Klaxon February 2009.pdf - Cyber Hot Rodders

Above: Jeff with his ROTY jacketand the ROTY plaque that carriesmany famous names before him.Despite his appearance due to thecamera angle, Jeff is taller than Barry(the giant) Batten.February 2009 No. 180HEADLINESJEFF HITCHENS CROWNEDASRF RODDER OF THE YEAR..Whiteman Park WA 25/2/2009At a well patronized event at WhitemanPark, Jeff Hitchens was crowned ASRFRodder of the Year.The accolade is bestowed upon a rodder,elected by his peers, believed to havebest served and promoted our sportduring the previous 12 months.Jeff was taken back and humbled at theannouncement. He is a get it done andget on with it kind of guy not expectingrewards for just doing his bit. Hethanked Sandra for her support in hisrodding activities. Most would agreethat the girls are always there in the background, either enjoying it or not! Jeff iscurrently President of the goody goodgum drops Goodfellas Hot Rod Club.Also recognized their work within theWA ASRF for more than fourteen years, were Neil Gibb, as retired StateDirector and Dean Hollworth as retired State Secretary. Current StateDirector, Steve Johnson, presented a plaque to Neil. Dean who was absent,will receive his later. The Norm Mellows Trophy, also due for presentationwill done At a later event due to absentia of crucial dudes. EW.PS. My apologies to Jeff, if Hitchens is spelt incorrectly, I used Rod Tork forreference and it was spelt with an “e” and an ”i” on different pages!

Please contact us using the details below.Address: Unit 1, 12 Cusack Rd, MALAGA. WA. Ph (08)9249 9632General meetings: 3rd Sunday of each month at 7.30pm. Visitors welcome.President: Kevan Best Ph. 9571 0025..Vice Presidents: Brian French 9377 7837 Alan Barton 9448 0110 .Secretary: Mel Broun 9447 1975Treasurer: Alan Rossi 0402 43 1938ASRF Delegate: Jeff Ewence 9339 4337TAC Delegate: Ken MyersWAHRP Delegate: vacant, representative required.Management Committee: Executive committee (above) andB. French, Dave Krause. All members welcome to meetings. Get involvedor get left behind.Social Committee: D. Krause, A.Lawrence , Maurie Searle, Ian Swinbourne,Jim CandidoStrata Committee: Neil Gibb, Jeff Ewence, .Eric WarrenKlaxon Editor: Eric Warren 9574 6440 or fax 9444 3299 or email onrodder@gidgenet.com.au Deadline is 7 days before the meeting.Klaxon Distribution: Peter Hunter 9445 2493.Contributors:: Mel Broun, Garry Curnow, Bill Jansen, Joe CarboneCover: Jeff Hitchins - ASRF - Rodder of the YearrClub Merchandise. Phone 9249-8553.CallMr. CoolAndy LawrenceNew stocks for summer!AIR COND UNDIESfor rodders with stinking hot cabs in summer..

. Hello, It’s me again. Cheese Welcome to another wizbang editionof your Klaxon. Strip off, turn on the ceiling fan and enjoy the FebruaryKlaxon mega experience.Thanks first up to all the contributors, Melz minutez, Joe Carbone,Pommy Roy and Garry Curnow.To make sure that you are all “on the ball”, two weeks ago I sent out themost recent colour Klaxon to all those club members with the ability toextract it from their phone lines. Actually, I sent the 2008 version, notJanuary 2009. A few members were quick off the mark and took theopportunity to advise me that I had made an apparent error, possibly dueto poor internal cranium electron workings, and the like, but in muchfewer words. Others looked at the Christmas party story photos andthought how young they were looking! When I sent out the 2009 versionthe next day, others were thinking, shivers, that was a quick month andothers just thought that Eric has been very busy over night. An interestingexercise indeed.I also sent out the December edition to a heap of non West Coastrodders that I have email addresses for. It is nice to receive a few “thankyou” s back, littered with some words of praise. It’s worth knowing thatthe hours of work that goes into each edition is appreciated. Keep thefeedback coming in. I thrive on it.Talking about feed back… I received a real hand written letter in theclub’s mail box, from the Cranksters Rod & Kustom Club, saying thankyou for the words and photos in the Klaxon, of their club’s Salt Lakes“Worlds Fastest Indian” display in last year’s Burswood Show.They also went on to point out that maybe us “old” West Coast membersare beyond learning or remembering new things, like how to spell thename of their club that begins with the letter C. Apparently the namesKranksters, Pranksters, Spanksters and Wanksters have all slipped throughthe spell checker previously. (just like the small ‘f’in ford.) But fancycalling us confused when they spell custom with a K! Once upon a time

