The Eastern Bay of Plenty Branch of
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand PO BOX 2168, Kopeopeo, Whakatane 3159
April 2017
RUNNING BOARD
___________________________________________________________________________ Club Night: Last Thursday of the month (except December) at Whakatane Athletic Clubrooms, Short Street, Whakatane 7.00 pm Social get together Branch meeting starts at 7.30 PM
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THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ Eastern Bay of Plenty Branch Postal Address: PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo, Whakatane 3159 Branch Officers: 2016/2017 Honorary Branch Member
Lorolei Pollard
Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer Club Captain
Les Costar position yet to be filled Gail Costar Joy Growden position yet to be filled
07 323 6406
les.gail.costar@slingshot.co.nz
07 323 6406 07 304 9777
les.gail.costar@slingshot.co.nz growden@xtra.co.nz
Committee:
Steve Growden Lytle Hall Lorraine Stock Alan Stock Peter Hadley
07 304 9777 07 308 4044 07 308 7890 07 308 7890 07 312 9069
growden@xtra.co.nz emeny.hall@nettel.net.nz alan.lorraine@clear.net.nz alan.lorraine@clear.net.nz
Editor Beaded Wheels Reporter Almoner Name Badge Sales Parts Shed Supervisors:
Margaret McKerras Peter Donovan Lorolei Pollard Peter Donovan Phil Leaming Steve Growden Keith Watson Maureen Bond Keith Watson Les Costar Keith & Margaret Watson Thava Guy Lorraine Stock Les Costar
07 307 0407 07 312 5848 07 307 0373 07 312 5848 07 304 8415 07 304 9777 07 312 9081 07 304 9165 07 312 9081 07 323 6406
runningboard10@gmail.com donovanz@xtra.co.nz
07 312 9081 07 3049917 07 308 7890 07 323 6406
kandmwatson@clear.net.nz
Archivist VIC Collators: Saleable Items: Supper Supervisor Raffles Community Liaison:
donovanz@xtra.co.nz phil.leaming@xtra.co.nz growden@xtra.co.nz kandmwatson@clear.net.nz kandmwatson@clear.net.nz les.gail.costar@slingshot.co.nz
les.gail.costar@slingshot.co.nz
Club Regalia For Sale: Contact: Keith and Margaret Watson (these will be available at Club Nights) EBOP Cloth Jacket Badges $7.50 EBOP Car Window Stickers $1.00 EBOP VCC Windscreen Stickers $2.00 NZVCC Winged Lapel Badges $7.50 EBOP Name Badges $12.50 (to be ordered)
EBOP Cloth Jacket Patches $10.00 EBOP Car Bumper Badges $20.00 EBOP Lapel Badges $6.00 EBOP Cloth Caps $15.00 Rally Number Holders s/s $15.00 VCC Cloth Winged Badges $7.50 Please wear your name badge to VCC functions.
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From your Chairman: From your Chairman: Last Saturday Gail and I decided to go to Whangamata to the Annual Beach Hop. We wanted to get there before the parade started, so we left quite early and arrived at about 9.30, but where to park! The place was humming, cars and people everywhere, we decided to go to the street that Joy had rented a house on for Brits on the Beach, being a cul-de-sac with a large grass round-about, there were a couple of other cars already parked there so that was good enough for us. It is only a short walk through an alley way to the main street, so in no time we were looking for a spot to view the parade of Beach Hop vehicles. Once the parade started, there seemed to be no end, it continued for over two hours with a large variety of vehicles, I was especially interested in the ‘Woodies’ that reminded me of the Beach Boys ‘Surfer Boy’ era. We talked for some time to a guy who had just imported a 1934 Ford V8 Coupe from America. It had only 45,000 miles on the clock, painted original black with fawn original upholstery, a truly beautiful car. He was so proud of it, that it was hard to get away to check out other vehicles. We saw some of our Branch Members there amongst the huge crowds, it was hard to get to them for a chat, but we did get to talk to others who had been there all week and thoroughly enjoying the company and atmosphere of a small community hosting such a huge event. It seems the Beach Hop Committee know a thing or two about organising a large event. I would be keen to know how many vehicles were there, because I know not all took part in the parade, but I was told that there were over 100,000 people there over the period of the event. Whangamata apparently has about 3,000 residents, so it must be a massive boost to the town financially. There was so much more to see and do, that we didn’t have time for, next time we will plan our day better and maybe stay over, if we can find accommodation, so that we can fit it all in. On our way home we stopped at Katikati for a break and a ‘real fruit’ ice-cream, as we were licking our icecreams, a guy came up and asked if the MG was ours and where were we from. He thought that maybe we were local and would we like to join the local MG group. They meet in a local Pub, have a drink and a meal and talk of all things MG. What a friendly guy and what a great way of encouraging new members. On another note: Please don’t forget our AGM is approaching fast, Thursday 25th May. All positions are up for nomination as is usual, but there are two key positions that must be filled. These are the Secretary, currently filled by Gail, who feels she needs a break and the Club Captain position, which has been vacant for all of this year. Without these most important positions being filled, it is almost impossible to run the Branch. There is no pressure on anyone, but please think about these Committee Positions and how you can add value to our Branch.
