Tamworth Vintage Car Club Inc. Committee for 2016 - 2017

President Peter Wright 6761 6510 0417 250 798

Vice President Cliff Bird 0429 429 542

Secretary Alan Early 6762 4744 Asst Secretary Phyllis Bird

Treasurer Ken Brooks 0427 293 664

General Committee Brian Orman 6760 5105 Karen Duprez 6760 9501 Michael Jeanes 6766 1787

Plate Registrar Michael Crawley 6766 8282

Rally Director Roly Morgan 6760 8280 Ian Duprez 040 7454 500

Ladies Committee All Lady Members

Magazine Contact Michael Jeanes 6766 1787

Inspections & Public Officer Brian Orman 6760 5105 Property Officer Ken & Emily Brooks 6761 3679

The Tamworth Spark

Official Newsletter of the Tamworth Vintage Car Club

March–April 2017

Paul & Nerida Boyd’s 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible

The Club Magazine is printed Bi-monthly and members are invited and encouraged to submit articles to the Magazine Editors.

General Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month, at 7.30pm in the Salvation Army Complex on Goonoo Goonoo Road Tamworth

Club Runs are held on the Sunday after the monthly meeting. Members of clubs receiving this magazine are cordially invited to participate in the activities of T.V.C.C. To satisfy regulations, the receipt of the invitation must be recorded in your club minutes and acceptance forwarded. Address all correspondence to:

The Secretary Tamworth Vintage Car Club

PO Box 3275 TAMWORTH NSW 2340

or tamworthvintagecarclub@gmail.com

or visit our website:

www.TamworthVintageCarClub.com.au

The Tamworth Spark Page 2

TVCC EVENTS CALENDAR – APRIL 2017 ONWARDS [6/4/17]

The following events have been categorised to assist those vehicles on Conditional Registration: CLUB EVENTS: These are events which are organised by our club. Please carry a copy of the Club magazine or events calendar with you. Non Log Book and Log Book Users: No need to record any details. DATE 2017 DETAILS 20 April Meeting commencing 7.30 at Salvation Army Hall, 328 Goonoo Goonoo Rd 23 April Monthly Run to Keepit Dam with M/Tea at Somerton. BYO everything. 4 May Pie Run to Kootingal Yellow Café. 18 May Meeting commencing 7.30 at Salvation Army Hall, 328 Goonoo Goonoo Rd 21 May Monthly Run and National Motoring Heritage Day. Display of vehicles at Calala

Cottage form 10.00 to 2.00. This is a promotional opportunity and a registered event with National Trusts Australian Heritage Festival.

1 June Pie Run to Currabubula Hotel. 10-12 June North West Rally hosted by Tamworth Vintage Car Club 15 June Meeting commencing 7.30 at Salvation Army Hall, 328 Goonoo Goonoo Rd 18 June Monthly Run to be advised 6 July Pie Run to Manilla The starting point for all runs is the carpark of the Country Music Hall of Fame at 561 Peel Street (Paradise Caravan Park side). Sunday Runs depart at 9.30am, and Pie Runs depart at 11.00am. Contact Ian Duprez if you have any queries on Monthly Runs, and Roly Morgan for queries on Pie Runs. INVITATION EVENTS: Non Log Book Users: It is essential to advise the Club before participating in these events. This can be done at a meeting, or ring the Registrar. Carry Club magazine or events calendar with you. Log Book Users: You must record these in your log book. DATE 2017 CLUB DETAILS 9 April Steamfest Hunter Valley Steamfest Show n Shine at Maitland. Ron 0400 908 043 15-16 April Gunnedah Easter 2 day get together at Coonabarabran. Accommodation at Amber

Court Motel available at $88/night. (Jan 68421188). No structured events as it is a low key casual gathering with opportunities to visit local attractions.

