Bulletin of the Veteran Car Club of South Australia,

Inc. www.vccsa.org.au Vol. 7, No. 10 – May 2013

Chairman: Howard Filtness 8272 0594 Treasurer: Tim Rettig 8338 2590 Secretary: David Chantrell 8345 0665 Rallymaster: Phil Keane 8277 2468 Committee: Peter Allen 8353 3438 Neil Francis 8373 4992 Terry Parker 8331 3445 Public Officer Dudley Pinnock 8379 2441 Address for Correspondence: P.O.Box 193, Unley Business Centre, Unley 5061 Email: [email protected] Website: www.vccsa.org.au Bulletin editor : Tony Beaven 0407 716 162 [email protected]

Some Nuriootpa Rally photos

Meetings The Club holds informal gatherings at 8pm on the Wednesday 5 th June. Rob Elliott will be showing first Wednesday of each month, except January, at pictures and telling us about the wonderful car the Colonel Light Gardens RSL, enter off Dorset museums that he has visited in the U.S.. Ave. Assemble at 7.30 for a pre-meeting chat. The Wednesday 4 th July. Will be our AGM. Please only formal club meeting is the Annual General bring a small plate of supper to share. Meeting, held on the first Wednesday in July each August. We are once again looking at having a year. cinema night, similar to last years very successful Wednesday 1 st May. Anecdotes, photos and tall outing, but not sure where we will find a film as stories from our terrific weekend rally based at good as ‘The Sapphires’. Nurioopta.

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Upcoming events

McLAREN VALE BRITISH LUNCHEON SUNDAY 5 th MAY (not 12 th May as in previous Bulletin)

Meet in the carpark at Coles Blackwood at 9.30 for 10am start Travel through Coromandel Valley and Clarendon to Bakers Gully Road. Meet here with Southern area members and continue via scenic drive through Blewitt Springs and McLaren Flat to enjoy lunch at Café Meso for fine wine and British food (meals $8 - $27). Simply organoleptic! Southern members meet at the Hub area carpark in Willunga at 9.30 for 10am start Organised by Bob and Elaine Sellar

June No organised run for this month Sunday 14 th July A BBQ style run being organised by Neil Francis. Watch this space!

From the Chairman I have to start this report by saying what a wonderful job the Rally Committee did last weekend. Neil, David (and Dianne taking care of the bookwork) put in a monumental effort to organise a truly memorable weekend. The location was superb, the runs were just the perfect length, and the weather made a special effort to stay fine. Combine this with great company and good food and there really is nothing more to ask for. Unless it’s a school full of excited kids and a fabulous (under-rated) museum to visit. Yes, the weekend had everything. A big thank you to those responsible. Also a thank you to all the interstate visitors – from Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. I’m sure you will have read in last month’s Bulletin that our Club Secretary will not be standing for re- election in July. David has filled this most important position on the Committee for the last 2 years, and with a full-time job and two teenage children has found there is just not enough time left in the day to carry out his Club duties to the high standard he has set himself. As I did last month, I ask all Club members to give this some consideration, and I’m sure our future Club Secretary can depend on assistance from David (and indeed any Committee Members) to help to settle into the job. Thank you, David, on behalf of the Club and the Committee, for an absolutely outstanding contribution. The good news is that David reckons he will have enough free time to stay on the Rally Committee for 2014. I guess that means we can all look forward to another fabulous Weekend Rally next year. After last weekend, I can’t wait. Finally, I would like to give a warm welcome to our newest member, David Schumacher. We hope to see him soon on our runs in his veteran Dodge. Also, Don Tamblyn, who came to our Barossa Rally, has shown interest in joining our ranks, and has been sent an invitation. I’m sure many of you will, like me, recognise both him and his delightful blue AX Renault from more years ago that I care to recall.

