August~September 2013
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August~September 2013 CONTENTS Page From the Driver’s Seat – National President’s Report.............................................. 2 Getting Up to Speed – National Secretary’s Report ................................................. 4 From the Patron’s Pen............................................................................................... 5 Round the Bazaars – Daimlers on the Run ............................................................... 6 National Rally 2014................................................................................................... 8 Timelines................................................................................................................... 9 Photo Gallery......................................................................................... 14–15 Articles of Interest: DB 18 Drop Head Coupe 1949.......................................................................... 18 Hitting the Road – Daimler Events Diary................................................................... 24 Members’.Market..................................................................................................... 27 August~September 2013 From the Driver’s Seat ... A Message from your National President Hello members, On the way home from a very enjoyable afternoon visiting Paul Gleeson’s truck collection with club members I passed a Traffic Officer parked on the side of the road, lights flashing and talking to the motorist in a very professional way. It got me thinking about the history of motoring in New Zealand and how the culture has changed over the time that I have been driving. My daughter has just turned 16 and now has a learners Licence and as a condition is required to be supervised for a period of six months before she can apply for a Restricted Licence where you cannot drive between the hours 10pm and 5am and there are other conditions. To obtain a full licence you must be over the age of 18 and held a Restricted Licence for 18 months reducible to 12 months if you have passed an Advanced Driving Skills Course. I recall when I went for my Licence I had to answer a few questions from the Road Code and go for a drive with the local Traffic Officer. In the interests of road safety I personally support the new requirements as I do think the challenges on the road today are greater than what they were and all road users are now much safer. I’m not so supportive of the current vehicle Warrant of Fitness (WOF) requirements for the old car enthusiasts, the recent changes to the regulations is a good move but for the enthusiasts vehicle that has been well maintained or restored and only used on Sundays and other special occasions the six-monthly WOF inspection comes around very quickly and becomes just another added cost. Many of the vehicle inspectors are not experienced with the older cars. I have had to teach several Vehicle Inspectors how to drive my 1950 Consort fitted with the pre-selector gearbox. One young mechanic phoned me on one occasion to say that my gearbox had packed up as it would not go into gear and I had better come and tow my car home. Now as a procedure I wait while the car is being inspected and when they take it for the road test I sit in the passenger seat. Hopefully the authorities will review and extend the inspections to 12 months at some time in the near future. Sample of Motoring History Milestones 1898 Cars first imported into New Zealand. This is about when the first Daimler was built. 1924 Motor Vehicle Registration Act introduced – the start of vehicle registrations. 1925 Drivers Licences became compulsory – prior to this you did not need a drivers licence. 1929/1930 The first Traffic Lights installed in Wellington and Dunedin. 1937 Compulsory Warrant of Fitness were introduced, also the introduction of the 1st addition of the Road Code. IN NEW ZEALAND INC 1965 Seat Belts become compulsory in all new cars and light trucks. 1967 The Demerit point system introduced. 1969 The first Breathalyser introduced. Interestingly 2928 drivers were tested in the first year and only 214 were sober enough to drive (7%). How things have changed! Happy motoring, keep warm and dry. Dave Patten KEN STOUT MOTORS LTD EST 1977 Independent Jaguar® Specialists – Buy, sell, service Ph/fax: +64 (0)9 444 9290 125 Diana Dr, Wairau Valley, A/hrs: +64 (0)21 543 884 Auckland, 0627 www.ksmjag.co.nz New Zealand www.ksmjag.co.nz August~September 2013 Getting up to Speed ... A Word from your National Secretary A warm welcome to this month’s new members. • Cliff and Jill Gibbs of Auckland have a Daimler XJ6 Coupe. • Wayne and Joanne Clark of Havelock North have a Series 2 Daimler Double Six. • Catherine and Andrew McConnell of Wellington are seeking a good example of a late model Daimler V8. • Nigel and Sandra