VOLUME 20, NUMBER 5 Sept-Oct 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS Member’s Cars 2 Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 —London to Brighton Commem- AC 2 Litre Update 8 orative Run Details on website or from Walter Reyn- Rear View Mirror 10 olds at 604-463-6305. PoCo Car Show Report 11 Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 —Annual Branch AGM at Rain- Welcome to the OECC / The bow Station, 120 N. Willingdon Ave., Burnaby 7:00pm Boot / At The Wheel 12 followed by a presentation by John Rennie on the his- tory of the Ford Cortina. Tuesday, Dec. 1,2015 —VCB Christmas Dinner— Details to come.

Les Foster shines a light on the cars and trucks of his past (and present). Page 2

Cars of Branch Members and Their Stories Our next family car was a new 1955 Hillman Minx pur- chased from Sherwood Motors. By Walter Reynolds

The Cars of Les Foster

In this issue we hear about the cars of Les Foster. Les started his driving ‘career’ with the below Tri-ang pedal car.

The Minx

Dad found that the Minx was too under-powered. It was tan colour, too, with wide-whitewall tires that I remember scrubbing as my contribution to its weekly wash.

The next and favourite family car was a new 1957 Morris Isis six-cylinder purchased from Fred Deeley’s on Broad- Me taken outside my Sea Island home, in 1953 when way in Vancouver. sidewalks were still wooden

As I’ve done in earlier interviews on member’s cars, I ask the question, “Why British cars?” Les’ answers reported here are from my interview with him plus excerpts from articles he has written about his British cars. These arti- cles have appeared in past issues of both the OECC ‘Spanner” magazine and the VCB ‘Roundabout’ newslet- ter. Except as shown, all the photos are provided by Les. Now, onto Les’ story.

Our family’s first car was a E493A bought around 1950. The 6-cylinder Isis

Dad liked its uniqueness- there were very few around this area, especially manual transmission versions. The gear lever was between the edge of the front bench seat and the driver’s door for a sportier feel while still allowing a third person in the front seat. It was a great car and, as a child, its chrome “wings” flanking the Morris badge on the bonnet reminded me of my father’s moustache! The car was painted a medium grey and had red leather uphol- stery. We loved that car and it took us on quite a few expeditions to Alberta and Vancouver Island in the late 50’s and early 60’s, always drawing interest from people unfamiliar with the marque.

In the 60’s Dad took us to the Vintage Car Club’s Easter

Mom and I with the Prefect in the background. Parade display at Oakridge a few times. The beautiful restorations and preservation of these cars made a deep I have memories of its two tone (tan over maroon) paint impression on me - I secretly vowed to do this myself, work; its woodgrain dash and clock and chrome wind- one day! screen crank which were all at my young eye-level. My first car was a hand-me-down Tri-ang pedal car which I In the early 60’s my brother became old enough to drive called “The English Car”, and in which I happily motored and, once he started to work, went in on a project with his up and down our Sea Island wooden sidewalks. neighbourhood friend to build a hot-rod. To this end, my

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 2 brother purchased two 1951 Ford Thames E83W . a short while, losing interest, and then selling them on. I One, an ex-painter’s truck, was disassembled and partial- often handled the sales and I fell in love with old cars that ly cut-up to be the rod. The other, intended to be a donor way. I was already interested in history and the cars just vehicle was purchased from a Richmond blueberry farmer seemed to evoke that. They were time machines, gate- for forty dollars. ways to another era!

Blueberry farm Thames E83W The repainted Thames outside the Stave Falls store, 1980

The boys soon tired of the project which was clearly over In 1965 my father decided to replace the Isis. He went to their financial, skill and attention-span level! My brother Fred Deeley and looked at the new Austin 1800 saloon kept the farm Thames and we drove it around quite a lot but decided it wasn’t for him. He worked downtown and for a year or so. had seen a lovely convertible in the window of Harris & Taylor Motors at Burrard and Dunsmuir. It was a Caravelle 1100 - a beautiful and economical touring car that could seat three people and came with a removable steel hardtop for winter.

