Marty's MG Blog

Marty's MGB Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Had some family pumpkin carvin' last weekend in Maryland...here's my attempt...

The Official MG "Smiley"

2011-10-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Background:
The MG "Smiley" is a magnetic smiley face that is awarded to any Keystone Region MG Club member who has a mechanical problem with their MG that requires remediation either to continue the drive or for safety purposes...while driving with the current holder of the "Smiley".

When "Smiley" is passed to the next person, a small star-shaped punch-out is taken from the smiley and left with the previous holder. The star may be stuck somewhere on the vehicle (inside the boot lid, for example) of the person passing on the "Smiley". Marty Chamberlain should be notified of any passing of the "Smiley" and the star punch so that he may keep this log up-to-date. The holder of "Smiley" is responsible to keep "Smiley" with his/her vehicle as well as to hold the star punch with the "Smiley".

Smiley's Holders To-Date:

8/21/2009 - Holder: Marty Chamberlain (at home)
This was the origin of the MG "Smiley". After his front brakes failed, Marty finished replacing most of the MGB's hydraulics, front bearings, rotors, calipers, etc. to be ready for Triathlon VIII.

8/28/2009 - Holder: Mike Jones (British Marque Car Club News' Triathlon VIII, Jiminy Peak, Hancock, MA)
Mike’s MGB GT stopped running in the town of Kingston, N.Y., on Route 9W, a very busy commercial thoroughfare. Imagine Route 309 in Quakertown! A roadside repair was accomplished in a bank parking lot by replacing his dead fuel pump with one from Ed Haas' boot! "The Brotherhood of The Travelling Fuel Pump" was born.

8/29/2009 Holder: Marty Chamberlain (British Marque Car Club News' Triathlon VIII)
Marty couldn't find his cell phone and finally found it clipped right where he left it...on one of the hood supports. Technically not a reasonable "Smiley" transfer, but he took it anyway. It wasn't going to stay with him for long.

8/30/2009 Holder: Mike Jones (British Marque Car Club News' Triathlon VIII)
Leaving the Jiminy Peak resort, Mike smelled raw fuel. He had a loose clamp on his fuel filter. Luckily caught before a "carbeque" happened. Clamp fixed.

6/23/2010 Holder: Bill Webb (MG 2010, Belleville, Ontario, The Great While North)
Bill had a flat on his MGB as the group headed north on Interstate 81 in New York State. Fortunately, it happened just as the group was making a scheduled lunch stop at a rest stop, so the flat was fixed in relative comfort.

6/23/2010 Holder: Kim de Bourbon (MG 2010, Belleville, Ontario, The Great While North)
Kim’s MGB stalled as the group pulled into line at the Canadian border. It wouldn’t restart. Luckily, there were a lot of cars waiting to cross and everyone was at a stop — club members hopped out to give Kim a push start. Turned out to be a loose connector on the voltage regulator.

8/25/2011 Holder: Dick Horn (British Marque Car Club News' Triathlon IX, Northport, ME)
Dick’s MGA would not start after the group stopped in a parking lot outside of Bar Harbor, Maine. Some parking lot diagnostics/under-dash gymnastics and Dick was able to find the loose wire under his dash to get going again.

8/28/2011 Holder: Marty Chamberlain (British Marque Car Club News' Triathlon IX, Northport, ME)
Driving home through Hurricane Irene with Dick Horn and others, one of Marty's wiper blades slid off the arm. Had to stop and replace it.

Who will be the next proud holder of "Smiley?"

"British Invasion" Exhibit at America on Wheels (a.k.a. MGB Gets A Warm Spot for a While)

2011-01-16T08:19:00.001-08:00

The Keystone Region MG Club is well represented at the The America on Wheels Museum's "British Invasion" exhibit. I'm happy to say that all of the MG's in the exhibit are owned by current KRMGC members -- Mike Jones' MG TD, Tom Brobst's MGA and our MGB.

