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<strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Radiator</strong> <strong>Cap</strong><br />
November 2019 Newsletter<br />
1
COMMITTEE MEMBERS<br />
2019<br />
Chairman Anne Richardson 09 425 6298 / 021 277 9010 ricanne@gmail.com<br />
Secretary Peter Yarham 09 422 9685 pyarham@xtra.co.nz<br />
Treasurer Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com<br />
Club <strong>Cap</strong>tain Paul Hodder 09 422 4067 / 027 473 4350 4hodders@gmail.com<br />
CC’s Team Neil Cremer 09 425 4955 neilmtf@xtra.co.nz<br />
CC’s Team Frances Ross 09 425 8737<br />
Rep to ExCo Anne Richardson 09 425 6298 / 021 277 9010 ricanne@gmail.com<br />
Hospitality Anne & Dennis A: 021 214 2267 annedenmac@gmail.com<br />
Convenors McDonald D: 021 265 2466<br />
Social Convenor Neil & Lucy Cremer 09 425 4955 neilmtf@xtra.co.nz<br />
Property George Lloyd 09 425 7622 yorksandlancs@gmail.com<br />
Supervisors Doug Hamilton 09 425 6139 doug.hamil@xtra.co.nz<br />
Health & Safety Brian Payne 09 425 9262 banddpayne@xtra.co.nz<br />
Vehicle ID James Lawrie 09 425 9928 gloria-james-lawrie@xtra.co.nz<br />
Motorcycle Rep Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com<br />
Librarian Frances Ross 09 425 8737<br />
Editor/Reporter Chris Harvey 09 422 2662 / 022 365 0171 chris.harvey@westnet.com.au<br />
Badges Dave Oliver 027 443 8046 ollie.d@gmail.com<br />
Add. Member Leon Salt 09 423 8122 / 027 423 8122 brendda@xtra.co.nz<br />
Add. Member Brendda Salt 09 423 8122 brendda@xtra.co.nz<br />
Branch address PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941<br />
wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz<br />
Bank a/c BNZ 02-0480-0047413-000 Visit our website at<br />
VERO agency No. 0300159<br />
www.vcc-wellswark.org.nz<br />
VERO free phone 0800 658 411<br />
<strong>The</strong> deadline for contributions to the Newsletter is the 23rd of the month.<br />
<strong>The</strong> views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Branch.<br />
2
Sun 27 Oct<br />
09:15 Briefing for Coast to Coast Run starting at Omaha Beach carpark<br />
2-3 Nov Far North Tour starting at Heritage Park, Whangarei<br />
Wed 6 Nov<br />
Thu 14 Nov<br />
Wed 20 Nov<br />
Thu 21 Nov<br />
Sun 24 Nov<br />
Sat 30 Nov<br />
Sun 1 Dec<br />
Wed 4 Dec<br />
Sun 15 Dec<br />
Wed 8 Jan<br />
Thu 16 Jan<br />
Wed 5 Feb<br />
Sat 8 Feb<br />
Thu 13 Feb<br />
Sat 29 Feb<br />
12:00 Midweek picnic at Snell’s Beach (at end of Sunburst Avenue)<br />
17:30 Club Night<br />
10:00 Cleaning & Coffee<br />
18:00 Club Committee: note early start for AED instruction first<br />
12:00 Posh Picnic at Leon & Brenda Salt’s property<br />
11:30 Wellsford Santa Parade starts at the Community Centre<br />
10:00 Warkworth Santa Parade starts at Baxter Street<br />
12:00 Midweek picnic at the Esplanade, Manly Beach, Whangaparoa<br />
12:00 Christmas Lunch at <strong>The</strong> Salty Dog<br />
12:00 Midweek picnic at Scandrett’s Bay<br />
19:00 Club Committee<br />
12:00 Midweek picnic<br />
Leigh School Summer Festival<br />
17:30 Club Night<br />
Swapmeet<br />
Midweek picnics on Wednesdays 6 Nov, 4 Dec, 8 Jan & 5 Feb<br />
Coast to Coast run on 27 Oct and Santa Parades on 30 Nov and 1 Dec<br />
Cleaning & Coffee on Wed 20 Nov: please pitch in and help.<br />
3
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT<br />
T<br />
he afternoon at Summerset Falls was a success as usual, although if the weather<br />
had been better maybe we would have had more cars there. Reminiscences of the<br />
past was a common theme. “We had one of these” and “My son has one of these<br />
and it will be rebuilt soon!”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Big Day Out was dry and sunny! Fourteen vehicles of varying makes were displayed, so<br />
a good representation of our branch. We received one new member application on the day<br />
and three more of interest. It is a good spot to park up and see the activities.<br />
Summer does approach, and there are several shows or parades coming up as well as our<br />
own Sunday Runs. All are in the Newsletter so I hope people will participate. <strong>The</strong> two Santa<br />
Parades are the same weekend this year so leave Saturday’s Wellsford tinsel on for Warkworth<br />
