MG Newsletter 11.09 - MG Car Club South Cape

 NEWSLETTER NO 11:09 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chairman & Newsletter Editor Vice –Chairman Secretary Treasurer Regalia & Communication Interclub Liaison Member MG Registrar for S. Cape Events Organiser Bruce Henderson Ricky Cooper Tony Lyons‐Lewis Jennie Frost Norman Frost Ross Lawson Duncan Paton Keith Burton Brian Davidson 082 568 7976 082 822 2146 083 419 6566 076 195 4837 082 557 6470 082 550 6473 082 078 1392 083 733 7749 082 495 0005 brucejhenderson@gmail.com ricky@cyberperk.co.za lionsden@netactive.co.za
jennifer@frostbrothers.co.za
norman@frostbrothers.co.za antart@mweb.co.za
dingles@telkomsa.net
keiella@telkomsa.net briandavidson@vodamail.co.za
EDITORIAL & FROM THE HIGH CHAIR This final newsletter of 2009 comes to you with best wishes for a blessed and peaceful Christmas and a happy and successful New Year from the committee. The past few weeks have been busy times for me hence the late publication. The GRMC Parks Tour, as we have come to expect from Lionel Hewitt, was both most enjoyable and very interesting. The Knysna Hillclimb weekend is depicted among Past Events and I will describe below a visit to the Classic Car Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. This followed a stimulating and rewarding visit to London at the invitation of a highly successful colleague to his retirement function which included a Thoracic Surgery congress. Some five and a half years since retirement, I thought the latter experience would be a mental and ‘keeping awake’ challenge but it was great to listen to the progress being made in the field. No sooner had I returned than a Scottish cousin and husband visited and I was kept busy showing them this area and also the little Karoo where I did some research for Brian Davidson’s April MG tour. Brian Davidson with the help of other committee members and co‐ordinating with the GRMC to avoid clashes, has been very busy planning the events program for next year. Please see his note about “Bonnets‐ Up” on 24th January. It is hoped that all members will take this opportunity to show their MG’s to Knysna and the visiting public. A provisional list of events will be found in the calendar at the end of this newsletter. As you will see, there is potential for a very busy year. Do not miss out on the fun of the 2010 Indaba. The first notice of the planned April Karoo tour is included. A highly successful competitive rally for the chairman/editor and his brother‐in‐law navigator is described under Past Events. Roger and Alva Fisher are congratulated for their efforts and thanked for the many hours they put into the organisation. Our Club jackets have been ordered and we are optimistic that they will be available by Christmas. A few spares have been ordered for stock. These will make excellent Christmas presents and solve the problem of “what to buy” for many. See below under Regalia for more information. In case there are any really adventurous bodies amongst us, I have received notice of a MG experience driving from Nanjing in China, the current home of MG, to Longbridge UK in a MGA or MGB in 2010. The trip will take in Beijing, The Great Wall of China, Nanjing, 3 Gorges Dam, Xian, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland (Rally mountain passes of the 60’s and 70’s), Paris and Le Mans (France) and Abingdon and Longbridge, (UK). Contact David Godwin on 0412029277 or classiccarclinic@live.com for further information. Bruce WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
Tony and Linda McEwan have joined the Club with their pale blue MGA. We welcome them, wish them a long and happy association with us and look forward to seeing them and their MG at club events. FORTHCOMING EVENTS PLEASE SEE THE EVENTS CALENDAR FOR THE BREAKFAST RUNS ON THE LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH AS THESE HAVE BECOME OFFICIAL CLUB EVENTS. N.B. NOTE THAT CAFÉ FRANCOIS DOES NOT HAVE CREDIT CARD FACILITIES. Friday December 11th – Christmas Prawn Braai at the Angling Club ‐ Please e‐mail Norman to book. Kindly make your deposit of R80 p.p. into the MG car club bank account with your name as reference. (please do not deposit cash as we have to pay the bank charges). Cut off date is the 8th December in order to arrange catering. Tuesday January 19th ‐ Noggin at 18h30 at the Lyons‐Lewis’s (15 Rexford Rd., Rexford ‐ 384‐0347) to view the TC’s progress and “kick tyres”. Please see “Maintaining the Breed” to whet your appetite for the evening. Bring your braai goodies including drinks and a chair. Sunday January 24th ‐ “Bonnets‐up” Show Day at the Knysna Waterfront: As part of the holiday festivities in Knysna, it has been decided to hold a “Bonnets‐up” MG show day at the Waterfront on Sunday 24 January 2010. All members are cordially invited to bring their cars to the Waterfront by 0945 that day so that we may open the display to the public by 10h00. All that is required is for us to obviously clean our cars and our engine bays – this is not a concours competition or anything like that. It is really just to give the public an opportunity to see what lurks under the bonnets of our MGs and to discuss various points with those who are interested. Please can you let Brian Davidson know if you will be willing to show your car at this event by emailing him at briandavidson@vodamail.co.za or by cell phone on 082 4950005. He will tell you which entrance to use and where your car will be parked. The only thing that you will need to bring with you is a black, plastic rubbish bag and four weights which you should use to put under the engine of your MG to prevent oil from soiling the paving at the Waterfront. 2 We will leave the cars in place until about 14h30 during which time we can enjoy some lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. Brian Sunday January 31st – Breakfast run to Café Francois at Sedgefield – leave Quays @ 09h00 or meet there. (N.B. Please remember that Café Francois does not have credit card facilities). Early notification of the Karoo and Route 62 MGCC Tour in April 2010 ‐ We are currently planning and organising a tour of Route 62 and the Karoo from 19 to 23 April 2010. The route will go from Knysna through De Rust and Meiringspoort to Prince Albert for the first night. From there we will take a bus trip to the top of the Swartberg Pass. We will then proceed to Matjiesfontien where we will have lunch at the Lord Milner Hotel and then to the Worcester/Robertson area for our second overnight stop. Thereafter, we travel to Montagu where we will have a guided tour of the historic town, visit Bonnievale, do a trip on the Breede River Goose, and enjoy a tractor ride to the top of the Langeberg Mountains. Then we will proceed to Calitzdorp via Route 62 visiting Barrydale, Ladismith and the famous Ronnie’s Sex Shop. From Calitzdorp we will travel back home to Knysna. The total cost per person should not exceed R2000 including all your lunches and dinners, but excluding petrol. The total distance travelled will be just over 900 kms. Early in the new year we will be asking for names of those members who wish to participate on the tour. Numbers will be limited by the accommodation facilities. Brian HUSBANDS AND WIVES The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?” (Dumas) I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me. (Sigmund Freud)
PAST EVENTS: Breakfast Run to Café Francois – 25th October Many of the regular attendees were involved on the GRMC Parks Tour resulting in only 6 members in 4 MGs on this run but the group enjoyed the usual pleasant breakfast The Knysna Hillclimb – 31st Oct and 1st Nov Although not an official Club event, many members assisted in the running of this first Hillclimb which was an unqualified success. Over the two days, 6000 people from as far as Cape Town and East London watched as old favourite, Sarel van der Merwe drove his Mustang V8 replica to win in a time of 43 seconds at an average speed of more than 150kph and a maximum of over 230kph. 48 cars participated but the only MG was the modified A of Dave Alexander coming 44th in 59 seconds or averaging ±110kph. It seems likely that this will become an annual occasion and we wish the organisers well for the future. 3 A lettter of apprreciation forr the assistaance given by Club C
membeers over thee two days has been received from th
he organisers. er Fisher’s Fun Naviggational Ru
un – 22nd Roge
Nove
ember ‐ A fo
ortunately clloudy day saaw 17 MGs and the secreetarial Minii Cooper and their husiastic drivvers and navvigators being briefed enth
at th
he Quays beefore the ru
un. Even at this early stage
e, there we
ere some confused c
minds m