The Thames on Sea Island in 1968

One day my brother needed fifteen dollars to attend a dance and I saw my chance. I paid him the money and secured the pink slip. The farm van was mine! At that time, I knew almost nothing about motor vehicles and on- ly vaguely grasped that the Thames was a Ford. It was just an old truck back then and attracted little notice from anyone. Parts were very hard to obtain but I had the left- 1100 (Advert photo) over stuff from the scrapped painter’s van at least. I kept He fell in love with it and it started a flirtation with French that van from 1965 until 1984 when I donated it to the vehicles for the next half dozen or more years. When not Richmond Museum. In 1967, I made it my Canada Cen- in the Thames, I was in the Caravelle. My brother and his tennial Project to refurbish it and sanded the van to bare friend built a - slalom racer metal, had it painted red, obtained my driver’s license and which eventually passed to me and this resulted in a few drove it everywhere. I loved that truck - it was a friend as old Dauphine donor vehicles being accumulated. much as a machine!

My buddy and I cut the roof off one on a whim one day, I painted the van in Studebaker red and had it ready for leaving just the windshield. We got all the old house paint the Centennial in 1967. The damage to the paintwork in that we could find, camouflaged it and drove it to Iona the next photo was the result of a petrol tank fire during Island to play Desert Rats on the beach. Our knowledge the post-painting restoration work. of monocoque construction was non-existent and it soon sagged in the middle, pinching the shift rods to the rear- Meanwhile, in the mid-60’s my brother went through a mounted transmission and sticking us in second gear. phase, for a couple of years, of purchasing interesting old We limped home and never drove it again. My brother American cars for about a hundred dollars, keeping them

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 3 bought a Renault Gordini 1100 in 1966 - virtually a race car with an incredible power to weight ratio. I passed through the Deas Tunnel at over 100 mph in it one night back in the day of much less traffic! My Dad traded the Caravelle for a Renault Estafette 800 front wheel drive van in about 1968.

My refurbished, pop-up-roof VW van The dealer had added a Webasto sun roof and wooden dashboard to the Mini before I bought it. I kept the car a

year or so but I was now married with a new family. The

Mini came with mandated head restraints which, unfortu- nately, meant that the seats would no longer lift fully up. This made getting into the back seats very difficult. In general, the “modern” features like roll-up windows, head Blue Renault Dauphine-Gordini with the Thames restraints, etc. just stole room and usability from the Mini. We camperised the Estafette and it made several trips So, the Mini had to go! around BC and Alberta and a half dozen expeditions to California or the Oregon Coast over the next several years. It eventually developed too many issues (mostly due to chronic overloading) and, as my father drove little at this time due to vision problems, he sold it and I bought a tired old 403. This took me on an epic Trans- Canada drive in 1971 - total fuel and oil bill $58! Next year, after the 403 was damaged by a hit and run driver while it was parked, I bought a 403 Station Wagon, switched the sedan’s motor to it and set off for the East again. It was an even more eventful trip! 1977 Leyland Mini – note the sun roof The Mini’s replacement was a very nice used Volvo wag- on which served well until premium leaded gas was phased out. Its engine was not happy after that! Next I bit the bullet and went to domestic vehicles for the long haul of family life and multiple kids. I still loved old cars though and dreamed of getting one again someday.

Returning to the 1960’s and the Thames: By the end of the decade the pace of life increased and the interests of a young man took precedence over the Thames - it lan- guished at my father’s house for a number of years. In the later 70’s, my father’s impending house move and my Renault Estafette 800 van with dad’s VW purchase of my first house impelled me to get the After that I had a lovely, refurbished 1966 Peugeot 404 Thames mobile again and I took it to my new home. sedan which was also destroyed by a hit and run driver- Sadly, by 1984, I was moving to a townhouse and I was after one day! The next step was a VW van that I com- forced to part with it (major mistake!). It went to the Rich- pletely refurbished and made a pop-up top for. mond Museum who eventually did a partial restoration of it before putting it into long term storage. The VW van served me well for five years but I eventually tired of its slow speed and sold it to buy my first brand About ten years later, a chance conversation on the bus new car - a 1977 Mini from McLaughlin Motors that I was driving, led me to a renewal of interest in (successors to Deeley’s). Thames trucks. I happened to be talking to a clerk from my bus garage whose husband, it transpired, was an ‘old