23 April GM General Motors Display Day at Museum of Fire, Penrith. Ron 0432 897757 30 April Tam Hors Tam Horse Drawn Club C’ships at Manilla Showground. Liz 0427766726 6-7 May Quirindi Quirindi Rural Heritage Village. Cars, tractors, trucks, swap etc. Beryl

67461479 5-7 May KMARC Hat Head Rally. Note limit of 100 vehicles. Kevin Wilson. 0418225810 18-22 May CHMC Bush Council Annual Rally at Albury/Wodonga. Phil 0407 246 974 4 June HARS Auuual Swap Meet Car Display at Port Macquarie. Chris 0409 421 411 FOR WEDDINGS, SCHOOL OR OTHER FUNCTIONS, INTERSTATE TRIPS, ETC: Non Log Book Users: You will need a Permit to Move. These must be obtained at a meeting prior to the event, and carried to the event. In extenuating circumstances, separate prior arrangements can be made with the Clubs Office Bearers to obtain a Permit to Move. Log Book Users: You must record these in your log book. SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE: Non Log Book Users: Ring the Registrar and advise details before proceeding. Log Book Users: You must record these in your log book..

The Tamworth Spark Page 3

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN I trust that everyone enjoyed their Easter with family and friends. It has been nice to Nice Neal McLoughlin back from Sydney and out and about at some club outings. Speaking of which, we have had two very well attended pie runs since the last meeting with over 30 members attending the run to Werris Creek Pharmacy and to the Impact Café at Quirindi. Our March monthly run to Uralla was also well attended. The somewhat energetic introduction to Philip Pomroy’s “Death of Thunderbolt” Series of Paintings at McCrossins Mill brought these paintings to life. A short stop at Thunderbolt’s Rock south of Uralla completed our day. Our April run is scheduled to Keepit Dam. This should be a wonderful mid-autumn venue. Don’t forget to set aside time to enjoy our May run to Calala Cottage on National Motoring Heritage Day. On the first Sunday in April we enjoyed morning tea at Tamworth Lookout with members of the Taree Car Club. This club has a membership of around 150 and attracted 64 members on this annual run. Tamworth Lookout is currently subject to three upgrade proposals. Whatever proposal is finally accepted, it will only serve to enhance this magnificent venue with its sweeping views of the Peel Valley and Liverpool Plains. Next year is the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Peel River Valley by the explorer John Oxley. This might present us with the opportunity to trace Oxley’s journey through to Port Macquarie. Naturally if you have any “bright” ideas we would welcome these. Over the last couple of months the Classic Vehicle Scheme (CVS) for modified vehicles 30 years and older has gained some clarity. The Council of Heritage Motor Clubs (aka Bush Council) has signed the Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the CVS scheme and has developed extensive check lists and flow charts to facilitate applications. Any applications from our members to access the modified vehicle plates will need to be processed through them. Alan Early and Cliff Bird represented our club at a recent forum at Inverell and garnered additional insights into the CVS. At this stage, however, our club has taken the view that we are an Historic Vehicle Club, predominantly involved with the Historic Vehicle Scheme, namely for vehicles in as close to original condition as is feasible. That said, members of long standing, will be supported if they wish to move a lightly modified vehicle, ie. one that does not require and engineer’s certification, onto the Classic Vehicle Scheme. We certainly don’t want our club to become a vessel for people with heavily modified vehicles, who want to simply access conditional registration. The year is certainly gaining momentum and it is only a couple of months away from our hosting of the North West Rally. Please take this opportunity to fully participate in the June Long Weekend’s program. We will be seeking assistance with the running of the rally and asking our members to commit time and effort to making this a successful endeavour. Please keep joining in our club activities. And remember that if you want something organised or have a suggestion for an event please let Ian Duprez or Rolly Morgan know. Peter Wright

The Tamworth Spark Page 4

TAMWORTH VINTAGE CAR CLUB Inc.

MINUTES OF ORDINARY MEETINGS The minutes of Ordinary General Meetings will no longer be printed in this journal. These minutes are available on the Tamworth Vintage Car Club website;

www.TamworthVintageCarClub.com.au Should you wish to have a printed copy of the minutes and do not have access to the internet, please contact one of your Committee members. ***********************************************************************

Sponsorship

We are pleased to advise that the postage for distribution of “The Tamworth Spark” is now being sponsored by “

Bearfast / Bearquip”. We would like to thank the management and staff for their support. We would also like to recommend that you in turn support this local company when next you are considering a home, business, agricultural or car related purchase.

