FORD TORQUE S.A.
March/April 2021
Website: http://www.mafcofsa.epizy.com/
Model A Ford Club of South Australia Inc. – meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the C.C.C. Club Rooms, Glandore Community Centre, Clark Avenue, Glandore. Meetings commence at 8.00pm. Please note there is no Club Meeting in December.
All Correspondence please send to: PO Box 202 North Adelaide SA 5006. For enquiries regarding membership or meetings please contact the MAFC S.A. Inc. Secretary Martin Blanchard on 0430 485 260 or at [email protected] Martin Blanchard on 0430 485 260 or at
Disclaimer: Some materials printed in this magazine may be borrowed from other publications; we wish to thank other clubs for sharing their magazines with us. We are happy to share our articles for publication in other club’s magazines. Where known, the sources will be included.
Disclaimer: The Model A Ford Club – South Australia Inc. cannot guarantee the correctness of technical information contained in Model A Torque and accept no responsibility for the consequences arising from the use of such information.
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COMMITTEE CONTACT DETAILS 2020/2021
President: Eileen Draper 0402 354 625 [email protected] Vice President: Liane Daly 8264 5194 Secretary: Martin Blanchard 0430 485 260 [email protected] Treasurer: Margaret Mudge 0407 614 819 [email protected] Editor: Eileen Draper 0402 354 625 [email protected] Events Coordinator: Brian Russell 0403 508 351 Kevin Draper 0423 380 917 Committee Ian Daly 8264 5194
Members: Ray Mudge 0407 614 819 Minute Secretary: Martin Blanchard 0430 485 260 Librarian: Liane Daly 8264 5194 Registrars / Don Cresshull 8260 2129 Authorised Persons: Andrew Costi 8431 3970 Brian Russell 0403 508 351 Federation Rep. Graham Johnson 8276 7561
Warwick Little 8278 3047 CCC Robert Moylan 0428 852 972 Public Officer Robert Moylan 0428 852 972 Tool Person Kevin Draper 0423 380 917 Technical Reps. Kevin Draper 0423 380 917 Graham Johnson 8276 7561
Don Cresshull 8260 2129 Brian Diener 0488 291 330 All Ford Day Reps. Alex Robinson 8396 5024 Warwick Little 8278 3047 Graham Johnson 8276 7561 Delegates Gary Fischer 8532 2908
Margaret Mudge 0407 614 819 Web Master Martin Blanchard 0430 485 260
Life Members
Neil Philips May Davey (D) Robert Moylan
Maxine Creedy (D) Maurie Creedy Beth Martin Graham Johnson Kev Draper Margaret Mudge
TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVES
Need help with your “A”? Have questions that you need answers to? Then Call:
Kevin Draper 0423 380 917 or Graham Johnson 8276 7561
Don Cresshull 8260 2129 or Brian Diener 0488 291 330
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Hi Folks
We are already through 3 months of this year and it seems like last week that I was writing a report for the magazine.
March/April has been a busy month for Kev and I. We both missed the last run to Anzac Highway and the Club Meeting due to Kev requiring full knee replacement surgery. Kev is doing well and chaffing at the bit to get behind the wheel again.
The report on the Historic Car Day at Anzac Highway submitted by Brian Russell can be found on page 10.
Crab Day – Brian and Lynne Russell have a great day planned for us. Mark your calendar if you have not done so already and don’t forget to contact Brian Russell to advise him that you are attending. See page 11 for details.
Tuesday February 20th is the next Club General Meeting of the year. So pencil the date in your diary and I hope to see you there.
In closing, keep your “A” fuelled up and ready to go. Till next time, safe and enjoyable driving.
Eileen Draper
COVID-19
We now are living in a ‘Covid normal’ environment where there are still rules of how we conduct ourselves and run the Club. Like most other clubs and many businesses, we have a QR code that is required for record keeping of everyone who visits the Clubrooms. Please sign-in using the QR Code with your phone (paper sign-in is still available). Please write your name and telephone number legibly on the form provided. Remember to maintain social distancing of 1.5m .
Welcome to New Members
Mark and Margaret Osment – proud owners of a 1928 Roadster
To anyone on the sick list we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back at a meeting or on a run soon.
Also, to anyone celebrating special birthdays or a special wedding anniversary, we hope you enjoy your special day.
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BUY & SELL
King Pins Floor Mats Oversized King Pins available $120 each (plus The club now has a supply of floor mats available. postage). Plus $20.00 if old king pin is not returned. These include: Front floor mat $130.00 Back Tourer $130.00 Back Roadster (dickie seat) $120.00 Pedal mat $ 45.00 Postage charges will also be added.
