#0133 2022 2022
October 2023
PO Box 458, LEVIN 14 Tiro Tiro Road, LEVIN
Patron Chair Deputy Chair Secretary Treasurer Co-Treasurer Club Captains Committee
Welfare Officer Custodian & Maintenance Spares Team
Library Archives Branch Delegate Spark Editor Spark Distribution VIC Team
Tom Hayes Bill Laney w.a.laney@xtra.co.nz Robin Strachan Sharon Meredith horowhenua@vcc.org.nz Jackie Job jackiejob73@gmail.com Daphne Williams dh.dub@xtra.co.nz Bruce Lawrie
06 367 9445 027 4512408 06 364 6780 06 368 5289 027 2011806 06 364 0061 021 02792199 04 293 6803 (W) 04 293 4943 (H) 06 368 3824 022 1601189 027 4509636 06 3647238 06 367 2046 06 368 6891 021 02792199 06 367 2046 027 5674431 027 4509636 06 364 7238
Verdon Heath John White Bill Cottle Callum Farmer Nigel Wheeler Andrew Judd Daphne Williams Nigel Wheeler nigelgwheeler@gmail.com Bill Cottle Callum Farmer callumfarmer77@hotmail.com Rex Williams 022 5114084 Mike Khull 06 363 5633 Jeff Fox 027 4486888 Colin Brooks 04 298 5458 Robert Cammish 027 4441333 Don Macdonald 06 364 8305 George McLean 027 2121705 Robin Strachan 06 364 6780 Diane Strachan 021 468763 John White 022 1601189 Bruce Jamieson 027 6357336 brucejamieson48@hotmail.com 06 825 9102 Murray Tinsley 021 02625971 Verdon Heath, Ivan Horn and Mike Khull
Meeting Branch Night - 1st Wednesday of the month at 7 30 pm Committee Meeting - Last Wednesday of the month at 7 30 pm Working Bee - Saturday following Branch Night at 9 00 am Spare Parts - Open Saturday following Branch Night Club Bank Account No - 03 0667 0269227 00 (Westpac)
Last Club Night was a new experience for me with the introduction of this new ‘A I’ that everyone is talking about. With Sharon reporting in as an absentee for the night and my other relief secretary being involved in a funeral, I was left with the option of using the voice recorder on the cell phone as my only record of what was going to ‘go down’ at the meeting. If nothing else, when I advised everyone what it was all about, it put the meeting in a light flavour for the rest of the night, and with a good natter afterwards, it was a success. Another month and an interesting shed visit, thanks to Derek. I find it very interesting to see what other interests people have apart from the known connection with our Car Club. I guess in one way or another, we all fit into this category, which is probably a good thing. Perhaps I can take this opportunity to remind members of the up-coming Shed Visit for October and again stress that we are different and this is a great way to find out by just how much. I was a little amused by some of the reactions to my article regarding my thoughts at the visit to Biggin Hill last month. One of the things I was going to do was appear at the meeting as “Biggles” but I could not find a helmet that would have given things away a little. I was pleased to see by the reaction at the meeting, that at least a fair number actually read my burble so I can satisfy myself that it is not exactly a waste of time after all. I felt a bit for Bruce when it came down to the lack of numbers for the trip to the Rusty Radiator Cafe, however if there was a lesson to be learnt, any activity requires plenty of notice and in particular, if there is a space of time between the notice and the activity, a reminder nearer the date will not go astray. Of course, I am only speaking for myself when I say that there are people who need a ‘hurry up’ all the time. This I have shown over the Foxton Fling, which I completely overlooked at the club meeting, and then doubled up the blue by forgetting to present my new Club cap which I had sitting on the table beside me. Now you can see why Denise is such a “Buddy” for me. Without her, at times life would be an absolute disaster.
