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[Fot] What a week. What a month. What a year.

To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: [Fot] What a week. What a month. What a year.
From: Rick McCurdy via Fot <fot@autox.team.net>
Date: Mon, 13 May 2019 07:17:13 -0400
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: fot@autox.team.net
References: <D48C54F7-30AA-41D7-B397-9B96A9438EEE.ref@aol.com> (iOS(12.2 (16E227)))]
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Some of you may have heard about a New Yorkers=E2=80=99 attempt to get to th=
e=20
K Cup last weekend, but here=E2=80=99s the skinny:

After long weeks of long days, I finished repairing bodywork from when I sma=
cked the wall backwards at the Canadian Vintage Gran Prix at Mosport last Ju=
ne, and the car reassembled (just) in time to depart New York=E2=80=99s Huds=
on Valley on Sunday morning,  April 28. Of course, the one thing I didn=E2=80=
=99t have time to do before loading was to get the car running. Since I was p=
lanning on passing through Dayton, I called a long time Sunbeam club friend a=
nd asked for help. (How tough is it to get a tractor engine to run?!) Doug J=
ennings, who owned Tiger Auto in Dayton for decades before retiring a few ye=
ars ago was the perfect choice.

I arrived at Doug=E2=80=99s around 8:30, had a quick bite of his wife=E2=80=99=
s (wonderful!) Lasagna, and winched the car into his garage to get the tr3 s=
tarted. 3 hours later, nothing. Bupkis. Nada. We could not get the car to ev=
en cough using starting fluid! New plugs the next morning didn=E2=80=99t mat=
ter. The car would. not. start.=20

I left Dayton for home sometime after noon the next day, an unhappy camper. D=
isappointing as it was, there still is no sense in dragging a dead race car t=
o California and back. So, I went home.=20

There is spark, fuel and (barely)compression. When I got home I took it to a=
nother Brit car friend who owns a shop and offered to give it a look. We mea=
sured an average 105 lbs for comp (it should have done SOMETHING!) and timin=
g was judged to be correct. What we did not do was a leak down test. I don=E2=
=80=99t know why we didn=E2=80=99t think of that before removing the head...=
 Where the heck is mine when I need it?!

Head removal revealed some scoring of the walls, ugly corrosion in the chamb=
ers, but nothing blatant. When I crashed last year, apparently the top rad h=
ose popped off the spout and water was introduced into the intake. Who knew!=
? I hit the wall backwards after rounding turn 10, and the little birdies we=
re flying around the little stars before I shut down the motor and gingerly e=
xtricated myself from the car. I didn=E2=80=99t know for 6 more weeks that I=
 had a handful of broken vertebrae (thank you, HANS device..!), now fully re=
paired with the neurosurgeons approval to race, by the way. I discovered the=
 water evidence when I had to remove the manifolds to weld up the ripped exh=
aust collector. Inside the ports were rust remains that definitely should no=
t have been there- and the starter didn=E2=80=99t spin the motor until I pul=
led plugs, squirted WD-40 into the cyls and bumped the started button until i=
t loosened up and spun freely.=20
Next season, when the water is drained for winter, it will get the cylinders=
 lubricated! That is, when I finally get the darn thing to run...

My big adventure was a bust. Bummed I missed it (a good one, from all the gr=
eat comments!), bummed I didn=E2=80=99t get to see west coast friends, but s=
till determined to be at Mid-Ohio next year!

Since I=E2=80=99ve had the head and manifolds off a number of times, it=E2=80=
=99s time for a new gaskets (both head and manifold). The solid copper gaske=
t worked great, but took me at least three tries to get it to seal after the=
 prev head gasket failed at the =E2=80=9817 Lime Rock Historics. I ended up u=
sing silicone ll. It worked, but it=E2=80=99s messy and unorthodox.

So, does anyone have a suggestion for replacement gaskets? I=E2=80=99m not t=
rying to be a frontrunner, I just crave reliability at this point- a weekend=
 where I can drive off the trailer, race, and drive back on the trailer with=
 nothing broken or suspect. Just once!

