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AVCMC FanMail
November 2017
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From The Driver's
Seat
By Joe Janssens
The year end is once again approaching fast.
The planning and booking for the Christmas Lunch
at Mpekweni Beach Resort is well on track. 44 bookings have been
received.
Late bookings can still be taken, If you snooze,
you loose !!
The main function this month was the official
opening of our new clubhouse where 30 plus guests enjoyed finger
snacks and wine.
On this note I wish to thank all the members who
have contributed and helped to the building of OUR clubhouse. A
fair amount of financial contributions have been collected on the
opening evening.
Our last Fun Run and Braai to Mike and Doreen
Legg’s farm was well attended. The weather was at its best.
Club Shirts will be ready for ordering soon. Watch
this space.
A few members projects are in full swing. Bill’s
Jag, Keith’s Singer, Dave’s Rolls, Bruce’s Chev, Peter’s Austin,
George’s Singer, Mike’s Morris Transporter and more are making
progress.
Cheers
Joe
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Through The Windscreen
(This is what lies ahead)
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For Your Diary
November
Thursday 9
November - 5 to 8pm - Motoring
DVD at the weekly noggin
Thursday
16 November - 5 to 8pm - Supper Night
Bring and Braai
Saturday
25 November - 9am to noon - AVCMC Museum
Only R20 per visitor. Wear your name badge to get in free.
Sunday
26 November - Christmas Lunch at Mpekweni
R135/head. You will already have paid a deposit. We depart from
the Civic Centre at 11am. Please be there a bit early to say
hello and be sociable.
Bring a R50 present per individual or couple (if you are a
couple, bring one. If you are on your own, bring one) wrapped for
the "American" auction. It was fun last year.
For your long term
diary
Thursday
14 December - Last Noggin for 2017
Saturday
30 December - 9am to noon - AVCMC Museum
Thursday
11 January - First noggin for 2018
Saturday
13 January - Anniversary Brunch at Rob & Maggie Mears place
in Bathurst
Please RSVP ASAP (but by the very latest 6 Jan) to Roger Darkes
082 373 8181 or Rob Wallis 082 334 0354
Bring R60/head. Get there around 12 noon.
Directions: Turn towards the Toposcope. Cross the railway line
and turn right. Find the venue on your left.
Thursday
18 January - 4pm - Navigation for
Beginners - at the Clubhouse
This short talk and question session is aimed at all rally
navigators and drivers. Be there if you plan to enter the OD
Inggs Memorial Run. Especially if you
are new to the game.
The talk will be held in the Clubhouse while the committee will
meet in the museum. All welcome.
Followed by Supper Night from 5pm
Saturday
24 February - Croquet / Bowls
Save the date
Sat/Sun
24 - 25 March 2018 - OD Inggs Memorial Run
Go to the Navigation for Beginners talk on 27 Jan. It is all good
fun and no rocket science involved
7
-10 May 2018 - SAVVA 50th Anniversary Tour - Houw Hoek
Wouldn't it be great to take part in this prestigious event in
another beautiful part of the country? (We live in a beautiful
part of the country)
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Birthday Congratulations
November
4 Daan De Lange
9 Schalk Van Der Merwe
11 David Pohl
13 Viv Jordan
27 Johan Lombaard
30 Charles Pellew
Belated congratulations to Sue
Darkes whose birthday was on 16
September. Sorry Sue! My omission
entirely. No excuses - perhaps your scribe's pencil is not
as sharp as it used to be!
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The Dashboard
(This is going on right now)
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Remember
John Pringle is recovering nicely from an operation in which part
of his foot was amputated. He is feeling much better and is able
to walk and drive. We wish him all of the best.
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New Clubhouse
Official Opening
by Ron Gush
The new clubhouse was opened at the supper night noggin on 19
October. A very pleasant clubhouse has been created adjacent to
the Museum at Hawkins Industrial Park on Alfred Road in Port
Alfred.
