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Contents

New Zealand HOT ROD SEPTEMBER 2021

ISSN. 0110-0211

PUBLISHERS: Hot Rod Publishing Ltd P O Box 8, Waipu, 0545, New Zealand PROPRIETORS: Paul & Liz Grace Ph:: +64 9 432 1270 Email:: paul@nzhotrodmag.co.nz Email:: liz@nzhotrodmag.co.nz Website:: www.nz-hotrod.com MANAGING EDITOR: EDITOR PPaull G Grace ACCOUNTS: Liz Grace SUBSCRIPTIONS: Liz Grace AD-SALES AD SALES & FEATURES: FEATURES Paul Grace Ph +64 9 432 1270, +64 21 159 8521 Email: paul@nzhotrodmag.co.nz Craig Stare Ph +64 3 347 8388 Email: craig@nzhotrodmag.co.nz DESIGN & PRODUCTION: hotlobster design ltd (UK) CORRESPONDENTS CORRESPONDENTS: Spook Howard, Craig Houston, Wayne Scraba, Bruce Taylor, Chris Harris, Siggy Eichholz, John Daley, John Faulkner, Lew Bonnington, Steve Reid, John Eva, Craig Stare, Owen Campbell, Dave Verry, Golly Adams, Paul Martinez, Fred Sougnoux, Allan Porter, Ken Sanders, Alastair Ritchie, Graham J Park, Steven Virtue. PRINTERS: The Print Lounge NZ DISTRIBUTOR: OVATO

A few die-hard hot rod souls embarked on the ultimate automotive adventuree – going off-road in a vintage automobile. Here they’re seen traversing a riverbed on edge of Lake Benmore during the depths of Otago’s winter. Photo by Vicky McClennan.

FEATURE CAR: 14. Lisa Sawyer’s 1930 Ford Model A Coupe, Tauranga. 42. Blackie’s 1940 Chevrolet Pickup, Auckland. 54. Allyson Daniels 1956 Chevrolet Bel (PY :WVY[ :LKHU 3PJOÄLSK 1LɈ (S]LUH /LST»Z *OL]YVSL[ Bel Air Sport Coupe, Invercargill. SPECIAL INTEREST: 30. Magoo’s 25th Anniversary. 38. Opinion: The Unlove Triangle. ;OL 4HOVNHU` /V[ 9VK EVENTS: 20. Dragstalgia, UK. 24. Otago Show, Dunedin. ;OL 0YPZOTHU»Z 9HSS` 6[HNV

DEPARTMENTS: 7\ISPZOLY»Z 7VKP\T 6. Letters. 8. In Passing. 12. New Arrivals. 66. Flying Farewells, John Seyb, 9PJOHYK 5LHSL 7L[LY ;VTRPLZ 79 Flying Farewell, Brian Worthington. 74. Industry News <WJVTPUN ,]LU[Z 82. Toolbox Tales.

12 ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION: New Zealand $100 + Postage ($24) incl GST. Aus/Paciﬁc NZD $150. USA/Europe NZD $170. Mail to P O Box 8, Waipu, 0545, New Zealand

SEPTEMBER 2021 NZ $12.00 inc GST

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Also on Facebook: Website: www.nz-hotrod.com Videos, Coming Events, Merchandise, Subscriptions, Gallery, Forum – Recent events coverage, Bench racing, Swapmeet, Tech, Drag Racing, Classiﬁeds, Muscle Cars, Leading lights, Young Guns, unbridled opinion and the Unofﬁcial Joke page.

COVER: 3 9 5H[OHU HUK 3SV`K >PSZVU ^VYR HZ H MH[OLY HUK ZVU [LHT VU 3LZ *OLZOHT»Z 4VKLS ( ZLKHU ^OPSL JLSLIYH[PUN 4HNVV»Z TPSLZ[VUL [O (UUP]LYZHY` Photo John Faulkner. Blackie’s 1940 Chevrolet Pickup. 7OV[V I` (SHZ[HPY 9P[JOPL Lisa Sawyer’s 1930 Ford Model A coupe. Photo Craig Stare.

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All content in this magazine is copyright and may not be reproduced or quoted in whole or part by photo copier or any other printed or electronic means for representation on radio, television, video, CD, DVD, internet or ﬁlm without prior written permission from the publishers. The opinions and comments printed in this magazine of advertisers and contributors are not necessarily those of the magazine or the publishers, and no liability is accepted. In submitting any photographs or articles to NZ Hot Rod magazine you are agreeing to grant Hot Rod Publishing Ltd a perpetual irrevocable sub-licensable non-exclusive licence to copy, make adaptations of and issue copies to the public of those photographs or articles in all media known or to be developed at any time in the future

By Paul Grace

Publisher’s

PODIUM My Picassos I HAVE written previously about stepping away from popular production year, make, model cars embraced by hot rodders and espoused my views on other brand options. Those views were warmly welcomed, but this editorial is 180 degrees in the other direction. It steps away from popular mainstream brands, makes and models and delves into the totally self-indulgent realm of artistic beauty. If time and money did not impede me then perhaps, I’d create an art gallery that showcased pure objects d’art. The gallery wouldn’t showcase paintings as you’d see in a traditional art gallery. Instead, there’d be a bespoke display

of cars, planes, boats, and engines that represent the pinnacle of design and artistic ﬂair. They’re those rare, desirable and coveted things that have ﬂowing design lines that are aesthetically pleasing to my eye. I call them my Picassos, after the famous Spanish artist. Most of these objects are low-volume production, so only a sprinkling of mass-production cars which dominate our fraternity make my list. Some are hot rod derivatives of factory-stock models: Dave Tuke’s Vinther coupe isn’t directly mentioned on my list but is a case in point. So how did I get to this point? My 100% subjective opinion came about after decades of viewing pictures and digesting an avalanche of in-your-facehot rods, race cars, boats, planes, and anything fast and fancy. My tastes have been distilled down to the following list of these few things.

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My Picassos ’50 Kurtis Kraft midget ’64 Lauterbach Hydroplane ’62 Watson roadster (Indy 500) ’66 Lola T70 Mk2 Spyder ’67 McLaren Can Am ‘41 Willys coupe ’36 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic’59 ‘37 Lincoln Zephyr coupe ’41 Supermarine MK 24 Spitﬁre ’40 North American P51D Mustang ‘32-34 Ford 3-window coupes ’38 Delahaye Type 145 V12 Coupe ’59 Chevrolet El Camino ’62 Chevrolet Bel Air Bubbletop ’55 BRM V16 ’62 Novi V8 ’36 Riley V8

Under the race car umbrella, the Kurtis Kraft midget, Watson Roadster, Lola T70 Spyder and McLaren Can Am cars epitomise a symbiotic relationship between form and function. They all look so fast, even when stationary. To me, they evoke images, sounds and feelings of speed and success. Venturing off the land and out on the still, glassy early morning conditions of a lake, the Lauterbach hydroplane is an all-time favourite and captured my heart a very long time ago when attending speedboat racing meetings as a child. The roar of a 427 Chevrolet at maximum revs and the rooster tails of spray when cornering are addictions I still cherish today. And speaking of speedboats, I hope you like my indulgent story titled “The Mahogany Hot Rod” on page 60 of this issue. You may wonder why a ’36 Bugatti Atlantic and a Delahaye Coupe are on my list, and that’s an easy one to answer. I visited the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California, with a few close friends back in 2015. Coming into close contact with all that artistic design was a fascinating and life-changing experience. These two cars designs stood out as pure art to me. The Bugatti has a straight-eight engine,

while the Delahaye has a V16 under that long louvred hood, and the flowing lines are inspirational. On display amongst the cars in my make-believe museum are three engines that are art by design. Secondly, they’re high-performance internal combustion engines that broke through existing mechanical design paradigms and became legends in their own right. The first is a Miller double overhead camshaft straight eight whose strengths eventually flowed through to the Offenhauser DOHC inline 4, an INDY winning icon. Also on display is a super rare Riley single overhead camshaft V8. The highly innovative design was years ahead of its time and performed to plan. Nest is the BRM V16, an engine that carried the hopes and dreams of the British Formula One team. Sadly its reliability let it down, and it was a Kiwi Ron Hogan who assisted in troubleshooting it out of a tight spot. The sound of the 135 degree V16 is absolutely enchanting, and I regard it at the forefront of internal combustion engine ingenuity. Lastly, there’s the Novi V8, a DOHC V8 with a massive

centrifugal supercharger. It, too, had an enchanting exhaust note, especially at high rpms when it literally screamed. Sure there are others objects d’art and many production makes and models which could vie for my attention, but as they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Some of your favourites may be the same as mine; perhaps yours and mine are not even on the same page. That doesn’t matter one jot because it’s not a race and comparing tastes is akin to walking on thin ice. But being different is tremendous, and diversity is what makes it interesting. So these are my Picasso’s; this is my moonshine; what are yours?. PG.

CELEBRATING

YEARS OF SUPPLYING PARTS AND BUILDING NICE CARS FOR NICE PEOPLE

Thanks to all our customers for your support and business, and to our team for your dedication. NZ AGENTS FOR Art Morrison chassis Billet Specialties Bob Drake Brookville Roadster Classic Instruments Flaming River Glide seats Limeworks Lokar Mooneyes Pete & Jakes Ride-Tech So-Cal Speedshop Specialty Power Windows Superbell Vintage Air Vintique Wheel Vintique Wardlow bug screens

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LETTERS Memories HI PAUL, I ﬁrst met Bob and Raewyn Armstrong at the Pukekohe Hot Rod clubrooms in the mid-’70s. Rough as a possum’s shit, but what a lovely guy and girl. I am so glad that I caught up with them both at Squeak’s place in March. He and Murray Butler, Ralph Wright and Ron Collet also were joys to behold in those days. Although I was older than them, they were my hero’s and role models. Alan Lim was another, and you couldn’t ﬁnd a rougher one than him. All of them had and still have hearts of gold. To those who have passed, may they rest in peace; they were true hot rodders. One of these days, I hope to meet them again. Grahame Berry.

Hot Rods, Beer and Cigarettes WHEN N Richard Neale was 12 years old, an older friend took him along to a Rod Benders’ meeting at the old Avonside rowing sheds. The year was 1959, and Rich lived nearby at Sewell Street in Linwood, Christchurch. “The guys in Rod Benders were much older than me. About 17! I was only 12. I had one of my first beers in my life! Then, with my second beer, I was offered a cigarette. Taf Mathie offered me a channelled ’34 tudor project, rubbed back and ready for paint, for the princely sum of five pounds, and I turned it down! They couldn’t fool me. There was no engine, for a start, no windscreen, and it had flat tyres. No, they couldn’t fool me .... “But it did kick start my interest in hot rods. And probably, beer and cigarettes!” John Eva, Christchurch.

Another Good Kiwi Bloke. HI PAUL, sad news about Rich Neale. I hope Rob has a beer ready for him. He moved in next to me when he shifted to Te Atatu. He came over and introduced himself, and I recognised him from the mag. We started chatting, and he asked me what I did for a job. When I told him I was a cop, he said, “Oh, I should go home then.” Anyway, we became friends and had a few laughs. Rob and a few of the old boys would go to Riches on the odd night, and the ﬁrst time I pulled up in a patrol car, they all ran for cover. Rich hadn’t told them. They were there

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one night when I was leaving for the night shift in the old 351 XM Falcon. As I backed out of the drive, they all came out the front. I quietly closed the gate, and they all raised their glasses as I lit up the rears tyres and smoked out the whole street. Hence to say they were impressed, can’t say that for the rest of the neighbours. When I consider I have been buying the mag since 1967, it’s only natural we’re all getting older and times change. You guys are doing a great job, and make sure to take time out to relax. All the best from a loyal reader, Cheers Merv Mitchell.

Memories HI PAUL, I read with interest the feature on Ken and Sonya Wallers ‘39 Ford coupe in Julys mag. I’m about the same age as Ken, and also worked at the same Barry Mill sawmill, I was there in 1965. I will leave my phone number if he wants to call. I had many Ford V8s over 40 plus years. One was the ‘58 Goldﬂash of Geoff Adams featured in the same mag’s 50 years ﬂashback article. Regards Brian Wilson, Mokau

Dept of Corrections HI PAUL, just looking at the latest mag, just in passing, Tony Child’s Studebaker truck, yes it was a 4-door sedan, and no, it’s not fully restored. Mods include a 350, auto, Jag front and rear suspension etc. Sorry, Craig Stare. Andrew Walker

Footnotee : Not all letters received could be published, and we apologise to those who took the time and effort to contact us. We’ll endeavour to publish your letters in the next or future issue if still pertinent. Ed.

Letter of the month this month goes to John Eva who’s won this month’s prize of Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Wax Congratulations, we’ll be in contact with you soon.

255MM WIDE X 370MM HIGH This is the safety zone make sure you keep your text within this area! Images and colours can go out and past the bleed

BLEED SIZE - 285MM WIDE X 400MM HIGH

Just in

PASSING

³ Spirit of New Zealand DAVE Alexander is progressing well on his “Spirit of New Zealand” salt car. It was recently at Gravel Garage in Tauranga to have a vinyl wrap applied to the entire body. Pictured (L-R) is Dave Best, Jesse Best and Dave Alexander applying one of the body stripes. If it runs as good as it looks it will be a record breaker. As to when it will run at Bonneville is anyone’s guess with the current worldwide COVID pandemic. However, Lake Gairdner in South Australia in Feb 2022 is looking like being a good option. From Bruce Taylor.

Send in your stories and news! Email to: editor@nzhotrodmag.co.nz

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³ Growing up in Hot Rodding THIS is a small follow up from the June editorial where we mentioned about the young Otago rodders, Devin and Karli Colston. They have attended Muscle car Madness and many other events with their parents, Jason and Sharmin Colston and their grandparents Dave and Marie Rodger, for as far back as I can remember. They are as “keen as mustard” and always competed and participated in everything that was going. Grandma recently set me a few other pics. The ﬁrst one was taken when they were just ‘youngsters’ standing beside my T coupe rat rod, then the shot at the 25th anniversary and ﬁnally as teens with their own cars. Recently the entire family displayed three generations of family cars at their local Otago rod show, which appears elsewhere in this issue. This is the direction in which our hobby needs to head...job well done! From Craig Stare.

➤ May Meet SQUEAK Bell’s annual March Meet has become an iconic event. Check out this year’s event in our June issue. What is sure to gain popularity back in Bakersfield, California, is Squeak’s May Meet. The inaugural May Meet was held this year and is a similar concept to his March Meet here in NZ. Similar weather, cool cars and lots of neat people. Check out these photos, and for those of you who are familiar with the geography of Southern California will realise that some of the attendees have also driven more than a few hours getting there. Some readers will recognise some of the names. From Bruce Taylor. On the left is Squeaks 1939 “Big Top”, and on the right is fellow Shifters member Victor Jiminez’s ‘40 Merc. Victor’s Merc has a few original accessories, such as the bump ends and rear spats. Neither car has a front license plate.

