Ohio Mini Owners cordially invite all to the 36th Annual Mini Meet East 2010, being held July 1-3 in Fairborn, Ohio. The event website is up and running, and the pre-registration process is well underway. The following two incentives are being offered for your registration to occur prior to June 15th: 1) you will avoid the $30 late registration fee, and 2) your name will be entered into a drawing to receive a free two-night stay, during the Meet, at the host hotel.

Avoid the costly delays associated with registering after June 15th by mailing your registration in today. Also, remember to make your room reservations before the hotel rooms are sold out.

For more information, please visit the event website at http://www.mme2010.com.

NEMO’s U.K. sister club, Miniaddicts, had a beautiful day for their Easter Run, organized by a fellow member who guided 10 cars around North Wales, stopping in Llangollen for lunch (world famous for the Eisteddfod, http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/).

The Run took in some single-track roads with passing bays to allow cars to stop and allow us to drive through, much to the amusement of the drivers we encountered! A total of 75 miles was covered without any problems or breakdowns, and all had a good time.

BOSTON, MA — This August 22nd the New England Mini folk will invade the hallowed ground of Boston’s home of the American Revolution, Faneuil Hall, courtesy of Kurt Steele of the Boston Area MG Club. This British invasion should have a much more receptive audience as 10,000 to 15,000 people a day are expected to shoot the British (Minis) with cameras this time! Look out for random hugs and little kid fingerprints — people can’t help themselves around our little metal friends.

This is a great opportunity for you to show off your car to a whole new audience and for NEMO members to get some publicity that is second-to-none — just steps away from both the fabulous Italian North End and the Boston waterfront.

Because of the limited number of spaces available to us on the Quincy Marketplace Plaza, all participants must pre-register. Unfortunately, no day-of-event registrations can be accepted. On-line registration is available by e-mailing Kurt at kurt.f.steele@gmail.com, but we expect this season’s show to fill up quickly, so contact him and reserve your spot today.

FOXBORO, MA — Planning on joining us on August 7th at Gillette Stadium for the car display and soccer game? We have a bit more info.

The tickets (discounted to $21 for us) will need to be purchased in advance. For the August 7th game, anything that is purchased before 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 29th can be mailed out. Anything purchased between that time and the end of the day on August 6th will be left at the Will Call window to be picked up on the day of the game. So, we would like the majority of tickets to be purchased in time to mail out because it’s easier for everyone, but if there are stragglers who come in after that date they can still be accommodated all the way up until the close of business on the day before the game.

All classic and new Minis are welcome as well as all other British cars.  If you have not been to the new Patriot Place with its classy retail and restaurant space, you need to give this a try!   If you want to attend, I need you to RSVP to me with your name(s) and the car you plan to bring. You can contact me at nemo@auroratechedi.com or (401) 766-6519 (leave a message).

Like the display at Faneuil Hall, this should not be missed!

LUDLOW, VT — NEMO will host a Mini/MINI Cooper Rally through the Okemo Valley on the weekend of September 11-12. This will be a fun rally, with clues and scavenger hunt combined. The route will take driver and navigator through the towns of Ludlow, Andover, Weston, Chester, and Cavendish, VT.

The day will start with a Continental breakfast at Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts on Rt. 103 in Ludlow, VT, which will also be the starting point. Fun events will also be scheduled on Sunday. Prizes and plaques will be awarded as well as dash plaques for all entrants.

The cost will be $30 for the two-day event, and it will be open to all marques. Registration will be limited, so make your reservation early. For more information call (802) 228-5830.

Geoff Tibballs has been writing for over 25 years and has more than 80 books to his credit. He is a huge fan of motor racing and a lifelong fan of the Mini. Geoff’s latest book is a fun, quick read: The Mini Miscellany, Fifty Years of Facts, Figures, Stories and Oddities Featuring the World’s Greatest Little Car.

The book begins with Geoff telling the reader that his family’s first car was a Mini. The car was named Ada (in honor of her Hastings registration, ADY). He goes on to tell us about how Ada took them through the countryside and never complained.

Geoff then tells the story of Alec Issigonis and his family. The history of the Mini is presented. The book is divided into sections that discuss and outline various fun and interesting facts about the Mini.

For example: “Keeping it Small” tells us John Cutler, a member of the design team, recalled putting four seats on the shop floor and getting all sorts of people from secretaries to 6’ workers to sit in them to indicate how big the car should be. He wanted to make sure that there was enough room for a map to be opened and for the installation of a pocket to put the map in. Issigonis allowed 80% of the car’s 10’ length to passengers and luggage, which left him 18” to accommodate the engine.

“Wizardry on Wheels” informs us that female buyers were deliberately targeted, with emphasis being placed on the car’s suitability for shopping due to its interior space and parkability. “Women of the world, rejoice,” trilled a typical Austin Seven press release. “In a man’s world a car has been designed with women in mind.”

“A Slow Starter” states that the Mini was slow to take off. Most people did not trust it due to its low cost. In the first winter of the Mini’s release, only 20,000 had been sold. Confidence did not grow as a technical fault caused a recall due to numerous water leaks and rotting carpets. One motorsports journalist wrote, “When driving the ‘World’s Most Exciting Car’ I found it to live up to its reputation — part of the excitement being to see which foot got wet first!” Another journalist invited a Longbridge press officer to see the goldfish he had swimming around in the door pockets. Who knew they had recalls on cars back then!

The book is full of short paragraphs that present facts, trivia and lore about the Mini, such as why the Mini was designed the way it was, the famous actors, actresses and race car drivers who drove them, why the wheels went from 10” up to 13”, why the “boot” opens the way it does. Did you know there are a total of 3,016 screws, nuts and bolts on a Mini? Do you know Bernd Pischetsrieder? Read the section “Family Ties” and you will be surprised. You will also find out from where the phrase “You’ve Just Been Mini’d” derives.

The book also discusses racing history, rallying and road racing, and how the much faster competition was beaten by the Mini.

Some of you (you know who you are, Mr. Black) probably have read and heard the stories, but I have only scratched the surface here of the first 30-something pages of this fascinating book.

Geoff Tibballs does a great job and will keep you entertained cover to cover. You can find it at amazon.com for as small a price as the size of the car.

HARRISVILLE, RI, Feb. 28 — The Annual NEMO Planning Meeting was held at the usual location, the wonderful home of Bruce and Faith in Rhode Island. Over 20 members attended, with Derick and Lorrine from Kingston, NY, driving the furthest distance — over four hours drive one-way to attend a four-hour meeting!

After collecting Mini-related gifts members had brought for the customary raffle and handing us our tickets and name tags, Faith let us tuck into the also donated food and drink. And what a buffet table it was! Let’s just say that nobody went home hungry unless they wanted to.

Between the food and the meeting proper came the raffle. Everybody got something they liked to take home, wear home, or, “It just followed me home, honest...”

The next few hours contained discussions on various events that members wanted to attend or to run themselves. Details are on the NEMO calendar on the website. Take a peek and come to something!

If you were not at the planning meeting, you can still sponsor an event. Join the NEMO Google List and toss out some ideas and dates and get back comments. Something as simple as a drive on a weekend, starting at a restaurant for breakfast or a meeting for a BBQ at your house, would work perfectly.

Only rule is, if you plan it, then plan on running the event. It’s really simple, and you might get four or 40 members attending, you never know! Somebody has to “captain” an event, and if you need help just ask on the NEMO Google List.

How would you like to show off your car to 10,000 soccer fans at Gillette Stadium on August 7th?  

We have been approached by the New England Revolution’s team management about showcasing our cars in Patriot Place before a game.  We sent a notice out to our e-mail list and the consensus was 1) we did want to do this and 2) August 7th was the best date for a majority of the folks who responded.

The game will be between our home team, the Revolution, and DC United. We will get discounted tickets of $21 per person to the game (regular price is $34).  

We will arrive between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. to set up prior to the spectators arriving. The game is at 7 p.m. so we will have plenty of time to show off our beauties! This is open to all British cars, but NEMO will be the host club.

All classic and new Minis are welcome.  If you have not been to the new Patriot Place with its classy retail and restaurant space, you need to give this a try.   If you want to attend, I need you to RSVP to me with your name(s) and the car you plan to bring. You can contact me at nemo@auroratechedi.com or (401) 766-6519 (leave a message).

This should not be missed! Save the date!

MINI is adding a fourth model to the family: a genuine “crossover,” bridging the gap between the classic concept of the MINI and a modern sports activity vehicle.

The MINI Countryman is the first model in the range with four doors and a wide-opening rear lid, providing greater freedom of space for more versatile use, a slightly elevated seating position, and optimized driving comfort. At the same time the MINI Countryman maintains that go-kart feeling likewise so characteristic of MINI, optional “ALL4” all-wheel drive offering an additional highlight in handling and safety.

The new Countryman carries on the design of the brand, combining larger body dimensions, greater ground clearance and four doors with those the design features so characteristic of MINI. Short overhangs, a high window line, powerful stance on the wheels, and window graphics extend round the entire car to create the proportions typical of other MINIs.

Proceeding from that MINI design “language,” the front end is positioned almost upright and incorporates the familiar hexagon radiator grille and large headlights integrated in the engine lid. The extra space within the car is emphasized by extra-large windows, the adoption of four doors, and the individual shape of the roof. The particularly wide frame around the lower part of the body and the powerfully flared wheel arches suggest the robust character of the car and all-wheel drive, though plans are to offer ALL4 on only three models rather than across the range. (In Europe, the range includes the MINI One, MINI One D and MINI Cooper D — for diesel — models.)

Within the interior, the slightly elevated seating position should offer comfortable and pleasant access to the car and optimize the driver’s all-round view. The Countryman’s Center Rail, extending from front to rear instead of a conventional center console, opens up new, individual options for integrating all kinds of storage boxes, cupholders, external audio devices, mobile telephones and other comfort features (or distractions, depending on your point of view). Flexibly positioned clip-in elements allow the storage boxes to be subdivided individually as required, keeping travel utensils within easy reach wherever they are required, by either front or rear passengers.

The Countryman comes as standard with four seats, while a three-seat bench will be available as a no-cost option. The rear seats move fore-and-aft either individually or, with the three-seat bench, in a 60:40 split. The backrests may be tilted for angle either individually or, with the bench, in a 40:20:40 arrangement, increasing the capacity of the luggage compartment from a little over 12 to more than 40 cu. ft. 

The Countryman is entering the European market with a choice of three gasoline and two diesel engines, part of a new generation of power units that comply respectively with EU5 and ULEV II emission standards. The power range extends from 66kW/90hp in the MINI One D Countryman all the way to 135 kW/184hp in the MINI Cooper S Countryman.

The 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine in the top model comes for the first time not only with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct fuel injection, but also with fully variable valve management, offering what BMW claims is “by far the best balance of engine power and fuel consumption” in its class. A six-speed manual gearbox is featured as standard, and the gasoline engine models are also available with six-speed automatic complete with Steptronic.

More about ALL4

As an option the Cooper S Countryman and Cooper D Countryman, and by 2012 the Cooper Countryman, will be available with MINI’s new all-wheel-drive system, ALL4.

The designers of ALL4 realized that not everyone will need four-wheel-drive capability all the time. Accordingly, a Countryman with ALL4 is a front-wheel-drive car in most normal circumstances, but when wheel slip on the front wheels is detected or if the car is being driven “enthusiastically,” an electro-magnetic clutch, located on the rear axle, engages drive to the rear wheels to improve traction.

To enable this change to occur imperceptibly, a propeller shaft from the front axle is driven constantly and is ready to direct drive forces from the front axle to the rear instantly. The amount of power fed to the rear wheels is infinitely variable between 1% and 100%, depending upon the driving conditions.

This traction and drivetrain technology will complement the the already top-end suspension features of the MINI, including the front axle with McPherson spring struts and forged track control arms, the multi-arm rear axle, and the EPS (Electric Power Steering) complete with Servotronic.

The Countryman furthermore comes as standard with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), with DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) offered either as an option or as a standard feature on the Cooper S Countryman and the Cooper D Countryman with ALL4, as well as an electronic limited-slip function for the front axle differential. 

Designed for optimum safety in the event of a collision, the body structure has precisely defined load paths and deformation zones. Frontal and side airbags as well as curtain airbags at the side are standard both front and rear, as are three-point inertia-reel seat belts on all seats, belt latch tensioners and belt force limiters at the front, and Isofix child seat fastenings at the rear.

Another standard feature is the Tire Defect Indicator, with runflat tires coming as an option but standard on the Cooper S Countryman with ALL4.

Customizing your Countryman

The wide range of customization options on both the exterior and interior are typical of MINI and will include new features exclusive to the Countryman. New combinations in the range of interior colors, trim strips and upholstery will enable even the most discerning customer to create a very special car with truly unique character.

Offered will be features such as high-end audio and navigation systems, as well as mobile telephone interfaces enabling complete integration of an Apple iPhone and other Smartphones in the car. Further options are the extra-large panorama roof, adaptive headlights in combination with xenon units, a heated windscreen, a towbar, light-alloy wheels ranging in size from 16” to 19”, sports suspension lowering the entire car by 10mm or almost 0.4”, and a wide range of John Cooper Works performance components.

Price

On-the-road prices will range in the U.K. from £16,000 for the MINI One Countryman to £20,810 for the Mini Cooper S Countryman. Adding ALL4 increases this by £1,065 to £1,220, depending on the model, and of course there are all those options to choose from.

The MINI Countryman makes its debut at the Geneva Auto Show this month and goes on sale in the U.K. September 18th. Oh — and it will not strictly speaking be a “British car,” as it will be assembled by Magna Steyr in Austria. At present, BMW says, there is insufficient capacity in Oxford to build the car there.

[Prepared from BMW Group UK press releases, Sarah Heaney, MINI Media Relations Manager.]

We left off last month with what appeared to be a timing cover oil leak, but the engine had already been installed in Robert Manocchio’s Mini. Hmmm — do we pull the motor out again or work within the confines of the Mini’s engine bay? If it weren’t for the brake servo, I’d have popped that sucker out of there and got it up where we could have a good go at it. As it was, I wimped out and decided to pull the radiator end whilst in the car. Actually that turned to be not too bad a job — the newer Minis (Mk3, 4, 5) don’t have a radiator cowling and there’s just enough space to ease the rad out. We were looking for a leak coming from the timing cover, but after an exhaustive series of tests, couldn’t find anything wrong with it.

I wrote it off to a misalignment of the seal to the crank pulley and put everything back together. Leaked again! So it follows that if you eliminated the problem at the timing cover, then the leak must be further back, and that requires removal of the timing chain, sprockets and backing plate. Of course to get further back, you have to disturb everything you’ve just put together so carefully. That done, we got the engine up to temperature and everything stayed dry!

Robert trailered the Mini back home and by the time he’d gotten it off the trailer and into the garage there was oil dripping from the bottom of the tranny. Now this was starting to get old — never had a timing end oil leak get the better of a “second” sealing, and the worst part was that Robert now had to get the car back to The Barn. In the meantime he introduced a dye into the oil and used a blacklight to illuminate the oil and try to find the source of the leak. After a lot of time poking around, moving hoses, repositioning one’s head to get a better angle and getting whacked by the hood safety catch (actually, Robert stuck a tennis ball on the catch), we found a dribble of oil coming from the head gasket.

Now I won’t bore you with the details (followers of this column have no doubt grown weary of reading about head gasket jobs), but after replacement and a spirited test drive, there were no leaks.

Of course, stemming the flow of liquids in a Mini lump has to be viewed as a temporary fix at best. Gaskets fitted between dissimilar metals (cast iron and aluminum) must eventually fail due to the differing rates of expansion/ contraction in the heating and cooling cycle. So if you’ve got a drip or two, it just means the old girl is aging gracefully (and correctly).

Next month we’ll talk about a Domino Mini (if Lemoine & Gallagher can get their act together)!

WAYLAND, MA — Twenty-seven members of NEMO attended the Holiday Party on December 6th at JJ McKay’s Pub in Wayland. The food and drink were excellent, and being in the company of NEMO friends was, too. Many new NEMO members attended and enjoyed the event.

After the meet-and-greet and meal were over, it was time for the famous NEMO Yankee Swap. Every year we do this, one gift brought by a member is highly, shall we say, “sought after.” Actually, it makes things entertaining and this year was no different. The hot item was a Mark One Mini Cooper Dan St. Croix had drawn on a canvas with pencil. As Dan is an accomplished artist, the piece exchanged hands eight times before ending up with Greg Mazza. Greg had picked the first ticket in the Swap and also got the last choice at the end per the rules.

The “favorite shirt” award, if there was one, would be for the Mini shirts worn by Lorine and Derick Karabec (see photo).

If you missed it, then make plans for attending next year’s party! And speaking of plans, don’t forget the Annual Planning Meeting coming up in February (see the accompanying sidebar).

Attendees at the Holiday Party (in no particular order) were: Ken and Brett Lemoine, John Gallagher, Robert Manocchio (plus his two cute young daughters), Dave Black, Greg Mazza, Jay Cady, Bruce Vild and Faith Lamprey, Paul and Nancy Saulnier, Dave and Barbara Newman, Barbara and Geoff Neiley, Skip Tannen and Barbara Webster, Charles Laughton, Howie and Ardi Staples, Lorine and Derick Karabec, Brian from Poets Seat Auto, and Dan St. Croix and Rosie.

WIRRAL, U.K. — Wirral Minis had their Annual Wirral (England) to Llandudno (Wales) Run on Sunday, 10th January, for which they invited applications for 200 Minis to join them on this popular 60-mile trip. Nine Minis from Miniaddicts turned up on the day despite the severe icy conditions the U.K. is experiencing at the moment.

My Riley Elf brake lights decided to stick on permanently at the last minute so I had to leave him at home and cadge a lift with my son, Philip, and his young lady in his 2007 Cooper Diesel.

On the club’s arrival at the starting point there were another 61 Minis waiting and raring to go!

The run went smoothly with the convoy stopping at Rhos on Sea promenade to allow any stragglers to catch up. After a 10-minute stop the starter’s horn sounded again and we continued on our way to Llandudno (pronounced Clanduno) and then onto the coastal road around the Great Orme.

News reached us as we approached the Orme that there was ice at the summit and the ascent to the top was cancelled. Instead we continued to a point halfway round the Orme to a café adjacent to the Coastguard Station (probably just as well, as the temperature was -3C and no doubt warmer here than at the summit! ) Following a nice hot drink and a call of nature we continued our journey down the North Shore, where we proudly displayed our pride and joy for promenaders to admire.

Only one Mini happening in The Barn the past two months! Robert Manocchio called to say he wanted to rebuild the engine after getting frustrated with performance. Remember in the last article, we had rebuilt his tranny, but decided the top end was probably good to go. Well, they say a day in which nothing is learned is a day lost. The past two weeks we’ve been gaining days at a prodigious rate!

The head came off and required a full valve job, plus milling to flatten a warped surface. The pistons came out and showed some damage caused probably by metal chips remaining after the last rebuild. The cam bearings looked tortured, one valve lifter was cavitated and one lobe on the new Piper 270 cam was destroyed! All this on an engine that still has honing marks on the bore!

So all the bits went off to the happy machine shop and were returned Friday. Robert had sourced all the parts in the meantime, so all we had to do this weekend was assemble, test and install the lump in the car.

One small glitch — Robert had decided to replace the ring gear because several teeth were knackered. Friend Jack said, “It’s easy, cut off the old gear and place the flywheel outside, while heating the new gear in an oven — it will slip on easily!”

I wish Jack were here I know he heard our exclamations on the West Coast! It is not an easy job. We packed the flywheel in the snow for a couple of hours while the ring gear heated up atop the woodstove. Hammer, vise and clamps wouldn’t convince the gear to go where it should. Back to the snow, while the torch was used to really heat up the gear. Still no go, but a couple of burned hands was the result (it was closer to going on, though). So the flywheel went back in the snow whilst the torch was used for what seemed like an hour on the gear. Then clamps, hammer, vise and it finally caught, but required a serious beating to get pried into position.

Lesson learned: next time, just buy a whole new flywheel!

Okay, so all was ready for the test stand. The engine started and ran strong, but what’s this fluid being flung by the fan? Antifreeze everywhere — emanating from the top of a thermostat housing bolt. Easy fix, just drain down the coolant, put some sealant on the threads and voila — another disaster! Still leaking, so this was a little more serious. Pulled the thermostat housing and inspected the surfaces to find a wee bit of the head is missing where the gasket should make contact. Choices: JB Weld and wait a day, or The Right Stuff and drive away. It took two tries to get the leak plugged and the rest of the test went fine (read: no oil leaks!) The lump was deemed worthy of installation, so we did.

While reinstalling the brake servo, one of the lines cracked. No problemo, just pull the brake line fabrication kit out and make a new one. But wait, my brother had borrowed that kit last month, and, no, he hadn’t returned it yet! Called and met halfway, then back to The Barn, fabricated the line, installed the servo and bled the brakes (we had replaced the front hoses as well).

Robert went out for a test drive. “Don’t you want to come?” he asked. “No, someone has to stay here to take the distress call,” was the answer.

Off he roared and back he came after a while. We raised the hood to adjust the idle and what did we see, but oil everywhere! Initial diagnosis put the leak in the timing cover and you’ll have to wait till next month to hear the outcome, ’cause we haven’t yet tackled it!

I’m new to NEMO, but not so to Minis. I have an ’05 JCW convertible. It is our “family time” car, as we try to do runs with the crowd from NEMINI.org. I made the leap to a Classic last year, about this time of the year, and it has been a disaster from the beginning. I have been fixing “Gazoo” since then.

It is a ’78 Saloon with a 1275, and an open roof. The kids named it “Gazoo” because the Great Gazoo from the Flintstones only caused trouble. At one point in the repairs, I broke down with the kids in the back — I got out, popped the bonnet, and started fiddling with the distributor. The girls got out (on the side of the road), I asked what they thought they were doing by getting out of the car, and they answered, “We’re going to help you push, Daddy.”

I laughed too hard to be upset.

Just today, I was sorting another electrical gremlin and my youngest daughter got down on the cardboard and wanted to help. Oh, yes, and they are 5 and 6 years old, and love MINIs and Minis.

Just a week ago Dave Black put my lump back in after he rebuilt the tranny and sealed up my leaking hunk. Big thanks to Dave! He gives all the details in his column.

WAYLAND, MA — This is a repeat of last month’s announcement.

We are set for the NEMO Mini Holiday Party on Sunday, December 6th, at JJ McKay’s in Wayland — (508) 651-3758 — from 12 noon to 3-ish.

McKay’s is at 171 Commonwealth Rd. at the intersection of Rts. 30 and 27, just a few miles from Exit 13 of the Mass Pike (bear left onto Rt. 30 past the tolls).

The buffet menu includes seasoned steak tips, ginger sesame salmon, Caesar salad, potato, vegetable, and a variety of fruit pies for dessert. Yummy!

Again this year NEMO will be subsidizing part of the cost of the buffet (regular price $27.30 per person) so your cost will be only $20 per person. Kids under 12 are half price and under 3 are free.

We will be holding a Yankee Swap so plan to bring a wrapped gift (try to keep the cost below $20). A Yankee Swap means that someone else may “take” your gift when it is their turn to pick. (Warn your kids so they don’t get upset if this happens!) You get to pick a gift for every gift you bring (and please, no more than one per person or the party will never end).

I’ll be crushed if you can’t attend so please respond to me — paul.saulnier@verizon.net or (508) 429-7192) — in the affirmative ASAP. I need your name and how many will be attending (and ages of any kids). Classic and modern Minis are encouraged to come.

HARRISVILLE, RI — Join us on Sunday, February 28th, for NEMO’s Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Luncheon. We plan the year of activities at this meeting so be sure to attend. Plan to arrive at 12 noon. The eating starts at 1 p.m. and the meeting follows at 2 p.m., so bring a dish for the lunch table and join in the fun.

We will be holding the usual Give-Away Freebie Raffle so if you have any Mini-related items you would like to donate, bring them along.

The Meeting and Luncheon will take place once again at the home of Faith Lamprey and Bruce Vild, 5 Old Nasonville Rd., Harrisville. Call (401) 766-6519 or e-mail editor@britishmarque.com. Directions will go out to everyone on the Google Group e-mail list and will be put on the website.

See you there!

There’ve been two Mini projects in The Barn this month, but first let’s talk about Greg. He reports now that his S has gone several months without any starting problems. Remember that we’ve been chasing gremlins for a number of years and were continually frustrated by the gremlins’ ability to reappear. (Kind of like the possum we had in the garage and then The Barn!) Greg called last week to say it’s O.K. to report that we’ve solved the problem. As reported last time, the most likely root cause to all his electrical problems was a loose battery cable!

In other news, new member Robert Manocchio (Newington, CT) came in complaining about oil leaks. A quick slide under his Mini told the story — rear main seal, shift seal, timing cover. He also said it would slip out of 2nd gear when decelerating. Now, you know the rule — one or two problems can be fixed with the lump in the car, but three strikes and it’s out! So out it came for resealing and a rebuild of the tranny. Good thing, too. The double row bearing that supports most of the main shaft was in pieces! Wouldn’t have gone too many more miles before a catastrophic failure. And 2nd gear was worn well past its useful point. So all was put right again and Robert can again take his daughters with him in the Mini to help push if necessary (see attendant article).

