BONNEVILLE BANTER Monthly Newsletter of the Bonneville Austin-Healey Club March, 2015 www.bonnevillehealeyclub.org Vol. 32 No. 3 PRESIDENT S COMMENTS: It was good to see the turnout at the Cinnegrill for the annual Sweetheart s Dinner. I hope we have as great a turnout for the trip to Ogden s 25 th Street on the 7 th of March. There is a lot to do in the area. Our member from Ogden, Alan Miller, is trying to set up some special parking for our group. I have the Hundred ready to roll for the event, but, if winter ever arrives and it is not Healey weather, Sandy and I will be taking the BJ-9. See you at the Home Depot parking lot 2100 South 300 west, for a 9:30 departure time. I have been working on the paper work for the Classic Sports Car Show. This year, Park City wants a lot more detail about the show and how we run it. It seems as what has been good previously is now not good enough. I will keep you updated as the process progresses. In the meantime, get your Healeys ready and think about what hour you and your spouse will volunteer to help with the show. As we get closer to the show I will have a signup sheet for you to set your preference. I have been progressing on the BJ fairly well; the structural parts are all repaired/replaced just finishing up the floors. I have also been doing some of the cosmetic work. As usual, there is always more to do than I anticipate, but then, the car is 50 years old. See you on the 7 th and the 10 th. Dave ++++ EDITOR S COMMENTS: Club President, Dave Maxwell, received some well-deserved recognition from the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association. The annual USFRA Worker of the Year award is now known as the Maxwell Award. Dave was the initial recipient of this award in 2012 for above and beyond efforts to complete the club s Salt Flats roadster. Congratulations Dave. Check out the Upcoming Events section of the newsletter for the schedule of activities for the club. Dil and Don have lots of activities planned for the season. Next up is the Ogden Auto and Train Museum Drive scheduled for Saturday, March 7th. For those coming from Salt Lake, the plan is to meet at the Home Depot at 21 st South and I-15 at 9:00 am and depart by 9:30 am. The group will decide on P a g e 1
lunch somewhere on 25 th Street in Ogden. I hope you can make it. I m still in need of articles for the Bonneville Banter. We ve pretty much done with Member Profiles as everyone who is willing to write one, has done so. If you re working on a new project, how about writing a brief article to share with the club? If you ve taken new photos of your car or on a drive, send them in. I d appreciate your help. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BONNEVILLE AUSTIN-HEALEY CLUB 2015 OFFICERS President: Dave Maxwell: 801-943-4803 1752 E Paulista Way, Sandy, UT.84093 sanddmax@gmail.com Vice President: Ernie Reno: 801-969-2521 5711 So.4270 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84118 Treasurer/Secretary: Sandy Maxwell: 801-943-4803 1752 Paulista Way, Sandy, UT 84093 sanddmax@gmail.com Membership: Jim Thornton: 801-485-9404 3503 Millcreek Cir. SLC, UT 84106 jimt@secten.com Activities: Don Hughes: 801-293-0473 1281 W. September Morn. Circle, SLC, UT 84123 And/Or: Dil Strasser: 801-581-1544 2237 Logan Way, SLC, UT 84108 TheStrassers@hotmail.com Newsletter Editor/Historian: Craig Mossberg: 801-942-0750 2026 Brady Creek Dr. Sandy, UT 84093 cmossberg@comcast.net Webmaster: Jon Hanson: 801-583-7512 1375 Roxbury Rd. S.L.C., UT 84108 jmh-consulting@earthlink.net AHCA Delegate: Dave Maxwell: 801-943-4803 UPCOMING EVENTS March 7: Ogden 25 th Street Drive- meet at Home Depot on 21 st South and I-15 at 9:00 am. March 10: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. March 17: Tech Session at Sec Ten. April 4: Tech Session at Sec Ten. April 14: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. April 18: Shine and Show - Sam s Club- 6200 South State in Salt Lake. Details to follow. May 2: Tech Session at Sec Ten. May 12: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. May 16: Gimmick Rally-details to follow. June 6: Tech Session at Sec Ten. June 9: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. June 20: British Field Day- Liberty Park. June 25-28: Idaho British Car Club Summer Tour. July 11: Tech Session at Sec Ten. July 14: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. July 18: Bear Lake Drive-Salmon Days. August 1: Tech Session at Sec Ten. August 11: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. August 15: Classic Car Show-Park City. September 8: Monthly Meeting at Joe Morley s. September 19: Healey Days Car Show and Dinner. + Membership Dues for 2015 As a reminder, membership dues for the Austin Healey Club of America and the Bonneville Austin Healey Club were due on January 15 th. Membership dues are now past due. If you haven t renewed your membership, please do so as soon as possible. For those that have renewed their membership, thanks very much. We appreciate your continuing support of the B.A.H.C. Jim Thornton, Membership Chairman 2 P a g e
