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Caro l inas Aust in -Healeys Club
HEALEY HAPPENINGS
S AV E TH E D AT E S April 2020
www.carolinasahc.com
Facebook:
Carolinas Austin-Healey
Club
Healey Happenings is the official
publication of the Carolinas Aus-
tin-Healey Club and is published
January through November.
General membership, dinner
meetings and tech sessions are
held on the third Monday of each
month at 6:30 p.m. (for dinner,
arrive around 5:30-6:00).
Membership in the Carolinas
Austin-Healey Club is open to all
owners of Austin and Jensen
Healeys and to all others who
have an interest in the car or the
purpose of the club. Ownership
of a Healey is not required for
membership, nor is driving a
Healey required to participate in
events.
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Upcoming events 1
Officers, Editor, Meeting,
Membership 2
President’s Message 3
Hemmings Article 5
Tech Information 6-9
Member’s Ride 10-11
Event Registrations 12-15
Mountain Trip Details 16
Classifieds 17
COMING EVENTS
Apr 16 Tech Call Conference
Aug 6-9 Mountain Trip
Sept 26 MG’s on the Green
Oct 1-4 Southeastern
23rd ANNUAL MOUN-
TAIN TRIP - AUG 6-9 This year we are going back to
the historic Monte Vista Hotel in
Black Mountain, NC. If you
have not been to Black Mountain
you will love this venue. See de-
tails later on in this newsletter
and sign up early. The rooms
will go fast.. DETAILS SEE
PAGE 15.
Man has this section been ravaged by the Covid-19 or what? I am a
little amazed that some events have been cancelled so far out, but I
also understand that it is sometimes difficult to pull an event at the last
minute. Hopefully better times are just around the corner and maybe
we, as a club, can do some smaller fun drives. What we all will miss
most is the gathering of friends and as I get older, there is that stark
reality that there are fewer of these gatherings left to enjoy.
ENOUGH WITH THIS MORBID STUFF!
I am finding it hard to keep up with the ever changing calendar and it
is a little difficult for me to put the changes into the newsletter while I
am still learning how to work with the Publisher software. For that
reason, at least for the time being I will highlight upcoming events in
the newsletter and will put the full calendar in the email with the
newsletter, but as a separate attachment. That should also make it eas-
ier for you to print off the calendar if you wish. Since the calendar is
so fluid, I will skip this month and send out the revision as soon as I
have one.
No meetings presently, but the tech conference calls are going strong.
Carolinas Austin-Healey Club
Officers
President Charlie Grobusky 803-493-1022
1st Vice President Roger Dahnert 704-562-5330
2nd Vice President Carl Brown 704-633-3262
Secretary Lisa Bond
Treasurer Ted Sjolander 704-779-0307
Delegate Bill Walton 704-258-6314
Future 50 Rep Will Walton 704-258-6314 [email protected]
Newsletter Editor Ed Farnell 803-754-6922
Membership Jack Porter 864-583-1261
Regalia Stephanie & Pete Delaney 704-455-2585
Webmaster Carl Brown 704-633-3262
Roadside Care Ann Jones 704-843-5821
Newsletter
Submissions to the newsletter can be sent at any time: Ed Farnell. Deadline is the 5th of each month with the newsletter going out the week before the monthly meeting.
Classified “For Sale” ads: Advertising British cars for sale are FREE to members. Ads sell-ing Healey parts, or Healey related items are FREE to all. Non-member “Cars for Sale” are $10.00 per issue. Send information (photos should be jpg format) to [email protected]
All Commercial Ads: Advertise your business in the Healey Happenings! Annual display ad rates are as follows:
Half Page 5” X 8” $ 150.00 per year
Quarter Page $ 100.00 per year
Business Card $ 50.00 per year
E D I T O R ’S N O T E S
Just staying home, be-
ing good. Getting
some projects done
here and at our church
which is also closed. I
am finally getting
around to working on
my MGB LE that I
have owned for 31
years and not driven
for 3 or 4. It will be
back on the road in the next few days. Got the last order shipped
out from Moss the day they closed the VA warehouse. How
lucky was that? I did take a ride in the Healey and the MGCGT
last week. Figured the insurance company was not going to give
me a special shutdown rate, so I might as well drive some.
Thanks to one of our newest members, Ken Plesser, and Hem-
mings Sports and Exotic Car, I have a few things for this newslet-
ter. Now that things are slack, I could really use some nice arti-
cles from our members so the newsletter does not begin to look
like something that has been on the Jenny Craig diet for several
years.
M O N T H LY M E E T I N G O F C A R O L I N A S AH C General membership, dinner meetings and tech sessions are held
on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. (for dinner, ar-
rive around 5:30-6:00) at John’s Family Restaurant and Pizzaria,
2002 Westinghouse Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28273, 704-588-6613,
www.JohnsFamilyRestaurant.com.
