The Bathurst Agricultural Show was once again a successful event where our members showed up with 12 cars.
Some of our members also made the trip to the Golden Valley motor show.
I am leaving it to Ron to give you a detailed feedback on those events .
The Bathurst Agricultural Museum Farm Fair will be held on Saturday 30 April which I will unfortunately not be able to attend as I will be running the last shuttle to EL Airport for the departure of the last guest at my daughter’s wedding.
For the serious petrolheads remember the Knysna Show and Hill Climb the first 2 weekends in May.
Cheers
Through The Windscreen
This is what lies ahead
Sunday 1 May - Knysna Motor Show Go if you are in the area. Click here for more info. Followed by the Jaguar Simola Hill Climb from 6 to 8 May. For the serious petrol heads, make a week of it!
May - Visit Mrs OD Inggs Some time during May. Members will be contacted with details as soon as arrangements have been made. Mrs Inggs still lives in their original home in Grahamstown and we look forward to paying her a visit.
Thursday 12 May - 5 to 8pm - Motoring DVD at the Noggin Joe Janssens presents a motoring DVD
Thursday 19 May - 5 to 8pm - Supper night Bring and Braai. Fires will be provided, bring your own food, drinks and tools.
Saturday 28 May - 9 to 12noon - AVCMC Museum Bring your friends and old cars
12 - 16 June - Milligan Vintage Trial and Tour Mossel Bay area. Newsletters and Entry Forms are available from Hannes Geyer - click here. Closing date is 15 May but do not delay as the number of entries is restricted to a maximum of 25 cars.
Sometime in June - Thomas River / Kei Mouth This will be an overnight visit to 2 very interesting sites. Watch this space for details
19 June - 8am to 3pm - Cars at the Mall Nelspruit - Lowveld Old Wheels Club. Classics, old timers, hot rods, motorcycles etc
Contact Hennie Coetzee 082 262 8576
Wednesday 3 August - Local Govt Elections Vote. Make sure that you are on the voters roll in the area where you live. Some people have found that their address has been changed on the voters roll.
Birthday Congratulations - May
01 Gerda Kartenberg
18 Bruce Yendall
22 George Galbraith
24 Neville Koch
27 Mike Webber
The Dashboard
(This is going on right now)
Social Concerns
We regret to report that Bob Acton passed away on 18 March. Bob was a founder member of the BVCC and a veritable legend in the old car world, with a special love for Model T Fords.
Lost
Rob Wallis has lent his car polishing machine / kit to a member but regrets that he can't remember who it was. He would like it back, please.
Contact Rob on 082 334 0354
Kowie Brake & Clutch
Kowie Brake and Clutch still caters for all your braking, hydraulic and clutch requirements. We now also have an engineering workshop in which we can manufacture a range of to spec items. We also build trailers, bowling green polishers and cricket pitch rollers. For these latest products visit www.facebook.com/protearollers Contact us on: 046 636 1156 kowiebrake@telkomsa.net
Thoughts For The Day
Here's wishing you the top o'life without a single tumble.
Here's wishing you the smiles o'life and not a single grumble.
Here's wishing you the best o'life and not a claw about it.
Here's wishing you the joy in life and not a day without it.
An Irish Wish
The Rear View Mirror
(Past Events)
Bathurst Agricultural Show - 2 April by Ron Gush
Saturday turned out to be a lovely day and 11 cars assembled at the Museum to drive in convoy, led by Dave Hawkins, to the Showgrounds. Trevor Hoole arrived a little later in his very nice Hillman Minx. Brian Sparg was down from Umtata in his lovely Riley 1.5
Bruce Yendall's Chev was parked with the General Motors display - proving dramatically that they don't build them like they used to. (Hooray! said Bruce)
Dave Hawkins's MG TC was parked in a display of old farm machinery - looking sparkling between a rusty old truck and tractor. Beauty and the Beasts.
Dave had secured a very nice spot for us and there were lots of people passing by and popping in to have a look and chat about the old cars. All the way from Graaff Reinet, it was nice to see Charl and Wendy Venter and their son Brian, who had just graduated with Honours in Information Technology.
Old cars present were, in no particular order:
MGA - Mike and Doreen Legg
Triumph TR3 - Dave and Daphne McNeill
Merc - Joe Janssens
1958 Riley One Point Five - Brian Sparg
Porsche - Norbert Drager
MGB - Dave Hawkins
MGA - Dalene Hawkins
MGB Roadster - George Armstrong
Datsun 280ZX - Keith and Barbara Schroeder
Bruce Yendall's Chev - parked among the plastic
Dave Hawkins's MG TC parked in an agricultural display
Hillman Minx - Trevor Hoole
Alfa Spyder - Mike Newlands
Spitfire - Ron and Pam Gush
MGB GT - Rob Mears
There is more to the Bathurst Show than old cars! Here is Shirley with the quilt that won her First Prize. And a very smart rocking horse made by Roger Darkes.
Many thanks to Dave for organising the event and to the members who brought their cars and friends.
