THAMES VALLEY HOODS
An area group of the RHOCaR club - all things Robin Hood Kit Cars
Event Reports '06 -1
TVH's travel to Northants Meeting
November 2006 - Peter and Graham head North for the Star and Garter.
Fresh back on the road after the "off" in February, I was sure something would follow the MOT to surprise me! I wasn't disappointed. Luckily Peter Ray was following me and when the clutch cable clamp failed on the busiest roundabout in Northampton - he was there to save me - along with the helpful / inquisitice / and very young Policeman !
Out of B&Q - we are off agian and met up with a good crowd at Chelveston - Peter enjoyed the use of his new exhaust (which really is the business) - it includes for those that know a "Muff Diver" ....... quiet at the back there please!
No. 51 in the stalls .... note the "trophy" from Le Mans.
15 Kits at the meeting.
No. 51 ... good angle - can't see the oil drips from here!
Brands Hatch Kit Car show - Sept '06
Today Chris and I went to Brands Hatch to the Total Kit Car Live show. After a rather shaky start, having to dig out the tool box and correct a horribly mis-firing S7, we were finally on our way and arrived at around 12.30.
After parking our pride and joy and admiring everyone else's we met up with Peter 2B from our car club. we had a wander over to the paddocks, where the manufacturers on display were preparing their cars for a trip round the Brands Indy circuit. There were a few other stalls selling all sorts of bits and pieces, but alas not as many as previous years. we had a good walk up and down the paddocks, having a look at some of the beautiful machinery on display.
Robin Hood Cars were conspicuous by their predictable absense, but there was still plenty to see. after a spot of lunch we stood by the track for a while and watched some of the cars hammer round the track. its a shame most of the public passengers were wearing crash helmets (although it was for obvious reasons) - i would've loved to have seen the looks on their faces!
Another quick walk round the stalls, a token look at the car merchandise shops dotted around the track en route back to the car parks, and then time to call it a day.
the weather was kind, the journey there and back was virtually trouble free - the major signs for a good day out.
happy motoring, Becks xx (Becki Glazier)
Homecall to Larry's - Oct 06
On Sunday !st Oct we arranged a good turnout to visit Larry in Guildford, shortly after he had become the owner of a part-built 2b.*
It was one of those days that started dry, somehow tempting you to take your Hood for the ride. And the forecast was for local heavy squalls.
Being chicken, I left mine at home , and by the time I reached Guildford, there was such an opening of the heavens that I was so relieved I had.
Larry and his family made us welcome, with more eats than we could manage, and a patient tolerance as we trooped in and out of the house between serial
cloudbursts in the afternoon. ( I think over 25 mm of rain was recorded that afternoon, in just an hour or two )
We examined the car in detail, and hopefully answered all Larry's questions , and together we set an itinerary to follow in order to complete the car.
It is drivable now, so there is plenty of optimism about an SVA early in 2007.
I think we may make another visit before SVA, Larry, hoping for some more of those fabulous sandwiches !!!
The attached pictures tell the story of craned necks and probing hands, and of the rain.!
On a less good note, Tim Saunders had a bit of a spin in his Hood, on the way there. Good luck ,Tim in getting mobile again soon.
Karting - SWH vs TVH Feb '06
The Karting challenge between Thames Valley Hoods and South West Hoods went off in Swindon during February '06. Our thanks to John Peach for all his efforts in co-ordinating the affiar - and 26 enthusiastic drivers took to the track on a cold and frosty morning. The results are attached and 
show a SWH win by a very narrow margin, that's 2 years on the trot ! Shame the computer/transponders were playing up - we'll never really know who won !!!!!! The cup is photographed here and John Peach had it in his hands for a brief moment before Pauline of SWH's managed to convince Bob that he'd made a mistake in handing it over!
The manually derived results from the Karting Centre are attached (our thanks to Pauline for her gallant effort to make sense of it all) :-
Chris's wife Becky Newlands was "Event Photographer" (as well as child minder!) and has sent along some great snaps :-
The South West Hoods report courtesy of Bob Lancaster (extract from their Newsletter):-
28th February 2006
Dear Hoodies
As you read this the Go Karting Challenge from Thames Valley Hoods, has been and gone. I am proud to say 13 True South West Hoodies met the challenge from a very professional looking
The racing was fast and competitive. We still can’t win the final, however, we race as a team and pack the lower places and score more points than them. Thames Valley Hoods also won the dirtiest driver of the day in Graham “Black Flag” Mintram.
