2001 ISOA Event Articles

Last updated November 24, 2001

Here's a Quick Index of articles on some of the things we've done in 2001...

NASCAR Silicon Speedway

January 20, 2001

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Our January ISOA monthly outing found 24 members, spouses, and children at the NASCAR Simulator, Woodfield Mall. It was a beautiful afternoon to be driving a Triumph. Not a cloud in the sky, the temperature was just above freezing. Half the fun of this outing was finding a parking spot in the busy mall parking lot and finding NASCAR inside. For those who may have never found it, it is across the hallway from the Rainforest Café.

With a $20 entrance fee, each driver was trained and raced in 3 eight-minute races. I, the Factor, was offered the opportunity to ride passenger in Ann, Hammer, Buja's racecar. Each occupant has to fasten his or her seat belt. In the cockpit of the racer are the usual gauges but once you are racing, you rarely take your eyes of the course. To the right of the driver is a rear view mirror so the driver can see who might be trying to pass or rear-end them. The capacity for each race is 12 drivers.

I probably should have brought my heart rate monitor. I was noticing Ann's hands were tightly gripped to the steering wheel with her car traveling at speeds up to 155 mph, and with the racecar shaking, rocking, and rolling. The heart rate of each driver had to have exceeded 150 beats/minute. This was THRILLING, wheel to wheel racing!

Positioned right in front of your racecar is a wide screen displaying what you are seeing as you race along the track. You see cars passing you or you passing them, you see the fans in the bleachers, the pits, start/finish line, and a painted line on the pavement where you try and keep your left hand tires on. You truly feel you are racing especially with the car shaking and rocking. It is unbelievable how real it feels.

After each race, the drivers exit the track and pick up their stats off a computer printer. This printout shows their performance, average speed, laps completed, and so on.

As you pay your fees, the driver selects which races they want to participate in. Helpful hint - select every other race which allows you some time to review your performance and relax before the next race. Also, three races are enough, anymore; some people just might become ill.

I heard of unconfirmed reports that one driver drove the whole race in the wrong direction, making right hand turns, must have thought it was a F-1 course and not a NASCAR course. Several ISOA Members had unfortunate luck at the track, meaning they were in multiple accidents like, rear ended (remember the rear view mirror), hit from the side, and several just happened to take their racer for a few flips and spins. Fortunately, nobody required medical attention.

Bill Pyle did state that if he won the "Big Game" Lottery, he would have one of these NASCAR systems in the basement of his new house. All ISOA members could race at his house for half price.

After an exciting day at the track, we raced down Golf Road to Barnaby's for dinner, refreshments and a time to have more fun together! We ate and drank our fill of salads, soups, sandwiches and pizza.

It truly was a great ISOA Outing and we thank the Mark and Lorrie-Ann Fisher sponsoring this.

Reported by: Phil "the Factor" Fox

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ISOA Big Bash

January 27, 2001

This year's bash was an unqualified success once again. Fresh off a plane from Florida, I found the Des Plaines Elks Club exuding a warmth I could only call: "home". As dinner was served, it was obvious that people had earlier enjoyed the pre-game festivities as evidenced by plenty of smiles, laughter and pleasant conversation. Spouses previously only hinted at or spoke of in hushed whispers attended in happily large numbers. Mrs. Korey, Mrs. Quackenbush, Mrs. Vacek, and all others - how nice to see you!

Managing Editor Joe (yeah, I'm managing...) "Stagmeister" Pawlak presented free subscriptions to Triumph World magazine to three lucky members who submitted the most Snic Braaapp articles in 2000. Ken reviewed the years Boomer Awards, and the group voted on who deserved the coveted Super Boomer of the year. Bruce Barnett won in a walk, on sheer quantity of monthly Boomers alone. Ensuring his victory was the story of locking his wife out of the house in her bedclothes in the middle of winter as he buzzed out of the garage in his Triumph.

The ISOA Games 2001 followed. It was not always pretty... Tables competed against tables. Teamwork and co-operation abounded. Spying was not unheard of. Ann Buja led a spirited game of Pictionary. Topics included Triumph models and members' nicknames. Whereas nicknames like "Hammer" were pretty straightforward and names like "Suds" were pretty interesting, names like "Whizmo" were shall we say, quite entertaining??? Ending the evening was the Picture Game led by Barb and Jack Billimack. This is the one with multiple pictures of famous people on eight different pages, and the team that identifies the most pictures correctly wins (bragging rights). The scores ended up quite close, and this game truly did bring people together.

Phil "the Factor" Fox was an excellent Master of Ceremonies and looks to this humble correspondent like a future ISOA presidential hopeful.

by Mick Grayer of Elmhampton on the Salt Creek

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ISOA Transmission Clinic

February 17, 2001

Thrust Washers From Hell
Or
Gearing Up for Spring

There's something about a trans clinic that makes me feel gooey all over about ISOA. Maybe it's the way Mr. Whizmo and Big Mama just kind of turn over their house to the likes of us thugs with wrenches. Maybe it's the way the 'spurts' just mosey from place to place dispensing help and getting real dirty. Maybe it's standing with twenty-seven guys and four torn down transes in a standard sized car garage and not feeling crowded. I don't know - maybe it's largely about two sweet turning, like-new transmissions at the end of the day when before there were none.

