The magazine for vehicle enthusiasts Classic - Collectable - Unusual - Interesting

Issue 23 - Autumn 2012

CENTRAL GARAGE
BEHIND THE TOWN CLOCK SHERINGHAM
General service & repair of all makes

A REAL PUB SERVING REAL FOOD TO REAL PEOPLE Pool Room and Darts

M.O.T. Testing

BRAKING-CLUTCHES-EXHAUSTS RADIATORS-TIMING BELTS WINDSCREENS TYRES-FREE FITTING ELECTRONIC WHEEL BALANCING PUNCTURES FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT
(large selection of tyres in stock)

M.O.T. Testing Station

Air Conditioning Service and Repairs Retail Motor Industry Auto Electrical Federation Engine Analyser Breakdown Recovery

www.villageinnwestrunton.com

LARGE MODERN WORKSHOP 49 HIGH STREET, SHERINGHAM TEL/FAX: 01263 823168

ver the weekend of September 8th and 9th we attended the last two outdoor events for us for this season. They proved to be outstanding for everyone who attended. The weather was hot to say the least, the company of club members on both days made for a very memorable end to our season. On Saturday morning 15 cars visited Felbrigg Hall and had a chance to visit the interesting NNDC Green Build event . After lunch we moved to Blickling Hall where we were allowed to display our cars in the courtyard in front of the house. Many of the visitors to the Hall were thrilled to see our vehicles on view, and came over to see them. Sunday found us enjoying the sunshine at Seething airfield and an excellent air display during the afternoon. Crikey it was jolly hot, but our events shelter saved the day. Over all we have had a funny year for weather and with a number of events have been curtailed or even cancelled at short notice. Within the club calendar we have done very well, all the major events we have supported with the exception of one have gone off very well. The committee are already working on next years events. I can see another exciting year in prospect. It is interesting that whilst we have a membership of over 200 on a great many events there are precious few of those in attendance. It begs the question as to why? We attend large shows, small fetes, we do our own club days out to hither and thither, and we travel outside of the borders of Norfolk to far off places such as Diss. It is very rare that we even get as many as 5% of our club membership out at any one event. Perhaps we all need to look at the Club events wall calendar when it arrives and

Chairmans Report

make preparations to part the waves a couple of time in the summer. If you have not been out with the club before you are assured of a warm welcome. We travel both locally and as much as 70 miles out from Sheringham, so there ought to be plenty of choice for something of interest. The horrible thought springs to mind that maybe, just maybe, we are not offering what a lot of members want. However we ask every year for suggestions and not many are proffered. It is no mean task to put together an events programme, but without your input we have to assume what we think up is what you want. If it is not then we need to know. During the course of 2013 we will be asking for more help from the membership, indeed we have already had some offers of help. It is unreasonable to keep asking the same few each time so the more we all help the better for the club. Our Next Generation group is up and running and plans are afoot to raise its profile during the winter, We have exciting plans to encourage these young people, a recent article in Classic Car Weekly noted our progress and I have received a couple of phone calls from around the country with interested clubs wanting to have their own club groups. There is so much to offer from us all, and with that I would ask you to think if there is someone in the family or at work or down the road who might enjoy the benefits on offer to the young drivers. then contact any committee member. Finally whilst the outdoor season is over the indoor one begins and we have some great talks to entertain you during the winter. We also have the usual winter Sunday lunch in November and the Birthday Bash lunch in March 2013, these as ever will be keenly priced to attract as many of the club as possible. Keep an eye on your newsletters.

Geoff

Secretarys Report

ell here we are coming to the WClubs membership increasing end of our sixth year with your

to 218 at the last count. The Committee must be doing something right as the membership has increased year by year. However we are not complacent and want you to tell us what you like about the club and what, if you have any, your dislikes. Our aim is to deliver the good experience in all that we do. If we have failed in anyway let us know.- even the smallest niggle we will not mind. My thanks to all those members who stepped up to the plate to help during the year especially at the big club events- St Georges Day Run, Show n Shine and Classic Vehicle Show & Summer Fair. Things did not always go according to plan but we will learn from our mistakes for the future. So far this year you have helped raise over 8,000 for Help For Heroes, East Anglian Air Ambulance and may others. Committee Contacts
Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer/Membership Events Geoff Jones Christine Sparrow Roy Beckley Rex Chipp Graham Gibbins

You will I hope be pleased to hear that we have secured the use of the facilities of Sheringham Golf Club for our meetings for the forseable future. In this magazine you will find some important information from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs to which we belong. The FBHVC, founded in 1988, exists to uphold the freedom to use old vehicles on the road. It does this by representing the interests of owners of such vehicles to politicians, government officials and legislators both in the UK and in Europe. Do look at their website www.fbhvc.org.uk My thanks to every one who has contributed articles for this 32 page issue. As I will not have many events to report on in the next issue due around Xmas please keep writing. E mail or long hand - we can knock it into shape. Apologies to those whos articles I have held over this time.

Roy
Magazine
01263 860676 01603 781917 01263 837619 01603 788726 01263 826042

Editor - roybeckley@aol.com Sub Editor - Sam Heath Design and layout - Marc Wilford Printed by Cheverton Printers, Cromer

Disclaimer:
Please note that although every care is taken, the North Norfolk Classic Vehicle Club (The Club) accepts no responsibility for the return of photographs or other material submitted from contributors. Care is also taken to ensure that the contents of all our publications are accurate but the club cannot accept responsibility for any errors that may occur for the statements or views that occur editorially. Whilst care is taken when accepting advertisements, if in doubt readers should make their own enquiries. The Club cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. Nor shall the club be liable for loss damage or injury to any person or property acting on information contained in the Club Magazine or any other Club Publication or the Club Web site. The Club will however, investigate any written complaints which they receive.

