New England Mini Owners' Club
Articles from the British Marque
January through March, 2001
What's that smell? What's that sound?
Uh, oh... (from the March 2001 Issue)
On the beat with Dave Black
Hopkinton, Mass., Feb. 21, 2001
It seems like only yesterday that we were reporting on the
engine swap that Glen so eloquently wrote about. Well, the
saga continues.
Curtis called shortly after returning home Sunday night to
report that there was a water leak somewhere under the hood, but couldnıt
determine where until things dried off a bit. Subsequent testing found
antifreeze in the #3 cylinder, so the following weekend I trekked down to East
Providence with tools and insulated coveralls to effect the repair in his
driveway.
That done, we tried and tried to start the car, but it wouldnıt do anything but
sputter for a few seconds and then quit. It was getting plenty of fuel,
and lots of spark, so what could be wrong?
Remember, last month we sent him on his way with a mismatched
solenoid. Well, he had fitted a new one, and it seems he was getting spark while
the starter was engaged, but as soon as the key was turned back to the run
position, the spark quit. So back to the parts store the next day, and
surely when the right item was fitted, the engine would run like a top. I
checked my e-mail every day, anxiously awaiting his hoorah at having fixed the
problem.
His next message was titled "OhSSNoooooooo!"
With trepidation I read on to find the engine had run for a
short while, then stopped with a rattling sound! Well
Sunday, pulled the engine out with Gregıs help and completely dismantled it to
assess all the damage and plan for necessary parts acquisition.
By that Friday everything was ready to go back together and
all was back in the car on Saturday. This time, it started and ran like a
top! One trip around the block (that's all I could stand in a
right-hand-drive car!),
tweak this and adjust that, get things perking properly, and the call was made
to come'n get it! It's been a week now and no bad news
Steve's Mini is now in the stable for a full tear-down and
rebuild. He's run his engine for three seasons and felt it was time to take a
look inside. Steve was the first to re-engine his 998 with an upgraded
1275. Things look fairly good inside, but we're replacing the bearings and
completely rebuilding his transmission before everything goes back together.
Greg is finally starting to work on his Club Car. Last
weekend he chopped off the old nose and fitted a new steel one. This will
be attached with Zeus fittings for quick removal. He also positioned some
radical flares that sure look funny with the 145 tires!
Paul Gingras e-mailed that he is going to put off his engine
upgrade until sometime after his new (1973) Avanti arrives! Will the rest of you
please give him the grief he deserves!
By now you will have heard that our tech session at Newmans'
house to sort out his (Barbara's) tired 998 was postponed due to weather.
Stay tuned for the new date.
And don't forget to register for MME in New Jersey, July 2-4.
Only 100 rooms have been reserved at the host hotel (Marriott) and I hear they
are filling fast! Contact minimeeteast2001@aol.com,
or get all the info at www.minicityltd.
com.
Rhode Island Driving Rules Explained
(from the March 2001 Issue) 
[Exec. Ed. note: This was e-mailed to us with a request
to put it on the NEMO page. As one who had to pass a Rhode Island driverıs
test upon settling here, I can only say that I wish I had had this study guide
available to me. We reproduce it as a public service, for in-staters and
out-of-staters alike. It will explain a lot. To survive on the streets of
Rhode Island, a number of simple rules need to be observed. They are as
follows.
1. A right lane construction closure is
just a game to see how many
people can cut in line by passing you on the right as you sit in the left
lane waiting for the same drivers to squeeze their way back in before
hitting the orange construction barrels.
2. Turn signals will give away your next
move. A real Rhode Island
driver never uses them. Use of them on city streets may be illegal.
3. Under no circumstances should you leave
a safe distance between
yourself and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by
somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
4. Crossing two or more lanes in a single
lane-change is considered
"going with the flow."
5. The faster you drive through a red
light, the smaller the chance
you have of getting hit.
6. Never get in the way of an older car
that needs extensive
bodywork.
7. Braking is to be done as hard and as
late as possible to ensure
that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake
pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch
your
legs.
8. Construction signs warn you about road
closures immediately after
you pass the last exit before the backup.
9. Electronic traffic warning signs are not
there to provide useful
information. They are only there to make Rhode Island look high-tech and
to
distract you from seeing the State Police radar car parked on the median.
10. Never pass on the left when you can
pass on the right.
11. Speed limits are arbitrary figures,
given only as suggestions,
and not enforceable during rush hour.