Well I think that’s enough for this edition. I have had the experience of having to do the minutes twice on the computer this month. The first effort is ‘fluffing around in or on some cloud, or stuck in the works somewhere’ as I made a real mess of saving the copy. (Jeez Wayne!!!) What the hell? It all worked out in the end.
Bill Laney
“Nice, but before we get back it will have rusted away.”
Paper or Email? I have received about 50 replies from members regarding how they would like to receive Spark. Many of us are happy to have the magazine sent by email as a pdf file. Of course, some members don’t have access to email, and many simply prefer a paper copy, so we will always have the paper version made available by post or hand delivery. Please let the editor know in which format you wish to get your Spark. Phone or text to 027 6357336, or email to brucejamieson48@hotmail.com. Or you can let me know at a club night or club event. Bruce Jamieson
Brucie’s Burblings Events coming up: Sunday 29 October A club run to the outskirts of Feilding to view a private collection/museum. Bring your lunch, undercover seating is available. Mid-morning start time to be announced. Saturday 4 November Wellington Club Annual Rally and Dinner. Entry form in their October newsletter. Motorcycle Swap Meet in Upper Hutt. See details here. Sunday 26 November Tararua Trundle by Horowhenua VCC. Our annual motoring event that caters for all members and vehicles. 10 am start from clubrooms. 60 -70 miles in length. Lunch and finish at a SPECIAL PLACE OF INTEREST, somewhere very few will have been to. No passage/silent checks, use of private roads and a range of countryside and roads less travelled on. Participation makes the journey so much more enjoyable. Entry form in this edition of Spark, or collect at club night. We require one marshall as a helping hand for this rally. Please contact Verdon. Sunday 10 December Our club Christmas Dinner at the clubrooms. Cost to you: $30 each. Please pay to club account by Friday 1st December. 19 to 22 January, 2024 Wellington Anniversary Weekend events at Wanganui. On Friday 19th is the Monte Carlo Rally , where you select your own start point and route to end up at Wanganui. This time there is a new organiser, there will be no going over the hill to the Wairarapa, lunch stop will be in Feilding. A popular event to enjoy the drive to Wanganui for the fun over the rest of the weekend. No entry fee. All we need is your name and email
address. Wellington VCC members will be participating as well. Entry details in December edition of Spark, or contact Verdon. Sunday 25 February, 2024 Ted Green Memorial Motorcycle Rally. Our only annual motorcycle rally for our two-wheeled enthusiasts. Some different roads this time for you to enjoy. Entry forms in Spark November issue. Again, we will require several helping hands on the day, please contact Verdon. And don’t forget our shed raids on the Wednesday after clubnights, starting from outside the clubrooms at 9:15 am.
Bruce Lawrie & Verdon Heath
Speaker for November
We don’t have a speaker for next month, so it’s up to you to enjoy a night of sparkling repartee (or b…s…) among yourselves. There was plenty of this at the last two club nights, with big numbers of members attending.
New Club Members
No new members showed up at our September club night.
Recovering
We have had no reports of any new accidents or illnesses, so good news. Of course, there are still a few members waiting for their operations or next treatment, and we know that this happens too much these days. Hang in there.
Sadly Missed
It is with sadness we record the passing of Bill Butters on the 29th September. Bill was a long-time member of the VCC, and a very well respected member of our Spares team for many years. His expertise in identifying parts was much appreciated. Our condolences and sympathy go to his wife Elva and the family.
Stop Press
Otaki Horse Race Day
We have been invited to display some of our cars at Otaki Racecourse on Wednesday the 8th of November 2023. The cars would be displayed in the birdcage area. The first race is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. We would have free entry with access to the members’ stand. Coffee facilities and cafeteria-style food are available or we can BYO and make a picnic day of the event. Contact Bill Laney.
[Garage Raid in the morning, horse races in the afternoon. Big Day Out!]
Cover Picture
Cruising down to Waitarere Beach in the Bugatti.