First to go under the knife was Erik's TR6 with overdrive. At the same time, Steve's Spit with overdrive succumbed to the wrench. The father and son team of Tim and Mike nabbed the "Overdrive Table" and went to town rebuilding the OD unit of their Spit. I personally enjoyed watching their easygoing teamwork.

Soon Dan came in with a TR4 unit he didn't know much about. It was part of a 4 he'd stripped down, and he was pretty much rebuilding all components. Soon Denny C. arrived with friend Denny and friend's son Tim. Some years ago his TR3 had "ceased forward motion" following a high revs and a popped clutch experience - with another car immediately beside! Can you imagine?? Beside this menagerie of gears and spacers, Snake, Stalker and Mike disassembled TR6 rear hubs.

Back to the TR6 area - after quickly separating Erik's OD, teardown was pretty straightforward and uneventful. Chuck was on hand turning wrenches and holding key parts like they were precious jewels. Reassembly was slow but sure, with plenty of gear oil slopped on as assembly lube. One shaft full of gears and new synchros had to be disassembled again because a washer was turned around making the final fit impossible. (Was it a thrust washer...or was it...SATAN??!!) This problem was quickly and painlessly remedied.

Not so on Dan's 4. All was going smoothly 'til the rear thrust washer could not be removed. (A quick lesson - this thrust washer goes between the end of the gear shaft and the bearing. It is the final thickness making everything a tight fit. The washer has a tab to locate it in a slot so it won't spin around and make it difficult to grab and remove.) Well, this one had spun, and was not about to come out, thus making it impossible to remove the gear shaft. With the lower counter shaft removed, a small cold chisel could be pounded through the hole left by the counter shaft and onto the thrust washer. This was no fun and not speedy. Thirty minutes later, Billy's patience paid off and that thrust washer was in his hand, in two neat pieces. Solving this problem had no Murphy-like repercussions and the rest of the job moved along smoothly.

Tim and Mike refurbished their Spit OD in short order, only to find that the donor trans they were intending on using for parts was a three speed, maybe off a Herald, with no obviously interchangeable parts. Oh well...

Steve got ahead of himself reassembling his Spit box, and was rewarded by getting his pectoral in the proverbial wringer. Fortunately he had Larry and others to help, and after some redundant work, Steve completed the job.

Things got a little humorous at Denny #2's area. A quick look with the shifter assembly off revealed a missing tooth or two on a few gears. However, once fully disassembled, we were treated to the sight of the day - at the end of the input shaft, where machined splines engage the center of the clutch - exactly one spline remained! "Ceased forward motion" indeed! Unfortunately that input shaft was one spare part nobody had on hand.

Throughout the day, the loud metallic clang of Elwood's "magic twanger" announced rear hubs separating. A breaker bar and five foot length of black pipe once again illustrated how a lever really is a tool with no moving parts that performs work. Removing the bearing races from now accessible axle shafts was another story. Although Bill had a tool specifically for this task, it was not a precise enough fit. Consequently, the cold chisel and Mr. Dremel completed the task at hand. I think Snake was able to disassemble his hubs, but left early with them in pieces. At the end of day, Stagmeister was reassembling some lucky person's hub.

Although Big Mama and Queenie volunteered to woman the OD table, they were not nearly fast enough to mark that territory. You know what they say - you shmooze, you lose!

Like saintly rocket scientists, the 'spurt wrenches - Joe, Billy, Pat - were simply amazing! Other wrench turners too numerous to mention were surely indispensable while they learned a thing or two and participated in a great feeling of accomplishment.

Now over the last few months many wonderful and true things have been said about our Queen of Estrogenal Affairs. On this day, her husband Denny stole the show in his own solid and unassuming way. There he was at Dan's 4 with the right idea, the right tool, the right amount of patience - truly the right stuff. I quickly realized that Denny has forgotten more about cars than I presently know.

As usual, some cool tools made life much easier. The indispensable hydraulic press removed and replaced numerous bearings on all manner of transmissions and hubs. Pat brought his two-piece handmade bearing presses, which were much more gentle, and a perfect fit for any 3, 4 or 6 transmission. For the most part, the inner bearing puller made short work of a previously long and tedious process. The snap ring opening tool and snap ring replacement tool made the two screwdriver method almost obsolete! Of course the Magic Twanger made short work of hubs jammed together from the torque of countless miles of rear wheel revolutions. And for the first time…not even one call for…the adjustable flame wrench!! I guess we must be doing something right!

By Mick Grayer of Elmhampton on the Salt Creek

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DuPage Swap Meet

February 25, 2001

On Sunday, February 25th we literally blew (the winds were awful) into the DuPage Fairgrounds where the British Car Swap Meet was being held. With fine donuts, and coffee in hand, we walked into the building (bribing with a donut, the door keepers) and to the ISOA area. Ann, Tim and Megan Buja were quite a ways along with setting up their tables. Sheri and Bill Pyle were just starting to set up the tables. They were soooo festive in their matching british flag jackets. They were the talk of the meet......everyone wanted to know where they got them, but alas, Ann can't get them anymore. I think Sheri would have sold it for $1000 (or so I heard).

