September's America of the month was purchased about 2 months ago by British car and vintage car enthusiast, Jack Redman, of Huntington Beach, CA . Jack's car was in repose in the San Jose area of CA, when the previous owner put it up for sale on Ebay. The car had quite an excellent history with the previous owner and had been driven quite a lot by several members of their family. They had even rebuilt the engine and made several modifications to make it a nicer road car. These included a "taller" final drive gear set, 13" Enkie mag wheels, exhaust header, aluminum intake, and larger diameter exhaust pipe running through a single large glasspack. Jack wasted no time in starting the restoration and had the car back on the road within a matter of weeks. His work included a new paint job, new carpets, new door panels and seals, rebuilding the radiator, rebuilding the clutch and brake system hydraulics, and installing a new water pump.
Jack is another one of the great people that I've met through this website. It's great to have the opportunity to feature his car this month. He is a true do-it-yourselfer. From mechanical to paint and bodywork, he does it all. And, as a previous Mini owner, he's no stranger to the Austin America's mechanicals.
Jack and his wife, Mary Ann, were kind enough to invite me to stay with them during Mini Meet West. They were great hosts and even made sure that there was a place to park my America inside their 2 car garage! It doesn't get much better than that. Believe it or not, his car is actually the first America that I've ever driven or been a passenger in, other than my own. In fact, I've never been a passenger in my own car. So, I took full advantage and got chauffeured around in the front and back seats. It was a blast to just sit back and enjoy the feel of the suspension. The car handles very nice with the wider wheels and tires. I also noticed how much nicer it shifted than mine. More like a real car. (So, I guess it's time for me to inspect my remote shift linkage pieces for wear.) It cruised along easily with freeway traffic and had plenty of power. Just really nice solid car all the way around, as you'll see in the pictures below.
