Recent Events
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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!!
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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!
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Sept 21, 2024 Northern Drive
Attendees: Henry Morrison, Keith Mott, Dennis and Cay Walkingshaw, Pete and Victoria Davies
Dennis Walkingshaw led the tour from the south which met up at I-80 and State Hwy 65 in Parley’s Canyon. There were only two cars, Henry Morrison and Dennis, that showed up at 9:30 am and so they started up Hwy 65 north through the mountains towards Morgan. The morning was brisk but skies were clear and filled with sunshine. Perfect for our Healeys as we all know how they like the cooler weather.
Keith Mott braved the cold, Mid 40’s, and drove all the way down from Logan to participate. The only issue that he encountered were very high winds as he entered Weber Canyon. He must have been blown around quite a bit as this is a normal occurrence every morning as the cooler air in the Morgan Valley vents out toward the west.
Meanwhile Pete and Victoria Davies waited patiently in their pj’s at home in Mountain Green sipping the second cup of morning coffee and thinking of their fellow members braving the early morning start time and the cold and wind. As 10:15 approached they got the Healey out of the garage and took a leisurely10 minute drive to Morgan for a 10:30 meetup.
We met at the Morgan Exxon Station which is a popular gathering spot. We were greeted by a number of motorcycle groups that had assembled for the start of their rides. We received many thumbs up and compliments from the groups that were present. and a few cyclists came over to investigate our cars and ask questions.
We left the gas station and went back through Morgan and picked up Morgan Valley Dr which we then followed to the small community of Peterson. Then onto Trappers Loop Rd. We entered the Trappers Pointe subdivision for a once pass through. Pete and Victoria’s grand kids live there and had been assembled on the side walk to cheer us on as we passed by. From there we went over Trappers Loop past the Snow Basin turn off towards Pineview Reservoir. The trees on the mountains are starting to turn on their fall colors and there are shades of red everywhere. We turned West at the end of Trappers Loop and followed Hwy 39 west to the head of the Pineview Dam which we crossed over and followed the road to the town of Eden. The road runs along the west shore of the reservoir which is really beautiful this time of year and the water was like a sheet of glass. It was literally a huge reflecting pond. In Eden we turned right and headed east toward Huntsville where we stopped for Lunch at the Shooting Star Saloon.
The Saloon, originally a mercantile, built in 1850 is the oldest continually operating saloon west of the Mississippi. It became a bar in 1879 and was even open serving alcohol during Prohibition. This was possible due to its remote location at the time. Every now and then the Sherriff would stop by and see the bar open and he would arrest the owner and throw him in jail. But since the jail was in Ogden and the Sherriff didn’t go to Huntsville very often The owners wife would take over the operation until her husband returned so the bar never actually closed!!
The ceiling is covered with dollar bills which date back to the 1920 as a tribute to a local soldier Whiskey Joe, that came back home from WW1 suffering from “shell shock”. Its a symbol that the community takes care of it’s own. It’s quite the place to see!!
We sat and talked while we waited for our ‘Starburgers’ and potato chips—sorry no fries—and cold beers to arrive. These were voted the best burgers in Utah a number of years ago. Heart attack on a bun but we can’t eat healthy all the time!!!
After lunch we headed our separate ways towards home. The weather was perfect, the food was fantastic, and the company exquisite. It was agreed upon that we should try to do this as an annual drive. So it will be on our club calendar next year.
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August 17, 2024 Tech Session
Attendees: Bob & Candi Keeney, Tom Leavitt, Jim Thornton, David Thornton, Don Colman, Bo Hall, Don Hughes, Dennis Walkingshaw, Pete Davies, Jim Revel(ex member) and a couple of neighbors (Bill and Steve) that stopped by.
Saturday’s tech session went well from the stand point of finding the electrical issue that let the smoke out of the wires in Bob and Candi Keeney’s 67 BJ8. Unfortunately we were unable to resolve the problem as we discovered more issues the further we dug into it. The initial problem was due to faulty wiring that had been added to the system in the past but had been incorrectly connected/disconnected at some point. There had been a radio in the car which had been removed but the bare ends of the connectors were left un-insulated. As a result they went to ground and melted. Poor solder connections at both ends also added to the problem causing high resistance which generated heat and resulted in several other wires melting together. The reason the fuses had not protected the circuits was revealed when we found that the circuit that had been tied into for the radio was an “UN-FUSED” hot wire that came right off of the main battery lead that was attached to the voltage regulator.