Driving Oakie Home

AboutItwo and a halfonyears at ago was looking ebay woodwork machines, then I saw

a listing for classic cars. Then it said American cars, so I clicked it and scanned through quite a few. There was this one I kept coming back to. It was the colour that took my eye. I phoned my daughter and asked if she could get the owners number (as my computer skills are limited!). I then asked my wife if she would like a trip to Manchester, she took one look at me and said not another woodwork machine! I think she was pretty surprised when I replied no, a car! So off we went to Manchester, found where Steve lived, pulled into his drive took one look at this huge yellow car and said no way do I want that! I then realised that wasnt the car I had come to look at. The one I had come to see was covered up with a fitted cloth cover. Steve came out took the cover off and explained a few things and asked if I would like to take it up the road. I explained I had never driven a left hand drive car in my life. So he drove it to a quiet area, I drove it about 500 yards until we reached a junction I said to Steve thats me done its all yours?. We had a coffee and did a deal, he said he would call me when he had arranged a years MOT, we then arranged to meet in Nottingham. The day came and off we went in my wifes little car, we met

Steve in a garden centre, sorted the paper work out and said goodbye (she had bought plants by that time but I guess I couldnt complain!) Then realization hit, I took one look at this car and thought how am I going to get this thing home without hitting something. We looked at the map and picked a route, I said to my wife if you take a wrong turn then so will I. We were doing well, then she turned off to the left, this didnt feel right at all (no pun intended!) so out came the map and after a three point turn (quite a sight I am sure for others to see!) we were back on track. I thought I was doing all right then bump, bump, bump I realised I was on the cats eyes I had to remind myself to hug the bank. We got to the A17 so I knew the road, I hoped my wife would pull in the big truck drivers cafe for a break and she did (maybe she thought I could manage to park in such a large car park). We then made it the rest of the way home, the last little challenge was getting her in drive without hitting the gate, the wall or the post and safely parked Oakie in the garage, WE MADE IT! P Shown on the front cover. Oakie .S is a Cadillac Brougham 5.7 V8 and we called her Oakie as she came from Oaklahoma. She is 18 ft long and 6 ft wide Maurice Reeder

Rebuilding HOS

retired from the When I trade afterNorfolkcar body 40 years and retired to North I

hoped to spend my time gardening golfing and doing DIY. My wife and I met a farmer his wife and daughter at Sunday lunch and become very good friends It turned out that the daughter had a 1972 MGB GT from new and was about to scrap it as she was moving house. I decided to pay her 200.00 for the number plate (FCG 4K) and the car came free. When I got the car home and had a good look at it I decided to strip it out to see if it was repairable (it is in the blood). A lot of repair bills and receipts came with the car it appeared she spent 9,000.00 in 1990 for a rebuild the good news it had two new front wings, two doors two rear wings o/s and n/s sills replaced (no waxoil) an engine rebuild and suspension upgrade Stainless steel exhaust system and petrol tank and a lot of inner panel patched up. The bad news the workmanship

was carried out to a very poor standard the boot was rusty and full of water as was the inside of the car the inner and outer sills and floors were very rusty, the engine bay looked pretty grotty, I made a list of panels that needed to be replaced, bonnet, o/s floor, n/s floor, boot floor and extensions, n/s rear wheel arch, rear panel, front panel, rear chassis repair panels, front chassis repair panels and various inner panels would have to be made and plated up. When I started cutting the old rusty panels out it came to light that new metal was plated over rust and as a result with no protection between the panels a few years down the line you end up with two rusty panels (pro tip if you are going to plate over rust cut out all the rust and spray a good weld through Zink primer to both new and old panels before welding and seam seal all welded joints) after cutting the floors and sills out I was going to have a problem fitting the new inner and outer sill as the rear wing was not being replaced. I decided to assemble and weld the sill off the car and fit it in as an assembly it worked out really well, I painted the inside of all the sill panels with two coats of Hammerite and sprayed weld through Zink primer on all the cleaned edges to be welded as I only have a MIG welder all the new panels were plug welded a lot of inner panels sections had to be remade from sheet

metal and welded in, the biggest problem with rebuilding old cars is the build quality was not to the standard of todays modern car and as a result nothing seems to fit that well I would say I spent at least forty hrs on each panel to get them to fit to a standard I was used to when repairing modern cars but it was worth it in the end. All replaced panels joints were painted with a flexible seam sealer to stop moisture getting between the joints something that was not carried out in the old days When I started my panel beating apprenticeship in the 60all the work was carried out by one person i.e. strip and fit panel paint mechanical electric and trim. So I have the knowledge to carry out all the repairs myself (a big saving on the budget). As I wanted to use two pack paint I would have to spray it on the drive .I only had a hvlp electric earlex sprayer I bought to spray some fence panels I started by applying about four coats of high build primer to test the gun out it went really well. I decided to paint the car in black tulip a colour I always liked the only

drawback is it has poor coverage So I painted the inside of the car and engine compartment as a trial all went well On a sunny October day I decided to take the plunge and spray the shell. I hosed down the drive with water to keep the dust to a minimum, The finish I got was a better than I have had in some low bake ovens Very little dust, once two pack paint is activated on a warm day it will be dust free in about five minutes and rock hard in 24 hrs the doors bonnet and tailgate were sprayed separately.

About a week later I rubbed it down with 2,000 grit wet & dry and gave it a good polish I was very pleased with the finish. With the body repairs finished I needed to pump Waxoyl into all cavitys and doors before fitting the trim so had to lash out and buy a compressor and pressurised wax gun I pumped in at least 5 litres of cavity wax, I also decided not to underseal as it will

eventually crack I painted the underside with five coats of Hammerite and then used under body Waxoyl. I will Waxoyl again a couple of years The front suspension was stripped down painted and refitted with new poly bushes. The rear axle cleaned painted new washers and wheel bearings fitted

managed to find second hand stainless frames. The bumpers and outer chrome parts were renewed as required I allowed my self two years for the rebuild it took five years on and off would I do it again?

