Greater Rochester Triumph Touring Club

Greater Rochester Triumph Touring Club

The home of Triumph enthusiasts in Western New York

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Get the latest directly from the president, find out about that new route to try, speak your mind about Triumph, talk about whats happening in the area. If you want to be a blogger contact the webmaster and give it a shot.

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LED Bulbs	Jack Harrison \| 11/14/2009

At the meeting on 11/11/09 Jeff mentioned LED bulbs to make us more visible. The idea appealed to me but not the price. I checked on ebay and found 2 - 1156 & 2 - 1157 24 LED bulbs for $18 including shipping. If you're concerned with fit this site http://www.superbrightleds.com/tail-brake-turn.html has dimensions. (this is not the site I ordered from)

Triumph Trans-AmeriCa - Doug and Cindy	Andy Paris \| 7/29/2009

On July 27, Cindy and I left home at 12:30 PM for a leisurely ride in Percy (our TR6) on Rt. 5&20 east. Stopping at the Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce enabled us to finalize our September 27 brunch run plans. As my cousin Karen whom I have not seen in 5 years lives in nearby Marcellus, we popped over for a delightful visit in her lovely home. Returning to Rt. 20, we again headed east, stopping in Cazenovia for a sumptuous meal. It was the first time I have driven Percy on the “Seven Hills of Rome” near Pompey. Piece of cake! Heading again on Rt. 20 east, it was a wonderful and leisurely drive and the traffic was very, very light. I’m telling you that this particular section of Rt. 20 between Cazenovia and Richfield Springs is absolutely a must drive if one wants to just really cruise with no plane or train to catch. In W. Winfield, we saw John and Uncle Jack in front of the Barstow House, a B&B inn. We pulled in for a few minutes before heading toward Richfield Springs for an overnight stay. After picking up John the next morning, it was a very nice and pleasant early morning run to Cazenovia where we picked up Bev & George and Kathy & Bill in Auburn. Traffic was a little heavier in the section between Auburn and Avon. In spite of this, we arrived at the Avon Tom Wahl’s only 12 minutes late to a welcoming group of GRTTC and MGCC members. We found John to be a very amusing Brit with a very good sense of humor. In all, we enjoyed the trip of 350 miles immensely and Percy ran flawlessly.

DON'T USE OLD TIRES ON YOUR CARS!	Ned Paulsen \| 7/22/2009

I was on my way to Pittsburgh for the Vintage Grand Prix and car show on July 17th in my '58 TR3A. About 30 miles from Erie, PA, my right rear tire self destructed. It didn't blow out, it blew apart. It made a terrible racket as I steered to the side of the road. The tire was falling off the rim, the tread had spearated, and the tube was hanging out. The spinning tread caught the fender brace behind the back wheel and bent half the fender to the inside. What a mess. I put the spare on (it was older and in worse shape than the exploded tire) and drove carefully to a Firestone store in Erie. The fellow was very helpful but couldn't locate any 165 15 tires in Erie. Meanwhile, since I didn't trust my spare tire, I called for a tow and had to decide whether to just be towed back to Webster or on to Pittsburgh. After a lot of calling, I was able to locate the Laural Gardens Tire Shop in northern Pittsburgh. He had 4 tires and I made an appointment to have them installed at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. So, we went to Pittsburgh in a flat bed truck. Two bits of good news: AAA paid for the tow and I didn't use a drop of gas from Erie to Pittsburgh! The tires were installed and we got to the car show and eventually home without a problem. Two lessons: 1. DON'T USE OLD TIRES ON YOUR CARS! 2. Always travel with your AAA card and a cell phone. Ned Paulsen

Tour de Marque at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival - September 5, 2008	Andy Paris \| 6/25/2009

I finally finished the video I shot from the dash mounted camera in my Spitfire. Over all the quality is pretty good and I added a sound track to keep it a little more interesting than listening to an hour of conversation. The video is up on google video (You Tube limits video to 10 minutes and this one is 52). I can make copies that are DVD quality for GRTTC members, let me know if you are interested. http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=3640510423096748709&hl=en&fs=true

