Recent Events
Tech Session 8-8-26
Attendees: Larry and Melissa Jensen, Glen & David Schimmelpfennig, Dave Maxwell, Bo Hall and Pete Davies
Todays tech session started on time this morning at Larry Jensen’s home. Coffee, donuts and bagels with cream cheese were offered as refreshments.
Larry’s wife, Melissa, had been driving her MG when an oil cooler line broke and it emptied the sump of all of it’s oil. Unfortunately, Melissa was in a bad spot on the freeway and couldn’t stop immediately. Fortunately the engine ran long enough to enable her to get to a safe spot where she was able to pull over. At this point the engine seized!
Larry pulled the engine this past week and today’s tech session goal was to dissemble the engine and find the cause. We removed the oil pan and at first glance everything looked fine, but we soon found pieces of metal stuck to the oil pump pick-up screen and small metal pieces in the bottom of the oil pan. Number four rod bearing had worn through the babbit material and was into the copper backing but was still in two pieces. The main crankshaft bearings miraculously were in excellent shape and had not been damaged in anyway. All pistons were in excellent shape except for a bit of light scuffing on the bottom edge of the skirts. There was no ridge present in any of the cylinders as the engine had been recently rebuilt by the previous owner. General consensus is that Larry got lucky and might be able to just have the crank shaft polished. Worst case scenario is it may have to be ground another .010″ to clean it up. There was no evidence of any over heating on any of the components and over all the entire engine was in really good condition.
The crankshaft will be sent out to a machine shop and the two journals cleaned up inspected & measured. This will dictate the next course of action. The connecting rods will be inspected, measured and reconditioned.
When the crankshaft is reconditioned new bearings will be installed throughout the engine, the cylinders will be honed and new rings installed. The oil pump will be disassembled and inspected for damage. If everything looks good then the engine will be re-assembled, installed and Melissa will be on the road once again.
Thanks to the members that showed up to give Larry a hand.
====
Tech Session 5-30-26
Attendees: Jon Hanson, Henry Morrison, Don Hughes, Dennis Walkingshaw, Bo Hall, Troy Duffin, Dil Strasser, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Pete Davies
This tech session went really well and nine members came to work, learn and hangout. We were able to get Jon’s overdrive throttle switch working and adjusted as it should be. The switch was working intermittently. We disassembled the switch and found the contacts inside the switch were coated with a black substance that was preventing a good connection. We cleaned the contacts reassembled the switch and re-installed.
Dil Strasser brought his Healey over for a couple of minor issues that were addressed by Don Hughes.
We then all sat down to a lunch of hotdogs, Bratwurst sausages potato salad and baked beans with a cold beer and sodas. Thank you Jon for being a great host, a good time was had by all.
Annual Breakfast 4-4-26
Attendees: Dennis & Cay Walkingshaw, Glen & Karen Schimmelpfennig, Larry Jensen, Bo & Sue Hall, Pete & Victoria Davies
I’m sure you have heard the phrase “the best laid plans of mice and men”. Those of us who showed up for the annual breakfast got to experience it first hand. We showed up at 7:45 at the beginning of Emigration Canyon on the way to Ruth’s diner only to be blocked by the police. Apparently there was a running event that had been scheduled. You couldn’t go up the canyon only come down. The canyon road was closed between the hours of 5 AM and 9 AM. I tried to coerce the officer to let us through by telling him that we had a group reservation at 8 AM for a car club get together, but he wasn’t buying it. He told me that we could turn around and go back and up I80 to the turn off and come back down the canyon.
We tried to call as many of you that we had phone numbers for, but didn’t have much success. Glen sent out an email to the club but we never heard back from anyone. Fortunately Larry Jensen knew of a good restaurant (Hash Kitchen) on South Foothill Blvd that was only a mile away so off we went. It was very nice place and they were able to accommodate us without hesitation. Great restaurant and a wonderful fun-loving waitress. Service and food were excellent. If you haven’t been there you should give it a try. The establishment was very open and airy with plenty of room. We were able to easily carry on conversations as it wasn’t noisy even with a good number of patrons present. It seemed to be well liked by everyone, and I’m sure we will give it consideration for next years breakfast. Sometimes things work out for the best in spite of plans that go awry.
