I received an e-mail from Jim W. in R&R recently who was inquiring about any way to keep rodents away from what you don’t want ‘em into. This is quite a challenge for anyone who lives in the outback environs of our fair countryside, and has been since the gold rush when miners had to keep their valuables in tin cans. Even some of you who live in town or more civilized atmospheres occasionally may have encountered some affects of Neotomo fuscipes, however in other areas, such as Rough and Ready, they seem especially prevalent and annoying. It is written in the Sierra Nevada Natural History book that these little creatures make nests of leaves and twigs, eat fruits, berries, seeds and the like to survive this cruel world. Not written however is that they have a propensity for paper, plastics, valuable soft materials, and even Lucas wiring!
Jim had a problem with his Ford Explorer even before he drove it to a store in Penn Valley, but not realizing it until after he returned home and parked his vehicle. A little later when he went to move the Ford, it would not start. What could have happened in the short time between his trip to P.V. and now? Opening the hood, (as we male types do when an engine doesn’t start, even if we have no clue as to what the problem could be, we know this is the proper procedure!), Jim discovered some unusual debris in the engine compartment near the air filter housing. Upon investigation he finds the whole housing is filled with leaves, twigs, seeds, etc. with little feet marks going in all directions. Furthermore, the car would not start after cleaning this mess out and even taking it to a pro mechanic could not cure it! This is the second time Jim has had a problem with rodents, the first time being his antique fire engine overflowing with rat droppings and the like under the seats, in the glove box and every other nook and cranny in the truck. So there are problems with these critters getting into vehicles that aren’t moved very often and especially if they are parked outside!
Living relatively close to Jim W. and with all the above in mind, I felt comparatively safe with my sports cars in a garage, and to top it off our two barn cats sleep in warm boxes on top the MGB. Both cars are covered thru the winter to help keep them clean through the cold winter months. This weekend I decided to put a battery charger on the Healey to keep it up in the case I might want to start it one of these days. Moving around the back of the 3000 to open the boot I noticed a lot of purple viscous liquid on the garage floor under the left rear fender area. The car cover had soaked up some of this mess too causing me to ask myself what this stuff could be. I look underneath to see what in the world could be leaking in the back of the car since the only liquid container is the fuel tank – and this certainly wasn’t gasoline! Pulling back the cover then opening the boot, I look around inside, but all seems O.K.
Something has to be leaking this evil stuff so I pull the spare tire out and pull out an extra oil container that I carry in case a need should arise. “Jeez – this bottle is light” I say to myself, and further inspection reveals a small hole just below the neck of the plastic container. Then I see a couple more very small incisions lower down the bottle, and then remember this particular oil (Swepco) also has a purple color to it! From its place between the spare tire & boot bulkhead in the left-hand corner, the oil container had slowly leaked practically its entire contents downward into the well next to the left-hand rear fender!
I empty the boot area of everything to check and clean out this oily mess. Although the small hole in the oil bottle certainly looks like gnaw marks, I don’t find any evidence of entry by rodents, and anyway - where is there any entry into the boot area? So, this bit of a mystery is not yet solved and I cannot blame anything on a wood rat.
Maybe road vibration caused something to rub through the plastic bottle? Just to be certain though, I pulled up the car cover to look inside the passenger compartment. Holley looked into the door pocket and, pulled out our “Lucas
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air conditioner” spray water bottle – Oh-Oh, should I say what was left of it! The small plastic bottle was half eaten away and she also finds a Kleenex package that is well shredded. Some other evidence was present as well, but no real damage found to the interior. Looking under the dash and on the parcel tray showed nothing either, so pop the bonnet and hope no critter got into the engine compartment! Fearing some fierce rat baring its teeth, I raise the bonnet carefully to see – nothing unusual! But wait – Holley points out a small chunk of insulation missing from one spark plug wire right at the distributor cap, and just to rub it in a bit more, this little Rat left his “calling card” right on top of the cap! Well, all this just blows away any theory of your car being safe in a garage and that our dear barn cats are doing their job. I suppose on the positive side this situation was caught just in time before any real damage was done, and if it were not for the leaky oil bottle I may not have discovered anything until much too late.
