Plans are well under way for the 2011 meet, to be held at the same motel as the 2006 meet, the Talley Ho Inn in Townsend, TN. http://talleyhoinn.com/
Better make your reservations now, as the rooms will go quickly. Be sure to mention British V8.
I haven't finalized the program yet, but unless I get a lot of requests otherwise, it will look a lot like the program from 2006. We'll start with burgers and dogs on Sunday, May 15, and will end with BBQ & Blue Grass on Wednesday, May 18.
Registration fees will probably be close to the '06 fees, but I won't know actual fees until I finalize catering costs and other expenses.
The final schedule and the registration form will be posted by mid September (on this site, right, Curtis?).
Right!
2011
JB
Corrected. 2011
Hey...my V8 was about in the same shape in 2001 as it was in 2010.....but look out for 2011! :)
Quote.....but look out for 2011! :)
Yeh, yeh, yeh! .........and I'm from Missouri.
I'm already counting the days.
Dan, what are the actual dates, May 15th thru May 18th correct?
Merv
Merv, be sure and check out the NEW Tim Horton's shop in Townsend!!! Best coffee in town
There's a Timmies in Townsend? Wow, I've died and gone to Heaven!!!!!
Merv,
Yep, Sunday, May 15 through Wednesday, May 18
Dan, you'll have to exert your influence to ensure that The Dragon is open for business next May.....damn rockslides!!
Graham,
Supposedly, the highway department has stabilized the slide-prone areas on the Dragon, so we should have no problem next year. Repairs were completed and it was re-opened two weeks ago.
Booked!
Good, Martyn!
It's been a while since we've seen you!
rick
Anyone know where room 118 is?
JB
Well, Maybe I was a bit confused, seems like the shop was George Horton's or Tim Dickel! It does not matter. We'll have a fantastic time!!!
SAFETY FASTER!
Booked.
Jim, Rm #118 is at the front facing the hwy. it is the 2nd room down from the office and has a rear exit onto the lot behind the office.
Registered for room #154, see you all in @ ten months!!!!
This is really tempting. Be the perfect place to debut the Exploder Healey. Always wanted to do the Dragon. Better get my butt out into the garage if I'm going to make it!
Booked
Wow. What's the rush?
This event is not this Fall, guys. :)
Room changed from 118 to 140. Thanks for the info Kelly.
JB
FYI, The Blount British Car Club annual Meet is for that week-end. they conclude on the 15th. You can ck their site by googling Blount British Cars. They have a good turn-out and occupy the Talley-Ho also. May want to consider coming early and cking out their show. They have a great show! Just thought I would mention this since there will be a limited number of rooms at the Talley Ho, but they probably have an overflow with another hotel? Again , Thank Dan!
SAFETY FASTER!
The Blount County show is on Saturday, the 14th; They'll be eating breakfast and checking out Sunday morning, the 15th. We'll be checking in and eating burgers and dogs Sunday evening.
Kelly's right- it'd be worth coming early and participating in that show.
http://www.blountbritishcars.org
After Kelly's and Graham's comments about a Timmies being in Townsend, I simply had to make my reservation.
Tried to make a reservation starting on the evening of the 14th (Like to get in early) but all rooms were booked by Blount British Car Club.
Ended up with reservations for evening of 15th thru 18th.
I do want to emphasize that the hotel people did mention that the block of rooms reserved for us, were filling up fast.
Merv
Dan...how many rooms did you block?
Reserved my room this morning. The Lumberjack will be there.
I will be staying with my daughter's family in nearby Knoxville. I know my son-in-law is excited about BritishV8 being so near him.
Reservations made. Let the thrash begin. (If you can count ten months as a thrash).
Booked!
Booked
Merv,
I hate to burst your caffein bubble, but according to online locator information, and contrary to popular belief, there are NO Timmies franchises in Tennessee.........that Stevenson character owes us big time for the false reporting
Booked. Mary Grace was very nice on the phone.
QuoteDan...how many rooms did you block?
