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THE VOICE OF THE VINTAGE CAR

A Newsletter from the Bay of Plenty Vintage Car Club for Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts—January 2022

Contents

Page

Front page/Index

Editors Mental Meanderings

Coming Events

Bill Heard’s Cowley restoration

4-9

Humour

Don White–Auckland ‘Le Mans”

11-12

Hunua 100 notice

Articles from Scotland

14 15-22

1930 Aston Martin An Oldie – but still a goodie

Run reports, articles of interest, photos,

Kickback Motorcycle show

items are always welcome.

Humour

25-26

technical tips, letters and feedback, For Sale Please send all contributions to Bryce Strong before the 25th of each month for inclusion in

Tony’s Auto Day

Art Deco Rally 2022 notice

Humour

BOP VCC Committee

E-mail: klaxoninfo@gmail.com

BOP VCC Operation Info

Physical/mail: 29 Tuaia Street, Pyes Pa.

the next issue of Klaxon. If you don't have a computer I can type up a hand-written note, or even I can even take notes as you talk to me – I am always ready to help.

BAY OF PLENTY VINTAGE CAR CLUB (INC) Email: bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz

WEB SITE: www.bayofplentyvintagecarclub.com

EDITORS MENTAL MEANDERINGS - JANUARY 2022 Firstly I would like to wish all Members a Happy and healthy 2022. This edition of Klaxon is a bonus edition, as usually we don’t issue a January edition. However, as 2021 has been somewhat messy and disorganised by events outside our control, we thought that the extra communication may be appreciated by Members. So — appreciate away! Personally Chris and I had a busy pre-Xmas, meeting friends and fellow BOP VCC Members at a number of dinner functions. So, combined with Xmas day lunches and dinners, we have eaten more than we should have, but we had a great time none the less! I hope all of you enjoyed yourself similarly. Talking to friends in December it became obvious that many of us would not be seeing all of our family members over the holidays, as we usually do. Bugger! The International Vero Rally is now looming closer (16th to 21st January), and is now certain to proceed. I am looking forward to attending, and meeting up with fellow BOP Members at the event. The “Naki” has many attractions, and hopefully the weather will oblige us. By now you will all have received from NZVCC National Office the ‘New Logo and Branding Design Presentation’. It will indeed be interesting to see the Members reaction at the February Club night where it is to be discussed! There is certainly a lot of effort going into this exercise. Personally I would have preferred to see the word “Classic” inserted into our name. And a reminder regarding Chairman Ken’s December comments re the Restoration of the Year Award—we will be making a date for this, and your car will need to have been finished, warranted and registered by the end of December 2021 to be eligible for this prestigious award. And finally, don’t forget our usual January 1st event – Club New Year Picnic at Tuapiro Point, Katikati, from 11am – 3pm (although perhaps some of the Caravan and Motor homers may stay overnight! ) This edition is 34 pages, including humour, adverts and operational info. One person said previous Klaxons have been too long, but hopefully there is something in it for everyone.

I hope you enjoy this edition. Cheers, Bryce Strong

BOP VCC Coming Events BOP VCC 2022 Upcoming Events Calendar JANUARY 2022 1 – Club New Year Picnic at Tuapiro, Katikati– 11am – 3pm - Kaaren

10 – Casual Club Night - TO BE ADVISED 12 – Casual Mid-Month Run 16 – 21 – ‘VCC Vero International Rally’ – New Plymouth 25 – Nog & Natter – Tauranga FEBRUARY 13 - Tony’s Classic, Vintage, & Different Auto Day – Tony Hall 14 – Club Night

16 – Mid Month Run 16 – 20 – Art Deco Festival, Napier 22 – Nog & Natter – Katikati PLEASE NOTE – DUE TO THE COVID SITUATION ALL OUR EVENTS LISTED WILL BE CONFIRMED ON A REGULAR BASIS

Message from the Eastern Bay of Plenty VCC— At our last Club Night it was decided to still go ahead with our East Coast Rally on Sunday 6th February 2022. But to meet Covid19 requirements all entrants will need to be double vaccinated and be able to show their Covid19 Vaccination Pass and follow the current Covid19 protocol. We hope that this will not deter you from coming and we look forward to seeing you in Whakatane.

Waikato VCC Branch Annual Veteran Rally—CANCELLED Dear Veteran Owner/ Vintage Car Club, The possibility of re-scheduling the 2021 annual Veteran Rally to March/ April 2022 has been investigated and found to be impractical. Accordingly the Waikato VCC Branch Committee have cancelled the event. Regards, Reece Burnett, Veteran Rally secretary

Restoration of my Great Grand Fathers 1928 Morris Cowley Colonial By Bill Heard I started the restoration of my Great Grand Fathers 1928 Morris Cowley Colonial in March 2020. I contributed an article about the start of the restoration, in the June 2020 Klaxon edition, so I now continue with the challenge of restoring the motor. After I had freed up 2 stuck valves, I was able to turn the crank shaft over, to allow my brother & I to remove the springs from the pins holding the clutch plates onto the fly wheel. We then removed the gear box & delivered the motor to a Tauranga motor engineer. Then Covid struck.