We were in the process of repairing the initial problem when we discovered that there were more wires melted together under the dash. The insulation had melted to the point that the wires had shorted together. This in itself wasn’t to bad but the real problem was they were part of the main wiring harness under the dash board. The melted wires entered the main harness and who knows how many other wires were affected. The only way to discover the extent of the damage would have been to remove all the cloth wrapping from the harness under the dash and inspect every wire within. At this point we performed an inspection of the entire electrical system. We discovered that many of the electrical connections within the harness and at the termination points of the system components needed to be separated and cleaned due to corrosion. Work stopped and we had a pow wow to address the issues we were now facing and the best way to fix them. Dennis, Bob and I came to the conclusion that it would be best for all concerned, including the car since it is almost 60 years old with the original wiring, to have the entire harness replaced. Trying to patch it up was not in the best interest of preserving the car, the last thing we need is a fire, and the owners peace of mind.
To sum it all up this tech session broke our record for getting a Healey back on the road. Bob is going to order a new wiring harness and check with a shop he knows to see if they will install it.
On a brighter note, Bob purchased Don Colman’s Bugeye Sprite. The car had been for sale for sometime and Don was hoping to continue the ownership streak of selling the car to a BAHC member. The car has been owned by 5 different members over the years. Congratulations Bob.
The Bugeye will need a little care and maintenance to get it back on the road as it has not been run for a couple of years. The fuel has gone bad so the system will need to be drained and cleaned out prior to startup, but that is a tech session for another day.
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August 4, 1st Annual Snowbasin Car Show
The 1st Annual Snow Basin Car show this past Sunday August 4th was quite a success. The gathering of the cars started at 10am and with coffee and donuts provided. Once we were in our groups were were staged in the lawn area. There were four groups. Modern, Classic, Trucks & SUV , and Motorcycles. The coordinator is a fan of British cars and had more applied we would have been given our own group but as it turned out there were only 3 of us that applied and were all accepted. Pete Davies, Glen Schimmelpfennig and a member of the BMCU. It as a gorgeous day in a beautiful setting. There was great food, music and plenty of different beers to choose from if you were so inclined. At the end of the day two awards were passed out for each class. One was “The Peoples Choice” award and the other was the “Judge’s Award”. Glen’s Sprite received the “Judges Award” for the Classic group. Congratulations Glen!
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July 17, Sharon’s Birthday TSD Rally
Sharon’s Birthday Rally turned out to be a fun day for all. We had 20 cars take place in the rally which started at Rotary Glen Park just to the east of Hogle Zoo at the entrance to Emigration Canyon. Everyone assembled in the parking lot and donuts were provided by Dil Strasser. once everyone was registered Henry gave us a briefing on the “Richta ” app. We were each issued a car number and at precisely 9am the first car left the parking lot, thereafter another one left at 1 minute intervals. The weather was clear and it stated to warm up right away. The first 10 miles of the rally weren’t timed as it was an odometer check. The timed portion started as we turned left and headed north on route 65 towards East Canyon Reservoir. Once we got to the north end of the reservoir the instructions had us turn left once more and we headed to the town of Morgan. From there we had to take a short trip eastward on I-84 where we exited at Croydon. The instruction had us go through Croydon and on to Henefer. Once in Henefer there were a number of us that got lost because of how we interpreted the directions but that is the fun part of a rally you really have to pay close attention to the driving instructions. Finally everyone made it to the checkpoint where we Dennis Walkingshaw had set up a cornhole board. The object was to make three points before you were allowed to leave for the next leg. Cupcakes and ice water were provided as well as a welcomed bathroom break. From there the directions had us cross back over I-84 and proceed east toward Echo Reservoir, then onto Coalville, Hoytsville and finally Wanship. We headed east on state rout 82 past Rockport reservoir for a few miles, turned right on to Browns Canyon road towards Park City.