Rian Dittmer from East Providence, RI, brought his Mini out to convert the drum brakes to disc. This was the first I’d installed a newly purchased kit with all new parts. It was fairly straightforward, though ball joints had to be installed on the hubs and the old steering arms had to be robbed from the removed hubs to make it all work. New boots were installed on both the pot joints and CV ends, the brakes bled and Rian should have been on his way… except that his stock steel rims wouldn’t fit over the disc calipers! So it was back to the credit card to get a new set of S rims and tires from the West Coast — and dang-it, now the rear tires interfere with the shock absorber. S drums were sourced, installed and now we need longer studs to go with the wider drums. No problem, got ’em right here, except after installing the bolts (requires removal of hub and some hammer work) and torqueing the lug nuts, the bolts are about 1/4” shy of showing past the nuts. Serviceable, yes, but not a comfortable situation, so longer studs are on their way here so Rian can bolt in his Mini!

Matt Lussier is anxious to get started on his 850 powerplant, but reports that funds-a-lacking, he may have to cool his jets for a bit!

In the meantime, the Gravelys are multiplying at a prodigious rate — six more this week alone! Anybody need one, or two, or three for that matter!?

All for now…

BUZZARDS BAY, MA — It was a cool and cloudy day on October 4th as a few NEMO members attended the Cape Cod British Car Club show in Buzzards Bay. The weather got continually better as the day went on and four Minis were entered in the show, along with one Morris Minor, which was in the same class for judging.

Faith and Bruce were there for the Marque with their MINI Clubman, which was not entered in the show. There were also two MINIs in a modern-day class.

Attendance appeared down from last year, probably due to the weather, but the show is still one of the nicest run shows to attend. The CCBCC does a great job organizing it as part of their British Legends Weekend, and the venue is well set up, right next to the Canal and its famous Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge.

The awards for Mini and Morris class were as follows: 1st, the recently restored Mini Traveller of David and Jean Icaza 2nd, the British Open Classic 1275 of Barbara Newman, and 3rd, the Morris Minor of J. Keith Hartinger.

Also in the show were Greg Mazza’s early ’60s Mini Cooper and the Chris and Gail Cole’s ’99 Mini Cooper Sports Pac, with a 1275 fuel-injected engine and big 13” wheels. The Cole Mini had recently been down to Maryland for MGs on the Rocks, an all-British show sponsored by MGs of Baltimore.

All the Minis present that day were very impressive machines.

WAYLAND, MA — We are set for the NEMO Mini Holiday Party on Sunday, December 6th, at JJ McKay’s in Wayland, MA from 12 noon to 3-ish.

McKay’s is at 171 Commonwealth Road, at the intersection of Rts. 30 and 27, just a few miles from Exit 13 of the Mass Pike (bear left onto Rt. 30 past the tolls).

The buffet menu includes seasoned steak tips, ginger sesame salmon, Caesar salad, potato, vegetable, and a variety of fruit pies for dessert. Yummy! Once again NEMO will be subsidizing part of the cost of the buffet (full price is $27.30 per person), so your out-of-pocket cost will be $20 per person. Kids under 12 are half price and under 3 are free.

We will be holding a Yankee Swap, too, so plan to bring a wrapped gift (try to keep the cost below $20).

I’ll be crushed if you can’t attend so please respond in the affirmative to me at paul.saulnier@verizon.net or (508) 429-7192 ASAP. I need your name and how many will be attending (and ages of any kids). I understand that the owner of the Mini with the most horsepower in North America will be there! See you on the 6th.

LAKEVILLE, CT, Sept. 4-7 — Wine, cheese, cars, drivers... all of these are better when they become “vintage.” And no one quite lives up to that like NEMO’s own vintage racer, Dave Reid, and his vintage race car, the #57 Austin Mini — that vintage being 1964 (the car, not Dave).

Shortly after our arrival at Lime Rock Park to cover this year’s Rolex Vintage Festival over the Labor Day weekend, we heard that Dave was racing and sought him out. We found him in the paddock with his back turned to the road and his front bent over into someone else’s Mini.

“Mr. Reid!” I called, to get his attention.

“Who the hell wants me now?” was the response as he turned.

I knew I had found Dave.

It was Saturday afternoon and Dave had just completed a Group 4 race, placing 4th behind an Aston Martin DB4 GT, an MGB, and another Mini. “I’ll win the next one on Monday,” he promised.

Well, guess what? He did.

Group 4 was a very interesting collection of cars. Labeled “Sport Road Cars and Sedans of the Mid-20th Century,” it included the exotic (a Ferrari 250, an Allard J2, an Aston DB3 and two DB4s), the less so (five Morgans and a Lotus Elite), and the more commonplace from the ’60s and ’70s (two MGBs, a Volvo 122, four Alfas, a Fiat, a Lancia Fulvia, an Elva, a Spitfire, a Healey 3000 and a Datsun Fairlady. Remember those?). If there was a longest distance award in the group, it would have gone to Jack Boxstrom from Picton, Ontario, and his DB3. Otherwise, the racers were drawn pretty much from the Northeast USA, going as far south as Maryland.

Dave resides in Marblehead, MA. So what’s it like to race on probably the closest thing he has to a “home track,” Lime Rock Park? Much better than it used to be, he told me after Monday’s race.

“Racers feel more welcome here now,” Dave said. “Gone are impractical rules that discouraged Minis and other ‘lower end’ racers.” These rules forced racers to keep their cars looking as showroom/stock as possible, even at the expense of safety and certainly of performance. There were also stories of racers being asked not to compete to their fullest so a favored patron who was racing in their group could get a trophy.

The man who was managing vintage racing at LRP did not have his contract renewed, and Dave believes that Skip Barber himself has now taken full control of the vintage program — and that that’s a good thing. Real racing is back, even for those of relatively modest means. (No matter how you slice it, vintage racing is an expensive hobby.) Besides, Dave added, the other guy “didn’t like Minis.”

Good riddance.

Our talk turned to the car itself. One glance at the dashboard and you can see why someone who was insisting that the race cars look as stock as possible would get heartburn. Basically, there is no dash, at least in the conventional sense. There are no gauges, not even a tach turned sideways so the redline is at the top. There are three indicator lights instead. These tell Dave when to upshift, when to downshift, and when to start to swear (I’m exaggerating about the third one). Think about it: the indicator lights give all the information Dave needs when he’s racing. Dials that have to be read would take his eyes off the track and break his concentration. Those lights give him a competitive advantage.

Does Dave know the car’s limit? For sure. Not only do the dash indicators tell him when he is “revved out” (such as when he’s at the bottom of the long LRP straight, traveling at about 115mph), the Mini has so much frontal area that he can actually feel a wall of wind when that limit is reached. Sheesh!

We talked about his racing strategy. When I was watching him race I saw him build momentum lap after lap to the point where it almost looked like he was racing all by himself — he would speed by, and then a moment later the rest of the pack would follow. How does he keep up speed, and really make it seem so easy?

“Don’t use the brakes,” he replied. I snickered, and maybe he thought that I figured he was kidding, so he explained. “You keep up speed by not slowing down. I find a hole and get through it. I stay in high gear from the esses [on the LRP course] to Big Bend.”

What about the second name painted on #57’s roof, Nick Mango? The roof designates him “Chief Scientist.”

Dave clearly is giving credit where credit is due.

“I couldn’t have done it without Nick Mango,” he told me. “He’s done everything to this car inside and out — engine, suspension, everything.” To Dave, Nick is as good an engineer as ever produced by MIT, and after seeing the car perform as well as it did, who could argue?

Will Dave and Nick come back to the Vintage Festival next year?

“We had too much fun not to come back,” he said.

Join the NEMO gang at a new Mexican restaurant in Putnam, CT, on Saturday, October 17th, at 5 p.m. Costumes are optional as it will be a bit early to dress for Halloween and you may get some strange looks! The place is Café Mariachi and it is located at 5 Heritage Road in Putnam. It is in the same location inside the King’s Inn that used to be a British pub where we held our Holiday Party a few years ago. Take Rt. 395 to Exit 96, Heritage Road. It is just north of the exit.

If you plan on attending, please e-mail Faith at NEMO@auroratechedi.com so she can give the restaurant an approximate headcount. Hope to see you there!

Several of you have commented on the absence of a “Barn” article in the last issue. There’s a good explanation: Ben’s Mini. I don’t know exactly why, but this summer has been one of deadlines — the hay had to get picked up due to impending rain, the tomato plants had to get buried fast (that day) due to late blight and the presence nearby of commercial crops, the potatoes had to be dug before they either rotted (wet conditions) or the dreaded blight got into the tubers, and then they had to be processed because they wouldn’t keep. We have a freezer full of mashed potatoes! Jo-Ann finally called it quits and refused to cook anymore! And then came Ben with brake problems.

I try not to tackle any major work during the summer due to outside activities, but I mean, how bad could a brake job be? Ben had all the parts either to rebuild or replace the master and slave cylinders, flexible lines, pads, shoes, and rotors.

It all started innocently enough and because Ben wanted the experience, work progressed according to his schedule. While puttering one evening I thought it would make sense to grease his car. No problems till I got to the front left A-arm where the grease fitting was broken. Replaced same, but it wouldn’t accept any grease. Removed the zirk fitting and dug around in there to remove the old, hardened grease, but it still wouldn’t take. Closer inspection revealed rust outside of the subframe where the pivot arm goes through. Now, this arm is nutted both front and back and has a holding plate at the front to keep it from rotating, but the rust indicated it had been rotating in the subframe. That meant the shaft was frozen in the A-arm.

Now I want all of you with classic Minis to go out, jack up the left front of your car, remove the tire and tell me how to remove this shaft if it won’t slide out of the A-arm. I tried using an air wrench (coming in through the front, between the radiator and motor mount). In fact, I put the air to it for so long, the shaft broke! The only way to do the same to the back end is to sawzall it off! That would have worked fine, but the shaft is heat-treated and took several blades to finally get through.

So now the A-arm is out, but you’ve still got to get what’s left of the shaft out. A 12-ton press got no results, but when the arm was heated red-hot it just barely started to creak and move full pressure and full heat for the full length was required to remove the shaft! A couple of minutes in the blaster and things looked as good as new. New bearings and a new shaft and it went back together just fine. Just think — if we hadn’t thought to grease, this shaft would have continued to wear both itself and the subframe until failure occurred, causing loss of control!

While messing around with this, I decided to change the rod change shift seal due to a steady drip. Got the outer seal out, but couldn’t get to the inner one and it leaked even worse! How is that possible?

Anyway, back to brakes. Couldn’t get the master cylinder to pick up fluid. Ben said the brake pedal wouldn’t return to top — must have messed up the rebuild, so out with the master. Disassembly showed no problems, but with the master out, the brake pedal still wouldn’t come all the way up without help. Possibly a broken return spring, but no, the pedal shaft was rusted to the pedals! So out with the pedal cluster, another candidate for the press to remove the shaft, then blasting and painting and reassembly. Finally got fluid into the master and noticed a puddle on the floor coming from the crossover brake line at the joint under the radiator. No big problem, just replace that line and voila — still a leak at that joint! Removed the flex line and compared it to another to find the female end had been drilled down too far the nut flats were contacting the top of the brake line before the flared end! Replaced the brake line, bled the system... and Ben finally drove home!

Ben drove up Saturday for a final brake adjustment and all seemed fine. That evening he called to say the engine was misbehaving, backfiring through the carburetor and running rough. That can only mean the head gasket, and as we’d replaced it once earlier this year and machined the head it meant that we would have to machine the block this time. And that meant that the engine had to come out!

Sunday: Auto arrives at Barn.

Monday through Wednesday: Peck away at removal as time permits. Greg comes Wednesday for final pulling of lump.

Thursday: Realization dawns that time is critical due to commitments both during the week (work) and after this weekend for the next three weekends (play). Machine shop only works M-F, so if Ben is to get his car anytime in the next month, parts must be at the shop tomorrow morning.

After work Thursday: Begin disassembly of lump, only to be interrupted by a neighbor who has just purchased a classic Mini and wants to visit! Can’t work and talk at the same time, so we talk. When Matt leaves, time is even shorter for the job at hand, so out come the air wrenches for a rapid undoing of the lump. Had fits with the flywheel (broke one puller), but by 9:30 block and head are ready to go.

Friday 5:30 a.m.: Parts are dropped off at machine shop and off to work. At 2 p.m. parts are picked up, then start masking and painting (can’t go this far without freshening up the lump)!

Saturday: Assembly, test stand run (successful) and re-install lump in car. Ben drives home!

So you see why this article missed last month’s deadline. And in the middle of Ben’s project Ray calls with a clutch problem, and Greg is still chasing electrical problems! Ray called while waiting for AAA. Seems his clutch wouldn’t disengage — pedal was fine, had one push that felt funny, and then wouldn’t work at all. Ray pulled master and slave to rebuild both, realized the original builder of the car had switched brake and clutch masters, so pulled and rebuilt the brake master as well. That evening he called to say he still didn’t have a clutch, so started looking for mechanical flaws. Found the ball at the bottom of the clutch-actuating arm had broken! In hindsight, the rapidity with which he lost the clutch should have been a clue to a catastrophic mechanical failure rather than a fluid problem. Fluid problems usually result in a gradual loss of clutch response.

Greg’s electrical problem just won’t go away. At least this summer he’s driving the car more and chasing the problem with some regularity. He’s converted to Pertronix ignition and likes the results, though he admits to having the points, condenser (and screw) in a bag in his door pocket! Electrical connectors have been renewed and soldered and the battery ground strap redone.

The strap was found to be loose — do you suppose that this has been the root cause of all his various electrical problems? Entertain the idea that all the voltage generated in the engine compartment must eventually ground out to the body and thus back to the battery. If the battery ground connection is weak, the voltage has to go somewhere, like through the rotor cap or burning the points prematurely. Regular readers will note that both of these have occurred. Could it also have affected the voltage regulator, coil, and all the other bits that have gone wrong over the past five years? Once again, Greg may have stumbled onto the root cause of all his problems! Time will tell and you can rest assured that you will read about future developments first right here in this column!

All for now.

HOLDEN, MA — The 7th Annual MINIsOnTop MINI Cooper car rallye, held June 27th at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire resulted in $11,000 being raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine and the Mt. Washington Observatory.

Make-A-Wish received $10,315.82 and the Observatory received $692.18. Major donors were Herb Chambers MINI of Boston, with a lease of a MINI, and the law firm of Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds, with luxury box tickets to a Red Sox game.

The checks were presented August 8th during a barbeque for the volunteers at the home of one of the organizers in Holden.

This is the fourth time one of the Make-A-Wish Foundations has been supported and the second year for the Mt. Washington Observatory. The Observatory receives 6.288% of the total raised, honoring the height of the tallest peak in the Northeast (6,288’), and the balance goes to one of the state chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year was Maine’s turn.

MINIsOnTop was started by a group of like-minded individuals who met on an Internet forum dedicated to the MINI Cooper. A suggestion for a fun run up Mt. Washington to view the sunset during the Summer Solstice has turned into a major fundraising event in the Northeast involving MINIs. While MINIsOnTop is not directly affiliated with NEMO, many NEMO members with MINIs participate.

[From a press release.]

After many e-mails back and forth on the NEMO Google List it was decided to have the NEMO Holiday Party back at JJ McKays in Wayland, MA. Since most places we looked into wanted a guaranteed number and have a minimum of 40 people or so we decided to return to McKays, which is not so restrictive.

The date is Sunday, December 6th, at 12 noon until 4 p.m. We need a head count so RSVP to Paul Saulnier by e-mailing civilizeds@aol.com or calling him at (508) 429-7192 before Thanksgiving. Let him know how many are attending (and ages of any kids). We will get back to you with the menu and the cost.

BIRMINGHAM, U.K., Aug. 7-9 — Beautiful weather for three days greeted over 3500 Minis and over 7000 participants and visitors from all over the world, all meeting in Longbridge to celebrate the 50th birthday of this wonderful little car. The Birmingham Mini Owners Club excelled to produce a fantastic show despite being overwhelmed by the masses that turned up for the fun.

Miniaddicts mixed with many different nationalities young and old on the campsite. Among our little group were two Australians, one New Zealander and Paul, our American visitor and NEMO representative. I drove my Riley Elf from Chester with Paul riding shotgun on the left and our wives following in my Citroën. I parked in a space reserved by the Elf Registry along with several others.

The event was held on a series of open fields on a rolling hillside and when viewed from the top, it was Mini Nirvana for any enthusiast.

The main event area was host to vendors and reserved for some notable Minis, like the first and last production Minis off the assembly line (see photo with Paul), as well as an area set aside for 1959 Minis. The Monte Carlo winners were also on display. —TH

“Unbelievable”

The Brits, and all of Europe for that matter, will travel unbelievable distances in a Mini to be present at the IMM, especially for the 50th anniversary of the Mini. Next year the IMM will be held in Germany and many of the miniaddicts plan on attending. I was even invited by a German Elf owner who wanted to practice his English on me. All I could say in response was danker shane.

Hosting the event across the lane from the factory (now razed) was even more reason for some to attend. Many towed trailers and campers, or caravans as they call them, to live on site for up to five days. Just walking by the camps of the clubs from all over the world was an experience for a homebody like me.

The Spamfritter Mini Club of England gave me a can of Spam from the Monty Python movie Spamalot as a souvenir from their club display. I’m told one of these cans actually sold on eBay for £8!

I was anxious to see what crazy things folks over there do to their Minis as I have an uncontrollable urge to modify Minis myself. I wasn’t disappointed. There were chromed Minis, 4x4 Minis, stretched Minis, shortened Minis, flip-nosed Minis, funny car Minis, camper Minis, and more. Not to mention the endless display of flowers, racing strips, plaid paint, and roof decorations on Minis from every nation on earth. Now I feel better knowing that there are lots of people with the same uncontrollable urge to modify their Minis! —PS

NEWTON, MA, July 10-12 — NEMO was very involved with this year’s Microcar and Minicar Classic. This weekend-long event, held in and around the home of the area’s foremost microcar enthusiasts, Charles and Nancy Gould, brings out many of our members every year. There are not many events where the Minis are some of the largest cars in the group!

Marsha Judson once again prepared the Friday night buffet and coordinated the kitchen help for Saturday’s Eclectic Barbeque. Bruce and I prepared the keepsake nametags and helped with registration. Barbara Neiley assisted us at the show on Saturday at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum with day-of-event registrations and did all the ballot counting.

The event logo this year, created by Troy, NY-based artist Wendy Costa, was based on the classic Dodgem ride in amusement parks (as in bumper cars) we all remember as kids. When people were giving rides in the micros and Minis at the show on Saturday, I thought about that theme as they zipped on and off the field, carrying spectators on a ride they will not soon forget! Don’t worry, nobody bumped.

There were a lot of Minis there this year — I would say well over a dozen. Minis have their own class (as opposed to other “minicars,” such as BMW 700s and NSU Prinzes), and the numbers were so impressive Charles even asked us if they should offer a separate class for new MINIs next year.

It was great to see Al de Arroyo among those giving rides, and Mike Browne, from the Positive Earth Drivers Club, up from New Jersey to attend the event. Both gentlemen came away with trophies for their cars, too — Al a 2nd, Mike a 3rd — but 1st was Ken Lemoine once again, in his turquoise Morris Mini Traveller.

At the end of the awards presentations, a token of our club’s appreciation was given to Charles and Nancy for opening up their home every year to us Mini enthusiasts and including us in all the micro activities. Appropriately, it was something small — a scale model of four BMW Isettas on a car transporter. We figured there is always room in their garage for more Isettas.

Upon our return to the Goulds’ I took over their back yard and gave a cooking demonstration (how to make rice rolls for sushi), complete with heckling from the audience. Besides rice rolls, that night’s Eclectic Barbeque was supplemented by Friday night’s leftovers and then an ice cream run to downtown Newton. As micros doubled up in single parking spaces or parked pretty much wherever they felt like (they could squeeze in anywhere) they were the source of much amusement to the locals.

Sunday the wild fun continued as Charles led us on a micro/Mini caravan to Mt. Wachusett. The mountain road was closed, but of course getting there was half the fun. We enjoyed lunch in the area and met up with Dave Black and Greg Mazza at the restaurant.

We did work the event, but there was plenty of time to wind down, too. If you have never joined us at the Microcar and Minicar Classic, you must consider it next year. It is always held in July, usually on the second weekend. As I am fond of saying, “It is more fun than adults should be allowed to have!” Kids can come, too.

BOSTON, MA — In cooperation with Kurt Steele of the Boston Area MG owners and the British Embassy, five Minis (three from NEMO’s Ken Lemoine, Paul Saulnier and Vince Tamburo) established an encampment on the bricks of Faneuil Hall and the marketplace in downtown Boston.

During this, the Mini’s 50th anniversary year, NEMO has been motoring about “New” England spreading the good will of our little Minis, and on Sunday, July 19th, we subdued over 15,000 Bostonians to the strains of Gerry and the Pacemakers, the DC5, Herman’s Hermits and many more British Invasion bands of ’60s. Unlike the earlier colonists these 21st century revolutionaries embraced our little Brit mobiles, and some clown (literally) hugged them (also literally).

It just proved that if you take the cars to the people they will give you back a mountain of friendship. If we are to engage the next generation of enthusiasts, events like these will be a great place to make that connection you never know when they may see their first Mini.

First up this month — Brian Jablonski with his unique ’63 850. In for brakes and out with that, plus a new rear main seal and engine steady bushes. The early brakes are very simple — both front and rear are identical drum systems! Same slave cylinders, same shoes, springs, drums, etc. And they actually work! Well, they do when properly adjusted, and adjustment needs to be done regularly or a very low brake pedal will result. While poking around on the creeper, I noticed oil dripping from the cotter pin in the bottom of the side cover (clutch end). This is an indication of rear main seal failure and needs prompt attention or forward motion becomes impossible due to clutch slippage. A bear of a job with the motor in place, but can be done with a modicum of patience and a fair bit of luck (like, how tight is the flywheel?)

Next was Tom Judson, who wanted to replace his generator with an alternator. I mean, how hard can that be? The tricky part is the voltage regulator wiring, but it’s really just a matter of connecting all those wires together and getting rid of the regulator altogether. So Tom gets the alternator in and realizes that the coil was mounted to the generator and now needs a new mount. The kit came with a bracket that mounts on a head stud, so out came the stud and we thought it would be smart to install a longer stud so future removal of the coil would not require disturbing the head torque. Another stud was sourced from the Barn’s stud collection and installed, then torquef almost to 50ft-lbs when pop! Oh, crap — it broke! Now what? The break was at the very top of the block, too far down to get at it with a standard drill and easy-out. The only solution was to remove the head.

At this juncture, I should mention that it was late on Wednesday evening and on Friday morning, Tom and Marsha needed to have this car to haul all of the food for microcar weekend to Newton, MA. You see, Marsha prepares most of the food consumed by the multitudinous crowd at the microcar meet and none of their other vehicles is capable of fitting all of the fixings. Now, I hate a deadline, but here we were — Tom was prepared to drive the car sans the one head stud (I wasn’t) — so off with its head! Thursday evening we finished the job and nobody went hungry in Newton.

That Sunday, Greg and I met up with the microcars on their jaunt to Mt. Wachusett. We had a wonderful drive up and were following the micros when I noticed Greg falling behind. It seems his electrical problem had reared its ugly head once again, and so a coil change seemed to work — but only for a couple of miles. We started to look for wiring problems that would rob the spark (nothing obvious). Then checked the points, replaced the condenser and had a hard look at the rotor. I mean, what can possibly go wrong with the rotor? It’s such a simple piece with no moving parts, but Greg saw a flat black spot on the underside where it goes on the distributor shaft. It seems the spark was leaking through to the shaft and not getting to the plugs! Fitment of a new rotor got him running again and in time to visit with the micros at their lunch stop.

Convinced that we’d finally got to the bottom of Greg’s electrical problems (this has been chronicled in this column for many years), all went merrily on their way and all arrived home with no incident. Greg was so happy he started driving his S regularly and was just getting used to the idea that it was going to be dependable when it left him walking once again! This time it sounds like some wiring problem, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know something more!

NEWTON, MA — In fact, it’s more fun than adults should be allowed to have! So do not miss this year’s Microcar & Minicar Classic Event, July 10-12. It is three days of fun and frolic with folks who are more obsessed than we Mini owners are with small cars. What other car event can you go to with your Mini and be one of the largest cars in attendance? Expect to see Messerschmitts, Isettas, Citroën 2CVs, and maybe a Trabant or two!

The Classic is hosted by world famous microcar enthusiasts Charles and Nancy Gould at their home at 163 Country Club Road in Newton.

People start arriving Friday afternoon to unload, polish and, if needed, repair their cars (they have a whole gang of “wrenches” who are on call to assist). Registration opens at 6 p.m. and that is when the wine, beer and a sumptuous finger food buffet are available as well. The welcome party lasts long into the night!

Coffee, bagels and pastries greet folks as they assemble 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. At 11 the cars parade four miles to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline for a show. This is the only show held at the Museum where spectators are given rides in the show cars! There is a Mini/MINI Class with awards, so make sure you bring yours. The show runs until 4.

We then parade back to the Goulds’ for the notorious “Eclectic Barbeque.” Participants are asked to bring unusual foods to share. This is a favorite part of the weekend activities as the only thing that this group enjoys more than the little cars is the food!

