Isn't it great to live in America! but Karl get kudos for his kindness, consideration, and efforts on the event. Ladies, feel free to give Karl a hug, peck on the cheek, snuggie, - whatever you're feeling that day.

By the time you read this Champaign will have come & went, we'll have to catch up at the picnic. I was told the weather was cooperative & really quite nice for the May meeting at Chuck-A-Burger. We had a small turnout of dedicated members, and it sounds like we have some topics to toss around at the picnic. Those that may be reading this and haven't attended our summer picnic, this isn't a meeting you want to miss, even if all you bring is yourself don't sweat it, we just want you there. The picnic rates as one of the top four in my book, what could be better than food, drink, cars & great people? June 6th.

The July meeting will be held at John Lambergs' July 18th, this gathering also falls in the top four of the year so - Bring on Summer!

I need to get out to the garage, I really don't want to drive "the Van" to Champaign, but if I don't get things straightened out on the Spitfire that's the punishment. See you on the road!

Craig

May, 2006 Minutes

Old Business:

Would it be possible to host a VTR in St. Louis?  Let your voice be heard if you think   this is a good idea.  

New Business:

      Prices vary widely but, the car magnet itself should be at least 4 colors (red, white, blue             and, silver/chrome) displaying the SLTOA logo and (thank you Brian Borgstede) spelling           out the “St. Louis Triumph Owner’s Association” (for all those who foolishly don’t know            what that stands for J), be at least a 0.30 thickness (perhaps 0.50) and, be approximately         4” x 6” (we don’t want a distorted logo).

      Vendors and their prices: common minimum order used to determine comparable total   vendor costs

Vendor

Min. Order

Unit Price

Total Cost (500 min.)

Advertise on Anything

500 ($1.75)

$1.75

$960.56 (included in price is the 7.475% tax or, $66.81. No shipping.)

Magnet America

250 ($2.48)

$1.87

$935.00 (no tax or shipping involved)

Build-a-sign

500 ($1.76)

$1.76

$882.19 (no tax or shipping but we have to use their colors)

Jacob Davis Productions

500 ($1.95)

$1.95

$975.00 (no tax or shipping)

Websticker.com

125 ($5.68)

$2.05

$1,025.00 (we have to use their colors and shipping is extra)

Gettysburgflag.com

250 ($3.24)

$2.53

$1,265.00 (No tax but we pay shipping)

      These numbers are for discussion purposes.  A few members said they had friends in this           business that “may” be able to reach a better price for the club.  One member suggested            static cling window decals instead of car magnets. 

Regardless, a discussion should be started asking the question, is the club interested in disbursing funds to purchase window decals or car magnets?

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Letter from the Editor, Creig Houghtaling

Time to renew has slipped away!  Bruzek, Buchek, Gullett, Hoss, Kenkel, Key, Schmidt, Schuessler, Spiegelman, Strowbridge, Thomas, and Tomey have been dropped from the SLTOA roster.  I talked to John Strowbridge about a week ago so I am sure he will rejoin as soon as he can remember to mail in a check.  When he does I’ll add him back on the roster.  If anyone reading this knows any of these other members, let them know we would love to add them back onto our roster.  Have them mail a check to St. Louis Triumph Owners Association (or SLTOA) in the amount of either $10 or $20 and mail it to Bonnie David 500 Marie Dr, St. Charles, MO 63301.  Ten gets an e-mail note with a link to the monthly newsletter and $20 gets a hard copy in a mailbox.  If you have any questions you can call Bonnie at (636) 949-0825.

In April we mailed a current roster to everybody’s mailbox.  Please check the information on the roster to make sure everything is correct.  I found my own e-mail address was wrong.  The correct address is:   So, if you find any corrections that need to be made, please e-mail me or phone me at 636-305-1143.

Last week I almost bought a new 2006 Mustang V6 convertible.  The dealer was offering $5500 off sticker and I was sorely tempted since my current driver has over 150 grand on it.  But Kay convinced me that if I spent all my money on a new Mustang I wouldn’t have much left over for my Triumphs.  So now that I have all this “left over” money I guess I ought to get my hind end in gear and do something on the Triumphs!

Did anyone notice we have another editor and contributor to the newsletter?  Matt Gossett put last month’s newsletter together while I was up in Wisconsin visiting my mom.  He also wrote that wonderful interview with new member David Shulz but forgot to put his name on it.  Matt and Kathy Kresser have made this newsletter fun!

VTR Members  Make sure you mail in your voting card to vote for Dave Massey for VTR South Central Chapter Coordinator.  When Dave wins he wants to get a district event scheduled for the St. Louis area.  That means he would want SLTOA members to help coordinate events.  That sounds like lots of fun!!!  You have my vote Dave!  I want to help coordinate the autocross.

Stories about Those Little British Cars -By Kathy Kresser

Recently, I talked with Carol Mangles, wife of John Mangles, about the various cars they have owned.  There is no question Carol enjoys these classic cars and loves sharing the experiences with John.   

q       Carol, did you have an interest or connection to classic or MG cars before meeting John? 

Not at all but the moment I first laid my eyes on his 1960 MGA, it was love at first sight!  (I thought he was pretty good looking too!)

q       Tell me about the cars you and John have shared? 