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Events Report: Classic Car Breakfast 5th March: A great day with 52 Classic Cars present, even though there was an All Ford Day at the Mount. There were 10 of our Club Cars there along with 18 Members and friends. Taupo Rally: 4 of our Branch cars competed in the 50th Taupo Rally with congratulations to place-getters from our Branch, Peter and Rosalie 1st in Post War and Steve and Joy 3rd in Post War. It is good to see our Branch Members taking part in other Branches Rallies and bringing home prizes. Presbyterian Church Expo & Family Festival: I wasn’t able to be there, I understand about eight Branch Cars attended. . The Opotiki A & P Show was cancelled due to the weather and the Club Run to Lake Tarawera Outlet & Falls was postponed to Sunday 2nd April Coming Events: April Sunday 2 Centre Fri 14 – Mon 17 Fri 21 - Sat 22 Sunday 23 Saturday 29 May Sunday 7 Sunday 21 Thursday 25 June Saturday Thursday 29
Picnic Run to Lake Tarawera Outlet & Falls – meet 10.30am at Kawerau Information Auckland Branch Easter Rally Taranaki Branch Rally ( entries close 12th April ) Vintage Car & Tractor Auction Matamata (viewing on Saturday 22) Club Run (to be organised) Classic Car Breakfast Club Run to Te Kaha with the Ford Falcon Club (date to be confirmed) AGM – Club Night – Pot Luck Dinner Night Owl Run and Pot Luck Dinner (date to be confirmed either the 17th or 24th) Club Night
Les
From your Secretary: VCC CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST as at 17 February 2017: Branch Secretaries have received from Head Office the latest Membership List of all Branch Memberships. This includes the list of Members Vehicles, which I noticed for our Branch at least, is way out of date in many cases, as some Members have either sold some vehicles and others having purchased another vehicle. If you would like a copy of our Branch Membership List, let me know and I will email to you (or post to those Members without an email address that request a copy). In the past there was provision in the yearly Subscription Invoice for Members to up-date their list of vehicles, this is no longer the case and hasn’t been for the last few years.
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I have asked Head Office if there is a form for Members to fill out, to up-date their list of vehicles, or if one could be made available, but have been told that as the Club has over 8,000 Members nationwide this would be a huge task. To this end, I have taken upon myself to draw up a simple form for any Members of our Branch who may have bought or sold their Vintage vehicles and would like to up-date the list of their cars, as to my mind, what is the point of having a register unless it is kept fairly well up to date. Entry Forms are available for: Taranaki Branch - Maunga Moana Rally - Fri 21 to Sun 23 April (entries close 12 April). Our Annual General Meeting is coming up on Thursday 25 th May: Meeting Notice elsewhere in the Running Board. Newsletters and Magazines from other Branches are available for you to read on-line. Go to http://vcc.org.nz and click on ‘News from our Branches’ and choose the Branch you want to view. That’s all from me this month.