Around dusk we parade over to Newton Center where we park and create quite a stir. Once back at the Goulds’ serious margaritas and general merriment wind down the day’s activities.

Pastries and coffee await those who come back the next morning to join in another adventure with the Goulds. At 10 a.m. we will set out on a 50-mile tour to Wachuset Mountain and ascend to the summit. (The only car not to make it to the very top last year was a Mini! However, the car had just been restored and perhaps was not yet sorted out.) We stop for lunch after our descent from the Mountain and then, time permitting, stop at the Goulds’ Matchbox Motors Microcar Museum storage facility to view all of the unfinished projects and potential show winners that were not able to be driven in the Classic this year.

If you are still with us Sunday evening, you can join the gang at a local restaurant and then go back to the Goulds’ for another round of margaritas and merriment.

NEMO is very involved in this event. We help out with name badges, registration, vote tallying and food preparation. If you would like to volunteer to help us, please e-mail me at nemo@auroratechedi.com.

For more details, a registration form and directions, go to www.bubbledrome.com.

WATERFORD, CT, June 7 — The hosts of British by the Sea, the Connecticut MG Club, announced that BBTS set a record this year for number of cars, trucks and motorcycles on display: 340!

The lineup of Minis and MINIs was particularly impressive. Winners came from the ranks of NEMO and beyond. They were:

Mini Classic — 1st, John and Denise Leary, 1963. 2nd, David Icaza, 1969. 3rd, Tom Marantz, 1967.

Mini New (MINI) — 1st, Keith Pennifold, 2006. 2nd, Paul Kramm, 2008. 3rd, Lynda Madison, 2009.

A regular reader of this column will no doubt be growing tired of hearing about yet another head gasket failure. Or perhaps the reader takes pleasure in others’ misery (like gawking at an accident). At any rate, we’ve had another head gasket problem. This time Vince Tamburo was the lucky winner. As many of you know, replacing the head gasket requires removal of the head — sometimes a quick job, sometimes it gets complicated. Vince’s removal was fairly straightforward, but turned into a real project when it became apparent that the whole engine had to be removed to machine out a burned spot on the block.

Head removal: jack up car loosen exhaust and slide back off head studs hang intake manifold and carb back out of the way don’t remove cables as these can take a long time to get back in place remove valve cover, plugs loosen bypass hose disconnect rad top connections off with the rocker assembly and with any luck, there’s nothing left but a beheaded block! Now, when you realize that the whole engine must come out, you must first reinstall the head to provide an anchor for the exhaust so you can disassemble the exhaust to get the LCB out of the way. Then, of course, the carb cables must now be removed to allow for complete removal of same. I told you this was like passing an accident — you just could not read this far, could you!

There’s more. Vince came with friend Bob Trigo to pick up the car and through a miscommunication, I was out of town. Not wanting to take the car without letting me know, Vince went to get my cell phone number and found he didn’t have it with him. Knowing that Faith would know how to reach me, they called information to get Faith’s number (unlisted) and no listing for any of the company names that Bob and Vince could think of. In desperation, Bob knew where he’d left his copy of the Marque at home. A call to his wife and a quick search by her found a phone number for the Marque and soon we were talking.

I suggested he take it for a drive and call me afterwards, as I was still a couple of hours away from being available. It took about 1-1/2 hours for Vince to call back. Seems his Mini just quit about three miles from anywhere! Vince hitched back to The Barn to get his trailer and go rescue Bob and Mini. By then I was getting close, so they decided to wait.

Well, when faced with an abrupt stoppage, it’s always better to keep it simple. The lack of only one of two things can stop an engine dead in its tracks: fuel or spark. Checked fuel first — lots. Pulled a plug and found... nothing. Aha, so it’s electrical, I announced. (While thinking, oh, crap! — it’s electrical. Do you know how many possibilities there are for failure in the Mini electrical system? We could be here all night!) So now with a nervous sweat running down my back I start grabbing wires to see if there’s any obvious fault. We got real lucky — while I was pulling on the primary coil lead it came off in my hand! Five minutes later Vince was loading his Mini on the trailer for the long trip back to the South Shore.

Next came Jay Cady, who has recently been autocrossing with his Mini. On the last tech inspection, one of his front wheels wasn’t as secure as it should be, so Jay wanted to fix the problem post-haste. It’s always fun to show a guy how to fix his car himself and Jay took to it easily. He did say that his daughter, Emma, would be upset to learn that she’d missed the job of removing the front wheels, her favorite task (got to meet this girl!). In no time we had both hubs off, cleaned everything up and were ready for reassembly. One CV boot was torn, then it was noticed that the other one was in bad shape — and that the inner boots were nothing to write home about, so all were replaced along with the one bad bearing.

I was working one side, Jay the other. Sharing tools, I put my side’s caliper on and installed the bolts as far as could be done by hand, thinking Jay would tighten them up when he came around with the wrenches. Not another thought about this until taking a shower the next morning when I wondered if he had checked those bolts. Well, we got lucky — he hadn’t — and had driven 100 miles home, luckily with no ill effects. Jay reported that Emma was ecstatic about having to remove this tire after all!

And then came Greg for brakes on all four wheels. New drums on the rear, new discs on the front, and a full ball joint tune-up. Now his car not only goes like stink, but stops on a dime!

All for now got to go weed!

STOWE, VT — After getting the horn in our 1967 Mini fixed (see Dave’s article below), Bruce and I were ready to roll to “Minis in the Mountains,” an eat, lodge and drive weekend held May 15-17.

We were very excited about this trip because it meant going to Stowe entirely for pleasure. The only other times we have been in Stowe have been for the annual British Invasion, and while we always have a wonderful time, we are totally occupied in the vendor area and are not able to tour around and enjoy some of the wonderful scenery and special features that part of Vermont has to offer.

We decided to take the back roads up to Stowe this time, and the Mini really loved the curvy roads instead of being forced to scream down the major highways while avoiding being run over by the huge semis.

The event was held at the wonderful Ye Olde England Inne. We had reserved a suite with our friends Tom and Marsha Judson and were looking to spending some time with them. We always see them at the “British by the Sea” show where we are vending and they are working the show with their other club, the Connecticut MGs. We also see them at the Goulds’ for the Microcar/Minicar event, but we all help out at that one so there is not much time to chat.

We checked in at the Inne and were greeted with a big hug from Lyn Francis, who owns the Inne with her husband Chris (whom you may know as one of the organizers of the British Invasion). After settling into our charming suite, we returned to the lobby and sampled some afternoon tea and freshly baked brownies. Then Tom and Marsha arrived and the fun began!

Part of the activities Chris had planned for the weekend was a wine and cheese get-together followed by a barbeque dinner. The other couple who had registered for the event had not yet arrived so the four of us sat down on the porch of the Inne, where we were served an enormous plate of cheese, crackers and fruit and beverages. After consuming more cheese than I have ever had in one sitting we saw a Mini pull in to the parking lot across the street. We thought it was the other couple and they were lost, so Bruce and Tom ran across the street to get them. Well, it turned out that they were not the missing event participants, but NEMO members Chris and Gail Cole from nearby Johnson, VT! They had been out for some exercise and wanted to grab dinner before heading home. Tom and Bruce convinced them to join us for dinner and they ended up being with us the entire weekend! Our missing couple, Derick and Lorine Karabec, arrived just as we were digging into the barbeque, and so our group of four had doubled in size.

The next morning at breakfast Chris Francis bade us good morning and gave us a map with a suggested route for some great driving and scenery. We also met a group of photographers from Bikes & Buggies, who had arranged to take some photos of the group. So, our first stop was at a lovely covered bridge for a photo session. Then we were off to a stop at a waterfall that was only a short hike in from the road (see, it helps to have local folks with you!).

Once we returned to the cars, up we went to Smuggler’s Notch, where the road gets very twisty. The photographers were waiting for us there and got some great shots. It was very windy and cold once we got to the top of Smuggler’s Notch, but there were restrooms so we all got out of our cars and took advantage of them.

While we were heading down the mountain it started to drizzle. A gaggle of Porsches passed us going the other way and they looked like they were also having a fun weekend. By the time we got down to the bottom it had begun to rain in earnest. No matter, we were planning to cruise and see the scenery until lunch, and the occupants of the four Minis were snug and dry so we just continued on our way. Tom and Marsha had a little trouble with their windshield wipers, but even this did not slow our group down very much and we pressed on. We traveled across northern Vermont, passing through charming small towns, and then crossed the bridge over to the islands on Lake Champlain. We stopped at a general store/deli in North Hero and had some great sandwiches. Mother Nature stopped the rain long enough for us to get lunch and then get back in our cars before starting the downpour again.

Chris and Gail (being locals) had led the way the entire tour and they suggested we avoid the traffic in Burlington and detour over to their house. We all agreed and off we went across another bridge and back to the mainland. The Coles have a right-hand-drive Mini and it was fun to see Gail stick her head out of the left window to get photos of the cars in the caravan.

We traveled through some beautiful country and finally arrived at the Cole estate. It is a gorgeous piece of property high up on a hill, complete with a pond, friendly wild turkeys and, of course, a garage/workshop where Chris and Gail keep their fleet. We oohed and ahhed over their Morris woody wagon, Triumph TR3, TR4 and Spitfire, all stablemates of the Mini.

After enjoying some hot beverages and the view from their lovely house, we reluctantly said our goodbyes. Chris and Gail graciously led us back to a main road so we would not get lost and end up in Canada.

We arrived back at the Inne in time to relax a bit before assembling in the lobby for our Saturday night dinner. Chris Francis escorted us to a great table in the corner of Mr. Pickwick’s Pub and joined us for a bit to hear about our adventures. After a good meal and much conversation, we headed off to our rooms.

At breakfast the next morning the photographers arrived with the pictures they took of our cars, blown up, printed on archival quality paper and ready to frame, which they offered for purchase at a good discount. After pictures were selected and money changed hands, it was time to finish packing the cars and head home.

Minis in the Mountains was a wonderful weekend, and many thanks go to Lyn and Chris Francis and the friendly staff at Ye Old England Inne as well as our impromptu tour directors Chris and Gail Cole. Derick and Lorine decided we were such a fun group that they are now NEMO members. We hope to see them at another event soon!

Innekeeper Francis hopes to make Minis in the Mountains an annual event. Once the date is set for May 2010, we urge you to put it on your calendar. Being in Stowe, enjoying and touring with a bunch of wonderful Mini folks — there is no better way to spend a late spring weekend!

Another active month here in The Barn. Al and Linda DeArroyo needed to have their rear main seal replaced. It had leaked enough to cause clutch slippage bad enough not to allow forward motion. As many of you know, this can turn into a real project, so Al arranged to leave before the crack of dawn to arrive at The Barn early enough to allow for unexpected problems with the changeout. Don’t you know — nothing went wrong! The flywheel popped off without so much as a grunt from Greg Mazza, who was there to help, and the seal was removed (I use a hose clamp on the primary gear as a puller to remove the main seal saves trying to get in there with a screwdriver and bugger up the side cover). Installation was exactly the reverse of disassembly — no surprises, no glitches. The best part of the day was lunch with Greg, Linda, and Al at a local eatery that serves Newcastle!

Curious as to why Al’s main seal had failed, a very close inspection revealed a very slight dimple in the seal area — probably from manufacture. Also, the running surface on the primary gear was quite rough from the factory. Al spent some time with the stropping sander to smooth things up (or is it down?) before reassembly. When working the primary gear into the seal, we always put a wrap of electrical tape over the step to prevent damage to the seal.

Bruce Vild called to say he couldn’t toot — what could it be? When I realized it was his Mini’s horn to which he was referring and not some dread medical ailment, it got interesting. Greg took the lead on this one, starting with the horn to make sure it actually worked (it did). Next, we checked conductivity of the wires to their first stop (fuse box) — all O.K. Then we put the voltmeter to the fuse box with the key on to see if the problem lay further up the wiring. With key on we got 12v on the hot side of the fuse box, but nothing on the other side. Could it be as simple as a blown fuse? (Of course not!) It required removal of the fuse box and wire brushing of the terminals to restore electrical conductivity. Toot-toot!

I know all our Minis have their own quirks and one of mine is corrosion in the fuse box. Every couple of years I have to remove it and clean everything back to bare metal. The symptom I look for to tell me when the cleaning is needed? My signal lights don’t work. And I’ve discovered that when the signal lights don’t work, neither do the brake lights, not a great situation on something as small as a Mini. I like to drive as predictably as possible, and my rear lights are a big part of communicating my intentions to the driver behind. Pay attention to those people — they quite literally holds your life in their hands!

Next month we’ll have another head gasket saga…

HARRISVILLE, RI — Almost 20 members made the trip on Sunday, March 8th, to attend the annual NEMO Planning Meeting, graciously hosted each year at Faith and Bruce’s lovely home in northwestern Rhode Island. Usually the weather is snow, rain or otherwise wintery, but that day was pleasant and sunny. A few members drove their MINIs and others their “regular” cars, but nobody dared venture out with a classic Mini as the weekend before had been icy and a good amount of salt still covered the roads.

After all, the #1 enemy of classic Minis is road salt. The Brits would call the resulting rust “being eaten by the tin worm.” I’m not sure there is any actual tin in a Mini, but there is certainly a backbone of mild steel and the cars were not designed to last too long, certainly not the 50 years that some of our members’ cars are approaching.

Speaking of 50 years, the Mini has a birthday in 2009. The first Mini to come off the line for general sale hit the streets on August 26, 1959. They were in production from 1959 to 2000, over 41 years, before the new-design MINI came out. We in NEMO like to think of the classic Mini as the best car ever made. (As in fact, it is.) So it is fitting that the discussions at the Planning Meeting included how to celebrate this birthday year!

Some of the members will be going to England for the big IMM bash and other celebrations near the factory in Birmingham. If someone sells this writer the winning lottery ticket, we all may be going! (Gotta be a big win!) Dreams aside, the economy has put the bite on everyone’s wallet and most who would like to go can’t afford to or are keeping their piggy banks full for a rainy day. Having been to the 40th celebrations at Silverstone and Mini-in-the-Park in 1999, I can say that anyone who goes to the 50th should have a great time. See the archive stories with pictures at www.airportworld.com in the Mini section.

The members brought food and treats and Bruce and Faith supplied the soft drinks and beer, so a break was taken to indulge ourselves. After that, Faith detailed some upcoming activities in which members can and should participate:

May 15-17 — “Minis in the Mountains,” a great getaway weekend at Ye Olde England Inne in Stowe, VT. Make reservations by calling the Inne at (802) 253-7558, and let them know whether you’re bringing your Mini/MINI.

June 7 — “British by the Sea” in Waterford, CT. This is a very nice show and quite a few Mini owners attend for a good day out. See the Connecticut MG Club website, www.ctmgclub.com, for a registration form.

July 10-12 — Mini and Microcar Day in Newton, MA, a weekend-long event that’s very popular each year with NEMO members.

Other activities were discussed, revolving around meeting at a breakfast place, having a nice spirited run in our cars and ending up at a diner, or other activity. We are looking for members to volunteer to run one of these easy get-together events. Come on and volunteer — it’s easy! Plan out a Saturday or Sunday, pick a place, a time, and give a month or two notice so it can get into the Marque, and let’s go!

As far as other activities go, there is a possible weekend of Minis at the Kitzhof Inn later in the season, and of course the British Invasion in Stowe in September. After Stowe, the Cape Cod British Car Club show at the Bourne Marine Park in October is well attended by NEMO members, who usually take all three trophies in the Mini class.

Lisa Mastrandrea has been the NEMO Keeper of the Money for quite a few years and expressed a desire to Faith before the meeting that she wanted to pass the torch. The members attending gave Lisa quite a few compliments on the great job she’s been doing, and then almost everyone jumped up and volunteered. Actually, that last bit about jumping up and volunteering didn’t happen, but after some application of guilt and shame and more beer, our very own Garage Wizard, Dave Black, stepped forward. After the beer wore off, he realized what a great service he will be providing to the club, and as to his experience in bookkeeping, he said he understood the “two sets of books theory” started by Capone in the 1920s and would keep us in the Black. (Only joking and horrible pun, and I wished he had thought of it for real!)

Faith organized a raffle of gifts donated by members and by the club. We discussed selling off the remaining MME2008 hats, shirts and bags at events and on eBay. Faith is going to sell them on the club merchandise area of the website also.

Then, Bruce brought out a DVD with a cameo appearance by a Mini, Rendezvous, and members watched that or left for home. Another great meeting over, another NEMO prime-anniversary Mini season begun. So attend an event or plan an event — just get out there and drive.

ESSEX, MA — The 7th Annual MINIsOnTop MINI Cooper Car Rally will be held Saturday, June 17th, at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire. MINIsOnTop, Ltd., has chosen two charities to benefit from the fundraising efforts that will be part of the event: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine and the Mt. Washington Observatory.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation (www.mainewish.org) and the Mt. Washington Observatory (www.mountwashington.org) will share the proceeds from a raffle of a MINI Cooper lease donated by Herb Chambers MINI of Boston as well as money raised through other activities held throughout the day.

MINIsOnTop assists an individual New England state foundation of Make-A-Wish each year. The Observatory will receive 6.288% of the total raised, honoring the height of the tallest peak in the Northeast, and the balance will go to Make-A-Wish.

MINIsOnTop, Ltd., is a registered 501(c)(7) non-profit organization and not is affiliated with MINI USA, BMW of North America or any of its subsidiaries. Contact information: Michael Smith, Public Relations, michael@minisontop.com or (508) 397-2587.

[From a press release.]

What a treat this month to get to work on Randy and Betty’s Mini! Not only was the work easy — all it needed was some minor tuning and other bits — but the best part was visiting with Randy and Betty. They are planning to retire to Florida as soon as possible and this may be the last time we see them in the Northeast. It was a great time out for Koehlers, Blacks and Mazzas!

Ben called last week (see the Jan./Feb. Marque) with a problem. “Sounds like firecrackers under the hood,” he said, and water bubbling out of radiator very quickly leading to overheat condition. “Runs like crap!”

The diagnosis was easy — head gasket — the cause not so easy to pin down. I’ve been using the same copper gasket (VAF460) on all my rebuilds with good luck. My car has run over 20K miles without a head gasket problem. While trying to work through the possibilities, I found out that Vince Tamburo has the same problem! So, the last two rebuilds have failed head gaskets — time for a change. Trying the BK450 or “black” gasket. Ben drove away last night and haven’t heard from him yet (read: no news is good news). Vince will be out this weekend for his replacement.

Steve Nacky has been wrestling with his Metro calipers, trying to drill out bleed screws. Jay Cady is in the middle of the same project and had sourced out a bleed screw repair kit. The two have communicated and seem to be happy with the results. Steve, though, ordered a set of new calipers just to be sure. He plans to use the old ones as spares. Can’t have too many spares!

All for now — on to yard work — and, as I write this, it’s OITC (Old Iron Tractor Club) Plow Day tomorrow. The most fun you can have at walking speed. No registration, insurance or cops, just you and the dirt!

STOWE, VT — I would like extend a warm, welcoming invitation to you and all your members to a special weekend event we shall be hosting exclusively for Mini owners here at Ye Olde England Inne in Stowe, Vermont, May 15-17. We are calling it “Minis in the Mountains in May.”

The wonderful roads of Vermont are superb, a driver’s dream with little traffic, good surfaces, and there is no better vehicle to enjoy the winding mountain roads here than a road-hugging Mini! Views are fabulous in all directions and the spring foliage will be spectacular with every shade of green bursting from trees ancient and young in the welcome warmth of springtime. We have included driving tours to enjoy the waterfalls and covered bridges of Lamoille County and of course the famous Smugglers Notch. A stop at Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory is a must.

On Friday goodie bags and a complimentary wine and cheese welcome reception for Inne guests who are Mini owners will be hosted in the Copperfields Room. Friday night is barbeque time, with our chef flashing up the giant grill to sizzle and serve your favourites. Saturday morning starts with a shine and show event (car care products, hoses, and buckets provided by us) followed by group photographs. A professional photographer will be on hand if you wish to capture some special images of your Mini. Saturday night is time to let your hair down for a great dinner with dancing to our favourite blues band in the Boathouse. Sixties garb is optional but you may win a prize if you get in the Carnaby Street mood!

A special Mini rate of $85 per person will include: a wine and cheese reception Friday evening Friday night BBQ on the deck breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings afternoon tea Saturday and Sunday Saturday night dinner. Rooms at the Inne have been heavily discounted. Ask about our Special Value Rates (from $85 per night for our feature rooms to $175 for a suite that can accommodate four people.) Many of the rooms have Jacuzzis!

It should be a fun weekend and we hope to get a great turnout. For reservations call (802) 253-7558. At the time of booking, let us know if you are bringing your Mini along with its model, year and colour. All Minis, both classic and modern, are welcome!

[Many of you know Chris as a co-organizer of the British Invasion held every September in Stowe. His establishment, Ye Olde England Inne, is a favorite watering hole for many of the folks attending the Invasion. We discussed this event at our March 8th planning meeting and agreed it would be a great time away. Let’s start looking at caravan routes and sign up quickly to avoid disappointment.]

SILVERSTONE, U.K. — I am sure that you are as excited as the people at MINI USA are about celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mini this year. What better place for Mini fans to come celebrate together than at Mini United 2009 in Silverstone, May 22-24?

While American Mini and MINI owners may be a little sad leaving their cars behind to go overseas to Mini United, MINI USA has put together a special package for them to relieve any separation anxiety. The package includes some of the following elements: a Friday Night Pub Crawl, a track lap in a MINI at Silverstone Track, Sunday private lunch with Mike Cooper, access to the Mini Challenge Paddock Hospitality Lounge, limited edition gifts and goodies, and even a commemorative Royal Mail stamp of the Mini’s 50th anniversary.

Registration for this package has just opened, and it is only for U.S. guests, so please spread the word about this unique opportunity. The participation fee is $50.

If you have any questions about the event or this special package, feel free to give me a call, or you can go directly to http://www.miniusa.com/#/play/go_a_motoring/ united-m to learn more about the program.

[Elsewhere on this page notice is given of the 50th anniversary of Alec Issigonis’ classic Mini. But even though our favorite little car was a trendsetter back in 1959, it was by no means the first based on the concept of smaller being better. Consider this piece from British car historian Wheatley...]

Could it be that the first “Mini” was not only American but was made in New York?

In 1928 James V. Martin, an airplane manufacturer in Garden City, NY, announced that his company would introduce a Baby Car in the following spring that would give the owner a cost of only two cents a mile with speeds in excess of 60mph. Furthermore the showroom cost for the car would be under $200 — including a portable garage in which to store the car when it was not on the road! In reality, he was talking about a two-seater automobile that had a five-foot wheelbase (smaller than the modern Mini by at least two feet), with a total unladed weight of less than 600 lbs., which meant that the average male owner could lift the car to change a wheel without the use of a jack.

Production was estimated at 2000 cars a day once the vehicle had been fully promoted and seen at selected dealers. The press release stated that the car could be parked in half the space of a standard car and had a turning circle within its own length. Furthermore, on a 400-mile road test the car gave over 50 miles for a gallon of gasoline. The car had no chassis or springs and there were no axles in the usual sense of the word. Each wheel was independently attached to the underside of the body, and the support was provided by “aviator cord,” which was used at that time to absorb the shocks in airplane wheels. The cord was comprised of a core of rubber strands and a protecting coat of fabric. (You can find a similar product in modern-day rubber-based tie downs with plastic hooks on each end.) These cords were guaranteed to last a total of 25,000 miles and then the owners could simply fit a new set for a modest cost.

Power reached the rear wheels through a diminutive differential gearbox attached to the bodyshell. Lightweight shafts drove the rear wheels through universal joints so that the car could roll over inequalities in the road surface. The fact that no heavy springs were used reduced the weight especially in the front section, which made steering easy. The power unit was a four-cylinder air-cooled motor that produced in excess of 20hp.

The unique cooling system consisted of a jacket completely enclosing the motor through which a fan forced cooling air, moving it through the jacket and around the engine. The VW Beetle produced some years later adopted the same principle, and it worked!

The gear selection was three forward gears and one reverse housed in the rear axle differential. The starter unit was electric, with a “kick starter” like a motorbike for those moments when the battery was low. You could have any color you wished, as long as it was black or red. The free garage was supplied by packing the car into a wooden weatherproof case with two front doors that could be locked. The car fitted into the space with room to spare.

One other interesting feature was the design of the interior. The two independent seats were offset to provide more internal space for the driver and passenger.

As far as the records indicate, the company made at least three of these vehicles before the effect of the stock market collapse halted further production and also closed the aircraft plant. What happened to Mr. James Martin is not known, but we do know that his car had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had he been around a few years later there is little doubt that the car would have been a winner, especially when gas was rationed at the start of World War II.

The promotion reports of the day stated that a major mail order company was interested in selling the car. As Sears & Roebuck had been successful before the First World War in selling the “Sears Buggy” from a catalog, one can’t help but wonder if they were the mail order company in question.

The British Mini Club are the first to have a big show in the U.K. every January and this year was no exception celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Mini. I was invited by the BMC to display my 1964 Riley Elf to represent the 60s Era.

The show was attended by over 5000 Mini enthusiasts eager to see what surprises were in store in this fantastic indoor show, and they were not disappointed!