Bill, I think, had the first great find of the day. He purchased a TR3 ashtray, a rare option find! A suprise visit from Joe Carnes, who worked with Dennis and I at the booth. He was a pretty good salesman. Mike Blonder finally got the right top for his TR4. He was another satisfied customer. Jack Billimack was bouncing from the ISOA table to the Britich Jack Union table and back....He was being his usual host with the most! As the day wore on, we became quite the fashion shoot for gentlemen's Quarterly! Ryls Cheek was there looking dashing in his softly scratchy sweater....a designer one? Nah...... not on a triumph driver, just spiffy looking. Then along came Jeff and Karin Rust. Jeff was sporting his british flag jacket, british flag tie (completments of Ann Buja's designs), and british flag belt buckle....ever so coordinated was his outfit!.......however the best of the show belonged to Dave Janus wearing the uniquely styled double pants/short look. I think it was designed by Lucas ( in his later years)....another non working item. His wife, Siobhan, bravely walked with him.....She should get some sort of award for that.

Phil, the "Factor" and Ken Kendzy signed up 7 new members and collected the money! Yahoo.....They were so good at selling our club!!! Dennis Heywood had a table but he didn't work it. Nope, his sons, Tim and Mike worked it. They must have been excellent salesmen, because all of his stuff was sold, and true to Dennis' most generous nature, he insisted on using the profits from the sales and take them to dinner.....I think they went to Mickey Dee's.

Irv Korey was out and on the prowl for any items he needed, though I never did find out if he got anything. Erik Q. showed up and got 2 doors for his car, a truely needed item for a car. Also in attendance were Andrzej. He was seen roaming around and chatting it up with other ISOA members. Jake J. was selling items at his table....he was in excellent spirits, so I assume he made some sales. I think Jack Billimack was seen looking at potty reading material....gee, Jack, did you buy the potty book from that famous author? Dave Shedor had a good table and it looked like it was a real success story. Tim M. was selling a great set of 4 tires, lots of tread, a great buy, but alas, no one wanted them. However the interior rug set he purchased at the meet, we almost sold several times. A couple of times, he would turn his back and we would try to sell it....just to keep him on his toes! I told him to bring the tires to the meeting and leave them there.....I seem to recall someone (Denny C) doing that ...it worked...okay...he got the boomer award for it...Bruce B. and Jim T. were in and out having "apple cider", and then working the table, chatting, working the table.....apple cider....wait!....apple cider??????

We have a new member nickname for someone who worked our meetings for a long time...Megan "Sparky" Buja. Unfortunately, I christened her by dropping a box of sparkplugs on her unsuspecting forehead, from about 4 feet in the air, while she was reading, no not the repair manual for triumphs, but a Harry Potter book. She was a good sport and forgave me...thank you Megan...of course, next year please buy your girl scout cookies from me (I think I have to buy hers from her)....By the way...Sparky....we miss you selling the raffle tickets at the meetings...but we understand, maybe in the summer you can do one or two of the meetings! For old times sake.

The day was great! I think everyone had a good time, and some, had some good deals. I apologize for anyone I missed that was there, but my memory isn't the best. For those that were not there, put this event on your calendar for next year! You can find some great deals and it is a great social event!

Gloria "Queenie" Cappetto

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Chili Party 2001

March 10, 2001

After months of preparation (mostly by Karen) the 2001 ISOA Chilifest is on. Little flourescent green TR6's help guide thirty-six participants from the interstate exit ramp down the snake trail to Cotswold Lane.

I hold the new garage and trailer tours on the hour while Karen leads tours inside the house. Our 1966 TRiumph 2000 brings back memories for the President and first lady and provides a first view for many in the club. It is a great opportunity for us to show off our precious antiques and our own little piece of paradise.

The Chili
Great Chili with wild variations in taste, texture and style. Mr Pyle once again TRiumphs with his own special "Road Kill Chili" taking home the first place award. Now it seems to me, if any ISOA'r would shed thoughts of doubt as to the actual ingredients of a Chili named "Road Kill", it would be Billy. Perhaps if he had called it "A little something from the living room wall" he would have drawn more attention and scared off some votes. But that just goes to show you that great taste will prevail.

Second place is nothing to shake a chili at with no less than THREE Chili's in a dead heat.

The Pawlak's are out in force with BOTH offspring in attendance. Joe and Kathy's number one child "Jenny" steps up to the plate (or bowl ) and represents the family with her own "Veggie Chili". Very good and featuring the classic Illinois touch, "Corn" amongst other vegetables. This, by the way, is the first Chili to disappear!

First lady, Marilyn Blonder (both Marilyn and Mike are virgin Chilifesters' Mike informs me) submits the "Best of 2 Recipes" and also pulls a healthy "Second Place."

A third "Second Place" was my favorite "NICOR - Gives you Heat and Gas" by Mark Moore a fellow "6'r" of Rockford. Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Yellow Bell Peppers and hands down the Hottest of the day.

Barb Billimack's "Regular with Tang" (editor note: That orange stuff?), New Comer Nancy Schultz's "Cincinnati Style Chili", Donna Jaquet's "Pizza Chili" with peperoni, another favorite and Arlene Kendzy's "Lenten Chili" with crab meat?, black olives and rumors all round out the competition in third.

