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June 2001
,
The Magazine ofthe>ConstroctorsCar Club (Inc)
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.
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http://www.constructorscarclub~org.nz
POWDER COATING JERVICEf LTD
Epoxy and Polyester Powder Coating
Specialists
Automotive componentry, wheels, chassis,
suspension, both old and new our speciality
On the Cover:
Ford GTO Replica
See page 15.
The Magazine of the
Constructors Car Club Inc
June 2001
Issue 5 Volume 14
In This Issue
Club Officials
President:
Jon Loar
Secretary and Captain:
Dave Clout
Treasurer:
Steve Strain
Club Meetings
./
Zinc and Iron Phosphate pre-treatment for superior
adhesion and corrosion resistance
./
Chemical Stripping Service
./
Sand Blasting Service
Contact Jim Longstaff or Dave Beazer
51 Port Road
Seaview
LOWER HUTT
PhonefFax (04) 939 2222
After Hours (04) 564 3943 or
021543943 (Dave)
The Constructors Car Club Inc meets at 7.30pm
on the second Tuesday of each month at The
Vintage Car Club, 3 Halford Place, Petone
(Eastern end of Jackson Street) .
Prospective members or others interested in
building their own cars are welcome to attend.
(The club does request a donation of $2
towards running the meeting.) Meetings
generally include a guest speaker or
demonstration followed by general discussion
and supper.
The Club Magazine "Spare Parts" is produced
monthly from February to December each year.
Contributions and advertisements are
welcomed. Contact the Editor on Phone
(04) 479 6370.
Editor
Ron Stroud
Phone: (04) 479 6370
e-mail:
[email protected]
Opinions expressed in this
magazine are not
necessarily those of the
Constructors Car Club
(Inc).
Coming Events ...................................................
New Members.....................................................
Meeting Minutes May 2001...............................
Other Drivers .....................................................
From the Land of OZ .........................................
President's Report ..............................................
Waikato Wanderings ..........................................
Neil TunniclijJe'e Uncle's car............................
The Southern Experience ..................................
Notes from the North .........................................
For Sale ..............................................................
Club Captain's Column .....................................
Motorkhana Results ...........................................
Nuts and Bolts ....................................................
Shop Talk ...........................................................
Technical Committee Minutes ...........................
Classic Aussie GTO ............................................
For Sale ..............................................................
Last Month Quiz ................................................
Wartburg Story ...................................................
Who's Who - June 2001.....................................
Spark Plugs - Understanding Them ..................
Mid Year Dinner ................................................
Alfa Romeo Home at last ...................................
The Toyota 4A-GE Engine Part 2 ......................
Certifier's Lot .....................................................
Ersatzarachnophobia?.......................................
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3
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8
10
12
13
14
17
20
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24
24
25
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27
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28
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48
43
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Club Correspondence to: Typesetting, graphics and
The Secretary
Constructors Car Club
Box 45-064
Epuni, Lower Hutt
printing by:
NSServices
Silverstream, Upper Hutt
Ph 81. Fax: (04) 970-5056
e-mail:[email protected]
Coming Events
Meeting MInutes 8 May 2001
Tuesday 12 June - Club Night
Our speaker this month is Kevin from the Shock
Shop. No we are not in for shock treatment but
we will learn about a most important part of the
cars suspension system.
The car for tonight is Paul Woodfield's Saker
SV1. Come along and admire.
Saturday 23 June - Event
This night is our annual mid-winter dinner. A
pleasant night out and a chance to socialise with
like-minded enthusiasts. It is at The Manor in
Newlands. Please ring Grant Major to confirm
your attendance.
Tuesday 14 August - Club Night
The speaker this night is Michael Crosby. His
father was a famed artist specialising in painting
automobiles. Michael has slides of many of the
paintings and will show some of these at the
evening.
Not sure but we may have Mike Weston, Deputy
Editor of the Classic Car Magazine to speak to
us. Will confirm next Spare Parts.
to pay to exhibit?)
Secretary: Dave Clout
Returned "stamped" copies of our amended
constitution from Registrar of Incorporated
Societies.
Apologies:
Rob West, Dave Frow, Ian Macrae, Peter Parnell,
August 17-19 - Wellington Wheels Expo
Visitors:
This is a three day event at the Stadium. CCC
will be represented, and volunteers offering their
cars should contact Dave Clout.
Tony Calvert - BT6 Brabham, used to work for
Barry Leitch, think he has since joined.
Next Club Committee Meeting
Tuesday 19 June
Tuesday 10 July - Club Night
President: Jon Loar
7.30pm
John Loar's home
16 Manuka Street
Stokes Valley
Malcolm Webb-works for a Ford Dealer in
Palmerston North, into Stock cars.
Ken Pecor - into racing single seaters, he has
since joined as a member.
Steve Owens (or was it Owers)-into various
projects
Out of Towners:
New Members
E-Mail: [email protected]
Malcolm is becoming one of a wide range of commuters from Palmerston North each month
to attend our meetings. He is into racing big time and has a fleet of cars including an Escort
RS 1800 and an Escort RS 1600.
Ken Pecor - Lower Hutt (ph 569-7044)
Didn't get a chance to catch up with Ken but a warm welcome to the club anyway.
David Wright - Wellington (ph 384-3950) Maserati Reproduction
E-Mail: [email protected]
David brought along his amazing Maserati Reproduction sports car along to the club a
couple of months ago. All those that were there will remember what am amazing car It was.
Other cars he owns are a Jaguar XK120 and another genuine Maserati
2
The Chevron Car Club Monthly Issue No. 126
March/April 2001
NZ Petrolhead Vol. 4, No.4 April 17, 2001
Bruce mcLaren Trust newsletter and invoice for
2001/2002
Sports Car Talk, May/June 2001, magazine of
The Sports Car Club of NZ
Previous Minutes: AGM minutes are in the
magazine - taken as read. Accepted.
Outgoing Correspondence:
Patrick's usual replies to new member enquiries.
Treasurers Report:
Malcolm Webb - Palmerston North (ph 06 565-8089)
Periodicals:
Motoring News Wellington Car Club May 2001
Anthony Moult
Steve started by reminding everyone that subs
are now due-catch him after the meeting to pay.
The Constructors Car Club warmly welcomes the following new members ...
Reminder letter from NZ Post about PO Box feegot caught up in Treasurer's change-over of
duties, cheque was written out and just needed
posting.
I had a note here about 'see separate listing' but
can't find anything so Steve must have been very
brief.
Inward Correspondence:
Usual expected membership renewals-please
don't staple cheques to forms, unless you use
the 'fold out' option.
Letter from Roy Bowers attached to his
membership renewal-installing a Datsun 180B
& gearbox into a rusty Austin A40 Ute.
Letter from Brian Pearce to Grant thanking him
and other members for the advice and assistance
he has had over the last 18 months, etc.
Letter from Wellington Wheels Expo-Wgtn
Stadium, 17-19 August 2001. Response form
included. (Roger O'Brien-are they expecting us
Email to Harbour City Security re changed Key
holders to VCC rooms.
Letter to VCC - advising of AGM election results.
Letter (faxed) to NZMD Tyres, Brian Morgan,
confirming invite to 15 May meeting, followed 6
days later by another correcting date to 8 May.
Letter to Ministry of Economic Development re
supply of annual information-minutes of AGM
and statement of clubs finances.
Email to NZ Classic Car magazine advising of
changed President for Club Listing.
Past Events:
Saturday 21 April-Garage Tour. There was a
good turn-out and we visited 6 garages. Dave
gave a brief run down as a full description was
in the magazine. Dave thanked those who put
their garages forward and to those who turned
out to make it an enjoyable day.
3
Coming Events:
Saturday 19 May-Go Karts at Indoor Grand Prix,
Kaiwharawhara. Dave confirmed that all
arrangements had been made. 7:30pm start
sharp so be there at 7: 15pm at the latest. Dave
asked for a show of hands so he could gauge
interest. About 8 hands went up. Dave
contemplated cancelling the event but decided
to carryon saying he would arrange a few 'ringin's'.
Saturday 23 June-Mid Winter Meal. To be
organised by Grant Major. Grant has a few ideas
for a venue.
Committee Business:
Explanation of the Costin Cup was given to
satisfy Dave Frow who raised this issue at the
last committee meeting. This was done by Patrick
since he collates the points.
It was great to witness Ron Stroud collar Alan
Stott at the committee meeting for an article for
the next magazine.
Patrick was given the job of organising further
development work on the Web Page - he was
given a zero budget!! Patrick has asked for a
volunteer to help(also solved since the meeting).
Dip Stick Award nomination - Patrick wanted it
recorded that Grant used his big Cadillac in the
grass motorkhana(the rest of us thought he
should be commended).
Patrick also mentioned about John Bell entering
a vehicle in the motorkhana that didn't have a
reverse gear- it was pointed out to Patrick that
John didn't actually drive it in any of the events
requiring a reverse gear!!
The VCC rental agreement is complete and we
will be posted our copy soon (since received).
Spare Parts (Magazine):
Ron mentioned that Graham and himself had
realised their mistake about the dates given in
the May magazine. Ron is happy with his new
"baby" and will be looking out for contributions.
Mystery Car:
Matthew Porrit - Borgward Isabella Coupe
4
Neil Tunnicliffe - Volvo mid '60's owned by Bob
of Paraparaumu
George Ulyate - Seat '57-'58
John Hill - Waltburg 2 stroke 900cc
Technical Committee:
Part 1-Grant gave a report on his trip to the latest
LVVTA meeting in Auckland. The main points
mentioned are-"we don't have to run a total
quality management control (OMS) system".
We are likely to only get 40% of what we used to
get from the distribution of available funds.
Part 2-Roy Hoare gave us a brief comment on
using red silicon sealant on fuel tanks. He had
used this on his famous 'explos-safe' fuel tank
in the Heron. Seems this stuff swells in petrol,
so much so that it had blocked the fuel outlet
from said tank and yes he eventually stopped.
At this point the secretary suggested that this
event was a suitable nomination for the "Dip Stick
Award" - so it has been noted here in the minutes
and will not be forgotten.
Roy then showed us one of his latest
acquisitions-a supercharger destined for the
Heron 3 litre V6. This should give a 50% increase
in hp. The main benefit of a supercharger is that
it runs at engine rev's and gives full torque at
low rev's. Roy also told us the short story of how
there is an ample supply of these superchargers
in the country at present-ask Roy if you want to
know.
Grant then mentioned that he was arranging a
tech committee meeting for 22 May at the VCC
club rooms(and there was).
Buy, Sell or Swap:
General Business:
Shop:
Brian Hanaray had a sample of a proposed new
sweat shirt and he asked for a show of hands
for those interested. There was enough interest
so Brian will start arranging this.
Guest Speaker:
Brian Morgan of NZMD Tyres.(These are brief
notes only and you should consult Brian for the
full story if you have any questions).
Brian started by making the comment
that although tyres still look the same
the tread patterns have changed. The
latest development is the use of a silica
tread compound which has been in
Europe for about 5 years and Japan for
18 months. This now allows the use of
colours and also results in lower rolling
resistance. Another advantage is that
there is now no heat-up period required
before you get maximum traction. Kevlar
is now replacing steel belts in tyres.
Tyres have now been designed to work
with ABS braking. Silica tyres are quieter
and have greater resistance to the tread
tearing, while also being temperature
stable.
And the tip of the night-for normal steel
belted radials the perfect tyre pressure
is a 2 psi increase after travelling 100km
non stop. (Strangely enough this is also
a rough test for getting the correct tyre
pressure for a Go-Kart at the race track,
though not after 1OOkm, but just a race).
My last note was that there are now
available 20" diameter tyres with a 20
profile.
These are now recorded in a separate article of
their own in the magazine, but read out at the
meeting if required.
Guest Vehicle:
[Remember-hand or send typed, printed, emailed
etc details to the secretary or Editor either before
or after the meeting or it won't get forwarded to
the magazine. Verbal descriptions given at the
meetings will not be recorded]
Paul started by mentioning that Ferris
de Joux was probably better known for
his Mini kits. He was a pioneer of NZ kit
cars and liked pretty cars.
~.
Paul Needham:S De Joux Gran Turisimo
Paul Needham's De Joux Gran Turismo
Paul's car is the 4th of 5 built. He has
had it for 6 years and it was 'stuffed'
5
when bought. Originally it had a tired
Holden 253 V8 but Paul replaced it with
a Chev 350 V8 which now likes to eat
gearboxes - including the fabled Celica
5 speed boxes. de Joux, unlike some
people when designing their cars, used
the bits of designs that he liked from
various cars. Paul's car uses many GM
parts so spares are not a problem. (If
you didn't see this car then you missed
a real nice looking car).
