Richard Tupper’s Car Collection in a Drive-In – November 23rd

Winner: First Place in the Phantom IV, V & VI Class at the Pebble Beach Concours in August, 2014

Owners: Ken and Ann Smith

1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Sedanca de Ville by James Young Ltd., one of only seven James Young design PV22SD made.

VOLUME 50 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2014

Richard Tupper’s Car Collection in a Drive-In – November 23rdRichard Tupper’s Car Collection in a Drive-In – November 23rd

November

2014 Regional OfficersChairperson Pierre Lemieux 760 408-0230 Vice Chairperson Karen PerraultTreasurer Terri Mercurio Secretary Carolyn Quadt 562 598-7028

Appointed PositionsChief Judge Tom Mercurio Technical Chairperson Ronny Shaver Membership Chairperson Karen Perrault Awards Chairperson Tom & Terri Mercurio Newsletter Editor Dori OisenHospitality Chairperson Joan Hugron Cell: (949) 439-0465Marketing/Advertising Gene TowIe Directory Editor Karen Perrault Webmaster Steve Power-Fardy Archivist Diane Cerveny Bylaws, Policies, Procedures Brad Zemcik

2014 Board of DirectorsRonny Shaver Larry Ewaska Sherry Stern Betty GreenDori Olsen Bill SundinClint Camomot Joan HugronRobert/Nancy Ratinoff

Editorial StaffEditor: Dori Olsen

Cell Phone: (424) 644-5987 dorianolsen@earthlink.net

Please reference RROC in the subject line when sending an email to the editor. Do not send any material or photos that carry a copyright. It is our policy not to publish copyrighted material.

The Spirit of Ecstasy is published monthly, approximately two weeks after the meet. Articles and notices should be received no later than the 15th of the month prior. Please Identify cars (with chassis numbers) and individuals in all photographs. Private party advertisements for Rolls-Royce/Bentley sales, wanted items, parts, lost and found, or information will be published for members at no charge. For car sales, include chassis number and asking price. Photos will be published at a nominal charge. Non-member advertising will be accepted at published rates. Display advertising is accepted, at the discretion of the Editor, for business card, 1/4, 1/2, or full page insertions in increments of three, six or twelve months. Advertisements are published as a courtesy to the membership. The Southern California Region and its Editor(s) do not assume responsibility in the event of a claim of loss or damage resulting from publication. Members are responsible for investigating any advertising claims prior to entering into an agreement with an advertiser. Please contact the Editor(s) for information or published rates. Articles reflect the opinion of the authors and do not necessarily reflect national or regional policy. The Southern California Region and its Editor(s) seek to publish accurate material but neither assumes responsibility in the event of a claim of loss or damage resulting from publication. The organization is under the control of the National RROC.

NOVEMBER 2014

Richard Tupper’s Collection at his Drive-In On Sunday, November 23rd we are fortunate to view Richard Tupper’s collection that includes over one hundred restored vintage cars that he keeps in a large warehouse he actually made into his own personal drive-in theater. The cars are arranged facing the stage with a huge movie screen. The ceiling has fiber optic stars that come on when the lights go down. Richard has his kids and grandkids over for family night and shows G-rated pictures. Thanks to Richard, his family can still enjoy the delights of the cinema from the comfort of a big bench seat in a car from the golden age of the automobile. Richard has graciously offered to open his collection to the RROC So Cal. From what we understand, the RROC has never seen Richard’s collection so that those who attend this event are in for a rare treat.

After viewing Richard’s wonderful collection, we will enjoy brunch at Andre’s restaurant that is located in the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance. We will have our own private room and while enjoying live music will partake of such delectables as omelets cooked to order, a waffle station, homemade vanilla French toast, various sausages and potatoes, pastas, salads and vegetables; shrimp, snow crab, smoked salmon, with a variety of breads and carved roast beef and turkey. Of course, don’t forget the desserts.

This will be a fabulous event! And all of this for only $40.00 per person is quite the bargain. Please note that space is limited to 40 people so be sure to get your reservations in early.

We hope to see you there!

Date: Sunday, November 23, 2014Event: Richard Tupper’s CollectionHosts: Larry and Gary Ewaska. Larry’s cell: (310) 259-8870Place: An unmarked warehouse located at 15402 S. Broadway, Gardena, CA across the street from Richard’s company, American Aircraft Products

Time: 930 a.m. Coffee and pastries 10:00 a.m. View Richard’s collection 12:00 p.m Depart for our buffet brunch 12:30 p.m. Brunch at Andre’s restaurant in the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, 21333 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503.

