the first annual oecc two lions pub westview mall british

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 4 July-Aug 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cars of Branch Members 3 OECC Club AGM 6 Brits ’Round BC 7 AC 2 Litre Update 10 New Member Profile—Wilson 11 New Member Profile—Brettoner 12 June Event/Rear View Mirror 13 Triumph BBQ 14 Fraser Valley Show 15 Welcome to the OECC / The Boot

/ At the Wheel 16

UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 2, 2014—Monthly VCB Event (not finalized at publication time). See website for details or contact Gerry Parkinson. Sept. 6, 2014—Visit to the Peter Welch MG Collection—Lorna Hoare organizing Sept. 11—14, 2014 - annual AGM

Run to Victoria. Alan and Mary Lou Miles organizing. Oct. 7, 2014—VCB Monthly Event, 7:00pm at Douglas College, New Westminster, room 171 (presentation by Steve Blake) Oct. 18, 2014—Fraser Valley Run—Lorna Hoare organizing Nov. 4, 2014—Branch AGM at Rain-

bow Station (details to follow)

The First Annual OECC Two Lions Pub

Westview Mall British Invasion Car

Show

Text by Steve Blake

Photos by Steve Blake and Alan Miles

I think we have the record for the longest name for a

British Car show! 46 cars showed up to the Westview

Mall in North Vancouver on a very warm Sunday, June

8, 2014. We were greeted when we arrived by Gerry

Parkinson and John MacDonald who carefully organ-

ized the parking in the lot. Gerry gave us our coupons

for a free English breakfast at the Two Lions Pub and

another coupon good for discounted food for the rest of

the day.

46 cars arrived with the majority coming from the

OECC. There were also members from the Morgan

Owners’ Group Northwest and the Canadian XK Jag-

uar Register/Canadian Classic MG Club (competing for

the longest club name!) I believe my wife, Susan, and I

were the only ones in attendance belonging to all three

clubs.

Once we parked our cars, dealt with the road dust, and

attached our identification cards to our windshields,

we made our way into the Two Lions Pub where we

were served an English breakfast and coffee. It was a

nice way to start the morning! The pub also provided a

BBQ all day selling hot dogs and pop.

Our cars were parked in a cordoned off area between

the pub and Safeway which provided us with plenty of

spectators who voted for their choice of best or most

favourite car. I observed many of the cars in the lot

getting votes and all the owners need to be congratu-

lated on the way they presented their cars. In atten-

dance were Austin Healeys, Jensen Interceptor and a

541R, MGs including TC, TD, A, B, and BGT, Morgans,

Jaguar E-types, XK140, XK8, Austin, Rover, Lotus Su-

per 7 and Elise, Morris Minor, Land Rover, Rolls Roy-

ces, Mini, Triumph TR4A, 6 and 7, and a couple others

making this a very eclectic group of British cars repre-

senting most brands. I won’t name all the attendees so

as not to disappoint anyone I miss. Carl Knorr poses beside the VCB tent during

setup at the Westview Mall

THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4

It is always interesting to see the oldest cars and the

1945 MGTC belonging to Richard Taylor in its mixture

of blues with yellow highlights held that honour until

late in the day. At that time Simon arrived with his

1935 Morris 8. The other oldster was John Mac-

Donald’s bright red 1949 Austin A40.

An interesting bit of automobilia was attached to Gerry

Parkinson’s MGA. He still has the chrome dealer badge

for Gordon Imports Vancouver attached to his car.

These dealer scripts or chrome badges were all the

rage in the earlier years but have since been replaced

with license plate brackets and decals. I wonder how

many of our members still have Gordon Brothers, Fred

Deeley, Plimley’s, or Greenberg and Loptson badges on

their cars? How many have ones from other dealers

either here or from the UK?

At the end of the day we met inside the pub where

Gerry and Carl Valentine from the Vancouver White-

caps handed out the trophies for the Peoples’ Choice

awards. Third place went to Derek Neale with his red

1959 Jensen 541R. Second place went to Hugh

McLellan with his yellow and green 1969 Lotus 7.

First place went to Steve and Susan Blake with their

maroon 1955 Jaguar XK140 MC coupe.

Richard Taylor’s 1945 MGTC

John MacDonald’s 1949 Austin A40

John Hoare catches up on the local news whilst

staying cool in the shade

Getting near the end of the show. Larry Sharp

has lost his neighbours.

First place winner Steve and Susan Blake’s 1955

Jaguar XK140 attracts some well deserved

attention


Cars of Branch Members and

Their Stories

By Walter Reynolds

The Cars of Robert Follows

This month we hear about the collection of Robert and

Nicola Follows.

When I interview Branch members for this feature, I

always ask why they chose British cars. In Robert’s

case, being from England, the answer was obvious.

Here is his story:

In answer to your question, as my heritage is British,

I’ve always been exposed to British cars. My comfort

level regarding obtaining parts for British cars is a lot

higher than that for European cars. I’ve owned a few

European cars and while in the restoration business,

obtaining parts for the likes of Ferrari, Lancia and

Alfa Romeo was always a challenge, not helped by the

language barrier.

