OCTOBER 2020 - Auckland Veteran & Vintage Car Club Inc
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October 2020 Page 1
OCTOBER 2020
Page 2 October 2020
October 2020 Page 3
Index
In this issue… Page
Ladies Rally 14
Working Bee 18
2020 Hunua 100 Rally 19
Book Sale 20
2020 Gymnic 21
The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 22-26
Vero International Festival of Motoring 27
Hunua 100 Rally—Marshals Required 28
Regular Features
Chairman Report 4
Club Captain’s Report 5
Veteran Notes 6-8
Library Notes 9
Mid Week Tourers 10
Commercial Notes 11
Vintage Notes 12-13
Secretary’s Notes 14
New Members 15
Coming Events 16-17
For Sale 29
Your Committee 30
November Bulletin closing date Strictly 25 October 2020
Cover Designed by Melanie Ball
The views expressed by the correspondents in this Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Auckland Veteran &
Vintage Car Club Inc. Any articles of interest, comments, letters to the Editor etc are welcome. All contributions are pre-
sented to and approved by the club committee prior to printing. Please forward any submissions to the Bulletin Editor.
Page 4 October 2020 Chairman’s Report We seem to have been here before haven't we? Again another lock-down. Yes it’s a pain not being able to do what we would normally do, regarding our Branch activities of meetings and runs and rallies, plus all the other restrictions, but let's be so very grateful that New Zealand is coping so well in this pandemic compared to the rest of the world. Compared to what disasters are happening worldwide, our damaged harbour bridge is small fry. So to all of you stay safe and well, let's beat this. Now for those who don't know, I have been in the wars' again, (why me?). I was just walking down our garden path when my left foot slipped on some mud and as they say in motorcycle racing accidents I high sided and on landing I broke the top of my femur. I was taken into Middlemore Hospital, where during a 2 hour operation they inserted a 400mm x 12mm titanium rod. I spent three weeks convalescing in Pukekohe hospital. I have been home for a week now and eve- ry day the leg gets stronger, the only sore thing is trying to bend the knee. Our Branch spares man Jack Nazer, with the help of John Stokes, have been doing a great job of sorting out the spares and selling spares on. The Thursday Library group carried on their work as their numbers were kept at ten or less. One of the Motorcycle Section’s favourite away rallies is Taranaki's Rubber Duck- ie, but it was put on hold due to the numbers attending would have been drasti- cally cut down. So a group of 8 of our riders, who needed to stretch their riding legs, set off on a two day journey. I have read Graeme Crawley's report on the adventure and it’s good reading, so look for it in this issue of “The Bulletin”. By the time you read this we would have the September Club Night. Lynda and I went along and it was pleasing to find around twenty members there, Shaaran put on a good supper for us. We also had a new member join. The Vintage Section had their meeting on the last Saturday of the month. We would have also had the September Club Run, held on the 4 th October, going to the Glen Afton Bush Tramway, plotted by Ryan Winterbottom. Now looking forward we have the Hunua 100 this month (24 & 25 October) and in November the 40th Auckland Annual Motorcycle Rally, so let's make up for missing out on all those runs and rallies and make a big effort to take part in these two Branch major rallies. Well that's all for now, so keep those 2, 3 and 4 wheels turning safely. Martin Spicer
October 2020 Page 5
Club Captain’s Report
Finally, Auckland came down to Level 2 on Wednesday 23 September at mid-
night and we had our first meeting in over five weeks.
The Committee decided after Monday’s announcement that Club events
would start again from Thursday and Tracey quickly got emails out via the
email tree letting members know.
We didn’t have a guest speaker as it was too short notice to re-organise him.
However, the “Tyre” man will come in the New Year, something to look forward
to. So, Club Night was just a noggin and natter and we had about 20 mem-
bers in attendance. Shaaran provided a lovely supper for everyone to enjoy.
The Vintage section had their meeting the following Saturday, the first section
meeting since July.
So again, going forward, can you please ensure that you sign the register or
scan the app whenever you enter the Clubrooms and sanitise your hands. It’s
all very usual now isn’t it to do these things wherever you go? Presently, alt-
hough we are allowed gatherings of up to 100 people. However in our venue,
as it carries a bar, we are required that groups be no more than 10 at a table
and having that famous 1m distance between groups. So, for any meetings,
whilst still at Level 2, please observe these distances. Instead of congregating
up in the kitchen area, please use the downstairs lounge area as well.
At the moment, everything is in place for the Hunua 100 and I would encour-
age AS MANY OF YOU AS POSSIBLE to enter this event. Afterall, we have had
to cancel several other Branch runs and one Annual Rally so far this year.
Glenn Morris (the plotter) tells me it is a lovely country run with silent checks and
no tricks. Make this the EVENT of the year, make this event the highlight of your
motoring in 2020. The route is great for motorcycles as well, so please motorcy-
clists enter this event. Martin was going to enter again this year, however with
him breaking his femur and now on crutches he will more than likely be in a
car. So, if anyone needs a navigator for the Hunua, please give Martin a call.
Everything is also plotted and planned for the November Auckland Motorcycle
Rally. It will be based in Tuakau (Waikato, NOT Auckland) and there is excellent
accommodation available for those who require it. Motorcyclists, please get
your entries in as soon as possible. Again, lets make this the MOTORCYCLE
EVENT of the year. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the highlight of the
planned 40th Anniversary run, of hiring Glenbrook Railway and having lunch on
the train. The Glenbrook Society became uncomfortable with Auckland
bouncing in and out of Levels and obviously couldn’t 100% guarantee that the
railway would be running. It’s a shame, but perhaps we can re-look at that
another year.
