The 2 Seater

January, 2009

President’s Message :

It has been a wonderful holiday so far. The festivities have been abundant with great food, family, and friends. The camera has been getting a workout taking pictures of our granddaughters and our pups. Santa Claus was very good to us in the Winne household this year. I am finally stepping into the 21st century, as Marty has bought me a new GPS so I won’t be lost on MG trips any more. The MG also needs to be brought up to date with the addition of a cigarette lighter so we can plug it in. A quantity of toys and dog books also found their way into our home.

Life was also good for the MG Club in early December with the Holiday Meeting and Gift Exchange. Elections were held and I am proud to announce that Dan Burke is now our new Treasurer. Marty feels comfortable turning over the reins to such a qualified person. Spe-cial thanks to Marty for being our Treasurer for the past two years. We were graced by Courtney from Vera House to receive our holi-day donation, and had lots of toys for our Toys for Tots drive this year. Everyone went home with a little trinket to brighten the holidays –

I managed to hang onto an Aston Martin DB4 diecast replica thru all the frenzy of the Chinese auction. Now I will need to build some shelves to display all the other cars packed away in the basement since our house move two years ago.

We had a nice December Meet ‘n Greet at Mo-hegan Manor in Baldwinsville, which was hosted by Fred and Diane Galster. This was great fun and got us primed for the holiday season.

Please watch the calendar and the website for upcoming events – especially our January Meet n’ Greet hosted by Terry and Rick Kunz, and the Valentine’s Party in February at Traditions Restaurant, sponsored by Patty Golas. Also, please remember to fill out your membership renewals in January for next year, along with your annual membership dues of $25. We should have a great year and are already off to a great start getting ready for the Eurocar two-day extravaganza in June. Here’s wishing each and every one of you a Very Merry Holiday Season and a Joyous New Year.

Enjoy the ride, Dave Winne MG—Enjoy The Ride!

The 2 Seater

Published Monthly by:

The MG Car Club of Central NY P.O. Box 1666

Cicero, NY 13039 Newsletter Editor: Terri LaVergne 299-4351 Advertising rates/info: Contact Dave Winne - 622-1230

Club Officers President: Dave Winne 622-1230 V. Pres.: Tom Lynch 697-5456 Secretary: Sue Beck 695-4596 Treasurer: Dan Burke 622-4365

Committee Chairs Activities: Sharon Hartman 463-8506 Regalia: Loie Mechetti 598-9187 Eurocar 2009: Rick Kunz 663-6452 & Sharon Hartman 463-8506 Membership: Patty Golas 687-3849 Webmaster: Jimmy Hearne 788-9998

Upcoming Events

January – Happy New Year !!! -

1/6 - Monthly Meeting at 7:00pm, 6:00pm Dinner - Barbagallo’s

1/14 - Meet’N’Greet, 6:30pm Calypso Cay, Brewerton 1/21 - Eurocar Meeting 7pm The Piano & Organ Center 1/22 - Meet’N’Eat, D.G.’s Brewerton 6:30pm cocktails, 7:00pm Dinner 1/27 - Board Meeting, 6:30 pm, Dinner 6:00 pm, Lock 24, Baldwinsville

Rick Kunz & Terri LaVergne, host and hostess for Meet’N’Greet and Meet’N’Eat Any suggestions for activities, please contact Sharon Hartman at 457-6267, or email shartman55@verizon.net

Disclaimer –

The Club, its officers, the editors, and the author of any piece disclaim any responsibility for damage, injury, or loss connected with use of any techni-cal information provided in the news-letter. Repairs/maintenance/technical tricks/procedures described herein should not be attempted without the proper tools and equipment and should never be attempted by anyone not experienced in the techniques involved.

