ADVANCE AND RETARD
West Coast branch of the VCC
September 2023 magazine
Any guesses as to what this is...?
Contents
Front cover - before restoration Paul Elwel Sutton’s 1926 Renault Doctors Coupe
Until we meet again, Forth coming events, Report on Daffodil Day Run 20th Aug 2023
Report on Aaran Stewart’s Mercedes Sprinter
Report on 1st Kick Start Run 3rd Sep 23 to Theatre Royal Kumara
Paul Elwell Sutton's restoration - 1926 Renault Doctors Coupe
The Fair (Es)sex – Iris Lawrence’s Parkin recipe
For sale, wanted, free -please let me know if you still want these advertised Committee
Until we meet again
1st Thursday month – Committee meeting at Clubrooms at Shantytown 7th Sept
7.30pm – Judy has been battling with the branch computer, with amongst things, to get us onto ZOOM
3rd Tuesday month – Morning tea at Shantytown 5th Sept at 10.00am
4th Sunday month – See events
Don’t forget you are welcome to attend any of our events in your modern vehicle if you are unable to use your vintage one, it is just good to have your company.
Editors note – I will be overseas for about 7 weeks but still intend to do the newsletters. So please keep information for events runs and so on coming to me. As always thank you to those who respond and take part in whatever way they are able and want to with our runs, events and requests.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT A GLANCE
3 Sep 2023 Kick Start Run 12pm ish Theatre Royal Kumara
9 Sep 2023 Womens Institute
Anne Stewart Rose Bowl
9 Sep 2023 Very Special Afternoon Tea
23 Sep 2023(Sat) 8pm Repco (See below)
11-2pm at the Trinity Church
Rooms Greymouth
2-3pm Moana Church(see see email with full advert attached
Franz Joseph Car Show 10-2pm Thanks Fred
23-24 Sep 2023 Nelson Branch Biennial Rally at Murchison
21-23 Oct 23 SthCantBranch
Email sent to all Mount Cook Annual Rally with details and entry form
21 Jan 2024 TBA Christmas lunch gathering
16 Feb 2024 9am(5-6 hrs) Tour of Stockton Mine- Outwest Tours
15 Mar 2024(Fri) 11am Waiuta Official Opening of Jos Davis Cott
22-23 Mar 2024 weekend Scenic Land Rally 2024
3 Sep 23 - Kick start run
Greymouth 11am meet at Anzac Park to join with Hokitika members at Honey Pot Cafe car park Kumara junction.. Travel to Theatre Royal Kumara for lunch 12ish.
9 Sep 23 – 2 local events some of you may wish to go to one or both.
23 Sep 23 (Sat) – Franz Joseph Car Show – Grey members depart 8am from Repco. Meet Hokitika members opp BP 8.20-830 drive to Franz Joseph. Queries to Fred Ruesink 037380878 fg.am.ruesink@xtra.co.nz
23/24 Sep 23 - Nelson Biennial Rally – Bruce (maybe a couple of others members) is joining in with Nelson to take part in this event. If any want membership forms please contact Bruce or I..
Christmas I guess you are all happy with the Committee to decide when and where as no feed back was received.
Stockton Mine tour – Details will be sent out in November
Official Opening of Jos Davis Cottage, Waiuta – Margaret Sadler has been in touch and will get back to me with more information when known. I will keep you updated.
DAFFODIL DAY RALLY 20 AUGUST 2023
What a build up, advertising went well with the local radio station, Coast FM, advertising over the air regularly, the Westport News who did an excellent article sponsored by many of the Westport businesses whose bright adverts made it very eye-catching. The Greymouth Star had front page article with 4 of our members and their cars outside Shanty Town cafe, where we have our coffee morning ever 3rd Tuesday in the month. The other Coast vehicle clubs,, private groups and individuals all came on board. Then the weather decided to take a drastic turn for the worse on Saturday throwing torrential rain, wind, thunder and lightening at the Coast. It was too late to cancel and knowing the West coast the next day could be okay, we checked for slips and closed roads, there were none of significance so we forged ahead, and sure enough Sunday was better still grey and damp in Greymouth but Westport was dry and yes sunny (what a difference a 100kms make!)
This years rally started as usual, outside the Greymouth Rodders club rooms at Anzac park Greymouth where vehicles started to gather at 9am for the Public Vehicle Display. Pavel along with volunteers from the West coast Cancer Society were there to collect the entry fees and donations. Lisa (who supports the Cancer Society) came along with her MASH vehicle, a most welcome “expresso bar”. (After her stint with us Lisa was heading with her coffee van to another Cancer fund raiser in Greymouth.) Considering the weather it was a good turnout with about 25-30 vehicles, sadly not many of our club members made it but to those who did thank you.