Moving forward in the year, put the Ladies Run into your diaries, as this is the
November Branch Club run. It has been plotted by Annette Foot and it will be
finishing at my farm for a delicious Posh High Tea. No costs are involved. How-
ever, maybe put in a chair to sit on in case I run out?
Look forward to seeing you out and about
Kia Kaha
Lynda Spicer
Page 6 October 2020
Veteran Notes
1990 Festival of Veteran Motoring (Cont’d from the July Bulletin)
The trip was very scenic and on arrival at the morning tea stop we were able to
stretch our legs. A campervan had parked for the night, so when Tom & Bron-
wyn Biggar arrived with the morning tea gear they were able to offer the occu-
pants the morning paper and a cup of tea. These people were Germans from
near Hamburg. We hoped to show them the 1911 Austro Daimler as the Ger-
man chap was familiar with the Von Raffay firm, however Wallace McNair had
business in Fielding or Featherston that morning and intended re-joining the
tour at Ohakune that evening. We carried on up the river road stopping at an
historic flour mill on the way. We passed Jerusalem, the main settlement be-
tween Wanganui and Pipiriki, but did not stop as we were the check car, how-
ever Mike Greig, our photographer, did stop. We were now on the metalled
road again, this was in good condition without too many potholes or corruga-
tions although some of the smaller cars did feel the odd bump. Lunch was at
Pipiriki, where were able to look at another river boat, the ‘Ongarue’, which
has been dragged onto the hard and is perhaps more original than the
‘Otunui’. She is a tunnel screw boat, rather than a paddle craft and still has a
near complete Gardiner L2 engine and gearbox. Other tourists were arriving
and it was very pleasing to see people swapping between vehicles. Peter Mul-
ler was travelling with Vern Jensen in the 1905 Delaunay Belleville, while Stan
Corlett had gone with George Mihaljevich in the Talbot, other people were
travelling in different cars as well. This sort of thing is usually associated with
motorbike runs but it was pleasing to see it on a veteran affair. Selwyn Jack-
son’s Humber was still holding together. Lunch was a leisurely affair, some peo-
ple took jet boat rides, while others fielded questions from a group of river trav-
ellers, some of whom did not quite seem to believe what they were seeing.
After lunch we headed for Raetihi only 27kms away. By this time it was blister-
ingly hot and the 16kms of metal we encountered were by far the roughest of
the tour, lots of corrugations on the long grind up to the plateau. Joe Jaeger’s
1918 Studebaker, Ron & Maureen Finucane’s 1917 Dodge and Les & Rose Keys’
Studebaker all had minor vacuum tank problems. In fact Maureen Finucane
was seen pouring water on the bowl of the carburettor in the hope of stopping
petrol evaporation. Don White let Malcolm Hall steer the Sizaire et Naudin up-
hill while he climbed on the running board and removed the bonnet. Judy
Callesen was seen giving the Clement a breather or was she just watching
scenery? I think we were all relived to see the Humber arrive at Raetihi as the
section could have been make-or-break for the rear universal, or the diff. After
viewing an interesting slice of life at Raetihi, we headed for Ohakune and our
dinner. The evening meal was put on at the combined Cosmopolitan and
R.S.A. Club and very good it was. Then it was back to our respective motels to
bed for the night. Before dinner we had chatted to Joe Jaeger about his Stu-
debaker and he told us how he had formed body panels in a press using hard-
wood dies and then having a panelbeater curve them.
Friday was our last day’s touring, so we left Ohakune and went a few miles up
the road to Horopito Motors. You really want several hours or a weekend at a
time at Horopito, which we didn’t have. I saw an engine block marked Saxon,
October 2020 Page 7
Veteran Notes Contd..
but it was not the right one for Graham Hodder’s 1914 model, another light car
which had performed well during the run and another car whose finishing
touches were spurred on by the thought of doing this tour. From Horopito we
motored up to the Chateau where a photographic session was held and morn-
ing tea offered. This stop was arranged through the good offices of John
Callesen, as a large corporation had booked the Chateau for the week. We
had to roll start the cars so the corporate conference would not be disturbed!
Most then pressed on to the lunch break at Turangi, however others, including
the Birchall Cadillac, headed for the ‘Top of the Bruce’, one of the highest
public roads in the North Island. The climb was very demanding, Barry having
to use first gear on two occasions and it is fair to say his gear changing was
really up to the mark. Interesting to see the contrast between gravity fed fuel
and vacuum tank on this climb. While the Cadillac was fighting the hill, Finu-
cane’s Dodge passed us as if we were standing still and Maureen will have evi-
dence of this on her video camera. Further up the hill we heard the Dodge
splutter and saw it make for flat ground by some huts. We carried on and the
Dodge arrived at the summit a little later, still struggling and spluttering as it
turned into the carpark. The Ford contingent put up the strongest showing,
with Henry & Verna Bush, Ralph & Betty Blyde, Lynne Gentry. Monty & Pauline
Scarborough all making the top. Monty of course had to drive his car further
than anyone else. Jack & Leith Newell in the 1908 Vauxhall ‘Old Blue’ told us
that they had not thought such scenery existed in the North Island. The day
was perfect, Ruapehu was visible from all angles and Mt Egmont could be
seen from the road to the ‘Top of the Bruce’. After having a look at the ski tows
we set off for Turangi and lunch. We had the misfortune to blow another tyre
on the way and this was worrying, as now we had no spare. We pressed on to
discover Monty Scarborough, the conqueror of the Bruce, furiously swinging a
crank handle. He did not seem to require assistance so we left him to it. We
were told later that fuel was the problem. We were late for lunch and so ate
quickly and caught the others by a bay on the Taupo foreshore. We then pro-
ceeded more or less in convoy, an idea which I do not particularly care for on
main roads, but we did not seem to hold up much traffic. During this section a
well known Model T tried to have a go at the ‘Weta’ Talbot. It did not work,
nice try Henry. Janet Officer accompanied us in the big Cadillac while Peter
Le Gros went with Ray in the little one. So on a scorching hot afternoon we
arrived back in the Taupo carpark, which we had left a week before. 27 our of
28 starters finished the run under their own power.
