Always Open

Not much to report, but I thought I'd post an update. The Midget recently had some problems retaining a charge due to my negligence of not keeping the battery terminals clean. So today I went and replaced both terminals of the battery. That should do the trick. It was an easy job, and it was nice spending the evening in the garage instead of the kitchen for once.

Other than that, the Midget has been getting increasingly difficult to shift. Most apparent are first and reverse (the non-synchronized gears) and once in awhile third gives me some trouble. I'm keeping a lookout on where to get a replacement tranny. Though I'm hoping this one lasts till Fall so I'm not without the convertible during Summer.

Speaking of which, about a month ago, I started an "always open" goal with the Midget...possibly inspired by the new MINI Cabrio campaign. (Though I've had this mentality ever since I got the car.) Basically, I'm not going to put the top up for the remainder of Summer. There has really only been one day in which I encountered a substantial amount of rain. But boy was it fun!

The Mini continues to run strong. It's leaking a bit more oil than it probably should, but I haven't had the ambition to look into it any further.

All in all, I'm just trying to enjoy the summer. I definitely enjoy driving the Midget over the Mini. Much more power and much fewer stares and parking lot conversations.

Hellertown Car Show

Today was the 16th Annual British Motorcar Gathering in Hellertown. I ended up taking both of my cars...which I don't think I'll do in the future. Dad came up with David and they drove the Mini down as I followed in the Midget. It was neat seeing and hearing the Mini at a distance. I love the exhaust sound and the car looks really slick driving down the road.

The show itself was fun. The weather was perfect (though the ground was a bit soggy) and the food (hot dogs) were fantastic. We spent most of our time around the Mini group. There were probably about 8 classic Minis and 4 Binis (2 Ss, 1 Cabrio, and 1 Clubman). The guy who sold me my car was there with another one for sale. Also, the owner of the first Mini I ever drove (the right-hand driver I "test drove" to gauge the power of a 998 engine) was there. I also ran into my high school astronomy teacher who remembered me and asked about my car.

I didn't win anything, though I certainly feel that my car was in the top three of the bunch in terms of overall quality (bodywork, paint job, absence of rust) and originality (I'm not sure if there was another car there with an all-original interior).

A couple people pointed out an indentation on my passenger side door and a smaller dent on my boot lid. I never noticed either. It seemed to bother these people a lot more than it bothers me.

All in all, it was a fun day.