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Rob Wallis thanked those members who put in a great
deal of work to create the clubhouse. He also thanked Dave Hawkins
for making the space available to the Club. Rob noted that the club
is financially stressed and that funds need to be raised.
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The bar was well supported - remember to bring your
own drinks!
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Snacks were generously provided and enjoyed by all.
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Fund Raising and
Other Club Issues
We are not going to meet our budget this year and have to raise
funds somehow. This is mostly due to the number of members who
have not paid their subscriptions. They are being approached
individually. Any suggestions / contributions are welcome.
There will be a box on the bar for voluntary
contributions of R10 or R5 each time
members attend a noggin.
If you forget to wear your name
badge to a club event, the box might
be offered to you for your additional contribution.
The above is intended in good spirit and it is hoped that it will
be accepted that way.
The committee has agreed that our new Clubhouse should be a No Smoking
area. We respectfully ask members to smoke outside.
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Request for Old Items
of Interest
Dave Hawkins has put in a lot of effort into tastefully
displaying old items of interest in the Museum. These small items
add a lot of character to our museum. Members who might have old
number plates, tail lights or head lights - in any condition -
lying around, are asked to contribute them to the Museum. Members
are reminded that we do have an asset register and that any
contributions will be recorded.
Below is a small example of the number plate display. There is a
lot of blank wall that could be utilized...
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For Sale - 1960
Peugeot 403 Station Wagon
Not many of these cars around any more. Restoration project. In
East London.
Asking R15 000.
Contact John Pringle 043 726 8530 or 082 718 5870
1/3
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Parts Wanted
for 1973 Peugeot 404.
(1) Windscreen washer plastic container. Size: height 130mm X
width 80mm X breadth 100mm
(2) Rear number plate light fitting or lens.
Contact Charles Pellew on 046 624 4563 or 076 8490549
1/3
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1969 Sunbeam Fastback
Rapier for sale
Very reliable, has done two trips to Knysna, perfect mechanical condition,
has had a complete thorough respray, new mats, electronic
ignition, has the standard mechanical fuel pump
and switch operated electric fuel pump for backup.
Asking R60,000
2/3
Contact Abie Fullard abiefullard@gmail.com
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Club Regaila
We have a limited number of Club bumper badges
and these can be yours for a mere R200 per badge from Shirley
Martin. Phone her on 071 675 4570.
Unclaimed name badges
are stuck to the fridge in the Club House.
Club
shirts in several sizes are
arriving soon and will be available for you to try on at the
Clubhouse. Roger Darkes is your contact man. Pay about R250 and
place your order.
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Classic &
Sports Car Insurance Placements
“We
Drive Classic Cars”
We
insure them with Great Care.
Approved
Broker: Mercedes-Benz Club South Africa
Tel: 031 701
0226 l Cell: 082 781 4410
Email:
pat@smythebros.com
A Division of
Smythe Financial Services cc Authorised FSP No. 16054
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For Sale - Two Early
Ford V8s
These cars are in very good condition and the current owner has
already spent a lot of money starting the restoration /
replacement process.
1934
Needs a new carburettor and a fuel pump and it will run smoothly
again.
In time it will require new rear window rubbers and window
channel kits.
The owner has purchased some new parts such as a complete new set
of window glass, some window channel hits and rubbers etc.
The owner also has some spares for this vehicle.
1936
The owner has already spent some money on redoing the upholstery,
tyres and some window rubbers.
Some of the chrome work has been redone at great expense.
Recently he has also had the radiator refurbished.
The owner also has some spares for this vehicle which he will
sell with the vehicle.
Contact Mike at club@modelaclubofsouthafrica.com
1/3
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1981 Mini 1275E
- FOR SALE
Blue Colour, 69572 kilometres
4 new tyres, all rust has been removed,
completely re-sprayed.