Happy Veteran Motoring, Howard

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From the Secretary Bay to Birdwood. We have had a reply back to our letter to the Bay to Birdwood Committee re the future of the run. We were thanked for our thoughts and many of our ideas have been thought of by other sources too. One point of interest was the acknowledgment that the freeway is not compatible for the older vehicles. AVCCA Much has transpired on this front, so much so I have put together an overview of what has happened, the response received from the AVCCA and where we hope to go to in the future. Please see the full report in our “Bulletin”. 2013 Week End Rally It was great to have the RAA on board as the sponsor of the rally. I must say they were very easy to deal with and supplied us with some great goodies such as the highly prized 2013 Accommodation Guide. Many thanks to Jenny Blake and the RAA for their support. The VCCSA has sent a thank you letter. As a side note, I missed out on Jayco Caravans, the timing was just too short. They welcomed the idea of sponsoring a rally full of “grey nomads”. If anybody has any ideas on sponsorship of our rallies please feel free to chat to either Neil or myself. Upcoming Rallies 2013 is very busy on the national front for rallies. We have the Highwheeler Rally at Bundaberg in June, the National Veteran Rally at Shepparton in September, and a week later the National Veteran motorcycle Rally in Parkes. A lot of hard work goes into organising these rallies and they will only survive with entries. So if you can make it to one of these rallies, please enter and support the national movement. Kind Regards, David Chantrell

ANZAC Day over Adelaide

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Three cylinder veterans Seeing a 3 cylinder Vauxhall motor in the workshop, various visitors are moved to comment on the rarity of such things, and these days they are. However, in the early part of last Century maybe they weren’t so scarce. When more power was needed, more cylinders were added, a process which has continued for 100 years. Two cylinder motors were built with either 180 or 360 degree crankshafts, meaning that in the first case uneven firing occurred, or in the second, significant balance weight was needed. Enter the three cylinder in-line motor, with crankpins set at 120 degrees. Smooth running and even firing, with constant power pulses, while not overlapping, at least produce a more consistent torque than a single or 180 twin can produce. The 360 twin is at least regular, but with a pause between pulses, still causing chains to snatch. Anzani and others produced 3 cylinder fan configured air cooled motors, and I can’t get my head around what the power impulse diagram might look like for those. I have seen and heard a 4 cylinder fan motor in a replica Torpedo motorcycle, and that sounds quite regular. Examples I have found will show that the 3 cylinder idea caught on quickly on both sides of the Atlantic, and, curiously in about 1907, was dropped just as quickly.

BROOKE (UK, 1902- 1905) A broad based engineering works, which built marine engines from foundry to installation. In 1902 they produced a 10hp 3 cylinder car with east-west engine. By 1904 the engine was a longitudinal 14hp, which was replaced a year later with a four. DUREYA (USA, 1902-1907) The company commenced in 1895, following the Duryea brothers’ fitting a motor to a horse drawn buggy in 1892-3, arguably America’s first. Their cars had transverse horizontal 3 cylinder motors, which grew from 12 to 25hp at the end of the run. Duryea were also made under licence by Sir Henry Sturmey in Coventry, two of which ran in the 1896 London to Brighton emancipation run. PANHARD LEVASSOR (France, 1904-1908) Originally a woodworking machinery factory, P&L was a pioneer in France, first using Daimler V twin engines (Daimler’s widow married Levassor, perhaps explaining the connection). The Hon. C.S.Rolls surrendered the UK agency for P&L in 1904 because of flagging sales, the same year that they introduced a 3 cylinder 8/11hp, 1.8 litre motor. The model was still listed in 1907, and was used mainly as a taxicab in Paris, though a marine version was produced. ROLLS ROYCE (UK,1904-1905) In surrendering the Panhard agency, Rols engaged Royce, an engineering company proprietor, to make an English car, which first was a twin in 1904, followed by a 3 litre 3 cylinder in 1905, very likely influenced by what Panhard had done. Only 6 of the 3 cylinder cars were built. MAUDSLAY (UK, 1902-1906) Another marine engine manufacturer, Maudslay’s first car in 1902 was a 3 cylinder 20hp with overhead cam, a Maudslay feature. The model continued until 1906 in parallel with a four and a short-lived 6, which was simply two 3 cylinder blocks on a common crankcase. TOLEDO (USA, 1902-1904) From 1900 Toledo steam cars were on the road, and in 1902 they produced a 3 cylinder car which seems to have run for only one year. VAUXHALL (UK, 1904-1905) And yet another marine engine works, which decided to build cars. First in 1903 was an horizontal single of 6hp, followed in 1905 with both 1.4 and 2.4 litre 3 cylinder motors. Triple expansion steam piston engines were common, and given the marine experience of several of the proponents, the logic of a 3 cylinder petrol engine might have been attractive. The experts tell us that a vertical 3 cylinder engine will have inherent rocking couple problems, causing vibration and reduced component life. However, the low rev range of these motors, like their steam engines, probably avoided the issue, or at least kept it to tolerable levels.