Continued....................I could look at any wall in the metro area and see a Crankster stickerattached, if I wanted to check the spelling. It seems most of this insidiousgraffiti has now been cleaned up.Thanks again for the letter. Us oldies will have to try harder, butBlanksters is a big word for us.Like Moora a few years back, York has just experienced two flash floodswithin a couple of months. I don’t know how it affected the Duke of York,Underbelly Joe Carbone or fellow rod builder Terry Buckley, but Joe hasrecently sent me a stack of photos from his trip to the Melbourne Hot RodShow. Some appear inside this very edition of the Klaxon. I hope all is wellfor these guys. Thanks for the shots Joe.In the Last Klaxon there was a story about changes being made to theKlaxon Willys company car to make it reliable in all conditions. Thechanges have been tested for another 1500 kms and all is good. Newchanges have been made to the steering too. There is a catch up storyfurther in.Check out the coverage of the Mandurah Rod and Custom Club’s annualrun. It was my first attendance of this event, because in earlier years itwould have been a long to drive only to be rejected due to the Swedishnationality of my street hack.It was a big event. I estimate over 110 vehicles entered to enjoy a trip overthe causeway to Garden Island.Check out the story on this years ROTY (ASRF Rodder of the Year)presentation held at Whiteman Park.On my soap box now.I would like to voice my concern about the Nostalgia Drags.I believe the minimum fee to race an average rod this year is about $100.00plus $20 for each crew pass. . If you want to become a member of the newNostalgia Drag Racers Association for twelve months as well as race, it

will be $180 plus $20 for each crew pass. Six months membership for $150etc..The initial concept of having a drag event based on rules governing age andtechnical authenticity of entrants’ rods, classics and ex drag cars, t was wellthought out.It embraced having competitive fun with old competition drag cars andold street licensed vehicles at a reasonable price, amongst our own kindwithout the late model brigade in there too.Racers spend a lot of money to race on the day.I don’t know the running costs of such an event with wages, electricity,insurance etc. but how much do the promotors give back, considering theexpense to racers when they are the ones providing the entertainment to thepromoter-paying spectators. Has the entry fee gone up past the “fun withcars” barrier, for this once a year vehicle flogathon.How much does it cost to race at a normal “street meet”?I don’t know enough about NDRAs workings to comment on theirmembership deal. Their aim is to be the voice for this niche of drag racingenthusiasts. Strength in numbers etc. Joining them is still a matter of choice.Membership includes a subscription to NITRO magazine and a T shirt andother deals as they become available. Cheaper entry at future events?Annual renewal is $110.While I wish the promoters all the best, I believe this year’s attendanceof once-a year drag racers will be down while promoters slowly chew morefrom the hands that feed them. Just like rodders not willing to paypromoters to put their rods in shows primarily for the promoters’ benefit...We aren’t desperate for exposure. Our egos are big enough and self contained.I was preparing to take the coupe for its first quarter miler since its lastdash at the old Ravenswood strip. The excitement of competition wasgrowing. Even dusted off the old skid lid. The coupe’s motor has changedsince then with a new cam, manifold and LPG and a new diff ratio. It feelsgood on the street. Would it beat the old ETs done with the triple carbies?What will be the speed through the traps be now?It was going to be fun but I will be giving it a miss this year. Thanks all thesame. Maybe another time.All the best to those competing. Nev Anderson will be holding up the flagfor WCSRC. Will Garry Curnow’s roadster make it there this year?Off soap box. Sorry out of Space for now.... Take care. Cheers.Extreme E

This Month’s QUIZ!I received this from Bob Dimer. Can any one help?Hi all,I received this request from the curator of the W.A. Motoring Museumand thought one of you will know the answer.Cheers, Bob Bob.dimer@bigpond.comI'm sending this to everyone I know in the hope that someonemay remember seeing this "home built" special.Any ideas, anyone? Apparently it was based on a Pontiac chassisand was registered in WA. A most unusual car with manyfeatures from numerous cars of the 1960's.Reminder to all members.Don’t forget the busy bee at the club rooms on 22nd Feb.Lots of hands required at this one. They are fun social gatherings.Be there. It is cheaper than the drags!Place your order now for next month’s exciting Klaxon .The soooper doooperBig Al’s Poker Run Special!

Mandurah Rod and Custom Club Run 25/1/09This year’s annual run was another ripper. Entrants startedassembling at the Repco car park in Mandurah before 9.30am. By head offtime, the carpark was falling short of space due tothe huge turnout of arriving attendees. This wasa good turnout for a day that promised to be in themid to high thirty degrees and in the middle of along weekend. A small $5 entry provided routeinstructions, morning tea later on, a ticket in theraffle and a pass sticker to get access past theguard box onto the causeway to Garden Island.When the flag was raised, over a hundred rodsand enthusiast vehicles took off in follow theleader style, heading north towards Perth,with Jandakot Airport the next destination.The convoy was broken into manageablelumps by the traffic lights on the Perth -Mandurah road.Above: Ian Swinborne’s 32. Below:New owner of the ex DaveKrause 37 Chev uses it heaps.After about35 miles we haddone a long stinton the KwinanaFreeway and nowwe were on RoeHighway… Hello,déjà vu, we had just been here two hoursearlier on the way to Mandurah, as had quitea few other Perth based rodders. Pretty soonwe were at Jandakot Airport at Fighter Combat International’s.hanger. AtJandakot we joined up with about 15 more Perth rodders who didn’t wantthe déjà vu experience. The main exhibits inthe hangar were several Nanchang militarytrainer aircraft from China. These are usedfor charter flights. Either easy and slowcruising up the coast or in dog fight fashionif you have the stomach for it. They also

