Day 6 Report
Listers,
Well, it's been a bad week for rubber. I washed the Morris this morning
and noticed that the windscreen wipers are also disolving, and they haven't
been anywhere near MBTE laced petrol. It might be age. I've owned this car
for 30 years next month and remember replacing most everything but now I'm
not sure when and the older I get, the less I am able to keep track of the
time frame.
I probably will go to Pep Boys and after they all get a big laugh (Jack has
a great sense of humour!) when I ask if these things come in any colour
than black (chrome or stainless is against the law in some places as it is
not "anti-dazzle") and they produce the lime green, flourescent pink, and
yellow jobbies with the airfoils to keep them on the glass at high speeds
or in heavy winds.
I will then go over to BAP on Sepulveda and they will tell me that they
don't handle British parts anymore except by special order and I will say,
"Dosesn't the "B" in BAP stand for British?" They will then say that the
"G" in GEON stands for GET LOST!
Then I will call Mini Mania and the wiper blades will be on backorder, so I
will go over to see Peter at Marina Motors who will adapt something from a
Land Rover in kakhi or olive drab that we will paint black. I wish I had a
time machine or knew of an interdimentional portal to go back a few decades
just to visit the parts store.
I've received a number of emails from folks who live in small towns who are
complaining about the lack of Britiron there. I fellow said that he had
half of the town's British car population IN HIS FRONT DRIVE!
You know, there is an advantage to living in a smaller town. Since I've
been driving my Morris in West Los Angeles (Venice, Santa Monica, Playa del
Rey and Marina del Rey) every day this week I have encountered the most
awful driving.
Now, my Minor is slow (948/smoothcase trans/42,000 original miles but it
has no trouble keeping up with the generally bumper to bumper traffic, BUT
other drivers are CRAZY and have no time for and no appreciation of cool
old cars - they honk and shake their fists and yell for me to get out of
their way - I've been repeatedly passed on the right in the parking lane by
huge SUVs and cut off in traffic by people on the phone in Benzes. I almost
hit one guy who wildly cut in front of me and crammed on the brakes, AS WE
APPROACHED A LINE OF STOPPED CARS WAITING FOR A RED LIGHT!!!
This is no place for an LBC - It once was a sleepy little tourist town but
it is now an enclave for type A personality entertainment execs and their
made-over trophy wives who are much more important than old guys in goofy
old cars. I might as well be trying to drive a Model T on the freeway!
A few more sightings today; A "New Bohemian" coffee hauser in a tatty
orange 71 MGB on Lincoln Blvd, A faded yellow Bugeye with a roll bar and
13" slot mags (WolfRace to you Brits) with a surfboard strapped over the
windscreen and rollbar (verrrry 1970s!)in front of a funky art/antique
store on Abbott Kinney Blvd, a blue TR7 roadster at the bank. There also
were a pair of Austin Healey 3000s that had made the pilgrimmage to see the
wizard at Peter's Marina Motors ( if you haven't guessed by now, one of the
only places in Venice that will even look at a British Car). Pete is quite
a magician - he always makes my money dissappear.
Cheers,
Rick in Venice, CA
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A few reports that were sent directly to me:
Well, Rick, the sightings could be like they are in my little burg...
every day this week, all I've seen is a red TR7 under a tarp (in my
yard), and what looks suspiciously like the hood of a GT6 directly in
front of the steering wheel of the car I'm driving.... <smile>
Cheers. Keep looking. (!)
Michael D. Porter
Roswell, NM (yes, _that_ Roswell)
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Hi Rick
Keep a stiff upper lip, old boy. In Long Beach (where I drive my '59 AH3000
EVERY DAY) this week I've seen "a few more" on the road than usual. A list
is: Jaguar 420, Jaguar Mk10, disc-wheel TR3, MGA coupe, rubber bumper MGB,
and a late chrome bumper MGB. Those that saw me waving at them waved back.
Probably new minis don't count, but I'm starting to see more of them. Funny
thing yesterday: Hispanic gang-looking kid with lip piercings and tatoos
correctly identified my car as a Healey. That was a surprise!
Thanks for all the information on LBC events, by the way...
Martin Johnson in Long Beach
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