The Radiator Cap

The
Radiator Cap
November 2019 Newsletter
1

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
2019
Chairman Anne Richardson 09 425 6298 / 021 277 9010 ricanne@gmail.com
Secretary Peter Yarham 09 422 9685 pyarham@xtra.co.nz
Treasurer Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com
Club Captain Paul Hodder 09 422 4067 / 027 473 4350 4hodders@gmail.com
CC’s Team Neil Cremer 09 425 4955 neilmtf@xtra.co.nz
CC’s Team Frances Ross 09 425 8737
Rep to ExCo Anne Richardson 09 425 6298 / 021 277 9010 ricanne@gmail.com
Hospitality Anne & Dennis A: 021 214 2267 annedenmac@gmail.com
Convenors McDonald D: 021 265 2466
Social Convenor Neil & Lucy Cremer 09 425 4955 neilmtf@xtra.co.nz
Property George Lloyd 09 425 7622 yorksandlancs@gmail.com
Supervisors Doug Hamilton 09 425 6139 doug.hamil@xtra.co.nz
Health & Safety Brian Payne 09 425 9262 banddpayne@xtra.co.nz
Vehicle ID James Lawrie 09 425 9928 gloria-james-lawrie@xtra.co.nz
Motorcycle Rep Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com
Librarian Frances Ross 09 425 8737
Editor/Reporter Chris Harvey 09 422 2662 / 022 365 0171 chris.harvey@westnet.com.au
Badges Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com
Add. Member Leon Salt 09 423 8122 / 027 423 8122 brendda@xtra.co.nz
Add. Member Brendda Salt 09 423 8122 brendda@xtra.co.nz
Branch address PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941
wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz
Bank a/c BNZ 02-0480-0047413-000 Visit our website at
VERO agency No. 0300159
www.vcc-wellswark.org.nz
VERO free phone 0800 658 411
The deadline for contributions to the Newsletter is the 23rd of the month.
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Branch.
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Sun 27 Oct
09:15 Briefing for Coast to Coast Run starting at Omaha Beach carpark
2-3 Nov Far North Tour starting at Heritage Park, Whangarei
Wed 6 Nov
Thu 14 Nov
Wed 20 Nov
Thu 21 Nov
Sun 24 Nov
Sat 30 Nov
Sun 1 Dec
Wed 4 Dec
Sun 15 Dec
Wed 8 Jan
Thu 16 Jan
Wed 5 Feb
Sat 8 Feb
Thu 13 Feb
Sat 29 Feb
12:00 Midweek picnic at Snell’s Beach (at end of Sunburst Avenue)
17:30 Club Night
10:00 Cleaning & Coffee
18:00 Club Committee: note early start for AED instruction first
12:00 Posh Picnic at Leon & Brenda Salt’s property
11:30 Wellsford Santa Parade starts at the Community Centre
10:00 Warkworth Santa Parade starts at Baxter Street
12:00 Midweek picnic at the Esplanade, Manly Beach, Whangaparoa
12:00 Christmas Lunch at The Salty Dog
12:00 Midweek picnic at Scandrett’s Bay
19:00 Club Committee
12:00 Midweek picnic
Leigh School Summer Festival
17:30 Club Night
Swapmeet
Midweek picnics on Wednesdays 6 Nov, 4 Dec, 8 Jan & 5 Feb
Coast to Coast run on 27 Oct and Santa Parades on 30 Nov and 1 Dec
Cleaning & Coffee on Wed 20 Nov: please pitch in and help.
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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
T
he afternoon at Summerset Falls was a success as usual, although if the weather
had been better maybe we would have had more cars there. Reminiscences of the
past was a common theme. “We had one of these” and “My son has one of these
and it will be rebuilt soon!”
The Big Day Out was dry and sunny! Fourteen vehicles of varying makes were displayed, so
a good representation of our branch. We received one new member application on the day
and three more of interest. It is a good spot to park up and see the activities.
Summer does approach, and there are several shows or parades coming up as well as our
own Sunday Runs. All are in the Newsletter so I hope people will participate. The two Santa
Parades are the same weekend this year so leave Saturday’s Wellsford tinsel on for Warkworth
on Sunday!
I am off to the land of good curries so I will see you in December- Riley WoF’d before I go.
Enjoy the Coast to Coast run and the Posh Picnic.
Happy and Safe Motoring,
Anne
__________________________________________________________________________
to pay your annual subscription to the VCC and to
identify your payment properly if using Internet
Banking. Your Vero insurance cover depends on
your being a financial member of the VCC.
4

CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT
W
ell, we have had quite the busy month. We started off with our Sunday run
down to Avspecs in Ardmore where we got to see the inner workings of a top
level aircraft restoration facility. It is not every day you get to be up close and
personal with the business end of a Spitfire or look into the fuselage of a P36 Hawk. It was
quite a fascinating place and Derek, our host, held a pretty captive audience for an hour or
so as he showed us around their workshop that was stuffed full of upcoming projects.
The midweek cafe visit to the Matakana Market Kitchen was most enjoyable. Everyone
seemed to enjoy the wide variety of food on the menu and the fire going beside the table
gave it a pleasant atmosphere. Just a wee note here...there was a Heineken Beer and a Tomato
Juice left unpaid for. This is an easy enough mistake to make, so if this was your oversight,
please contact me on 027-473-4350 or see me at the next club meeting to fix me up.
$8 for the beer and $6 for the tomato juice. Thanks. After the lunch, some of us headed off
to the Open Day at Summerset Falls Village. Some of the residents had a lovely time viewing
the cars, swapping stories and riding around the block in them.
The display at the Kowhai Festival Big Day Out saw a turnout of fourteen vehicles. The
weather was the best I have seen at the festival for a number of years. Thanks to everybody
who came along and helped make it an impressive display.
By the time this newsletter comes out, we will have been on the Coast-to-Coast run on the
27th of November.
As to upcoming events…
• On Wednesday the 6th of November, the first of the midweek Summer picnics will be at
Snell’s Beach at midday. This will be at the northern end. To get there, head down Tamatea
Drive and then turn left into Sunburst Ave.
• On Sunday the 24th of November we have the Posh Picnic. This is a great occasion to
polish up the silver, pack the hamper basket, put on the glad rags and head on out. This
year we will head for Leon and Brendda Salt’s property at 413 Whangaripo Valley Rd at
12:00/midday. Judges will be looking at how well the dress and picnic display match the
period of the car. Go for it and put together a fancy feast. Just a note from the judges:
bribery is effective and encouraged!
• Incredibly, it seems it is already coming up to Christmas parade time. On Saturday the
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CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT—CONTINUED
• 30th of November, Wellsford is having its Christmas parade. The parade starts at 11:30
at the Community Centre and works its way down to the Railway Station and then back to
the Community Centre.
• Then...on the very next day Sunday the 1st of December is the Warkworth Christmas
parade. This one starts at 10:00 am from Baxter St. It will go along Queen St, up Mill Lane
and back down Neville St. As organisers of both parades are still finalising details, I will
send out an update closer to the day on when and where to meet up for the processions.
• On Wednesday the 4th of December, the midweek picnic will be at Manly Beach in
Whangaparoa at midday.
• On Sunday the 15th of December is the Club Christmas dinner. This will be at 12:00
noon at the Salty Dog in Snell’s Beach. The cost is $30 per person, payable on the day in
cash only (no EFTPOS). Please contact Anne (021 214 2267) or Dennis McDonald (021 265
2466) to let them know if you are coming, or you can email annedenmac@gmail.com or
use the home phone 09 422 0041. For catering purposes the cut-off day for replies is 10th
of December.
We will be doing a Secret Santa gift again this year. Each lady should bring along a gift that
a lady would enjoy and each guy should bring along something blokey. Be creative and see
what you can think of, keeping in mind a $5 maximum spend per gift.
Till next time... air out that picnic rug and dust off the basket,
Paul
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MYSTERY MOTORS
W
hat car is this?
Last month’s mystery motor was the 1952 Chrysler Ghia Special. Soon after
legendary stylist Virgil J. Exner Senior was employed by K.T. Keller to head a
new Chrysler Corporation Advanced Styling Studio, he launched his acclaimed series of
Ghia-built “idea cars.” Exner is reported as saying that “I had this car being built over in
Torino in the Ghia shops. Of course, we had prepared a very detailed plaster model for
them to work from. At the time, they were working on prototypes for VW for what would
become the Karmann Ghia. They had done two or three and Karmann was still not satisfied.
This plaster model of mine came in, and lo and behold, when the Karmann Ghia came
out, it was a scaled right down to the fraction.” Elements of the styling were used in other
Chryslers: the grille appeared on the famous 300C and the sloping rear deck became a feature
of the Chrysler Imperial.
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CLUB CAR OF THE MONTH
LEON & BRENDDA’S 1934 PE PLYMOUTH TOWN SEDAN
J
ust 24 days before purchasing the Dodge Brothers Corporation, Walter Chrysler released
his first Plymouth in July 1928. The Plymouth was positioned as a low-cost
Chrysler with the first 4 cylinder Plymouths being based upon the Chrysler 50 of
1926. From the beginning, Plymouths were equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A
further innovation in 1932 was the “Floating Power” engine mounts which were said to
give the smoothness of an 8 cylinder. A year later, the Plymouth PC was introduced with a
189.8 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. The 1934 Plymouth PE came out with the engine capacity
increased to 201.3 cubic inch delivering 77 horsepower and it was among the first
American production cars to have independent front suspension. The 5-passenger, Deluxe
Town Sedan, featuring an integral trunk, and with an option of four body colours, was added
in April 1934. It was the heaviest and most expensive Plymouth of that year at 2,898
pounds and US$695.00. Of the 321,171 Plymouths of various body styles produced in
1934, just 7,049 were Town Sedans.
At present, I know very little of the history of our Plymouth Town Sedan. I had first seen it
advertised on Trade Me in January this year. We were departing for the South Island the
following day for a road trip which included looking at a couple of other vehicles which
were for sale then. I commented to Brendda that the Plymouth would be gone in no time
8