The final dinner was excellent and plaques were presented to all entrants. Bill &
Royce Shears must have though it worthwhile to cut short their holiday in Taipa
to do the Auckland Veteran run and the little AC ran flawlessly throughout the
tour. Wayne Richards also had a good run in his Model T Raceabout, as did
Russell Vincent. It is easy to see after a run like this why the Model T was so pop-
ular in its day. Few of the Fords had any trouble apart from tyres and the odd
petrol blockage. After dinner it was back to the hotel to get some sleep and
prepare for the trip home.
Page 8 October 2020
Veteran Notes Contd..
It was truly a magnificent week. Some, like Grahame & Ann Power and Don
Denis, know that their cars will handle pretty much anything the country can
throw at them, although Grahame may have to sort out some magneto hiccups
first. Bill Allen will also know the same as his 1910 Vulcan motored very reliably
throughout the run and also he had one of the longer distances to and from the
start. This rally provided the spur for a least six entrants to complete restorations
or re-restorations of their vehicles and the majority of the cars proved extremely
reliable. The route was superbly organised so we owe Barry Birchall a great deal
of thanks. Paul & Bev Hicks also put a great deal of effort into the administrative
side of the event without which a run of this nature would be very difficult, if not
impossible. Tom & Bronwyn Biggar from Taupo were also to the forefront in the
organisation, always ready with lunch and morning tea and Bruce Hutton’s raf-
fles helped out with the finances. The entrants lives were also made easier by
the services of Brian & Pat Tolley, morning teas and lunches, Allan & Leonie
Bates, luggage transport. Dave Collins back-up trailer was not used, except per-
haps for the motorbike trailer, but it was good to know that it was there. There
were the many members of VCC Branches along the way, who assisted as
check in and check out marshals.
In conclusion, I must say that there is the potential for an excellent specialist run
for about 25 to 35 vehicles. The route is already plotted and contact numbers
and addresses of sources of accommodation are available. When I say special-
ist runs, I mean specialist Vintage, PV or Motorcycle runs. At the risk of being
seen as segregationist there should not be a mixture of vehicles periods on this
type of run. The run was a oncer for Veterans, if anyone uses it for another peri-
od of vehicles it should be a oncer for that period also. I am sure the organisers
would give details of the route and accommodation set-up to anyone who
wanted to try it. Numbers should not exceed 35 vehicles, first in first served. I
guarantee you an excellent week’s touring. In fact, the only thing I don’t guar-
antee is the weather!
John Stokes
Above—Jack Newell in ‘Old Blue’ 1908 Vauxhall.
October 2020 Page 9
Library Notes
It was with a feeling of some relief that the Clubrooms were re-opened as we
moved to lockdown Level 2.5. This meant that we could operate pretty much
as normal, that is as long as there were no more than 10 people gathered to-
gether for our morning tea session at any one time. In the event this was not a
problem and we have had some good sessions and made good progress.
We commented a while back that Covid-19 restrictions might see more books
donated as members spent their enforced time at home tidying their book col-
lections. Well, to some extent that has been the case and we can record the
following gratefully received donations:
-Neville Holland has donated a collection of Road Tests from Motor Magazine
dating back to 1947, also some Motor Year books. Some of these well recog-
nised publications have been properly bound and this makes them even more
gratefully received. In addition there was a Parts catalogue for Chevrolet Cor-
vette, something you don’t expect to see very often.
-We also are pleased to record very worthwhile donations of books from the
estate of the late Eben Moffitt.
-Dudley Kitson has also been working at down sizing his book collection and we
are very grateful for his contribution to our collection.
More recently, our own Barry Robert has presented us with a copy of ‘One Hun-
dred Years of Motoring’.
From a non-member who nevertheless knows of our Library collection we have
been lucky enough to receive the latest update of The Harrison and Gash Sto-
ry. This book is the history of the company who were well known in Auckland,
initially as motor body builders and then motor dealers, in particular of Morris
cars in the 1920’s. The copy of the book we have received is the latest itera-
tion of this work which has progressively grown over the years and become an
even more appreciated part of the history of the motor industry in Auckland.
We have now moved to Covid-19 Level 2 lockdown.
Chris Wood and the Library Team—Owen Hayward, Colin Bott, John
Stokes & Barry Robert
Page 10 October 2020
Mid Week Tourers
Note that we are more and more dependant on emails direct to our Mid-week
group as last minute changes become necessary. If you are not already listed
on the Mid-week Entrants email group (this is separate and distinct from the
Branch email tree), you need to let the organisers know.
Coming Events:
Wednesday 21 October—Starts from The Warehouse car park, Westgate, 10:00
a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure. Jack has organised this run, which finishes at
Angus Fogg’s property at Riverhead. Angus is a leading light in NZ motorsport
and races competitively in various classes, including NZ champion in Mini 7,
(twice), 4th place in NZ truck championship and at least two years at Bathurst.
His garage and workshop are a must to see and after several attempts we are
looking forward to this.
Wednesday 18 November—Starts from PB Service Centre, Southern Motorway,
Drury. 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure. Mike intends to finish at Wrights
Water Gardens at Mauku. There is a café there or you can BYO and have lunch
in their car park.. There is a charge for admission to the Gardens.