Rocker Panel Replacement - The Whole Story	George Haynes \| 3/12/2009

Rocker Panel Replacement – The Whole Story The rocker panels on my 1965 Triumph TR4A are rusted out. They were in good shape when the car was painted in 1995, but are full of holes now and must be replaced. I have done a lot of work on this car over 23 years but the rocker panel job has not been easy. Starting has been the hard part. We’re talking about a car I have driven nearly 90,000 miles since I bought it 1985 and drove home from California. Since then, we have been many places along the East Coast, to Nova Scotia twice and back to California in 2001. And, it gets put into storage for 4-5 months each winter, so you see that it gets driven a lot when the weather cooperates. It has been a joy to drive. It is comfortable, reasonably quick and gets mileage in the 22 to 30 mpg range. It looks good and sounds good. So what’s the problem with the rocker panel job? It’s like taking a scalpel to your best friend. I know it must be done but hate to make that first incision. And I hate to take apart a vehicle that I so carefully assembled fourteen years ago during its complete restoration. All the rust is below the feature line on the rockers and no one has noticed it but me. That has allowed a year or so to delay the inevitable. It will be pretty messy for a while: fenders and bumpers off, interior gutted; probably a lot more prior to having it repainted. Each part that comes off causes pain, almost as if I was poking myself with an awl. At this time, the right side of my friend is raised up about a foot and the right side wheels and fenders are removed. The passenger seat is out and all upholstery and carpet pulled away from the doorsill, where welding will eventually take place. When this side has been completed, the car will be turned around in the garage to attack the driver’s side. My first observation was that the rocker panel was replaced once already. Not all of it, just the part that shows when the door is closed. The sill is part of the original panel, with the seam joining the old and new metal pretty much hidden by the bottom of the door. Clever. In addition, the lower portion of the inner sill panel has been replaced, giving the last guy something to weld the bottom of the rocker panel to. The bottom edge of this piece is now ragged with rust, too. No rust prevention is evident and that’s why the rocker panel rotted out again. My plan is to remove all of the old rocker panel metal, repair the inner piece and fit the (whole) new rocker panel as it was when new. The plan also calls for spot welding the pieces together like the factory did. What I didn’t expect was a replacement rocker panel that is incorrectly shaped. The door was left in exactly the same position as before, providing a reference for fitting the new rocker panel. The gaps all around the door, to each fender and the old rocker panel, were acceptable the last time around and I’ll try to duplicate them. Moving the door would have given me no basis to start with. With all the chards of old panel removed, the new panel sure doesn’t fit well. Moss Motors has a disclaimer that new panels may require some alterations, and this is clearly gonna be true here. The surprise is that it is so far off. Only after flattening and reforming one flange does it even fit in place correctly and there is still a difference between the contour of the rear fender and the contour of the rocker panel. Dilemma time: should I try to locate some better-fitting rocker panels from Rimmer Bros. or try to compensate by more reforming, which may require the addition of some body filler? That’s all for now - check back for the next installment soon – George Haynes

Congratulations to the club	Ken Heusler \| 10/30/2008

From reading the latest VTR magazine I see our club is officially part of the VTR orginization. Great work by all of those connected to this accomplishment! Ken

Another Sunday Drive	Andy Paris \| 10/20/2008

We have talked about taking a ride to get a chance to see the leaves changing and get a few more miles in before the weather takes a turn for the worst. A few days ago George sent out an email to see who would want to go for a drive south of Rochester. Pam and I had just taken a trip along Canandaigua Lake last week and I figured another ride down to the Naples area would be great. We met up at the Eastview Mall and for some reason attracted quite a bit of attention. We ended up leaving almost a half hour after we thought we would because people just kept stopping by to tell us about their triumph, mention they were looking to buy one, or just bought one. We didn’t have the turn out we had hoped for but the 4 of us decided to set out. George, Rory and I were the light weights with our tops up and Doug and Cindy were true hard core drivers with the top down. It really wasn’t that cold but I am sure it was below 60 as we headed out. It was a great ride (we followed the same route to Bob and Ruth’s earlier). The leaves were between peak and a little before peak, the Bills were winning, the sun was out, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic; pretty much a perfect day for a ride. Coming into Naples you could see all the colors on the mountains in the distance and the huge windmills on the top. We arrived in Naples (at half time), had a slice of pie, the grape pie was fantastic, and a drink and off we went. We headed back up 64 and stopped at the over look in South Bristol. This picture (taken by Rory) says it all, worth the trip all by itself. We attracted a little more attention then we were off in a few clouds of smoke and dust. Doug and Cindy took us by the Jones’ to say hi and see the TR3 tucked away in the barn. We got back on the road and once we got up to 5 and 20 everyone headed out on their own way. What a great way to spend 3 hours on a nice day. Hopefully we will have a few more nice sunny days and a few more chances to head out for a drive.

