Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i NZ Hot Rod

The Constant CHANGE in our lifestyle hobby is the one constant we can take to the bank. Looking back, we’re definitely not where we were. We’ve come a long way and changed a lot, and today, we are where we are. But that’s only another mile marker on the road to the future, and we’re not there yet. But where is that? No one can predict the future with any degree of accuracy. Organisations like Google hire visionaries like Ray Kurzweil to look over the horizon and around corners to enlighten us about the possibilities and pictures of what the future may look like. One prediction I have made and have now seen come to fruition is a saturated old car market, and that’s because of the age of many…

GAVIN Smith had a definite plan for what he wanted to build. The plan when he set out was to build a “truck” for himself and his wife. Just a “nice driver” that he and his wife Sue could use. Clearly, he has achieved it and more. It all started in 2017 when he purchased this ’49 Ford Bonus, imported from California. It had been imported by a guy in Fielding who also brought in a Chevelle at the same time. The Bonus went through the port inspections okay, but the Chevelle got picked up on very rusted floors, so the guy decided to sell the Bonus to fund repairs on the Chevelle. But before Gavin could get his sleeves rolled up and start the build, he had to build…

GREAT weather and another superb track greeted competitors at the last Competition meeting for the season. Personal Bests went to Jim Carroll 6.334 @ 220.48, Reece Fish 7.122 @ 205.41, along with Charlie Bates 6.379 @ 220.51. Aaron Phillips with a 7.763 and more. The track extended a season-ending heartwarming thank you to everyone - racers and supporters, media and volunteers and anyone who has helped them through this very long season. Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated. Have a great winter, and be safe. We’ll see you all again when summer rolls around again. RESULTS…

THERE’S a saying that goes, “From little acorns, tall oak trees grow”, which loosely means something large and successful began in a small and insignificant way. That’s certainly the case with Murray Thomson whose entry into the automotive realm, as his first car was a ’67 Fiat Bambina. That was back in ’71 when the diminutive Italian micro car was his transport to and from school. It was a small start, but his passion for cars ran deep. Fast forward to 1995, and Murray had stepped up and was behind the wheel of his first American car, a ’64 Ford Galaxie convertible with a 390 V8 under the hood. That was followed by a ’67 Mustang convertible, a ’92 Fairmont Ghia V8 and a 2000 Mustang. His love of cars…

NOSTALGIA isn’t always about finned-headed Flatheads and fenderless early Fords. Nostalgia also encompasses this ’48 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan owned by Christchurch rodder Wayne Marshall, with its Blue Flame engine adorned and mildly modified with vintage speed equipment. But let’s back the calendar up. In the early-to-mid seventies, Wayne Marshall, an early member of Southern Street Rodders, owned a ’34 Ford 5-window coupe (as daily transport!) and a ’33 Ford Fordor sedan, as well as raising a family. Realising his priorities, the coupe was sold to John Williams of Kustom Car Club, while the Fordor was sold to John and Rhonda Smith to become the chopped, orchid-coloured top street rod, and Wayne dropped out of the club scene for a decade or three. Then, just after the Christchurch earthquakes and kids…

BRENT Moore’s involvement with hot rodding began with a bolt from the blue. He recalls. “My friend Pete Laird asked me one day if I could help tow a trailer to move his brother Grant and Teresa’s T-Bucket from storage over in the Waikato, to which I agreed, naturally. On seeing the Bucket, I thought it would be better stored in my garage. I bought it over the phone pretty much there and then, with encouragement from Pete and Neville Downey and, towed it directly to my home. I gave her a good once over and needed only to replace the fuel, oil and filters and started cruising pretty much straight away. I have never looked back since and have been cruising seven days a week. I rode bikes for…

23rd Razzle Dazzle Hot Rod Show WINTER snow & cooler weather had subsided from the previous week, with clear skies and perfect temperatures for the 23rd Razzle Dazzle Hot Rod show. Meeting early at Mooneyes Area-1 for a tour of the facility soon had you deeply entrenched in the Southern California hot rod style. The double-storey building is literally packed full of custom parts, bikes and memorabilia, showcasing everything available for the hugely strong hot rod & custom scene currently in Japan. One side of the bottom floor is home to the ‘Moon Cafe’; walking in immediately takes you back to the ‘60s. Enjoying Moon burgers and shakes while listening to classic Hawaiian music. The large workshop area out the back is used for custom work and includes a dedicated…

MARINELAND Street Rod & Kustom Klub’s 2024 rod run had a few pleasant surprises. A celebration of the ‘33/34 Ford was the bi-line of the event’s title, and of the 80 cars entered, 22 were Model 40s. After a couple of Friday night drinks and a catch-up, Saturday morning was set aside for l/8th mile time trials along Sandy Road, which is currently a dead end due to Cyclone Gabriel washing out the bridge further down the road. The host club still had to jump thru a few Council hoops, but it all went off well, single runs obviously (apart from side-by-side photo ops), flag drop starts by Toni Clapham, and although heavy hitters such as Greg Bullot’s wild Pop gasser, Glenn Munro’s ’38 Chevy gasser, and potentially Kurt Stockman’s…

TIM Kennedy spotted a really nice 1932 Ford Tudor Sedan for sale on Trade Me in early December 2023. The seller was Wellington hot rodder Eric Heycoop. Eric only listed it for sale as he and his wife Miriam intend to live overseas for half the year. They also have a Model A stored in Wellington to use while back here, so the ’32 drew the short straw and was put up for sale. After a few phone calls were exchanged, Tim and his wingman Chris Fanukin left Te Awamutu and drove the 460 kms to meet Eric at the Paraparaumu Shopping Centre, arriving just in time for some morning tea. Typical for pre-Christmas weather, they had fog and rain between some gaps of sunshine. But sitting there in all…

