RATTLES & sQUEAKS May 2020
1902 Albion cruising up Bank Street during VE Day parade 1945. Passengers representing USA, England and New Zealand. Not sure about the guy on roller skates they are towing!
Note from your National President It has become very apparent during the COVID-19 crisis, that communication by email is the quickest and most cost effective way we have of keeping you informed. The purpose of my letter is to keep you up-to-date with various news in relation to the Club overall. Unfortunately Beaded Wheels is not able to be printed at this time as the printers have closed down due to the COVID-19 Alert 4 lockdown. It will however be available in an online version and you will shortly receive an email from Beaded Wheels with advice on how it will be made available.
The events page on our national website now includes an event status column which is being updated as information
comes to hand along with our Facebook page. And in the latest version of Beaded Wheels coming out soon, there is up-to-date information on events as of the date of going to print. In other non-COVID19 news, I am pleased to advise that Murray Trounson has been co-opted onto the Management Committee to fill the vacancy left by the death of Ed Boyd. Murray is a Canterbury Branch member and is a Chartered accountant specialising in computer based accounting and business information systems. Murray will be undertaking a specific project on behalf of the Management Committee to fully review National Office systems (in conjunction with our Office Manager). There has also been a change at National Office which has been organised mainly seamlessly and to such effect that most members would not have noticed. Our Office Manager Julie has moved to Clyde to look after her mother and is working remotely from her home office with reduced hours. Jo’s hours (our other staff member) have been extended to handle some of the less critical tasks previously undertaken by Julie and so that the National Office is fully manned during office hours. This is being trialled for a year.
However, under the current COVID
-19 Level 4 restrictions, the National Office is now closed and run remotely. The usual phone number and email addresses will remain in place. I ask that you do not communicate with National Office unless it is completely necessary while the Level 4 restrictions are in place. Rosalie Brown, who is the Beaded Wheels co-ordinator and Club web-site administrator, has taken over the administration of the Club’s Facebook page. We have now added a facebook group to our page. This group will become an online community for members to interact with each other. It is a place for anyone who is interested in old vehicles to come together and share stories of our common interest and learn more about our club. It is a private group - so people need to answer questions to be able to join which will add a level of security. This is an easy way of communicating with members who are active on Facebook and in light of the continually changing pandemic situation, is a very good tool to get up-to-date information out to members quickly. As we ‘hunker down’ due to the COVID-19 crisis, please spare a thought for our oldest Club members, most of whom do not have email or cellphones. They are told they should not go to the supermarket during the pandemic and yet internet shopping is not something they can sort out, they can’t go to the bank to get out cash, maybe their home help who would normally shop for them is now not coming, and for a variety of reasons they don’t have any family support. To many of our older members, the VCC is part of their “family”. Some of our ‘family’ now need our help. I have recently had some distressing news of elderly members being without food for several days, having nothing in their fridge or cupboards. I know that a lot of our older members are very private and independent and will not ask for help, but a friendly voice of someone they know over the phone will go a long way to brighten their day and hopefully, if they are struggling, they will feel comfortable about saying so. I am asking those of you who personally know older members in your area to give them a ring, have a chat, check that they are alright and whether they need any help. If they do need help, there are various organisations in your local community who can help and you could contact them on your friends behalf.
