NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE No. 316 June/July 2012 $6.95 Behind the Wheels of a 1939 DENNIS BIG 6 FIRE ENGINE Club News from around New Zealand Velocette Model O • 1924 Sunbeam 9 418979 000012 Photographs this issue supplied by Graham Rae. These photographs PHOTOGRAPHS REQUIRED are unmarked and Graham wonders if readers may be able to suppy Submissions of suitable prints and information (where available) are information regarding their whereabouts and the vehicles involved. always welcome. Please send original photographs of historical interest with any available information to: Beaded Wheels, PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Laserprints/photocopies are not suitable. Photos will be returned as soon as practicable. management committee MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE SECRETARY/ TREASURER Bob Ballantyne Contact National Office for all queries Please note this information changes Michael Lavender 09 444 4066 [email protected] annually - these details are valid until regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, 03 325 5704 [email protected] Tony Bartlett October 2012. lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, REGISTRAR 06 867 9850 [email protected] address changes, subscriptions, membership PRESIDENT Rod Brayshaw Diane Quarrie John Coomber 07 549 4250 [email protected] 06 876 4009 [email protected] cards, speed events. 03 348 0062 [email protected] SPEED STEWARD VCCNZ ARCHIVIST CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION The Vintage Car Club Of New Zealand (Inc.) Frank Renwick Betty Wallace John Foot National Office, 03 352 4383 [email protected] 03 929 0829 [email protected] 07 823 5641 [email protected] PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Kevin Clarkson John Chynoweth 03 385 9821 [email protected] Email [email protected] 03 439 5474 [email protected] branches A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz ASHBURTON CENTRAL HAWKES BAY HOROWHENUA NORTH OTAGO SOUTH OTAGO WAIRARAPA PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 C/- 346 Porangahau Road, RD 2, PO Box 458, Levin 5540 PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 C/- M. Tapp, RD 3, Warepa, PO Box 7, Masterton 5810 [email protected] Waipukurau 4282 [email protected] [email protected] Balclutha 9273 [email protected] AUCKLAND [email protected] KING COUNTRY NORTH SHORE [email protected] WAITEMATA PO Box 12-138, Penrose, EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY C/- 34 House Ave, C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield SOUTH WAIKATO C/- 9 Marlborough Ave, Glenfield Auckland 1642 PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Taumarunui 3920 Auckland 1042 PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 Auckland 0629 [email protected] Whakatane 3159 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] BANKS PENINSULA [email protected] MANAWATU OTAGO TARANAKI WANGANUI 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, FAR NORTH PO Box 385 PO Box 5352, Dunedin 9058 C/- 118A Carrington St, PO Box 726, Wanganui 4540 Christchurch 8042 2534 Kaitaia-Awaroa Rd, Palmerston North 4440 [email protected] New Plymouth 4310 [email protected] [email protected] Herekino, RD 1, Kaitaia 0481 [email protected] ROTORUA [email protected] WELLINGTON BAY OF PLENTY [email protected] MARLBOROUGH PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 TAUPO PO Box 38-418, Petone, PO Box 660, Tauranga 3140 GISBORNE PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 [email protected] PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 Wellington 5045 [email protected] PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 [email protected] SOUTH CANTERBURY [email protected] [email protected] CANTERBURY [email protected] NELSON PO Box 623, Timaru 7910 WAIKATO WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 11-082, Sockburn GORE PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 [email protected] PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 Christchurch 8443 PO Box 329, Gore 9740 [email protected] SOUTHLAND [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] NORTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 WAIMATE WEST COAST CENTRAL OTAGO HAWKES BAY PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 [email protected] 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 C/- 9 Stafford Rd, C/- 4B Roto Place, Wanaka 9305 PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 [email protected] [email protected] Hokitika 7882 [email protected] [email protected] Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid [email protected] until October 2012. 2 Beaded Wheels Beaded Wheels Publisher THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ (INC.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXII No. 316 Editorial Committee Beaded Wheels Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Rosalie Brown, Bill Cockram, John Coomber, Issue 316 June/July 2012 Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay. Material for Publication Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles etc should be FEATURES forwarded to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one 10 From Hanover Street to Hastings side of paper only. Email of text and photos is acceptable, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. No payment is made 14 A Pom or a Yank to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels 16 Oldsmobile Restoration are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc). 18 Behind the Wheel – 1939 Dennis Big 6 Fire Engine Email [email protected] 20 Austin 12/4 Advertising Address Classified and Display Advertising to: 22 Velocette Model O PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Ian Goldingham takes readers on a 90 Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 year trip with a Sunbeam, page 10. Rate schedule available on request. 24 Rally Snippets Back Issues Bay of Plenty – Trig Road Hill Climb Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. North Otago – Ngapara Coalpit Hill Climb Correspondence & Editorial Contributions Taranaki – Maunga-Moana Rally Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Otago – 2012 Dunedin–Brighton Subscriptions Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 COLUMNS Annual subscription (6 issues) $39* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$70* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$100*. 4 President’s Message *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 2.25% 4 As We See It Production This Chevrolet is just one of the several Typesetting & design by RGBDesign 5 VCC Events Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch. vehicles up for sale in our marketplace this issue, page 35. Closing Date for August/September Issue Editorial Copy 1 July 2012 6 National Office News Advertisements 10 July 2012 The Vintage Car Club of 6 Mailbag New Zealand (Inc.) National Office 8 The Way We Were Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email [email protected] 9 Timelines Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. 28 Two Wheels and Other Things Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand. Website 29 Book Review www.vcc.org.nz Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car 30 Brass Notes Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 35 branches Canterbury Branch Rear Wheel Brake covering the length and breadth of the country. Rally, see Idle Torque, page 43 The efforts of our members continue fostering 32 50 Year Awards and ever widening the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality 35 Marketplace and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated. 41 Swap Meets & Rallies Beaded Wheels – A very apt and well-known title however readers may wonder at the origin of the name. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels 43 Idle Torque use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a 53 Obituaries distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. The VCCNZ adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their quarterly club magazine in March 1955 which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet. Copyright Information The contents are copyright. Articles may be COVER reproduced complete or in part provided that Hide the matches - it’s not the time to test the crew of this 1939 acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Dennis Big 6 Fire Engine. Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published Photo by Chris Leith material for archival purposes. Beaded Wheels 3 president’s as a rally car. Thank to Phyllis and Des message for your kindness. This is a beautiful car as we see it to drive. Thanks also to Colin Johnston for your assistance and the hospitality of the Taranaki Branch. You all made this a special weekend for us. As we enter the winter season our Four members of the management I understand that TradeMe is the second calendar of events shows less motoring committee visited Dunedin at the end most visited website in New Zealand, after activity, but most branches will be of April to discuss the 2016 Rally. We Google. It has around 2,400,000 members holding their Annual General Meetings are grateful for the response and input and at peak times there are some 70,000 and several have already held them.