Motu puts his hand on the girl in the bikini

[Motu]

This was from my persective,ain't she gorgeous? Some of you might like to guess what I was driving today - oh,that's not wood...it's hand painted woodgrain.

[Two Smoker]

Motu im going to have to come down to that workshop of yours and check out some of these bloody nice cars :niceone:

[wkid_one]

Motu im going to have to come down to that workshop of yours and check out some of these bloody nice cars :niceone:
Better give him heaps of warning so he can go and find the nice cars :Pokey:

[Hitcher]

What's that Arabic card stuck down behind the dash all about??

[Posh Tourer :P]

Ok best guess 1940-1955 Austin

[marty]

nope. i reckon a '36 ford V8. 220ci flat head?

[Motu]

That didn't last long - yeah,it's a 36 Ford sedan,Fordor,not to be confused with Mordor,spare wheel on rear deck.Even so many years down the track they are a joy to drive,mechanical brakes are not too hot,but those flathead V8s just purr.

The Yanks didn't have craftsmen to make wooden dashes,so they hand painted the woodgrain finish on the dash and doors.Being 1936 it doesn't need much to pass a WoF - stop,a few lights,nothing falling off the suspn and steering - shit,if I get to drive it they pass I reckon.

Oh,that card - he doesn't know,thinks it may have come out of a taxi...but on the side facing out it says something like - the only diety to worship is,and he's put a Ford sign over whatever it said.

[marty]

i've got a V8 out of one of those on the floor in the garage - it was running a high output water pump as a stationary engine on a dedicated trailer. i used to love starting it up on the trailer just to listen to it :)

[SPman]

Aaaah - 36 V8. I inherited one of those off my great aunts when they died, back in 70.
Cooked the motor towing a mates Hillman Imp down to Bay Park! - great cars though, particularly the starter button on the floor!

[pete376403]

Only time I ever rode in one was on a very rainy night on a windy road. 6 volt electrics made for poor lights at the best of times and I wasn't too jazzed about how the vacuum wipers stopped every time the driver put his foot down (which was a lot, he was about 16 and it was his first car)

[Dr Bob]

When I lived in Eastbourne I was in the volunteer bush fire service. We had a circa 1940 V8 fire engine. It had a big cast pump off the front of the engine, sticking through the grille - lots of brass aaahhhh luvly. On the negative, you had to be already travelling backwards to be able to put it into reverse, and you had to take off for the fire before it started to be of any use.

[Motu]

De Javoo doo - look closely....that's not the same car.

How bout that,another 36 ford V8 Sedan sitting in my workshop,same colour,greyhound mascot,whitewalls,almost identical - cept this one is a trunk back,but the spare is still mounted the same.

[Dr Bob]

How old are the owners? Could I convince one of them to part with it - although the missus may not like it - no airconditioning, no electric windows, no automatic gear box, no cd player, ..... actually, how many of us would go for a kick start on our bikes? (apart from the dirt ones)

[Motu]

Something a bit more modern this time,very special this one.I'll come back when I get home later and put some other shots I took today up,but that will give it away.PT didn't see it,it was gone when he went past.

[Motu]

These will give it away,I tell you in the morning.

[riffer]

These will give it away,I tell you in the morning.
Okay, I'll have a go -

it's a 1949 Ford Custom Wagon - a woodie, with a 239 cubic inch v8.

[Motu]

Close - it's a 1951,that's the Twin Spinner,a genuine woody - that wood is maple and was imported for the job,the work being done here using modern methods so it will stay together longer.You can see the Offy heads and the twin carbs came off only a few minutes before I took this photo.The normal dizzy tells that it is the later motor,up to about 48 they had the crab dist.Coming up for sale soon - I don't want it,too small for a bike to fit in the back.

[riffer]

Damn. I was close.

My grandfather had a '49 woodie when I was a kid, that's how I remembered it.

Of course, being a stingy old bastard his was only the six, but that wood was kinda cool to an 8 year old.

And woe betide me if I so much as even breathed on it, let alone touched it!

[Posh Tourer :P]

PT didn't see it,it was gone when he went past.

Damnit... I'll have to drop in sometime when I see a nice example of motor mechanics in your gargre....

And I have time..... :@

[scumdog]

These will give it away,I tell you in the morning.

Where the hell did you get a 'spinner woody? lucky bastard, is it as good as the pics show, (the 8BA flattie looks good too). :niceone: :niceone:

[Motu]

I don't own any of these things,they just turn up from time to time,there are more to come,I'll shoot and show things of interest when they come in.