Mandurah Rod and Custom Club Runshare the hangar with another interesting aircraft labelled “Experimental”so it was also worth a look.Nanchangs and cockpit.Check the link belowfor more info if youhave an urge to spendsome bucks onexcitement.http://www.bigthanks.com.au/showProduct/Air+Adventures/Fighter+Planes/FCI4. At the hanger, afantastic range of home made cakes and biscuitswas served with morning tea and coffee.. Thereare some good cooks in the MRCC. I know, I dida lot of testing. Leaving Jandakot and back ontoRoe Highway and then KwinanaFreeway heading south toRockingham and the whole déjà vuthing was happening again. Thirdtime on this beat in one morning andwe haven’t reached our destinationyet, let alone going up the same pathfor a fourth time to get home.As we approached Rockingham wehooked a righty onto the KwinanaBeach strip and followed thisthrough to Rockingham and PointPeron where we mustered at the startof the Garden Island causeway and

Mandurah Rod and Custom Club Runwaited for our naval escort .We followed the escort in single filepast the security box where theychecked our window sticker securitypasses. Withno othertraffic tobreak thestring ofvehicles it wasone of the onlyopportunitiesever to seesuch a largecollection ofrods and sortsAbove: The Klaxon Co Car.Below: Les Moran’s nearstock 36 3 window coupe.Joe Italiano’s superglitzy 34 Chevcruisinguninterruptedin single file.Magnificent…After theCockburnSoundTop: This Austin pops up now andagain. Running gear unknown.Middle: Charlie Ferraloro came inthe bucket to top up the sun tan.Bottom: Good to see the Ex CliveTitchener car is not collectingdust. New owner unknown.crossing we followed our escort around past thewharfs to have a passing goosie gander at thenaval ships and submarines that were in port.The follow-the-leader caper took us to our final

Mandurah Rod and Custom Club RunHome grown Cusso convertibledestination which was the seniorsailors mess and recreation area. Itwas a great posi with a large elevatedverandah area that seated just abouteveryone. There were BBQs and thewet mess, all located around a largeswimming pool. The kids were inthere like a flash. (the pool, not in thewet mess or BBQs!) I haven’t seen somany kids at a rod run since theWCSRC runs of the 70s and 80s. Nowmany of those kids are parentsthemselves, one is a grand parent!(not because of the pool, because theywere kids 25 - 30 years ago.)After lunch it was time to swim afew laps in the pool while skilfullyTop: V8 in an FJ Holden ute.Middle: Tony Arnold’s 31 Vicky.Above: Paul Walsh’s A coupe on LPGAbove left: Frenchie’s 57 Belair (RHD).Above right: Not Frenchie’s (LHD)

Mandurah Rod and Custom Club RunGarden Island car park shots.Dave Cull’s 34 fordoravoiding the bombies ofthe kids at the deep end.I think Gibby and I werethe only pool invadersfrom the over 16 agegroup. Lars had a towel,but it never got damp...After the refreshing dip,the huge raffle got underway. There were heaps ofgreat prizes. WithoutJimbo being thereenough prizes to go

aroung. Even Imanaged to snaga prize.Next it was hometime. The hot dayhad tuned out tobe very pleasantwhile beingimmersed in thefresh Fremantledoctor for mostof the day.Driving backover thecauseway’s archbridge it wasworth a slowdown for one lastlook at theexpansive bluevista. Leavingthe causewaywas going to beMandurah Rod and Custom Club Runlike passingthrough a oneway pawl withno of gettingback in the foreseeablefuture. A good last look wasimportant.Thanks to the guys andgals of the MHRCC for awonderful day. EWAbove: Rec facilities for ourlunch. Right: And of course,ROTY Jeff was there too!

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009ROTY (Rodder of the Year)8/2/2009ASRF Rodder of the Year started for me atRavenswood, the scene of much hilarity thenight before, at my Nephews 18th birthdayparty. It was an earlier than preferred risingfrom bed, but my trip to Whiteman Park wasgoing to be with the cruise group coming up from Mandurah, so it was upand at’em Atom Ant.There is something aboutpainting a rod masking tapecolour… insects come frommiles around just to poop on it,so the coupe got a quick hosedown and wipe over before the8 mile trip to the rendezvouspoint in Mandurah.Soon I was underway withMel Broun’s 39 Chev coupe alongside BL1’s (AllanRossi) 32 roadster)about 7 or 8 rods and classicsfrom the Mandurah Rod andCustom Club. I had a that senseof déjà vu again as we retracedthe same path up the Kwinana Freeway to Roe Highway as we did 2 weeksearlier for the MRCC annual cruise. What a great cruising strip it is, almostan hours cruising on two lanes without any traffic lights. Along the way westarted picking members of the Wanderers Club and others that sat waitingon the roadside along the way andthe numbers soon swelled to aboutfourteenAbove: The Ex Clive Titchener coupeagain.. New owner still unknown.