The Tamworth Spark Page 5

CHMS (BUSH COUNCIL) INFORMATION DAY ON CLASSIC & HERITAGE VEHICLE

SCHEMES.

This was hosted by the Inverell Club, and Alan Early and Cliff Bird attended. It was very well presented and informative. The Bush Council represents 84 clubs which have 5,700 members and 8,000 vehicles. Classic Vehicle Scheme. (CVS): 6 representatives from the Bush Council had put together an extensive information session on the new Classic Vehicle Scheme (CVS) and the existing Heritage Vehicle Scheme. After extensive research and documentation, they are now an RMS Approved Organisation for the CVS and are holding information days to ensure clubs have a good understanding of the scheme. As far as our Club is concerned, Peter Wright and Alan Early have studied the new scheme and made information available at meetings and in our magazine. The information day confirmed our thoughts and conclusions, and provides a sound basis to proceed on. CHMC is all about heritage vehicles which will continue to be their main focus. (Same as us). As far as CVS is concerned they only intend to recognise lightly modified vehicles, not heavily modified vehicles which require an engineer’s certificate. E.g. a 1960 Holden which has wide wheels and is lowered and has a V8 engine. Neither the Bush Council or our Club are interested in these types of vehicles. HVS is retained in its existing format so clubs can continue to decide if vehicles meet HVS criteria, or should be in the CVS. Clubs will need to be very vigilant with any CVS vehicles as modifications could be ongoing. This will require regular photographs and inspections by the clubs to monitor progressive modifications. The Blue slip will pick up all modifications on initial registration, but subsequent pink slips on renewal may not pick up extra modifications. A Blue slip is required for the initial registration of all CVS vehicles as they are all treated as being unregistered. Existing number plates have no relevance as new D plates are issued. Blue slip requirements are solely in the hands of the person issuing them and could prove costly. E.g. a Blue slip requires the weight of the vehicle to be stated and the issuer might require a weighbridge certificate. Non-original seatbelts and seats are also possible contentious points that might require expert advice. It will be important for everyone to be extremely vigilant as once the vehicle is registered it is only RMS and the Police who can correct registration breaches. Owners will also need to be conversant with what their insurance policy covers. A lot of grey areas are expected to evolve with CVS and will need to be worked through. It is not intended to detail here the procedures required for the initial registration and renewals of CVS vehicles as these can be addressed if and when the need arises. Conclusion on CVS: There is no pressure on clubs to adopt CVS. It appears most clubs will stand back and observe and monitor the scheme to see how it evolves. Our Club is expected to adopt the line that we are a H plate club and whilst we do not intend to embrace CVS, we may consider it for an existing member on its individual merits. Heritage Vehicle Scheme and Log book trial: A review of the Logbook trial is expected later this year and CHMC want Clubs to forward submission on their experience and expectations. The Bush Council reports that there have been very few problems encountered with the trial and on this basis, it might be assumed that the trial will be converted into a full time permanent scheme. If this is what our Club wants then it would be in our best interests to make a submission.

The Tamworth Spark Page 6

Although not all members are on log books, the present set up caters for our needs. Our members understand the self-regulation required under the scheme and although it is not being used extensively, it has proved to be very beneficial. Therefore, it is proposed that our Club draft a submission that the present trial log book format be adopted on a permanent basis.

UNBELIEVABLE IRONY Philip Orman is one of our Club’s younger members, and bought himself a 1967 Mustang which he is truly proud of. The first thing that captures your attention is its original condition.

The Mustang originally had a V8 engine but Phil is on P plates, and V8s are classed as prohibited to P platers. But RMS do make exemptions available. Phillip applied for an exemption which was refused. A further request for an exemption was sent to RMS top brass accompanied by supporting documentation from our Club, and all this was also rejected. So the V8 engine was replaced with a 6 cylinder engine which was optional in that model, and Phil can now drive it on his P Plates. The irony of all this is:

x Although the 6 cylinder engine is slightly less powerful than the V8, the 6 is a sportier and spritelier engine with much more get up and go. These were very free revving engines.

x Although it had an 8 cylinder engine, in its heritage guise it could not be deemed to be a high performance vehicle. The fact that it has 8 cylinders is completely immaterial to the way it would be used and preserved as a heritage vehicle.

x It cost a lot of time and money to change the engine over. x The car which was in absolutely original condition has now lost some of its originality.