[Motu]

How did you learn to drive? this is a 1959 ''Morrie Thou'' it's had a repaint but other wise is a genuine 57,000miles original,best 'Morrie' I've ever driven - even when new! The tyres measure 90mm across the tread with drum brakes about 7in dia,no more.

My brother and I both had 54 Minors,he wrote his off pretty quick and when I got mine we were riding bikes... the car was used as a parts chaser and Queen St on friday nights.2nd gear up the Harbour Bridge,then we used to take it on all the steep hills - a quick double clutch into 1st to get up Kitchener St,miss it and you had to back down again,no way could you start off on a hill like that.Before the motorways were put in you could go from New North Rd to Great North Rd...King St was the steepest,a mad full throttle blast down the hill then down through the gears to 1st and crawl up to Gt Nth Rd.My brother came home one day and said the diff had just ''blown up''......yeah,right....

I learnt to drive in this car,but never got my licence while I had it - one day I had to pull it out of a blackberry bush on a gravel road,the locals wanted to call the cops,but I wasn't too keen on that and hauled it out by myself while they watched.

[Motu]

Spinnin' along.

[Blakamin]

Spinnin' along.
Veeeeeery nice!

I'd love something like that living at my house!

[Motu]

No point guessing this one,the plate says it all.This is a 1950 single spinner,but it's kinda special being a Crestline,a 2 door (Tudor) that was the colour they were painted,not many of these things made.My first ever brake job as an apprentice was on a single spinner coupe,not a Crestline though.

I have done some work on this one,thought I might tell you about it cause it was interesting.He brought it down to me to put some test gear on because he wasn't too happy with how it was running,the idle was shit and was stumbling under load.Did the basics,good compression,new carb and good manifold,ignition was good - but it was 6 volt positive earth,my gear didn't like that too much,so at one stage I ran a seperate ignition - 12 volt negative earth,just incase there was something wrong there.On my digital scope I can crank the time base down to microseconds,looking right at the spark plug as the spark is going across the gap,I can even see it going across the rotor gap,some powerful shit that told me nothing was wrong with the ignition system.A conventional dist and not that crab thing I know nothing about,phew.

Time to look at things not normaly done.The vacuum was a couple of points down with a needle flicker - my next tool was one I made myself about 4 yrs ago...a vacuum probe to run on my scope,this doesn't tell me a vacuum reading,but shows me a waveform of each intake stroke as it happens in the inlet manifold,by triggering off no1 cyl I can find out which cyl is playing up - bit of seriously powerful gear eh? Paydirt! I can see a couple of cyls with faulty waveforms,or at least they are not the same as the other 6 - we have something wrong with the valves.The owner has his own mechanic to work on his old Fords,but says seeing as we have it there we may as well pull the inlet manifold and have a look.With the inlet manifold off we can see the valves - and low and behold - two valve springs are broken.I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself,I'm a pretty smart dude and my homemade gear has proved itself where others would hit a brick wall.I shoulda learnt by now eh?

This is totaly different valve gear than anything made in the last 50yrs,sidevalve V8s are not your run of the mill V8.This is a late model flathead and much simpler than the older ones - just pull a C clip and the whole vavle,guide and spring slides out of the block...we take them to the bench and strip the springs.They are all different lengths,these things have shrunk,they look a real mess.Kinda strange cause it's a newly rebuilt engine,new valves and springs,even new cyl heads.So the owner supplies us with new spring and we put it back together,oh joy,it's got adjustable tappets,so we set it and kick her into life - no change!!! bloody hell,it's a wonder the thing was running,and now it looks like we haven't done a bloody thing.

The owners running out of patience and us out of time,it's nearly Xmas and he wants to go away in it,we reset the tappets a dozen times but it's still the same.What's wrong with it? he says...well,I dunno,but I'm adamant that we have a valve problem.This guy has plenty of flatheads,most of the ones I've showed you are his - they all run sweet,but not this one.It has an Isky cam,but he has run the same cams before,so have others...they all run sweet,this one is just a dog.Oh well,he takes it away on his Xmas run with his Ford club.

Next year it's fixed - and we find out the story that played out over the holidays.It appears the cheap $2 valve springs that everyone is using are crap,they shrink and break - yeah,we know that eh? Also he has been told the he has to run Isky springs with his cam,the standard springs won't cope with the lift and opening rate.So he got some Isky springs from a club member and they fitted them - and she runs sweet.Today she's a beauty,just a slight lumpy idle as you'd expect from a mild cam.