—-
Tech Session 2-28-26
Attendees: Doug Barnec, Bill Haren, Craig Willoughby, Don Hughes, Glen Schimmelpfennig, and Keith Mott
Attendees: Bill Haren, David and Glen Schimmelpfennig, Pete Davies, Kathy and Ron Jensen, Don Hughes, Bo Hall, Henry Morrison, Larry Jensen,
Bob & Candi Keeney, Jim & Sheryl Thornton
The purpose of this tech session to was diagnose and (hopefully) fix problems with the brakes on Doug Barnec’s BJ8. Specifically, the front calipers were locking up and it was unclear if the rear brakes were working correctly. The flexible brake lines were identified as a potential culprit, so Doug had new lines ready to go and had the car up on jack stands with wheels off. The team got right to work and soon had both front lines and the single back line replaced. At that point Bill Haren set up his pressure bleeder and attempted to bleed the lines with Doug working the bleed valves. Surprisingly, only small amounts of brake fluid could be forced through the lines.
This was an unexpected problem, so the group took a short break to consider options while touring Doug’s collection of over 25 various cars in warehouse-type building next door. There was a lot of amazement and interest expressed at the number and diversity of the cars. After an extended tour of the collection and a lot discussion about the various cars, the group returned to Healey and the brake problems.
Pizza arrived at this point, which provided a welcome boost in energy. It was decided to try pumping the brakes while the pressure bleeder was on the master cylinder to try and force brake fluid out of the bleed valves. This approach, along with opening the bleed valves a little more met with some success, and soon all four wheels were successfully bled. With the brakes bled, further tests revealed that the front brakes were now working correctly, as was the left rear. However, the right rear wheel cylinder appeared to be frozen.
Since replacing the rear wheel cylinders appeared to be the next step, and replacement parts were not on hand, no further progress could be made. The group reluctantly declared partial success, and a future tech session to install new rear wheel cylinders and bleed the brakes will be scheduled.
—
Meeting/Dinner 02-10-26
We had a wonderful dinner at “The Bayou” bar and grill. We had 11 members along with three wives show up. The food, Cajun themed, was excellent along with the service, atmosphere and camaraderie. It is a place that I would highly recommend and I think we will revisit in the future. They have the largest beer menu in Utah along with a full bar. Parking was a little bit of an issue but we all over came.
—
Tech Session 01-17-26
Attendees: Henry Morrison, Don Hughes, Jim Thornton, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Tom Leavitt, Craig Willoughby, Keith Mott, Dick Mueller (nonmember), Don Hancey (nonmember)
The purpose of this tech session was to remove the engine and transmission from Keith Mott’s 1965 Sprite. The car was originally cobbled together from two wrecked cars in about 1980, and many corners were cut because of limited funds. Despite that, it ran well until it was taken off the road in 2017. Keith is now starting a complete off-frame restoration of the car, and getting the engine and transmission out of the car is one of those jobs that goes more smoothly with a few sets of hands and eyes. BAHC members were there to help!
Everyone arrived around 11 AM and were greeted by donuts, orange juice, and coffee before getting straight to work. Much of the preliminary work had been done prior to the session–i.e., the hood, radiator, carburetors, and manifolds were already out of the car–so the next step was removing the mounting bolts for the engine and transmission and attaching the lifting harness. Some time was spent determining the best extension and positioning of the hoist, but soon the process of carefully lifting, tilting, and pulling forward on the engine began. With surprising ease, mostly thanks to the number of people guiding the hoist and the engine, the engine and transmission came out of the car.
