Vermont Roads & The British Invasion

There are three principal East-West highways crossing the Green Mountains.  They are Vt. Rte. 9, badly damaged, which is open from Bennington to Brattleboro, but best traversed by British Invasion attendees with Land Rovers, U.S. Rte 4, completely impassable in places, and U.S. Rte 2, which I understand is still tenuous.  Much of Rte. 100 is also still out, so avoid it.

David Clark & V12 E-type

I am taking my E-type to the British Invasion of Stowe

If you are planning to attend from the New York metro area, your best route will be Interstate 91 North to White River Junction, and then Interstate 89 North from WRJ (as we call it) to the Waterbury Exit and onto Rte 100, allegedly in reasonable shape between Waterbury and Stowe.

From Albany and points West, use the Massachusetts Turnpike (I 90) to Westfield/Springfield and pick up I 91.  From Boston & environs, use Mass. Rte. 2 to Rte. 140 and pick up Rte 12 in Winchendon.  Make your first LEFT after the blinking light by Abingdon Spares in Walpole, N.H. and cross the bridge into Westminster, Vt. then follow the signs to I 91 North.

John road stest an Austin Healey

John road tests this Austin Healey Tuesday

We’ll be around Friday to backstop you if you need a set of ignition points or a radiator hose or something on your way to Stowe.

The Holy Grail of successful automotive repair is the road test, and we start all repairs that way.  We road test as we complete stages of repairs, i.e. between the brake work and the tune up, and we always road test when we think we’re done.  In this picture John is headed out to run our 25 mile loop with a freshly rebuilt Austin Healey on which we did the final trouble shooting, it’s owner having put it together himself in a fully workmanlike manner.

MGB back from road test

MGB back from a road test in the rain today

Here’s another car which is Stowe-bound.  Last year at this time it was V.O.R.*.  This is the one for which we fished the engine out of our snow-bound cellar thru the coal bin last winter.  We gave it a going over for a couple of hours, but the only repair we made was to change the gear lever shift bushing .  MGB’s continue to get the nod as the best British Sports cars ever built, and believe me, we know ’em all.

*The first three people who can explain what V.O.R. means will win a free oil filter, if we stock it.

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