Issuu

CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS

Beaded Wheels No. 347 August/September 2017

NEW ZEALANDâ€™S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95

HADSTOCK GYMKHANA

9 418979 000012

EARLY AUCKLAND COMMERCIAL VEHICLES MGB ROAD TEST MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND

Brian Walker, Dunedin, supplied this photograph. It came from his recently deceased neighbour Kate Thompson with the following information. Frank Warrington Oakden age 16 went to Napier from Dunedin to train as an engineer. His father, also Frank Oakden, sent his daughter Vivienne Oakden, age 21, to look after him. After back arriving back in Napier she was given this car for looking after him. It is believed that she was one of the youngest New Zealand women

management committee Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events. The Vintage Car Club Of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz

branches ASHBURTON PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 ashburton@vcc.org.nz AUCKLAND PO Box 12-138, Penrose, Auckland 1642 auckland@vcc.org.nz BANKS PENINSULA 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, Christchurch 8042 bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 660, Tauranga 3140 bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz CANTERBURY PO Box 11-082, Sockburn Christchurch 8443 canterbury@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL OTAGO C/- 4B Roto Place, Wanaka 9305 centralotago@vcc.org.nz

2 Beaded Wheels

to own a car. According to her, now 97 year old, daughter Kate Thompson, she was never a good driver so it was just as well the speed limit was only 25 miles an hour.

Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017. PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz

REGISTRAR Rod Brayshaw 07 549 4250 registrar@vcc.org.nz

CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION Paul Collins 027 292 2204 nicc@vcc.org.nz

SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz

CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Alon Mayhew 027 202 9491 sicc@vcc.org.nz

BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@vcc.org.nz

SECRETARY/ TREASURER Michael Lavender 03 325 5704 hon.sec@vcc.org.nz

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICER Ross Holden comms@vcc.org.nz

Ed Boyd 06 348 4547 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz Tony Bartlett 06 867 9850 mgmt1@vcc.org.nz David Yorke 06 358 8060 mgmt2@vcc.org.nz

ARCHIVIST Don Muller 03 385 6850

archivist@vcc.org.nz

A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 94 Mt Herbert Road, Waipukurau 4200, centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz FAR NORTH C/- 64 Mangakaretu Road, RD2, Kerikeri 0295 farnorth@vcc.org.nz GISBORNE PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 gisborne@vcc.org.nz GORE PO Box 329, Gore 9740 gore@vcc.org.nz HAWKE’S BAY PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 hawkesbay@vcc.org.nz

HOROWHENUA PO Box 458, Levin 5540 horowhenua@vcc.org.nz KING COUNTRY C/- 34 House Ave, Taumarunui 3920 kingcountry@vcc.org.nz MANAWATU PO Box 385 Palmerston North 4440 manawatu@vcc.org.nz MARLBOROUGH PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 marlborough@vcc.org.nz NELSON PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 nelson@vcc.org.nz NORTHLAND PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 northland@vcc.org.nz

NORTH OTAGO PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 northotago@vcc.org.nz NORTH SHORE C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield Auckland 1042 northshore@vcc.org.nz OTAGO PO Box 5352, Dunedin 9058 otago@vcc.org.nz ROTORUA PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 rotorua@vcc.org.nz SOUTH CANTERBURY PO Box 623, Timaru 7910 southcanterbury@vcc.org.nz SOUTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 southand@vcc.org.nz

SOUTH OTAGO C/- G. Beaumont, Tuapeka Mouth, RD 4, Balcultha 9274 southotago@vcc.org.nz SOUTH WAIKATO PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 southwaikato@vcc.org.nz TARANAKI C/- 297 Huatoki st, New Plymouth 4310 taranaki@vcc.org.nz TAUPO PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 taupo@vcc.org.nz WAIKATO PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 waikato@vcc.org.nz WAIMATE 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 waimate@vcc.org.nz

Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017.