Cost: $40.00 per person.

RSVP by: November 17, 2014

Directions to the Tupper Collection: From the 405 Fwy. go North on the 110 Fwy and exit on Redondo Beach Blvd. Turn right onto W. Redondo Beach Blvd. and take the second right onto South Broadway. The warehouse is on the LEFT.

Directions to Brunch: Take Broadway back to W. Redondo Beach Blvd and make a left on W. Redondo Beach Blvd. Take W. Redondo Beach Blvd to the 110 fwy and go South. Take the 110 fwy south to the 190th St / I-405 exit (Exit 9). Keep right to take the 190th St. ramp and then turn right onto 190th St. Take 190th St. to Hawthorne Blvd and make a left on Hawthorne Blvd. Take Hawthorne Blvd to the DoubleTree Hotel (on your right) located at 21333 Hawthorne Blvd.

In Memory of Marilynn Wales It is with great sadness that we are announcing the death of Marilynn Wales. Facing death, as in life, Marilynn displayed great dignity in the courageous way she handled her long-term illness. In her final days Marilynn lightheartedly commented that she wanted her ashes to be placed beneath the floor mat of her beloved Bentley.

Marilynn and her husband Gary have been members of our region for thirty-nine years. They are true enthusiasts who have owned an extensive collection of both Pre-War and Post-War Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars. They also have a magnificent collection of Rolls-Royce and Bentley memorabilia. Marilynn was always supportive of Gary with his many one-off car creations that were known throughout the world. We express our sincere condolences to Gary and her many friends and family. We will always remember Marilynn as a genuine class act. May she rest in peace throughout eternity.

RROC-SOCAL.COM

2014

Chairman’s Corner

RROC-SOCAL.COM

2014

NOVEMBER 2014

I have to tell you that I am very glad I made the time to attend this year’s RROC National Meet in Seven Springs, PA. Not only was it well attended with over 800 guests but there was plenty to do and see. I spent a lot of my time in Silver Ghost seminars but the highlight was going to the Falling Waters house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was great to run into so many RROC friends that I have met over the years and the venue and surrounding scenery was spectacular. There was also a great collection of cars that came from near and far including several Pre- War Silver Ghosts. National meets are great fun and you should put it on your list of things to do over the next few years. You will have a great time for sure.

Happy motoring

Pierre Lemieux

November22 Board Meeting & 2015 Officer Ballot Count Hosts: Joan and Willy Hugron

23 Car Collection at a Drive-In Hosts: Larry and Gary Ewaska

27 HAPPY THANKSGIVING

December6 Technical Meet Host: Ronny Shaver

21 Holiday Party and Awards Event Host: Karent Perrault

2 0 1 5 January3 Technical Meet Host: Ronny Shaver

February7 Technical Meet Host: Ronny Shaver

March28 Concours d’ Elegance Host: Nancy Ratinoff

3/27 - 4/2 RROC National Meet – Orlando, Florida

June18-28 RREC Rally 2015

Don’t Forget! The ballots will be counted at the board meeting on November 22nd at the home of Willy and Joan Hugron. All members are invited to attend the ballot count. If you are planning on attending the ballot count, please RSVP to Willy by November 5th at (714) 356-7823 or by email at wh@calcp.com

Please see Pierre’s photos from the National Meet on page 10.

HAPPY

THANKSGIVING

NOVEMBER 2014

The Spirit of EcstasyCelebrating 50 Years

of only seven made of that hand formed all- aluminum flowing line design. The sedanca design features a retractable hardtop over the front compartment and a luxurious rear compartment consisting of James Young wool rear seating, leather and exotic, highly patterned matched burl wood. This car is finished in the original

colors of James Young Midnight Blue exterior with beige leather to the front compartment and James Young striped wool to the rear. We displayed the car with some original James Young literature, color washes of the car, price list and an original Phantom V continental spares parts touring kit.

Also accompanying the car was an extensive leather bound history book containing photos of the car when virtually new in England, build sheets, data card and extensive correspondence between the original owner and James Young that was kindly supplied by the RREC via Club Archivist Martika Kennedy. I also researched the car in England, contacting the son of the original chauffeur and others to learn more about the car. As the 1960 London Show Car for Rolls-Royce and James Young, there was extensive information about the car and modifications that were requested before the show.