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009Halfway along RoeHighway however, one rodLes Smith’s and Eric Warren’s Willysdropped out. Agastronomicalreminder about theprevious night’s beerintake at a birthdayparty, saw a beelinetaken to the nearestknown toilet Vince Berriman’s 32 tourer.destination, then tolater rejoin everyoneat the finaldestination ofWhiteman Park.Whiteman Parkis great destinationfor families and Nev Anderson, Paul Walsh, Jeff Hitchensevents such asROTY. Acres ofbeautiful lawns,museums, swimmingpool, food and drinkoutlets, tram andtrain rides and artsand craft shops, ithas something foranyone who doesn’t want to bench race all day. I checked them out andmanaged to keep my pay packet in tact... I did witness some extra luggagebeing bought for Lance Fussel’s rod to take home.An other attraction on the day was the Lightning fast drive-by cruise of over

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009Above: Graeme MIXI Bell cruisesthru in his 32 Chevy. Below: MickAllender’s orange 32 coupe andGraeme John’s big custom Caddy.a dozen tractorsfrom the tractormuseum. Boy,without beingrude.... I thoughtrodders were theonly ones whohad troubleNo seat belts required!attractngyoungsters toour hobby! Weare not alone,but lightningyears ahead,understandably.After lunch, the presentations weremade by State ASRF Director SteveJohnson. Jeff Hitchins was a worthyFiddy’s A Tudor & VinceBerriman’s 32 roadster

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009winner of Rodder of the Yearand joins a list of roddersNev LARS Andersonwho have worked hard forthe promotion and advancement of our unique sport. Special presentationswere also made to Neil Gibb and Dean Hollworth for their many yearsservice as ASRF State Director and State Secretary respectively.The anticipated presentation of the Norm Mellows trophy was postponedto another event as neither the recipient, nor presenter (Big Al) were present.After last year’s washout at the same event, the day was blessed withperfect summer weather in the low 30 degrees. A Bonza day. Listening tothe news on the way home and hearing about over 65 deaths and countlessproperty losses the current fires in Victoria, almost made me feel guilty thatwe had enjoyed such a day. By now we know the extent of the Victorianfires and it is much much worse with 181 deaths when going to print..Thanks to Steve Johnson and the run organizers for a great day out.PS. Dig deep for the sufferers in Victoria. No doubt some hot roddershave been affected too. EWLeft: Jeff Hitchens receivesthe ROTYplaque from SteveJohnson.Above: Brian and JanFrench go to all events!

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009Emma’sGraeme BellAlan BarkerGreg PottsLance Fussel

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009Jeff PringleAbove: Jeff Pringle, Chris Maxwell (with teddybear) and Dave Fiddy create the foreground fortwo WillysSteve JohnsonLindsay EwenNeil GibbBL1Keith Wilson

ROTY(Rodder of the Year)25/2/2009Below: The Nu Breed ganghuddled under the shade likecattle.Above: The Nu Breed mob is still there.Lazy sods haven’t moved an eyelid..Below: Even the non-ford in me likes thisroadster pick up. Must be the colour.Gibby receives his plaque fromSteve Johnson.

West Coast Street Rod ClubMinutes of General Meeting 18/ 1/ 2009Meeting opened – 7.32pmApologies - Kim Broun, Alan Barton, Maurie Searle, Andy Lawrence,Gary Curnow, Clive Titchener, Des Thomas.Visitors - Ennio, Bob Sanders.Minutes read and accepted by Brian French, seconded by Mal Sparks.Correspondence In – Geelong Street Rodders Newsletter.ASRF sanction for Swap Meet to be held at theclubrooms in March.Correspondence Out – Klaxon.Letter to GT Falcon Club withdrawing offer to storetheir trailer.Treasurer’s Report - Read by Allan Rossi and accepted by Jim Candido.Seconded by Ian Swinbourne.ASRF Report-WA now has 549 members.There will be space for 30 cars at Langley Park onAustralia Day.Vince Berriman and Paul Walsh will be attending theUWA EventSanctions have been granted for WC Swap Meet andEaster Run.Rodder of the Year will be held at Whiteman Parkon Feb 8 th .. One run will begin at Warwick ShoppingCentre.Another at Mandurah. Both will arrive atapprox 11.00 am.ASRF would like a list of charitable donations madeby the club over the years.Neil Gibb would like all raffle tickets returned assoon as possible.

Social Committee Report – Sanctions have been granted for the SwapMeet to be heldat the Clubrooms on March 29. Traders will beinvited to set up stalls.Busy bee – 22 nd Feb. Line marking, sandblastingand painting of gates.Sanction has been granted for Easter Cruise to York.This will be a four day event.Unfinished Business – Allan Rossi reported that the refrigerator shouldbe repaired within the next two weeks. The nexttime it breaks down, it will be replaced.New Business -John Ferrier asked when the photos which wereremoved for Super Model Sunday were going to bereplaced. Kevan Best asked when AB would beremoving his car so that the area could be tidiedthen improved for TAC use. Allan Rossi to ring AB.It is unlikely that the MBA will be using theClubrooms for further training.Rodder of the Year nomination is Eric Warren.Buy Sell and Swap- 1 Billet steering wheel and 1 Victor Juniormanifold suit sbc – Sam Attard 0450 258548Meeting closed 8.24 pmMelbourne rod show