A Paul Smith Mini was the prize this year in BMC’s “Win A Mini for a £!” and what a fine magnificent specimen it was.

Wood & Pickett were there as well, showing off their Margrave 50 for the first time. (That’s on my shopping list for when I win the lottery!)

I did not win a prize for Elf but hey, it’s the taking part that counts. Many friends visited me on the stand from Miniaddicts, Snowdon Minis, the Riley Club, and the Elf/Hornet Register.

Outside there were a few problems. Too many Minis and not enough parking spaces! Many Minis were parked on the grass verges outside of the Staffordshire Showground!

WINONA, MN — Registration for Mini Meet East Meets West 2009 is now open! The event will be in Winona, Minnesota, starting the evening of June 29th, and going through July 2nd. Go to http://www.minimeet09.org/, click the registration button, and follow the instructions from there.

Registration is being done on-line, so you can pay on-line by credit card through PayPal (you do not have to join PayPal to do this) or you can pay by check through the mail. When you have filled out the registration form click on the PayPal symbol for credit card payment or click on the mailbox symbol for payment by check. Either way, you will get a confirmation e-mail listing your choices. If you choose to pay by check, payment details will come with your confirmation e-mail.

We’re going to have a great event with a lot to do this year. Here are the plans:

Monday, June 29th is check-in starting at 1 p.m. at the Riverport Hotel. Mini vendors will be present all during the car show. That evening there will be a welcome reception in the hotel’s ballroom. This will be a great chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Tuesday, June 30th is the car show at St. Mary’s University, followed by the panoramic photo. Tuesday evening we’ll be celebrating the Mini’s 50th birthday at the bandshell in the park in Winona with a live band, cake and soft drinks.

Wednesday, July 1st is Autocross and Funkhana Day at Southeast Tech University. They have a great track for the autocross and drivers should have a ball. With time constraints, we need to limit spaces in the autocross to 150 so be sure to sign up early.

Since spaces are limited in the autocross, we are making that event a la carte for Meet registrants. The wacky hijinx of the funkhana will be held nearby and should provide a great time for all.

In between the two venues, there will be vendors setting up shop along with several planned tech sessions. Wednesday evening will be Cruise Night at the local drive-in.

The rally will be held on Thursday, July 2nd, and with all the scenic river bluffs throughout the area, it will prove to be an unforgettable drive in the countryside on some great Mini roads. Thursday evening is the awards banquet, featuring some great food, fascinating speakers and door prizes.

We’re looking forward to a great time and hope all of you can come to the meet in Winona, Mini-sota!

Don’t forget that NEMO’s Annual Pot Luck and Planning Meeting is on Sunday, March 8th, 12 noon, at Faith and Bruce’s house in Harrisville, RI. (For directions, see the February article below, or go to the "Events" page elsewhere on this site.) Come eat great food (our members always outdo themselves — not only does NEMO have some great mechanics, we have some great cooks!) and help us plan fun events for this year.

Twenty Minis turned up for Deano’s run on the 15th February at the local McDonald’s car park in Mold, North Wales. After a quick briefing all the cars were given a route sheet in case we were broken up en route to a Cheshire car museum approximately 40 miles away.

Like Paul Saulnier keeps saying, “It’s raining!” The forecast said dry but is it ever right? Well, today it was not! A little drizzle saw us on our way for around 30 minutes and then stopped. From then on it was dry and the run went smoothly. One or two members lost their way but soon retrieved their steps (so to speak) and all arrived safely at the Mouldworth Motor Museum, www.mouldsworthmotormuseum.com.

After an interesting look around — and spotting an unused, brand new Mini 30 which had been purchased for posterity with zero miles on the clock — members returned to their Minis for a short run to a café in Delamere Forest before continuing on the run and eventually heading for home. A good time was had by all.

[Tony, our U.K. correspondent, belongs to our sister club in North Wales, Miniaddicts, www.miniaddicts.co.uk.]

I don’t know why it is that the slack time soon becomes unslack. Thinking that I would be able to take a “wood-break” for the rest of winter, those plans were soon scrapped with the arrival of Ben Van Rheem’s Mini. We had done some diagnosing over the phone and discovered that one of the plugs was fouling regularly and causing rough running. Also, the old complaint: “Can you do anything about those oil leaks?”

Not afraid of driving his Mini in the winter (like a real man!), Ben showed up a week ago. I have a rule about doing seal replacement while the engine is in the car: one seal, O.K. two seals, maybe it would be easier with the engine out three seals, out you come so we can have a proper look at you! Well, Ben’s front main, rear main, and axle seals were all leaking, and after a compression test we were going to pull the head for a valve job and seal replacement. There was a look of horror on Ben’s face when I announced the lump would have to come out, but we muckled down and in a couple of hours it was out in all its greasy, grimy glory.

Off with its head! That’s to have a look inside and determine where the compression loss and oil consumption were coming from. Intake valves looked fine, but the exhaust showed serious signs of cavitation and leakage. The valve seals should remove easily with a little help from a screwdriver to pry them up — they broke into little pieces like hard plastic when removed! Now these seals are soft rubber when new and require a certain amount of flexibility to maintain a seal on the valve stem. When they turn hard, they stop sealing and allow oil to cascade down the intake valves and cause the plug fouling. A valve regrind and new seals should do the trick.

The rear main seal had been leaking since it had been replaced long before Ben bought the car (probably back in France). The cause was a gouge in the side cover surface that the seal needs to seat against. It’s easy to damage this surface when removing the old seal with a screwdriver, and this damage should be smoothed over before fitting a new seal. Axle seals were as brittle as the valve seals and the front main seal was the same!

Brittle valve seals can be caused by overheating, but axle and main seals can’t get hot enough unless the whole car is on fire. The last time I saw seals this hard was on Bill O’Connor’s Mini. I wrote that one off to synthetic oil, but what could have caused the same condition on Ben’s car? Now in the course of cleaning up the engine bay it was determined that new choke and heater cables would be fitted. Also we would clean up and move some unnecessary bits from under the master cylinders. First step to removing master cylinders: take out drivers seat to gain better whole body access up around the pedals. Upon removal, a glance under the back seat revealed an open quart of Mobil 1! I don’t believe in coincidence: two cars with brittle seals that had been using Mobil 1 tells me that this is the wrong stuff to be using. My recommendation is a 15-40 diesel-rated oil of API spec CJ-4+.

One other discovery: while removing the master cylinder pins under the dash, the clutch pin came out as easily as it can, but I could neither see nor feel the brake pin. I mean, it wasn’t there at all! I can’t believe that Ben has been driving this car without this pin. If the master cylinder clevis had slipped off the end of the pedal…

So, all has been replaced and/or fixed and the lump re-installed. While hooking up the axle boots, shift linkage and exhaust, I noticed some oil coming out of the shift seal! Can you believe we forgot to replace this seal? I guess we’ll just have to do it in the car!

In other news, Steve Nackowski has been up to sandblast parts, rebuild A-arms, and attempt to rebuild 8.4” calipers. The bleed screws broke off and Steve is trying to drill them out and rethread the holes. More on this as it develops.

Ed came by to go through my gear collection and ended up with several “good, used” gears for his rebuild.

Tom Judson called for a telephone consultation on how to get his horn button to work again. He’s been using a button mounted to the side of the steering column and would like to have the horn back in the middle of the steering wheel.

And last but not least, the matter of wood versus bio-bricks: I’ve burned about three cords in the house so far (call it $300 worth of wood). I’ve gotten exercise cutting, splitting, and hauling this wood. It took about a gallon of petrochemicals to cut it, and an unknown quantity of carbohydrates to split it! The only machinery involved is a chainsaw (which I already own). Don’t know what kind of carbon footprint all this activity has and how it would compare to the footprint of the same quantity of bio-bricks, do you, John?

Folks may remember my report on last year’s Wirral to Llandudno Run with it being one of the first and most popular every year. Well, this year was no exception. It was as magnificent as ever and very significant for me, as it was the first time for my Elf!

At 8.00 a.m. Sunday morning 200 Minis, young and old, assembled at the Bromborough Retail Park. After checking in we were able to buy a rally-style plaque to commemorate Wirral Minis’ 10th ‘W 2 L’ Run with toe plastic ties to fix to our grilles. (Makes an excellent water deflector to keep the rain off our distributors!)

At 9.15 the hooter sounded, and 20 marshals drove off, each leading ten Minis. The drive to Rhos-on-Sea was marred by a few entrants breaking down (nothing serious, only water causing malfunctions amongst the electrics). All were soon solved within minutes using WD40 and other water repellents.

The stop at Rhos-on-Sea allowed all to regroup after being split up over the 45-mile trip on the A55 Expressway by traffic overtaking and the water-sodden electrics. The pit stop (bathroom visit) provided great relief to many participants before moving on to The Great Orme, where we were given a concession pass for £1 instead of the normal £2.50. (We are only half cars anyway!) Once the toll was paid, the Minis braved their way, zigzagging up to the summit and parking in 20 rows, ten deep, in the centre of the public car park, with just enough room to open the doors to clamber out into a wind of almost 45-50mph. Many foolhardy drivers and passengers braved this by leaning into the wind at approximately 20°. Some even jumped up and landed three metres away from the spot!

Soon the hooter sounded again and everyone scrambled to find their Minis and drive round the mountain road to park on the promenade on the North Shore. We were allowed to drive on the promenade at 5mph or less provided we had our hazard indicators on. (The Elf has none so had to make do with headlights on.) Hundreds of day-trippers strolling up and down the promenade stopped to admire the Minis, many asking questions. I was the only Elf on display and was inundated with questions. I had forgotten to type an information sheet, which would have helped my throat no end!

The popular question was “How old is it? or “What year is it?” I was proud as Punch to be able to say “She will 45 years old on the 21st of January!”

[Miniaddicts are our sister club in the U.K.]

Join us on Sunday, March 8th, for NEMO’s Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Luncheon. Plan to arrive at 12 noon. The eating starts at 1 p.m. and the meeting follows at 2.

Bring a dish for the lunch table and join in the fun. We will be holding a give-away freebie raffle so if you have any Mini-related items you would like to donate, bring them along.

The Meeting and Luncheon will take place at the home of Faith Lamprey and Bruce Vild, 5 Old Nasonville Rd., Harrisville. Call (401) 766-6519 or e-mail editor@britishmarque.com.

Directions:

From the Providence area: Take Rt. 146 North. Take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit off 146. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left (almost immediately) at the stop light (a “T”). You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From the Boston area: Take Rt. 95 South to Rt. 295 South to Rt. 146 North. Take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit off 146. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left (almost immediately) at the stop light (a “T”). You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From the Worcester area: Take Rt. 146 South to the Rt. 5/102/146A Slatersville exit. Turn right off the exit ramp. You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From Connecticut and southern Rhode Island: Take Rt. 95 North to Rt. 295 North (in Rhode Island) to Rt. 146 North. From 146, take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left at the stop light. You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below. (See below for an alternate route.)

From Rt. 146A where you’ve all converged: Follow Rt. 146A through Forestdale. You will go through three traffic lights (one in Forestdale, one at the Slatersville Plaza, one at Gator’s Pub). At Slatersville Plaza, intersect with Rt. 102 by going straight. After Gator’s, “The Island” will appear on your left and you will see a sign on your right for Wright’s Farm. Slow down and get ready for a left turn at Inman Road/Old Victory Hwy. (ignore the road on your left across the street from the sign). Make sure you use your blinkers—this is a busy intersection! Take an immediate left after that (onto Old Nasonville Road), and an immediate right into our driveway. Call Faith and Bruce at (401) 766-6519 if you get lost.

Our poor little 1978 Mini has been in outdoor covered storage since July 2003.

Five and one-half years of not being driven has not been kind to the poor sod. It failed Massachusetts’ inspection due to rotted body panels back then. It didn’t get restored as our newer and better Green Mini was using up our spare funds. Then it was time to fund daughter Christa’s college and blah, blah, no money, etc. So it got Sta-Bil in the petrol tank, cement blocks under the tires, a soft cover and a tarp tied onto it for what was to be about a year. Then another, then another, and we stopped looking at the car, just making sure that nobody damaged it or a tree fell on it. It just sat and sat, while the Green Mini was the apple of our eye.

All the while, the Dave Black-rebuilt engine was sitting there, not breathing, not moving, simply waiting to be loved again, like a long lost little terrier — eyes still bright, still a feisty little thing, ready for action.

It won’t start, owing to fuel turning to sludge and the fact that the carb was bad before it went to sleep. The tires have sidewall rot but still hold air. The vinyl interior surfaces have started to go all white from mildew.

A family of mice was living under the wiper motor on the shelf inside the bonnet. Cranking it over via booster cables let them make their escape. Spiders were all over, under and inside. Another family of mice crawled up through the drain hole under the spare tire in the boot, making a nest there. I was wondering why the insulation in the nearby shed was missing all its bottom sections. Anything rusted is rusted more.

The brakes were totally frozen but are not any longer. We pumped and pumped and have them working somewhat. No leaks so far.

It won’t stay in gear. The clutch was frozen but we broke that free. The slave cylinder appears to be frozen. The radiator is dry, most likely evaporation or rotted hoses. We tried starting it but the battery is gone and jumping it did not work. Did I mention spiders?

After checking under the tarps we felt extreme pity for the car that was going to be “restored when we have the money.” We drove the Ford van up onto the lawn, out to the back and towed the Mini around front. Then, by using the towrope, we lowered it down the hill into the driveway and hence the photo — it is getting a bath, a cleaning and then being put into the garage for the start of the restoration. Every classic Mini deserves new life, as they are not making any more new ones. Spiders, did I mention it has spiders?

So, this week the garage is getting a cleaning and soon that 1988 VW Cabrio that we bought in an extreme moment of weakness or madness is getting worked on so it can be sold in the spring. I can’t have a pretty little Hun car taking up space that our Birmingham honey needs to live in. Hopefully enough cash will be raised for the body work by selling the VW. Our poor car, first brought back to life for the 1998 NEMO-sponsored Mini Meet East in Seekonk, will once more become a living, breathing Mini.

As soon as we get rid of the spiders.

It’s -8° (that’s minus) outside, but 80° in The Barn! Not many Minis on the road today, but we’ve had a chance to do some work this month. It didn’t look like anyone would have need of The Barn, so I started work on the Thurd. The throw-out bearing has been protesting for a couple of years now and I figured it was about time to change it. After getting it up on all fours a cursory glance underneath showed a couple of oil drips. I knew about the shift seal (it leaks whenever there’s fresh oil, then stops after a bit), but why was there oil on the cotter pin in the hole under the clutch housing? It could only be that the rear main seal was leaking! Rats — that meant the flywheel had to come off and it’s a trick to get the seal in straight on these newer side covers (there’s no lip to drive the seal up to).

All went reasonably well, though, and I felt so confident I decided to replace the rubber cones. The Thurd has been sagging lately and with all the spare parts packed for a trip the rear just about bottoms out. Though not the easiest task with the lump installed, it is possible to remove both upper arms to gain access to the trumpets, which are invariably frozen solid into the cones. The rears pose their own challenge as new cones are at least an inch taller (longer) than the old beasties. But a bit of prying, crying and cussing and they were in!

A tip if ever you venture this task: install new gaiters and cups. It’s nearly impossible to get the old gaiter back over the lip of the cup, and the cup usually needs replacing anyway. Put them together as a unit then slip the cup into its hole.

The last bit was to insert trumpet into cone. The Thurd now has the stance of an SUV — rides incredibly high both front and rear — but I’m told it will settle down in a short period of time. We’ll see — maybe should have installed adjusta-rides!

Vince Tamburo brought his baby over last month with Bob Trigo to see if I could adjust his twin carbs to smooth out the engine. If not, he wanted to go with an 1-3/4 HIF carb to eliminate the hassle he’s had trying to get his carbs sorted. He also wanted to take care of the oil leaks. Experience tells me that if you’ve got oil leaks at the axle seals, rear main seal, front timing cover (and it looked like a couple of more places!), then it’s easier to attack them with the engine out of the car. Oh, Vince complained of smelling exhaust, too.

Just for jollies, we did a compression test — one cylinder much lower than the others. Could be valves, head gasket or rings. Performed the old trick of squirting a little oil into the cylinders and rechecking compression. The oil will seal rings, so if the compression increases appreciably, you can eliminate valves as the culprit. Well, you guessed it — the lump had to be removed and a complete rebuild was undertaken. Upon inspection, it appeared the head gasket had been leaking — this could be the cause of the exhaust smell. And lo and behold, the cylinders were worn, so the block was bored and new pistons fitted. All is back together and waiting for Vince and Bob to come for a test drive and transport back home.

As an aside, I did a little more work on the old Dodge this month. Steering gear, crank sensor, U-joints, head lights, and steering gear again! The best job was the headlights. The old plastic lenses were yellow and severely pitted (300K-plus miles) and NAPA provided me with a refurbishing kit. Claimed to be a five-minute fix. And they were right, about five minutes per side and the lenses look like new! I won’t bore you with the details on the other jobs — give me a Mini to work on any day!

CHESTER, UK — After three years work of blood, sweat and tears the big day arrived. My Riley Elf was to have its first MOT in 30 years (the length of time it had been off the road) — and it passed! Next job was to re-register it as an Historic vehicle (every vehicle here pre-1972 qualifies for road tax exemption) and collect the free tax disc. I was even given a receipt for it!

So what’s my next step? Well, as it happened, some dear friends of mine who run Snowdon Minis arranged a Charity Run around the beautiful, rugged Island of Anglesey on Sunday 26 October, and I decided to join them.

I left Chester 1 1/2 hours early to cover the 60 miles to meet the club in Caernarvon. The little 998cc motor purred along with no fuss along the expressway, and we arrived 15 minutes before the start.

Twelve Minis were waiting for me to join them. The convoy of Minis then carefully negotiated the Island like a snake with hardly any other vehicles cutting in, most of them stopping and giving way to enable us to keep together, a lovely sight to see! With stops for photo shots and “pit stops” we were able to take in a few sights that make this island unique.

The £100 raised on the day was presented to the Air Ambulance Service, which does a grand job of rescuing sailors around the North Wales coast and many climbers on the Snowdon Mountain range.

[Tony is a member of Miniaddicts, our sister club in the U.K.]

HOLDEN, MA — Oops, wrong line. ’Twas the week before Halloween (that’s better) and all through our log house... the annual NEMO party was underway.

The Mazzas have graciously hosted this event for many years and last year we volunteered to host to give them a break. Attendance was unfortunately minimal, and only half dressed in costume (no, I did not). A couple of wizards in flowing garb and Willy Loman with freshly used hangman’s noose and plaid jacket came. But, like always, great food and malt and vineyard beverages were served, and the usual Mini talk was heard round the table. Pretty low key, but great people and great conversation.

Party coverage over, I suppose this is a good place to discuss the bit of Mini fixin’ that I was required to do last month. Let me tell you, I’ve never been fortunate to enjoy the complete loss of brakes before. It’s quite interesting.

After leaving the house the first stop I came to exhibited very soft brakes and very iffy stopping ability. Hmm, I thought. Next stop exhibited... well, nothing — the pedal went right to the floor. Joy! So being only a mile from home I turned around and carefully hand-braked my way back to my garage.

Habit is hard to break — even though I was downshifting and using the handbrake I naturally went for the foot brake, which of course didn’t cooperate and I think may have been sniggering at me.

Inspection showed half a master of fluid. No leaks at the corners or along the lines. No spots on the floor. Nothing on the carpet under the pedal. So let’s bleed the system. Got it back to about 80-90% or so, took it for a ride and confirmed that yeah, it still has some air but I’ll leave it until tomorrow since it’s late.

Next day, I have zero brake pressure again. After talking it over with Dave Black to confirm, we both assume it’s the servo. So after bending a line and bypassing the servo and bleeding yet again with my helpful 13-year-old son Scott — you know, “Up. Down. Up. Down...” — I have full pressure and all is well. Thanks, Scotty.

I sure miss the enhanced performance the servo provided so now I’m considering a rebuild kit. The only info I have to go on is what’s stamped on the unit, “5/8 Girling,” which I gather could be Jaguar or Rover. With the brakes back it’s now time to change the oil and get the little bugger tucked in for its winter hibernation.

Next month both Dave and I return with how to maximize your wood stove’s potential. We will be enthusiastically debating the merits of cordwood vs. BioBricks!

CHESTER, UK — After three years work of blood, sweat and tears the big day arrived. My Riley Elf was to have its first MOT in 30 years (the length of time it had been off the road) — and it passed! Next job was to re-register it as an Historic vehicle (every vehicle here pre-1972 qualifies for road tax exemption) and collect the free tax disc. I was even given a receipt for it!

So what’s my next step? Well, as it happened, some dear friends of mine who run Snowdon Minis arranged a Charity Run around the beautiful, rugged Island of Anglesey on Sunday 26 October, and I decided to join them.

I left Chester 1 1/2 hours early to cover the 60 miles to meet the club in Caernarvon. The little 998cc motor purred along with no fuss along the expressway, and we arrived 15 minutes before the start.

Twelve Minis were waiting for me to join them. The convoy of Minis then carefully negotiated the Island like a snake with hardly any other vehicles cutting in, most of them stopping and giving way to enable us to keep together, a lovely sight to see! With stops for photo shots and “pit stops” we were able to take in a few sights that make this island unique.

The £100 raised on the day was presented to the Air Ambulance Service, which does a grand job of rescuing sailors around the North Wales coast and many climbers on the Snowdon Mountain range.

[Tony is a member of Miniaddicts, our sister club in the U.K.]

A few months ago I ordered a new Clubman from Hrach at MINI of Peabody and have really enjoyed tracking its progress from manufacturing to the dealer.

On the MINI USA website they let you keep track of your “baby” and give you messages all along the way. My favorite so far has been the message that it was on the ship from England, getting its sea legs and really enjoying the buffets!

The latest, now that it has made it to the Distribution Center in New Jersey, is that it is getting a comprehensive inspection and being taught not to make fun of Americans who call the “bonnet” a “hood” or the “boot” a “trunk.”

I should have the car by the NEMO Holiday Party. I hope you are there so I can introduce you!

WAYLAND, MA — The NEMO Holiday Party will once more be held at JJ McKays in Wayland. The date is Sunday, December 7th, at 12 noon.

McKays is at 171 Commonwealth Road at the intersection of Rts. 30 and 27, just a few miles from Exit 13 of the Mass Pike (bear left onto Rt. 30 past the tolls). We need a head count so RSVP by e-mailing (civilizeds@aol.com) or calling Paul Saulnier at (508) 429-7192 before Thanksgiving. Let him know how many are attending (and ages of any kids).

The club will subsidize part of the cost of the meal for members, so the member cost is only $10. Kids under 12 are half price and if they are under 3 are free. The buffet will include vegetarian lasagna, chicken marsala and sausage with peppers and onions as well as salad, bread and dessert.

We will be holding a Yankee Swap, so plan to bring a wrapped gift (try to keep the cost below $20). A Yankee Swap means that someone else may “take” your gift when it is their turn to pick. (Warn your kids so they don’t get upset if this happens!) You get to pick a gift for every gift you bring (so please, no more than one per person or the party will never end).

This rather scruffy looking Morris Mini-Minor is a 1959 model registered as a 1960, but records indicate it was the 10th vehicle off the line when Mini production commenced. It is owned by Colin McLean and was displayed at the recent British Invasion in Stowe, VT (and is for sale).

After taking a couple of months off from the task of writing so you could concentrate on the Nackowski Letters, it’s time to get back in the saddle.

First, John Holden hasn’t had to do anything major to his 1275 in 3 months! The lump seems to have finally settled into its new home and is happily powering John’s Mini from here to there. This reporter is only aware of one problem — on the way back from MME, the roll pin on the shift coupling broke, stranding John and family in the wilds of Maine. A fellow Mini driver stopped to offer help and supplied a cotter pin of sufficient strength to get the Holdens back home. Since then, the only issue has been a reported oil leak. When asked from whence the slippery fluid was emitting, John admitted he wasn’t sure, as the quantity was not enough to force that first drop to the floor!

(Not much of a leak = Not much of a problem!)

Greg Mazza’s saga continues. Remember he has been trying to find what we now know has been an electrical fault for some years. Engine starts fine cold, will run all day if needed, with no hint of a problem — it even starts up right after shut off — but when it sits for a half-hour, will not start. Cranks just fine, has fuel and spark, but won’t fire. We’ve changed almost everything in the system once or twice, but never suspected the Lucas Sport Coil. Every other time we’ve found another reason for it not to start and rectifying the immediate problem seemed to fix it. Like last year in Stowe, the voltage regulator. This spring, points and condensor. This summer, manifold gasket (the carb was loose enough to shake with your hand!). Another set of points and condensor. Each fix seemed to take care of the problem for a few days or weeks, then the issue would rear its ugly head again and leave Greg stranded. Finally, in desperation, he swapped coils and got it to start. Unsure of whether this was the real problem, Greg reinstalled the old coil and duplicated the start problem. Still not sure, he switched coils three times with the same results! Now, we’ve chased this problem long enough to know not to it fixed prematurely. Hopefully this is the end, but stay tuned for updates!

Ken Daly called to say he was getting rid of some Mini parts and if interested I was to show up in the near future or said parts were going in the dumpster! In an effort to preserve the few Mini parts still available, Peanut and I headed to Sudbury to see what was what. Our efforts were duly rewarded with the acquisition of a recently rebuilt 998 lump! Lots of other stuff as well. It seems Ken is moving to a new house in Woodstock, VT (sounds like a dream come true), and he is taking this opportunity to trim the amount of “stuff” he’s acquired over the years. Thank you, Ken!