For R22.000
Can be viewed at 14 Cradock street Bedford
Phone John Joubert at 046 685 1346 or
Cell 0847277366 or email <johnj@r63.co.za>
3/3
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1964 MGB Cylinder
Head - WANTED
Please phone Rodger Kaiser if you can help
046 622 2781or 082 655 6696
3/3
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The Rear View Mirror
(Past Events)
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Fun Run to Mike Leggs
Farm
by Ron Gush
In perfect weather, ten entrants gathered at the Civic Centre for
departure at 11h30. Roger Darkes briefed the
participants and handed out "route schedules". Roger
then scurried off to play croquet. The idea was to follow a
route, find certain clues, correlate the numbers found to the
alphabet and figure out the name of a car. Sounds more
complicated than it actually was. But finding the clues was
challenging and fun and seemed to be enjoyed by all.
There was much very slow driving and even backing and forthing
along the route, somewhat to the amusement of local residents.
Seven of the ten participants handed in their results when we
reached Mike's Farm. Rob Wallis checked the answers and announced
that three were correct: Dave and Daphne McNeill, Charles and
Myrna Pellew and Ron and Pam Gush. Paulette was asked to draw one
lucky winner - Ron and Pam - for which they received a very nice
bottle of wine.
Rob thanked Mike and Doreen for hosting the braai and Roger for
organizing the event. A good fun day indeed.
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Top: Left: Roger - man
of the day!
Right:
Two beauts at the start
Bottom:
Left: Jocelyn, Doreen and Jenny.
Right:
Maggie and Rob
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Top: Left: Maggie, Joy,
Charles, Myrna, Des, Bill, Shirley. Right:
Bob, Bettine, Ian, Mike N
Bottom:
Left: Guys at the braai. Right:
Jenny and Maggie
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Recollections of
Motor Sport in the Fifties and Sixties
- part 4
by Bob Duggan
British Production Car and GT club and National
events catered for the familiar sports cars as seen on the roads.
Unlimited modifications were acceptable unlike International
events for which FIA homologation papers were a prerequisite. A
given number of identical cars had to have been produced and
competition cars had in all respects to comply with this paper
work. Failure to do so resulted in disqualification a fate which
befell the Monte Carl Rally winning Mini Cooper when at post race
scrutineering it was found to have uprated headlamp bulbs, The
factory by oversight not having included the option in it's
submission. Let me in passing say that a GT was a Grand Touring
car, a two seater either being a fixed head coupe or open sports
car plus detachable hard top. Unlike today when many a tin can
bears meaningless GT stickers.
Apart from my Rallying efforts I was primarily
actively involved in Sports Car / GT motor racing so I'll confine
my reflections accordingly. The mainstay of Production Car events
were the various Triumph TR models, Morgan Plus 4, MGA and Twin
Cam, Austin Healey 100 and the AC Ace. International races might
include some of these together with Ferrari, Jaguar, Aston
Martin, Lotus, AC Cobra, TVR, Porsche etc. I've competed against
all but usually in the up to 2litre class not knowing much about
the big guns. The TR s , Morgans, Austin Healeys, AC Ace and MGA
all had engines originally designed for passenger cars, or dare I
say it, Tractors. Such ancestry hampered development and to
improve upon 95 to 100bhp output took some effort.MGA with it's
inefficient inlet porting even more so. I've mentioned that which
could be done to TR engines so no need to dwell upon it here. The
MGA suffered from a lack of cubic inches compared to the others
although substituting a HRG or Derrington alloy cross flow head
made it go nicely. Less said about the Twin cam the better. It
should have been a success but marketed before being fully
sorted. The Austin Healey 100 was breathed upon by the Donald
Healey Company becoming the 100M and then the all alloy bodied
100S which with other mods became a very hot ship. All using twin
SU carbs. The AC Ace six cylinder motor was long in the tooth but
having a single overhead cam and ( I think) triple SU s could
perform well although having a tendency to brake tappets when
pushed. When equipped with the optional ( at a cost ) D2 Bristol
engine developing 120bhp ruled supreme for some time.
