Welcome to newsletter number 114 for February and March 2004 -- .. ~.::~ LANDCRAB CLUB OF AUSTRALASIA INC. ~':::~!Ii:i! (r PJ:;f}f MO(V\ENTS IN HIS TO~:' 1 ,.......""--- • -.---...---.- ~._ r _ ... '-':"JI'fO .. ,.~~ ~t nrSt ldndln9 (';n b~e MDon The pleJure we 53lAl· ..... l;;.:,;:',·c ;.':i,.,i; ~ ;· »:.~"~ ~ ,!:...: \ > ' . ~: <. :;~~·ft.:~\ ;~:. >: . {... .. ; . ...:~ P.~\..li-.:~Ji.'~ ; · ~, i. ..... L. •• ' .. ·"l-t. ,.1 . : ", . ......... tt.: . " .tlIW .... r, ... , .~~ . \ ;.:.> ..~ ; . \'-'1 . ..' . ",:.;0 " ,, ' '.. ~ ~!~" 1 A . --/'--, , Cl\R'I'OON OHIGIN ...... -;-, (B- A .~ ~ ·~ ~---(; (:'1 -/.: ~ >;S~T;~ ~ . UNKNOWN Cl ~~, ~ ,c') . ..M-'I+. V1 . \ \ ._J ' ...... - / t ----------. ,'. ~~ -----.. ..... ------- ...... ~ . --- THE WIND BAGS PRESIDENT SPARES CO ORDINATOR TREASURER LIBRARIAN Vacant Ability to read and write Patrick Farrell Helpful but not necessary 4 Wayne Avenue Applicants invited Boronia Vic 3155 0397624457 [email protected] DATA REGISTRAR EDITOR I SECRETARY Peter Jones Daryl Stephens 4 Yarandin Court 22 Davison Street Worongary QLD 4211 Mitcham Vic 3132 0755748293 0398733038 [email protected] [email protected] PUBLIC OFFICER SOCIAL CONVENORS Peter Collingwood Brisbane Peter Jones 18 Lighthorse Cres Melbourne Vacant Narre Warren Vic 3804 Sydney Vacant 0397041822 Opinions expressed within are not necessarily shared by the Editor or Officers of the Club While great care is taken to ensure that the technical information and advice offered in these pages is correct, the Editor and Officers of the Club cannot be held responsible for any problems that may ensure from acting on such advice and information /) New Members Mike Jordan 34 Shana Avenue, Keighley 01 535667898 Rally replicia West Yorkshire B021 2TL SALES Mk 11 Auto 60,000 one owner E.C. $2,0000863391549 Sterling S.A. Mk 1 196632,000 Stored in a garage for the last 20 years offers Len Ward Berwick Vic 0397071043 Tandem bike Patrick Farrell offers 03 9762 4457 Mk 1 gearbox Freebie Peter Collingwood 03 9704 1822 Editorial Rumors are terrible things. Naturally, one would never find such stories in a reputable magazine like this. Except if it was believed to be true! A Club member - I would not mention Robert Goodall by name for fear of litigation - had spent all day assembling Naomi Hall's Mk 1. Hard started with the block, assembled the gearbox, clutch etc., and installed in her car. Well satisfied with the days work, he was shutting his workshop door. When he tripped over the oil pump ! THE AUSTRALIAN AUSTIN 1800 ..... UTILITY 1968-1972 - -: -~-. By Robert Penn Bradly When one thinks Austin one tends to think England. not Australia as their source. The Austin Motor Company started ~L~~-=--.; • --~'c -:.• _'. business in 1905 and made a huge range of cars and commercial vehicles at affordable prices, catering for everyone from the super budget minded to the executive or corporation. The extremes ranged from the snazzy but ultra basic Austin 7 of the ~ 1920s to the super luxurious limousines of the late 1940s through to the mid 1960s. A photograph of the first model Austin 1800 Mk I utility, used in a farm magazine of the day. Nairn Hindhaugh, We all know that the Austin car was who worked for BM~. JS unloading the hay. England whilst the plant in Australia (BMC, regarded in the earlier days like today 's one kl11ght m shmmg armor, so. to speak. did BLMC Ley Ian d)'m Z et land ratlOna. I'Ise d our Commodore or Falcon as an utterly reliable much to send the company III a new and I I f'" I h M" k . oca 0 .enngs to on y t e 1111 , nown use vehicle. The grand days of Austin were sound. directIOn. with. a group. of . three ongma.. II y as a M'oms an d Iater as t he Lidev an perhaps the 1950s before the Nuffield different Sized and ul11que vehicles. thiS man Mini ' the 11001130011500. known also' onl (Morris. Wolseley. etc) merger. which started of course was Alec ISSlgOI11S (later Sir Alec). '. y badge engineering and model sharing. and These cars being the 850/Mini family. the as a Morns; and the 1800. marketed only as little by linle the image became tarnished. 1100/130011500 Series and the 1800. an Austin. The real rot happened once the merger with THE MINI FAMILY A BRIEF HISTORY Leyland occurred and the company started to The creator of these cars was Sir Alec These new cars were available in many be run by economic 'boffins' who did their Issigonis who in effect rewrote the design forms and engine sizes from 850cc to over best to only hire people who would not criteria for small cars. The Mini took 1300cc. Some of the more popular model question them or have divergent ideas. The everyone by surprise in 1959 with its east names were the Mini. 850. 1100. 