on Sunday!<br />
I am off to the land of good curries so I will see you in December- Riley WoF’d before I go.<br />
Enjoy the Coast to Coast run and the Posh Picnic.<br />
Happy and Safe Motoring,<br />
Anne<br />
__________________________________________________________________________<br />
to pay your annual subscription to the VCC and to<br />
identify your payment properly if using Internet<br />
Banking. Your Vero insurance cover depends on<br />
your being a financial member of the VCC.<br />
4
CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT<br />
W<br />
ell, we have had quite the busy month. We started off with our Sunday run<br />
down to Avspecs in Ardmore where we got to see the inner workings of a top<br />
level aircraft restoration facility. It is not every day you get to be up close and<br />
personal with the business end of a Spitfire or look into the fuselage of a P36 Hawk. It was<br />
quite a fascinating place and Derek, our host, held a pretty captive audience for an hour or<br />
so as he showed us around their workshop that was stuffed full of upcoming projects.<br />
<strong>The</strong> midweek cafe visit to the Matakana Market Kitchen was most enjoyable. Everyone<br />
seemed to enjoy the wide variety of food on the menu and the fire going beside the table<br />
gave it a pleasant atmosphere. Just a wee note here...there was a Heineken Beer and a Tomato<br />
Juice left unpaid for. This is an easy enough mistake to make, so if this was your oversight,<br />
please contact me on 027-473-4350 or see me at the next club meeting to fix me up.<br />
$8 for the beer and $6 for the tomato juice. Thanks. After the lunch, some of us headed off<br />
to the Open Day at Summerset Falls Village. Some of the residents had a lovely time viewing<br />
the cars, swapping stories and riding around the block in them.<br />
<strong>The</strong> display at the Kowhai Festival Big Day Out saw a turnout of fourteen vehicles. <strong>The</strong><br />
weather was the best I have seen at the festival for a number of years. Thanks to everybody<br />
who came along and helped make it an impressive display.<br />
By the time this newsletter comes out, we will have been on the Coast-to-Coast run on the<br />
27th of November.<br />
As to upcoming events…<br />
• On Wednesday the 6th of November, the first of the midweek Summer picnics will be at<br />
Snell’s Beach at midday. This will be at the northern end. To get there, head down Tamatea<br />
Drive and then turn left into Sunburst Ave.<br />
• On Sunday the 24th of November we have the Posh Picnic. This is a great occasion to<br />
polish up the silver, pack the hamper basket, put on the glad rags and head on out. This<br />
year we will head for Leon and Brendda Salt’s property at 413 Whangaripo Valley Rd at<br />
12:00/midday. Judges will be looking at how well the dress and picnic display match the<br />
period of the car. Go for it and put together a fancy feast. Just a note from the judges:<br />
bribery is effective and encouraged!<br />
• Incredibly, it seems it is already coming up to Christmas parade time. On Saturday the<br />
5
CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT—CONTINUED<br />
• 30th of November, Wellsford is having its Christmas parade. <strong>The</strong> parade starts at 11:30<br />
at the Community Centre and works its way down to the Railway Station and then back to<br />
the Community Centre.<br />
• <strong>The</strong>n...on the very next day Sunday the 1st of December is the Warkworth Christmas<br />
parade. This one starts at 10:00 am from Baxter St. It will go along Queen St, up Mill Lane<br />
and back down Neville St. As organisers of both parades are still finalising details, I will<br />
send out an update closer to the day on when and where to meet up for the processions.<br />
• On Wednesday the 4th of December, the midweek picnic will be at Manly Beach in<br />
Whangaparoa at midday.<br />
• On Sunday the 15th of December is the Club Christmas dinner. This will be at 12:00<br />
noon at the Salty Dog in Snell’s Beach. <strong>The</strong> cost is $30 per person, payable on the day in<br />
cash only (no EFTPOS). Please contact Anne (021 214 2267) or Dennis McDonald (021 265<br />
