Torque of the North - December 2021
Austin Healey Club Northern Centre's Newsletter
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Hi,
Welcome to December’s newsletter, as we all prep for Christmas, freeze our wotsits off in the garage or simply sit by the fire till the spring, there are still things happening out there. We’ve started working on the program for next year and new events are being posted on the Northern website. We’ve already got a number of things planned, so have a look at the list, later in this note.
News from around the North
The NEC show was a cracker, it was great to get back to “normal”, lots to see even though few Healeys in evidence. The show was pretty busy, with lots of members attending and WhatsApp giving us the chance to meet up for a cuppa or pint. The show also seems to have galvanized and motivated several of us to start restoring or get on with jobs put off. WhatsApp has been “hot” with members showing off different stages of work, so a few are outlined below.
Doug (Chairman), fresh from the show and a little lighter from the planned cost of his new Blockley tyres, felt the need to get stuck into his gearbox problem. Along with a few leaks there is also an issue with the reverse gear gate - there isn’t one! Being a 3-speed box, Doug always has to take care when selecting 1st gear for fear of crashing into reverse as the lights turned green. So, the gearbox is out, the gear selection problem identified, and he is pretty sure he’s able to stop it leaking
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Jeff Hollinshead was motivated to pick up the grinder and start cutting (always a heart-in-mouth moment), nice shot here of grinder and rusty tub! It felt like “top trumps” then as Ian Blain showed his Healey on a spit; always the best way to work, stops the weld spatter dropping on you! Also, Rob Peto with engineless (& gearboxless) tub of his Sprite.
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WhatsApp groups
There are now 5 WhatsApp groups operating around our Centre: North Wales, Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland and Northeast Scotland. These have proved very successful this year in getting local members connected to organise and share local events, news and Healey stories. If you want to join up, then contact your area Rep (see below) they will be able to point you to the right person to get you on the group. Alternatively, go to the members map on the Austin Healey Club website: https://www.austinhealeyclub.com/memmap/member_map.php and find the nearest WhatsApp chat group.
Technical
We have a reciprocal agreement with the Thames Valley Centre that allows Northern Centre members to apply for use of the specialist tool hire facility on their website: https://www.austin-healey-club.co.uk/tools/ We’ll be introducing our own specialist tool box on our Northern Centre website and hope to build the tool box over coming years. More on the “tool box” next month.
Sub-Centre Contacts
Northumbria - Contact John or Jen on tyneside@ahc-northern.org.uk for details of future events and noggins.
Yorkshire - Contact Jeff Hollinshead on 07800 974418 or at yorkshire@ahc-northern.org.uk or via WhatsApp
North Wales - For information on Noggins and events contact John or Jill on 07766 706554 or via WhatsApp
Scotland - Contact Ian Walker on 07740 148881 or at scotland@ahc-northern.org.uk
Northwest - Contact Mike Stonier on 07941 757648 or at events@ahc-northern.org.uk
Forthcoming events
- Cheshire - Late Christmas lunch Golden Pheasant, Plumley Moor Road, Plumley, Knutsford WA16 9RX on Sunday 9th January 2022. Contact Ivor Davies on 0161 928 5286 or ivor.davies@ahc-northern.org.uk
- Yorkshire Sub-Centre Late Winter Lunch Sunday 30th January 2022 at The Black Horse Inn, Clifton, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 4HJ Details in December and January Revcounter, Northern Centre Website & Torque of The North
- North Wales - Christmas Party. This is planned at the Cricket Club at Northop Hall on 16th December subject to Covid restrictions. Contact Jill for latest details.
- Scotland - Plans are afoot for the late Christmas Lunch on 22nd January on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Keep the date and watch the website for more details.
- Northern Centre Mayday weekend 2022 - Peak District Running 29th April to 2nd May 2022, this event is fully booked, to add your name to the sub list give Paul Johnson a call on 07785 790710
New for 2022
- Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire has invited the AHC to its ever-popular Classic Car show and we are looking to man a stand there in May.
- Murray Scott Nelson of Scarborough have agreed to host a workshop visit by AHC members in May and, if demand requires it, potentially a second visit in Sep.
- In Perthshire, the AHCN are proposing to attend the Glamis Castle Scottish Transport Extravaganza possibly in July with dates to be confirmed by the event organisers.
- In the North Wales sub-centre, planning is under way for the AHCN to attend Loton Park Hill Climb on the August Bank holiday weekend to support the Healeys taking part in the Healeysport Championship Round there.
That's all for this month, have a lovely Christmas and a busy new year!
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