Gail
From the Editor’s Desk Firstly I must apologise to you all for omitting Part 2 of Graham Guy’s article regarding the restoration of their Van Den Plas. You will find it in this issue. I am still getting my head around the GMail set up but I am getting there. Also – a report on the Napier Art Deco was not included with the photos – that is now also included. Could I ask if you are sending a report on a trip or run, that you head the article as a report? That way I can insert it straight into the next magazine. The car on the front cover, the Overland Tourer belongs to Phil and Margaret Learning. I love these open cars, they are such lovely old ladies and well worth spending time and money on restoring and maintaining them. This month there is a wanted to buy and for sale page. Remember if you have anything that you want to sell or buy please do let me know. Please do remember that our AGM is coming up soon and information on this is included in the Secretary’s report. It is important that we have as many members as possible at this meeting as this is your club and a chance to have a say on what you would like to see happen for future events etc. or bring up any issues that you may be concerned about. Margaret
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NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)
Eastern Bay of Plenty Branch Annual General Meeting To be held at the Athletic Clubrooms, Short Street, Whakatane
On Thursday 25th May 2017 At 7.30 pm AGENDA Present Apologies Minutes of previous AGM Matters Arising Chairman’s Report Treasurer’s Report Club Captain’s Report Election of Officers General Business Secretary Gail Costar
All Welcome
FOR SALE & WANTED Wanted to Buy
Rear coil springs for Vauxhall viva 1973 HC. Please phone John 02102701138.
Door lock cylinders for 1928 Dodge and 1935 Dodge. Bruce Seddon – 07-3222137 or Bruce.Seddon@Xtra.co.nz
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Vintage Car Auction Here is a link to an auction in Matamata on 23rd April 2017. It is a deceased estate and the auction runs over two days 22nd and 23rd of April. The first day is Tools, Collectibles, Vintage vehicle parts, Farm implements, Small motors and scrap. A broad selection of items. However day 2 is Vintage Cars, Trucks, Motorbikes and Tractors plus a good selection of stationary motors in operable condition, many show pieces. Well worth checking this out on the internet
http://www.abauctions.co.nz/auctions/2017/4/23/estate-of-bill-troughton-day-two/
VEHICLE INFORMATION This information is in Beaded Wheels but just in case you didn’t see it, here it is. Vehicle ID – Members who wish to apply for Vehicle Identification Certification (VIC) are asked to contact one of our Branch Vehicle ID Officers. Their names and contact details are provided in each Running Board magazine on Page 2. If you wish to participate in any National VCC event, you do need to have a VIC. Please don’t leave it until the last minute as it takes some time for the processing of the paperwork. U: - must be accompanied by the appropriate form which can be downloaded from the VCC NZ website or contact the club secretary. The form should then be sent to your branch secretary for processing. Selling your Vehicle: - if you vehicle has a VIC Certification and you sell your vintage vehicle, please notify NZVCC, P O Box 2546, Christchurch. Ph 3 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 or email admin@vcc.org.nz Insuring your vehicle: - when you insure your vehicle through VERO, you are helping our Club financially. Just let them know that you are e member of the Eastern BOP VCC and quote this number: 300132 NB: - Also if you have recently transferred to this branch from another branch and you have VERO insurance. You will need to contact them to advise that you have transferred otherwise your previous branch will continue to receive the commission instead of our branch. At the March meeting of the members we were advised that on member discovered that their previous branch had been receiving commission for the past 13 years. When you transfer, Head Office does not advise VERO of this fact, the onus is on the insured to do so.
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Graham & Thava Guy Our Vanden Plas Princess 3 litre Mk 2. - Part 2 Back out of the garage for a test run, there’s a pop and a clatter from the brake booster and then no brakes. S--t. Send the booster away for overhaul, refit, check brakes, they stick on. Well, the only bit we havn’t looked at is the master cylinder, so off it goes for overhaul . Comes back, refitted, brakes still lock on. Ring the Wolseley club. Brakes sticking on, you havn’t just had the booster overhaulled have you? Happens a lot, they always set the clearances wrong. Remove the booster, pull it apart and sure enough the clearance is more than twice what the manual says. Set it somewhere close to the recommended figure and hey we have brakes that work as intended. Nearly there, all we needed now for a WOF was suspension bushes. Earlpart provided a complete kit and fitting was quite straightforward apart from the “ADO Special Tools” mentioned in the manual. I find Special Tool ADO 001 (seen lying beside the jack) to be the most useful.