At 10am we moved off to travel along state Hwy 6 ,“The Coast Road” to Westport and Carters Beach where another public display of vehicles was to take place beside the Carters Beach Community Hall. They had invited us to join them at their monthly Sunday Market. The journey was better than we expected considering the weather we had had. There was only one hiccup that I was aware of, but that was soon sorted with a bit of towing. Thanks go to Bruce and Tom for helping out.
Bruce and I arrived a bit later than planned at Carters Beach but were warmly welcomed by SUN and a super turnout of vehicles (must have been around 60/70) and people of all ages milling around. It was a great spot, firm off road parking with a lovely back drop of blue sky, there were public conveniences, Donaldo’s cafe, plenty of stalls of baking, crafts, food, and of course the sea. Sadly I failed to catch up with the Westport Cancer Society ladies who had been with their collection buckets.
On a personal note I enjoyed the camaraderie of mixing with other clubs, enthusiast and individuals who gave their time and patience to show off these historic, interesting, individual and yes in some cases unique vehicles that are thankfully still gracing our highways and byways. LONG MAY IT CONTINUE it is history. Sadly in our present “throw away society” vehicles made to day are so alike and cloned and will never stand the test of time. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO TOOK PART, DONATED, SUPPORTED AND ENJOYED this worthwhile cause.
We raised on the day a total of $1299.90 (Greymouth $783.50and Westport $516.40) what a great response and it all stays on the Coast.
Pictures of the day below
PICTURES FROM GREYMOUTH PARK AND DISPLAY – note the grey sky but t was 9am
Don and TC checking it all out with a hot coffee
This is an excellent venue to use
So many different styles
Welcome caffeine shot from Lisa’ MASH expresso bar
Great to see our local Aharua Pub landlords Rocky and Suzi joining us with their recently acquired (the same week I believe) 1969 Cadillac De
had a similar version except his was a soft top. (Look forward to welcoming you both as members)
See separate article on Aaran’s Mercedes Sprinter
Note of interest John F Kennedy
Ville.
(USA)
I don’t think I would like my foot run over by these wheels! Dirty 3 owned by Steve and Sue Smith
Great to see Dave and “Essie” who needs the First Aid?
Don & TC’s Daimler
Taking off for Westport - note the puddle! Proof of the rain we had)
Carters Beach, Westportpublic display
Rocky & Suzi’s Cadillac creating a bit of interest
This event just makes you realise the diversity of vehicles of interest are on the Coast that all ages can enjoy.
The Riley car in the middle was my choice of car of the day. We were introduced to the owners via Dave & June who knew them from Nelson Branch.
The car belongs to John and Zelma Stanley who now live in Westport and are keen to join our branch, we look forward to seeing them on our runs.
A great day for a worthwhile cause thank you all
A Special Interesting Vehicle and driver joined our Daffodil Day Rally 20 Aug 23 by Zoe
Goughwith information from Aaran
I received an email from Aaran Stewart, a “petrol head” who lives on the Coast, asking if he could join us on the Daffodil Day run, as he enjoys following along with the boys on their bike runs around the coast and he wanted to get involved in something different. Knowing a person in the Greymouth Rodders who suggested he might enjoy coming along on the Daffodil Day Rally. He was welcomed without any hesitation and what a reward for us it was.
He brought a very enlightening aspect to motoring, reminding us of the physical and mental perseverance required to be able to overcome enormous obstacles so that he is able to enjoy “toys” that many of us take for granted, Aaran is a tetraplegic.
His “toy” is a Mercedes MB Sprinter which he ordered in 2016 from the factory in Dusseldorf Germany. He had it converted for wheelchair use in New Zealand in Carterton at Braiden International Ltd when it first arrived here. Aaran pointed out that there are a lot of wheelchair converted MB Sprinters in New Zealand, because ACC helps out with the purchase and conversion. As he said, this is great that the ACC helps people who need wheelchair modified transportation, but ACC only pays for the basic bog standard Sprinter other vehicles conversion. He spent a considerable sum on top of the ACC’.s contribution to get what he wanted. His vehicle is only 1 of 2 wheel chair modified 4x4 sprinters in the country, that he knows of. At present the Mercedes has a 3Ltr V6 twin turbo diesel engine, at some stage and when he can afford it, he has the desire to swap this for a Crate motor, possibly a LS3 or a LSX depending on what rules the government has at the time.