Irony. Yes, that has to be an extremely generous description of the saga. Others would opt for a little stronger terminology.

The Tamworth Spark Page 7

A PIECE OF HISTORY

Yep, a 1950s Chev parked in front of a 1920s house. Could have been taken in 1957 which is when the car was brand new. Actually, the photo was taken on a club run on 19th Feb 2017 in Upper Street opposite Anzac Park. The car is Paul and Nerida’s 1957 Bel Air Chev which has been restored to original (as new).condition

A THANK YOU NOTE

The President is continually handing out thank you’s to various people, but no one ever thanks the President, so read on: Whilst the President’s job can be very rewarding it requires a lot of dedication and carries a lot of onus. The Secretary, Treasurer and other office bearers all prepare and present the ship in good order so the President can chart its course, but any mishaps and they go looking for the boss. Amongst other things, the job requires a thorough knowledge of old cars, an even greater knowledge of the members, exceptional organising skills, unlimited discretion and diplomacy, and a mastery of management.

So the whole Club would like to convey our most sincere and appreciative thanks to our President, Peter Wright.

It’s a pleasure to be in a Club where we have minimal or no mishaps, and have a pretty clear vision of where we are going.

Page | 8

FEBRUARY 2017 RUN TO WARREN

SKEWES MUSEUM AT MOONBI

This was a perfect day after some previous scorchers we had endured, and it brought out 11 old cars. Warren and Kay Skewes were our delightful hosts to a vast collection of heritage items which included saddles, stirrups, bits, spurs:

A saddle worn by a Melbourne Cup horse:

and a lot of other horse stuff. Warren and Kay also have a lot of old farm machinery including a rare grey Fergie tractor with steel wheels:

Trotting gig. You can hear the final instructions

to the driver: Get out in front and don’t let anyone pass you!

Plus, a couple of old trucks:

1936 C1 International truck

Plus an A Model truck and a dump truck that were both used in the construction of Warragamba Dam.

Page | 9

This was a fine collection and a nice location for morning tea. We then headed back to Anzac Park at Tamworth for a picnic lunch and a Car Corner talk by Alan (& Maree) Early. Participants were: Lionel & Gwen – Crown, Ian & Karen – Moke, Graham & Tania – Ford, Peter – Humber, Carl & Beryl & Georgia – Holden, Alan & Maree – Dodge, John Commodore, Brian & Heather – Humber, Michael – Plymouth, Paul & Nerida – Chev, Terry & Lyn – Modern, and good to see Philip Orman out with Brian & Michelle in his Mustang on its first run.

March Pie Run to the Werris Creek Pharmacy 2nd March

32 members turned up which shows you the popularity of this place. It really is ideal with the choice of outside or inside dining, a good selection of food including pies and yummy gelato, plenty of knick knacks, and a pharmacy where John Smith teamed up with the chemist to flog me some honey based stuff the cures everything! Chesty and Heather arrived a little later after doing some volunteer community work and they had run out of pies, so much to the amusement of a number of colleagues Chesty was forced to devour a salad sandwich. Yuk.

But they still had plenty of gelato left. Yum. Only one car caused problems which was the blue Dodge. Decided to have some oil problems, and eventually got left at home. Many thanks to those who helped get it back home.

Other members enjoyed the great outdoors

John & Marilyn Smith’s Model A Ford stands

out from the crowd.

Page | 10

The long and the short of it!

Overall a very pleasant outing as usual.

MARCH MONTHLY RUN TO URALLA

Fair run this so the older cars stayed home while the classics went. OK, not classics but post wars. Whoever adopted Classic for the Classic Vehicle Scheme (alias modifieds) created a real misnomer. Why couldn’t they have called it Custom instead of Classic? Anyway, back to Uralla and after morning tea in a beaut park it was off to visit Thunderbolts grave. For all the doubting Thomas’s there is sufficient proof that this is the real Thunderbolt.

