BritishV8 Forum

I think we can all be pleased with the response to the MG-Roadmaster at the meet. It drew a continuous crowd and instantly became a focal point. Credit is due obviously to Executive Touch for the fantastic paint job and the work they did on the body, including re-sculpting the flares, but equal credit is due to everyone else who helped make this happen and there has been an incredible level of contribution from an equally amazing group of people. I would love to go into it name by name and maybe a bit later on I will, but for the moment I think it better if I stick to reporting on the meet. But I do want to mention that we have something like 50 individual contributors, not including our anonymous donors, who are numerous.

But a word about our goals is in order. In looking at the big picture, it is clear to most of us that our biggest concern is to get this country back on it's feet. Equally clear is the fact that our young men and women are the key to our future. By helping them we help ourselves. We may be a small segment of society at large but we are a highly visible one, very widespread, an extremely positive one, and clearly a very capable one. What we must do, more than anything else in life, is transfer those qualities to the youth and teach them how to succeed in the world they are facing. That is a pretty tall order given the challenges we face ourselves, but it is the attitude which is all important. We need to convince them that they have opportunities, that they can seize them, bend them to their will, and build a better world for them and their families, never forgetting that family, above all, is the bedrock upon which a successful society is built.

So what does this have to do with sports cars you might ask? It is simple. Present a teenager with an enticing enough hook, grab their attention, motivate them, and then set them to a task which they feel empowered to succeed and excel in, and you have just created a powerful force. Multiply that by large enough numbers and you have created an invincible army. Make it widespread and you have created an unstoppable society, and this is the American heritage. We are a small group and our numbers are few but we can still make a difference and we must do what we can to put America back on her feet. The effort itself is contagious. So where does the car fit in? The car is that hook. It is the focal point that grabs the attention of young and old alike. It is the enticement that gives us the opportunity to teach and show the young that there is more to life than play-station and fantasy worlds. It is a real concrete fantasy which has been brought to life, but which is within the reach of each and every one of them if they will only ask how to do it. It is the irresistible bait.

But in order for that bait to be effective it must be used properly and followed up effectively. We can't just lock it in a garage and expect it to have the desired effect. No, it must go out on display. It must be brought into concentrated audiences. All of you are creative and thoughtful people and it is up to each of you to find the best way to do this. Take it to a car show, show up at a fish fry, make arrangements to appear at the local High School and pass out flyers, be a center of attention at the tailgate party. Use your imagination. Be the stone that ripples the water of the pond. Be the individual of great personal wealth (in terms of wisdom and life experience) who holds up a shining beacon of hope for the young. As you help one you help many, for who among us finds great excitement then fails to pass it along?

The crucial message is this: You can build this car! You can start from nothing and achieve great success! You can create beauty out of the ordinary! You can make your life better. And even if you try and fail, we will accept you, applaud your attempt, and help you along. What better message could we possibly offer our young?

The car itself is a wonder. It has far exceeded the expectations of any of us who were here in the beginning. In that regard it is a metaphor for what we can do with the society in which we live, and in fact what we should do, and must do. I want to publicly thank each and every one of you for making this journey possible and for making it so rich in its perception. As we go forward in taking this experience to the public at large, let us always remember that spirit of cooperation and generosity which is the pinnacle of human achievement, that we can teach others how to walk that path on their way to enlightenment and personal fulfillment. We have created a true work of Art, and it now becomes our task to allow that art work to play its part in lifting the downtrodden and and giving hope to the needy. This we can do. This we MUST do. And most importantly, THIS, it is our PRIVILEGE to do.

Your President and Servant,
JB
B.A.D.A.S.S. Boss

PS: We're not out of the woods yet on our build costs or what we'll need to put the car on tour. So if you feel inclined to contribute now would be a good time. You can contact our Treasurer Steve DeGroat http://forum.britishv8.org/profile.php?2,56 or me. Thank-you very much for your support.

JB

Jim,

What a superb job you and the guys have done in creating that incredible MG.

A heartfelt congratulations to all of you.

Regards,

Kevin Jackson

Thanks Kevin. Hopefully we can do something constructive with it. At the very least though we are going to have one H*ll of a time playing with it!