Rick,
I blocked out the entire motel. I'll have to set up a back up motel this week.
QuoteMary Grace was very nice on the phone.
Mary is very nice. She's also good looking.
Graham & Merv, did you not see my explanation posted on 7/23/10. I have to blame either Tim Dickel or George Horton! I was a bit confused or disoriented. Looking thru the bottom of a glass will distort your view of reality. Hail, Hail, The Gangs all Here or will be.
SAFETY FASTER!
Kelly, 1st it was Santa Claus then the Easter bunny, now its Tim Horton's. Next you will tell me that they will convict another one of our Illinois Goveners. Whats next?
Graham, your right that Stevenson guy really owes us !!! BIG TIME!!!.
Merv
I have booked into room 144. Same room I had in 2006. Really looking forward to it.
Steve
Booked for the 15th, leaving on the 19th. Arriving in town on the 14th to take in some of the Blount British Car Club events. Staying at the Bunkhouse Inn on the River the night of the 14th. The place looks like it has lots of "character" and I can fish from the back door of my room.
Kelly, planning to drive in 2011 so can bring a trunkload of Moosehead. :~)
Kelly and Bill, do you know if curb service is available at the Tally Ho??? I really enjoyed the curb service at the Clarion!!
Phil,
Looking forward to seeing you at both events, but you might want to arrive on the 13th. Our local club will have a BBQ dinner on Friday, with the main show being Saturday morning/afternoon. There'll be a banquet at the Carriage house Saturday evening.
For more info on the local show, see http://www.blountbritishcars.org/ Click on the "Annual Car Gathering" button.
Dan
Phil, I may have to plan to arrive early too... river or lake behind the bunkhouse inn? And what sort of fish are in it?
Mike, curb service will be available in Tennessee. The Irish gent that accompanied me to Indy is almost gone, but another will take his place before the meet.
"Curb Service" I thought that issue was laid to rest at Indy! Those 2 guys making claims regarding Tim Horton's Eatery never heard the old saying, "believe only half you see and nothing you hear"!! The oversight was explained earlier in a post advising maybe I was not being totally truthful. A distortion had occurred and I relayed incorrect info. Cut me some slack! Thanks Phil, I plan to arrive on Friday and will be at the Talley Ho. Bring on the MOOSEHEAD! Dickel is also to be in attendance.
SAFETY FASTER!
Dan:
Thanks for the heads up on the Blount Annual Gathering. I'll likely plan to arrive on the 13th then and take in that event. I expect that there will be more info and registration information on their site later.
Rob:
Here's a link to the motel, small operation, only 6 rooms. It's about 3 miles from the Tally Ho. The water is about 50 ft. from the motel door and is the Little River, apparently home to rainbow and brown trout.
http://www.townsendthepeacefulside.com/bunkhouseinn/
Kelly:
See you there!
Phil, thanks for the heads up on the Bunkhouse. As you say, it does seem like it could have a lot of character. People that own it sure seemed nice.
You can skip the Moosehead and simply fill your trunk up with Tim Hortons coffee.
Merv
Phil,
Registration info and forms will be on their website in January (I'm the webmaster). The program will be pretty much a duplicate of last year's. It's a really fun show, you'll enjoy it. The local club members are a great bunch of folks (with the possible exception of yours truly).
The "Tail Of The Dragon" has re-opened after the rock slide and the Tenn. side is back in business now. There are many different fun rides available to try. The Cherolaha Pkwy is close as well and the Blue Ridge Pkwy. No shortage of "fun roads" in the area/ Maybe you can arrive early? Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum is in Sevierville, about 15-20 miles away. See you in Townsend in 2011!
booked
The Little River in Townsend is a small shallow scenic river mostly inhabited by "tubing tourists" in the Summer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_River_%28Tennessee%29
Gentlemen! Dan has sent me an updated schedule and I've posted it to the <a href="http://www.britishv8.org/British-V8-Meetings.htm">BritishV8 Meetings</a> page. Have a look.