Jean and Brian Landry ran into a bit of trouble on the way to Stowe this year. Seems Jean hit a pothole with her Traveler so hard it broke a front strut (trumpet). Her Mini made it to the show and back again, though the right front fender was very, very close to the tire! Brian has since acquired the necessary parts, and with help from friend Gene will soon have it repaired.

Ron Blanchette called with a starter problem, which turned out to be a loose ring gear! I couldn’t describe it any better than he did in this e-mail: “The job as usual went bad — I broke the puller! Got new bolt for puller, still won’t pop. Cut my finger and bled on the flywheel! That’s the magic fluid, the thing came off easily after that.”

On another subject, Ron was concerned about how lean his engine seemed to be running. He had installed a K&N filter and LCB, but hadn’t changed the carb setting at all. We pulled a spark plug at Stowe and it was white as white can be! That indicates an extremely lean mixture that can lead to overheating and piston failure. A different needle will have to be fitted to get the mixture anywhere near correct. I always use plug color to determine final carb adjustment. After a good run of several miles at highway speeds, pull over and check plug color. Slightly brown is what you’re after.

Next we come to Joe Jarosz. He’s still working to complete his perfect 1071 S. The engine is in and has been tuned. While running up on the jack stands, I suggested he run it through the gears to make sure everything works. From my vantage point outside the car, everything looked hunky-dory. I noticed Joe in the drivers seat —1st gear, rev it up — opening his door and looking at the only wheel he can see. 2nd gear, 3rd, then 4th. It all looks good to me, but Joe suggests we have to do a clutch adjustment. Why? He says, “Can’t you see the wheels aren’t turning?” I’ll let your imagination be your guide! The look on his face was priceless as the dawning came!

We were about to drop the car and run it around the driveway when Joe noticed some play in the front end. His steering rack, though rebuilt, was quite loose. The only thing for it was removal — and that requires dropping the front subframe a few inches to gain access. This is such a project on a car that has been so meticulously restored as this one! We are in the middle of re-rebuilding the steering rack as of this writing, so we’ll have to wait for the conclusion.

That’s it for the past three months... oops, just got off the phone to Al and Linda DeArroyo in New York. They had finished the restoration on their ’79 998. Changed the color from brown to a beautiful electric blue with flag on top and nice highlights. Seems their 1275 is leaking antifreeze and it looks like the head gasket. To be continued…

British Invasion XVIII brought out a nice assortment of Minis and MINIs from throughout the Northeast and nearby Canada. Those that did win, place or show in the three Mini classes are listed below, along with their owners. They include NEMO and non-NEMO cars. Congratulations to all, and thanks to Michael Gaetano of the British Invasion for supplying the information.

WEST DOVER, VT — But for a very sturdy little car, our much-looked-forward-to weekend away at the Kitzhof Inn in southern Vermont might not have happened for Bruce and me.

This was to be NEMO’s Italian Job Weekend, and being fans of both the original and more recent movies, we thought it sounded like our kind of event. We decided to take Bruce’s 2002 MINI Cooper S as the 1967 classic Mini was without a horn, which is much needed on highways to remind bigger vehicles that we are there. A good move, because when we were exiting from Route 91 in Vermont we came upon a line of traffic backed up at the exit and stopped in time, but a pickup truck and a fully loaded logging truck behind us did not. The end result was a four-car accident (as we were rear-ended we slammed into the car in front of us, too), but, thanks to the wonderfully built MINI, we came out of it without a scratch or bruise! The car was towed away to await the insurance adjuster.

We did not want the accident to spoil our weekend so we rented a car, called the Kitzhof to explain why we would be late, and off we went to arrive in time for dinner!

Our hosts, Simon and Alison Ferris, treated us to a wonderful Italian dinner (part of the theme weekend) and fellow NEMO members June and Bud Hall were great dinner companions, making us forget about the accident. That night we watched the original Italian Job and even though we have seen it many times, loved seeing the Minis zoom around Turin in the escape scenes.

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast and were sent on our way with directions and questions for a scenic rallye. Since we had rented an SUV (all they had available!) all four of us went together and had a fun time traveling the countryside and finding the answers to the questions.

Arriving back at the Inn, we enjoyed a delicious British meal — roast beef and Yorkshire pudding — and settled down to view the new Italian Job. Simon gave us the answers to the rallye questions and even gave us all Kitzhof Inn T-shirts for doing so well.

The next morning after another great breakfast we bid adieu to our gracious hosts, Simon and Alison, and our wonderful weekend companions, Bud and June, and traveled home in the SUV (without incident!).

Unfortunately the MINI was eventually “totaled” by the insurance adjuster (it was, after all, six years old, had over 75,000 miles on it, and took quite a hit). Luckily, Bruce was able to find a gently used 2007 MINI as a replacement, so we are back to being a three-Mini family!

[Having also hosted local MG clubs, the Kitzhof Inn is becoming famous for its British car-themed weekends. The Inn can be reached at (800) 388-8310 or via www.kitzhof.com].

OXFORD, MA — The owners of the slime green Mini with all the locks, yours truly — John and Donna Holden — are hosting this year’s NEMO Halloween Party on Saturday, October 25th at 6 p.m. at our home in Oxford (that’s Oxford, Massachusetts, not England).

Bring your favorite dish, an entreé, appetizer or dessert. And dress in costume — it’s optional, but you can win prizes for the best and most original creations. No need to RSVP, just come with some great food to share... well, don’t everybody bring meatballs!

Directions

The destination is 2 Turk Hollow Rd., Oxford, and the phone number is (508) 987-0695 if you get lost. For those not using GPS or GoogleMaps and navigating the analog way:

From Rt. 395: Take Exit 4A onto Sutton Avenue toward Sutton. Go straight through the traffic light at the Home Depot and continue up a long hill to the top. At the top you’ll go past a Country Store on your right, around a slight S curve, and after a small, dilapidated veggie stand on your left, you’ll take your immediate left onto Turk Hollow Road. Our home is the first log home on the right.

From Rt. 146: Take the Sutton/Oxford/Central Turnpike Exit onto Central Turnpike and head toward Oxford. You’ll go up a long hill, straight through a yellow blinking light and continue to a four-way stop with a burned down restaurant on your left (it wasn’t that good anyway!). Continue straight into and out of a small valley. The Singletary Rod & Gun Club will come up on your right. Next, you’ll come to Butler Fuel on your right and the first right after that will be Turk Hollow Road. Our home is the first log home on the right.

From Rts. 9 and 20: Find your way to Rt. 12/Main Street and at the center of Oxford turn left onto Sutton Avenue. Go straight through the traffic light at the Home Depot and continue up a long hill to the top. At the top go past a Country Store on your right, around a slight S curve, and after a small, dilapidated veggie stand on your left take your immediate left onto Turk Hollow Road. Our home is the first log home on the right. —J&DH

[When we last left Steve, back in July, he was on his way home with a crank pulley after visiting NEMO’s Dave Black, enthusiastic about his present project and projects yet to come...]

With my newly acquired crank pulley I quickly finished my wife’s Mini. Well, finished probably is not the best word to describe where I’m at, but at least the Mini is re-assembled and it started, and I drove it around the block. It actually still needs some minor (I hope) adjustments...

I know the shifting can seem a little vague but I don’t remember needing to double-clutch for every downshift. The brakes are pulling to the left, and was I just imagining there was more power in that little 998? But hey, this is only minor sorting and I figure it’s best left for warmer weather.

My wife takes the car for a drive around the block, comes back and asks me if her Mini will ever be the same. “Minor adjustments honey, no problem.” After her drive, the first in a couple of years, she parks her Mini for its winter hibernation.

Thanksgiving comes and goes, the Mini is buttoned up in the barn and I am trolling for parts on-line for my next project, a ’64 MkI. I come across a guy doing a VTEC conversion and he is selling off everything that is going to be scrapped in the rebuild, including a nicely spec’d 1293 with a Kent 276 cam, 1.5 roller rockers and a straight-cut gearbox. Only problem, I am seeing this post about eight hours after it was posted and I’m sure I’ll be at the bottom of the line on this one. But what the heck, I make the call anyway. No answer, so I leave my number and mention that I am interested and local.

The “local” is unusual. Most of these deals seem to be on the Left Coast, not in New England.

Anyway I get a call later that evening and the guy tells me there has been a lot of interest but nothing firm. I jump, and tell him I’ll take it all and will be there Saturday.

I pull the trailer up from out back and talk a friend into taking a nice winter drive to pick up Mini parts. You can tell that it’s winter and not much going on when he jumps at the offer and asks if we can go out to breakfast before we leave. Saturday rolls around and we make the trip, fill the trailer with lots of Mini goodies, and head for home. Nothing goes wrong. It’s cold but no bad weather or breakdowns.

So now I’m sitting at home looking at all these parts, some of which could go right into the ’64 — if the body work was done. I notice that there is oil on the trailer where the engine had been tied down, and wonder whether I should just run the engine as is or tear it down and check it out. I’m tempted to put it in but my gut tells me this is a bad idea.

But wait, I joined NEMO, and I know a guy, a tech expert who would probably give me some expert advice. So I call Dave Black and explain to him what I’ve done.

“What do you think I should do?” I ask.

“You can do whatever you want,” he replies, “but I would tear it down to see what I really have and make any repairs that may need to be done. It will never be easier to do than now.”

So I ask if this is the type of project that could be done in his shop. Dave tells me that I am welcome to bring the engine and transmission up and we can check out what I have.

The next weekend I put the engine back in the trailer and haul it out to The Barn. Dave meets me at the shop door and has me back right up to the door. We walk the engine down a pair of wooden ramps and we set the engine in the middle of the bay. Dave looks around. John, another NEMO member, has been rebuilding a 1275 to replace his current 998, and that project is spread out on a couple of worktables further into the shop. We spread out some newspaper and cardboard and Dave tells me just to disassemble the engine right there on the floor. Remember to count the number of nuts and bolts you take off as you go, Dave advises. He gives me a couple of cans to store the nuts and bolts before cleaning.

“Okay,” Dave says, “first up is to drain the oil and coolant.” Off comes the radiator and hoses and the coolant is transferred to a big bucket. Next I undo the oil drain plug.

“Hey, Dave, is there usually this much fur on the drain plug?” I hold the drain plug up for Dave to see. It looks like something with a ’60s Afro.

Dave quickly says, “I think you are going to be glad you pulled this engine apart and didn’t just plunk it into the car.” As he scrapes the metal filings off the plug he murmurs something about how much he will get for this “fur” at the scrap metal yard.

We get the engine stripped down. Looking at the cam and tappets we have a pretty good idea of where the metal shavings came from. Let’s hope the gearbox did not grind through too much of that metal.

And so it has started. The next four weekends are spent cleaning and wire-brushing nuts and bolts and media blasting and painting parts for re-assembly, all with coaching and expert advice from Dave.

As we are preparing the block for painting I ask Dave about some numbers stamped into the block. The top of the block is stamped with DB0102.

“What is that?” I ask.

“It means it’s one of mine,” answers Dave. “I rebuilt this engine in January of 2002 it looks like the roller rockers and straight-cut gearbox were added sometime after.”

So like with most Minis there is a history, and the engine for my ’64 is being rebuilt in the same shop where it was built six years ago!

During the course of about 12 weeks I clean, paint and assemble the power unit. My first complete rebuild. Along the way I learn a lot about the basics of engine building and a lot of Mini-specific info. I meet a bunch of interesting Mini people who stop by The Barn from time to time just to say hi or have something done, or do something to their car, have a few beers, and enjoy some good, greasy-fingered lunches.

With the engine finally assembled we put it on the test stand. With crossed fingers I wait to hear the engine come to life. The engine fires right up and sounds awesome. I knew after leaving The Barn the first time last fall that I’d be drawn back there, and I’m sure I’ll be back again.

Oh. And as the winter comes to an end and the warmth of spring returns, I do make all the minor adjustments to my wife’s Mini — and yes, they were minor, no surprises. We take the Mini to a great event hosted this year by the New England Mini Owners in Bethel, Maine — our first Mini Meet East. A great event!

Kenneth Grahame almost said it right in The Wind in the Willows. What he really meant to say was, “There is nothing — absolute nothing — half as much worth doing as simply messing about in these little buggers we call Minis!”

We all had a delightful time in the United States. We were made to feel extremely welcome by everyone we had the pleasure of meeting. Your generosity and hospitality knew no bounds. (In particular that of Nancy and Paul Saulnier, who had a lot to put up with our sense of scouse humour. Scouser being the slang description of Liverpool residents!)

MME was brilliant, good fun and very well organized. We were amazed at the extremes you folks go to, to preserve this brilliant little car (air-conditioned garages, etc.). The standards of the Minis we inspected were excellent and I can assure you that most of them “knock spots off British concours entries” (if that’s not a compliment, I don’t know what is).

This was our first show where we have had the pleasure of being in the company of such nice people for three/four days, because all Mini shows in the U.K. are one-day events (excluding the IMM August 2009), and are normally within 250 miles of home. Occasionally, if we have a club stand at a show, we do consider making an overnight event of it (usually camping). If we don’t camp it’s an early morning rise for us on the day!

My son Phil really enjoyed the treasure hunt, driving Paul’s green Mini van. My son-in-law Dean enjoyed driving the same van in the funkhana, giving other contestants a run for their money!

I myself, born and bred in Liverpool, enjoyed the “pub quiz” and had a good laugh trying to discuss the English equivalent questions and explain all the words we were using, such as bonnet/hood, boot/trunk, spanner/wrench, pavement/sidewalk, paraffin/kerosene, wing/fender, petrol/gas, smashing/fantastic, cot/crib, butty/sarnie/sandwich, mickey/pigeon, and handbag/pocketbook.

The look on Nancy’s face was a picture when I said my granddaughter (18 months) could have a drink of cordial (which to us Brits is a liquid to be diluted with water!)

I am now trying to persuade Paul and Nancy to join us next year at the IMM 2009 at Longbridge, the birthplace of the Mini, on its 50th Anniversary. Anyone care to join them?

The photo shows Miniaddicts displaying the MME banner at our meeting last month. I do hope to meet some of you again one day.

BETHEL, ME — Here are the winners from the Funkhana and the Rallye at Mini Meet East.

Funkhana results

Classic Mini Sedan: 1st, Terri and Graham Mingst, time: 1:33:44. 2nd, Andrew and Austin Hurst, time: 1:34:44. 3rd, Derrick and Lorine Karabec, time: 1:38:83.

Classic Mini Long Wheel Base: 1st, Olly Boss and Alex Zeeman, time: 1:20:03. 2nd, Nick Lehner and Ahren Lehner, time: 1:20:35. 3rd, Michael Scheg and Michael Scheg Jr., time: 1:25:97.

Classic Mini Moke: 1st, Denis Boisvert and France Joly, time: 1:20:27. 2nd, Gail Woelfe and Rhonnie Guido, time: 1:40:28.

Modern MINI Sedan: 1st, Ken Graham and Ahren Lehner, time: 1:29:68. 2nd, David Lawrence and Nick Lehner, time: 1:41:78. 3rd, Roger Barr and Tatiana Robberts, time: 1:46:56.

Rallye results

Scores: 1st, with 277.7, Lynn Skowden and Sandy MacNamara. 2nd, with 276.2, Nick, Ingrid, Heidi, Timothy and Nicholas Beck. 3rd, with 275.8, John Blanchette and Michelle Washburn.

Special note: Six teams hit the mileage at less than 1 mile off, #24, #115, #59, #98, #46, and #8.

Scoring: Every team started with a base of 350 points. Wrong answers were then subtracted. Every question was worth 10 points. Thus a correct answer was minus 0 points. Calculated mileage was worth 60 points and the difference from 66.6 was subtracted down to the 10ths. Cards were worth deducted points as follows: Aces, minus 0 point 1-10, minus face value in points Jack, minus 1 point Queen, minus 5 points King, minus 10 points. Beer coasters and bottle caps were minus the value written on them. Moxie bottle caps were all minus 0 points, plus the team got a Moxie gift prize.

If you don't know what this is, friend, you need to go to the Goulds'.
Photo by Bruce Vild

By the Time You Read This...
by Faith Lamprey & Bruce Vild

The July issue of the Marque went to press just before NEMO’s big “stuffing party” the weekend before Mini Meet East, which means that by the time it reaches our members, MME will be in full swing — and if you’re up in Bethel, you won’t get to read this until after the Meet. So, assuming you were there, let us just say, hope you had fun!

The good times keep rolling the following weekend, July 11-13, at the Goulds’ 13th Annual Microcar and Minicar Classic Event. The activities alternate between Charles and Nancy Gould’s lovely home in Newton, MA, and the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in nearby Brookline — and other destinations for micro/mini tours as the event unfolds.

If you’ve never been to the Goulds’, for goodness sake, go! Your jaw will drop at the sight of all the odd little two-strokes in company with their larger brethren — the classic Minis! MINIs of course are welcome, too, and Metropolitans and Citroën 2CVs show up regularly. Bet you’ll see a couple of Smarts (sorry, “smarts” — no capital S), too. Be sure to catch a ride or two. Get all the details from Charles and Nancy at (617) 965-4848, e-mail Chasgould@aol.com, or visit bubbledrome.com.

The weekend of August 8-10 we’ll be spending at the Kitzhof Inn in West Dover, VT, at a designed-just-for-us Italian Job weekend. The innkeepers hail from the U.K. and have a special place in the hearts for Minis and MINIs, and we’ll be treated to (among other things) viewing of each version of the famous movie. The Rat Pack, with Ocean’s 11, had nothing on Michael Caine and his crew in the ’69 version of The Italian Job, and every guy watching the Mark Wahlberg remake will find yet another reason to fall in love with Charlize Theron (damn, she can drive!).

But you won’t be able to go to our Italian Job Weekend unless you call the Kitzhof Inn to make reservations — so call them now at (800) 338-8810.

It had been another quiet week with no news from John Holden, so we assumed the best. Then the call came. “It sounds like the exhaust is coming through the carburetor.” Could be a head gasket, or manifold gasket, or maybe it’s a wheel cylinder! Whatever, come on down and we’ll fix it straightaway.

4 p.m. Wednesday — Arrived. Determined it was head gasket failure.

6 p.m. Wednesday — Head off. Gasket burned between #2 and #3. Cleaned head and block mating surfaces to find a scratch in the block where gasket was burned. Attempted to smooth same, but soon came to the conclusion that the block would have to be resurfaced. John upset because this is now his daily driver and he wants it back by the weekend.

9 p.m. Wednesday — Lump out and completely disassembled on the floor. Block ready for machine shop.

2 p.m. Thursday — Machine shop asks what day next week would we like this done. Suggested later today would be better. Check back at 4. All was ready! Make note: Don’t go anywhere else for machine services.

9 p.m. Thursday — Block is cleaned, dried and reassembled, ready to go on transmission.

7 a.m. Saturday — Reassembly continues and when John arrives at 9, lump is almost ready for test stand. By afternoon, persistent timing cover oil leak has been cured and lump is back in car. I suggest to John that he helps out with other lumpectomies, but he quickly declines. This time I ask John to let me know every day that things are O.K.

One, two, three days and all is well, and then the boot pulls off the pot joint.

9 a.m. the next Saturday — Axle out, clean pot joint, turn small end of boot inside out to make a better fit, and back together by 10.

Haven’t heard from John in two weeks!

Greg Mazza called to report he had broken one of the rockers on his 1.5/1 roller-rockers. This unit was purchased from Mini Sport a few years ago and has failed twice since then. The first to fail was a valve cap washer on Rt. 128 on the way back from Mini of Peabody (article written about this).

So now one of those fancy aluminum rocker arms has broken. We quickly decided to go back to a stock set of forged rockers and get rid of the junk. Replacement was straightforward with no surprises, and Greg informs me his car is now a pleasure to drive. Much more manageable and smooth with very little loss in performance. Another reason to keep our lumps as original as possible. The Brits knew a thing or three about building engines that were relatively dependable for their time. Remember that the next time you dream of getting 100-plus hp out of your 1275 — every increase in performance affects the longevity of the engine.

Also had to bleed his brakes. Now those of you who’ve done this more than once know that it can turn into a project. And Greg’s car certainly turned into a project. It took a few hours (and a quart of fluid) before we had the pedal anywhere near right. There seems to be enough air trapped in the proportioning valve to cause the pedal to go all the way to the floor. It took lots of pumping to get that last little bubble out!

Bruce Vild had replaced his brake pressure switch to rectify his lack of brake lights and now needed to bleed the system. What should have been a half hour job took two hours! We actually bled the system three times due to continual emptying of the master cylinder. Note: refill the master after bleeding each wheel.

Dan St. Croix drove all the way from Kingston, MA, to make sure his Mini was ready for the season. He had a laundry list of things to do before he left, but decided after 100 miles that maybe his car was alright after all! We pumped some brake fluid through his system to freshen it and that’s about it. Ended the evening by attending the local Putnam Cruise Night — Dan’s favorite was a fenderless Rat Rod in original grey.

Ray Carney is installing a new MED 1380 in his Mini. He’s trying to get it ready for MME, but an incredibly busy travel schedule is getting in the way. Stopped by yesterday to check on progress and was duly impressed. He’s fitting a fancy new carb that is designed for motorcycle engines and requires a fair amount of retrofit to go in the Mini. It even comes with an O2 sensor that shows air/fuel mixture on a gauge in the car. He’s spent hours fitting his top engine steady because the MED head has been so highly machined that the stock bracket had to be modified to fit. And then there’s sourcing out and fitting a breather canister…

[The story so far: Steve strikes out looking for a crank pulley to fit a 998 Mini at his local foreign car parts shop, but he gets a lead from the owner — call a gentleman by the name of Dave Black. And so...]

So I give this guy, Dave Black, a call. I explain that I am looking for a crank pulley for a 998 and was told he may be able to help me. He tells me he’s pretty sure he has at least a couple pulleys that have been cleaned and painted, and if I’d just be patient for a minute he would look through his parts to locate one. Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, I have this mental image of a man rummaging through piles of boxes and bags of automotive junk... er, I mean “spares,” looking for something that he knows he had at one time and doesn’t remember having used it yet. At least that is how it would play out at my place.

In a matter of just a few seconds with no sounds of heavy breathing or stuff falling over followed by the universal garage-speak of frustration, he says, “Yep, I got two hanging here on the wall all cleaned, painted and ready to go.”

“Great!” I say. “When can I come and pick one up?”

He tells me he works during the day but is in the Barn after supper each night by about 5 or 5:30 and works out there until about 8 and is around most of the day on weekends. I ask if I can come out the following evening. “That would be fine,” he says, and gives me directions to the Barn. It is located in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner.”

The “Quiet Corner,” also known as “the Last Green Valley,” is in northeastern Connecticut. It is situated between the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers and was designated by Congress in 1994 as the Quinebaug and Shetucket River Valley National Heritage Corridor. I believe it is the largest remaining un-urbanized area in the Boston-to-Washington, D.C. corridor. It comprises over 1000 square miles of beautiful farmland, hilly woods and pastures. If viewed from space or a satellite image it shows up as a dark path through an otherwise brightly-lit metropolitan sprawl. Imagine all those miles of twisty country roads with minimal traffic perfect for Mini cruises, and in the middle of it all, a Mini guy, with a crank pulley.

The following day I hop into the Explorer (come on, give me a break, I need the truck — I’m picking up parts!) and drive out to The Barn. As luck would have it it’s raining again. I find Dave’s house and pull into the driveway. The Barn is to the right, the lights are on and there is the smell of a wood fire in the damp air. Dave greets me at the door of The Barn.

“Come on in!” As I walk in I’m hit with the warm, dry air of the wood fire.

“Well, here is where we do everything Mini,” Dave explains. He asks me if I have ever heard of NEMO, the club not the fish. As a matter of fact I had heard of them — my wife and I stumbled across what I believe was Mini Meet East back in the ’90s, in a hot hotel parking lot in Seekonk, MA. Dave explains that he is a member and also the club’s tech guy.

Just standing there it becomes obvious why this might be. What a great workspace. Neatly arranged shelves of cleaned, refurbished and new parts neatly arranged and organized. Now I know why he was able to put his hands right on the crank pulley when I called. I have a brief epiphany and suddenly realize that I need to get a little more serious about how I organize and maintain my own little workspace.

“You should think about joining,” he says. “There are a lot of great Mini owners and it is a great resource to help you enjoy your Mini.”

I tell him I did not realize the club was that active. “As a matter of fact,” he replies, “NEMO is hosting MME 2008 next summer.” I tell him that membership sounds like a good idea.

He gives me a tour of the rest of The Barn, showing me the sandblast cabinet, cleaning tanks, benches and vises along with a complete selection of tools.

“Boy, I wish I had a set up like this at home!” I mutter.

“Well,” Dave says, “we do a lot of informal tech sessions here in The Barn. I‘ve done a lot of Mini work for people over the years, but Mini owners are welcome to do their own work on their cars here. They can use the tools and equipment and I will help them. They can do as much or as little of the work themselves. We try to build people’s technical skills so they can get the most out of their Mini experience.”