Now on to a certain financial matter. Fuel expenses for the trip to Townsend towing the trailer carrying the MG-Roadmaster, on to Blowing Rock to deliver it to Jack Austin, and back home ended up being a little over $300.00. Once again the truck was injured in the process but the good news is that I've been able to get it back to where it was before starting the trip at a cost of $250 in parts. Realistically, had I driven Edith's TR7 to Townsend and back the trip would have cost me about $100.

Travel expenses was the last issue I was going to bring up in the annual meeting but we were cut short by the incoming pizza so it never happened. As a result Carl and Steve formed an Ad Hoc Executive committee to address the issue and authorized up to $300 in gasoline reimbursements over what I would have spent were I not bringing the GT. This would make that amount roughly $200. I present this for your approval or rejection. I think it reasonable but at the same time I recognize that it is going to bite into the proceeds that we have for purchase of components that Max and Flying Circus will use to complete the interior of the car in August. So having said that, I will take no action for one week to allow comments. Let me know how you think we should proceed. Incidentally, we DO NOT have sufficient funds to complete the build, even with Flying Circus' retailer discount and even with the $200. We need to raise some more donations. I would have simply let the matter of the gas expense slide, but I'm presently running on a really tight budget and the repairs have been an expense I hadn't anticipated. They have indicated the need for more as soon as I can afford it. I'm just hoping the rest of you are in more forgiving circumstances.

JB

This is a legitimate project expense - given all that you have done for this project, I can't imagine that anyone has an objection for reinbursement.

What Graham said!

What Kelly said!

Jim, I concur, please take whatever reimbursement you feel is appropriate. The time and money you've spent on the project should not be a total donation for sure. We'll find more funding as we need it. It's going to be a busy summer beating the bushes for donations and sponsors but we'll get there before  Max and the crew need the parts.

Gentlemen and Ladies, here's what we are working towards. In the attached Excel file you'll see a list of parts needed to finish the Roadmaster when Max gets it in August. He'll only have a few weeks in the shop for the car, so we need either the parts delivered to Steve DeGroat by mid July or the money set to him by the early part of August so that we can get the order in to Moss and other vendors for the parts needed. If you have a part to donate, then send it to Steve, Max doesn't have room to store the items until he gets the car. Some of the parts on the list have already been pledged, but we won't update the list until we actually have the part in hand or the check. We will try to refurbish a lot of items but we want the car's interior and trim to match the quality level of the body and paint, so we're shooting for very nice condition items if used.

QuoteAs a result Carl and Steve formed an Ad Hoc Executive committee to address the issue and authorized up to $300 in gasoline reimbursements over what I would have spent were I not bringing the GT. This would make that amount roughly $200.

Actually, I said paying for the additional gas expense should be the minimum reimbursement.  I think we should pay him the whole $300, at minimum. Jim has hauled this project to Wisconsin, Illinois, South Dakota, Tennessee, North Carolina...the actual hauling expenses far exceeds that.

Treasurers report:  We have $751.88 in the account now.
I still have one person who gave me an IOU for $100 that has not been sent to me.

Steve

Do you want me to send Vito Octagonalli out to collect?

I think Carl has the right idea.  Nobody has put more into this project than Jim has, and broken the tow vehicle nearly every trip, at least recently.

A week has passed. I will act in accordance with my earlier stated intent and write out a check for $200. As much as I appreciate the sentiments expressed here and the appreciation shown, it is as much as I can in good conscience accept for the transportation costs. Anything some of you might feel is deserved over and above that, you can consider another donation.

So speaking of donations. Max is getting a little antsy about his role in finishing up the interior of the car because the money simply isn't there to buy the parts that must be purchased. Believe me Max, I completely sympathize with you on this, and were it not for certain unscheduled expenses that I've had, some having to do with the project, I would be the first to contribute another hundred or so to help the cause along.

Remember what we're doing here guys. In our own small way and hoping to affect others to do their part too, we are trying to rebuild the country. We want to show people that as a people we still have what it takes, we still have the things that made America great in the first place, and all of us have the ability to build great things from humble beginnings. This is the real message of the MG-Roadmaster project, so won't you help us take it to the people in their time of need? Surely you can spare a hundred bucks for a cause as worthy as this. Contact Steve DeGroat our treasurer http://forum.britishv8.org/profile.php?2,56

JB

I've posted on the MG Experience Forum requesting parts or cash donations for the final stage of the project, hope that brings in some support. As the saying goes, my check is in the mail and we're still working on the water filler neck project. I'll buy some aluminum tubing tonight after work and try my hand at tig welding up a 90 degree elbow if I can.

