#0117 2022 2022
May 2022
PO Box 458, LEVIN 14 Tiro Tiro Road, LEVIN
Patron Chair Deputy Chair Secretary Treasurer Club Captains Branch Delegate Committee
Welfare Officer Custodian & Maintenance Grounds People Spares Team
Library Archives Spark Editor Spark Distribution VIC Team
Tom Hayes John White j.mwhite@xtra.co.nz Glenn Peach gpeach@xtra.co.nz Bill Laney and Denise Liddle horowhenua@vcc.org.nz Jackie Job jackiejob73@gmail.com Bruce Lawrie Verdon Heath Winton Cleal Des St Clare Bob Barton Warren MacMillan Colin Brooks Winton Cleal Andrew Judd Nigel Wheeler nigelgwheeler@gmail.com Bill Cottle Wayne Thrower
06 367 9445 06 368 3299 027 4863517 027 4512408 027 4427306 06 368 2565 04 293 6803 (W) 04 293 4943 (H) 06 368 3824 04 293 3369 027 4191412 06 367 8216 06 362 6156 04 298 5458 04 293 3369 06 368 6891 06 367 2046 027 5674431 027 4509636 06 368 5611 020 4440098 06 362 6156 06 364 7238
Julia MacMillan Callum Farmer callumfarmer77@hotmail.com Rex Williams 06 367 0613 Mike Khull 06 363 5633 Bob Barton 06 367 8216 Jeff Fox 027 4486888 Colin Brooks 04 298 5458 Robert Cammish 04 905 0772 Don McLaren 021 1172418 Heather Carter 021 504087 Bruce Jamieson 027 6357336 brucejamieson48@hotmail.com 06 825 9102 Bob Barton 06 367 8216 Verdon Heath, Ivan Horn and Mike Khull
Meeting Branch Night - 1st Wednesday of the month at 7 30 pm Committee Meeting - Last Wednesday of the month at 7 30 pm Working Bee - Saturday following Branch Night at 9 00 am Spare Parts - Open Saturday following Branch Night Club Bank Account No - 03 0667 0269227 00
Well, time to write up the ol’ Chairman’s Chat again! Gee it comes around quick! I attended the Manawatu VCC Rally ’22 last weekend, along with a heartening number of our Horowhenua people. A great drive, beautiful autumn colours, all in all a well-run rally. Our last club night speaker was our own Verdon Heath, telling us all about his former life as a tour guide. We learned of Verdon’s adventures and misadventures in South America. Sounds like hard work flogging a bus load of tourists over unmade roads, all the while brushing off the South American signoritas! Maybe we can get club captain Verdon to organize a trip to Rio for the Mardi Gras? Actually, the photos of the appalling roads reminded me of the current road works around Levin. Our last Wednesday club night also had a welcome full house of members. Good to see all of you back again! We have no speaker for next club night, as it is our annual AGM. Now don’t stay at home for this, folks. This is your chance to step up for your club, we really do need fresh faces to help run our club! There will be some club officers stepping down, your chairman (me) among them. You will find a nomination form in this issue of “Spark”. From home you can make copies and use them to nominate officers. We will also be taking nominations on the night, and there will be nomination forms available then, so come along please. You will find the loose club minutes missing from your “Spark’ from now on. They will be sent out via our secretary by e-mail in the future. This makes life a lot easier for our secretary (Denise) and our “Spark” distributor (Bob ). It also saves us a few dollars. So, if you want to keep abreast of things, read your e-mails, or better still, attend the meetings and join in. Well that’s it for me, members. Winter is around the corner, so take care with the winter sniffles etc, and stay safe on the winter roads out there. Goodbye for now, your soon-to-be ex-chairman.