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Having got the car roadworthy the idea is to tidy up bits and pieces while using it. The dash board, wood panel and parcel shelves were the first things tackled. The main reason being to get at panel lights and other electrics behind the dash. I have an A110 w/ manual, but the VDP dash is quite different in the way it is assembled. The VDP Owners Club in England kindly posted enough pages from a VDP Manual on facebook for me and while our car was a little different at least we were able to find where some hidden attachment points were. Actually getting at some of the attachment points is not easy or straightforward, particularly when you don’t have access to the trained mice which BMC used during assembly.
The dash top was redone by a local upholsterer, while we rebuilt the parcel selves out of modern material and re-polished the dash. The ply had delaminated at each end and most of the glued parts had separated, so there was a bit of regluing to do before attempting the repolish. The veneer was badly weathered and I’m not surewhat had soaked into it, but it reacted with a lot of modern polishes. Still a work in progress, but at least it’s presentable.
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One problem which had not been properly sorted was the fuel pump. When we first inspected the car it had a non-standard fuel-pump of unknown origin fitted and held in place with insulation tape. The first time we hit a hill the car lost power and barely made it to the top. This was on the trip to Whakatane when we shifted house. Finally at Taihape the hill out of town was too much and we couldn’t make it. A local recommended Taihape Motors, so we towed the car in and explained the problem. Found the in- line filter badly blocked up, so replaced that checked the pump and everything seemed ok. Headed off up the same hill, same result, so back to the shop. Decided that although the pump worked under test, it must be the problem. But getting a replacement on a weekend wasn’t an option. Finally they took the pump off a race mini which was parked in the yard with the instruction to drop it back sometime and away we went. If you ever want to break down in a BMC 6/110 then Taihape is the place to do it. Every second cocky used to own one and many still have one back in the shed. News of the VDP travelled fast and quite a few turned up to have a look. One of these was a guy who recognised me from racing the C, so we got plenty of help. Fantastic. We replaced the pump with an after- market unit, but it gave problems, although it always kept the car running. Finally we obtained a modern SU look- a- like and things seem to be ok. Another problem which took a while to sort out was the water getting in onto the drivers side floor. We all thought it was either the windscreen seal or the door seals, but new door seals made no difference and while the windscreen seal looked rough there was no evidence of water on the firewall etc. Finally we found that someone had run a wire up the drain channel in front of the drivers door and drilled a hole in the side of it to get the wire behind the dash. I have no idea what the wire was for, but removing it and sealing up the hole stopped the leak.
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The next issue was a strong smell of petrol in the boot and back seat, particularly with a full tank and a windy road. The filler hose and connections looked ok so it was decided to remove the fuel tank and check it out. To get the tank out required the removal of the spare –wheel tray (at least it gave a reason to wire brush it, apply anti-rust primer, repaint and underseal) and the old boot linings. The manual says that there is a rubber seal around the tank drain plug, but there was no sign of it ever having been there and the dust under the tank was historic. (and plentiful) Pressure testing the tank showed that the leak was around the fuel gauge sender unit. The unit was an after market one, so it looks as though someone had fitted it without a proper gasket and hadn’t even done all the screws up properly. No wonder that it leaked. The area was cleaned up and the tank repainted.
The back seat drinks trays were re-polished and the boot linings renewed, replacing the old leather board material. The crank-handle and the jack in its plastic holder are still there although some of the metal bits have corroded off the straps which hold the jack in place.
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It is not a concours car, but it is a cheap and very usable classic. The VandenPlas Owners Club Archivists records say that it was dispatched to New Zealand on 17 November 1961 and first registered on 01 January 1962. It was Black over Dynasty Blue with Tan upholstery. It still has the original motor.
One interesting point is that the mechanic who road tested it for a WOF came back wondering “why they can’t build modern cars which ride like this”.
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OUT AND ABOUT Here is the Report from Joy Growdon that should have been included with her photos of the Napier Art Deco weekend. Les, Gail, Steve and I attended Art Deco last weekend. It is certainly a great weekend, you don't need to enter an old car but it is great to dress up and wonder the streets and look at the sights. There is lots of music playing and people of all ages dancing and enjoying themselves. The weather wasn't the best Friday and Saturday but Sunday was great as you can see from the photos. There was several Bentley's and Lagonda there that had come out from England and have been travelling round New Zealand for 6 weeks, magnificent vehicles.