The orange primered ‘28 A roadster at the front of this line up is owned by another Shifter’s member Phlem. Twin carb flattie is painted white which is colour matched to the wheels, grille insert, steering column and front suspension.

Tracey from Modesto owns this Model A coupe with 331 Hemi. White chassis, firewall and grille insert gives it that late ‘50s look. The front axle is mounted behind the front spring.

Chopped 1940 Ford convertible is owned by Kevan Sledge from Jackson.

This Model A bucket is owned by Chuckie from the Emperor’s Club in Victorville. It runs a strong 324ci Oldsmobile with six Stromberg 94s. Note the drilled front axle and lack of front brakes. The white vinyl cockpit cover gives it that neat old race car look.

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50 Years Ago

THIS month our rear-view mirror focuses on our September ’71 issue, leading with a stunning colour shot of Butch Reid’s Dr Zhivago taken by Allan Porter. Butch’s drag racing Ford Anglia with hot 272ci Y-block under a Pop front clip was the focus of a two-page feature. One of NZ’s most iconic hot rods to ever hit our scene was Terry Ferguson’s deuce coupe which featured using Allan Porter’s colour photography. Another unique drag racing rail featured was Max Nummy and Paul Barrett’s “Two Thing”. The engine was a flat 12, which the feature described as sounding like a novel cooking recipe. The engine was made up from two inline Ford Zephyr sixes, which were laid down flat and geared together using 7” lathe gears. Where is this super unique engine now? Or does it even still exist. Nick Leifting’s “Coruba” Altered was featured with its 327ci Chev, later replaced with a 427ci big block. A full-page colour advert was published promoting Litchfield Mach 2 shirts. The advertising agency-produced ad featured psychedelic era fonts and a shirt that’d be cool to wear, even today.

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³ Cool AZ PAUL Graham just landed this 1957 Chevrolet short bed, step-side pickup from California. Under the hood is a 327ci smallblock backed by a 700R 4-speed auto. Those cool as black wheels are 6-lug NASCAR-style items. Photos courtesy Patch.

³ Belated Welcome PATCH Jenden just acquired this mint ’68 RS Camaro, which has been here in NZ since it arrived via Chucks. It’s been stored under a cover and has never been in the rain since it landed in 2008. Since then, it’s attended one American Muscle Car Show where it won a Best Chev trophy and been garage-kept as a much-loved muscle car.

³ Bird Watching THIS ’61 T-bird just landed from California for Max Cossey. Those wheels are from a 2005 Ford Mustang, while a 390 FE fed by Holley fuel injection lurks under the hood. Braking has been upgraded to discs, and Max is going to make his own special street machine. Photos courtesy Patch.

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If you have a New Arrival you’d like to share with our readers then drop us a line at 09 432 1270 or email paul@nzhotrodmag.co.nz. We’d love to hear from you.

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LISA SAWYER’S 1930 MODEL A COUPE 1 4 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Diamonds Are Forever

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d photos by Craig Stare

nd her husband Keith are a een hot rodding couple; in fact, rd “keen” could probably be ed with “passionate”. Keith had usly owned some cool cars, ng a much-utilised Pontiac ore recently, a 1947 Chevrolet coupe that took 2-1/2 years to build. Lisa had been offered a company car, so it was decided to sell their near new Dodge Journey and use the sale proceeds in a different direction. A new kitchen came to mind, or perhaps a swimming pool, until Keith suggested the idea of Lisa having her own hot rod! At least if money was needed urgently, she could always sell it - yeah, right! It did sound like a fun investment! Unbeknownst to Lisa, she had already spotted her upcoming project car but just didn’t know it yet. The A coupe was sitting in the same upholstery shop where the ‘47 Chevy coupe received its upholstery job, the shop owner having purchased it from Tony House as a project. Now comes a crazy coincidence. When growing up as kids, Lisa’s family lived in Palmerston North, and the people that lived in the house across the road from her were the House family who had a little boy called Tony amidst their family. Both sets of parents were

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great “drinking buddies” until the House family moved to a new house in Ohope. Everyone went their different ways and only met up again via Facebook in the adult world. By this stage, Lisa was a car girl and had become very interested in the cool cars Tony was building, and his speciality seemed to be Model A coupes. He can build one of these blindfolded without an instruction sheet. Having thought she would never get to own one, the Model A coupe she had previously seen had

been traded back to her old childhood friend that could not only give her “a deal of a lifetime” he could even build it for her as well. This was early 2018. There was a “curveball”, of course, Lisa wanted a real girl’s hot rod, and Tony was not about to build any pink coupes in his lifetime! Actually, this couldn’t have been further from the truth as she had a deﬁnite plan inside her head; she wanted to base it on a coupe she had seen in the States that was also all white. The car had already had a solid Kiwi Konnection foundation with a 350 Chevrolet engine that boasted a mild cam, roller rockers, Weiand alloy intake manifold and a 650 Holley carb. HPC coated block hugger headers were also in the picture, and it was backed by a Turbo 350 automatic. The rear end is a Currie 9’ Ford utilising ladder bars, coil-over shocks, and drum brakes. You can’t beat a traditional front end starting with a transverse spring supported drilled and 4” dropped I-beam axle, hairpin radius rods, tubular shocks and disc brakes. Tony chopped the top on the U.S. imported coupe 4-1/2“and replaced the fabric roof insert with a full steel one. After sandblasting the body, Tony’s dad Colin did the panel beating in his spare time, and from here, it was sent to the well-known

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but trophies are forever Whittaker car painters in Whakatane. They coated everything, and we do mean everything in DeBeer Xirallic crystal pearl and clear coat, which gives the car quite an elegant glow, a bit like a wedding dress. The rear panel holds a pair of 1950 Oldsmobile tail lights (diamond edition) thanks to Lisa’s perseverance. The one-off badges were custom made CNC milled then chromed, done by another lady rodder, of course. Step inside, and yes, you guessed it, the whole theme continues (pure white and diamonds) massively yet very tasteful. Action Canvas and Upholstery brought Lisa’s vision to reality in diamond pleat over a bench seat and at every stitch intersection has a diamond style button, ﬁt for royalty. The steering wheel is an old-style Moon, and the dash insert holds a complete set of Stewart Warner gauges. The trunk area is just as slick, and that great airbrushed Marilyn Monroe vintage icebox actually completely hides the car’s battery. Lisa’s wheel choice was Vintique chrome, fronts are

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16”x4” with 5.15x16”, and rears are 16”x5” running 7.50x16” Firestone crossplys. The car came back from Tony just over two years later, virtually done, just leaving husband Keith a few ﬁnishing touches to do. Lisa is a very quiet type of lady and had no intention to build a show car, but wherever it goes, people love the car and seem to know Lisa by name. So she is very humbled by all the attention. Here are just some of its accolades so far: NZHRA Street Rod Nationals - Top Ten Hot Rod and Best Hot Rod Overall. All USA Day Tauranga: Top Hot Rod and People’s Choice. Beach Hop 2020: Top car Whitianga, Ford elite prize, Top 5 and Top car. Beach Hop 2021: Top 5 car and NZHRA Top vehicle. World’s 1st car and bike show 2021: Top hot rod. Kumeu Festival 2021: Best hot rod and Best Ford.

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Dragstalgia

Santa Pod Raceway, England - 9th-11th July 2021

Chris Hartnell in the Wild Bunch class was awarded the Best Wheelstand.

Report and photos by Roger Gorringe

SANTA Pod Raceway launched the tenth anniversary of the now-iconic Dragstalgia, dealing with COVID restrictions and dodgy weather forecasts. It turned out to be a stunning event with almost full grandstands and spectator banking and just one shower on Friday. Unfortunately, there were no foreign entries as in previous years due to travel restrictions still in force. However, there was a non-Brit racer who picked up a top award – Stuart ‘Kiwi’ Thompson, a New Zealander now in residence in England since the late eighties, he won Nostalgia Superstock. Dave Grabham was runner-up in the Nostalgia Cannonball class. The Fiat Topolino altered ran bests of 7.159 and a 189.80mph. 2 0 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Tim Garlick notched up three passes in the Nostalgia Funny Car totalling 18.781 seconds and took the win in the Nostalgia Cannonball category; his best numbers were 6.213 seconds and a 231.24mph.

Jedd Guy took the win in Outlaw Anglia in his ‘Shorty’s Hot Rod’ Ford Pop; a 7.494/159 took the trophy; he also set a new class record as top qualifier with a stunning 7.0145 coupled with a 190mph speed.

Mick Taylor took second place in the Outlaw Anglia Fordson Van ‘Banshee’, an 8.225/149 chased Jedd Guy.

Lee Pike took the immaculate ‘Honky Tonkin II’ Chevy to the Gasser Circus win; a holeshot 9.354/116 win beat Tony Pearson. Tony Pearson managed to take second place in the Gasser Circus class in his ‘Guzzler’ ’56 Chevy.

Stuart ‘Kiwi’ Thompson, an ex-pat New Zealander, now living in England, pushed his Plymouth Duster to the Nostalgia Superstock win. He came from sixteenth qualifier in the huge forty-two car field and took the trophy with a 9.848/134 beating Guy King’s 10.229/132.

Phil James got closest to Brown in the Wild Bunch average variance with an average of 0.0772.

Phil Evans secured the Willys Wars overall quickest ET trophy, a best of 9.5339/142.1.

Roy Wilding took his slingshot to the best qualifier in Supercharged Outlaw, a 7.390/179.9.

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Rob Brown ran his ‘Rebel’ slingshot dragster to get the best in the average variance over three passes in the Wild Bunch class a 0.0537 bested the numbers from the number two.

Neil Townson, in his ‘Northern Spirit’ Altered, ended up a few seconds later running a convertible as most of the bodywork disintegrated spectacularly at three quarters.

Paul Harris debuted his Nostalgia Funny Car styled in honour of the late iconic Top Fuel and Funny Car pilot Dennis Priddle.

In association with the American Muscle Car Club

SUNDAY SEPT 5 2021

FATHER’S FAT FA ATHER’S DAY AY

‘21 ‘2 21 29(5

DRAGS DRA RA AGS ,1 35,=( 021(<

$20 Admission. Children under 12 FREE. Gates open 7am Qualifying starts at 10am Raindate September 19, 2021 No dogs. Fathers Day Drags

BURNOUT COMPETITION! $1000 1st Prize! RACERS INFO: $20 admission, $35 to race. IHRA or NZDRA licences accepted, if no IHRA NZ membership then a $20 IHRA insurance/affiliation fee. Post 1948 USA and Australian V8 cars only. No imports, no buckets. All entries are at the discretion of the American Muscle Car Club. Current WOF, Registration and Drivers licence required. Cars must have bonnets. Helmet and correct footwear must be worn. No slick tyres or passengers permitted. DYO racing format. Vehicles under 11.0 ET will be required to be IHRA or NZDRA compliant: (Tech inspected with logbook, IHRA or NZDRA licence for driver). All support crew must come in with the racer due to parking restrictions in the pitt area. Scrutineering starts 8am. Racing is limited to 200 cars. For further information contact: Rob Scott 027 222 7105 or email: treasurer@amcc.nz. Cancellations on 1ZB or go to Facebook: Fathers Day Drags.

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Edgar Centre Dunedin July 10th & 11th

Otago Show From Craig Stare

ALL the clubs in Zone 10 combined for a massive show to let local public in on what happens in their region. Over 180 cars were on display with trade displays and a few invited guests like Karl Boniface and Garth Hogan. The variety of cars was amazing and of very high standard. With bitterly cold wind outside and an All Blacks match on we hope the crowd was strong. All clubs chipped in to hold the show and any profit will go back to the clubs. A great effort for all involved. Steve Rogan has his unfinished ‘32 roadster on display featured injected Lexus engine. 2 4 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

A different approach taken here built by Trevor Allnut.

Ryan Moore owns this immaculate Fairlane compact, Hurricanes club.

Tony Gow has just purchased this fully restored ‘Cuda: Hurricanes club.

Hot rod mag cover car built by Dennis Stanley has been sold and has a new home in Dunedin. Paul Kingsland is the new owner and has just joined the Pre 49s club

Roger Binnema has had his new Camaro race car built turn-key in the US and looks stunning.

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Grant Findlay’s retired ‘34 race car normally lives in the foyer inside his house, but he was convinced to bring it out of hibernation.

Early 1957 Chrysler Imperial in pastel pink is from the Graham Rollo collection and certainly makes a statement on Stateside Streeters stand. A small section of Whitestone rodders club display from Oamaru.

Dave Roger had his real old time A roadster on display.

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They don’t come any wilder than this Conrodders based 1937 Ford coupe owned by Chris Barnes. Lurking under the hood is a big block Chev.

The Colston family corner.

The perfect way to promote your business! Gary McInness had his perfect 1956 Mercury Montclair on display that he has probably owned for thirty years!

Roger Galloway had two cars on display, this was his tasteful 1957 Ford Custom 300.

Liz Carmichael’s custom Ford coupe.

1947 Ford coupe owned by Reuben Kinghorn in Conrodders. Apparently, the cool paint was discovered under primer paint after many hours of sanding!

Local man Pete Wilson is the new owner of 1950 Buick convertible. > 27

This 427 Chev powered early Camaro was also very impressive.

Old school all the way.

Very unusual styling with this early ‘50s Chevrolet sloper owned by Michelle Robinson. Bruce and Jenny Wright showed off this LS powered Ford pickup.

Unusual choice of weapon.

Barry Carmichael still owns his show winning 1959 Chevrolet Impala.

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Magoo’s Street Ro

turns 2

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ods

Magoo’ss Street Rods celebrates its 25th anniversar y this year, but the back stor y really goes back over 50 years and Lloyd Wilson’ss introduction to hot rodding. The serendipitous purchase of the August 1970 issue of NZ Hot Rod Magaazine, purely because it had a photo of his motor racing hero Red Daw wson’ss Mustang on the co over and seeing his ﬁrstever hot rod (Royce Fisher’s T pickup) a couple of days later were both catalysts for a lifetime involvement in n our hobby.

Murray Helm’s traditional 3-window coupe was inﬂuenced by Magoo’s own Deuce.

Jim Delegat’s 1956 F100 is an excellent example of the standard of workmanship and innovation that Magoo’s is producing.