So,this has put me in a tight spot,I'm cleared for my stupidity,but get the impression I still should of been able to put my finger on it.But I wasn't in charge of the whole job,parts were given to me and I fitted them,that they were still wrong was unknown to all of us.But how to charge for my time? He is one of my local panelbeaters,we have a symbiotic relationship,he gives me work,I give him work,we help each other out....mates in the trade y'know.But as the law stands these days,I can't charge for work I don't do - if you bring me your car to fix,and I charge you 16 hrs labour,but it still runs the same...then you don't have to pay me,cause I didn't do the job you asked me to.We settle on that I just charge him for changing the valve springs,cause that's what I did,but I'll have to take all the dicking around on the chin.

In my job these days I'm in constant training,sometimes I pay hundreds of dollars for a 2 day course,I spend hours on the internet learning all sorts of obscure things about how to diagnose the modern motor vehicle - you don't think I thought up my vacuum probe out of my own little head do you? No,other people play around,bounce of other people,we all learn together.You can now buy one of the things for hundreds of dollars,but I made mine years ago for 60 bucks,and taught myself to use it.What I say on a job like this - is I have been on a training course,I learnt heaps,it was well worth the money spent.Not everyone gets to fart around doing major work on a 1950 Single Spinner Crestline eh?

[Blakamin]

wow.... glad he got it sorted.
my boss in the eighties had a car collection...
everything from about 5 model T's to a phase 3 GTHO only run on race days.
'57 continental, old chevs.. you name it!
luckily i was able to drive them all
pretty stoked as a teenager, as i always had an interest in old cars!
even restored myself a 59 zephyr ute about 6 years ago!

that crestline looks beautiful!

[pete376403]

.But as the law stands these days,I can't charge for work I don't do - if you bring me your car to fix,and I charge you 16 hrs labour,but it still runs the same...then you don't have to pay me,cause I didn't do the job you asked me to.

Unless you're a bloody doctor - how many times have you been to the quack, get charged $50 for 5 minutes and a scrip. Doesn't fix anything so you go back. Another $50, another scrip. and so on. But if its you fixing the quacks car - he pays once, no matter how many times he brings it back with some obscure fault

[Motu]

The 73 Mercury Marquis hearse is back today - we have some suspension work to do after it hauled a 360kg casket this afternoon.The guy who drives this one has been driving it since he was 18,the day it was delivered new.

It holds special significance for me at the moment - we used it for my mother's funeral a couple of months ago...I didn't ask for it,they knew which one to use.We talked a lot about what was going to happen in her last few months,and she knew I worked on a fleet of hearses,I often told her about the Mercury,but I didn't tell her she was going for her last ride in it,that seemed too cruel - but I bet she woulda laughed!

[Mongoose]

Some jobs have some great perks, reckon you have found one of those jobs awrighty!!

[texmo]

My brother and I both had 54 Minors,he wrote his off pretty quick and when I got mine we were riding bikes... the car was used as a parts chaser and Queen St on friday nights.2nd gear up the Harbour Bridge,then we used to take it on all the steep hills - a quick double clutch into 1st to get up Kitchener St,miss it and you had to back down again,no way could you start off on a hill like that.Before the motorways were put in you could go from New North Rd to Great North Rd...King St was the steepest,a mad full throttle blast down the hill then down through the gears to 1st and crawl up to Gt Nth Rd.My brother came home one day and said the diff had just ''blown up''......yeah,right....

I saw a starlet with 5 people in it try to do a hill start on king st and it just rolled back into the car behind it.

[scumdog]

wow.... glad he got it sorted.
my boss in the eighties had a car collection...
everything from about 5 model T's to a phase 3 GTHO only run on race days.
'57 continental, old chevs.. you name it!
luckily i was able to drive them all
pretty stoked as a teenager, as i always had an interest in old cars!
even restored myself a 59 zephyr ute about 6 years ago!

that crestline looks beautiful!

Had a big-block powered '63 Galaxie convertible that had spent some of its life at Raumati Beach, probably in the '70s. Grouse car!!

[Motu]

These 2 in today...had some Everly Bro shit playing on the radio.

[scumdog]

These 2 in today...had some Everly Bro shit playing on the radio.

Motu, what a coincidence, just towed Mrs S.Ds '62 Fairlane from the paint shop to the uphosterers today, it's jet black and FLASH! the chrome just arrived from Texas a couple of days ago and we're on a roll!!!

[Blakamin]

Motu, what a coincidence, just towed Mrs S.Ds '62 Fairlane from the paint shop to the uphosterers today, it's jet black and FLASH! the chrome just arrived from Texas a couple of days ago and we're on a roll!!!