There are PLENTY of other goodies provided with Karen pulling out all the stops expecting throngs of hundreds. In anticipation of the upcoming holiday Karen broke out her special homemade Irish Brownies. Aside from the necessary "Chili toppings" of shredded cheese, sour cream, crackers and onions there is "Rotella dip", cheese cubes, cream puffs, rolled things, my handmade chocolate chip cookies, yahda, yahda, yahda and an assortment of several kinds of beer, wine and soda.

As if that isn't enough, those without chili (and some with) provide a sampling of their own specialty including Corn Bread (and what is Chili without Corn Bread anyway), Dave Shedors "Macaroni and Cheese to Die for" (thanks Dave for "home delivering" the rear axle bearings!), a wonderful looking green salad, deviled eggs, Cheese log, Proper English "Bread Pudding" and Trifle, "Irish Soda Bread" Sourdough rolls and enough brownies to feed an army.

Okay, so enough on the food already -
Through the wizardry of Joe Pawlak and Xerox a "Full Screen Projection" of "South Park" and Mike Blonders "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" is made possible for viewing from the living room and dining room. In the family room the Shedors setup "Le Mans" and other favorites on the "small" screen.

The scourge of the summer for my neighbors and I is turned into the wonderment of space as kids come bounding out of vehicles with balls and bats and some kind of projectile parachute thing. Karen is happy she picked up the winters' collection of dog mines left by the family curse, Spot, and also that we chose to board him for the day. Unfortunately all this fun ends with the rain only to return once the kids figure out its only water. Of course, all this fun ends when we realize that water makes mud.

Coat Awards
Best coat award (this from a guy that wraps his wife and himself in actual British Flag jackets) goes to "Chair Breaker" Sandy, Joe and Kathy Pawlak's number two child, for her Damson mountain bear special. But this is before Ryals shows up in a VERY impressive embroidered "Sam Adams Beer" jacket straight from hometown Massachusetts. Clearly the show stopping winner.

As the evening winds down and Ryals is saying his goodbyes I watch his every move. Noticing his face inflections, body movements and pace as he moves towards the door. I have been waiting for this moment and have already quietly helped Jill, Ryals' "date/non-date", on with an interesting double breasted looking number with all the skill and finesse of a professional cat burglar. Ryals is smiling. Of course, Ryals is always smiling but then I notice a faint drop of perspiration on his brow. Maybe it's the Chili. Maybe it's the heat I turned up shortly after he arrived. At any rate, NO ONE is thinking about anything but the cool night's air. Ryals looks to his date/non-date and asks "Are we leaving?"

You know, as I reflect on the this now, I'm not sure that Jill and Ryals were leaving. There is the possibility that they may have been just cruising the crowd and moving towards the other room. Sorry Ryals and Jill also.

Karen notices Jill bundled for the ride home and hears Ryals mention "leaving". "Thanks a lot for coming" she says. For split second I think to myself, "Nice touch", "she must know". Then she blurts out that dreaded hostess warning "Hey, don't forget your coat."

Ryals stops dead in his tracks. I can see the fear in his eyes, a recognition of how close he almost came to forgetting that wonderful new Sam Adams jacket fresh from Massachusetts. Then he shoots a glare at me as he realizes Jill is the only one with her coat on. I've been had.

He was moving towards the door. Victory was mine. He had actually forgotten all about the Sam Adams. I probably wouldn't see him again for weeks to give it back to him. Nah, he would have remembered it when he got to the car anyway.

Thanks everyone for coming and making this such a great time for Karen and me.

Jeff "Stalker" Rust

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ISOA Spring Campout &
VSCDA Blackhawk Classic

June 16-17, 2001

Wow what a gas, this vintage racing is cool, the camping, the weather and food were first rate as well. The third annual ISOA spring campout got underway after meeting at the Buja's home and then proceeded on over to Bing's Drive-in. We all got our fill of cheeseburgers, shakes and fries before the scenic ride to Blackhawk Farms.

The track is beautifully situated among large trees and gentle hills. We quickly established the ISOA cul de sac in time to see our own Irv Korey guiding his TR4 racecar through the turns. Throughout the weekend, Irv was able to cut 2.5 seconds off last years lap time.

There were many different makes and models of vintage racecars present in varied stages of preparation. It would be easy to get bitten by this racing bug. Saturday night's supper was of the pot luck/bring a dish to pass - variety with our ending up with having enough brats, burgers potato salad and chocolate cake to make sure nobody went away hungry. After dinner we listened to Jake's comedy CD's and then down to the Team Thicko party where there was some live music playing great boogie blues (and more food). I also got a chance to meet some racers including Jack and Tony Drews. Back at the campsite we topped off the evening with somores and beverages. Then the snoring wars started.

Breakfast was incredible. Many thanks to Tim and Ann, Bill and Sheri, Joe K and others who organized and executed this event. Got a chance to see a few more races along with open track time including Joe and Emily Kaplon driving the Spitfire at speed. This was a great time with food, friends and racing and food.

If you haven't been camping at Blackhawk - you gotta go!