Roycroft Inn, East Aurora N.Y. - By Doug Jack	Andy Paris \| 10/6/2008

We first heard of the Roycroft community from a friend, who grew up in East Aurora and who collects pieces made by them, when she spoke to another group to which we belong. It seemed like a place which we would like to visit and something close enough for a day trip in “Penny”. And so a plan formed that we would volunteer to lead a Fall Tour for the Greater Rochester Triumph Touring Club on a nice Sunday in October to learn more about who the Roycrofters were and to see what they had to do with the history of this area. As the date approached, we watched the weather reports like most western New Yorkers hoping for good weather. Good weather makes or breaks any event and our older cars don’t always provide for the best travel in heavy rain. Mother Nature smiled on our endeavor and although chilly (never above 60 degrees) didn’t rain on our outing. East Aurora is about 65 miles from the K-mart plaza in Chili which was our gathering place. First stop in our travels was Oliver’s candies in Batavia for some delicious samples and a chance to stock up on Halloween candy. During the week one can see the candy being made but they do not have the kitchens open on Sunday. From Batavia to East Aurora, we took a variety of back roads. Some were more hilly than others and in some areas the foliage was more colorful than closer to home. Our second stop was the Roycroft Inn, a beautiful, sprawling, restored hotel, once home to the Roycroft community where a Sunday brunch was being served. A string quartet played in the lounge as one filled their plates with cold salmon, rounds of beef and/or lamb, spicy catfish, an omelets bar, salads, outstanding desserts as well as the normal breakfast fare. In need of a little exercise after so much food we walked to some nearby shops and then to the Hubbard Museum. It was E. Hubbard who started the Roycroft community encouraging artisans in printing, book-binding, coppersmithing, stained glass, painting, etc. Today those original pieces are worth thousands of dollars and the campus annually hosts artisans from all over the world to show and discuss their latest techniques. At the Hubbard Museum we were told that there was a garden club show at the Millard Fillmore (13th president of the USA) house, another short walk away. Some of our group decided to forgo that and headed home early. We were a bit disappointed in the show but enjoyed seeing the house and talking to some of the ladies tending shop. Our last stop was to be at Vidler’s 5 & 10. For anyone who doesn’t know Vidler’s, it is located on Main Street and has several levels of all those things that have disappeared from most variety stores. Reminds us of the Vermont Store catalogue with a little bit of everything. The owners (Art & Ed Vidler) have some interesting TV ads that always make us laugh. Since we were the last ones to head for home, we decided to forego Vidler’s having seen it when we were planning the trip. We thank everyone who came, hope they enjoyed the day and suggest another trip to the Buffalo area for sometime next year. There is a new maritime museum and the waterfront has been developed into a beautiful park. I’m sure we could have another great day seeing our neighbor Buffalo.

Welcome from the President	Beverly Haynes \| 8/30/2008

Welcome To The Website! You have found the Website of the Greater Rochester Triumph Touring Club. We’re new in 2008, so we’re still tweaking and adding items to the Website almost daily. As our members become more familiar, they will be adding words and photos. Forums will discuss a variety of subjects, many of general interest, like engine oils and tires for our older British cars. We welcome your input, whether it’s ads or responses to Forum topics, or… whatever. Check out some of the Links. Join us and toss in some of your thoughts and information! Glad to have you aboard! George Haynes, President

Sunday Driver	Andy Paris \| 6/15/2008

The notion of a Sunday driver brings up images of little old ladies like “Driving Miss Daisy”. I guess if Miss Daisy was riding shotgun in a sports car and pulling some Gs on the corners that would be accurate for a Triumph owner. I’m thinking Miss Daisy’s straw hat would be gone somewhere just after third gear! Going for a Sunday drive in WNY is a particularly satisfying experience. We have lots of back roads, lakes, hills, and especially, areas without lots of congestion. Heading out with no particular place to go and no particular time to return makes owning a Triumph in Rochester a great combination. We end up with the same pattern every time, sometimes it leads to new places and sometimes it puts on a path we have been before. At every stop sign there is a decision, “which way”, which is followed by my navigator, my son Evan nodding his head in one way or another, and off we go. At times we end up in places we know, not really understanding how we got there and at other times we find some gems we never knew about. So far this year we have circumnavigated Canandaigua Lake, taken a favorite trip out toward Palmyra, driven around Mendon, Ionia, Bushnell’s Basin, Penfield, Powder Mills Park, and even through Bristol last Sunday. Bristol was particularly interesting, I thought we would stop by and see the cars at the show and say hi to Doug and Cindy. With a 45 MPH wind at the top of some of the hills coming from the side it made the trip a memorable experience; it’s hard to drive a stick with one hand trying to keep your sunglasses from blowing away! Sunday driver has a different meaning for Triumph owners, yes it’s relaxing, yes there is no hurry, but quiet, probably not, casual not really, fun absolutely. So hang on Miss Daisy I see a sharp corner ahead, we’re out for a Sunday drive.

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