after glanccing at the instructionss but Rogerr and Alva had done a greaat job of survveying the ccourse and ost crews creatting the instructionss and mo
managed to find
d their way aaround the ffour stages he route. Forr those who
o had not do
one “Tulip” of th
or “H
Herringbonee” events be
efore, the go
oing was a bit tough esp
pecially wh
hen Roger’’s cryptic pefully the variaations came in. Howeveer this is hop
first of many similar runs, you have all a climbed the learning curve and nexxt time will be much er. I am sure
e the divorce
e lawyer req
quirements easie
will become less as driverss and their navigators ome more adept a
at understandingg the rules beco
and instructionss. Perhaps a few more practice runs are requireed and we can then taake on the ndaba and aagain show MG ffraternity att the 2014 In
them
m how it is done! No
o sleeping on th
he job! The rally ended
d at the Co
oney Glen picnic p
area where the partticipants enjjoyed a braaai before Roge
er presented
d the second
d and first crews c
with imprressive trophies. Graham and Sylvvia Yendall came
e second and very much
h to my surp
prise, yours trulyy with the expert e
help from broth
her‐in‐law, Stuart Jones, wo
on the event. 2nd Place: Graham and SSylvia Yendall
hank you to Roger and Conggratulations and a big th
Alva for a most e
entertaining run. N
Breaakfast Run to Old Nickks – 29th November. With
h the appro
oaching yeaar end and holidays, again
n a small turnout of six members in
n five MGs enjoyed this breakfast run. nes 1st Place: Bruce Henderson and Stuart Jon
MA INTAININ G THE BR
REED TONY LYONS‐LLEWIS UPDATEES US ON THE TTC REBUILD THE TC PROJEC
CT CONTINU
UES AT A SLLOW BUT ADY PACE
STEA
The new sheet metal work around and below the n made up and fitted. This very doorrs has been
tricky work was entrusted to Tino, the Sedgefield el beater par
p excellencce, who rose to the pane
challlenge and did d an absolutely superrb job. All the rrest of the b
bodywork haas been takeen down to bare metal, vaast numbers of incorrrect holes ded up and the whole lot straighttened and weld
coaxxed back intto correct shape. s
I havve chosen Mon
nza Red for the car as, wherever we took paint off, w
we found on
nly red beneath.
Unfo
ortunately th
here are no rrecords detaailing what colou
ur a particullar TC was at time of pro
oduction. . Whaat we do kno
ow is that 5 ccolours were offered ‐ blackk, red, green
n, blue and ccream. Red cars had a choicce of two upholstery u
colours, c
red or beige. Mine
e will get beeige as I feeel red uphollstery on a red ccar is just too
o much of th
he same!!! My car had an incorrect brake b
masteer cylinder d, and veryy badly done, too! Fo
ortunately, fitted
durin
ng one of my m business trips to the UK, I was able to include a visit to Moss M
Motorrs where I c
item and put it into stock purchased the correct for the eventuall rebuild. Neew mounting brackets had to be fabriccated and welded into tthe chassis he originals had been cut c out with
h a grinder as th
when the bodgee‐job was done d
to fit the t wrong ms came to
o light as I one. All these little problem
dily took thee car apart fo
or the rebuilld!
stead
All the wheel cyylinders havve been re‐sleeved in nless steel and a all the brake b
pipes renewed. stain
Heree club memb
ber Ricky Co
ooper was a great help in flaaring the ends of all the replacemen
nts. All the conn
nections are
e now made and I will run the brakes on silico
one fluid. It has a number n
of e major one o
being it is not advaantages, the
hygroscopic ‐ it does not ab
bsorb waterr! This is a majo
or cause of brake failu
ure in our older cars
becau
use they do
o not get used u
that often, o
so regulaar servicing becomes more of an
n annual thing, if lucky. When W
last did
d you replacce all the brake fluid in your classic car?? Back h
home front bo
odywork removved prior to m
mechanical work Engine
e fitted. One ssmall step for m
mankind, one giant leap for me!! The woodwork across th
he back has been completed ‐ this is the storaage comparttment for h copious coats of the side screens ‐ and has had Wood
ddoc to preseerve it. The engine e
has been bolted
d in and now work contin
nues with making up the wooden floorb
boards and fitting the steeel bulk head. Tony We lo
ook forward to the nogg
gin and insp
pection of th