WAIRARAPA PO Box 7, Masterton 5810 wairarapa@vcc.org.nz WAITEMATA C/- Embroidme, 23E William Pickering Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632 waitemata@vcc.org.nz WANGANUI PO Box 726, Wanganui 4540 wanganui@vcc.org.nz WELLINGTON PO Box 38-418, Petone, Wellington 5045 wellington@vcc.org.nz WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz WEST COAST C/- 17 Loris Place Greymouth 7805 westcoast@vcc.org.nz

Beaded Wheels

Issue 347 August/September 2017

Publisher

FEATURES

THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ (INC.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXVIII No. 347

Editorial Committee Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Bevars Binnie, Rosalie Brown, John Coomber, Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay.

Material for Publication Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles should be submitted to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz. Email of text and photos is preferred, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. Alternatively mail your contribution to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one side of paper only. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc).

Stuart Francis gives his Velocette MAC a full strip down, see page 12.

Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz

Advertising Address Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 Rate schedule available on request.

1946 Velocette MAC

Commercial Vehicles in Auckland prior to 1915

No Minor Feat – 2017 North Island Club Captain’s Tour

John McIntyre’s MGB Behind the Wheel of a 1965 MGB roadster

2017 Hadstock Park Gymkhana

The Joys of Owning my First Car

Irishman 2017

Rally Snippets Wanganui – 100 Years Parapara Highway Celebration Wellsford/Warkworth – Winter Woollies Wander Nelson – Sandy Bay Hillclimb

Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.

Correspondence & Editorial Contributions Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.

COLUMNS

Subscriptions

President’s Message

As We See It

VCC Events

National Office News

Typesetting & design by RGBDesign Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch.

Mailbag

Closing Date for October/November Issue

Mutterings of a Mature Motorcyclist

Captain’s Log

The Way We Were

Timelines

Brass Notes

50 Year Awards

Book Reviews

Marketplace

Swap Meets & Rallies

Idle Torque

Passing Lane

Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 Annual subscription (6 issues) $45* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$76* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$136*. *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 3%

Wanganui members celebrated 100 years of the Parapara Highway, see page 36.

Production

Editorial Copy Advertisements

24 August 2017 10 September 2017

The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz

Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand. Website www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information The contents are copyright. Articles may be reproduced complete or in part provided that acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published material for archival purposes.

If you’re inspired by Greg Price’s MGB roadtest (pg 26), this little beauty is up for sale, see marketplace page 43.

COVER Like us on facebook Beaded Wheels

George Kear Junior (Morris Mini Cooper) on his way to finishing 2nd overall at the Hadstock Park Gymkhana. See page 30. Photo: John McDonald Beaded Wheels 3

president’s message

Since writing my annual President’s report, the long awaited Earthquake-prone Building Amendment Act into effect as of 1 July 2017. The 30 year timeframe mentioned in my report was based on advice received from the Christchurch City Council prior to that date. As of 1 July, the new Act removes local councils’ requirements to have their own individual policies and creates a single national policy. As a consequence we have 15 years (until 30 June 2032) to complete the required upgrading and repairs to National Office, unless the building is assessed as low risk and low use in which case it may be possible to seek a 10-year extension. It was interesting to read that France has announced that it will outlaw the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040. France is by no means the only country aiming to ban combustion-powered cars in some form. Germany wants to do away with 100 percent combustion-powered vehicles by 2030, as does India. The Netherlands and Norway wish to do so by 2025. This will eventually have a flow-on effect in New Zealand as our government agencies look to what is happening overseas when considering policies and regulation changes. I am not sure what this may mean in terms of being able to continue to drive our historic vehicles wherever we wish but the Vintage Car Club must be ever vigilant to ensure that this can continue. As discussed in my last column, membership numbers are now the highest they have ever been. Of interest is that over the last ten years we have gained an average of 574 members every year. It is disappointing that also over the last ten years, an average of 440 members resign each year. This figure does not include those members who have died. The loss of this number of members every year tells me that we are not looking after our members (particularly newer members) and perhaps they do not feel welcome or part of the Club. This is an area that we can all work on. Retaining a major portion of these members every year would make a huge difference to our membership base. I would like to make a correction to the message from the Management Committee which was inserted in the last 4 Beaded Wheels