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Time for a laugh Wanda's dishwasher quit working so she called in a repairman. Since she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, 'I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you a cheque. Oh, by the way don't worry about my dog Spike. He won't bother you. But, whatever you do, do NOT , under ANY circumstances, talk to my parrot! I MUST STRESS TO YOU: DO NOT TALK TO MY PARROT!! When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he has ever seen. But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet watching the repairman go about his work. The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling, cursing and name calling. Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled, 'Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird!' To which the parrot replied, 'Get him Spike!'. See - Men just don't listen!

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For sale Brass Zenith (USA) T4X updraught carburettor Serial Number 3135. Offers to Tony Beaven 0407 716 162 Email [email protected]

For sale Berliet Parts. 1908 fully restored rolling chassis. 2 x 1911 chassis. Other parts included motors, gearboxes, diffs, front axles, radiators (inc. a brand new core), cylinder heads, manifolds, clutches, flywheels, body irons, headlights, sidelights, wheels and many other numerous parts. Peter Shaw, phone/fax +047 746 795 or email [email protected]

AVCCA overview VCCSA Letter Last Month the VCCSA wrote to the AVCCA once more outlining our club’s desire to join the AVCCA. We have 2 reasons for driving this issue. The first reason is being the active veteran car club in SA we feel that we should be part of the AVCCA, and therefore have access to all information and events. We appreciate that the current AVCCA Constitution makes it difficult for this to happen and they need to perhaps look at bringing the AVCCA into the 21 st century. We are not the only veteran club to fall outside of AVCCA membership and representation. The second and perhaps more important reason in the short term is having all veteran vehicles published in the AVCCA Register. Currently only members’ vehicles are published. Even here in SA there are more vehicles outside the member club than in it. This is not a true representation of Australian veteran vehicles and is not helpful to our movement. In particular rare vehicles sometimes need help and if one can find another owner somewhere else in Australia that may just be the key to helping another veteran vehicle come back on the road.

AVCCA Reply We have received an encouraging reply from the AVCCA. Whilst they recognise they have constitutional issues around allowing another member club from a state, we did find out it is about 2 years before the next Register is due to be printed. They have asked for a copy of our incorporation and constitution, which we will provide. They have also offered an opportunity for us to put our case forward at the next AVCCA AGM at Shepparton.

Next Steps The VCCSA needs to put together a strong case as to why we should be allowed membership. This raises a number of issues, such as, we would be the first state to have 2 member clubs. We need to demonstrate how active and large we are. This is demonstrated in part by the number of veteran vehicles we have historically registered through the VCCSA. The AVCCA clearly have issues to resolve. Clearly the constitution and formation may have been satisfactory 30 years ago, but with the advent of many veteran car clubs in various districts there could be more veteran vehicles outside of the AVCCA than in it. We feel they need to adapt to these changes and the VCCSA is happy to be the first club to gain a second membership in any state of Australia.

David Chantrell, Secretary.