The original owner, a reportedly particular lady named Elsie Tritton, lived with her husband in London and on a magnificent 2100 acre estate in the South of England near Canterbury in Kent called Godmersham. Per my research, before the London Show Mrs. Tritton asked that James Young head designer A.F. McNeil eliminate

the side-facing jump seats in favor of specially constructed cabinets for smoking accessories and crystal. Mrs. Tritton also specified that the interior of all cabinets be covered in burl as opposed to the usual plain wood. The rear cabinetry was to be a ‘sea of beautiful burl wood from division window to the floor’. She also specified that the rear arm rest be lined with highly figured burl wood and personal accessories. There is record of Mrs. Tritton personally selecting the dramatic burl figures in the car with A. F. McNeil.

An interesting story associated with the car is that her rear license plate, transferred from her Phantom III, was ET 38. According to the original chauffeur’s son, the Phantom was seen once in London where someone asked his father if this might not be Elizabeth Taylor’s car! After some time Mrs. Tritton sold the car to an American, J. Seward Johnson, chairman of Johnson and Johnson. All owners are known and part of the extensive history book.

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

RROC Winner at Pebble Beach!!!By Ken Smith

Longtime RROC and RREC members Ken and Ann Smith of La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe won a coveted first place at the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. They have been participants in concours events all over the U.S. for quite a number of years. But this year was very special for us as our 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Sedanca de Ville by James Young Ltd., one of only seven James Young design PV22SD made, won First Place in the Phantom IV, V & VI Class at the famed Pebble Beach Concours held each August for over sixty years. Pebble Beach is generally considered to be the most demanding and prestigious of concours events.

On the Thursday before the August 16th concours, our Sedanca also successfully completed the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. This tour, intended to demonstrate a car’s road-worthiness as well as to display the cars “in motion”, is an 80 mile trip that this year included the Seventeen Mile Drive, Laguna Seca Raceway, a jaunt through the mountains to Highway 1 and then a trip to Big Sur and back. The tour ended on Ocean Avenue in Carmel where participants enjoyed a sumptuous buffet lunch and tourists and locals got a chance to view the cars. “We had an interesting time trying to keep up with the Ferraris zooming down the road and around the twisty curves to Big Sur and back, but the PMC actually did quite well. The tour was escorted by motorcycle highway patrol, which made it quite enjoyable and manageable.

The Sedanca de Ville was prepared for the show by Dan Collins at Tyrone Flowers’ Carlsbad British Cars in Carlsbad. Dan has worked for nearly four decades on these 1960s cars, since they were new, and as such has a keen eye in terms of what is correct and what is not. Tyrone also has a strong background with Rolls-Royce so we selected them to do the final preparation. The Sedanca had previously won numerous firsts and some Best of Show awards, which normally go to the more streamlined 1930s era classic cars. It was already in very fine condition, but we felt for Pebble we were needing to look at even the smallest of details.

The PV22SD design by James Young is considered in books by Dalton, Bennett and other marque historians to be the pinnacle of post-war coach-built elegance and craftsmanship. It is one

5NOVEMBER 2014

Southern California Region

Celebrating 60 Years

RROC presents

A PROPER VACATIONRREC RALLY 2015

Hunt HouseCrewe Factory

Goodwood FactoryBDC CONCOURS

June 18–28, 2015

ITINERARYDay��1:�(Thursday, June 18)

Arrive in LondonDay��2: Motorcoach to

LincolnshireDay��3: RREC Auction/

luncheon - Burghley House

Day��4: RREC Rally - Burghley House

Day�5:�Crewe Factory Tour*Day�6: Tour Hunt House*Day�7:�Goodwood/BeaulieuDay�8: Free in LondonDay�9:�Free in LondonDay�10:�BDC ConcoursDay��11:�(Sunday, June 28)

Fly home* Tour arrangements based on availability and subject to change

For more information please contact:DESTINATIONS

Martin Mayer(334) 264-3046

destinations@netzero.com

This is a Globus custom tour. Per person price based on double occupancy $3,739 includes land tour, breakfasts, all admission fees and London airport transfers. Air available for purchase from Globus. In recognition of the opportunity to present this unique tour, Globus will make a donation to RROC.

Space�is�limited,�only�40�places�are�available�on�this�tour.

Dress up your PMCs, hang some garland, decorate with Santas, bows and bells, and make sure you wear your holiday finest, and come to the Peninsula to celebrate these wonderful holidays with your fellow RROC members. Also, don’t forget that in addition to the awards ceremony, the holiday concours, the joyful singing and the gift exchange, you will be treated to a fabulous and generous lunch of prime rib or salmon with all the trimmings including dessert. So please mark your remittance envelope with #1 for Prime Rib, and #2 for Salmon.

