(Thanks Stacy)
On Saturday I did some prep for Mini to travel to Shaker for the 24th Brits at Shaker Square. (Shaker Square is an 80+ year old urban shopping area on a park like campus in the city of Cleveland.)
Sharon (in the VW Tiguan) and I in Mini left about 0925 EDT, and things went well until we ran into a traffic jam where I-90 merges onto the InterBelt. Traffic eventually broke loose, and as we approached our destination, the coolant gauge ran off the dial. Stopped. Upon opening the bonnet, the source of the problem was apparent: a loose radiator cap. (A couple in a Healey stopped to help.) I let it cool, and added our spare coolant. The temp came down, and we went over to the Square and registered. (Whew!)
The competition was tough, including an 1960 Austin, restored to original by Ken Davies. (Our car is period correct, but has some custom upgrades, which improve performance, safety, drive ability, appearance, and usability.)
There are many classic British cars on display.
And saving the best for last:
When I arrived, I had checked the coolant level, and it was at the top. (I set the heater on, to increase cooling…) We had lunch at Fire – where the owner/chef came over to talk to us.
Car started right up, and as we kept getting stopped for l o n g red lights, I kept a nervous eye on the temp gauge. We headed down N. Morewood to Fairmont, to find no West bound traffic allowed. So back to the square. When I saw the temp drop back down, I knew there was no cooling issue. We headed down MLK Blvd, but found it closed, so we detoured around unfamiliar territory, but found our way back onto the Shoreway at E.72.
After we came onto the Shoreway, the trip home went well – cooling worked.
We packed and headed South to celebrate our son in laws birthday at Lindsay’s in German Village. On the way, Stacey – some of these pictures are his – texted me that Mini won a place. This year we took first at Solon, Ursuline, and Ft. Meigs, and a prize at Shaker, which justifies all of those years of hard work…