LEON & BRENDDA’S 1934 PE PLYMOUTH TOWN SEDAN—CONT.
and the next day the listing had disappeared. Early in September I saw another Plymouth,
with a striking resemblance to the one I had seen in January, come up for sale. I phoned
the owner and discovered that it was the same vehicle and that sadly he was selling it as
his failing eyesight meant he would soon lose his driving licence. Brendda and I made a
quick trip to Turakina Beach, south of Wanganui and made the purchase.
The trip home went very well with the car sitting in top gear all the way and generally
keeping up with everything else on the road.
Our Plymouth is an older restoration, perhaps 1970s. The colour is very similar to the metallic
turbine bronze we had on our 1974 CJ Limo. I’ve since discovered that Chrysler were
using metallic paints in 1934 so it could well be one of the four factory colours of the year.
It has come up well with a cut and polish. During restoration, some of the refinements including
the roll-down vented front side windows and the crank-out windscreen had been
removed. The engine was reconditioned in 2014 and appears to have driven less than
3,000 miles since then. The steering, while very light, has quite a lot of end-play which I
want to remedy but apart from a minor issue or two, such as the wiper parking in the driver’s
line of vision, it is a comfortable and enjoyable vehicle to drive. Unlike our Model A
with its keyless entry, everything on the Plymouth locks – the doors, the fuel cap, the
trunk, and the spare wheel - and each lock has a different key!
9

ELECTRIC CARS
T
he “Driven” section of the NZ Herald’s issue of 27th July 2019 was all about this
subject. Their articles are really great and most informative, and seeing that we
are going to be forced by the NZ government to go all-electric eventually, then I
suggest going onto the Web and reading this, or alternatively borrowing my copy.
The Herald has tested the new Nissan Leaf which Nissan says now has a range of 270 km. It
has 110 kw of power plus 320 nm of torque. Take note of this torque output because that’s
what you you’ll feel as you are pushed back into the seat from a standing start. This is more
than the old Valiant 225— and that was torquey.
By comparison my 2002 Ford Courier turbo diesel has 270 nm of torque and a mere 86 kw
of power, and it weighs over 1600 kg empty - heavier, I am sure, than the Leaf. This seemingly
modest figure of power is enough for the ute to climb the Silverdale rise in 4th gear
while towing Len Woodgate’s big Studebaker on a trailer and still hold 80 kph all the way
up. My point is that the Leaf would, in theory, do the same job and do it faster. But the Leaf
will cost you $59,990 at present.
The Herald article also talks about ‘range anxiety’ and it states that you should also worry
about ‘battery condition,’ which means that eventually lithium batteries start to lose capacity
like a mobile phone’s battery does. Also, in cold weather use of the heater reduces
your available range and so too does the use of headlights, wipers etc.
1) As for ‘range anxiety’, even with a petrol or diesel vehicle don’t you always start a journey
with a full tank? After 600 km in my old ute I get anxious about the next diesel pump.
2) Battery manufacture causes a lot of CO2 emissions. The Green Party says “Not our problem.”
To me this is just like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. They also don’t talk
about the cobalt used in the manufacture of lithium batteries. It comes mostly from the
Congo which is mostly bureaucratically corrupt. The Greens say all these problems belong
overseas, with the manufacturers.
3) Our current government is very quick to point to Norway as a prime example of very
high use of electric cars but they never mention how Norway can afford them. Guess what,
they export oil which accounts for about 28% of their export earnings. It’s a shame we
can’t do the same - our PM has all but shut down most of our petroleum exploration.
4) Lastly, what happens after approximately 8 years when the battery wears out? I bet that
will be a large expense and they won’t want the dead batteries in our new rubbish tips.
James Lawrie
10

SUMMERSET FALLS GOLDEN DAY
11

KOWHAI FESTIVAL
12

KOWHAI FESTIVAL
13

Low Pressure
Exterior
Cleaning
• Moss & Lichen
Control
Exterior Insect
Control
Contact us today for a free quote!
Phone: 027 275 0080
09 425 8747 or 09 426 2314
Email: chemwash@rosscoltd.co.nz
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Sales.warkworth@guthriebowron,co.nz Tel 09 425 8187 Fax 09 425 8585
If undelivered return to PO Box 547 Warkworth 0941
ADDRESS
STAMP
16