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Notes on Ethanol in Petrol In 2008, the Federal Parliament approved legislation capping the use of ethanol in petrol to 10% (E10) and requiring that petrol stations adequately inform consumers if they are using petrol that includes ethanol. E10 fuel is a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded 91 RON grade petrol. It is produced and sold as such in Queensland and New South Wales but production volumes are limited. A side-effect of adding 10% ethanol is to slightly increase the apparent RON number of the blend above that of the petrol grade. Some older vehicles cannot run on E10. A 2006 study for the Australian Government by Orbital Australia Pty Ltd found that up to 40% of vehicles on Australian roads were not suited to E10, including most pre- 1986 vehicles and some cars built through to 2003. ( www.racq.com.au/motoring_advice/about_your_car )

According to the RAA, an anomaly currently exists in South Australian legislation whereby ethanol blended petrol may be sold within the State as long as the ethanol containing petrol conforms to current emission standards and is not blended in South Australia. So check with your retailer and be sure you know what you’re buying. The BP company technical department confirmed today (28/3/2013) that none of the BP petrol grades sold in South Australia contain ethanol.

Ethanol is ethyl alcohol. It is completely miscible with water and can absorb moisture from the air and hold it in solution. For E10 compatible vehicles using E10 in every day use, this should cause no problems. For veteran vehicles, reports from the UK are that those which used the 5% ethanol E5 blend and stand unused for long periods, may be subject to damage and/or corrosion of fuel system components caused by the absorbed water, by corrosive compounds produced by the oxidation of the ethanol blend or by both. You’ll remember from your school chemistry days that oxidation of ethanol creates acetaldehyde, which, if oxidation continues, produces acetic acid. The rate at which this occurs in ethanol/petrol blends exposed to air is uncertain. Fuel additives, possibly reducing agents, now are marketed in the UK to prevent corrosion, but these additives do not solve the many other problems with ethanol blends. Other problems in the UK reported to be caused by the E5 blend include stripping of fuel tank sealants, damage to brass, copper and rubber components, lean running, vapour locking in hot weather (!) and fungus forming in fuel lines. Ethanol has a much lower energy content than petrol, approximately 29.73 MJ per kg of pure ethanol compared to 46.95 MJ per kg of petrol. Assuming simple arithmetic applies (not quite, but it will do) one kg of the E10 ethanol/petrol blend would have :- 90% of 46.95 MJ = 42.255 MJ, plus 10% of 29,73 MJ = 2.973 MJ, Total = 45.228 MJ/kg . So the E10 blend would have approximately 96.33 % of the energy unblended petrol, assuming the E10 blend was made with pure ethanol. So E10 would have approximately 3.67 % less energy content than the unblended petrol. A further downside is that it is unlikely that 100% pure ethanol was used and that the ethanol would have had a small amount of water dissolved in it.

The RAA web site reports that “the 1998 Australian field trial by Apace Research observed fuel consumption increased by up to 2.8% with E10. Because of this higher fuel consumption there are fewer kilometres per tank of fuel, so ethanol blended fuels will cost motorists more.” So is E10 good value? at a personal level, this depends on its suitability for your vehicle –its not for veterans – and its price at the pump. At the national level, ethanol in fuel is subject to the petrol excise rate of 38.143 cents per litre, but since FY 2003-2004, the three Australian producers have received a Federal Government subsidy of exactly this amount, giving an effective excise rate of zero cents per litre. By the end of FY 2010-2011, the ethanol producers had received the equivalent of a total of $529.526 million in subsidies from the Australian taxpayers. This subsidy will be phased out over the next ten years. Dudley Pinnock

In the attached Australian Government documents, note the wording ‘Clearly display on each pump dispensing ethanol blended petrol’, and note the size of the notice and the print. Not something many people would notice, or even be able to read without glasses. Ed