OtherD rivers (OD's)
ByNikJames
I commute from The Hutt to Porirua every
morning, where the most astonishing driving
antics are displayed by OD's.
Personal favourites are the "OD's" who:
Raffle:
Number-50-won by John Thomson, a
really nice set of screwdrivers.
This Month's Quiz Car
•
observe the 0.5 sec rule for following distance,
•
drive at 50kph past the bay and brake for every
corner,
second rule is quite inadequate (and he never
used Mobil!).
•
You will read the road a far greater distance
ahead (like an old motor cyclist does)
•
You will use less fuel
•
It gives you something to do other than stare
at a number plate
•
use no lights on murky mornings,
•
remember the lights but use only the sidelights,
applications from Te Marua to New World car
park Porirua at 0800 on a workday (only $350!).
•
flash you to warn you that you have your lights
on, and
•
lean on Minis.
Many years ago a similar observation was made
by George Falkner, a great friend of mine who
drove a taxi millions of kms. George was a
grumpy bugger at times but had some radical
ideas about OD's. One of George's hobbyhorses
was the use of indicators as a statement of "move
out of the way, I'm pulling over". He suggested
that there should be no indicators, and we should
signal our intentions by the position of the vehicle
on the road. Another favourite of his was passing
on the left. He suggested that if driver A passes
driver B on the left then driver B is at fault in
that it should have been impossible for the p~ss
to have been made if driver B had kept left in the
first place. A drive with George was very
educational..
However, this little missive should not be a
moaning session on how useless OD's are, so
consider a little game to play which I guarantee
will improve your driving. This was prompted after
following an 00 who depressed the brake pedal
46 times between the wooden bridge and the
Plimmerton roundabout - I kid you not!
Little game
Manufacturer, Model and year of manufacture please
•
On a regular run that you make, concentrate on
minimum application of the brakes. Treat the
brake pedal as if it costs $50 each time you touch
it .
My personal best in the v8 Mazda is 7 brake
Here are the rules:
MAG WHEELS
PUNCTURE REPAIRS
BRAKES
WHEEL ALIGNMENT
LUBES
MUFFLERS
SHOCKS
Sat 9am -lpm
Mon - Fri 7.45am - 5.30pm
•
At no time endanger or inconvenience yourself
or any 00.
•
Do not abuse your gearbox/transmission.
•
Mentally charge yourself the $50 for each brake
application.
You will find that:
•
6
You will observe a much greater following
distance, Mr Brock's two
Interesting Road Sign
7
Dave Pattie
... Hello from the international member.
It has been good getting the magazine regularly,
thanks everyone. The articles have interested
the locals, particularly Sam Lyle's car which was
considered "gorgeous".
As you know I came over here last October and
the family stayed in New Zealand. This gave me
an excuse to come back and race at Whittakers
which was fun right up until that last lap of the
Lighting Direct Challenge -I was tail end Charlie
for a three car accident. Kevin Hunt in his Beattie
was very quick with his highly modified 3SGE
engine (above 200 Hp, probably 240-ish) but
didn't really like the corners for some reason and
I ended up passing him at the hairpin only to be
passed going into Higgins. This went on for some
laps until Luke Ogier joined us in his Fraser. I
was running third of these three but was quicker
from the long track to the finish line and was
preparing to take them both onto the front
straight. For those of you who have driven the
long track it is flat - and the last corner before
rejoining the main track is an interesting handful
at race pace (I spun there last year in practice).
Anyway, the Beattie spun inwards and Luke and
I opted to go outside him. Unfortunately he rolled
back into Luke causing him to launch and spin
and I was left with no way out. My front wheel
came very close to entering his cockpit but we
both made it to the side of the track. We were
fighting for 6th outright and first component c~r
at the time - not too bad with all the money In
front of us! Anyway, the front right was badly bent
and the alternator contacted the steering column
that touched the battery causing the loom to melt
- hence the smoke!! Long story short(er) the car
is now fixed with no chassis damage but new
wishbones and steering column. Luckily the loom
only burnt to the kill switch and the steering rack
broke out of its mounts saving the internals.
Basically everything broke in a good way and
repair was straightforward. I also bettered all my
8
times, 1'18"s for short track and 2'07"s for the
long one.
I returned before Christmas to move house and
take the damaged Fraser to Auckland. This was
achieved with a rental truck whose owners
probably wondered how I logged up 1600 kms
in two days. Dropped the car at Neil Fraser's
factory and the trailer at a friend's factory (IT IS
FOR SALE BY THE WAY - GREAT CLUB
TRAILER I!!).
Hectically we moved out of our house and
everything was packed for Australia. We had sold
the house in less than one day so were happy
with that, but a little sad to move with no house
in Australia at that time.
I returned to Australia and then back to New
Zealand on Christmas Eve for the holidays with
my family in the Sounds. Sandi, Christopher and
I then came over on 7 January for good. The
house gear arrived, Oh - and I had bought a
house by then, and we moved in. Four bedrooms
and TRIPLE GARAGE - Now Where Is That
Fraser!!!
We begged stole and borrowed vehicles (Jeep
Cherokee, Westfield, Jaguar, etc) for the first
month until our new Falcon wagon arrived. Really
good deal here with work where the car is leased
and fuel and maintenance is tax deductable excellent when buying a new car.
Now why is the Fraser still in Auckland? The
Fraser and trailer was to go in the house
container also but believe it or not it was to be
more expensive to sea freight it that than to air
freight it, and with the damage we elected to
leave it in Auckland for the time being. One guy
in Australia has almost bought it a couple oftimes
but has elected not to now so I need to think
more about getting it over here. I have checked
out the duty etc and initially it was going to be
about $8000 to get it here. Then we found a
clause that if the car was at least 50% New
Zealand built then duty didn't apply. Using that
formula then the total shipping and GST costs
should come down to around $2000 (this is less
than the sea freight alone!). This makes it
worthwhile to do but the trailer has to stay.
Alex, maybe the same sort of formula may apply
to the Sabre?
for some fun next summer!
On the licence scene, no problem but I have to
surrender my MNZ licence for a CAMS one.
I did visit New Zealand on the way back from the
USA in February and had a race at Pukekohe
when the carwas fixed and she went well. Times
were a bit off (1 '09"s) but fun was had. I visited
again at the end of March with Sandi and
Christopher for the Fraser Club day at Taupo
which went down well and for some reason I had
the sweeper sorted and 43"s were the measure
of the day.
In addition my Mini is at the Chequered Flag for
turning into a Targa car that I am hoping to run in
the 2002 Targa before shipping it to Australia.
This is the plan anyway. If someone wanted to
buy a perfectly goo little run about let me knowI don't know what state it is currently in but it Since that time I have not been back to New
Zealand but work has significant travel involved.
drove to the workshop in December.
I spent a lot of time in January in Melbourne (3
Since I have been here I have caught up with days a week or so) involved in the Ansett Inquiry
three Fraser owners and a number of other seven you may have heard of in the press. Also have
owners (Westfields, PRBs, etc) with one been to Florida and Seattle so far this year and
Westfield owner working with me. He was also further plans for France, Holland, and the USA
the Eligibility Officer for NSW sports car racing before the end of the year. Also trying to plan a
and runs a TR8 (settle Ron). I have managed to November visit to Wellington hopefully to
wangle some invites to race meetings when the coincide with Whittakers (anyone have a car I
Fraser gets here and may even be up to do a 6 could drive?)
hour at Oran Park in November. People are also
on the verge of having the 2 litre motors In the mean time work is flat out, we have just
recognised here (3SGE, S2000, SR20 etc) as a received a pay rise, we have a new house, new
"homologated" engine. At present the main race car, Canberra is hot (except for the early
engine is the 4AGE which the stroke and work mornings at the moment), the GMC400 is on this
on to get in excess of 200 Hp. This costs weekend (V8s around the city - yeehah!), we
significant money as you can imagine and I really are making plenty of contacts, the Aussies aren't
don't know why they bother when a mild 3SGE all that bad, and we are having a huge time. Only
can do the same. It will be interesting when my need the Fraser here and life would be complete.
car gets out there. We have one track, Wakefield Caio for now
Park, within an hours drive and then the Sydney
tracks are all about 3 Y, hours away. Bodes well PS: I am watching the Motorsafe goings on with
interest.
itWrmnz,pfJlill'lltlf"#
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108 Hutt Rd, Petone
9
PRESlDEN1SREPORJ- JUNE 2001
Surgeon Generals Warning:
Jon Loar
Another month gone and time to hit the keyboard
again. Having worked for a synthetic rubber
manufacter producing raw materials for the tyre
industry I found last month's speaker, Brian
Morgan of NZMD tyres, particularly facinating. It
never fails to amaze me how things that we take
as an every day item continues to evolve and
improve. It also provided a salutory reminder that
it's only that bit of black stuff that keeps us on the
road and that they deserve more attention that they
normally get.
The club committee meeting on the 15th of May
was a fairly quiet affair with no hot topics. One
new topic was raised, this was the suggestion that
perhaps we should run our own car show. We
certainly have the cars to do it and it could be a
good opportunity for people to understand what
we do and to see what can be achieved. It would
also provide a platform to explain the influence
and impact of the LWTA on the speCialist car
builder. This will of course be brought up at the
June meeting where I'm sure there will be "full and
frank" discussions on the suggestion.
When I moved to New Zealand I always knew that
there were going to be differences from the UK
however I still get suprised when something gets
changed just because the bloke in the street had
the good sense to stand up and say "hang on a
minute that's not right". Only the other night on TV
Paul Holmes says to Helen Clarke what about the
Vietnam vets, one week later, problem, sorted !
Derrick Halford has a go at LTSA over some very
unsafe road markings, not only does he get a reply
but he also get aimed in the right direction and 10
and behold the problem is fixed. Amazing. The
club's influence with the L V V TA is another
example of how small groups get their voices
heard. I don't know why it works in NZ, maybe it's
the small population, but whatever the reason it's
something that we should be very proud of.
CLASSIC CARS CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR WEALTH
S~;;J1
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Telephone (09) 482-0071
Fax: (09) 482-0516
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11
NEIL TUNNICLlFFE'S UNCLE'S CAR
Waikato .Wanderings
Neil Tunniclijfe
FrotnGeojJMcMillan
No! We have not trotted off anywhere overseas
this time, but had a great week up at Opito Bay
on the Coromandel. It was bliss being able to
wander the beach and have it to ourselves most
of the time. We had daughter and two grandkids
join us for a weekend, but were able to send
them on their way and have the place to
ourselves again!
To date this year I have done NOTHING to the
project! Still I am not frustrated by this as it is
getting to be easier to be able to work on it with
more sorting out. The lean-to has been finished
and much that took up space in the workshop
has moved there. This last weekend I fitted some
brackets to the outside wall under the lean-to,
and all my steel is now there and away from the
side of the pit.
I had to do a re-arrange of the workshop itself to
fit in the lathe I have just brought. I am getting to
be almost a machine shop now with this latest
edition, a dream for many years. No, it was not
almost divorce material as Jill has grown to live
with my "different" ways. 31 years of married life
has made her pretty accepting, don't know about
me though?
In all of my tiding up and making more room,
and more efficient use of the room I do have, I
threw out a few things that I will never need again,
(heard that before)? One thing I have kept is a
Cortina SIW screen. Having read carefully about
the Sabre through Pat Harlow's articles, I know
the Sedan screen does not fit! Any budding, (or
soon to be) builders oftheAlmac Sabre, you will
need a SIW screen and I have kept one just for
you! If you or someone you know is getting to
that state then let me know, and the first one
in ......... .
Whilst a naval officer in England, my dad's
younger brother Gordon bought his car from a
butcher. At that stage it had travelled 100 000
miles and my uncle drove it for a further 50:000
miles.
enthusiastically petrol consumption rose to 6
mpg. About 50 of those cars in 1929 were filled
with large Amherst Villiers Roote-type
supercharges giving 240 bhp and raising the
maximum speed to 145 mph. As far as I know
no supercharged cars ever won a race.
The car's engine has a single one head
camshaft. Four valves per cylinder, dual ignition, My uncle's car was sold for £500 in 1960 and in
twin SU carburettors, a non-detachable cylinder April 1989 Brian Johnstone of Gulf Motor Bodies
head and a bore and stroke 100 x 140 mho As completed an extensive restoration and the car
newthe car was 140 bhp, would go from 0 to 60 was flown to England to be enjoyed by its new
mph in under 12 seconds and run out of puff at English owner who paid $560,000 for it.
