PatrickBarber.net

Triumphs to Victoria

Over the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to drive to many different destinations. I have mostly driven around the Midwest. However, some distant destinations include Texas, Montana, Maine, Colorado and England. I am usually in a hurry to get to the destination and tend to miss many of the attractions along the way. Now I am planning a trip to visit Tamara’s sister in Montana and my brother in British Columbia. This time however, I am doing something very different. Rather than rush like hell to get there, we are going to actually stop along the way and enjoy the journey.

Why don't you come along! (Click on Read More for more details).

Year End Party Videos

Here are the links to the videos for this year's Detroit Triumph Sportscar Club Year End Party

2006 Hard Luck Award (17Mb)

2006 Year in Pictures (200 MB)

2005 Year in Pictures (93MB)

Enjoy!!

The Ultimate Tech Session

On April 28-30, 2006 I hosted a club tech session to beat all tech sessions. . This tech session focused on all aspects of the Mk3 Triumph Spitfire. In the same vein as “Overhaulin”, “Pimp My Ride”, and “American Hot Rod”, Our team of 10 Triumph enthusiasts completely rebuilt my 1970 Triumph Spitfire from the ground up. I had all the parts and tools to completely build a Spitfire from a bare body tub. The goal was to begin building on a Friday afternoon and have a completed, drivable Spitfire by Sunday night. The work is clearly not trivial as the amount of work is formidable.

Time lapse video of the rebuild. Click Here.

2004 Round Britain Reliability Run

How did my GT6 ended up going from Michigan to England and getting filled with a tank of diesel fuel in the middle of a cold, wet night? It’s all Blake Discher’s fault.

And thereby hangs a tale...

Update May 7, 2006

Well, it has been a week since the big event. I would like to thank all of the people who participated in my rebuild project. It has been a great time!!! I am in the process of writing an article for the NASS, and DTSC newsletters. Stay tuned for the advanced copy, here, on this website.

MORE....

Update April 17, 2006

Sorry it has been a long time since my last update. This really isn’t a journal, or a blog, but I guess it works in that way

Current Task list.

Here is the current list of tasks that need to be completed by COB Sunday 4/30.

The Ultimate Tech Session Update April 8, 2006

The Ultimate Tech Session Update
4/8/2006

A lot has happened over the last several days. The car has been in and back from the paint stripper and the car is at the body shop and has a fresh coat of 2-part epoxy primer. The car was not as clean as I had thought.

More....

Status April 2, 2006

The latest update

It's a bit of a Crap Shoot
I have decided to have the car professionally painted. Given my abilities and my lack of patience, I have chosen to have the car painted in a body shop. I am also going to have this shop complete the moderate amount of body work needed prior to painting. I know that if I painted this car myself, I would regret it. The body filler dust and paint overspray, will not be a problem in my garage or in my lungs. I have sent the car off to a local media blasting shop to have all the old paint removed from the body and from the frame.

Decisions Decisions

The following decisions need to be made…

What color do I paint the car?
Where do I paint the car?
Who will paint the car?
Can I contain all the needed body...