Not much to report this month. We are still trying to find out who can copy VHS tapes to a compact disc. CAN YOU HELP PLEASE? ALSO-- when the library is open, come on in and have a look through. Can't offer a cup of tea or choc bickie though. Anything that you wish to find or read, we could have it. JOKE A Traffic Officer said to the driver, “Slow down, you are driving way too fast. You would not drive like this if you were on your way to your driving test; would you?” Driver, “When I take a driving test I will let you know.”
Robin and Diane Strachan
ROAD TRIP TO THE KAIKOURA HOP VIA HOKITIKA IN OUR 1960 DODGE PIONEER Our journey started on a Sunday with a full tank of 95 octane. Excellent smooth ferry crossing to Picton, then a drive to Murchison. Great road, weather cloudy and no traffic, sat on a nice 50 mph. Next day RAIN! Not heavy, but continuous drizzle. Drove to Reefton, fuel gauge on empty, refilled, then continued on to Hokitika, again another nice ride down the west coast at 50mph, but the 1960 wiper set-up is not the best for the wet conditions. No leaks in the car though and also no demister – that’s Susan’s job. Spent two nights here catching up with family and mucking around, then on Wednesday were off to Hanmer Springs, but at Reefton the fuel gauge was on empty again. A perfect day for a cruise although a little cloudy. The Dodge went over the Lewis Pass beautifully. Hanmer Springs is a lovely place but we were only here for one night. Thursday morning fine and cold. I knew that the Kaikoura Hop was doing a run to Rodin Cars, so my plan was to tag in on the tour. BUT “no go”! We weren’t registered for the tour. We spent the next two hours winding down the inland route to Kaikoura, a great drive. Arrived in Kaikoura with the fuel tank empty again – refill. At 3pm we made our way to Hop headquarters, picked up our welcome pack, emptied my wallet at the merchandise store then checked out the town. Our first event was the drive-in movie at the racetrack, starting 7pm. The movie is THE MUNSTERS, which is the theme for the Hop. My first ever drive-in movie and we were worried as we were the only vehicle there, but then a Chevy C10 pickup arrived. We then found out that the movie was cancelled due to high winds (what we in Wellington would call a slight breeze). Apparently the blow-up screen is quite fragile, so there we were one of two vehicles, out came the table, chairs and thermos - coffee time. Well, wine time for our Chevy C10 guest . Friday was poker run day and it rained. First stop: Donegal House for breakfast and bingo. I drew a king spades, Sue got 4 clubs.
Second stop: Black Rabbit pizza house. Rain had stopped, we had an hour to assemble a Munsters jigsaw puzzle. I drew 5 diamonds, Sue king of clubs. Third stop: Strawberry Tree, a long narrow bar with Elvis doing his thing – pretty dam good. An Elvis quiz with 20 questions. We got 14 right, I drew 6 hearts, Sue 5 clubs. Fourth stop: racetrack. Here we had 2 draws: mine 9 hearts and 2 diamonds, Sue 3 clubs and 10 diamonds. Quiz was matching up 12 cars to their respective movie, missed one (Miami Vice). My cards = K 5 6 9 2 Sue’s cards = 4 K 5 3 10. No good here. The finale for the day was a parade through Kaikoura. Saturday – show day, with perfectly fine weather, the best yet. Many great vehicles, mostly “Yank Tanks”, hot rods, Holdens and Falcons. There were a couple of surprises, one being a Hillman Californian, another was a fly around from a WW2 Spitfire. Miss Kaikoura Hop fashion parade and the Extravaganza Fair made for a great day’s outing. At 3pm, while watching the fashion parade, I got a call to say that CHEERY, our Dodge was one of the top 10 winners, so after the fashion event it was prize giving time. Upon receiving our ribbon, voucher and trophy it was off to the Route 66 dance for a night of rock ‘n’ roll. Sunday morning was clear with the sun shining but blowing a gale. We cruised up to Picton at a respectable 50 mph. A caravan a couple of cars ahead of us just lost its front and rear windscreens. The two cars in front and my Dodge helped embed the rear one into roadway. Arrived in Picton, and although the gale was blowing, the ferry had not been cancelled and at 2pm we set sail. Expecting the roughest crossing ever we hunkered down midship. To our surprise Cook Strait was ok, and although it was very windy there was very little swell. At 6pm we drove off the ship very happy campers until I looked at the fuel gauge. Bloody empty again! Only half a tankfull needed this time to get us home. 850 miles done at a wallet-busting 16 mpg. Brent and Susan James
Some of the cars at the Kaikoura Hop that caught the attention of Brent and Susan.