THOSE events led to Lloyd developing an interest, which became a passion that ultimately led to the business’s establishment in 1996. Initially, it was just importing and retailing parts, but within a few years, it was employing staff and building cars for customers. The business’s name came from Lloyd’s nickname, which was coined initially by Darren Clarke, son of past NZHRA president Peter Clarke. Lloyd & long time hot rodder Neil Roper visited the Clarkes when Lloyd was in Auckland once. A very young Darren spied him wearing glasses and bowler hat and yelled out, “Look, Dad – there’s Mr Magoo”. It stuck and was used as a pen name when Lloyd was writing as a freelance correspondent for NZHRM in the 1970s and early 1980s. Co-incidentally in California at the time, Dick Megugorac had a business by the name of Magoo’s Hot Rods (few could pronounce, let alone spell Dick’s name, hence the abbreviation to Magoo), so not wanting to tread on toes, Lloyd explained the situation and cleared with Dick that it was ok to use a variation of the name. Hence Magoo’s Street Rods. At the time, general speed equipment was available from some retailers, but there were very few businesses in

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Todd Smyth’s 1930 Ford pickup took out Top Car at both the Street Rod and Pre-’49 Nationals in 2019.

Don & Leah Edwards repeated the result the following year in their Magoo’s built 1934 Chev Tudor.

Featured in last month’s NZHRM, Anne Wilson’s ’34 Tudor was a long term project that had to fit around the priority of customer’s cars.

The original Magoo’s Street Rods promo car and family vehicle was this ’28 Model A sedan delivery.

Lyall & Lucy Stewart’s spectacular supercharged ’32 coupe was rebuilt by Magoo’s and is a stand-out car.

Hot rodding is not only for the men! Lynnda Bouzaid’s ’34 Chev Delivery runs with Capital Rodders and was an early Magoo’s build.

Bob Johnstone had this wicked Model A coupe channelled and put together by the Magoo’s crew.

With bodywork by Magoo’s, this Boss was judged New Zealand’s top Mustang in 2007 and was an NZHRM cover car.

New Zealand dedicated to the street rod market. Lloyd had experience in importing parts for his own projects, which led in 1997 to the first of many trips to the USA to secure agencies for many of the leading brands, including Mooneyes, Vintique, Lokar, Flaming River, Pete & Jakes/Super Bell, So-Cal Speedshop, Billet Specialties, Classic Instruments, Kugel Komponents, Brookville Roadster, Summit, Tanks Inc, Speedway, Yogis etc. etc In 2000 the decision was made to take the business to the next level and go into the panel and engineering side of things. A mutual friend who had previously painted Magoo’s ’28 Delivery introduced him to Scott Wildman, a talented body guy who wanted to get away from just doing insurance work. “It was a bit of a shaky start at first – Scott and I had agreed we’d kick things off when we had two jobs booked in. The first was a ’55 Chev, and we were only a couple of weeks into the project when the guy’s wife cleared out his bank accounts and ran away overseas, so the car was urgently put on hold. The backup vehicle was a ‘38 Chev, and the day it was booked to be delivered, the owner changed his mind and bought a restored car. With leased premises and wage overheads, it was not an ideal way to launch that next stage of the business.” Said Lloyd. While the net was being cast out for a third project, the decision was made to start a rebuild of wife Anne’s ‘34 (finally now finished and featured in August 2021 NZHRM). Then Bob Edgecumbe brought in his ’40 Ford Tudor to rod as a ‘turn-key vehicle, followed by Jack Cooper’s F100, and the rest - as they say – is history. The next hiccup was the lease being sold for the building Magoo’s was initially set up in, so the business shifted to Lloyd & Anne’s rural property – initially in the triple-bay home garage. At the same time, a 270sq metre shed was constructed.

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However, as the team and workload grew, that workshop quickly became too small, so an 1100 sq metre purpose-built premise was built in a new industrial subdivision at the Southern end of Masterton. In total, over the past 25 years, the team has built over 50 ‘turn-key’ cars for customers from as far away as Bluff and Whangarei, another dozen ‘rollers’ and lost count of the number of partial projects. In addition to regular hot rod work, they have tackled restorations, tourism vehicles and movie work. Another impressive statistic is that Magoo’s has now built over forty fibreglass coupe & roadster bodies. At any given time, they usually have 20 projects on the go, so there is always plenty of variety in the shop to suit all tastes and budgets. A competent and skilled team assists Lloyd; Andrew, Nathan, Jasper, Chris & Rick, plus Tim, Jeremy & Nic are subcontracted in for paint prep, fibreglass and upholstery, respectively. Magoo’s uses the adage ‘we build nice cars for nice people’, and Lloyd confirms, “We have made some fantastic friends from all around the country as a result of helping them with projects.” “Aside from the huge number of cars we’ve built and assisted with, there is a real satisfaction in knowing that we’ve sold parts for literally thousands of NZ hot rods and therefore helped our hobby grow.” While Lloyd has no fixed plans for retirement, there have been changes in search of a more balanced lifestyle. The Magoo’s team of seven has always worked four ten-hour days and enjoyed a long weekend every week. However, the retail part of the business was open 5-1/2 days per week until last year, when Lloyd decided it was personally time to go onto the same regime as the others. Emails and calls are still handled, but the retail shop is now closed on Fridays. The second change has been son Nathan taking on a shareholding in the business. “Nathan signed on when we built the Edwin Feist Place workshop and has become a key part of the business – not just with his abilities in retail and the IT side of things, but increasingly working as a fabricator in his own right.” With a long-term succession strategy in place, the future of the business is in good hands.

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Dave Mallinder’s 1959 Chevrolet pickup is a good example of a very practical hot rod.

Jack Cooper’s ’55 F100 put Magoo’s Street Rods on the map with the detailed build. Now resident in Australia.

One of several restorations done through the years – Peter Evan’s Deuce is vintage honey!

Ian Prisk’s 1957 Chevrolet sports coupe was the first car built by Magoo’s using an Art Morrison chassis and has seen plenty of street & strip time.

Hard to miss Craig Hailwood’s scratch-built ’32 3 w coupe in bright yellow gel coat finish.

Another female hot rodder – Sue Koljin, had this 1932 roadster built as a tribute car and featured in January 2021 NZHRM.

Jaguar enthusiast Andy Stevenson opted for 4 wheel independent suspension when Magoo’s built his ’48 Ford coupe.

Magoo won international recognition with his own roadster pickup that won the coveted ‘Stroker McGurk’ award at USA Goodguys West Coast Nationals in 2008.

This ‘32 3W coupe project was a teenage dream and aspiration come true for Russell Matiu.

Peter Richard’s 1948 Ford bonus pickup was a trophy hauler and featured in print and TV.

The first pre-49 car completed by Magoo’s was this spectacular ’40 Ford Tudor and was one of two projects built for the late Bob Edgcumbe.

Magoo’s own flathead powered 32 3w debuted in 2007 and has become the trademark for the business.

Jim Rushton’s ’39 Chev coupe runs with Pukekohe hot rod club and is another example of Magoo’s handling builds for customers from all around the country.

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Andy Byne’s ’32 coupe was a collaborative effort with the owner, who supplied the motor and did some of the assembly.

While their coupe was being built, Evan also had Magoo’s secretly build this roadster for Lois Pennial as a surprise birthday/wedding anniversary present.

Evan Pennial had a stock car racing background, hence the theme paint job for his McCullough supercharged flathead deuce coupe.

Another example of a roller project, the paint and upholstery for Ian & Sue Jones’ Brookville bodied roadster, was completed in their Nelson hometown after Magoo’s built the car.

With wife Anne’s ’34 finally completed, Lloyd is now on track for completing his next ’32 roadster, complete with fuel-injected Hemi power.

Magoo’s have been a long-time dealer for Brookville Roadster, and Neil McAllum’s highboy uses their 1928 steel version.

One of the largest projects undertaken by the team – Martin Wiseman’s 1966 Pontiac Catalina convertible was imported by Magoo’s from Chicago and was fully rebuilt, including RideTech suspension.

Richie Risson’s ’30 roadster was built as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with very strong SB Chev running gear hidden under the PPG Vibrance paint. 3 6 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

The Masterton showroom is crammed full of stock from all the major USA hot rod manufacturers, and orders are couriered out at least twice a day.

Peter & Cheryl Swallow’s ’39 Chev coupe featured many unique features, including Ford headlights and custom hood side panels.

Currently, in the works with a Morrison chassis and LS3 motor, this 51 Suburban is getting the full treatment, including leather interior and Vintage Air.

The Magoo’s team; left to right; Rick Honey, Andrew McGregor, Jasper Elliot, Lloyd Wilson, Nathan Wilson, Chris Wratt.

Magoo’s Street Rods owners Lloyd & Nathan Wilson working on Robbie Chesham’s new Hemi powered ‘31 Ford Victoria. The latest completed build for Rick Mead is this resto-rod styled 1928 Dodge, which started with a vintage car inherited from his father.

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LVVTA News

The Un-love Triangle THERE’S a lot of people in New Zealand’s car-building modification and construction sector. There are the vehicle owners, there are the people who do the modifying and building (whether for themselves or others), there are the people who make or bring in and sell the parts needed, there are the LVV Certifiers, and there are the people who provide the legal framework and the technical requirements to enable New Zealand’s vehicle modification and construction industry and hobby to keep going. Even though we’re all wanting the same thing, sometimes there’s a bit of a disconnect between some of the players, and frustration can set in. But it shouldn’t be that way. Maybe there’s a lack of understanding going on, so seeing things from the perspective of others might shine a bit of light on things…

Risky Business When you think about it, there’s a huge level of potential safety risk associated with unqualified people designing and building a motor vehicle in their home garage without any calculations, prototyping, or testing. The LVV certification system, which has been developed over three decades to reduce this risk, is based mostly on ‘best practice’, which in turn is based on ‘historical

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k knowledge’. That ‘best practice’ aand ‘historical knowledge’ is the backbone of what’s recognised b iinternationally as a world-best set of ttechnical requirements for modified aand scratch-built vehicles, which LLVVTA has created in an effort to rreduce this potential safety risk. The ssystem has also been created so that tthe LVV Certifiers – whether they’re based in Northland or Southland – b ccan achieve much the same outcome when they LVV certify a vehicle. w Sure, it’s a complex profession, aand there will always be room for misinterpretation in such a difficult m eenvironment, but for the most part, with the LVV Standards and Car w Construction Manual Chapters we C have, plus the substantial volume h of Information Sheets and Safety o Alerts in place and a team of highlyA eexperienced technical staff at LVVTA providing the LVV Certifiers with p a help-desk service, variations in tthe way that the requirements are aapplied should be relatively few.

“LVVTA’s Changed the Rules Again” D Despite all of that, the inconsistency of applying the requirements from o LLVV Certifier to LVV Certifier happens. Sometimes when the team h aat LVVTA identify incorrect decisions made by an LVV Certifier during the m LLVVTA’s desk-top technical reviewing

process, the LVVTA staff can feel a little frustration when that well-worn statement “LVVTA has changed the rules” gets rolled out once again. These statements circulate amongst LVV Certifiers, parts sellers, and the public, but the big irony here is that while LVVTA is commonly accused of ‘changing the rules’, the reality is, in fact, that LVVTA doesn’t change the rules anywhere near as much as it should be. In fact, one of LVVTA’s biggest failings over the past ten or so years, as its responsibilities have increasingly outstripped its resources, is that LVVTA hasn’t been able to prioritise technical requirement amendments (or ‘rule changes’) anywhere near as much as it should have been. So, what’s causing this view that LVVTA is always ‘changing the rules’? Here’s a recent example of a situation that caused some criticism of an LVV Certifier by some people in the industry. However, the criticism was unjustified because the LVV Certifier simply followed the process – in other words, he did exactly what he was required to do by the LVV certification system. Let’s follow the process through because the key points here apply to many other situations which, while technically different, they’re just the same from the perspective of how blame is unjustly apportioned.

The ‘Lokar’-brand Brake Pedal

Above: Lokar pedals. Below LeŌ and right: Failed aŌermarket steering wheel.

The LVV Certifier in question was doing an LVV certification inspection on a car fitted with an aluminium ‘Lokar’-brand brake pedal, like the one shown in the photograph, and got to the part of his mandated LVV Inspection Form-set (Form-set FS108 - Braking Systems) that deals with custom brake pedals. Item #8 on the Form-set says that “…a custombuilt pedal is made from material of equal or greater strength than 8 mm (5/16”) mild steel”. As with all Form-set statements (based on the corresponding requirement in the LVV Standard or Car Construction Manual Chapter), the LVV Certifier must tick the relevant box to agree that it complies or cross the box (with relevant notes) if it doesn’t comply. Just for clarification, ‘custom’ is defined (in the Terms and Definitions section of the NZ Car Construction Manual) as ‘a service provided, or a component or system manufactured, by an individual or a company who is not a high-volume motor vehicle manufacturer’. The corresponding paragraph 8.3.1 of Chapter 8 Braking Systems of the NZ Car Construction Manual (under the section heading ‘Pedal Assembly requirements’), says, “A custom-manufactured brake pedal fitted to a low volume vehicle must be manufactured from a material having a thickness (note that ‘thickness’ means the skinny section of the pedal that faces the driver) of equal or greater strength than 8 mm (5/16”) mild steel.” In the sidebar adjacent to that paragraph in the Car Construction Manual Chapter, a note says (headed 8.3.1), “If using aluminium for a brake pedal, the material thickness will need to be between 150% and 200% of the specified mild steel thickness”. (By the way – just to be clear - that requirement has been in place for over ten years, so this isn’t a case of ‘LVVTA has changed the rules again’.) A vernier calliper showed some areas of the pedal to be 8 mm thick, so if it was made from mild steel it would be acceptable at face value, but as the pedal was made from

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aluminium, the pedal would have to be between 12 mm and 16 mm thick throughout the whole pedal for the LVV Certifier to be able to pass it. The machined out section (removed from the wider face of the pedal) also raised a question in the mind of the LVV Certifier regarding how the removal of the material might affect the overall strength of the pedal. The requirements clearly necessitated the LVV Certifier to fail the pedal, and the LVV Certifier could have just put a cross in the box and left the vehicle owner with the problem. However, to help his customer, the LVV Certifier asked the vehicle owner to do a bit of homework and see if he could get some information from the manufacturer or the New Zealand supplier to establish what kind of aluminium the pedal is made from. The vehicle owner was able to find out from the pedal manufacturer that the pedal was produced from 6061 T6-grade aluminium alloy, which is a very high quality and high-strength aluminium. The LVV Certifier then asked the technical staff at LVVTA for some help, providing them with the material specification and the physical dimensions, and it was quickly established, through a calculation process provided by LVVTA’s technical team - at no cost to anyone - that the grade of aluminium had at least the same strength qualities as mild steel also, that the pedal was still sufficiently strong despite the removal of the material from the wider section, and so the pedal could be accepted. The LVV Certifier was able to make a note on the Formset, tick the box, and move on.