car’ guy. I told the clerk (Kelly Beenham) about my 1949

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 4 Plymouth which I’d purchased in 1988 and still drove to I acquired every model of Thames: vans, pickups, Estate work every day. Car, and bits and pieces of countless others. I educated

myself on all things Thames, joining the OECC, the Ford Sidevalve Owners Club (I’m now their “Canada Contact” and field a lot of questions), the now-defunct English and European Ford Club based in the Northwest US, and the Vintage Car Club of Canada. I still belong to the OECC, of course and remain active in the FSOC as well. I have also joined the BC Pioneer Truck Society.

Me and the Thames at new home in Maple Ridge

Ford Thames E83W Estate Car. The late Dick Van Dyke helping push the Estate off its delivery trailer

A brief affair with Austins came about in 2001 after I got a tip on an estate sale in Kerrisdale. It turned out to be a 1958 Austin A55 Cambridge. I bought it for $50, got it running, shamelessly bodged its rusty body and came out with a cute driver that was loads of fun.

1949 Plymouth (I owned the Plymouth from 1988 to 2007/8. It was a great car. I always liked the plainer ‘working man’s’ cars and was fascinated by 1940s and 1950s American cars.)

Kelly told me about her husband, Paul, who drove his Vauxhall to my garage every day, too. She then men- tioned that he had a Prefect as well and I countered with my story about my Dad’s Prefect and my old Thames. A meeting with Paul ensued and the rest is history. Paul introduced me to the OECC (we were amongst the found- Alfreda the Austin ers of the VCB) and put me on to a Thames that Ian Cox I named the Austin “Alfreda” after the original owner, was selling on the Island. That grey Thames van was the whose name was Alfreda. I bought a ’57 Cambrian for first of many over the next few years! parts, too. After a few years I had to make room and raise funds for my Thames resto so I sold the Austins on as a package. Alfreda the Austin was a great little car! The 49 Plymouth went around the same time and for the same reasons - sadly missed but I needed to focus on my goal!

In 2007, I began a liaison with the Canadian War Muse- um in Ottawa, answering questions about their E83W (Fordson was the name used by Ford of England for their commercial line until about 1952 when the name Thames was adopted).

Ex-Ian Cox Thames van outside my home

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 5 but eventually had to concede that it was beyond our skills. I had dreamed of “improving” it with TR parts - per- haps disc brakes and a Triumph engine for a really driva- ble truck. It was not to be and another potential distrac- tion from my Thames project was sent on its way early in 2010.

In 2000, while on vacation in Powell River, BC, I had sought out and located a Thames E83W pickup that I had heard rumours of. This green and black vehicle had been made to run and given a paint job and, thankfully, kept mostly original. I purchased it from a bodyman who’d taken it in exchange for a paint job on the former owner’s The CWM’s Fordson Emergency Food Van in Ottawa next project. He was going to hot rod it “someday” but pre-restoration had been using it for a family storage bin for seven years. I was able to pass on a lot of helpful information to aid I shipped it to Richmond by barge and had it towed home. the restoration of the CWM’s Fordson Emergency Food It languished for a few years as I continued to amass Van #1 (a WWII civil defence vehicle from the UK) and parts and vehicles but, in 2005, Carl Knorr assisted me in eventually flew to Ottawa, in 2008, to assist them with getting it going again. This led to a complete mechanical advice and some special parts. I’m proud to say that I restoration which was completed in 2007. XXXXXXXXX was mentioned at the unveiling of the vehicle to the pub- lic!

