Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i NZ Hot Rod

FLASHBACK This selection of photos were taken at Kerrs Road, Wiri, Auckland on 27th Dec 1970 by Allan Porter. They succinctly capture the essence of our pioneering past, plus a thin slice of Kiwi ingenuity and a look at the people on the day 54 years ago. That's who we were! Footnote: For feedback on last month's article, see Letters on page 6.…

IF my visit to PG Hydraulics could be summed up in one word, it would be “amazing” in capital letters. Firstly, proprietor Phil Game is an engaging, intuitive, innovative man who speaks softly but with an authority that comes with 40 years in the business. Yes, PG Hydraulics was started back in April 1984, and seven years ago, Air Flo Hydraulics was purchased, and they've been around since 1964. The wealth of experience is backed by some amazing stats. PG's ten staff members average 30 years of service, which means they love their work, the variety of projects, and the company culture. That overall recipe has seen PG Hydraulics become the GO-TO guys for any steering malady or design and build for unique applications in NZ, even providing advice to…

COLIN & Donna Shotter had attended Americarna yearly, at a popular New Plymouth restaurant, to watch the Friday Night Cruise around the New Plymouth CBD. With an ideal viewing area on an elevated deck, they and other “diners” got a birdseye view of the American cars cruising by. After several years of “viewing”, Colin decided it was time he joined the party and buy an American car. In April 2014, while looking around on Trade Me, he spotted a pretty tired-looking 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Saloon for sale in Nelson. It was imported into NZ around 2004, and not a great deal had been done to it, and it certainly needed a complete rebuild. At the time, Colin was told it would be an easy restoration, and most of the…

TERRY BURGESS' 1933 FORD 3-WINDOW COUPE NEW Zealand is a small country, far away from the “hot rod motherland” of the good old USA. It never ceases to amaze me what shows up on our shores. For years, we have read about famous hot rod builders in America and their amazing creations; many have become iconic legends in our hobby. If we take the most historic and influential Model 40 Ford (1933 /1934) coupes, the list starts off strong. We have to begin with the California Kid, Jim “Jake” Jacobs highboy Coupe, and the Jim Ewing Super Bell coupe. The next three coupes would certainly make it to the Top Ten of all time. They have something in common as they all now live in New Zealand. We have the…

Keego From Canberra TWENTY years ago, sometime in January 2004, Gary Keegan, better known as Keego from Canberra Rod and Kustom Club in the Australian capital, first walked into The Garage during a visit to Christchurch. He must have found his calling because, since that first introduction, Keego has visited The Garage about 25 times, as well as partaking in five Muscle Car Madness events. He just seems to blow in, and then he blows off again. He's even brought several of his Canberra clubmates over to 'share his discovery'. It's not all one-way traffic; Keego has hosted several visits from Garage people over the years, and if any readers were considering a trip to Canberra, which plays host to the Summernats, the two-hour drive south from Sydney is worth…

THE first item I have to make very clear is that this is Catherine's car, or as she's known around here, “Chippie”. Hence the personalised plate CHPS57. (Although the '57 is slowly morphing into ''our car“) Secondly, it is a '57 Chevrolet Townsman station wagon with Bel Air stainless trim added. Thirdly, husband Geordie did 98% of the build. So that's all the “fine print” sorted. In 1995, while working at Eagle Automotive, doing right-hand drive conversions, Geordie received a call from his boss, Willy “the Chief” Roach, who was in the States on a buying trip. Willy had found a nice '57 Chevrolet 210 Townsman wagon in Bakersfield for sale. He knew Geordie and Chippie had a toddler and were in the market for a family car, and suggested…

FOR the third year in a row, the Pre 49 Nationals have been held in the South Island. The first two were in Cromwell, but for this year, the Pre 49ers decided to amalgamate with Whitestone Rodders and hold them in the gorgeous town of Oamaru. The buildings alone are worth the trip to visit this town. Many of the town's historic buildings are built from Oamaru stone, a sandstone that makes great backdrops for photos. The town is also known as the “Steampunk Capital of New Zealand” and even has a large museum where you can go and see the outfits, etc. However, on Saturday 6th of April, the town was invaded by about 100 pre-49 hot rods for the 2024 event. It started with the usual meet and…