There was one bad moment while the engine was hanging high above the shop floor. One of the two bolts securing the lifting harness abruptly parted from the engine, leaving the engine dangling by one bolt! Fortunately that one bolt held (although it ended up bent), and the engine was quickly lowered to the safety of the floor. The clutch and flywheel were removed without further ado, and the engine was mounted on an engine stand for further examination. The head came off easily, and a cursory examination of the cylinders revealed very little wear. Nevertheless, the engine and head will be taken to a local machine shop for a more thorough examination.
At that point, a couple of large pizzas arrived, and club members discovered the beer and sodas hiding in the shop refrigerator. With the primary objective of the session complete, the remaining time was spent in pleasant conversation and some well-deserved self-congratulations.
Tech Session 12-1-25
Attendees: Brent Morley, Jim Thornton, Dennis Walkingshaw, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Larry Jensen, Pete Davies, Don Hughes, Bill Haren (new member)
It was the perfect day for a Tech Session. The weather was warm—almost 70 degrees and no wind. We met at Brent Morley’s parents home to work on his late dads 1963 BJ7. The car had been sitting for about three and a half years since Joe passed. There had been some issues with the car previously as it would run for a bit then shut down after a few blocks. The club had a tech session three years ago to get it back on the road–which it accomplished–but there must have still been some issues that were waiting to show up. Everyone also met Bill Haren our newest member. Welcome Bill! Glad to have you onboard, and it was great to have you jump in and contribute.
We delved into the fuel system and found a number of things. The gasket around the fuel tank was leaking, and the trunk area had a strong smell of gasoline. Upon removal of the sending unit we also found that the float on the sending unit was full of gas which gave a false reading on the gauge; i.e., the tank was always empty. Bill fabricated a new gasket from Viton, and Jim mentioned that he had a spare float at home, so off he went to retrieve it and returned shortly. The fuel was old, so we drained the tank. Dennis got started into the carbs figuring that they would be all gummed up from the old gas, but the float bowls were bone dry. That should have been our first clue of more problems to come. He cleaned the carbs, and they were reassembled. Don and Pete found that the steel fuel lines from the tank had been replaced at some time with rubber lines and they were all hard as a rocks which necessitated replacing. The car was jacked up and the rear seats removed to gain access to the fuel pump and lines. We found that someone had installed a secondary fuel pump as a back up in the event that the primary one ever failed. All the rubber lines were replaced, and a new fuel filter was added between the tank and the pumps.
In the meantime, Brent made a couple of trips to the auto parts store to purchase fuel line and stopped to pick up some burgers for the group. Thanks Brent! They were delicious. Once all the work was done we proceed to check the system for leaks, but the pump was never able to build pressure. After much investigation, we found that the fuel line fitting at the tank was letting in air so the pump could not pick up fuel. We tried numerous fixes but nothing seemed to work. We also found that the pump housing was cracked where the suction line attached, and this was another source for air entering the system. We tried the secondary pump, but it would not start as there was no voltage present. Two switches were found located under the dash that let the driver choose which pump to use. Even after getting power to the secondary pump it still wouldn’t run.
So at the end of the day, the carbs were cleaned out, the old fuel lines were replaced as well as a filter, the gasket and float on the fuel tank sending unit were repaired. However, we had two bad fuel pumps, so we still were not able to get the car to start. It was noted that the fuel gauge was still reading empty so we will have to do some more trouble shooting on that as well. Sometime in the future a second tech session will be set up once Brent has procured a new fuel pump or two, and we will address any other problems that show up. In the end it was a good day spent with good friends; lessons were learned and we all had fun.
Pete
BAHC Secretary
—-
Tech Session 8-30-2025 Pete Davies Home
Attendees: David George, Pete Davies, Keith Mott, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Larry Jensen, Bo Hall, Bob & Candi Keeney, Don Hughes, Tom Levitt
The session started at 9:30am with 10 members in attendance.
Hot coffee, delicious scones, and fresh banana bread had been provided by David and some of us hadn’t eaten breakfast so they were much enjoyed.