Post mechanical restoration on show at ECAIP The CWM’s Fordson Emergency Food Van post-restoration I enjoyed its use for a couple of years until its con-rod bearings disintegrated at just 1200 miles- ruining the engine. The hobbyist who did the babbit for me obvi- ously did a bad job! I changed the engine over to a good used one that I had obtained from another pickup that I had since purchased. That pickup was in overall superior condition to mine in body and frame but was partially disassembled. Its one major flaw was a non- standard passenger footwell that had been welded in sometime in its life.

Standard Vanguard pickup in June 2008 Around 2008, I bought a 1950 Vanguard Series I pickup. The Vanguard was an intriguing vehicle - car-like at the front but with a sizeable box behind. It offered the speed and comfort of a sedan with real utility. Sadly, it was bad- ly rusted in the floor area and previous owner’s efforts to repair it had only succeeded in removing any reference points for proper repair. My friends and I certainly tried At the 2011 Zoomer Show

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 6 In the spring of 2012, I decided to do the long-dreamed of full restoration of a Thames. I chose the green pickup as I believed (perhaps erroneously) that the steel box would be easier to cope with than the wood framing of the Es- tate Car. Encouraged by Gerry Parkinson and Carl Knorr, I moved forward. They had both worked tirelessly for untold hours on the complete reconstruction of the box and the repair of metal and wood in the cab. Carl welded in a donor firewall to replace the homemade footwell in the “new” cab taken from the other pickup which we had judged to be better than the “old” green one. The engine was treated to a complete and uncompromising rebuild by Laurie at Coquitlam Automotive. The previously-rebuilt parts (axles, braking system, cables, bearings, etc.) were transferred to a straighter frame. All new parts from the UK were sourced as well as many items shared with domestic Fords of the 1930’s that I could find locally or in the US. Many items were blasted and powder- Box back on, bonnet and front wings yet to go on coated. This took nearly a year! Next year, 2016, will mark fifty years of my association with the Ford Thames E83W (aka Fordson E83W). That association has brought me countless hours of interest, expanded my historical knowledge in many areas, brought me together with great friends, given me an outlet for my other passion - writing (I’ve done many articles on these vehicles, amongst other things), caused me to learn new skills, and see new places. I look forward to enjoying driving a Thames again, soon, and finally realizing that childhood dream!

Putting it all back together

After basic repair and reconstruction was accomplished, the Thames returned to my shop for a few months for more work on the body parts. In spring 2013 the box was put in the hands of a commercial shop (Ropate) on Mitch- ell Island. Meanwhile, the small parts and fenders, etc. were refurbished and painted by my friend, Andy Twarog, who worked in his home shop in his spare time. It all be- gan to come together in spring 2014 when the rest of the The Ford’s almost done. Thanks for reading! truck finally went to Ropate and was given a complete body job and paint and the box and cab were re-united. In the fall of 2014, the Thames was finally ready to return A big “Thank You” to Les for taking the time to tell us home and was flat-decked back to Tsawwassen for final about his British (and European) cars. reassembly. This has been ongoing, a few days a week, And there you have this issue’s story. The “Cars of ever since. Now ready for a test drive, the Thames grows Branch Members and Their Stories” continues in future more complete each month and should be finished some- issues of the Roundabout. As of this writing, volunteers time next year. It is a joy to work with clean, new or refur- include Allan Reich, Dave Warlimont and Doug Cour- bished parts and I take my time with careful and thought- temanche. In the meantime, and as per usual in this ful work, often assisted by my wife, Calla, who is a great space, if you would like to tell Branch members about helper and whose organizational skills and common your British car, cars or motorbike/s, contact me at wdrau- sense keep me on track. [email protected].