94 mph. In 1954 I can recall travelling over the
Warren Gate, the link road between Fordell and The photograph below was taken at Ohakea in
State Highway One at over 90 mph with 6 in the 1953. Note there is no door on the driver's side
car and windscreen folded down. That road was the handbrake is outside the body and my uncl~
unsealed at that time. When driven who was 5'3" tall has welded a .50 calibre
projectile to the radiator cap to assist aiming the
SAKER CARS
Saker Sprint
Saker SVI
By TURNBULL ENGINEERING
P.O. Box 9, Bunnythorpe, Manawatu, New Zealand
Phone/Fax: 06 329 2923
web site: http://www.saker.co.nz
e-mail: [email protected]
12
13
1
Ii
The Southern ,Experience
Tony Calvert
I joined the club at the last meeting, little did I
know, I would be asked to write an article for the
magazine!
I've been lucky enough to work on a lot of exotic
machinery over the years, from an Argo F3 car
to a 1918 Rolls Royce. I started my working life
as an apprentice panel beater with Ray Larsen
in Invercargill. We were known as Jaguar
restoration specialists, so having XK120, XK140,
E types, Mark 1 and Mark 2 Jaguars to work on
was interesting, although you had to have a fair
amount of patience restoring rusty old Jags.
around the world. The Leitch Sevens were the
bulk of our work, however we had some
interesting resto's as well. A Ginetta G4, that we
built a new chassis for, had a plywood floor and
bulkhead panels fibreglassed to the chassis,
which I thought was a good way offilling the gaps
in a chassis without adding to much weight but
also adding a high degree of torsional stiffness.
Another car of interest was an Anson SA?
Formula Ford 2000, which was designed by Gary
Anderson, currently head designer for Jaguar
Formula One Team. This was the first 'modern'
racing car I had worked on. It was interesting to
The apprentice ahead of me was Barney Tansley, compare the design differences between a car
who I happen to think is currently the best car from the 60's (Brabham BT21) and the 80's
body builder in New Zealand. He has built bodies (Anson SA?). The Brabham had about as much
for Lotus II's, Mazda Le Mans sports cars, Jaguar room in the cockpit as your average lazyboy
C types, and a Ferrari Dino 206SP. Barney where as with the Anson, I had to twist my hips
operates out of Queenstown and is running his 45 degrees just to get my backside into the seat.
own bodybuilding and restoration workshop. (If The frontal area of the Anson is about half that
you ever get a chance to have a look at a bare of the Brabham and in the Brabham your feet
aluminium body, don't worry too much about the are about 300mm behind the front wheels, whilst
outside, have a look at the inside, that is where in the Anson your feet are level with the front of
you can tell if the guy who has built it is any good the front wheels.
or not). I've lay on the floor for up to 30 minutes
just admiring the welding and wheeling work on I got to race the Brabham BT21 at Teretonga
a Barney Tansley body. This guy is an old style and at the Queenstown Road Race, It was a
craftsman and I would recommend his work to good car to do my first few races in, very forgiving
of a driver who occasionally exceeded his ability
anybody in the world.
to stay on the black stuff.
My first job actually building cars was for Barry
Leitch. Barry is probably one of the best known The next job I had was probably the best I've
car constructors in the South Island. I have had, working for Dave Brown at Classic Car
noticed a few of Barry's cars are owned by club Developments. Dave is one of the rare breed,
members, including his latest replica, the Lotus that can build extremely accurate replica cars
23B. Variety is the spice of life and when working from nothing more than a few basic dimensions
for Barry I was never bored. When I started there, and a bunch of photographs.
the guys had just started the first Brabham BT21. Dave builds C type Jaguars, Lotus 11 's, Ford
This was my first experience with a single GT40's and Ferrari Dino 206SP replica's, that
seater-racing car and I loved every moment of are as close to the original cars as you can build
it. There is a saying that may offend a few without actually being in the Jaguar, Ford or
members (Sorry) "real race cars don't have Ferrari Factory. Dave is an ex aircraft engineer
guards".
and automotive machinist, who went into building
Barry does a lot of single seater and sports car
restoration work. He gets cars sent to him from
14
high quality authentic replica's about 10 years
ago. When I started working for him it was at the
beginning of his first GT40
project, it was a massive
project taking 14 months to
complete. The GT40 was
completely different to
anything I had worked on
before, every car I had built up
until that stage had been of
space frame construction
type, the GT40 was a steel
monocoque chassis built from
20 gauge (1.2mm) steel sheet
folded and spot welded to form
a chassis.
The GT40 is by far the most
exciting car that I have ever
driven, every time I stepped
out of it, I had grin a mile wide.
Front ofGT40 moncoque during construction
It had fibreglass front and rear body sections,
fibreglass doors, the engine was a 302 Ford V8
fitted to a ZF transaxle. The cars at Le Mans
were known to reach speeds around 200MPH,
and at those speeds you need very good brakes!
Girling four pot alloy calipers brought the car to
a halt with very little effort.
since at race meetings and it is truly a lovely
little car.
When we moved to Christchurch, I was out of
the industry for a couple of years, but started to
suffer from 'classic car withdrawal', so I got
myself a job at Auto Restorations. This is a
restoration firm who do everything except
This car did everything, it cornered and stopped upholstery, in house. I was employed as a car
very well but the most impressive thing was the body builder, building alloy bodies for mainly 1920
kick in the back when you put your foot down. 1930's sports and saloon cars. Auto Restorations
As a friend of mine who owned a 500 horsepower receive approximately 50% of their work comes
supercharged 58 Chev says, "Nothing beats from overseas clients. While I was there, we had
cubic inches".
all sorts of exotic cars come through the doors,
early Bentley's, an ex Whitney Straight
from
Dave sells most of his cars overseas although
one of the most interesting, the Ferrari Dino Maserati 8CM to Giles Villeneuve's 19?9 Ferrari
206SP went to Dennis Chapman in Christchurch. 312T Formula 1 car. Ferrari's in my opinion, make
the most exquisite noise known to man.
This car has a space frame chassis with an alloy
body, built by Barney Tansley, it has an all alloy Having shifted to Wellington, I'm out of the
2.0 litre Dino V6 engine. The Dino was a relatively industry, once again, although I have a little
complicated car to build especially with the lack project that I aim to finish. I started building a
of technical information, available on the car. It's Brabham BT6 Formula Junior, in 1996, but
being able to build a car very accurately without finances over the past few years have prohibited
a great deal of information, that I feel is Dave's me from completing it. The car is a relatively
best talent. He is also quite willing to throw a simple car to build; however, you cannot use a
part away and start again if he is not totally happy lot of parts from road cars. I have had to make a
with the end result. It is this dedication to pattern for the steering rack casting. This was
excellence that makes Dave's cars stand out the first time I had ever attempted making a
from most other replicas. The Dino was about 2 pattern and was quite pleased with the final
months from completion when I moved to results, however, when it came to getting a rear
Christchurch, but I have had a good look at it upright done, I consulted the experts.
15
Notes Ftom the North
Southern Cars
Phil Bradshaw
I haven't contributed anything newto Spare Parts
for the past few months as I have been very busy
on all fronts, as you will see.
Below: C Type Jaguar
Above: Ferrari
Below: Lotus 11
Joanne and I moved in November to a sprawling
one hectare paddock nearWaitoki, which is close
to Riverhead forest, about 15 km inland from
Orewa. It is 'rural' as opposed to 'lifestyle' and
suits us very much. We have built a half-round
Econobuilt barn which serves as living area,
Joanne's office, garage and workshop. Basically
the barn footprint is 15.5 x 8 metres, with another
8 x 8 as a mezzanine floor.
We bought a bare enclosed shell with
mezzanine, and I spent about 4 month's worth
of nights, weekends and holiday time playing at
chippy, plumber and electrician by building the
framing, doing the plumbing and wiring.
Unfortunately the barn wasn't much more than
a shell when we moved in, so we lived somewhat
'rustically' until Xmas. In fact camping may be a
more accurate term! Gib-stopping and decorating
are next, once we finish lining out. We live in the
mezzanined end (although the workshop takes
up almost all of one lower half lengthways), with
the garage occupying the remainder of the barn
(but open full height - about 6.5 metres at the
centre).
A Ford 1500 engine powers the car; the transaxle
is a Mk 8 Hewland; drive shafts are Hillman Imp;
Brakes, Triumph Herald 1360 units. The original
cars were very successful in 1963 in the hands
of Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme and I am
looking forward to getting it on the race track
once completed and doing some laps.
Having received the car club profiles when I
joined, I'd certainly be interested in having a look
at a few of the cars that have, and are being
built. I had a look already at Dave Bray's
Speedster at the Whittaker's race meeting last
year and was very impressed. I have also had a
look at a Saker kit and think that they would make
a pretty impressive road car, but I think I need
get the current project finished first!
16
Weill hope I have shed a little light, not only on
myself but also on what I think, is a group of
very talented people, building some very
interesting cars in the South.
Ford GT40
another 8 x 7.5. Hmm - Joanne gets 2% acres, I
get 80 square metres ...
The workbench is basically 6 metres long and
consists of three sheets of 19 mm tanalised
plywood I picked up in a clearance sale for 20
bucks a sheet. The bench itself is about 800 mm
deep, and the offcuts have been used to make a
full length shelf about 350 deep, some 400 mm
above the bench. The bench top sits on two
150x50 bearers, with the rear bearer fixed to the
front of the posts that support the barn arches
(effectively the last 200 mm of the bench top is
cantilevered), while the front bearer sits on top of
the cupboards. I can't remember what the bearers
cost, but it wasn't too much. I have an old laundry
tub inserted in one end of the bench so I can clean
up without trashing the combined kitchenllaundry
itself. The sink was free from a friend doing
renovations, and I used a garden tap fitting.
I have found a new favourite shop - the local
building recycler - where I managed to buy a late
70s/early '80s (at a guess) 'Hostess' kitchen.
Someone had spent a lot of money on this
originally - some of it had already gone, but I still
picked up over 8 metres of under bench
cupboards, in an 'L' shape, for $100. It must have
been huge originally. A bit of work with the saw
bench making them fit together in a line, and I
The long term aim is for Joanne to garden to her
now have a very serviceable set of cupboards, all
heart's content and me to mess with cars. The
in some sort of white laminate. I have left an area
barn is a living area only until we can build the
about 1200 wide clear of cupboards so I can sit at
proper house, which is on the 3 year plan.
the bench like a desk. I replaced some of the
Winning Lotto would be very handy about now.
broken door hinges with items from the Building
The barn will then revert to office space, garage,
Depot, at about $3 each - cheapest by far.
workshop, guest room and storage. We still have
quite a lot of work to do to finish the barn The wall behind the workbench is sheathed in 9.5
completely, so it is still merrily absorbing time mm untreated ply, which I got for 20 bucks a sheet.
and cash.
It is C-D grade, but pretty tidy on the good face. In
fact, I lined the entire workshop and garage (to
Over the past couple of years I have begun to
2.4 metres) in this ply. The workbench and back
accept that, since messing with cars has been
wall got several coats of white enamel, with the
something I have been strongly interested in for
bench top getting a dark green to best match our
the last 20 years, I might as well give in to it and
laminate tops in the rest of the barn. I left the
set up to do it properly. Since we plan to grow
remainder of the ply 'au natural'. Workshop lighting
old here I have put quite a bit of effort into the
is via 4 twin tube f1uorescents, which I got for about
workshop. It is 6 x 4 metres, while the garage is
$80 each in a sale at Mastertrade. Another 4 light
17
the garage, with power pOints at strategic
intervals. We have 3-Phase to distribution board,
which I will get connected when I get a lathe etc
(also on the 3 year/Lotto plan).
The entire barn concrete floor has been painted
with light grey workshop floor paint, which cost
around $80 for 4 litres; we went through about
15 litres to get two coats on the entire barn floor.
What hurt was etching the concrete first - that
cost another $80 in acid. The paint is fairly
resistant to petrol, brake fluid etc, but steel trolley
jack wheels tend to scratch it off, funnily enough.
It looks good, is easier to clean than concrete,
and helps reflect the light. It also reduces the
dust build up. It will probably need repainting
every few years, but once the base coat is down
it will take very little to re-coat. Be warned that
most paints get softened by hot car tyres. You
need to read the labels very carefully to see what
the paint is designed to cope with. An epoxy is
the answer, but they tend to cost a lot more. I
am happy with what we have used so far.
worth over $1000 new - makes bloody good
garage storage shelving, I can tell you. Some
are 450mm deep, others are 390mm.
