ahebron
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Posts posted by ahebron
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Here is the article for all to enjoy.
John I am tracking down Grahams contact detail for you but I will not put that up on the public facing forum.
I will PM you with that once I receive it.FYI Pukekohe race track which is mentioned in the article ran its final race early this year.
It is being returned to horse racing I believe.And sorry about the upside down page, it didnt leave me in that state🙃
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John I will try and scan a copy of the magazine article for you.
My info so far
Alan Woolf probably has his racing Vitesse still from the 1970s.
Grahams car still exists and current owner keeps meaning to race it.
Bruce Garland sold his car but kept some bits.
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Paul Coghill is still racing his Vitesse down south.
https://talkmotorsport.co.nz/nzcircuit/blackmun-wins-brian-crosbie-memorial-trophy-at-star-insure-classic-speedfest/I turned around at my computer and there was a copy of NZ Classic Car dated August 2006 and it has an article about a Vitesse racing car and a 2.5 racing car in New Zealand.
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https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/triumph/other/listing/4092926917
Description
1959 Triumph Herald coupe First registered in New Zealand in January 1960, this car left the factory on 22nd June 1959, and joined the second shipment of 12 Heralds to New Zealand in August 1959. With the commission number of Y999, this car has all the characteristic features of the very earliest Heralds, and is thought to be the oldest roadworthy Herald in the world – a few earlier Heralds exist both here and elsewhere but are unusable. The car was acquired in 2009 in a much modified state from Queenstown. It underwent a full body-off restoration (photographic record available), and was repainted in its original colours of Coffee and Sebring white. The upholstery and dashboard were replaced with original patterns, although the latter lacks a correct glovebox lid and, being 64 year old cardboard, is slightly deformed. The original vinyl panels are a bit discoloured – not surprising after so long. New carpet. It didn’t have a factory rear seat, which was an optional extra for this model. I have a pattern for the original inner front mudguard rubber skirts. It was re-vinned with its original registration number, and certified for the 1200 engine that was in the car when I obtained it. While waiting for the certifier at VINZ the car suffered three small paint gouges (see photos). Otherwise the paint is in excellent condition. The car has five new tyres, new trunnions, new suspension bushes, new tie rod ends, and most if not all other replaceable suspension, brake and steering components. The excellent 1200 engine is mated to the original gearbox and a 4.11:1 differential, both a bit noisy. Petrol and temperature gauges have stopped working.The car comes with a spare 1200 engine and gearbox, spare 4.55:1 Herald 948 differential, non-factory rear seat, and many other spare parts. New 12 month registration and WoF.
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JohnD funnily enough December last year I was having arvo tea with Mac Reynolds and he said Graham Main had recently visited him.
I have an idea he sold his Vitesse racing car.Adrian
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Hi Martyn
You probably know this already that the antiburst hooks are used on other Triumph convertibles up to the TR7.
I have fitted them to my Vitesse 6 saloon. -
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Has anyone fitted these to there Triumph, in particular a Vitesse.
The NZ Triumph parts supplier sells them at a reasonable price and I am pretty sure they get stock from Rimmers as the part numbers are identical.
I bought 2 pairs for my Vitesse and am not having any luck with them.
Thanks
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One of the first ever commercially built electric cars from the 1960s has been donated to the Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum and members are working on its refurbishment.
A nearly 60-year-old Kiwi built electric vehicle has been dubbed "the ugliest car in the world" by one of the team working to bring it back to life.
"You couldn't make a better job of making something ugly," Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum member Cor Bot said of the car believed to be one of the first electric cars built commercially in New Zealand.
"It's a great wee project though," Bot said.
The unnamed vehicle, one of up to 10 built, has sports lightning bolt badging and was donated to the museum by an anonymous South Canterbury resident who bought it off Trade Me for $10,150 in April 2022.
Another museum member, Colin Johnstone, said the donor “thought it should stay in our area” as it was built in Timaru and Geraldine.
Johnstone, who described the gift as “very impressive”, said he could remember the awkward looking vehicles during his childhood in Geraldine as they had work undertaken in local engineering workshops.
“We’ve got the only road legal one ... it still has the plates on it.”