Then off to the main street for a stroll followed by lunch at the Alternate Root Café. It’s all organic tucker so supposedly good for you (I still

missed my chips), and it’s a bit spicy and a bit silvery, but certainly somewhere different. McCrossins Mill was next where we were treated to a dramatic pictorial of Thunderbolt via a series of paintings, then a look around the mill and museum, and to meet the man himself:

Mr Thunderbolt Mrs Thunderbolt Also found a couple of old fire engines there too:

Dennis (left) & Commer (right)

Page | 11

McCrossins Mill

And we stopped at Thunderbolts Rock on the way home:

Didn’t know Thunderbolt drove a Jag, did ya!

Attending were: Brian, Heather, Carl, Beryl – Mercedes, Paul & Nerrida – Chev, Peter, Neal, Bruce – Mercedes, Barry – Ford, Michael, Mary, Bicg – Jag, John, Leanne – Commodore, and in moderns: Alan & Maree, Ian & Karen, Cliff & Phyllis, Lance & Kerrie, and Greg & Margaret brought their their newly restored Vanguard Ute to our departure spot. Overall a good educational and varied day out.

APRIL PIE RUN TO QUIRINDI

This run set an all-time record with 40 people turning up. We were lucky with the venue as the Impact Café handled the numbers reasonably well, especially as we advised them there would be about 30.

And it was also good to see some members back on deck after various health repairs:

Kay Ramsey, who also celebrated her birthday.

Congratulations Kay.

Mary who looks a picture of health, and friend

Rochelle on right.

Participating were: Ken & Claire – LTD Hearse, Phil, Brian & Betty – Mustang, Michael J & Tod, Chrysler, Arthur, Kay & Ron – Singer, Michael C & Mary & Rochelle – Jag, Peter & Neal – Mercedes, Lance & Kerry & friends – Celica, Cliff & Phyllis - Chrysler, and in moderns were Mick, Sandra, Stuart, Josie, Terry, Lyn, Roly, Trish, Alan, Maree, Merv, Amie & friend, Heather, John, Leanne. Good food, good company, good weather – who could ask for more.

Page | 12

Feature Article

Paul and Nerida Boyd’s 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible

Back in 1981 my good mate, Jim Hoy, and I visited America and attended the Carlisle and Charlotte swap meets, as well as many other car related places. Whilst there we both fell in love with mid-fifties Chevrolet convertibles and made our minds up that we would save up and come back in a few years and purchase one each, which we duly did in 1985.

Now in 1981 the government had not floated the dollar and it was worth in the vicinity of $1.25US, however by 1985 they had floated the currency and an Australian Dollar was worth approximately 62 cents when we purchased our respective cars. This, coupled with the fact that the prices of good, rust free convertibles had increased fourfold over the intervening years, necessitated that Jim and I had to look for rusty East Coast cars, the only ones in our price range. So to say we were masters of timing would be an understatement. The reason East Coast cars are rusty is that they put salt on the roads during snow storms to stop them from turning to ice, so you can imagine how quickly cars deteriorate.

The ’58 Chev when purchased in the USA

As I had already restored our 57 Bel-Air sedan I felt as though Nerida and I should have something different, so decided on a 58 Impala whilst Jim really wanted a 57 Bel-Air convertible. In those pre internet days much searching through Hemmings Motor News and many subsequent, very expensive, international phone calls, saw us each locate a vehicle. I am not sure if you have had occasion to speak to an American on the phone, they find us very hard to understand, so much so that both parties may as well be speaking different languages. This made the task of locating the cars, negotiating their purchase and price etc. about as much fun as riding a razorblade to Bourke.

Many other parts were also packed for the trip

After both deals were done we had the cars shipped to the home of a friend’s brother located on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. Jim, Nerida and I then flew to the U.S.A for a six week holiday that, once again, saw us attend several very large swap meets. We inspected the cars early in the trip to see what parts we needed to chase and after the initial shock of just how badly rusted and crappy the cars were, we headed off on a parts buying spree. 1958 Chevrolets are a one off year, with the previous and following models being completely differently styled cars. Consequently finding parts can be an issue.