Pete Eckstein

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Mad Dogs & Englishmen

July 8, 2001

We had five cars show up under dubious weather conditions for the trip to Kalamazoo. Pat had his top down but decided to put it up knowing if he did that it wouldn't rain. Only Joe Kaplon left his top down. Pat & Marilyn led the way followed by Joe & Kathy in the Stag, Joe & Emily in the Spitfire, Mike and Diane in their TR8 and tailgunner Tim in his TR6. We leisurely drove up highway 12 along the National Lakeshore property to New Buffalo where we switched onto the Red Arrow Highway. We made an antique stop in the town of Lakeside. There were many more antique shops along the highway but we couldn't stop.-We had to keep Triumph'ing. We had designated places to pull over and regroup but thanks to Mike & Tim's clever driving abilities we all stayed together and didn't need to stop. We wound thru St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, some of it along the lakeshore, then followed the Red Arrow Highway thru several small towns. Paw Paw was our lunch break at an old bar & grill downtown where cheeseburgers and chips were only $2.50!

At the air zoo we had a guided tour by a very knowledgeable young man named Joe who we were amazed to learn was only 15 years old. He got a ride in Kathy's Stag and hopped out grinning ear to ear. Joe K. headed back to South Haven where his family was vacationing and Tim went back home to Indiana. The other three Triumphs spent the night at the Super 8. But first dinner (and MUCH needed beers) at Chi-Chi's.

Sunday dawned a beautiful morning. We had a breakfast stop at Country Buffet. Joe was confused whether we were having breakfast or lunch. Marilyn couldn't grasp the concept of the buffet. She couldn't understand why she had to pay before they knew what she wanted to order. The Mad Dogs & Englishmen car club put on a great British show with bobbies directing us into the park and bagpipes playing. The Rover was the featured marque and they had a 4x4 competition for them over rough terrain. There was also an autocross race. Although not vintage but still British was a Jaguar XJ220 with a price tag of $706,000 and they drove the car out of the park after the show.

The Gilmore Museum is actually several barns with the antique cars inside. But these are not typical barns. They are interesting structures themselves with beautiful staircases and two floors of cars on display. They also have a collection of pedal cars and hood ornaments and Triumph motorcycles from the 60's with one called the TR6.

After the show Joe and Mike headed south out of Michigan to avoid the congestion on 94. When they turned south in Kalamazoo Joe was following a Tiger (but not for long as he showed what some Triumph V8 power could accomplish) and two Porsches were behind Mike. Pat didn't's want to part ways with them. Pat & Marilyn followed Joe K back to South Haven for a cookout and a walk on the beach. While enjoying a glass of wine on the porch, a car drove by very slowly. Joe asked him if he was interested in the Spitfire and the "4". The man answered "not the Spitfire, but the "4". He told Joe & Pat that he had driven a TR4 thru the desert in Africa.

There were no problems with the cars, the trip went very smoothly and we had a great time. But of course... we had a great group of Triumph people!

Pat, Marilyn & Tim

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Vintage Transportation Extravaganza
at the Illinois Railway Museum

August 5, 2001

Five Triumphs showed up for the auto exhibit. Three Spitfires, one TR4A and one Stag. The rest of the auto display was composed of "foreign cars". They had strange names such as Nash, Studebaker, Packard, Model A, Model T and MGA. A Triumph wannabe driven by Ryals was an MGA.

Seriously speaking, it was a great display. The cars covered most of the open space away from the parking lot. Any and all questions about a particular car were answered and it sure seemed like the owners were happy to be there. Thinking back, my wife and I walked the entire show and saw only one car carrier trailer (for the MG?). I would estimate about 500 to 700 cars were there.

We arrived about 9:15 A.M. and we saw Kathy Pawlak’s Stag parked in the Triumph area. Upon returning later, there was a cruddy old orange Datsun B510 parked next to the Stag. The Datsun came complete with road cones surrounding it along with a big sign in the window pronouncing "Do Not Touch" (see back cover). Don’t worry as no one would want to come near your car anyway.

We left about 3:00 P.M. almost wiped out from walking and the sun. We totally enjoyed the day. A woman and her son were video taping our cars. Her husband works there and has her take videos for future use with the museum. Kudos to Kathy’s Stag as they were attracted to the car and liked the Sapphire Blue paint.

By: Bob "Keymaster" Donile

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TRF Summer Party

August 10-12, 2001

By the Stagmeister ISOA participation was a bit light this year due to the close proximity of the VTR convention. Nonetheless we did have some folks show up. Ryals brought his TR wannabe MGA, Tom Thomas brought his TR6, Jenny "Spider Girl" Pawlak brought her black TR7 and we brought the Stag. Joe Byers showed up with the TR-Mercedes. We met Mike Sedlak and his wife in line getting food on Saturday night but we quickly lost them in the crowd never to be seen again. We don’t know if they brought one of their cars or not. Don’t be such strangers next time!

Kathy, Jenny and I rode out solo cutting across central Ohio on route to the eastern reaches of the state. The plan was to spend the night and take off in the morning, arriving in Armagh Friday around noon.

