The BritishV8 Pub

Dan B Wrote:
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> A lowly Triumph was the inspiration for one of the
> more radical MGB conversions here, that being
> Jim's Blown V8 with the big wing on the back. He
> was used to smoking all the B's around with his
> freshly rebuilt 4 banger, until we got my TR4A
> running. When he struggled to keep up getting on
> the interstate, the solution was American V8
> power!

So true. In fact it was a stock rebuild with only some minor performance tuning but I was the only one who was willing to wind it up to 7 grand and that turned out to be a big advantage. I even took the occasional Mustang II between redlights on the Huntington boulevards. Then Dan got the mighty TR 4-banger going and though I could still smoke him in the corners he happily returned the favor in the straights. And I'm thinking, Holy Cow, it's not even a TR6! Something clearly had to be done.

Now this was back in the days of our initial infatuation with LBC's. These cars gave us a sort of freedom that American iron couldn't match. They were cheap to buy, cheap to run, small light, agile and sort of like your first ever pair of Converse basketball shoes, all of a sudden you were no longer bound by the same natural laws as everyone else. As abhorrent as it may sound, I found myself engaged in a local game of gas cap trading. The only thing I can think of is that the supply of gas caps must have dried up. Then someone left theirs on the bumper and lost it. What followed next was like the most mixed up game of musical chairs you ever saw in your life. I'd come out in the morning and my gas cap would be gone. So I'd cruise around and eventually pull up behind a parked MGB and suddenly his gas cap would be missing. A few days later it'd be me again. And it's not like we all knew where each other lived either, it was an entirely random affair, never twice in the same place. Oddly enough, when I moved out of the Huntington/Charleston area I never lost another gas cap.

Those were heady days. We ran all the back roads like madmen, and in our spare time took in the local autocrosses where we wowed the crowd and occasionally scared them too! Ourselves as well, I'll never ever get the image out of my mind of a hub spinner lying in the wake of Dan's record attempt, shortly to be followed by a wheel passing him on the outside! Likewise doing "The Wave" over the windshield of his TR-4A! (You simply *must* have him tell you that story.)

I considered many upgrade paths before settling on the Buick 215, none of which were going to be easy or cheap. And at a cost of around $2500 there's no doubt I could have rebuilt a stock motor for less. I could have also cut that down some if I'd really wanted to, but by spreading it out I was able to afford it. Believe it or not, I even considered that horrible little Chevy 60* 2.8L V6 (Gasp!). However I ultimately wanted 300 hp and felt that would be asking too much of that engine, likewise the Mazda rotary, so the Buick got the nod, simply because I'd seen one in a Florida dealership a few years earlier and knew it could be done.

But the point I guess is that the youngsters don't know what they're missing. I'm not sure how to tell them either, but I've begun to put a note on my windshield with this site's web address. The more curious will look it up. Some proportion of those will like what they see well enough to join us. I think the key is to give them a clear path to follow.

Maybe we should make up some bumper stickers with the site address?

Jim



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2008 07:25PM by BlownMGB-V8.

MG four six eight Wrote:
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> How about an east and west meet? I'm thinking it
> might help improve attendance, as it would allow
> those who have limited vacation time (read younger
> workers) to go. They could pick the closest event,
> and maybe use just a week's vacation for the whole
> trip. Would be cheaper too, which also helps
> attract more people.
> Maybe have one event in early summer, the other
> one in the late summer. To spread them out for
> those who can do both!


Sounds good to me!

Bill,

Positive and negative.


Currently, this group is too small for an E meets W. Division would not be good for this.


Dividing this may make us grow to the point where things become easier. Growing is positive to a degree and negative to a degree with anyone. Vendors always want to see large groups and can actually serve better because they can get their (our) products out to more people to make the engineering and advertising pay off and design better products. They (we) can also spend more money to sponsor events. Growing can also be negative because you have to cover more types of people and cars which a tight nit group does not always enjoy. My autocross community has mushroomed in ways that is neat to see the baby grow up, but no longer has that close feel.

FWIW,

-BMC.

The sticker idea: I would check with someone who makes stickers and see if he can do them for inside of glass. As long as its not noticed as I am driving down the street and only when someone walks up to the car, I would be willing to have something like that on our car. I don't want to get rid of the pup appearance you know.

-BMC.

I'm WAY late in weighing in on this, but I'm in full agreement with Rick's contingent...

In fact, so much so that I intentionally avoided joining the 2009 V8 meet with the "local" club's meet (in May.)

I'd thought of doing it-- figured it would be so neat to overwhelm this little local show with our riproaring contingent of 40+ V8's.... And it would also help draw people to this "local" show (not a National show, like TRF's) Thought it was something to do, fill up some time, etc....


But.... then I started planning this meet and thinking about OTHER V8 meets in the past where we may have been present in the area during other "Car Shows". Well, what did we do during those shows? Sit around and dust the cars? No! We tossed our keys at one another and started blitzing up and down the street! (Or started FIXING them, rather than just "complain" about fixing them!)


The V8 meet is for those of us with a particular bent, and that has a special commeraderie that cannot be altered (and should not!) While I agree we should always pull in more new blood, I think we can let them "come to Us" rather than the other way around.

I will inform the local club that the V8ers will be in town, but it's up to them to make the effort-- those few I know that talk about converting-- to come to Us. (And as the meet is on weekdays, it will take an effort...)

Thankfully, our schedule is already overflowing with possible activities that I'll have to delete some! I would so thoroughly regret if I'd taken up precious "meet" time with just one more car show! :-)

Because the annual British V8 is NOT a "Car Show". It is a MEET.


I look forward to meeting more of you next year, so please come down!

Max Fulton
Event Organizer
British V8 2009
June 7-10