My brother Tom a mechanic stripped the engine down and found some cracked piston rings so all were replaced it appeared the engine had being bored out to +50 he also cleaned up the head and ground in the valves,. When assembled David Ryan and had a good clean I sprayed it with two pack black. The wiring loom was stripped down modern connections removed and fitted with original Scan this QR code with your type and rebound. smartphone to visit the NNCVC The inner trim was pretty grotty and damp I decided to website. get a complete trim kit in jag magnolia with blue piping to complement the car colour All the chrome window frames were pitted and I

PS a lot of people have asked what HOS stands for, When the car was delivered my wife Mary called me from the garden and said HOS had arrived when asked to explain she said you know that heap of sh*t the name stuck.

TOttering to Nanaimo

expect the title Well Iabout,wonderingmay have you what this is all but before going any further let me pose a question. What do you think this peculiar looking vehicle is used for ? Could it be for freight handling ? Some sort of fork-lift perhaps ? In a way its both these things but the specific purpose is for getting floatplanes into and out of the water.

There are several companies that operate scheduled services and sightseeing flights out of Vancouver harbour but by far the two largest are Harbour Air Seaplanes and Westcoast Air. In fact these two companies Conventional aircraft are one merged in 2010 and to form the thing, but ones that operate largest Float-Plane airline in the from water really are quite world. The aircraft they operate special. Floatplanes are a rare could reasonably be described sight in Europe but they are an as classics and indeed some every day means of transport in some parts of the world, and would say they were aeronautical dinosaurs that should have one such place is British Columbia in Canada. Vancouver is been extinct years ago. Howa wonderful city but the harbour ever they have survived and, in some cases evolved, because area is particularly impressive they are still needed and no one with a massive cruise ship terminal, container port and its has managed to improve on their basic designs which are very own Seaplane terminal right in the heart of the city and now over 60 years old. just across from the beautiful The sightseeing Stanley Park. flights and

those to smaller scheduled destinations are operated by one of the true greats of Canadian aviation the DeHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. First flown in August 1947 the Beaver was designed from the outset as a rugged bush plane that could go just about anywhere. It could operate with conventional undercarriage from rough unprepared strips, from snow and ice on skis or from water on floats. Powered by a 450 h.p Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior it can accommodate up to six passengers or half a ton of freight. In 1951 DHC flew the prototype of the Beavers big brother, the DHC-3

Twin Wasp engine it could carry up to 14 passengers. Both the Beaver and Otter were sold in quantity to the US military as well as many civilian operators in remote parts of the world. For many years the Beaver, in land plane version, was also used by the British Army including extensive service in Northern Ireland.

10

Otter. Like the Beaver the Otter was a flying pick-up truck but with a big 600 h.p. P&W R-1340

Following the success of these two aircraft in 1965 DeHavilland went on to produce the Twin Otter which was powered by two Pratt and Whitney (Canada ) PT6A-27 turbo-props. The TwOtter, as it became known, is still in service as a short range airliner in quite large numbers and again it finds favour where ever rugged reliability and short take-off and landing capability are a must. Although nowhere near as numerous as the land-plane version, the float equipped or booted TwOtter is in service from Vancouver on the longer and more popular routes operated by West Coast Air. The one pictured was coming in to land over Stanley Park. As the years have gone by there have been many advances in aeronautical design but there are certain specialist roles where new aircraft

have failed to better the ones they were intended to replace. This has certainly been the case with Float-Planes and as a result the Beavers and Otters soldier on doing what they have done safely and efficiently for over half a century. However one particular area of technology that has advanced greatly since these aircraft were first built is gas turbine engines. The piston engines originally fitted to the Beaver and Otter had relatively short overhaul lives and were labour intensive to maintain. This, added to the increasing cost and relative scarcity of 100 octane aviation fuel, led to some Beavers being converted to turboprops. The same concept was subsequently applied to the Otter and Harbour Air installed 750 h.p. P&WC PT6A-34 engines in all 18 of their aircraft, making them Turbo Otters or TOtters. The engine conversion extends the nose of the aircraft giving it a much more pointed profile compared to the old radial piston engine but it does not detract from the overall appearance of the aeroplane..

C-GEZS. Apart from a slightly awkward climb up into the cabin, the operation from water was extremely smooth with no real sensation of being at sea. Although there is a designated seaplane area delineated by buoys, the aircraft share the water with ships and pleasurecraft of all shapes and sizes. It seemed remarkable that there were no collisions but having aeroplanes in amongst the boats seems no more unusual in Vancouver than pedestrians, cyclists and cars sharing the streets in any town or city. The take-off was surprisingly quick and the landing remarkably gentle. The views of Vancouver were amazing and the flight was over all too soon. Not content with the Beaver flight I wanted to try out the TOtter to see if the turbo-prop engine did make a noticeable difference. The TOtters are only used for scheduled services so that gave an excuse to visit Vancouver island and the destination with the most flights was the pretty little town of Nanaimo on the East coast of the island, about 25 minutes flying time from down town Vancouver. So this explains how I found myself TOttering to Nanaimo !

While in Vancouver in 2009 I had a chance to fly in both a Beaver and a TOtter. My first ever Floatplane flight was a sightseeing trip with West Coast One interesting thing that came Air in one of their Beavers - a to light when booking 1958 vintage machine registered the flight was the

11

mix of male and female passengers. The aircraft are quite weight and balance sensitive and different standard weights are used for men and women. The result of this is that if there are too many male (i.e. heavy) passengers it isnt always possible to fill all the seats !

gage compartment in the left hand float ! Floats, like boats, tend to leak, hence the protective plastic bag. Apparently they do occasionally get holed but again, like ships, they are separated into different water-tight compartments so one compartment being flooded isnt disastrous. To help manoeuvring on the water each float has a small rudder fitted to it but at the start of the take off run these are retracted to reduce drag on the floats. This is done using a long handle between the pilots seats not unlike an overgrown hand-brake. At the same time, unusually, the wing flaps are selected full down. These devices are generally used to create aerodynamic drag to help slow an aircraft down for landing but at low speed they can also produce significant lift and on the T-Otter this helps to get the aircraft up onto the step of the floats and planeing across the surface of the water. The need for this technique became apparent as the PT6 engine was wound up to full power and, unlike the Beaver, the aircraft noticeably sat back on its tail. Acceleration is fairly slow until the aircraft is on the step but it then speeds up rapidly and gently lifts off in an almost horizontal attitude. The flaps are retracted as soon as airborne and the aircraft then climbs quickly while banking sharply to avoid the buildings and rising ground on the other side of the harbour.