12. Just because you're in the left lane
and have no room to speed up
or move over doesnıt mean that a Rhode Island driver flashing his high beams
behind you doesnıt think he can go faster in your spot.
13. Always slow down and rubberneck when
you see an accident, or even
if someone is just changing a tire.
14. Throwing litter on the roads adds color
to the landscape and
gives Adopt-a-Highway crews something to clean up.
15. State Police cars passing at high speed
may be followed in the
event you need to make up a few minutes on your way to work.
16. Learn to swerve abruptly. Rhode
Island is the home of high-speed
slalom driving, thanks to potholes.
17. It is traditional in Rhode Island to
honk your horn at cars that
donıt move the instant the light changes.
18. Seeking eye contact with another driver
revokes your right of
way.
19. Never take a green light at face value.
Always look right and
left before proceeding. In Rhode Island it is common to stop and then
decide which direction to turn.
20. Remember that the goal of every Rhode
Island driver is to get
there first, by whatever means necessary.
21. Real Rhode Island female drivers can
put on pantyhose, apply eye
makeup and balance the checkbook at 75mph during a snowstorm in
bumper-to-bumper traffic.
22. Real Rhode Island male drivers can
remove pantyhose and a bra at
75mph in bumper-to-bumper traffic during daylight hours (who would want to
at night?).
23. Heavy snow, ice, fog and rain are no
reasons to change any of the
previously listed rules. These weather conditions are Godıs way of
ensuring
a natural selection process for body shops, junkyards and new vehicle sales.
You must rent the movie, Coyote Ugly! You
don't have to watch the movie, just fast forward to the end of the credits
and sit back to enjoy a music video featuring three beautiful Minis racing
through London's streets and fields to a romantic rendezvous as the group BBMak
performs Still on Your Side. It is a must-see!
(Webmaster's Note: The Video was filmed in the Shoreditch
area of East London.)
A swap & so much more... (from the January-February
2000 Issue)
by Glen Carliss
HOPKINTON, MASS. I greeted that Saturday morning
(January 6th) with a sense of anticipation that rivaled Christmas. I was
heading up to Hopkinton, Mass., to join the rest of the NEMO faithful at Dave
Black's
house for a tech session.
The plan was to haul the leaking, plain-Jane 998 engine out
of Curtis Boivinıs Mini and replace it with a 1293 that had been built up by
Dave, and had spent the past year in Daveıs Mini, the Thurd, defending his
title on
the autocross circuit. The session was to begin at noon and I needed to
leave the Cape by 11 at the latest so I wouldnıt miss anything.
I debated taking my Mini up. The roads were dry, but
there was still some of that evil road salt present on the back roads, the kind
that harbors the dastardly tin weevil. But this was a NEMO meeting after
all, so I decided to take the Mini and enjoy the drive. The slice of
banana cream pie, my term of endearment for my yellow and cream colored Mini
1000, cruised up Rt. 495 with the big SUVs heading to ski country. I even
passed a few of them as the Mini got into its highway groove. The reason I
was so excited about this engine swap was that I envisioned it happening to my
car in the future, but with the way she was moving on the highway, I started
questioning why. Little did I know.
I pulled into Dave's driveway at about 12:30 and walked into
the garage to find the old lump already out of the car. Seems like I wasnıt
the only one that woke up with a sense of anticipation. Curtis had arrived
shortly after 8 a.m. and they had gotten started.
Curtis, Dave and Steve Dodge were busy preparing things on
the Mini to accept the new engine and deal with the first setback of the day.
It seems that the new intake manifold for the Weber carb Curtis wanted to use
had no proper attachment points for the throttle linkage. The Thurd was
conveniently parked in the next bay of Daveıs two-car (four-Mini) garage and
immediately became the source of any needed parts. A quick decision was
made to use the Thurd's SU carburetor and manifold to expedite the swap.
Soon Deb Daebler arrived with her friend Bill. Nobody
was surprised to find out that she didnıt bring her brand new Mini. It
was snugly tucked into her garage, waiting for spring. But she was glad I
did. It made it a
lot easier to find Daveıs house. I knew I brought it for a reason.
Then Beau Beauchamp and Greg Mazza showed up and there was
plenty of help, with no shortage of advice. Daveıs garage was neat and
clean, with every tool needed to get the job done. During the course of
the day, Dave made a number of trips to his basement (at least 100) to do some
necessary drilling, grinding and parts procurement. The trips were always
preceded by a ceremonial changing of shoes to preserve the carpet.