I thank Dave for the tour and take my crank pulley out to the truck. As I begin the drive back home I reflect on what I have just seen. What a tremendous resource for a Mini enthusiast! And right in my back yard.

As I drive home in the rainy darkness, in my mind I have already installed the pulley on my wife’s Mini and started my next project, a ’64 MkI which sits in my garage stripped, sandblasted and ready for bodywork. I have a feeling that this would not be the last time I would be taking this ride.

[To be concluded.]

Miniaddicts (NEMO's sister club from the U.K.) pose on the car show field.
Photo by Bruce Vild

Minis and MINIs Meet in Maine
by Howard Collins

BETHEL, ME — The Jordan Grand Hotel at the majestic Sunday River Resort in western Maine was the official site of this year’s Mini Meet East. Hosted by the New England Mini Owners (NEMO) from July 2nd through 6th, the event attracted about 300 registered participants from all over North America and as far away as the U.K. and the Netherlands, with over 125 classic and new Minis.

The four-day Meet included an opening night pub quiz, a visit to the privately-owned Bob Bahre Car Collection Museum in Paris Hill, ME, a people’s choice, popular vote car show, a nature trail hike staged as the Meet’s Kids’ Event, the “Moose and Squirrel Run,” an evening drive through the mountains (thankfully there were no moose to run into) to a small town to watch its 4th of July fireworks, a road rallye that concluded with the staging of the cars for a panoramic group photograph, an afternoon barbecue, an autocross, a special “Dress Up Your Mini” contest, radio-controlled Mini racing, a funkhana with a Maine theme, and a closing banquet complete with awards presentations and a charity auction for next year’s Kids’ Event.

The pub quiz, organized into teams named after characters in Alice in Wonderland, was won by the White Rabbits. They wound up with the highest number of points at the end of six rounds. A cash prize of $100 donated by the British Marque was divided equally among the team's members. Teams winning individual rounds during the pub quiz, which included the Mad Hatters, the Mock Turtles and the Alices as well as the White Rabbits, were awarded cans of Moxie, a soft drink invented in Maine. (Thanks to Bud Hall for procuring same.)

Awards for other various events and in different categories were given as follows:

Classic Mini - Saloon Mk1 — 1st, Ray and Buffy Carney, 1966 Austin Mini; 2nd, Andrew and Austin Hurst, 1961 Austin Seven; 3rd, Jim Davidson, 1965 Morris Cooper S.

Classic Mini - Saloon Mk2 — 1st, Dave and Barbara Lang, 1969 Austin Cooper S; 2nd, Fred and Betsy True, 1968 Austin Cooper S; 3rd, Bob and Karen Lyle, 1969 Austin Cooper S.

Classic Mini - Saloon Mk3 — 1st, Michael and Karen Bernard, 1971 Austin Cooper; 2nd, Larry Atkinson, 1972 Austin Mini; 3rd, Mark and Steph Jewett, 1975 Austin Mini 1000.

Classic Mini - Saloon Mk4 — 1st, Megan Tamas, 1973 Mini 1000; 2nd, Don and Belle Vasbinder, 1973 Innocenti Mini Cooper; 3rd, Marcel and Adelaida Boucher, 1980 Mini 1000.

Classic Mini - Saloon Mk5/Mk6/Mk7 — 1st, Frank and Carter Ambrister, 2000; 2nd, Howard Spencer IV, 1999; 3rd, Jim and Betty Harrison, 1995 Balmoral Edition.

Classic Mini Clubman — 1st, Wendy Atkinson, 1975 Clubman Estate; 2nd, Ron Blanchette, 1976 Leyland Mini Clubman; 3rd, Martin Fontaine, 1972 Clubman Estate.

Classic Mini Van — 1st, Ben Ouellette and Carol Gordon, 1981; 2nd, Michael and Tracy Scheg, 1980; 3rd, Tom and Marsha Judson, 1964.

Classic Mini Moke — 1st, Robert Overdorff and Winnie Miale, 1965; 2nd, Gail Woelfle, 1967; 3rd, Denis Boisvert and France Joly, 1968.

Classic Mini Pickup — 1st, Shannon Robbins, 1967; 2nd, Jimmy and JoAnne Banz, 1970; 3rd, Katrina and Ahren Lehner, 1964.

Mini Estate — 1st, Bob and Barbara Rath, 1979 Austin Countryman; 2nd, Nick and Jeanne Lehner, 1973 Austin Countryman; 3rd, Ken Lemoine, 1965 Morris Mini Minor.

Classic Mini Variant — 1st, Bob and Greg Jonah, 1969 Riley Elf; 2nd, Deb Bolton-Degauque and Keith Degauque, 1967 Riley Elf; 3rd, Eric Daniels, 1969 Austin America.

Custom Mini — 1st, Carmelie Laflame and Donnie Neron, 1967 Austin Mini Speedster; 2nd, Paul and Nancy Saulnier, 1964 Austin Mini Van; 3rd, Russell Cushing and Debby Trask-Cushing, 1969 Austin Custom Sedan.

Competition Mini — 1st, Kevin and Adam Chappell, 1978 Austin Mini; 2nd, George and Marcia Cox, 1962 Austin Cooper S; 3rd, Pete and Nancy Stroble, 1960 Austin Mini.

MINI Mk1/Mk2 Cooper — 1st, Pam and Tristan Ambrister, 2006; 2nd, David and Marge Lawrence, 2003; 3rd, Karen Oesterle, 2003.

MINI Mk1/Mk2 Cooper S — 1st, Howard Collins, 2006; 2nd, Karl and Lee Strauch, 2002; 3rd, Tatiana Rabbets and Roger Barr, 2004.

MINI Clubman — 1st, Steve Demske and Sue Lamie, 2008; 2nd, Mike and Sheila McMillan, 2008.

MINI Convertible — 1st, Sharon and Howard Dickinson, 2007 Cooper S; 2nd, Ruth and Joseph Simokaitis, 2007 Cooper S; 3rd, Judy and Paul Nevin, 2005 Cooper.

MINI Special Edition and Modified — 1st, Ken Graham, 2004 Cooper 40; 2nd, Alec and Joanne Borthwick, 2002 Cooper S.

Kevin's Webasto sunroof acts as an air spoiler...really!
Photo by Mike Guido

Best of Show — Carmelie Laflamme and Donnie Neron, 1967 Austin Mini Speedster.

Most Interesting — Paul and Nancy Saulnier, 1964 Austin Mini Van (V8 conversion).

Hard Luck Award — Denis Boisvert and France Joly (ask France what can happen when you are in a Moke during a torrential rainstorm!).

Longest Distance Driven in a Mini — Mike McMillan in a 1994 classic Mini (Tennessee to California to attend MMW, then to MME in Maine!).

Longest Distance Driven in a MINI — Marilyn Egler (drove across the country diagonally from San Juan Capistrano, CA to Bethel, ME!).

Longest Distance Traveled — Olly Bos and Alex Zeeman (all the way from the Netherlands!).

Arts & Crafts - Kids’ Class — Mieles Mingst, MME2008 Edible Car.

Arts & Crafts - Adults’ Class — Bert St. Onge, “Going to MME2008” Diorama with Moose.

Dress Up Your Mini — 1st, Sharon and Howard Dickinson, 2007 MINI Cooper S Convertible (“Chubish Checker Super Star”); 2nd, Michael, Coreen and Corey Smith, 1987 Austin Mini City-E (“All Canadian”); 3rd, Barbara, Christa and David Newman, 1978 Rover Mini (“Spitfire Fighter Plane”).

Autocross

Classic Mini - Class A - Race — 1st, Martin Fontaine, 38.226; 2nd, Micael Bedard-Houde, 38.246; 3rd, Pete Stroble, 39.474.

Classic Mini - Class B - Rallye — 1st, Graham Mingst, 36.659; 2nd, Tom Christ, 37.562; 3rd, Jim Davidson, 39.623.

Classic Mini - Class C - Street Modified — 1st, Kevin Chappelle, 37.345; 2nd, Bill Fralick, 38.479; 3rd, Dave Black, 38.919.

Classic Mini - Class D - Mildly Modified — 1st, Jim Harrison, 42.315.

Classic Mini - Class E - Stock - Non-S — 1st, Denis Boisvert, 38.883; 2nd, Claude Racine, 39.117; 3rd, Marcel Boucher, 39.777.

New MINI - Class A - Cooper — 1st, Steve Oesterle, 41.110.

New MINI - Class B - Cooper S — 1st, Steve Halleck, 39.79; 2nd, Phil Turkington, 40.41; 3rd, Jason Owens, 41.621.

New MINI - Class C - Special — 1st, Don Laberge, 37.589; 2nd, Donnie Neron, 39.713; 3rd, Ron Nist, 41.124.

Other results

The rest of the results from the Funkhana, Rallye, Radio Controlled Racing, and the Kids’ Favorite Car will be listed in the September issue.

[Howard is a member of Mid-Atlantic Minis and assisted NEMO by posting information about the Meet and replies to questions asked on the Mini Forum. As if that was not enough, we asked Howard to write an article on the meet for us and he graciously obliged. Thanks are due Mike Guido, too, for providing photos taken during the autocross.]

ESSEX, MA — MINIsOnTop, the annual weekend event that culminates in participating Minis and MINIs climbing to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire to watch the sunset, raised $14,131.23 this year for two selected charities: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire and the Mt. Washington Observatory. Of the total, the Observatory will receive 6.288%, honoring the mountain’s elevation, or $888.57; the rest, $13,242.66, will go to Make-A-Wish.

This announcement was made on July 21st by MINIsOnTop Event Coordinator Ian Cull. Many NEMO members have taken part in MINIsOnTop, currently in its 6th year. Total charitable efforts from the event have now broken the $50,000 mark.

A major source of money was the raffle of a two-year lease on a new MINI Clubman donated by Herb Chambers MINI of Boston. Another source was New Country MINI of Hartford, which donated $6,288 for each person to attend an ice cream social. The rest was raised through the sale of MINIsOnTop mementos and door prize tickets used to win items donated by various individuals and businesses.

For more information about MINIsOnTop, go to www.minisontop.com.

[Adapted from a press release.]

Micros and their fans meet at the Goulds' again in July.
Marque file photo

NEWTON, MA — The 13th Annual Microcar and Minicar Classic Event, hosted by Charles, Nancy, Monique and Tiana Gould is coming on July 11th, 12th, and 13th, near Boston, hot on the heels of Mini Meet East. Though the two events are quite distinct, NEMO members are looking forward to back-to-back weekends of Mini fun.

The Goulds are world famous as microcar enthusiasts (autos with engine displacements of less than 500cc), and their Microcar and Minicar Classic Event has become nothing less than legendary. In its first 12 years, the Event has grown to include three micro-tours, a huge eclectic gourmet feed, a cruise night and a spectacular farewell breakfast, as well as the celebrated lawn event at the nearby Larz Anderson Auto Museum. Last year, the Event drew 125 registered guests with 70 unusual microcars and minicars (including Minis and MINIs) and over 1,000 spectators at Larz Anderson.

It’s a lot of fun! The Goulds’ home, deck and yard provide an intimate and relaxed setting for this huge gathering. There will be the usual abundance of incredible food throughout the weekend, the micro-tours will include a run for ice cream, and on Sunday, the micros and minicars will drive to a cool surprise destination.

Forget any preconceived notions you may have had about “car meets.” The Microcar and Minicar Classic is a blast for spouses, kids, and people who have never even seen a micro or minicar before. Far from holding a “too precious to touch” attitude about these vehicles, many owners will gladly offer rides so that everyone is included.

This is a major event on NEMO’s calendar. Make it one on yours! For details, go to the website www.bubbledrome.com.

[From the event website.]

BETHEL, ME — Only five weeks to go and things are falling into place!

The rooms at the Jordan are being snapped up and are almost gone, but overflow rooms are available at the Summit only a few miles away at the same discounted rate. Registrations are flowing in. If you have not sent yours yet, drop it in the mail today!

The activity schedule has gone through several revisions and is about set. The parking lot at the Bethel High School is reserved for the autocross. A guided nature hike has been planned for the Kids’ Event. The final touches are being made to a very scenic rally and many local tours (to town, to fireworks, and even to the Bob Bahre Collection!). The funkhana course has been designed with a “Maine” theme. We have added some tech sessions from recognized experts and an entertaining slide show of Mini driving adventures. We even arranged a stop on your way to Mini Meet to view the John Moir Car Collection.

Hope to see you in Bethel July 2-6!

Mini Meet East 2008 schedule

Wednesday, July 2 — 4-7 p.m., registration; 8 p.m., Pub Quiz.

Thursday, July 3 — 9 a.m.-12 noon, registration; 9 a.m., Special Event, Tour to the Bob Bahre Car Collection and Museum, Paris Hill, ME; 1 p.m., People’s Choice Car Show (ballots due by 4 p.m.); 1 p.m., Kids’ Event; 6 p.m., Moose and Squirrel Run (ending at Town of Rangeley’s 9 p.m. Fireworks Display).

Friday, July 4 (U.S. Independence Day) — 9 a.m., Rally (approximately two-hour run, staggered start); 12 noon, panoramic picture; 2 p.m., BBQ; 3 p.m., radio- controlled Mini racing; 4:30 p.m., local in-town Driving Tour ending with a pub break; 9 p.m., Dancing with the Mini Stars.

Saturday, July 5 — 8 a.m., Autocross; 10 a.m., Dress Up Your Mini Event; 1 p.m., Funkhana; 6 p.m., Banquet.

Sunday, July 6 — Departure day.

Even though planning for Mini Meet East is consuming many of us right now, don’t forget that we have booked the weekend of August 8-10 at the Kitzhof Inn in West Dover, VT. Full details were given in the April British Marque. The Inn’s proprietors, Simon and Alison Ferris, have planned the whole weekend around us and our love for everything Mini, and other than making reservations and getting there, we do not have to plan a thing!

The weekend schedule includes a Welcome Reception 4-5 p.m. Friday night, followed by an Italian Evening Meal. The night’s entertainment is the viewing of the original Italian Job. Saturday morning, after enjoying a full English breakfast, we will gather for a group photo and then depart for a Vermont Road Cruise. That night we will enjoy an English Evening Meal and view the updated version of The Italian Job. We will depart Sunday morning after breakfast.

The whole weekend, including the Welcome Reception, two breakfasts, two evening meals, movie viewing, gratuities, and taxes, is $321.20 for two people sharing a room.

The Inn only has 24 rooms and a number of folks have already gotten in their reservations. So you need to call right away and reserve a room. Call (800) 338-8310 or (802) 464-8310 and tell them you want to book a room for the NEMO Italian Job Mini weekend. You do not want to miss this weekend of Mini fun!

It was a dark and stormy night… well, actually it was 2 p.m. Thursday, October 18, 2007. It was pouring rain, windy and raw. I had promised my wife I would have her 1971 Mini running before the first snow.

I had acquired a rebuilt transmission from my local neighborhood West Coast Mini parts supplier. I assured my wife that this one large part would fix all those popping-out-of-gear problems. I had had the transmission for about a year now. I had pulled the power unit out the first weekend after the transmission arrived. I separated them, and then, while looking at the empty engine bay, thought it might be a good time to pull the front subframe out, and just clean things up a bit. Suddenly I felt the need to rebuild the front end and clean up the engine bay. It will never be this accessible again, I reasoned...

So there the poor Mini sat for a year while I slowly, very slowly, worked intermittently every few months, cleaning and replacing parts as I let the project drag on.

Let me stop here momentarily and take a handful of words to describe my mechanical background. I am no mechanic. My high school aptitude tests suggested that with my mechanical abilities and abstract reasoning skills I would be well suited to become a shepherd.

But who needs natural ability when you have the “passion”? I was never afraid to pull something apart; hell, assembly is just the reverse of disassembly. And the worse case scenario is you just end up with extra parts, which then become your “spares,” and every one knows you can never have enough spares.

The day came when I couldn’t drag the project out any longer and I was ready to reunite the power unit with the subframe and then ultimately with the car. I slowly pushed the assembled power unit to the other side of the garage, where the front subframe waited patiently.

Now I’m not going to embarrass myself revealing any shop secrets or details, but while I was moving the engine across the garage the engine slid off the dolly, landing on the timing cover — actually, on the crank pulley. The crank pulley now had a flat spot. It didn’t look too bad. “I’ll just tap it back into round,” I thought, “and I’ll be all set.”

Good thing these crank pulleys were designed with a crumple zone to protect the crank taper. After a couple of hours of tweaking it became clear this pulley would never be round again.

I hopped into the Ford Explorer and cruised down to the local foreign car shop looking for a replacement pulley. The lot was packed with rows of mostly ’60s and 70s British Rust, all dreaming of the day they would leave the lot with a new owner willing to open his heart and his wallet and make them one of the family. I pulled up as close to the shop door as I could and shut off the engine. I opened the door and jumped into the cold rain and ran for the shop door. Once inside the owner came over to ask if he could help me. I gave him the short version.

“I am looking for a crank pulley for a Mini 998.”

He said he was sure he had a one and started moving piles of parts and boxes — only to expose more piles of parts and boxes — looking for the pulley. After about 10 minutes we both realized we were wasting his hourly rate and that he was not going to find the pulley.

“I can’t seem to locate that pulley, but I know where you can get one. I know a guy, a Mini guy; he will definitely be able to put his hands on one for you. I have his number on my desk.”

I looked out into the office. There in the corner was a desk piled with a month’s mail, stacks of manuals, old Road & Track magazines, and a box of Saab parts. I think the desk was one of those old steel office desks, but I couldn’t really see it under all the stuff.

“Damn, I guess I struck out here,” I thought to myself.

The owner walked over to the desk, brushed aside a pile of mail, lifted the box of Saab parts, and put his hand on a yellowed, coffee-stained index card.

“The guy’s name is Dave Black,” he said, proudly holding the index card up for me to see as if to say, “See, I really do know where all my stuff is.”

“Here is his number. He will be able to help you.”

So I had a piece of paper with the name of a guy, a Mini guy, Dave Black, who would have a crank pulley, that would allow me to complete my wife’s Mini, before the first snow and bring this project to an end.

And this brings me to the beginning of the story… well, actually the beginning of the story started five years earlier in January of 2002. But I didn’t know that yet.

To be continued…

BETHEL, ME — Things are really starting to percolate now! Only a handful of rooms are left at the Jordan, but there are rooms (of all sizes) available at the Grand Summit a few miles away. We have 30 registrations for MME 2008 already processed, with more arriving every day.

The vendors have been contacted and stuff for the goodie bags and raffle items are starting to arrive. We are also getting ads for the MME 2008 program booklet. Much thanks to Dave Newman, who is orchestrating all the vendor coordination.

Thanks to Dave Black and Tom Judson, we have completed and submitted the very lengthy and confusing insurance application. Ken Lemoine has arranged a tour of the wonderful Bob Bahre Car Collection for Wednesday morning. Bud Hall has been working on a very scenic rally for Friday morning. Bud also has visited with the Bethel Chamber of Commerce and told them about the Meet and our plans. They are providing us with lots of local info for the goodie bags.

Hope to see you in July!

Wednesday, July 2 — 4-7 p.m., registration; 8 p.m., Pub Quiz.

Thursday, July 3 — 9 a.m.-12 noon, registration; 9 a.m., Special Event, Tour to the Bob Bahre Car Collection and Museum, Paris Hill, ME; 1 p.m., People’s Choice Car Show (ballots due by 4 p.m.); 1 p.m., Kids’ Event; 6 p.m., Moose and Squirrel Run (ending at Town of Rangeley’s 9 p.m. Fireworks Display).

Friday, July 4 (U.S. Independence Day) — 9 a.m., Rally (approximately two-hour run, staggered start); 12 noon, panoramic picture; 2 p.m., BBQ; 3 p.m., radio- controlled Mini racing; 4:30 p.m., local in-town Driving Tour ending with a pub break; 9 p.m., Dancing with the Mini Stars.

Saturday, July 5 — 8 a.m., Autocross; 10 a.m., Dress Up Your Mini Event; 1 p.m., Funkhana; 6 p.m., Banquet.

Sunday, July 6 — Departure day.

Those of you who have been paying attention know that last month we had just about finished John Holden’s lump. Well, it’s done now and in the car, and John’s comment was, “It was fun and interesting, but I wouldn’t ever want to do it again!” And we thought that was the end of it… until a pesky clacking noise developed in the clutch end. Diagnostics were inconclusive as to its source, but after driving it has become apparent that there is something amiss in the drop-gear/idler gear area. “Oh, nooo!” cries John. “Can’t it be fixed whilst the engine is still in the car?” Afraid not — so the saga continues and will be updated as appropriate.

Ever wonder what happens in the Barn on the odd weekend? Don’t care? I’m going to tell you anyway! We end up with a truly hectic tech session, that’s what. Last Saturday, John was busy installing his lump. At the same time, Steve Naczkowski was assembling his 1275 and getting it ready for the test stand, and Bill O’Connor was in to have valve seals installed and a new Aldon dizzy fitted. All this was happening inside, while Tom Judson struggled with a wiper motor repair in the driveway! Quite a Mini day all around.

An update on the turbo lump for George Cox’s Mini in upstate New York. Finally got everything sorted on the inside and on the test stand, where thankfully there were no surprises. George has since claimed his prize and is installing same and has promised to be at MME with it.

I guess at last writing, there wasn’t much rebuilding activity, but what a difference a couple of months makes. Steve N. decided to go through the lump he purchased from a fellow in Mass who is doing a V-Tec conversion. When he first brought it over, I hadn’t looked very closely at it — I mean, one lump looks like another, so we proceeded to take it apart and inventory the needed parts. It had been fitted recently with a new, straight-cut gear box, but when we drained the oil, all sorts of smarfy-looking stuff came out. The drain plug magnet looked like a ’70s afro — a sure indication that maintenance had been lax and that we were in for a full rebuild. Sure enough, the main and rod bearings were completely imbedded with bits of steel and that had scored the crank. A full rebuild has ensued and should be complete by the time you read this. Oh, and while inspecting things, I noticed a serial number had been stamped in the block: DB102. This lump had been rebuilt by yours truly in January 2002!

Bill O’Connor had installed a super-hot 1275 into his gorgeous MkIV Mini last year. He has complained about the engine smoking and decided that valve seals installed on the exhaust valves may be the answer. I’ve noticed that any engine with an uprated camshaft has a tendency to smoke unless all eight valves are fitted with seals, even when the valve guides are up to snuff. I attribute this to the increased valve overlap that causes a slight vacuum on both valves at certain periods of the stroke. With a stock cam, sealing just the intake valves is sufficient, but an aftermarket cam requires seals all around. We proceeded to install same and at the same time, swapped his 998 distributor for a new Aldon Yellow unit with a spark advance designed for his up- rated engine. Bill reports the smoke has cleared up and enjoyed a brisk drive back to the South Shore the same day.

Tom Judson (not alone among Mini owners) has had problems with his wiper motor. It would go about halfway across the windscreen and hang up (just before wiping in front of the driver!). He had purchased a new two-speed unit to replace his single-speed one, with all the accessories to make it fit. After realizing the amount of work involved in fitting the new unit (drilling holes, hooking up a new wiring harness), he decided to try rebuilding his existing motor first. Disassembly found gobs of solid grease, which were removed and replaced with white lithium grease. His wiper now works as well as Mk1 wipers ever worked! Sometimes our Minis just need a little TLC — after all, they’re older than many of their owners, and how many of us don’t need a little tune-up from time to time to set things right again?

Next month should be back to grass-cutting, mower repair, wood hauling, garden and shrub planting and the like, so if you’d like to learn about Gravely tractors or Troy-Bilt tillers, come on over! If not, leave me alone! Of course, if you have a Mini problem, come on down!

PEABODY, MA — MINI of Peabody rolled out the red carpet for over 300 guests on February 15th with the most anticipated MINI Clubman launch party of the year. For some, this event was the first time they had seen a Clubman and MINI of Peabody made certain that they wouldn’t forget the car with the extra “somethin’ somethin’” in the back.

Those in attendance were treated to many special surprises throughout the night. From the themed cuisine of mini burgers, “club” sandwiches, mini cookies and mini wraps, to “hot chocolate” candy bar desserts, MINI of Peabody took creativity to the next level.

After an hour of hors d’oeuvres and music courtesy of Boston radio’s Mike FM, customers (or shall we say, Club-goers) were asked to file into the shop area for the main event. The lights lowered, the dangling disco ball spun round, and a surprise MINI fashion show began.

Paul Taylor, General Sales Manager at MOP (and MC for the evening) took center stage as six completely “you-ified” MINIs hit the runway. One by one, Paul introduced the MINIs with a 2-3 minute presentation as they slowly made their way down the shop. MINIs were driven by MOP staff members and each car was accessorized with everything from bonnet stripes to roof decals.

Then the moment everyone was waiting for arrived. The lights dimmed again and a series of four MINI Clubmans strutted themselves out onto the runway. The crowd cheered and cameras flashed as each Clubman stopped midway down the runway. Paul delivered an incredibly thorough description of the Clubman’s unique features, including the famous signature Club doors.

Following the show, guests were able to meet the newest member of the MINI family. The four Clubmans were positioned in the service drive-through area for the remainder of the night, giving each guest the chance to get to know more about the new product.

The night concluded at 10:00 p.m. and guests motored off feeling pumped about the Clubman. MINI of Peabody definitely made their Clubman launch a night to remember.