MelbourneHot Rod ShowSupplying him with nothing more than a Camera and 4 rounds ofsalami sandwiches, the Klaxon pinned its last hopes on getting some goodphotos of the Melbourne Show firmly on theshoulders of the Duke of York, Jailbar JoeCarbone. Previous attempts of using BL1at the Sydney show proved financiallydisasterous on the receipt of BL1'sentertaiment expense claims which werethe fiscal result of killing spare time afterthe camera batteries were found to be flaton arrival. Joe didn't let the Klaxon Teamdown, though the bias towards fords will bescruitnized by the quality committeeJoe’s Report CardHeya ericwell mate here's another scoop for you, the Melbourne hot rod show hasbeen and gone and here's the pic's to prove it.I'm not exactly sure of what I sent youbut if it's not good enough just let meknow and I will redo it.I went to the show on the first day itopened at 12 noon and it turned out agood move, for not only seeing the carsbut for taking pic's.on entering the showthe first thing you walk into is anFC Holden ute with an almightychop flanked by an flamed 34chev sedan. After my last visit in2007 I think the numbers weredown a bit but the quality waseven higher if that’s possible.Some of the trends of the show

MelbourneHot Rod Showwere a killer lefthand drive 33 fordroadster smoothie in flat black,hope the pics do it justice, seemedto be plenty of lefthand drive rodspresent, didn't notice if locallyregistered. Then there were plentyof chaneled sedans, coupes androadsters, must be making acomeback [great I love em] alsolots of cars sporting hemi's underthe hood both supercharged and not. Think I’ll use a 186 in my next car.Even a couple of ardun head rods, supercool.Plenty of bare steel cars, ,the most notable being the fordson van ofJohny Z fame, lots of custom work and a killer chassis on airbags, I gottatake a breather phew. For one upmanship you couldn't go past Elvis ofrodbods fame’s 32 ford with V16 power, not sure of the motor bit it seemedto be a one piece block but with 4 seperate heads, don't ask I'm no expert.There were plenty of trade stands in fact more than enough. You could buya sticker of a willys to an alloy diff housing to flouro lights, bowsers,modelcars, go fast gear and there were even trade stands outside thebuilding and did I mention the rodshow in the carpark around the fountain??Never mind, just enjoy the pictures. Joe.8½Extreme E.

mMelbourneHot Rod ShowAbove: Looking a lot like Trevor Breeze’s 32

MelbourneHot Rod Show

MelbourneHot Rod ShowCarParkMiniShow

MelbourneHot Rod ShowCarParkMiniShow

Inside the head of the Chief Rod Designer atSpanky’s Hot Rod Shop.The evolution of a daily driven hot rod. PART II .Last month, you of course will recall, we did a story about changes to theWillys Coupe in order to make it a hassle-free daily driver. Doing a regular300 to 500 kms a week, all through the year, would be a nightmare in a rodwith niggling problems . Many changes were made to the coupe during therebuild to make those 500kms better than they were 12 year ago.Last month, the radiator was extracted and given the triple flow treatmentand the fan shroud further enclosed. This has worked very well and I wouldrecommend it to anyone suspecting that their radiator setup is going to bemarginal. Do it while designing and building… not afterwards!The electric fan was wired more directly to the battery via the alternator-tobattery100amp charge wire. This was to eliminate the headlight voltagedrop whenever the fan switched on.The alternator was also replaced with a 110amp sucker to keep up withdrain on the battery from the concurrent use of the fan, headlights, and LPGsystem. A situation that previously ground me to a halt during the Xmaslights cruise. The charge terminal is now hooked directly to the fat batterylead on the starter motor solenoid with an almost as fat 100 amp lead. I havenow got enough electricity to feed back the surplus into the domestic grid.The battery is charged but another problem arose….After a day or so, the battery was still fully charged and looking good. Idecided to get scientific and check voltage levels at the battery and at thealternator to satisfy my curiosity about the sensing circuit, that checks whatthe voltage level is like back near the main distribution area normally nearthe fuse box, and adjusts the alternator output accordingly. To do this I hadthe headlights, spotties, and the current-thirst 16” fan all turned on and theengine idling. After a few minutes I poked my head in the window and washit by the smell of some very hot PVC of vinyl. Not good, so I shut it alldown via the battery isolator switch (another MUST in my books), andchecked for any damage. All was still OK. Phew! I am experienced at hotrods going up in flames!.. Did I mention the coupe now has a fireextinguisher in the cab? Another improvement and a MUST. If not for you,to possibly save someone else.