DESPITE a 2020 planned trip to Texas and the Lone Star Roundup being cancelled due to the world being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event remained on my bucket list. The stars aligned in April this year to attend the 21st running of the event, and it was certainly worth the wait. The LSRU is a lot more casual than some of the West Coast events and, being based in Austin, Texas, has a continuous lineup of music and good food as well as a large indoor swapmeet, trade displays, and, of course, traditional hot rods and customs. There are numerous kick-off parties, the mandatory Texas barbecues, and for the early risers, Mark Gustafson’s famed Crawl on Friday morning, which kicked off for us at 6 am…

GMS Rollers ANOTHER 1932 Ford chassis is out the door of GMS Hot Rods. This one features all the usual tricks for the stance GMS is known for. Using a combination of parts from Pete and Jake’s, Roadster Supply and SOCAL Speed Shop, all of which GMS is an authorised dealer for. This roller is one of many things going on at GMS right now. Phone 021 955 459 or email gregstokes1932@gmail.com or find them on Facebook or Instagram Make ‘em Jealous! ALKYDIGGER proudly presents their billet 3-gauge pod that mounts to the rear of your blower. It takes three 2-5/8” gauges and comes highly polished. It features an enclosed back with a rubber grommet in the wire feed hole, and it comes with all the bolts and spacers needed to…

TEXAN David Blaschke shared this epic shot of him in 1961 at 15 years old with his 1932 Ford 3-window Coupe. David recalls. “It was metallic blue, with a 283 Corvette engine, red and white roll, and pleat interior—no big tyres, mags or fancy wheels, etc., just steel wheels and hubcaps. The car now belongs to a friend who has almost every model ‘32 Ford. All are restored to concourse condition. He remembered it as a young teenager, tracked it down and Is restoring it as it was in the day, keeping colours, etc, the same as in ’61. I Loved that car.” We do too!…

Traditional Hot Rod Chassis IT’S a well-known hot rod fact that Ford’s 1933-’34 X-member is a superior design for frame strength and rigidity, and for hot rod purists and traditionalists, it’s become the biggest motivation to ditch the original Deuce K-member. The swap sounds simple, but in practice, it’s pretty daunting, with a ton more work than you’d think. Dennis Lacey at the Early Ford Garage in California completed one recently, and you can follow the details on Instagram and the HAMB. An alternative method is to start with a custom-made factory-style ’33-’34 X-member made to fit the Deuce frame rails and made of fresh new steel, as seen in this one pictured by Rods by Reid. It features stepboxed rails and custom-made centre and rear crossmembers. It’s brand new…

IN JUNE 2023, Peter & Kaye Holwerda were on holiday in Australia and both being keen hot rodders, they took in the Cooly Rocks On Festival held in Coolangatta. This festival is open to vehicles Pre ‘79, including classic cars and hot rods and celebrates the cars, music and lifestyles of yesteryear. It attracts over 1000 entrants along with thousands of visitors. Peter posted a bunch of photos on Facebook, and among them was one of a 1933 5 window Coupe, which was for sale. Meanwhile, back in New Zealand, fellow Stragglers Rod & Kustom Club member Chris Faunkin Gallagher was scrolling through Peter’s photos and spotted the Coupe. Chris immediately rang Peter for his opinion on the ’33, and his reply was, “Buy it”. Peter and Kaye had since…

IT was that time again for the legendary Rust and Dust event held each year in Sefton, North Canterbury. The event has become epic and draws competitors from all over the South Island and a handful of North Island spectators as well. Everything from driving chassis’, hotted A Models 4-cylinder and flatty powered too, plus and a few later models. Hurricanes Rodders from Dunedin always turn up in force; in fact, one of their members, Deane Croker, with his 1954 Chevrolet hardtop, took out best car of the day. This event is invitation only and held in May but Muscle Car Madness is lucky enough to be able to run a “practice” day at MCM on the Friday of our event. The event is extremely ‘laid back’, just like the…

AT the age of just seven, Tom Clouston used to tag along from the family home in Turakina with his late father, Jock Clouston. He would search and find old cars in the wider Wanganui & Manawatu provinces and often further afield. One of the first cars the Cloustons found was a Model T Ford Sedan in Marton. It was onsold to the Sir Len Southward Museum, Paraparaumu and was one of the first cars Sir Len restored. Soon after, the boys located in nearby Bulls a 1925 Lanchester, it had a 40hp motor. Tom helped his Dad restore it to original, and eventually, it was sold and ended up in Christchurch. Jock always would have loved to have kept all of his “finds”, but a lack of storage for…

IN 1962, four young guys named Miles, Dick, Ralph and Terry would meet for lunch each working day at the Trade Winds Cafe in central Christchurch. By 1963, these four guys were the founders of Kustom Car Club and had their first formal club meeting. President was Miles Johnson, and others at the inaugural meeting included Dick Kinsman, Ralph Morton, Terry Noble, Tony Morland, Glen Ross, Trevor Weakley, Chris Pitcher, Dave Anderson and Ike Hulls. They held their meetings at various parents’ garages. Kustom Car Club’s first display was the Chequered Flag Car Show and Dance in July 1965, with live music from The Detours and Ron Silvester’s 327 Chevy race engine on display. Miles Johnson was something of an entrepreneur, and under his leadership, Kustoms held the first Autorama…