Wednesday 16 December—(a week earlier than usual) Starts from The Ware-
house Carpark, Westgate 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure. Our usual
Christmas picnic run to Wenderholm. BYO everything.
Jack Nazer (09) 378 4580
Kelvin Hawke (09) 836 4795
Mike Loosemore 021 027 08848
And the rest
The Mid-Week Team (New blood always welcome)
Robinson Instrument Ltd
Unit 3 31 Princes St, Onehunga, Auckland.
Ph: 09 636 5836 Fax:09 636 5838
Email: sales@robinsoninstruments.co.nz
Web: www.robinsoninstruments.co.nzOctober 2020 Page 11
Commercial Notes
Although our September meeting could have taken place under the Level 2.5
arrangement, with a ceiling of only 10 persons, we were never likely to surpass
that, so I trundled along anyway to open up. By 8pm I guessed that people
had taken the 2.5 level seriously and stayed away and I did an about turn. It is
hoped that we can continue with this downward trend and regain some sem-
blance of normality once again. So yet again I must revert to some trivia. I
have recently been reading two separate articles, both dealing with driving on
the left versus driving on the right hand side of the road. In the beginning, eve-
ryone rode or drove on the left hand side of the road, so the right hand could
wield the sword and deal to any ne’er do well, as most people were right-
handed. The article goes on to say that left-handed people usually didn’t live
too long. In 1835, the first Highway’s Act was passed in England, making it offi-
cial, with a fine of one pound for those that transgressed.
As far as Europe and the Continent is
concerned, blame Napoleon and
Hitler. Napoleon was left-handed but
space doesn’t permit the full expla-
nation here. It was basically related
to the teams of horses and their rid-
ers. The drover would ride the horse
on the left, while controlling the right
hand horse with a riding crop. Hitler
was just plain bloody minded and his
hatred of the British knew no bounds.
Utter chaos reigned in Sweden on
September the third 1967, when that
country changed overnight from driv-
ing on the left, to driving on the right,
see picture, and as far as the “Yanks”
are concerned, when Henry Ford put
the steering wheel on the left of the model T, all the other American manufac-
turers had no option but to follow suite, such was the T’s popularity—so the sto-
ry goes.
Keep M Rolling
John CampbellPage 12 October 2020
Vintage Notes
It was so good to be able to socialise again after the restrictions for our Septem-
ber meeting. The conversations seemed to centre around Essex’s quite a bit for
a while. Noel Shaw has just acquired two – a fully restored 1930 Coach and a
very original, but unrestored, 1928 Sedan. Norm Dewhurst is rather keen on a
‘barn find’ Essex that hasn’t been on the road for many a year, but Pat isn’t so
sure!!
Neil Lucas came in his 1930 Dodge and Chris Wood brought his 1924 Austin 20
Sports Tourer. There was another venerable old lady parked next door which we
didn’t notice until we were leaving. Whose was that? We went in the old truck
which came in handy, as we went home with a Novo stationary engine on the
back. It had been in the back shed for many years and the space was needed.
I know very little about it at the moment, so some research is needed.
Norm brought along a very solid little item which most of us thought was a primi-
tive carburettor. As there are a couple of books in the Library on early carburet-
tors, we may know a bit more soon.
Norm and Pat are headed for the South Island for a Hudson-Essex-Terraplane
Club rally in November, and Penny and I are touring the gold field roads of Cen-
tral Otago in November-December.
Next month’s Vintage Section meeting will be a week later on the 31 st of Octo-
ber as the Hunua 100 is on the 24 th and 25th of October. Hopefully the Vintage
Section will be well represented?
Back to Essex’s – Neil Lucas has written a very informative article for us to enjoy.
Thank you Neil.
Murray & Penny Firth
Unsung Essex
Much has been spoken and written about the Essex by the ignorant over the
years. Claims that it was a 'gutless wonder' and 'bearing basher' are of repeat-
ed statements by the uninformed. Let's have a look at why this is so and why the
belief has persisted for all these years.
Most of it probably had its beginnings right back at the time the six was intro-
duced in 1924. At 130 cubic inches it was pretty gutless and became a bit of an
embarrassment to the Hudson Motor Car Co. In fact, its power output was so
much less than the F-head four it replaced, that maximum horsepower wasn't
even publicised! Swiftly moving to do something about it, Hudson increased the
bore and stroke resulting in 144.67 c.i. At the same time the engine's lubrication
was increased to four quarts from the previous three and a half. However, while
these improvements did result in better performance, it was still woefully under
powered. From this point on the myth just seems to have grown and been at-
tached to all subsequent models through the years. Hudson themselves must
have had to do a lot of work to overcome the damaging PR at the time and it
would appear they weren't too successful either, otherwise the public concept
might have been a bit more positive.October 2020 Page 13
Unsung Essex
Now, even by 1929 the Essex engine was only 161.4 c.i., output 55bhp @ 3600
rpm and for 1930, 58bhp @ 3300 rpm for the same displacement. No power-
house admittedly, but then many other cars were also underpowered. Stu-
debaker's Erskine for example, 160 c.i. 43bhp six, or even my own DD Dodge six
- 190 c.i. @ 61bhp. This in a bigger car than the Ford Model A, yet the A's 4cyl
engine measured 200 c.i. Put yourself in the context of the time and you can
see the Essex was in good company.
What the latter day knockers fail to acknowledge though, are the positive as-
pects of the Essex. For instance, the rear springs which were mounted at the
outer edges of the rear chassis crossmember, then tapered inwards to be at-
tached to the main chassis rails in the usual place. This unconventional system
gave a surprisingly comfortable ride. The oil impregnated cork clutch was very
smooth and reliable. It was in fact, [with the exception of the Jet], used in all
Hudson's cars until the company's demise in the 1950s. The only other major
car manufacturer to use this system was Britain's Morris Motors Ltd. Plus of
course, most motorcycle builders of the time.