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 7 Update on the Ian Strange makers were very helpful, but I gave up. As far as I know, the AC's panelling is an aluminium-copper alloy as used AC 2 Litre Restoration. for aircraft. By Walter Reynolds Oddly enough, some 30 year old repairs I had done with Araldite (epoxy) adhesive, had held quite well, despite minimal surface preparation back then. So I ordered some Araldite metal epoxy, plus some fibre-glass reinforcement The April-May, 2013 Roundabout included an article that mesh. I'll write up more details later this year I had written on the AC 2 Litre saloon, a majestic and spirited car from the late 1940s and early 1950s. In that Now I'm preparing the main body shell for refitting to the article I referenced the web site of Ian Strange, an English wood frame. Undoubtedly the most worrying stage of the chap who was doing a second restoration on the 1949 AC 2 whole restoration! Litre that’s been in his family since 1962. A lot of the mate- rial in the article was from Ian’s web site; used with his approval. I had a follow-up on Ian’s car restoration in the July-August 2014 Roundabout. Here we are, a year later with the latest update from Ian.

“22nd July 2015: Alloy Panels

I've been busy this summer working on the alloy panels, and have now got the smaller panels back on the wood frame.

3rd September 2015: AC re-shelled.

On the 17th August, the body shell was lifted out of the garage and onto the wood frame, 24 years after being re-

moved. After a bit of persuasion, it all still fits, and far fewer panel creases than I had feared. I had altered one of the screen pillars on the wood frame for a better door fit, and this meant also changing the fold-line on the panel- ing.

Repairing damaged panels did not go smoothly. I tried out the HTS2000 brazing alloy, and while it worked very easi- After over 2 weeks of intensive work, all the panel-pins ly on the pure aluminium sheets I practiced on, my at- are in and the edges all folded back over the wood frame. tempts to repair the AC's panels resulted in more damage The doors, wings and windows still fit! to repair. To be fair, the UK wholesaler and the American

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 8 The information in this Roundabout update article is from Restoration Page 10 of Ian’s web site. However there are three or four earlier web pages that I’ve not included here just to give you an incentive to visit his web site and read all about the AC 2 Litre in general and his restoration in particular.

Here’s the car in 1986:

The only slight downside of the lifting operation is that the largest of my crack repairs (epoxy/fibre-glass) did not survive the ordeal. This was on the thin strip below the spare-wheel door, which is subjected to flexing during the lift - far more than it will suffer when mounted on a sound frame.

It feels like I have my AC back again, now that I can ad- mire or sit inside almost a whole car. Many thanks to the kind gents who assisted in the body-lift.

Next on the agenda: Door restoration.

Postscript: Since my AC has taken shape, it's been bom- barded with even more compliments than before. Young- sters heading home from school call out their admiration, Ian’s web site is www.ac2litre.com. As I am intending to and passers-by (male and female, young and old) have visit England in September 2016, I’ve arranged to visit nice things to say. And all this when the AC's paintwork with Ian to see his car which, by then, may be on the road. is in a shocking state! It all helps to keep me going with So, look out for a further update, from Ground Zero, so to such a long project. It's a wonderful contrast to the com- speak. ments I used to hear and read over 20 years ago. Good taste has made a comeback!”

As a closing note at the end of Page 9 of his restoration record, Ian says:

“4th January 2015: Recommended book

Father Christmas brought me a copy of an excellent book which has a few contributions from myself, plus some photos of my AC's wood frame. Entitled "Wooden-Bodied Vehicles" by Colin Peck (The Crowood Press - 2013). Buy- ing, building, restoring and maintaining most forms of wooden or wood framed road vehicles. It includes a sec- tion for coachbuilt cars. It is a well-researched book that picks up on the opinions and practices of various restorers in the UK and USA. If you look carefully through the many photos, you will notice some close-ups of my AC's wood frame. There is also a photo of a dark red AC that I took.

If you are contemplating the restoration of a wood framed car, then I would thoroughly recommend purchasing a copy of this book.”

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 9 REAR VIEW MIRROR

Top picture: 1955 PNE Parade showing Club of B.C. cars participating. (City of Vancouver Archives) - Submitted by Les Foster . Bottom picture: June 14, 1973. Traffic problems on Chilco Street in the West End (Hemmings Motor News) - Submitted by Alan Miles I believe there is five British cars in this picture, the most obvious being the Triumph Spitfire. If you think you can name all five (or maybe more) let me know.