as we see it issue of Beaded Wheels regarding Notice of Motion (2) in which it was stated that the rationale from the Proposer and Seconder of the motion suggested running two programmes side by side. This was not correct and their rationale did not propose that. You will all have your voting papers for the two Notices of Motion. These must be returned to National Office by 8am on 7 August 2017. Please refer to the insert in the last issue of Beaded Wheels for information. If you are unable to find it, contact the National Office and they will forward you a copy. After the AGM last year I made mention of the disappointing attendance from members at AGMs over the last few years. Maybe for members from outside the area, the travel and accommodation costs of the weekend precludes them from attending. If so, what can we do about that? Could it be that the use of modern technologies has increased the communication among us all and members are getting all the information they need by these avenues? Or could it just be that as long as our subs don’t go up and members can continue driving their old vehicles and having fun, then they are happy to leave the governance of the Club to others? I urge those members in the Marlborough region to come to the meeting this year which will be held in Blenheim on 12 August. It is chance for you to meet the Management Committee and to socially interact with members from all over the country. I look forward to seeing you there. Our VCC National Day is all revved up and ready to go. See the advertisement in this edition of Beaded Wheels. This is a simple concept with, hopefully, big returns to the Cancer Society and also to our Club in terms of publicity and public perception of what we are about. I am disappointed that some branches have elected not to participate in the day but hopefully they will be able to gear up for next year and, if practicable, maybe those branches that are not taking part could join in with a neighbouring branch for this year. I thank those branches that are participating for their enthusiasm and contribution to this event and I ask all members to support their Branch and their Club on our National Day. Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President

Volunteers, the country runs on them. Everywhere you go there are volunteers doing things for their community, for their clubs and for other people. The VCC, a large club covering the length and breadth of New Zealand, is run by volunteers. Sometimes those who don’t know or understand how things work, snipe from the sidelines. That’s OK – we get used to that. Only recently a speaker at the Federation of Motoring Clubs AGM took a shot or two at the VCC. He said that membership is dropping – it isn’t, we have more members than ever before. Of course, we are not resting on our laurels in this respect and are always encouraging new members. He also indicated that we should welcome members of any age and sex. Does he think we do not allow women into our club? Many of our members are female, as is our National President. He also suggested that we change our name. All this from a person who is not a member and therefore could not know what we are doing or know in any detail how the club works. As always, when faced with criticism we can benefit most if we take on board the good points and discard the rubbish. The members of the Management Committee, its sub-committees, the officers of our 36 branches and the members of their branch sub-committees are all volunteers and without their input nothing would happen. When a member feels that we are not doing enough, or maybe doing something they regard as being wrong they, quite rightly, are not shy in coming forward to tell the volunteer in charge of that particular aspect that they should reconsider. Sometimes they are less than polite when they offer their sage advice which is a shame. Frequently I get compliments from members about Beaded Wheels and occasionally a brickbat or two (a snipe from the sideline) just to keep my feet on the ground. Whenever I am complimented I point out that Beaded Wheels is produced by a team of volunteers and I usually pass the positive comments onto the team at the first opportunity. Any worthwhile suggestion is always considered. Kevin Clarkson Chairman, Beaded Wheels

This list of events is compiled from the VCCNZ National Calendar of Events, and branch events as listed in each branch newsletter. Any deletions, additions, alterations need to be notified to Beaded Wheels by the Branch Secretary before 10th of the month prior to magazine publication

2017 VCC National Events

16 Manawatu 16-17 Taranaki

11 August 12 August 27 August

Executive Meeting, Blenheim National AGM, Blenheim VCC National Day

AUGUST

5 6 6 12

Taranaki Canterbury Marlborough Canterbury

Brick Run Winter Run Onamalutu Run Annual Round the Bays M/C Run 12 Marlborough National AGM 13 Waikato Motorcycle Run 13 Wairarapa Janice Groves Memorial Run 15 West Coast Morning Tea at Shantytown 20 Canterbury Night Trial & High Tea 20 Marlborough Marlborough Trials 26 Rotorua Sulphur City Rally 27 National VCC National Day 27 Canterbury Rally for Cancer 27 Marlborough Car Show at Brayshaw Heritage Park 27 Gisborne Club Run 27 Otago Rally for Cancer 27 West Coast Club Run 31 Otago Mid-week Run

SEPTEMBER

2 2 3 9 9

Banks Peninsula Waimate Sth Cant Canterbury Marlborough

9 Otago 10 Auckland 10 Wairarapa

Levels Race Meeting Swap Meet Opening Run with Ashburton Women Drivers’ Rally WOF day, Blenheim Testing Station Night Rally PV / PW / P60 / P80 Rally Peter Smith Memorial Rally