GLORIOUS INSULTS QUOTES FOR THE MONTH These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4‐letter words. Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." ‐ Oscar Wilde ‐ Winston Churchill "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." ‐ Paul Keating AND THEN THE FIGHT STARTED: My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, 'Do you know her?' 'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.' 'My God!' says my wife, 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?' And that's when the fight started..... THE CLASSIC CAR SHOW, N.E.C., BIRMINGHAM, U.K. While in the UK in November, I was fortunate to be able to visit this massive car show, well worth a visit for anyone near at the time. The show takes place over three days in five huge halls at the National Exhibition Centre. I was somewhat disappointed at the MG stands, perhaps because they were fragmented.into five different displays – the MG Car Club, The MG Owners’ Club, The Octagon Club, The MGF Register and The Midget and Sprite Owners Club. The star of the MGCC stand was “Bridget the Midget” (www.bridgetthemidget.co.uk), a rubber bumper model which had recently completed a 39,000 mile round the world tour. The owner had driven from the UK through Europe and Asia to the southern tip of India. It was then shipped to Australia for a 12,000mile drive around the country, followed by driving up the west coast of the Americas, across the States and back to the UK. (see website address below) 6 Many beautifully restored cars were for sale on the show. MGs included a K3 Magnette for £110,000, a TA ‐£45,000, an A Twin Cam ‐ £40,000, a TF ‐ £28,000, and MGBs from £7 to £16,000, the latter with a spectacular racing history. In my opinion, the best stand of the show belonged to the Morgan Club which is celebrating its centenary. Morgans from the original three wheeler of 1909 to the current AeroMax were on display. Bugatti with a couple of Gendarmes guarding the entrance was also excellent as were several others. A variety of unusual collectors’ vehicles were on show together with a large number of stands selling new and second hand books, posters, tools, badges and a variety of other bric‐a‐brac. Spares were however conspicuous by their This, believe it or not, is a Mini absence and companies such as Moss Motors were not represented. In this regard, the Auto Jumble at Beaulieu was far superior. A hard day’s walking enabled me to see the majority of the show and it was a very worthwhile visit. Bruce 7 THE CLUB CAR REGISTER Some new members have not yet passed on their car’s details to Keith. You are requested to do so without delay to keep the club register up to date. Please send details to Keith Burton (keiella@telkomsa.net or P.O. Box 1154, Sedgefield, 6573). WEBSITES WORTH VISITING www.mgcarclubsc.co.za www.mgcc‐north.co.za www.mgcc.co.uk www.motorheads.co.za www.motoring.co.za www.motorheadsdiary.com (for motor sport / www.1000miglia.co.za Historic racing diary)
www.bridgetthemidget.co.uk FOR SALE OR WANTED (This is a free service for members. Please make use of it as it helps to keep our cars on the road. Just send your advert in to The Editor well before the end of each month. The committee has agreed that commercial adverts can also be accepted but these are charged for.) For Sale: Lucas Altette hooter, in working condition but needing restoration. R200,00 TC spare wheel mount tripod. Excellent condition. R300,00 TD/MG A starter switch, working condition. R80,00 British Cleartone hooter ‐ looks like the type used on pre‐war cars. R150,00 (All offers considered!) Tony Lyons‐Lewis. 083 419 6566 or lionsden@netactive.co.za * For sale: MG ZT 190: 2003 model, it only has 83700km on the clock. It is still in mint condition but will need tyres in the near future. Selling for R119,000 but open for offers. Contact Lionel Botha at tel: 021 981 8414, cell: 084 553 5805, or www.legendsauto.co.za. * (The editor has a picture if required) Wanted: TC centre dash panel needed for my restoration project. This is the panel that has a chrome lip and a painted centre portion. Tony Lyons‐Lewis. 