You guys are just cruel..... :not:
my dog in aus is called ford.. i have a mustang gt350 model i got for my 32nd b'day over a year ago that i cant finish due to not being able to decide on wheels... my will states i'm getting cremated and am to be put in a mustang ashtray... i've had a ZD fairlane, 2 XB coupes and a 73 aussie LTD (its still sitting in aus lookin crap) not to mention zf-zg's, xa-xd's, panelvans, sedans, wagons etc. all V8s

AND YOU GUYS TEASE ME WITH REAL CARS!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :kick:

[Blakamin]

These 2 in today...had some Everly Bro shit playing on the radio.
*drooooool*

Very Nice! :niceone: :cool2:

[Gasman]

How did you learn to drive? this is a 1959 ''Morrie Thou'' it's had a repaint but other wise is a genuine 57,000miles original,best 'Morrie' I've ever driven - even when new! The tyres measure 90mm across the tread with drum brakes about 7in dia,no more.

My brother and I both had 54 Minors,he wrote his off pretty quick and when I got mine we were riding bikes... the car was used as a parts chaser and Queen St on friday nights.2nd gear up the Harbour Bridge,then we used to take it on all the steep hills - a quick double clutch into 1st to get up Kitchener St,miss it and you had to back down again,no way could you start off on a hill like that.Before the motorways were put in you could go from New North Rd to Great North Rd...King St was the steepest,a mad full throttle blast down the hill then down through the gears to 1st and crawl up to Gt Nth Rd.My brother came home one day and said the diff had just ''blown up''......yeah,right....

I learnt to drive in this car,but never got my licence while I had it - one day I had to pull it out of a blackberry bush on a gravel road,the locals wanted to call the cops,but I wasn't too keen on that and hauled it out by myself while they watched.
I learn't to drive in a 58 Morrie, but Dad had a Holden Special, which was much more fun. Man, those things are light in the arse!
I had to go up/down King Street every day to work. One day I broke the clutch cable in my beloved Vauxhall (first car), half way up the hill, with a very slow truck in front. Thank God I was in second. Had to crash the gears all the way to work....had never learn't how to do that! I lived in Bond Street in those days, so used to watch the nutters going down King St. Quite often they'd only go down! One day I saw a guy having to reverse up the other side. By the time he got to Niger St (which in those days joined King St properly) the thing was stuffed...steam pouring out. I think it was a Vauxhall 12 (no, I'm not that bloody old, the car was already old by then!)

Anyway, happy times. I went down King one day later on a Honda CB100, full bore 2 up. Man, that was a big bump at the bottom! We made it up OK though. Probably rooted the suspension.

[Motu]

Motu, what a coincidence, just towed Mrs S.Ds '62 Fairlane from the paint shop to the uphosterers today, it's jet black and FLASH! the chrome just arrived from Texas a couple of days ago and we're on a roll!!!

That one's a 63,we used to work on it for the old guy who had it from new,of course I didn't find out it was for sale until it was sold - prick! All they did was a repaint and new wheels....it's a real sweety to drive,that 260 is just a gem.The 58s a 2 door,M T rocker covers and factory cast iron headers - I should of got a photo up on the hoist,showing the gloss chassis paint and stuff.A few more coming in soon,but those silly old things with radius rods,I'll show you soon.

[scumdog]

Ah yes! raduis rod type cars, I;ve recently bought a '37 coupe with 350 and Muncie (they do not go with the car - ex owner keeps them) and I have '69 460 Ford with tunnel-ram and 4-speed top-loader to fit to it, from what I can see and been told it is going to be a bit of a 'squees'!! :bash:

[Blakamin]

Ah yes! raduis rod type cars, I;ve recently bought a '37 coupe with 350 and Muncie (they do not go with the car - ex owner keeps them) and I have '69 460 Ford with tunnel-ram and 4-speed top-loader to fit to it, from what I can see and been told it is going to be a bit of a 'squees'!! :bash:
Surely the bay is near big enuff??? and a toploader is a tad smaller than the "rockcrusher" anyway aint it?




alright, i'll go away now :pinch:

[Motu]

I've still got the Marquis here,that's got the 460 - but hell,it only just fits in the full sized body,you might need a bit of massage to get it in.Just got the lower ball joints back from rebuilding and fitted new shocks - from a 76 Firebird,they say all the yank tanks take the same front shock,but when I was wanting some for the 64 De Ville a few months ago I couldn't find any at all,even with a sample.

Hey Gasman - good to see someone remembers what Auckland was like before it was all cut up....I remember riding a bike across when the motorways were under construction,got stuck in the wet clay,I felt all of Auckland could see me down there.My father lived in Newton Gully in the 40s,coming home from work one day he raced a fire engine to see where it was going...and found it was their house on fire,they were left with the clothes they stood in.

