MGB Huffaker MGB

[Shinsen774]

The new Classic Motorsports magazine just arrived with an article about a Huffaker built MGB. I'm just settling in to read it. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

 

[tony barnhill]

Good article - not long ago, I visited Haps' garag in Greenville & spent quite a bit of time going over the car...he even had a creeper so I could get under it!

 

[AngliaGT]

I remember them pitting accross from us
at Portland,Oregon (PIR).
Very clean,well prepared cars.

- Doug

 

[Grantura_MKI]

There are very few of these cars. We had one for a short pierod in San Diego. The diff arrangment is really keen.
Cheers, David.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

This race car was a great project for restoration, it had lived a very good life through out all it's owners, including myself. It was great to be able to be the ones who got to restore it, and finally great to see the story about it. Here's a photo of me in the car in about 1987 (it was black then) in the rain at Road Atlanta.

 

[Grantura_MKI]

Thats a much later one. Our's was a MK I.
Nice picture, Hap.
Cheers, David.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

David, the article in CMS, just deals with the "single hoop" factory cars from the mid 70s, they only built 4 or those, #9 was the last one.

Here's a picture of the three time championship #11 Terry Visger drove and also a picture of #9 right after we restored it.

Although the pictures of these cars look as if they are late model rubber bumper MGBs, they are in fact early model pull handle door cars, which Huffaker preferred to work with and then made to look like later cars because that is what the factory was selling at the time, British Leyland required the cars to have the later model curved dash, so the cowl were modified to accept the later dash by welding a section of the late model cowl to the early model car.

 

[Grantura_MKI]

Thanks, Hap. The one that was here had pull handles, but no rubber bumpers. They must have been removed at some point? This was back in the mid 80's, and the car was sprayed white.
Cheers, David.

 

[Jack_Long]

I just got my copy yesterday and enjoyed the article greatly, Hap. Thank you for having the foresight to recognize that this car was a piece of history and not hacking it up into one of the Funny Cars required to be competitive in SCCA today.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I just got my copy yesterday and enjoyed the article greatly, Hap. Thank you for having the foresight to recognize that this car was a piece of history and not hacking it up into one of the Funny Cars required to be competitive in SCCA today.

Thanks Jack, trust me it was a tough decision back then, selling that car was one of the biggest regrets of my life, but in the end, it saved it, which is more than can be said for the rest of the single hoop Huffaker MGBs.

 

[Monkeywrench]

Hap, The one for sale in Kansas appears to be reversible? No?

 

[tdskip]

Hap - just a quick note to say that earning the reputation and following you have is an impressive accomplishment. Not that you need anyone to tell you that, but it is a rare thing these days.

Congratulations on the recognition...

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Thanks Skip.


Bob, the one in Kansas belongs to Rick Estes and it is the orginal #11. #11 has benn cut on and converted to coil overs and also suffered a pretty hard crash at Riverside in the late 80s. Rick want like $30 for the car and I estimate the restoration would be atleast $75K, so it's doable for someone with skills or deep pockets, I would love to get that job. The #10 belongs to Don Dickey now, and it could be restored as well, it's still has lever shocks all the way around, but it too would be alot more work than the #9 to restore. The #48 Dr. Gienger car is now raced by Gerry Lamb in the SCCA, it's very nice and in good shape, of course Gerry have coil overed it and made many change to stay competitive in SCCA racing, but it too could go back. The unique thing about #9 is that is was so close to original and in so good of shape that made for a prfoessional restoration at half the price of what the others would cost, but all of them can be made back original.