Approximately four weeks later we had the job of packing the cars and parts into a container for shipping back to Australia. Both cars were in such poor condition that we hired an oxy-

Page | 13

acetylene torch and cut the 57 convertible into several pieces and therefore fitted both cars in one 20 foot shipping container. Jim, being an old farmer, actually took a role of fencing wire from Australia in his second suitcase with no questions asked by the authorities. We used this to tie the cars and parts down in the container. Can you imagine attempting to transport a role of fencing wire in your booked luggage in these terrorism inflicted times?

All packed and ready for the big trip

Back in 1985 there were no businesses importing vehicles as there are now, so we had to handle the entire process by ourselves, learning all the pitfalls and experiencing the bureaucratic ineptitude of government departments as we stumbled along. An example of the bureaucracy was with the quarantine people. The chassis of the 57 Chev was rusted in half and we had to have one half steam-cleaned (at our expense), but not the other half, go figure. And, as for the wharfies when the cars were unloaded in Sydney, well that is a whole other story for another time.

Home at last

Where do I begin?

At Jim Hoy’s, of course.

With the cars home we were able to ascertain what loads of rubbish we had actually purchased and decide on a plan of attack for their restorations. Our 58 convertible actually ran, in a fashion, though through research I learnt that it had a motor from a 1964 Chev fitted, which was disappointing. A couple of years later I actually located a 1958 348 big block V8 engine in Sydney, which was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. In fact this was so unlikely that I initially accused the bloke of telling me porkies, but he came good and a deal was done. Obtaining an original motor increased my optimism and enthusiasm for the restoration. I was also able to purchase two 1958 Australian made Chevrolet Biscayne sedans to use as parts

Page | 14

cars, one of which provided an entire floor pan and right hand drive dashboard. At this point I should point out that the only Chevrolets available in Australia during the fifties were 6 cylinder four door sedans, this is why we went through the mammoth process of importing the more desirable convertible body styles.

Start at the bottom and work your way up

Even the Australian floor pan required rust repairs which Jim performed with patch panels we found and cut from a wreck in rural Victoria. The boot floor panels had to be handmade and Jim’s son, Jock Hoy, turned up wheels on his lathe which we used in his wheeling machine to make the panels to match the factory originals. Jim also spent years (literally) patching and making panels. All the body work is butt welded, predominately using oxy-acetylene. If not for Jim’s skill with the welding and body work the restoration of the body would never had been completed.

Slowly turning it back into a recognisable car

We made a rotisserie and sandblasted the body and chassis, using an ex-Army, World War 2 Southern Cross compressor and an old concrete pump converted to a sand blaster. Convertibles have their own special, heavily reinforced chassis, so we had no option but to repair what we had. We had to make the left side, rear chassis rail, from behind the back axle, as it had rusted in half. We also removed the left hand drive front end from the chassis and replaced it with a right hand drive one from one of the local cars, so all the holes for the steering box and other components are factory original.

Ah, that’s looking more like it!

We then reunited the floor pan to the rebuilt chassis and began to slow, tedious, frustrating and at times, bloody aggravating process of building the body from the floor up. We did buy some reproduction panels when we purchased the cars but they turned out to be ill fitting junk, so we had to hand make panels such as outer sills and door skins. We accidently discovered that an old VW Kombi, at the back of Jim’s shed, had quarter panels that were very similar profile to the 58 Chev door skins, so that is what we made the door skins from. My apologies to VW Kombi enthusiasts who may be reading this. Convertibles had extra braces under the floor for added strength and I was able to purchase new ones from America.