[scumdog]

Surely the bay is near big enuff??? and a toploader is a tad smaller than the "rockcrusher" anyway aint it?




alright, i'll go away now :pinch:

Nah, sump is at the wrong end (depth-wise) and the whole engine is a shit-load bigger than a small-block Chev, :buggerd: also the top-loader is a cast iron jobbie from a big-block '68 Mustang (close-ratio and big-input) and is heavier/longer than Muncie. :blah:

[Blakamin]

Nah, sump is at the wrong end (depth-wise) and the whole engine is a shit-load bigger than a small-block Chev, :buggerd: also the top-loader is a cast iron jobbie from a big-block '68 Mustang (close-ratio and big-input) and is heavier/longer than Muncie. :blah:
oh bugger....

i used to be a regular customer at castlemaine rod shop... (when I lived 50k's down the road) he was the man i spoke to when i put 460 in XB coupe... off the shelf bits for him.
so its an old muncie (not the "rock-crusher" variety)...
maybe you'd be best off going a windage tray and a aussie falcon front end...
been years since i did my coupe, but it wasnt a rare piece like yours..
CRS would have the gear tho... that guy is amazing (Rod Hadfield)

[Motu]

Guess you must be sick of seeing 36 Ford dashes from me,they are thick on the ground.Nice Coupe though eh? got of photo somewhere of my son standing on the running board taken a few years ago.A 40 ford pick up came in last week too,but I musta forgotten to shoot it - kinda rare as we were in the war in 39,so very 1940 cars were sold,this one was restored 25 years ago,then the owner died,it only just came out last year.Oh,just found the foto.

Radius rods? ,on motorcycles? - they were often used to extend the main legs of Harley springer forks - good steel with the right taper for the job.A guy in Auckland used to do that in the 70s,seen him make some forks with just plain radius rods,a ridged front end....I think I mighta told this one before(getting old eh) He was a rodder from way back,and one day he was bullshitting with mates...''hey,wouldn't it be cool to put a V8 in a Fordson''....'nah,no way,can't be done man''....'bet I could do it'...''yer on!''....So he got a flathead V8 driveline,cut out the torque tube and bolted the diff onto the gearbox...next he shortened and bent the radius rods to the front engine mount - to this he bolted a trailer tow coupling....he welded in a crossmember,with a tow ball attached,then bolted the rear spring in.Those who know a Ford driveline should still be with me here,the engine sat in the tray of the pick up,rods,cables and hoses everywhere - 6 straight copper pipes came out the back...flat black before it was cool,way before.A mate of mine ended up with it,I wanted to buy it off him for $150,but I was only 16 and my Mum said no....

[jrandom]

Guess you must be sick of seeing 36 Ford dashes from me

My cousin, who lives, oooh, about a block away from your shop (Stoddard Road, wasn't it?) has a nice blue '37 (IIRC) Chevy coupe.

I should tell him to bring it round your way sometime.

[scumdog]

Great yarn Motu, I had a drive of a CA Bedford van fitted with 272 Cusromline motor and driveline mid-mounted could wheelstand. Crashed it into a power-poles whenI had 5 people inside it (low speed but last time I drove ANYTHING that had non-functional brakes) :eek:

Need a GOOD '37 Ford grille if anybody can help?

[Motu]

I used to have a CA Bedford with a Vanguard 6 cyl and box and a Cresta rear end,it was my bike hauler for awhile.That was dangerous enough,a V8 one would be a killer,literally.

Jrandom - I had a 38 Chev Coupe when I was 18,best looking coupe of all I reckon.We used to maintain a 38 Chev sedan here that was a daily runner,coming from Bethels every day...the owner was managing director of a local engineering company,he reckoned he could have anything he liked as a company car - and he liked the 38 Chev.Ended up being in my shop for nearly 2 years,everyone kinda forgot about it....

[Motu]

Just for you Scumdog

1 - a house in blue.

2,3 - what sort of retard would want to drive one of these.It was kinda fun really.

You are also an F100 man - one went past on the back of a transporter the other day....black and dusty with surface rust on bonnet,roof and top of guards - how long did it sit in a shed to look like that?,,,30yrs I'd say,it was the best example I've ever seen.

[ajturbo]

the wood grain effect any 2nd year painting apprentice worth his/her weight should be able to do it, i used to make wood grain effects at work just to piss the boss off ( i was lucky to have a good boss, he always saw the funny side of it!) when i had to paint a door or 15.... one gets board