In this area of this web site I will share a little information about me,

my cars, LBCs (Little British Cars) in general, and events.

New Garage

     The biggest news of late is that ground was broken on January 8, 2008 on the new garage. It will be so good to have the extra work and parking space. For details of the plan, construction, and fittings, click on the the 'Garage' button at left or HERE.

Spridget Project

     When I started the Spridget Project one of the first decisions made was that it absolutely MUST have a Rivergate 5-speed. I have one in the '73 Midget and love it! At the MG2006 Concours I was advised by a judge that I could gain another 5 points IF I were willing to remove the 5-speed and revert back to the original rib case transmission. We both laughed...NO WAY!!!

     One way to determine whether a Rivergate 5-speed might be for you is to ask a present owner how they like it. A better way is to ask a present owner if they would do it again in another car; I am.

     I made a run recently up to Sale Creek, TN (just north of Soddy Daisy, which is just north of Chattanooga) to visit Rivergate. Everyone knows that Rivergate is THE place for a 5-speed transmission option for a Sprite or Midget. There I met Will Perry, the present owner of Rivergate, and his father, Bill, the founder and also Mrs. Perry, Will's mother. It's a family operation and that's a good thing. No corporate execs blowing cigar smoke in your face, no, these are real folks and about as nice as you could ever imagine. They run a great shop and the quality of the product...well, you already know the answer to that.

I'm going for the full Rivergate package. Will is rebuilding my Datsun 210 transmission, modifying the case and shifter, providing the conversion kit, as well as the speedo cable and gear drive starter. You can see what some of the conversion parts look like on the Parts page.

     When paired with the new engine from Hap...miles of smiles!

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     The car is in once piece again!!! After removing all of the rusted metal and replacing with new parts and panels, the front and rear clips have been welded back together and the car returned to the rotisserie. Be sure to check out the Spridget Project page often for updates.

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     BIG NEWS...Hap Waldrop of ACME Speed Shop in Greenville, SC is building a new 1275cc for the Spridget. The motor will be ready some time this winter and will drive a Rivergate 5 speed. This should be a great road car.

LBC body tub rotisserie

     With the Spridget well under way it has to be where I can easily work on it and that means a rotisserie. There's a lot of photos and details of how I built mine by clicking the "Rotisserie" button at the left or here.

     It's not me...

          ...or even the car that gets the attention...it's Max!

     (click on photo for larger image)

Bugeye - SOLD

     The 1960 Austin Healey "Bugeye" Sprite vintage race car has been sold to a nice lady in California that is going racing. I couldn't be happier nor could she. I'm glad to see the car will be back on the track (Buttonwillow) very soon and now I'll be moving on with the Spridget Project!

My First Car

  (click on photo for a larger view and details)

MG International 2006

     If ever an event could be called "MG Mecca", this was it. Between June 21 - 25 of 2006 more than 1000 MGs of every model, color, and condition descended upon the beautiful Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg Tennessee.  Click on the picture below to see what awaited those fortunate enough to be there.

Awards and Accolades

     Is it vanity to display items of recognition resulting from a judged event, or is it pride of ownership? I tend to think the latter. I have found that a trophy, plaque, or certificate shown with the car often promotes interaction with the public at large and additionally with other event participants. I think this is a positive thing and affords the opportunity to get into discussions about originality, condition, technical merit, etc. It occurred to me that if that is the case at shows and cruises, it should similarly be the case for this site. That in mind, you will see in this area some of the awards received; click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

Max does his first cruise

     June 3, 2006...a beautiful, cool morning, great for rinsing off the Triumph and doing a few routine maintenance tasks. As usual, my best buddy, Max, was right there helping. As the day heated up and time approached to depart for the monthly Varsity Cruise, it became obvious that Max had his heart set on going. He did, and we had a great time! Max is very good with crowds and especially kids...he always makes lots of new friends. This was the first time he sported his new riding goggles ("Doggles") and needless to say, he stopped traffic on the way, brought lots of smiles from passers-by, and hammed it up for photos at the cruise. He is without a doubt the epitome of quintessential cool!

More cars!!!

     That's the big news. On the way back from Ohio with the '73 in tow my brother had made the comment "Well, looks like you bought a Midget" and my response was "Yeah, now I need to buy a Midget". I knew, even then, that a car like the '73 comes along once in a lifetime and that if I was going to maintain this gem in the pristine condition it was in it would lead a very sheltered life, literally. A year came and went, shows attended, a trailer delivered, and all the while I had in my mind a craving for a car I could put a wrench on or maybe take into a curve just a bit too hard. I figured the time would come, maybe about retirement time, but call it fate, or destiny, or just dumb luck, my driver came looking for me. First in the form of a '66 Midget that followed me home and subsequently went to yet another new home, then a '60 Triumph TR3A, then a '62 Austin Healey Sprite Mk. II, and a '60 Bugeye Sprite vintage race car, sold and now in California. Check out the details in the  "My Other Cars" link.

Documentation

     This is one of the most visited areas of the site. There's LOTS of information derived from original documentation, primarily Midget documentation with some other goodies thrown in.

     Awhile back I added a new brochure for a Midget Mark I; its referred to as "form M463-50" and its one of the two sided black-and-white pieces with a large photo on the cover and specifications on the back. This is one I have not seen before...be sure to take a look. Ironically, I have since acquired the Austin Healey version of this very car, the AH Sprite Mk. II.

License Tags

     My white car has a tag that identifies it to the world; if you haven't done so already, click on the TAG (below left) to find out what it says. I did similarly with the '66 Midget...click on the OTHER TAG (below right) to see what was on on my green car before I sold it. The tag on my '60 Triumph TR3 (60TR3A) has been delivered but not photographed. BUT NOT THE SPRITE...these tags are bankrupting me!

Cruises and Shows

     Be sure to view the Cruises and Shows page; there's information and photos of events I have attended.