April~May 2009 April~May 2009 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc
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April~May 2009 April~May 2009 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE President: Ed Hayhoe ‘Beechcroft’ 19 Cabeleigh Drive, Helensville 0800 Ph: 09 420 6390 Fax: 09 420 6791 E-mail: [email protected] Vice President: Maureen King 17 McDowall Place, Hamilton 3210 Ph: 07 855 2434 E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Mike King 21 Millar St, Palmerston North 4410 Ph: 06 357 1237 Fax: 06 356 8480 E-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Peter Mackie P.O. Box 8446, Havelock North 4157 Ph: 06 877 4766 E-mail: [email protected] Club Captain: Winston Wingfield 7 Pioneer Crescent, Helensburgh, Dunedin 9010 Ph: 03 476 2323 E-mail: [email protected] Patron: Ian Hill Printer: Penny May, Aorangi Print, 125 Campbell Rd, RD 5, Feilding 4775 Ph: 06 323 4516 (wk), 06 323 4698 (hm) E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.daimlerclub.org.nz All membership enquiries to the Secretary. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MAGAZINE Please send all contributions for inclusion in the magazine directly to the Secretary via fax email or mail by the TENTH day of the month prior to publication. DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are purely those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Daimler and Lanchester Owners’ Club. Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc. April–May 2009 CONTENTS Page From the Driver’s Seat – National President’s Report ..................................................... 2 Getting Up to Speed – National Secretary’s Report ....................................................... 3 Member Profile ............................................................................................................................ 4 Round the Bazaars – Daimlers on the Run ......................................................................... 6 Articles of Interest: Daimler Lanchester & BSA cars fitted with epicyclic transmission .................... 10 Dealing with a Viscous Coupling on the Daimler Sovereign ............................... 11 The Problems of Overheating ......................................................................................... 12 Photo Gallery ............................................................................................................ 14–15 Former power units engineer at Jaguar ...................................................................... 16 ICE .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Hitting the Road – Daimler Events Diary ............................................................................. 24 Members’ Market ......................................................................................................................... 27 April–May 2009 From the Driver’s Seat ... A Message from your National President Unfortunately due to other commitments I have only managed to attend the Galaxy of Cars at MOTAT in February but it was very worthwhile. The show grows every year and a good cross section of interesting vehicles and planes as well as lots of “treasure” or “junk” depending on your viewpoint of a mini swapmeet. There is always lots of interest in our Daimlers particularly the SP 250s. The Pioneer radio in the Special Sports decided to go mute and fortunately a friend knew of someone who could fix it. It seemed that two capacitors had given up the ghost and had to be replaced at a total cost of $2.40. The whole job was under $60. Whew! I thought I was up for a possible replacement radio. Isn’t it nice when that happens? I hear that Manawatu are working on the A.G.M. and are even trying to organise the weather. I wish them well in both endeavours and hope to see you all there. Ed Hayhoe Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Getting up to Speed ... A Word from your National Secretary Welcome to this month’s new members. • Bruce and Jocelyn Manning of Feilding have a 1989 XJ40 and others!. Bruce is a very useful man to know if you seek XJ6 and XJ40 parts. • Peter and Janet McClean of Porirua are restoring a Conquest. It’s great to see another of these popular and usable cars going back on the road. • Mark and Margaret Treneman of Auckland also have a 1954 Conquest. May 2nd is the date for our National AGM and Mini Rally here in Palmerston North. The programme and registration form is included in this magazine. Costs have been kept to a minimum and enjoyment to a maximum! Please return the completed form and your cheque to Bert Empson at your earliest convenience. We look forward to your presence. This month’s feature article is on the history of the Jaguar V12 engine. In Daimler form it is known as the “Double Six”, notable in Daimler history as this was the name given to the exceedingly complex Daimler double sleeve valve V12 engines of the 1930’s. We have been able to secure a quantity of Daimler factory service bulletins from “Trade Me”. These will be used to supply future articles