The engine swap moved along methodically under Daveıs
knowledgeable guidance. There were some more snags that were quickly
addressed, and finally the new engine was hoisted up, the car rolled under, and
the engine was dropped in place.
Did I say dropped? That is a gross oversimplification.
The pots had to be engaged, which took some clever adjustments to the chain
hoist operated by Steve Dodge, and some muscle applied this way and that by
Bill. Once it was in place, Greg Mazza took on the touchy operation of
lining up the engine mount bolts, assisted by more of Billıs muscle.
During that operation, Bill broke out in a sweat, brought on by the exertion
needed and
Daveıs kerosene heater, and Greg sacrificed his new sweatshirt as he took the
prone position under the car.
Once the engine was in place, the doughnuts were gone, and
the coffee got cold, the crowd thinned out. Greg stuck around to see the
project through, and he and I spent some time on the phone, explaining to our
wives
how much they needed us. I crawled under the Mini to secure the rubber
boots on the pots and CV joints, while Curtis hooked up his new Superflow
twin-box exhaust system. When I saw that large bore, chrome side exit pipe
sticking out under the boot, I started to realize that this might be the way to
go.
Progress was briefly interrupted when Dave's wife, Jo-Ann,
stepped out into the garage and announced that there was a chimney fire in
progress. The ceremonial shoe changing was quickly ignored as the four of us
rushed into the living room to address the problem. Dave, still in charge, donned
heavy gloves, closed the damper, and started to remove the wood, in flames, from
the fireplace and throw it out the back door. 
As hot ashes scattered about the living room, the rest of us attended to them with brooms and wet
towels. Finally, Dave picked up the entire hot grate with the remains of
the fire and dumped it into a pile of snow on the back deck. Within
minutes the crisis was over and we went back to work. A short time later, Jo-Ann
came back out to the garage and told us that everything was cleaned up, and she
had put out the fire on the back deck! Once you are under the spell of the
Mini, it is tough to break your concentration.
When it was finally time to start the new engine, we ran into
an electrical problem related to the new starter and solenoid that seemed to sap
everyone's energy. Steve returned just at the right time to bolster our
spirits and add some electrical knowledge. Although the problem did not
get sorted out completely, we did finally get the engine started a little after
9 p.m. There were smiles everywhere. Curtis was beaming, Dave was
relieved, and I was very envious. The Mini now had twice the horsepower it
drove in with, and the exhaust note was music to our ears.
The cold had settled back in as the sun went down and the 40
weight oil in my Mini's sump was a little reluctant to get moving. The
car was dark and frigid as I climbed in to make the drive back to the Cape.
On the way back, I imagined what it would be like to have that extra horsepower
attached to the gas pedal. Thanks to NEMO and its supportive members, I
know it is just a matter of time.
On the beat with Dave Black 
(From the January-February
2001 Issue)
Lots of activities to report on this month, beginning with
NEMO's television debut on December 4th.
It seems BMW is trying to tap the enthusiasm of classic Mini
owners for their new version of our favorite car. To this end, they
invited NEMO members to appear on Boston's Channel 56 Live Morning program.
This sounded like a great opportunity to gain local recognition, until we
discovered that the spot was to be done at 5:30 a.m.! Never to be
deterred, Greg Mazza, Dave Reid, Bruce and Faith, and yours truly were on the
road by 4:30 to make the trek into downtown Boston in our Minis. Traffic
was very light and we all arrived in one piece, ready to go on TV.
We were met by Mike McHale and Andrew Cutler from BMW
headquarters in New Jersey. Of course, they had driven one of BMW's SUVs
to the studio! The Minis were arranged in back of the building and we were
treated to coffee and donuts in the lounge.
We were never on camera, but the station had a television in
the lounge so we could watch the program. It wasnıt long before their
weatherman, Darryl, was out back interviewing Mike McHale for general background
on the cars. During the interview, Darryl handed Mike the mike and jumped
in Dave Reid's concours S and turned the key without depressing the clutch.
David went white, and the rest of us couldnıt believe that Darryl was actually
going to drive the car.
Well, he did (figured out it was a stick shift after it
lurched forward), zoomed around the corner of the building, and was out of
sight! We all rushed out to see how far he was going and found he was stuck in a
dead-end without a clue how to find reverse! David retrieved his car and
during the next spot, Darryl was much improved. I think he could actually
drive a Mini and enjoy it!