Now I know it is hard to believe, but in all the years that we have been celebrating the holidays in Rolling Hills, the price for this event is still under $50 per person. As a matter of fact, it is only $45 per person. However, the bad news is that at this price we will sell out, because we have limited seating at the North Pole. So if you would like to attend, please make your reservations early.

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2014

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Host: Karen Perrault

Where: 18 Outrider Road, Rolling Hills, CA 90274 At the home of Karen Perrault (310-519-0536)Price: $45 per person

RSVP Deadline: December 16, 2014

Lunch Choice: Prime Rib (#1 on envelope) Salmon (#2 on envelope)

What to bring: Your fine holiday style, a festive Rolls-Royce or Bentley, and one exchange gift per couple ($30 Maximum)

Harve es, and salad. If you choose Grilled Herb Salmon it will come with rice pilaf, vegetables and salad. Of course there will be yummy dessert bars with either lunch choice.

Directions: From North or South, take the 405 Freeway to the 110 Freeway South. Exit the 110 Freeway at Anaheim. Both lanes may turn left at the bottom of the off-ramp. Turn left from the right lane, and make an immediate right turn onto Anaheim. At the second signal you will reach a five-point intersection. Do not make an immediate left, but turn the second left up the hill onto Palos Verdes Drive North. Drive past Western Avenue. Turn left onto Palos Verdes Drive East.

You will wind up the hill a ways and will pass the following streets: Bronco (right), Roan (left), Coach (left), Mustang (right). Immediately after Mustang you will come to a small sign, Eastfield Gate (on your right). Turn right and go to the right side of the guard shack. Give your name and destination, and they will check you off their list. Proceed through the stop sign at the end of the guardhouse, and turn left at the first boulevard stop, Outrider Road. Proceed to almost the end of the street. #18 is on the left. Please, only Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in the driveway. All others may park on the street.

Mrs. Claus’ Irresistible, Indescribable, Incredible and Imaginative Holiday Party and

Awards Ceremony

Can you believe it has been nearly nine years since we dusted off our finery, polished up our PMCs, decorated both our fine automobiles and ourselves and arrived at the home of Karen Perrault in Rolling Hills for one of the best attended events of the year; the annual RROC holiday bash? Can you even imagine how many pounds of succulent prime rib and delicious salmon have been devoured on a wintry day in December? By all accounts, the quantities have been huge. This year we will once again team our very popular holiday party with our annual awards celebration. So not only will you partake in some of our fond holiday traditions, such as the informal concours of holiday decorated Rolls-Royces and Bentleys gracing the driveway and the exquisitely attired members of our club all wondering if this year they will be a winner and come away with a plush teddy, a lotto ticket worth $1000 or something in between. But at the same time you might be that lucky member that wins the Best Restored Bentley for 2014 or many other great honors.

You can still expect such time honored traditions as the ever popular “Twelve Days of Christmas” and of course the somewhat unpredictable gift exchange. Please do remember that RROC staff is not responsible if your coveted gift is stolen shortly after you rip off that dazzling wrapping paper. That’s all part of the game. So please remember to bring a Mystery gift for the exchange: it should be wrapped, special and interesting, and please do not spend more than $30 per couple for this item. Please note, you do not have to spend anything, as this is the one time that re-gifting is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure it is Holiday Grand, funny, cute, adorable, practical, valuable, or maybe just highly exchangeable.

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“We had a wonderful time, met many wonderful people and were especially happy at how well received the car was by everyone, including the judges.

RROC-SOCAL.COM6 NOVEMBER 2014

The Spirit of EcstasyCelebrating 50 Years

Ask RonnyMy Bentley S3 Runs Poorly and Won’t Start When Hot

by Ronny Shaver, Technical Chairman

I recently had a Bentley S3 towed into the shop that ran poorly and would not start when hot. The customer stated that he had the car at his “mechanic that took care of all his cars” who was an “expert” on SU carburetors but was unable to correct the problem. The previous shop had “gone through” the entire ignition system and carburetors but the car still would not cooperate. I road tested the car which ran edgy at the outset and progressively ran worse as it warmed up and nearly “failed to proceed” during my short test drive. Just to set the record straight, I have never claimed to be an expert, but I have been fortunate to spend 35 years working on Roll-Royce and Bentley automobiles and have accumulated some experience. I regularly come across problems that definitely test my diagnosis skills and this is one example.