2466) to let them know if you are coming, or you can email annedenmac@gmail.com or<br />
use the home phone 09 422 0041. For catering purposes the cut-off day for replies is 10th<br />
of December.<br />
We will be doing a Secret Santa gift again this year. Each lady should bring along a gift that<br />
a lady would enjoy and each guy should bring along something blokey. Be creative and see<br />
what you can think of, keeping in mind a $5 maximum spend per gift.<br />
Till next time... air out that picnic rug and dust off the basket,<br />
Paul<br />
6
MYSTERY MOTORS<br />
W<br />
hat car is this?<br />
Last month’s mystery motor was the 1952 Chrysler Ghia Special. Soon after<br />
legendary stylist Virgil J. Exner Senior was employed by K.T. Keller to head a<br />
new Chrysler Corporation Advanced Styling Studio, he launched his acclaimed series of<br />
Ghia-built “idea cars.” Exner is reported as saying that “I had this car being built over in<br />
Torino in the Ghia shops. Of course, we had prepared a very detailed plaster model for<br />
them to work from. At the time, they were working on prototypes for VW for what would<br />
become the Karmann Ghia. <strong>The</strong>y had done two or three and Karmann was still not satisfied.<br />
This plaster model of mine came in, and lo and behold, when the Karmann Ghia came<br />
out, it was a scaled right down to the fraction.” Elements of the styling were used in other<br />
Chryslers: the grille appeared on the famous 300C and the sloping rear deck became a feature<br />
of the Chrysler Imperial.<br />
7
CLUB CAR OF THE MONTH<br />
LEON & BRENDDA’S 1934 PE PLYMOUTH TOWN SEDAN<br />
J<br />
ust 24 days before purchasing the Dodge Brothers Corporation, Walter Chrysler released<br />
his first Plymouth in July 1928. <strong>The</strong> Plymouth was positioned as a low-cost<br />
Chrysler with the first 4 cylinder Plymouths being based upon the Chrysler 50 of<br />
1926. From the beginning, Plymouths were equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A<br />
further innovation in 1932 was the “Floating Power” engine mounts which were said to<br />
give the smoothness of an 8 cylinder. A year later, the Plymouth PC was introduced with a<br />
189.8 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. <strong>The</strong> 1934 Plymouth PE came out with the engine capacity<br />
increased to 201.3 cubic inch delivering 77 horsepower and it was among the first<br />
American production cars to have independent front suspension. <strong>The</strong> 5-passenger, Deluxe<br />
Town Sedan, featuring an integral trunk, and with an option of four body colours, was added<br />
in April 1934. It was the heaviest and most expensive Plymouth of that year at 2,898<br />
pounds and US$695.00. Of the 321,171 Plymouths of various body styles produced in<br />
1934, just 7,049 were Town Sedans.<br />
At present, I know very little of the history of our Plymouth Town Sedan. I had first seen it<br />
advertised on Trade Me in January this year. We were departing for the South Island the<br />
following day for a road trip which included looking at a couple of other vehicles which<br />
were for sale then. I commented to Brendda that the Plymouth would be gone in no time<br />
8
LEON & BRENDDA’S 1934 PE PLYMOUTH TOWN SEDAN—CONT.<br />
and the next day the listing had disappeared. Early in September I saw another Plymouth,<br />
with a striking resemblance to the one I had seen in January, come up for sale. I phoned<br />
the owner and discovered that it was the same vehicle and that sadly he was selling it as<br />
his failing eyesight meant he would soon lose his driving licence. Brendda and I made a<br />
quick trip to Turakina Beach, south of Wanganui and made the purchase.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trip home went very well with the car sitting in top gear all the way and generally<br />
keeping up with everything else on the road.<br />
Our Plymouth is an older restoration, perhaps 1970s. <strong>The</strong> colour is very similar to the metallic<br />
turbine bronze we had on our 1974 CJ Limo. I’ve since discovered that Chrysler were<br />
using metallic paints in 1934 so it could well be one of the four factory colours of the year.<br />