I'm lucky enough to have a next-door neighbor who is a Brit Car guy. Fred, who has owned MG's in the past, now owns two Sunbeam Tigers. He asked me one day in the fall if I was interested in being part of the exhibit being planned at the museum. He took a couple of photos of the MGB. Next thing I know, the MG has a warm spot for the winter!

Fred and I brought our cars over to the museum for "induction" on January 6th, leaving Nazareth with the temperature right about 20-degrees F. It was a bit brisk, but I went top-down! As the Swedish say, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." Or something like that. I got some interesting looks from pedestrians and other drivers on the drive over.

We ran into Tom when we got there as his MGA was being "inducted" also that morning.

I hope you enjoy some of these photos of the "induction" and the completed exhibit.

The museum described the exhibit:

"One may wonder why are the British invading America On Wheels. Simply stated there is an American love affair with the British sports car that dates back to the days of WWII. Many American GI's were stationed in Britain during the war and fell in love with their cars. As the war was ending, Britain was the only European country that had the capability to produce cars and they took advantage of that by importing their products to the US. The American GI was excited by this and purchased these products in droves.

All of the vehicles in this exhibit not only represent the vast variety of cars that were produced in Britain just after the war but also represent the true craftsmanship and engineering that the manufacturers were able to quickly bring to the table in an attempt to revitalize their manufacturing transition from the war effort to that of a civilian based one. In reality, it was this effort that kept the British economy alive after the war and the American GI gave them a ready made market in the USA."

The exhibit runs through January and is composed of 15 British cars representing a nice spectrum of styles and vintages. In addition to the three MG's the lineup was filled out by Sunbeam, Jaguar, Mini, Austin Healy, Triumph, and Morgan.

I hope you enjoy some of these photos of the "induction" and the completed exhibit.

KRMGC Drive-In Movie Nite

2010-06-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Some members of the Keystone Region MG Club took in a Drive-In movie at Becky's Drive-In on Sunday night. Thanks Bob and Penny for organizing!

Click on photo to enlarge

2010-05-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Some members of the Keystone Region MG Club and the British Car Club of The Lehigh Valley participated in the first Famous Smoke Shop car show.

It was an absolutely beautiful day! Sunny and near 90 degrees -- sunscreen was in effect! Four cars converged on our place for some coffee and a back-roads drive to the car show. Joe D. joined us at the event later to round out the group to 5 British cars. We pretty much *were* the car show. Bill Paige also stopped by to say hi.

This was the first time Famous Smoke Shop did a car show, so the word didn't get out as well as you'd expect...it was basically a "cruise". The folks who run the Smoke Shop were a very friendly bunch who seemed genuinely happy to have us participate. Featured at the event:

Comraderie, of course
Free beverages (adult and otherwise)
Free food (hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, soft pretzels, etc..)
20% off all cigars and other items in the retail store

There were two other classic cars that showed up...a well done '66 289 Mustang and a really nice 1947 Dodge Sedan with original interior that some of the 'fellas drove over from Brooklyn.

We lounged around in the sun listening to tunes and conversing, occasionally taking refuge in the shade of some of the well-placed trees. Tom tried out his new "King Dick" jack and Dennis did some parking lot tuning of his TR6 with some fine adjustments to the timing.

After the event a couple of the participants took a back-roads drive over to the Blue Mouuntain Drive-In for some ice cream. We had to detour (on Tittle Road) due to a MASSIVE tree that had recently...like minutes before we got there...fallen across Mountain Road.

All-in-all a great day...of doing nothing. As it should be!

I'd highly encourage you to consider it next year if Famous Smoke Shop does it again!