The restaurant is on Westinghouse Blvd., approximately 1.3
miles west of I-77 (Exit 1A).
C A R O L I N A S A U S T I N - H E A L E Y C L U B M E M B E R S H I P Jack Porter, [email protected] membership chairman, is
the person to contact if you know of anyone who has not re-
newed. Please remind them to contact him. Also, give him the
name and contact info for any potential new members.
Page 3 Healey Happenings
P R E S I D E N T ’S M E S S AGE
First, I hope everyone is staying safe and
healthy. It definitely has not been fun. I
don’t know how many more times I can
take having Peggy asking me to do silly
things, like make up the bed, vacuum the
floor, clean the commodes. Geez! I guess I
thought those things were done automati-
cally. I have smelled and touched so much
disinfection chemicals, that I think if I wash
my hands, spray the counters with anti-
sceptic, disinfect me and everything else
any more, I will not have to clean the toilet
bowls, going to the bathroom, will do it for
me.
Unfortunately, there is not much to write
about from all the Healey events. I really
miss those, and especially, seeing everyone.
I am sure we will be cancelling everything
in April, but will keep our hopes up for May
and on.
I appreciate some of the stuff shared online
by members. Please keep it up, especially,
those great ideas with humor. Chuck
Reeves’ post on FB provided a great idea,
about putting some wine or liquor in every
room, go take a shower, and get dressed up
to go bar-hopping. Works good, you don’t
see a lot of people, but the drinks are free
and you don’t have to worry about getting
back to your bed.
Sometimes you feel trapped like Rapunzel
in that tower, and all you can do is learn to
cook, look out the window, or you can take
short rides through the country in your
Healey. You really need to give your car
some love. Go to the garage and look at
your car, sitting there all alone. Spend some
time rubbing and talking to it. It needs love
too!
Peggy and I took another ride through the
country. It was a beautiful day with no route
planned, just driving. We drove over 80
miles, just enough time to make it back to
the bathroom. It seems when we are driving
around with the top down on a sunny day,
you sometimes forget about all that is going
on, it lifts your spirits.
I am sure AH Spares is doing well with
online orders. This is a good time to do
those repairs and updates you have been
wanting to do. The BSP was at 1.16 pds, but
has recently jumped back up to 1.23pds, still
pretty low. Moss Motors has closed up and
not shipping.
Don’t forget, we have our 2nd Tech Confer-
ence Call on April 16th at 8pm. Join Carl,
Stuart, and Bill for, what I am sure, will be
another informative learning session. Be
sure to send your questions to Bill asap.
Keep that Healey smile. Peggy and I have
you all in our prayers and hope that we will
be seeing you soon.
Charlie
Page 4 Healey Happenings
SECRETARY’S REPORT
Nothing to report. No meetings, no min-
utes.
Happy Birthday, CAHC Members!!
Are you a new member or not sure if I have your birthday?
Send an email to [email protected].
April 3 – Glenda Kale
April 5 – John Jones
April 6 – Ann Jones
April 8 – Alan Teague
April 15 – Betty Bender
April 20 – Phyllis Allen
April 26 – Dennis Maurer
DANA & KATHIE RINDGE
Aiken, South Carolina
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A Prodigal Son Returns: It’s never too late to own a Healey
Ken Plesser
It’s hard to believe that it was more than a half-century ago: the fall of 1969, to be exact. I was just back from
a year as a Naval Officer in Vietnam when my then-wife offered the opinion that we needed a sports car. So,
off we went to Checkered Flag Motors (I think) in Jacksonville to examine the offerings, knowing exactly
nothing about sports cars. The Healey smiled at us from the row of little cars, and an adventure began.
It was a 1967 BJ8 in metallic golden beige with maybe 15 or 20,000 miles on it. We joined a local club: the
Spokes and Discs Sports Car Club, and participated in meetings, tech sessions and rallies. In one memorable
event, we gamely pressed on all the way to St. Augustine, looking for a clue that was obviously missed some
50 miles prior.
That car made the trip up and down I-95 between Pennsylvania and Florida a couple of times. Back then,
there were a handful of incomplete sections of I-95. Most notable was that you had to get off the interstate at
the exit just before South of the Border, and get back on at the exit just after. Wondering if Pedro had any in-
fluence with the local politicians? It went with me to a temporary assignment in Washington, DC during the
horrid cicada summer of 1970, leaving me stranded on the George Washington Parkway one night in a torren-
tial downpour.
Next stop was Norfolk. Looking for a new club, we found the Tidewater Association of Classic Healeys.
Amazingly enough, this club still exists as a member club of the AHCA. The night that we joined, the club
voted to subsidize the $50 entry fee for any member participating in a 500-mile time-speed-distance rally in
central Virginia. Having already registered for the event, I demurred on the reimbursement noting that I was a
brand-new member and couldn’t accept such an instant benefit. “Nonsense,” said the club president, “you are
one of us now.” And the incredible warmth and generosity of Healey owners continues unabated to this day.