Golden Valley - Freedom Day 27 April
by Ron Gush
Arranged by Charl Venter, this sounded like an interesting gathering of clubs from near and far. We set off bright and early in the Spittie and stopped at the Nanaga Farm Stall for breakfast. There we met the AVCMC contingent, George Armstrong braving the trip on his MotoGuzzi and Dave and Daphne McNeill in their TR3. Dave had managed to fix his brakes, which failed at the Bathurst Show, finding that it was only a small adjustment that was required. It was good to meet up with several members of EPVCC who also stopped for breakfast.
Northwards up the N10 it was fun swinging through the curves of the Olifantskop Pass. Over the top and you're out onto the Karoo. Crossed the mighty Bushmans river near Ann's Villa, watched the sparse fynbos whizzing past along that beautiful road and figured why this river never runs, well almost never. Have you ever been to Ann's Villa?
Never mind.
About 105km north of Nanaga the blacktop drops into a gentle green valley. Irrigated from the Great Fish river fed from the Orange river. Turned left into Golden Valley and parked among the old cars already there.
Not a huge gathering, given that PE, Graaff Reinet, Cradock, Queenstown and Port Alfred are all a pleasant day trip away. There were over 20 cars and half a dozen bikes there. And a collection of old engines, one of them a small model puffing away happily. There was a stall selling old car parts, where I found a lens and chrome ring for the Triumph park lights. Employing advice received from the late Graham Hayward, I bought it. (If it fits your car, buy it. You might not need it now, but one day you will)
We lunched under a nice shady tree, bade our host farewell and headed for home. North about 20km towards Cradock then turned right to Bedford, Grahamstown and home. Stopped at the flat rock for coffee from our flask and who should come past but Mike Birch. On his way to Kimberley, he stopped for a chat. Pam taught him when in Sub A (Grade 1) a few decades ago. He's a big guy now.
Ja, it was a good day. The Triumph ran perfectly.
In The Boot
(Useful Baggage and Tools that we need for the trip)
SAVVA Technical Tip 105 – Cleaning chrome
(Joe Janssens sent this in from the SAVVA website. Worth a try, methinks. As you know, I don't normally re-print Tech Tips here. That is a resource available to everyone and we all know where to look for it. This one seems particularly noteworthy. Ron)
This tip comes from Roberts cycle in Chicago and seems to have merit. Feedback on its success would be appreciated.
A simple and inexpensive way to remove rust from and polish chrome surfaces by hand is to rub it with aluminium foil dipped in water. This process yields two advantages. First, since the aluminium foil is softer than steel, it will not scratch the surface. And second, a by-product of the process produces a fine metal polishing compound that smooths the chrome surface to a bright shine.
Geek Stuff- Oxides are the key
Cleaning Rust is basically oxidized metal or in other words metal that has taken on extra oxygen atoms. As heat is generated by the friction of rubbing the aluminium foil on the chrome, a portion of the aluminium will oxidize to produce aluminium oxide. Aluminium has a higher reduction potential (i.e. a tendency take on electrons and in the process reduce or break itself down) than the chrome, and will therefore leech oxygen atoms away from any rust on the chrome surface which changes the chemical properties of the rust and breaks it down.
Polishing Aluminium oxide is harder than steel, and the microscopic grains of aluminium oxide produced during the cleaning process creates a fine metal polishing compound which, mixed with the water you added, creates a paste that smooths and polishes the chrome surface.
In English - How it works
A common way to clean a rusted chrome surface such as a fender is to use a fine steel wool. However, when you use this method you have to use a lot of elbow grease and you still end up with a slightly dull surface with some amount of scratching not to mention the messy 'dust' left over from the steel wool. That's because you are physically scraping off the rust.
When you use the aluminium foil method you are dissolving the rust chemically so you don't need to rub nearly as hard and since the aluminium foil is softer than the chrome, you are left with few if any scratches. This method also allows you to get the rust out of some minor pitting without having to dig into the surface.
The aluminium oxide that is created by friction when you rub the surface of the chrome leeches the rust away and when combined with the water you added creates its own polishing compound so you end up with a clean, smooth, shiny surface.
Step by step - By the numbers people
Step 1 Cut the aluminium foil into small squares. 3" by 3" should do.
Step 2 Wipe down or wash the surface to remove any surface dirt.
Step 3 Dip a square into some water or sprinkle some water on it and spread it around on the surface of the foil.
Step 4 Cup the wet square over the surface you want to clean so you get a nice even coverage.
Step 5 Start rubbing a 6 or 8 inch area and remember you don't have to rub very hard. As you rub, you'll feel the surface get smoother and smoother until the foil just glides over it. You will also notice a light brown paste building up. This is the polish that results from the chemical reaction.
Step 6 When the surface is nice and smooth and you have polished it, take a clean cloth and wipe the polish off.
Step 7 Once you finish cleaning and polishing the item you need to cover the surface to protect it from the elements. At a minimum you can wipe it down thoroughly with a clean cloth. Since cloth inherently contains some amount of oil, this will give you at least some protection. The best method would be to use a small amount of chrome polish or maybe something like turtle wax or an equivalent kind of wax or polish. Make sure you wipe the surface down with a paper towel first instead of a cloth because paper doesn't contain any oil so you will have a clean and dry surface for the wax or polish to adhere to.