Vintage Rally Rubber Duckie Motorcycle Rally 17 Canterbury Motorcycle Rough Run & VICs 19 West Coast Morning tea Shantytown 23 Central Otago Blossom Rally 23 Canterbury Awards Dinner 24 Waikato PV / PW / P60 / P80 Rally 24 West Coast Club Run 24 Central Otago Wings & Wheels Alexandra Airport 30 Otago Dunvegan Motorcycle Rally

OCTOBER 1 6-8 8 14 14 14 14-15 15 15 17 20-22 21-22 22-24 28 28-29

Waikato Canterbury Wairarapa King Country Southland Manawatu Canterbury Otago Waikato West Coast Hawke’s Bay Auckland Sth Cant Sth Waikato Wairarapa

29 Canterbury 29 Gisborne

NOVEMBER

3-5 Northland 4 Canterbury 4 Otago 4 Southland 4 Wellington 5 Sth Cant

Kairangi Hill Climb Swap Meet New Members’ Rally Journey Through Time Vintage / PV Rally Swap Meet Girder Fork M/C Rally PV/P60/P80 Rally Motorcycle Run Morning tea Shantytown Safari Hunua 100 Rally Mt Cook Rally Dam Run Peter Chisholm Memorial Rally Veteran Annual Rally Club Run

VCC Events 5 11 11 11-12 11 12 12 18 18 17-19 17-19 19 19 19 19 21 24 25 26 26 26 26

Waikato Canterbury Nth Otago Southland Sth Otago Bay of Plenty Wairarapa C. Hawke’s Bay Otago Auckland Canterbury Horowhenua Sth Cant Taranaki Waikato West Coast West Coast Wairarapa Banks Peninsula Canterbury Gisborne Sth Waikato

Veteran Rally Vintage Rally Swap Meet Arrowtown Motorcycle Rally Clutha Rally Swap Meet Stretched Gymkhana Veteran Run Commercial Veteran Rally M/C Rally & Swap Meet Show Weekend Tour Tararua Trundle Rally Vet/VV /Commercial Rally Potters Paddock Gymkhana Swap Meet Morning tea Shantytown Club Run Gold Medal Motorcycle Rally Ruapuna Homestead Run Ladies’ Run TTT Rally

Far North Tour Annual Motorcycle Rally Taieri Tour Commercial Rally 60th Annual Rally Motorcycle Rally

While Beaded Wheels makes every attempt to check the accuracy of the dates published in this column we advise readers to confirm all dates with the individual branch concerned.

Find out more about the Vintage Car Club Join our enthusiasts as they motor their classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. Visit vcc.org.nz to download membership application forms or contact your local branch directly for application forms and details. See page 2 for contact details of your nearest branch. Beaded Wheels 5

Julie Cairns-Gee

National Office Manager VCCNZ Inc National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 ph 03 366 4461 fax 03 366 0273 email admin@vcc.org.nz www.vcc.org.nz Office Hours Mon – Thur 9-5pm

national office news National Annual General Meeting The Club’s Annual General Meeting and Executive Meeting take place in Blenheim on 12 August 2017. The Executive also meet on 11/12 August. The executive is made up of one delegate from each branch plus the Management Committee. Your delegate will report on the proceedings. The minutes for the Executive Meeting are distributed to each branch secretary and all members will receive minutes of the AGM, branch office details and a list of calendar of events as an insert in the October/November issue of Beaded Wheels. Branch Annual General Meetings Branches around the country have all held their annual general meetings and as a result there are a number of new committee members. I would like to welcome all the new committees and thank all those who stood down for their assistance over the past years. The work that the committees put in to running the Club and assisting with the work undertaken by the National Office, is greatly appreciated. Vehicle Identity Card (VIC)/ Authenticity Statement Requirements Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement applications must go to your branch which will deal with them. The only exception is a straight change of ownership with no alterations to a vehicle. In this case, ask your branch secretary for