[Lori is Marketing Director for MINI of Peabody.]

As we announced last month, we have booked the weekend of August 8-10 at the Kitzhof Inn in West Dover, VT. The Inn’s proprietors, Simon and Alison Ferris, have planned the whole weekend around us and our love for everything Mini.

The weekend schedule includes a Welcome Reception 4-5 p.m. Friday night, followed by an Italian Evening Meal. The night’s entertainment is the viewing of the original Italian Job. Saturday morning, after enjoying a full English breakfast, we will gather for a group photo and then depart for a Vermont Road Cruise. That night we will enjoy an English Evening Meal and view the updated version of The Italian Job. We will depart Sunday morning after breakfast.

The whole weekend, including the Welcome Reception, two breakfasts, two evening meals, movie viewing, gratuities, and taxes, is $321.20 for two people sharing a room.

The Inn only has 24 rooms and a number of folks have already gotten in their reservations. So you need to call right away and reserve a room. Call (800) 338-8310 or (802) 464-8310 and tell them you want to book a room for the NEMO Italian Job Mini weekend. You do not want to miss this weekend of Mini fun!

Why get rid of a perfectly good ’79 Mini 998cc motor with only 20K on it? Well, there’s really not much wrong with a 998 in a 1300 lb. car. The gas mileage is certainly stellar — a big negative on the decision to go bigger. But not being able to cover hills without building momentum the previous mile, or freeway on-ramps in heavy traffic, or that punk kid in the Mustang…

I’ve done my own oil changes and tune-ups but mechanically that was mostly it, so I was, and still am, on the low side of the curve. But I wanted to do this myself so I could have a better understanding and have the satisfaction of doing it myself. So in early February I began tearing down a 1275 lump under the watchful eye of Dave Black. Didn’t draw much blood, either. Got plenty greasy.

Each following weekend and a few mid-week evenings I’d go down to the Mini Barn to tackle each step. Two-step parts washing, wire-wheeling all the small bits, media-blasting the covers, fresh coats of paint, all showed progress. What is obviously most challenging is reconstruction and adding in the improved parts, like a Kent 276 cam, lighter flywheel, and taller 1st gear. I don’t care how much you think you paid attention to everything, a few weeks later your brain is on “Stupid.” The gearbox is nuts and I remembered about half of it.

There is absolutely no way I’d attempt this project without a mentor like Dave. He’s done 20 or more rebuilds, so I felt comfortable knowing that if I had a question he’d be there with an answer. And believe me, I had questions.

Dave’s Mini Barn is a former horse stable that evolved into the perfect destination for any Mini steeds needing service in our club. And thankfully, any and every tool required is there for Mini hobbyists like me to use — cone compressor, valve puller, valve seating tool and polish, sand blaster, magnetic retrieval tool (that we had to use once after I accidentally dropped a bolt in through the fuel pump mount! D’oh!), specialty lubes and sealants, and wood stove (did I mention this was February?).

So in 4-5 weekends and a couple weeknight evenings, I built it. A 1293, 3:1 final drive. Overall, it was incredibly gratifying. On the test stand it fired right up, ran like a champ and I was grinning, but I had no reservations knowing someone had my back all the way. The following weekend we replaced the test stand’s Weber with the SU and dialed in the lovely lumpy idle.

So now I sit and wait until the early spring New England rains wash away most of the Mini-hating road salt so I can take my truly rust-free Mini down to the Barn for the transplant. I feel like a kid before Christmas. Stay tuned for my review.

SPARTANBURG, SC — This reporter was part of a small contingent of hand-picked MINI enthusiasts to be invited to BMW’s plant in upstate South Carolina, where Z4 production has just been moved to Germany to make room for a very special production line.

After entering what appeared to be an aircraft hangar-sized building on the perimeter of this vast, 1150-acre manufacturing facility, we were first treated to a short film on the history of the original Mini, released by BMC in 1959. Then various models of the original “classic” Mini were driven into view in front of the giant video screen, followed by the first generation MINI models, the current MINI models and then the brand new MINI Clubman (in brown, of course).

At this point, to our right, a giant fog machine clouded our vision and we heard an engine start, then two more. After a bit of tire squeal, three cars thrust out of the fog and into view, bathed in whirling spotlights. They appeared to be classic Minis — one red, one white and one blue. Was this yet another remake of the original Italian Job movie?

Then the announcement came: “Invited guests! You are looking at the newest Mini — the very special car for the 50th anniversary of the Mini — built by fellow Americans at this state-of-the-art facility: the Mini-50!”

The fog dissipated, the lights came on and we could compare this new Mini-50 to the classic Minis and MINI models present.

It appeared to be an exact duplicate of the last version of the classic Mini to come off of the Birmingham production line in 2000, but was bigger — in fact, it was the size of the current MINI, which is two feet longer and a foot wider than the classic. And, the models shown had badging on the rear that said “Mini-50” and “2.4-litre Turbo.”

Whew! 2.4 litre engines in a Mini? And a turbo? Let me explain.

This special car was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mini and is to be a 2009 production model, to be released in the summer of 2008.

It looks in almost every way, like a classic Mini-40 from 1999 but is 20 percent larger. The body of the vehicle is made of plastic dent-proof panels like a Saturn used to be, with the hood, roof and trunk made of steel. The engine is plucked from Chrysler and is the same unit used in the PT Cruiser Turbo models, a 2.4 litre turbocharged unit, producing 180hp. They call this the “mild” turbo, and a 225hp unit may also be available in late 2009 as a Mini-50 “S.”

So what is it like to drive a reincarnated Mini-50? First, the suspension is modern BMW MINI, so no more rubber cones and dinky wheels. The only transmission available at the demo was a Getrag 4-speed auto box and the cars all come standard with air conditioning, which was never a factory option on an original Mini. But A/C was well appreciated by the assembled crowd, as the weather down South can get warm and they expect 80 percent or more of the production to be sold in the USA and Canada.

The cars are very quick. With lightweight body panels and 180hp on tap, they feel quicker than a current MCS. A full road test will be available later. Handling is go-kart-like but much more controlled than a classic Mini.

The seating is like a classic Mini, almost upright, with the steering wheel tilted like a bus. But you can’t get over how strange it feels to be driving a “classic” that is 20 percent bigger but looks like the original car in all dimensions.

You are going to want one of these new Mini-50 models! But due to the expected demand, they are only available for pre-order from your local MINI dealers on one day — Tuesday, April 1st.

Missed that date, you say? No worries. As you probably figured out by now, this was just an April Fools joke.

I am trying to put together a caravan for Mini Meet East this July in Bethel, ME. Unfortunately I cannot go for the entire time, but my schedule is somewhat flexible. If any of you are in the same situation please contact me and I can try to put something together to meet everyone’s schedule. I can be reached at (781) 659-6870; please leave a message.

ESSEX, MA — MINIsOnTop, taking place June 28th, will be raising money through raffles and donations to benefit two worthy causes this year, according to Ian Cull, Event Coordinator. The Mt. Washington Observatory will receive 6.288% (honoring the mountain’s elevation) of the total raised at MINIsOnTop, and the rest will go to support the Make-a-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire (http://www.newhampshire.wish.org/).

MINIsOnTop, an annual event held in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is the largest gathering of MINI Cooper owners in the Northeast. Its total charitable efforts in the past have raised over $38,000, and this year’s goal is to break the $50,000 mark.

Since the highlight of MINIsOnTop is a sunset run to the summit of Mt. Washington, it was decided that a percentage of the funds raised should go to the Observatory on an ongoing annual basis.

MINIsOnTop also decided to focus its efforts on the individual Make-a-Wish Foundations within each of the New England states on a rotating basis, assuring that a smile can be brought to at least one child each year by completely covering the average wish expense of $5,000 for the child and his or her family.

Those interested in donating items to be raffled or used as door prizes at MINIsOnTop should contact Dave Thibodeau at donations@minisontop.com.

MINIsOnTop is organized by MINIsOnTop, Ltd., a registered 503(c)(7) corporation consisting of very enthusiastic volunteer MINI Cooper owners. For more information, go to www.minisontop.com.

[From a press release.]

Plans for 2008 Center on MME
by Dave Newman

HARRISVILLE, RI — Faith and Bruce once again offered up their home to host the annual NEMO Planning Meeting on February 10th. About 30 members attended and brought a wide selection of entrées and desserts for lunch. We discussed various event ideas for 2008 (such as the Italian Job Weekend at The Kitzhof Inn — see accompanying article), along with events hosted by other clubs that NEMO members would attend.

The big discussion, however, surrounded Mini Meet East 2008, which will be hosted by NEMO at Sunday River in Bethel, ME, July 4th week. We went over the planned three-day agenda, Dave Black gave a report on the insurance needed for the event and the autocross, and Faith stressed that you should make reservations now as all of the three- and two-room suites were already booked, leaving some double-queen and Murphy-bed rooms left.

Faith had a mock-up of the entry form and some suggestions from the crowd were incorporated. It is now on the MME website for people to start signing up for the event.

Mini Meet East should be a great event and of course will be open to classic Minis and new MINIs. Any NEMO member not on the “core” MME team can participate by being willing to work the event when it happens. If interested, please contact Faith as tasks are being assigned now.

After the formal meeting, we had more dessert and more Mini conversations. It was a good meeting, enjoyed by all who attended.

We have booked the weekend of August 8-10 at The Kitzhof Inn in Vermont. The Inn’s proprietors, Simon and Alison Ferris, have planned the whole weekend around us and our love for everything Mini. The weekend will include Italian and British meals, a cruise on back country roads, and viewings of both the original and remake versions of The Italian Job.

The Inn is located in West Dover, VT, near Mt. Snow and not far from Wilmington in the southern part of the state. They only have 24 rooms and we need to know how many folks are interested in attending so we can get a price. So, if you are interested (did I mention they also have a hot tub and swimming pool?), please send Faith (nemo@auroratechedi.com) an e-mail by April 15th (seems like an easy-to-remember date!) so we can get an approximate count to Peter and Alison.

This will be a great Mini Break after hosting Mini Meet in July. Hope you can join us!

Two projects underway this month — George Cox’s 1275 Turbo and John Holden’s 1275 A+. That’s right, John has decided to go ahead and re-power his ’79 Machinist’s Mini.

But first to the turbo…

It really is amazing that you can fit all the plumbing necessary to run a turbo under the hood of a Mini. This is not a Metro-Turbo, factory installation, but a backyard bolt-on addition to an existing 1275. Every time I look at this configuration, I’m impressed with the amount of custom fitment that went into the project. And when trying to tie the turbo to the exhaust flange, at the same time lining up the intake pipe, and don’t forget the oil drain line — phewww! And that was on the test stand with full access to the front and rear of the engine. Can’t imagine doing it in the tight confines of a Mini’s engine bay. Sure glad George is going to take care of that little detail…

John Holden called a couple of weeks ago to say he’d had a dream that I (in the Thurd) was having trouble keeping up with him (in the Green Bean) on the highway! “Yeah, right!” I said. “Must have been a wet dream!” It would certainly be a nightmare for me! You should know that this dream came from John’s trip to Stowe last year. He had an awful time keeping up on the highway and has complained about it bitterly ever since.

Well, the dream is now becoming a reality. John is almost halfway through a rebuild on a 1275 lump (he’s on the sandblaster as I write). We’ve had lengthy discussions about power versus driveability issues. John has explored various camshaft options and, of course, the all-important final drive ratio.

By next month we should have the final stats as well as a couple more projects to report about. Steve from Manchester, CT will be rebuilding his 1275, and Ray Carney will likely have a replacement engine for his Skipper. Till then…

PEABODY, MA — MINI of Peabody put on another great outing for its customers and Mini fanatics, both new and classic, on Sunday, October 7th. It was similar to the previous year’s event. The location was the BMW facility on Centennial Drive in Peabody, as the MOP lot is way too small for an event of this size.

MINI USA was pushing the theme “Motor-Tober” for October events. Hundreds of MINIs and half a dozen classic Minis were there with their owners, friends and families. There was an autocross, run by the local BMW club, some braking and handling instruction, a very good gourmet barbeque, and our very own Hrach with his woody Mini wagon and some nice discounts on MINI accessories.

Paul Taylor and his MOP crew outdid themselves and people I spoke to said that this year’s event ran smoother and had a nicer “feel” to it. Lori Connolly, the Advertising and Marketing Director for the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group that owns MOP, got her first taste of a classic Mini, our very own British Open Classic 1275, and a history lesson on the Mini, which was eye-opening. She very much enjoyed it (that’s Lori sprouting out of the sunroof).

The MOP crew is a varied lot, from old British car guys to new ones, but they all share our Mini passion and it shows. Nobody was trying to sell cars. The idea was to have a fun time with Mini people and they succeeded.

Unless you live without the Internet, magazines or television (sorry, Hrach) then you have seen pictures of the new MINI Clubman. We got to see both the Cooper and Cooper S versions at the New England Auto Show in Boston in December and offer our impressions.

First: it’s a very nice little car. Second: it’s only slightly bigger than a regular MINI coupe. Third: the rear doors are so cute that it may make you buy one. Fourth: the right side second door is pitiful and completely ruins the “lines” of the car on that side.

Please, Mr. BMW-MINI, lose that little extra side door and restore the looks of the car. It won’t make much difference as the rear legroom is only about 4” bigger than a regular MINI and it’s easy enough to get into the rear from the driver’s side (that’s the left side over here in the Colonies). The Brits are already upset that on their side of the pond the little door dumps their rear seat passengers right out into traffic.

Would I buy one, sure! But, here’s another idea for MINI to think of: offer the Cooper bonnet and chrome grille on a Cooper S. The front end of the new Cooper S looks horrible with its fake hood scoop and black egg crate grille. I’d much rather be able to order an S with a regular front end. Some like it and some don’t, so offer both.

The Official Reveal happens on February 15th at MINI dealers and no doubt they will be backordered for months. Don’t expect Minivan capacity just because it’s a wagon. From what I saw, you gain the space of about three milk crates in the back. But the way the rear doors open is an engineering marvel, even if the center section blocks your rear view a bit. What’s behind you is not important — motor on, Mini fans!

It is shaping up like a very slow winter for rebuilding. Can it be that we are nearing the end of first rebuilds for NEMO members? Must be time to start all over again!

Actually, there has been some engine activity. Al and Linda DeArroyo (Scotia, NY) brought their 998 lump in for a trade up to an A+ 1275 unit. Al reports that he and Linda decided last fall that the time had come to completely redo their ’79 brown 998, body and engine. Seems in stripping the paint, they discovered that only part of the car was originally brown, but a previous owner had opted for that color (probably to hide rust!). Al and Linda have chosen blue as that seemed to be the predominant color under the brown — a good choice (at least lots better than brown!). We’re looking forward to seeing them early this season.

George Cox from way upstate New York (somewhere near Canada) is rebuilding his 1275 turbo’d lump. He complained of a rough-running condition last summer and couldn’t get to the cause without pulling the lump. Diagnosis was easy enough — with the head removed you could see one of the pistons just wasn’t all there! A full disassembly has ensued — new pistons ordered and all other bits have been rebuilt. The turbo presented a challenge, though, because the manufacturer went out of business 15 years ago. No parts are available and no one was willing to work on it. I figured if it was indeed knackered, then it couldn’t hurt to take it apart. Now here I was expecting all sorts of high class, close tolerance bearings and seals requiring special tools and knowledge. Well, there’s not a bearing in sight, and sealing appears to be done with O-rings. It’s now back together and should work at least as well as when I started!

Next month we’ll discuss the final assembly and testing of our first turbo lump (but only if successful!).

Happy New Year from miniaddicts.co.uk!

Early start 14th January. Sleepily turned the alarm off 6.30, fell out of bed, crawled into bathroom. Sound familiar? Not me! I was wide awake with excitement — it was our first outing as a club in 2008!

Eight Miniaddicts met up in the ASDA car park before joining the remaining 192 Minis booked for the run organised by Wirral Minis, which are the nearest club and great friends of ours. Everyone had been allocated a number and I had #9. No number, no run!

9.15 the horn sounded and we all moved off in convoy, every nine Minis led by a marshal from Wirral Minis for a drive of approximately 40 miles to the Rhos on Sea Promenade for a pit stop (actually it’s known affectionally as a p**s stop!). This allowed all the Minis to catch up and crawl along the Llandudno Promenade before ascending the Great Orme, a 679 ft. high granite mountain which erupted many moons ago out of the sea.

At the top, the 200 Minis parked up, huddled tightly together for warmth and protection from the fierce wind and rain. We were only allowed 200 at a time by the Coast Guards, as long as we are marshaled. This gave us a chance to have another pit stop!

When all had returned to their Minis we then carefully negotiated the hairpin bends on the way down before assembling on the West Shore Promenade. The wind was calmer and the rain eased off (it doesn’t always rain here contrary to Paul Saulnier’s belief!). This gave the Minaiddicts a chance to meet our friends from several Mini clubs and enroll new members to our club.

We have no meeting now until the first Wednesday in February so we organised our next run to Bingley Hall Mini Show in Staffordshire on 27th January before making our way home.

[Miniaddicts is our sister club across the pond.]

Join us on Sunday, February 10th, for NEMO’s Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Luncheon. Plan to arrive at 12 noon. The eating starts at 1 p.m. and the meeting follows at 2 p.m. We are in major MME2008 planning mode. So bring a dish for the lunch table and join in the fun. We will be holding a Give-Away Freebie Raffle so if you have any Mini related items you would like to donate, bring them along. The Meeting and Luncheon will take place at the home of Faith Lamprey and Bruce Vild, 5 Old Nasonville Road, Harrisville. Call (401) 766-6519 or e-mail editor@britishmarque.com. Directions will go out to everyone on the Google Group e-mail list and will be put on the website.

Directions:

From the Providence area: Take Rt. 146 North. Take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit off 146. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left (almost immediately) at the stop light (a “T”). You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From the Boston area: Take Rt. 95 South to Rt. 295 South to Rt. 146 North. Take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit off 146. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left (almost immediately) at the stop light (a “T”). You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From the Worcester area: Take Rt. 146 South to the Rt. 5/102/146A Slatersville exit. Turn right off the exit ramp. You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below.

From Connecticut and southern Rhode Island: Take Rt. 95 North to Rt. 295 North (in Rhode Island) to Rt. 146 North. From 146, take the Rt. 5/102 Slatersville exit. Turn right off the exit ramp and take a left at the stop light. You are now on Rt. 146A. Follow the directions from Rt. 146A below. (See below for an alternate route.)

From Rt. 146A where you’ve all converged: Follow Rt. 146A through Forestdale. You will go through three traffic lights (one in Forestdale, one at the Slatersville Plaza, one at Gator’s Pub). At Slatersville Plaza, intersect with Rt. 102 by going straight. After Gator’s, “The Island” will appear on your left and you will see a sign on your right for Wright’s Farm. Slow down and get ready for a left turn at Inman Road (ignore the road on your left across the street from the sign). Make sure you use your blinkers—this is a busy intersection! Take an immediate left after that (onto Old Nasonville Road), and an immediate right into our driveway. Call Faith and Bruce at (401) 766-6519 if you get lost.

From the Barn
by Dave Black

In the Barn this month, as promised, are Kerry (“Frustrating”) Washay, Robyn (“Ah, Robyn!”) Zellar, Greg (“Headache”) Mazza, and Ray (“Skip”) Carney.

Travis Washay called to explain a rough running problem with his dad’s (Kerry’s) Mini. It seems he would replace the spark plugs and the car would run fine for a while, then start to skip. After trying a couple of things himself, in desperation he trailered the car to the Barn to see if I could get a handle on the problem.

This was the most frustrating time I’ve ever spent trying to solve what should have been an easy problem. It was obviously running too rich, as the plugs were sooty black. So, lean out the carb and send him on his way. Well, a three-mile test drive brought the skip back. A compression test showed #3 was down about 20 lbs. This could be either valves, or a head gasket.

Off with its head — out with the valves, and #3 exhaust definitely was leaking. A close inspection of all valves showed problems on two other cylinders as well. All was ground to perfection, the head refitted, and it still had a skip! Argggghhhh!! That was a lot of work for nothing.

So we’ve eliminated valves, head gasket, and carburetor as culprits... it must be spark. Removing each plug wire at idle found little change on #3 again! Out with the plugs and in with a new set and things seemed better, but not quite right. A test drive brought the skip back fully, and uncovered another problem. After about a mile, the engine would die, coast almost to a stop, and start up again, like it was running out of fuel.

We (Peanut and I) limped back the Barn, pulled the plugs first. #1, 2 and 4 were clean, but #3 was soaking wet. It turned out to be a bad plug! Another set solved the problem — but now to the fuel crisis. I checked the float first, having recently found this to be the cause of similar symptoms in Francesco’s Mini. It was O.K. Next was the fuel pump — of course, this car has a mechanical pump which is very difficult to access without removing the manifold (which I had just removed and refitted during the valve job). Never mind, we’ll try getting at it in situ. The top hose came off easily and I was just getting a screwdriver onto the bottom hose when I noticed this hose made a sharp bend where it leaves the steel fuel line. I wonder if that could be that simple... cut off 1/2” of line and reattached the hoses and VROOOOOOM! Another success story! (After two full days of mucking about.)

Robyn Zellar has spent a lot of time at the Barn in the past two months. First was a clutch issue. It would work fine for about three gear changes, then would quit disengaging the clutch. Now Robyn had just had a new master and slave cylinder installed, so the first thing to try was bleeding the system. A lot of air came out and the clutch worked just fine. Robyn came out to pick up her Mini and during the test drive the same problem occurred. Bleed again — there was just too much air coming out of this short line. Reason pointed to the master cylinder as the source. So, we rebuilt her old cylinder and voila — clutch!

Curiosity got the better of me and a close inspection of the brand-new Delphi cylinder showed they hadn’t machined a taper from the finish bore to the outer diameter. The sharp edge had cut both cups when assembled at Delphi! As if we don’t have enough issues with worn out parts — now it’s the new stuff that’s causing grief!

I talked to Robyn a couple of days later to make sure everything was hunky-dory and she complained that her feet were getting hot (while driving). “It’s like the heat is on,” was her comment. I asked if the heater control was on or off (in or out). “Which one is the heater control?” I explained that it looked just like the choke knob. “You mean the one with the flames on it?” was the reply — and another Mini owner discovers her ability to take control of a situation and turn it to advantage!!

On another visit, Robyn reported a “clunking” when accelerating or decelerating. Turned out to be the engine steady (the bolt had broken off in the block). This could get tricky as I had fitted a grade 8 unit on her first visit and it had broken off 1/4” into the block. Drilling was relatively easy except for the bolt’s hardness. The easy-out went in and it’s still there! Yep, I broke it clean off — the worst possible thing to happen. So what now? I fitted both outer and inner brackets with a bolt completely through the dog-bone. Then forced the assembly block-ward till I could start the forward bolt. With it cinched up, it should hold!

Forgot to mention that when pulling into the Barn, Robyn’s muffler fetched up and tore the exhaust clean off! Ripped it right out of the manifold and buggered the bell end so it would never make a tight seal. A used exhaust was procured from upstairs (upladder in the Barn). Robyn had been complaining about the size of her muffler — it seems some dude in Amsterdam had an inferiority complex and fitted a 4” center-exit monstrosity. Well, now she has a pea-shooter!

Greg Mazza’s story begins a couple of years ago (yes, it can take that long to find a solution to a Mini problem!). Every time Greg wanted to drive his Mini, he had to plan ahead and charge the battery to get it to start. It would run fine for a day, but the battery would drain down overnight and require a charge to get going again. Well, the solution was easy — buy a new battery. Of course, it took Greg at least a year to get frustrated enough to justify the $50 expenditure. All seemed fine for a while, then this summer, he started having issues with warm starts. Stop for fuel (ice cream), and the car wouldn’t start. Turned over fine, spark looked O.K., lots of fuel at the carb, so why wouldn’t it fire? (Story continued below)

(Continued from above)

It took many sessions of troubleshooting before the cause was discovered. First, we checked spark — it had one; then, lots of diddling with the carb to make sure it wasn’t a simple case of vapor lock. The starter turned over as well as any of them do, so we were pretty sure it wasn’t battery-related, and the governor was charging, so this eliminated the 12-volt system as a cause. But the problem persisted and caused a few embarrassing moments when Greg stalled in heavy traffic on the way to an MME meeting. He pushed his Mini into a parking lot and left it till after the meeting, when it started with no problem at all.

It wasn’t till September ’07 that we started suspecting the charging system once again. Checking voltage at different locations found a drop from 12.2 to 9 at the coil when cranking. Voltage at the battery was 12.2 volts whether static or under charge. (It should be 13.5 volts.) At Stowe we installed a new voltage regulator and got the charge back up to 13.5 — and the problem seems to have disappeared!

Take heart and don’t give up on that nagging little annoyance that is causing you all sorts of grief. The solution may be just one try away!

And that brings us to “Skip” Carney (Ray). Ray is in the midst of one of these Mini-storms. His engine has a skip in it that we’ve yet to discover the cause of. At idle, removing one plug wire at a time, finds a change with #1 and #4, but no change when #2 or #3 are unplugged. Compression and leakdown tests are excellent, carburetor has been changed (no change), 123 dizzy was replaced with a new A+ electronic unit (no change), plugs, plugs wires, dizzy cap, etc., have all been eliminated as the problem. Ray even measured the throw on each valve to see if wear on the camshaft could be causing the skip (they all have equal throws).