SUPPLIEDThis South Canterbury-built electric car has been called the “ugliest car in the world” by one of the people refurbishing it.Bot, an engineer, said the car “has basically been built on the chassis of a Triumph Herald”.
"It is very rare. I understand there were not many made. I think there may have been only about 10 made but yeah, very rare.
"It is not the nicest vehicle to look at but my goodness it is a gem really."
JOHN BISSET/STUFFHard at work refurbishing a rare historic Timaru-built electric car are Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum members, from left, David Graham, Cor Bot and Ian Webb.The car was reported as being the brainchild of Timaru engineer and inventor Donald MacConachie with estimates of eight to 10 vehicles built.
Bot said the car had six batteries through the centre connected to two electric motors that drive the back wheels.
"They in turn drive the car of course, but in order to charge the batteries there was a small standby engine/alternator in the front and that would run a little generator that would charge the batteries.
JOHN BISSET/STUFFPower gauges on the dashboard of an electric car built in Timaru and Geraldine in the 1960s."That made it more of a hybrid rather than just electric."
Johnstone said by sheer chance they have managed to locate the original alternator and were hopeful of acquiring it from its owner who was using it as a standby generator under his bench in Christchurch.
Bot said the refurbishment target was to make the car run again, but it probably won't be certified for the road.
"I would like to see it go again ...
"The work is not a total rebuild, it is more of a refurbishment and tidy up.
JOHN BISSET/STUFFA myriad of cables in the rear of the historic electric car built in Timaru around 1966 that is being refurbished at the Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum."We think the work will take a minimum of six months. We only work on it once a week, every Tuesday."
Bot said there are probably six people working on the project at each session, and they try to ensure that everyone knows what everyone is working on because "we are all fossils and anyone could fall by the wayside".
"This is a project for the museum, and I'm just one member of the Tuesday Club. We all bring different skill sets to projects."
Bot said, ideally they would have the refurbishment finished in time for the museum’s Crank Up day in October.
JOHN BISSET/STUFFOne of the electric motors that drive the historic electric car built in Timaru around 1966.The cars were “made from 1966 to 1970” with the museum stating it was the earliest example of a kiwi-built electric car and its version was the only road legal build of the eight completed by MacConachie who planned to mass produce them in cream or blue.
The vehicle sits on the shortened Herald chassis with a Morris 1100 rear suspension, and it has a fibreglass body that was pressed in Washdyke at Robs Marine. Engineering work was completed in Geraldine, with “a whole lot of Kiwi ingenuity” and because MacConachie “had a mate there that could help out”.
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As I cant put this in spotted here it is.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/triumph/other/listing/4072080325?bof=oOx1hoF8
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Why not introduce a fee for forum users who do not want/need full club membership?
This would alleviate the 'freeloader' comments and would mean the club is not subsidising non members.
Many of us not UK based do not want to make use of the club shop or receive a magazine but do use the website regularly.
I used to pay £12 for a UK motorbike forum I was a member of till it changed radically during and after Covid.
I do not go to motorbike or car forums for other peoples political beliefs, I go for the vehicles.Adrian
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11 hours ago, PeteH said:
I had, (may still have?) one of these, last used on the Vitesse circa 1986(Ish) :- https://www.gunson.co.uk/product/G4053/Carbalancer
P.S. No-where near that price back then.
Pete
The problem I had with the gunson was it melted.
I ended up with the similar operation cast metal one with the foam rubber you press on the carb.
I also use a Twinmax which is designed for motorbikes but with a bit of cunning can work on cars -
Modified this on a job today.
Customer wanted a power point outside the front door and another just inside the front door.
Luckily there was a power point on the other side of the wall for the inside one so all I had to do was cut a hole for the flush box drill down through the bottom plate crawl under the house and drill up through the bottom plate, then a hole through the outside wall covering and grab the wire out.
Underneath the house it had been insulated with a nylon blanket between the floor joists.
I cleared the insulation around where I though the hole in the plate would come through and went back up the hole in the wall inside.
I hade to add a 150mm extension and a 300mm extension to my spade bits all on my Dewalt 18 volt drill.
Drill down through the bottom plate, then through the floor board should be clear but just caught a floor dwang/nog.
Then the spade bit grabs stops the drill, into reverse and it turns then stops the drill, bugger.
