VCC WELLINGTON MOTORING SPIRIT JUNE 2023

THE MOTORING SPIRIT

The Wellington Branch Newsletter

June 2023

Phil Kidd’s 1922 Essex Four Roadster at the clubrooms on 16 May. Phil gave a talk about the restoration process and received a Meritorious Restoration Award for the work done on the car.

Enjoying Vintage Motoring 1958 - 2023

The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) - Wellington Branch

Clubrooms: Halford Place (East end Jackson Street Petone)

PO Box 38-418,

wellington@vcc.org.nz

Phone: 568-7463

NAME BADGES

Don’t forget name badges are available from the Club Secretary at $15 each. Please remember to wear your name badges on Club Nights.

Having been involved with the judging of the cooking presented at the Ladies Rally I now have a good understanding of how difficult it would be to do the same with a Concours D’Elegance for the cars. In the end a clear winner was voted and the result is noted in this magazine. It is becoming apparent that for most of us the Club is more about the social side rather than that of a more competitive nature. This was exemplified by the number of attendees who met with us at Big Mac Slabs on the Ladies Rally but who did not partake in the run itself. We are not alone in reducing the competitive element and I am aware of at least one Branch in the North Island that has done away with competitive events completely.

This trend will no doubt continue the re-shaping of how our Club evolves over time – and importantly you (our members) can have a say on managing this process by becoming more involved. On reflection, of our total Branch membership of around 200, we only see between 80 to 100 members over the course of a month at the activities available for participation. Why is that?

There is an opportunity now to become involved - put your name forward for one of the positions on the committee at the forthcoming AGM at our next meeting. You can be assured you will be made to feel really welcome.

Our Club talks Co-ordinator has arranged a number of film clips to help liven up proceedings at the meeting – which of course is now starting at the earlier time of 7.30 pm.

On another matter, talks are proceeding with a view to having the Daffodil Day fund raiser (nationally on 20th August) take place under a covered venue – or at least on hard ground. Last year the weather bomb that hit the top of the South and bottom of the North Islands resulted in the three affected Branches (Nelson, Horowhenua and Wellington) having to cancel their events. Watch this space.

I look forward to a good attendance and seeing you at the AGM. In the meantime, happy and safe motoring in whatever means of transport you choose.

Phil Kidd

CHAIRMAN’S CHAT PhilKidd

Well, plenty of club members joined in at the lunch after the Ladies Rally on 21 May, which was good to see although apparently only two women actually drove the rally run there. Many thanks to Steph Smith of Big Mac Slabs in Paraparaumu for welcoming us to their premises and making their lounge room with kitchen available as well. Some of us made purchases from the fabulous art for sale (one of the paintings in a photo in this issue is now in our family room and has been much commented on!) Roger took out the baking prize with Diane’s recipe for bacon and egg pie. Well done, Roger. Thanks to Neale and Joanne for setting the rally - my left arm had quite a workout changing gears during the tiki tour of both the Hutt Valley and Paraparaumu!! It was a good, fun day all round.

Brian C sent in a caption for the photo of Hal at the Rosengeur (sensory) exhibition in the last issue: “Hal’s pan flute. Can't figure out why all the notes are the same!” Thanks Brian.

Ian was a bit disappointed that only four people went on the May Sunday run. So far, he has not been able to organise any run for June.

NEW MEMBERS

Wellington Branch welcomes the following new members who have joined the club in the last couple of months:

Scott Henry, of Pukerua Bay, who has a 1966 BMW motorcycle, a 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass and a1981 Chevrolet K10.

Richard Potts of Wainuiomata, who has a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe and a 1957 Vauxhall Cresta Deluxe.

Peter Jakowetz, of Tawa, who has a 1957(?) Lynx (Triumph Herald based Lotus kit car).

Phil Hankinson, of Stokes Valley (no vehicle details provided).

We look forward to meeting you at club nights or on club runs.

FROM THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE NealeRyder

Why do any of us do this? That is what I asked myself as I drove home after our last club night, after it seemed that there would only be one entry for the Ladies Rally. On the day of the rally the question was answered with a good number of people attending and all having a good time at Big Mac Slabs. That is why we do these things for the VCC. And the men’s baking was superb; perhaps we need it to continue on club nights.

At present our June event is still not completely finalised, so watch out for an email from Alastair with the final details or come along to club night and find out.