I have also been buying more plastic storage
containers. These vary, but places like
Warehouse, Mitre 10, Pay less Plastics and KMart have a good range - it is a case of finding
the most robust units at the cheapest price that
suit your need. Beats the hell out of ice cream
containers and soggy cardboard boxes. Aside
from 15, 30 and 60 litre bins that stack or nest,
my favourites are clear plastic partitioned trays
with hinged lids - K-Mart and Payless Plastics
stock them. They are made in Australia, and are
about A4 sized and 50 mm high. They come in
1, 12 and 18 compartments, and cost just under
10 dollars each, less in a sale. I have about 20
of them, full of all sorts of junk like electrical
terminals, small fasteners, etc.
I also made two engine trolleys. Basically I picked
up an ex-demo laminated bench top for 30 bucks
- it is about 60 mm thick and 600 wide. I cut it
Bottom line is that for a total cost of some $1200 into two slabs about 1200 long, and fitted
($400 ply, $400 electrical fittings, $200 paint, industrial castors underneath. One unit has 120
$100 cupboards, $100 miscellaneous wood and kg capacity castors, the other 40, so I can
fittings) I have now got a fully lined 6 x 4 theoretically put over 500 kg on one (I think the
workshop, fitted out with a huge workbench, bench top may break first). I got the castors in a
excellent cupboard space and a good amount of clearance at Building Depot (who also had the
lighting and power. I figured it was worth the time, bench top). Total cost for the two trolleys is about
effort and cost to do it once, and produce a work 100 bucks, and they are magic for doing engine
area I would be happy to spend lots of hours in swaps etc - you can drop the entire engine/
for years to come. If your garage is a bit basic, I gearbox/sub-frame/suspension onto the big
strongly recommend you chip away at fitting it trolley and roll it out the way.
out fully - you could do it for even less if you
I also bought a 250 kg capacity hand truck ($40
used more recycled materials and held out for
in a sale at Mitre 10) which is great for moving
clearance sales. I used ply because it is stronger
all sorts of heavy things like rear axles, engine
than Gib and you don't need to paint it for it to
blocks etc, and a 150 kg capacity folding trolley
look presentable. I also hate Gib stopping with a
(for about $50, also Mitre 10) which is ideal for
passion. It is almost as bad as digging holes.
moving a complete 4 cylinder engine. On a
For the first time ever I have now got my own cheaper note, I bought two low metal stools from
workshop, that I am very happy with and like the Warehouse for $8.95 each - ideal for
working in - I dunno about you, but I got tired of workshop use and more comfortable than an
working in damp garages with poor facilities upturned 10 litre paint bucket. The warehouse
also has very good wall brackets for hanging
when I was flatting or renting.
things off - galvanised under a yellow plastic
To finish my workshop set up I have also bought coating.
a small mountain of used 'Lundia' shelving from
the recyclers - I ended up with five racks of Although my total workshop has cost a
shelves which live in the garage, which cost 5 reasonable sum of money (say $2000 including
bucks an item - basically I bought a total of 30 all storage etc, but not counting my tools) it is so
shelves and uprights ($150), which would be much superior to anything I have had to work in
18
the past, and it has Joanne's seal of approval
for not looking like a bomb site. The beauty of it
is you can chip away a small bit at a time. I have
also found that some good storage units
condense the total space you need dramatically.
I made getting the workshop sorted a priority
before I really launched into car building, figuring
I may as well get the work space organised first.
One final coup was acquiring an old inflammable
goods store from work. Basically it is a 7 foot
square concrete cube with a steel door. I got it
for free (including delivery - it weighs 2 tonnes)
because it does not meet the new standard, and
it was going to cost too much to demolish it. It
had some wooden shelving and a particle board
floor, which was somewhat saturated in foul
smelling liquids. I left the door open for 3 days
but it was not drying up, so I removed the shelves
and ripped up the floor, to find a 70 mm void
underneath that contained about 15 litres of
spilled nasties. I scooped up the liquid and threw
in kitty litter to absorb the rest, plus ajumbo pack
of talcum powder to cure the pong (it mostly
worked). The old flooring was dripping rainbows
onto the ground, so I decided to burn it. Of course
it was raining (Auckland - what do you expect?)
but I managed to get it to light. In fact, even when
the rain got very heavy the flames still stayed at
about 3 metres long ... are green flames a bad
thing? I bought a bunch of galvanised shelving
from Mitre 10 (100 bucks for 4 racks of 5 shelves
in a sale) and the store now holds all the paint,
oil, thinners, fuel etc that would have otherwise
had to live in the barn. Makes us feel a lot more
comfortable knowing that lot is safely outside.
have bought them years ago if I had known how
good they were. I retract my previous comments
about crimping tools!
I have also discovered that owning a little bit of
land leads to friends wanting to leave things
parked on it. Sometime this can be an advantage,
other times less so. On the bonus side I presently
have both a tandem car trailer and a garden
trailer at my full time disposal (still working on
getting my own tow vehicle for the tandem
though). I recently replaced the engine in
Joanne's Mum's 1982 Hyundai Pony (overheated
big time) with an engine from another one
(bought whole car for $150). Deal was, if I fixed
the Hyundai I got their 1984 Townace van for
free (provided they can borrow it when they need
it) - OK, it needs rust repairs and a new exhaust,
but I can do all that. Now the workshop is
'finished' I will sort out the van in the next few
weeks. Add a tow bar and then I can tow the
tandem with it.
I also have my sister's dead Cressida keeping
the grass dry, while it slowly gets sold off as parts,
as is the donor Hyundai. Finally I bought a
crashed 1984 AE 85 1500 cc RWD Trueno a
week ago for $100 to supply a tow bar for the
Levin Hack (which presently has all the running
gear from the 4AGE AE86 Corolla rebuild project
in it) so I can tow the garden trailer. Oh yeah,
the wreck also had a full set of 30 mm lower
suspension, gas shocks (adjustable rears) and
some other goodies. They will disappear into the
Levin too, once I buy new front inserts as one
was damaged in the accident that wrote the
Trueno off.
Aside from moving into the barn in November,
posting off the Ship in March (I'm now in charge By the time you read this I aim to have dumped
of a desk) and doing a 2 week 'Reliability Centred all the excess vehicles if they have not sold,
Maintenance' course in Melbourne in May, I have reducing the stable to the Levin, Leitch, Townace
wired up a 20 valve in a Seven replica (which (fixed?) and Corolla GT rebuild project. I made a
was a challenge given the amount of wiring that start at Xmas on the Corolla and removed some
was missing) and re-wired a newly rebuilt circuit of the damaged panels, but there is a long way
1971 BDA RS 1600 Escort completely. These to go. Given that we are rural the Leitch is now
two jobs mark the slow beginning of my EFII dOing 550 km a week travelling to work and back,
Wiring sideline. I used the proceeds to buy some while the Levin is clocking up closer to 1000 km
tools etc; I now own two professional crimping a week. Both cars are running well, but oil
tools (Utilux brand) that have dramatically cut consumption is becoming a concern. It is
down the amount of soldering I do. At $40 each possible that the bores are glazed; I await the
they are not cheap (compared to the tools you results of a friend's car that had a similar problem
can buy for $3) but are well worth it - I would that has visited the injection cleaning man before
I do anything about it. May be time to do an
19
engine change ...
I have also been teaching an EFI night class at
Glenfield College for the past two semesters with
about 10 die-hards attending each one. It has
been going quite well, and I plan to keep on doing
them. I will also be running a one day course for
the Sports Car Club in the next month or two.
dumped by 30 June, buy a donor vehicle for the
Woodie before Xmas, and get the Corolla fixed
as well. Plus finish the barn! Oh yeah, and write
some more articles for Spare Parts. I have a
cruise control system I liberated from a Corona
some months back I plan to retrofit into the Levin
- not exactly a 5 minute job, but steadily climbing
the to do list. I will keep you posted.
My aim is to get all the present dead vehicles
MaliockU2Mode110or 12 chassis, frontsuspenslon,mostalloypanels, Herald uprights
and discs etc, complete with Fiat 2000cc twin cam (Lancia}+·2. x5speed gearboxes. Also
Fiat 2000 rear axle, spare· head an<j block,· rear suspension rods and .panhard rod (no
coilovers), 2 sets of wheels etc, orafternative[y1725 Sunbeam Rapier or 1725 bits offers
wanted.
..
5 Glloger Hotwir",. mags 15 x 8, 5 stud to suit RoverorH~aly stodpattern. Excellent
condition $500;00.
Almac Cars
I[LMR:tJ
ALMAC
CARS
P.O. Box 40483
Nicolaus Street
UPPER HUTT
Tel/Fax: 04 528 8680
Contact: Alex McDonald for Brochure
20
Club··.Captain's Cofumn for June 2.001
Past Events:
Saturday 19 May, Indoor Kart night at
Kaiwharawhara.
should have been there.
Queens Birthday Weekend, Sunday 3 June,
Masterton, Solway Park Motor Show.
What can I say-out of the 14 drivers there, 5 were
from the CCC. If it hadn't been for the "ring-in's" Once again we were advised too late but Patrick
that I was lucky enough to be able to get there, sent an email to locals asking for interest to help
the night would have been a complete disaster. with a car display.
As it turns out those that were there had a great
time. In future if you put your hand up and say Future Events:
you will be coming please let me know if you Saturday 23 June, Manor Inn
change your mind later. Obviously kart nights are
not what you as members want. In future I will (top of Ngauranga Gorge at Newlands exit) I
consider arranging such nights but only if hope we will see a good turn-out to our Mid
members sign an entry form with a phone Winter Meal since it has proven a popular event
number so I can have a 'real' idea of proposed in the past. Grant will put his organising skills to
numbers. There are no results as we were there good use here.
to have fun - we were all winners.
Saturday/Sunday 18/19 August.
Sunday 18 March, Grass Motorkhana,
The Wellington Wheels Expo, WestpacTrust
Trentham.
Stadium. Back again this year and aiming to be
On page 22 are the results finally for this event. bigger and better. We will putting on a display
My apologies for the lateness of these but they from our club. More details about this event
just got overlooked-other things seemed more closer to the date.
important to me at the time I should have been
Saturday or Sunday sometime in October?
collating the results - as it happens - live with it.
And to the person who grizzled to another club We have been approached by one of our past
member about this-next time you have a gripe members who is now in the T-Car Club up in the
try talking to me first, I'm doing two jobs in this Manawatu area to see if we might be interested
club at present and Patrick had been made in having a combined run with them about
aware of who had "won" this event for Costin October. We will progress this idea.
Cup purposes. I doubt the fact that if the results
had never been published would have stopped We don't have any sporting events coming up in
the very near future but if I can find a suitable
anyone turning up to the next event.
venue I might be persuaded to run a hard-seal
Right enough "bitchin" on with the positive.
motorkhana. Another garage tour might be on
the cards also-any interest, say in a couple of
months time?
Other past happenings:
Queens Birthday Weekend, Sunday 3 June,
In the meantime keep working on those projects,
Otorohanga. Bruce McLaren Icon Unveiling. this
mine is still gathering dust, but one day.
event was advised to us too late to be included
in the last magazine but those of you with email
should have received details that I forwarded to Cheers,
Patrick for distribution. Representatives from the The Ankle Biter
McLaren trust and their M6GTR road car replica
21
1
tv
tv
Constructors Car Club - Motorkhana Sunday 18 March, 2001 Result Score Sheet
Car
Driver
IMike Boven
2 Tony Martin
3 Terry Buffery
4 Kali Barton
5 Justin Wright
6 Greg Clout
7 Brian Worboys
8 Ron Stroud
9 Matthew Cooley
10 Darryl Cooley
II Jon Loar
12 Sandy Bell
13 John Bell
14 John Thomson
15 Tim Taylor
16 Roy Hoare
17 Dave Frow
18 Anthony Moult
19 Tim Hutchinson
20 Brian Hanaray
21 Phil Derby
22 Mathew Porrit
23 Grant Major
24 William Broadmore
25 Dave Clout
26 Patrick Harlow
27 Alan Price
~
AlmacTC
MGBGT
Fraser 7
Mini
Mini
Cooper S
Road Rat
Porsche Spyder
Toyota4WD
Corolla
Midtec Spyder
Tri Via
TriVia
TomCat
Cooper S
Heron
Porsche 928
Gulf?