The last part of the rally had us finishing up at Billy Blanco’s restaurant for lunch. We were quite a group, approximately 50 people in all with the rally staff included. Henry tallied the points and awards were presented to the winners. I think there were 7 categories in all.
A hearty “Thank You” to Henry and Chris Morrison, Dennis Walkingshaw, Don Hughes, Dil Strasser, Glen & Karen Schimmelpfennig for making this event a great success. Thanks also go out the the British Motor Club of Utah and the Wasatch Mountain Jaguar Register for helping to promote this event. I hope it will be the start of a long tradition.
Winners
Modern Class—Candiss and Bennett Pedersen, (overall winner)
Vintage class—-Ken and JoAnn Borg
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July 6, 2024 Tech Session
Attendees: Jim Thornton, Don Hughes, Larry Jensen, Pete Davies, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Bo Hall, Don Coleman
Another successful Tech Session: Jim Thornton’s black Healey is back on the road! We started working at 10am and there were 7 members that showed up to partake in Saturdays work fest. Everything went as planned except for one mishap that put us back a couple of hours. We ended up only changing the clutch slave cylinder and flex hose. Jim had found some rubber bits laying on the floor of his shop and thought they were from the slave cylinder dust seal. Our first order of business was to inspected the hydraulic system but we didn’t find any signs of leaks. So Don Hughes and I jacked up the car and proceeded to remove the seats, carpet and transmission cover. The factory installed rust preventative system was working well as there was quite a bit of oil under the car and around the slave cylinder area. It was determined that the rubber pieces were from the dust cover on the clutch actuating lever. Since we were this far into the project we decided to change out the slave cylinder anyway. The cylinder was removed and replaced with a new one. Everything was going well up to this point and the system was filled with brake fluid and bled. This seemed to be a good time to take a break and we had some snacks that Jim had graciously provided, donuts, chips, dip and drinks.
Now is the point where we start to put things back together and where the trouble started that set us back a couple of hours. I asked Jim if he had a grease gun so we could lube the front universal joint on the drive shaft since it was readily accessible. The grease fitting was in the wrong position and the drive shaft needed to be turned but the car was in gear and the gear shift had been removed to enable the transmission cover removal. So the shifter was temporarily installed and the car put into neutral, the drive shaft was turned and the joint greased. Everything was going well up to this point and then suddenly it wasn’t. We had to remove the gear shift again to allow the transmission cover to be installed but when it was removed the small brass bushing on the bottom of the shifter fell off and disappeared down inside the gearbox. So now we have to drain the oil and remove the side cover from the transmission. The cover was removed and the brass bushing retrieved. We tried to reinstall the side cover but kept feeling resistance and after a couple of tries with frustration building, it was determined that a beer break was in order. Larry Jensen offered to try refitting the cover and a fresh pair of hands and eyes was more then welcomed. Larry determined that the reason for the resistance was the springs that keep the shift rod detent balls in place. The cover was finally re-installed and then we needed to fill the transmission with oil. Bo Hall graciously offered to go get the necessary 30wt non-detergent oil. That proved to be more than he bargained for. Have you tried to find 30wt non-detergent oil?? It’s about as common as hens teeth. Bo finally returned from his scavenger hunt over an hour later after going to multiple auto parts stores. He finally found the necessary oil at Walmart after Larry had done an internet search on his phone. By this time it was around 3:30 and we were getting tired. The interior was finally reinstalled and the car was driven around the neighborhood with everything working as it should. We cleaned up the shop, congratulated ourselves on a job well done, even though it took a lot longer, and headed home.
Thanks to everyone that showed up to lend a hand or for moral support, it was appreciated!
Pete Davies
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June 22, 2024 Springville Drive and Luncheon
Attendees: Dennis & Cay Walkingshaw and grandson Ryder. Henry & Chris Morrison. Jim & Sheryl Thornton with son, David & wife Kate. Dil & Diane Strasser, Pete & Victoria Davies and their daughter-in-law Amber & her son Cash. Glen, Karen, David Schimmelpfennig and daughter Sharron Jensen. Bob and Candi Keeney. Larry Jensen. Christopher and George Thompson.