The three shoe four-wheel brakes of the 28 Essex at least, could be set up so
well that they could challenge a lot of hydraulic systems in efficiency. Essex
and most Hudsons used their own all steel bodies in the late ‘20s and along
with Dodge and a few others, were amongst the strongest and most rugged
on the market. Coupled to this were Hudson/Essex's legendary piano-type
door hinges. So strong in fact, that the cars were occasionally photographed
for promotional purposes, jacked up off the ground on the doors only! Try do-
ing that on say a 29 Chevrolet for instance and the whole bloody lot will proba-
bly collapse. And yes, I do like Chevrolets of that era also.
We all know that for the last nearly 90 years America's Big Three [of recent
years the only three] have been General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co, and
Chrysler Corp. But in 1929 the Big Three were G.M. Ford and Hudson Motor Co.
Best sellers primarily the Model A, Chevrolet and Essex! Although this was to
prove to be the best year in Hudson's history subsequent events and the com-
petition would eventually see them as also-runs. The Essex couldn't have been
too bad a car to have been that popular despite the bad press it had re-
ceived.
Neil LucasPage 14 October 2020
Secretary’s Notes
With summer nearly here and almost Level 1 or less, I for one am looking forward
to getting back into some vintage motoring around the country.
All being well we are looking forward to your support on our Annual Hunua 100
this month and November is the (40th Annual Auckland Motorcycle Rally.
I have entry forms for the Far North Tour and Taranaki’s Maunga Moana.
We have had a couple of members whose Beaded Wheels have been returned
of late.
I am in the process of checking all members postal and email addresses. If you
have changed either OR if suddenly you are not receiving email notifications or
missed a Beaded Wheels, please get in touch with myself or Shaaran Price
straight away so we can rectify the issue.
Tracey Winterbottom
Ladies Rally
Sunday 15th November
Start time 1:00 p.m. from
Tui Street, Drury
Finishing at Pokeno for afternoon tea.
Look forward to a good afternoon’s rally.
Hope you all enjoy.
Annette Foot
Mob 027 210 7532October 2020 Page 15
New Members
A most sincere welcome is extended to the following new members. We hope
to see you taking an active part in Club activities whenever possible. Should
you or any member require any assistance or advice, please feel free to ask
any Committee member. (Refer back page of this Bulletin).
Glynn Findlay
Papakura
1913 Morris Oxford Roadster
Dudley Stace
Northcross
1971 Honda SL350
Established in 1993 we specialise in Classic & Vintage Car Res-
torations and Repair work
Classic Car Insurance Claims
Insurance and Private Work on all vehicles
WOF and Rust Repairs
Full Panel and Paint Service
New! - The Metal Room—Metal Shaping Classes
Contact Mark McAlpine—Ph: (09) 820 2299
Email: alpinepb@outlook.com www.alpinepanelbeaters.co.nz
Or call in and see us at 8/2 Lansford Crescent, AvondalePage 16 October 2020
Coming Events
October
17 Sat Working Bee 9:00am
17 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
17 Sat Journey Through Time (King Country Branch)
21 Wed Mid Week Tourers
Starts The Warehouse Carpark, Westgate 10:00am
22 Thurs Club Night—Rally Instruction Night & New Members 8:00pm
24-25 Annual Hunua 100 Rally
28 Wed Commercial Meeting & Charabanc Maintenance Night
Clubrooms 8:00pm
31 Sat Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
November
1 Sun Kaiaua Fish ‘n Chip Run—All welcome
Starts Jolly Farmer, Drury 11:00am
3 Tues Committee Meeting—Clubrooms 7:30pm
7 Sat Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
7-8 Far North Tour (Northland Branch)
8 Sun Veteran Rally (Waikato Branch)
12 Thurs Bulletin via Website or email
14 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
15 Sun Ladies Rally—Start Tui St, Drury 1:00pm
15 Sun Swapmeet (Waikato Branch)
18 Wed Mid Week Tourers
BP Service Centre, Southern Motorway, Drury 10:00am
20-21 Annual Motorcycle Rally
21 Sat Maunga Moana Rally (Taranaki Branch)
25 Wed Commercial Meeting & Charabanc Maintenance Night
Clubrooms 8:00pm
26 Thurs Club Night—Speaker from St Johns & New Members 8:00pm
27-29 Rubber Duckie Motorcycle Rally (Taranaki Branch)
28 Sat Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
December
1 Tues Committee Meeting—Clubrooms 7:30pm
5 Sat Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
6 Sun Annual Gymnic—to be held at Oratia 10:00am
10 Thurs Bulletin Mailing 7:30pm
13 Sun Xmas Motorcycle BBQ—Starts Jolly Farmer, Drury 12:30pm
16 Wed Mid Week Tourers
Starts Westgate Shopping Centre 10:00am
17 Thurs Club Night—Xmas Pot Luck Dinner & New Members 7:30pm
19 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
23 Wed Commercial Meeting & Charabanc Maintenance Night
Clubrooms 8:00pm
26 Sat Clubrooms—Open
Note: The clubrooms are open on the second and fourth Thursday evenings each month from 7:30pm till 10:00pm
and every Saturday afternoon from 4:30pm till 6:30pm.October 2020 Page 17
Coming Events
Thursday 22 October
8:00 p.m.
