Here's something of a timewarp for you

[Motu]

A Maxi is not a Landcrab - if you can think of one thing nice about a Maxi,I can think of 100 bad things about them.

[merv]

You'll notice in that pic I posted of my Hunter I made sure I fitted it with a sump guard (70's yellow colour of course ) because I took that car just about anywhere I took my trail bike except on narrow tracks and where the water was too deep, but I had run it through water that washed over up to the windscreen and leaked in through the doors. I drove it around the bike tracks at the Waimak and succeeded only in denting the petrol tank. I laugh these days at how people need 4x4's to go on easy gravel roads.

[Motu]

The Hunter was the car that taught us about alloy cyl heads,as it was the first mainstream car to have one.No one used antifreeze in those days and corrosion was a problem.The thermostat housing was high in zinc and acted as a sacrificial anode,they corroded so much that every service station and garage kept them in stock.Blown headgaskets were very common and the water passages often needed to be welded up.The head gasket was copper on one side and steel on the other,and had to be fitted the correct way around - now,was that copper on the headside....or steel....?

It always amaised me that after a complete redesign to 5 main bearings they still didn't fit a timing cover oil seal.Once they had done a few miles the oil poured out,and the timing cover had to be centralised over the pulley.No one ever did this and the timing cover would be worn oval.I'm glad they aren't around anymore - imagine the customer complaints about oil leaks and what useless bastards we are if they were.

[merv]

I ran mine with anitfreeze from the start because I had it down in ChCh in the cold and knew about the corrosion thing but it blew a head gasket in the end because I think I caused it trouble by being young and stupid and drove it to the gas station after it broke a fan belt - too used to air cooled bike engines eh! I watched the temp gauge on the way and thought I hadn't let it get too hot (always carried a spare belt after that) but it stuffed the gasket all the same. I drove that car hard and sold it with 124,000 miles on the clock - main thing with them compared to cars of today is all the other stuff would clap out even though the engine seemed strong. I replaced the clutch about 3 times, likewise the exhaust system and had to replace stuff or get it reconditioned - things like the starter motor, brake power booster, all the hydraulic cylinders and the alternator. These days over the same distance you just don't touch stuff like that on Toyotas or Hondas. I never had much trouble with oil leaks but by the time I sold it the oil use had climbed a bit.

[Motu]

I don't think anyone ever brought a Hunter in complaining about oil leaks,no one ever did in those days.I've done dozens of Hunter clutches,and being a little guy the gearbox is just on my borderline strength level.I had one chance to lift and get it in,I couldn't do it a second time....so if I had to let it down again I'd have to climb out from the car for a rest and come back to it 10 mins later.But as I was usualy a sole charge mechanic in those days it wasn't a problem.

Major problems I've seen - One guy rang and said his gearbox had blown up,I tried to find out what he meant by ''blown up'',but he just said it was all over the road.When it was towed in there was a bell housing,a tailshaft housing....and all the gears hanging in the breeze.Another engine ''exploded'' - the woman owner didn't know what happen,she was just going down a short steep hill,and it just blew up.I had to put in another engine as her's was totaled,and also discovered why it instantainiously lunched it self.The brakebooster was leaking and the vacuum chamber full of brake fluid,as she came over the hill and braked it sucked all the fluid in and hydrauliced.

I used to work for a small rental car company,and half the fleet was wornout Hunters....that's how come I ended up with my Singer.It was also the last Hunter in the fleet,so I had plenty of spares for it.

I though this thread was about Holden rally cars - have you highjacked your own thread Merv?

[merv]

I though this thread was about Holden rally cars - have you highjacked your own thread Merv?

Nah it was just a time warp thread and I related the Holden to the London - Sydney to start with and next thing we're all talking about Hunters because they and Andrew Cowan were a winner then.

More surprising to me was Cowan did it again in an Avenger and even brought an Avenger rally car to NZ afterwards - everyone remembers that eh?

[Hillbilly]

While on the subject of old pommie cars, what about this '57 Humber Hawk. It's exactly like the second car I owned. I traded it for the third car, a beige '67 2.5 litre Mk IV Zephyr. I swapped the zephyr for a '68 Austin 1800 - a land crab!