a VIC change of ownership form, complete this and return it to the National Office. All applications for Vehicle Identity Cards and Authenticity Statements must include photos of the vehicle. Applications cannot be processed without these. If you require a lighting endorsement for a vehicle, you must complete both the Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement application form and Lighting Endorsement form and return these to your branch secretary for processing. Change of Address Please advise the National Office in writing if you have changed address or vehicle ownership. Branch Transfer To transfer between branches complete a transfer form. This can be obtained through your branch secretary. VCC Speed Events It is compulsory for any member entering a VCC Speed Event to hold a current VCC Historic Racing Licence and VCC Log Book for the vehicle they are using. If you currently hold a VCC Historic Racing Licence, please keep an eye on the expiry date and if it needs renewing please complete the Historic Race Licence Renewal Form and forward it, along with $23, and a new one will be issued. All application forms for the above are obtainable from your branch, the VCC website or the National Office. VCC ID Cards Renewals Please note that all VCC ID Cards expire upon change of ownership, or 10 years after the issue date (whichever comes first). The VCC National Office will send a renewal advice out to owners of vehicles who have VICs due to expire.

EVERYONE WELCOME For more information, including cost to enter, more specific event details and the local contact person, visit vcc.org.nz

VCC NATIONAL DAY SUNDAY 27 AUGUST 2017

Subscription Time Again! Renewal invoices will be sent out to all members in September 2017 for the period 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2018. To receive the discount of $11.50, payment must be received by the National Office no later than 20 October 2017. If you don’t receive your invoice then please let your branch secretary know before the end of September so they can advise the National Office. You don’t want to miss out on the discount because the postman has lost yours! Members who have not paid by 1 November 2017 will show as unfinancial. One reminder notice will be forwarded and the $11.50 will be payable. Membership cards are forwarded to financial members in November Please advise National Office if you have changed your address or sold/ purchased any vehicles. It is also appreciated if you notify the office that you wish to resign, by 31 October 2017. The option is given for payment direct into the Club’s bank account. Please remember, you must put your membership number as the reference for the payment. This is very very very important!

Beaded Wheels Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 36 branches covering the length and breadth of the country. The efforts of our members continue fostering and ever widening the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated. Beaded Wheels – Our long established title may have readers wondering about its origin. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. In March 1955 The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their club magazine which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet.

mailbag The editorial committee reserve the right to p ublish, edit or refuse publication of any item submitted as comment. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the policy or views of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) or the publishers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Setting the record straight Beaded Wheels issue 345 carried part one of my article Early Indians and the 1914 electric-Start Hendee Special. A couple of errors were made which I would like to correct. Over 200 different marques of motorcycles were marketed in the US between 1900 and 1936, not, as stated in 1901 when Carl Oscar Hedstrom was designing the first Indian. Also, of that number only about 60 marques were built for two or more years. Regarding the production of Indian ‘clone’ motorcycles during 1903–1907 years. It appears that the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company, who built the Indian motor, also sold complete sets of parts (motor, frame, forks) sufficent to build exact Indian replicas such as the Thor, Thor-Bred, Thoroughbred and Reading Standard (plus others), rather than Aurora building them in-house as stated. Some enthusiasts of the day rather condescendingly referred to these clones as half-breeds. Today we would use the term badge-engineered as a more polite description. This practice appears to have faded from the scene once Indian began producing their own engines at the newly acquired State Street factory in 1907. By 1905 Reading Standards appeared with their own fuel tank, oil tank and front fork, a sign that they were already showing new designs and moving away from the Indian camel-back look. My apologies for any confusion regarding the above points, may I put it down to having a senior moment or two. I would also like to acknowledge the following authors and their books which comprehensively cover the Indian marque, I am indebted to them for their many years of research and study on the subject. The late Harry V Sucher, The Iron Redskins; Tod Rafferty, The Indian–The history of a classic American motorcycle; Jerry Hatfield, Indian Motorcycle Photographic History; Antique American Motorcycle Buyers Guide (1903-1936 From Ace to Yale) and Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981. Bob Bullock Name Terminology Our dating system is obviously confusing not only to members and the general public but also to our Registrar