David is one of our members that lives quite a distance from Salt Lake City. He spends 7 months in Arizona and 5 months in Idaho Falls, so we don’t see him very often, and most of us had never met him until this past Saturday. He trailered his 100/4 down to my house on Friday afternoon, and we unloaded it. It needed some love and attention to the electrical system sorting out some issues. Well, that was what we thought when we started. The session turned into a two day marathon as there was a myriad of issues that surfaced once we got into trouble shooting. If you didn’t get a headache there is something wrong with you.
The car had been converted to negative ground and had an alternator installed, but the original voltage regulator was still in place which isn’t needed as the alternator has an internal regulator. So we removed the regulator and re-connected the wiring. The next issue that arose was a 7 fuse panel had been installed in place of the original 2 fuse Healey unit. This is a great upgrade as it offers much more protection to individual circuits.The problem was we had numerous green supply wires that weren’t identified or terminated. The circuits on a good number of the wires couldn’t be identified using the 5 wiring diagrams that we had. The harness seemed to be a conglomeration of 100/4, 100/6 and early 3000 units. This necessitated ringing out each circuit, and we couldn’t locate the other ends in some cases. There was also numerous wires coming out of the harness at various locations that didn’t exist on any of the diagrams!!
Time for LUNCH! Pete’s wife Victoria had cooked up a bunce of Polish and regular hot dogs on the grill, and there were chips, pickles and cookies to go along. The refrigerator was heavily stocked with beer and other drinks. Help yourself was the theme for the day.
After the lunch break we all took a step back and tried to collectively get our heads around all the issues and come up with a plan of attack. Slowly we started to make some headway under the hood as we got wires identified and terminated on the brake light override relay. As we progressed, we went under the dashboard to identify more of the green wires that were a mystery. It was determined that many of the wires needed to be rerouted as they were pulled to tight and may cause issues in the future. It was decided that the easiest way to tackle this was to disconnect everything from the back of the dashboard and start fresh. Hard work and perseverance prevailed and circuits began to be identified and terminated to the correct fuse terminals. By this time it was late in the day, and some members had left due to previous commitments. Larry, Glen, David and myself decided to call it a day around 6:30, and we all sat down for a beer and agreed to resume the next morning around 9am. About an hour later, Glen decided to head for home and got into his Sprite and tried to start the car, but the battery was dead. We tried to charge it but no luck. Larry left for home, and David volunteered to take Glen home. My neighbor came over, and we sat and had a beer together, and I told him about the day and we had. He shook his head and laughed which I felt was quite appropriate. An hour and a half had gone by and surprise, Glen and David returned with a fresh battery for the Sprite. The battery was the same brand but the case had been redesigned and wouldn’t fit into the battery box so we proceeded to remove the excess plastic from the case and modify the battery box so everything would fit. We finally finish up and it is now 10:30, David retires back to his hotel, my neighbor goes home and Glen and I sit down for a drink. At 12:30 am we call it a night and Glen heads home. I can’t seem to shut my brain off and don’t get to bed until 2am.
Day 2
It’s 9am and we ( David, Myself and Glen) are back at it. More circuits are identified and terminated but progress is slow. Around noon Keith calls and offers to return so he drives down from Logan again. Work continues throughout the afternoon, and the dashboard gets reassembled at about 5:00. We test the lights on the car and almost all are working but some are mis-connected. This will require sorting out as there is some mis-termination going on under the front fenders. A job for another day. I have to leave for a grandchild’s birthday party but return an hour later to find David’s Healey is loaded on the trailer and he is ready to head for home. David is ready to leave and asks us to verify the trailer lights but the electrical gremlins weren’t done with us yet! Guess what? The trailer lights aren’t working so we get out the meter and start troubleshooting once more. We get that sorted out, say our goodbyes and we all head for home. Talk about a LABOR DAY weekend this is one for the books!!
Anyway, it was a great weekend and a lot of fun with great guys. Thanks to all that showed up and contributed. We learned a lot even if we didn’t get everything accomplished that we had hoped. David has asked if we can schedule another Tech session for next spring, but in the meantime he is going to try and figure out the lighting situation. Your camaraderie and friendship are much appreciated, we have a great club here and let’s keep it going and growing.