The first 90% of the trip went well and we stopped at a small town for lunch and a bit of antique shopping. Other than some scattered showers here and there, the drive was relaxing and fun. No hectic pace on the Interstate. We were about 30 miles from East Liverpool Ohio when the biggest downpour I have ever experienced hit. The rain was literally coming down in buckets to a point where we needed to pull over to sit it out. This presented a problem because the road we were on had minimal shoulders to pull off onto. At this time we were barely moving because it was raining so hard and visibility was about 2 feet in front of the car. Jenny was following us literally by the tail lights of the Stag as she couldn’t see anything else. I caught sight of a mailbox on the right side and what looked like a driveway and pulled off into there. Fortunately it was a business and had a bit of a turnaround in front of the garage. I called to Jenny on the CB and told her just to pull along side of us while we sit the storm out. Her response was she couldn’t see us to pull next to us. At least we were off the main road. The Stag and the 7 are fairly watertight but nothing would have kept us dry during the downpour. Rain was just pouring in through the windows. I stemmed the flow a little bit with my t-shirt but it was a losing battle.

After about a half hour the rain let up enough and we proceeded towards East Liverpool. About a few miles down the road, Jenny said he couldn’t keep the car running if she let up on the gas. If something got too wet, there was no drying it off in the storm. As long as I could keep it going, we would continue on to the motel. We pulled off and I drove the 7 and Kathy took over in the Stag. We ended up at a Days Inn in Lisbon Ohio, where we checked in, dried off and went in search of some supper.

We drove into the town of Lisbon where a Tavern/Restaurant would be the choice. Actually acquiring a few beers being the deciding factor on that one. We pulled into the parking lot and suddenly this big white Cadillac pulls up and quickly stops to my right. The driver jumping out of the car and racing over to my side. Crap! Now what, especially since my 357 mag with 158 gr.. jacketed hollow points is sitting in the gun safe at home. Hesitating to roll the window down and poised in first gear to unleash 150 horses of Triumph V8 power, this guy has a Triumph Stag sticker up against the drivers window. OK I get it, a Triumph nut. Announcing himself as a Stag owner, he saw us driving through town and followed us to the restaurant. He asked if he could have a drink with us. OK, let us park the car and meet you inside. Kathy asked who is that? I told her I have no idea.

Ted is a library administrator from East Liverpool Ohio who has a non operational Stag and would be heading to TRF on Friday with his caddy. After much engaging conversation, Kathy, Jenny and I managed to eat dinner and have a couple of beers. This would not be the last of Ted as we would see him again Friday night.

The next morning I worked on the 7 to see why it was not running well. The pipe leading from the EGR valve to the intake manifold had broken. This was allowing quite a bit of air to enter the intake mixture, hence not being able to keep it going during idle. So I fashioned a gasket to seal off the intake and we were in business. We took mostly backroads from Lisbon to Armagh and the scenery was just great! The remaining trip was uneventful.

We arrived at the Roadster Factory with a steady flow of rain already soaking the grounds. I’m already thinking to myself, this is going to be miserable with all the mud. Nonetheless we forged ahead, got our registration materials, ID bracelets and headed to the camping area. Here we found a fellow Stag guy, Glenn Roy (not Ted) that I have talked with before. He already had quite the campsite set up and we pitched our tent and canopy next to his site. That night by Glenn’s invitation, we dined on venison steaks and caribou sausage to keep with the Safari theme.

This year the Roadster Factory did not have a party at the local drive in movie. So Glenn’s son Brooks planned his own outdoor movie. Armed with a LCD projector, DVD player and a large white sheet, he set up his own drive in by our campsite. Soon others brought their chairs and gathered around to watch Nicholas Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds. There was quite the crowd! With this much creativity and fun, we may need to make Brooks and Glenn honorary ISOA members. They did win the award for best campsite.

Saturday morning we headed over to the autocross. This was the first time Jenny was going to do some mild racing. So we unloaded the Stag and the Spider, proceeded with tech inspection and were placed in the second group. Jenny and Kathy raced the Spider and I ran the Stag through the course. Jenny did pretty good for her first time. No knocked over cones and followed the course with no major problems. She just needs to put her right foot into the accelerator a little more and she will be quite competitive. I don’t know what the final times between her and Kathy were, but Jenny said she edged her mom out buy a tenth of a second. While I did not place with the Stag, I did have a very respectable time. The coolest thing was beating out a modified TR8. This TR8 complete with 4 wheel disks, 5.0 liter fuel injected V8 was making quite the display. I ran the Stag through the course very smoothly and when I parked the car after the last heat, I was greeted by several observers that I beat the TR8’s time. Chalk up a moral victory for the Triumph whipping boy, the Stag.

Saturday night was the big dinner with roasted boar and other delights like alligator nuggets. We got up early Sunday and ran the cars over to a local car wash. They were very dirty from the entire trip. We spent two hours cleaning them up and then drove into the town of Indiana for the show. As you know they block off an entire street in downtown Indiana. Lots of nice cars!. There were an unprecedented 11 Stags at the show! Some in different degrees of running and repair but 11 nonetheless. That was very cool! There were many TR7’s as well. Jenny managed to pick up a second place ribbon for her Spider and she was just thrilled as the competition was tough.