I came to Canada as a young doctor in 1968 and lived

in Kamloops for a year: That’s where I met Nicola, my

wife. We returned to the U.K. in 1973, stayed there for

5 years and returned to Canada. We chose West Van-

couver and have been here since.

I had a short chassis Le Mans Aston Martin in 1971

which I’d bought in the U.K. When we went back there

in 1973 I shipped the car back too. We returned to

Canada in 1978, as did the car, along with a DB6 Van-

tage. In 1983 I traded that car for the very first Aston

Martin 1928 Le Mans Team Car, LM1 which I found in

Toronto. I had this car restored by Ed Arnold in 1985.

This was the Aston Martin Owner’s Club Jubilee Year

and we were able to work a deal with Wardair to fly

the car to England and back so we could attend these

events.

The first event was Motor 100 – a celebration of 100

years of the Motor Car at the Silverstone Circuit. This

was followed by the AMOC European Tour, a two week

tour culminating in a four laps of Le Mans before the

24 hour race. After racing in the Horsfall Race for pre-

war Astons at Silverstone and winning the club con-

cours we flew back with the car and drove it home

from the airport. A unique experience, I suspect. That

was not all for 1985, because we then took the car

down to race at the Laguna Seca Historic Races in

California. We then cleaned it up for the Pebble Beach

Concours and won first in class!

Robert and Nicola in LM1.

(Robert Follows photo)

In the late 1970s, there was no West Coast Area of the

Aston Martin Owner’s Club so I started one and re-

mained the Area Representative for about 20 years.

About that time, I started the Westwood Historic races

with the very capable assistance of Lorrie Hunt. It at-

tracted entrants from all down the West Coast and

ended up as a major event with as many as 100 racing

cars and a 100 racing bikes. I raced my pre-war Astons

and latterly a Cooper Norton and Cooper Climax Bob-

tail sports racer. It was a lot of fun and we met a lot of

wonderful people.

I sold LM1 in 1988 and replaced it with a Bentley 3

Litre which came from Penticton. It needed a body,

upholstery and paint and I looked after it all. This was

invited to Pebble Beach from the Laguna Seca races as

a representative from the race track but won no

awards. The Bentley was eventually sold and I took a

Type 40A Bugatti in part exchange – a little Graber

bodied cabriolet.

Over the years, among the many cars that I have

owned I have had an AC 16/80 Competition 2 seater,

Riley Adelphi, Morgan Trike (Nicola said that riding

in this car was scary. WDR), a few AC Aces, an Aceca

and a Cobra, a Triumph TR3A, TR6 and TR8, several

Aston Martins, a few Ferraris and a handful of Por-

sches, including a couple of glorious 2.7 RS Carreras.

Some years ago, and for 5 years, I was a sleeping part-

ner in Auto Classic Restoration in North Vancouver. I

had a Lancia B24S convertible restored there and reck-

oned that I was the only person to pay full price! It did

turn out very nicely though.

This leads us to the current “fleet”, in no particular

order.

1930 Bugatti Type 44: In 2006, I bought a 1930

Bugatti Type 44 (3 litre, straight eight) which has a 2

seater cabriolet body built by a Prague coachbuilder -

Tomas. I bought it locally from a Czech who had


brought the car to Canada following his escape from

Czechoslovakia when the Russians invaded that coun-

try in 1968. When the invasion was imminent, the car

was in pieces so the owner rebuilt it in a hurry and

drove it in the middle of winter with his wife and his

worldly possessions across the border with the excuse

of a rally in England. On coming to Canada he first

lived in Edmonton but soon moved to Vancouver and

put the car away. I had been told of the car by a friend

and made a decent offer which the owner considered

derisory. Several months later, I saw the car adver-

tised at the Okotoks Auction. At auction the bidding

stopped near to my original offer so it did not sell then

either. About ten years later I heard that the owner

was trying to sell the car again (it had now sat for

some 30 years). I contacted him and let him know that

I was still interested in the car and we closed the deal.

He was ill and wanted to return home and needed the

money.

Follows’ 1930 Bugatti Type 44, in current style.


The previous owner was very vague about the history

of the car, but over the last 8 years I have amassed an

intriguing East European history of the car, including

the original bill of sale and many period photos. I only

lack knowledge of the period 1945 to 1954 when the

body was slightly modified to change the twin, rear-

mounted spares to side-mounts. I am currently plan-

ning to reverse these changes to original.

1930 Bugatti Type 44 in original style.


We’ve driven the car to several events including the

2006 Pitt Meadows Airport’s Wings and Wheels Show.

In 2010, we took the Bugatti to Monterey, California

(along with the Talbot). There was an International

Rally for Bugatti cars. Both cars were shipped down

and back.

(Nicola) We were in the California Redwoods in the

Bugatti on the Bugatti Rally. The route was along

twisting back roads and at one tight hairpin bend my

door opened and I fell out of the car! My injuries were

limited to scrapes and bruises but I was so mad. I am

currently one of an elite club of two women to have

recently fallen out of a Bugatti.

