To all our British car friends on the Alabama and Florida Panhandle coast, we hope you came through the storm okay.
Author: Cathy Greensfelder
BMCNO Secretary
Wow, the weather this morning in the capitol city was incredible! Six BMCNO members showed up at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant before 7:00 in 4 LBC, and enjoyed brisk conversation with good friends. We learned about Rick’s Jaguar flywheel / starter replacement, car trailer incidents, and how much the new Jaguar 6-cylinder blocks cost – $18,000! Since Danny wasn’t there no mention of movies or TV shows were made.
Danny sent us pictures of himself and Dana camping and some of the hot rod guys were out of town for a car show, so it wasn’t a big crowd. But did I mention that cruising around town after breakfast, the weather was incredible! Nice and cool and overcast… Hope it’s a sign of things to come this fall.
On a side note the ‘unofficial BMCNO-BR board of directors’ (the usual breakfast crowd) disqualified me from getting the “Loo Lid Award” just because my alternator light came on. Bummer. 🙂
But that sparked a conversation about jump boxes and LBC charging system problems. Rick said he replaced the battery in his Lotus, and the alternator checks at 30 amps on the bench, but when everything is in the car there is only 12v across the battery terminals?! Might be the ‘exciter’ wire going to the alternator…
Cruise Safe,
Roving Reporter
Bobby Spann
Breakfast with the BR guys
Today’s participant cars
Our Roving Reporter, Bobby!
For the second month in a row, the General Meeting in New Orleans, scheduled for August 25, 2020, was cancelled due to weather. With Hurricanes Laura and Marco bearing down on the Louisiana coast (and New Orleans in both cones of uncertainty) the board voted to cancel the meeting.
As it turned out, Marco degraded to a minimal tropical storm for New Orleans. However, Laura continued to strengthen, eventually making landfall as a category 4 storm near Lake Charles on Thursday August 27.
Cathy Greensfelder, Secretary
Friends and relatives:
It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you that my MGB’s faithful battery, “Freddy” Duralast has passed away. Freddy was born in October 2012, and passed away in August of 2020 just short of his 8th birthday. (That is about 125 in battery years) He was very reliable, except for the times my brake light switch stuck on, and again when I forgot to unplug my Garmin from the power plug.
I’d like to thank my Viking 4-amp digital charger for caring for Freddy in his later years. Due to COVID-19 and core charges, there will not be a funeral service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you just check the water in your own battery…
Cruise Safe,
Roving Reporter ;(
Bobby Span
It was a pretty nice trip to Cracker Barrel on Saturday, August 22, 2020. We finally got 2 attentive waitresses. Between us and the Hot Rod guys, we had 19 total at 3 long tables. There were 7 of us at the British table and Rick Huber’s Lotus was getting a lot of attention out in the parking lot – because he was running it without a hood. Real hot rod stuff! Nice to be able to kinda see the cars from where we sit.
Today’s crew included Jerry, Randy, Danny, Rob, John Pearson, Rick and myself.
Danny tried to get a taste of Randy’s blueberry pancakes with a Harbor Freight telescoping fork… and Tiffany got my order wrong. (second time this happened) I wanted the country ham & biscuit like last week, which I think is around $4. Plus fried apples and tea… She brought me 2 huge slices of ham, and when I said I wanted the ham & biscuit she said “Oh, biscuits are on the table!” AHHH!
The ham alone was over $7.00! Danny (aka Colonel Mustard) says you have to open the menu and Point at what you want. Lesson learned.
Cruise Safe and good luck with the hurricanes,
Roving Reporter
Bobby Spann
BMCNO cars at breakfast
Rick was running with no bonnet – that’s hood to you Yanks
BMCNO and the Hot Rod guys
Coln Mustard and his telescoping fork!
Dear Roving Reporter, 
The vintage telescoping fork demonstrated at the Cracker Barrel is definitely NOT a Harbor Freight item. It happens to be a slightly modified Triumph Fork, similar to the one that recently sold for $320.00 USD at Sotheby’s Auction House…
Best Regards,
Colonel Mustard
And if you believe that one, there is this bridge for sale!!!