(Click on photos for larger view)

Morning caravan group -- Photo by Tom Brobst

Dennis in the TR6 -- Photo by Tom Brobst

Heading to the Smoke Shop -- Photo by Marybeth Chamberlain

Still heading to the Smoke Shop -- Photo by Marybeth Chamberlain

Most of the British Car Group at the Smoke Shop...Joe D.'s not there yet -- Photo by Marty Chamberlain

Parking Lot Tuning, Dennis sets his TR6's timing -- Photo by Marty Chamberlain

Tom Tries Out His King Dick Jack, and it works -- photo by Marty Chamberlain

The "full" 5-car lineup once Joe D. showed -- photo by Marty Chamberlain

Tom's definitely a rear end man -- photo by Tom Brobst

MGA in Hot Sauce on Paper Plate at Cigar Shop, a transient foodstuff artwork by Tom Brobst -- Photo by Tom Brobst

Stopping for Ice Cream -- photo by Tom Brobst

Jim Thorpe Classic Run IV

2009-09-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 19, 2009

It was our second time participating in this very cool outing. The weather was great and the event, people -- and of course refreshments in Jim Thorpe after the run were right up there as well!

While the classic Mini lost a front wheel (no injuries, thankfully...and a roadside repair) and one of the Volvos lost an exhaust hanger, there were no other mechanical issues during the run (that I know of)!

Several members from the Keystone Region MG Club and the British Car Club of The Lehigh Valley participated in the run this year and rounded out the field of TWENTY vehicles.

To top it off, we even ran into a couple of other KRMGC club members in Jim Thorpe and had dinner with them. Good day! If you've never done it, I'd highly encourage you to consider it next year!

(Click on photos for larger view)

Fraternal Twins, maybe?

Typical of the roads on the Jim Thorpe Run

The twenty participants (click photos to see entire width)

A quick scenic stop at Flagstaff Ballroom

Sometimes, you need a third hand!

Spitfire Painted Spitfire

2009-08-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Absolutely the BEST paint scheme for a Triumph Spitfire...painted like an RAF Spitfire fighter from WWII. Brilliant! (Captured at the Lord Of The Manor British Car Show in Pocono Manor PA 2009)

MGB Anti-Gravity Lift

2009-08-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Anti-Gravity LBC Lift...The easiest way to work under your MGB if you don't have room in your garage for a traditional lift. (Patent Pending)

Terry and Pat Allen's MG Run and Sunday Brunch

2009-07-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Keystone Region MG Club Event, July 19th, 2009. All I can say is...great day!

Click on image to enlarge

Turning a corner on the MG run route. (photo by Marybeth Chamberlain)

Our fearless leader, Terry Allen. (photo by Marybeth Chamberlain)

Penny, Bob and Vixie Pilat in high-speed pursuit! (photo by Marybeth Chamberlain)

Terry taking a corner like a bat out of hell...wonder why everything's blurry? (photo by Marybeth Chamberlain)

The participants literally in the corral at the Allen's place. More horsepower than usually in the corral, but not by much!

Voted official mascot of the Allen MG run and brunch...Bob and Penny Pilat's new addition Vixie. She rode along. I think she may have even driven a bit. :)

Gettin' Ready For Spring!

2009-02-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

Taken off the MGB:
Weber DGV 32/36 carb and Peco exhaust

Put on the MGB (gotta clean that engine bay some day!):
Stock SU carbs and stock exhaust manifold

Stainless exhaust

Limey's headlamp and horn relays

Winter goodies...

2008-12-14T06:53:00.001-08:00

...the B's getting a visit from Santa in the form of the replacement of the existing Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor by the twin SU HIF4's that were originally on the car. Also replacement of the exhaust header and old performance exhaust by a stock exhaust manifold and stainless from the manifold back.

"Free hardtop" update: The B's got its winter hat on! I fabricated the hold-downs by bending up some quarter-inch threaded rod. Coupled with some nylon washers and wingnuts it makes for a secure top that's installable/removable without tools. Works better than I thought and less complicated than my original plan of welding up some brackets.

Pics coming soon. Will probably be putting the Weber on eBay.

KRMGC Fall Foliage Drive and Winery Tour

2008-10-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2008
Click on photos for larger image

The Miers' organized another great club event again this fall. Their "Fall Foliage Drive and Winery Tour" brought together eleven British cars (and their owners or course) for a sunny drive through the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside. The destination for the drive this year was the Galen Glen Vineyard and Winery in Andreas, PA.