Limitations - There's always a catch
If the surface is severely pitted or some of the chrome plating has peeled off, there is a limit to how much you can do. Since this method removes the rust chemically, you should still be able to get rid of most if not all of the rust. And since it creates its own polishing compound, you should be able to feather (taper) the peeled off edges to help prevent more peeling in the future. Again, once you have the surface as rust free and smoothed down as much as possible, don't forget to apply some form of wax or polish.
Things we noticed along the way
Use a little extra water if you want a super fine finish.
Wad up a larger piece of foil when you work on pitted areas. The edges created will help smooth down the pits.
Don't rub too long with the first 'paste' created. Once the surface feels nice and smooth and you've wiped the gunk off, you can use a new piece of foil with some more water to get as much shine as you like.
Don't waste your time with a severely pitted surface since the rust has probably eaten down through the chrome to the bare metal. Smooth it down as much as you can with steel wool then use the aluminium foil method to remove as much rust as possible.
The aluminium foil method also works pretty well on steel. It removes the rust well, but don't expect that super shiny finish like you get with the chrome because it never had that to begin with.
To get the best results, remove that fender or other part so you can work on it easily without having nooks and crannies to dig into.
If you're working on severely rusted rims, you might want to use a steel brush to remove the worst rust spots first. This will also remove any caked on road gunk so you have a better surface to work with.
A final Note – Parting is such sweet sorrow...
We hope you will be as amazed with this method as we are. It has saved us a lot of time and effort and has yielded much better results than we've gotten in the past.
Classic & Sports Car Insurance Placements
“We Drive Classic Cars”
We insure them with Great Care.
Tel: 031 701 0226 l Cell: 082 781 4410
Email: pat@smythebros.com
A Division of Smythe Financial Services cc Authorised FSP No. 16054
Committee
Chairman: Joe Janssens 083 235 1101
Vice Chairman: Rob Wallis 082 334 0354
Secretary / Treasurer: Shirley Martin 071 675 4570
Grahamstown Rep: Norbert Drager 046 622 6282 or 072 765 6448
Events Co-ordinator: Dave Hawkins 046 624 2214 or 082 453 2618
OD Inggs Co-ordinator: Bill Martin 071 509 0169
Fanmail Editor: Ron Gush 046 648 3186 or 083 272 1961
Member: Keith Schroeder 046 624 4114 or 082 412 3778
Other portfolio holders:
SAVVA rep and Vehicle Dating: Des Hill 083 228 6774
assisted by: Dave Hawkins 046 624 2215 or 082 453 2618
Webmaster: John Austin Williams
MGA / B Starter Motor for sale
Brand new, still in it's box. High torque starter motor to fit MGA or B with 3 speed synchro gearbox. Made in the UK by Powerlite, West Midlands. Any reasonable offer will be considered. (Paid R5000 for it!)
Contact Rob Wallis on 082 334 0354 1/3
Chrome Coatings
(Shirley Martin sent this in and it sounds interesting. I have added this to our Useful Info Database. Please let me know if anyone uses them - and your result / experience. Ron)
A new company, claims to be able to chrome anything: ceramics, metal, plastic, glass, wood etc. Chrome can be tinted in various colours. Located at 48 Heugh Rd, Walmer, PE Contact Terry or Morne on 041 581 1264 or email chromecoatings@telkomsa.net
Engine Wanted
Byron Cloete is looking for a 2.5 litre straight six engine for his 1950 Opel Kapitan. A Chev straight 6 engine will fit, as the next best option. Please contact Byron on 082 669 6416 or email byroncloete86@gmail.com 3/3
Tailpipe - ticking disc brakes
by Ron Gush
There was this annoying little rattle - ticking really - coming from my Spitfire front disc brakes. As soon as the brake pedal was touched, the ticking stopped. I reckoned that there was some wear on the pins, pads and calliper holes allowing them to rattle a bit, most noticeably at low speed.
Heynes Manual shows anti-squeal shims, which are missing from my brakes. But then squeal was not a problem. They gave me an idea:
The solution proved to be remarkably simple. I cut a cross shaped piece of sheet metal - galvanised flat sheet with a bit of spring in it. See the photo below. Pulled one of the pins out, popped the sheet metal in under the pins and over the pads. The spring in the sheet takes up the play nicely. No more rattle! QED
And finally:
A penguin is driving along the highway when, suddenly his engine starts running rough and he sees smoke in his rear view mirror. He pulls off the highway and finds the nearest service station, and pulls up to the garage with the car shaking and sputtering. He tells the mechanic what happened, and the mechanic says "OK, give me 10 minutes to check it out."
Meanwhile, the penguin sees an ice cream shop across the street. Thinking this is a perfect time for a tasty treat, he heads over and gets himself an ice cream cone.
After he finishes, he walks back over to the garage, and asks the mechanic "So, did you find out what's wrong?"
The mechanic looks at the penguin and says "It looks like you blew a seal."
The penguin quickly wipes his face and says "Oh, no, that's just the ice cream." (Sorry folks, I could not resist putting that in. But it is so naughty that I am not going to tell you who sent it in! Ron)