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The From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Continued from last issue Final instalment Newbury to Reading The is navigable from Newbury downstream to the confluence with the at Kennet Mouth, in Reading. The stretch from Newbury to High Bridge in Reading is an improved river navigation known as the Kennet Navigation , opened in 1723. Throughout this navigation stretches of natural riverbed alternate with 11 miles (18km) of artificial cuts and a series of locks that overcome a fall of 130 feet (40m). East of Newbury town centre the Kennet passes through the Reed Beds a 169 acres (68ha) Site of Special Scientific Interest, nationally important for its extensive reedbed, and species-rich alder woodland and fen habitats. The latter supports Desmoulin's whorl snail (Vertigo moulinsiana) , which is of national and European importance. A large assemblage of breeding birds including nationally rare species such as Cetti's Warbler ( Cettia cetti ) make use of the reedbed, fen and open water habitats found at . Thatcham's network of gravel pits, reedbed, woodland, hedges and grassland is rich in wildlife and has been made into The Nature Discovery Centre by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. at Thatcham is one of only two remaining working examples of turf-sided locks on the canal today. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage. Below Colthrop Lock in Thatcham the river leaves behind the built-up area of Newbury and runs in generally rural surroundings. It passes through the Woolhampton Reed Bed, another SSSI which consists of dense reed bed with smaller areas of tall fen vegetation and carr woodland. It is notable for the diversity of insects it supports and its nesting passerine bird populations, which include several uncommon species such as Reed Warbler ( Acrocephalus scirpaceus ), a species that in Britain nests almost exclusively in this habitat. Monkey Marsh Lock built in 1723 Gravel Pits consist of mature flooded gravel workings surrounded by dense fringing vegetation, trees and scrub, affording a variety of habitats for breeding birds and a refuge for wildfowl. The irregular shoreline with islands, promontories, sheltered eutrophic pools and narrow lagoons, provides undisturbed habitat for many water birds, including surface-feeding ducks such as Teal ( Anas crecca ) and Shoveler ( Anas clypeata ). The surrounding marsh and scrub are important for numerous birds including nine breeding species of Warblers, Water Rails ( Rallus aquaticus ), Kingfishers ( Alcedoa atthis ) and an important breeding colony of Nightingales ( Luscinia megarhynchos ). In 2002 English Nature bought Aldermaston Gravel Pits from the mineral extraction company Grundon and it is managed as a nature reserve by the , Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. The River Kennet itself, from near its sources west of Marlborough down to Woolhampton, has been designated as a SSSI primarily because it has an extensive range of rare plants and animals that are unique to chalk watercourses. The village of Woolhampton and the canal settlement of Aldermaston Wharf are the only significant settlements until the river enters the built-up area of Reading at Sheffield Lock in Theale. Even after this, the river is isolated from Reading's suburbs by a wide flood plain surrounding the river. In this stretch is Garston Lock, the other turf-sided lock on the navigation. Shortly after passing and the associated water treatment works, the Kennet flood plain narrows and the river enters a narrow steep-sided gap in the hills forming the southern flank of the Thames flood plain. At the river enters the centre of Reading, where it formerly flowed through the centre of a large brewery. This narrow and twisting stretch of the river became known as Brewery Gut. Because of poor visibility and the difficulty of boats passing in this stretch, traffic has long been controlled by a set of maritime traffic lights. Today the Brewery Gut is a major feature of Reading's The Oracle shopping centre.

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Immediately after The Oracle the river flows under the arched High Bridge, which forms a historical and administrative divide on the river. The last mile of the River Kennet in Reading below the bridge has been navigable since at least the 13th century. Because there is no wide floodplain, wharves could be built during the Middle Ages that allowed Reading to establish itself as a river port. Originally this short stretch of river, which includes Blake's Lock, was under the control of Reading Abbey, but today it is administered by the Environment Agency as if it were part of the River Thames. The Horseshoe Bridge at Kennet Mouth was built as a railway bridge in 1839, and the timber-clad iron-truss accommodation bridge was added in 1892. Kennet Mouth with bridge of the Great Western Main Line where the River Kennet meets the River Thames