1934 Aston Martin Mk 2: In 2012 I bought Nicola a

1934 Aston Martin Mk 2 saloon.

1934 Aston Martin Mk.2. BMG 400 at 2014

Vancouver ABFM. (Walter photo)

This was the first Mk 2 chassis to have a saloon body

built on to it. This car was owned by Gordon Suther-

land, the owner of Aston Martin. Managing Director

Bertelli drove the car on an Italian Rally and it was

also used in promotional brochures. The car needed a

new engine and that took a year to get here. I’m cur-

rently concentrating on getting the throttle linkage

fine tuned. Nicola has been practicing driving it as it is

somewhat difficult to drive. It has a centre accelerator

pedal, crash box, reversed gear pattern and right hand

drive – takes a bit of getting used to!

BMG 400 in Aston Martin brochure.



1933 Talbot AV105: I bought this car in 1997 as a

running wreck. The AV105 (3 litre, 6 cylinder) is the

“hottest” variant of this model and has a James Young

tourer body, the only one ever made. As the car needed

a major restoration, my friend Aart Van der Star and I

convinced restorer, Ed Arnold to come out of retire-

ment and perform the work. I delivered the car to him

in Salmon Arm in 1999 with the intention of it being

the family car, as my son was 11. I only got it back

from him in 2010 – 11 years later when Jasper was 22

and had left home! We took the car to Pebble Beach in

2010 but was in a class of heavy hitters. The pinnacle

of my motoring aspirations was achieved when we

were invited to Villa d’Este Concours (Lake Como,

Northern Italy) in 2012.

Robert & Nicola Follows in the Talbot at Villa

d’Este Concours, 2012.

(Villa d’Este internet photo)

Although the Talbot is British perpendicular we did

not disgrace ourselves and were present to share the

excitement of our friends and neighbours, David and

Adele Cohen when they swept the 3 major prizes with

their Figoni-bodied1935 Alfa Romeo 1750 restored by

Rx Autoworks in North Vancouver. (The Vancouver

Coast Branch visited Rx several years ago when the

Alfa was undergoing restoration and the body was bare

metal. WDR)

1960 Alvis TD21, Series 1 DHC: I bought this car a

couple of years ago from its then owner in Courtenay.

It has a Park Ward body. This body style is a modifica-

tion of the Swiss coachbuilder Graber design. Until I

bought it, the car had always lived on Vancouver Is-

land. The car was first owned by the Times Columnist

owner, Tim Mattson, and has led a sheltered life with

2 owners.

1960 Alvis TD21 Series 1 DHC.

(Walter photo)

We’ve driven the Alvis on the last two Spring Thaw

runs (each around 1,000 miles) and it is a good touring

car. (Robert took me for a ‘spin’ around the block in this

car and I certainly agree with his assessment. WDR)

1963 Alvis TD21 Series 2, 2-door Saloon: This is a

right hand drive car and is a recent purchase. I bought

it in Campbell River where the then owner was being

moved into a nursing home.

1963 Alvis TD21 Series 2, 2 dr saloon.

(Walter photo)

The car had been advertised in the OECC classifieds

and was not selling. A few people had seen the car

prior to me, but, if I didn’t buy it, it was destined for

the wrecker. The car’s original colour was dark green

but sometime in the distant past, the car was re-

painted cream. The interior needs TLC and, currently,

the car is not driveable, but it looks good.

1950 Bentley Mk VI H.J. Mulliner: I bought this car

in 2007 and have driven it a lot, including on the 5,000

mile Bentley Driver’s Club ‘Drive to Alaska’ which took

over a month to complete. The car is RHD and was

restored in the early 90’s in Germany. Currently it is

in the shop for engine work.


1950 Bentley Mk VI H.J Mulliner.


1982 Triumph TR8: This is a great car. I bought it in

2003 through a classic car auction and it is one of the

final cars made in Solihull (after all the TR8 problems

had been sorted out). Like the Bentley, the TR8 is in

the shop. It is having engine surging problems worked

on by local Land Rover and Rover V8 guru, Aart Van

der Star.

1969 Lotus Elan SE, Series 4: When I bought this

car, a few years ago, it had been languishing in a ga-

rage in North Vancouver without its engine, for many

years.

The engine is still out of the car but I’m in the process

of rebuilding it. This is probably the next project for me.

(It is clear that Robert is the current guardian of several

very special cars. WDR)

And there we have this month’s story. The “Cars of

Branch Members and Their Stories” continues in future

issues of the Roundabout. As of writing this, no one has

volunteered to be the focus of the next issue, so I’ll be

hitting the phone to recruit a few. Call me at 604-463-

6305 to volunteer your story before I contact you.

1969 Lotus Elan SE Series 4. (Walter photo).

Don’t forget our annual club AGM

which is being hosted this year by

the South Island Branch in Victo-

ria on Saturday, Sept. 13th. The

following day is the English Car

Affair in the Park (ECAIP) the

South Island Branches annual car

show.