This engine, derived from the old BMW 328 had been
successfully adopted by Cooper's in it's front engined F1 car and
had proved it's worth with Lister, Kieft, Arnot, Frazer Nash and
others. It boasted hemi combustion chambers fed by triple down
draft Solex carbs but a friend of mine not being satisfied
converted to triple twin choke Webbers.
Nothing unusual in chassis or suspension design
throughout other than for the AC which employed transverse leaf
springs allowing all round independent suspension. Morgans
remaining faithful to the 1911 three wheeler front end sliding
pillar independent arrangement. Simplicity itself, hub movement
controlled by upper and lower small diameter short coils. Only
hassle being the necessity to replace the phosphor bronze hub
bushes which despite being lubricated by means of a valve in line
with the engine oil pump quickly wore under the stresses imposed
by racing.
Braking was in all cases by drums until the TR s
went over to front disks, the other makes following suit with
with either Lockheed or Girling . Austin Healey 100 S and MGA
Twin Cam went one better fitting disks all round, No servos in
those days which was good for one's leg muscles I suppose. No
power steering so no wonder steering wheels were of a largish
diameter and closer to ones chest than we have these days grown
accustomed,
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In The Boot
(Useful Baggage and Tools for the
trip)
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SAVVA
Technical Tip 124
Priming Carburettors
Priming carbs after a car has been standing for
some time has always been a problem. A solution often used is to
fit an electric fuel pump to prime the system. However, on very
early cars this can be difficult especially if they have a six
volt system or an early carb with a needle and seat of dubious
quality.
A solution has been forwarded by Ian Otridge –
it’s so simple. To quote Ian:
“I got around the problem of priming the carb on
my 1929 Chev by fitting a rubber bulb, the same as fitted to
outboard motors. I fitted it between the tank and fuel pump. I
now just squeeze it until it gets firm and the car starts at the
first turn. It was cheap, simple to install and easy to hide, and
works like a dream.”
Many thanks Ian.
For those of you who haven’t owned outboard motors
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You have a petrol tank which stands somewhere in
the boat and is connected to the engine with a length of flexible
rubber hose. To prime the system there is a “squeezy” rubber bulb
in the line. One simply squeezes the bulb which sucks petrol from
the tank and in turn pushes it into the carb. When the carb is
full the bulb becomes firm. Basically, it is a rubber bulb with a
non-return valve much the same as fitted to a mechanical fuel
pump. It does the same job but without having to crank the
engine.
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Website
by Ron Gush
Do you know how to find our website?
Go to Google, type in AVCMC and enter.
On my pc the first four entries are for our club.
The fifth entry is for the Albany Vintage and Classic Motorcycle
Club in Australia. I did contact them a few years ago and we
emailed back and forth a few times.
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The oldest
motor car in the world that still runs
sent in by Joan Davis
It was built one year before Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler
invented the internal combustion engine.
It has been sold at auction for an astonishing
$4.62 million (R36.5-million), more than double the pre-sale
estimate, as two bidders chased the price up in a three-minute
bidding war.
The 1884 De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos
Steam Runabout drew a standing ovation as it was driven up
onto the stage at Friday's RM Auction in Hershey,
Pennsylvania - to prove that this 127-year-old car really does
run! - and attracted a starting bid of
$500 000, which was immediately doubled to $1 million. Encouraged
by the applauding crowd, the bidding went swiftly up to $4.2
million (R33 million) - 4.62 million (R36.5 million) including
the 10 percent commission - before the car was knocked down to
an unnamed buyer.
The Dos-a-Dos (Back-to-Back) Steam Runabout was
built in 1884 by George Bouton and Charles-Armand Trepardoux for
French entrepreneur Count de Dion, who named it 'La Marquise'
after his mother.