Later in the afternoon, BMW had arranged a media event at the
Museum of Transportation in Brookline. At least a dozen automotive
journalists were invited to listen to BMWıs Jack Pitney talk about the old and
new Mini. A lively presentation ensued in the midst of the Museum's
current microcar exhibit. Of course, there was one classic Mini in the
exhibit, as well as our cars outside. In addition to the NEMO crew from
earlier in the day, Hrach, John Mastrandea, and Steve Dodge were lucky enough to
be there.
(from the January-February Issue)
Member News
Dave also has invited us to a tech session at his house. Subject
to be covered: How to Sort Out a Tired 998 for Another Season of Fun.
Thom Pickett has moved into his new residence in Mechanics
Falls, Maine (that's up north somewhere!). He showed us pictures at the
Christmas Party of an older (huge) farm house with an attached barn. He'll
probably be milking cows by spring! ('Cause we know that his car is
garaged in Millbury, Mass., so he can't be messing around with that!)
Steve Dodge is the proud owner of a 1972 Innocenti Mini
direct from Italy. The car had been crated for shipment, so we took the
flatbed into Boston, fork lifted it into place, strapped it down, and drove out
to
Hopedale. The poor thing looked like it was in cage! A short stint
with the chainsaw and crowbar remedied the crate. Then we jacked the car
up (still on the flatbed), attached the wheels, added gas and water, connected
the battery, and... Vroooom! It started and ran like a top. A ramp
truck was appropriated for the final descent to the ground and Steve drove it
into the garage under its own power.
Itıs always exciting to see an original Mini and realize how
much we've modified ours to make them go faster, when the original is perfectly
adequate transportation. This car is officially for sale. Contact
Steve at
dodge_steve@emc.com.
Mini Meet East XXVI (from the January-February 2001 Issue)
PARK RIDGE, N.J. The Mini Owners of New Jersey, in
partnership with Mini (a division of BMW), present Mini Meet East XXVI, '2001:
A Mini Odyssey', on July 2-4.
Some of the tentative events in the works include Mini
Day at Mini headquarters (where you can meet the new Mini!), autocross,
concours, funkhana, KidKhana (sponsored by FLAME), Pit Stop Competition, 'Fancy
Dress' Dance and banquet (with a 1960s theme).
The host hotel for Mini Meet East will be the Park Ridge
Marriott, 300 Brae Blvd., Park Ridge, (201) 307-0800, (800) 882-1038, or, via
Marriott Reservations, (800) 228-9290. They are aware of the MME 2001 rate
of $84/night, so be sure to ask! Additional people in the room will be
$25/person. The MME rate will only be honored on or before Friday, June
8th. There will be no exceptions.
More information, as well as a special MME 2001 e-mail
address and registration forms for the event, will become available online soon
at the Mini Owners of New Jersey
website and the Mini City, Ltd., website, www.MiniCityLtd.com.
Please address any MME2001 correspondence to MiniMeetEast2001@aol.com.
John Cooper (from the January-February 2001 Issue) (pictures from Official Cooper Site)
By now you've all heard of the passing of John Cooper on
December 24, 2000.
He was born in 1923, and spent his early years as an
apprentice in one of his father's companies. His father was actively
involved with design of some of the earliest race cars. From there, he
went on to work for a
toolmaker specializing in equipment for the Royal Navy. During World War
II he made aircraft instruments.
After the war, John and his father joined forces to produce
Formula Three and Formula Two cars as the Cooper Car Company. Their
Cooper-Climax cars took several championships in the late 1950s and early 1960s,
including the Formula One constructorıs championship two years in a row.
As their Formula One influence declined and after his fatherıs
death in 1964, John Cooper turned his attention to the Mini. He took the
lowly 850 Mini Minor and turned it first into the Mini Cooper and then the Mini
Cooper S in 1963. Family friend Doug Nye said, 'It was the cult car of
the '60s',
an icon. If the Mini was cool, then the Mini Cooper was cool with knobs
on.
It is uncanny that his passing so closely parallels the
passing of classic Mini production. He will never be able to work his
magic on the BMW Mini, though we understand that his son, Michael, is working
closely with
BMW to carry on the family tradition. Weıll just have to wait and see
whatıs in the offing.
We all owe John Cooper a debt of gratitude for making the
Mini a world class automobile; we all enjoy the fruits of his imagination and
his memory will live on in our enjoyment of every car called Cooper.
(See the Official John Cooper Website, CLICK
HERE.)