Mufflers
The Model A Club of SA is making Model A mufflers to order at a cost of $300 plus delivery. Model A Ford Club Badge SA Inc $20.00 Please contact Margaret Mudge on 0407 614 819 To order please contact Margaret Mudge on or email [email protected] if you would 0407 614 819 or email [email protected] like to purchase any of these mats.
WANTED – MODEL “A” FORD Model A Parts for Sale
Wanted – a ‘reasonable’ car to purchase. Clutch plate relined never used $130 We are not looking for perfection, an amount Complete motor in pieces suit rebuild $100 of the exterior will be clad with vinyl Block $40 wrapping so an average or even below Gearbox case, some cogs & gearstick $80 average exterior paint condition will be ok. Several heads $30 ea Our primary requirements are that the vehicle Various window winding gear is sound (brakes, engine, steering, axles, Complete manifold $60 gearbox) , that the interior is in average or Exhaust manifold $30 better condition and that it presents as 4-6-8 cylinder rev counter $15 authentically era as possible – even if that is Various Amp meters $10 ea with modern day parts Chrome wheel nuts $1 ea 2 Generators powerhouse $40 ea Would prefer a 4 door Sedan 2 Rear shockers & brackets to suit A $30 ea But would look at a Tourer. Contact: David Halling 0431 307 919 Contact Gary Fischer 0430 853 229
Model A For Sale
1929 Model A Buckboard Genuine Geelong build in original condition. Registered in SA on historic club rego. Patina depression vehicle. New tyres. Located in Bordertown SA Price: $16,000 ONO Shane Longbottom Ph: 0417 852 461
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MONTHLY MIRTH
Regards Warwick Little
CLUB LIBRARY
There is a large amount of information available in the library including technical information, restoration projects, repair manuals, fashions of the Model A era etc. for members to borrow at any monthly meeting. The Club subscribes to various magazines such as the current copies of Restorer, Model A Times and Secrets of Speed. Please see Club Librarian Lia Daly at any meeting to borrow any of these items.
The Northern Automotive Restoration Club of S.A. Inc.
The Northern Automotive Restoration Club will be holding its Burra to Morgan Event on 10th and 11th July, 2021. This is a re-enactment of the first Burra To Morgan run in 1906.
Since a Ford Model ‘A’ was selected as the best vehicle in 2018 we have decided to make this model the feature of our 2021 Rally. There will be a prize for the chosen Model ‘A’ as well as Prizes for other Classes.
The vehicle of the day, other than the Model ‘A’, will be the feature vehicle In 2022.
The Rally begins in the historic town of Burra and cars travel to Morgan on the Sunday, stopping at the Gums (station) for morning tea. More details will be forwarded later.
The NARC members look forward to seeing you and your vehicle participate in this historic event.
MORANNE COOMBS – Secretary N.A.R.C. S.A. Inc. Contact: 8825 3766 or 0428 253 766
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INVITATION BREAKFAST RUN
Another early morning start for the Sunday 21st February Club Invitation Breakfast at the CCC Club rooms. When we arrived at 6.45am “A” members were already there to help set up for the barbecue etc.
The first cars started drifting in around 7.15am. The cereal and fruit was ready but the visitors were happy to look at other club cars and chit-chat.
Once the majority of cars had arrived Graham Johnson handed out the mystery run sheets and off they went.
They returned from the run around 30 minutes later to the incredible aroma of eggs, sizzling bacon and tomatoes permeating the air.
These were followed by pancakes with a choice of jam, maple syrup or lemon and sugar.
Around 51 folks attended.
Thank you to Graham Johnson for organising the mystery run.
A huge thankyou to the team of barbecue cooks Don Cresshull, Ray Mudge, Warwick Little, Graham Johnson and Martin Blanchard. (Double thanks to Martin and Naomi for picking up the eggs late Saturday night.)
Regards Eileen and Kev Draper
Photos Martin Blanchard
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AUTOMOBILES KNOWN FOR NEGATIVE RECEPTION
They are judged by poor critical reception, poor customer reception, safety defects, and/or poor workmanship. For inclusion, these automobiles have either been referred to in popular publications as the worst of all time, or have received negative reviews across multiple publications. Some of these cars were popular on the marketplace or were critically praised at their launch, but have earned a strongly negative retroactive reception, while others are not considered to be intrinsically "bad", but have acquired infamy for safety or emissions defects that permanently damaged the car's reputation. Conversely, some vehicles which were poorly received at the time ended up being re-evaluated by collectors and became cult classics.