Skyline
Honda
RX7 Turbo
Chev Impala
Cadillac
Chev Impala
Leitch 7
Sabre
Mazda 626
Event 1
Event 2
Event 3
Run 2
33.31
32.69
34.13
31.70
26.38
28.97
28.19
33.25
34.37
30.19
33.72
33.66
36.34
28.18
39.47
35.19
29.53
33.25
37.12
36.22
63.00
Run I
44.25
41.50
40.14
42.15
39.10
41.10
56.60
46.38
43.59
41.41
43.53
43.06
51.05
Run 2
44.37
Run I
36.09
Run 2
35.03
Run I
42.88
-
-
-
-
40.25
41.03
40.47
40.72
39.44
42.00
38.22
40.22
43.97
41.68
32.53
36.93
31.13
36.75
32.28
32.00
35.50
36.28
30.57
37.75
48.31
42.75
39.78
37.68
Run 2
43.81
42.91
42.12
37.44
37.78
-
-
-
-
-
42.44
55.06
39.12
-
36.00
39.12
34.79
-
45.00
40.44
42.32
41.22
41.32
40.19
39.28
61.22
-
-
-
42.88
41.88
42.69
46.19
52.97
-
151.03
151.41
154.73
-
42.44
42.31
43.47
73.97
55.40
36.66
52.41
45.87
53.72
47.91
44.78
33.12
35.59
46.75
35.06
35.84
40.72
44.25
36.07
-
-
45.62
44.79
40.13
39.97
40.31
56.37
170.41
152.18
145.22
154.13
160.96
159.90
-
-
-
50.19
-
41.62
35.22
36.59
-
-
39.25
43.41
34.69
35.57
-
-
47.54
-
47.69
41.81
44.87
42.59
44.69
50.53
51.22
42.91
44.22
54.84
39.44
42.16
40.12
39.88
44.10
39.53
41.97
-
33.56
-
-
-
-
41.00
49.34
-
42.63
45.07
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45.82
43.07
43.81
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Results
Event 4
Run I
34.22
32.87
33.16
31.50
28.44
29.59
30.75
32.12
36.03
32.40
34.22
34.34
41.78
36.12
34.22
35.88
44.16
29.37
34.28
38.66
34.28
50.00
48.51
55.03
33.90
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I
II
I
I
NUTS AND BOLTS
•
•
The Environment Court heard appeals on the SH1 upgrade through Mana in August 2000.
Nine months later and there has still been no decision issued. Meanwhile the congestion is
worsening, queues are lengthening and delays are rapidly increasing. I for one have given up
trying to leave Wellington to go north on a Friday evening.
Gr,ant Major
Present
R Hoare, J Bell, B Eyre, B Worboys,
D Clout, A Price, T Hutchinson, J Mander, G
Major, P Derby
If you can't think what colour to paint you latest project car, what about McLaren Orange. You
could paint it "All Black", but surely McLaren Orange would have to be regarded as NZ's
national racing colour. And what a show stopper it would be.
A Moult, R O'Brien, M Boven, J Cumings
•
I see they are now sponsoring group racing for :"motorbike engined cars. John Bells Trivia,
and Dave Frow's Lotus 23 can now be in a class of their own.
This technical committee meeting was the first
of the re-elected committee, forthe '01-'02 year.
•
A certain contributor admits that his wife seems to "lack a certain appreciation of mechanical
things especially in the bedroom", but then he's "off to the bedroom to keep up the motivation
- brmm brmm". The mind boggles.
Previous minutes - were taken as read
•
Club member hits headlines, John Hill braves Afghanistan's ruling Teleban, and features full
mug shot in Dominion but where is the hat John?
Rugby Jerseys
Polo Shirts
Caps
Numberplatresurrounds
Metal Grill' Badges
Clug. Logo, Stickers
Magazine folders
Pr'ofilebooks
Orders are being taken fortheRugbyjersys, polo shirts and caps;
A deposit is required fora finn order.
24
Technical Committee Meeting Minutes .... 27 MCirch '01
Apologies
General business
Issues surrounding the build manual were
discussed. The re-write of the NZHRA manual
(with our participation through submissions) was
noted at the recent LVVTA Meeting, and we might
hope to take advantage of this, if it suits the
purposes of our club (and our vehicles).
Separately the technical committee has already
had a task in hand to update our own build
manual. T Hutchinson has volunteered his
continued efforts, along with D Clout and A Price,
to make these changes.
technical committee members to offer their
experiencewiththescrutineeringprocessaspart
of their 'training' towards LVV Certifier
qualification.
It was also noted the proposed system, with recategorisation of existing certifiers would benefit
us in that our certifiers would be likely to receive
wider powers (to certify more and different types
of modifications).
Review of recent scrutineering - the meeting
discussed recent scrutineering checks
completed, and any issues arising from them.
Some of the discussion focused on the use of
braising (bronze welding) in the place of other
methods. While this method is known to be
satisfactory in many applications, its' use on key
structural or suspension items was discouraged.
The meeting considered the upcoming
scrutineering tasks, of which there are several,
and assigned responsibility for these checks to
the various committee members.
he meeting concluded around 10: 1Opm.
In discussion of the philosophy of build manuals
and regulations controlling the design and
construction of vehicles there is a perceived need
to not unnecessarily limit the builders choices.
It was proposed that a useful guideline for
acceptable construction be either 1) that the
construction (of a part or system) is to an
accepted and common practice, or 2) that the
system draws on parts from an equivalent (donor
vehicle) application, or 3) that a one-off system
meets with the approval of the technical
committee.
The NZHRA draft Chassis Section was tabled
and reviewed. Comments were noted and are
to be submitted back to NZHRA by G Major.
The recently released proposal by LVVTA for
structuring the qualification of LW Certifiers was
discussed. It was noted that we would benefit
from a system that recognizes involvement in
the certification process. This would allow our
Interesting Road Sign
25
Driving/fog lights $ 51-ea
Stop/tail lights $ 28-ea
Rear indicator lights $ 24-ea
Front indicator lights $ 27-ea
I am trying to find anything out
about this kit as it looks like it could
be a lot of fun. My key questions
are does anybody know of
anybody making one in New
Zealand or somebody that has
imported a kit from Classic Revival
in Australia. The kit appears to be
quite straightforward. In case
others are interested I have
included details below. If anybody
who has further information can
get in touch with either via e-mail:
[email protected] or ph
04 565-0993.
"The Classic 250 GTO is inspired by
thefamous Ferrari250GTOof196264 that won three World GT
Championships. It still currently
holds the title of the "worlds most
expensive vehicle". Only 36 of these
classics were produced for racing
and today all of these vehicles still
exist in private collections and
museums around the world.
Many different engine/transmission
combinations are available, as are
differential, brake and suspension
modifications. P. o.A.
Classic Revival
Factory address: 2/10 Kookaburra Rd.,
Hornsby Heights. NSW. 2077
Telephone: 02 9477 2390 or 0414 534
586
http://www.classicrevival.com.au/classicrevivaI/250GTO.htm
From the rear this car looks very authentic.
The original did not have a hatchback rear
This car looks as awesome as the original which is probably as close as anybody in New
Zealand will ever get to one. An original once sold for over a million pounds
The body looks straightforward and is attached to the
outside of a Datsun 240Z or 260Z once its ownfenders
and door skin has been taken off.
We can build one of these fabulous
vehicles for you, or alternatively you
can purchase a DIYpackage. This package is a body
conversion for the Nissan 2401260Z vehicle. This
conversion process can be achieved by the average
handy enthusiast. You can have this package factory
assembled to your own existing vehicle ifyou wish.
(This is a 60 hour procedure)"
PRICES
Body package.
Complete package consists of:
~ront nose clip
Rear tail clip
26
i
The donor car can be any 240Z, 260Z,
280Z but not the 2+2 variety.
Door skins
Bonnet
Sill skins
Front inner guards
Inner quarter window panels
Instructions and epoxy adhesive
$5,990-(Australian)
Optional extras
Head light covers & surrounds $
Bonnet scoops $
Wire wheels $POA
3.5" Monza fuel cap & flange $ 396-
New 3 x 1 3/4!'SlJCarbs, vw eVA speed gearbox.
Offers to Glen Collins (04) 5648023.
Rusty 1980Es~QrfRS2000 Aust.,4 door,rego on hold.
Offers to MikeWhitehouse(04)972 3333
.
*************
Toyota4AGE 2Qvalve fronr'93 Truell()complet~with:loomand computer (160 IIp
at about 8000 rpm in standard form}andmatchingRWD T50fiveispeed gearbox
withbellhousing. Offers around $1200.00.
Contact Peter CottiflE. e-mail:[email protected],llZ
27
Last Month's
Quiz Car
Answer: Wartburg 312 Sports Coupe
John Hill gave us a great answer and some.
See article below
The Wartburg Story
WWII came and went and apparently the owners
of BMW found themselves in Western Germany
while their factory stayed behind in Eisenach,
Eastern Germany. The factory produced post
war 'BMWs' until the objections got too loud and
the name was changed to 'EMW', 'E' for
Eisenach'. This is an EMW in the town's
museum, it was a variation of the 328 with an
inline 6, 4 stroke.
Last month's mystery car came from a factory
with an interesting history. In fact, Wartburgs
have a proud heritage dating back to about 1898.
The company was bought by BMW in 1928 who
built the 'Dixi' which was a licensed copy of the
Austin 7. This was in fact BMW's main pre-war
car plant. Among their output was this BMW
328, (c 1936) surely a worthy project for a
'replicar' builder?
The range included sedan, two door
coupe, camper (i.e. station wagon),
a cabrio, a panel van and even a
pickup. Each body style came in one
or more levels of luxury.
And apparently the range also
included a 'drophead ute'! Although
I am not sure the matching 'woodie'
trailer was a factory option!
This model range was the Wartburg
311. Specification, 900 cc 2 stroke.
37 BHP at 4000rpm, top speed
about 115kph (maybe less with the
trailer!). The sedan weighed 960kg. Here is a
picture of the power pack.(fig 1.)
Close on the heels of the 311 came the subject of
our mystery car competition, the Wartburg 312
sportcoupe. Generally the same car as the 311
but with significant differences.
Prior to WWII DKW had developed a 900cc 2
stroke power plant with integral transmission.
This was a north-south layout with attached
gearbox and final drive for the front wheels.
Unlike the early Citreons the DKW unit placed
the engine in front of the axle with differential
under the clutch housing.
1955 saw EMW release a very extensive range
of new vehicles all based on the DKW 2 stroke
unit.These were the first to carry the 'Wartburg'
name and all had the same power pack and
fully independent suspension.
Fig 1
Triple carbs and other engine changes gave
50hp and the car could be had in either white
or red. About 470 were built and some were
exported to the west. I don't believe any came
to NZ although a few went to South Africa
and a number to the USA.
The cars of the 50's and early 60's were from
an era when the East German auto industry
was not significantly disadvantaged with
respect to their western European
counterparts and I think it is quite a shame
that very few if any these cars made it to this
side of the world.
Wartburg 312 Sports Coupe
Things started to go down hill in about 1964
when a new range of cars, including station
wagon, were released but still retained the
outdated two stroke power pack.
With a
few model changes and a final, last dying
attempt at supplying with VW Golf engines,
the operation appears to have ceased about
1991.
I have never seen a 311 or 312 but the later
Wartburgs are very common on east
european streets and will probably remain for
some time. They are surprisingly perky
performers (within their limits).