Without establishing the material specification and seeking advice from the LVVTA technical staff, the LVV Certifier would have been acting fraudulently in ticking the box. More importantly, if the LVV Certifier did pass the pedal, and the pedal had been made from an inferior material, it may well have been unsafe.

Aiming for Consistency When the vehicle owner approached a New Zealand supplier of Lokarbrand pedals with the question about the material grade, he received the response of “what do they need that for? One of these pedals passed certification the other day”. The problem here is that the LVV Certifier who ‘passed one the other day’ was acting incorrectly yet was perceived as the ‘good guy’, whereas the LVV Certifier who asked the question because he was correctly following the process as he is legally obliged to do, was cast as the ‘bad guy’. Hardly fair… The same ‘bad guy’ theme is

It’s important that the LVV Certifiers, the modification industry, and LVVTA all work together. 4 0 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

also applied to LVVTA regularly when, during a desk-top technical review, the LVVTA technical staff identify things like this where the LVV Certifier hasn’t followed the requirements correctly. LVVTA is legally obliged to apply the desktop technical reviewing system (and it’s a hugely valuable tool in improving consistency across the LVV Certifiers). If the staff find that an LVV Certifier has approved something which doesn’t meet the requirements. There’s no good reason for approving it; the staff are then obliged to bring this to the LVV Certifier’s attention – which often results in the LVV Certifier having to go back to their customer to have the vehicle made safe and compliant. Some LVV Certifiers are rock-solid guys who put their hands up to their customers, learn from LVVTA’s coaching process, and never make the same mistake twice. Other LVV Certifiers, however, just roll out that old chestnut “LVVTA has changed the rules again” to save face - making LVVTA, and the other LVV Certifiers who do the job correctly, look like the bad guys.

Need to Work Together It’s important that the LVV Certifiers, the modification industry, and LVVTA all work together. Trying to throw LVVTA or an LVV Certifier who’s doing his job correctly under the bus isn’t helping resolve the massive aftermarket parts problem that we’ve all got and all need to work together on. Another recent example of the unsafe aftermarket parts problem (and LVVTA sees a new problem every week) is the recent discovery of the ‘CPP’-brand booster and master cylinder assembly, where the master cylinder mounting bolts snap under normal tightening – which could easily result in a complete hydraulic brake system failure in an emergency stop. Especially over the last decade, LVVTA has seen a number of wellrespected big-name manufacturers make surprising decisions around the use of incorrect materials, inferior production methods, and

shocking quality control issues. It’s important for vehicle owners, modifiers, and the sellers of components to understand that when these sometimes annoying questions are asked, they are coming from the perspective of safety. No one is trying to place obstacles in the way of a vehicle owner getting their car on the road for the fun of it. Behind every requirement sits New Zealand’s ‘best practise’ car-building history, and 30 years of work has gone into creating a system of welldocumented ‘historical knowledge’ from all of that best practice history. It’s the job of a good LVV Certifier to ask the hard questions. It’s his name being signed on the bottom line, and he has big responsibilities – both morally and legally. If he ignores something or passes something he shouldn’t, it might be a short-term gain for the customer, but it could form part of a longterm pain for the whole LVV system and everyone who is currently lucky enough to modify and build their vehicles in New Zealand. Let’s stop kicking the good LVV Certifiers who are doing the job expected of them and the LVVTA staff who work bloody hard to create an environment that both the enthusiast community and the Government can live with. 6a

1: Failed alloy wheel stud. 2: Poor and non-compliant aftermarket chassis c-notch. 3: Failed alloy wheel nuts. 4: Failed aftermarket differential tube. 5: Poorly designed and made aftermarket tilt steering column. 5a: Dismantled column tilt assembly, showing the failed plastic drive-bush. 6: Aftermarket steering rack with butt-welded rack shaft. 6a: Close-up of aftermarket steering rack with butt-welded rack shaft. 7: The Ford pickup that sparked the poorquality cast aftermarket axle investigation. 7a: A close-up shot of a broken aftermarket I-beam axle.

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ONE-OF B L AC K I E ’ S 194 0 C

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F-A-KIND HEVROLET PICKUP

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Photos by Alastair Ritchie

ALTHOUGH Ford NZ imported and assembled 1940 Ford pickups, we’re 99% sure no 1940 Chevrolet pickups were ever imported or assembled here. We’ve seen huckery looking wooden colonial cab Chevrolet pickups of the era, but they were all visual molestations of Chevrolet sedans. We’ve never seen a genuine factory-built 1940 production version in all our travels around NZ, making this super rare pickup a true one-of-a-kind workhorse. To be fair, the 1940 was most likely one of Chevrolet’s first truly modern light-duty trucks, and it offered more comfort, style, and utility – than any previous pickups but, sadly, precious few of these workhorses survive today. The half-ton capacity pickup debuted in 1938 with an all-new modern look from Chevrolet’s Art and Colour department. With its classic upright grille and passenger-car styling, the 1940 version was the last of its kind

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before the redesigned 1941 pickup marked the beginning of the AKseries trucks, which ran until 1947. This particular pickup was built by a father and son team of Brian and Pete Sabo out of Temperance, Michigan. What Brian and his son

originally started with was a pile of parts. The ensemble of components was scattered between two barns, totalling over 60 individual pieces. Once loaded onto the trailer for the journey home, it looked more like a pile of junk on its way to the scrap yard and was a far cry from the gem you see pictured here. However, two years after hauling it home, Brian and son Pete had transformed a pile of junk into a pickup with pride. It was put up for sale with just 1,515 miles on the clock since built, and Kiwi motoring enthusiast Blackie spotted it at Vanguard Motor Sales, Plymouth, Michigan and hit the buy now button. The high-quality built is immediately evident, and the proof is

the features in June 2008 Street Rodder magazine and others. Under the hood rests a 383ci stroker V8 based on an LT-1 engine that wears a pair of aluminium cylinder heads topped with Street & Performance valve covers. Spent exhaust gas exits through a set of Sanderson headers into a stainless-steel 2-½-inch exhaust system with Edelbrock mufflers while cooling is handled by a Be Cool radiator and electric fan. Horsepower is transmitted to a GM 700R4 overdrive automatic transmission and onto a Ford 9-inch rear end. The pickup’s suspension is thoroughly modernised,

THE INTERIOR

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beginning with a boxed stock frame with hidden stainless-steel brake and fuel lines. A 5–inch Heidt’s crossmember, 2-inch dropped spindles, and Ridetech airbags and controls provide a wicked stance up front. The rear leaf-spring suspension is by Chassis Engineering, and braking was vastly improved with a set of discs all around. On arrival in NZ the pick was disassembled right down to the chassis so modifications for safety and compliance could be made. With those mods completed the pert pickup was reassemble and now has certification and registration for road use. Keep an eye out for this one-of-a-kind wonder on he streets of Auckland.

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE: Professionally built, fuel-injected 383ci LT1, aluminium cylinder heads, Street & Performance valve covers, serpentine pulley kit, spark-plug wire separators, Sanderson headers, stainless steel 2-1/2” exhaust system w/ Edelbrock mufflers and square chrome exhaust tips COOLING: Be Cool radiator w/ electric fan and a coolant overflow tank TRANS: 700R4 - 4-Speed automatic REAR END: Ford 9-inch w/ 3.73:1 gears STEERING: Power steering BRAKES: Power discs front and rear SUSPENSION: Ridetech Air Ride & controls, Mustang II style front suspension, 2-inch dropped spindles rear leaf-spring suspension by Chassis Engineering WIRING: Ron Francis wiring harness, halogen headlights

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BODY: Laser straight body, very nice body gaps, shaved door handles, smoothed tailgate, Pro Pick cargo bed - white pine wood-floor kit, stainless metal strips and a tonneau cover. PAINT: House of Kolor Blue Blood Red CHASSIS: Boxed stock frame, Heidt’s Cross Member Hidden Stainless-Steel Brake and Fuel Lines Custom Powder Coated Undercarriage and a Tanks fuel tank. WHEELS & TYRES: Boyd Coddington “New Wave” 5 Spoke Wheels – 18’ Front, 19” Rear shod with Toyo Tires. Front – 235/45R17. Rear – 255/45ZR18 INTERIOR: Krist Kustom custom interior, custom door panels, leather bench seat, chrome accents, leather-wrapped dashboard, taupe leather and matching carpets. Dakota Digital gauges, Ididit chrome steering column, Ball’s power windows, Lokar shifter, single din radio head unit w/CD player, custom headliner radio mount, Vintage Air, air conditioning.

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The

Irishman’s Rally

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Report from Craig Stare Photos by Trish Merryweather and Andy & Vicky McClennan

THE Irishman’s Vintage Car Rally is a unique event run by the Vintage Car Club. It’s the longest-running automotive event (two-day) in the country and quite possibly the world! The 60th anniversary was held in 2013. last year, the event had to be cancelled due to COVID, but the turnout was huge this year. Cars have to be pre-1932 with original engines, and only non-detectable modifications to give reliability are allowed. No flathead Ford V8s are permitted at this event. More and more hot rodders from Hamilton

and Auckland in the north island have entered in the past decade. This event is the one time you don’t really want to be the winner as the previous winner has to organise next year’s event. Vaughan Morrison was the lucky organiser this year and Day One started early on Saturday morning, departing from Alexandra with a record turnout of 165 vehicles. This part of the run kicked off eight hours of very spirited motoring through St. Bathens, Danseys Pass and Myers Pass. It ended late afternoon for the lucky ones, but the backmarkers ended up deep into the night when they finally arrived. The last river crossing was a real challenge, but luckily, several

four-wheel drive safety vehicles follow the adventure for backup. The Sunday organiser was the 2019 runner up, Harry Orpwood. He had organised a challenging day from Fairlie, onto Haiden Rd. and then the very interesting Benmore hydro track and eventually ending up at the dam. From there, it was onto Omarama for driving events and some track laps at Murray Stewart’s “international” dirt track. This year’s winner was Allan Wylie. The bitterly cold frosts did not appear this year; there was just some annoying mist. However, the rally and its weather are never the same each year. So we’ll let our participant’s photos fill in the gaps in our story from here.

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Parked up for the night at accommodation. L-R Andy McClennan, Martin Collins, Chris Hornblow and Richie Malam in his 1930 DeSoto straight 8.

High altitude and in the clouds on Day 2.

Mary-Rose Adlington is all smiles and having tons of fun on the run with friends.

Model As rule the main street of St Bathans.

Richie Malam’s straight 8 DeSoto negotiating high country tussock land.

Day 2 saw the entourage entering the Benmore power pylon service road. 5 2 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Fording the swollen, mountain-fed Dunstan Creek on the road to St Bathans.

Pub stop at the Vulcan Hotel.

(L-R) Richie Malam, Martin Collins, Chris Hornblow, Andy McClennan and Cory at Irishmans Creek.

A sack over the radiator and thick tow rope at the ready in preparation for forwarding the swollen Dunstan Creek.

The lunch stop at the old gold mining town of St Bathans

A gaggle of rod-braked Model As cool their shoes before descending the ridge to the dam.

The snow-capped southern alps presented a stunning backdrop while travelling south to Alexandra.

This 1914 Ford Model T Speedster attends every year.

Andy Fox’s 1922 Rolls Royce is a farmer from North Canterbury. He’s a regular on the Irishman’s and has organised it a few times. > 53

Hearty H

Allyson Daniels’ 1956 Chev

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Hardtop

v Bel Air four-door hardtop

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From Craig ‘Splitpin’ Houston

GETTING married to a hot rodder does one of two things. You either get involved with the sport, or you don’t. Allyson Daniels is fully involved and wouldn’t change a thing. Since meeting up with Steve in 1998, the Daniels have been fully involved with all aspects of the sport, including street rodding, drag racing, and attending rod runs etc., all over New Zealand. Back in 2005, a chance came along through Starry Malcolm and Steve Keys to purchase this 1956 Chev Bel Air 4-door hardtop. It was a totally rust-free car from the states, and the plan was just to drive the original twotone blue sedan around as it was. This was exactly what happened, but in 2015 after 10 years of cruising around, it was starting to need a refurbish, so they took it off the road and stripped it down to the bare shell and started the rebuild from scratch. First, the panels were massaged back to perfect by Terry Price before son Glen prepped and undercoated everything. Then Putaruru Panel beaters applied the ”Winning Blue” and “Speed Silver” two-pack colours.

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The engine and trans were freshened up, dressed up and replaced in the frame, and even though it is a stock 283 and Powerglide, it performs exceptionally well. It still retains the stock 10-bolt rear end and has the factory power steering option, which helps in parking when the need comes to be used for shopping. While the Daniels were on a trip to the states in 2013, they used the opportunity to purchase a complete Danchuck interior, and Sku

eventually fitted this in Rotorua. The final bits to be fitted were a set of Daises and the appropriate tyres, and then after three years of rebuilding, it was back on the road and will be used as much as it was before. As with any build, there are always people to thank, including husband Steve, Starry, Steve Keys, Sku, Glen Daniels, Rhys Daniels, Todd Rex, Ian Smith, Terry Price, and Stu Brown, who all helped achieve a very tidy 1956 Chev Bel Air for Allyson.

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> 59

The Mahogany Hot Rod

Written by Paul Grace as told by Bryan Grace Photos from the Grace family collection

THIS story is about my father, Bryan Grace and the building of the Grace family ski boat. It follows from an earlier article titled “Dirt Track Addiction”, published in our April 2021 issue. Three factors influenced the construction of the Grace family ski boat. The first goes a long way back to dad’s early childhood. His mother passed away in June 1937, and he was raised by an aunt. Father (Gordon) was in the NZ Army and served overseas, sending his army pay back to NZ for living costs for sons Bryan and Jon. Dad recalls seeing his dad set off overseas and asked the question’ “Why do you have to go away, dad?” To which Gordon replied, “To make a better New Zealand for you and your brother”. The bottom line was that a father and son relationship was effectively extinguished right there. However, dad was determined to have a full-on father and sons relationship with his boys and daughter when the time came. The second factor was a subliminal

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message planted in his mind with association with speedboats. In the early 1950s, dad was under the wing of his father Gordon Grace, who was actively involved in the racing of Redhead, Sir Len Southward’s Allison V12 powered speed boat. Dad (Bryan) recalls being taken out on the chase boat, powered by a hot rodded Buick straight-eight engine. It could really haul, and he asked Gordon if he could drive it but sadly was refused. So a seed was planted there, perhaps? The third factor was quite overt: Reminiscing to me by phone, he recalled that it was a cutting remark from my mother (RIP) saying he wasn’t capable of building a boat which spurred him on to do it. “No one had faith in me that I could do these things.” He said. Any hint of motivation to build a boat was undoubtedly there, but those three factors were dormant and simmering just below the surface. Fast forward to the mid-sixties, and we lived in Glen Eden, a blue-collar suburb in west Auckland. At the time, NZ was heavily egalitarian: threechild family, three-bedroom house on a quarter-acre section and all served

by a single income earner. (in the beginning, the going was tough and dad worked three jobs to make ends meet). A work colleague Arthur Picard was involved with speedboats and had a 16” boat with a supercharged GMC inline 6-cylinder truck engine in it. Dad and us kids were invited to ski at Panmure basin in Auckland on a few occasions, and it’s where I learned to water ski. (parts of that story are embarrassing and unpublishable) Arthur and dad worked at Dales Freightways, one of NZ’s largest heavy haulage companies at the time. The truck decks were made from hardwood or Kauri, and all woodwork at Dales was under the control of the company carpenter, Claude. Claude was the goto guy for anything wooden and was a law unto himself, that is, except the Managing Director – Bill Moyes. One day Claude was re-decking a truck with 6”x2” Kauri when dad spotted a pile of offcuts, which, after enquiring, was told, were headed for the bin. “Can I have them?” dad asked, and the answer was yes, so home came the Kauri offcuts – perhaps to build a boat?