The Motor Restoration Starts – May 2020 So after the first Covid lockdown when it was possible to visit the motor engineer, I called to check the progress, & we agreed that they would strip the engine & send the block to Rotorua, to dip into an acid bath to flush the water galleries & generally clean it. A couple of days later, I got a call from them to say that I had better call around as there were some issues. So around I went, & I was expecting to hear that the block was cracked. NO. A terrible repair had been made many years ago. One piston had been welded & another was in a poor state & bearings were badly worn. I returned days later with a box of old pistons & new valves & gudgeon pins, hoping that these parts would be machined to recondition the motor. I had also mentioned earlier that I had a spare motor. Days later I was asked if I could take in the spare motor & would it be ok if the parts could be shared to make one motor. I said yes. Meantime I had joined the Bullnose Morris Club UK, where they had the factory records of the car, & the day that it was manufactured. I also found out that the car was a Colonial model, which had a wider wheel track & the larger Oxford motor (the Cowley had a bore of 69mm & the Oxford 75mm). So armed with this information, I visited the engineer & photographed both engine numbers & found out that the spare motor was the original one & decided that this was the one to be restored.

The Cowley motor is lifted off the chassis Broken pistons

So the days roll on by & I was asked if it was possible to obtain new pistons, valves & valve guides. So parts were purchased from the UK & Australia. Meantime the Tga motor engineer had made some progress on restoring the engine, & then he hit a road block - the new valve guides, valves & springs were fitted to the nice clean block, which had been through the acid bath & I was now asked if I could get new bearing shells for the conrods, plus the main bearings needed to be re-metalled, & as this is a specialist job, which in the past was only undertaken by a few people (most now deceased) he had to track someone down. 4

So we had 8 conrods with bearing shells in various conditions & the main bearings were bad too & no replacement parts are available. I am called into the Tauranga engineers workshop to get the bad news about the broken pistons

A retired man was eventually found who had the equipment, to Babbitt the main bearings, & he was booked in to visit the works sometime. It turned out that he went away on holiday & couldn’t be contacted, so I started asking club members if they knew who could Babbitt the bearings, & found out about a motor engineer in Levin who the Ford people use. I contacted Murray Horn & booked in the final restoration for approx early 2021. Then I approached my first engineer & we agreed that I would pick up all of the parts & he would machine the head & exhaust manifold. So I made 3 trips, & came home with 2 engines & boxes of parts! I got onto sorting out all of the parts. I had 2 blocks. The Cowley & the Oxford & a multitude of parts. 8 conrods, loose bearing shells, main bearings, 2 crank shafts & cam shafts, splined gears, an assortment of valves & valve guides & springs, 2 oil pumps, nuts & bolts, washers & things that I just didn’t know where they went. As I hadn’t pulled the engines apart, it was like working on a jig saw puzzle. I spent a day just trying to match the conrods, shells & big ends. They had to be matched & only went together one way, as the crankshaft is not directly below the cylinder but offset, & the big end caps have a slightly longer & a short side. I thought that I would send them all to Levin, as they were all in various conditions of wear, or just shagged. The tappets & oil pump shaft heads needed to have the indentations ground & be re-hardened. So the weeks roll on by, as I washed, polished, identified bits & bolts, & made sets (complete with new spring washers & split pins), bagged, labeled & boxed. The Oxford motor has been cleaned & polished & fitted with new valves & at home prior to it’s travel to Levin for the final process

At this stage I now had several Morris mentors & found out that the oil pump was the Achilles heel of the motor & had given trouble since before the 1930’s & many owners had come up with various modifications with varying degrees of success but the motors kept wearing out. In later years an 5

Auckland Morris owner had come up with a revised modification based on one of the earlier ones & it was successful. Many UK cars have since been modified to this change. In short, the pump has a piston shaft driven from 4 lobes on the cam shaft, with a travel of about 2mm, 50 times a second at 750 RPM. The ball bearing hammers a pin & wears a groove in it, & the volume of oil pumped reduces. So the bearings wear out & eventually seize. I’ve studied the wear in both of my engines & concur. The oil pump lubricates the main bearings, cam shaft & splined gears, is splashed up to the cylinder walls & travels from the rear crankshaft bearing into the clutch housing to wet the clutch corks & thrust bearing. The piston conrod big end bearings have a separate lubrication method. All parts cleaned, identified & bagged for the trip South The pesky oil pump. The Achilles heel of early Morris

The Motors Trip South – early Feb 2021 I made a support frame & bolted the engine to it, so that would sit upright on the trailer & not damage the deck as we bounced along the pot holed kiwi roads.

Then I reviewed the frame height, as I was sending the sump south as well, it would need to be fitted following the restoration. So I measured the required height & bolted blocks under the frame. Then we re-wrapped the motor in plastic. I strapped the set up to the trailer & drove along Omokoroa Road to test it out. This road is under reconstruction. The trailer bounced along & the frame skewed a bit, so that was fixed & another trip was made. Then back home to put a tarp over as rain was due on the trip the next day. I left early & had a steady trip in heavy traffic & was held up with stop/go road works as expected. I arrived early afternoon. I discussed the work required & gave the engineer the oil pump modification along with the factory bearing specifications. This included the Morris tech data sheets (including magazine articles relating to the bearing groove patterns & oil pump etc) & the photograph that I took of the big end shell beveled edge, he told me about a ‘hydrodynamic oil flow principle’. I automatically assumed that he would follow our pattern. I left for home satisfied that I finally had the job sorted. Another Trip South – April 2021 Mid April I sent an email to Murray to find out a start date for the restoration, as he had told me that he would read my notes & check all the parts boxes, then give me a call before starting. He replied that it would take 5 or 6 weeks to finish. I was holding back a couple of gaskets to send as soon as I had heard, as I had now calculated that the job would be ready about the last week of May. 3 weeks later to my great surprise I received an invoice & was told that the job was finished. I still had the gaskets.