The evolution of a daily driven hot rod. PART II cont... The problemwas the thelack of charge going from the new alternator back through the old chargecircuit and ammeter, to neutralize the massive discharge now going throughthe Amp gauge uncontested. The ammeter was physically too hot to touch,probably causing a dash upholstery meltdown. The solution was to fit 10guage wire from the alternator back into the old charge circuit which nowwas now also used to supply a good supply to the fan. This way the currentthrough the ammeter was pretty much neutralised and the problem solved.This was the best solution for dealing with the wiring circuit that was onlydesigned for a 40amp alternator and small electric fan.These days the consensus is, that due to the higher current demands of autoelectrics and the matching increases in alternator outputs, it is best to usean idiot warning light on the dash which will show an instant failure orfanbelt disappearing act and add a voltmeter if you are a collector of suchdash jewellery (I love lots of gauges!) and get rid of the amp gauge.Voltmeters are safer because they don’t carry the current demands of thecars electrical requirements and if they fail, you won’t be left with on theside of the road.Next the speedo!When the replacement of the 1961 Chevy speedo cable didn’t fix thereluctant-to-work speedo, the problem became a large mystery. I hadalready calculated the correct driver and driven speedo gears combinationand change both cogs and I knew the speedo was still OK having pulledthat apart and serviced it too.The speedo cable cog in many GM auto boxes sits in a tubular housing thatis removed from the gearbox housing with the loosening of one bolt. Nowdesperate for a solution, I noted a bit of play between the speedo cog andthis housing.. another EFTPOS transaction at West Coast Chev and voila,another source of irritation was eliminate and my selection of cogs lookspretty accurate. Woo hoo.If you want to know what cogs to use in your GM gearboxes, I have thesecret formula. You need to know the rolling radius of your rear rim/tyrecombo, your diff ratio, and how many revolutions your speedo drive needsto do to complete one KM or Mile on the odometer. Eg, my old SmithsSpeedo had a sticker on it indicating 620 revs for a kilometre.

The evolution of a daily driven hot rod. PART II cont... I was on aroll now…Next, I had a small amount of jarring coming through the steering wheelwhen cruising on rough roads and heaven knows there is a few of thosebetween Gidgegannup and Osborne Park. This was another source ofannoyance. It wasn’t dangerous, just a pain.The coupe has an HG Holden front end and suitably shortened Commodorerack and pinion steering box. Its mounting location matched that of standardHG Holden steering linkages. I fitted shorter HQ steering arms to providemore responsive steering. These arms were modified for better ackermanprinciples but not tuned for possible bump steer, which was the cause of thesteering wheel irritation on rough roads. I simply put the some HG arms andvoila again. I cannot believe how much difference it made. Driving is muchmore relaxing now and the steering is more responsive than I thought it wasgoing to be. You never stop learning.The coupe is at a stage now when I know I can lend it to anyone to driveany where anytime with full confidence and not worry about anyidiosyncrasies in the car.What next? Despite new thermal and heat insulation and double firewall,an aircond would be icing on the cake, But there isn’t any where to put it.Not under the dash, not under the seat, and not in the dicky seatcompartment, so windows and cowl vent will suffice…. for now.In summary, all of last month’s work has paid of. There is hardlyenough room now to squeeze in a two week old pay packet under thebonnet. But it had to be done.Spend the time to make your rod reliable and as much like a new car todrive as possible. It will hugely magnify your enjoyment of that investmentin the garage.If you are building fromscratch, put a beer in thefridge and ask someexperienced rodders tocome over and checkwhat you plan to do. Itmay be worth it! I likeEmu Export! EW

GT FACONS FOUND - HUGE QUANTITY IN A SHEDHere’s a story sent in by Garry Curnow doing the traps on email. Iwouldn’t normally cover the subject matter, but it is amazing and Iknow a few of you ford sickos will enjoy it. I really did it because thereis a Monaro amongst them! This huge collection of GT Falcons wasin South Africa. I am sure the Ferret and Frenchie would haveknown about it, but Frenchie wouldn’t waste his time over them. Letsface it, Simcas are more interesting...... EW.Attached are picsof some GTs thatwere found in ashed behind a pubin South Africa.These areGENUINE GTshowever the GTsthat were made forSouth Africa were badged as Fairmont GTs.In some of the pics you'll also see what looks like a HT Monaro. This hasthe same body, interior, etc as the Australian Monaro with a few minordifferences and was baged as a Chevy SS.GT