The writer working on the ‘48 Mercury flathead aged 13.

Water skiing on the Panmure basin was fun, and dad thought a family speedboat project would be a great start for my brother and me. Perhaps we’d get bitten by the boating bug, go water skiing behind it and even get keen enough to go hydroplane racing in the future. Then it happened – the turning point and catalyst was the discovery of a 160page book titled “The Boat Builder’s Handbook” published by Science and Mechanics in January 1956. One of the plans was by Naval architect William D. Jackson for “Panther”, a 15-foot high-speed inboard runabout. The preamble to the 1956 plans was very enticing: Panther is a runabout specially

designed for use with today’s lightweight, high-speed auto engines. Top speed is 75 mph, It could be driven faster, but it would then have only one point of contact with the water; its propeller. Here, veritably, is a projectile for waterborne space travel, an inboard speedster with super clean and efficient running lines. With any present-day automobile engine (‘54 or later), or even with a “souped” ‘46 to ‘49 Ford or Mercury, speeds of 75 mph are possible with no sacrifice of stability. On the contrary, because of the employment of advanced methods of strut, rudder, and rearward motor installation, vibration is kept to a minimum. Finally, gas consumption is low because of low weight per hp, and power is applied so that there are minimal strains, maximum forward thrust and an almost complete absence of wave-making resistance. At speeds above 50 mph, wake disappears, and Panther begins

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to ride on its propeller. Panther was designed for use with any of the auto engines for which conversion parts are available. With an unaltered stock, 100 hp engine, you can attain speeds of over 45 mph. If you soup up such a motor and reduce the overall weight of the boat and engine, you can get speeds of over 60 mph. For roughly $200, you can install a really “hot” motor that will haul from one to 10 water skiers, carry from two to four passengers—and pass up expensive inboards. Two years of developmental work have gone into

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Panther. The first engine used was a 1948 Mercury, the last, a 240 hp 1955 Buick. Every detail has been watertested and retested. Don’t depart from

the plans given; this is a high-speed craft, and changes could be dangerous. It was just the ticket, and suddenly, a four-year project was underway. Those Kauri offcuts stored under the house weren’t going to become firewood, no siree! Dad thought it’d be great to build the Panther but with a changed layout. The plans called for a front-engine, rear cockpit layout which seated two people. This was typical Cracker Box speedboat thinking for the time, but Dad had other ideas, and there were five in the family, so a front cockpit and rear engine configuration would work. The front bench seat could sit three people and backed by two rear-facing eats could mean all of us could ride along. Claude (the carpenter at Dales) had a thicknesser which meant those 2” thick Kauri offcuts could be reduced to ¾” as required in the plans. So dad began work, setting out templates for the angles on the frames on the living room floor. Mum asked what he was doing, and dad replied, “I’m building a boat.” To which she replied, “You couldn’t build a boat”. It was a cutting remark which he answered in silence to himself. “Really, just watch me”. To be fair, mum came from a family devoid of any fancy engineering malarkey, but it strengthened dad’s resolve to see it through.

After some time, he got all seven frames assembled with gussets glued, screwed and nailed along with the forestem, so a mock-up was assembled on

our back path. This was a milestone that I recall vividly, and thought it looked like a cool and fast speedboat even though it was a naked skeleton, sitting motionless!

One of our neighbours was Ray Starr, a chicken farmer and horse breeder. He spotted the mock-up and came over to visit, curiously asking all sorts of questions. Being helpful, he alerted dad to a bare paddock just a few houses up the road, which has a dead ’48 Merc sedan resting in the long grass. Ray knew the owner, and a deal was done for a paltry sum of ten quid. All we had to do was remove the engine, condition unknown, ourselves. So on the day, dad, Ray, my uncle Warwick and brother Steve all sweated the small stuff removing the heavy C59A flathead V8. In the end, it was new neighbour Don Oliver who was NZ’s heavy weightlifting champion, who came to our rescue. Don seemed to take most of the load effortlessly, and the flathead wound up in a wheelbarrow or trolley of some sort to get it down the road to home. Once there, it was set up on the concrete path outside and covered up. I was given the job of scraping 20 years of caked-on oil, dust and dirt and giving it a fresh coat of paint. Once the water-cooled headers were installed, we’d hook up the carb to a container of gas, run water from the garden hose through the block and jump-start the engine. Under full revs, it’d shoot jets of steam and water out the headers. It was fantastic! I think that must have been circa 1967, and at age 12, I was on my way to V8 addiction. Dad decided that we needed somewhere flat to place the building horses to hang the frames and assemble the hull, so we all pitched in with spades and got the job done. Once the jig was built and the frames installed, it was covered with a huge

> 63

truck tarp, rescued from the scrap pile at Dales. With three growing mouths to feed and living costs to meet, that meant money was tight, extremely tight. Also on the tight side was time, so the boat project was deferred until all family commitments, Saturday sport, Sunday lunch at Nana and Grandpa’s were met. But once that tarp came off, it was allgo. Every single piece was pre-planned, meticulously marked out and then cut. Assembly or installation sometimes had to wait until the next free time slot. Dad says, “It became a real obsession”. All this was accomplished with a mere handful of tools: An electric Wolf drill, a plane, a handsaw and a few screwdrivers. Progress was slow, money was tight, but week by week, the Sunday afternoons delivered small steps forward from all three of us kids plus dad. He was determined to finish it, and so were we. Silicon bronze screws were needed because of their superior resistance to corrosion, strength and durability over stainless or other metals. However, bronze has a higher cost than those comparative metals, which meant dad went without a pack or two of cigarettes and bought silicon bronze screws instead. The keel was made from a long piece of hardwood rescued from a truck deck, and two long engine bearers were made and installed to mount the flathead V8 engine. When it came time for skinning the bottom with marine ply, dad came up short but traded his way out with friend John Thornton. Dad had the remains of a Harley Davidson V twin engine languishing under his bench. John wanted that for a TQ he was building, and so they traded the V twin for sheets of marine ply. Two for the bottom and a third was cut down the middle for the sides. A two-pot Aerodux glue was used in conjunction with the silicon bronze screws. Bending the plywood around those compound curves was achieved through steam supplied from boiling water in the kitchen jug and progressive screwing along the curves. Eventually, the bottom was painted, the hull was turned over, and it was time to install the V8. The thought of getting a 750lb lump of iron up and over the transom and into the hull seemed like a nightmare. Nevertheless, it was manhandled up a small bank and

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wriggled along a plank before dropping onto an apple box nestled between the engine bearers. The apple box collapsed, allowing a soft-ish landing for the V8. The rear-mounted engine necessitated a V-drive. Casale was the brand of choice in the USA, but high cost and zero availability excluded that option. Dad decided to make his own. First up was a set of used Thames Trader truck timing gears. The big helical-toothed gear was retained, and a new gear was cut to give a final 1-1.5 step up. That meant that if the flathead V8 was pulling 3000rpm, the prop spun at 4500 rpm, and the theoretical speed was 40mph. A set of gears constantly running at high speed creates heat, so he made an inner case plus an outer case so that a water jacket provided cooling. Two end plates were needed, with four bearings and the input and output shafts, and it all had to be machined to a perfect fit. That job was entrusted to Patons, who eventually gave dad a phone call to say it was finished. To his surprise, it was not only completed but fully assembled, and it turned smoothly and worked flawlessly. Dad said, “I never saw an invoice for it” A flathead gearbox was chopped off just behind the front bearing, which allowed the stock Merc clutch to be used, and it was connected to the original merc handbrake, which mounted under the dash. Yes, it had a handbrake-clutch which made it easy for doing water-ski starts off the beach. Driveshafts were made, gland nuts and stuffing box

were installed. Friend Doug Kennedy donated a few propellers, but only one three-blade prop was ever used. Dad made his own Nardi-style steering wheel by cutting the shape out of aluminium and then riveting hardwood segments to it and completing the final shaping filing and hand-sanding. He was worried about all that weight in the back, so he decided to install a Vanguard fuel tank up front, ahead of the driver. “I bought one from a wrecker, and it fitted perfectly,” he said. Also on the list of things hand-made was a proper racing-style rudder, with water entering the bottom and flowing up to the water pump. A set of water-cooled free-flowing headers was made with custom-made transom exits. Finally, a hydraulically operated Moon-style foot throttle was made, and it worked smoothly and efficiently.

With the boat painted, it was clear that a trailer was needed, so that too was made from nothing. Dad recalled seeing an old car axle and springs in the grass in a disused paddock near his work, so they were salvaged and used. Dad made the trailer frame, single axle, bought hubs, stubs wheels, and used tyres from a wrecker. That was it; the sleek lines of the Panther were a sight to behold, it was on the trailer, job done, and the fun started. The initial launch was on the Whau River off a boat ramp on Beaubank Road, Avondale, sometime in 1969. We water skied and had a ton of fun as a family, even towing it to Gisborne behind a Hillman Hunter loan car. Dad’s new company car was a 1970 Ford Mk 4 Zephyr with 3.0 lite V6. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready in time for our Xmas holiday to Gisborne, so JW Andrew Ford

> 65

dealer kindly loaned him a Hillman Hunter. “We shouldn’t really have done that trip towing a heavy boat and trailer. On our return from Gisborne, the clutch was almost gone, and I’m sure the door gaps were wider,” he said. One summer afternoon, we went boating with long-time family friends, the Kennedys. We launched off the Birkenhead boat ramp and headed out into the harbour. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a wind-against-thetide chop running, and the Panther’s ﬂat bottom showed no mercy to any

Flying

FAREWELL

passenger’s kidneys as they were slammed by rough water. A loud bang saw water immediately inside the cockpit, directly under the passengers’ feet. We returned to the ramp, and sadly Panther slipped beneath the surface right on the concrete ramp before we could get it on the trailer. Maybe we hit something, or perhaps a weak spot existed in that spot in the hull where it wasn’t reinforced. Anyway, the damage was repaired, the hull fully ﬁbreglassed to the chine, and the motor drained and restarted almost immediately to prevent

saltwater corrosion damage to bores. Back in the water, there were more great days enjoyed skiing and having fun in the boat, but as time slipped by, we turned into teenagers, growing with changing interests. We moved house; I bought my ﬁrst car, a 1938 Ford V8 sedan, and Dad felt he was left to do all the cleaning and maintenance. So in 1972, after all that effort and backed by a ton of passion and can-do attitude and on a shoestring budget with no money, he reluctantly traded to Panther in on a smaller boat he could handle himself. He thinks he got $1000 for the boat and trailer as a trade on the $1200 smaller boat. “That V-drive was worth a fortune”, he recalled. It was the end of a magical chapter in our lives when we got to experience the genuine fatherson-daughter relationship; something dad had missed out on completely. Dad’s ﬁnal word: “It was sad to see it go! a big part of us departed, but we moved on.” he said.

Footnote: If anyone can shed any light on Panther’s journey or whereabouts, we’d love to hear from you. Email paul@nzhotrodmag.co.nz.

Neale, and owning several cars from a ‘38 Ford pickup, ‘58 Ford, Mk4 Zephyr, ‘37 Ford sedan, ‘68 Cougar. John was owner/operator of Kirwee LEFT: John lining up Brendan in the Corvette Funny. BELOW: The Altered in 1994, John in red overalls.

John Seyb and Eddie Fairbairn, both founding members of Pegasus Bay Rod & Custom Club, seen here in 2014.

John Seyb 4 August 1946 - 23 July 2021 JOHN Seyb was one of the founding members of Pegasus Bay Rod & Custom Club in 1967 (later Pegasus Bay Drag Racing Club), crewing for Eddie Fairbairn’s very ﬁrst dragster, getting into mischief with Richard

6 6 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Flying

FAREWELL Garage, east of Christchurch, before setting up his Canterbury Engine & Automotive Services business. In the mid-’80s, John purchased the ex-Cub Roberts Altered, rebuilding the chassis and running it for ten years, ﬁrst with a 390 Ford, later with a 454 Chevy, getting into the 8s. In ‘94, the Altered was replaced by a Mustang-bodied Funny Car, ex-John Cole, but a braking area crash two years later put John in hospital for a week, which was enough time for him to contemplate his next move: A Corvette-bodied Funny Car running on Alcohol, which he piloted to 171 mph. At that point, son Brendan was encouraged to drive the Funny, eventually joining the 200 Club with a 211.33 mph pass at Masterton in 2018. Daughter Rebecca is also involved in Drag Racing, with her ‘68 Mustang racecar, ﬁne-tuned by John, of course. Yet for all the racetrack action, John got just as much enjoyment working on old stuff, and even after retirement, he rebuilt many Flathead V8s for customers. He still owned his ‘37 Ford sedan. Word got ‘round last year that John was unwell, and on 23 July, he succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease aged 74. Condolences to wife Heather, sons Brendan and Darren, daughters Tracey and Rebecca. A quiet achiever and a nice man.