As I usually do when “everything” has been replaced or adjusted, I start with the basics. I checked the timing and found that it was retarded so I set it to factory specifications. The car ran much better and didn’t bog when revved. Next I removed the carburetor tops and air dampers to inspect. While they were off, I reached in to feel the butterfly positions and found that the left side was slightly open while the right side was closed. When the butterflies (throttle plates) are not synchronized, the car will have a slight stumble when accelerating. I then synchronized the butterflies, cleaned the air dampers and installed them. The next step was to remove the float bowl covers and set the float levels using an SU gauge. The SU carburetors are very sensitive to float levels. Once they were set correctly I started the car and re-adjusted mixtures and idle speed. In the shop the car revved without bogging and idled smoothly. At this point, it would be easy to assume the car was fixed but my experience has taught me never to assume something is fixed without road testing multiple times. So I headed off on a longer road test: the car definitely ran much better with plenty of power but after about a mile I noticed a slight intermittent misfire under a load which progressively got worse until at one point I thought the car was going to quit completely. Once I naced back to the shop, I turned off the car and tried to re-start it, with no success.

The problem seemed to be electrical so I removed the distributor to test it. The distributor was a Lucas dual point style and I noticed the points were new but the condenser didn’t look new so I replaced it. I have over the years had bad luck with brand-new original style replacement condensers being bad and causing cars to run poorly intermittently. My solution is to replace the condenser with a different style (Lucas DCB101C), see photo below.

Note that the one on the left is the original that has a stud to connect wiring to instead of a “pig-tail” integral wire as the one on the right. Some re-wiring is required but I have never had one of these condensers cause a problem and have been using them for years. The distributor was removed and installed on a distributor machine for testing and setting. Once the new condenser was installed and the points reset I re-installed the distributor, reset the timing, adjusted the idle and let the car run for about 15 minutes to get it warm. Once it was warm I revved it and felt it misfiring so I turned it off and tried to restart with no luck.

Hmmm, what is causing this problem? I checked with a voltmeter to see if the coil was losing voltage but no problem there (12v at positive side and 6v at distributor side, this car requires an internally ballasted coil which drops the voltage to the points without an external ballast). The coil looked brand new as did the spark plug wires (which were aftermarket with some metal cased spark plug ends). Once the car cooled enough I started it, warmed it up and started looking around for loose or bare primary wiring. As I was probing I heard a tell-tale “ticking” noise from the spark plug region on the right side. I got my stethoscope with a piece of open tubing connected and started listening around near the spark plugs and found a couple were shorting out to the metal casing of the spark plugs. Not good. This would prevent the spark plugs from firing. I raised the car, removed the front wheels and removed the inner fender panels to access the plugs and wires (brilliant design, not!). Since the plug wires were new, I simply removed the spark plug ends (see photo below), and replaced them with standard rubber ends and crimps.

These metal cased wire ends are resistors which reduce static radio interference and are used with solid wire instead of resistor wire so I had to replace the coil wire with resistor wire to maintain the static reduction. During the next road test the car ran great; no more misfire under load and it restarted immediately when warm.

Problem fixed!

Thank you for the questions and keep them coming.

Please send your questions to Ronny at ronnyshaver@ronnysgarage.com.

Happy Motoring!Ronny

7

Rear Brake Service on a 2006 Bentley Flying Spur

By Brock Backlund

I knew this day was coming, sooner or later. I had the car up on one of the racks at Ronny’s Garage and Ronny checked the brake pad thickness. The rear brakes would have to be done in the near future. I prepared for this by buying rotors and pads well in advance. I also bought a scanner (Ross-Tech’s VCDS) so that I could disengage the electro-mechanical parking brake and remove the rotors. So when the car’s dash started yelling at me to check the brake pads, I was not completely surprised. Annoyed, but not surprised. I have changed brake pads and rotors before, but never on a modern car. Not much is different except for the electro-mechanical parking brake (EPB) and the brake controller. Ross-Tech has a YouTube video that discusses the intricacies of dealing with the EPB and parking brake ECU, so I felt forewarned and forearmed. Not completely forearmed, as it turned out.