28
29
I
iii
•
WAos WAo - 1~1t1l 2001
Partner
Ph Home
Name
A Michael AndersonChantel Jones (09) 416-0313
(04) 904-2261
B Kevin Baird
Wendy
566-8994
B Simon Bartlett
Michelle
566-6209
B David Beazer
(07) 552 5281
Edith
B Geoffrey Bell
567-1686
Nancy
B John Bell *#
(04) 902-4746
Heather
B Mike Boven #
(09) 436-3067
Myra
B Roy Bowers
Joanne Ross (09) 420-4976
B Phil Bradshaw
233-9927
Sandra
B Dave Bray*
(04) 904-3383
Stephanie
B Ross Bridson
(07) 576-0559
Val
B Chris Bromley
Carol Schachte (09) 412-7288
B Pete Bronlund
471-1535
B Terry Buffery
(03) 578-3147
Barbara
B Murray Bugler
Sharon Crespin
B Craig Burleigh
499-3764
C Tony Calvert
(06) 356-5014
C Noel Cheetham Carol
Ann
232-7607
C Alan Chorlton
477-4356
C Dave Clout*#
564-8023
Therese
C Glen Collins
C Peter Conroy
564-6627
Lynette
C Darryl Cooley
526-7976
C Matthew Cooley
(06) 870-6902
Deirdre
C Peter Cottier
476-2822
C John Cumming # Derryn
564-1525
D Barry Dawe
021663-114
D Chris Densem
586-3827
Julia
D Nick Dunne
563-8008
F Don Flowers
(03) 384-2859
F Russell France Gwytha
(09) 833-8439
Barbara
F Evan Fray
(04) 902-3862
Dave
F Carole Frost
Toni Patchett 586-5050
F Dave Frow *
Anne
239-9369
G Ken Grace
970-6462
Margaret
H Jack Hadley
938-4924
H Colin Hainsworth Mamie
971-6368
H Brian Hanaray *
382-4630
H David Hanson
565-0993
R Patrick Harlow * Heather
570-1257
Joy
H Guy Harper
30
Vivienne
383-6377
H John Hill
(03) 577-5448
Jo
H Steve Hill
564-5978
Eleanor
H Roy Hoare#
389-6121
Barbara
H Alan Hoverd
Car Name
,
479-2140
Jane
H Ian Howie
Anderson Special
Ann
(07) 883-5705
I
J Brian Jenkins
George Henry
Sonya Ryan (04) 298-7422
J Terry Johnson
Ford Escort Special
(03) 313-8128
K Martin Kavanagh Patricia
Chevron
972 1157
Meredith
K Richard Kelly
Mcrae 550 Spyder
568-8397
K Michael Kerr
TRI-VIA
(09) 266-4289
Brian
King
Chris
K
AlmacTC
L Stephen Lawson Lynda Manning (07) 577-9104
934-2267
Megan
L Jon Loar *
Leitch Super Sprint
388-6971
Ron
Lowe
Kate
L
356 and XK120 Replica
(04) 298-8267
M George MacDonald
Morgan Plus 8 Replica
234-1190
M Paul MacKay
Lotus 7 Replica
563-7222
Marie
M Ian Macrae
Almac Sabre
Grant
Major*#
Robyn
565-3459
M
Fraser Clubman
973-9951
John
Mander#
Vicki
M
Locost
477-6222
Tess
M Tony Martin
802-1400
NA
M Harold McCarthy Karen
Brabham BT6
970-8225
Alex
McDonald
Diana
M
Swallow
(07) 843-7512
M Geoff McMillan Jill
Almac TG Roadster
(09) 235-0500
N Robert Needham Elaine
Leitch Sprintl'34 Ford
234-7153
Janet
N David Nixon
Jeep
569-7972
N Brian Nobbs
Noble
Russ
N
Chevron
528-8144
a Roger O'Brien # Heather
Saker SV-1
(06) 377-3353
Bernice
Frank
Parker
P
Leitch Super Sprint
Rhonda
475-7589
Julian
Parsons
P
Fraser 7
+61402471147
Sandi
P David Pattie
Saker SV1
P Ken Pecon
(03) 472-7720
P Peter Petchey
Locost
(03) 327-9362
Carol
P Kit Peverill
475-9820
P Matthew Porritt
Mercedes 500K Replica
389-3941
Joan
P Roger Price
Chevron
577-3013
Sonya
P Ian Price *
389-4910
Shirley
R
Lester
Reader
Lotus 23 Replica
R Ron Robertson Naomi Bray 564-8389
Lotus Elan + 2
(06) 356-3076
R Grant Robinson Chris
Special
Brian
Robinson*
Janet
233-1445
R
Fiat 127 GT
970-8237
R Kenneth Rogers Margaret
R
(06) 357-5640
Barry
Rosser
Sue
Lotus 7 Replica
R Dennis Rowe
801-5890
Jennie
Almac Sabre
R David Rowe
477-6007
* denotes Committee member # denotes Technical Committee member
Ph Work
(09) 479-8200
(04) 297-2222
939-2222
(07) 552 5281
567-1686
498-4639
(09) 445-5029
(07) 578-0477
(09) 377-0006
916-3380
(04) 902-8557
473-0743
(06) 326-8043
567-9991
924-9033
(025) 572-351
564-3441
025-922820
(06) 831-0751
495-8990
920-2418
568-3570
939-6196
(09) 833-4640
(04) 298-4729
025-430-765
025-305122
384-0121
302-4630
567-8721
566-3396
939-3263
568-6213
463-5579
472-6881
(07) 883-5705
237-1082
(03) 374-7128
8028797
471-7104
(09) 266-4289
(07) 533-2358
470-8216
388-0427
(025) 261-0761
570-1923
563-7222
477-0000
570-5426
(06) 376-5632
528-8680
(025) 738-437
(09) 235-0500
232-8080
566-4515
(03) 384-9023
528-8144
(06) 377-1217
472-4587
+61262171842
384-4230
025397-368
(03) 388-1765
0800739-331
389-3941
025458-007
389-4910
025-439969
(06) 355-2754
528-5873
025418081
801-5890
474-7262
JC Midge
Heron/Urba Car
Morris Minor Traveller
Porsche RSK Replica
Almac Sabre
'T' Car
Fisher Fury
Lotus 7 Replica
SB Veloce
Alfriston Jaguar SPL
Eclipse Mk2
Midtec Spyder
Almac Sabre
Pontiac Firebird
Fraser
Widget&Fidget
??
Napier Ruxton GT
Lotus 7 Replica
JBA Falcon
Almac Sabre
JBA Falcon
Subaru Single Seater
Mini Moke
Macrae Special
Triumph TR7
AlmacTG
Fraser 7
Fraser 7
Triumph Special
Lotus 7 Replica
Lotus 7 replica
Beattie Clubman
Daimler SP250
Almac Super Sabre
Lotus 7 Replica
AlmacTG
SS100
Swallow
31
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
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T
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W
W
W
W
W
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W
W
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Nick Sparrow
(07) 884-5796
Mark Spooner
Karen
970-9763
Alan Stott *
Pamela
479-3038
Carole
Steve Strain *
Adele
479-6370
Ron Stroud *
(07) 884-8642
Craig Summers Carina Tye
564-5373
Ron Sutherland Francie
564-8793
Lance Thomson
232-7944
Neil Tunnicliffe
Donna
Jane
(06) 329-2923
Bruce Turnbull
970-6110
George Ulyate
Debbie Brock (06) 356-8089
Malcolm Webb
Marie
(07) 839-2325
Bruce Weeks
(04) 297-1062
Rob West
June
Michael Whitehouse
233-9286
Brendon Wilson Adele
Beverly
(06) 362-6390
Jon Woolf
476-3799
Brian Worboys # Sireena
Susan
(06) 329-0907
Andrew Worth
384-3950
Ann
David Wright
025-2704471
Bernard Wright Betty
234-8080
Vicki
Colin Young
914-5454
Karmann Ghia(VW)
EVO 2000
Cockram SS 1OO/Scimitar
479-3039
Lancia Stratos Replica
473-7551
McRae 550 Spyder
(07) 887-71207
Purvis Eureka/Scopion
0212154636
Cougar
528-7041\
McLaren M6GTR Replica
232-7994
(06) 329-2923
Saker SV-1
Monoposto
(06) 356-8968
(07) 839-2325
Sylva Striker
(04) 297-1062
McLaren M6GTR Replica
972-3333
025400-436
Sylva Striker Mk 4
025 260-6530
Leitch
471-7191
Road Rat II
(06) 357-5863
Lynx
025517232
Maserati Reproduction
939-9356
Jaguar Mk2
237-1101
Chevron
!
Spark plugs are one of the most misunderstood
components of an engine. Numerous questions
have surfaced over the years, leaving many
people confused.
This guide was designed to assist the technician,
hobbyist, or race mechanic in understanding,
using, and troubleshooting spark plugs. The
information contained in this guide applies to all
types of internal combustion engines: two stroke
engines, rotary engines, high performance/racing
engines and street vehicles.
The rate of heat transfer is determined by:
•
The insulator nose length
•
Gas volume around the insulator nose
•
The materials/construction of the centre
electrode and porcelain insulator
A spark plug's heat range has no relationship to
the actual voltage transferred though the spark
plug. Rather, the heat range is a measure of the
spark plug's ability to remove heat from the
Spark plugs are the "window" into your engine combustion chamber. The heat range
(your only eyewitness to the combustion measurement is determined by several factors;
chamber), and can be used as a valuable the length of the ceramic centre insulator nose
diagnostic tool. Like a patient's thermometer, the and its' ability to absorb and transfer combustion
spark plug displays symptoms and conditions of heat, the material composition of the insulator
the engine's performance. The experienced tuner and centre electrode material.
can analyse these symptoms to track down the
root cause of many problems, or to determine Heat rating and heat flow path of NGK Spark
Plugs
air/fuel ratios.
The insulator nose length is the distance from
the firing tip of the insulator to the point where
The spark plug has two primary functions:
insulator meets the metal shell. Since the
insulator tip is the hottest part of the spark plug,
• To ignite the air/fuel mixture
the tip temperature is a primary factor in preignition and fouling. Whether the spark plugs are
• To remove heat from the combustion chamber
fitted in a lawn mower, boat, or a race car, the
Spark plugs transmit electrical energy that turns spark plug tip temperature must remain between
fuel into working energy. A sufficient amount of 500C-850°C. If the tip temperature is lower than
voltage must be supplied by the ignition system 500°C, the insulator area surrounding the centre
to cause it to spark across the spark plug's gap. electrode will not be hot enough to burn off
carbon and combustion chamber deposits.
This is called "Electrical Performance."
These accumulated deposits can result in spark
The temperature of the spark plug's firing end plug fouling leading to misfire. If the tip
must be kept low enough to prevent pre-ignition, temperature is higher than 850°C the spark plug
but high enough to prevent fouling. This is called will overheat which may cause the ceramic
"Thermal Performance", and is determined by around the centre electrode to blister and the
the heat range selected.
electrodes to melt. This may lead to pre-ignition/
It is important to remember that spark plugs do detonation and expensive engine damage. In
not create heat, they can only remove heat. identical spark plug types, the difference from
The spark plug works as a heat exchanger by one heat range to the next is the ability to remove
pulling unwanted thermal energy away from the approximately 70°C to 100 e from the
combustion chamber, and transferring the heat combustion chamber. A projected style spark
to the engine's cooling system. The heat range plug firing tip temperature is increased by 10°C
to 20°C.
is defined as a plug's ability to dissipate heat.
SPARK PLUG BASICS:
Valley Platers Lift'lited
162 Gracefleld Road, Lower Hutt
Phone 04 568 5924
Chrome, Nickel & Zinc
Plating. Metal Polishing
Steve Roberts
04569-2222
32
Bruce Wright
04564-5070
0
33
Tip Temperature and Firing End Appearance
The firing end appearance also depends on the
spark plug tip temperature. There are three basic
diagnostic criteria for spark plugs: good, fouled
and overheated. The borderline between the
fouling and optimum operating regions
(500&def;C) is called the spark plug self-cleaning
temperature. The temperature at this point is
where the accumulated carbon and combustion
deposits are burned off.
Bearing in mind that the insulator nose length is
a determining factor in the heat range of a spark
plug, the longer the insulator nose, the less heat
•
•
Below is a list of some of the possible external
influences on a spark plug's operating
temperatures. The following symptoms or
conditions may have an effect on the actual
temperature of the spark plug. The spark plug
cannot create these conditions, but it must be
able to cope with the levels of heat...if not, the
performance will suffer and engine damage can
occur.
Air/Fuel Mixtures seriously affect engine
performance and spark plug operating
temperatures.
•
34
Rich air/fuel mixtures cause tip temperature to
drop, causing fouling and poor driveability
It is important to read spark plugs many times
during the tuning process to achieve the
optimum air/ fuel mixture
decreases, as does intake volume, and fuel
delivery should be decreased
Humidity
As humidity increases, air intake volume
decreases
•
Higher Compression Ratios/Forced Induction
will elevate spark plug tip and in-cylinder
temperatures
•
is absorbed, and the further the heat must travel
into the cylinder head water journals. This means
the plug has a higher internal temperature, and
is said to be a hot plug. A hot spark plug
maintains a higher internal operating temperature
to burn off oil and carbon deposits, and has no
relationship to spark quality or intensity.
Conversely, a cold spark plug has a shorter
insulator nose and absorbs more combustion
chamber heat. This heat travels a shorter
distance, and allows the plug to operate at a
lower internal temperature. A colder heat range
is necessary when the engine is modified for
performance, subjected to heavy loads, or is run
at high rpms for a significant period oftime. The
colder type removes heat more quickly, and will
reduce the chance of pre-ignition/detonation and
melting or damage to the firing end. (Engine
temperature can affect the spark plug's operating
temperature, but not the spark plugs heat range).