mailbag who wrote the article on page 30 of Beaded Wheels 346. In his opening sentence he states “It is generally accepted that an Edwardian vehicle was manufactured before 1905”. I don’t know of any country where this is so. The Veteran Car Club of GB when founded in 1930 only accepted Veteran vehicles manufactured before 1905. In the 1950s it was decided that they would accept vehicles manufactured after this date and up to the end of 1915 and these were classed as Edwardian. Why this was decided on, who knows, as Edward VII was king from 1901 until 1910. In 1934 the Vintage Sports Car Club was founded and catered for vehicles built Post WWI. This left a gap between Edwardian and Vintage so about 1960 the VCC of GB extended the Edwardian class to include vehicles up to 31 December 1918. We, the Vintage Car Club of NZ, decided to put both Veteran and Edwardian vehicles into the same class and call them all Veteran. I don’t know why as we have far more than a handful of “proper” Veteran vehicles in our Club. Dale Conlon Member Nelson Branch Help Needed Between the years of 1982 and 1986 I restored a 1937 Chrysler cabriolet. I managed to get it completed with just a week to spare before the 1986 Pan Pacific Rally held in my hometown of Christchurch. This great rally was its first outing. Fingers were crossed that there would be no teething problems. Not a single one cropped up. The following year she featured on the front cover of Beaded Wheels number 168, the OctoberNovember 1987 issue. The Chrysler restoration is published on pages four and five. Unfortunately I had to sell it some years later (a decision I now deeply regret) to finance my 1936 Ford V8 restoration which took 13 years to complete. I sold it to a Mr Mark Ball, an Auckland car dealer. Recently, I was informed that he had passed away and the car is in new ownership. Possibly north of Auckland, I was informed. I would like to contact the current owner in order to have a chat about the Chrysler. Can any of our VCC members help me locate the owner? Registered number is MI 37. It appears in photos my sister took at the 2017 Art Deco Week in Napier. Trevor Stanley Email stancar_nzcc@hotmail.com Phone 03 314-8628 fax 03 314-8618

Clipons Vs 50s With reference to Beaded Wheels 346 page 19 entitled Those Fab 50s and in the middle column ‘Something for everyone’. The following are the correct details which apply. Clipon – motors that are from 26cc to 50cc that are fitted to a push bike and motor at no more than 35kph. These motors are Cyclemaster, BSA Winged Wheel, Power Pak, Mosquito, Mini Motor, Vincent Fire Fly, Cycleaid, GYS, Motamite, Cairns Mocyc, Rex, and the list goes on including the Cucciola, that was fitted to a pushbike. Velosolex made their motor and their bike and they fall into this category. Moped – these are specially built and are normally 50cc and most have the Sachs engine with either a two speed or three speed gearbox. These include Cresent, Goricke, and other numerous Sachs engine machines. Phillips Gadabouts, Puch, NSU Quickly, Ducati M55, Mobylette, Victoria Vicky, Zundapp come into this category and they have their own built engines. Stepthru – These are Honda 50s, Suzuki 50s and similar machines. I hope this clarifies the story written by Peter Cooper. Alister McKenzie Member Canterbury Branch Information of whereabouts or add to history 1924 Jowett short two with Dickey seat. 1926-27 number plate on car. Photo taken in 1927, person on left is George Tatterson but it is not known where photo was taken. George was a meat buyer for the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company and he lived in Rakaia. It is not known whether the car belonged to him or the company. This car was later fitted with an unused Cooper & Price Triumph 7 body and was sold to someone in Dunedin and from there the trail goes cold. Sid Bradford chorselght@gmail.com

Beaded Wheels 7

1946 Velocette MAC Stuart Francis

1946 Velocette MAC.

The story starts in 2014 when Mossy (a local character with an eerie ability to unearth old motorcycles) told me, and my friend Donald, about a stash of barn find motorcycles that the owner wanted to sell. To whet our appetites he had a couple of photographs of the machines. I call them photographs but they looked like they were taken at the bottom of a disused coal mine with a box brownie using a failing torch for illumination! Donald and I were sufficiently interested to quickly arrange the 10 hour trip north to Kaikoura before anybody else stepped in. I was particularly interested in the near complete 1938 Velocette MAC which the owner said was virtually ready to run. 12 Beaded Wheels