We stayed Sunday night rather than driving 11-12 hours home and arriving home at 3 in the morning. There were still a few people left on the grounds and we had a little party Sunday night. We gathered up all of our remaining food and dined on quite an eclectic assortment. We took off the next morning, drove straight through and arrived home around 6:30 P.M.. The trip was great and with the exception of a minor repair the cars did great. The Stag averaged 25.6 mpg and the Spider ran around 29.5. Not too bad.

Joe Pawlak

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2001 Lake Geneva Poker Rally

September 28-30, 2001

Any day off of work is a good day. The family and I usually make this event into a long weekend, taking the Friday before and the Monday after off work. Friday September 28, 2001, I get the cars washed and packed in preparation for the 24th Annual Lake Geneva Poker Rally. This year was no different, after Snakelet got home from school we waited for my sister and her family to get to our place and the caravan north began.

The Friday night cocktail party was PACKED!! This is held at a wealthy participant’s decadent playhouse about 100 feet off the water of Lake Geneva. The organizers had been trying to reduce the number of people at the party over the last few years but it seems to have backfired. There we met Mike and Diane, Dave and Betty from work, Pat and Marilyn, my sister Debbie and her husband Ruben, and my neighbors Karen and Dolores. We barely had room to sit down and eat, had a great time nonetheless.

Saturday morning started chilly and foggy, we all got out of the hotel at 8 am (even the kids) to schlep to some no-name breakfast joint on the way to Janesville. Why were we going to Janesville? To the legendary Blain’s Farm and Fleet. Mike and Karen love this store, you can get anything from Carhartt clothes to driveshafts for your John Deere. The place is so huge that the ceiling fluorescent lights blended together to look like one big sheet of light. Needless to say we TRs were in the minority in the parking lot, Conor loved the old Blazer covered with 4 inches of mud and weeds hanging off. Lo and behold some guy was talking to Mike in the lot who was former British car owner (Healey I think). Anyway the girls liked to shop and I found Zymol wax for half the typical price. Just outside of Janesville we went past a new Triumph motorcycle dealer. On the way back to the Interlaken Resort Rally "headquarters", we saw some sandhill cranes grazing at the Geneva National entry.

Having picked up our hands the night before, we started the actual poker rally. By now it was warm and sunny as we went on our appointed rounds. With tops down, it was a marvelous thing to be going from bar to bar getting your poker cards, all to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. There were plenty of cops around this year, and more than one pulled over having a conversation with the hapless driver. We stopped at the Classic and Wooden Boat Show at the Abbey. Wow, the boats were fantastic, the best was one-off custom with triple cockpits and a flathead Lincoln V12. We ended our trip at the usual, Popeye’s. They were cooking whole pigs outside this year, the food was good but the waitress was a ditz. She thought the kids, sitting at their own table, had paid their own tab! Ya right!! Needless to say her and the kids’ waitress were pleased that we reminded them about the second bill.

Saturday night we vegged at the pool and later watched the SNL season premiere with Mayor Guilani making fun of Loren Michaels.

Sunday started out with a surprise competition between Bob Steele and myself for the "worst bed head" at the lobby coffee pot. Yikes!! We were a sight. Again the day started chilly and foggy and ended up warm and sunny. As usual I met a few club members at the starting point, Jack Billimack and Bob Streepy came by early. Afterward I met up with Mike Mueller, he was trying to figure out "What looks different on my TR 8?" After some staring he realized he was staring at Bob Steele’s car, which has fog lights on it, and not his own. I guess the mind is the first to go, or maybe lingering affects from following all those Triumphs to and from Breckinridge. The show started out rather sparsely attended, then about 130 pm, when the poker hands are due, cars came from everywhere and the place got packed. I was told that they had over 1000 cars for the first time. Dave and Betty took their recently completed 1963 Corvette Gran Sport out on its maiden voyage, what a car that is. Jack and Streeps completed the rally and arrived with Bob Steele close behind, but not close behind enough. Jack remembered to avoid the manhole cover but Bob did not, thusly pulling both mufflers out of both headers on the TR8. Anyone who has heard Bob’s car knows that it is loud to begin with… well it is louder now!!! Bob pulled it over the culvert and we removed the hanging muffler so he could drive it home. In the meantime he was loving every minute he was on the loud pedal. Later on Sheri Pyle and Ryles Cheek joined our paddock area.

After the door prizes were handed out and poker rally winners were announced, it was time to head south. Traffic was horrendous, much worse than usual. We seemed to have left later this year and were stuck in the Weekend Warrior traffic. Our caravan of Joan and I in the TR 6, Ryles in the MGA and Sheri in the TR3 made it to the Snake Pit and ordered some great pizzas for pretty much the same family/club/friend/neighbor crowd as the paddock area.

All in all it was again a marvelous weekend.

by Dave "Snake" Shedor

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ISOA Quintuple Header

November 3, 2001

Once again the driving gods smiled down on those hardy souls cruising to the Quintuple Header on November 3rd in Woodstock. While a goodly number made the trip in top-up Triumphs, the he men of the north country - Jeff Lathrop and Mark Moore - arrived top down, pink faced and grinning.