The Springville run was a great success. Thanks again to Dennis and Cay for hosting the event at their home in Hobble Canyon. We had a new member join us today, please welcome Christopher and George Thompson. Glad to have you in the club. There were four big Healeys and three Sprites that made the run.
We gathered at the South Town Mall at 9:00 and departed at 9:03 heading toward Saratoga Springs. The parking lot was treated to a rainbow of colors for the Healeys and we received many thumbs up from passing cars as we headed towards Saratoga Springs. The weather was clear and it started to warm up rapidly with the forecast of 90+ degrees later in the day. We stopped for a gas top off in Saratoga Springs and then headed South along the west side of Utah Lake to Elberta. From there we turned east and drove through Goshen on Hwy 6. then left on Hwy 141 in Genola. The farm country at this time of year is beautiful as everywhere you look it is a lush green color. By this time the day had warmed up considerably. We continued on following the Dennis into Springville and then east toward Hobble Creek Canyon. The 9 mile drive up through the canyon was gorgeous and a nice change from the flat farm country we had just left behind. We arrived at our destination around 12:30 and were glad for the chance to escape the heat. Cay was ready for us and we were welcomed with open arms and a big smile. Dennis fired up the BBQ and soon the burgers were ready to feed the hungry group. Cay had laid out a wonderful spread in the kitchen and soon people were filling their plates with burgers, potato salad, baked beans and an a wonderfully made bowl of fresh fruit salad along with the usual fixing you would expect at a BBQ. Victoria Davies had made two home made cherry pies the day before for the desert course and there were cookies and ice cream as well. Outdoor tables had been set up amongst the shade trees by the waterfall and the creek and the sound of the water running made for a very peaceful lunch setting. The rest of the afternoon was spent in conversation with friends and fellow club members
.About 3:00 four of the cars were assembled for a photo shoot. The chosen picture will be sent to the AHCA editor and hopefully will make the calendar for 2025. A picture of four of the club members cars was submitted last year and we made the April photo for 2024.
Around 4:00 members started to leave and make their way back home but in a Healey it wasn’t going to be a comfortable drive as by now the temperature was approaching 100 deg. and yours truly had a 100 mile drive ahead.
All together it was a great day to be in the country side with our friends driving our Healey’s. A heart felt “thank you” to Dennis and Cay from all who attended this wonderful annual event and being such great hosts.
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June 15, 2024 British Field Day
Attendees: Dave Maxwell, Larry and Melissa Jensen, Jim Thornton, Glen and Karen Schimmelpfennig, Dennis Walkingshaw, Jon Hanson, Ron Jensen, Bo and Sue Hall, Dil and Diane Strasser, Pete and Victoria Davies, Keith Mott, Henry and Chris Morrison, Bob and Candi Keeney.
The club had an excellent showing at British Field Day, which was held in Liberty Park and attracted several hundred British cars and motorcycles. Eleven BAHC members showed up with 13 cars: both Jim Thornton and Dil Strasser showed up with 2 cars each. With all the cars lined up in a row it was a pretty impressive and colorful display. The weather was perfect in the mid 80’s with plenty of sunshine and lots of shade trees if you needed to cool off for a bit. There were 3 food trucks that served up some very good burgers, street tacos, as well as an ice cream truck and a hot dog cart. We were able to connect with a couple of people that showed interest in the club and we put business cards in any Healey that was parked else where at the event. The cards have the club website on the front. Hopefully we will hear from them in the near future. Business cards were supplied by Jon Hanson, thanks Jon.
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June 1, 2024 Tech Session
Attendees: Henry Morrison, Dil Strasser, Larry Jensen, Bo Hall, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Paul Evens and Don Hughes, Michael Nash (Dil’s grandson).
A tech session was held on June 1st at Dil Strasser’s home to work on one of his Healeys which had been off the road for some time. The carburetors had been removed in the past for a rebuild by a fellow member and returned to Dil but were never installed, and the brakes were not functioning.