Lean air/fuel mixtures cause plug tip and
cylinder temperature to increase, resulting in
pre-ignition, detonation, and possibly serious
spark plug and engine damage
Compression can be increased by performing
anyone of the following modifications:
a
•
reducing combustion chamber volume (i.e.:
domed pistons, smaller chamber heads,
mill ing heads, etc.)
b
adding forced induction (Nitrous,
Turbocharging or Supercharging)
c
camshaft change
As compression increases, a colder heat range
plug, higher fuel octane, and careful attention
to ignition timing and air/fuel ratios are
necessary. Failure to select a colder spark plug
can lead to spark plug/engine damage
Advancing Ignition Timing
•
Advancing ignition timing by 10° causes tip
temperature to increase by approx. 70°-100°C
Engine Speed and Load
Increases in firing-end temperature are
proportional to engine speed and load. When
travelling at a consistent high rate of speed, or
carrying/pushing very heavy loads, a colder heat
range spark plug should be installed
Ambient Air Temperature
•
•
•
As air temperature falls, air density/air volume
becomes greater, resulting in leaner air/fuel
mixtures.
This creates higher cylinder pressures/
temperatures and causes an increase in the
spark plug's tip temperature. So, fuel delivery
should be increased.
As temperature increases, air density
•
Result is lower combustion pressures and
temperatures, causing a decrease in the spark
plug's temperature and a reduction in available
power.
Air/fuel mixture should be leaner, depending
upon ambient temperature.
Detonation
•
The spark plug's worst enemy! (Besides fouling)
•
Can break insulators or break off ground
electrodes
•
Pre-ignition most often leads to detonation
•
Plug tip temperatures can spike to over 3000°F
during the combustion process (in a racing
engine)
•
Barometric Pressure/Altitude
•
Also affects the spark plug's tip temperature
•
The higher the altitude, the lower cylinder
pressure becomes. As the cylinder temperature
de-creases, so does the plug tip temperature
•
Many mechanics attempt to "chase" tuning by
changing spark plug heat ranges
•
The real answer is to adjust jetting or air/fuel
mixtures in an effort to put more air back into
the engine
•
•
Types of Abnormal Combustion
Pre-ignition
•
•
Most frequently caused by hot spots in the
combustion chamber. Hot spots will allow the
air/fuel mixture to pre-ignite. As the piston is
being forced upward by mechanical action of
the connecting rod, the pre-ignited explosion
will try to force the piston downward. If the piston
can't go up (because of the force of the
premature explosion) and it can't go down
(because of the upward motion of the
connecting rod), the piston will rattle from side
to side. The resulting shock wave causes an
audible pinging sound. This is detonation.
Most of the damage than an engine sustains
when "detonating" is from excessive heat
The spark plug is damaged by both the elevated
temperatures and the accompanying shock
wave, or concussion
Misfires
Defined as: ignition of the air/fuel mixture before
the pre-set ignition timing mark
•
Caused by hot spots in the combustion
chamber... can be caused (or amplified) by over
advanced timing, too hot a spark plug, low
octane fuel, lean air/fuel mixture, too high
compression, or insufficient engine cooling
A spark plug is said to have misfired when
enough voltage has not been delivered to light
off all fuel present in the combustion chamber
at the proper moment of the power stroke (a
few degrees before top dead centre)
•
A spark plug can deliver a weak spark (or no
spark at all) for a variety of reasons ... defective
coil, too much compression with incorrect plug
gap, dry fouled or wet fouled spark plugs,
insufficient ignition timing, etc.
•
Slight misfires can cause a loss of performance
for obvious reasons (if fuel is not lit, no energy
is being created)
•
Severe misfires will cause poor fuel economy,
poor driveability, and can lead to engine
damage
•
A change to a higher octane fuel, a colder plug,
richer fuel mixture, or lower compression may
be in order
•
You may also need to retard ignition timing, and
check vehicle's cooling system
•
Pre-ignition usually leads to detonation; preignition an detonation are two separate events
35
Fouling
•
•
Will occur when spark plug tip temperature is
insufficient to burn off carbon, fuel, oil or other
deposits
Will cause spark to leach to metal shell. .. no
spark across plug gap will cause a misfire
•
Wet-fouled
spark
plugs
must
changed ... spark plugs will not fire
be
•
Dry-fouled spark plugs can sometimes be
cleaned by bringing engine up to operating
temperature
•
Before changing fouled spark plugs, be sure to
eliminate root cause of fouling
MACLENNAN AUTOMOTIVE & PERFORMANCE
CENTRE LIMITED
Telephone (041) 801 5140
Fax (04) 801 6665
30B Willis Street, Wellington PO
Box 13368, Johnsonville
WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR PROJECT
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hard" originaltyres; original brakes, original fuel and oil, only 1 drivE!r,owner wishing to sell
due to employment lay~off."
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Shock Absorber & Spring Specialists,
Race Seats, Suits & Harnesses
•
Momo Steering Wheels & Accessories
•
Big Bore Exhaust Systems
•
Electric Fans & Gauges
CLASSIC CLASSIC & PERFORMANCE ALLOY WHEELS
•
Road & Race Tyres
•
RA 1 Toyo Race
•
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•
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YOKOHAMA - FALKEN - TOYO - BRIDGESTONE - UNIROYAL
36
37
The AIfa Romeo - horned last!
Mid YearDinner,Saturday23rd June
Carole Strain
(Alfa enthu$iast BRMM, BRRM¥M)
at the
Manor Inn,Newla,nds
After years of looking, Steve has finally found a
new engine for his Stratos.
We were supposed to be to taking the children to a
park. Ross pulls up in front so we can connect the
(first driveway onihe left on Newlands Road,· after taking the Newlanas turnoff from
Ngauranga Gorge
Someone had seen his add in the Trade &
Exchange and was selling their 3.01 Alfa Romeo
164. There was only on problem the car was in
Christchurch.
jumper leads.
Question.
Alfa?
Buffet style, wlthstarters,mains and dessert, at $:29 per head
- ample parking . -pleasant atrnospherehighly recommended from previous experience
To ensure adequate seating a show of hands will be taken~Uhe.)uneclubmeeting,and
late additions (those not counted at the.)une meeting) shoul<:1contactGrant Malorto reserve
their place at thelable.Grant is best contacted by . phoneon477 ,0000 during business
hours, or by [email protected]
.
.
...
, . .
to
..
This.willb~arelaxedandsoclalevening,achance
mingle and chat with other club
members. and their partners~·· We look forward to the pleasure of your company.
As this was only the second Alfa he had come
across at the right price (and he regretted not
buying the first) he bought it unseen. Now all he
had to do was get it back to Wellington.
With the long weekend coming up I thought it would
be a good opportunity to visit family and friends
and pick up Steve's new pride and joy. Steve was
off to Sydney and could fly back to Christchurch.
The children and I traveled South by boat and train
and were looking forward to using the newcarwhile
we were away.
The car had been sitting in Steve's sisters garage
for three weeks so on Saturday afternoon we
decided to go for a test drive.
I wouldn't say the car started with a rip and a roar,
rather more like a tractor. Half a km down the road
while pulling out into a major intersection the car
stalled and stalled again and finally stopped. I
wondered if I had flooded it and flattened the
battery.
4 Wheel filignment
Steering & Suspension Specialist
Shock fibsorber Testing Sales find Service
Brakes & Exhaust Servicing
'tace tar Suspension
Design & Fabrication
62 Victoria Street
Lower HuH
Ph: 04 587 0015
After some searching around the steering wheel and
along the dash (there are a lot of buttons and lights
in this car, a bit like a plane) we finally find a lever on
the front passenger side in a very obscure place!
We hear the release click but still can't open the
bonnet, there is another knob to pull outside and it
doesn't work very well.
The jumper leads are now ready to connect, the
bonnet is open but where is the battery? The three
of us look very confused and the six children are not
impressed.
Lesson 3.
The battery of an Alfa 164 is found
in the boot under the carpet!
With the jumper leads connected we tried starting
the car. Nope this car was not going to start and for
those of you who know Crash Bandicoot GTR like I
do (Playstation) it was a little like one of those cars
with loud explosions and black smoke coming out
the back.
"Oh dear have I blown Steves new car up?"
You can't flood a fuel injected
Lesson 4.
Time to call theAAand hopefully find
someone that knows a little about Italian cars.
The driver of the BMW behind me, and his wife
managed to push the car back off the road.
The AA man arrived promptly (which was a surprise)
and I was in luck this guy had worked for Fiat, (same
country, different class of car).
Lesson 1.
engine.
Lesson 2.
Big Italian cars are not light.
Aquick call to Steve in Sydney "your new car won't
go, what does this sound like?" holding my cell
phone next to the engine.
Steve, "The starter solenoid is clicking, the battery
is too flat"
Another call to Steve's brother in-law Ross, "please
bring some jumper leads".
By this time my friend Glynne has pulled up behind.
38
How do you open the bonnet of an
Mr AA confirmed it wasn't just a flat battery and
phoned his base to say he was going to be a while.
By now my son Chris's friend Ben had arrived with a
large entourage of children on scooters, to view the
new car that wouldn't go.
Mr AA was fantastic! After a few questions and my
expressive descriptions he removed the distributor
cap only to find excessive sweating and the remains
of the centre carbon brush scattered around the cap.
He said by the looks of it, it had been arching for
39
awhile and I was lucky not to have blown all the
electric's!
Lesson 5.
Alfa parts on Queens birthday
Saturday are not easy to come by!
Mr AA phoned an auto electrician friend to see
what he could suggest. While we waited Mr AA
tried improvising with a piece of silver paper. He
fitted it into the cap and it worked, the car leapt
into life.
drive back smoothly to Steves sisters place
followed by Mr AAjust in case it stopped. I left the
car to await Steve's arrival the next day.
Our trip back to Wellington was uneventful (if you
don't count Amber age five falling and breaking
her new front tooth and a trip to the dentist) and
the car ran very well.
I have even braved driving it again as my own car
is off the road. The children are enjoying all the
buttons (electric seats) and the roar of the engine.
The Auto electrician had also improvised and
pulled apart a distributor cap from a land crab
(Morris 1100) he had in his garage and delivered
the part.
Steve is now looking forward to a 3.01 Stratos and
I am looking forward to more room in the garage
when he gets rid of his Lancia gearbox collection!
The new brush fitted perfectly and I was able to
Any body looking for one or three?
Presidents' Cup (Leaders Only)
Points as of 10th April 2001
Brian Worboys
Patrick Harlow
Roy Hoare
Brian Robinson
115
105
95
90
6xCN
5xCN
4xCN
6xCN
1 xCO
1 x CO
1 xCO
1 xCO
1xOE
1 x OE
1 xOE
1 xGT
1 xGT
1 xGT
1 xGT
STEERING & SUSPENSION SPECIALIST
•
•
•
•
•
•
40
Suspension repairs and rebuilds
Steering joints
Shock absorbers
Wheel alignment
Bushes
All work unconditionally guaranteed
22 years of knowledge and experience
THE TOYOTA4A..GE ,ENGINF OR (ALMOST1ALLYOU EVER
WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT EFI (Part 2of2 parts)
JJY Phil Bradshaw (witha little help)
warning light is driven by a generic Toyota oil
INSTRUMENTATION AND FUEL SYSTEM
I chose to use a full sweep of Smiths instruments pressure sender which again screwed straight in.
in my car as I like the look of them. They came out
The fuel gauge is slaved to a Austin 1300 tank
of a Triumph 2500 PI and cost $112 from a wrecker
sender as this is vertical mounting in the tank top
for the mint set of imperial gauges. The rev counter
as opposed to the tank side PI type. If you use the
was incompatible with the Toyota ignition system,
EFI system, then you will need a high pressure (ie
so I had appropriate rev counter internals
80psi) fuel pump, although the system runs on
transplanted into the Smiths housing. Due to the
about 35 psi. I used the tank mounted Levin pump
tight confines of the Leitch tunnel, I have a VDO
because I had one, but I have heard of EFI
angle drive against the gearbox driving a custom
Commodore and 280Z external pumps being used.
cable that is hooked up to the Smiths speedometer.
If you use a tank mounted pump, you will need a
The speedo and tacho work was done by Robinson
steel cased high pressure fuel filter, which are
Instruments in Auckland City, who charged me
about $80 from Repco. Again, I already had one.