Ford Escort MK V (European version) (1990-92) In 1990, Ford of Europe launched the fifth generation of the Ford Escort, which had consistently been the best-selling car in markets including the United Kingdom during the 1980s, and thus was longed-for by the public. However the new Escort was widely considered a major disappointment when it went on sale in September 1990. It was criticized for using carried-over ageing and low performance engines from the previous Escorts despite its new body, as well as its disappointing ride and handling, bland styling, and failing to improve on its predecessor. Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson called the Escort's steering a "joke", while the Autocar magazine headlined a comparison as "Escort Meets Its Rivals And Loses". Its bad press reception led to Ford to undertake an emergency facelift, with the new updated model going on sale in September 1992 and much improved, with new and better 16-valve fuel- injected Zetec engines. This helped improve the car's poor image, although it still failed to become as successful as planned. Despite its bad reception, the car still sold well in Europe and especially the UK market, mostly due to its competitive pricing, which was the only real advantage it had over acclaimed rivals including the Citroen ZX, Rover 200 Series, Vauxhall/Opel Astra and MK3 Volkswagen Golf. In 2015, Driving.co.uk put it in its list of the 10 "worst production cars of all time". The Escort was updated again at the beginning of 1995, and continued in production until 2000, two years after the launch of its successor, the Focus. Ford Mustang II (1974–78) While the Ford Mustang II was well received by both critics and consumers upon its launch, today it is strongly criticized for being a poor- performing Pinto derivative, even though its good fuel economy made it popular after the 1973 oil crisis. Car and Driver listed the Mustang II as one of the 10 most embarrassing award winners, stating, "Instead of the powerful car the Mustang had been, here was a poseur with wheezing four- and six- cylinder engines under the hood. And except for better fuel economy, there were no compensating virtues."Autoblog named the Mustang II as one of the "20 Dumbest Cars of All Time" and claimed that for it to have been named the 1974 Motor Trend Car of the Year, "Motor Trend, back in the day, had to be trading annual honors for ad pages." Eric Peters wrote of the Mustang II in his book Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate, "Reeling, wild-eyed and increasingly desperate [in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis and new emission requirements from the EPA, Ford belched up the Pinto-sourced, "downsized" Mustang II – a car with all the kick of a watered-down Shirley Temple." Edmunds.com ranked the Mustang II as the 2nd worst car of all time, describing it as "instantly appalling to Mustang lovers." Ford Pinto (1971–80) While the Ford Pinto was a strong seller that got a decent reception, its reputation was permanently marred upon the accusation that the car could catch fire upon being rear ended due to a defective fuel tank design. The infamous "Pinto memo", a document submitted to the NHTSA examining the scocietal costs of new roll over legislation, was presented to the public as proof that Ford executives knew about a design defect and decided to do nothing after calculating that paying off lawsuits was cheaper than reengineering the car. This presentation resulted in public outrage. Included on Time magazine's list of the 50 worst cars of all time, Dan Neil wrote, "They shoot horses, don’t they? Well, this is fish in a barrel. Of course
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the Pinto goes on the Worst list, but not because it was a particularly bad car — not particularly — but because it had a rather volatile nature. The car tended to erupt in flame in rear-end collisions." Named one of the "Most Questionable Cars of All Time", CNN said of it, "Images of flaming Pintos are so seared into the public consciousness that it's probably hard for most people, unaided by a photograph, to conjure a mental image of the car while not on fire." Autoblog ranked the Pinto #1 on its list "The 20 Dumbest Cars of All Time". The Pinto placed third in Car Talk's 2000 "Worst Car of the Millennium" survey and was ranked the 16th worst car of all time by Edmunds.com. Leyland P76 (1973–75) The Leyland P76 was a large car that was produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. It was intended to provide the company with a genuine rival to large local models like the Ford Falcon, the Holden Kingswood, and the Chrysler Valiant. But due to the 1973 oil crisis, a small development budget of only A$20m and demand far exceeding the supply, Leyland rushed the assembly process with the first of the P76s to come off the assembly line, resulting in poor build quality and some reliability problems. The combination of the rushed assembly, fuel crisis and strikes at the component manufacturers' factories resulted in the Leyland P76 becoming a flop and earning lasting critical derision, despite being designed by Giovanni Michelotti and receiving the Wheels magazine Car of the Year award in 1973. The Conversation named it "our [Australia's] worst car failure", RACV and Drive.com.au named it among the worst Australian cars of all time, and Wheels and CarsGuide named it among the worst cars ever made. The Sydney Morning Herald said: "Mention really bad Australian cars and the name that usually springs to mind is the Leyland P76. This was not so much a bad car as a badly built car. This was Leyland Australia in its dying days with a dysfunctional management giving orders to get cars out the door whether they were finished or not. The missing bits could be added later. Holden Camira (1982–89) Introduced in 1982, the Holden Camira was the Australian GM affiliate's version of the company's J-body family of mid-size cars, replacing the Torana. Initial sales were good, with the Camira being designated Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1982. However, its reputation was soon tarnished by the revelation of its numerous quality and reliability issues. These included smoking engines, insufficient drainage holes in the doors, poor paint quality and lack of adequate fan cooling, resulting in overheating in Camiras fitted with air conditioning. In addition to tarnishing the vehicle's reputation, these problems led to its withdrawal from the New Zealand market, where a Camira-labeled Isuzu Aska was sold instead. Furthermore, the car's safety record was poor, with Monash University Accident Research Centre finding that it provided a "significantly worse than average" level of safety in the event of an accident, in a comparison to other "medium cars". While later editions attempted to fix these issues, the combination of negative word-of-mouth and diminishing sales figures eventually led to the Camira's withdrawal in 1989. The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Drive.com.au, Cars Guide and Wheels magazine all selected the Camira as one of the worst cars or worst Australian cars of all time. Sourced from Wikipedia
CLUB WEBSITE
The Model A Ford Club of South Australia website has a new home. It is available at http://www.mafcofsa.epizy.com/ . There is still much content to be added, but the site is usable and will be updated with new pages until we run out of suitable content. Anyone with ideas for content is encouraged to contact the secretary on [email protected].