Fourteen or so hungry ladies and gents attended breakfast at Three Brothers Restaurant (or Six Nuts as the locals call it). Excellent food, pleasant conversation and lots of laughs passed the time quickly.

Next stop Revcore Radiator. This was a top-notch learning experience. Owner Tim Dunderdale welcomed us into his very clean shop as if it was a community college classroom. Tim first pointed out and discussed each of his core cleaning machines. Next, using many examples, he showed us different radiator cores made of different materials. While most of our Triumphant radiators are made of brass, there are also those made from aluminum. According to Tim, aluminum has the best heat transfer properties, and corrodes somewhat less than brass. Tim explained the different parts of a radiator: the top and bottom "plates" which are attached to the "radiator core", which consists of "tubes" for water circulation and "fins" for airflow around the tubes.

Tim told the group to flush the cooling system every two years because no matter what, suspended particles of corrosion will end up in the coolant. Left there unflushed, he described it as "sand blasting the engine from the inside", something engines don’t particularly care for.

Tim suggested that rather than use the "t" setup supplied in Prestone-style flush kits, flushing should be done by disconnecting the top radiator hose which goes into the block and flushing through the block and back out the top of the radiator at the cap. When performing this operation in his shop, Tim uses a hundred fifty pounds of air pressure behind the water to really blast it through all parts of the system.

Tim continued to discuss each part of the cooling system, from caps (keep them at seven pounds) to antifreeze (the expensive "longer life" merely has more additives and is of no value unless the radiator is aluminum) to how to make upgrades (like in the case of Joe’s Spit radiator, going from a two tube to a three tube system.) Tim then fielded a variety of questions, giving each one a thoughtful and detailed answer.

Before we knew it we were due at Andreson Engine Development, and we all left with Revcore business cards and discount coupons. Now onto the rest of the story...

If Tim’s shop was like a clean community college classroom, Tom Andresen’s was like a clean medical school operating theater. From the supercharged Miata in the parking lot (a real sleeper if ever there was one) to the four racecars in various states of assembly, to the newly completed chassis for the Andreson Bonneville speed racer, this place is all about experience, technology, brains and high performance. Blocks, cranks and engines of various stages of assembly were neatly arranged everywhere you looked.

Twenty-seven strong at this point, half the group watched Tim the engine rebuilding wiz make reassembly steps on Joe’s Spit block, and half the group got a first hand at what used to be Lucille’s (Bob Streepy’s TR6) innards. (Oh Hops, how could you expose me so…?)

With a clear love of his work, Tim first talked about clean, clean, clean. Clean out all bores, passages, and oilways. Clean with soapy water. Clean with compressed air. Repeat as necessary - don’t leave any nasty leftovers in any of those passageways. Then he talked about measure, measure, measure: bearings, connecting rods, ring gaps, deck height, crush amounts, and more things to measure and re-measure.

Joe showed off his new cam, the next performance level up from stock. The cam lobes will lift the valves higher and leave them open for a longer duration, thus improving combustion and breathing efficiency. Joe also showed the difference between a worn rocker shaft and rocker arms compared with new ones.

Tim reminded the group that a layer of oil is all that separates moving parts, so the closer the tolerance the better for all the moving parts to work together at the highest efficiently. Tim explained that the more moving parts that could be "balanced", the better, as less friction is generated. He also emphasized to use oil and assembly lube so that no parts are assembled dry. One piston and connecting rod were measured, lubed, fitted and installed, and then it was time for lunch.

Following pizza supplied by ISOA the two groups switched. Lucille’s block, crankshaft, pistons and rods were on the bench for all to see. This was no time for modesty. Tom Andresen said, "Never seen one quite like this…" All six pistons had broken top rings and some pistons had carvings on their sides where a ring had disintegrated. Some of the piston crowns were…well…cooked. The crank was shot, but lucky for Bob, Erik "Big Daddy Iceman" Quackenbush came through with a sound spare that was available. Tom Andresen wondered how, with all this damage, had horrible sounds from the engine not been noticed. Clearly, it’s been a long time since Tom’s been in a top down roadster on an open road.

Jerry Taft asked how to get more horsepower out of an engine such as the 6 and Tom had a simple answer. First, change the cam. One step up doesn’t require heavier valve springs, but two and three steps up from stock do. Next, improve the breathing on the exhaust side by fitting headers. Last, if the head is off, have it "ported" to smooth off any rough edges left from the casting process. These three non-radical steps will provide a noticeable change. Tom answered more questions, and soon we left out for the Billimack Triumph estate.

Meanwhile at the Billimacks...The beer was cold, and there was plenty of it. Before long the shoppers reappeared, some with arms full and some with trunks full. Sloppy Joes were in the crockpot, and munchies magically appeared and very quickly disappeared. Garage caucuses were ongoing. Joe Kaplon searched for and found plenty of support for his excitement in finding a very nice looking white TR3 online for what looked to be a reasonable price.

I left when there was still beer to be drunk and food to be eaten. According to Jack, it took about another two hours for the group to eat and drink him and Barb out of house and home. Soon thereafter, most folks headed out, after a fun-filled and informative day.

By Mike "Hands" Blonder

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Copyright © 2001 Illinois Sports Owners Association