The Event organisation was dire due to computer failure; Shaun wasted no time in getting us all a free coffee, much needed in the freezing conditions. The racing was mean and almost clean with several racers being deducted points for dirty driving. I believe there were 3 Black Flags on the day. Race 15 – Paul Harris, and in the final our very own
At the pub Pauline totalled the scores given by the staff and added points for the final (which they thought Jamie crossed the finish line first) from scores downward as appropriate.
Bob Lancaster
Area Secretary
South
Stoneleigh 2006 - pictorial report
Some snap shots from John Peach and Graham Mintram. Enjoy ........
Beale Park - May 2006
Intrepid reporter Peter Ray returns from the Beale Park showers and foolproof Surrey Top test with photos intact ..... Steve Goodchild was there the day before and probably enjoyed better weather. The turn out was a bit thin in Peter's report "I was dry as a bone all the way there and back, only had 1 or 2 drops of water through the louvers, those ones infront of the windscreen, the tape that I had covered them with inside must have moved, 1 job to fix before Le Mans".
This is the cleanest I have ever seen Peter's Hood ...... must have rained heavily ! (Graham M.)
Homecall - a Lightweight - June '06
Our Homecall visit to Trevor to see the progress on his new Lightweight was a good day out , in great weather.
There was a fine attendance at Trevors garage to see the lightweight which is now at rolling chassis stage, with engine
and transmission located, and some of the steering installed.
Compared to the 2b, on which most of us have had our Robinhood experience, the lightweight provides some interesting talking points
such as the return to monocoque chassis, made from aluminium and
strengthened where needed with increased sections and overlaps,and for the engine bearers some extra steel plating to spread the weight of the pinto. The rear suspension no longer requires all the bulk of the sierra
set up, and the steering column is supported by a better arrangement than the 2b style. A dashboard preformed with sva radius, and a choice of
instrument
location facias is a help too. The size and location of the fuel tank was the source of discussion, as was the lightweights ground clearance ! Definitely a need for sump shortening for use on Berkshire's awful roads.Trevor has made good progress in just a few weeks , and his website details the latest news.
Attached are some pics of the group in discussion around the car. Alan also wanted us to take note of his knees !!
The day brought two new faces to the Thames Valley, both contemplating a lightweight build of their own. Welcome Steve and Dave.
Good luck and keep us informed when you order your kits.!
The one casualty of the day was Danny in his Mac1, who had a spluttery engine on arrival, being delayed by stops to cool his motor.
Neither he nor Irene in 'Mr Blue Sky' made it to the pub later, The AA were needed to rescue Danny along the A4, and later found the problem to
be a faulty ignition coil. We saw him a week later and it was running smooth again.
So the lunchtime gathering at the Dew Drop Inn was minus Dan and Irene, Tim and Alan,( who sped off for the football) and Jeff, who had a date with his nearly finished 2b, but the rest had lunch al fresco , and were made welcome by the new landlord who seemed keen to have more visits like this. Only a short distance from the A4, but hidden among the trees and a simple country pub with good food.
I think Trevor gained many good tips , even on sva points, which is not too far away in his planning. August is his target, so watch for progress. Many thanks to all those who came along to contribute to another good days work by the Thames Valley Hoods.
A run through the Chilterns - June 11th '06
Despite the draw of the British Grand Prix, or the London-Brighton Kitcar run on the same day, there was an enthusiastic response for the Chiltern Hilltop Run on Sunday June 11th , which had been carefully planned by our man Steve from Chinnor in the preceding weeks.
Start point was the Lambert Arms Hotel on the A40, just close to J6 of the M40. It has a lighthouse in the garden so you can't miss it !! Except that I did, going the wrong way along the A40 and having a practice climb on the first hill, leaving clouds of blue smoke visible across most of Buckinghamshire !!
Bacon butties and coffee were on hand at the start, as organised by Steve, with a landlord keen to show us all his facilities. Your areasec has noted this as a possible meeting venue for the future, a quick poll of those present met with approval. Plenty of side rooms, and seperate bars, no television, and a spacious lawn that he allows all sorts of cars clubs to park on. A recent E-Type Club gathering filled the whole football pitch ( drool , drool, )
Naturally we accepted his offer to use the lawn for the cars as shown in the first pic. Notice, too, the bike rack on Pete's 2B...is this a first ?
We were joined by Peter Bell, and Stephen Altwasser from the Herts group, for our journey which was to end in a rendezvous with John and Helen Tween and the Herts group at the Grand Junction Arms, in Bulbourne..
Also along was Peter Wright in his good-looking MGB.After photo's, Steve gave a briefing of the route and handed out direction notes . Mr Bluesky refused at the first, needing a new dizzy cap. Somehow Irene managed to get one on a Sunday in rural Buckinghamshire, and was able to rejoin us along the route.
