Trying to get to NZ National Meet

[Bick in New Zealand]

Been flat out working on the A for the last few weeks in readiness for trip to our biennial National meet.

Been a hell of a trip so far. Car started this morning with a huge bang that woke all the dogs in the neighbourhood and ran really rough. Turns out after checking the colour of the plugs last night I muddled the plug leads. Easily fixed and on the road at 6am. Managed about a 100 miles before starting to run a bit rough, so I pulled into a gas station and started to top up when the radiator top tank burst spewing coolant onto the forecourt. Thanks to goodness of one of our club members he offered to bring a new replacement brassworks radiator, while I removed the old one. Fortunately he brought two as the first one did not have the mounting holes lined up, an easy fix in the workshop but no good on the side of the road. The second one worked out fine. We eventually were back on the road and making a dash for the ferry to take us to the South Island. It was not to be as we suffered a blown head gasket and missed our sailing. We decided to check in to some accomodation and see if we could sort ot the problem. With Tracy acting as assistant mechanic we have replaced the gasket and the car is back on the road. Hopefully we will cross tomorrow and the day will have no more mishaps.

[pooch]

Did a black cat cross your path ?

[Vern]

Bick & Tracy,
Wow, what an adventurous start to a national meet. You're gonna win the hard luck award for certain. Hope things get better & smooth sailing for the rest of the trip.
Vern, Lori & Stina

[Karl]

Bick Its that dang high compression you are running

[Tudortomnz]

Hope all is well with the '31 Coupe now & you are nearing Wanaka.
We were travelling from Blenheim to CHCH yesterday [Sun.] & saw some A's along the beautiful Kaikoura coast, one a nice looking RHD '31 Vicky, all heading south to the Meet.

[Spider]

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Hi Bick, shout out if there's anything I can help with. Not sure how far down country you are yet. 0211914764 cheers Richard.

[Bick in New Zealand]

Day 2 started ok, got about 2 miles down the road, and the car started missing and then pouring steam / smoke out of the exhaust. At that stage I had had enough and pulled the pin, called the AA who arranged to have a truck come and pick us and the car up. Very disappointed after all the work we had put in getting the car ready for its 40th birthday with me. We stayed at home last night and left to head south in the modern at 7 this morning. We crossed the strait this afternoon and have just settled down for the night in Kaikoura and will continue to head south tomorrow.

Anyone have any suggestions why a radiator would burst. The only difference this time to other trips is that I added anti freeze to the radiator.

[quickchange]

Mate where in the hell you buying your parts from ???? See you in the morning ,Derek

[Goldhardt]

Wow! I've heard of some bad luck, but you take the cake my friend! Try to enjoy your national meet!

[Bick in New Zealand]

Well we finally made it last night, tired but relieved to be here. Spent the day relaxing and exploring the local area. Here are some of the As we have seen today.

[Bick in New Zealand]

A few more.

[SAJ]

Well done BICK!
The second lot of photos show cars that had just returned from the Dingleburn track. I have never eaten so much dust in my life!
I lost a tooth from second gear coming over the Crown Range and we slipped in a spare box yesterday at the repair garage.
Many thanks to Bruno and the boys for making Wanaka Tractor Repairs workshop available.
My car is the roadster HJFORD
The J is Peter Forde's fathers initial on his old plate which he gave me.
The Dingleburn is the road along the cliff face above lake Hawea 200 feet up and very narrow and bumpy in places. For our friends in other countries, Lake Hawea is 200 feet deep too, so a Model A would make quite a splash!
SAJ in NZ

[Doug Linden]

Bick, thanks for the story and pics, sorry you had to go modern. I can relate to your predicament, it took me 3 engines to get started on my tour across the states a few years ago. Please say hi to David nad Karen for me.

[Goldhardt]

Thanks for the great pictures! Loved them!

I guess that I wasn't thinking, but you guys got the steering wheel on the "other side" down there. We very seldom get to see a Model A that way around here!

[Bick in New Zealand]

Pictures from the Dingleburn run that SAJ wrote about featured on the front page of the Otago Daily Times this morning. The ODT is New Zealand's oldest newspaper.

Check out the pictures here: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/33...and-no-one-did

[Bick in New Zealand]

Here is yesterday's article on judging:

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown...es-good-detail

[Bick in New Zealand]

Here are some pictures from today.

[Bick in New Zealand]

A few more

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Goldhardt

Thanks for the great pictures! Loved them!

I guess that I wasn't thinking, but you guys got the steering wheel on the "other side" down there. We very seldom get to see a Model A that way around here!

The Kiwis have the steering wheel on the right side like we do in Oz. I have known of a couple of cars in the US that were RHD and the owners couldn't sell sell them. LHD doesn't bother us here even though they are the wrong way round. I figure if ours are Right hand drive and yours are the opposite, then they are "wrong hand drive" Sure feels that way when we climb into one.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

The Kiwis have the steering wheel on the right side like we do in Oz. ... I figure if ours are Right hand drive and yours are the opposite, then they are "wrong hand drive" Sure feels that way when we climb into one.

Reminds me of the time that we had a visitor from OZ. When he went to leave the house, he climbed in his rental car on the RH side and just looked really puzzled for a moment when he discovered there was no steering wheel in front of him. Of course, my wife & I were watching out the window. We all had a good laugh over that as he got out and walked around to the "wrong" side.

AND, I also have first hand experiences when around Kiwis & Australians in hallways and stairways. They always seem to want to walk on what I would consider "the wrong side."