John White
Brucie’s Burblings We are starting to crank up events within our branch after what seems a very long break. Last club night was very well attended and everyone enjoyed a talk with photos from Verdon on his exploits a few years back as a tour guide/bus driver/mechanic in South America. If you have any ideas of speakers for club nights, or places you think the club would like to visit, pass it on to the club captains and we will endeavor to make it happen. Fourteen of our members took part in the Manawatu PV, PW, P60, P80 Rally on the 7th May and we had a winner; John Rapley in his Austin A35 in the PW class. This was a most enjoyable event. See my report later in this Spark. Our AGM is on 1st of June, so put your thinking caps on and make suggestions for the direction of the branch, or even put your name forward for one of the management committee positions. Coming Events: 15th May 25th May 1st June 5th June 5th June 25th June
Ladies’ Run. Start at clubrooms at 11.30 . Lunch at 1.00. Men navigate, ladies drive. Mid Week Run to Police College(Wellington Branch). Details in Motoring Spirit and this Spark. AGM. 7.30 Start. Wanganui Annual Rally. entries close 20th May Mini Club and Sunbeam Club visit to our clubrooms. Wellington Branch Monte Carlo Run
Drive safe....stay warm...see you at the AGM
Roster for June 2022
Mark Gibson, Basil Gowenlock, Alton & Leah Harrison, Gerald Harvey, Tom Hayes, Trevor Hayes. Rostered kitchen crew please come early on Club Night to be briefed by Linda B on Covid and food handling rules. If you are unable to make it for either kitchen duties on Club Night, June 1st, or for the Working Bee on Saturday 4th June, 9 am till 12 noon, PLEASE let me know on 06 368-3299 or j.mwhite@xtra.co.nz
Speaker for June
AGM, so no speaker (you will be too busy voting)
New Club Members
Murray Walker joined last month. He has a Triumph 2500 TC which has only 74000 km by one previous owner. Mark Bennett, who has two MGs; a 1951 TD and an MGB.
Sadly Missed
Ivan Benge, a member of our club for over 60 years, passed away on 12th May. Our sympathy goes to his family and friends.
Cover Picture
Arriving in style.
The time has come to fill you all in on the comings and goings of the branch library. The routine matters of sorting, setting aside and cataloging donated books carries on with some special surprises appearing when least expected. Talking about surprises, Wayne dropped in to see if there were any books available to list on TradeMe. I offered up those which were excess to our catalogue. His eagle eye spied some Jaguar manuals, especially a Mk2 version. It took a gruff voice and my version of a Silverback’s chest beating to turn his gaze back to the original offerings. Thanks Wayne for sharing your valuable knowledge on the treasures which are held in your club’s library. Now the serious stuff: I plan to step aside from the position of Branch Librarian at the AGM. The last three years have been enjoyable and now I want to be free to be more involved in other branch activities.
Don McLaren
Manawatu PV, PW, P60, P80 RALLY What a great day we had. Early start from Paraparaumu on a nice fresh morning with arrival at the Manawatu clubrooms at 9 am, just in time for a cup of tea and a scone. Esther Williams gave a quick welcome and a rundown of the rally but much to our disappointment there were only going to be simple instructions to get us to Eketahuna for lunch. No straight-line navigation, timed sections, passage checks or tulip diagrams so we thought this would be a doddle. Not so. After leaving the clubrooms we headed over the hill via the Saddle Road. What a beautiful sight as the northern Wairarapa was covered in a beautiful blanket of low cloud. We soon descended through this cloud to find ourselves in a very thick mist, requiring wipers to allow us to see the road. At this stage visibility had dropped to under 50 metres so we felt it prudent to switch on some lights. This also made travelling at more that 30mph somewhat dangerous. By this stage my internal compass had stopped working, so out came the map book which gave us some indication of our direction of travel. Once we got south of Pahiatua the mist had been burnt off so we could enjoy the view. Having a hint that there would be some form of quiz at lunch time we counted one-way bridges, rail crossings, compulsory stops and roundabouts to no avail. Lunchtime’s quiz at the local hotel in Eketahuna had questions like “How long did the 6 o’clock swill last?”...answer of course was 50 years... For some the use of Google and a cell phone made answering the questions easy. Lunchtime also gave participants a chance to check out the four very good secondhand shops in the main street.