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Submitted to the Editor Terri, Mike Mastracco is always writing interesting articles for “The 2 Seater”, keeping us apprised on car history. ..that brought to mind a book report I did on “The Earl Covey Story” back in 1998. Earl Covey was a master builder, valued guide, innkeeper and inventor. If you have visited Big Moose, in the Adirondacks, you perhaps saw the Big Moose Community Chapel, Covewood or the Twitchell Lake outlet bridge that Earl built …... and as an inventor, the snow tire ! During the winter of 1928 Earl invented a crepe rubber snow tire. He eventually gave his idea to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company which made him tires. The rest is history. Pick up the Earl Covey Story by Frances Alden Covey for the rest of the story - good winter reading. Joan Seager Check out http://www.covewoodlodge.com/history.htm for more - Ed

The 50 Worst Cars of All Time by TIME Magazine & Dan Neil, Pulitzer Prize-winning automotive critic

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1958 MGA Twin Cam A point of personal privilege. I own a 1960 MGA that I restored with my own two hands, and it is a

fantastic British sports car, with lovely lines penned by Syd Enever, a stiff chassis, and a floggable

character. The car was introduced in 1955 as a replacement to the venerable TD and was itself re-

placed by the MGB in 1962. Along the way, somebody decided my little car was anemic — hey! I re-

sent that! — so MG offered an optional high-performance engine with dual overhead cams, thus the

"twin cam." It was a leaking, piston-burning, plug-fouling nightmare of a motor that required abso-

lute devotion to things like ignition timing, fuel octane and rpm limits, less the whole shebang vomit

connecting rods and oil all over the road. Many years after the engine was taken out of service, it was

discovered that the problem lay in the carburetors. At certain rpm, resonant frequencies would cause

the fuel mixture to froth, leaning out the fuel and burning the pistons. I've never had any such trou-

ble with my iron-block, pushrod, lawn tractor engine. I'm just saying.

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Top Movie Cars from the Last Forty Years We all enjoy a good movie now and then, and to make a movie a little better often the producers throw in a car chase or two. Here’s a list from Cars.com along with a few comments and additions from myself of “Top movie cars.”

No. 10: 2003 Mini Cooper S, "The Italian Job" Drivetrain: 163-hp, supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with six-speed manual transmission; front-wheel drive Notable Features: 200 pounds lighter than Stock Cooper S; painted red, white or blue Larger cars would have rubbed fenders with light poles and tunnel walls, but thanks to a nimble fleet of Mini Coopers, a band of conspirators manages to escape captors down congested streets, parks and subway tunnels. (Parks? Mass transit? In Los Angeles?) Computer-rigged signals aid the getaway, stopping cross traffic at red lights. Sounds like California dreaming for drivers. No. 9: 1959 Cadillac Ambulance, "Ghostbusters"

Drivetrain: 325-hp, 6.4-liter V-8; rear-wheel drive Notable Features: Tailfins, flashing lights, sirens, attached ladder. Though it plays a relatively small part in its film, the Ectomobile is the finest medical movie car to date. What it lacks in brute force it makes up in style, with red tailfins, strobe lights and more roof gear than a fire truck. Should there ever be a remake, our pick for the new Ectomobile would be the Dodge Magnum. Right, Egon?

To be continued in next month’s issue……...

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Clip and Save By Tom Larkin

Just wanted to let everyone know that they don’t have to donate to the “pay the ransom” fund any longer - I was able to escape! That was just a little hu-mor leading into the fact I haven’t written anything for the newsletter in awhile. As the statement goes “life comes at you fast” and I just have had too many things to do. With that said let me get to the point of this arti-cle. Some things do need to be replaced and thrown out just because of age. Never in the case of people or whole cars, but should be in the little things that people and cars use.

Let me start with people: some people {like my

wife} feel that some things people use: example—underwear and socks should be replaced just because of age. I may not agree here, but she may have a point. When you have articles of clothing that have seen many a president come and go - well I guess there’s a time to replace them. However, when the theory is used with one of our cars, I have to agree with my wife.

In this case its the rubber brake lines on our

cars and time is a definite factor in replacement. Just looking at them and thinking they look okay is not al-ways enough. Age makes a big difference. The inside of a brake hose can break down and still look almost new on the outside. With this article I was going to send some pictures of a brake line I removed from my 76 B. But from the time I took the pictures until now we some how had missed place them. So without a helpful picture I will try to explain what I had found. I had just got the car this past summer. After it had shown up in my yard, which by the way is a story for another day. The brakes were so bad I did not dare drive it around the block before I had made some re-pairs. When you stepped on the brakes , one wheel in the front would be the only thing trying to stop. I had planned on driving the car for a little while before I put any money in it for repairs. With having a major brake problem changed all that. I was going to have to make some repairs before I could drive it.