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Foxton Spring Fling On Sunday, the 22nd October the Foxton Spring Fling is taking place and I have had a call from the organiser to see if we can assist with a static display of cars for them. The plan is they will be closing the main street and it will be taken over with stalls, displays and all other sorts of activities. They will set aside a block exclusively for our vehicles. I have not got the exact details but I would assume that they would like us there in the vicinity of 10am till at least 2pm. This will be verified later but at this point in time I would like anybody interested to contact me urgently so that I can follow up with the arrangements.
Bill Laney.
My phone is 0274512408
MEREDITH ELECTRICAL LIMITED For all your electrical requirements including: New Homes, Dairy farms, Maintenance, Repairs and all general electrical work.
Give Richard a ring on 027 4415464
Answer later in this issue of Spark
ALFA ROMEO 6C
A Disaster In the Making? Some vehicles are well designed and constructed. Some vehicles are badly designed and constructed. Some vehicles are poorly designed and dangerous. Some vehicles are just plain lethal! #1. In the late 1960s I worked for the Chrysler, Hillman agency. One day a woman arrived at the garage visibly shocked. While relating her experience, her hands were shaking. She said that she bought a Hillman Imp off the used car lot some time previously. She had noticed recently, a vibration had started somewhere and thought it was time to put the car into the garage to see what the problem was. Before doing so, she was starting to travel down Ngauranga Gorge, when suddenly there was a loud "bang", followed by a very severe vibration and a noise that she described as “sounding like a lunatic hitting the rear of the car with a sledge hammer”, and the car started jumping about! She decided to pull over to the shoulder and applied the footbrake, only to discover that the pedal went to the floor! Next she tried to apply the handbrake, only to find it too came all the way up with no effect at all! She had to drive all the way down Ngauranga Gorge with no brakes and the racket increasing both in noise, intensity and the jumping about. Fortunately, she finally made it to the bottom and parked the car on the side of the road, then managed to get a lift to the garage to relate her ordeal. A tow wagon was despatched and the Imp was towed back to the garage, jacked up and inspected underneath and what was discovered was alarming to say the least! The sequence of possibly fatal events occurred as follows: The Coventry Climax engine is located in the rear with a transaxle attached to the forward part of the engine. Transmission to the rear wheels is firstly through a Rotoflex coupling on each side of the transaxle. This comprises a three-legged coupling from the transaxle, upon which a six-holed rubber donut is attached. The exposed rear axle, which also has a three-legged end, is attached on the opposite side of the donut.
Over time, oil had leaked along the splines of the transaxle coupling and was then forced outwards to contaminate the rubber donut. This allowed the rubber donut to gradually deteriorate, which then became partly detached and accounted for the initial vibration felt. When starting down the gorge that day, the remains of the rubber donut finally disintegrated, allowing the left rear axle to flail about. Located directly above the flailing axle was the stop light switch, which was decapitated by the flailing axle, allowing brake fluid to leak out. The exposed handbrake cable runs alongside the rear suspension trailing arm. The flailing axle cut though the handbrake cable. Below the handbrake itself was the see-saw equaliser to give the same pull on the handbrake cables to each wheel. With one side of the handbrake cable severed, the equaliser flipped fully around to the intact handbrake cable when the handbrake was operated, insufficient to allow the handbrake to operate on the right-hand side. The underside of the floor pan also showed a series of slashes through the metal. #2. The front suspension on the Hillman Imp incorporates king pins. On the early model, no grease nipple was fitted. Over time, this resulted in partial seizure of the king pins when on hard lock. This put excessive mechanical stress on the steering rack assembly, which was fastened to the floor pan, deforming the floor pan and leading to cracking and eventual detachment from the floor pan altogether. Holding the steering wheel rigid resulted in wandering around the road as a consequence! The customer had lost all interest in the Imp and only wanted some form of payment for it after the experience! I wonder why?