One option is a group called “Friends in Need NZ”. They have volunteers registered across the country
wanting to help people in insolation with shopping etc and I have been in discussions with them and they are ready and able to help. With our members consent, you can sign them up for help through the Friends in Need website friendsinneednz.com. If you are able, you might also like to sign yourself up as a volunteer so that you can do the grocery shopping and deliver it, as Friends in Need volunteers are permitted by the Government to deliver essential items for their assigned person. The issues of trust, safety and payment are important and quite tricky to navigate, but Friends in Need have systems in place to manage this. In these unprecedented times, the health of all our members should be our main priority. Best regards and stay safe. Dianne McQuarry (National President )
Update from New Zealand Federation of Motoring Clubs (FoMC) I trust that you are all coping well during the lockdown, and that perhaps some of our eighty thousand or so members are finding time to do some of those jobs on their heritage vehicles that they have been putting off! In this bulletin, I want to update you on some news that is of particular interest to motorists. Exemption for expired WoF and ‘Rego’ The government has announced an emergency law that provides a 6-month extension for vehicles that have an expired WoF, CoF or ‘Rego’ due to the lockdown. Similarly, there is a 6-month extension for anyone whose driver’s licence or endorsement expired. The law change provides legal assurance that people can drive for essential purposes during the lockdown, and in the period afterwards, with an expired WoF or ‘rego’ or licence, without fear of infringement because the lockdown meant they could not renew it. It also means that your insurance policies will remain valid because the WoF or ‘rego’ etc. will be deemed current. For ease of enforcement, the extension is backdated to anything that expired from 1 January 2020 (1 March for licence endorsements), which is also good for anyone who was unable to get a WoF or repair prior to the lockdown (such as while waiting for hard-to-get parts for their vehicle!). It’s important to note that this extension only applies to the laws that require you to display a valid WoF or ‘Rego’ etc. The vehicle must still be in a roadworthy condition. If it isn’t then you shouldn’t drive or your insurance could be in jeopardy in the event of an accident. While the extension is for a maximum of 6 months (to around 10 October), the NZ Transport Agency can shorten this with notification. Six months was chosen in order to deal with the inevitable backlog. However, we’d encourage you not to wait that long to renew your WoF or driver’s licence after the lockdown ends. Although there was no public consultation on this emergency law, your Federation of Motoring Clubs was given a prior briefing, and gave their support to the proposals. • More information about the emergency law is on the NZTA website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/about -us/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-services-update/frequently-asked-questions/rules-changes-generalfaqs/
A reminder that if you are taking your heritage vehicle out, ensure that it is for essential purposes, such as going to the supermarket. Harry Duynhoven, President, FoMC
The Albion SPOT by “the Apprentice” Early in 2012 Ivan was asked by Hans Compter if he would be able to get their 1902 Albion going so it could take part in the Hikurangi 150th Anniversary celebrations. Ideally they wanted to drive it in the parade from the Rugby Club grounds through the town to the Hikurangi Primary School. The car has Northland history right back to the beginning. It was purchased new by a Dalmatian settler and bought to Whangarei. It was used during the Second World War to ferry American Servicemen, from their camp at Springs Flat, into town. George Giltrap purchased the Albion in the 1950’s and it went to his Museum in Rotorua before he opened his “Yesteryear World” Museum in Brisbane in 1959 and the Albion was sent there. George died in 1966 but the Museum continued operating until the 1980’s when the collection was auctioned off. Hans and a business partner purchased the Albion at the Auction and it returned back to Whangarei, where it was put on display in the foyer of the Whangarei Museum - they had to take the front doors off to get the car in the building. The Albion is a “Rear Entry” four seat model with steps in the back (The Albion Club in Scotland have a similar car but it is a “Dog Cart”.) Basically a horse drawn, four wheeled wooden cart with the shafts cut off and a stationary engine put underneath the seat. It has two forward gears and reverse, sliding quadrant gear change and a cone clutch. Final drive by centre chain. Engine is two cylinder, horizontal, water cooled with an updraft carburetor and low tension magneto. With eight horsepower it was capable of an eye-watering 20kph! However, the car had not run for over 50 years and the Hikurangi parade was in two weeks! Ivan loved a challenge and pretty soon there was a big one sitting in our workshop. Firstly he set about making a frame with a 12 volt starter motor fixed to it so he could turn the engine over without cranking it - he was still recovering from major Colon surgery. After cleaning the carburetor and overhauling and re-magnetizing the Magneto, changing the oil etc he enlisted the help of his “Apprentice” for the great start up. “You stand here and if I yell pull this cable off quick” he instructed, pointing to the battery sitting on the floorboard on the back of the car. While I was waiting for him to get underneath so he could organize his start system, I noticed there was a large cylinder fixed under the rear - it looked very much like a Morris Eight petrol tank, I mused. This was about at my waist height, I might add. “OK, I’m gonna turn it over - don’t forget what I said about that cable……….” “Yes, ok, got it” There was a bit of noisy cranking followed by a bit of fiddling and more cranking. The Apprentice became weary standing there holding that cable - ones mind wanders onto other things one could be doing……….. Suddenly there was an almighty BANG, and I couldn't see a damned thing. Day turned to night and in one second flat, the workshop was enveloped as the Albion coughed like an asthmatic old man and belched out a black cloud of 50 odd years of built up soot, rust and cobwebs. Like the steadfast tin soldier Muggins stood there holding that stupid cable totally incapable of hearing anything because the “petrol tank” was actually the muffler and I was standing right in front of it! Ivan crawled out from under the car and stood up. All I could see was his white teeth shining as he grinned “the bastard goes”! He took off his glasses and looked like a Panda, “what are you laughing at? Have you looked at yourself”? My pristine blue overalls were covered in soot, it was in my hair, my ears AND I was still holding on to that bloody cable! It took days to clean the workshop and the floor still features a round black mark which refuses to move to this day - “the Albion spot”.
