[Spridgets] Fw: Where were you when the LBC bug got you?

[fastvee]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: fastvee <fastvee at yahoo.com>
To: Linda
Grunthaner <grunthaner at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Where were you when the LBC bug got you?


My friend
owned a 64 Sprite while we were in high school which I got to ride in and
drive occasionally in the late 60's, but this initial exposure didn't hook me.
I was first attracted to VW's, owned many over the years, and tore apart a
nice ride to build a PA hill climb car in 1973. I was getting my ass kicked in
C/Sedan by several Minis, and met friends who were racing Sprites, and started
appreciating their simplicity and how little had to be done to make them race
worthy as compared to building a competitive Beetle. The bug that bit me at
this time was Formula Vee. Inexpensive, simple, purpose built, 30 car fields,
and it wasn't possible for anyone to have a huge mechanical advantage. A true
driver's class where you could be competitive on a blue collar wage. Five
years later I had the itch to try something else and Bob Griffith put the bug
in my ear that he could build a competitive Sprite for road racing in
H/Production for $3000, and I found an
 ex-hill climb 62 Sprite in Hazelton, PA that would be a good start. Well many
liberal rules came about during my building phase and it actually cost me $10K
before I even had a good set of wheels. I loved driving that Sprite had a
successful 5 years competing, but when I wrecked it at the Dureya Hill Climb
in 85 it sat for some time while I raced in borrowed vees, and I never
repaired it because the cost of racing nationals in a production class was
escalating rapidly. I sold the Sprite to head back to F/V but bought a 67
Midget barn find for $300 that I would build for the street. We moved 2005 and
I had to set up a new shop which ended my racing but I still had the Midget
and put it on a rotisserie for the restoration. I was making progress but
decided I needed to have a spridget to drive while I was doing all of this
work, and found a nice 74 Midget in Allentown. That was supposed to be it, my
shop is only an oversize 2 car garage, and the only cars
 I wanted were cars that I wouldn't have to tow somewhere and pay entry fees
to drive. One day I saw my old Sprite for sale on ebay and all of the logic
left me. I had to have it back, bought it sight unseen, and drove to Detroit
to retrieve it. It looked good in the pics, like clean it up and build an
engine, but was actually much more sheet metal work than the Midget. I now
have to shuffle cars around to get anything done but am moving to engine and
trans building, so I am setting up a nice space for that. I don't know when
I'll be getting much done on the 67 Midget restoration, I've had 6 good years
driving my 74 Midget and that is also a work in progress, but I look forward
to the day when all three spridgets are finished. Truly smitten.
John
Fogelsville, PA



________________________________
From: Linda Grunthaner
<grunthaner at gmail.com>
To: Spridget list <spridgets at autox.team.net>
Sent:
Thursday, October 27, 2011 6:10 AM
Subject: [Spridgets] Where were you when
the LBC bug got you?

List I was just discussing with Kirk about when the LBC
bug got you hooked,
his was in a VW camper driving past LBC's at San Diego
State College and
seeing them on campus in the 1960's I don't recall mine
perhaps as my older
brother called out the American cars while in the back
seat of the family
car and I saw a MGTD or an MGA and he may have said that is
a British car. I
was hooked ever since.

So what did you see how old were you
and what year was it when you got
hooked?

This should be fun to see the
replies : )
Lin
_______________________________________________

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