A quick run of about 45 minutes via the country roads got us back to the Tui Brewery at Mangatainoka where we had a short prize giving and liquid refreshment.
Horowhenua Club members prior to the start We had seven cars representing our branch, as well as people from Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Wanganui and Auckland and of course our host branch Manawatu. Bruce Lawrie and Heather Carter
A Brockbank cartoon from the 1960s
YUM, YUM!
Mid-winter lunch on June 26th. Masonic Village café, Queen Street, Levin. (Near Highway 57 intersection). No number limits, fixed menu, roast dinner + dessert + coffee at $30 pp. Pay to Jackie Job by June 10th.
Thanks to Mark Gibson for this article.
SWAP MEET
Everything you need, including the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Answer later in this issue of Spark
April 2022 On Sunday the 5th of June (Queen’s Birthday Weekend), we will have both the Manawatu/Wellington Sunbeam and Mini Owners Clubs visiting our Clubrooms from 10.45am. This is an important chance for Horowhenua Members to show off their vehicles alongside the Minis and Sunbeams. Both the Library and the Spares will be open, and bring your own food for a combined club lunch. It’s always great to hear from other branch members, especially when from the South Island, as it means other branches are reading the Club Magazine. The latest incident was to see if Spares would post some of the Rover P5 engine parts to a collector in the South Island. The answer was “yes”, so off they went. On a final note, Spares over the last two weeks has taken delivery of some ex-military uniforms and vehicle parts. Also, the 1954 MG is booked to appear in the Beaded Wheels For Sale section in June/July Issue. Safe Travelling Everyone
Callum
Kapiti Mid-Week Run: Wednesday 27 April 2022 The May run is to the Police Museum in the grounds of the Police College on Papakowhai Road, Porirua. The notice in Motoring Spirit mentioned there will also be one of the latest police vehicles to show us the equipment they carry. But better still, the museum has arranged a visit for us by the Armed Offenders Squad . We have to understand that this could change if they are called out to an incident. However, we start off with lunch at the historic Gear Homestead, which is only a kilometre from the Police Museum on Okowai Road, Aotea. We will have an upstairs room exclusively for us, with wonderful views over Porirua Harbour. A menu is attached and it will help the kitchen staff if you could let me know your choice of meal when you advise that you are intending to come. The last 2 items on the menu are speciality burgers which are served with French fries. For anyone who only wants a light snack, there is a small range of counter food as well (club sandwich, toasted sandwich, pies, savoury scones, etc) which doesn't need to be ordered in advance. Please note that the Gear Homestead only accepts payment by card. Timing ---- aim to arrive at the Gear Homestead around 11:45am. Leave Gear Homestead by 1:15pm for the short drive to the Police Museum. The Armed Offenders Squad should be waiting for us at 1:30pm (and it is not a good idea to keep these guys waiting!) I realise that most people would probably prefer to visit the museum in the morning and then have lunch afterwards, but the museum has a school party visiting in the morning and can only accommodate us in the afternoon. There is a charge of $3/person ($5 for anyone who doesn't have a Gold Card) at the police Museum for our organised tour.
Please let me know by Friday 20th May if you are planning to come, along with your choice from the lunch menu. Philip Pearce mob 027 274 4084 email: nzpearce87@gmail.com
1929 Morris Cowley, export model. This is an original and unrestored car which attracts attention wherever it goes. WOF, rego, some spares including motor and gearbox. Has completed numerous rallies. Reluctantly selling after 30 years. $15 000 Contact Chris 0274 421 639, cmclarke@xtra.co.nz Library Merchandise
HVCC Dashboard Stickers Iron on fabric badges HVCC blue and white caps Name Badges (fill out form)
-$ 4 -$ 3 - $10 - $12
Answer to “What Am I?” Ford 1949 Ford resumed production of some of its pre-war models after the Second World War but sales were relatively low because motorists were looking for something new. After cancelling two projects due out in 1948, Ford returned to the drawing board and developed its 1949 range in about 18 months, a feat many scoffed couldn’t be accomplished. Elegant and modern, the 1949 range was a hit; Ford received 100,000 orders for the new car on the first day it began selling it. Split into two basic lines called Standard and Custom, the range included two- and four-door saloons, a six-seater coupe, a station wagon and a convertible. In hindsight, the 1949 models saved Ford. It built 1,118,740 cars in 1949, a big increase over 1948 and about 100,000 more than Chevrolet. Historians estimate the 1949 range earned Ford a muchneeded $177 million profit during its production run.