Two weeks later and we have trimmed the list a bit thanks to Max and crew as well as some other dontations. Still a lot needed guys.

I wanted to post a bit of an update. There's been a behind-the-scenes email circulating amongst those most involved in the project since Townsend, exchanging more or less daily information. This group has included Max, Bill, myself, and several others and I just added Larry and need to add Dan M and probably Gary Walker to it but sometimes I'm a little slow. I'll try to do that today. Anyone who feels they need to be on that email please let me know and I'll include you. It has to do with the details of the work, the parts needed, and the major object is to get the right parts ordered in time for Max to finish out the interior, like what we talked about in the BADASS meeting at Townsend.

And on that note, someone, and I can't remember who it was, came up to me at Townsend and said they had a complete headliner with a fiberglass backing that they would donate. Whoever that was, could you please contact me right away? I'd like to avoid a situation where the guys either buy another headliner or find a way to make the existing one work, only to have a brand spanking new headliner show up after the rest of the interior has already been put in. Larry tells me the headliner has to go in first. I apologize for my poor memory, it's not one of my strengths I'm afraid and by no means a slight. Under the right conditions I'd forget my own mother.

At any rate, in terms of the finances, we just deposited a nice healthy donation from Merv, I took T-shirts in lieu of cash for my fuel expenses for Townsend then promptly gave two of them to Steve to give to Max's helpers so that deduction didn't happen, and I'm told we currently have somewhere around $690 floating around the mail/banking system somewhere between Lugoff and Cleveland. When that money does surface my estimates would put us somewhere around the $1500 mark, reasonably close to being enough for Max to order parts. But the timeline is starting to get kinda short. So anyone who can help out a little, we could use it.

I'm sorry I can't report on the progress of the wiring, maybe Steve can give us an update soon, We noticed an interference between the steering rack and lower control arms which cut the rack boots and my car has the same geometry (once the LCA blocks are removed) so hopefully later this week I will be able to make up some new front pieces for the LCAs and send a pair of them to Max. Bill and Gary made up a very nice thermostat neck and I will try to post a photo of that in my next message, and are now looking into a surge tank to protect the TA heads.

So the car is coming along nicely. I'll report more as I have it.

JB

Jim, I don't recall if I just thought about it or actually emailed Bill, but I have a rear bumper I'm donating to the cause -- it's either new or rechromed but new I think because it has black plastic peel away protective stuff still stuck on it.  I peeled a little off and it looks great.  I'd bought it for my car & then went with the sebring rear.

I'll also send a set of wiper arms.  They're the stainless type & look pretty good.

And, lastly, I have the map pocket that came off my '76.  I'm not using it so will include it when I ship the other stuff.  It'll only be useful as a form assuming the interior kit comes with the material to recover it.  It's not damaged, but the interior in my car showed it's age.

I probably won't get a chance to ship that stuff till next weekend -- I've been working crazy hours (like 80-90/wk for the past 3 wks) & that will continue this coming week too.  Things should settle down a bit after that.  Anyway, I'll scan the list again between now & then too.

Rob

Thanks Rob, all those things sound like stuff we can use.

Here's a photo of the thermostat neck:



This should make finding an ideal top hose pretty simple.

JB

The last piece for the cooling system is a surge tank to fit in the area above the passenger side footwell shelf. This space is an approximate 7-1/2" cube. Ideally the tank should be square or rectangular with nicely radiused corners. A 1/4" to 1/2" corner radius would look extremely good. For a bottom (drain) fitting it would have a 3/8" pipe thread bung, and it would have a 1/8" bung for a vent line to connect to the thermostat housing in the photo above (I'm assuming that is a 1/8" bung on the filler neck). Finally, it would have a neck to accept a standard radiator cap. It would attach at the base via a pair of horizontal tabs.  That is the ideal. Now, if anyone happens to have anything close to that made of aluminum, it is quite likely we can modify it as needed. Volume should be at least a couple quarts and there is room for close to a gallon. For instance, if the fittings or the mounts aren't quite right, several of us are now good enough with the tig welder that we can change it and hopefully make it look acceptable, and for that matter there is no reason we could not use a round tank as long as it is big enough. I have a roughly triangular shaped one made of steel as a last resort but it really does not look right in that location, I made it to go down beside the radiator of an earlier car. We would consider any sort of a square or tubular aluminum container that is sturdy enough to hold about 30 psi and can shorten it if needed. An old scuba tank comes to mind. That would be rather thick of course and add weight, but would look better than the triangular one and have more volume.