Grace of Kaukapakapa have a V8250. • Iain and Eva Gollan of Waipawa also have a Daimler V8. Many members will be saddened to hear of the passing of Bay of Plenty member Arthur Jones after a period of illness. All who have attended National Rallies over the last decade will fondly remember Arthur and Mary with their magnificent bright red XJ81 Daimler Double Six. We all extend our sincere condolences to Mary and family. We still require someone to fulfil the role of National Vice President. Not an onerous task, preferable from Auckland or Waikato BOP areas. If you would like to serve your club, please contact me. At our April AGM, a motion was put to the floor by the Founders Trophy recipient, David Watt. His motion was that the membership recognize the service given by our Past President, Ed Hayhoe. After discussion, it was moved by Mike Boyce and seconded by Valerie Penman that Ed be awarded Life Membership to our Club. This was unanimously applauded by all at the meeting. A presentation has been made to Ed, congratulations Ed, well deserved. At a recent Manawatu event, our retiring long-standing Auditor, Doug Brown was invited along with Barbara, to receive a well deserved plaque commemorating his service to our club. From all of us, thanks Doug. Doug is also the Past President and current editor of the Wellington Daimler Enthusiasts Club. My Double Six sprung a coolant leak from the back of the engine, looked like a leaky heater hose but turned out to be the frost plug in the back of the LH cylinder head! It is completely out of sight and about 2” from the bulkhead. The dilemma was 1, how to get it out and 2, how to get a new one in! The options were 1, to remove the cylinder head or 2, to remove the engine, 3, cut a hole in the bulkhead! There had to be another answer as neither option appealed. I consulted my engine rebuilder and he came up with a novel answer. He modified a couple of plugs which would slide into the head and expand to lock into position. Only problem now was to get the old one out. This involved many nights in the shed, some unpleasant language, skinned knuckles and frustration. From above, it was only visible in a mirror, how difficult it can be to work the digits in reverse! With various pullers and levers all I succeeded in doing was making a small leak into a big one! Next was to try from underneath. By removing the left exhaust pipe and dropping the gearbox as far as possible, I could now see the offender directly. With a flexible drive on the dye grinder with a small mill bit I was now able to nibble at it enough to lever it out. The replacement plug was trimmed to size to be a neat fit, some locktite to ensure a seal, tightened up and it all worked!!! Reassembled everything and yes, it’s watertight under pressure. Photos of kitset plug elsewhere…. Mike King IN NEW ZEALAND INC From the Patron’s Pen ... Greetings to all members and a special welcome to those who have just joined our great club. Its been a busy few months in the Manawatu where we have escaped the bad weather and everyone has enjoyed our outings. The AGM here at my home was extra busy. Fortunately it was a fine day with a good attendance. Along with the usual business our Trophies were awarded after much deliberation from our Club Captain and then a new one was produced. Cali Zillwood and her daughter Lisa have donated a lovely Trophy “For Excellence” in honour of Keith who over the years in his quiet way was a great friend and mentor. Without hesitation Cali awarded this trophy to Mike King who she said Keith admired for his dedication to our Club and is always there to help out. This was well received from all present. As well as the AGM the Takaro Rotary Club had asked me to participate in their “Man Cave” fund-raising project. Remembering how Mike and Ray had enjoyed last year’s event I said yes. Well 9am dawned and they started to arrive. All in all over 230 signed my visitors’ book and with our members’ cars lined up to admire adding to what I had to offer. 15 “Man Caves” were open with 400 people attending with $10,000 being raised. The majority went to buy a van for the “Plant to Plate” ladies who visit schools teaching children to grow vegetables and how to cook their produce. The remainer went into other projects. If a somewhat busy day, it certainly was worth the effort. At the moment I’m packing to visit my son in Oregon leaving my home in the capable hands of Fay & Brian Wolfsbaur. Will be on the lookout for Daimlers. Pauline Goodliffe August~September 2013 Round the Bazaars ... Daimlers on the Run Auckland Amblings Auckland Branch last few months of outings May We organised a cruise on Lake Karapiro (just out of Cambridge), since we were venturing into Waikato and BOP territory we invited our southern neighbours along. As the boat could hold 40 and we were in the high 20’s, we invited the Alvis Club along as well.