Bill picked some great roads, and we had a nice wine tasting and a relaxing shared picnic (and some wine) on Galen Glen's beautiful grounds. The winery is situated atop a hill with a panoramic view of their vineyards and the surrounding hillsides. The winery owners, Galen and Sarah, did the tasting and were very hospitable. Galen was nice enought to take the panoramic shot below of all the cars lined up in front of the tasting room. All in all, an awesome day and awesome company! Thanks, Bill and Gini!

The photos really don't do justice to the scenery at Galen Glen, but here are some snapshots from the event...click to enlarge:

Stroudsburg -- Autos In Autumn

2008-10-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

October 11, 2008 -- Stroudsburg, PA

Click on photos for larger image

Stroudsburg, PA hosted a car show that included a special area for British cars. While other cars were lined up on Main Street, the British cars had the lovely courthouse square as their own turf. The Keystone Region MG Club was there with their tent, which provided some shade as well as advertising for the club.

It was a gorgeous day, mid 70's temperature and pretty much cloudless skies. The drive up at 9:00AM was very brisk, but invigorating. The drive home was a bit warmer. One of the highlights of the day: Having a pint at Siamsa Irish Pub (which is right off of courthouse square) with some other LBC nuts.

Right Place/Right Time Item: During the show, a gentleman from Brodheadsville offered me a free HARDTOP for my B. Seems he needed to make some room in the garage and wanted the top to go to a good home, rather than the dump. Good call...and I'm very thankful to have it! It's in very good shape, just needs some rubber. Now we just need a ski rack and some snow tires for the B! While I was picking up the top later that evening, he also threw in a half tonneau and a full tonneau. Wow. I've already given the half tonneau away to a club member who needs one, and am going to repair the zipper on the full tonneau so that I can use it.

Here are some photos from the event -- and one of the free hardtop!

Autumn Leaf 2008

2008-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

It was a good mellow day at Autumn Leaf 2008. Thanks to the British Car Club of the Lehigh Valley for a very good show!

Show Me The Haggis...OK...it isn't all about MG-ing!

2008-09-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

View the: WFMZ Channel 69 News Video

"The days of jigs, jousting and jolly good fun have begun in Bethlehem. The 21st annual Celtic Classic is underway this weekend. The three-day festival features traditional Scottish and Irish food and music. 69News cameras were rolling as hungry contestants tried their luck at the coveted Haggis- eating crown."

Who is that guy at the very end of the video throwing his hands up in the air in victory after winning the coveted Haggis-eating Crown? He's a member of Team "Show Me The Haggis" from Nazareth, PA. Hmmmmmm....If Stalone could put the gloves back on as an old man, why can't an amatuer competative eater do the same? A gentleman from Brooklyn, NY won the event the previous three years. We can rest easy now...The crown's back home in The Lehigh Valley.

MG Club Picnic and "Fun Run" 2008

2008-09-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Click on photos for larger size

Marybeth and I were delighted to host our third annual Keystone Region MG Club Picnic and "Fun Run" on September 20, 2008. We had great weather and a very nice turnout for the event! The event consists of an hour-long "fun run" through the countryside of Northampton County and then a cookout...ummmmm...and impromptu wine tasting!

Here are some photos from the event. All photos are courtesy of my neighbor (and fellow British car owner) Fred Baum -- Thanks, Fred! By the way, that's his Sunbeam Tiger that everyone's drooling over in one of the photos below. It is drool-worthy even if it isn't an MG :).

The Fun-Runners Readying To Depart for The Run
We had about nine cars that participated in the fun run portion of the festivities. Most were MG's but we were also graced with the presence of Fred's Sunbean, Steve's TR7, and Leon's MINI to round out the group.

On The Road
Winding, tree-lined country roads were the order of the day (as was the case the past two years). The route I chose was good, but a few too many "interesting" intersections...lesson-learned for next year.

"Did I mention that we have 0% APR financing available?"
When the fun-runners made it back to the house, we found that several more British cars had arrived and were arrayed nicely on the front lawn. Once the fun-runners joined the group, the front lawn looked like a cross between a British Car Show and a used car lot...granted, a British used car lot.