12

The aircraft scheduled for the trip was a 1960 model registered C-FHAA. I wasnt carrying much luggage but I did have a small rucksack with me and I was advised that the crew would need to stow it when I got on board the aircraft. There was nothing particularly unusual in that until I handed it over to the ground handler next the plane and he promptly put it in a large heave-duty plastic bag. A moment later the reason for this became apparent as it was stowed in the bag-

The TOtter was a bit more cramped than the Beaver but with big windows you still got a great view. The flights only operate at about 2000 feet so there is plenty to see. Coming into Nanaimo the flight makes a curved approach around a headland and again there seem to be boats all over the place as aircraft taxies to the jetty where the pilot kills the engine and drifts on to the fenders with hardly a bump. If you ever get the chance I can thoroughly recommend visiting Vancouver and when you are there the way to go sightseeing has got to be in a Floatplane !

John Allen

Treasurer Rex hands over the cheque for 2450 to East Anglian Air Ambulance - the proceeds raised at this years St.Georges Day run.

13

CROMER AMERICAN & CLASSIC CAR SHOW 12th AUGUST.

eather permitting this Wforms part aofgoodCromer is always event as it the Carnival week, so good crowds are the norm. The club stand looked fairly impressive with some seventeen cars reporting for duty, and we were lucky enough, having arrived early, to form the cars up immediately along side the ring, therefore giving us a grandstand view of the various events. Car parking this year for the classics was chaotic as there were so many vehicles and only one person to see them in and park them up. Club vice chair Christine Sparrow decided to come to the rescue of this poor man, donned her hi-viz jacket and proceeded to park what appeared to be most of the 300 vehicles virtually on her own!! She said she quite enjoyed it!!

This show always attracts a wide variety of vehicles including a good selection of American hardware both standard and customised. Some of the Mustangs were truly stunning. There is so much going on at this event that the day seems to go really quickly, which would indicate that a good time was had by all. For those club members who live locally, and have not yet tried this event , why not make a note of it for next year * and give it a go. If the day is fine you wont be disappointed.

*Sunday 18th August 2013 Ed Geoff Sparrow

14

Are the disc brakes original?

I said to Basil shall Soyearthe which heClarkI enter us for Charles Rally this to replied, Yes, we dont want to be sitting around doing nothing at the weekends do we! With that I entered us for other events, in addition to the ones we had already been invited to, giving a total of twelve busy weekends, plus our two steam car club tours and so began our mad summer of non-stop steaming. May I also point out that most of our steaming was done in the pouring rain with stoic expressions and waterproofs for we were not to be deterred. Usually we were a party of nine using both of our Stanley steam cars, the 1909 Model R and 1910 Model 70. The first trip out on 1st June, just four days after returning from holiday, was a quick whiz over to Strumpshaw Steam Rally arriving in time to join in the parade in the ring, joining two other steam cars that were already there. This was followed by an invitation to The Museum of the Broads Steam Day so our cars could illustrate an alternative form of steam power to Falcon the steam launch they were giving rides on. At Old Buckenham Airshow we were 2 (the only 2 parked on concrete not in the mud) of the 200 in the classic car display, for which the torrential rain stopped in time

for the air display which included an awesome dogfight by a Spitfire and a Mustang. The next Sunday found us at the North Norfolk Vintage Transport Day at Holt Station joining 300 classic cars on display. Remarkably, few of the cars at the shows we attended this year were the same at each event; there are an awful lot of classic and vintage cars in our county. The most common question we are asked at events is are the disc brakes original? rather than where do you put the coal? We took part in The Charles Clark Classic Car Rally, which for us was a total of 130 miles. We were 2 of the 50 cars which set off in the pouring rain from The Pigs in Edgefield and finished 70 miles later at Bressingham Steam Museum. Basil was delighted to win the prize for the best presented car, his Model R. Next Sunday found us at Cromer for the start of the Centre 81 Classic Car Run & Show, a scenic 38 mile drive round the coast road to Great Yarmouth where we were with 60 pre-75 cars parked next to the Sea Life Centre, the caf at which very kindly filled our water buckets for us, 50 times! There was to be a prize for the car leaving the biggest oil puddle under it, which we were a dead cert to win but we later found out they had understandably excluded us. This was a 92 mile round trip for us. Eight days later we were steaming through the

15

Cotswolds for 4 days with over 20 other fellow Steam Car Club of Great Britain club members with their 10 steam cars and 2 old petrol cars, a lovely relaxing week with glorious weather. Two days after returning home we joined the Veteran Sports Car Club at their lunch stop on their Norfolk Tour and followed them back to Wing Commander Ken Walliss home for the final part of their route. We were privileged to see his collection of autogyros and to listen to him talk about his life during the prize giving. The following Sunday we steamed over to Cromer where we contributed to Lifeboat

transported our Model R to Pickering where we re-drove two of the 2001 SCCGB club tour runs of 90 miles each then we moved base to Barden where we re-ran one of the 1995 SCCGB club tour runs and pottered about.