[Motu]

I always liked Hawks and Super Snipes - the Super Snipe engine of that body shape had a 3 litre 6 with hemi chambers,I did a head job on one in the '70's.I saw one yesterday,a long wheelbase Imperial I think....must of been going to the Kumeu show.The MkIV Zephyr had few redeeming features,I hated driving or working on them.But a mate of mine had one with a 283 Chev and 2 speed powerglide,with an inline overdrive - the overdrive was like a hanger bearing in the driveshaft and you engaged it with a handbrake lever between the seats.I used to love driving it,could cruise at 100mph no worries,the auto was not auto,you had to manualy select,but the overdrive had kickdown.We made a mess of some good cars in those days.

[Ixion]

The Humber 6s were lovely cars IF you could afford the petrol!

I had one of those Zephyrs, I quite liked it, nice big comfortable car. Women couldn't drive them, the steering was so heavy. They were very much a highway car. They were MUCH better than the PA PB Vauxhall. Which was a pity cos I always liked the EIP Velox.

The best of the 3 litre sixes of that era was prolly the Wolseley / Austin A110. Very underrated car I always reckoned

[Terminated]

The good ol' EH. I remember the 179 rear end badge used to get 'lifted' off the rear end and wind up on belt buckles. Not me I was too young still at school. The other buckle emblem was the Ford 'V8' emblem.

I often wondered why we don't see more 'reincarnated' 60's and 70's vehicles. Though recently the Monaro tried a come back it was short lived.

I'd like to see a Ford - GTHO off the production line with today's engineering under the bonnet, and also the Falcon coupes, and Chrysler Pursuit 770's.

I do seem to vaguely remember the 68 London/Sydney rally back home in Sydney and all the cars coming up from Melbourne to Sydney having crossed the continent.

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Laava]

I remembered something good about the ol' Maxi! It was 'Bold as Brass' yellow and used to make all the old ladies at church smile.
Never been in a landcrab but had several minis and one 1300. Minis were fun!!! Put a 186 and 3spd in a mach1 vanguard, it had hunter seats. My friends still laugh at me!

[Hillbilly]

I remember someone who put a 186 in a '63 Rambler Rebel 'cos he couldn't get any parts. Also seen a butcher take a gas axe to the fire wall of a '58 Dodge so that he could put a Ford 332 in it. What a moron! The 318 Mopar would drop straight in and bolt up, and it was a more powerful engine.
An uncle of mine had three Sipes at the same time I had my Hawk. He had a black '63 a white '65 and a silver '66. Don't know what happened to the Routes Group. They made some really nice cars like the Singer Vogue. I think after Chrysler bought them out they made the Hillman Avenger etc. The Minx was my favourate Hillman.

I've owned a '65 Morris 1100 and a '76 Triumph 2500 TC. I hated them both!

[Edbear]

The Humber 6s were lovely cars IF you could afford the petrol!

I had one of those Zephyrs, I quite liked it, nice big comfortable car. Women couldn't drive them, the steering was so heavy. They were very much a highway car. They were MUCH better than the PA PB Vauxhall. Which was a pity cos I always liked the EIP Velox.

The best of the 3 litre sixes of that era was prolly the Wolseley / Austin A110. Very underrated car I always reckoned

I agree two out of three, anyway! One of the best open road cars I ever owned was the 6/80 Wolseley, better than the HT Premier 308 I had at the same time! Though the Prem was easier around town with power steering, auto and power disc brakes. The PC Cresta was a brilliant tourer, powerful and comfy! I allus wanted a 6/110, though!

[Hitcher]

Looks like this old Holden has got lost from the 1968 London-Sydney marathon or something that was won by the Hillman Hunter.

I was traumatised as a yoof and my "belief" in so-called marque motorsport marketing shattered when I discovered that Andrew Cowan's "winning" Hunter was powered by a Chrysler V8, and not the 1750cc inline-four that powered every other Hunter on the planet. And this bullshit is still promulgated upon the gormless gumbo supporters of motorsport, with events like Australian touring car racing. Ford versus Holden my arse.

[SPman]

But a mate of mine had one with a 283 Chev

a Maori Mustang!

Only car I ever totalled was a 1969 Hunter Royal - in the middle of Kings Cross in 1969! Bloody thing was always doing head gaskets! POS!