After some minor adjustment to the carb assembly by Henry, the carbs were installed with some help from Michael, and the initial adjustments made prior to startup. The fuel in the tank was fairly old and it was decided that a filter needed to be installed. So Larry volunteered too take a trip to the auto parts store and a new filter and rubber fuel line were procured. Once that was installed, more fuel was added to the tank, the ignition was turned on and the familiar ticking of the fuel pump coming to life was heard. The system was checked for leaks and the engine was started. Once warmed up the carbs were adjusted by Henry, (Carb Whisperer Morrison), and the engine settled into a smooth idle.
As far as the brakes were concerned, it was found that the master cylinder was dry and had a leak so it will need to be replaced. A fellow club member will come by once the parts have arrived and get it installed. Dil is hoping to have the car on the road so it can be present for the The British Field day event on June 15th. It’s nice to see a younger person, Michael (Dil’s grandson), helping out and showing interest in these old Healeys as he is the future for the continued preservation once we have moved on. Michael I hope you continue to develop an interest and love for our Healey’s that we have. Thank you.
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May 4, 2024 Tech Session
Attendees: Henry Morrison, Larry Jensen, Bo Hall, Pete Davies, Dave Maxwell, Dennis Walkingshaw, Jim Thornton, Glen Schimmelpfennig, Dil Strasser, Don Hughes, Troy Duffin, Mitch Hendricks.
We had beautiful sunny warm weather and three members chose to drive their Healey’s along with one MG. There were plenty of helping hands and discussions but ultimately we accomplished our goal and another car is back on the road. So far the club has a 100% success rate of repair and making cars road worthy. Let’s keep up the good work! Thank you to Bo and Sue Hall for hosting the get together. Coffee, bagels with cream cheese, a breakfast cake and other assorted goodies helped everyone keep focused as we attacked Bo’s BJ8 Healey.
Bo was having trouble starting the car in the cold weather and after some diagnosing we found a multiple of problems. The jets were to far open. The needles weren’t set correctly in the carb pistons and the choke cables weren’t adjusted properly. There were multiple people that took turns helping Dave Maxwell who was the primary hands on guy. Everyone learned something today as there was plenty of discussion about the problems
After all the issues were addressed the car was started and we went about making all the necessary adjustments to the mixture, air bypass, fast idle and balanced the air flow to each carb to get the engine running as it should. The car now starts with a turn of the key and idles perfectly. Bo will have to wait until the weather turns cold again to see how it starts using the choke.
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April 6, 2024 — First Annual “Start of Driving Season” Breakfast
Attendees: Jon Hanson, Sue Hall, Henry & Chris Morrison, Bo Hall, Dennis and Cay Walkingshaw, Victoria & Pete Davies, Jim Thornton
Ten BAHC members met at Ruth’s Diner in Emigration Canyon for the first “Annual Breakfast Get Together”. We met at 8 AM when they opened so we could all be seated together at the same table.
It was a little challenging getting to the diner as a storm front came in early this morning and it started to snow pretty hard in parts of Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas. Dennis and Cay Walkingshaw had to use 4 wheel drive mode to get out of their driveway this morning but everyone arrived safe and sound. It was fun teasing each other as to why no one drove their Healey’s in the snow. That brought back some memories of the crazy times we had with our cars during our much younger years and a few stories were told about driving in the winter months during our youth which were fun to hear. It was wonderful to see members in such a jovial mood that early as no one had had their morning coffee yet, but we were all wide awake. Probably had something to do with cold weather.
There was plenty of interesting conversation about Healey’s and plans for upcoming trips that members had scheduled. Henry and Chris Morrison are heading out to California in a couple of weeks to race their Triumph TR3 at the Kastner Cup race which this year is taking place in Sonoma Ca., the heart of the wine country. Pete Davies will also be in California during that time and plans to go and watch Henry race on race day. As breakfast came to an end, about 10am, we all got bundled up once more and headed out the door to our warm and comfy cars but not before we said our “Good Bye’s”.
Next year we are going to plan it a little later in April or early May when the weather is better.
Thanks again to everyone that showed up and to those that couldn’t make it, we hope you will be there next time. —Pete
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