Our rat-catcher dog now has been promoted to superior position over the cats to protect the sports cars! To conclude this story – take a look into your vehicles every once in awhile just to make sure they are safe from Neotomo fuscipes.
Nevada   County
This little fellow can reach about 18” from head to tail. I have seen them near this length too!
To the right is the range of Dusky-footed
Wood rat in California. Look where we are!
[Post Script] - Just yesterday I visited a local auto repair facility and noticed a pile of scraps and papers on the floor of the shop. Next to this was a dirty cabin air filter that was likewise in poor condition. Inquiring as to what is was, this story was related to me. A woman driving a Toyota Camry had come into the shop complaining of a very disagreeable odor in her car. An investigation revealed a glove box full of a mess of paper products which turned out to be that same pile I noticed on the floor of the shop. Checking further into the air ducts of this car they found a dead rat of about a 10” body length in a very advanced state of decay. How long of time this took place is unknown, but certainly it doesn’t take too long for these rodents to destroy valuable possessions.
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We give greatest honor to our Senior member Richard McKenzie who passed on recently, and our heart-felt condolence to June for the loss of her husband of many years. This couple has been a backbone of SSCG and has contributed much to our group, especially in their hosting of many holiday gatherings at their home. I cannot list all
Rich’s accomplishments throughout his life but he certainly was an expert on Morris Minors - having restored quite a few over the years including sedans, convertibles, vans, station wagons, and right up to his last and most difficult restoration – a pickup truck. In fact he finished this one just several weeks ago, all the way to getting it registered in
December. He told me this was his last restoration project, little knowing he was predicting his own destiny.
Richard was a true friend to everyone and was willing to help any in need. He will be missed by all he touched.
It is well known that my windshield is always a little cloudy, but it is exceptionally distorted with tears of sadness from the passing of our great friend and fellow sports car enthusiast; Richard McKenzie, who passed away on new year’s day. He was, above of all, a gentleman of humility, honesty, integrity, and one of great love of his family and always willing to give a hand to a friend.
So, with reluctant permission, we release him to be in care of a higher power, and hope that he will find a proper conveyance in which to motor about the heavens in a sporting manner and without the problems associated with such earthly machines as a Morris pickup.
”GOD SPEED DEAR FRIEND"
Over the years there have been a number of articles in “Action”, the monthly magazine from our AC Owners’
Club. Brian Angliss, a long-time owner of the manufacturer AC Cars, had a running battle with Carroll Shelby over the use and owner of the name “Cobra”. There have been many suits and counter-suits over the use of the name.
As the story goes, in 1961 when Shelby decided to use the AC Ace bodies and chassis for his new sports car, he wanted to call the car a Cobra. Knowing that Powel Crosley had used the Cobra name for the engine in his
Crosley cars , Shelby contacted Crosley and received permission to use the Cobra name.
Cobra comes from two words: Copper and Brazed. The Crosley Cobra engine was very light, weighing only 59 pounds and producing about 30 h.p. This engine was built from about 100 metal sheets that were bent and spot welded, then heated to a high temperature and COpper-BRAzed.
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nough history. Following is an article from a recent issue of “Action”. Although this article is about the shape of the car and not the name, it shows the legal battles of Carroll Shelby have gone on for many years.
“Shelby Loses Trademark Battle Over Cobra Shape”
US court rules Cobra design is not the property of Shelby
Shelby has lost his bid to trademark the original Cobra 427
S/C shape, news that will elicit a sigh of relief from thirdparty makers of replica Cobras all over the world (and there have been up to 200 of those since the 1970s).
Shelby lost in a US Patent and Trademark court battle against US-based Cobra rep builder Factory Five on 13
October 2010. “We felt that if he [Carroll Shelby] were to get a trademark on the Cobra shape, his PR machine would use that to make the legitimate replica industry look bad,” says Factory Five on its website, ( www.factoryfive.com
).