Day by parking next to the pier for the morning to help raise funds for the Cromer Lifeboat. We had fun the following weekend at The Driffield Steam & Vintage Rally where we had runs out in the mornings before we drove round the ring and displayed the cars. The drive into the town of Driffield in the evening with all the other steam cars and traction engines was particularly enjoyable. From there we

All of these involved extremely narrow twisty hilly roads some with a 25% incline. After this week on our own we arrived early at Middleton-On-Teesdale for our main steam car club tour organised by Don Cook who had kindly prepared a route for us on the Sunday to a lead mine using the roads that were too steep to put on the official tour routes. Thanks Don! The Teesdale Tour was so hilly it felt like the routes were uphill both out and back. Both cars did the full week with breakages

16

being repaired in the evening ready for the next days steaming.

and everyone has welcomed us wherever weve been and weve been able to join in on lots of interesting events and met so many like minded people. Weve had a brilliant year!

Vicki Craske

A highlight was packing eight people onto our red R for the last few miles of a particularly hilly route after a steam pipe broke on the 70. Two weekends off to recuperate and service the cars and we were off again, this time to the Seething Charity Air Day, the hottest day of the year and 1st World War and WWII planes to entertain us. Because we own Windrush, the steam powered Morris 1000 pickup, we belong to the North Norfolk Morris 1000 club and gate crashed Geralds Run with our Model 70 (we didnt have to disguise it as a Morris 1000) which started with coffee at Wymondhams historic railway station & included a river crossing on the Reedham Chain Ferry. As I write this we just have the Prescott Hill Climb weekend left to attend where Basil is hoping to set a time with his newly completed 30hp Stanley Model K semi-racer. We are lucky to be custodians of steam cars which are very special

Visit the Clubs website for more pictures and news including the latest news letter. www..nncvc.org.uk

17

Horseshoes at Thornham Magna where a very pleasant and jovial meal was enjoyed outside in the gardens (no we were not that badly behaved!!!). or most of the attending club This was a really super way to members this was a first at end what was a very pleasant day, Stonham Barns but apart from and it is a pity that more memthe size of the plot that was bers dont book for these events allocated, proved to be a really as they really are enjoyable, and good day. kind of socialising is what Some 350 vehicles were reported thisN.N.C.V.C. is all about (not the to have been present and cerjust cars) tainly there were a very large those wondering number and very varied turnout. Oh and forcars break down on how often Stonham of course has many these trips to the far corners of attractions to enjoy including Norfolk, and sometimes beyond, their well known Birds of Prey answer so centre, car boot, autojumble and a thenext year it far is almost never so would be really whole host of various stands. good to see some fresh faces at Weather on the day was very these rather special events. warm and duing the afternoon it looked like a thunderstorm was on the way but, apart from a few Geoff Sparrow. drops it came to nothing and the sun returned.

STONHAM BARNS 19th AUGUST.

As has been the practise in previous years when the club has attended events that are a bit further out than local ones Geoff Jones books a space at a decent local hostelry on the way home, (for those who wish). In this instance the watering hole was The Four 18

BEESTON HALL CLASSIC VEHICLE SHOW & SUMMER FAIR 26th AUGUST.
inaugural show The clubssuccess overall. a can only be described as resounding The suspect weather forecast turned out to be thankfully very wrong and the day simply got better and better. There were problems at the entrance gate, mainly due to the fact that this had to be changed at the last minute at the request of the school. It may be suitable for their sports day when all the parents know were they are going. It proved to be unsuitable for our event which had a mixture of show vehicles, stall holders, helpers etc all trying to find there way in.! However club members donned hi-viz jackets and sprang to the rescue and safely brought some 130 classic vehicles to park on the ground. Apart from the vehicles there were a good number of other attractions to entertain the many visitors who attended, the main ones being the Broadland Dog Agility Display, Stix n Trix percussion band, tombola and of course plenty of stalls offering various foods & other items, not least of which the plant stall run by none other than our illustrious chairmans wife Ann. From the clubs point of view this was the day that The Next Generation campaign was

officially launched, and in this we were lucky enough to secure the services of Nick Larkin from Classic Car Weekly who got on the microphone to give this a good plug as well as judging the various vehicle categories and in turn presenting the prizes. (Nick has since written a piece in C.C.W. in respect of the New Generation and also separately reported on the car show with a number of pictures). All in all a really good day and something of which the club can be very proud. Lessons have been learned, and we look forward to even bigger and better next year. The icing on the cake was to the amount of money raised for the various charities which amounted to an amazing 5147 of which 3405.60 was for the clubs chosen charity Help for Heroes, the remainder being split between Hounds for Heroes, St Johns Ambulance, West Runton Scouts and British Legion charities. Thanks due to our sponsors on the day who covered all the costs Regent Garage, Warren Kennels, Henries Garage and The Lobster. Thanks also to the many advertisers in the souvenir brochure. Absolutely fantastic!!!! Roll on 2013. Prize winners detailed overleaf

19

CLASSES & PRIZE WINNERS:PRE 1945 Mr. R. Fryer Austin 7 PRE 1960 Mr .J. Clarke Bristol 2litre PRE 1980 Mr. A. Sparrow Mini Cooper POST 1980 Mr. J. Cawte Morris Ital Royal Mail Van

Geoff Sparrow

ALFASUD
HISTORY in The car was purchasedPage January 1988 by Nic and Ashley Price as a joint

venture to build and develop a competitive Sprint and Hillclimb car for the BARC series. Registered RPM 810X, it was then 7 years old and had been hitherto in daily use for work as transport for its window cleaner owner. With 76000 miles recorded, its engine was somewhat smokey and suspension a little tired but it was the excellent rust-free body and floorpan that impressed us; a trait that is hard to find among the breed, owing to the false economies sought by Italian car manufacturers. Cheap, recycled Russian steel imported in the 70s and 80s was largely to

blame. Fortunately, our window cleaner had gone berserk with Waxoyl, which had, for the most part, sealed off the offending steel from the external effects of oxidisation. The side effect was the almost magnetic attraction of grime and grit to every nook and cranny. DEVELOPMENT The development from a road vehicle into a Sprint car was effected in several ways. Firstly, a full roll cage was inserted, with some degree of difficulty, as the regulations for the class required the seats and all original trim to be in place.

