TRAction 295
The club nights have continued to be well supported despite the dismal weather – not many TR's venturing from their warm garages though so perhaps we should have a winter prize for the hardiest TR driver of the year!
October 30th saw 27 cars both Stoke and Shropshire set out from battlefield Services, Shrewsbury for the Shropshire Group's Autumn Run. Great roads with leaves falling on us and fantastic colours. We stopped for morning coffee by the lake at Ellesmere. The run continued for a further 32 miles of mixed roads and lanes to lunch at The Poachers Pocket, on the Llangollen Canal near Chirk.
The group broke some new ground on 5th November 2016. An ominous date to spray solvents all around your pride and joy but it all went off without any infernos.
Although it must be said that the workshop's practice of heating 5Litre cans of Waxoyl in front of a bomb style space heater is tempting fate!
Anyhow, we managed to treat 7 vehicles over the course of the day, although it must be admitted that they were not all classics. We had a couple of TRs, a Spitfire, a MK2 Jaguar, a really nice MK2 Golf Gti, and a BMW Z4. We tried to do a Range Rover Sport for a member, but the guys who run the workshop were convinced that the self-levelling suspension would never work again without a visit to a main dealer! As time was getting on, we decided to give that one a miss.
Two of the cars were treated with 'hot' clear waxoyl, which the guys found easy to put on. The others were treated with Dynax S-50; manufactured by Bilt Hamber. I have seen the product advertised with very good reviews and was keen to see the stuff in use. The write up of the product says it is superb for its corrosion resistance and ability to 'creep' into joints. I rang Peter at Bilt Hamber and explained what I was proposing to do and cheekily asked if there was a discount for a 'Group' bulk buy. He did us a good deal and supplied an independent 'university' technical report to back up their claims for resisting corrosion. Our very basic findings were: that it is a fantastic product for internal box sections and cavities such as doors and pillars etc., but in areas that are subject to attack by road grit, it may not be the best product as it doesn't have a 'thickness' to resist abrasion. A superb product nevertheless. Even better was the offer to supply me with 6 x 5Litres at 30% off the best price I could get elsewhere, AND free postage! They have extended this offer to anyone else from the Register who requests the same deal, so give them a ring if you are interested and say you've seen it in TR Action.
At the end of the day, 6 owners went away feeling that they got good value for money. Each car was raised on a 4 poster lift and had the wheels removed. The car was then sealed with a plastic car cover and the underside and box sections were coated. The cost ranged between £60 and £70 for each car; with each owner paying for their own rustproofing product. The all in price therefore worked out at around £100, which should be money well spent in the long run.
Members attended the Register's AGM on 6th November. Simon Beresford was posthumously given The Eddie Holden Award. This was a fitting tribute for all the hard work and dedication that Simon had given over the years to TR members and Groups. It would have been Simons Beresford's birthday on the 13th November and Helen arranged some fireworks and bonfire to mark this and many thanks for that.
It's our intention to make more of the TR Register website for 2017, so keep your eyes peeled for next year's events and if you think we may not have your Email address, please drop us a line and we'll update our records. Please also do keep an eye on our website at: - www.tr-register.co.uk/group/stoke
So, that's brought our events for 2016 to a close, with the exception of a couple of 'Noggin and Natters' and of course the annual Christmas dinner at the Wharf in Cheswardine on 11th Decmber.
As this issue of TR Action is scheduled for publication after The Festivities, we hope that you all had a good Christmas and a great New Year.
Roll on a long hot Summer for 2017
Chris Mountford and Steve Packard