The Mercedes has been modified so that the passenger seat has been completely removed, a hoist is fitted at the back which is lowered so that Aaran drives onto it seated in his electric mobility wheel chair, press button operated. The hoist is lifted and he is able to drive off into the back of the vehicle and straight into the position where the passenger seat once was. Aaran is then driven by one of his team of 5 carers.
Aaran has been very generous, both on the day and in giving me the information to do this report, by showing us his amazing vehicle and how it works at both Greymouth and Westport car displays. His one disappointment with the day was that he failed to be in the convoy travelling up the Coast road to Westport, due to a small hiccup. But he caught up (legally no broken speed limits). This is an insight into another aspect to the motoring culture and the enjoyment and freedom it give.
Thank you Aaran – pictures on next page
Report on Kick Start Motorcycle Run 3 September 2023 - report by Bruce Heyward
For our first kick start run (for a few years anyway) Zoe and I arrived at our start point at Anzac Park a tad early on our 1952 Panther 350 but Colin was early too on his trusty Royal Enfield Bullet 350. So after a yarn or two we kicked the bikes into life and headed off to Kumara Junction where Warren (BSA B33/34) and new member John Blaymires were waiting for us. While Johns Guzzle is way too modern to sport a kick start lever, he does have a mid fifties Guzzi project, an unusual machine with its external (bacon slicer) flywheel and cantilever rear suspension. What is has too is a k/s lever to start the flat forward single cylinder engine. It will be good to see that up and running! So we proceeded, the five of us on four bikes to the Theatre Royal bar and cafe at Kumara. Where we met up with members Garry and Rae Hopkinson in their Mercedes coupe, mystified by the term “kick start run”. Oops, sorry about that! I don’t think Mercedes Benz cars (or trucks) would appreciate being kicked into life!!Nice to meet up again and maybe we’ll see you both next time on a 1962 Triumph Bonneville or whatever!?!
Following a pleasant lunch outdoors in the warm sun, and more yarns told, we dispersed off in different directions. Interestingly, en route for home we encountered Geoff Sutton out cruising on his big Harley Davidson, the upshot of this being we met his lovely wife Suzie who made coffee while Geoff showed us the contents of his very full workshop/shed at Dobson. Phew, a lot of interesting old iron in there including a mint 1955 AJS 500 twin which hopefully we might see on the next k/s run. Enough projects there to keep Geoff busy until about 2075!! Caught you out though mate---Erwin Tragatsch tells us that Clements were made in FRANCE from 1897 to 1905. All in all a good day with good people, though a few more would have been welcome. Apologies were received from Roger Devlin, and also from Don Scott and TC whose bikes, recently purchased, have some issues. Maybe next time folks? And a big thank you to those who did turn up. Planning for another and longer k/s run in November so please drag those old girls (the mechanical ones) out into the daylight and dust them off ready to go. Remember too, any eligible motorcycle can be ridden on any of our VCC runs. With Reefton being a tad remote and the rising cost of fuel (and everything else) we will probably use a motorcycle more this summer. Bring on summer!!!!! Cheers Bruce
Bruce & Panther (Blue one) Colin Royal Enfield (Orange one) Warren’s well sorted BSA & John joined us too BSA, Royal Enfield and John’s Moto Guzzi
Restoration of a 1926 Renault Doctors Coupe – by Paul Elwell Sutton
From childhood in the early 1950s, I'd dreamed of owning a vintage or veteran car, and subscribed to "Veteran and Vintage Magazine"" and "Old Motor and Vintage Commercial" in my teens. This dream was reinforced every time I beheld such a vehicle. Love at first sight every time! After a lifetime of dreaming, and having reached retirement age, it was time to realise those dreams. I started trawling through the likes of Trade Me, as well as specialist sites in Europe and the UK. Being fluent in French meant French sites were no problem.
In 2014, that I came upon an ad for a 1932 Rosengart LR 6 cabriolet on the French site, "La Vie de l'Auto", which I had been frequently visiting, along with "Le Bon Coin", and instantly decided to buy it.
The vendor was a retired 'carrossier' (coach-builder) his 80s, computer-illiterate, and very hard to reach by phone.
Eventually it seemed we'd reached a deal and I was ready to transfer the funds, but at the last minute he withdrew because he didn't want the car to leave France, due to its rarity.
Rather disappointed, I returned to the "La Vie de l'Auto" site, and soon came across the 1926 Renault MT, subject of this article, located in a tiny rural village in south-west France. The vendor was a retired prefab kitchen factory owner. Though a rare model with a doctor's coupé coachwork, the vendor was prepared to let it out of France, and in due course, the purchase was completed just before Christmas 2014.
I engaged GT Logistics of Auckland, to ship the car to New Zealand. In mid-February 2015, the car arrived at Lyttelton port.