Rod Benders 50th Anniversary, 2007; Richard and Suzanne Neale, Liz and Paul Grace. Lowe, Dave Gale (Aus RIP) & Richard Richard. (L to R) Dave Lowe

In 1967 John Seyb introduced Rich to Rob Campbell, editor of the newly formed NZ Hot Rod Magazine. Hearing of Rich’s interest in photography, Rob asked Rich to submit photos to the mag, thus becoming the first (and only, at the time) Hot Rod Mag correspondent in the South Island, covering Autorama Shows early Ruapuna Drag Meets and car features. His first published material was four photos used in the Dec’ 67-Jan ’68 issue. As well as his photography, Rich’s writing style was wildly entertaining, being a natural wordsmith with a Spike Milligan sense of humour. A book could be filled with the personal back-and-forth correspondence between Rich Neale and Rob Campbell during those early years, and it would make hilarious reading. During a phone call in 1973, Rob, half-serious/half-joking, suggested Rich

move to Auckland to help run the mag so Rob could take a break. So, Rich packed his cameras and roman sandals and headed north. By August ’73, he as assistant editor of this magazine, promoted to Editor by December ’73. It was Rob who gave Rich the nickname ‘Penguin’ because he came from the south, and it stuck. Rich stayed at NZHRM ‘til October ’75, leaving amicably to move on to other things. He said at the time, “Hot Rod Mag is a curious mix of journalism These are shots of Richard taken by Allan Porter at Meremere 1974.

From John Eva.

Richard Neale Photos by Allan Porter and John Eva IN the mid-’60s, Rich was working in a photo processing lab which gave him an interest in photography. After work, he’d hang out with his buddies, including John Seyb, who decided to form their own club, Pegasus Bay Rod & Custom Club. Another mate was Graham Veale, and the two would embark on pub crawls around Christchurch, luckily on foot, becoming known as Veale and Neale. Graham Veale later won the very first drag race at the very first Drag Meet at Ruapuna, in his ’58 Ford Fairlane, beating Gordon Trotter’s ’32 roadster. Rich Neale had his own ’32 roadster project at that time, but it was never finished.

Richard proudly wearing a pair of golden sandals on the occasion of his birthday back in 2006. Continued on page 79 > 67

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Cruising Take Two JEFF & ALVENA HELM’S 1955 CHEVROLET BEL AIR CUSTOM SPORT COUPE

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Words & Photos: Quinton Taylor

HOW your next project will finish up is often something dreamed about, but for one Southland couple, the reality is a stunning ’55 custom Chevrolet Coupe. As grand entrances go, the arrival of Jeff and Alvena Helm’s 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe Custom at a nearly ‘full house’ local car show couldn’t have been more impressive, wowing many who saw it when it debuted at the Southern Grilles & Gasoline Car and Bike Show in Invercargill. It was the culmination of 11-and-a-half years of hard graft and considerable expense, along with help from friends and fellow Club members. It was no surprise when they received the sponsor’s, Cleanways ‘Best in Show’ trophy along with a cheque for $1,000. A little overwhelmed when the winner was announced, I asked them if their project had turned out as expected, and it was an emphatic ‘yes’ from Alvena. “Absolutely stoked with it. I sat there at the car show, and I thought, is that really our one sitting there? It’s actually out there now! It was

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a dream but an awesome dream.” Glittering in the sunlight, the subtly toned coupe attracted a lot of attention and obviously many votes from the big crowd at the show. It was hoped to make its debut at the recent Cromwell Classic & Hot Rod Festival in January, but last-minute work meant it was not possible then it was registered and on the road a week before the Invercargill show. “Club members were patting us on the back and saying it’s so good to see you cruising in it at last. They had seen a lot of progress on it through the year, especially recently, so we haven’t kept it a secret. It’s very different to seeing it in the garage and then seeing it driving into the car park here.” Jeff and Alvena also have a striking bronze, ’66 Chevrolet Impala Coupe, and this multi-award winning custom sat alongside the new contender. It still surprises Alvena with its success at shows. “It’s amazing, really, as it still picks trophies up. I can’t believe it.” Jeff was a little overwhelmed with the result for his ’55 and hoped it

would do as well as the Impala. “It (Impala) was painted about ten years ago, just after the arrival of the ’55, so it has done well. It won People’s Choice at the Kaitangata Car Show in 2019 and was in the Top 10 cars at the 2020 Cromwell Festival.” The success of their ’55 project was having the right people doing the work they could not manage themselves, and they were again mainly a group of those who had helped them complete the Impala. When asked why a ’55 and not perhaps the later ‘56 or ’57 Sport Coupe, which many went for, Jeff was firm in his enthusiasm for the model. “I like them. They are my pick of the Chevys. Sports Coupes are always a bit sleeker looking, I think.” A search of eBay tracked down an example of a Sport Coupe in Washington in the USA, and the deal was done. The car had been allegedly ‘80% restored’, but as Alvena remarked, the US idea of 80% restored was nothing like our New Zealand idea of 80% restored. Jeff liked what he saw, and it was a chance to put his ideas into reality.

“It was a project when we saw it, and it wasn’t finished. I thought that’s alright because we wanted to do it our way anyway. No use buying something finished, and it was in more of our price range. It was originally a six, and when it came over here, it had a 305 and fourspeed trans in it, so someone had been starting to do it up. It’s the same motor it has in it now. It seems to go alright, so we haven’t touched it. I’d say with the four-speed trans; it possibly came out of a Camaro or something similar.” There’s a bit of a chuckle when buying off eBay was mentioned, Alvena explains. “Jeff is banned from eBay. We bought both cars off eBay, and since then, Jeff has been banned from it!” When the ’55 arrived, it was in the subtle Chevrolet colours of turquoise and white, and it certainly wasn’t going to stay that way. “The first thing I did was cut the springs to get it where I wanted the ride height. I thought… that looks good, and then the body came off, and we did the whole thing starting from the ground up. There was a wee bit of rust in it, but

nothing I couldn’t fix. I’m a sheet metal worker, so I did most of the cutting out of the rust. Daryl Wilson, who did the Impala (panel work), finished it all off for me and smoothed it out.” When it came to the interior, things were a little different to now. The interior upholstery had been re-done to match the then body colours, but the standard of workmanship was again less than acceptable with several wrinkles and in the wrong colours for what they wanted. In the end, Hemi Hikawai of Arrow Upholstery was again entrusted with the work as he had completed their Impala. He stitched up the distinctive interior in white vinyl, made new doors cards, cut the black pile carpet and fitted a new white headlining. “The interior chrome roof bars are special to the Sport Coupe, and I think the Nomad may also use them. They are new ones. Some of the door glass was missing or broken, and many other bits were missing as well. ” A set of window frames was tracked down in the North Island, complete with usable glass, while other bits were found finishing what is now an awe-

inspiring interior. A polished dashboard is fitted with a full set of digital gauges and. The main eye-catcher is that amazing bit of bling a three-bladed, chrome steering wheel. Everything is polished and gleams to a point where it almost makes you squint. Tinted glass tops off a great interior complete with built-in bottle holders for the rear passengers. Jeff and Alvena’s intention was always to shave the doors, and entry is by remote key popping the doors for entry. The rear fuel filler is also operated remotely and now hides under the left taillight. Polished Foose Knuckle alloys; 17inch up front and 18inch at the rear finish off the bling exterior, and it’s not until Jeff points it out when you realise that the sills are 30mm lower due to a subtle panel extension. Why 30mm? “Because it looks just right, and I like the way it sits now. I don’t know why it’s 30mm, but it just looks right. Daryl [Wilson] did it in his own time and finished off the work I had started. He said he loves working on real cars.” No argument there. The car is all about Jeff’s personal touches making this car special. Dave Henery was

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again called on to work his magic on the paint as he did with their Impala, and it takes a bit to realise in different lights you are looking at a two-tone body colour, as Jeff explains. “Despite the colours it arrived in, we knew we weren’t going to have (exterior) white. We wanted two-tone red and black but merging into twotone. We wanted a subtle tone with 10% more, black in the darker colour. We gave him a bit of leeway to mix up the colours, and we told him what we wanted. We wanted red, a deep red, and we wanted to go darker lower down to get the depth as well. We talked about a silver base underneath, but Dave wanted

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to go to a darker base to give it more depth, and he did a couple of samples that we were happy with. We know him well enough to say no; that’s not what we want. Go away and play again. He also used a Candy Apple dye called “Radiance” over the whole car, and he mixed the dye with the clear. He did tell us how many coats, and I think it was a couple of primer, two or three coats of colour, two or three coats of clear with the dye and then two or three coats of clear, and we really like the deep finish.” The engine bay hasn’t escaped the hand of Jeff either with everything chromed or polished and hidden wiring. Stainless radiator supports are his own

work, as are many other pieces. Look carefully, and you will see ‘55’cut into the alternator bracket, and a Chevy bow tie cut into the power steering bracket. Jeff’s nickname among club members is ‘Mr Bling’ as Alvena says, “We wanted smooth and bling! So, with the ’55 finished, they are now calling me Mrs Bling!” Waiting for work to be finished which they couldn’t do themselves, was frustrating, and after eleven and a half years, this project has been well worth the wait. As Jeff says, he took his time to do it properly. “We weren’t in a hurry, and we still had the other car to go to shows in, and we

FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: 305ci Chevrolet small block V8, cast-iron block, alloy heads. Jeff and Alvena’s car originally had a six-cylinder motor and was possibly replaced with an engine and transmission from a Camaro given the four-speed auto. Bore x stroke: 3.74” x 3.48” Horsepower: 190bhp @ 42000rpm, Torque: 210ftlbs @ 2,800rpm GEARBOX: Four-speed automatic GM700R DIFF: Cleaned and painted stock rear end. Ratio not known. WHEELS & TYRES: Foose, Knuckle alloys; 17in front and 18in rear SUSPENSION: Front - Standard wishbones and coils with cut coils. Rear – quarter-elliptic leaf springs BRAKES: Drum brakes, powerassisted on all four wheels CLUB: Southland Chevrolet Club Inc Southland & Downtown R&CC, Invercargill OCCUPATIONS: Bakers Assistant (Alvena) and Sheet metal Engineer (Jeff)

just did things when we could really. Ten years ago, we painted the Impala, and it’s taken a year longer than what we have been working on the ’55. But, it’s been well worth it, and we are delighted with the way it has turned out.” Waitangi Monday, and it’s time to take the ’55 for what Jeff informs me will be its first major drive down to Tiwai. Those big white armchairs have cruising written all over them. A subtle Chevrolet trick is the neat flipdown flaps over the top of the door frames, which pop out when the door opens and click shut when closed, helping seal out the wind and rain. The 305 fires up easily, and that

purring exhaust is just what you want to hear from a V8 with a nice bark to it when opened up. The windows are down for this trip as it is a humid morning. The ride is pretty good for a coupe approaching 70 years of age! Our photo destination near the Tiwai causeway becomes a battle against humidity, light and sandflies, thousands of the little suckers! It’s not long before we head home, just as the rain is setting in. This has been an amazing project completed to a very high standard by everyone involved. One thing is for sure; Jeff now has to build a much bigger trophy cabinet. Happy cruising!

PREVIOUSLY OWNED CARS: Alvena: 1982 Chevrolet Camaro, Indianapolis Pace Car, 1971 Holden Statesman Jeff: 1962 Ford Fairlane, 1972 Chrysler Limo, 1923 T-Bucket, 1972 Pontiac Firebird, 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1955 Chevrolet 150 sedan, 1948 Chevrolet truck (Custom), 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe and 1966 Chevrolet Impala (current) Why The ‘55? Just love the shape of the ‘55 Sport Coupe. Found it on the internet in Washington. “I’m not allowed on E-Bay anymore.”-Jeff! Build Time: 11 years six months Length Of Ownership: 12 Years THANKS: Jeff thanks Alvena for making it possible, Dave Henery, paint, Daryl Wilson, body bashing, Hemi Hikawai from Arrow Upholstery, Mark Grant, wiring and Trevor Nelson, all the noisy bits! > 73

Industry

NEWS ³ Thanks Steve ON the 24t 4th h of Ju une 2021 1, Steve Ke Keys ys final fin ally al lyy reet etired d fro om his lo ong-hel eld d role as Prreesiide dentt of LV dent LVVTA. The here re’s no blamin bl ng him fo or calllin ng ti time m , aff ter havi ving vi ng served ass the President of ng LVVTA for 16 consecu utive years and part rt of the LVVTA’s Board having been pa and Management Committee for a total of 28 years - almost right back to the time of LVVTA’s founding in 1992. On how he came to be involved, Steve jokes that “…I’d go around and visit Tony at his home (where the NZ Hot Rod Association’s LVV certification system was operating from in the beginning) and he’d be so stressed out that I’d just about have to grab him by the collar to stop him jumping out of his upstairs window! I could see he needed help and what he was doing was a great thing for the hobby”. Steve’s early support was greatly appreciated by Tony, and it was moved onto a more formal basis in 1994. “With the advent of LVV certification in the early ‘90s, we’d gone from a normal small clubtype income to a comparatively huge income in a very short space of time” says Tony, “and I needed some streetsmart financially-savvy guys to help me. The entrepreneurial Steve Keys was the first guy I shoulder-tapped for it”. With Steve’s help, NZHRA’s ‘Financial Board of Management’ was established, and this committee helped NZHRA’s certification business remain a financially viable enterprise and the principal system amongst the five organisations operating back in those early days, having 68% of the total LVV certification volume. In 1996, Steve was part of the NZHRA team that worked with LVVTA to transfer the NZHRA certification system into LVVTA ownership in pursuit of a ‘single certification’ system, based on the highly successful NZHRA operation. In doing so, Steve’s interest in the well-being of the national certification system for modified and scratch-built vehicles transferred across to LVVTA also, and by 1998 he had become

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thee NZ th NZHR H A reprres HR e entative ve on the LV V VTA A Co Cou unci cill. In 20 2001, with w h hiss lea eadeership skills and bussineess acu umen becoming reecogn nis ised ed,, he was appointed on the LVV onto VVTA Management Committee, and in 2005 was elected President of w LVVTA, a role which he has continued to hold until June just gone. In 2018, Steve, as President, t jjoined the then newly-formed LVVTA Board of Directors. Within LVVTA, as in all other aspects of his personal life, Steve’s low proﬁle and absence of selfpromotion has resulted in a wide-spread p

lack of awareness of his substantial input to LVVTA. Steve has been at the fforefront of purchasing and reﬁtting LVVTA’s Porirua building, and he’s been behind most of LVVTA’s big changes and improvements over its almost three-decade life-span. “A big part of LVVTA’s success has been, I think, that Tony and I have worked together, weekly if not daily, for 27 years, and w we’ve never had a single blow-up, or w even a cross word. Of course, there’s been times when our opinions have differed, but that’s alright, we’ve always jjust bounced around the options and worked out what we think is the best w course to take, and usually they’ve proven to be the right ones. It’s been p a great relationship. 27 years is longer than most people have been married!”