First drive - note the “Boy Racer” head gear! Cruising up the main street of Hikurangi. With Denis driving.
Motorcycle Report - the Mail Run. Sunday 5th April. Today should be the day that those of us that went to the Mooloo Meander would be heading home and the bike group from the north that didn’t would be going on our monthly run! Unfortunately I’m sitting here with my laptop in lock down. I’m sure Donna may have problems putting together a newsletter, so here goes with the last run I did (Not a VCC. Run) organised by Hawke’s Bay Classic Motorcycle Club. A number of motorcycle people from the VCC attend this annual event. The only other member from the Northland Branch was Buster West-Hill. This run is a re-enactment from when the mail travelled North to the South end of the Lake then by boat to Taupo then across to Hawke Bay area. As such it was originally only for bikes with Girder Forks. As the years pass that rule has changed. This year 45 bikes entered oldest 1929 newest 2017. Apart from the usual bikes that turn up to these events were 2 that you don’t see often here were a 1936 Nimbus inline 4 cylinder shaft drive and a 1950 BMW R25 shaft drive single I was on my 1935 Harley Davidson VLD. The bikes gathered at the Marina, riders breeding at 9.30 first bike away 10am. The run is only 160K so it’s defiantly not a mad rush day. We regrouped at the Rangitikei Café to make sure that we had all made it out of town. From there the next stop was Tarawera for some lunch. We normally regroup at the Air Field before entering Napier but this year the road works made it imposable so it was all the way to the public display in front of the Masonic Hotel. The marshals did a good job of directing us through to the display area and getting the bikes with Girder forks in the front row. The meal and prize giving was held that evening at the Napier RSA which was enjoyed by every one that attended. I shared accommodation with Robert Simpson from Hamilton so it was up load the bikes up and find somewhere for breakfast. The café just down from our motel didn’t do cooked breakfast so as it was just up from the main road out of town we decided to head on and stop somewhere on the road. The first place we found wasn’t till Eskdale on Highway 5. Unfortunately they didn’t open till 9 so we didn’t want to hang around for half an hour we carried on to Tarawera. They didn’t do cooked breakfast either so had to make do with a pie. On the way to Tarawera I was in second gear on some of the hills, on the way over the day before I was in top gear all the way. So I was thinking what’s happened to the bike. But when I mentioned this to Robert on his 47 Indian Chief that I may be holding him up he said no he was in second as well. Big difference from the 2019 run that I did on my 741B Indian. I was in first gear for most of the hills both ways, having more than twice the cc defiantly makes a difference. After our coffee and pie it was back to Taupo and another cup of coffee at Roberts’ apartment, he was staying there for a few more days with his wife, so I headed off on my own from there to Tokoroa where I had left my van and trailer. Well that’s it keep it shine side up or in my case rubber side down not much shine on my bikes.