George McLean
PARKING
Garage Raid on 13 September This month’s visit was to Derek Ransom’s place. We have all admired his Ford coupe and NZeta scooter in the past, and were nor surprised to find a lot of other treasures tucked away. Some are finished, but there are plenty of projects ahead.
Derek pointing out some features of a fine sidecar. We loved it.
Club Run to Halcombe Only four cars with eight brave souls took on the windiest day for years to take part in the run to the Rusty Radiator Cafe in Halcombe. Bill and Marilyn in the MG Midget, Murray and Raewyn in the Hillman Hunter, Win and Daphne in the Ford Cortina and Bruce and Bruce in the Chrysler weren’t scared, and ended up in the cafe which is most interesting, not only for the splendid lunches we enjoyed, but there is a collection of all kinds of motoring memorabilia. One artistic item that stood out was a wooden spoked wheel with a modern disc brake attached. Holes around the rim had us puzzled - round holes on one side and square on the opposite side. I’m sure we have a club full of members who can explain.
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August 2023 I start this Spares Report with a Big Thank You to the lads from Trayla Trailers Ltd and Arlan Engineering for helping John White when it came to fitting the 1000kg Engine Hoist Crane to the Spares Department Trailer. The first annual swap meet at the NZ Motorcycle Centre,Upper Hutt ( 19 Nicolaus Street ) will take place on Saturday November the 4th between 9am and 2pm. This should be of interest to anyone working on vintage or classic motorcycles. As is traditional with the Manawatu Swap Meet, the weather played its part with a healthy dose of hail, rain, thunder and lightning. On the plus side, the hall was packed with sellers, and buyers walking around with their hands in their jacket pockets.
There were however some serious treasures to be had. For example, a complete veteran Minerva (Belgium) motor, gearbox, radiator and surround being for sale on one of many stalls. On a final note, was it just me, or was the food and drink this year at the Manawatu Swap Meet seriously expensive? This may be something their committee has to look into. Safe Motoring Everyone
Callum
VCC Banners These fabric windscreen banners in blue with gold lettering are still available. These can be used when displaying your car at shows or rallies. Limited stocks left at $10 each. Order from Des StClare. Library Merchandise
HVCC Dashboard Stickers Iron on fabric badges HVCC blue and white caps Name Badges (fill out form)
-$ 4 -$ 3 - $10 - $12
Early 50s Morris Minor 4 door. 50,000 miles. Sound body & was sound mechanically when put into storage. Rover 95. Good runner & has been in storage with the Morris. Both have good interiors. Open to offers on both, which are in Foxton. Ring John Grant for details. 06 363 8099 or 021 027 81332. Wanted for MG TD:
Spare wheel carrier, speedo and rev counter set, fuel tank cap. Call Mark Bennett on 021 0874416.
Answer to “What Am I?” Adolf Hitler made a sketch in 1933 of a car that he wanted to introduce. The new car was not to be another expensive luxury model, but something that could be afforded by everyone - the “peoples’ car”, the Volkswagen. At the Kaiserhof Hotel in Berlin in May 1934, three men sat down to progress the design. They were Hitler himself, Jakob Werlin, a Mercedes Benz dealer in Munich, and Ferdinand Porsche, a brilliant automotive engineer. Hitler explained the fundamental requirements for the car. The Volkswagen would have to carry four people, be economical to run (target 40 miles per gallon), be able to cruise at 60 miles per hour for long stretches of the autobahns then under construction and be reliable, especially having no ignition problems which made starting in cold weather difficult. Above all, it had to sell for less than 1000 marks. Porsche considered this to be practically impossible, as at the time a car he had designed for NSU had an estimated cost of 2000 marks, and the smallest car then on the market, the Opel Kadett, sold for 2500. Shown on this page is a drawing of Porsche’s first design, which had a twocylinder engine and only a two-speed gearbox.