Steve’s background iis firmly entrenched within the hot rodding denomination, however h his steady hand on the tiller of LVVTA h has been helped by the fact that he’s h been a member of a number of LVVTA’s b Member Associations, including NZ M Hot Rod Association, The Vintage Car Club of NZ, and the NZ Motor Caravan Association. It seems to be an integral A part of Steve’s nature that he can’t p walk past a problem without trying to w stop and fix it - especially so when the problem could impact the car hobby p tthat he is so passionate about. Of Steve, Tony says “Steve’s just a phenomenal T guy. He has great vision, he always has g ttime, he has a never-give-up ethos, and his wife Sue’s hospitality is incredible. h It’s been an amazing journey developing tthis thing together, obviously with a lot of help from a lot of other people too, and it just seems weird that we won’t have Steve involved into the future. h The reality is that he’ll still be helping T out from behind the scenes. I think tthe way we’ve operated together has been more like a business partnership b between two close friends, rather than b jjust a President and CEO relationship. We’re all going to miss him – me, the W Board Members, and the LVVTA staff”. B Steve was inducted into the LVVTA Wall of Honour in 2012, and since then he’s continued to support and help the low vvolume vehicle certification system, iin his quiet yet committed manner. Steve will always be credited with being a significant and instrumental b part of LVVTA’s establishment, its p survival within a difficult environment and throughout tough times, and its ceaseless growth and improvement. On behalf of every modified and scratch-built car enthusiast in tthe country... ‘thanks Steve’. Reprinted with permission from Tony Johnson, CEO, LVVTA.

³ GMS Pedal options GMS Hot Rods has you covered for brake and clutch pedal set-ups for early Fords and hot rods using the very best components from Pete &

J Jakes Hot Rod Parts, which GMS are an authorised dealer for. “We offer right or left-hand drive conﬁgurations for original style chassis’ or those with tubular crossmembers”, says Greg Stokes of GMS Hot Rods. There’s

a always just single pedals in stock or aall the components to tailor-make a set-up to suit your application. Contact 021 955 459 or email ggregstokes1932@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page or www.gmshotrods.com

SEPTEMBER 2021 NZ $12.00 inc GST

AM 17/08/21 11:43

Plus Postage ($24) inc.GST

SEND TO: P.O. BOX 8, WAIPU, 0545

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Upcoming

EVENTS Attention: This Upcoming Events is a free listing, if you have an event which is not listed, please let us know, or if the details of your listing have changed then email paul@nzhotrodmag.co.nz. Don’t forget to double-check if the event is affected by COVID19 restrictions before you leave home.

SEPTEMBER > 4-5 Rod Run hosted by Palmerston North HRC Inc featuring a Gymkhana at Manﬁeld Auto Course, a Grasskhana at Harrisville Speedway and 1/8-mile drags at Masterton Motorplex. > 5 Father’s Day Drags presented by American Muscle Car Club at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. > 5 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 5 Rock’n’wheelsmeet Last year was cancelled so this year is they celebrate 10 years so get along to the Amberley Domain and join in the celebrations. “If it’s wheels and you love it bring it along”. For further information please contact ... rocknwheelsmeet@yahoo.com > 5 Wellington Rodder’s Breakfastt hosted by Hustlers R&C and Roadrunners at the The Larﬁn’ Tiger Cafe at Hutt Park Raceway. Doors open at 8.30 with a $15 Big Breakfast. Contact Betty at Hustlers - shadowp@xtra.co.nz or John Willis at Road Runners john_localpoint@email.com. > 5 Father’s Day Show ‘n Shine hosted by Ramrodders at Perry, Bannister and Queen Streets in Masterton from 10am ‘til 2 pm. Welcome extended to hot rods, customs, street machines, muscle cars, drag cars and bikes. There’s a sausage sizzle, ‘60s dress competition, music and prizegiving at 1pm. Registration is $15 plus a non-perishable food item and that’s per person. > 5 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 5 Boys Toys in Browns Bay y from 10-2 hosted by The Renegades. > 5 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 10-12 Rod Run hosted by the Taupo Rod & Custom Club at Tongariro Holiday Park. > 11 Swapmeet at Paeroa > 12 Swapmeett hosted by Oogah Rodders at the Swanson RSA, 663 Swanson Road, Swanson, Auckland. > 12 Warkworth Breakfast at the Coffee Club at The Grange, Warkworth. (by BP) $20/head > 15-19 Classic Cover Kaikoura Hop. > 19 Poker Run hosted by Auckland HRC. The start point will be Cornwall Park with the Café open if you’d like to grab a spot of breakfast before leaving at 9.30am for a short tour of Auckland in search of the perfect hand. All are welcome and at only $10 per hand. It’ll be more fun than you can poke a stick, or

spade, d or club, l b or di diamond, d or hheart at. C Cashh prizes. i > 19 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 19 Poker Run hosted by the Wellington Chevrolet Club. Meet at the Larﬁn Tiger Cafe at Hutt Park, Seaview at 11am. > 24 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 25 Greerton Blossom Festival Classic and Hot Rod Show. Street Machines & Customs are holding their 44th. Birthday bash. As with previous events, it’s with the help of Greerton Main Street and incorporates the Greerlon Blossom Festival and the School Ga1a. Al Dawson and the Wildcats will be rockin the rotunda, and with the shops, bars and school getting behind the day, it becomes quite an event. Chadwick Road is closed for the car display between 10am and 2pm, with all cars in by 9am. Entry is via the Greerton Rd roundabout and is time to enter and for the public. The show is open to hot rods, customs and classic’s of American and Australian origin. To fund the event, we have our usual famous no reserve auction, this year including a 20-ton press, Roadrunner starter, chilly bins etc. Its a good chance to grab a bargain. Any enquiries, Tim 07 5526666 or Nicole 0277833216 > 25 Howick Hop in Picton St. > 26 Guide Dogs Run hosted by Capital Rodders at Tawa Junction, 10 Surrey St, Tawa from 1pm. Entry cost is $10/person or $20/carload. All proceeds to Guide Dogs. Prizegiving at Capital Rodders clubrooms, Onepoto Rd. Cash bar and sausage sizzle. > 26 Performance and Automotive Swapmeett hosted by NAPA Auto Parts Dragway and Pukekohe HRC at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, SH 1 Meremere. Gates open 7am. Buyers $5, Swappers $15 (incl veh and driver) Food and coffee onsite. Trade display enquiries to Trevor on 021 762 144 or Gary on 0274 056 060. No household bric-a-brac and no dogs allowed. > 26 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

OCTOBER > 1-2 Second Annual Franz Josef Glacier Country Car Show. The event will be based at the Franz Josef TOP10 Holiday Park and all entrants staying at the park will go in lucky draw to get their accommodation refunded. Entry is open to any car, truck or bike entry is free and any funds raised will beneﬁt the South Westland Area St John Ambulance. Program: Friday 1st October - Early registration and socialise with others. Saturday 2nd October - Car Show from 10.00 – 2.30 pm then prizegiving followed by a cruise to Fox Glacier. For more information – email glaciercountrycarshow@ gmail.com or phone 0273 732148. > 2 Aroha Cruise In. > 3 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 3 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 3 Wellington Rodder’s Breakfast hosted by Hustlers R&C and Roadrunners at the The Larﬁn’

Ti Cafe Tiger C f at Hutt H Park P k RRaceway. D Doors open at 8.30 with a $15 Big Breakfast. Contact Betty at Hustlers - shadowp@xtra.co.nz or John Willis at Road Runners john_localpoint@email.com. > 3 Biannual Chrome and Custom Show hosted by Tararua Rodders. > 3 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 9 Spring Fling brought to you by Whakatane R&CC based at the clubrooms, 103 Paul Road, Awakeri and featuring a Mystery Cruise, Band and Prizegiving. Open to all classic cars, motorcycles and trucks. Entry $25 per person > 10 Swap Meet hosted by Papakura Rod & Custom Club at Harvard Lane, Ardmore Airport, Papakura. > 10 Hot Rod Breakfast hosted by Oogah Rodders. > 10 Warkworth Breakfastt at the Coffee Club at The Grange, Warkworth. (by BP) $20/head > 16-17 Custom Street Rides 2021 National Hot Rod Show hosted by Egmont R&CC at the TSB Hub, Camberwell Road, Hawera. Show Hours: Saturday, October 16th 9 am-8 pm, Sunday, October 17th 9 am-3 pm. Price: Adults $10, Under 15 years old free. Come and see New Zealand’s top hot rods and street machines on display, there will be trade displays and food. Don’t miss what has to be the best value car show in New Zealand. Info: Facebook page “Custom Street Rides 2021 National Hot Rod Show”, e-mail grantstables@hotmail.com or phone 0274972088 > 17 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30 am - 10.30 am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 21-23 Rebel Roundup in Hastings. > 23 Classic Cover primer Nationals and Rebel Roundup at Back Paddock Lakes, Hawkes Bay. > 23 Takapuna Rocks, The Strand, Takapuna. > 23 Rebel Roundup in Hastings. > 23-25 Rod Run to celebrate Te Awamutu Rod & Custom Club’s 40th Anniversary. > 23-25 Rod Run hosted by Delta Rodders, Gore. > 29 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 29-31 Memorial Rod Run to celebrate Cambusters & Zone 8 20th Anniversary. > 31 Swapmeett hosted by the Road Knights at Taupiri. > 31 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

NOVEMBER > 5 Night Speed Drag Wars1 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 7 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 7 Wellington Rodder’s Breakfastt hosted by Hustlers R&C and Roadrunners at the The Larﬁn’ Tiger Cafe at Hutt Park Raceway. Doors open at 8.30 with a $15 Big Breakfast. Contact Betty at Hustlers - shadowp@xtra.co.nz or John Willis at Road Runners john_localpoint@email.com. > 7 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade,

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A Aramoho, h W Wanganuii ffrom 9 am. > 7 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 11-14 Garden City Rodders 50th Anniversary Campout Weekend at the Canterbury Vintage Car Club Grounds, MacLeans Island, Christchurch. NZHRA sanctioned event, open to all interested parties. All past members welcome, various options to participate. Entries out now on NZHRA web site or email: gardencityrodders@ gmail.com Or contact: Rob Bingham: 021 88 00 83, John Ackroyd: 027 286 8123, Craig Stare: 03 347 8388. > 13 One Day Display y hosted by the Far North Rod & Custom Club at the A & P Showgrounds, Kaitaia. > 13 Test and Tune 1 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 14 Comp Meeting #1 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 14 Oilers Annual Charity Auction and Car Show hosted by Oilers Hot Rod Club at the Tauranga Fish and Dive Club, 60 Crossroads, Sulphur Point Tauranga. This year’s auction is supporting The Mowvember Foundation which is focused solely on men’s’ heath. The car show is open to all special interest vehicles, so come on down and show off your pride and joy and maybe get a bargain at the auction. Contact Woody 021886359. > 14 Hot Rod Breakfast hosted by Oogah Rodders. > 14 Warkworth Breakfastt at the Coffee Club at The Grange, Warkworth. (by BP) $20/head > 18-21 Street Rod Nationals hosted by Sulphur City in Rotorua. For regular updates follow on Sulphur City’s Facebook page, NZHRA’s Facebook page or your favourite magazine. > 19 Night Speed Drag Wars 2 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 20 Honda Drag Battle and Mega Meet NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 20-21 Meguiar’s MOTOREX Show w at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Info at www.motorex.com.au > 21 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 26 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 27 Test and Tune 2 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 28 Comp Meeting #2 - Outlaws at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 28 Port Road Drags hosted by Cam County Inc. > 28 Car Show w hosted by the Stragglers Rod & Kustom Club at Lake Karapiro Domain. > 28 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

DECEMBER > 3 Night Speed Drag Wars 3 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 5 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 5 Wellington Rodder’s Breakfastt hosted by Hustlers R&C and Roadrunners at the The Larﬁn’

Ti C Tiger Cafe f at H Hutt PParkk RRaceway. D Doors open at 8.30 with a $15 Big Breakfast. Contact Betty at Hustlers - shadowp@xtra.co.nz or John Willis at Road Runners john_localpoint@email.com. > 5 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 5 Summer Rotary Drags at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 5 Motorhead Breakfastt at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 6 Toy Run hosted by North Shore R&CC at St Helliers, Auckland. > 11 Old School Club Day at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 12 Hot Rod Breakfast hosted by Oogah Rodders. > 12 Warkworth Breakfast at the Coffee Club at The Grange, Warkworth. (by BP) $20/head > 19 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 26 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes. > 28 Rods at Methven Show at the Methven Town Centre from 10-3pm. Entry is $5 per adult for public and kids free. (And free for show vehicles) This show is run like the old days, low key, low buck and heaps of fun. The show day proceeds go to the local Methven Community. > 31 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18

2022 JANUARY > 2 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 2 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 2 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 8 NDRC Wellington Invasion at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 14 Night Speed Drag Wars 4 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 14-16 Kumeu Hot Rod & Classic Car Show. > 16 Mid West Breakfastt at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 16 Big Boys Toys hosted by Greymouth Rodders in Greymouth. Open to all makes and models. > 21-23 Muscle Car Madness #31. Entries open now, call Craig 03 3478 388. > 22 Comp Meeting #3 – Group 1 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 28 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui

f from 5 pm. Cruise C i lleaves at 6.30 6 30 pm, returning i at 77.30 30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 28-30 Rodders Beach Festival hosted by Hibiscus Rodders at Orewa Beach. > 30 Four & Rotary Drags NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 30 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

FEBRUARY > 4 Night Speed Drag Wars 5 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 6 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 6 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 6 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 12-13 Morrinsville Motorama > 19 - 20 NDRC Nationals at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 20 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 23 - 26 Americarna in New Plymouth, Taranaki. Registration now open at https:// americarna.com/registration/ > 25 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 26 Swapmeet at Satellite Rd, Warkworth from 7 am. > 26 Junior Dragster Champs at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 27 Comp Meeting #4 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 27 Biannual Hot Rods at the Beach hosted by Manukau R&CC at Waharau Regional Park, 1748 East Coast Road, Whakatiwai. > 27 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

MARCH > 4-6 Rod Run hosted by Te Kuiti Rod & Custom Club. > 5 Night Speed Drag Wars 6 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 6 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 6 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 6 Street Drags hosted by Wanganui Road Rodders. > 6 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 17-20 Pre 49 Nats hosted by Riverside Rodders. Entry forms are available on the NZHRA website or from Grant Hilton granthilton@xtra.co.nz or 0274410135. > 19 Comp Meeting #5 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway,

>> 77 77

M Meremere. IInfo f at www.meremeredragway.co.nz d > 20 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 23-27 Beach Hop. Online vehicle entry will open at 7am on Oct 1st and will once again be limited to 1000 entries. > 25 Night Speed Drag Wars 7 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 25 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 27 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

APRIL > 2 Nostalgia Drags presented by Bay Rodders at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 3 Club Champs presented by Bay Rodders at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 3 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 3 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 3 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 9 Night Speed Drag Wars 8 at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 15 -18 NZHRA Street Rod Nationals hosted by Ramrodders Inc at Memorial Park, Dixon Street, Masterton > 17 Mid West Breakfast at the Mitre 10 Mega Carpark at the Northwest Shopping complex from 8.30am - 10.30am. Good value breakfast is available at the Columbus Cafe on site. > 23 Sponsors and Volunteers Day for Competition at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 24 Sponsors and Volunteers Day for Night Speed Drag Wars at NAPA Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. Info at www.meremeredragway.co.nz > 24 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes. > 29 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18

MAY > 1 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 1 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 1 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head.