When John asked me out for the first time, it was to invite me to come along with him in the MGA to be in the Mardi Gras parade.  I wasn’t able to make that date, but it certainly peaked my interest.  We had been chatting about how much I loved parades and here was this very nice guy inviting me not only to go to the granddaddy of all parades but to actually be a part of it in a fantastic car! 

One of my favorite memories is when John, on our third or fourth date, took me for a drive to Pere Marquette State Park in the A.  He asked if I wanted to drive the A and I said “Sure!”  I got in the driver’s seat and took off on to very winding and hilly roads inside the park.  All of a sudden, I felt like the car was accelerating even though I was not pushing down on the pedal.  I sort of freaked out and quickly pulled over and stopped. In between my “Oh my God, you wouldn’t believe what was happening…”  John laughingly explained he had had his foot on the accelerator linkage cable that ran across the passenger side!  I asked him wasn’t he afraid I could have crunched his beautiful car?  He just shrugged and said so what, he could fix it!  It may sound crazy, but I really related to that sense of humor and the fact that he was so relaxed about the car.  John definitely enjoys his cars to the max!

After John sold the MGA, he restored Mz Ruby (named for her color), a ‘72 MGB that I actually bought him for his birthday for $600!  We had some great rides in her too, but eventually he sold her and bought Mz Ruby 2 (‘74 MGB), who stayed with us while he restored our current MGA V8 (’58), named Mel. Once we finished the V8, Mz Ruby 2 was sold.  I think I’ve got him talked into a V6 MGBGT or a Volvo P1800 that would be great for rallies. 

One sore spot for John though is he would like me to drive the cars more.  If I had his expertise and “MacGyver fixability” I wouldn’t mind using one as a daily driver but I can’t even put the top up or down by myself!  Maybe the MGBGT or the P1800 coupe would change that….

q       Did you help with the restoration of the MGA?  

Nothing physically, but I did support him emotionally during all the ups and downs of a major undertaking!  Plus, it really required a lot of his spare time that had previously been spent with me.  That was quite a sacrifice for us both.

q       How was the color selected? 

We probably spent more time on that than we spent on planning our wedding!  Luckily, we both agreed on what we wanted and finally found just the right color.  Actually, John had it custom mixed to get it just right.  That man really knows his colors!  “Mel” is named after his color, Melazane, the Italian name for eggplant.

q       Tell me about the house decorations used by John when you met him?  

I would call it “Early Garage Period”. It was quite the man’s pad, heavy on wall decorations such as paint spray guns, cherished license plates, assorted chrome grills and knock offs.  Did I mention the car coming out of the wall over the stairway?

q       What was your reaction to this style of art? 

Well, I actually like the car coming out of the wall!  He had the sense to place that in the great room which is not a formal room!  We both know when we get ready to move, we will need to remove it, but it will be easy to do.  Over the first few years of our marriage, we did merge our styles and moved most of the wall decorations to the back office room.  We still have one grill in our great room above the bay window.  We must be meant to be together because I think it looks great too!

q       I understand you are an enthusiast of the Endurance Drives.  What intrigues you about these long, hard drives?  

There is one main reason these drives are so much fun and his name is John.  He is the easiest going person you can imagine.  There is no bickering or complaining and we really have a fantastic time being holed up in tight quarters.  If I make a mistake in map reading, he just laughs and we figure it out together.  And, if he crashes into a guardrail, we shake it off, pull out the fender and keep going!  We both love an adventure!

There have been so many great times and wonderful memories.  If you haven’t gone on one yet, you should really try it!  All should take the “No blame, no complain” vow first though! 

q       Generally, people have interesting stories about their cars on a road trip; do you wish to share such a story?

I keep thinking of all the hilarious things that have happened on our 24-hour endurance runs!  Unfortunately, most are not suitable for a family newsletter.  I do remember one endurance run that we ran with Robert and Vonda Rushing and Gary Hayes and Bill Fox.  While the guys labored unsuccessfully to pull Robert’s car out of the mud along a logging road that we shouldn’t have gone down, Vonda and I took a trek out into the wilderness (in the pitch-black of night) to find something to put under Robert’s tires.  We managed to drag some flat boards we found back up to the road and these boards played a big part in getting Robert’s car out of the mud. 

On one of my first ever car trips, we were motoring to Kansas City for the Heartland Show I believe and someone’s car broke down (I can’t remember now whose it was).  Apparently, it was determined that something was wrong with the car’s points.  A file was needed but none of the guys had one.  I was just a newbie with the group at the time, but I proudly pulled my metal nail file out of my purse and became the day’s hero!  I think John fell in love with me that day!  Ladies, beware though, my file was toast after that!

The best part has been the great friends I have made through John in the car clubs.  They are part of what make the drives so enjoyable.

q       Any other comments you would like to add to this article?

Just answering these questions got me feeling all warm and fuzzy and really looking forward to the upcoming Missouri Endurance Run!  Hope to see you there!

Carol, I laughed proofing your article; your love for adventure is well-depicted in your story.  Keep on riding life on the high side!

Carol and John Mangles  1958 MGA V8

Classified Ads: 

Contact Creig Houghtaling at  or 636-305-1143, to place a free ad in this newsletter.

St. Louis Triumph Owners Association

Creig Houghtaling, Editor

36 Copper Mountain Court

Fenton, MO 63026

www.sltoa.org