“Our position was that a Shelby trademark would have ignored the factual history of the car, which started life as an AC car with a Ford engine in it, as well as completely discounting the huge contributions that replica guys have made to the car’s continuing legacy since the 1970s.”
“We have never denied Shelby’s part in history,” say Factory Five, “but he has enjoyed huge popularity, in part, due to replicas.”
View the TTAB ruling by this web link: http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91150346-OPP-119.pdf
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A few years back when my two sons were 14 and 16 years of age (not necessarily that age mentally) and the old man was away for a couple of days, they decided it was time to try out dad’s Alfa Giulietta. Granted the car was not in the best condition, but it was a drivable car that could be driven to work. For some reason it was decided that the best place to try it out would be on the logging roads in the forest behind our house. The dirt roads would be perfect to test its ability as a rally car. Needless to say, the driver got braver and faster as the test progressed. So, after a few off-road excursions, it was noted that the oil pressure seemed to have disappeared and the car seemed to not be handling quite as well as in the beginning. The brain trust concluded that the road test was over. They managed to get the car home by towing it with the tractor and discovered that somehow the oil pump was no longer attached to the engine. They scrounged the area and found an oil pump, replace it, filled it with oil and cleaned it up so the old man would not notice a thing. Well, I did notice that the rear suspension had mysteriously lost its proper place of being attached to the chassis and was a little askew since the car crabbed along a bit. After a heart to heart discussion a confession was made, and as proper punishment was about to be rendered, mother stepped in and their lives were saved once again.
So dear hearts, this is another tale from the dark side. Cheers! lew vb
102 year old man (the original owner) with an
82 year old car.
Comment: This has to be a record for car ownership! Mr. Allen
Swift (Springfield, MA) received this 1928 Rolls-
Royce Piccadilly P1
Roadster from his father
(brand new) as a graduation gift in 1928.
He drove it up until his death last year, at the age of 102!
He was the oldest living owner of a car from new.
He donated it to a Springfield Museum after his death. It has 170,000 Miles on it and it still runs like a Swiss watch. Dead silent at any speed and is in Perfect Cosmetic Condition after 82 years. That's approximately 2,000 miles per year...
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A full house was seen this night at Perko’s for a meeting of our group. With many old faces and several new, it is as if “cabin fever” has struck most of our members, and in spite of rainy weather they all wanted to get out anyway.
The Grand Mufti Nick led a good meeting by addressing the need for members to organize events and try to recruit new enthusiasts to this group. Also he and his band, along with city powers and United Way have gone to great effort in putting together a car show in Nevada City, scheduled for June 4, this year. This show is to feature only foreign cars and motorcycles up to 1980, but with room for newer classics to show as well. There will be a People’s
Choice award for one car and one motorcycle. It is in contrast to American hot rods which Grass Valley Downtown has highlighted for so many years. Spectators will support town businesses and no outside vendors are to be allowed. There should be space for about 200 cars at this first show, and proceeds will go to United Way and the
Nevada City Chamber.
Should you wish to have your sports car featured in The Union newspaper leading up to the car show (and/or for year-round press) on the Saturday car page (as the “Roamers” are so prevalent in), you may submit your information/story and photos to the website manager Amber at sierrasportscargroup@gmail.com
. This would be a great way to share our group with the rest of the county.
We have one “new” signup in the form of Ron Coleman who drives a TR6 and who actually was a participant in our very first sports car run back in 1981 (as I recall he was one who got distracted by a fishing spot along the way)!
Anyway, we welcome you back into the fold, Ron.
2011 Roster renewals at this meeting are: Lou B., Jim McD., Todd B., Michael B., Bruno S., Lou Van B., Jan &
Adrian, Sue S., Candy & Earle D., Rip, Dan K., & Ron C. Renewals are being accepted for this year’s roster inclusion at $10 – very cheap for a year’s worth of entertainment! If your name is not listed above, don’t miss out on anything because you won’t be informed about any happenings with SSCG until you sign up for the New Year.
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