The first step in the procedure is to turn on Jack Mode in the car. This is done by pressing down both the shock absorber and suspension level control buttons on the center console and holding them down for about five seconds. At that time, “Jack Mode” will appear on the car’s dashboard display. Generally, it is not essential to do this, but should you start the car while it’s on jack stands, the computers will try to level the car to no avail and possibly break something in the suspension system. Repair is expensive in parts and labor (engine removal is sometimes required), so it’s best to avoid all of this by putting the car in Jack Mode, telling it to ignore the suspension.

Once Jack Mode is enabled, it’s wise to connect a trickle charger to the main battery. This is done by connecting the charger to the battery posts in the trunk.

There are posts under the hood, but those connect

to the starter battery and will do no good in this case. The importance of connecting a charger to the main battery cannot be overstated. The main battery supplies voltage to the various computers in the car. One of the computers is for the brakes. During the pad and rotor replacement procedure, the EPB motors will be activated. They draw a lot of current while they disengage or engage the parking brake. Should the main battery voltage drop below some threshold during this operation (the engine will not be running to keep the battery voltage up), the brake ECU can be destroyed. The ECU is easily replaced, once you fork over about $400 to the dealer for a new one. Or you can avoid the hassle by buying a charger for $50. Your choice.

I decided I didn’t want to see the dealer anytime soon, so I connected the charger to the main battery. I turned on the ignition, turned off the parking brake, jacked up the car, put the jack stand in place, and connected the scanner to the car. I checked to make sure there weren’t any fault codes with the parking brake ECU and there weren’t (I have others, but that’s another story). Then I disengaged the EPB. This is done, on the VCDS, by going to the Chassis tab, selecting the brake controller (53), then selecting Basic Settings. Group 007 will cause the EPB to disengage and group 006

will cause the EPB to engage (which is what you do after the brake work is done). Selecting Group 007 and clicking on Go causes the brake motors to start. You can see the current being drawn while the motors disengage the parking brake. Once the current drops to zero, the motors are done, but Ross-Tech cautions you to wait thirty seconds before closing the Basic Settings window; they claim there is a firmware bug that can destroy the ECU if you don’t wait and I decided not to challenge the assertion.

When the EPB is disengaged, the real work can start. Removing the wheel is straightforward, but getting the caliper off was not quite as simple as it should have been. First, the pad thickness sensor (installed on only the driver’s side brake) has to be disconnected. I found it was best to rotate the connector and remove it from the bracket to allow access to the clip that secures the connector to its mate.

Next, the caliper bolts need to be removed. A 17mm and a 13mm wrench are needed, but there is a flange on the 17mm bolt that prevented my 17mm wrench from engaging the bolt faces; I needed something a trifle thinner.

Removing the bolts was easy, although I noted that the lower bolt was too close to a suspension arm to allow me to use my ½” drive torque wrench. It’s always something.

Once the caliper bolts were removed, the caliper body can be swung to the side and supported so that no strain is put upon the brake line. I used welding wire, but a coat hanger, suitably mauled, will suffice.

Removing the existing pads was relatively easy, but removing the rotor was a challenge. WD-40 helped loosen the rust on the axle flange that was holding the rotor in place. Once the Torx flathead screw was removed from the rotor, some banging and patience were needed to release the rotor from the axle flange. It eventually came loose; I suspect the cursing helped.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

NOVEMBER 2014

Tech News

RROC-SOCAL.COM8

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

With the rotor removed, I put a clamp on the caliper piston to push it back far enough to accommodate the new pads that are thicker than the old, worn ones. The Bentley nameplate, held in place by Torx screws, must be removed from the caliper first to give access to the piston. My sources tell me the nameplate, a substantial piece of metal, actually provides two benefits: it reminds you what car you are working on and it adds weight, giving a smoother ride.Some caution is advised when depressing the caliper piston, since the brake fluid reservoir can overflow if someone topped up the fluid while the pads were worn. A towel around the reservoir is not a bad idea, although I didn’t need to do that since I had enough room in the reservoir to hold the fluid being pushed back into it.

I always replace rotors when replacing pads. Bentley, in fact, insists on it. The rotors can be turned, of course, but rotors these days generally don’t have enough metal to allow for turning even once. Also, removing metal from a rotor means it will heat up more during use. Finally, even if the rotor can be turned and still have enough thickness to begin with, the rotor will get thinner with use and probably get too thin before the pads need to be replaced again. The rotors on the Bentley are relatively soft, from what I can tell, and the old ones were significantly eroded. New rotors are not that expensive, so I just replace them along with the pads.