Pete
BAHC Secretary
—
British Field Day — June 21, 2025
Attendees: Dave Maxwell, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Keith, Matt & Liz Mott, Pete & Victoria Davies, Dennis Walkingshaw, Jim & David Thornton, Jonathan Hanson, Henry and Chris Morrison, Dil Strasser, Ron Jensen, Wayne Mortensen
Saturday June 21st was the annual British Field Day at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. The beautiful weather that day just added to the experience. It little chilly on the drive in the morning, but it warmed up to the mid 70’s by 10 AM and stayed that way for the rest of the day. We had a good showing by our club with eleven Healeys and one Elva race car that belonged to Henry Morrison. I estimate that there were about 150-200 cars in the show so it was a great representation of the British Marques, from Mini’s to Rolls Royces and everything in between. The British motorcycle manufacturers were also well represented with about 30 plus bike on display. There were several food trucks to choose from when it came time for lunch and each one had a scrumptious menu. The autocross was set up and some of the cars took turns running the course. The record was set by a white Bugeye but unfortunately he isn’t a member even though we have tried to get the owner to join. Henry ran his Elva with Dylan Morrison, his uncle’s grandson.
One of the most enjoyable things about this annual event is the number of people that attend. We get so many opportunities to meet and converse with other owners and the public as well. It’s a good feeling when we get asked about our cars by people. It makes my day when the kids ask if they can sit in them and have their pictures taken by mom or dad. One thing that I’m positive we have all experienced as owners of our LBC’s is that everyone in our age group in the general public has said “I used to have one of those and I wish I never sold it”. You can see that twinkle of melancholy as it seeps in and they remember the experiences that they had with their cars way back when. I have never heard anyone say that they were glad they sold their LBC.
I went over and introduced myself to the owner of a well worn BJ8 that was parked in with the Triumphs. He had recently moved here from Virginia. We spoke for a while and he asked me who works on our cars as he wanted the name of a good shop. I told him there were plenty around and they all had the same name as they are a franchise, the’re called “YOU British Car Repair”. He looked a little puzzled at first then the light came on, so I told him that we all work on our own cars. There aren’t many, if any, shops around that know how to work on any of these British cars. We all support each other and that is the basis for joining a club, then I explained the Tech Days that we have and gave him a club business card.There was also another gentleman that was interested in selling his ’64 3000 that is in project status, gave him a card as well. He wants to buy one already done so he doesn’t have to work on it, he’s in for a surprise!!
—
Walkingshaw BBQ and Drive to Springville — June 14, 2025
Attendees: Dennis & Cay Walkingshaw, their long time friend David, Dil and Dianne Strasser, Henry & Chris Morrison, Pete & Victoria Davies (dog Allie) Glen & Karen Schimmelpfennig, Ron & Kathy Jensen, Bob & Candi Keeney (dog Max), Five of the Nate Walkingshaw clan.
This year as always the drive and BBQ to the Walkingshaws beautiful home in Springville was a great success. We didn’t have as many Healeys make the trip as we usually do; only four this year. Some members, me included, didn’t want to brave the 100 degree heat that was forecast for later in the day. We opted for a more comfortable drive home and took my wife’s BJ9 as we live 1 1/2 hours north of Springville. Everyone gathered at the South Town Mall parking lot in Sandy at 9 AM and hit the road at 9:30. We traveled west and then turned south on Hwy 68 to our first pit stop in Saratoga Springs. That area is really growing and it showed by the number of vehicles on the road; traffic has increased substantially from last year along with the number of stop lights. Next year we will probably take a different route. Once we left Saratoga Springs, the the traffic thinned out and was no longer an issue. The drive along the west side of Utah Lake was beautiful, and the temperature was comfortable in the low 80’s. We arrived in the thriving metropolis of Elberta and then headed east through Goshen and finally turning north on Hwy 141. Dennis guided us through the farm country around West Mountain then on to Springville.