20

The standard suspension was replaced with shortened, tempered springs all round(450lb front and 550lb rear) damped by Koni Sport shock absorbers. The rear wheels were left with their original camber and toe-in to make full use of the dead beam axle arrangement. At the front the hubs were shimmed to give 2 negative camber, while toe-in was set at . All of this lowered the car by some 2 inches. 1300 Engine The engine replacing the cars original 1500 SC unit was a 1300 unit (1286cc) taken from the previous Sprint car. This engine was basically a standard unit, except for pistons and rings from a 1200. The crank had been balanced, as had the flywheel. This engine in the previous Alfasud, had won its class in 7 out of 10 sprints and only lost out to the newer, much more powerful, 16 valve, fuel-injected Suzuki Swift Gtis. Soon after the transplant the BARC decided to amalgamate some of the classes and so ease the administration, which was all very well, but it meant either entering uncompetitively in a larger engine capacity class or, similarly, with the modified group. We chose the latter, which, in retrospect, was probably the wrong decision. 1300 Modified engine The engine was sent to R.S. Engineering in Cambridge with the instructions to modify it for sprinting but maintain a road-legal and (reasonably) tractable engine for occasional road use.

Specification: Its life in this guise as a Sprint car was fairly short-lived as Ashley and I had both decided to make career moves; he to Perth, Australia; I to Yorkshire. An unnerving experience, while competing at an Alfa practice day at Goodwood, shortly before the split, made us realise that there was some development work to do. While changing direction after Fordwater for the left-hander at St. Marys, we both experienced serious rollover on the tyres, causing the car to spin in Ashleys case, and nearly so in mine. Though the 205 x 60 x 13 Yokohamas(A001) were recommended for 5 J rims, I dont think they should have been so for competition driving a car can roll over in such circumstances. I bought the other half from Ashley in October 1988 and brought the car to Harrogate. Over the winter I decided Id like to try my hand at club racing again (the last time I had raced was in South Africa in the early 70s). Apart from the wheel/tyre combination change I went for a 1500 engine, mated to a 1200 gearbox. The reasons for this were that the 1300 developed peak power and torque between 5000-7000 r.p.m. and it needed to stay in that power band or it would seriously fall off cam. This made driving quickly difficult, made more so by the widely spaced gear ratios of the later models 21 gear-

box. The 1500 would give a wider spread of torque (3500-

The brakes were fitted with Aeroquip hoses and re-piped where necessary. New wheel Specification: cylinders were fitted all round, while a pair of reconditioned A standard 1500 calipers and Mintex M131 (84mm x 67.2mm) competition pads provided the was rebored stopping power at the front. to 22 1500 modified engine

7000 r.p.m.), while the 1200 gearbox had much closer ratios, allied to the lower final drive of 4.11:1 (rather than 3.89:1). I have to admit that the 1300 had missed a big-end bearing change and had run one, ruining one of the crank journals. This was partly caused by stretched big-end bolts from continually revving to 8000 r.p.m. BLS of Lincoln were given the job of building an engine to my specification and to carry out some modifications to the braking system, neither of which I wanted to entrust to myself!! However, I did take care of all the bodywork modifications, electrics and the stripping of all internal trim, before fitting a fire extinguisher system, Kevlar seat and 4-point harness.

+1mm giving an 85mm bore and an increase in capacity from 1490cc to 1525cc. Oversize pistons and rings were fitted while the piston crowns were machined, along with the block faces, to increase the compression ratio from 9:1 to 10.5:1. The crankshaft was balanced and polished while the connecting rod big-ends were modified to accept Cosworth big-end bolts (anti-stretch).A large capacity, baffled sump was fitted to prevent oil surge. At the top end bigger inlet valves (40mm rather than 36mm) were fitted, along with double valve springs to prevent bounce. The Weber 36 IDF carburettors were retained but 32mm chokes replaced the originals. A side exit exhaust was mated to a 105bhp Ti exhaust manifold. Apart from being smoother and breathing better one can hardly call this a highly modified engine, let alone that the class capacity limit was 1600cc, which other competitors would make full use of. Budgets to think of!! However, this engine with the aforementioned gearbox was a huge improvement over the 1300.

6J Compomotive alloy rims shod with Michelin 530 diameter slicks for dry and Yokohama 185x60x13 wets made up the grip department. Considering the low state of tune, limited by funds, the season was very successful. For the next three seasons ( 91 to 93) the engine remained in the same state of tune and was merely fettled and given bearing changes at seasons end until the competition demanded a quicker unit altogether. Only electronic ignition was added during that period. Meanwhile gradual development of the bodywork and other running gear, including perspex windows, took place. Towards the end of 1992 a set of 8 inch Compomotive alloys were purchased onto which ex-F3 Bridgestone slicks (510x180) were fitted. These geared the car down even more as the overall diameter was now over 2 inches less than the standard one. The wheels, though not expensive, took lightyears to acquire, as the requirement with that offset was small. Compomotive were, however, the only manufacturer who would make these one-offs. To accommodate the extra width the steel wings had to be somewhat modified. For 1993 weight-saving was the order of the day. Things which should have been done before were now attacked with gusto! A set of fibreglass moulded panels were bought to replace the bonnet (12kg saving), wings (6kg each) and bootlid. The latter I made out

of a single piece of 6mm perspex and rivetted a small fibreglass panel at the base. This was then attached to the car by bonnet clips. This item alone saved a massive 30kg over the steel lid, with glass window, wiper motor and blade. In all, nearly 160kg had been shaved from the manufacturers specified weight and was down to 730kg. The car was really quick now and won its class twice and was placed in the top three every other time I finished. It was still underpowered, though, and the competition would be brake lights in the distance before long, I reckoned. 1600 modified engine The 1500 block was bored out to 87mm, giving a capacity of 1598cc. 11mm cams replaced the standard 9mm units giving greater overlap.45mm Dellorto carbs replaced the original Weber 36 IDFs. The whole engine was rebuilt this time and the combustion chambers, inlet and exhaust ports were machined and polished to accommodate the extra gas flow. The brakes had always been an Achilles heel on Alfasuds with the poor self adjustment on the front discs leading to a long pedalduring a race. This was also partly due to the heat build-up of the inboard front brakes sitting close to the side of the hot gearbox, despite extensive ducting (former vacuum cleaner hose). A set of vented discs were made for the front and spacers made to take care of the

23

wider discs, while the calipers were cut down to exclude the handbrake element( remember to leave it in gear on a hill!!) The first, and sadly only, meeting attended in 1994, at Cadwell Park, to try this combination proved to be very effective. Loss of job and subsequent self-employment have resulted in both a lack of funds and time, for the time being, anyway.