Interesting GT history (Some Ho Hum from the WWW . Sorry about the font to squeeze it in. Ed)If the name “Stewart Warner” means nothing to you, then you have probably found the wrong page.If, on the other hand, you recognize the name as that responsible for the seriously elegantinstrumentation adorning the cockpit of the Ford Falcon GT, then welcome, and read on…The GT Falcon is unquestionably the quintessential Aussie muscle car, however we can thankthe competition between the big three manufacturers of the day, GMH, Ford and Chrysler, for theevolution of arguably the most collectable of all Aussie built cars.While we could easily go back as far as the Model T, which endeared itself to many pioneering Aussiemotorists with its amazing durability, the real indication of great things to come was shown with theXK Falcon’s Pursuit 170 engine. At the time the Valiant sported the most powerful engine, howeverthe Ford engineers created the Pursuit engine as something a little more specialized for the Aussiemotoring enthusiast.Designed to be freely revving and more tractable for Aussie conditions, the new engineushered in a time of innovation in Australia, rather than the legacy of larger capacity lethargic enginesfinding their way to our shores from the US. Holden counter attacked with their 179ci six beingintroduced as an option from September 1963 in the EH series, itself evolving into the X2 introducedwith the HD - a more spirited performance on offer courtesy mainly of its improved carburettor.Nevertheless there was certainly no panic at Chrysler, their 225ci slant six still offering a class leading145bhp and remaining as the most powerful six cylinder Australian sedan.Chrysler also led the pack by being the first of the big three to offer a V8 option, but things wereabout to change – forever. When the XR was introduced Ford decided upon the fitment of thewonderful 289ci Mustang engine as an option across the entire range – a stoke of genius in no smallpart due to the marketing talents of Bill Bourke, then Deputy Managing Director of Ford Australia(later Managing Director). Collaborating with the Victoria Police Force, the path to the Ford FalconGT was set. The police requirements were that the car be able to outrun the top speed of an averagesedan (that being around 90mph), while having four doors.Bourke’s answer was to equip the XR with the Mustang V8, have it mated to a four speedmanual gear box, improve the suspension and throw in a handful of other refinements, thus begat thecar that would quickly garner legend status. Don Dunoon was responsible for much of theengineering work, and while we have not been able to question any officers of the day that had thepleasure of driving these first iterations, we are pretty sure they found the new car a vast improvementto the six cylinder “three on the tree” versions they had been used to.The XR VicPol pursuit special was obviously too good to be kept away from an eager public,and Bill Bourke ensured it would find its way to Ford showrooms. Sticking to the traditions of theModel T, the first Falcon GT could be ordered in any colour you wished, as long as it was bronze.The decision on colour was brilliant, it remaining timeless and now coming to immortalize theemergence of Aussie performance cars.If you think back to the time, you will realize just how forward thinking Bourke’s decision tobring the GT to market was; Australians used liberal amounts of Brylcreem in their hair, pubs shut at6pm and the nation was shocked when the Melbourne Herald newspaper ran a front page photo ofnew Prime Minister Harold Holt with wife Zara holding a cigarette.It was a time when the British automotive industry had become complacent, a stuffy nosedattitude of “tried and proven” will win the day (and sales war) was quickly losing favour withAustralians who needed transportation capable of swallowing up the endless miles as they soughtout their favourite holiday destinations. Bourke's vision was supreme, he realizing that by taking thenew pursuit car, equipping it with a Fairmont interior, fitting the dashboard with the green-glowing

Stewart-Warner gauges, adding a chrome “Hurst shifter” gearlever and deeply dished wood rimsteering wheel (not to forget the sensational red GT badges), he could create a Unique! car indeed.Just how unique you may ask? Well at the time a performance 4 door was unheard of, notonly in Australia, but throughout the world. But why a 4 door performance car? There were quite afew reasons actually, firstly the Victoria Police required their car be fitted with four doors (and theirrequirement provided the impetus for the cars development), in a period filled with baby-boomerparents the need for a four door car was paramount, and finally production car racing in Australiawas garnering an ever increasing allegiance of fans.Jack Telnack supplied the styling artistry that turned a standard Fairmont into a GT. Thestripes, the chromed wheel covers, blacked-out grille, badgework and so on worked to maginificenteffect, especially in combination with the purposeful stance conveyed by the GT's that sat one anda half inches lower in ride height than their Falcon cousins. No such project had ever beenattempted before in Australia and Telnack added aggression to the Falcon without undermining itselegance.The GT started life as a true limited edition, only two hundred and fifty five being built to theend of June 1967 (the actual numbers broken down by month being three in March, 105 in April,115 in May and 36 in June). Demand was unprecedented, and a second batch of GT’s were quicklyput into production, another 303 being constructed by years end. The final 38 XRs were assembledin January and February of 1968 and the GT's future as a model in its own right was assured.With the launch of XT in March 1968, the GT was made even more potent and attractive and,thanks to its having taken a regular position in the range, there was now a choice of colour; theoriginal GT bronze remained, along with Zircon Green and Candy Apple Red, arguably the mostevocative of the several shades offered. It should be noted to those seeking out a genuine GT thatit was possible to order a GT in a non-standard colour, and at least two were finished in thedelightfully subtle Springtime Yellow.The 289 engine was superseded by the 302, which brought a modest increase in outrightperformance. Now very much a part of the Ford model lineup, it was inevitable that a littlerationalization would be required to keep cost down. Very little was given up, but the Hurst shifterwas replaced by a shorter more conventional model, and in the true traditions of the GT name,(Gran Turismo meaning Grand Touring), an automatic version was available as an option. The XTwas more subtle and elegant than the XR, and gave little away in sporting nature.The extroverted XW was to follow, it fitted with the brutal 351 Windsor engine, the pinnedbonnet giving some indication of the potential top speed of the now legend GT. Just in case youdidn’t notice the bonnet pins, Ford added “Super Roo” decals, fat stripes and “351 HighPerformance” chrome badges to its flanks. Simply put, the car looked so powerful that it neveractually needed to prove itself at a set of traffic lights. The body adornments clearly stated to wannabe’s “nough said”.The standing quarter mile time dropped from mid-16s to mid 15s, helped by a lowering of thefinal drive ratio as well as the giant increase in power and torque. The Ford engineers ensured theGT could stop as well as it could go, fitting fabulous 11.25” Kelsey-Hayes ventilated front discbrakes. The XW GT begat the wonderful XW GT HO Phase II, developed for the Bathurst 500 of1969 and 1970 respectively, although these later iterations sourced the 351ci engines fromCleveland rather than Windsor.Next came the “Shaker” – the most recognizable of the GT’s, the XY. Smoother, morerefined, undoubtedly the best. The Phase III would punish any comers on the racetracks of