Details and registration forms

have been sent out via e-mail.

Looks like they’ve got a fun

weekend planned. Hope to see you

there!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Saturday, Sept. 13: For Old English Car Club members, the AGM and complimentary lunch begins at 11:30 am at the Waddling Dog. Everyone is invited to join the Saturday after-noon tour, lasting about 1-1/2 hours in and around Greater Victoria, followed by a great buffet dinner at the Comfort Inn

Hotel.

The tour begins at the Quality Inn Waddling Dog, 2476 Mt. Newton X Rd, Saanichton, V8M 2B8 (Pat Bay Hwy & Mt.

Newton X Rd) at 1:30pm (departure 2:00pm).

Dinner: Cocktails 6:00pm, dinner 7:00pm. Buffet dinner, roast beef (plus vegetarian); $40.00/person including tax and tip. Location: Comfort Inn Hotel, 3020 Blanshard Street

Sunday, Sept. 14: English Car Affair in the Park: Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, off Ocean Blvd., Colwood, B.C. (see map & more details on reverse of Registration

Form). Your registration package will be provided at the gate.

The entry cost for the Sunday show at Fort Rodd Hill is: First vehicle, includes Driver and Passenger(s) $15. Additional

vehicles, includes Driver and Passengers $5.00.


Brits ‘Round B.C. 2014 – Sun Beams on a

Sunbeam: The Trials and Tribulations of

Motoring around the Province in a

Freshly Restored Old British Car

Text and Photos by Alan Miles

The sixth edition of Brits ‘Round B.C. started on Sun-

day June 29th in Victoria and ended thirteen days later

on Friday July 11th in Hope. This year’s Wagonmaster

was Jim Gislason of the Central Island Branch.

This was Mary Lou and I’s fourth Brits tour and once

again we had a great time despite the breakdowns

(more on that later). We have taken three different

cars on the four tours with varying success. In 2008 we

took our Sunbeam Rapier (before its restoration) and

had only one problem, a broken brake light switch

which we replaced on the road. In 2010 we took our

1962 Sunbeam Alpine (now sold thankfully) and we

endured more than our share of problems. A recurring

image is of us being pushed across parking lots to

bump start the damn thing! We did however get the

problem diagnosed and fixed about halfway through

the tour so all was not lost. In 2012 we took our 1969

MGB GT and sailed through the whole trip without a

problem. This year we again took the Rapier, fresh

from its restoration, and we weren’t quite so lucky al-

though in the scheme of things it could have been

much worse. In other words we made it home under

our own steam. I was initially a bit nervous about tak-

ing it as any time you rebuild a car there are always a

few issues to work out but we wanted to do the trip in a

convertible so we crossed our fingers and set off.

This time out five VCB cars took part in some or all of

the trip (out of a total of 30 participating vehicles). Par-

ticipants were John and Emma Chapman in their 1965

Morgan Plus 4, John and Lorna Hoare in their 1981

Triumph TR8, Ric MacDonald in his 2005 Jaguar XK8,

Mary Lou and I in our 1962 Sunbeam Rapier Converti-

ble and Ken and Pat Miles in their 1969 Morgan 4/4. If

one did the entire tour (as both Miles’ did) you would

have covered approximately 1800 miles in the 13 days.

As mentioned this year’s tour started in Victoria with a

drive up to Courtenay with the South Island Branch

folks (organized by SIB’s Rob Brodie). There we joined

up with the Central Island (CIB) participants and

stayed the night at the Anco Motel in Courtenay. The

next morning we all caught the ferry over to Powell

River and had a great drive down the Sunshine Coast

to Gibsons where we stayed two nights, the 30th of

June and the 1st of July. As is tradition on these tours

we all participated in the local Canada Day parade. As

Gibsons was not having a parade we all drove up to

Sechelt and took part in theirs along with the Coasters

Car Club. In the afternoon we headed back to Gibsons

for an OECC car show across the street from their Can-

ada Day celebrations. Local VCB member Bill Forst,

along with wife Pat and two grandchildren, organized

a great dinner for us all that night at a local Greek res-

taurant. Bill also went to the trouble of coming up with

a fun quiz on cars in the movies for us all to take part

in.

Day four took us to Whistler via the Langdale ferry

and Sea to Sky Highway. Mary Lou and I travelled

with Wagonmaster Jim and wife Cathy plus Wayne

Peddie, all from CIB. We decided to take a trip up the

new Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish. This is great

attraction and is well worth a visit. The views from the

top are fantastic.

On day five we all took off en masse for the drive up

the Duffy Lake Road on our way to Kamloops. This is

where Mary Lou and I had our first mishap but first, a

little back story. I had been experiencing a wobble in

All packed and ready to go.

What could possibly go wrong?