You can click on the “Under Construction” image to see what has been updated since your last visit (you may need to refresh the page). Feel free to provide ideas and feedback.
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Historic Car Day 21st March 2021
Things don’t change or Do they
Once again we were blessed with fantastic weather a little overcast, no rain and pleasantly warmish.
I arrived at Anzac Highway at about 9.30 only to find I had been pipped at the post by Ray Mudge. Ray and I set up tables and chairs under the shady Oak tree that we always seem to get each year and waited to “marshal” those “A’s” as they arrived into their allotted parking area.
While waiting for the “A’s” to arrive I had time to reflect on this Historical Event.
I arrived at the same time, in the same model A, which looks good by the way, never changes and its 92 years old.
Then I got thinking. I got out of my “A” and limped around the venue. I used to walk briskly or run, I went to comb my hair and it has thinned out or is not there anymore, I tried reading the handout material given to me on entry and struggled even with glasses on. I had to beat Ray to the toilet; it wasn’t even 10.00am I had been twice. I then had to sit down in the shade for a while as I was feeling tired. O dam it, Warwick has just arrived, I slowly got out of my chair, tightened my belt “which is 3 notches bigger than last year and ushered him into his parking area. Then several people approached me and said hallo, do you think I could remember who they were. No!!!
Any way Things don’t change do they???
More model “As” arrived in all 5”A’s” and 4 moderns, Ray Mudge, Brian Russell, Warwick Little, Elaine Howson, Graham Johnson, Martin and Naomi Blanchard, Brian Diener, Bob and Glenys Moylan and Kevin Stephens.
Hope I haven’t forgotten any one.
The day went well lots of the usual cars, bikes and machines.
The raffle was drawn Graham J won 5 litre oil Ray M won 5 litre oil 1 chocolate bar Brian R won 1 bottle of car wash 1 hat
A good day was had by all.
Cheers Brian Russell
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CRAB DAY- Brian Russell & Lynn Russell
Sunday 18th April 2021
Meet at the clubrooms at 10.30am and depart at 10.45am
There will be a short drive before heading to Lyn and Brian Russell’s address - 10 Nash Street Grange.
Details will be given out at the club rooms before we depart at 10.45am.
Please make sure that you bring a pen for the run.
Please bring Sweets and Salad to share If you don’t eat any of the above please bring your own food.
Depending on numbers you will only need to bring a chair and BYO drinks
If you are coming on the run please advise Brian Russell on 0403 508 351
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CLUB EVENTS
For further information and details on individual events please contact the organizer of the run as indicated, or our Events Co-ordinator Brian Russell on 0403 508 351.
Events marked with an * are the official club runs, where points are allocated towards the club trophy.
Month Date and Time Details
April Tuesday 20th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday 18th Crab & Chips, Fish and Squid
May Tuesday 18th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday 16th Subs & Registration Day – Club Rooms
June Tuesday 15th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday 27th President’s Run
July Tuesday 20th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday 25th TBA
August Tuesday 17th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday 29th Gawler Run
September Tuesday 21st Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday TBA
October Tuesday 19th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Fri-Sun 22nd – 24th Anniversary Run
November Tuesday 16th Club Meeting in Club Rooms * Sunday TBA
December * Sunday 5th Christmas Party
SWAP MEETS AND OTHER EVENTS
May Sunday 23rd Kapunda Swap Meet June Sunday 13th Kadina Swap Meet June Sunday 20th Sedan Swap Meet July Sat – Sun 10th – 11th Burra to Morgan Event - N.A.R.C. S.A. Inc
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