1275 LS UK management hit rock bottom in the 1970s west engine and front wheel drive layout. and Mini Cooper. They were made under and with irresponsible union officials the being an industry first, this layout has become four brands. Morris and Austin (short once grand company's woes were fuelled in a worldwide standard for smaller to mid sized models). Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf earnest. It seems as though all management cars today. (longer models with a boot). The shorter people were hired from the bottom of the Following the success of the Mini in 1963 Mini continued in production until the late barrel and people with the burning desire to came the 110011300/1500 line of larlaer but 1990s in the UK as the Rover Mini (the be car designers and creators were left still compact cars and following this again the Austin name was dropped there in 1988). f" \\'ithout any leadership or a worthwhile work 1800 was introduced in 1964. being the Sprite. Mayfair. Cooper. Cabrio (convertible). environment. To cap all thi s off the word subject of thi s article. all were 1.3 litre fuel injected (The Austin 'sales' did not seem to be seen in the correct name was dropped in 1988). From its release In the Ausiralian plant at Zetland on the context and instead of having proper sales fringe of Sydney's CBD the local executive in 1959-98 over five million were produced. people they had marketing gurus \\'ho lived in decided that only some of the English quite a record! Many amongst the British the corporate enclave and lost proper contact smorgasbord of varieties of these basic motoring press vot ed the Mini as ·the greatest \lith th.:ir dealers and did their best tu models would be tooled up for local car of all time' . distant:.: thems.:h·es from ·h.:av.:n forbid' production. including the Austin 1800 sedan. custom.:rs' Sa le s people are \\'ithout doubt THE 1100/1300/1500 The Austin 1800 came along as a replacement the ke) to all succ.:ssful husiness.:s as nothing SERIES to the local Wolseley 24 /80 Austin Freeway happen s until a sale is made. Series. The 1800 was odd looking in its day This car was a bit larger than the famou s For those readers \\'an ting an insight into and somehow did not hav.: the levd of appeal Mini. in itse lf success ful but it had a far the Leyland Corporati \m and how bad the such a clever vehicle deserved. shorter production run. 1963-n. administration became. may I n:comm.:nd a When the 1800 \\'as introduced in gripping read entitled 'Back From The Brink' THE 1800 England it was badged both as Austin and by Sir Michael Edwardess. Not only does This modd was their full sized car Morris (the latter of which was sold in New this book tell it all. it is extremely well offering and was also made under various Zealand. Ed). having minor specification written and bc\i.:ve it or not is even an names being Austin. Morris and Wolseley. It differences. with an upmarket Wols.:ley exciting read. So interesting is this book tbat came in two series being entitled Mark I and version following in 1967. called the 18 /85. it ha s been used as a support text in some of Mark 2 and like its smaller siblings was on The concept of the car being pure Alec the management courses in Australia and offer with both manual and automatic Issigonis. and clever it was. The car had should bc compulsory r.:ading by every gearboxes. The production run was from virtually a wheel in each comer with the f" corpllratc executive and union organiser in 1904-72 engine being mounted cast west and the Australia. Amidst all this corporate malaise All the ab(\,'c models were made in gearbox assembly bdow the crankshaft. This Page 32 Restored Cars #154, Se1't-Oet '02 ~ __ . _ ~ ,"""," •• ~': .1~ . _~ · "~1)1' ·_ .......... ,.. ""~ ..... ________________ ------ -- - -- - - made it a very compact front wheel drive car Austin 1800 Mark I sedan and PBR for the was a \'ery well engineered unit that also with probably the best useable space ratio. Its Austin 1800 Mark 2 sedan as well as the continued the flat carriage theme with almost mechanical componentry only using 20% of Mark I and Mark :2 utility models. no gap between the floor and the tailgate. length and leaving 80% useable for the Perhaps the most important design feature One of the nicest of touches was the wooden occupants and their luggage. Whilst the car of the 1800 was its superbly strong mono applique trim at the top of the side panels and was certainly a full sized vehicle it only construction body/chassis assembly. They tailgate. minimising scratches or panel measured 4.16 metres in length but was are extremely rigid and unless rusty were one damage when loading or unloading.