Call to Arms! Brits on the Bluff is Sept 18-19, 2020
Hey guys and gals – hope everyone is safe and virus free. We don’t know what the future holds, just that it will be much different from what any of us have ever known. That being said, I’d like to do a tentative “Call to Arms” over the remaining British car shows in 2020, Fairhope AL in October, and Natchez, Mississippi on September 18th & 19th.
A group of us from BR have been going to Natchez for years, meeting the N.O. guys in Gloster, LA on the way up then lunching at a restaurant in Natchez. Folks, I can tell you from experience this is a GREAT weekend! The Grand hotel is right on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi river and man what a view! Friday night you just walk across the street from the Grand to the Bowie Tavern for a nice reception. Other hotels are a short drive away…
Saturday the car show is next to Rosalie Plantation, again on the bluffs – walking distance from the Grand and downtown. Shade trees, a breeze and plenty of little British cars. It is one of the best locations for a car show I have ever seen! They usually have food on the grounds, but some women go downtown to “Cotton’s” for the “Queens Lunch,” and a few of us guys head over to the “Pig Out In” for a “Kings” Lunch. LOL
We really need to support this club as their show has fallen off in numbers in recent years – and we can’t understand why! Here is a website link to the Mississippi English Motoring Club. If you have any questions or need more details on past trips just let me know. Hope to see you there!
For more info click here
Roving Reporter, Bobby Spann
On Saturday, August 8, 2020, six of us tried out the Cracker Barrel restaurant on Airline Hwy @ I-12 in Baton Rouge along with a half dozen hot rod guys. We got there a little before 7:00 am to visit in the parking lot before they opened. Then immediately both groups got a table.
The Manager forgot we were coming so it took almost an hour to get our food, but that was no problem because we had plenty of hot coffee, cold drinks and warm biscuits… and great conversation. Free coffee starts next week.
Added bonus: The location is highly visible! We had several people stop by when they saw the British cars – one had a relative with an MGB in a barn..!
Roving Reporter,
Bobby Spann
Italian Pie, 5650 Jefferson Hwy, New Orleans
The July General Meeting was canceled at the last minute due to weather and street flooding. (Only two board members arrived in person for the board meeting before the General Meeting.) At the end of a very short board meeting, president Chad Wicker canceled the upcoming general meeting.
Cathy Greensfelder, Secretary
What a great morning in the Central / Baton Rouge area!
At 8:00 a.m., me-MGB, Milton-TR4, Jerry-Mustang, Randy-Mini Panel and Danny-TR6 (plus Danny B in a vintage Ford XL pickup) showed up at MePa’s in Central, but they were closed due to air conditioning problems. So we quickly decided to cruise over to the Warehouse on South Choctaw in Baton Rouge. Milton pulled up smoking and Danny diagnosed it as his left front brake caliper locking up. He said he’d gingerly drive home using the hand brake…
Not too crowded at the Warehouse and we got the big table in the main room. Good food and perky waitresses too! Had a nice discussion on LBC’s, Milton’s 10 Minute Vacation Location, camper trailers, and NASCAR & “flags of the South.” And we hit on subjects like why Carol is selling her Jaguar…
If you live in the area – come on out one Saturday morning! If you show up and nobody is there – give me a call on my cell at 975-1928. If you live in the Gonzales area I believe there is a car group that meets at Frank’s on Airline…
Afterward I told the group about my problem – couldn’t get my center cap off the steering wheel. Well, just so happens Danny is ‘the Norwegian Thumb Wrestling Champion’ and in short order he got it off! FYI for all you 1970 MGB owners – on the early cars at least – this is how the button looks. Hopefully the bitchin’ wooden wheel Rob gave me will go on without any problems.
NOTE:
Next Saturday Fr. Ralph Howe of St. James Episcopal Church downtown is retiring and there will be a little parade for him at 10:00 down 4th street. Since I am a 3rd generation at St. James, I plan on being there – might be fun to cruise over after breakfast in our Little British Cars and show off! I’ll send more details later in the week.
Cruise safe,
Roving Reporter
Bobby Spann