+ ANNUAL SWEETHEART DINNER Our annual Sweetheart s Dinner was held on Tuesday Feb 10 th at The Cinegrill. Cinegrill s new location offered much better parking but the convoluted Utah State Liquor laws prohibited the enjoyment of adult beverages with the dinner. The menu was unchanged and as usual, the food was good, the portions were large and the service was fast and friendly. It was an enjoyable evening of good food and good conversation. Those in attendance were Keith and Anne Perry, Dil and Dianne Strasser, Dave and Sandy Maxwell, Jim and Sheryl Thornton, Doug and Ann Lewis, Craig and Carol Mossberg, Ron and Kathy Jensen, Doug and Kristine Barneck, Allen and Judy Brown, Craig and Linda Lee, Bill and Moni Davis, and Joe Morley. The dinner served as our February meeting. Thanks to Judy Brown for sharing her excellent Valentine s Day cookies. 3 P a g e
+ SPRITES VS. THE BERLIN WALL When Austrian lathe operator, Heinz Meixner, pulled up to Checkpoint Charlie on May 5, 1963, something must have seemed odd about his red Austin Healey Sprite convertible. Namely, it was missing its windshield. (A closer inspection would also have revealed that his mother was hiding in the trunk.) When the East German guard directed Meixner to pull over to a customs shed, Meixner instead floored the accelerator and ducked. His tiny car slipped right under the three-foot-high barrier dividing the East from the West. Submitted by Jon Hanson New Members Please welcome our newest BAHC members: Keith and Anne Perry. AUTOMOTIVE TRIVIA: The last Big Healey was produced on March 14, 1968 (HBJ8/43026). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Racing Jensen-Healeys Jensen Motors ran a factory team to capture the SCCA D Production Championship in 1973 and 1974. This team was put together by Huffaker Engineering in California. 4 P a g e
Carolina campaigned a 1974 Jensen Healey in SCCA Improved Touring S class. Origin of Words and Phrases The initial drivers in 1973 were Lee Mueller and Jon Woodner. In 1974, the lone entry was Lee Mueller. Although it was a new car, the Jensen-Healey went on to become one of the few cars in SCCA History to capture a championship in its first year of racing (1973). Lee Mueller captured a second D Production championship in 1974. The factory support ended in 1974, however the West Coast Jensen-Healey dealers combined to put together a late effort in 1975. Huffaker built a new car and although beginning the SCCA season late Mueller, driving again, was able to qualify for the runoffs in Atlanta. A third championship nearly came to pass but the Healey was edged out by the Ex C Production Triumph TR 6 factory team car of Group 44 racing, driven by John McComb. The Huffaker factory cars were later campaigned by the likes of Carl Liebich, James Beason, Stefan Edliss, Tim Lind, Joe Carr, Tom Kraft and Jim Reilly. *A SHOT OF WHISKEY In the old west a.45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey. THE WHOLE NINE YARDS American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards. *BUYING THE FARM This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died, you "bought the farm" for your survivors. Bruce Qvale and Joe Huffaker Jr. from Huffaker Engineering, of Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, California, successfully campaigned a Jensen Healey in SCCA E Production, winning the SCCA title in 1995. From 2005 until 2007, Ron Earp of Cary, North *PASSING THE BUCK/THE BUCK STOPS HERE** Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company. When playing poker, it was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer, the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal, he would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted, then "the buck stopped there". 5 P a g e
Craig Mossberg, Editor Bonneville Banter 2026 Brady Creek Drive Sandy, Utah 84093 6 P a g e