Now that the old stuff is off, the new stuff can go on. New caliper bolts are needed and I worried because I hadn’t ordered any, but I found that the pad kit I ordered from Flying Spares included new bolts, as well as new pad thickness sensors. I needed only one thickness

sensor, but they sent me two anyway; they probably assumed I would destroy one during installation, which is not a bad assumption.

The rotor is screwed into place with the Torx screw; there is no need to use a lot of force on this screw; the

lug bolts, not this screw, are what hold the rotor onto the axle flange. Next, the shims are put onto the caliper carrier. The pad thickness sensor (for the driver’s side brake) is put on the inner pad. The inner pad is the one that wears more quickly.

The caliper piston pushes against the inner pad and, through the carrier arm, pulls the outer pad toward the rotor. However, the force on the outer pad is reduced by friction in the arm and the floating bolts that hold the caliper to the carrier, so the inner pad always has more force on it, causing it to wear faster.

The pads are easily put into place on the shims. Some Anti-Seize where the pad backs contact the shims is a good idea; the

NOVEMBER 2014

Southern California Region

Celebrating 60 Yearsless friction, the longer the pads last and the more even the wear will be. Make sure you don’t get Anti-Seize on the pads themselves, of course, or the pads will last forever and your next-of-kin will get your car. The caliper is put back into place and the new bolts are torqued to 66 ft-lbs. The pad thickness sensor connector is connected to its mate on the chassis and the connector is reinserted into the bracket, rotating it to lock it into place. The wheel goes back on, with the lug bolts torqued to 107 ft-lbs and one wheel is done.

At this point, I start the car and press on the brakes to set the new pads on the rotor. I do this to give myself as much room as possible in the brake fluid reservoir for compressing the caliper piston of the next brake; I don’t want the embarrassment of brake fluid leaking out into the engine compartment.

The next wheel was a bit easier since it was the passenger’s side and didn’t have the thickness sensor to deal with. Once I was finished with both wheels, I fired up the scanner and entered Group 006 under Basic Settings for the Brake Controller (53) under the Chassis tab. This reengaged the EPB. I waited thirty seconds after the brake motor current dropped to zero (I’m too close to completion to even entertain the notion of a destroyed parking brake ECU), then activated Group 10 to test the EPB (it cycles the EPB on and off three times, to make sure it works correctly). Once all this was done, I disconnected the scanner, cleaned up the mess, and cautiously tried the new brakes. Nothing leaked, everything stopped, and nobody got injured. A success all around, for a change.

Huge thanks to Brock Backlund for submitting this article.

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CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE

This is not black.

This is Rolls-Royce Mason’s Black, Code LB 31819

WHEN YOU LOVE CLASSICS, YOU SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

Our world is colored by classics. They’re what we love and all we insure. Join us at hagerty.com or call 800-922-4050. We may sell insurance, but we live classics.

CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE

This is not black.

This is Rolls-Royce Mason’s Black, Code LB 31819

WHEN YOU LOVE CLASSICS, YOU SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

Our world is colored by classics. They’re what we love and all we insure. Join us at hagerty.com or call 800-922-4050. We may sell insurance, but we live classics.

CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE

9NOVEMBER 2014

RROC-SOCAL.COM10

2014 Year End Awards Are you shy? Do you think your PMC isn’t letter-perfect? That it isn’t Pebble Beach quality? The purpose of the awards is to honor and acknowledge those members who are actively working to improve and preserve their beautiful PMC. November 30th is the deadline for application. Have you worked on your pride and joy this year? Has your PMC undergone a full or partial restoration? Do you know a member who has been making improvements or restoring their car this year? If so, please consider applying for one of the prestigious RROC So Cal awards. Please review the following awards and if you think that you may be eligible, please contact Chief Judge Tom Mercurio right away. Do not let your pursuit of excellence go unrewarded!

Best Restored Rolls-RoyceAwarded for the best overall restoration of a Rolls-Royce that is completed in 2014Best Restored BentleyAwarded for the best overall restoration of a Bentley that is completed in 2014Most Improved Rolls-RoyceAwarded to the Rolls-Royce that has undergone the most improvements in 2014.Most Improved Bentley Awarded to the Bentley that has undergone the most improvements in 2014.

You must apply for these awards and Chief Judge Tom Mercurio must verify the improvements. Please contact Tom by phone at (661) 510-3834 or by email at trmhrley@yahoo.com because he is looking forward to hearing from you. The deadline for application is November 30th.