Rally Instructions
62nd Hunua 100 Rally
Sunday 25 October
(By entry only)
Starts: Barry Curtis Park
Flat Bush School Rd
Flat Bush, Manukau
Time: First vehicle away
9:30 a.m. approximately
Entries close 16 OctoberPage 18 October 2020 Working Bee
October 2020 Page 19
2020 Hunua 100 RallyPage 20 October 2020
Book Sale
Saturday 24 October
2:30 p.m.
(Hunua 100 Weekend)
Sale of Hand Books & Workshop Manu-
als, Books on the History of Motoring,
History of Marques, Motor Racing, Tech-
nical Papers, Magazines and much more.
Pricing will be very realistic and there will
be many specials!
Mezzanine Floor of the Barn
At our Clubrooms
39 Fairfax Ave
PenroseOctober 2020 Page 21
2020 Gymnic
Come Along, Bring All the Family
Sunday
6 December
Murray & Penny Firth’s Residence
48 Carter Rd
Oratia
Dogs NOT Permitted!
No Smoking
Children a free ice-cream
Everyone receives a free sausage ticket
What’s going to happen:
10:00am Gates open
11:00am Restoration Awards Judging
12:00noon Sausage Sizzle
1:30pm SANTA arrives
Note: Take your own thermos
Mr Whippy Ice-creams available
NOTE: If EXTREMELY wet, the Gymnic will be CANCELLED
Cancellation will be on the e-tree and face-bookPage 22 October 2020 The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 Arrived home about 12:30 Sunday the afternoon after a long haul up the Southern Motorway from Bombay. Paul was in front on the 1925 Harley with the side chair, for once not doing its usual merry dance since this was the only half-decent road surface we had been on for the past 3 days. We got up to 50mph at one stage aided I think by the stiff tail wind for a while. Paul’s broth- er, Mark was behind on his 1996 600cc Honda, one of the most patient guys on a motorbike that ever took breath. My ’38 Ariel VB was going just fine as we clocked over the 300-mile mark. Despite being 13 years younger than Paul’s Harley, they are not a bad match for performance. I am not sure if that says something about the Harley or something about the Ariel, I suspect the latter especially as the Harley outdoes the VB on the hills even with the sidecar! Might be something to do with the relative weights of the riders I tell myself. We had left Waingaro Hot pools at 8:30 a.m.. Peter Alderdice had booked what we expected to be some rat infested shack in that rather remote spot 22.4km inland from Ngaruawahia. We were pleasantly surprised to find the nice clean cabins in a field over the road from the springs and nary a rat to be seen. Dinner was in the pub (1884, the borer still holding hands) was just some wedg- es and sour cream for half of us but Leo kept the cook occupied for a while as is traditional and a few others enjoyed food that belied the location. Free use of the juke box had Paul wanting one for his home, but it looked a bit big for the sidecar so had to leave it behind. The hot pools shut at 8pm for some rea- son so all 8 of us were thwarted in our desire to display our toned bodies to the crowd. Getting to Waingaro from Ngaruawahia was a 22.4km ride through a narrow river gorge and over a big hill more or less cloaked in native bush all the way. A great road for the VB as it sloped downhill for a long way and the road sur- face was reliable, we think because not many trucks use this route. Having
October 2020 Page 23
The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 Contd..
said that, Paul was of the opinion that the surface was awful so maybe the
Ariel suspension has a slight edge over the Harley, or perhaps being solo one
could avoid the bad bits more easily. Somewhere along the route to Nga-
ruawahia some passer-by had mentioned that Waingaro was “just out of
Ngaruawahia”. This meant that for 90% of the team, the 22.4km seemed like
224km and even I stopped to ask some farm guys if I was lost although I knew
how far it was – yep, only 22.4km!
Getting from Hot Water Beach to Waingaro meant crossing from the east
coast almost to the west coast. We stopped for lunch at Te Aroha where the
local pub put on a good value counter meal in a pretty short time. I think all
of us ate to excess, which was why dinner in Waingaro was minimal. The road
between Te Aroha and Ngaruawahia crosses that boring Hauraki plains area.
Pete had plotted a course on some back roads which eventually took us
from south of Te Aroha up to the Paeroa–Tahuna main road so a few new
roads there, then we had progressed to Tahuna. After Tahuna the route
wound again through some lesser roads we had not been on, before eventu-
ally taking us into Ngaruawahia from the south. Pete mentioned being
tempted to skip Te Aroha when we went past the Paeroa–Tahuna turnoff as
we headed south to Te Aroha. It certainly would have been quicker but we
had no reason to hurry!
Prior to Te Aroha we had visited Roy White in Whangamata, where Jan found
some buttered muffins and tea for the unexpected hoard which was much
appreciated. Roy had not been well but I think he enjoyed our visit and Leo
had brought a reconditioned petrol pump from Auckland which he fitted to
Roy’s Morgan. The engine would not start at first but someone found some
‘Start You Bastard’ or equivalent and half a can of that eventually did the
trick. Apparently, some chap was coming from Oamaru to look at it so hope-
fully Leo’s efforts will make it a bit easier to sell.
I must say the ride from Hot Water Beach to Roy’s place was a biker’s delight
both for the scenery and the road. The VB struggled up the hills in 2 nd gear so
I was not amused when Peter announced that he had made it in top gear on
the 1924 Harley but then it is a twin and nearly double the capacity even so!
Michael O’Kane had coaxed Dave Wakefield into his side chair for the trip
down the coast from Hot Water Beach. Till then Dave who is not a biker, had
been keeping Leo company in the back up van and this was the first time in
a chair for Dave which occasioned the usual black humour off and on there-
after, but he seemed to survive the ordeal although he did change to Paul’s
chair for the last leg of the journey for reasons I never
found out – Mike seemed not put out though.