Looks like a fantastic meet!
QuoteDrive to Fontana Dam (leaving from "The Top of The World".)
This event will take you over the famous "Tail of The Dragon" and back - definitely worth the price of admission!
Bump.
Thanks for the bump, Rick. So far, only 6 entries, with only 4 1/2 months to go!
I'm guilty of not yet sending in my registration...I'll get hopping on it, Dan!
Me too.
Oops!
Dan Masters has done a great job of organizing British V8 2011 to dove tail with the "British Car Gathering", the weekend before. Details here:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?10,21801
I could add, if you can't make that event because of scheduling or what have you, there's another event in Tennessee the weekend after for any of you general car lovers like myself. It's the Good Guys Nashville Nationals:
http://www.nashvillenats.com/
They have an autocross event that runs all three days:
http://www.goodguysautocross.com/
I've never been to an autocross run at a street rod event, but I wouldn't be too quick to discount their men and machines,(and ladies). Especially after they've sunk $100,000 plus into them.
Dan, I finally got around to robbing the piggy bank and putting my registration in the mail today. Also sent my registration for the Springtime in the Smokies event. See you there!
Phil
Sent in my electronic registration and PayPal payment tonight. (3/14)
Oh, the sacrifices I make for you guys. Just to be sure I had the planning down pat, I felt compelled to make the drive over the "Tail of the Dragon" to Fontana today ..
What agony - turn left, turn right, brake, accelerate, down-shift, up-shift, over and over again, 318 times - sheesh!
What a blast! You guys are gonna love it.
That's just mean Dan. I can't wait!
Dan, your dedication is admirable! Looking fwd to seeing all of you
Dan,
Thanks for the teaser, I needed a little more inspiration to get the Spitfire upgrades finished. I put a 4:10 gear in this year, I might beat the 318 shift and turn maneuvers. I can't wait.
Phil
Proof that I was there:
http://www.photoreflect.com/store/ThumbPage.aspx?e=7984196&g=04RK01DD00
pages 1, 6, 19, 20
http://www.photoreflect.com/store/ThumbPage.aspx?e=7982120&g=0QAK00X700
pages 17, 18, 32
Dan, looks like both you and the GT were having fun!
Phil,
I don't know about the GT, but I sure was.
Whoever said more horsepower doesn't count on twisty roads was wrong <insert huge smiley here>
I'm not wrong! Just ask Mike Moor & Les Shockey. ;)
I'm looking forward to that run next month!! We had some fun at the auto cross event today.
AutocrossBGT.jpg
Good news! Admission to the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car museum is now included in your registration fees. Took my 16 year-old grandson there last month and he was in awe of those "awesome" cars from the late fifties to the early seventies. He couldn't get over how big the cars were. There was a '56 Chrysler 300 convertible there that is only slightly small than an aircraft carrier.
For those of you that are still undecided, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck here.
Thanks Dan, look fwd to visiting them again. see you Friday
Great job, Dan!
That place is chock full of awesome cars that will have all our gearheads drooling!
Dan Masters,
You're a local. What's the situation on "dry counties" in the Townsend area. Can a person purchase adult beverages close to the Tally Ho?
Thanks,
Ken
Can't tell you guys how disappointed I am but I'm cancelling my reservation & won't be making it this year.
I got the exhaust finished (including rerunning my fuel lines & battery cables which were too close when I pulled it up tighter). Was putting the wheels/tires back on yesterday evening to take it for a quick test run when I noticed two other problems.
First, I decided to double check the end play in the axles & there's only 3/16" which is way too long & I really don't want to break these new axles! And, while I was checking that, I noticed the driver side hub is wobbling. Checked passenger side & it's not as bad, but there's play in it too. I only have about 5 miles on the car so I don't think I wore them out -- they were salvage yard items Todd used on the IRS so have probably been bad from day one & I just didn't notice before.
Anyway, I thought about coming w/o the car again but to be honest, I'm so frustrated with the IRS problems and not having the car on the road that I wouldn't enjoy it & it's too much money to spend in that context.