Cam
Mail Run
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Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15). front brakes. Our Citroen has always passed, first time, her six monthly visits to local garages for a Warrant. This even included not getting "road tested" by a previous tester didn't want to get wet on a rainy day! There have been occasions where the car has been down to Auckland for major work and the brakes have been manually set up by the Experts, so on following occasions I have been able to adjust the brakes myself. This year though, things were different. A new tester failed the Warrant because the brakes were "unbalanced" so I said I would adjust them myself. I suggested that because the car pulled to the left, that was a "safety feature"; it didn't pull to the right which would have been dangerous, however that excuse wasn't enough for a Warrant. We knew that the car pulled to the left but if one held tightly on to the steering wheel we could stop the car in a straight line. Also being old school, Jen and I always kept our distance to the vehicle ahead, changed down to 2nd gear on steep hills and used engine braking to slow down; the foot brakes were only used at very slow speeds to come to a halt. We took the car home and I jacked it up on 4 axles stands and went wheel by wheel adjusting the brakes that only had one external adjuster per brake shoe. After two or three attempts at raising the car, adjusting the brakes, lowering the car, driving down the road, the car still pulling to the left and getting frustrated I parked the car back into our garage and had a rethink! A short bit of history about Citroen Traction Avant brakes. The Citroen Traction Avant was designed in 1933 and was one of the first European cars with hydraulic brakes based on the Chrysler Lockheed design. Some British car manufacturers were still using road and cable brakes in the 1950s. The Citroen system used the "single leading shoe" design for the Traction Avant for its entire life from 1934 through to 1957 when there was an overlap of production with the new DS Citroen with its revolutionary aerodynamic shape, disc front brakes and hydraulic suspension. Michelin, who since 1935 had owned Citroen, had spent all of its time and resources, post World War 2, on developing the DS so the Traction Avant's front brakes were never up-graded to the more modern "twin leading shoe" front brakes where each front brake shoe has its own single sided wheel cylinder. The "twin leading shoe" design is more efficient because the leading edge of each brake shoe is pushed out against the brake drum whereas on the single leading shoe design the second shoe is pushed against the drum at it's less efficient second end. The twin leading shoe design is easier to adjust because the leading edge usually had the adjuster nut nearest to the wheel cylinder. I was speaking to Ron Anderson on accounting matters and mentioned the faulty brakes. I said that the car had "single leading shoe" front brakes with only one external adjustment and a fixed point at the base of the shoes beneath the brake drum. Ron thankfully said that there would be an "eccentric cam" at the base of each pair of shoes that could be adjusted; it's there, unseen, under a castellated nut and large flat washer. Ron also said that maybe the right hand front wheel cylinder had seized and wasn't pushing out each piston at the initial brake application. On our Citroen it is a pain accessing the internals of the front brakes because, being front wheel drive and not having tapper roller bearings, I have to use a large breaker bar to undo the 50mm nut, remembering that the front right hub nut has a left hand tread. A large specialist hub puller, given to me by Rob Hughes, is required to remove the front brake drums / hubs. The hubs are located to drive shaft by metal "woodruff" key that can fall out of its slot when replacing the cast iron brake drum / hub; the modern way of location is a "splined" shaft. Anyway, something more drastic had to be done. About 4 years ago I replaced all of the brake pipes because they were original and had corrosion or been accidentally squashed; the hoses were replaced by a previous owner about 1999. At the same time I replaced the rubber seals. I have fortunately purchased various tools that make work on brakes much easier, including spring pliers, a "one person" bleed kit, a brake hose clamp, a honer and an adjustable shoe re-setting tool that works on the rear shoes but not on the front shoes because the axle end protrudes through the centre axis of the re-setting tool. Up with the car on axle stands and off with the wheels and brake drums. I removed all 4 wheel cylinders, one wheel at a time and individually checked each one, yes the front right wheel cylinder was sticking at its "trailing edge" but none of the cups were leaking which was good news. I was able to hone that cylinder and free it up so both ends pushed out evenly against the internal spring. I also took the castellated nut and washer off the brake shoes pivots as Ron suggested and adjusted the bottom pivots until I thought they were correctly set.