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 10 When you take your car to a collector car show, you never know what might happen! Text and Photos by Sarah Wilson

I just received my official photo this morning (October 14th!) from the organizing committee of the PoCo Car Show that was held in mid-August. Mine was the lone Austin-Healey being shown, but among the handful of British cars, there was a Jenson-Healey, Jenson GT (belonging to vcb member Tom Popovich), Morris Mi- nor (sort of due to the V8), Metropolitan, MGB, E-Type Jag, a couple of Morgans, Sunbeam Tiger, a couple of XJSs, TR6, Mayflower and a Spitfire.

The show cost each car owner $25, which was really a good deal when you consider what you received. Inter- ested people gathered at around 4pm on the Saturday at the PoCo Recreation Centre and then proceeded on a cruise through a looped route around Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, being waved at by people who had positioned themselves and their chairs along the route. When we returned to the downtown area, we parked our cars and proceeded for an included barbeque meal.

On the Sunday after getting into the staging lanes and obtained our packages that included a T-shirt, we then were all individually photographed prior to driving to our parking position that in my case included a number of British cars. After parking our cars, we were then treated to another included meal, this time breakfast! The day proved to be a really enjoyable with loads of people walking around looking at our cars. The Blues Brothers(!) moved around the streets playing for us, and at the end of the show the awards were handed out, followed by live music into the evening if you wanted to stay.

My one criticism would be that while awards for North American cars were numerous, any cars that were Brit- ish, European, or Japanese were all clumped into one "Foreign" award. Linda Spouler justifiably won for her Tri- umph Mayflower! I guess this car is so unusual that it has become an awards magnet.

One thing I didn't expect at all was to see a "For Sale" sign on the E-Type Coupe on the day of the show. I chat- ted with the Port Coquitlam owner and after some thought contacted him the next day to test drive the car. No rust, only 30,000 documented miles on the clock and owned by the original owner up to the end of 2005 prior to being imported into Canada, and the important stuff having been done since she came to Vancouver. I gather that it was fortunate for me that I phoned when I did since Roger had several people phone him about pur- chasing the Jaguar.

Little did I know when I signed up for this car show, that I would almost have an E-Type land in my lap, a bucket list item that proved impossible for me to say NO to!

I would highly recommend this show to club members, and we really need to have a greater showing of our Britmobiles at this show!

Sarah’s soon to be “new” E-Type

VOLUME 20,NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 11

17 VCB members braved the elements for September’s Branch event at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. Here they can be seen enjoying Pajos fish and chips (which agreed to stay open just for them!) under cover in the park. The short run planned for afterwards was cancelled on account of the rain but judging from the pictures the precipitation did not dampen the spirits of those attending. (photos: Steve Blake)

During a trip to Hawaii earlier this year, Mary Lou and I were strolling through the shopping area in Waikiki when we spotted this Mini Ute in the Tori Richard store. I was unfamiliar with the store but apparently they are a chain of clothing stores that started in Honolulu in 1956 and spe- cialize in high quality resort wear.

Looking on the internet I also found a picture of a beautiful red MGA parked in this store as well. Sounds like someone at the top has a weakness for British automobiles. (Photo: Alan Miles)

AT THE WHEEL Membership Secretary: John Chapman Communications Coordinator: Alan Miles [email protected] 604-590-3749 [email protected]—604-272-2145 New memberships and correspondence: Roundabout Editor : Alan Miles Chairperson: John McDonald 7923 144A St., Surrey, B.C. V3S 8C1 [email protected] - 604-272 -2145 [email protected] 604-942-8223 Immediate Past Chairperson: Good & Welfare: David Ballantine Vice-Chairperson: Walter Reynolds Gerry Parkinson [email protected] [email protected] 604-463-6305 [email protected] - 604-980-4120 604-943-3824 Treasurer: Bernie Miles Website Editor: Alan Miles Event and Meeting Coordinator: [email protected] 604-943-0535 [email protected] 604-272-2145 Lorna Hoare Membership renewals: mail to 207-4753 [email protected] - 604-584-2564 River Road West, Delta, B.C. V4K 1 R9

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