It has come up well with a cut and polish. During restoration, some of the refinements including<br />
the roll-down vented front side windows and the crank-out windscreen had been<br />
removed. <strong>The</strong> engine was reconditioned in 2014 and appears to have driven less than<br />
3,000 miles since then. <strong>The</strong> steering, while very light, has quite a lot of end-play which I<br />
want to remedy but apart from a minor issue or two, such as the wiper parking in the driver’s<br />
line of vision, it is a comfortable and enjoyable vehicle to drive. Unlike our Model A<br />
with its keyless entry, everything on the Plymouth locks – the doors, the fuel cap, the<br />
trunk, and the spare wheel - and each lock has a different key!<br />
9
ELECTRIC CARS<br />
T<br />
he “Driven” section of the NZ Herald’s issue of 27th July 2019 was all about this<br />
subject. <strong>The</strong>ir articles are really great and most informative, and seeing that we<br />
are going to be forced by the NZ government to go all-electric eventually, then I<br />
suggest going onto the Web and reading this, or alternatively borrowing my copy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Herald has tested the new Nissan Leaf which Nissan says now has a range of 270 km. It<br />
has 110 kw of power plus 320 nm of torque. Take note of this torque output because that’s<br />
what you you’ll feel as you are pushed back into the seat from a standing start. This is more<br />
than the old Valiant 225— and that was torquey.<br />
By comparison my 2002 Ford Courier turbo diesel has 270 nm of torque and a mere 86 kw<br />
of power, and it weighs over 1600 kg empty - heavier, I am sure, than the Leaf. This seemingly<br />
modest figure of power is enough for the ute to climb the Silverdale rise in 4th gear<br />
while towing Len Woodgate’s big Studebaker on a trailer and still hold 80 kph all the way<br />
up. My point is that the Leaf would, in theory, do the same job and do it faster. But the Leaf<br />
will cost you $59,990 at present.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Herald article also talks about ‘range anxiety’ and it states that you should also worry<br />
about ‘battery condition,’ which means that eventually lithium batteries start to lose capacity<br />
like a mobile phone’s battery does. Also, in cold weather use of the heater reduces<br />
your available range and so too does the use of headlights, wipers etc.<br />
1) As for ‘range anxiety’, even with a petrol or diesel vehicle don’t you always start a journey<br />
with a full tank? After 600 km in my old ute I get anxious about the next diesel pump.<br />
2) Battery manufacture causes a lot of CO2 emissions. <strong>The</strong> Green Party says “Not our problem.”<br />
To me this is just like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. <strong>The</strong>y also don’t talk<br />
about the cobalt used in the manufacture of lithium batteries. It comes mostly from the<br />
Congo which is mostly bureaucratically corrupt. <strong>The</strong> Greens say all these problems belong<br />
overseas, with the manufacturers.<br />
3) Our current government is very quick to point to Norway as a prime example of very<br />
high use of electric cars but they never mention how Norway can afford them. Guess what,<br />
they export oil which accounts for about 28% of their export earnings. It’s a shame we<br />
can’t do the same - our PM has all but shut down most of our petroleum exploration.<br />
4) Lastly, what happens after approximately 8 years when the battery wears out? I bet that<br />
will be a large expense and they won’t want the dead batteries in our new rubbish tips.<br />
James Lawrie<br />
10
SUMMERSET FALLS GOLDEN DAY<br />
11
KOWHAI FESTIVAL<br />
12
KOWHAI FESTIVAL<br />
13
Low Pressure<br />
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• Moss & Lichen<br />
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Contact us today for a free quote!<br />
Phone: 027 275 0080<br />
09 425 8747 or 09 426 2314<br />
Email: chemwash@rosscoltd.co.nz<br />
14
15
Sales.warkworth@guthriebowron,co.nz Tel 09 425 8187 Fax 09 425 8585<br />
If undelivered return to PO Box 547 Warkworth 0941<br />
ADDRESS<br />
STAMP<br />
16