I had leaky wheel cylinders and a stuck caliper along with the accompanying brake pads and shoes needing replacement. The brake hoses looked ok and at first I wasn’t going to replace them. Not sure if it was com-mon sense or what, but when I placed the order I added a new set of brake hoses. The set includes 2 front and one rear hose with fasteners. In the picture, that I had lost, you could see the rubber from the inside of the hose being pushed out through the metal end. When I

pulled this off the caliper, a piece of rubber the same size as the opening in the line was sticking a good ¼ inch out from the line. The brake fluid had broken down the inside of the hose over time. It made the rub-ber turn soft, so when I was stepping on the brake pedal the rubber - not fluid, was being pushed into the cali-per. Looking at the line from the outside everything looked fine. The hose wasn’t spongy or cracked – normal signs that the hose needs to be replaced, regardless of age. All this was causing the front brake caliper not to work at all on that side. Brake fluid couldn’t reach the cali-per, so no brake action happened on that side. With only braking on one side of the front end, it pulled hard to that side. In this condition a panic stop would have pulled the car off the road or into oncoming traffic. Add to this the leaky wheel cylinders and you would of had to pay money at an amusement park to get a scarier ride! When brakes work like this, or should I say do not work , makes for a ride no one enjoys. Time is the only key here. Brake fluid starts attacking the rubber in the hose from the beginning. Over time is when it gets bad. So if you know the brake lines have not been changed on your car, check out the sales and get a set ordered. Plan on replacing them in the spring. Even if you got the last MG coming into America in the early 80’s, do the math. Those hoses on that car are at least 28 years old. One more thing on hoses before I go. Do not forget about changing the fuel line hoses and vacuum hoses. You have 2 at the fuel pump, some in the boot and the rest under the bonnet. These lines also break down over time and with the added alcohol to our gas, happens at a faster rate than before. Smell gas in the boot now and then? Well, you may already have one of the gas tank vent lines leaking. Use some of the fuel injector gas line and that will help protect the line from breaking down from the alcohol in the gas. Some of the lines, like at the fuel pump, have molded ends where they attach to the banjo fittings. No need to buy Moss exclusive fuel lines here. The molded ends can be cut back so that the old line pulls off. Just add new line to the barbed fitting and put on a clamp. I like to use the high pressure injector fuel line clamps. The clamps just make the job look a little more profes-sional, but a worm gear clamp is just as good. Now as I have said before, go get your hands dirty!!

English term - crown wheel American term - ring gear Cubby box glove box

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Pumpkin Crumble Submitted by Loie Mechetti Mix together: (I put it on low to medium in the mixer while I grease and flour the 9 x 13 pan.) Large can pumpkin Can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 eggs ¾ cup sugar ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Pour into greased pan. Mix together until crumbly: 1 yellow cake mix ½ Cup cold butter (Or margarine) Optional - I add ½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder or cinnamon and/or a pinch of nutmeg. Whatever wets your salivaries. Sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake 60 to 70 minutes at 350°.

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Every morning I go to “Thee Dinner” in Cicero and have what I am commonly calling “Breakfast with Bob”. Now if you have ever been there one of the 1st things you will notice on the menu is our own Bob the Piano Man Carbone. That’s right, his picture is right on the menu, on the cover yet!

So we were sitting there having our coffee the other morning and another Bob, Bob Popyk, Bob’s former employer of many years ago, stopped in to check on his prodigy. Bob Popyk is also kind of a car guy, if the car is a Buick Reatta; I think they made 6 of them, well any how he has owned more than anyone I know.

Bob Popyk has also written several sales training books for the auto industry and is considered in some circles an expert, note, some circles, and not all circles.

Bob Popyk had printed a list off the internet of “The 50 Worst Cars of All Time” from Time Magazine, and I guess because it was on the internet and writ-ten in Time Magazine it must be true.