The silver lining is "The Drive Shaft Shop" where I got the axles is going to swap the axle shafts out at no charge. I even mentioned I might want to take about 1/2" out of my control arms becuase I noticed I'm getting a little tire rub & he said no worries, just let him know how much I take out & he'll factor that into how much shorter the shafts need to be. Simply ship them back; he'll install shorter shafts & ship them back to me. No hassles. I'd highly recommend them for anyone needing a axles (CV) or a drive shaft.
Sorry to here this, Rob. See you next year, wherever it may be!
Rob,
That's really disappointing to hear. Keep your head up. Once all these bugs are worked out, you'll be on the road enjoying your ride.
Ken,
Liquor by the drink is available in Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Maryville, Alcoa, and Knoxville. Beer and wine only in Townsend and Pigeon Forge (Pigeon forge residents defeated liquor by the drink in a vote yesterday!).
I'll have a cooler full of beer available every evening at the motel (along with soft drinks and snacks).
Rob,
We're as disappointed as you are. We were all looking forward to seeing your car. Next year for sure!
Rob,
Back in 2003 when Dan had his first British V8 show in Townsend, my Olds/HTOB crapped out days before the meeting - so I brought my truck and had a great time. Leave the MG at home and bring your daily driver.
Understood Graham -- and I've been a couple of times w/a daily driver & had a great time... and I'd highly recommend it for anyone -- whether someone's just getting into a conversion or someone who has one that's broke at the time. I won't lie, I'm most disappointed that the car isn't ready but a close 2nd is missing the commeraderie of the group. I was really looking forward to seeing everyone.
And, I've even gotten over the initial frustration. I just think my time will be better spent taking care of the IRS. Since I have the week off from work, I should be able to get the control arms shortened. While I'm at it, I'm also going to figure out if I can modify how the shocks mount too. I've never liked how close they are to the CV boots or how much of an angle they lean over. I think with shorter shocks both issues can be addressed and still provide plenty of travel.
Rob
There should be some good stories about last minute car repairs, I installed a cooling fan today and the other guys I'm traveling with were both busy fixing stuff. Details around the cooler.
I have 25 miles on the new rear gears, and complete fuel system, from 15 gallon cell to Powerjection EFI. Life requires faith...
Still wrenchin'...
Left rear wheel cylinder installed, brakes not bled. Roll bar has been sorta re-installed. Still have to put the front bumper back together & hang on car. No time to wash & shine the pig. Still have to wash clothes, pack, and my 10 year old daughter has a baseball game Friday night. Plan to make the Townsend car show Saturday.
Well.....I am officially admitting defeat.
The GT will not be roadworthy in time for next week's gathering.
Pete and I gave it a good old college try. I worked on it almost every day off that I've had since the first of March. I even have insurance and valid Illinois tags!
But today was my last day off before leaving for Tennessee on Sunday.
The dash is still out of the car (but the instruments have been wired. The a/c-heater has been installed, but the hoses still need to be made. The driveshaft needs to be installed. The secondary bleed of the brakes and clutch needs to be done. The seats need to be installed. The exhaust needs to be completed from the y-pipe back. The car will need to go to champaign for an alignment and to get the a/c charged.
I thought we could make it under deadline. It didn't happen.
While I am disappointed, because I was certainly looking forward to serving crow to some of you guys, I cannot be too upset, as this car has been a car-in-boxes for ten years; I think we made some pretty decent progress on it in two months time.
I still have hope that this car will be on the road before I leave for Reno next month. Right now, I have to ask myself if I can spend time in Tennessee and still get the car done before June 9th...or should I cancel and stay home to give myself a few additonal days on the GT.....I'm gonna sleep on this one.
Removableslampanel.jpg
Removable slam panel (thanks for the idea, Jim Stuart!) really made installing the a/c condenser and dryer a LOT easier!
acductwork.jpg
An octopus of plastic....