Canal today The canal today is a heritage tourism destination. Boating, with narrowboats and cruisers, is a popular tourist attraction particularly in the summer months. Privately owned craft and hire boats from the range of marinas are much in evidence, and there are numerous canoe clubs along its length. The annual Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon starts from Devizes Wharf, the site of the Kennet & Avon Canal Museum, at first light on Good Friday each year and the competitors have to negotiate 75 locks in the 125 mile (201km) route between Devizes and the finish at Westminster. The winning time is usually around 17½ hours. Cycling is permitted along the canal towpath except for a 656 yards (600m) section near Woolhampton. Some sections of the canal towpath have been improved and widened to make them more suitable for cyclists and disabled users. Under a partnership arrangement involving , Sustrans, and the riparian local authorities, two main sections of the canal have been improved, and, with a few short diversions, run from Reading to Marsh Benham and from Devizes to Bath as part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 4. Fishing for bream, tench, roach, rudd, perch, gudgeon, pike and carp is permitted throughout the year from the towpath of the canal, but almost its whole length is leased to angling associations or fishing clubs. There are a variety of riverside public houses, shops and tea rooms. The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust operates shops and tearooms at Aldermaston Lock, Newbury Wharf, , Devizes, and Bradford on Avon.

Ecology The canal and its environs are important for wildlife conservation. There are several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which exhibit great bio-diversity. Key sites that are home to several rare species include the Aldermaston Gravel Pits, Woolhampton, Thatcham Reed Beds, and Freeman's Marsh, Hungerford. There are also many non-statutory nature reserves along the canal. More than 100 different species of bird have been recorded in surveys over the length of the canal, of which 38 could be classified as specialist waterway birds, including Grey Heron ( Ardea cinerea ), Reed Bunting ( Emberiza schoeniclus ) and Common Kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis ). Fourteen species have been confirmed as breeding including Sand Martins ( Riparia riparia ), which nest in drain-pipes in the brick walls of the canal in the centre of Reading. by Crofton locks and the Kennet Valley gravel pits provide habitats for breeding and wintering waterfowl. Several species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and other invertebrates have also been recorded. Common Reed ( Phragmites australis ) is among the plant species growing along the edges of the canal. Measures to preserve and create water vole ( Arvicola amphibius or A. terrestrisis ) habitat have had considerable impact on the restoration of the canal, and new "vole-friendly" techniques of bank protection have been developed.

I hope that you have enjoyed this article over the last few months, perhaps I can dig up something else along the same lines. That is unless you would like to send in something more interesting. Ed.

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The Veteran Car Club of South Australia Inc.

Notice of Election of Committee Members to be held at the Club’s Annual General Meeting Wednesday, 3 rd July 2013

The Club Committee is comprised of the following members: Chairperson , Secretary , Treasurer , and five Members of the Committee. Any member of the Club in good standing is eligible to stand for election to any position on the Club Committee provided that:

• Τhe member has been nominated for election to that position by another member of the Club in good standing. • Τhe nomination has been seconded by a different member of the Club in good standing, other than the nominee. • Τhe nominee accepts the nomination, and, • Τhe nomination shall be in writing, signed by the nominator, by the seconder and by the nominee and delivered to the Secretary by no later than 28 days prior to the date th of the Annual General Meeting; corresponding in 2013 to Wednesday 5 June.

Nomination Form

I, ……………………………..……….……. , hereby nominate …………….….…..…...……………….. to stand for election to the position of ……………………………………...…. of the Club Committee

Signed …………………………….…..……….. (Nominator)

I, …………………………….……………..….. hereby second the above nomination

Signed …………………………….…..………. (Seconder)

I, …………………………………………..….. hereby accept the above nomination

Signed …………………………….…..…….... (Nominee)

Completed nomination forms should be received by the current Secretary by no later than Wednesday 5 th June 2013 . If submitted by post to:

The Secretary VCCSA, P.O. Box 193 Unley BC SA 5061. email: [email protected]

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