So I drove to Levin to pick the motor up. He had made the gaskets. My first question was ‘did he modify the pump’. He said yes, that it was a very simple procedure. Then I asked about re-metalling the big end shells & he said ‘yes but he didn’t groove the X’s’. When I queried this, he went into the explanation of the hydrodynamic principle again, & mentioned the words ‘oil pressure’ & oil wedge. He said that the oil is lost in the grooves so that there is none between the rotating surfaces. (I also seem to remember that he said that the oil is pushed out the sides) He also said, that the big end caps & conrod ends had been thrashed, & had a step worn in them & he had to do some work to reinstate the shape & make up special shims. There was so much to take in that I assumed that all was ok. Checking Top Dead Centre

Later in the evening (at a Motel at Taihape) when I was reflecting on the discussion, I thought ‘what bloody oil pressure’ the conrods had dippers. It was too late to do any thing then, so I had a terrible night & couldn’t settle. I decided to ring him in the morning & sort it out, but after no answer (his answer phone says to ‘send an email) I decided to return to Levin. I tightened the ropes on the trailer & got back into the car & tried the ph number again. He answered. We had the discussion, & he reminded me about the principle & explained it again. He referred me to a website, & said that years ago that he had attended a Motor Restoration Conference & had learned about the principle, & had been applying it for 30 years, & that is how he does all of the Vintage Cars. He is very well regarded by the Ford people. He reassured me quite forcefully ‘not to lose any sleep that there will not be a problem’. That the ‘conrod splashes in the oil & forces it up the dipper, thereby creating the oil pressure’. I left for home, having to believe that he knew more than me. The next morning I looked up the hydrodynamic principle, & now see the oil wedge that is pushed around the crankshaft, keeping the surfaces apart. The next day I called on the Tauranga engineer who started the original work, & told him about that the job had been completed, & could he submit an account for his work. I also asked him if he knew about the principle, & did he groove bearing shells? He said ‘usually no’ but in some cases there was only a groove in the top shell, so that oil was available for start up. Now back in Tauranga, I un-loaded the motor with it’s frame onto a trolley, took photos, & pushed it into a corner of the garage.

The rebuilt clutch assembly

My next project was to start restoring the body timber frame at a family workshop in Auckland. Then another Covid lockdown came & I couldn’t get back to Auckland, so I pulled the motor out of the garage corner to paint it.

Finding Top Dead Centre Before painting the motor, I decided to put the crankshaft pulley back on & to find & mark the TDC. I unscrewed a plug in the head over piston number 4 & put a rod down to touch the top of the piston. I rotated the flywheel but there was no movement of the rod. Bugger, there must be a carbon plug in the hole. Why didn’t I check before? So I debated what to do. I took the tappet cover off & rotated the flywheel & watched the valves go up & down & wasn’t sure that I was rotating the flywheel the right way. Silly me, I should have realized that the crank handle always rotates clockwise.

So off with the head, hoping that I didn’t damage the head gasket. I watched the pistons go up & down in time with the valves. I had put a marker on the motor behind the pulley & lined it up with what looked like a scratch on the pulley, I now had TDC. I now decided to check the settings of the tappets. What a cow of a job, I needed 3 hands, each holding a 1/4'” Whitworth spanner. I found out later from a mentor, that there were a number of small tools invented by previous Morris owners, which rest on the side of the motor to hold the lifter, while the tappet is adjusted. I had earlier decided that in the future if the tappets need adjusting, when the motor is in the car, that I would have to reach over the wing (mudguard) & this could be awkward & uncomfortable. I don’t fancy adjusting the tappets again for a long time. Now to get the head back on & to get a good seal. I had noticed that Murray had used a sealant on all of the gaskets, so I went to Supercheap Auto to buy one. After looking at many, most in a tube or can & not suitable for high temperatures, I was getting scratchy, until I came across the amazing copper adhesive in a spray can, especially for the head. So back home I suspended the gasket on 2 wire hooks (hung on a step ladder on the lawn) & after spraying both sides & waiting for about 5 minutes, I carefully carried the gasket to the garage, to be very carefully maneuvered over the studs without touching the surface & then tightened the head nuts to the specified torque.

Finding Top Dead Centre I masked the motor in various places & applied 2 coats of ceramic high temperature paint. I fitted the magneto & set the timing, & was sure that my TDC was perfect, but I thought ‘let’s make sure’. So I looked into my tool box where I had a magnetic block & dial gauge (from my early days of re -building refrigeration compressors), removed the timing plug again, inserted a screwdriver to touch the top of piston 4, jury rigged the magnetic block & gauge. When the flywheel was turned over it was perfect.

Early in the restoration period my mentor suggested that I re-cork the clutch plates. There are 2 cork lined plates separated by a plain steel plate. The splined clutch gear hub was partly worn & the corks were a bit skinny.