Down, but not out. Yours truly,

Rick McCurdy
Newburgh, NY

I know... I know, I waited a long time to work on the car, but I was working=
 on restoring a friends big Healey, and that had priority. It=E2=80=99s beau=
tiful, but took much longer than anticipated. Just call me =E2=80=9CMr. Vert=
ical Learning Curve=E2=80=9D!=

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto"><div dir=3D"ltr"><span></span></div><div di=
r=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"><div dir=3D"ltr"><span></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=
=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8"><div dir=3D"ltr"><s=
pan></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D=
"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8"><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255,=
 255, 0);">Some of you may have heard about a New Yorkers=E2=80=99 attempt t=
o get to the&nbsp;</span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-co=
lor: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">K Cup last weekend, but here=E2=80=99s the ski=
nny:</span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255,=
 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"background-=
color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After long weeks of long days, I finished re=
pairing bodywork from when I smacked the wall backwards at the Canadian Vint=
age Gran Prix at Mosport last June, and the car reassembled (just) in time t=
o depart New York=E2=80=99s Hudson Valley on Sunday morning, &nbsp;April 28.=
 Of course, the one thing I didn=E2=80=99t have&nbsp;</span><span style=3D"b=
ackground-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">time to do before loading was to g=
et the car running. Since I was planning on passing through Dayton, I called=
 a long time Sunbeam club friend and asked for help. (How tough is it to get=
 a tractor engine to run?!) Doug Jennings, who owned Tiger Auto in Dayton fo=
r decades before retiring a few years ago was the perfect choice.</span><spa=
n style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span><div><span s=
tyle=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>I arrived at Doug=E2=80=
=99s <a href=3D"x-apple-data-detectors://2" dir=3D"ltr" x-apple-data-detecto=
rs=3D"true" x-apple-data-detectors-type=3D"calendar-event" x-apple-data-dete=
ctors-result=3D"2" style=3D"text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);"=
>around 8:30</a>, had a quick bite of his wife=E2=80=99s (wonderful!) Lasagn=
a, and winched the car into his garage to get the tr3 started. 3 hours later=
, nothing. Bupkis. Nada. We could not get the car to even cough using starti=
ng fluid! New plugs the next morning didn=E2=80=99t matter. The car would. n=
ot. start.&nbsp;<br><br>I left Dayton for home sometime after noon the next d=
ay, an unhappy camper. Disappointing as it was, there still is no sense in d=
ragging a dead race car to California and back. So, I went home.&nbsp;<br><b=
r>There is spark, fuel and (barely)compression. When I got home I took it to=
 another Brit car friend who owns a shop and offered to give it a look. We m=
easured an average 105 lbs for comp (it should have done SOMETHING!) and tim=
ing was judged to be correct. What we did not do was a leak down test. I don=
=E2=80=99t know why we didn=E2=80=99t think of that before removing the head=
... Where the heck is mine when I need it?!<br><br>Head removal revealed som=
e scoring of the walls, ugly corrosion in the chambers, but nothing blatant.=
 When I crashed last year, apparently the top rad hose popped off the spout a=
nd water was introduced into the intake. Who knew!? I hit the wall backwards=
 after rounding turn 10, and the little birdies were flying around the littl=
e stars before I shut down the motor and gingerly extricated myself from the=
 car. I didn=E2=80=99t know for 6 more weeks that I had a handful of broken v=
ertebrae (thank you, HANS device..!), now fully repaired with the neurosurge=
ons approval to race, by the way. I discovered the water evidence when I had=
 to remove the manifolds to weld up the ripped exhaust collector. Inside the=
 ports were rust remains that definitely should not have been there- and the=
 starter didn=E2=80=99t spin the motor until I pulled plugs, squirted WD-40 i=
nto the cyls and bumped the started button until it loosened up and spun fre=
ely.&nbsp;</span><div><span style=3D"background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0=
);">Next season, when the water is drained for winter, it will get the cylin=
ders lubricated! That is, when I finally get the darn thing to run...<br><br=
>My big adventure was a bust. Bummed I missed it (a good one, from all the g=
reat comments!), bummed I didn=E2=80=99t get to see west coast friends, but s=
till determined to be at Mid-Ohio next year!</span></div><div><br></div><div=
>Since I=E2=80=99ve had the head and manifolds off a number of times, it=E2=80=
=99s time for a new gaskets (both head and manifold). The solid copper gaske=
t worked great, but took me at least three tries to get it to seal after the=
 prev head gasket failed at the =E2=80=9817 Lime Rock Historics. I ended up u=
sing silicone ll. It worked, but it=E2=80=99s messy and unorthodox.</div><di=
v><br></div><div>So, does anyone have a suggestion for replacement gaskets? I=
=E2=80=99m not trying to be a frontrunner, I just crave reliability at this p=
oint- a weekend where I can drive off the trailer, race, and drive back on t=
he trailer with nothing broken or suspect. Just once!</div><div><br></div><d=
iv>Down, but not out. Yours truly,</div><div><br></div><div><div id=3D"Apple=
MailSignature" dir=3D"ltr">Rick McCurdy<div>Newburgh, NY</div><div><br></div=
><div>I know... I know, I waited a long time to work on the car, but I was w=
orking on restoring a friends big Healey, and that had priority. It=E2=80=99=
s beautiful, but took much longer than anticipated. Just call me =E2=80=9CMr=
. Vertical Learning Curve=E2=80=9D!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div=
></body></html>=

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