Nic Page

SHOW N SHINE 23rd JULY.

years night ThismovingShow n Shine the was a great success, with venue to the large practice

24

was very kindly run by Graham of The Lobster Public House in ground of Sheringham Golf Club Sheringham thanks to the Golf club Captain As Roys team of West Runton and Committee and it really lent Scouts were not doing the BBQ itself to the occasion, with over this year they assisted with the 130 vehicles being parked in such raffle and raised 120 towards a way as to make a really imprestheir summer camp at Hag Dyke sive sight in front of the clubhouse. in West Yorkshire. Just one week before, the comBilled as a pre Sheringham mittee had met at the golf club in Carnival event quite a lot of the the evening to plan the layout for public came and hopefully we can the event. As has been the case so continue with the Golf Club as the often this year, on the night it was venue in the future as it certainly blowing a gale, very cold and lash- lends itself to the occasion. A ing with rain and the seven day thoroughly enjoyable evening forecast looking very unhealthy. which went very smoothly, as However 48 hours before the event indeed did the prizewinning car, the weather took a turn for the a beautiful Armstrong Siddeley better and on the evening it was shown above. thankfully perfect. The BBQ was run by the Geoff .Sparrow . Golf Clubs catering Roy says the event is in the Golf team, and Club diary for Monday 22nd the bar

July 2013

It was a well-crafted Viking long boat, but with a miniature steam engine, which through a suitable selection of linkages, drove the vessel forward by a series of teaspoons along the side, simulating oars. was raised in Southend on sea, Several eyebrows were raised, and which those old enough to recall the 1960s, was the battle zone of the much clucking in beards ensued mods and rockers. Every Friday on the first run of this teaspoon terror. Unfortunately a crank and Saturday large gangs of these broke, and under full power on one rival tribes would descend on the side only the now uncontrollable sea front intent on Rock and Roll and general mayhem. Living on the vessel charged straight in to the the side of HMS Hood, the pride of promenade and potentially in the of the club. Neither boat thick of this primeival interchange, presidentmuch damage was done sank but my parents were determined I and Phil was impolitely asked to was not going to be sucked in, leave. We all thought it hilarious, and therefore as I approached my which I am sure did little to calm 16th birthday my father offered to the situation. pay for car driving lessons and a Phils other passion was restoring banger to drive if I would wait mechanic that extra year until 17. This was on motorcars, a and trade, by apprenticeship he liked the understanding that I did not ride nothing better than dismantling a scooter, or worse, a motorbike, cars, and then mantling them again. at 16. A deal was struck. Luckily His pride was, and still is, an Alvis my peer group were bicyclists, Silver Eagle. He bought two Alvis and dinghy sailors, and therefore from another total eccentric, Dave, the rough and tumble of the twobuses rewheeled motor vehicle held no real who drove Royce as a job, andDave built Rolls as a hobby. interest. owned a field strewn liberally with In that intervening year I was abandoned cars, every thing from introduced to Phil. Slightly older 1920 Fords, in parlous condition, than my immediate group and he and on up owned a Moggie Minor estate, and through Austins variousand Rolls. to a variety of Bentleys was happy to ferry us to all manor Those were the heady days when of mischief. Phil is an eccentric, a Guinness bottle label and a mud and he was already showing such smeared windscreen would tax signs. The Moggie had a 14-foot most vehicles. His wife Elsbeth, ex-tank aerial on the rear with two was Lady something or other, red lights for low flying aircraft and quite happy to raise several avoidance. He wore glasses, and and goats, and buy various sported working windscreen wipers childrenas requested. Anyway Phil wrecks to keep them clear of rain. He loved purchased his cars the extraordinary, and one of his for 50, and inventions got him ejected from proceeded the local model boat competition. 25

The (Old) Next Generation

to spend two years building a shed in which to restore The Silver Eagle. He did it, taking several years, and I remember the momentous day after 10 hand coats of paint that the shed was removed to reveal a pristine vehicle below. I hasten to add this was 1969, and it has been rebuilt again since. In 1965 I was 17, and true to his word I received a course of driving lessons and then my father paid 25, for a 1936 Riley Kestrel. The car had its faults of course. It was designated a post vintage thoroughbred. Easy to work on and great fun. It had a preselector gearbox, an opening windscreen, a huge long bonnet, an aluminium body on ash frame, and was black. I was still at school and had to seek permission to park in the school lane, but they were great times. I seem to remember that if you revved the engine and then switched the ignition off and then on, you induced a mighty backfire. I even found an old gramophone horn which fitted the end of the exhaust to deepen the sound. This worked for a while until the solder melted and bits dropped over the road, I also blew up the silencer with over enthusiastic blatting(the backfiring). The petrol tank leaked slightly, and running out of petrol was a real threat. Dave came to the rescue and welded the seam, I do not remember any health and safety being involved!