Release the drill from the extensions and back under the house to pull the spade and extensions down.
Climb back up and exam what I have done it had bent and twisted the 150mm extension, the spade bit had grabbed the nylon blanket insulation as I miscalculated where it would come through.
The drill, the bit and the 300mm extension had no damage but the 150mm was no longer of any use.
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And when you lookup the Gloria Vitesse which like a good Vitesse has a 6 cylinder engine you will see it is a reverse flow engine (non crossflow)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse-flow_cylinder_head.
I have been working on a DOHC twin carb 1100cc engine from the 1930s which puts out 50hp as standard. Not bad for those times.
It is a big lump of an engine it was designed to be aluminium but due to the accounts dept was cast iron.
Standard it came with a forward exiting head hugging hockey stick exhaust manifold similar to those fitted to the Stag.
There was no reason I can see for this as the engine bay has plenty of room.
It has been swapped out 4 into 1 headers. -
8 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:
The bonnet comes off quite easily, just undo the hinge bolts at the front. It's not that heavy, but it will need 2 of you to manoeuvre it. Once off stand it on it's end to paint. Quite stable inside, but I wouldn't risk leaving it unattended outside, not in this wind!
Doug
And to think that on the other side of the world it is quite windy too.
A nice southerly blowing in.2 of the photos are on the road in and out of home.
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And the modern petrol doesnt seem to evaporate like the old stuff used too.
Seems to be harder to get the plugs clean and working these days -
Sorry but sometimes ignorance is sometimes the best option.
As an owner of 2 Vitesse, a saloon and a convertible I have no desire to see how our meccano sets do in a crash test.
The only crash safety feature is possibly the steering column might retract if it hasnt been done up to tight.
The bonnet coming for me could cause pants issues.I now have an airbag that I can wear when riding my motorbike, I do wonder if they will develop aftermarket systems for older cars.
But there is this which is a Herald
and this
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Hi Colin
All I can say is I have done it but how I cannot remember.
I keyed my Vitesse to be one key for all locks which meant a mix of locks are from different era Herald/Vitesse.
IIRC the glovebox was the hardest one to do.
Luckily I have a bin of various Triumph locks and latches.
i also put a barrel in the passenger door lock -
I am tempted by the Nordic 18 volt brushless 600NM rattle gun but envisage destruction from the use so might leave it a while
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For my dads 90th birthday last year I got him a cordless ratchet spanner.
What a great tool yes I have knocked them in the past and stated I preferred my air ratchet but this is a godsend.
I like it so much I bought one myself and for doing repeat work where you are undoing and doing up nuts and bolts repeatedly they make the job so easy.
Shame the job hasnt gone to well but at least it is easier than using a manual ratchet.Link is to the one I have bought 2 of and I am pretty sure these are just a rebrand of another found on other sites,
https://www.topmaq.co.nz/12v-li-ion-cordless-ratchet-wrench-kit-poba0802
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1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:
I'd still like a Montego Countryman Estate. A Rover 75 Estate possibly, but they're not as cheap to run. Has to be an estate though.
How about a Maestro Van with turbo running gear🤪
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3 hours ago, Peter Truman said:
Interesting here dogs aren’t/weren’t allowed in any shops but I’ve noticed recently Bunning’s are allowing dogs into their warehouse style shops and they usually have a cafe area
The rots setting in
Same here in NZ Bunnings
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When I was a lot younger and a bit lighter
On a metal road crossing a bridge with a bit too much speed I found the exit side to be a bit lower than the entry side.
This should not have been as big a surprise as I had minutes before driven over the bridge in the opposite direction.
The Spitfire MkIV with spoiler was not in contact with the road for little bit before the spoiler came down first into the gravel.
The spoiler scooped up stones from the surface and fired them under the bonnet denting it from the inside, a stone was also flung into the steering mechanism briefly locking it.
When the back end came down it snapped a couple of leaves in the spring.
For a while I had a Spitfire that could out corner many cars at speed including a half burnt Jensen Interceptor that I passed at 90 degrees to the direction of travel as the overtaking lane had a lot of loose metal on it.All that because of a spoiler.
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59 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:
How do you stop dogs licking them at shows?
That is all part of keeping it polished.
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Here is another one from New Zealand
in General
Posted
John, PM sent