July's event is also in the planning stage, as is the Daffodil Rally in August. So even though it’s winter there are still some excuses to get out and about, instead of just leaving the car in the shed and sitting by a warm fire.

Cars parked at Big Mac Slabs in Paraparaumu after the Ladies Rally.

MOTORCYCLE SECTION REPORT Trevor Barnes

Meeting Monday 22 April: Ten people attended, apologies received from Peter Simpson.

Past Events:

ANZAC Remembrance Run 25 April: No attendees.

Wairarapa Winter Reliability Trial 13-14 May: Attended by Ian Munro and Peter Simpson. Ian reported that it was a very enjoyable run in fine weather. Nine riders rode from Clareville, at first towards the Pahiatua Track, before going via Balance and over the Saddle Road and Manawatu roads, finishing at Himitangi Beach. The return run was to Foxton for breakfast, then via Pahiatua Track back to Clareville. There were no breakdowns and a total distance of 520 kms was covered.

Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride 21 May: No attendees.

Coming Events:

Taranki Rubber Duckie Motorcycle Rally 15-16 September: According to National Calendar.

Wairarapa Gold Medal Trial is on 18th November.

2024 Biennial Motorcycle Rally: Dennis is now travelling overseas so there has been some rearrangement.

Aaron: Quotes for shirts; Pub Charity;

Adrian: Organise route. Transmission Gully means new possibilities;

Ashley, Warrick: Test route;

Dave (Pauline): Lunch;

Peter: Saturday night dinner;

Warrick: Sponsorship; Ride for Life sponsorship;

Dave: VTNZ sponsorship;

Ashley: Promotion.

Other Business: Brian Christensen has asked us to give a Bike Night presentation to the October Branch meeting (17th). There were no suggestions at the meeting.

Next Meeting 26 June: At the Butcher and Brewer, 7:30pm

Robin Barnes’ Motorcycle Restoration

This talk was given by Robin on the March club night - see the front cover of the April issue of The Motoring Spirit.

Robin, living in Invercargill at the time, joined VCC in 1959 at the age of 16. His father had a 1914 Humber, and they also found a 1912 Matchless and another 1913 500cc motorcycle. Robin rode in the VCC Inaugural Rally from Invercargill to Oamaru.

Robin bought a 1912 BSA Model C Motorcycle in 1960. The “BC” on the original registration plate of the 1912 BSA stands for “Bruce County”. However, the bike was in poor condition (“semi-derelict” – mostly just a frame and a motor) and has been mostly in storage for many years. He began restoring it properly a few years ago.

Some of the bike’s features include: the gear change and clutch was all done on the left pedal; there was a pair of pushbike blocks as the front brakes; it was fitted with a Brown and Barlow 1912 Carburettor and the air flow had to be continually adjusted to match the petrol flow.

Everything in the motor was working well, and it had highly viscous oil in it. The frame required many hours of filling and sanding, and many parts

Photo: Before!

Robin Barnes’ Bike Restoration—Continued from page 8 were sent to be nickel-plated. Apparently BSA had “a fetish for branding” in that every piece, no matter how small, had the BSA brand (three rifles) stamped into it. The petrol tank required a new lining material as it was so thin. Robin had the mudguards made in Perth (Australia) and had to be certain of getting the correct ones: the four different models of 1912 BSA all had different-sized mudguards. The wheel rims had to be 26 by 2.5 inches as tyres were not available for different sizes. He bought the headlamp and two tail lights at a swap meet.

The paintwork and lettering was done by Design Signs, and to finish off the bike Robin had new leatherwork tool boxes made – these are strapped on each side of the back wheel.

Angelica

Edgley

Before and After photos from Robin Barnes.

Photos: After. Great Job!!

The Future of Transport and Can We Afford It?