In 1887, with De Dion at the tiller, it won the
world's first ever motor race (it was the only entrant to make
the start line!) covering the 32km from the Pont de Neuilly in
Paris to Versailles and back in one hour and 14 minutes
(an average of 25.9km/h) and, according to contemporary reports,
hitting a breathtaking 60km/h on the straights.
La Marquise has only had four owners, remaining in
one family for 81 years, and has been restored twice, once by the
Doriol family and again by British collector Tom Moore in the
early 1990's. Since then, it has taken part in four
London-to-Brighton runs and collected a double gold at the 1997
Pebble Beach 'd'Elegance in California'.
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Committee
Chairman:
Joe Janssens 083 235 1101
Vice-Chairman:
Peter Viner
046 624 3552 or 082 831 5769
Events:
Roger Darkes
046 624 2874 or 082 373 8181
Secretary / Treasurer:
Shirley Martin
071 675 4570
Clubhouse Manager:
Peter Viner
046 624 3552 or 082 831 5769
Grahamstown Rep:
Norbert Drager 046 622
6282 or 072 765 6448
Fanmail Editor:
Ron Gush
046 648 3186 or 083 272 1961
Members:
Keith Schroeder 046 624 4114 or 082 412 3378
Rob Wallis
082 334 0354
Other portfolio holders:
OD Inggs Co-ordinator:
Peter Viner
046 624 3552 or 082 831 5769
SAVVA rep and Vehicle Dating: Dave Hawkins
046 624 2214 or 082 453 2618
Webmaster:
John Austin-Williams
(contact via Ron Gush for web content)
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Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors or
contributors and are not necessarily those of the AVCMC nor
it's committee nor officials nor of any affiliated club.
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Tailpipe -
by Ron Gush
So I bust my Spittie crankshaft. Trundling along
the R72 at a respectable 90km/h. Honestly. Pam was with me.
I heard a rumour that Spitfires have weak cranks. So I googled
and asked around. Well, apparently they do give trouble if you persistently
rev them above 7000rpm. Google says that the 1500 engine can't be
revved like the smaller 1100 and 1300 motors. A reliable buddy in
the PE Triumph Club tells me that mine is the only crank he knows
about that has broken. Ever. So that puts the rumour to bed. (Was
it spread by an MG driver, perhaps?)
And my Spittie is good for 6500rpm!
I got lucky and spotted an ad in the Triumph club newsletter: For
sale, a Spitfire Mk3 rusted far beyond restoration. The grass and
weeds were growing right through the body when I first saw it.
But it had the same series 1300 engine as my car, so I bought it,
trailered it home hoping that the crank would be good and that
there might be some other useful bits and pieces too. The crank
is perfect and there are lots of useful spares. The recycle guys
have already taken the rusty scrap away. Happy days!
I was very grateful to the lady who sold the car to me. Her late
husband bought it over 15 years ago as a restoration project, and
it stood outside in PE for all those years. It was not easy for
her to part with it.
New standard bearings and my engine will be good as new!
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Above: The Problem and the Solution
I did something completely new, for me, anyway. Mind you,
at my age, there aren't many events like this.
How do you get a bush out of a blind hole?
I'd read somewhere that you fill the bush with grease and
insert a snug fitting mandrel. Smack the mandrel with a
hammer and the hydraulic pressure pops the bush out. I had
a mandrel that I'd made for centering the clutch plate so I
proceeded as instructed. Wrapped a rag around the assembly
because, I suspected, the grease would squirt out, and
get me in the eye. Tapped the mandrel with
a hammer and out popped the bush! No squirt, no fuss. I was
quite excited!
And finally:
Brummie: I'd like a potato clock please.
Jeweller: I've never heard of one, sir. We sell cuckoo clocks,
grandfather clocks, wall clocks, but not potato clocks. Are you
sure that's what you need?
Brummie: Definitely. I start a new job tomorrow at nine
o'clock, and my wife said, you'd better get a potato clock.
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