We arrived at Dennis and Cay’s home in Hobble Creek Canyon around noon to a table full of scrumptious delicacies, different salads, baked beans, fresh fruit, and desserts. Cay always does a beautiful job of preparing and laying out lunch. Dennis got busy firing up the BBQ and pretty soon the bacon cheese burgers and Bratwurst sausages were cooking. The members found shady spots on the porch and settled back for some cold drinks and friendly discussions. The rest of Dennis and Cay’s family, son and grandkids, joined us for lunch and we all sat around tables that were set up in the shade by the creek. Since food was abundant, the two four legged friends sat patiently waiting with sad eyes hoping for a handout from sympathetic members, which they got. About 3:30 a few members started to leave for the trip home and the BBQ wound down. At this point we were glad we had driven the BJ9 as the outside temperature hit 100 degrees as we approached Draper, and it remained that way until we got back to Weber Canyon.
Thank you Dennis and Cay for a memorable afternoon at your beautiful home and hosting this wonderful gathering for our club members. It is really appreciated and we look forward to next year!
—
Club Meeting/Social Event 5-13-25
Attendees: Henry & Chris Morrison, Glen & Karen Schimmelpfennig, Pete & Victoria Davies, Dennis & Cay Walkingshaw Troy & Kristina Duffin, Dil & Dianne Strasser, Don Hughes, Jim Thornton, Larry Jensen.
There wasn’t much to discuss at May monthly meeting, so we decided to make the May club meeting a “Social Event.” We all gathered at Woody’s drive-in in Murray and enjoyed a burger for dinner. It was a lot of fun with 15 members in attendance, which included spouses. The starting time was 6:30, which worked out well as there was no one else there and the person behind the counter said that it was a “slow night”. Orders came out quickly, and we filled up a good portion of the inside seats as it was a bit chilly and windy outside. Rain was in the forecast, and only one member chose to drive their car, Larry Jensen. I think he is trying for the mileage award this year as he is the only member to drive a car to the last two gatherings. Keep it going Larry. I don’t know about the rest of the members but it was raining at our house, so my wife said “no way”. There was a lot of good conversation and a little bit of club business. The business had to do with a few trophies and a framed cork board that had numerous club patches and plaques from past events attached to it. The trophies and the framed board were donated to the club by the “Don Colman Family”. As you may remember he was a long time member who passed away just before the end of last year. It was decided that the trophies should stay with the car which was purchased by club members Bob and Candi Keeney. I’ll make sure they get them. The framed cork board was given to our club president Henry Morrison. It will be mounted on the wall in Henry’s storage garage where his car collection resides. Dinner finished up around 8 pm, we said our goodbyes and headed for home.
There was some discussion about club events for the rest of the year. I have already sent this schedule out a couple of times so please print it out and save it. The schedule is also available on the Upcoming Events page. If more events are added, you will be notified by email, and the web page will be kept updated. We can pretty much schedule a Tech Session when it’s requested, so please contact me if you need one and I’ll get it on the schedule.
Pete
BAHC Secretary
—
Tech Session 5-3-25
Attendees: Dennis Walkingshaw, Henry Morrison, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Jim Thornton, Don Hughes, Matt Fetterman, Troy Duffin, Dil Strasser, Larry Jensen & Pete Davies
The tech session on Saturday was a huge success. We met at Dennis’s home at 9am and were greeted with hot coffee and freshly baked cookies and banana bread, Thank you Cay. Everybody had arrived by 9:15 and Dennis promptly got to work going over the necessary things that should be checked after a long winter hibernation. He did a beautiful job of laying out all the necessary tools, fluids and maintenance items and used a checklist (RMHC Annual Checklist), published by The Rocky Mountain Healey Club ( RMHC), of items to inspect. See attached comprehensive list in the link below for specific items within each system.
