The story of the two Greenbriers (Huntsville, Decatur: shop, transportation, car)

[BMW Dave]

Originally Posted by FAL50

The one and only reason that a TR has a bad reputation in the US is the owners and/or their wannabee mechanics that have no clue how to work on those cars.
My experience with Brit cars goes back to the mid 1960s and it was only in the US that I have heard most of the complaints.
I can write books and how dumb some owners and their mechanics are when it comes to a very simple SU carburetor.
And the jokes about Lucas tell more about their owners and mechanics than about the Lucas products.
I can install the very same Lucas product on a TR/MG/Jaguar/AH and never have a problem with it, explain that.
Simple, use dieelectric grease on the contacts.

Very true, when I worked with Ben at Klassic Autos, the condition and things that had been tried or attempted either by the owner or some other local mechanic, was down right laughable.

I enjoyed learning about them, but very happy I don't work on them anymore! haha

I hope you aren't defending Lucas?? I don't think I have met someone who didn't hate them personally and intimately.

Originally Posted by FAL50

I've been to two meetings there, and that was it for me.
Food on a scale of 0 to 10 : 1
Personnel on a scale of 0 to 10 : 2 on a good day.

I do give it a 1st price for the worst restaurant in Madison County.

Well if I am keeping a list that is certainly one more thing we can agree on.

I was adamantly against it being picked and was the reason why I backed Newks as a replacement, anything was better than that place!

[FAL50]

Originally Posted by BMW Dave

I hope you aren't defending Lucas?? I don't think I have met someone who didn't hate them personally and intimately.

Watch out what you say ...
Another friend, Mike, he had, closed now, the shop International Motors on Commercial Drive in Huntsville.
His mechanics name was Luke, but his real name was Lucas.
And he loved working on Brit cars.
He now owns Wheel Fix It in Huntsville.

[Reactionary]

Don't Brits drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators?

I owned a couple of Brit classics (Triumph Spitfire and MGB) - the Triumph ran for an entire month once! I loved those cars and enjoyed working on them. Of course I enjoyed driving them even more, however I don't recommend depending on them as a primary auto.

[BMW Dave]

Originally Posted by FAL50

Watch out what you say ...
Another friend, Mike, he had, closed now, the shop International Motors on Commercial Drive in Huntsville.
His mechanics name was Luke, but his real name was Lucas.
And he loved working on Brit cars.
He now owns Wheel Fix It in Huntsville.

Wheel Fix It is great! I always use them personally and recommend them to my clients.

Originally Posted by Reactionary

Don't Brits drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators?

I owned a couple of Brit classics (Triumph Spitfire and MGB) - the Triumph ran for an entire month once! I loved those cars and enjoyed working on them. Of course I enjoyed driving them even more, however I don't recommend depending on them as a primary auto.

Agreed on both remarks!

[FAL50]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

Don't Brits drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators?

Don't Americans drink ice cold beer because they can't stand the taste of the big name US beers as Cxxxs and Bxxxxxxxr ?

Good beers, as a Pale Ale, Stout, Chimay, etc, should always be served at room temperature, so you can enjoy the taste.
And I'm a ex Belgian, OK, with 1/4 Brit blood.

I owned a couple of Brit classics (Triumph Spitfire and MGB) - the Triumph ran for an entire month once! I loved those cars and enjoyed working on them. Of course I enjoyed driving them even more, however I don't recommend depending on them as a primary auto.

My dad had in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's always the bigger Fiats, as the 2100, 2300 and the 130 sedan,130 coupe.
Only needed oil, filters, brakes and tires, never any problem.
My mam in those same years, most MG Magnette, Rover, and even the slowest car ever we had, the mid 60's Morris Oxford diesel station wagon.
Same, only needed oil, filters, brakes and tires, never any problem.

The difference was that we had those cars when new, and competent mechanics.

Myself I also had many Brit cars as daily drivers and for business, import, export, etc.
Never any problem.
I was also the co-founder of the Belgian TR Register in 1977.

But if we wanted to have a troublesome car, all we had to do was buy any US made car, and we had the same problems as you guys had with the Brit cars.
Nothing wrong with the cars, but no decent mechanics to work on them an no parts for US made cars.
That way the US made cars had in Europe the very same bad reputation as the Brit cars in the US.

[BMW Dave]

Originally Posted by FAL50

Nothing wrong with the cars, but no decent mechanics to work on them an no parts for US made cars.
That way the US made cars had in Europe the very same bad reputation as the Brit cars in the US.

Ha, I have heard that before.

[Reactionary]

FAL50 - yeah, my Brit cars were trashed before I got them but they were all I thought I could afford (I didn't really consider maintenance costs vs top down wind in my hair country road jaunts). I did get to learn about rebuilding carburetors, replacing clutches, brakes, etc - much of that is normal maintenance.

Mmm, Chimay... good Christian beer.

[RegaeBusRider]

I bought a new triumph spitfire in 1979. It was a fun car but the maintenance was a nightmare. After 3 years, it caught fire while sitting at a red light! That is when I became a Bus Rider!!

[FAL50]

Originally Posted by RegaeBusRider

I bought a new triumph spitfire in 1979. It was a fun car but the maintenance was a nightmare. After 3 years, it caught fire while sitting at a red light! That is when I became a Bus Rider!!

Why was the maintenance a nightmare ?
Problems with the dealer or the mechanic ?
All parts on a Spit are the most simple as ever used in any car.
Or was it parts availability ?
Caught fire, why ?
What was the reason ?
Incompetent mechanic did work on the carburetor ?

[BMW Dave]

I doubt there was a car at all, much less that it burned itself down...