Just ran across this thread - dang all, I sure enjoyed the Ironman reference.
In the mid-60s, my Dad was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and one of the young airmen on the base had crunched his BE and stored it on our driveway for a while (it had to be a runner to be on the base). Then in 1972 I bought a BE that needed 'just a little bit of finishing' from a guy who thought restoring meant using a hammer to install the bolts - it was supposed to be for the girlfriend (she stuck with me; we're still married!). Bought a second one after realizing what a project the first one was going to be, as I'd talked to this fellow a few times and knew his ran. It wouldn't make it up the hill to home as it had a couple of burnt exhaust valves. Sigh. It was our only car for a few years (including winters in Calgary).
I got overly optimistic again in the 70s and bought a 3000 project, but got rid of it not too much later.
In the early 80s, bought a 62 BJ7 from a buddy who'd taken it apart. Again, paid some chaps to put the body etc. back on and paint it, but never had the time nor money to complete it (yeah, I'm better at planning than executing). We've had it on the road a couple of times over the years, but the VISA card just took care of a two year restoration of the BJ7, and its pretty wonderful.
We sold the running BE to a buddy back in the 80s for a dollar (we would buy it back from him later) so he could have a sports car and he had a neighbour who was a body man; when he bought a Morgan, we got the original yellow BE back.
The 'first' BE has never been on the road (it supplied parts to keep the Yellow one going), but a high school did paint and body a few years back and it's maybe a month away from being completed (1275, weber, LCB, discs, 5 speed). The Yellow one has been having a hard time the last couple of years, but we put the engine/tranny back in with one of Gerard's clutch kits a week back and it's maybe two weeks from being completed.
Touch wood, there'll be a near perfect BJ7 going into storage this winter accompanied by one near perfect (and running!) Silver BE and our Yellow BE as well.
Alongside the pigs, all fed, watered, and ready to fly. Doug