The trophies for these awards will be presented at the annual Awards Presentation on December 21st at the home of Karen Perrault. Please be sure to watch for more information on the awards event in the December issue of The Spirit of Ecstasy.

Views from the RROC National Meet in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania

(Photos courtesy of Pierre Lemieux)

The Spirit of EcstasyCelebrating 50 Years

NOVEMBER 2014

11NOVEMBER 2014

Big Bear GetawayBy Robert Wulf

The Los Angeles basin was scheduled to be a scorcher with temps reaching triple digits. However, well over thirty of the RROC members decided to leave this crock-pot of heat and humidity and head toward the San Bernardino Mountains where they found cool breezes and mid-seventy temperatures.

The weekend started at a fifties diner, the authentic Bob’s Big Boy in Diamond Bar. Although many of the members went up the mountain a day or two earlier, the bulk of the group enjoyed a fabulous and totally enjoyable lunch with their fellow RROC members. After satisfying their need for food and beverage it was time to organize the caravan up the mountain to the beautiful Big Bear Valley. Most of our members stayed at the lovely Northwoods Inn, so after arriving and maybe partaking in a short nap or a tour around the village, it was time to be off to our first official event of the weekend.

Longtime members, Robert and Kathleen Wulf, our hosts for the weekend, were very gracious in inviting all of us over to their personal mountain home. We all enjoyed delightful appetizers including yummy deviled eggs that were Kathleen’s personal recipe, along with some delicious wines, beers and other soft beverages. There was much welcomed camaraderie amongst all the members. A very pleasant time was had by all. Then the word was passed that it was time to move on to our next event, and every members chipped in to bring every dish, cup, and empty bowl or whatever to the kitchen. Within a few moments, the group of more than thirty were ready to roll onto our next adventure of the weekend.

After a short drive to the village, we arrived at our host resort, and we found ourselves in a posh dining area of the Northwoods Inn. Thirty-two of us settled down to a pleasant dinner of Grilled Salon, Chicken Picatta, or Pasta Primavera. But first there was a yummy

salad, then the main course, and then this was all followed by a delicious dessert. We spent a couple of very enjoyable hours with fellow RROC members, and soon it was time to retire and recharge to get us ready for another fun-filled day.

Sunday started with a breakfast at the cabin of Karen Perrault. She had been very lucky to have the invaluable assistance of Willy and Joan Hugron, Al Whitney and Ted Struck. Andrew Dunn and his partner Doug arrived early and took over. Within a few moments they had opened up the French doors and moved the dining table onto the patio. A community fruit salad was produced, French toast and sliced ham were in the oven, Doug was putting together the hash brown casserole, and Willy was scrambling some 80 plus eggs. The team work was phenomenol. All the RROC members arrived, found their plates and a place to sit, tummies were filled, and life was good. Many thanks go to Peggy and Perry Hirsch for providing a supply of Mimosas for any member that dared to partake.

It was now time to start our drive around the lake, and again, all of the members chipped in to help clean up, organize, and make sure we were ready to roll. Many thanks go to all the members that bagged the trash, put all the furniture back in place, cleaned the dished and did so much more. Within a very short period of time we had some fifteen PMCs or their alternative weekend vehicle, ready to head out on our course around the Big Bear Lake. After a short period of beautiful driving, we came upon the very historical cabin of Liz and Dennis Kneier, which was up the hill a little bit of a hike. Those that made this trek up the hill were treated with the auththenic turn of the century Kneier Cabin, with its unbelievable décor that amazed all that had the opportunity to view it.

We then trekked down the hill to our PMCs and were off to the boat landing where we caught sail on the delightful Big Bear Queen, captained by the very entertaining and long-time resident Chris. We learned that the Big Bear Lake is man-made and was developed to provide irrigation to the very fertile Big Bear Valley. A short ninety minutes later we were back on shore thanking our hosts, hugging our fellow RROC club members, and deciding if it was time to head down the mountain or if we had time for one more exciting adventure in Big Bear. Many, many thanks to our hosts Robert and Kathleen Wulf, and also to our other Big Bear RROC members, Karen Perrault and Dennis and Liz Kneier. This was a well-attended and much appreciated event, and will be cherished and remembered by many RROC members for many years to come.

Hosts Kathleen & Robert Wulf

Cocktail Party at the Wulfs’

Southern California Region

Celebrating 60 Years

Bob’s Big Boy

Big Bear Lake Tour

12 NOVEMBER 2014

EST. 1989

800 423-5525 calcarcover.com

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