By doing each wheel individually I was able to keep most of the brake fluid in the system and keep out air bubbles. On one wheel, after replacing the wheel cylinder and brake drum, I bled the brakes and thought "oops" that doesn't feel right, what's wrong? The hose clamp was out of sight and was still clamping the hose. I'm certain that I'm not the only person to have made this mistake. As a final check I got Jen to work the brake pedal while I did a final brake air bleed. Now time for road test. We live at the top of a steep hill and the road downwards has a strong left hand camber so I drove carefully down the hill to a section of the State Highway that is wide and flat. I let following cars pass and accelerated to 80kmph / 50 mph. Hands firmly on the steering wheel, foot firmly on the brake pedal; it pulls to the left again, damn!, I give up! I phoned Lambert Brakes in Whangarei who have a "rolling road" brake testing machine and have all the necessary repair equipment and made an appointment for them to fix the problem "once and forever". Because I anticipated that the fix would take a couple of days I gently drove the car the 65Km down to Whangarei with Jen following in a modern car. We asked the young staff at Lamberts to look after our baby and lock it away each night for safety and to stop the rain getting inside though the several leaks due to old age. I also had to point out an odd feature of the Citroen; there is an "interlock" in the gearbox where you have to compress the clutch pedal before one can move the gear lever They set the car up on the rolling road and came back with a report that said the rear brake balance, left to right, was 95% so I did something correctly. The front balance though was only 15% left to right. After they bonded new linings to all 4 shoes, machined the front right drum to "round" and re-assembled and adjusted the brakes they produced a Brake Report of 100%. Great work! The brakes have never been better and the car now has a current Warrant. Now the Virus is here and we have nowhere to go! Jen and Steve Cornwall
Dargaville Doings
Ian Godfrey celebrating his Lockdown 90th Birthday. Happy Birthday Ian! Excellent reminder to charge up your old girls’ batteries and start them up every once in a while over the lockdown.
Calendar of Events 2020 All events are cancelled until further Notice
1939 Chevrolet 6cwt chassis and engine I have a rolling chassis, complete with running engine, working drive train and brakes from a 1939 6cwt Chevrolet Truck which I'd like to find a good home for. It's shed stored in Whangarei at present, but I need to make some space. I'm not wanting money for it - I'd really like it to go to someone who will use it. In a perfect world I'd love to trade it for a set of front panels of a 1939 GMC CCKW truck - but appreciate that may not be so easy! Here are some pictures of what I have. If any of your members are keen - or if you have any suggestions on where I might source CCKW panels in any condition, I can be contacted on this email address: thechimneyhouse@gmail.com Simon Craig
2019 -2020 Office Bearers Northland Vintage Car Club Inc. Position
Name
Phone
Mobile
Chairperson
Ron Anderson
Vice Chairperson
Lou Schoenmakers
09 4346802
louans@hotmail.com
Secretary
Ans Schoenmaekers
09 4346802
northland@vcc.org.nz
Treasurer
Steve Cornwall
09 4025006
jensteve@xtra.co.nz
Assistant Treasurer
Keith Taylor
09 9460719
0211685928
keith.taylor55@gmail.com
Club Captain
Keith Taylor
09 9460719
0211685928
keith.taylor55@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor
Donna Nobilo
09 4376097
021437601
empiretroop@actrix.co.nz
Committee
Arthur Jenkins
09 4370955
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Lynora Reilly
09 4356366
trelyn47@hotmail.com
Trevor Reilly
09 4356366
Adam Young
09 438 7488
Bert Parrish
09 4389492
Lawrence Hillier
09 4346457
hillierlawrence@gmail.com
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Rob Hughes
09 4591171
poodlepalace@xtra.co.nz
Lou Schoenmakers
09 4346802
louans@hotmail.com
Hall Custodian
Trevor Reilly
09 4356366
Librarian
Lynora Reilly
09 4356366
trelyn47@hotmail.com
Motorcycle Rep
Adam Young
09 438 7488
youngadam111@gmail.com
Museum Delegate
Ron Anderson
VIC Inspector
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
Webmaster
Martin Salter
09 4371969
Parts/Vehicles
0275318969
0210737145
vcc.northland@gmail.com
trevorreilly47@gmail.com youngadam111@gmail.com
021411601
0210737145
0275318969
jubert@xtra.co.nz
trevorreilly47@gmail.com
vcc.northland@gmail.com agpearson39@gmail.com
0212242102
martinsalter47@gmail.com