e arrived at the appointed time to find the owner wasn’t there but would be back in five minutes – he turned up two hours later. The place was a boat repair yard, car customisation yard, scrap yard and rather disorganised. After squeezing our way into the dark recesses of the boat repair shed we were shown into a large unlit store room where the machines were located. Half an hour later we had some lights and found a treasure trove of machines ripe for rebuilding or restoration. I bought the Velocette, a 1924 L24 BSA and a 1915 Douglas. Donald bought a 1918 BSA and a 1924 Douglas CW. After spending half an hour cutting a path through dense undergrowth around the back of the boat shed we were finally able to extract the machines and load them onto our trailer. The first M series Velocette, the 250cc MOV, was introduced in 1933 and the sophisticated well engineered machine sold well. Velocette quickly introduced the 350cc MAC which continued in production relatively unchanged until 1951, when a new aluminium cylinder head

and barrel were introduced. The “Ally” MAC continued in production with a swinging arm frame, telescopic forks and a new gearbox until 1960. The 500cc MSS was introduced in 1935. Housed in the stronger KSS frame it continued until 1948. An updated MSS was introduced in 1954 with a swinging arm frame and a new aluminium cylinder head and barrel, continuing until 1969. It was a week later that I finally got the Velocette up on the work bench and had a really good look at what I had bought. It was at this point I started to have doubts; the heavy weight girder forks were only loosely assembled, the steering column was back to front, the lower frame was a casting like the military model and the frame number had a different suffix to what I expected. I did check the engine number in the gloom of the storeroom, but now realised what I thought was a three and two were actually an eight and seven. After a bit of head scratching and detective work I found out I had a 1946 MAC, one of a batch shipped to

MAC Velo.

Initial strip down.

MAC Velo cylinder head.

Ally MAC racer before rebuild - wrong engine.

New Zealand just before Velocette introduced Dowty forks. My next step was to check over the engine and gearbox. Turning the engine over showed little compression and it made a slight clicking noise. Checking for a spark produced an occasional anaemic glimmer. Hoping for better from the gearbox, I could only find three gears and a clutch that did not seem to want to separate. I had already decided that this was going to be a rebuild, not a restoration, retaining as much patina of age as I could. The first thing I tackled was the lack of compression. Removing the rocker covers revealed the reason, the inlet valve was partially stuck open and the clicking noise was the pushrod that had jumped off of its rocker end. A light tap with a drift and the valve snapped back in to place. I then decided to whip the head off, redo the valve seats, ream out the valve guides and check the inlet pushrod for damage. I was pleasantly surprised with the state of the head with only a tiny bit of rust in the inlet guide, the probable cause of

the sticky valve and an indication the machine had been standing for a long time. The inlet port had been polished and opened out slightly. The pushrod was also in good condition with just a couple of small witness marks. The cylinder bore was in reasonable condition but the earlier type barrel, with less finning, had a number of damaged and cracked fins. Fortunately I had a later barrel in the pile of spares that came with the bike and after a quick hone and with new piston fitted it looked good. A quick check for end float and big end wear indicated the bottom end was ok. The next job was the magneto. After taking off the timing cover I noticed that one of the screws was only held by gasket goo. Velocette magnetos have to be in top form to get a good starting spark as the low geared kick starter only turns the engine over about half of the speed of most other machines. A good clean up, re-magnetising, replacing the pickup and resetting produced a very healthy slow speed spark. The magneto was run on my homemade test bench for an hour to make

MAC racer after rebuild.

sure everything was ok. The loose timing cover screw was a bit of a pain, the lug it screwed into had split, however a repair with plastic metal soon had it fixed. The gearbox was a bit of a mystery. Everything seemed to be in the right place with perhaps a touch too much end play, however the gear-shaft bearing retaining cup and nut on the end of the gear-shaft were missing. A careful rebuild getting the end float just right and making a bearing retaining cup produced all four gears and a smooth gear change. The clutch was another matter altogether, broken springs, badly repaired clutch plate drive dogs, friction inserts missing and home-made clutch release pins of slightly different lengths. The Velocette parts book was invaluable in sorting out what I needed and the nice people at Grove Classic Motorcycles sent me all the bits by return post. There are a lot of myths and legends about setting up Velocette clutches because of the unusual clutch release mechanism, however after following the handbook instructions I have never had Beaded Wheels 13

ck. Andrew & Andrew tru

Bus purchased for Aucklan d City Exhibition.