This was the title of an extremely interesting talk given on the April club night by Wendy Turvey of the WSP Research and Innovation Centre in Petone. WSP is one of the three largest engineering consultancy companies in the world. In NZ, WSP Research was previously Opus Research and prior to that was the research division of the Ministry of Works. Wendy is the National Manager of the centre. They are currently involved in research into finding replacements for bitumen as the future is looking uncertain for petroleum products and premium aggregates are also in short supply. She had brought along several small pottles of samples of materials that they developed, or are investigating, for use as roading materials. These completely flummoxed the audience – nobody could guess what they were. They included polyester extracted from old clothing at end-of-life; crumbed or shredded recycled vulcanized rubber; and wood chip products. Wendy spoke about a trial currently being carried out with a wood based road surface alternative they have developed for use in the Urewera Forest, an unsealed highway in an area that can get up to six metres of rain a year. Other areas currently being worked on include extracting bitumen from broken chipseal for re-use, and a waterproof membrane for use on roads is undergoing a patent process. Different materials being investigated include flax, algae, cellulose and lignin from plants, and pine resin. Many factors such as heat and moisture need to be considered when developing these materials. In the laboratory there is a plywood cubicle containing a “Circular Acceleration Testing Facility” which is a tyre going in a tight circle on potential new road surfaces to determine wear.

The Future of Transport and Can We Afford It? Continued from Page 10:

The company is looking at ways to extend the life of aging infrastructure. A Delft University project (in Nederland) is looking at open grade epoxy asphalt which increases the life of road surfaces from seven to forty years. WSP have developed many instruments currently in use in NZ. Some can measure cracks developing (measuring down to 1 micrometre – 1,000,000th of a metre) and some slip movement (for areas where geotechnical engineers cannot go for safety reasons). Some of these instruments are permanently installed and others are small handheld units, some have a tilt sensors with a solar panels, and many of these are linked directly to any webenabled device. Installing technical instruments with special night vision cameras along railways means that any blockages on the track will give instant alerts and the lines can then be cleared quickly without the needs for engineers to visit the site.

There are WSP instruments monitoring many bridges including the Rakaia bridge (the longest wooden bridge in NZ) for cracks and also checking the bridge joints. During the recent Cyclone Gabrielle, some WSP instruments worked even under 3 metres of water and others turned off when underwater and then turned back on when the water level dropped. Obviously, these are very valuable services that WSP provides.

Wendy has an engineering degree and has led an interesting life, living in several countries and even sailing around the world. She and her husband had an RSK718 1956 Porsche Spider (built on a 1948 VW beetle chassis), and both raced motorbikes with Wendy being the “swinger on the back with her nose in the dirt” (quote). She is currently looking for a bike to restore, particularly a BSA, maybe a 1950s BSA Goldstar.

Angelica Edgley

Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)

Wellington Branch

Annual General Meeting

To be held at the clubrooms in Halford Place Petone

On Tuesday 20th June 2023 at 7.45pm

Please forward nominations for office holders or committee members and notices of motion or resolutions to be proposed to the Secretary, Alastair McCarthy by email to vcc@wellington.org.nz or by post to P O Box 38-418, Petone Mail Centre. Notices of Motion must be received prior to 23rd May.

Nomination forms can be obtained from the Secretary.

AGENDA

Apologies

Election of Meeting Chairperson

Minutes of previous AGM

Matters arising

Chairman’s report

Treasurer’s report

Club Captain’s report

Election of officers (Chairman, Secretary, Club Captain and Treasurer and between six and nine committee members)

General Business (if any)

Alastair McCarthy, Secretary, VCC Wellington Branch.

LADIES RALLY: At Big Mac Slabs - a great place to have lunch amongst the artworks. Below: Some of the art for sale. Pigs might fly—or swim???!!!

Furniture, arts and crafts, and assorted garden ornaments all for sale, a children’s play area, lovely grounds, and some even more vintage transport than ours ???

Yabba Dabba Dooo!

From Conception to Completion

-Phil’s 1922 Essex Four Roadster Restoration

Phil’s interest in vintage cars started when, as a youngster living in Lower Hutt where the Queensgate mall is now, he saw the cars taking place in the first November Rally paraded on High Street. One of the cars was a golden painted vehicle later identified as an Essex, which started his interest in that make.

Phil brought his first Essex from his brother (for about $40). His black 1919 Essex Roadster was sold to fund this restoration. A resurrection of an original chassis, from VCC member Peter Tuck, which had been stored for many years, was the start. A trip to Woodbury just north of Geraldine gathered more parts in the shape of an old truck. On the return trip new wire wheels provided by Gary Morton were picked up and subsequently spray-painted by Phil.

