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CLUB CAR OF THE MONTH<br />
JAMES’ & GLORIA’S 1937 CHRYSLER COUPE<br />
This car and at least 4 other identical vehicles were NZ-assembled at Todd Motors in Wellington. There is<br />
also one other car, which was English-assembled. All 5 are restored and on the road. There is also a genuine<br />
1937 Plymouth example as well (a recent import from Detroit and LH drive). I first saw this car on display<br />
in Columbo Street, Christchurch back in 1973 while touring the South Island with a couple of mates.<br />
By then I was a qualified mechanic with the first 3 years of my apprenticeship spent in Orourkes Precision<br />
Engineering in Warkworth which was a Chrysler Agent. The car was quickly purchased, with lapsed rego<br />
and no current WOF. It did run, but we obtained an ‘A’ frame and hooked it up behind my 1965 Cortina<br />
GT and towed it home to Warkworth. On the steep hills we simply put one of the lads in it and fired it up.<br />
As a matter of interest the doors on the GT still had all their proper gaps when we got back!<br />
The old convertible was put away in a shed at Mahurangi and did not emerge until January 2003, having<br />
been inspected by the Branch on a Sunday Shed Raid. In 2003 the car was moved into our new garage/<br />
workshop where it was dismantled and all parts of the body were taken to “Heritage Beadblasters” in<br />
Auckland to be blasted clean and primed. Wilbur Brown (a Branch Member and Panel-beater) came and<br />
inspected. He took away one front guard and started the panel work. This was a continuing process for<br />
Wilbur.<br />
I borrowed a large trailer and took the body to the Beadblasters. The chassis I took into Tucker Panelbeaters<br />
at Warkworth as they had a chassis alignment machine. As the original axle was bent on the RH<br />
side I located another front axle and also a RH rear guard, both purchased second hand from the same<br />
vendor. The chassis was then taken to Henderson for sandblasting and paint. The paint used was<br />
Resene Log Truck chassis paint.<br />
In the meantiime I purchased a large quantity of rubberware, an engine kit and lots of other sundry items<br />
from the USA. When visiting our niece in Melbourne I found a shop which was an agent for “Peter Jacksons<br />
Old Auto Rubber” where I purchased a nice set of repro running board rubbers. Steve Simpson, another<br />
Branch member and Panelbeater, made up a new set of running boards and as I hate gluing rubber<br />
I got “Airflo Hydraulics” in Auckland to attend to painting and gluing on the rubber for me. Laurie Roberts<br />
was the owner of Airflo and had restored a similar car to ours. He also attended to lots of other<br />
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