I'd contacted Tony Haycock, the VCCNZ speed steward, and a French car enthusiast, prior to arrival, to see if he could help with valuation for insurance purposes.
1932 Rosengart LR6 cabrioletHe was enormously helpful both with the valuation, and with getting the car complianced and registered with VINZ at Christchurch airport. Without his help the process would have been a nightmare, and as it was, we had to have two goes.
Tony wrote up the adventure in the May-June 2015 issue of "Classic Driver".
Renault MT, as it appeared in the "La Vie de l'Auto" ad
I'd hired a self-drive vehicle transporter truck in Haast, where I live, which I used to transport the car around Christchurch, and back to Haast.
Once back in Haast, issues with the engine, magneto, dynastart, and transmission showed up immediately.
The engine was burning a lot of oil and fouling the plugs within a few km. The plugs had been mounted on towers in a futile attempt to reduce fouling.
The dynastart operated erratically, the cardan between the gearbox and jackshaft was flogged out, the magneto was rackety, the steering box worn and out of adjustment, the right rear wheel bearing running rough, paint flaking off some wheels, seriously leaking fuel tank and so on.
Although the vendor had supplied me with photos of the full rebuild from a basket case in a field with vegetation growing through it (see photo), it appears that mechanically, the engine was merely stripped, cleaned and allegedly reassembled with new rings and valve guides, whereas the bodywork and chassis were actually restored, using oak for the framing, after having been totally dismantled and stripped down.
Pre-restoration
Above and below are some photos sent by the previous owner, showing some of the restoration process, and the pre-restoration condition.
A few months ago, close friends of the former owner, from the same part of France, were visiting New Zealand and called in to view the car. Unfortunately, it was a typical wet West Coast day of heavy rain, so I didn't take them out for a spin, though started the engine for them to hear. The canvas top is not especially waterproof, and the horizontally split windscreen lets plenty of rain in.
Clearly, the car had been a static display in his private car museum, alongside Jaguar E type, and Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes-Benz, Hotchkiss cabriolet, Peugeot 203 and Citroën Traction. At this stage, getting the car to a motorable state became the result of an enormous amount of assistance from friends and acquaintances within and outside the vintage car movement in New Zealand, along with generous dollops of patience and money.
My boundless thanks go to Tony Haycock of the VCCNZ, to Adam Cowan for renting his precious vehicle transporter truck to me to collect the car from Christchurch, to Neil Bielski, who freely gave so much advice as well as making both a new needle and seat for the carburettor, and a jackshaft puller, when I needed to replace the cardan at the front of the gearbox, to Alan Gotlieb, friend of 50 years, for his phenomenal and generous engineering skills in expertly rebuilding the clockwork indicator control switch and the voltage cutout to better than new, plus inestimable advice on all restoration matters, to James Polden, for bringing a replacement set of con rods back from his father in the UK, in his luggage on the plane(!), to André de Graaf for transporting the car back from Christchurch on a trailer when there was a timing gear problem post-installation of the rebuilt engine, to "The Vintage Aviator" company in Wellington for manufacturing perfect replicas of the unusual magneto points. Many thanks to them for such a perfect job when nowhere else could take it on, and to Auto Restorations who carried out much of the engine restoration over the years.
It was to Auto Restorations in Christchurch that I took the engine after removing it from the car. There, it was stripped down, and very extensively reconditioned and rebuilt. New pistons were made in Australia.
One of the original conrods was cracked, probably due to lack of webbing in the design, and I was able to source some better designed webbed NN rods from a vintage Renault club member in England. Fortuitously, James Polden, son of the gentleman with the spare set, was over there visiting,
Oak framing during restoration in France
and able to bring them back with him upon his return to Christchurch, and deliver them to Auto Restorations.
Talk about serendipity!
Some history, specs and more.
From a copy of the build record supplied by "Archives Renault", in France, the car, Renault coachwork (number 4), chassis, engine, Renault carburettor, SAGA magneto, Paris-Rhône D2R dynastart, gearbox and front axle numbers match those it left the factory with on 19/1/1926. The rear axle appears to have been changed, and I haven't recorded the radiator and steering box numbers yet. The MT model carries the round Renault badge which predates the introduction in 1926 of the Renault lozenge one, and was the first Renault to be fitted with four-wheel brakes, which are rodoperated drums.
The MT appeared on the market from early 1924 to early 1926, and was superceded by the NN series with a longer, and later wider chassis, and finally, friction shock absorbers, which the MT didn't have.
Production figures for the MT from 1923 to 1926 were 14,946, with just 1 in 1923, 10,934 in 1924, 3,851 in 1925, and 160 in 1926, the year this car was made.