We’ve concluded that we won’t find the cause until the engine comes out again, and even then, we may never know! Of course, Ray is only one year into trying to fix the problem. Stay tuned for the discovery — it may take another year or two, but you’ll read about it here first!

All for now…

No rain at Falmouth show (but many Minis)
by Dave Newman

Dan St. Croix at the show with his top-rated Mini. Photo by Barbara Newman

FALMOUTH, MA, Sept. 30 — Many NEMO members motored to Cape Cod to attend the CCBCC’s “British Legends” show. In stark contrast to years past, the day was sunny and 70°, quite a treat for those used to the rain this show usually attracts.

And, speaking of attraction, the show field was overflowing with cars this year, with about 200 British cars of all types making the organizers work hard to shuffle cars around to fit everyone in! Even the Mini Class had us crammed in door to door. But when you drive a Mini, there is always room to squeeze in another!

Eight classic Minis were in the show, with another three in the outside car park and three new MINIs on the field to boot. There were still many more marques like MG, Triumph, Rover, Jaguar, Rolls, Lotus (including one Elise that I lust after, whew!), Birkin, Land Rover, and more.

This is a great show, and the CCBCC must be commended for running this each year. If you own a Mini, new or old, this is a show you should attend. It is casual, has a location right on the harbor, is friendly and attracts a collection of British cars so clean and well looked after that you’d think it was a 1960s British Leyland dealer’s lot.

Some of the NEMO members attending that I saw were Faith and Bruce, Dan St. Croix, Vince Tamburo, Dave Vanolinda, Bob B., Glen C., Greg M., and of course myself and Barbara. Some are also members of the CCBCC, an organization worth joining if you live in Southeastern Mass.

In the car park outside the event was a pristine beige 1973 Mini Clubman Estate. Why wait for MINI to introduce the “new” Clubman when you can have one now? The “For Sale” sign said $15K OBO, phone (508) 759-6221. This car was nice!

Speaking of nice, Vince had a “For Sale” sign on his superb Mini Cooper for $14K. Vince, don’t sell it!

And in the show was a new Lotus Elise, burgundy in color, the car Barbara should buy me when she hits the Megabucks, right after buying a 1960s Lotus Super 7, but I digress, landing at Fantasy Island. Sorry.

Glen Carliss was up to his usual, displaying the famous Hula Doll under his open bonnet to sway favor with the judges for his Banana Crème Mini.

Some keep a St. Christopher medal hanging around their rear view mirror for luck, but at this show, many had a waterproof picture of our very own Dave Black installed in their engine compartment for luck. I’d say that was a safer bet for long engine life. Sorry, Saint Chris!

There was good food, provided by the local school band parents, and valve cover races, along with raffle prizes. A few vendors also sold bits and bobs.

During the show, most of the NEMO members attending pulled up chairs behind their cars under the trees and had great conversations about their Minis and life in general. It was nice. Others were asking questions and being given opportunities to sit in the cars, look at the engines and learn about the classic Mini.

Faith and Bruce were on the other side of the field, welcoming participants and guests at the British Marque cabana. Faith brought her MINI Cooper and Bruce his like-new MGB. They had spent the weekend involved with all the other activities CCBCC had as this is called the British Legends Weekend, the show the last event.

Soon the afternoon was upon us and the class awards were read out. Mini Class: 1st place, Dan St. Croix; 2nd place, Vince Tamburo; 3rd place, Barbara Newman.

This is an event not to miss next year!

Santa Pod Mini show: How we do it in England
by Tony ‘Elf’ Haslam

Last month our club, miniaddicts, had a stand at Santa Pod for the biggest Mini show of the few in the U.K. We decided to camp there the night before and just as we started to erect the tents, guess what? After a few days of sunshine it decided to rain! Just got the tents up in time on dry ground but all around it turned into a quagmire! Nevertheless in true miniaddict style we smiled, and it dried up a little for the show, but very few clubs turned up and we were on the edge of the site, well away from the best part of the show, so we did not set up our stand. How can you show your Minis off in caked on mud?

[See the last issue of the Marque! —Exec. Ed.]

Anyway, seeing as we were there, we strolled or rather trawled as best we could in the mud and had a good look around for bargains. I seemed to pick up the best bargain, a Riley Elf wooden dashboard for £45, almost in immaculate condition for 44 years old or so.

To sum up the show, the site of Santa Pod (an old American army camp in Poddington, hence the name) left a lot to be desired — no roads around the campsite, lousy toilets which seemed miles away (at least 600-700 yards away) — and the only showers were on the other side of the dragstrip from the campsite!

When we saw a few Minis strut their stuff on the track along with a few dragsters and other marques we left around 15 hrs to make our way home. I was towing the caravan (no roughing it up for me!) on the motorways and arrived home at 17.30 hrs. The Minis made their way back on the A roads and got home about 21.30 hrs.

When in the Minis we find it better on the A roads as we can stop and help any that break down, whereas on the motorways we are not allowed to stop and help. Stupid, I know, as often as we can get them going again, and of course this is safer than standing around waiting for the breakdown truck. But there you go, that’s the law and we have to abide by it.)

[Miniaddicts is our sister club across the pond. Their website is www.miniaddicts.co.uk.]

I also got a few bits and pieces for my Minis, namely a pair of rear bumpers for the van, £50 new (that’s all I’ve spent on that so far), some front subframe mounting rubbers and side window rubbers for the Studio 2. Today I fitted them.

The steering feels a lot more positive now so that’s good, however I noticed the steering rack boot had split. I have two new ones and have decided to replace the track rod ends at the same time, silly not to, really, as I will have to have it tracked twice otherwise.

The Mini van is now called Robbie, having been purchased off the Robinsons and no other member using the name. He is being ignored at the moment, as I haven’t the heart to spend any time on him until I have the registration documents. Seems to be a bit of a backlog at the DVLA...

There are two registrations that come out each year, March and August. This started in the new millennium 2000 March was 01 and September was 51. A typical registration would be AB 01 ABC for March of that year and AB 51 ABC would be September. This year it would be AB 07 ABC and AB 57 ABC respectively.

Phil has bought himself a new BMW Mini Cooper diesel and has the registration PH 07 PAH, (PH being his name Phil Haslam and PAH being his initials for his full name, Philip Anthony Haslam). This makes the cars easier to put a date of manufacture on 07 and 57 being 2007. Does that make sense to you?

Before I forget, Dean has said I can have the 1275 engine out of the Open Classic complete with front subframe and suspension and wheels with the disc brakes for the van so that will make it a fast little motor for me with the discs to stop it, not as powerful as Mini Mouse but fast enough for the British roads. Spec is a single point injection with a three way catalytic converter compression 10.5-1 50 BHP @ 5000 revs and a 66 Lbs/FT torque @ 2600 revs 0-60 13,4 secs (wow! LOL) Max speed 87 mph and 36 mpg Electronic ignition of course. It will require some re-wiring to accommodate the electrics for the ECU but hey isn’t this part of the fun! We will also transfer the power assisted brake servo and the dashboard and speedo, as the wheels are 12” replacing the 10” that are on now. Until the next bulletin!

STOWE, VT — We packed a small suitcase, two folding chairs, cameras, batteries and a bag of Fritos into our classic Mini in Kingston, MA, and headed north. Five hours and two visits to DDs for coffee later, we had penetrated Vermont and arrived in Stowe.

After checking into the Stowe Motel, we drove to the Events Field and picked up our registration materials at the 17th British Invasion. Out on the field, the Mini-Go- Round, with classic Minis and a calliope, was entertaining all. This creation of Ken Lemoine and other NEMO members was a big hit with the Friday night crowd. Inside the tent were drinks and finger foods and lots and lots of British car fans.

We headed over to the British Marque/NEMO area of the tent to mingle and see where dinner was that night. With over 600 British cars and trucks registered, could this event be a way for Stowe to get its tarmac oiled for free before the winter? It was off to a slightly wacky “sustainable” restaurant for the evening meal with 20 other NEMO members.

Saturday morning had us up early, taking advantage of the hotel free breakfast and then off to the show. The rain that had begun Friday night had turned the grassy field into a mud bowl. The hundreds of cars being lined up on the high ground were like the British Isles themselves. Even the big tent housing vendors had turned into Water World North. Vendors inside the tent were moving to the higher ground. Vendors outside were huddling under their personal canopies.

Outside, between the bouts of rain, car owners were drying off their cars. Then it would rain, and they would dry them again. We cleaned up our Mini three times before patches of sun finally arrived in the afternoon, only to have an errant cloud soak it again.

A group of MINI fans were planting yellow rubber ducks in a small pond of water just outside the MINI of Peabody display cabana. MOP had a large display with two cars, a MINI Sidewalk convertible (I loved it and want one!) and a 2007 MINI Cooper S. They were selling MINI clothing and accessories and had a large show discount on “stuff.” Hrach, our very own club President, was there — he’s one of their salesmen.

There appeared to be about 50 classic Minis, vans, pick-ups and Mokes and about the same number of new MINIs making up about 20% of the cars at the show. When we weren’t trying to keep warm in the big tent, we walked the show field, through the spectacular collection Rovers, MINIs, Minis, Land Rovers, TVRs, Aston Martins, Healeys, Jaguars, Lotus, Morgans, Jensens, Singers, and motorcycles.

In the Car Corral, where cars for sale were kept, there were quite a few Minis, including one from 1959 in pretty decent shape, claimed to be the #10 off the production line. Dave Black and Greg Mazza were all over that car like a cheap suit. It wasn’t all original, but the body was in excellent shape for being 48 years old.

The vendors had lots of parts for all types of British cars, but since the featured marque this year was the Mini, it appeared that more than 50% of the parts, models, books and such were for Mini people.

We spotted many NEMO members there, and I’m sure I missed some, but we saw Faith and Bruce, Dave, Greg, Ron Blanchette, Ian Cull, John and Lisa and the kids, Hrach, Ken, Tom and Marsha Judson and Bud Hall.

Sunday brought out the sun. In the hotel parking lot, Barbara interviewed a Canadian Smart Car-owning couple on their way to their winter home in Florida. They said it held more luggage than you would think, was slow to accelerate but did highway speeds O.K. and was totally reliable.

The Smart was cute but I don’t think I would trade our Mini or MINI for one. Seems to me that a base MINI Cooper for a few thousand more than a Smart adds two more passengers, more room and better handling and acceleration — but confirmation will have to wait for a road test next year when Roger Penske starts selling them in the States.

After another nice hotel breakfast, we were off to the bright sun of the show field for the Competition of Colours, which has the cars lined up and voted on by the participants. Mud puddles were still evident, and the tent was filled with hay to soak up the mess. It worked and Sunday was a pleasant day, with winners of Saturday’s votes announced.

In the afternoon, it was all over. Time to travel the five hours in the Mini back to Massachusetts. The drive was comfortable, at a leisurely 65mph. We have a stock 1275 and averaged over 40mpg for the combined trip. Not bad for an engine designed in the 1950s.

This Invasion was our first and the only thing we questioned was why we hadn’t done it sooner! All those years missed with something “else” to do. This event is worth doing, rain or shine!

The NEMO Holiday Party will be held this year at JJ McKays in Wayland, MA, on Sunday, December 2nd, at 12 noon. McKays is at 171 Commonwealth Road at the intersection of Routes 30 and 27, just a few miles from Exit 13 of the Mass Pike (bear left onto Route 30 past the tolls). We need a head count so RSVP by emailing (editor@britishmarque.com) or calling Faith at (401) 766-6519 before Thanksgiving. Let her know how many are attending (and ages of any kids).

The cost for the buffet is $23 per person which includes tax and tip. The Club will subsidize $8 for members, so the member cost is only $15. Kids under 12 are half price and under 3 are free.

We will be holding a Yankee Swap so plan to bring a wrapped gift (try to keep the cost below $20). A Yankee Swap means that someone else may “take” your gift when it is their turn to pick. (Warn your kids so they don’t get upset if this happens!) You get to pick a gift for every gift you bring (and please, no more than one per person or the party will never end). See you there!

Okay, so I took last month off from writing this column, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t busy Mini-ing around in the Barn. Making headlines this month are Dave (“Ex-Chevy”) Brown and John (“Smashtheglass”) Holden. Next time we’ll talk about Kerry (“Frustrating”) Washay, Robyn (“Ah, Robyn!”) Zellar, and a few others.

Dave Brown has finally completed a 15-year restoration on a very nice Mini van that he yanked out from behind a barn a long time ago. He finally got tired of messing around with big American sleds and decided it was time to get to work on the Mini. Lots of pieces were missing, but after the body was beautifully painted, Dave refit everything he had to get the car on the road, and is so excited to drive a car that puts the fun back into driving that he hasn’t even changed the oil that was in the car when he bought it! It runs just fine, so why mess with it? Recently he was inspecting some of the running gear and found a torn CV boot, so he wanted to simply fit a new one. After a little coaxing, he agreed that it would probably make sense to pull both axles, clean and relube the CV joints and bearings, and install all new rubber bits. He fitted a speedo drive (his was missing), and discovered that this job is quite simple with the left side axle removed!

John Holden has been chasing oil leaks in his otherwise gorgeous 998 Mini. He finally discovered that the tappet cover gaskets were the culprit. A day in the Barn fixed the problem and he now reports little or no oil drips! Later in the month he decided to replace the rear brake shoes. After a little discussion (and much waffling), he decided to do a complete rear brake job (shoes, slave cylinders, brake hoses). I had explained what a pain it can be to remove the inside nuts on the hoses, but within a minute he had the first out! His car is so clean, the nuts were removable by hand! So this was going to be a snap (I should know better). With all the parts replaced it was time to bleed the system. Should have been easy, but ended up taking hours — and a quart of fluid before all the air was removed and the pedal firmed up!

Member news!
by Faith Lamprey

New NEMO website now live!
Check out our new website design! The web address is the same, www.nemomini.org. The new site is more flexible to maintain and better fits our current needs. Thanks to all who gave us input on the new format and to those who helped us test it before going live. Let me know what you think by using the “contact us” function.

Don’t miss the NEMO Halloween Party Nov. 3!
Greg Mazza and Janet Dougherty will once again host the fabulous NEMO Halloween Party on Saturday, November 3rd, at 6 p.m. at their lovely home in Grafton, MA. Bring a dish for the buffet table and dress in costume (it’s more fun!). Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. RSVP to Greg and Janet at (508)839-3518. If you are not on the NEMO Google list and therefore did not receive the directions, e-mail Faith at editor@britishmarque.com.

Holiday Party date and location set
Finally, just a quick note that the date of the NEMO Holiday Party is Sunday, December 2nd, at 12 noon. It will be held at JJ McKays in Natick, MA. More details next month.

Moose and Minis at MME 2008!
NEMO is hard at work to plan a great Mini Meet East 2008 for you!

The Meet will be held July 3-6, 2008. Plan to arrive on Wednesday, July 2nd, so you do not miss out on any of the fun we have planned.

The location is the Jordan Grand Resort at Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. For those of you who want to book your rooms at the Jordan Grand Resort now before they get grabbed up, the code is 84K3XN. Call (800) 207-2365.

Standard units are $79. (There are also economy rooms available in another building just a couple of miles away at $50.) One bedroom suites are $99, two bedroom $110, and three bedroom $120. (These are per unit, not per person. A great rate!)

Just so you know, their policy is to take 50% for a deposit and the rest two weeks prior to arrival. It will be charged automatically to your credit card.

Thank you all for your concern about my recent illness. It was really made out to be much more than it was. After a few days of feeling flu-like symptoms, a visit to the doctor allowed procurement of the cure, and after 24 hours it was back to “normal” again. The worst was the antibiotic side effect of making you very sun-sensitive, so I had to find something to do in the Barn!

So here goes — first up was Eric Sadosky with a 1970 (ha!) Saloon, complete with airbag and mpi fuel injection. Eric was complaining about a clicking noise that at first sounded like it was emanating from the valve cover. A careful readjustment of the valves ensued, but the noise continued unabated. We decided to think on it overnite; Eric was waiting for some parts to arrive that he thought he needed help installing anyway. Next day, I broke out the stethoscope to try and pinpoint the source of the clicking. It really didn’t sound like a valve and everything mechanical looked O.K.

After poking around with the listening device, the noise seemed to be emanating from between the valve cover and the carburetor. The only moving parts here are the two fuel injectors. By removing the electrical connection from first one, then the other, it was determined the clicking was in fact coming from the injectors. Now I don’t know the first thing about this type of fuel delivery system, and apparently neither does anyone else! The best advice I could find was “turn up the radio volume till the noise disappears!”

So here comes Eric with his parts — I don’t know if he saw the look on my face when he showed me his newly acquired springs, trumpets, and shock absorbers! “Do you really want to attempt this?” I asked, and he answered in the affirmative (oh, the inexperience of youth!).

We started with the left rear, thinking it would be the worst, needing the removal of the gas tank to access the top shock nut. It actually went quite smoothly until we pulled the brake drum (might as well check the brakes while we’ve got everything pulled apart). Brake fluid was everywhere, so a rear brake job ensued.

Next day saw the completion of both rear suspensions, and so on to the front. Now, the removal of the front rubber cones usually requires the removal of the upper A-arm. Eric’s car is so new, it has a front mounted radiator and the space where the rad should be is chock full of hoses, canisters and the usual offal found on newer cars. I mentioned that I had heard somewhere that the front cones can be removed with the A-arm in place, but it’s a trick. And whoever told me that was correct! First you need to separate and remove the aluminum trumpet, then the rubber cone comes out. Eric tried it one way, then another, then another, and it seemed any way he tried, he was about a half inch shy of getting the cone free.

I have a selection of big screwdrivers and prybars with varying lengths and angles for just these kinds of emergencies and after a half hour of bending, prying, holding, twisting, swearing, and sweating — it calved! Installation of the springs was a breeze as they have smaller outside dimensions than the cones.

Once finished with the suspension and brake work, we decided to chase a nasty oil leak. The car having been stationary in the Barn for a week, it had continued to drip oil predominant from one side. An oil leak that continues long after the car has cooled means it’s coming from somewhere below the oil level. First suspects are axle seals and shift seal. We pulled the axle and changed the seal from the worst side, when Eric decided we shouldn’t do any more — we were both worn out, hot, and greasy!

A test drive had Eric smiling at the improved ride, though the clicking noise was still apparent. Decided to run it till it stops, then we’ll know what to fix!

Todd Patrie came up with his 1275 and 1-3/4” HIF6 carb that has been giving him fits. No matter how we adjusted the mixture, it would continue to run lean at speed. A full carb rebuild ensued and the problem turned out to be corrosion on the jet tube. It was frozen in place, so adjustment wouldn’t move it. After a complete cleaning and replacement of many parts, the engine still leaned out at speed. A needle change solved the problem, and now Todd has no excuse for not driving his Mini!

Francesco and Julia Sorrentino called with Innocenti problems. They drove all the way down from Woburn and after a test drive, it was apparent that something was amiss in the carburetors. After running for about a mile at 5000rpm, the engine would act like it was running out of gas, sputter for a while, then recover and then go through the same routine again.

Start with basics — rebalance the carbs, check oil levels, jugs, etc. — all to no avail! Very frustrating, as this car has been in numerous times with very basic problems. Francesco had mentioned the float bowls and the fact that we had changed one of the floats when the engine was rebuilt. At the Planning Meeting last month, Paul Saulnier had suggested we check the fuel pump. All the clues were pointing to a fuel delivery problem. A check of the fuel pump showed no problems. The float bowls seemed to have plenty of fuel in them, but just for laughs I thought I’d increase the level by bending the floats upward a bit. But that couldn’t happen because the new floats were all plastic and not adjustable. So into the stash of used carb parts we go. Came up with two old floats with metal tabs, installed same, bent them so the gas level would be higher — problem gone.

Each experience with Minis seems to teach us something new. “Never had that problem before” has become a mantra and so the learning curve steepens…

NEMO is hard at work, planning a great Mini Meet East for you. Just check www.mme2008.com and see!

The Meet will be held July 3-6, 2008. Plan to arrive on Wednesday, July 2nd, so you do not miss any fun!

The location will be the Jordan Grand Resort at Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. For those of you who want to book your rooms at the Jordan Grand Resort now before they get grabbed up, the code is 84K3XN. Call (800) 207-2365. Standard units are $79. (There are also economy rooms available in another building just a couple of miles away at $50.) One bedroom suites are $99, two bedroom $110, and three bedroom $120. (These are per unit, not per person. A great rate!) Just so you know, their policy is to take 50% for a deposit and the rest two weeks prior to arrival. It will be charged automatically to your credit card.

The other news? We will have the promised report on Mini/Micro next month, from Charles Gould himself!

Ivan Sever and Ian Cull from MINIs on Top present Ruthie McDonough of Rosie’s Place a check for $14,993 raised during the MINI Cooper car event on Mt. Washington this past June. Photo courtesy MINIs on Top

Essex, MA, July 23 — MINIs on Top, a nonprofit volunteer organization that every year sponsors a fun run up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire to view the sunset during the Summer Solstice, reported today that a check for $14,993 was delivered to Ruthie McDonough of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston. The money was collected during this year’s MINIs on Top weekend.

The majority of the money was raised through the raffling of two prizes generously donated by Boston area MINI dealers. One prize was a two-year lease of a well-appointed ’07 MINI Cooper, given by Herb Chambers MINI of Boston. The other was a tour of the MINI factory in Oxford, England, complete with round-trip airfare for two from Boston to London, three nights stay in a London hotel, and tickets for a West End show, donated by MINI of Peabody. Funds were also raised through a “Win a MINI” dice game run by New Country MINI in Hartford and the sale of $1 tickets for various door prizes.

An added $1,500 in individual donations were received during the event earmarked for Rosie’s, bringing the total raised to $16,493.

Event Coordinator Ian Cull, along with MINIs on Top charity committee members Ivan Sever, Richard Freierman and Michael Smith, motored to Harrison Street to present Ms. McDonough with the check after a tour of the facility.

This was the fifth year for the MINIs on Top event. Rosie’s Place was chosen as beneficiary of this year’s raffles by last year’s attendees. Past recipients are the Massachusetts Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Kennedy-Donovan Center, and Whiz Kidz in the U.K.

Rosie’s Place offers both emergency and long-term assistance to women who have nowhere else to turn. Established in 1974, Rosie’s Place is committed to welcoming each guest with respect and unconditional love. Rosie’s Place accepts no government funds, and relies instead on committed volunteers and private supporters to accomplish its effective and innovative work. More information is available at www.rosies.org.

MINIs on Top was started by a group of like-minded individuals who met on an Internet forum dedicated to the MINI Cooper. It has turned into the premier MINI event in the Northeast. It is run solely by volunteer MINI owners for fun and camaraderie without any corporate sponsorship. It is not affiliated with MINIUSA, BMW of North America, or any of its subsidiaries. Visit www.minisontop.com.

From ‘mini’ to infinitesimal... a full report on the Mini/Microcar Classic will be given next issue. Here the Judson van mixes with a Metropolitan, Peel Trident, Fiat 500, and something under wraps. Photo by Bruce Vild

NEWTON, MA — The Goulds’ Mini/Microcar Classic was held July 13-15, and was a huge success and lots of fun to all who participated. The vehicles were varied and unique and the people interesting and from all over the country.

NEMO helps out in a big way at this event as we are thrilled that the organizers, Charles and Nancy Gould, let us be such a big part of their fun. Many thanks go to all NEMO folks who helped out at the event.

Special thanks go to Marsha Judson for her spectacular culinary skills. She turned the Goulds’ kitchen into what looked like an incredibly busy but efficient restaurant kitchen, complete with a cracker-jack kitchen staff that were able to feed over 100 people on Friday night and over 200 people on Saturday with an amazing assortment of delicious dishes.

Bruce Vild once again produced the collectible laminated name tags for all attendees, displaying the original event art of Wendy Costa.

Barbara Neiley helped laminate the badges on the show field for day-of-show registrants, despite the fact her wrist was still recovering from a bad fall.

Ken Lemoine and Tom Judson helped with set-up prior to the event.

On a sad note, Linda Abrams, who usually helps us at the regalia table, lost her husband Gene this spring to cancer. Bruce and I remember numerous conversations with Linda and Gene about their travels and the fun they always seemed to have. Linda stopped by during the event to see all her friends and we were able to express our condolences in person.

The weekend was full of the usual activities, such as microcar rides around the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, an ice cream run, frozen margaritas back at the house, Sunday brunch, and all sorts of contraptions buzzing around the neighborhood. All the fun made all the work worthwhile.

If you could not attend the Mini/Microcar Classic this year, do plan to attend next year. It’s a guaranteed good time and a highlight of the NEMO calendar.

Think Maine, moose, Minis, MINIs and covered bridges! Now that we have a location for Mini Meet East 2008, we need a design for the event logo that will go on T-shirts, hats, programs, and just about anywhere we can plaster it. Submit all designs electronically to Faith Lamprey by September 15th at editor@britishmarque.com. We will be meeting monthly to plan the event and the group will vote on the designs. The winner will receive a free T-shirt with their design and be credited for the work in the event program.

Dave installing a head gasket on the fly. Photo by Bruce Vild

Dave Black recently came down with Lyme disease and is taking antibiotics at last report. Hopefully this article will find him resting comfortably.

We need you back in the Barn, Dave! Get well soon!