THERE'S a first time for everything, and this feature of Straw's Tourer is the first, even though his Keep On Tourin' hot rod has been in and out of the scene for 50 years. Straw's introduction to hot rodding was probably inevitable because he lived in Hamilton in the early days, just around the corner from John Reid, now proprietor of Rods by Reid. Straw already had an interest in automotive high performance and was racing a Morry thou and a Mini Cooper S when he met JR and they formed a friendship. When JR's Dodge bucket “Vandal” was finished, Straw travelled with him to a Hot Rod Show, where he spotted Terry Vaughan's “Daddy Cool” Model A Tourer. That was it! Straw had to have one, so he joined…

THE 6th Annual Wanganui Road Rodders Memorial Rod Run was again based at the Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park, 10 kms north of Wanganui. Early entrants could get a choice of sites from tents, caravans, camper vans and fully contained cabins. A stone's throw away was the Mowhanau Hall, where registration was set up and entrants were greeted with a hot dog, a burger & chips, and a choice of coffee or tea. The food was all cooked to perfection by master chef & dishwasher William Pelzer, along with a group of club members assisting in the food preparation. On Saturday morning we were treated to homemade carrot cake and coffee or tea to wash it down. At 10 am, all entrants were mustered into the Mowhanau Hall for a…

GREAT weather and another superb track saw a diverse mix of competition cars put on an excellent show. Door Slammers, Wild Bunch and a top field of exhibition entries saw highlight runs by Jim Carroll, Murray Smith, Squig and Bronson Dunne. Thanks to all competitors, teams, sponsors and track crew for another successful meeting. RESULTS…

Galaxie winner CONGRATULATIONS to Hayden from Huntly, who was drawn as the lucky winner of Classic Cover's 1962 Ford Galaxie Sunliner! Here's Hayden at the handover of his new ride with Ryan & Larry Barnett from Classic Cover. As part of their 40-year celebrations, all valued Classic Cover clients were automatically included in the draw, and the winner was announced at Beach Hop 2024. Classic Cover had a blast seeing so many clients out and about over the summer, and they hope Hayden enjoys the new vehicle. History MEMORIES from the past are a gift and are brought into focus occasionally when surfing through old photos. This one, taken circa 1979, was taken in California on the Condit family's front lawn with the ramp truck used to haul the LA…

KIWITOWN CRUISERS THE 12th Annual Kiwitown Cruisers Annual Rod Run was held at the Clubrooms (formerly a cow shed) Otorohanga, which was the focal point of all activities. Registration opened with a sausage sizzle and drinks. On-site is a large paddock, which the club makes available for camping and motorhomes. With rain predicted for the weekend, numbers were down this year, not only because of the weather but with so many events now back on; the smaller provincial events have seen numbers drop off as hot rodders return to the larger big-ticket events like Americarna, Beach Hop and Muscle Car Madness. On the plus side, Kiwitown puts on an excellent event with nothing but the best hospitality and value for money; nothing else compares. On Saturday morning, entrants were greeted…

IN late 1978, Invercargill rodders Mike and Judy Lawrence were on their way to Auckland with their Chevy-powered '47 Ford convertible as the feature of a “Grease” special at the 4th Annual NZ Motor Show at the Epsom Showgrounds. By the time they reached the South Waikato town of Tokoroa around midday-ish, the clutch had cried 'enough!'. They'd heard of a hot rod upholsterer in the area called Sku and soon found the trim shop. They'd come to the right place and that was the start of a friendship that's endured for 46 years. The clutch fix ended up being a major, with the engine and box lifted out as one unit as it was impossible to get at the Muncie 4-speed separately. A new clutch plate was found, and…

THERE was a very good reason why members of Bay Rodders should have felt chuffed with themselves and very proud to be a club member at day's end of the 2024 Nostalgia Drags. And that's because the event they hosted resulted in a large crowd of spectators and entrants who were all smiling and because they had witnessed an excellent and entertaining event that flowed well and ran flawlessly under blue skies. Many didn't go home and stayed for the band on Saturday night to perhaps compete in the Last Chance Drag Meet held on Sunday. The campers started arriving Friday afternoon, and by Friday night, it was a busy place and was much the same on Saturday night. They were there to see, smell, hear and relive those glorious…

SINCE host club Hamilton Hot Rod Club last held its Annual Memorial Rod Run on ANZAC Day, several hot rodders have passed away in the past year. As the years go by, stalwarts of hot rodding will diminish, but not completely. I have noticed several young faces appearing with their new builds at events this summer. ANZAC Day will never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve King & Country. The Hamilton HRC is to be commended for combining their Memorial Run with ANZAC Day to honour soldiers & hot rodders alike. This event continues to grow each year and attracts hot rodders from near and far. We will lose a mate, a fellow hot rod club member, or someone closely connected with our hobby in the years…