1937 Vauxhall 25, which won the ”Rally Sponsors Choice Best Car Award” at the Hawkes Bay VCC (Art Deco Weekend) Some photos from The ECOP Rally Bob & Debbie Ballantyne (Auckland Branch) 1972 Holden Torana
Graeme & Raewyn Fenn ( BOP Branch) 1929 Graham Paige Coupe
Owen & Margaret Goldsmith (BOP Branch)1952 Daimler Convertible
William Drew Goldsmith’s Rally: Taupo; 11th
March 2017:
The weather forecast didn’t appear hopeful. Still, we’d missed out on enough events and the Jag was large enough to accommodate wet weather gear and is (relatively) waterproof. So off to Taupo we went! Fine and dry all the way of course! Nice easy drive! Good motel accommodation with the neighbouring car a familiar Model A roadster. Easy parking too, a significant detail if you own a large car without power steering! Arriving with full tanks for the briefing which set the tone for a long but low stress rally, we joined the ‘random order’ start into light rain.It was interesting to note that after last year’s cautionary emphasis on an unfamiliar “Health and Safety Requirement” agenda, this year’s briefing commenced with a simple humorously expressed statement: “Health and Safety have checked out the run!” 13
We covered a fair bit of countryside during the day; dairy farms, long gradients and downhill runs, some interesting winding roads and enough metal road to remind us we were NZers! The rain persisted all morning but didn’t hinder. Without the pressure of any timed section, there was no hurry, but those infernal silent checks had to be looked for! So the mantra from the navigation section was ‘slow down please!’ A good thing we did! As well, time would accommodate the practice of retracing sections of the route where the answers the rally questions didn’t automatically jump out! The drawback? Mark Sevens are heavy and stubborn when it comes to turning around on sealed surfaces! Still, we persisted! Then there were those general knowledge questions. It must have been all the ‘turning around’ that sapped the synapses from memory part of the driver’s cerebral matter, but fortunately the navigator’s were fully functional so we at least had answers for everything! The rain cleared for the afternoon. We finished the rally, even turning in at the end at the correct marker, unlike some of our past efforts. After ‘hand in’ to a very cheerful marshal and after having travelled some 140 miles, we had enough in the tanks to arrive safely back at the motel. This was a special rally for Taupo as it was the Branch’s Golden Anniversary and the degree of preparation that obviously went into the event reflected the significance of the fact. There were 56 entrants with the marshals and organisers projecting a cheerful and supportive aura. An excellent meal in the evening followed by formalities and acknowledgements, all within what we felt was a very friendly environment completed, for us, a very enjoyable occasion. Above: - Peter & Rosalie Donovan in their MK7 Jaguar Above Right: - Steve & Joy Growden in their Vauxhall LIP As to participation, EBOPVCC were represented by the Forwards, Growdens, Costars as well as us. As to results, the Growden’s in their Vauxhall were placed third in the Post War Vintage section and we managed first in the same class. (It’s been a long time!)
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NOMINATION FORM for
COMMITTEE POSITIONS 2017 - 2018 The Vintage Car Club of NZ, Eastern BOP Branch (Inc.) I propose: for the position of or Signature of proposer: Signature of seconder: Signature of nominee: ----------------------------------------------------------
NOMINATION FORM for
COMMITTEE POSTIONS 2017- 2018 The Vintage Car Club of NZ, Eastern BOP Branch (Inc.) I propose: for the position of or Signature of proposer: Signature of seconder: Signature of nominee:
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Calendar of Events _____________________________________________________________________________
April Sun 2
Club Run – Picnic Run to Tarawera Outlet and Falls Meet 10.30am Kawerau Information Centre
Fri 14 – Sun 16 Sat 22 Sun 23 Thur 27 Sat 29
North Island Easter Rally – Auckland Branch Taranaki Branch Rally Vintage & Tractor Auction at Matamata (viewing Saturday 22) Club Night Club Run (yet to be organised)
______________________________________________________________________________
May Sun 7 Classic Car Breakfast Sun 20 Club Run to Te Kaha with the Ford Falcon Club (date to be confirmed) Thur 25 AGM - Club Night & Pot Luck Dinner ___________________________________________________________________ June Sat 17 or 24 Night Owl Run & Pot Luck Dinner (date to be confirmed) Thur 29 Club Night ______________________________________________________________________________ If you don’t have a vintage vehicle on the road, come along to club runs in your modern.
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