7 8 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

>2 27 Friday id Night i h Cruise. C i G Gather h at the h Classic Cl i Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 >29 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

JUNE > 5 Motorhead Breakfastt at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 5 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 5 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 24 Friday Night Cruise. Gather at the Classic Flyers Café & Bar, 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui from 5 pm. Cruise leaves at 6.30 pm, returning at 7.30 pm for prizegiving and wrap-up at 8 pm. Rafﬂes and prizes. Dinner Deal: First drink and bar/meal combo - $18 > 26 Caffeine & Classicss at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

JULY > 3 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 3 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 3 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 31 Caffeine & Classicss at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

AUGUST > 6 Palmerston Nth Swapmeet > 7 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 7 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 7 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 28 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

SEPTEMBER > 4 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 4 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 4 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 25 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

OCTOBER > 2 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 2 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 2 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 30 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

NOVEMBER > 6 Rodders Breakfast Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 6 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 6 Motorhead Breakfastt at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 27 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

DECEMBER > 4 Rodders Breakfastt Kustoms’ Club Rooms McLean Island > 4 Gas Guzzlers Breakfastt at Caroline’s Boatshed Bar & Eatery 181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Wanganui from 9 am. > 4 Motorhead Breakfast at the Maheno Tavern SH1 North Otago from 8.30-10.30 am. Open to all car enthusiasts and cooked or continental breakfast is $20/head. > 25 Caffeine & Classics at Smales Farm Business Park in Takapuna. Open to all types of classic vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars and motorbikes.

Continued from page 67

Brian Worthington

Flying

13th May 1948 – 25th May 2021

FAREWELL and fun, which takes a few years of understanding.” Luckily for the rest of us, Rich continued as a freelancer. Rich worked in the Public Trust and later hotel maintenance. He married Suzanne, and they made their home in Te Atatu, where he began his ’32 Ford Woodie project. Rich and Suzanne had two daughters, Donna and Joanna. Just before Christmas 2004, Joanna was tragically taken in a car accident, aged 19 years. As the family grieved, the ’32 just wasn’t a priority, but as the years passed, after attending the occasional Beach Hop, plus Rod Benders’ 50th Anniversary, Rich would get some of his enthusiasm back and get stuck into the ’32. His woodwork skills in the ’32 Woodie were millimetre-perfect, showing an artistic, creative side, but the project was sold to Lance Walsh unﬁnished. His creative side was also seen with his own designed cat deterrent around the perimeter of his aviary, which included ground-level nozzles squirting high-pressure jets of water, controlled by Rich indoors, to soak any mischievous felines! A lifetime of smoking gradually took its toll, and Richard passed away in hospice care on 11th July. Collectively we’ll miss him and treasure the many memories of the fun times we shared. Sincere condolences to Richard’s family and friends. From John Eva.

Peter Tomkies 24th January 1947 – 30th June 2021 PETER R Tomkies (alias Tonka), probably due to his red and black 1930 Model A tourer, now all blue, passed away early on the morning of June 30th. Tonka started life in Christchurch, and this is where he purchased the remains of his tourer and several other donor cars before joining Rod Benders. Tonka’s working life started in Christchurch at the Ministry of Works (MOW), where he started as an apprentice. After completing his time and marrying Lynne, they moved to Australia and

spent a couple of years touring from Melbourne to Perth and working in the petroleum industry. Upon returning to Christchurch in the early ‘70s, he went to work back at the Ministry of Works and started to build the Model A and his family. In the mid-’70s, he moved his family, Lynne, Scotty and Callan (RIP), to New Plymouth to work for the Maui pipeline. It was during his time here that he managed to finish his Model A and became a member of Scenic City Rod and Custom Club. Over the next few years, he worked between Auckland and New Plymouth before finally settling in Auckland for the last 40 years in a couple of different roles. In June 1981, Tonka joined East Bay Rods, and his last club meeting was in June 2021, exactly 40 years. Tonka held many positions in the club and was always one of the first to put his hand up when things needed to be done. He also loved playing practical jokes on people and had a wicked sense of humour. He received the hard-luck, most enthusiastic and stirrer awards on a few occasions. Lynne and I would like to thank the hot rodding community for the respect and support they showed Peter over the last 18 months. The people who would go out of their way to make sure he was included in events, in particular the recent Pre 49 Nationals in Christchurch, and to those who would take him to club meetings so he could continue to be involved in what he loved, once he was no longer able to drive. The messages, cards and flowers from past clubs and members has been overwhelming and is truly humbling. He was a lucky man to have known so many genuine people he considered friends. For those who would like to view Tonka’s funeral, please go to www. dreamproductions.co.nz/ptomkies.

BRIAN had always had a passion for speed and competition, especially cars. He had a couple of attempts at building old cars into hot rods when he was an Electrical Apprentice in Auckland, including a 1930s coupe from Louie the Leopard. After moving back home to Maungaturoto in Northland, Brian purchased a Model A with the roof chopped off.

From the 1970s onwards, Brian was involved in various forms of motorsport, from hill climbing in a mini to later racing a midget car at Western Springs. He was well known as car number 16.

After retiring, Brian moved to Dairy Flat, Auckland, where he pursued his passion for cars and found himself a 1936 Ford 3-window Coupe. The Coupe had initially been purchased from the USA, where it had been rebuilt by Harry Costa in California after being found in a dilapidated state in the 1980s. Brian loved going to the East Bay Rods club meetings with his good mates and to Caffeine and Classics with his grandson Olly who Brian has passed his passion for cars onto. Olly has a 1977 Porsche 924.

From Scotty Tomkies and Paul Servantie

> 79

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Toolbox

TALES Teenage Dream From John Eva

AT a weekly cruise night at the NHRA Museum at Pomona in Southern California in 2012, I snapped this shot of a ‘39 coupe and a red steel T-bucket side-by-side, simply because both cars featured supercharged Hemi engines. The T had somee fascinating history an nd h haad remained pretty much h un u ch hanged since 1958.. T e li Th l ttle weapon was bu u il iltt, t, str tree eete ee ted te d and raced by thrreee h ig ig h sc igh scho h ol o f ri r ien nds ds,, Ross Hea eale ea le,, Ja le Jack Foy Jack oyee an nd Do Doug Pete Pe teers rson o , in thee San on a n G ab briiell Val a ley, ley,, le east ea st of LA LA, be b tw weeen 1958 58 a nd 58 nd 196 965. It evven appeaa red even d in a 196 9 3 Ho Holllyw y ood movie call lled ed Paall m Sp pri ring n s, starring ng g Conn n nie ie Ste teve v ns a nd nd Stephanie ie Pow o er ers. s. s. A lthou Al ugh it’s slightly ly obs b ccu u re red d in n my pho my hoto hoto to,, th the TT bu buck c et hass a ver ck eryy sh hor ort r t wh whee e lb l as a e, jus u t 93 93-1 -1/ -1 1/2 /2 i nc nch hes, a ce ac centua nt ua u teed fur fu u rt r the herr by an abbr brev evv iaatteed T pi pick c up up beed d, hu uge g M&H H sliick cks, s, and so ome m tii me mes a stt um mpy py l itt tl tle wh whit it e it ite ragtop. Itt’s ’s nott a pre rett tttt y po powder wder wd er-p -p pu uff f street rod d, and d it i wass neevver i nt nten e ded en to be. It was builtt in Ro osssss He H ale’ss parents’ driveway, and nd d the he who h le l idea was to put as muc uch hh ho orsepow wer er as possible in the smaa ll l est, light httest, most stripped-down hot rod theyy could build, to go as fa fast st as possible in a straight line, prefferab er ab er blyy on dragstrips and between een n traa fﬁ f ﬁc li lig g hts. gh They used a ‘51 33 3 1-- cu c be Hem m i th that h d been built for a drags ha gsste g t r, with itth a bala ba lanc nced ed cra r nk, Wilcap reinf nfor nf orce or c d ce main n cap aps, s, .06 060 over Forgedtruee piston ons, s, Isk skyy ro roll ller er cam, ‘56 Chry r sller heads, hom omee-bu buil iltt he h aders (s ( ti till l l on ll the car, r, bui uilt lt i n ‘5 ‘59) 9), a Lasall l e tr tran ans, a an

The T after 30 years in a sealed container.

8 2 > N Z H OT RO D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Pomona 2012, side-by-side Hemis.

M del Mo del A re de r ar end nd d, a V8 V8-6 -60 -6 0 tu tube be a xlle, e, ‘3 32 Au A burn rn n das ash, h, a nd n you oun ng Ross ap pp pll ie ied d tth he re he r d paa in i nt (s (still intact) and stit st ittch ched ed the ed he i n ntter erior (since renewed). Th he tteeen enag a ers tried various carb setupss; up s ; Fou r 97s, then six 2-barrels, befor oree or acquirin ng a GM GMC C 66 71 supercharrge gerr on a Weian nd in inta take ta ke We ke. Weia i nd d had adn’ n’tt n’ deeve v lo loped a beelt d ri rive vee at th the ti time me, so me, the bo boys yss used a doublee -rol -rrol ol lerr ch olle chai ain ai n d iv dr i e an nd made d an ad daptorr to r un un tw wo o Rocheste teer 44-b ba rr barr ba rrel e carbs on top. el p Tun Tu n i ng the bea east st was trial and err rrror, or, or an nd th ther eree was a reemo mova ova v bl b e pl p ate in thee fir th fi rew e all l, l so the th he d drr iv i er cou u ld reach h thro th ro oug ugh h an and d ad adju ju ust s the h mag g wh hii le d iv dr ivin ing! g Wit g! ith h 10 per er cen entt ovverrdr d r ivve on o th he bl blow ow wer er,, R Ro oss s a nd n Jac a k to ook it for fo r a fo test d riivee (60 te test 0 yea ears rs ago go), a nd n i n ne nextt to no tim ime, e, on th t e ne new w fo four ur-l-llane ur an ne frreeewaay, y, theyy rea th eaach ched ed 100 mph p , someeti t me mess side si dewa ways wa ays y ! Th T at ver eryy ni n ight g h th gh heyy wen entt c ui cr u isii n n’’ thee str tree eets t , beeat ts ati ng ev ever err yt y thi hing ng g th hat wan nte ted ed to o r ac a e th them m, snak ak k in ing g an and d wrig g gl g in ng d do own own w the bou u leva vaa rd rd l ik ike a tu u na na on n a trr aw wleer de d ck k. Th The he fo foll l low ll llow owin i g w ekend, we d, the h y to ook ok it to t Pom o on o a R aceetrr ac a k for so somee quaa rter rtterr-m m il i e ac actiion n. When Wh en n the light wen ent grree en e n, n the h f ro r ntt w eelss leff t the wh th he gr g ound nd d at prreccis i el elyy thee sam me tim me ime th he Mo Modell A dii ff cri ried ed ed enou o gh ou gh!! They ey fi xe xed d it by putt tttiin n ng g in n bigg bi gger er and nd str tro ongerr a xles and hu onge ubs b , plus pl u a loccke ked d ce centree sec ecti tion. It the h n ran ra n 13 31 mph mph at a Bakersfi fiel eld’ d s Famoso d’ so ‘strr ip ‘s p, be bett tter than thee cl clas asss reco as cord rd

(A A /SStr treet Ro Road adst ad sterr), st ) butt on the neext x passs, th pass pa thee ch chai ain ai n dr d r iv driv ivee on n the blower fleew ap fl par art r t li like kee a lep k eper e wit er ith h ep epil i ep il epsy. Over e the er he next ex x t fe few mo mont nths ths hs, th hs, they hey a lso lso ls blew their faii r sh shar a e of o clu utc tche hees an hes nd tran tr ansmissions, and an nd the h bes est drag ag gsttri rip ip spee sp eed ee d th they eyy achieved w waas 13 32 mp ph. h. In ‘63 3, Ro R sss B eale and Jack k Fo F ye were we r cal alle leed up u forr National Servic ice, ic e, wiith t Vieet Na N m lo loom omin ing, g while Dou g, ou g ou Peete ters rson on,, fivve yeears a rs yo youn unge gerr an a d too y un yo u g tto o be dr draf afte ted, d, loo oke ked af afte terr the T ro th the road adst ster er,, wi with th ple lent ntyy off str tree eett raci ra cii ng cing n . In ‘64 64,, on ret etur urn n fr from om seerv rvic icce, ice, e, Ros o s to took ok ove verr th thee ro road a st ad ster er a d, new an ewly wlyy maarr rriied ed,, mo move ved d to the desert tow wn of Hem emet met e . Li L fe too ook k o er, and the T spen ov sp peen nt 30 0 yea ears rss in a sea e led conttai an neer. r. Rosss, s Jaacck and an d Do Doug ug g all stayed d in con onta ttaact. T en i n the Th th he ‘90s, it wass agr grree eed d Do Doug ug take ta ke the car a . Hee add d ed a ‘40 Forrd rear end, en d, A FB car arbs bss, an nd th the car waas stor o ed d ffo or an anot othe herr 11 1 yea ears rs. Ev Even en ntuall ly l , Doug u ug c ll ca l led lled e Jac ack k an and d su sugg gges este ted he te h come an a d geet th g he ro road adst ster er a nd d get it runnin ng. g Wh h ic ich Ja ich Jack k Foy oyee di did, and he an nd th he T we were re reg egul ular arrs at local cruis isee nigh gh httss a d ca an carr sh show ow ws, s such as the weeeklly gaath thering g at the N HRA Mu M seum um um, m, wh ich i wheere is r I snapped thi his shot ott. It’s the o tyy pe pe of car that nottifi ifies the h locals a m lee away that it’ mi t ll be ar riivi v i ng shortly. It a in’t pretty, It y, but y u woul yo ulldn d ’t c ange ch g a thi h ng!

Years

Ball Joints Bump Stops Engine Mounts Harmonic Balancers

Idler Arms Steering Rack Ends Subframe Mounts Suspension Arms

Suspension Bushes Sway Bar Bushes Sway Bar Links Tie Rod Ends

C i l R a

i E c D pe

N U S

R A sts

WHANGAREI . HENDERSON . PENROSE . HAMILTON . PALMERSTON NORTH . LOWER HUTT . CHRISTCHURCH