A brisk climb up the first of the two 'Aston' hills, on the main A40, with plenty of roadwidth and sweeping curves , was very satisfying, and only ended with a stop to turn into a narrower road for the descent. For the first time that Christine and I can recall, we were NOT head of the convoy, so enjoyed the view of the line of hoods ahead of us sweeping along in the sunshine.
We rode on through Chinnor, past Steve's front door ( was that planned Steve ? ) until the roller coaster ride over Chinnor's speed humps took a toll on Peter Bell's 2b, which died on a narrow section, bringing everyone to a halt, delaying one or two non-sympathisers who then forced their way past hurriedly. ( No Samaritans in Chinnor then, Steve ! )
The vibrations had loosened Peter's HT lead , which was quickly spotted and he was soon back in action.
A short ride on, and we assembled for the next photo prior to the climb up Kop Hill. Nice sweeping road again, narrower this time,through trees with the hot sun flashing intermittently, and the descent was just as curvy.
I seemed to have lost sight of the rest on this one , and despite some tyre squeeling, it was a while before catching the tail again.
There seemed to be a lot of other vehicles about by this time, unsportingly clogging up some of the best bits of the route, including the second Aston hill at Aston Clinton. Our route was to take us up and down the same road, as there was no other suitable way down for a robinhood ( no decent descent !), and the road surface was of a standard to shake a few bits loose. I was baulked by one of many 4X4 's and a speed limit, so couldn't let it rip fully.
We performed a team U-Turn, and wound our way down back to the main road.
Now, whatever is causing 'Old Smokey' to smoke, is doing its worst when at tickover, such as waiting at junctions. Well we waited and waited and waited while yet another people carrier judged it to be safe enough to exit onto the main road. ( you know the type, the road has to be clear from London to Oxford before he puts his nose out ). We could have nipped home for a cuppa in the time he took, and Terry is my witness, because he copped the full blue cloud when I eventually moved on,
later suggesting I fit a tractor style exhaust stack to carry the smoke skywards .
We received a warm welcome from John, Helen and the Herts contingent on our arrival at the Grand Junction Arms, at nearby Bulbourne. By then the car park was brimming with sunday diners, so formation - parking was not possible, but the large number of our cars made an attractive sight nevertheless.
A good lunch, and jolification was rounded off with a walk along the Grand Union Canal, where a nice boating lady explained to me how the locks work. ( ! )
Somehow, on our ride home, we passed a pub called The Robinhood, seemed like an appropriate note to end on.
I hope everyone enjoyed their spin out as much as we did, and our thanks go to Steve and Hilary for hatching the idea and for all the planning and preparation.
This trip may feature again at some future date,...... watch for news.
John.
Le Mans - June 2006
Three Thames Valley guys made it down this year - Peter Ray and myself were virgins to the Le Mans experience but Tim Saunders had been at least once before and had the breakdown forms to prove it !
Some bullet points to set the scene !
- Rain, rain and rain - the drive south was awash most of the way !
- Flat battery-itis - Tim's excellent French comes into its own as alternator wiring fails
- Wiper wipe out - Peter's wiper blade decides to part company with arm
- Poper Pops - Peter's fabric door popper cries enough (see photo below for how to fix)
- Light-fingered campers - the Hood camp was theived the first night - sleep with wallet there in
- Smoke for the drinker - I switched habits for the week
- Drink for the smoker - Peter switched habits for the week
- The most ineffiicient food on the planet - Tim's artichoke, 60 minutes prep. for 30 seconds consumption
- The Spaceships - Audi diesels (winners) spook around track with no noise
- The Charlatans - the rock concerts were mixed - but the Manc's did not impress !
- The Landings - Normandy beaches exploration - very evocative ..............
These next photos are digital pictures of prints - so sorry for the quality!
The Pit Lane during walkabout - Tim and I lost Peter in here !
The Pescarolo team - Sebastian Loeb the rally driver had a go.
Keeping night watch .......
The Normandy landing beach exploration
Beach combing for bits for the Hood (not a joke !)
Seen the film "Saving Private Ryan" ?
Lazing on the way South .........
And a few photos from Tim .........
This is where everyone was Weds
.... Graham Mintram
Formation flying Hoods - Aug '06
On July 23rd we were invited to spend the afternoon at the premises where Becky , ( thats Chris N' s missus ) has her day job. It is close to the perimeter of the airfield at Farnborough and afforded us a close- up view, for free, of the flying display on the final day of this years Airshow. When not on her day job, Becky is known for more adventurous pastimes, and recently made a charity parachute jump, and we saw the video of this during the afternoon.
