It has been an interesting week or so for me. Stayed in town for the holiday
called Thanksgiving which we have here in the United States, and ate too much
as is tradition. The homemade apple cider that had, uh, gone bad was pretty
tasty too, for a veteren brewer such as myself. The weekend before in Las
Vegas for the VARA races was quite fun, haven't seen so many Spitfires in
one place since I last went down to the shop! I could have done without the
drive back to Salt Lake in the raging blizzard, though.
But this past Saturday was a bit harder on me than I expected. Veteran list
subscribers may vaguely recall various tales I've recounted involving The
Rust Rocket, a '65 TR4 I had as a daily driver, autocrosser and occasional
race track ride. Maybe I should dig out the story about the nut on the rear
axle pinion flange coming loose as I lapped Bonneville Raceway one evening...
Anyway, the car was sidelined as I ended up with The White Car, a 250 dollar
TR4A I picked up one weekend a decade or so ago. Ran that car for a while,
sold it, and have been involved with the small chassis cars for the last few
years. [Saw a somewhat decrepit Sports 6 on a trailer in Las Vegas, should
have tracked them down for a chat.] So the Rust Rocket got sold to a kid in
town, who blew the motor, sold it to a fellow I know, who sold it back to
me. The things we do for love!
And it has been rotting away for some time, at one or another of my storage
stashes throughout the valley. Last Christmas a list subscriber from New
Mexico, with family ties to the area, came by to check it out. He needed a
piece for his TR4A project, and oddly enough the panel he needed was in
decent shape on the Rust Rocket. Of course I said sure, I have no further
use for this car, you can have the panel. A local fellow wants the frame
and suspension for a one off project he has in mind, there aren't many other
salvageable bits on this hulk, no sweat. I have some photos, will try to get
them on the web RealSoonNow.
This past saturday the time finally arrived. You'd think after 11 months of
thinking about it, I'd be ready. I've spent decades of effort in personal
projects, and a decade or so on the Team.Net lists assisting in keeping these
aging warriors on the road, fighting relentlesly against the onslaught of the
homogenized, cookie-cutter eggmobiles overrunning our lives.
Taking the saw to the Rust Rocket was tough. CT 33635 L is no more. But
another car will someday soon be on the road. And that, my friends, is what
we are all up to.
mjb.
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