So I looked through the list and of the 50, I found 16 that I didn’t think should be on the list. Out of the 16 I had personally owned only 9 of them, and no, I did not own a Chrysler Air-Flow, new or otherwise. But I did own the following: 1st an Edsel Ranger, 2nd a Corvair (2 of them), 3rd an AMC Gremlin, 4th a Chrysler Imperial LeBaron 2 Door Hardtop, super cool car! 5 and 6 were the Ford Pinto and the Chevy Chevette (didn’t say I was a proud owner), 7th a California Corvette 305 CID, 8th a Cadillac 8-6-4 and the last but not least, number 9 the 1995 Ford Explorer.

But to my surprise one car I owned that was not on the list, was the Chevrolet Vega! Although mine, I will proudly add, was a 1975 Cosworth Vega, serial #115 and was one of the coolest cars I ever owned, but is not on the list so that is another story, lets move on.

The Edsel was just your standard Ford Sedan with an interesting look; you didn’t see all Fords from 58 to 60 on that list.

Walking Through the Wires January 2009 By Rick Kunz

The Corvair, well if they had the stuff together and had perfected the redial tire a little earlier, and if Ralph Nader’s mother had eaten him at birth, that car would not have made it to the list.

The AMC Gremlin made a great Drag Race Car, that short wheelbase made for great wheel stand action when you could stuff a big V-8 and get the power to the ground.

One of my most favorite cars I owned was my Chrysler Imperial LeBaron, it was long, it was low, and it was fast! The 440 CID V8 would drink with the best of them while providing enough power to deliver a pizza while still extremely hot. The interior was wrapped in the leather of at least a small herd of cows. Mine was white and had a white vinyl top with dark burgundy leather interior and seats that rivaled the most expensive leather couch money could buy.

They were cheap, they were ugly they got great mileage and they didn’t break, and when you were done with them you just tossed them in the dump-ster, that is correct the Chevette and the Pinto. Hey look, we have all had a little down time in our life, when things were a little tight.

The California Corvette was a Corvette, there were no bad Corvette’s some were just better than oth-ers. Besides it only took a couple of days to stick an LT1 350 under the hood.

The Cadillac 8-6-4 made your mother proud, it was big, it was comfortable and most of all it was simple to eliminate the 8-6-4 mode and you had the gas guzzling Cadillac you always wanted.

And last but not least the 95 Ford Explorer. OK so it was a little tippy, it kept you alert and on your toes when you drove it, and it is still the one today that all SUV’s are compared to.

You know if I buy one more of the cars on the list I will have owned a full 20% of “The 50 Worst Cars of All Time”, not many of you can say that. Check it out and see how many vehicles you have owned or may still own that are on the list, www.time.com and check out complete list of the 50 worst cars of all time. Maybe I can become an expert in some circles, well till next time ….

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637 WEST GENESEE STREET 125 ONEIDA STREET

Syracuse, NY 13204 & Oneida, NY 13421 315-471-5155 315-361-4190 Dedicated to serving the car enthusiasts as well as the professional body shops with all of your automotive refinishing needs. Specializing in products including:

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AUTO FINISHERS AUTO FINISHERS

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(WE INSURE CLASSIC BOATS, TOO)

637 West Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13204

315-471-5155

125 Oneida Street Oneida, NY 13421

315-361-4190

Dedicated to serving the car enthusiasts as well as the professional body shop

with all your automotive refinishing needs.

January Birthdays 1/1 Paul Durgey 1/2 Doug Whitehouse 1/3 Linda Smith 1/6 Jim Morris 1/8 Bob Shanahan 1/9 Sam Basil Jack Bocchino Marybeth Nelson 1/11 John Klucsik Howie Lapides 1/12 Jon Christopher 1/14 Stephen Merchant Samuel Sibley 1/15 Roger Vanderwalker 1/17 Carol Benson 1/20 Irwin Koss 1/21 Anna Howard 1/25 Claudia Ehmke Diana Maruke 1/26 David McLeod 1/27 Tom Larkin 1/30 Shirley DiMatteo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL Don’t eat too much cake…save some for me !!

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MGCCCNY P.O. Box 1666 Cicero, NY 13039

Eurocar 08 Sponsored by the

MG Car Club of CNY

www.mgcarclub.com/cny