Grillin' and Chillin'
While the fun-run was, well, fun -- the best part of the day for me was getting to meet some new people, to share our home, and to spend time relaxing and having fun with some like-minded British Car Nuts.

Some folks got to try playing Quoits for the first time, which was quite entertaining -- for the players and spectators alike.

Thanks to everyone who participated, it was a great time and we hope to do it again next year! Thank you for bringing side dishes and desserts to share and a special thanks to Ed Haas who helped out on the grill while I was playing host and fetching drinks for people.

North American MGB Register's MG 2008

2008-06-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

June 25 - 29, 2008

We had a great time (mostly...see last photo) at the NAMGBR MG 2008 convention in Valley Forge. Didn't take a whole lot of photos because we were too busy having fun or working. One of the highlights was a screening of Sherman's Way, which was a very good film regardless of the MGB content! It was good to meet Craig Saavedra, the film's Director/Producer. He even did a Q&A session after the screening.

Click on photos to view larger size

Dew-covered MG's in the Sheraton Parking lot in Valley Forge on Saturday morning. Got up VERY early to get to the car show for setup...so these photo ops.

The Keystone Region MG Club and NAMGBR tents at the car show.

Traffic control at the field entrance...it's a hard job, but someone's gotta do it!

Panoramic photo from the rear of the show field.

First time I've ever seen anyone taking a photo of my dash...turns out he's putting one together and wanted a reference.

Lounging in the heat before the skys opened up.

Yep..I unknowingly locked the doors to Chas' Subaru with the keys inside. 30-second job for the AAA man, but I felt pretty bad about it. Sorry, Chas!

Britfest 2008

2008-05-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

In prototypically British style, Saturday, May 3rd dawned cold and foggy for the participants in The MG Car Club, Central Jersey Centre's "Britfest" event in Succasunna, NJ.

Some of the hearty members of the Keystone Region MG club met up for a club caravan to the event led by Ed Haas. Ed wins the "top down" award for braving the pea-soup conditions without his MGB's hood up. Good on 'ya, Ed!

The weather obviously kept some away from the event, but it was a good drive and a good event nonetheless. Some highlights were a couple of MG T-Series Midget racers and three Magnettes in one place! In addition to the perfectly British weather, a double-decker Bristol bus added a nice touch of England to top it all off!

Click on Images for Larger View

Point...Counterpoint!

2008-05-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Spring Brits on The Delaware 2008

2008-04-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Kintnersville, PA
Sunday, April 20, 2008

The TVR Club of North America held a very laid-back and enjoyable show today in Kintnersville, PA. The weather was so-so, but it did not rain! Some snapshots from the show...(click image to enlarge):

Gone...all gone!

2008-04-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Lost all the previous contents of the blog somehow when I changed blogger accounts. Oh, well...more adventures to come! I re-posted the JTCR II article, though!

The Brits Meet The Swedes - Jim Thorpe Classic Run II

2007-09-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Jim Thorpe, PA September 15th, 2007

Better Early Than Never!
I am a regular participant in a British car-related forum on the Internet called, oddly enough, “The British Car Forum”. Back in January, I spotted a posting on the forum's Local Events section suggesting a September get-together of classic cars to meet, rally, and end up in Jim Thorpe, PA. The rally was not organized or sponsored by any particular club, but by someone who just likes to get together with others and DRIVE!

I sent in my registration immediately. Marybeth and I turned out to be the first people to officially register for the event. Eight months ahead may be a little too early for many to commit to an event, but consider the situation: It was the dead of winter, I was longing for warmer weather to get our newly-acquired MGB out for some serious twisty-road driving, and the organizer stated the following in the forum posting:

“Confirmed so far:
Jerseygirl - Triumph Spitfire
Ian F - Volvo 1800ES
Sharon - Triumph TR3...
I don't really expect too many people (except a few of my crazy friends) to commit this early but I wanted to get it on the calendar.”