Commercial Vehicles in Auckland prior to 1915 Words Barry Birchall

Ryan & Co for ton truck imported by The Milner-Daimler 5 w Plymouth. Ne of m llu Cu Mr Mc

The first motor cycle arrived in Auckland in 1899, the first car a year later and these have been well documented. It was another five years before the first commercial vehicles arrived.

he Auckland City Council passed a resolution in 1903 forbidding motor buses and lorries on the roads unless the vehicle was preceded by a man walking with a red flag. I could not see where they enforced the law. Smith and Caughey purchased a single cylinder Cadillac through Dexter and Crozier in 1904. The van body was built by Cousins and Cousins in Lorne Street and it was 16 Beaded Wheels

first sighted on the streets of Auckland in October 1904. Smith and Caughey replaced the Cadillac in 1913 with a 15hp Albion. In 1904 W A Ryan imported three Milnes-Daimler 20hp chassis from England. One was sent to Mr McCallum in New Plymouth as a truck to move coal and the other two were bodied in Auckland by Cousins and Cousins with large tram-like bus bodies. The first bus, named Pioneer, seated 16 passengers and the second, Advance, seated 25. Pioneer was used on the run to Howick which started on 2 June 1904. The bus left the Northern Club at 11am and returned in the afternoon. There was quite a party in Howick the day the first bus arrived. When the vehicle broke down or got bogged, as it did in the winter,

Early truck , no further details avai lable.

they would send the mechanic out in a single cylinder Oldsmobile, or by horse and cart, to assist. It would have been no mean feat for the mechanic to move a three ton vehicle on solid rubber tyres stuck in the mud. It was reported in the New Zealand Herald at the time that the noise from the bus resembled a traction engine and that the ride was very rough. On 15 September 1904 the newspaper reported that the bus had broken four axles in two weeks and would be off the road for a few days. The horse bus had been taking two and a half hours to make the journey to Howick but the Milnes-Daimlers could make the journey in an hour if they did not peel off a tire, break an axle, have problems with the steering gear or get stuck in the mud. In October the Milnes-Daimlers were taken

Devonport Steam bu ses.

details available. Early truck, no further

1 ex 1910-191 Ariel Simpl

off the Howick run and used instead on runs to Mt Roskill and Mt Eden where the roads were better. The two buses were apparently not a success as by 1906 they had been sold to a bus company in Timaru. A fourth chassis was imported for a bus service between Dargaville and Te Kopuru but whether it went there we can’t be sure. We do know a third Milnes-Daimler went to Howick and this could have been sold later to the same company in Timaru. In December 1906 W A Ryan had a major fire and lost one truck and 15 cars. Was it the fire or warranty issues around the buses that caused the name to disappear in 1909? About three months later the Takapuna Bus Company purchased a 1904 GardnerSerpollet steamer and two Chelmsford steamers which were based in Devonport.

Early Dennis fire engine.

Cousins and Atkin in Auckland were the agents and also built the bodies on the three vehicles. The Chelmsfords seated 16 people and the Gardner-Serpollet nine. The Chelmsfords were used between Devonport and the lake while the GardnerSerpollet was used for auxiliary services off the main route. The vehicles were fitted with 30hp steam motors with an ordinary working pressure of 350 lbs and heated by kerosene. In 1905 two more GardnerSerpollets were added to the fleet and the bodies extended to carry 12. The steam buses were not a great success and within two years the company had disappeared. In September 1907 the two Chelmsford steam buses and the three Serpollet buses were for sale in Henning’s garage. Henning’s were unable to sell all of them and they

may have been broken up for scrap. A motor for one of these Gardner-Serpollets was recently for sale on the internet. The Devonport Ferry Company, a new company in 1913, acquired three 28hp Dennis buses which they ran between Devonport and Milford, and purchased a fourth one a year later. The ferries, steam tramway system, and the buses on the North Shore were established by a syndicate of property developers. In 1905 the Auckland City Council acquired a large Straker steam ‘waggon’, imported through Norman Heath & Co in Wellington. The vehicle was first exhibited at the Olympia Motor Show in London in 1905 and was referred to by the media as “a monster tipping wagon made for the Auckland City Council by an English Beaded Wheels 17