PARKING
The occupants of this outfit were booked for high tea at the Ritz, but were unable to find four parking places in a row, so had to divert to Levin. Hope they enjoyed their lunch.
The Mysterious Workings of the Wheelbarrow! Not as bad as the mysterious workings of the Ford Model Y's faulty battery charging though! I started right back to the basics to sort out where the problem of the charging fault lay? First step to sort out if it was the generator or regulator at fault? Bridged across the generator field & armature terminals & tried that. Generator charged o.k. so the fault was in the regulator. Cleaned the regulator & cut out points & tried that. No charging. Disconnected the battery & with an ohmmeter, checked the resistance line from the generator armature terminal to the battery terminal with the cut-out points pushed closed & had no resistance. Checked the resistance across the regulator points & had no resistance. Everything checked out o.k. but still no charge! Odd? Put a jumper lead across the regulator points & it charged! Why? Unscrewed the regulator adjustable point & checked that out. Both points were all bright & shiny. Screwed the adjustable point back into place, set the gap across the regulator points & tried that & it charged o.k. I think the problem was tarnish on the threads of the adjustable point, sufficient to show no resistance, but too little in contact to permit an adequate current flow into the field of the generator to adequately energise it? Turning the regulator points screw was sufficient to clean up the thread & allow sufficient current flow to energise the generator fields & permit the generator to charge now.
From George McLean
Horowhenua Vintage Car Club members enjoy an informal gathering at the new clubrooms in 1921.
Kapiti Group Visit to the Tokomaru Steam Museum 27th April A bumper turnout of 37 members enjoyed exploring the biggest collection of steam engines in New Zealand, including steam powered cranes, excavators, locomotives and road rollers, plus stationary engines from just about every industry in the country in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection has New Zealand's oldest steam engine, an 1869 Appleby which powered the Patent Slipway in Wellington and was capable of hauling ships of up to 2,000 tons up the slipway for repair. But the star of the show has to be one of the largest ever engines in NZ, weighing in at over 70 tons. After a long working life at a freezing works in Wanganui, it was retired to the museum where over 200 cubic metres of concrete were needed for its foundations. Within the last year the museum has also added a huge model railway layout with around a hundred highly-detailed replicas of iconic buildings from around NZ. (Previously located at, and donated by, Murrayfields Cafe and Museum north of Levin). The museum itself has a long and interesting history, having first opened to the public over 50 years ago. But sadly the museum closed almost 10 years ago, when founders Colin and Esma Stevenson became too old to continue running it, and the collection came very close to being broken up, when many unique items would have ended up being sold for scrap. Thankfully, in 2018, young couple Damian and Roxanne sold their
comfortable suburban home in Auckland and took on the challenge of bringing the museum back to life.
It is well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in New Zealand's industrial heritage, and is open by appointment on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For more details take a look at the museum's website www.tokomarusteam.com
HVCC members Win Bishop and Verdon Heath impressed by the machinery on display.
CALENDAR of COMING EVENTS May May June June June June June July
15 Mothers’ Day Run and Lunch - Horowhenua 22 Classic Motorcycle Swap Meet - Manawatu 1 AGM of HVCC 5 Annual Rally - Wanganui 5 Visit to our clubrooms by Mini Club - Horowhenua 25 Monte Carlo Rally - Wellington 26 Mid-winter Lunch - Horowhenua 3 Night Owl Rally - Horowhenua Any enquiries to: Bruce Lawrie Phone 027 4762489
TAIL LIGHTS
ISSN
the print bureau 06 367 9330