Sometime around 1971 or 1972, I mindlessly (and contrary to sober advice) decided that the car needed to be
Colorado Red. The bonnet, boot and all four wings came off the car and were subject to chemical stripper in-
side my apartment, while the shroud was stripped in the parking lot. Once reassembled and paintless, the club
members helped with the paint job.
The Healey moved to Annapolis in 1973, where I discovered that both Washington and Baltimore had vibrant
sports car communities. Each had a dozen different clubs whose activities were coordinated by local councils.
One could find a rally or an autocross pretty much every weekend. It was sports car heaven. I had gotten
pretty good at the rally game, winning regularly in the local scene, and dabbling in TSD rallies at the National
level. After a few National events, sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America in nearby states, it became
apparent that the Healey was not the ultimate ride. The winners were driving Porsche 911s and Datsun 240Zs,
and Datsun was actually paying $25 to win. And so, on a dark day in about 1976, the Healey went to a new
owner. For a paltry $2700, as I recall.
Fast forward 45 years. Needing a fun project to keep busy, my mind drifted back to the good old Healey days
and I concluded: why not? I tagged up with the Carolinas AHC, met people at the Ford vs. Ferrari meeting,
and discovered that they all were all cut from the same cloth as the ones 50 years prior. Serendipitously, Bill
Walton had a Healey for sale. The car was exactly as advertised: a solid body and engine (frame-up restora-
tion in 2014) but in need of some attention to detail. I’m not lacking for projects any longer!
Bill has asked me to write some things for this newsletter, so, for future issues, I’ll write up some recent ad-
ventures, including driving 200 miles on the interstate with two inches of toe-out, how I modified the center
console for the 21st century, and another option for adding a third brake light. It’s good to be back home; in a
way, it’s like I’d never left…
Page 11 Healey Happenings
TACH car badge from the 1970s.
Note the psychedelic type font in the
center. The first Healey. That’s my little brother
in the driver’s seat (He’s drawing Social
Security now!)
Editor’s Note:
Many thanks to Ken, one of our newest members, for this fun article. Look for others to
come from Ken.
Page 12 Healey Happenings
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You better not delay in making plans to join us at the newly “relabeled” Monte Vista Boutique Hotel 1919 , 308 West State Street, Black Mountain, N.C. 28711, now owned & operated by the Southern Proper Hospitality Group out of Atlanta, Ga. They have done a marvelous job taking the previ-ously remodeled property to an even higher level of elegance without ruining the historic aura and seem to be on track to even greater success via superior management & professionalism. You’ll see !! We were able to negotiate their week-day room rate for our entire stay, so plan to ar-rive on Thursday, August 6
th & depart on
Sunday, August 9th (3 nights) for:
$109/nt + tax (= $123.17/nt) for either a Historic QUEEN (2nd or 3rd floor in the main Hotel) or Lodge Queen (Ground floor in the rear building) … if you can only come for the week-end, these room rates go up to $139/nt + tax (= $157.07).
$119/nt + tax (= $134.47/nt) for a His-toric KING (2nd or 3rd floor in the main Hotel) … if you only come for the week-end, this rate goes up to $149/nt + tax (= $168.37/nt)
$129/nt + tax (= $145.77/nt) for a His-toric KING with a Day Bed & Trundle (in the main Hotel) that goes up to $159/nt + tax (=$179.67/nt) if you only come for the week-end… [ NOTE – only 1 room like this avail-able ]
For your information, 17 Historic Queen rooms, 13 Lodge Queen rooms, & 9 Historic King rooms (total = 39 rooms) are being held in a BLOCK for us until June 11
th …
PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW… call the Hotel directly @ (828) 669-8870… just mention Austin Healey for our rates… check out the property for yourself at www.mvhotel.com … Shane McLaurin, Hotel General Manager and Christian Smith, Assistant Manager are awaiting your calls !!
Other details :
1. We are working on a SPECIAL dinner oppor-tunity for Thursday night & will share more when we have a commitment. 2. Friday night will once again find us at the Red Rocker Inn for cocktails outside @ 6:00 pm followed by dinner on-the-porch @ 6;45 pm 3. We will dine at MILTON’S Cuisine & Cocktails in the main lobby of the Monte Vista Boutique Hotel on Saturday night - stay tuned for final details
We look forward to another stellar time in Au-gust & hope it will be the BEST one ever !! we can’t wait & we hope you can’t either !! Chuck Reeves & Monique Dale m(864) 270-0799 (NOTE: this year it is actually the 2
nd w/e vs. the
usual 1st w/e)
MOUNTAIN TRIP
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CLASSIFIEDS