Why do we need it? Fair question. Our radiator is oversized and works great. The problem is that the radiator is mounted below the heads which means that there is a very small volume of water in the system above the hot areas over the combustion chambers. Even the slightest inattention to coolant level can uncover those hot spots as there is at most maybe a half quart of coolant above them, and if they are exposed, almost immediately the coolant will boil and the heads may warp. This can happen sitting at idle. The job of the surge tank is to provide a safety margin above those hot spots. The reason a recovery bottle is inadequate for this job, is that it relies on the heat/cool cycle to refill the system and is not always reliable, whereas the surge tank is at system pressure and relies on gravity to do it's job. So as long as there is fluid in the surge tank the system is full. In fact, a recovery bottle can be used with a surge tank as a second back-up although it isn't absolutely needed. I think we can all agree that this is cheap insurance compared to the cost of a new set of TA-Performance, Street Eliminator heads.

I've progressed enough on my roadster to start on the lower control arms so I hope to have something to report there by week's end. The mounting plate for the choke and throttle cables is done, painted, and ready to install so I'll send that to Max once he has the car. And unless I've overlooked something these pieces will complete the mechanical part of the build, leaving just the wiring and interior to complete. Not to minimize those parts, I say "just" only because it is a relief to be that far along and that close to completion.

JB

Thanks to Gary Walker for his great TIG welding work on the thermostat housing. This part is indeed a "team" effort just like the rest of the project.
Rob, I'd passed your offer along to Steve, but thanks again for the donation.
So far no updates on the list other than these items mentioned. I should be getting a report from Steve pretty soon when he has a chance to inventory the parts he got from Jim and then we'll update.

Bill,
the stuff I picked up from Jim was already knocked off the list or rather never put on it.  It was seats and the old capet, nothing that I see on the list.

Steve

Dan Masters sent Roadmaster a check for $1000 from the 2011 V8 meet.
Thanks  Dan.  That should be more than we need to finish up at Max's.
 I will be goiong to Boone on thursday and will try to get to the Roadmaster in Blowing Rock to try on the new thermostat housing.

Steve

Steve, this is just phenomenal news and I have to admit, I never even saw it coming. Thank you DAN!!

In further financial news, The two checks that got lost in the mail have not surfaced. One was a check drawn on Steve's personal account so we will recover that easily enough but the other is a different matter:

It was a check written as a donation of $150 and given to Steve at Townsend. So please, please. If you wrote Steve such a check look at your account and see if it cleared. It was stamped for deposit to our account so I do not suspect foul play but we'd like to ask you to help us on this.

I have a care package ready to send down to Steve, containing a few bits including the new front links for the lower control arms. This will cure the interference problem with the steering rack. I have installed the duplicate set on my car and they work just fine and will be plenty strong. It does add 9/10 of a pound per side and part of that is unsprung weight, probably about a third or roughly 5 ounces per side as extra unsprung weight but it was the best I could do and any of you are very welcome to improve on it. Photos below.

JB

Nice work Jim, clears and offers some support as well as protection from road damage at the same time. Good design.

Hi guys, if someone want to send a check to help fund the project, where does one send the check and to who do you make the check out to? I was the guy that was at Townsend and ask a lot of questions and took a lot of pic's of some great little cars and also picked up a T shirt. I live in Spartanburg, SC and I am getting some of my parts for my transplant of a Rover 3.9L and a T5 trans. so at some point I will be asking some dumb questions. The check will not be big but I guess some is better than none. I am funding my project out of my rat hole money and it's getting a little low.
Just let me know and I will see what I can do.

Regards
Phil Quinn/flipsmg

Phillip, anything at all will be highly appreciated, thanks for wanting to help. Steve DeGroat is our treasurer so you can send donations to him at:

Steve DeGroat
101 Lakewood Drive
Lugoff, SC 29078

You can make out the check to Project Roadmaster or just to Steve, which ever you want.

I remember you in Townsend, didn't get a chance to speak to you much, but welcome to our wild and wacky world of modified British cars. Don't worry about asking and dumb questions, we're all here to help you in any way we can.