The bottom end of the engine is original, and he had expert help from club member John Veneberg with the engine (amongst other areas). The pistons were made in Australia. The upper oil feeds have been modified to ensure all the valve stems are lubricated. For the body, Phil has used the skills of some fellows from the Menzshed in Upper Hutt, replacing the woodwork and using 20mm box section to fabricate the rear section. Of the three headlamps available, the best parts were used to make two.

The rear guards were made by stitching in additional metal to get the right shape and lots of wire brushing to get rid of rust. The angles on the hood were difficult to get right, so it was mocked up in plywood to work it out. Graham Kidd manufactured the exhaust and shaped it to move it away from the driver’s feet.

Phil also had help from Ray B, Roger W and John V (all from the club) to get the body shape right, using their “eye-o-meters”. A wallpaper stripper was used as a source of steam with a vertical pipe in which the hood bow strips were placed to make the wood pliable enough to bend

Essex Four Roadster, Continued from page 16 into shape using formers and, when cooled and dry, glued to form the hood bows. Metal panels for the body were made – some from the donor car and some new.

The chassis was sandblasted and painted, the panels at the back were glued and a company (Mullins) let Phil use their former to shape the windscreen surround. The running boards were welded and polished, then lots of undercoats were applied and rubbed down prior to painting. The car has 24-inch wheels and each set of wheel and tyres has cost about $2000!

When the Covid lockdown struck in 2020 there were ten sunny days in a row, allowing Phil to paint the car outside. The superb leatherwork interior was done by another club member, Dave Wilkens. Phil did the pin striping himself and by December 2020 the car was finally finished! There is still compliance to be completed, the WOF is done, but registration is still not able to be completed until the beaurocrats finish their job - still under way at the time of the talk. Phil has had to get LVVTA certification for the modifications done to the brakes. He wanted brakes on all four wheels (for safety) and not just two as was standard on the car. He has used slave and master cylinders that are not Essex, so this has raised issues of a technical nature needing compliance certification.

Angelica Edgley

Photo: Phil receiving a Meritorious Restoration Award for his 1922 Essex at the May club night from the Wellington Branch Secretary.

A good turn out of club cars at Big Mac Slabs, where everyone enjoyed lunch, the baking and some made purchases.

May Club Run: Ladies Rally to Big Mac Slabs

EV BATTERIES From: The dEVil's Advocate

According to the Norwegian Road Federation, 138,265 electric cars were sold last year, representing 79.3% of total passenger car salesup from 65% the year before. At this rate, Norway looks set to achieve near 100% EV sales before 2025.

A lot of vehicles in Norway use car ferries to get to other countries in Scandinavia and also to the United Kingdom, so the following news should be of interest to those EV owners.

The Norwegian shipping company, Havila Kystruten, has banned electric, hybrid and hydrogen cars from its ferries because the risk to the safety of the shipping fleet was too significant. If a vehicle catches fire, if it is electric the fire can no longer be extinguished.

The risks for ships carrying EV vehicles have been discussed since the Felicity Ace sank off the Azores last February 2022. E-vehicles on board had caught fire and the fire could not be extinguished. Finally the huge ship sank with about 4000 electric cars aboard, including Porsche and Bentley "green" vehicles.

The global head of marine consulting at Allianz, a marine insurer, said the problem was that lithium-ion batteries in the cars can actually propagate fire, igniting more vigorously, compared to conventional cars.

Havilas CEO said the risk of fire in an EV required a complex rescue operation and crews on board could not afford this. Passengers would also be at risk. Fires due to combustion engine cars are much easier to deal with.

Greenpeace also warned against e-cars on ships. In general, electronic components and EV's pose a risk for every transport.

I wonder when/if Cook Strait ferries in NZ will be thinking about this!

Selwyn Warren

The Coronation Coaches - a link to Wellington Branch?

Alick Jenner says he was told of this link by the late Dave Palmer of Stokes Valley - who was a Wellington Branch member. Dave Palmer’s son lived in the USA for a while, restoring cars for the Pebble Beach Concours Competition. Later he moved to Australia and there he apparently did some work on the coach which was then presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Your Editor found the following information in an article from The Sydney Morning Herald:

W J (Jim) Frecklington aged 73, now from Manly, Australia, was once manager of royal coaches and coachman to the Queen and has built two coaches for the monarchy. His first coach was the Australian State Coach, presented to Queen Elizabeth II as an official gift from the Australian people to mark the Australian bicentenary in 1988. It was first used in November of that year at the state opening of British parliament and was also used at the wedding of William and Kate. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach (photo above), that King Charles and Queen Camilla rode in going to their coronation, was designed and built by him for Queen Elizabeth II as a private initiative. It was completed in 2010. Jim was awarded the medal of Member of the Royal Victorian Order – an award which is a personal gift of the monarch – at Windsor Castle in 2014.