KAPITI MID-WEEK RUN WEDNESDAY 25th OCTOBER
The last run was for chocolate lovers, so it only seemed fair that the October run should cater for those who enjoy a great craft beer. There are lots of craft breweries to choose from, but only one was started up by petrolheads and named after a classic Harley Davidson engine design; Panhead. They even brew beers with names like "Supercharger”, "Rat Rod" and "Quickchange". Our visit will start with a talk by one of the senior brewers about the brewing process and the history of Panhead, and a look at the "Pilot Brewery" which is used to try out new recipes in small batches. Then we will have lunch in The Tasting Room, which is Panhead's cafe/restaurant. The petrolheads at Panhead are more into hot-rods and Harleys, but they are still close relatives of ours, so it would be great if we could have a good turn out of our classics, including motorcycles (even better if anyone can bring a Panhead Harley). Timing -- meet-up in the parking area at Panhead around 11:30am (we plan to pick up a takeaway coffee to have in the car park while we all assemble). Panhead's doors open and the talk begins at midday. Location --Panhead Brewery, Blenheim Street, Upper Hutt. It is part of "Brewtown", in the old Dunlop tyre factory. Directions -- for anyone who doesn't know the area, take SH2 northbound up the Hutt Valley. Continue on SH2 until the traffic lights to turn on to Gibson Street. Carry on straight across Fergusson Drive at a tricky triple-roundabout and continue on to Blenheim Street. After crossing over the railway line, take the second exit at a roundabout to stay on Blenheim Street, and Panhead is then on the left. As always, the cafe needs to know numbers, so please let me know by Sunday 22nd October if you are able to join in. Philip Pearce
email: nzpearce87@gmail.com mob: 027 274 4084
Mid Week Garage “ Raid” To be held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (the week after club night). Meet outside clubrooms on Tiro Tiro Road for 9:15 am start. The destination and instructions about how to get there will be provided on the day. We want volunteers to host future raids. Please contact: Basil Gowenlock or Verdon Heath
06 367 6450 06 368 3824
email: the.gowenlocks@gmail.com email: 2cv2stroke@gmail.com
Henry's Ultimate: When the Model T Ford was introduced in 1908, Henry proclaimed he had invented the "ultimate" car which could never be replaced! Model Ts should still be coming down the assembly line even today, according to Henry's futuristic vision from 1908! A note from George McLean
BIG CARS - SMALL PEOPLE
Did you ever notice how the advertisements for cars often showed the car so large and the people so small? It was not only the Americans who did this, as in the 1960s ad for Pontiac shown here. In future issues I will show how manufacturers from other countries played the same trick.
CALENDAR of COMING EVENTS Oct 8 Garage Raid & Otaki Races Display Oct 22 Spring Fling Show at Foxton Oct 25 Mid-week Run to Panhead Brewery Oct 29 Club run to Feilding - Horowhenua Nov 4 Annual Rally and Dinner - Wellington Nov 26 Tararua Trundle - Horowhenua Dec 10 Christmas Dinner - Horowhenua 2024 January 19-22 Rally Weekend - Wanganui February 17 Auction (proposed) - Horowhenua February 18 Shannon Car Show February 25 Ted Green Motorcycle Rally - Horowhenua Any enquiries to: Bruce Lawrie Phone 027 4762489
TAIL LIGHTS
ISSN
the print bureau 06 367 9330