$434 for the complete job, including rev counter,
If you use an external pump then any in line filter
speedo and odo calibration. This may seem
in the suction line will do. The 4A-GE uses three
expensive, but it is a little cheaper than using procol
fuel lines, I used braided hose and anodized jubilee
instruments and a lot cheaper than VDO, and
clips for the supply and fuel regulator return lines,
personally I prefer the Smiths dials. The thing to
and just normal fuel hose for the tank venVoverflow.
bare in mind is that most transplant operations will
I used an air hose fitting with a copper washer to
require a custom cable and a speedo recalibration.
join the supply hose to the HP filter and the
Although an angle drive at $100 will not always be
standard Toyota hose runs from there to the
necessary, it will probably still cost around $150 to
engine. Provided you have the fuel rail fitting you
match up a speedo to an alien gearbox.
can cut off the factory crimped Toyota hose and
The temperature gauge is hooked up to the just jubilee clip your fuel line to it.
Triumph PI sender, which despite being an imperial
thread, screwed straight into the Toyota housing DIFFERENTIAL RATIO
with a whisker of thread tape applied and doesn't I use 185x70 13 inch steel radials on my car, with
leak a drop. Triumph PIs do not have an oil an Escort 4.44:1 differential. The Toyota comes
pressure gauge so I liberated one from a Mini ($5 stock with 185x60 14 inch tyres and 4.1:1 or 4.3:1
from Pick a Part) which I fitted with a PI bezel to diff, so its geared fairly short from the factory, but
match the others. The gauge dial is slightly the engine is so free revving it doesn't seem to
different, but you have to really study it to notice. strain at all. I have a self imposed redline at
Toyota use only an electronic oil pressure gauge, 7000rpm to save engine wear (and because that
so I bought a T piece and fitting kit for the Smiths is as high as my rev counter goes!) but I have
gauge for $26 from Strong Brothers Mini Parts heard of people pulling 8500 (allegedly) and living
which screwed straight into the block. Care must to tell the tale, although unless you change the
be taken not to crack the block as the block is cams there is apparently little to gain. The EFI
relatively weak at the pressure tapping boss. Also system has a built in rev limiter that cuts in around
most T pieces tend to snap off if you cantilever an 7500, but I rarely encounter it unless I get
electric sender off them, the solution being to something wrong! My car will do 100 km/h at
remote mount the T piece on the chassis and 7000 in second, about 145 in 3rd and 170 km/h at
connect it via a flexible tube. I used a bourdon 6300 in 5th. (I do not know how fast it will go,
tube gauge, as that was what I had. It is important although I would be surprised if I got over a genuine
to use the correct olives with plastic pressure tubing 180 without removing the windscreen) I am led to
as copper tube olives will cut the plastic tube when believe the engine develops maximum power at
tightened. Any decent auto electrical shop should about 6500rpm, and is certainly on song at 4500.
stock the right type should you need them. Myoil
41
INJECTION, CARBURETTION AND POWER
CHIPS
I decided to use injection because I had the whole
system and it was the cheapest option. You may
have lots of money, but I am not that fortunate!
As with all engine decisions, it is important to match
the engine to the car and the type of driving you
do. The Leitch is my only car and I built it for the
open road, which is why I don't have exotic rubber
or huge horsepower. But what I do have is an
engine that starts first crank every time, hot or cold,
that is relatively quiet, very smooth and easy to
drive, and has not let me down yet in the 9000
miles it has been driven since November 1992. It
has ample get up and go, yet runs on unleaded
and returns over 30 miles per gallon at a 70 mph
cruising speed, even though it regularly gets up to
85 when overtaking.
I have discussed power chips with a couple of
people and their opinion is that unless the computer
comes with a carrier for plug in chip replacement,
there is very little to be gained. The 4A-GE is in
this category. It is the computers that have the
carriers that have the potential, as often the road
car has a slightly detuned engine compared to what
it is capable of in order to prolong engine life. I
have also been told that for $300 I can cut a second
off my quarter mile time and gain 25 horsepower.
I must admit to being a little confused over which
to believe, however that was from the same experts
that managed to connect a speed sensor to an air
conditioning input on the computer. I wonder why
they closed down ... I think that the best option is
to buy the engine that has the power output closest
to what you are after and take it from there.
I run the complete, stock fuel injection system, on
unleaded, with the exception of some of the
emissions hardware and the exhaust sensor. I have
an inductive speed sensor fitted to the driveshaft
(in the Toyota it is part of the speedo) which was
sorted out (in the wake of the Experts) by Wayne
Gum of Electronic Research and Development,
who I personally recommend for any electronic/
EFI work. He is one of very few who actually knows
what he is doing as opposed to those experts that
think they know but actually don't. Apparently the
sensor can be bypassed, but I do not know the
details. I use a large K&N filter attatched directly
to the throttle body.
If stock is not enough and you want to play with
your fuel injection, or you do not have the correct
computer, the best bet is to run with a complete,
adjustable aftermarket computer such as a
microteck, which will set you back about $1230
and includes wiring, but will not yet run the stock
DlVERIISFlED DElila" 4, IIJIIAMlFACTfJRIIfG L TO
1966 AVVHITU ROAD. WAIUKU RD 4
DESIGN, MACHINING & FABRICATION SERVICES
FLL
ES OF PERFORMANCE VEHICLES
HOME OF THE SUBARU
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CAR. FOR THOSE OF
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATIOU COtITACT:
BOB NEEDHAM N~
PHONE 09 2350500
FAX 09235 0509
E-MAIL [email protected]
42
~~.
distributor, (see below) although a model soon to
be available should be able to.
Weber Specialists have set up a number of 4AGEs on twin 45 DCOEs, and maintain that you get
an extra 20 horsepower, however the standard
distributor must be replaced with one from a 4k
engine or similar, as the 4A-GE dizzy is fully
electronic. Neil Fraser had a number of black boxes
made a couple of years ago that for $300 would
run your dizzy with carburetors, but I do not know
if these are still available. It will cost you about
$1250 for 2 Weber 45 DCOEs, $230 for an inlet
manifold, $200 to set up each carb with correct
throats and jets, in addition to getting a spark,
linkages and air filters. However it may be an easier
(and cheaper) option than trying to get a late model
engine running on EFI. Then again, you may prefer
carbs. Weber Specialists certainly know what they
are doing, and they strongly believe that carbs are
best, but then so they should!
I hope this article has gone at least part way
towards removing the fears like I used to have that
fuel injection for Kit Cars was "too hard" and
something to be avoided like the plague. I am
anything but an electronic or computer wizz yet I
am comfortable with my engine and actually feel
more able to work on my EFI system than on
carbs ... It is not as bad as you think. Electronic
Fuel Injection is practical for kits, specials and
homebuilts. Welcome to the 90s!
I am very grateful to people like Daryl Jeffares,
Jamie Ailslabie, Barry Leitch, Neil Fraser, Wayne
Gum and others who were willing to give me their
time and benefit of their experience in many areas
of this article. Like them I am happy to help anyone
with any questions they have, although I stress I
am not an expert, although I have tried very hard
to make this article as up to date and accurate as
I can.
······The.Certifier's Lot
Not too much to report this month, so I'll not bother!
The only job i expected was three stages of certification in one go, to include the fun bit of drive
testing of Chris Densem's 7 lookalike. For those
of you who know nothing of this, it's the product of
the combined efforts of Alex McDonald at ALMAC
CARS and Graham Berry. Graham & Co. did the
chassis whilst Alex produced the bodywork.
Each time I've spoken to Chris the job was to be
next weekend, and I'm eager to have a play, but i
imagine "another" little job has kept appearing. If
this is the case Chris wont be too pleased, as he's
leaving the area soon, and naturally enough would
like to take his car. Good luck Chris, whatever's
happening.
However, on to the real reason for this stint at the
keyboard.
With being a certifier, along with Grant, Tim, and
Roy, i find myself a member of the Capital Rodders
club, and this, in turn led to me being invited to a
70's revival evening last Saturday, when i could
have been racing carts in Kaiwhara, and I know
where Kaiwhara is. (or is that Kaiwharawhara? -
Ed)
Roy rang me on Thursday night, and told me all
about the party, and I agreed to go and fly the CCC
flag. Roy then went into great detail to explain how
to get to the venue, and stressed that i had to get
dressed up in my best 70's clothing.
On the day, i made a lovely plate of cheese and
pineapple, that i was really looking forward to, and
got out all those old clothes that i knew I'd need
again one day. A classic Ben Sherman shirt (in
pink) was loose where it used to be tight, and tight
where it used to be loose, but looked OK worn
open over a 70's t-shirt (full of holes). I found a
terrible belt with a huge buckle, and set the lot off
with the worst jacket you can imagine, that i thought
was great in 1973.
I arrived in Titahi Bay at about 8.30'ish, and started
looking for the action. After much looking i rang
Roy who said he'd have his cell phone with him no answer! -more looking, then more looking. Rang
Roy again, and left another message. More looking. I then rang Grant because you can always
rely on Grant, no answer!!! By now the car was
running hot and low on fuel, so i parked up, in some
pretty bay, and got stuck into the cheese and pineapple.
At 9.15 i gave up on the cell phone saviour, and
went home. And yes i had asked taxi drivers and
numerous people on the street, a brave act i
thought when you looked like a poor imitation of a
43
bad John Travolta in Saturday night fever.
Half an hour later i was curled up with a nice glass
of Ireland's best and some cheese with pineapple, and the phone rang. It was Grant, he'd just
got my message. It turned out that i was looking in
the wrong part of town, mutter mutter mutte!
See you next month
Etsatzarachnophobia?
At the last count there were said to be 235 kit car
makers in business in the UK, and even allowing
for the fact that a lot of 'em probably never turn
out more than one or two cars before disappearing
into oblivion, the fact remains that an awful lot of
cars must be being turned out somewhere over
there.
While this might not mean acceptability in the eyes
of some classic car types, there's no doubt that
home-built cars are achieving a certain measure
of sometimes grudging respectability; even the
occasional outburst of open admiration
Round about last August I came across an article
in the UK 'Classic & Sports Car' magazine
reviewing a selection of replicas. It started
something like this:
"Replicas in Classic & Sports Car? Ready the tar
and feathers Ethel. But, before you warm the
acetone and pluck the chicken, consider this: fakes
are popular. Not only that, the best of 'em are very
good indeed, offering the enlightened enthusiast
with lofty ambitions a chance to own something
approximate to his dream wheels without having
to resort to armed blagging or losing a kidney.
We're not talking about some ineptly recycled
Sierra purporting to be a Cobra or Fiero dressed
up as a comedy Countach-cum-chemical toilet.
Ignore the supposed kit-car stigma, disregard the
chants of 'It's just a replica' and you could be
piloting something that'll impress the neighbours
while offering a driving experience to be savoured."
The article then went on to review in some detail
eight cars, commencing with the Nostalgia XK120
(the reason that I bought the magazine in the first
place, of course), then the Suffolk SS100, the Hawk
HF200013000 Stratos Oust like the Steve Strain
job), the Hawk Ace (Cobra), Chesil Speedster (the
one we nearly built), the Foreman Mk4 (which is a
clone of a Ferrari 330 P4,) and a GT40.
'For this of us in a Club like this one, there was
nothing very unusual about the reviews of the
44
~Brayl
individual cars (other than the mention that the
GT40 cost over thirty thousand quid - that's the
thick end of $1 00,000 to you and 1- and took eleven
years to complete!), though it was evident that the
magazine's writers were absolutely rapt with the
experience, as of course they should have been.
The most interesting part of the whole this as far
as I am concerned was the reaction of readers in
subsequent editions of the magazine.
First up was a letter from a sad character called
Zac McGregor ([email protected]) who was" ...
utterly distressed ...... phrases like 'looks more like
the real thing than the real thing' make my stomach
turn .... " and so on.
I would have thought that there are many much
more serious things to get emotionally screwed
up over even in 'za' wherever that might be, and
despite this character providing his email address
and seeking other peoples' views I confess that I
restrained myself this time.
As you can imagine, there were a variety of views
expressed over the following few issues of the
magazine, which culminated in an editorial
comment to the effect that:
" ... pro-replica feedback outweighed anti by 10 to
1".
So should there be anyone who really cares what
the classic purists might think, perhaps this is an
indication that replicas are largely accepted after
all, despite the views of a blinkered minority.
Carry on building!
Meantime - "Ersatzarachnophobia" is just a word
I found in another publication expressing one
person's unreasonable fear of replica Porsche
Spyders. I just thought our Editor might enjoy the
thought of scaring one of those traditionalist
characters.
Barnicol Engineering
for all mechanical engineering
172 Eastern HuH Road
Ph 5676 652
(opposite Taita Station)
Brake & Chassis Specialists
Custom-made Radiators & Repairs
Custom Part Manufacturers
Alloy & Steel Welding
Drive Shaft Balancing
Exhausts
Steering Systems
Engine & Gearbox Conversions
all other Engineering Work