I shopped around at home brew shops & online, before coming up with the appropriate corks. The ones that I needed had to be 'Natural' not the compressed ones, as sold by Ali Express. There are 52 holes, so I bought 60. The corks were tapered, I topped & tailed them from different sides of the plates. I had some measurements of the finished length, so cut them longer then sanded to size. I stapled 180 grit wet & dry sand paper to a board, & carefully rotated the plates by hand until I got close to the measurement, checking with calipers. I purchased a new splined gear hub, main clutch springs, clutch separator springs & self aligning flywheel bearing (from the Morris Club UK). The springs were longer & stronger. I re-assembled the clutch & re-fitted the gearbox/clutch assembly to the motor then fitted the dynamotor. Murray Horn recommended that before starting it, that I tow the car in gear to turn the motor over & so get the oil pump working to lubricate the moving parts,. I now decided that as it would probably be a year until the motor would be run, that I would crank it over now & then.

I filled the oil to ¾ level, left the spark plugs out & went for it, cranking 50 times with both hands until I’d had enough. I did this again the next day & noticed something shiny coming from under the masking tape covering the valve which supplies oil pressure to the dash board gauge. It was oil. Yoo hoo the oil pump works! A post script to this restoration, I also purchased 4 x 18mm long reach spark plugs. The car had been driven with the wrong spark plugs for many years, so there should be a big improvement with the original factory installed Oxford motor & the fixed pesky oil pump.

The final assembly. Polished & painted

Re: The latest Beaded Wheels article – “Auckland Le Mans Relay Races”. By Donn White I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article concerning the 'Auckland Le Mans Relay Races' submitted by Marsden Robinson in the last edition of Beaded Wheels. I can clearly remember all of the planning that went into the first event of this nature that Marsden coordinated back in August 1983. Marsden Robinson cleverly sold the concept of team

racing around the one make car clubs that he figured would have members who were keen to participate - and they came along in their hundreds! Classic Car racing was very much in it's infancy in this part of the World back then. Seeing the vast amount of classic cars assembled at one venue was very much a novelty - let alone the fact that they were assembled for racing at the Pukekohe circuit. Marsden made the comment that some of the youngest competitors back in 1983 would be by now in their seventies. That's quite correct as I remember fronting up to the first meeting in my MG Midget and thinking that pretty much everyone racing appeared to be older than myself! Perhaps I was the youngest driver - as I have just turned seventy. Even though the MG Midget team that I drove with in 1983 had some very bad luck late in the race despite running prominently earlier, I became sold on the notion of Classic Car racing from then on. In 1985 I was back at Pukekohe for the second batch of Le Mans Relay Races - this time as Captain for the MG Midget team. Once again our team featured prominently early in the event, but

bad luck intervened once more what with a series of mechanical mishaps and failures. All of this provided a great learning curve and thanks to Marden's initial enthusiasm I then became a promoter and regular competitor concerning Classic Car racing throughout the North Island over the next ten years.

By then Marsden was very much involved with Group A Saloon Car racing driving against the likes of Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, Denny Hulme and so on - but he was always approachable with advice concerning my many questions. After having a number of meetings with the circuit promoters of Pukekohe, Manfeild, Baypark and the relatively new track at Taupo - the people running the then small Taupo Motor Race Circuit gave me the 'thumbs up.' Like me they were keen on the notion of running one scratch and one handicap heat at each national meeting staged by them over the 1986/87 motor race season. I named the events for Classic Cars as being part of a series called the Intermarque Classic Car Series. The Taupo Motor Race Circuit was certed to take 28 cars in each race - I had around fifty or so drivers who quickly registered wanting to take part. So - what to do? I didn't want to turn drivers and cars away, and the people at Taupo also saw this as turning away potential revenue.

Then it dawned on me - many of the drivers had BMC sourced vehicles. These were MG's, Minis, Rileys, Wolsleys and all sorts of Morris and Austin derivatives. Problem

solved - I formulated a BMC Classic Car Series and found another sponsor for it. The two Classic Car Series ran in tandem for ten years and kept me very busy. After just two seasons other circuit promoters than just the one at Taupo also wanted the Classic Cars on their race programmes at National and International events. We became regulars at Baypark, Pukekohe, Manfeild, Whenua-

pai and the very first of the Hamilton Street Races. By 1995 business commitments meant that I had to delegate with regard to running the Classic Car race series. The late Jim Chrystall who also happened to compete with a rapid Wolsley 1500 filled the void until sadly succumbing to motor neurone disease in 2004. After that the Classic Car series morphed into what became the Leisuretime and then the ERC Series. I'm very proud of the fact that it's still going gang busters 35 years on. Thanks again Marsden Robinson for sowing the seed and helping me on my way. Together we've no doubt provided tons of enjoyment for thousands of competitors and spectators.

Donn White makes a compulsory pit stop in his 1971 MG Midget during the very first Le Mans Relay Race held at Pukekohe - August 1983. Donn still owns this car and it's presently being restored.

invites you to take part in the

Postponed 2021

Rally Secretary: Gavin Welch & Sophie Zhao 171 East Coast Rd, Castor Bay Ph: 021 044 5188 or email: gjwelch1956@gmail.com 13

INTERESTING ARTICLE FROM SCOTLAND! Two stories—The “Desert Rat” + a “1930 Aston Martin International” This is the second of the two stories which come to us from Glasgow, Scotland, sent to us by Roger Martin of the Strathendrick Classic Car Club, and their magazine – Overdrive. Below is his Aston Martin International which he bought it in bits in 1962 for £27-10-0d! He also has a 2002 DB7 Vantage (6 litre V12—that fair goes) and a 1969 DB6, which he stripped for a total rebuild after 33 years of ownership. With three Aston Martin, Roger is a very fortunate man! Roger included a very complete story on his 1930 Aston Martin, and this is included in this edition of Klaxon. I hope BOP VCC Members will enjoy his story as much as I did!