Lining for the Sechelt parade

(Bill Forst’s Rover in the foreground)


the steering at about 60 – 65 mph which had not been

cured by either a wheel balance (twice!) or an align-

ment. In fact the alignment shop could find no reason

for the problem I was having. This wobble had not been

present, to the best of my memory, before I took the car

off the road five years ago to restore it. The only thing

different that I could think of, were the new tires I had

recently had installed. Several people had suggested

that perhaps one of the front ones was a bit out of

round (not sure why the balancing wouldn’t have found

this) and that it might be a good idea to swap the front

and back tires and so I had this done at a Canadian

Tire in Squamish. This appeared to greatly reduce the

problem although I still seem to get a bit of a wobble

sometimes so the jury is still out. Anyhow, after gas-

sing up in Pemberton and turning left onto the high-

way I heard a clanging sound from behind and looking

in my mirror I saw the right rear hubcap careening

across the road and disappearing into the ditch. Luck-

ily John Chapman had a mallet and a rubber pad so I

was able to put it back on (not before missing with the

mallet and thumping my thumb!). It turned out all four

hubcaps were not properly seated. Day five’s problems

were not over yet though. Ever since I had restored the

car it had been having an intermittent stalling at idle

problem which had resurfaced in Squamish. I was also

starting to notice a lack of power and stumbling, espe-

cially on the long and gradual hills coming out of

Ashcroft on 97C on the way to Kamloops. During a stop

John Hoare and I looked at the car to see if we could

diagnose the problem. John advanced the timing a bit

and reset the mixture on the carb so it ran at idle and

we were off. After John’s small adjustments the car

ran much better but I couldn’t help feeling that there

was something else wrong as the car had been running

great when we left home.

Days six, seven and eight saw us going from Kamloops

to Revelstoke, Revelstoke to Canmore, Alberta and

Canmore to Fort Macleod, Alberta. This marks the first

time that Brits has gone into Alberta and it was great

to drive some new roads. The weather was sunny and

hot, as it was all trip long (with the exception of day 1).

Day nine took us from Fort MacLeod to Kimberley,

B.C. Although the Rapier was running much better

after John Hoare’s tweaking it was still having a bit of

a tough time getting up some of the hills and it had

started to stumble a miss a bit once again. Late in the

day while climbing the hill up to the Trickle Creek

Lodge in Kimberley the Rapier stalled out and would

not restart. After some investigation John Chapman

determined that the points had closed up for some rea-

son. We reset them and I took off up the road. After a

minute or two I realized John was not behind me and

returned to find him still at the side of the road but

this time with his hood up. John had discovered that

the fuel pump did not seem to be doing its job although

through multiple disassemblies and testing of the

pump we could find nothing wrong with it. We even

put a new diaphragm and check valves in it and still

the car would not start. After a frustrating hour or so

at the side of the road in the heat John decided it was

time to phone the tow truck. As luck would have it the

tow truck driver also owned the garage and he hap-

pened to be restoring a Morgan himself. John got the

call next morning that the car was ready, the problem

being we had not fully seated the check valves in the

fuel pump. This was strange seeing that John had

pushed them in quite hard with the end of a screw-

driver but we were glad the car was back on the road

(although this story was not over yet).

On our first evening in Kimberley (we stayed two

nights) the Kootenay Branch hosted a bbq. Chairman

Cliff Blakey and his fellow members put on a great

home cooked buffet which was thoroughly enjoyed by

all. The following afternoon some of them came and

joined us for a car show we held at the Trickle Creek

Lodge where we were all staying. One couple had

driven their London Taxi all the way from Kaslo to be

there.

Day 11 started out great but things went south pretty

quickly. This was the day we travelled the Crowsnest

Highway from Kimberley to Rossland. During the first

part of the three or four hour drive I was very pleased

with how the Rapier was running but that was to be a

very short lived feeling. This stretch of highway is

home to some very large uphill grades and the heat of

the day didn’t help things either. When we passed

through Trail it was 42 degrees and on the last climb

out of town the car just would not go any further. John

Chapman and I had both been having fuel vaporization

problems all day although John’s were not as bad as

ours. In fact John had come to realize that this was

what had befallen his Morgan on the way into Kimber-

John wishing he’d never stopped to help that

bloody Sunbeam owner on the hill up to

Trickle Creek Lodge


ley and not the check valves in the fuel pump as the

local garage had assumed. We had taken to cooling off

the fuel pumps by pouring water on them and John

Hoare had even suggested tying a wet rag around the

pump which I did for awhile as well. John’s Morgan

had also developed a head gasket leak so he had taken

to carrying a 4 litre jug of water to top up the rad from

time to time (which also came in handy to cool the fuel

pumps!). Actually John was ok as long as he kept mov-

ing but every time he stopped to help us out he would

have troubles restarting.

As mentioned it was the last climb out of Trail which

finally killed the poor old Rapier. At that point we had

been joined by John and Lorna and Rob and Elaine

Brodie. As we were quite close to Rossland it was de-

cided that the Chapmans and Brodies would soldier on

(as John was having problems too and it was best he

kept moving) and that John and Lorna would stay with

us. As luck would have it we were able to roll the car

down the hill into the last parking lot on the way out of

town which happened to belong to a local

pub/restaurant/liquor store. John and Lorna and Mary

Lou and I headed into the pub for a much needed alco-

holic refreshment and a strategic planning session.