083 419 6566 or lionsden@netactive.co.za * 8 REGALIA IDEAL CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: Jackets will become available in the near future. They will be waterproof windcheaters in Navy with light blue beading and with our Club badge – very smart and most useful. However you will need to order. Please contact Jennie Frost for sizing and to place an order as soon as possible. NEW SCC SHIRTS: The now familiar light and dark blue club shirts are becoming a feature at car related events. For those who don’t have, please phone Norman Frost to arrange your purchase. A few of the original shirts are still available. Bumper badges, magnetic name and lapel badges and key rings all with the club logo are available. Please contact Norman or Ross with your enquiries and orders. Please note that in future, regalia will be available for purchase only at Noggins. Off the cuff sales at Norman’s showroom have been too disruptive for sales to continue there. 9 2009 ATTENDANCE RECORD PARTNER'S NAME This Month Auty Anthony Baker Lew Bechlars Philip Burton Keith Bush Marion Cleland Jim Clough Pat Cooper Ricky Davidson Brian Davis Roger Douglas Murray Dunlop Denis Fisher Roger Forsyth Don Frost Norman Giggins Barry Henderson Bruce Hewitt Lionel Holliday Clive Hollis Peter Hollis Ron Houseman Marylin Jones Dave Langman Frostie Lawson Ross Le Feuvre Tim Lyons‐Lewis Tony McCullum John Mc Ewan Tony Mentz Bunny Metelerkamp Neil Parfett Ed Parker Wilf Paton Duncan Reitz Fritz Roff Anthony Stannard Bob Underwood Colin Van den Bor Frans Vadas Peter Vadas Robert Wessels John Williams Denny Winter George Woodgate Geoff Yendall Graham Norma Heather Martia Ella Gavin Glen Ali Colleen Jose Nita Anne Gill Alva Marion Jenny Joan Rose Dee Dennis Fay Sue Antoinette Sheila Lorna Louise Linda Jan Norma Jenni Jenny Leslie Madene Corrine Bridget Ellen Vivian Annabel Jane Pat Liesel Merceda Sylvia 2 4 3 2 4 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 4 2 2 2 4 6
1
2
15
1
10
6
24
14
11
9
9
4
3
12
10
21
11
1
4
1
10
15
7
2
11
5
6
5
6
6
23
3
4
2
10
4
9
3
2
2
20
6
4
Event no: Total MEMBER'S NAME Accumulated (DERIVED FROM SIGNATURES IN ATTENDANCE REGISTER – IF YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE!) 6
1
2
17
1
10
6
28
17
13
13
11
7
3
14
10
23
11
2
3
6
1
10
17
8
2
12
7
2
8
5
8
7
27
3
4
4
10
4
9
3
2
2
22
8
8
EVENT Date Atten‐
dance 20
19
9
28
13
9
25
8
11
16
20
14
15
6
19
6
3 Mar
1
A G M
2
Breakfast Sedgefield 24 Mar
3
Stilbaai weekend 17 Apr
4
GRMC Show Day 2 May
5
Sedgefield Arms 5 May
6
Bloukrans Braai 7 Jun
7
Christmas dinner 14 July
8
B’fast Old Nick
26 July
9
Braai @ Buffels
2 Aug
10
B’fast @ Francois 30 Aug
11
SGM @ Lush
1 Sept
12
Cape Centres
24 Sept
13
Mitchells Noggin 6 Oct
14
B’fast @ Francois 25 Oct
15
Navigation Run
30 Nov
16
B’fast Old Nick
29 Nov
Discrepancies should be reported to the Committee without delay. A point is awarded for: a) Attending any event either organised by the Club or in which the Club is invited to participate; b) Coming to that event in an MG c) Arranging an event or speaking/entertaining at an event. 10 MGCC SOUTH CAPE EVENTS CALENDAR: MEETING PLACE: KNYSNA – THE QUAYS AT THE WATERFRONT END OF GREY ST. SEDGEFIELD – ENGEN ONE‐STOP. th
Friday December 11 – Christmas Prawn Braai at the Angling Club. A provisional calendar for 2010 follows. Details and any changes will be announced as the year proceeds. Tue 19 Jan Noggin @ Tony Lyons‐Lewis to kick TC tyres Tony L‐L Sun 24 Jan Bonnets up @ Knysna Waterfront Brian Davidson Sun 31 Jan Breakfast run Café Francois Tony L‐L 6‐7 Feb David Piper Series Killarney Cape Town Sun 13 Feb Run, George Old Car Show Brian Davidson Fri 19‐20 Feb British Motor Cycle Assoc @ the Waterfront Tony L‐L Sun 28 Feb Breakfast run Old Nick Tony L‐L Tue 02 Mar AGM / Noggin / Knysna Angling Club Brian Davidson Sat 20 Mar Noggin and braai at Parfetts Brian Davidson Sun 28 Mar Breakfast run Café Francois Tony L‐L Mon 19‐23 Apr Karoo tour Brian Davidson Sun 25 Apr Breakfast run Old Nick Tony L‐L Sat 01 May Car Show Brian Davidson Tue 04 May Noggin TBA Brian Davidson Sun 30 May Breakfast run Café Francois Tony L‐L Sun 06 Jun Run ‐ Winters' Driving test Brian Davidson Sun 27 Jun Breakfast run Old Nick Tony L‐L Th‐Sun 16‐19 Sep National Indaba, Oudtshoorn Brian Davidson The early warnings are for inclusion in your diaries. Unfortunately it may be necessary to change some of these nearer the time so please review the calendar monthly. Details to follow. In view of the advancing years of many of us, there may be problems with print size, etc. Any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism of the Newsletter and how it can be improved will always be welcomed as will of course, your contributions. 11