Exhaust5-11-11_a.jpg
RV8 stainless steel headers, down pipe, and y-pipe; Jet Hot coated
3-2011.jpg
Prior to transit from my barn to Pete's shoppe.
A couple more pics....
Overflowtank5-11-11.jpg
MGB Expansion tank - relocated
Condenser-Dryer-RadiatorInstall5-11-11.jpg
A/C condenser and Dryer - Nostalgic Air
DynamatCompleted.jpg
An attempt to keep it comfortable and a little more quiet
GTfront.jpg
In the beginning....about 2002
Rick,
After sleeping on the decision and after a cup of coffee, I hope you decide to join us even if it's just for a couple of days. You can drive my V6 up and down the dragon. You know you will regret being AWOL. Then when you get home; go back to your car with the same urgency you have had for the last couple months. I want to see purple in Reno!
PJ
The fun starts in just four hours!!!!!
Rick - we have burgers and beer with your name on them. If you're not on the road yet, get going!
I'm leaving in a coupe of hours loaded to the brim with goodies for the meet.
The weather could be better, but it's not bad. Highs in the low sixties, lows in the low fifties, and the chance of occasional showers.
Rain or shine, we'll have a ball.
Rick and Jean joiined us here in Townsend this afternoon. It's going to be a great meet. lots of old friends and some new ones in new cars.
It's great having friends who accept the fact and understand why you've driven a Japanese sportscar to a British car gathering. THUMBS UP!
Jean and I got home about 2:30pm today.
It was a great meet!
Another homecoming!
All expedctations met and exceeded!
Thanks Dan Masters and Jim Watson!
Marilyn and I got home around 8:30 PM, today.
We both thought that British V8 2011 was a great success.
Even though the weather was a bit moist during most of the meet, that didn't seem to reduce or restrict the amount of kicking tires and telling lies that took place.
Great scenery, Great people, great fun, what's not to like.
Thanks Dan Masters and Jim Watson!, you both could not have been nicer.
Merv
I got home at 1:30 this morning. Lotsa miles through lotsa mountains. The project car is safely tucked away in Blowing Rock, NC.
JB
We got home about 9 PM. Helped with the Roadmaster and then visited Margaret's mother in Boone before continuing home.
See the money report on the Roadmaster Thread.
Steve
Thanks Dan and Jim. Great time even with the rain. Guess I will at least have 1 pair of long pants in future! :)
Almost beat the rain on the way home, just the last 16 miles or so. Got in around 10:45 this morning. Have uploaded my photos on Yahoo flicker for all to see, just create a log on and look for mgmidgetbill1 photos. I have a 19 minute video of the run up to the bottoms for lunch but haven't uploaded it yet, will try to get it up on YouTube in a couple of days.
I had a great time, thanks to Dan and Jim for all their hard work.
Sounds like a great time, sorry I missed it. Was an announcement for next year made yet?
-- Scott
Yes. Palestine, TX hosted by Wayne Kube & friends.
Nice! Looks like a 1000 mile drive for me. Should be great fun. Can't wait to hear more details when they are available.
So, Jim....how did you like manuvering that trailer into Jack's shoppe?!
AvisittotheTwigworker.jpg
JamesExplainsItAll.jpg
TwigProject.jpg
TwigsShoppe.jpg
Looks familiar Rick. When Carl said, "You can't get there from here." what he really meant was, "You can't get there from Anywhere!" It's definitely remote. But the trailer wasn't a problem, I simply looped around in front and we unloaded right there. It's now sitting about where the red car above is. To get there from Townsend, unload, shuffle cars and leave instructions, then drive home via Johnson City took from 9:00 AM to 1:30 AM the next day. Way longer than I was expecting.
JB
The weatherman is predicting 96 degrees and sunny tomorrow for this area. I think i'd prefer the weather we had during the v8 meet to that.
I will be in Boone,NC tomorrow and will try to get over to Jack's to see what is happening.
Mostley I just want an excuse to get away from the Nursing home we aill be visiting.
Steve