Bryce - PS—While we are on the subject of Aston Martins, take a look at this You tube— https://youtu.be/JfgALH_l1BA How To Build A £3 Million Aston Martin DB5 Continuation

1930 Aston Martin International Chassis No. S 42. Reg No. PG 9432, by Roger M Martin, 2021

The early history This car, the 41st International built since the start of the production run in 1927 and the 105 th

Aston ever built, was first registered on the 3rd of June 1930 by Surrey County Council to a Mr S.F. Seyfried of 26 Cromwell Road, London according to the works card held by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT). It was originally clothed in the standard 2/4 seater open body made by Enrico (Harry) Bertelli for

the chassis built next door in the Feltham Works by his younger brother Augustus Cesare Bertelli (Bert). The Chassis, which is slung under the back axle at the rear to give a lower line, uses a 1½ litre single overhead camshaft, dry sump, engine designed by Renwick and Bertelli in 1926, a separate 4 speed straight cut gearbox driven through a Borg and Beck clutch with a clutch brake and originally driving a worm drive rear axle through a torque tube. The car sits on 21 inch wheels with 4.50 tyres covered by cycle wings attached to the brake back plates, thus the front wings turn with the wheels when they are steered. The Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC) register did not give details of when the body was

changed to a 2 seater, it merely saying that it had originally been a 2/4 seater. It was found that the 2 seater body was in fact one introduced in 1931 and known as the International Le Mans 2 seater and was a production replica of the earlier team cars with the same rounded tail and pronounced cowls on the scuttle in front of the driver and passenger. Five were sold. 15

1930 Aston Martin International Chassis No. S 42. When I met Inman Hunter, the Aston Historian, who had been apprenticed to the works in the early 1930’s, I mentioned the car I had to him and he said he remembered a spare 2 seater body lying in the works for a while. In 1978 he wrote to me saying he ‘was obviously talking out of my hat’; there was a spare body but it was not a 2 seater. However recent research showed that, Jimmy Nervo advertised his special Freestone and Webb bodied 2/4 seater car in 1932 complete with the original 2 seater body’ (a duplicate of the one on S42). Inman Hunter surmised ‘that

this body was eventually sold separately and fitted to my chassis’. The original works record card has no mention of the body change so it was not carried out there. In a letter dated 1985 Inman Hunter said he had been shown some additional notes by a previous registrar, which confirmed that the car had had its body changed by Harry Bertelli in 1932,

but the owner at that time was not known. He added that ‘there can be no doubt that E. Bertelli Ltd did the change and did build the 2 seater’ body. The 1978 letter included a list of further owners which showed the car came to Scotland in 1937 when it was owned by West End Motors, St Vincent St., in Glasgow who sold it to a W.S. Cossar

of 17 Park Terrace in Glasgow. A Mr A.C. Alcad staying at the same address was also listed as an owner in the same year 1938. (4 years later I was born nearby in Park Circus!) In 1941 the car was bought by a J.G. Fairman of 144 Killin St., Glasgow, could this have been the racing driver? He sold it on in 1943 to Ian Hopper of 49 Arlington St., in Glasgow and then it

moved over to the East coast of Scotland in 1948 to Dr T.B.M. Durrie of 20 Cluny Drive, Edinburgh, who later owned a Le Mans Aston Martin. In July 1949 it was sold for £200 to William A. Hunter of 3 Braid Hills Ave in Edinburgh who had a garage business at 68 Braid Road and who used it competitively as a member of the Lothian Car Club. At that time it had a grey body with black wings and the spare was mounted outside on the nearside.

He won an award at the LCC Concourse at South Queensferry in that year. He also competed in race meetings at Winfield in the Scottish borders and in the

last meeting to be held there, the worm drive back axle broke on the start line.

Over the winter this was replaced by an ENV axle from another Aston, which had to be secured by a fabricated torque tube arrangement adding a considerable amount of weight and giving a higher back axle ratio.

With the result that the following year, at the first race meeting at the ‘new’ Charterhall circuit, the little Aston came in last! Six years after buying the car, he sold it in May 1955 for £150 to Brian R. Hamilton Smith of 20 Cranford St., in Motherwell who only kept it till December when it was bought by Colin G Carnie originally of Cairn-

mount, Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire but then moved to 4 Kirklee Circus in Glasgow in April 1957. He unfortunately had an accident with the car, hitting a lamp post and bending its front axle. It was taken to a breakers yard near the Burnbrae Hotel in Milngavie, where it was spotted by Alan Morton of 17 Sunnyside Drive in Old Drumchapel. The sum of £15 secured the car from the scrappy and work started repairing it. As Alan did not have anywhere to keep the car off the road, it was moved to a friend, Alan Finch’s parent’s house in Paisley Road West and stored in the old stables there. Alan’s younger brother, Norman, and Alan Morton started to strip it with a view to rebuilding it. The axle was removed from the car and was taken to Bramber Engineering in Queenslie. They removed the king pins

and hubs from the axle, which was then heated, straightened and everything reassembled again all for a Fiver! However Norman and Alan Morton were soon called up for their 3 years National Service in the RAF and on their return, were no longer interested in the old Aston so it languished in the stables in many bits and with all the paint removed till 1961.