It is believed there are a bare handful of the MT model with a Doctor's Coupé body, known to exist in the world.
There is one in the private motor museum of the late Prince Rainier of Monaco, incorrectly labelled a KJ1. <https://360carmuseum.com/en/museum/35/exhibit/1849>.
The later NN series cars ceased manufacture in 1929, when 6 cylinder cars became all the rage. The four cylinder side-valve long-stroke engine of 950cc produces around 15HP, propels the car at a comfortable 40kph on the flat and was introduced in 1922, when it was Renault's smallest engine at the time.
The radiator straddles the rear of the engine, which is sealed from the road by cowling under three sides at the level of the solid aluminium sump. When the bonnet is closed the engine compartment is sealed so the vanes on the flywheel draw air through the vents on either side of the body, which passes across the radiator tubes and out the underside of the car. No matter the air temperature, the coolant stays steady at 72°C. I use anti-freeze year round to control corrosion.
Starting is by the original Paris-Rhône D2R dynastart attached directly to the front of the crankshaft, and is eerily silent, while ignition is with the original SAGA magneto, on which the ignition is fixed with no advance and retard.
There is provision for crank handle starting.
The gearbox has 3 forward and reverse gears, non-synchromesh, so double clutching is mandatory to change gears: easy when one has learned to drive on a 1952 K Bedford.
The clutch is a leather-lined cone type, and works smoothly.
The suspension is by two front longitudinal leaf springs and a rear transversal one.
Inside the cab, with its single right-hand side door, are 3 seats, one for the driver on the left, one in the rear on the right, a folding and removable seat in front of that, and a turned aluminium dash with ammeter, lights switch, indicator switch, horn toggle, ignition on/off button and ignition light. The windscreen wiper motor is above the windscreen, and leather straps raise and lower the two windows.
The upper half of the windsreen can be swung forwards to provide extra ventlation if required. No speedometer or odometer is provided, though there is a drive off the gearbox.
On the steering column are the manual choke and throttle controls, with the petrol cock under the dash, the 25 litre fuel tank being situated above the driver's feet, feeding by gravity to the carburettor.
The seats are covered in leatherette, and a rubber mat covers the solid wooden floor. There's a luggage compartment behind the driver, with a wooden lid.
The car was originally green, but the previous owner chose pearlescent green with clear-coat finish. Such paints and finishes didn't exist in 1926, but I'm not going to rush out and change it.
Weight is 830-850kg, laden.
Interior
Climbing into the car through the single door on the right, the driver gets in first, followed by the passengers.
From the driver's perspective, the first thing that strikes is the comfort, the relaxed sound of the engine once warmed up, which takes about 10 minutes, and the ease of driving.
The engine is enormously tractable. Once in third, one can leave it in third until climbing a hill, or coming to a stop, when its best to change down.
Rises are taken slowly in second or first, but even then, the engine is not struggling.
Brakes are OK to a degree, but forethought is advised. Adjusting the cat's-cradle of brake rods is not for the faint-hearted, and as vintage Renault enthusiasts all comment, "Why make something simple when one can make something really complicated?"
Vintage Renaults are known for their poor brakes, but at 40kph cruising speed, who cares?
I've now logged around 3,500 trouble-free km in the car since getting it motorable and roadworthy. Regular maintenance is fundamental to that ability, and an all-round check precedes every outing, which is once or twice a month, and up to 100km per trip, usually to Jackson Bay.
Since the engine has no oil filter, oil changes are roughly every 6 months, by which time the oil is black.
I use Shell Rimula R4L in the engine, which is a heavy duty diesel oil, recommended by Auto Restorations for the newly rebuilt engine, to keep it clean.
Transmission and steering box oils, and graphite grease are from Aegis Oil's vintage and classic car range.
I use regular petrol, and add a valve protection additive at every fill.
Remaining work to undertake will be to again take the steering box out this time for a proper reconditioning because play is marginally excessive, despite my efforts at adjustments.
The steering box is diabolically inaccessible even for adjustments. Removal and installation are major day long jobs.
I haven't regretted for a second buying, restoring and driving the car, though there have been frustrating moments. It is the happy fulfilment of a dream.
Paul is quite possibly the only member we have in Haast, it is my hope that one day we get to have a run down South and perhaps meet up somewhere with Paul and his beautiful, unusual car. Here is at the Waiatoto River in 2021.
I would like to give my thanks to Paul for taking the time and effort to put this enjoyable and informative report together for us.
I am sorry Paul I did a to do a slight bit of jiggling with the format of the corrosion partto get it to fit – hope its acceptable.
Enjoy her.