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by CarlG

Reminds me of the time that we had a visitor from OZ. When he went to leave the house, he climbed in his rental car on the RH side and just looked really puzzled for a moment when he discovered there was no steering wheel in front of him. Of course, my wife & I were watching out the window. We all had a good laugh over that as he got out and walked around to the "wrong" side.

AND, I also have first hand experiences when around Kiwis & Australians in hallways and stairways. They always seem to want to walk on what I would consider "the wrong side."

I had a discussion about this with Canadian friends who said that they drive on the "right" side of the road. I replied that "yes, you do but we drive on the correct side" Laughs all round.
Everything seems to be back to front over there. Who would believe the sun in the south at mid day. Light switches upside down, north wind is cold, winter at Christmas, water flows the wrong way down a plug hole it just goes on and on. I find it very easy to lose my orientation over there coz the sun is in the wrong place.

[Bick in New Zealand]

Another day down at the Nationals, we visited two museums today, one an ecclectic collections of toys, cars, trucks, tractors, aeroplanes and everything in between. The other a small collection of top notch vehicles including the only Duesenberg in the Southern Hemisphere. Hopefully you will find the following pictures interesting. The fire engine is a 1932 Fordson, and the shot of the gearl lever and brake handle is from a 1960 GAZ Jeep, interesting that they were still using Model A parts.

[Bick in New Zealand]

The rest.

[Bick in New Zealand]

Forgot this beauty, the first K I have seen.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Bick in New Zealand

Forgot this beauty, the first K I have seen.

Interesting to note that the K is RHD, just like all American cars up till the T (1908).
RHD but they still drove on the RHS of the road so the driver was in the kerb.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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Yo' "QUICK" BICK & SYNCHRO,
This is all so INTERESTING !! Seems that folks all around the WORLD enjoy the same types of stuff!
Looking at Gregg's, (R.I.P, My Son) huge world map, how long is the ferry trip & what does it cost to take a car & how long does it take? I've been with AAA since 1958 & have 200 mile towing. Does AAA cover your towing just on the mainland, or on N.Z. also?
That Cliffside road is a BUGGER!!! Here in Kalifornia, we have a coastal Cliffside highway #1, from Hearst Castle, in the Cambria area, on North to Carmel & Monterey areas. NOT a fast road, but a fairly good 2 lane road. VERY few places for gas & food & accommodations. You must drive it when you are here!!!
GREAT pics you posted! I'm up @ 4:00 AM to P** & am still GLUED to the SPAM box! NO SPAM in my cupboard, so I'll just go fry up some BACON from my wheelchair, just learning to walk agin.
Bill W.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Interesting to note that the K is RHD, just like all American cars up till the T (1908).
RHD but they still drove on the RHS of the road so the driver was in the kerb.

Synchro,
I once owned a R.H.D. 1939 M.G. TICKFORD, with a Jaguar XK-120 engine & trans. I was able to master driving it, without any bad mishaps. The hardest thing was to master shifting with my LEFT hand!
Google the car, you'll LOVE it's BEAUTIFUL HEADLIGHTS & it's HUGE "CYCLOPS" running light, in the middle. That light is adjusted by a GAV looking knob, in the dash. Pat, (R.I.P, My Darling) called me JAMES BOND, when I drove it.
Bill W.

[TwoDeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by Bick in New Zealand

Day 2 started ok, got about 2 miles down the road, and the car started missing and then pouring steam / smoke out of the exhaust. At that stage I had had enough and pulled the pin, called the AA who arranged to have a truck come and pick us and the car up. Very disappointed after all the work we had put in getting the car ready for its 40th birthday with me. We stayed at home last night and left to head south in the modern at 7 this morning. We crossed the strait this afternoon and have just settled down for the night in Kaikoura and will continue to head south tomorrow.

Anyone have any suggestions why a radiator would burst. The only difference this time to other trips is that I added anti freeze to the radiator.

Four things that cause radiator to burst that I have seen are:

1. Folks crimp the overflow tube inside radiator to stop water from leaking out over flow. Steam can not escape fast enough as water begins to boil. If crimped partway but not closed off, Pressure builds up until it splits the tank.

2. Folks crimp overflow tube at bottom of radiator. Same same #1

3. Some put a roofing nail in the top of overflow tube.

4. Some times the fan blade strikes the overflow tube as it crosses the fin area and tube gets partially smashed shut. The overflow tube gets partially closed, as a result pressure builds up..

Service bulletins page 450 tells how Ford recommended to fix it correctly.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Yo' "QUICK" BICK & SYNCHRO,
This is all so INTERESTING !! Seems that folks all around the WORLD enjoy the same types of stuff!
Looking at Gregg's, (R.I.P, My Son) huge world map, how long is the ferry trip & what does it cost to take a car & how long does it take? I've been with AAA since 1958 & have 200 mile towing. Does AAA cover your towing just on the mainland, or on N.Z. also?
That Cliffside road is a BUGGER!!! Here in Kalifornia, we have a coastal Cliffside highway #1, from Hearst Castle, in the Cambria area, on North to Carmel & Monterey areas. NOT a fast road, but a fairly good 2 lane road. VERY few places for gas & food & accommodations. You must drive it when you are here!!!
GREAT pics you posted! I'm up @ 4:00 AM to P** & am still GLUED to the SPAM box! NO SPAM in my cupboard, so I'll just go fry up some BACON from my wheelchair, just learning to walk agin.
Bill W.

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