Crazy friends?!?!?! Sign me up!

Gathering
Bill and Gini Miers decided to participate in the event with Marybeth and I, so we met just west of Allentown to drive over to the start of the rally together. The day of the event arrived cold and damp, but the organizer – Robyn Resch – had communicated the day before that she was delaying the start of the event for an hour to allow the weather to clear. That also gave me an extra hour to shake off the cobwebs of sleep – that really helps on a Saturday morning!

The ride over to Hamburg with Bill and Gini leading was very nice. I had not previously traveled “old” Route 22 and did not realize what a nice road it is for a couple of MGB's. Though a little slower than I-78, there were lots of rolling hills and not a tractor-trailer in sight. Bill's supercharged MGB was certainly fun to try to keep up with, especially up the hills.

We were the first to arrive at the initial gathering point at the Hamburg Cracker Barrel, but were soon joined by Robyn Resch (the organizer) in her recently-on-the-road Triumph Spitfire, a TR3, and six classic Volvo 1800's – Five coupes and an ES Wagon. I've always liked the looks of the Volvo 1800 and this was a good opportunity to see so many different vintages together. After some chit-chat, introductions and a quick drivers' meeting, we four “Brits” and six “Swedes” were off.

Let's do Lunch
The first leg of the rally took us over some very nice curvy back roads north of Hamburg and Hawk Mountain. The drive was kept interesting by some storm-related debris in the road and the occasional patch of loose gravel. Nothing like a little gravel on a 90-degree curve to keep a driver on his/her toes! During the drive I was thinking that the selection of route for the first leg was good, but the second leg turned out to be even better. More on that later.

At the end of the first leg of the drive, we arrived at our lunch spot. Robyn had arranged lunch for the registered participants at her parents' farm. What a great spot! Her parents, along with aunt and uncle, helped Robyn lay out a sumptuous lunch (burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, etc.) and were wonderful hosts. The location, named Mill Pond Manor by the family, is a bucolic example of an old-fashioned PA farm, complete with barn and outhouse. We did not actually use the outhouse, if you are wondering – our hosts allowed us to use the facilities in the lovely A-Frame home that Bob Resch built on his property.

In a very “what are the odds of THAT?” moment, I learned during lunch conversation that two of the Volvo drivers actually grew up in Bayonne, NJ which is where I spent some of my formative childhood years. In between talk of engines and automotive history, we swapped some childhood Bayonne stories. What are the odds?

Twists, Turns and Polite Drivers
After lunch, we all saddled up and headed out for the final leg of the rally. Destination: Jim Thorpe. The roads on the second leg were even better than the first. Many more twists and turns, lots of hills, and something I have not ever experienced on a caravan – at three different 4-way stop intersections along the route, the drivers in the opposing directions actually stopped and allowed all ten of our rally cars to pass together, often waving enthusiastically at us!

The first time this phenomenon happened I thought, “That's pretty cool.” The second time I thought, “There are a lot of really polite people along this route!” The third time, I was convinced that Robyn had somehow arranged for people to let us pass, though she denied this when I confronted her later.

Near the end of this leg of the rally, we stopped at a scenic overlook above the town of Jim Thorpe before descending into the picturesque town.

What's the Swedish Phrase for “I'll Have a Pint”
Once in Jim Thorpe, most of the rally participants walked into town to have a wander 'round and some went to The Molly McGuires' pub to have a pint of their favorite beverage and some conversation. It was a nice ending to a very enjoyable day. Robyn is planning to organize another “Classic Run” next year. I would highly recommend the event for anyone who likes good back roads, good food, good fun and meeting new people!

British Marque Car Club News Triathlon VII

2007-08-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Pocono Manor (and surrounding areas), PA

August 10 - 12, 2007

Event website: British Marque Car Club News Triathlon

We had a great time participating in Triathlon VII. The events included a timed hill climb up Camelback Mountain, a road rally and a non-traditionally-judged car show. Didn't take a lot of photos...we were too busy having fun.

Click on images for larger view