http://www.rmahc.com/annualchecklist.html
Items covered were:
Cooling system & heating system
Steering and suspension bushings
Brake system and clutch fluids
Rust
Ignition system
Hubs and wheels
Front and rear shock absorber mounts
Lubrication
Battery
Fuel system and linkages
After the maintenance portion of the tech session was over a demonstration of how to set the timing on your engine using a vacuum gauge. We used a procedure published by the “Austin Healey Club of America, (AHCA).The beauty of a good vacuum gauge is that it will tell you a lot about the condition of the internal components that make up your combustion chamber operation. A vacuum gauge is a great tool to add to your collection and it’s very easy to use. They can be purchased at Harbor Freight for less than $25. See attached pdf file below. Another item that Dennis offered everyone was a “RMHC Trip Checklist”. It covered a lot of the items that were mentioned in the annual inspection but also provided a “Suggested Travelling Kit” . This kit consisted of small consumable items and the basic tools you may need to repair a break down, such as the need to rebuild your engine or transmission while parked along the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere!! See link below.
http://www.rmahc.com/travelchecklist.html
Matt Fetterman brought along a couple of Healey overdrive transmissions from a BN4 that he had in his garage. No idea about the internal condition. Henry ,Matt and a couple of other members removed the side shift plate and inspected the internals. One transmission had a bad first gear but the second trans was in excellent shape. So now Matt knows which one he will use in the restoration of his Healey. Keep plugging away Matt.
We covered a lot of information on Saturday, and there were a lot of good questions asked by members who had not delved into certain areas of their cars. We all learned something, and in my humble opinion it was one of the better tech sessions that we have had in a while.
—
Beginning of Driving Season Breakfast 4/19/2025
Attendees: Henry and Chris Morrison and their son Connor, Jim Thornton, Glen and Karen Schimmelpfennig, Dennis Walkingshaw, Pete and Victoria Davies, Larry and Melissa Jensen
The second annual beginning of brightening season breakfast was held Saturday, April 19th, at Ruth’s Diner. This year the weather cooperated better, sunny and clear, as opposed to last year when it snowed and some members had trouble getting out of their driveways. Eleven members show up at Ruth’s Diner in Emigration Canyon for breakfast. Two members, Henry Morrison and Larry Jensen, braved the 30-degree weather and drove their Healeys. Larry showed his dedication by driving with the top down! It was chilly!!!! Everyone got there on time, and we were seated right away. When the waiter asked what we would like to drink, a unanimous call for “coffee” echoed through the dining area. A lot of friendly discussion ensued with many different topics being covered. Breakfast was over by 9:30 am and we all gathered in the parking lot for a group photo and then headed home. For those that couldn’t make it, we hope you will join us next year.
—
Tech Session 3/29/2025
Attendees: Henry Morrison, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Dennis Walkingshaw, Dave Maxwell, Matt Fetterman, Pete Davies, Don Hughes, Larry Jensen, Dil Strasser, Troy Duffin.
Saturday’s Tech Session was a success, and we were eventually able to install the new brass bushings in to Matt Fetterman’s spindles. We had a few setbacks though. Dave and Matt set the pace for the repair work. The old bushings were removed without much trouble, and the lower ones installed in each spindle without any issue. The top bushings were another story. Matt had ordered the necessary parts from AH Spares, and we all expected them be an easy installation; not the case. While pressing in the top bushings, one of them opened up along the split line which distorted the bushing to the point that it was unusable. Dennis mentioned that he had some extras at his home, and he left on a 40 minute round trip to get them. Upon his return, we set up the spindles in the press and went back to work. The bushings wouldn’t go into the spindles, and it was noticed that there was a lip forming around the outside diameter of the bushing and there was excess metal being shaved off as the bushing entered the hole. The bushing was removed and measured with a caliper. It was found that the bushing diameter was to large by about .018″. The split line on the bushing was also closed, which meant that there was no room for the bushing to compress. After more measurements were taken, it was discovered that the wall thickness of the new bushing was much thicker than the old ones. The old bushing were inspected and the fit was checked on the new king pins. There was little to no play and the inside of the old bushings showed no signs of wear so it was decided to reinstall them. No further troubles were encountered. Once the bushing were installed, they were reamed and the new King pins fitted. There was no play, and it was agreed by everyone that the repair was accomplished.