Back at Hot Water Beach, the VB had broken its stand
so from then on it had to be leaned against something
which made it look at times like some poor forgotten
dog tied up and abandoned. Leaned against a pub-
lic rubbish bin at one stage prompted jibes about the
rubbish guys not being aware it was not to be taken
away.Page 24 October 2020 The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 Contd.. Of course, we expected something reasonable at the Top Ten Holiday Park at Hot Water Beach, but nothing could have prepared us for the luxury of the apartment Pete had organised. Fully carpeted, all mod cons, two wings, one with an ensuite and both wings with 2 bed rooms. This evening was the even- ing of “The Roast”! It had been decided quite early on that we would self- cater at Hot Water Beach so we had stopped in Thames and Leo, Pete and Dave went shopping at Pak ‘n Save. With all the peeling and chopping done, Peter threw the whole lot into the ov- en, wound the timer to a couple of hours and set the temperature and retired to slake a raging thirst along with the rest of us. Fortunately, I had noticed the oven was a Parmco, the same as my oven which has to be a contender for worst home appliance ever. After 20 minutes I checked and true to form, the oven was just above body temperature – just like mine does! The next 30 minutes was spent trying every setting possible to see if we could get the thing to go. Eventu- ally set to “MAX” and element-only we managed to get the temperature up to about 180 and had a nicely cooked dinner except for the parsnips (Leo knows how to say it properly), which required a mini chain saw to cut through them. That did not stop Leo who we now know is partial to parsnips. There was quite a hunk of meat left on the bone but fortunately Leo had a small space and almost everything was cleaned up. Peter decided to fry the few remnants of the dinner as bubble and squeak but the electric fry-pan would not go, just like the heat pump the evening before – hmm no so luxurious as we thought! A walk down to the beach next morning confirmed that without crowds this is a really lovely beach. As it was hightide we were again unable to display our toned bodies to anyone but as there were just two strangers further down the beach it was not a lost opportunity after all. Below—Toned bodies heading to the Beach. Above Right—Peter, Michael, Paul & Leo
October 2020 Page 25
The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 Contd..
The toughest part of the ride had
preceded Hot Water Beach be-
ing the “crossing” from the
Thames side of the isthmus over
to Coroglen on the eastern side.
Anyone who has ridden this goat
track will know how good the
Coroglen pub looks as you
reach the T junction on the east-
ern side! We were lucky the rain
had stopped but the road was
pretty much slush on quite a lot
of the corners and given the
pass is not really a pass as in low
down, one has to climb up and
over the Coromandel range
then descend even further, I am sure of it, down the other side more or less in
second gear going up and again going down to save the brakes. Actually,
given there is no obvious pathway through the hills just there, one wonders
why this road was ever put through, probably a pack-track during the gold
rushes.
The turnoff to Coroglen was not as far from Thames as I expected. The ride
up that coast was approaching a scene from Mordor with low clouds, wet
road and a choppy sea, but by the turnoff it had considerably brightened
ready for the grand crossing.
Before that, back at the aforementioned supermarket in Thames, the rest of
us had sat outside under a verandah thing whilst a storm raged across the
car park and the remnants of this storm had created the Mordor effect later
encountered. Locals advised us that this same storm had blown a truck over
on the Auckland Harbour bridge which damaged the bridge enough to
close the bridge for days, if not weeks to come. Unfortunately, the rain some-
how penetrated the VB’s saddlebag and found its way into my quite costly
camera which I think is now kaput. Well, eventually the foraging team had
emerged just as the storm petered out and we all prepared to head north
except that the VB had swallowed an hours worth of storm water (carb points
upwards) and took a lot of had yakka to start. Peter’s Harley eventually start-
ed then died three or four times before it could be coaxed into permanent
activity. Meantime Leo’s shopping trolly had disintegrated when it hit a
bump in the car-park and disgorged the shopping onto the tarmac smashing
one of the red’s reserved to go with the roast. It also managed to badly
bruise Leo’s leg which was a concern for a while – I mean who would drive
the back up?
We had lunch in Thames which was very nice and stocked up on some essen-
tial essence for the riders from the local Liquorland before heading to
Coroglen.Page 26 October 2020 The Shed Nite Riders beat Covid-19 Contd.. We had started this run from the Lime Tree Café down by the river in Whitford, where most had breakfast or at least a coffee before saddling up at about 9:00 a.m.. All the bikes were still wondrously shiny, with Chris Clark’s Triumph out -shining them all and all started obediently for a change so we were relaxed on the road through to Kaiaua via Maraetai. Regrouping at Kaiaua we found all present and accounted for, then really enjoyed the flat run down to SH25 – the main road to Thames. The reason this was so good was the very helpful tail wind. I imagine the others were the same, but for sure the VB thought it was a bit of alright, even had the speedo just under 70mph at one stage but that’s really 60 something which is about as good as it gets on the dinosaur. All that came to an end when we turned left towards Thames. Now there was this same wind on our left! If we were leaving tracks on the road it would look like 7 drunken flies had made their way to Thames but we arrived just before the rain arrived from Auckland by the direct route and we were hunkered down in the supermarket when the storm really hit – we were lucky like that all the way around. So that was the end of the Shed-Nite Rider’s escape from Covid-19. Hopefully we have not spread it around. For once, all the old ones stayed the course and so did the bikes. Paul had an issue where the Harley would start then stop randomly when riding, a total mystery until it was eventually tracked down to the fact that Paul’s leggings were being sucked into the carb! The Ariel gave trouble at Waingaro after arriving at the camp office where it would also start then stop necessitating it being pushed 150 metres up the hill to the accom- modation which nearly did me in. It is amazing how much energy petrol re- leases when burned! Next morning it was much the same – started then died until it backfired sending black smoke and petrol in all directions (praise be it did not catch fire like last time) and whatever it was that was blocking the jet was sent to another world and there was no further problem. A great trip, thanks to Peter for organising everything. Graeme Crawley All 8 standing outside the Coroglen pub. Mark, Graeme, Leo, Chris, Michael, Peter Paul, & Dave
October 2020 Page 27
Vero International Festival of Motoring
Most of you will know that the Vero Festival of Historic Motoring will
now be held in 2022.
