May 2024 Meeting Minutes

St Johns Austin-Healey Club
Jacksonville, Florida

a chapter of the

Austin-Healey Club of America

Meeting Minutes for May 6, 2024

The SJAHC monthly meeting was called to order by club president Bill Young at 7:35 p.m. The venue once again was Casa Amigos Mexican Bar and Grill in Mandarin. Those attending included Bill’s wife, Judy, Paul and Judy Sandefer, Bill and Char Maroney, David and Angela Morton, Erling and Sandy Onsager, Bob Pippin, Tony Martini, Rick Stevenson, Ben Procter, and Ron Keysor.

Special guests were Rafher and Maria Hartt, who were recruited to attend our meeting after encountering Dave Morton at an auto parts store. The Hartts own a 1963 Healey 3000 that belonged to Rafher’s father and resided in Utah for much of its life. Club members will be anxious to help the Hartts get that Healey back on the road.

The minutes of the April 1 member meeting were approved. Treasurer Sandefer reports the club’s bank balance at $$$$$$$. The club received $20 for a member’s dues from our national organization, the Austin Healey Club of America (AHCA), and spent $106.23 for lunch at shop April 4 shop meeting at Bill and Judy Young’s home. Membership chair Maroney reports membership at 34, with two of those being local-only members.

President Young welcomed the Hartts to our dinner meeting and reminded all that SJAHC is now observing its 50th anniversary. He was, it must be mentioned, there for the club’s creation. He also mentioned the founding of a new Healey club in the Gulf Coast area south of Tampa, adding a fifth Healey club here in Florida.

There followed a brief review of the shop meeting at Bill’s garage/shop on April 4. Healeys owned by Erling, Ben Procter and Bob Pippin were on the rack for investigation, the most significant outcome surely the replacement of the disc brake shims on his car’s front wheels. Bob said that brought a remarkable improvement to his braking. Bob also noted that he has signed up for the annual Wings & Wheels exhibition of aircraft, cars and motorcycles at the St. Augustine airport 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 15. He highly recommend attendance at that show that has been absent Healey representation in the past.

President Young reminded members of the Jaguar Club of North Florida-sponsered cruise to Fort Clinch and Fernandina Beach on Saturday, May 11. The outing includes lunch at the Beech Street Grill. More information was in an email Bill sent members earlier. Remember, that is next Saturday. Likely many drivers will be using the St. Johns River Ferry to cross the river for that trip, something that brought back bad memories for the Mortons. Their low-hanging Healey muffler snagged going on or off the ferry several years ago, necessitating a repair carried out at a tech session at Paul Sandefer’s garage on the north bank of Doctors Inlet (also known as Doctors Lake).

Members were also reminded that SJAHC hosts British Car Rendezvous II at the Spring Park Large Pavilion in Green Cove Springs from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. The first rendezvous last year brought out probably 40 cars driven by our members and other British car clubs, most surprisingly the Lotus owners. Sure, there were other partners, Triumph, MG, etc. Simple deal. Bring your own lunch, find a parking spot, check out the cars as they arrive, and then retire to the shade of the pavilion and enjoy your picnic lunch and swap car stories.

The June 3 SJAHC meeting will be hosted by Bill and Char Maroney at their Ponta Vedra home. The club president routinely emails members an agenda and monthly schedule prior to our monthly meetings.

As a point of privilege, the secretary rises to his own defense in response to a matter that embarrassed him last night. Members are typically invited to share their Healey tales at the conclusion of our meetings, and I volunteered wanting to share my Healey gas pump failure (s) that included having my car lifted once and towed home twice, etc. That brought hoots of amusement from some members who declared I has already told that story. Nonplussed by that, and not remembering whether I had included that account in the April 1 club minutes, I didn’t respond. I wrote those minutes and they didn’t mention my car issue which was then unresolved. I did mention my conclusion that I needed a fuel pump at the subsequent April 4 tech session at Bill Young’s garage and likely to a couple of members at the luncheon held later at Gator Landing. By then I had received a new fuel pump, installed it, and drove my BN7 to that lunch. I had not shared the whole story with most of those those attending last night’s gathering and was not repeating myself to that audience (though I often do that). My 86-year-old sensibilities were not pleased.

R.Keysor, Sec.