Whilst we were enjoying our drink it was decided that

John and I would head back into town and try and get

an electric fuel pump at Lordco to replace the ailing

mechanical one. As luck would have it Lordco did in-

deed have a fuel pump that we thought might work

and when we returned to the pub the Brodies and the

Parkers (both from SIB) had returned to help us out.

The four of us then proceeded to successfully install

said fuel pump and the Rapier roared back to life. After

we finished we retired to the pub and enjoyed a great

dinner with our spouses, including a free jug of beer

courtesy of the owner (a former Austin Cambridge

owner). It turned out to be a very nice ending to a

rather stressful (for me anyways) day. It’s great to

have so many good friends who are willing to help out

when one gets into trouble. When we got into Rossland

later that night we found out that we were not the only

VCB people who had suffered problems that day. Ken

and Pat had suffered an alternator failure but luckily

had a spare they were able to install.

On days twelve and thirteen we travelled from Ross-

land to Kelowna and then Kelowna to Hope. The

weather was exceptional hot so we took off early both

days to avoid the mid day heat. We had a great last

two days of trouble free motoring and camaraderie

with our fellow Brits who remained. Mary Lou and I

even won an award on the last night in Hope for the

people who had their hood up the most.

Wagonmaster Jim Gislason put together a great tour

for this year’s Brits. It’s no small job organizing some-

thing like this and he did an exceptional job. It was a

fantastic two weeks of great roads great company and

great laughs. If you’ve never done this tour I would

highly recommend it. There’s no better way in my opin-

ion to see the province than in an old British car

(despite the breakdowns!) surrounded by your OECC

friends.

A far too familiar site on this trip: the Rapier with

its hood up. On the way to Rossland. (Photo: Lorna)

Post fuel pump transplant. Our saviours, John

and Lorna, Rob and Elaine Brodie and Trevor

and Kim Parker pose with Mary Lou and the

owner of the pub where the whole plan was

hatched


AC 2-Litre – An update

By Walter Reynolds

The March - April 2013 Roundabout included an arti-

cle on the AC 2-Litre. In the article were photos of an

example owned by Ian Strange of the UK, along with

information and photos from his web site and details of

the restoration of his own AC 2-Litre. Ian provided cur-

rent details on where he was with his project. I check

his web site from time to time and recently contacted

him for an update. The update, from March 28, 2013

follows as does a photo of his finished body frame. At

the end of this update, I’ve included a quote from his

web site where he details the number of pieces of wood

that make up the body frame.

“Hi Walter:

It's nice to hear from you again. Progress on the AC

since last March does not seem dramatic, considering

the hours that I put in (typically 500 to 600 per year)!

By August 2013, I had completed the wood frame. This

included renewing the timber under the door-steps,

and then painting the woodwork. I've since been work-

ing on the rear of the chassis while I have easy access

to this.

Firstly, painting the chassis frame. I'm keen to use the

best process possible for a DIY repaint. I degreased the

frame, and then gave it a phosphate treatment. Then

primed with a 2 part epoxy, and finished with a 2-part

polyurethane. While many enthusiasts talk about

"anti-rust" paints, the top priority is paint that sticks

firmly and over the entire surface.

Next task? Removal of the rear axle. The chassis

passes under the axle, while the chassis' rear under-

pan is very close under the leaf springs. The only way I

could remove the springs, was to clamp them straight

with girders before removing the pivot bolts. The

springs need to be straightened slightly. A mistake in

the handbook means that many springs were given too

much camber.

A rear axle overhaul now beckons. The ENV type axle

is sometimes wrongly tested for loose bearings by jack-

ing up only 1 wheel. You need to have both rear wheels

off the ground and then check the combined end float.

Below is a photo showing the finished wood frame last

summer.

I've experimented with replica chrome, using the

brushing technique. When finances permit, I'll do more

of this, but preferably plating in a tank, as this will

give a thicker plating. The finish is reputed to be more

durable than real chrome, as well as being a less dan-

gerous process.

I hope that helps!

Kind regards,

Ian Strange

March 28, 2014”

Below is an excerpt from Ian’s web site regarding the

number of individual pieces of the body frame:

“After 4 years and about 1,950 hours work, the wood

frame repairs are complete except for gluing the boot

side panels on. These will be fixed on after attention is

given to the rear of the chassis. The rebuild has in-

volved making 36 new components and repairing 72

others. Those repairs numbered about 110 not includ-

ing packing pieces and drilled/dowelled screw holes. 41

original components were re-glued (with 10 more to

follow when the boot side panels go on permanently).

Including all packing pieces etc., over 250 repair parts

were made. Many of the packing pieces were to fill in

gaps that had been left in the original construction

(actually filled with glue!).”

Ian’s web site is: www.ac2litre.com The rear axle ‘unsprung’. Ian Strange photo.