for our magazine. Thanks to Roy Tilley and Peter Mackie for facilitating this purchase. If you have any preferences for information you would like to see in your magazine, please let me know. If you have any stories, photos etc please send them in, also we want more member profiles!!! – please. SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOW OVERDUE. If you haven’t already, please forward you remittance to Treasurer Peter Mackie. It’s only $30, about the price of a 20-second burst at the petrol pump but a great deal more pleasurable! Mike King Club Caps for Sale Dark blue with tan peak. “Daimler” embroidered on front – $15.00 each Orders to Mike King, 21 Millar Street, Palmerston North April–May 2009 MEMBER PROFILE Mike King, Age: 5 years older than my oldest Daimler. Married to Jan. Resident of Palmerston North since 1963. Self-employed, Manawatu Sound Service, supplying commercial sound systems. 1st, 2nd and 3rd “vehicles” pedal power! Followed by Triumph Speed Twin Motorbike, sprung hub model. My introduction to “The Oil Leak” 1st car, an E93A Ford Prefect purchased from my bro-in-law. Learnt a lot about cars and how to “drive”, and no, I never managed to roll it! Adolescence was spent with a Mk 2 Zephyr, Hotted up of course, had 100,000 miles of fun with it. The last Ford was a Mk 4 Zodiac, eventually fitted with 289 V8, mighty car, could tow the Jet boat at quite indecent speeds! This was followed by Family cars, 2x Triumph 2500’s and then an early model Rover SD1 V8. The Daimler Connection: I purchased a rusty hulk on 4 wheels (Conquest) in 1996 and was introduced to DLOCNZ by the late Eric Yarrell in 1997. The quest for parts led to purchase/gifting of a further 3 cars. This Conquest was completed and running in 1998 after complete rebuild from bare chassis. I painted this car silver over blue, is now affectionately known as “Blue Bubble”. My son Philip and I attended the Parts Club Rally 2000 with this car and have done many miles since. It’s latest trip being in the care of Lynn and Thelma Jones to the Auckland National rally. The “bits left over” comprised enough parts to make up another complete car which I painted silver over green, Jan of course labeled it “Green Bubble”, this was sold and is now in the Wairarapa. I took on the position of Manawatu Branch Secretary in 1999. Purchased and restored 1966 V8, YO9126, otherwise known as “YOGI”, and have travelled the length and breadth of the country in it with complete dependability. Purchase of “Teradactyl” (to be renamed “Queen Mother), a 1951 Consort, also requiring a complete rebuild. This car is now complete mechanically, needs large dollops of time and money to complete! January 2007, the purchase of “Olive”, a lovely green 1950 Consort. This car I purchased from a foundation Manawatu member, Allan Fletcher. He purchased it in 1955 and I believe attended the 1st National rally with it. This car only needed a bit of TLC to get roadworthy, being basically original and unrestored. (has done 220,000 miles, with only about 400 miles since 1990). Unfortunately, Allan passed away the same week as I got it back on the road, so was unable to take him for a last drive. March 2007, in a moment of weakness, I purchased the Terry Comber SP250 “Dart”, I guess, to re-live my misspent youth! It has been the source of immense pleasure and enjoyment to myself and others since. February 2008, a moment of complete lunacy, saw the “rescue” of a Daimler Double Six “Quennie” from Levin member Bruce Vickers. I got this car running to take to the National Rally in Auckland, albeit with a not insignificant petrol account! It has been suggested I block off 6 cylinders, it may be better to block off 12! That V12.engine is Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc enormous and foreboding, but, oh so refined. Fortunately, the body and paintwork are in reasonable condition and this car is beautifully smooth to drive. Other vehicles in the fold include our much loved 1986 “Rover” VDP SD1, a car we have had a great run from and have owned since 1992. Jan loves her “Mini” Clubman shopping basket, bright red of course. What a great town car, nippy and economical! Another Rover VDP, this one a rare “Efi” model, was the next to join the fleet, requiring an engine change to return to the road. This year, yet another unusual fiberglass car, a Reliant Scimitar, “Princess”, a model I have always had an attraction to. A great handling sports estate performance car! I accepted the position of National Secretary in 2003 after the separation of the DLOC and Spare Parts Club. At this time, unfortunately, we also lost our Wellington and Canterbury Branches. Fortunately, we are building a good repore with both Enthusiasts Clubs, sharing some events with both. In recent times I have also taken on the task of the information gathering and editing the magazine with Penny May doing the difficult compilation and printing part. Jan and I both enjoy the great friendships and fellowship that have resulted from our involvement with DLOC and hope to be involved for many years to come.