At this point, 1961, I had just left school and was introduced to Alan Finch by his mother who played golf with my mother. Alan Finch, along with Alan Morton, ran the Glasgow Model Aero Club in the basement of his parent’s house.

As I went to the monthly meetings in my 1930 Austin 7, they thought I might be interested in their old car, so showed me the stripped Aston in the stables. They said it could be mine for a

mere £30. I was only 19 at the time and had never heard of Aston Martin cars; I thought it far too complicated after having just cut my mechanical teeth stripping and rebuilding the Austin 7 so was not tempted.

The house and stables were under a compulsory purchase order for demolition to make way for the M8 motorway that now runs out to Glasgow Airport through what was their back garden and house. As the removal date got closer, the pressure to ‘save’ the Aston grew; a year later I gave in and agreed to buy it if they paid half the towing price to my house; this they did so I ended up handing over £27-10-0d , quite a sum for a student in 1962. To transport it home, I filled a Triumph Herald estate with all the loose bits lying in the garage and had Andersons of Newton Mearns tow the rolling chassis to 8 Treemain Road, Whitecraigs (by Glasgow) – its next registered address, on the 9th of October 1962. (Andersons was run by famous rally drivers and builders of hill climb cars – a twin V8 engined example of which is now in the Glasgow Museum of Transport Reserve store in Nitshill) Once in my (parents) garage I put all the bits together, finding the front axle had been put on back to front. I fixed this and other things and got it running. I was pretty impressed with the performance of my purchase but did not realise what it was till I joined the AMOC and got some literature from them, including a reprint of a 1929 road test from ‘The Motor’. Then, on the way back from Edinburgh, a con rod brokeand knocked a hole in each side of the block.......... This was welded up at the time and since then, over the years, it has been off the road on several occasions for much work to be done and, when on the road, it has been used in hill climbs, production car trials, rallies, tours and general enjoyment. This year, following some work on the engine and rebuilds of both axles and the gearbox, it has done aver 800 miles so far. Not bad for a 91year old.

Forrestburn Hill Climb, Scotland

Cultra Hill Climb, Northern Ireland.

Autotest at Doune

International and DB6 at Balmoral Castle 2000

Production Car Trial, Forrestburn

AMOC Concourse 2021 Winner Pre-war class 2021 19

S42 as she is today.

Aston Martin International S42 Back Axle and other updates. When William Hunter changed the axle, he ‘forgot’ to lubricate the universal that sat in the ball at the back of the gearbox. This collapsed when I was on my way to a rally in about 2006; I man-

aged to limp home slowly. To repair it I had to take the back of the body off, the back axle off together with the torque tube assembly and then dismantle the ball to find carnage inside. The parts needed to replace this are no longer available, but I obtained a new fitting to go onto the gearbox output shaft to which a new prop shaft with a sliding joint was fitted.

The heavy torque tube arrangement was also removed which meant that the axle would collapse onto the chassis because there was a shackle at the front and the back of the spring. To stop this happening, the front shackle was locked onto the chassis, thus holding the axle in place.

I also rebuilt the axle replacing the crown wheel and pinion with a lower ratio one, so the car now has a livelier performance. Another point that had to be catered for was the lubrication of the speedo drive at the back of

the gearbox. The original worm and gear teeth were almost worn away due to the lack of lubrication in the universal ball. To overcome this I had to devise a system to allow oil to the gears from the gearbox, but not allow it to run out. You may be able to see a copper cup behind the drive flange at the back of the gear box. This was spun by my second cousin's husband in Dunedin! They were over here one Christmas and as the wives chatted, he and I were in the garage making a template on my lathe. He then took it home and spun the new part with his tools before posting it back to me. It works a treat! There is another New Zealand connection on my car - my wiper motor had packed up and, at the time, I could not find a replacement or the parts to repair it. In Invercargill is another International

Aston Martin and when Russel heard of my plight, he sent me 3 non-working motors from which I was able to use parts to get mine going again. Having done over 1000 miles in S42 this year, on the way home on my last (somewhat cold) trip at the start of November, as I was pulling into the middle lane, to turn right, during local rush hour

in the dark, the engine cut. I managed to coast onto the right hand pavement and found the engine completely dead. On lifting the bonnet, I saw the dynamo had come adrift from its mounting bracket so it was no longer being driven. As it drives the magneto from the other end, there were no more sparks being created for the plugs. Using the most useful tool in a Vintagents tool box, the mobile phone, I summoned my son, who turned up to tow me home in the works van – www.martinsastonservices.co.uk

On dismantling it, I also found the nut holding the drive cog had also unwound itself. This had never happened before in all the time I have run the car. It is now back at the firm who rebuilt it last Spring........ (Martins Aston Services was started back in 2008 by me when a friend with a DB6 Volante asked me 'who would look after a pre-war Aston for me in Scotland if I buy one' – I said I

would so he bought A1/96 which appears on the web site. I retired from it 4 years ago and it is now being run and expanded by my 2 sons.) Roger Martin, Nov 2021

CURTAIN RODS --On the first day, he sadly packed his belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, he had the movers come and collect his things. On the third day, he sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining-room table, by candlelight; he put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water. When he'd finished, he went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow centre of the curtain rods. He then cleaned up the kitchen and left. On the fourth day, the wife came back with her new boyfriend, and at first all was bliss. Then, slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place. Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time the two had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked! People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.

Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and decided they had to move, but a month later - even though they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer for such a stinky house. Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. Then the ex called the woman and asked how things were going. She told him the saga of the rotting house. He listened politely and said that he missed his old home terribly and would be willing to reduce his divorce settlement in exchange for having the house. Knowing he could have no idea how bad the smell really was, she agreed on a price that was only 1/10th of what the house had been worth ... But only if he would sign the papers that very day. He agreed, and within two hours her lawyers delivered the completed paperwork.

A week later the woman and her boyfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home ......and to spite the ex-husband, they even took the curtain rods! I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?

TONY’S, CLASSIC, VINTAGE, AND DIFFERENT AUTO DAY

FEBRUARY 2022. Diary it now! DATE – 13 February 2022 WHERE – 760 Esdaile Road TIME – 10am onwards

WHO CAN ATTEND – All auto owners, Locals, and Friends, all welcome! WHEELS ON DISPLAY – Fire engines, motorbikes, trucks, and

whatever you have with wheels, please get it out of the shed for the day!

WHAT TO BRING – This is a BYO everything day folks – chairs,

blankets, food, drinks, hat, sunscreen, and of course, please don’t forget Granny, the kids, and the Missus! EXTRAS - Park-up in the paddock. There will be power, a BBQ, and toilets on site.

FOR ALL YOUR GASKETING NEEDS CONTACT—

DARYL & ANNETTE WAKEFIELD PH 07 574 8740 14/68 Tukorako Dr, Mt Maunganui 3116, Bay of Plenty

BOP RADIATOR SPECIALISTS LIMITED Contact—Julian Parbery Telephone—07 573 9109 Fax—07 5738915 259 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke, 3119, Bay of Plenty Email—sales@bopradiatorspecialists.co.nz

Cleaning with out chemicals or abrasives, it is eco friendly and cost effective way compared to other methods such as media blasting or paint stripping.

can remove light rust off delicate car/engine parts. It will easily clean a metal head gasket—previously impossible with conventional cleaning methods.

Bene-

fits are - no harsh chemicals, no abrasives, no expensive set up cost (as with media blasting), no loud nois-

es during the process, no hazards as with high pressure equipment, very precise cleaning and no clean up cost! This cleaning can be done in your garage if required as

it is plug and play! Cost is dependant on size of job 28

HBVCC 2022 ART DECO RALLY EVENT. The Early Ford V8s are coming to Town I am Steve Donovan and have been co-organising the car side of Art Deco Weekend (ADW) for 12 years now on behalf of the HBVCC. This note to advise what was is planned so you can make the necessary accommodation and other arrangements before everything is booked out.

In 2022 we are featuring Early Ford V8s from 1932 to 1945. This is another group of fantastic cars and I am sure we will be supported by Early Ford V8 Club of America NZ Group. Ford New Zealand/Bay Ford have agreed to come on board as our main sponsor. What better way to enjoy your cars with owners of various makes and models?

THE PRELIMINARY TIMETABLE - One for Early Ford V8 Group and one for everyone else Wednesday 16th 2022. Early Ford Group. A couple of shed visits and a visit to a very special and varied collection. Suitable for ladies and gents. Dinner your own care.

Thursday 17th February 2022 Early Ford Group. Display Cars in the Sound Shell as part of the Junior Gatsby Picnic. This is part of the Art Deco Trust Event. Visit a school. A car run into the country and a picnic lunch at a private picnic area. 6pm Dinner and entertainment at Our Club Rooms, open to all entrants

Friday 18th February. The main HBVCC Art Deco Rally day for all entrants with a planned rally and lunch (bring a picnic and chairs) at a magnificent winery.

Saturday 19th February. Morning tea at our club rooms for all entrants, and then those who have entered go to the Art Deco Trust Parade. Early Fords will be in one group and will be displayed in the Sound Shell after the Parade.

Sunday 20th February. Join us for a Sunday Breakfast at our Club Rooms. Don’t forget there will also be many other Art Deco Trust Events that you can enter over the weekend – details at https://artdecofestival.co.nz/

REGISTRATION/ONLINE ENTRY – ENTRIES GO LIVE ON 30TH AUGUST 2021.

HBVCC ORGANISERS - Steve Donovan 027-2177730 Paul Eager 027-2314304 29

CLASSIC TYRES For all your tyre needs

Beaded-edge , Cross-ply, Radial, Wide whitewall—Imperial or Metric. For Car, Truck or Motorcycle. We also supply Whitewall trims, Steel & Wire wheels . PETER WOODEND Mobile 027 605 4040

Email: classictyresnz@gmail.com

Birch Avenue Radiators Steve and Jan Jones VINTAGE, CLASSIC OR MODERN CARS, MOTOR CYCLES, INDUSTRIAL SERVICE, SALES, REPAIRS FOR

ANYTHING THAT NEEDS COOLING Call in for an obligation free quote 86B BIRCH AVENUE, TGA Ph: 07 5779883

PANEL BEATERS Bob Hyslop Proprietor ——————————————● QUALITY WORKMANSHIP

● ALL REPAIRS ● COMPETITIVE PRICES 74 Courtney Road Tauranga

Phone 07 578 2654 31

SUMMIT TYRE SERVICES LTD Come to 200 Waihi Road next to the BP Summit Talk to TONCI BARCOT about tire's. We provide a fast friendly service at a very competitive price.