We were joined by Matt-de-Rat, the Rhocar webmaster who lives close by, also by Frank Buchanon in his yellow S7 from the Surrey group, and Mark in his Cobra.
It was a fine and warm afternoon, so our thanks to Chris N for heading our convoy to the site by roads that avoided all the traffic queues that day. The Gazebo was once more raised in record time, and the BBQ commissioned in time for eats and to be sitting comfortably for the Show to begin.
I will not go off into a full report here of the planes on show, but attach a few pics of the aerial views we had.
Being good Hoodies, though, we were not to be outdone by a bunch of lads calling themselves the Red Arrows. Who do they think they are for goodness sake!!!
Robin Hood had the arrows, and they were Green I am quite certain. ! Are these fellows imposters ? As proof, the attached picture clearly shows Robinhoods performing a perfect close-V formation, with SMOKE , far more skillfully than the red arrows, who were several millimeters out in some of their formations.
Judge for yourself........................ beginning with Chris and Graham carrying out the first manouvre as soon as airborne..........Undercarraiges Up !!!
Our thanks go to Becky and Chris for arranging everything including some great weather.
Well done, a great day out !John.
Uxbridge Show - August 2006
This show is run by the Rotary Club of Uxbridge and has been held every year since 1984 with all proceeds going to many charities.
We got to the show ground about
We got back an hour later just in time to see the T V H gang roll up to the club stand and we pitched in to put the marquee up. With the temp rising we were all glad of some shade.
We then set to at taking a look at John's sons Ford Escort RS Turbo. It had dropped all its coolant out of the radiator just as it got in to the show ground, we found the split in the bottom of the rad but with the limited number of tools that we had to hand it was a lost case, so the AA were called out.
Next we checked the Co2 gases on Johns 2b Hood (Old Smokey) only to find it was spot on (shock!!! lol) Good news as it's MOT time for it.
With one more look round the show it was time to pack up and head for home.
Chris Newlands.
Harrogate - August 2006
Hi all, Sat PM, Good clear run up to Harrogate caught the rain on the M18 all the way to York, got the surrey +1/2 doors on, arrived at the in-laws nice and dry.
Got to the show 9.30 Sunday, light rain and very windy, a lot of the trade stands had packed up and left before I got there as it was so windy, most of the 
Hoodies that had stayed over were still in their pits after a heavy night!!!! I joined the line up of 4 cars, better that the Westfield lot, none showed up until 11am, a few more Hoodies arrived during the morning and battened down the hatches,
There was no sign of RHE at the show, got some feed back from some of the trade stands, seems that RHE might be in trouble as they hadn't made the show (this is an unconfirmed rumour of course – Ed.).
Not a lot of new cars on show inside, the new Venom looks nice though. I think the show was a lot quieter than last year but that may have been due to the weather, at least RhoCar made a good showing. 1 chap nearly lost his o/s wheel (see photo !) , the centre nut had stripped it's thread, one of the trade stands said he could have a new 1/2 shaft on their display but not until the show finished on Sunday !
cheers Pete2b
Duxford 2006
Chris Newland reports from Duxford .......
The Thames Valley Hoods (TVH) went up to the Imperial War Museum Duxford for the club car day. The RHOCaR stand banner and area was 
arranged by John and Helen of the Herts area.The day started for me with a trip over to John Peach's house, where we met up with Graham Bowden. The three of us decided to take the backroads to Duxford rather than the Motorways.
The three Hoods made good time up to Cambridge where we meet the rest of the TVH group and we made our way around to the club stand. Becky (my wife) joined us an hour or so later and we set off for a look around the American air hanger which is the home of the only Boeing B-52 Stratofortress on public display in Europe. Also in this hanger are a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Super Fortress and the high speed high flying SR-71 Blackbird.
A good turn out ......
After a spot of lunch we started to make our way up to the other hangers for a look about when it came over the speaker that the B-17 Sally B would be firing up her engines and taking off to go to an airshow in Kent, something we had to see and just made the day. (By all accounts this kicked out more smoke than John Peach's Hood - not sure I believe it though !- Ed.) This was followed by a fly-past by a Spitfire - how cool.
Is that a plane ..... ?
We made our way around the rest of the hangers which had so many planes in them, it was all too much to take in with a one day visit.
Duxford are lucky to have eight Spitfires on display seven of which are airworthy with only the Supermarine Spitfire Mk24 on static display.
Is that a pinto in there ?
As we made our way back to the club stand we saw the Sally B return from her trip to kent. what a way to finish the day off.