Page | 15

Now I can sit on the right (correct) side

The daunting task of the right hand drive conversion was a real challenge. Apart from changing the steering and dash from left to right, we also had change the gear stick from the right side of the column to the left, which also means the indicator to tell what gear you are in, is in reverse. The indicator was missing from our car altogether so I had to purchase one from America then have the local engraver make it is reverse on perspex. Selectors for the gearbox and carburettor are all on the left so crossover linkages had to be made to cater for this. It took us several weeks just to get full throttle from the accelerator linkage. We noticed that the left hand drive and right hand drive dashes were not mirror images, with no place for the radio on right hand drive vehicles. As I was lucky enough to purchase a brand new, still in the box, original radio I did not merely want it hanging under the dash, so we set about making the dash a mirror image of the left hand drive. We soon found out why GMH didn’t provide a spot for the radio as we had to cut and box pieces at the back of the instrument cluster to allow it to fit in position. After many weeks we made it work after much swearing, getting cranky, throwing things and saying “what in bloody hell do we do this for”?

The 58 convertibles are covered in bright trim, much of which is stainless steel. There was not one piece on the car that was not dented, bent or torn in half. I have counted 66 individual stainless pieces that measure a whopping 53.4 metres in length if put end for end and I now

know each piece intimately. The hours put towards repairing and polishing these pieces is beyond estimation and something I would never attempt on such a scale again. There were also 59 individual pieces that had to be repaired and chromed, not to mention the grille, headlight surrounds and dash trim, all made from aluminium which all had to be straightened and polished. Some items we made from scratch such as the horn ring, electric seat switch and rear side window frames.

The car was completely painted in Jim’s shed by good friend Dave Hall who also spent countless hours over many years getting the body straight. He is an old school panel beater who, remarkably, spent 50 years on the tools, so really knows his trade. The chassis, wheels, roof frame and most brackets are painted in two-pack, whilst the body is painted in acrylic over two-pack undercoat. Even the chassis, under floor and all suspension components were undercoated and hand rubbed to eliminate any pits or marks before painting.

Dennis Watson took on the upholstery job utilising a seat and side trim kit imported from America. The door panels and side trim were particularly daunting as we had no originals to go from, only photos and measurements supplied by Vintage Chevrolet Club of America members. The front seat frame was rusted badly and the springs were virtually non- existent. The brackets that bolt the seat to the floor had the bottom two inches completely rusted away, so I had to hand form these. Fortunately I was able to use springs and some frame pieces from the local sedan to

Page | 16

salvage the seat so Dennis could cover them. I had to locate a rear seat frame in America and the cost was so horrific by the time we got it here Nerida reckons we should have chrome plated it and forget about upholstering it.

Home at last!

Before we fitted the front mudguards we had the convertible put on a dyno and tuned. It is quite nerve racking to see something you have spent so many years working on doing 85 miles per hour and going nowhere while you are praying it won’t jump off the rollers. According to the manual our car, as fitted with the big block 348 cubic inch V8 motor and Poweglide gearbox, has 250 horsepower. From the little I have driven it so far it does feel quite responsive, though with the 2 speed Powerglide gearbox and 2 tons in weight it is no sports car. I have endeavoured to keep it as close to factory original as possible, only conceding to items such as radial tyres for modern driving.

Nerida tries it for size. It fits perfectly!

After 31 years the convertible is now club registered with the Tamworth Vintage Car Club on historical plates. There were many times when I thought I would never see it finished. I should point out that we restored several other cars during this time, so it was not all spent on the convertible. There are many people I should thank, though special mention must go to good mates Jim and Jock Hoy, without their talent and expertise, not to mention the use of their shed, tools and paddock to store parts cars, the restoration would never had been completed. There are not too many 1958 Chevrolet convertibles in Australia. Fortunately Reub Austin from Newcastle owns one that, though requiring restoration, is complete and unmolested and he was good enough to let us crawl over, photograph and measure it many times. As already mentioned, thanks go to Dave Hall for body and Paint and to Dennis Watson for Upholstery.

Lastly, but definitely not least, I should thank Nerida for her patience, understanding with time and money, particularly when our kids, Nathan and Jodie, were young, and for her pretending to be interested at times when I was rabbiting on about some part of the restoration, knowing full well that she could not possibly be expected to understand what I was raving about. Recently when I pointed out that she and the convertible are the same model (same age) she merely said “Imagine how I could look if I had as much work done as the convertible has”.

Paul Boyd