Being a mechanic Phil was a great help with this car. We now had a small circle of vehicles, an Austin 7, which was reluctant to stop, a Rover 12, which had a habit of losing wheels, the split screen Morris, and an MG midget, and of course The Riley. This is when we decided to join the local car club. I must say that we were welcomed, and encouraged very much in the light of The Next Generation of our club today. A particular favourite was the monthly noggin and natter held at various venues around the county. I also met my first real girl friend, when I found the car really had advantages. I seem to remember the term passion wagon was used, well it was the 60s, long live Rock and Roll! P.S. After I joined the RAF, and nominally left home, my mother decided to clear out the garage and sold The Riley for 5. I saw an advertisement last week for a 1936 Riley Kestrel like the one shown priced at 36000; how times have changed.

Brian Willcocks

26

Above sold for over 30,000. Ed

News from the FBHVC

CONTINUATION VEHICLES

already registered donor vehicle. Some groups require the vehicle to pass Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA).

If the vehicle consists of genuine period components all over 25 here are a number of makes/ years old, then provided the models of vehicles, typically two-seater pre- or post-war vehicles specialist club has inspected with beautiful flowing lines, where the vehicle, and can produce an adequate dating letter, the vehicle the demand has exceeded the very limited supply of genuine vehicles. could well fall into the Reconstructed Classic category, and be To meet this demand, what is issued with an age-related number. offered is sometimes described If the vehicle is constructed of as a continuation vehicle. These vehicles could well be produced to new components, made to an old design, it is difficult to see how the a higher quality standard than the vehicle can meet the Reconstructed original vehicle. Classic category criteria. The year of manufacture as declared in the It is one thing to produce an excellent looking and very saleable clubs dating letter is recorded by DVLA. If a subsequent owner finds vehicle, which has a large proporthat the year of manufacture as tion of new components produced to an old design but it is altogether recorded by DVLA is inaccurate, and the vehicle is in actual fact a different matter getting it regisa modern recreation, this could tered with DVLA. cause difficulties under consumer Possibly the best time to start protection legislation for DVLA. investigating the registration aspects is prior to the construction/ The nature of the legacy club dating letter would be examined by reconstruction stage. DVLA and the club could well be asked for clarification. The DVLA requirements in this area are contained in DVLA leaflet With continuation vehicles that are INF 26, with the descriptive and not based on an already registered lengthy title of Guidelines on how you can register kit cars and rebuilt donor vehicle, one possibility is that the Kit Built vehicle category or radically altered vehicles. A might be more applicable, provided copy can be downloaded from suitable receipts are provided and http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/forms a certificate of newness is obtained To get a vehicle registered without from the manufacturer. The vehicle a Q plate, it needs to fit into one of would be subject to IVA and could possibly obtain a curfive different vehicle groups, and rent registration to have the necessary paperwork. number. The Many vehicle groups require an

27

practicalities on what IVA would mean to a particular vehicle, are best discussed with your DVLA Local Office (while it remains open). Without the correct paper work, a continuation vehicle could well end up with a Q plate. Nigel Harrison FBHVC

FBHVC press release

EU ROADWORTHINESS TESTING When the European Parliament Historic Vehicle Group (EPHVG) met in May, Szabolcs Schmidt the head of the EC Road Safety Unit, mentioned that proposals for revisions to the Roadworthiness Testing Directive, following a 2010 consultation, were expected in the summer. In July, the European Commission published the detail which turned out to be a proposal to replace the current Roadworthiness Testing Directive (2009/40/ EC) with a completely new Directive. The draft of the new Directive has implications for all motorists, not just historic vehicle owners. Amongst other things, the draft includes requirements to test all trailers (which in turn implies a registration

system) and requires tests to make reference to a vehicles original technical characteristics. The meaning of this expression is not defined. National governments are granted the right to make their own testing arrangements for vehicles of historic interest. A vehicle of historic interest is then defined as one that Was manufactured more than 30 years ago Is maintained by use of replacement parts which reproduce the historic components of the vehicle Has not sustained any change in the technical characteristics of its main components such as engine, brakes, steering or suspension; and Has not been changed in its appearance. FBHVC considers this definition to be unworkable and completely unacceptable. FBHVC also rejects the suggestion that Roadworthiness Testing should relate to a vehicles technical characteristics, whatever the age of the vehicle. Modifications, alterations and improvements are all part of the history of motor vehicles and the older the vehicle, the more likely it is that it will have been altered at some stage. At present the basic tenet of a UK MoT test is that it is one of mechanical fitness. There is no database of original specifications for UK vehicles, so testing to original technical characteristics is simply pie-in-the-sky. Earlier this month, the Department for Transport asked stakeholders for comment on the proposals.

28

FBHVC will be responding formally to this request when further analysis of the detailed proposals has been completed. FBHVC will be discussing the implications of the proposal with the international organisation, FIVA, and through them with the EPHVG group as well as with the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group in the UK. It should be remembered that

this is still just a proposal. It has to have approval by each EU member country before it is adopted. Some media commentary on this topic has tended towards the were doomed end of the scale. It is certainly a serious issue and FBHVC is treating it accordingly.

SCOUSERS JOIN FERRARI

"The Ferrari F1 team fired their entire pit crew yesterday." This announcement followed Ferrari's decision to take advantage of the British government's 'Work for your Dole' scheme and employ some Liverpudlian youngsters. The decision to hire them was brought about by a recent documentary on how unemployed youths from Toxteth were able to remove a set of wheels in less than 6 seconds without proper equipment, whereas Ferrari's existing crew could only do it in 8 seconds with millions of pounds worth of high tech gear. It was thought to be an excellent, bold move by the Ferrari management team as most races are won and lost in the pits, giving Ferrari an advantage over every other team. However, Ferrari got more than they bargained for! At

the crew's first practice session, not only was the scouse pit crew able to change all four wheels in under 6 seconds but, within 12 seconds, they had re-sprayed, re-badged and sold the car to the Mclaren team for 8 cases of Stella, a bag of weed and some photos of Lewis Hamilton's bird in the shower

Rex

29

30

31

Some pictures from the Sheringham Car and Bike Show 2012 from John Allan