We supply and provide Tires, new & old, Wheel Balancing,

Wheel Alignment, WOF Repairs & Batteries

Ph. 07 578 2381, Mobile

027 2899484

Your connected accountants At Walton Railton we understand you have goals and we are passionate about using our knowledge to help you reach them 415 Cameron Road, Tauranga (Cnr Eighth Ave & Cameron Rd).

07 5786161 | www.wrca.co.nz

Certifying Plumber & Gas Fitter covering the Western Bay of Plenty

Mobile 027 439 4335 32

BOP VCC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

KEN FREW (DIANE)

07 5764263

VICE CHAIRMAN

DONN WHITE

07 544 0938

SECRETARY

MICHAEL THORMAN (JANE)

07 5444291

TREASURER

KEITH PERKINS (JANE)

027 578 1231

CLUB CAPTAIN

KAAREN SMYLIE (JIM)

07 576 4180

COMMITTEE

DOUG BROWN (LINDA)

021 668117

COMMITTEE

LINDA DOWNEY (DOUG)

021 02777931

COMMITTEE

BRIAN PRATT (CINDY)

07 5447952

COMMITTEE

BRYCE STRONG ( CHRISTINE)

0274 966706

COMMITTEE

JAMES TURNER (AMY)

021345053

COMMITTEE

JILL WHITCOMBE [JOHN ]

07 552 4201

COMMITTEE

JOHN WHITCOMBE [JILL ]

07 552 4201

OTHER ELECTED OFFICERS PATRON

ALASTAIR JONES (GWEN)

07 5761124

HALL HIRE

KAAREN SMYLIE (JIM)

021 664341

LIBRARIAN

YVONNE BECK (PAUL)

07 5720163

PARTS SHED

JACK ANDERSON (MERILYN)

07 5766346

PROPERTY MANAGER

JACK ANDERSON (MERILYN)

07 5766346

NEW MEMBERS

ALASTAIR JONES (GWEN)

07 5761124

PETER SEATON (ANNE)

07 5768083

VIC CERTIFICATION

ALASTAIR JONES (GWEN)

07 5761124

VIC CERTIFICATION

IVAN ALLEN (YVONNE)

07 5432629

APPAREL

LINDA DOWNEY (DOUG)

02 102777931

KITCHEN

JILL WHITCOMBE [JOHN ]

07 552 4201

WELFARE

LINDA DOWNEY (DOUG)

02 102777931

HON. SOLICITOR

PETER BUTLER (MARION)

07 5756892

WEBSITE

PAUL BECK (YVONNE)

07 5720163

RUN CO-ORDINATOR

DEIDRE RENNIE (TONY)

021 665 875

SWAPMEET

KLAXON EDITOR

BRYCE STRONG ( CHRISTINE)

0274 966706

FACEBOOK

DEIDRE RENNIE (TONY)

021 665 875

HEALTH & SAFETY OFFICER

BRIAN PRATT

07 5447952

KLAXON EMAIL: klaxoninfo@gmail.com CLUB WEBSITE: www.bayofplentyvintagecarclub.com SECRETARY EMAIL: bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz FACEBOOK bay of plenty vintage car club (Public page)

For Club enquiry's at anytime contact Kaaren Smylie (Club Captain) 07 576 4180 or 021-66-43-41

BOP VCC—Operational Information The Club Rooms are 29 Cliff Road. P O Box 660, Tauranga, 3144.

Key contacts are: Chairman– Ken Frew 07 5764263 Email: kenanddiane@xtra.co.nz Secretary– Michael Thorman 07 5444291 Email: bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz Club Captain— Kaaren Smylie 07 5764180 OR 021 664341 Monthly events—

Club night (except January) - 2nd Monday, start time 7.30pm Mid week run —

Wednesday following the club night

End of the month run —

Held on the last Sunday of the month.

Committee Meeting —

Last Monday of the month

Noggin ‘n’ Natter —

4th Tuesday at 6pm

Location Sequence of Noggin ‘n’ Natter 1, Tauranga- Tauranga Citizens Club, Cameron Road.

Contact is Jim Smylie phone 021 518 200 or 07 576 4180 2. Te Puke– The Anann restaurant. 4 Palmer Place. Contact is Paul McIndoe phone 5733328 3. Tauranga- Tauranga Citizens Club, Cameron Road. Contact is Jim Smylie phone 021 518 200 or 07 576 4180 4. Katikati- Forta Leza Café, SH 2, Katikati. Contact is Owen Smith, phone 07 570 2000 If your birthday falls in this month please remember it is your turn to provide a plate for supper. Thanks to last months birthday people for their food. Please remember to wear your name badges to all events. BADGES ARE FREE TO NEW MEMBERS.

LIBRARY HOURS— The library is open on club nights from 7pm. Also on most Monday mornings Yvonne & Paul work in the library until midday. Members are welcome to call in to search for or return books. If making a special trip please phone them at home on 07 572 0163 or 027 6098510 beforehand to ensure that they will be there. We are accepting good clean car service manuals or books that relate to automobile history or travel for our club library PARTS SHED—Clean out your sheds and bring those surplus parts down. They may be just what someone else needs Parts shed open most Monday morning. Contacts are Jack 07 5766346 or Colin 027 2629161

HELP US HIRE OUT THE CLUBROOMS! CONTACT KAAREN SMYLIE 07 5764180 OR 021 664341 34