New Member Profile: John Brettoner

Here goes, so I owned a Daimler Conquest, from 1962-1964. A Velocette motorcycle 1959 -

1964. Once in Canada a M.G.B. for a year or so (1963) then a R.R. 25-30 1938, body by

Cockshoot, then an Humber Super Snipe auto, great car was once in the South African auto

rally, but wouldn’t really pull the skin off a rice pudding, then engine overhaul, not much dif-

ference. Then went away from proper cars since I took over a repair garage in West Van, ( OH

I forgot a 1936 Ford Y Type when in U.K. good car). So I started building A.C. Cobra replicars

427, of basically my own design, but did manage to build 100 of them, where are they all now?

Fast forward 40 years or so I have Three Brit motorcycles, a Ford T Bird and a Lexus, you

could say I am not that particular, but that's not true. I am stained to Brit Stuff, because

that's where it all started and where the roots are, owned many American cars and up to say

1972 were all good, then smog and pollution stuff happened, as with the Brit cars like Austin

Marinas and Vauxhalls too, but we got over it, and everything rusted out in those days, ex-

haust system rusting was a joke, the manufactures were messing with smog pumps, lean mix-

tures, and dealing with labour strikes in factories, which did not help overall production reli-

ability, I think we just handed it all to the Japanese, and they said Thank You.

Regards, John Brettoner


Calla and I spotted this photo in the Nanaimo Museum. It shows a Vauxhall Victor estate car em-

ployed to deliver food for the Rendezvous Diner. Note the roof mounted spot light to find addresses

after dark.—Les Foster

REAR VIEW MIRROR

VCB June Event

By Alan Miles

Our June branch event was held at Jim’s Garage Collectibles in New West-

minster on Tuesday, June 3rd. Owner Jim Forgie welcomed about 15 OECC

members to his premises on E. Columbia and gave us a short talk on his

business as well as supplying us with plenty of tea and biscuits.

Jim’s Garage Collectibles Ltd. is a mainly mail order and internet based

business. Jim sells vintage gas pumps and all the parts need to restore

them as well as reproduction metal and porcelain gas station and oil com-

pany signs plus clocks and other memorabilia.

Some members may remember Jim as the former owner of O.S. Air Strip

in Richmond. His passion for restoring vintage gas pumps started during

this time and has evolved over the years although he rarely restores pumps

now preferring to focus on selling unrestored pumps and parts as previ-

ously mentioned.

Many thanks to Jim for opening up his business to our branch for the eve-

ning.

Jim’s Garage Collectables is located at 137 E. Columbia St. in New West-

minster. Visit his website at http://www.jims-garage.ca/


B.C. Triumph Registry BBQ

Text and photos by Walter Reynolds

The Triumph Register invited members of the Vancouver Coast Branch to the July 9th annual TR BBQ at the

Burnaby Lake Rugby Football Clubhouse. It was a very warm and sunny evening which attracted Linda and I,

John Clark, Barry Ryley, Bill Grant, Dennis Nelson, Bob McDiarmid and new member, Sarah Wilson. Dennis,

Bob and Sarah are also members of the Triumph Register.

We were individually welcomed by TR President, Paul Barlow who told us to "tuck in", so to speak, because din-

ner was on them tonight. We all had a very enjoyable evening and appreciated all the work that a few TR mem-

bers had gone through to cater the function.

Thanks to the weather, all VCB members were able to drive their "Little" British Cars to the event as can be seen

in the photos. Unfortunately, I never saw Bill's blue Morris Minor, so couldn't take a photo of it. Also, as can be

seen, Linda was in fine fettle doing her Vana White impersonation and enjoying herself thoroughly!

In case anyone is wondering why Linda is sitting in Barry's MG it's because, somehow, Barry and Linda ended up

talking about their bad backs. Linda wanted to know how Barry was able to get into his MG. So, Barry told her

and gave her instructions to follow while he directed her entry into the car, and out of same. Simple, eh!

Linda poses with (clockwise from upper left) Dennis Nelson’s 1960 TR3A, Barry Ryley’s 1952 MG TD and

John Clark’s Jaguar Mk 9, Barry’s TD again . (Bottom left) Bob McDiarmid’s 1995 Morgan Plus 8.


Fraser Valley Classic Car Show

By: Walter Reynolds

Following last year’s closure of Minter Gardens and

the demise of the Minter Gardens Classic Car Show,

the Fraser Valley British Motor Club (FVBMC) de-

cided to organize a new event, The Fraser Valley Clas-

sic Car Show.

The first running of the new show was Sunday, July

20, 2014, a very rainy day in the midst of several

sunny and hot days. Although 142 cars were registered

for the show only 102 showed up, due, no doubt, to the

inclement weather. I took the Rover to the show, driv-

ing most of the way in the rain. By the time I got to

the Atchelitz Thresherman’s Museum at the Chilli-

wack Heritage Centre the Rover was no longer clean.

Once in position, I set up the car as best I could, and

as much as I dared in the rain. The Thresher Museum

grounds are a mixture of grass and gravel with all the

cars being parked on grass. Sometime after lunch, the

rain stopped. During the morning, I’d made several

circuits of the venue looking for the cars I would vote

for. Each time I came back to the Rover, the adage,

“Black cars look better in the rain” certainly rang true.