Australia, garnering a reputation that has endeared to this day, and making the XY unarguably themost collectable of all GT’s (although we would be happy to own any of ‘em).The XA retained much of the grunt of the XY, but the styling was far more restrained – noSuper Roo decals and, so much is the pity, no Phase IV. Four examples would be built before theconcept was abandoned at a time when the “Supercar Superscare” would see the media hypeconvince many that a Japanese 4 cylinder was the only answer to modern day transportation.The XB’s would be the last of the genre, although many consider the XC Cobra part of thefamily – and one we at Unique Cars and Parts agree with. The XB continued the theme of increasedrefinement, and few other cars ever offered such an encompassing “cockpit” that would make youfeel more a pilot than a driver. The addition of Kelsey-Hayes disc brakes to the rear wheels helpedpull the brute to a stop, however there was no HO, and inevitably no future GT – for a time anyway…TAC CONTACT INFO >>> watac@asrf.org.auThis is the address that will be used in future for build applicationcorrespondence etc, Paul WalshHOW about a day up in Northam, the week before Easter?Following is an email received at Klaxon WA head quarters. Itcould a good day out. Any takers?HiI hope there is still time to get the date 5th April 2009 onto your clubcalendar.This years Northam flying 50 starts on Sat 4th April with the Mt Ommaneyhill climb, & Sunday 5th round the houses flying 50.I will be sending out more details later, but if you want to contact me earlieremail at benntoo@iinet.net.au . Best Regards, John BenningtonSpecial discounts for Club and ASRF members atAuto One Ellenbrook .The crew at will look after you. Lars, Aaron and Glen can also offer greatadvice, gathered with years of experience.The problem with a lot of Auto stores is they are full of fluff and crystalsand often don’t stock hardcore rodder requirements.Ellenbrook Auto One willorder almost anything youcould need for your rod.And still give you somediscount, if they can getdiscount themselves.

WHEN: MAY 2 ND 2009WHERE:FUND RAISING NIGHT“A NIGHT AT THE RACES”HAMERSLEY HALL, BELVEDERE ROAD.HAMERSLEY.COST: $15.00 PER PERSON TABLES OF 8DOORS OPEN: 6.45PM - 11.30LOTS OF PRIZES, GIVEAWAYS, RAFFLES & AUCTIONS.DOOR PRIZE & LUCKY BOOK NUMBER.THIS IS AN EVENT NOT TO BE MISSEDPLEASE PHONE NOELENE ON: 0409300834KRINSTINA ON: 92495218TABLES TO BE BOOKED AND PAID FOR BY 9 TH APRIL 2009BOOK EARLY AS TABLE WILL GO FASTFULL BAR FACILITIESNO B.Y.O.This promo has been printed as a favour for Noelene Hughes.Noelene .is deceased member Geoff Hughes’ widow.. She is presidentof this organisation. The group helps disabled orphans abondonedin Bali. Mouse racing nights are great fun. Attend if you can.

Coming EventsFeb18:SummerSun Twilight Cruise Al Erdman 0414 551928, 9349 4865 Cruise toRockingham as per 2008Feb 22: WCSRC BUSY BEE at clubroomsFeb 22: Nostalgia Drags at Motorplex.Feb 27 – March 2: Busselton Drive-in Weekend Radiators Matthew Clarke9751 1401 Same format as previous years.March 8: Pipeline Picnic Cranksters 02/09 Craig Clements9371 2005 Cruise to MundaringMarch 8: Iggy Memorial Run Conrodders 03/09 Dean Hollwarth9523 1932 Cruise to Cemetery and Winery (TBA) for lunchMarch 15: Sunset Coast Cruise WAHRP 07/09 Les Smith 9446 7368 SorrentoSLSC car park from 5pm, R ‘n’ R concert, departing 7:50pm for Southboundcruise.March 29: WCSRC Swap meet at the clubrooms. Kevan Best 9571 2205April 9 -13 Easter Get Away Run based at York.. Jan French 9377 7837November 15, 2009 Yanchep Cruise Goodfellas .Jeff Hitchens 9405 3568Regular :Wanderer’s Pizza night. Mark Gryska 9418 3668.At Brandi Pizza, Rockingham Rd , Munster. 6.00pm.Second Thursday each Month.Regular: Frenchy and Jimbo’s Rodders breakfast at WCSRCat 8.30 every Saturday morning. Spread the word...Regular: Radiators Monthly Bunbury Cruise. Tony 9721 4386TAC Inspections. 3rd Saturday of month. Call Mike if you needan inspection to make an appointment 0411 709 599CLASSIFIEDSWanted: Neil Gibb- Mudguard for a CustomlineFor sale: FC and FB ute –need restoring EK needs somemechanical work. Ken Myers 0417 910 356-47 Chev truck Mike Flett 0402 632 51348 fibreglass pickup guards Steven Best 9571 00251 Billet steering wheel and 1 Victor Juniormanifold suit sbc – Sam Attard 0450 258548