While the bushing work was going on, some members–Larry Jensen, Pete Davies, Don Hughes and Henry Morrison–took a look at some minor problems with Dil Strasser’s 100/6 which he had brought along.
- The fuel gauge was causing trouble, and it was attributed to a bad ground. An extra ground wire was installed which seemed to cure the problem.
- There were loose bolts and missing washers holding the ignition coil to the generator bracket. Those were repaired.
- The next issue that was found was the main wiring harness. It was noticed that as it entered the hole through the firewall, the rubber grommet was missing, and the wires were lying on the sharp edge of the sheet metal. This can cause a grounding on some of the wires and a potential fire once the outer insulation is compromised due to vibration. Larry was able to effect a temporary repair with some electrical tape, more work is needed in the future.
- It was also found that the battery in the trunk was not held down, and it was sliding around. We located the hold down bracket and bolts in the trunk, and the battery was secured.
- There were also some other wiring issues that need to be addressed under the dash. Unfortunately access was very limited and there wasn’t enough room for a body to get into the cockpit and under the dash as the seats wouldn’t move. It was discovered that there weren’t any seat adjustment sliders as they had been removed sometime in the past, and the seat pans were bolted directly to the floor.
Work concluded around 1:30 PM, and members started heading home. All in all it was a good day spent with fellow members and getting to know each other better.
—
Christmas Party
This years party was once again held at Henry and Chris Morrison’s home. We had a really good turnout with 19 members present for the festivities. Guests stated arriving at 5:30, and Henry opened his bar to start mixing libations for those that wanted one. There were a number of different hors d’oeuvres also placed on the bar and everyone started sampling, yummy!
Larry and Melissa Jensen brought a prime rib that Larry had been slow cooking all day and, as in the past, it was done to perfection; very tender and juicy, thanks again Larry. There were a number of side dishes along with some home made pies, ice cream and a cake for dessert. Conversation was lively and plenty. It was good catching up with members that we haven’t seen in a while.
After dinner Henry stood up and addressed the guests. For those that don’t remember there was a “Mileage Competition” that we started this past year. The object was to get members out there to drive their cars more often and rack up some mileage, after all that is why these cars were built. The club decided to award a trophy placard to the top three contestants who drove their cars the most miles during the past year and a “Flat Tire Award” to the contestant and that drove their car the fewest miles. We had eight members sign up for the contest.
1st place went to Pete Davies with 2845 miles
2nd place went to Dennis Walkingshaw with 1969 miles
3rd place went to David George with 1628 miles.
The “Flat Tire Award” went to Bo Hall that drove his car a staggering 123 miles!! Bo was a great sport about the award and everyone had a good laugh.
Pete Davies was awarded the “Member of the Year” award for all the behind the scenes work he has done to help organize and keep the club informed of all the events we had planned for the year. His enthusiasm and effort has been central to keeping the club alive and vibrant.
After dinner was over everyone moved to the family room area and the White Elephant gift exchange started. There were a number of great gifts on the selection table which generated a lot of stealing from each other but everyone ended up with a nice gift at the end. The pictures below are courtesy of Bo Hall
BAHC Members Glen and Karen Schimmelpfennig recently attended the AHCA Conclave in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin with their beautiful, supercharged, 1969 Sprite. They came back with some great memories and two(!) awards. Below is their account of the event and some pictures.
Wisconsin 2024 Conclave, food, fun, new friends, old friends—FUN times! Road America raceway, what a blast, the noise, the iced tea, and people, we were able to drive around the racetrack eight times with no helmet, vroom, vroom. We had a car show every day, in a sea of Austin Healey’s – in the parking lot, on the road, in the races, and sitting along the street in Elkhart Lake just shining. YES, our little red car WON Best in Class Sprite and Best in Show Class Sprite: MK1-4, felt like a kid in a candy store! Guess who took our picture, Steve Kirby from Southern California, and the President of AHASC.