The dates are January 16 to January 21
The organising Committee will be sending out a request for your
expression of interest later this year. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU
RESPOND to this if you are considering going.
Events like this have significant budgets to manage and some of
you will recall the last International Rally suffered significant losses.
Whatever your view on that result, learnings have been taken and
you will have read in the latest Beaded Wheels that the Manage-
ment Committee will NOT accept the event running at a loss. To
that effect they are looking for some surety that entrant numbers
will be sufficient to make the event viable. It will not be a firm
commitment and I do urge you to respond. If there is insufficient
interest, there is a possibility the event won’t go ahead.
This is an event not to miss, a shorter period than previous Interna-
tional Rallies, in an area with some great motoring and the time of
year hopefully means plenty of sunshine. So, get your mates to-
gether, decide what vehicle you’re taking and plan to be there.Page 28 October 2020
Hunua 100 Rally—Marshals Required
Hunua 100 Rally
Sunday 25 October
Please phone:
Glenn Morris
021 136 5926
or email: glenn-maze@xtra.co.nz
ARE YOU ON THE TREE?
We have an email tree to remind you what is coming up and
any other relevant
information that comes to hand between Bulletins.
You won’t get bombarded with rubbish and your email ad-
dress is not visible to anyone else on the distribution list.
If you are reading this and would like to be included, please
send me an email at
vintagesunbeam@hotmail.co.nz and you’ll be in the loop.
Tracey WinterbottomOctober 2020 Page 29
For Sale
1933 Morgan 3 Wheeler Super Sports— beetle
back, Matchless MX4 engine, electric start, 12
volt electrics. Professionally restored with all me-
chanicals and body work. Includes custom built
aluminium fully enclosed tandem axle trailer with
electric winch for loading and unloading.
$80,000
Ph: Allan Duffy (Member) 021 655 171 or email
allan@duffy.net.nz
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
NZ Welder Repair Services Ltd.
Unit 4/5 Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
For personal service call Rod Rugg (Member)
Stick, MIG, TIG and Plasma cutters.
All welding machine types and
consumables for sale.
“Over 30 years experience”
Repairs to machines, new sales and used. Hire options available.
For home or work. Large or small. We deal with only good machines not rubbish.
Phone: 09 8261425, e-mail: rod.rugg@nzwrs.com
Postal address: P.O. Box 19272, Avondale, Auckland 1746Page 30 October 2020
Your Committee
Chairman/Motorcycle Rep/Delegate
Martin Spicer (Lynda) Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com Ph: (09) 233 6382
or 0221 025 954
Vice Chairman/Clubrooms Booking/Name Badges
Don Green (Brenda) Email: greend@slingshot.co.nz Ph: 266 8836
or 021 073 2642
Secretary/Privacy Officer:
Tracey Winterbottom Email: vintagesunbeam@hotmail.co.nz
(Stephen) Ph: (09) 232 0246
or 021 732 209
Treasurer:
Ian Hubbard (Lesley) Email: ian@fhp.co.nz Ph: 0274 426 748
Club Captain:
Lynda Spicer (Martin) Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com Ph: (09) 233 6382
or 021 189 3120
Committee Members:
Warwick Darrow (Trisha) Building Maintenance
Email: waktrish@gmail.com Ph: 520 2882 or 021 203 4562
Robin Elliott Entertainment Officer/Spares
Email: robaleen@actrix.co.nz Ph: 0274 922 188
John Morrison
Email: morrison03@gmail.com Ph: 521 6307 or 022 655 1479
Alan Price (Shaaran) Building Maintenance
Email: birdwoodprices@gmail.com Ph: 833 8575
Shaaran Price (Alan) Social Convenor/New Membership Liaison Officer
Email: birdwoodprices@gmail.com Ph: 833 8575
John Stokes Veteran Rep/Spares/Trophy Steward
Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz Ph: (09) 236 4582
or 0272 772 108
Non-Committee Positions:
Librarian Bulletin Editor
Chris Wood (Diana) Val Ball (Rodger)
Ph: 524 9478 Ph: 298 6476 Email: rvball@xtra.co.nz
Beaded Wheels Reporters Commercial Rep
John Stokes John Campbell (Pat)
Continuous Membership Awards Steward Ph: 828 7850 or 0272 446 928
Glenn Morris (Marion) VIC Officer
Ph: 273 4975 or 021 136 5926 Michael O’Kane
Insurance: Ph: 813 4944
Vero Consumer Insurance Specialist 0800 505 905 or 356 4501
Agency Number: 0300126
Clubrooms Ph: 579 5625
Street Address: 39 Fairfax Ave, Penrose
Postal Address: P O Box 12 138, Penrose, Auckland 1642
Open: 2nd & 4th Thursday 7:30-10:00pm, Every Saturday 4:30-6:30 pm
Club Night: 4th Thursday of the month
Branch Email Address auckland@vcc.org.nz
Library Email Address libraryavvcc@gmail.com
Branch Website www.avvcc.org.nz
Branch Honorary Life Members: Barry Robert
Norm Dewhurst QSM
Alan RobertsOctober 2020 Page 31
Page 32 October 2020
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