(Continued on page 26)

COMING EVENTS

Sunday Run on 4th June: There is currently no Sunday run organised. If one is organised, an email will be sent to Wellington Branch members.

4th June: Whanganui Annual Rally

Entries closed 22 May, but late entries may be accepted but will be entered as non-competitive. Contact Wellington Branch Secretary for details.

KAPITI MID-WINTER LUNCH

Meet there at 11:30 in the lounge area where the staff will take our orders. Eat at around midday.

For anyone who isn't familiar with The Fisherman's Table, there is a wide choice of meals at $22.90 which include a huge self-service salad bar. As well as great seafood, there are steak, pork, chicken, vegetarian and vegan options all at the same price.

Roderick needs to reserve tables, so please let Phil Pearce know if you are coming by Sunday 25th June.

Philip Pearce: Email: nzpearce87@gmail.com Mob: 027274 408

KAPITI MID-WEEK RUN WEDNESDAY 28th JUNE

Organised by Roderick Kinghorn, the mid-winter lunch is at The Fisherman's Table at Paekakariki.

Come and join the Waikato Branch annual Double Fifty Rally. Starting at the clubrooms for breakfast, followed by a lovely run through the Waikato Countryside. Dinner and prizegiving in the evening back at the clubrooms. Entries close 24 May.

ADVANCE NOTICE:

6th NATIONAL COMMERCIAL RALLY

To be held in Whanganui at Labour weekend. For details see page 19.

VCC MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Visit the VCC Website: VCC.org.nz and click on “Membership Benefits” for details on various benefits and instructions on how to apply for them.

THE INTERISLANDER - Code WH5465

BLUEBRIDGE COOK STRAIT FERRY—Code ANTIQUECAR

FERRY DISCOUNTS FOR VCC MEMBERS

See details on page 26 of this magazine.

METALIMMERSIONSLTD

• IMMERSION STRIPPING

• ABRASIVE BLASTING

• POWDER COATING

We are the company that offers you

Total immersion stripping of Car bodies and panels

VERO INSURANCE

If you arrange your car and household insurance through Vero, the Wellington Branch gets a commission. In 2021 the amount was approximately $4,159!! Well done everyone!

WE TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR NEEDS

Contact: Warren Leslie

Phone: (04) 232 6880

Fax: (04) 232 6882

11 Wall Place, Tawa

Email:

Warren@MetalImmersions.co.nz

FREE QUOTATIONS

BUY & SELL

Advertisements are free to Wgtn VCC members and will be repeated four times.

FOR SALE

1958 NASH METROPOLITAN

Good condition; can be driven; rego on hold. Open to offers. Phone Richard for details: 04 5770350

The Coronation Coaches, Continued from page 21: The coach contains timber sections fashioned into small, varnished squares and used to decorate the interior walls and door panels. Segments (or inserts) were sourced from 100 historic palaces, ships and buildings, including the door from 10 Downing Street, Henry VIII’s flagship the Mary Rose, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, the former Royal Yacht HMY Britannia, and HMS Endeavour among others.

Frecklington’s Diamond Jubilee coach has modern suspension, lighting, heating, electric windows and air-conditioning. Presumably Dave Palmer’s son had some (vintage) car-related restoration skills which transferred to similar work on this coach. (Ed)

Photos: The inside of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, and detail from a wheel.

WELLINGTON BRANCH - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Club nights are on the 3rd Tuesday of every month in the Clubrooms, Halford Place, Petone (Eastern end of Jackson St) starting at 7:30pm

The Clubrooms are also normally open for casual gatherings on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 12:00, and for Noggin & Natters on Fridays 7:30pm.

Motorcycle Meetings are usually held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Butcher & Brewer, 75 Jackson Street, Petone at 7:30pm.

JUNE CLUB NIGHT

(Start time 7:30pm)

Club Captain, Neale Ryder, will talk about his 1954

Vauxhall Velox Vagabond.