When I returned to the Rover after lunch, the rain on

its surface had mainly dried leaving in its wake a very

dirty car. “There go my chances of placing” I thought

to myself.

Allan Reich was there with his Triumph TR6 in the

Presidents Class because he had won the President’s

Choice trophy one year at Minter. Ex-member Mike

Stout was there with his trademark Jowett Jupiter.

Bence and Helen McIntyre were there in the after-

noon, but without their British car. (If I missed any

other OECC members, I apologize, but I didn’t see

you.)

Like Minter, Classes for this show were the same, that

is, ten-year blocks in each of Domestic and Import

categories, with 1975 being the cut off. The Rover was

in the 1961 to 1970 class for judging purposes and by

the time entry of vehicles was closed, the Rover was in

the company of a freshly restored Mini woody wagon, a

Jaguar E Type, a Lancia Flavia Coupe and a Ferrari

“something”. As it turned out, the Rover was placed

between two Minis; the new restoration, plus a red

non-woody Mini in the 1951 to 1960 class.

At the Awards Ceremony, plaques were presented for

‘First in Class’ and ‘Runner Up’. All plaques were glass

on a glass stand. Mike Stout won an award in his

class, but I don’t recall whether it was First or Run-

ner-up. A few cars that I had voted for even won

awards. But the biggest surprise of the day for me was

when they announced that the Rover was Runner Up

in its class.

And now my evaluation of the location: I like the

Thresher Museum for the Car Show because every-

thing is compact and you don’t have to walk miles to

see the cars, or get to washrooms and food; they have

an on-site kitchen manned by lots of volunteers; food

was plentiful and well prepared and was made fresh to

order - prices were very reasonable as well. Whether

your interests lie in farm and marine machines and

engines or in flowers will determine whether an indi-

vidual prefers Minter or the Thresher Museum. The

fact of the matter is that Minter no longer exists!

The Great Canadian Oil Change Company sponsored

the entire show and have already committed to spon-

sor next year’s show. Considering that this event was

organized by a non-profit society (FVBMC), it can be

considered a success, especially when one considers

that over 1200 visitor ballots were cast for the People’s

Choice award. Not bad for the first year and in the

rain, too. My only regret is that I had a senior’s mo-

ment and left my camera at home and could only take

photos with my cell phone. I promise to remember next

year!

AT THE WHEEL

Chairperson: Gerry Parkinson

[email protected] 604-943-3824

Vice-Chairperson: John McDonald


Treasurer: Bernie Miles


Membership renewals: mail to 207-4753

River Road West, Delta, B.C. V4K 1 R9

Membership Secretary: John Chapman


New memberships and correspondence:

7923 144A St., Surrey, B.C. V3S 8C1

Immediate Past Chairperson:

Steve Diggins 604-294-6031

Event and Meeting Coordinator:

Lorna Hoare

[email protected] - 604-584-2564

Communications Coordinator: Alan Miles

[email protected]—604-272-2145

Roundabout Editor : Alan Miles

[email protected] - 604-272 -2145

Good & Welfare: David Ballantine

[email protected] - 604-980-4120

Website Editor: Alan Miles


PAGE 16 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4

TTTHEHEHE BBBOOTOOTOOT

WELCOME TO THE OECC !WELCOME TO THE OECC !WELCOME TO THE OECC !

Sarah WilsonSarah WilsonSarah Wilson———Coquitlam, B.C.Coquitlam, B.C.Coquitlam, B.C.———1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000, 1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000, 1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000,

1959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR2501959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR2501959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR250

Paul and Kate FoxPaul and Kate FoxPaul and Kate Fox———North Vancouver, B.C.North Vancouver, B.C.North Vancouver, B.C.———1975 MGB Roadster1975 MGB Roadster1975 MGB Roadster

John WoodJohn WoodJohn Wood———Vancouver, B.C.Vancouver, B.C.Vancouver, B.C.———1950 Jaguar MK V1950 Jaguar MK V1950 Jaguar MK V

Evan and Kirsten WertEvan and Kirsten WertEvan and Kirsten Wert———Bellingham, WABellingham, WABellingham, WA———1969 MGB GT1969 MGB GT1969 MGB GT

Lorna Hoare sends in the following report on our

branch’s involvement in the BC Highland Games

show in June:

The BC Highland games was a fun day for the club

members who attended. We had 8 cars on show

from the OECC, plus 6 other British cars. John and

David were resplendent in their kilts!! We received

a thank you from Simon Scott, and an invite to re-

turn next year. The British car display is always

popular and we were next to the whiskey tasting

tent!!

Thanks to those who attended ,

Lorna

(Opposite—John being resplendent in his kilt)

Steve Hutchens poses with a wooden

Beefeater at the Western Washington All

British Field Meet in July. This was the

first year for the show in their new loca-

tion at St. Edward Park in Kenmore, WA.

Cars were spread around the grounds of

the former Catholic seminary as opposed

to in parking lots at the old Bellevue

College location.

the first annual oecc two lions pub westview mall british

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