Club Magazine March 2002

Well, March is here - three months into the year and still waiting for a summer. During the past month, we had a run from the Pak 'n Save carpark, but more about that later. It would be great to see a few more of the cars out of storage on these runs - it does them a bit of good, too.

The Committee had a meeting to discuss an itinerary for events coming up, and by the look of it, we will be quite busy for the next few months. Keep an eye on the dates for these events and runs, so you can plan ahead.

The Club banner has been located, so that's great and will be residing in the Stevens' garage until its next required.

New Editor - we welcome Carol Bell�s kind offer to take on the Magazine Editor�s job.
Well done - thanks Carol!
Members! please support Carol - if you see anything you find interesting, the chance is that others will too - Carol will appreciate any contributions.

The next run and outing is the Social Convenor's - "Rookies Run", on Saturday, 9 March, so make an effort - it will be a good one, ending at a country pub.

That's all for now. Happy Zephyring.

Bob Stevens
President.

South Canterbury Zephyr & Zodiac Enthusiasts Club
Timaru New Zealand

Club Magazine
March 2002

This woman at a party walked up to this man and told him, "If you were my husband I would poison your drink,"
and the man says, "Lady, if you were my wife I would drink it."

February run was a drive around Pareora and Bluecliffs led by Bob Stevens. A special thanks to Bob and Anne for inviting us to have afternoon tea in their gardens.

March Run
To be organised by Phil Rooke on 9 March.

April Run
13 or 14 April - a run round the Lakes through Waimate to Waitaki, up to Benmore or Omarama for lunch, then on through Twizel to Tekapo, where we will stop for a BBQ tea.
I will bring a BBQ. Bring your own food to cook.
We will need to have a good number of Z cars to make it a worthwhile run. Please let me know by 7 April if you intend to go.
If the Zephyr is not going, feel free to come along in your road car. Members of other clubs are most welcome.

Oamaru All British Day Run, 27 April
Suggestion - we all go on the run this year.
Leaving for Oamaru at 9.30 am for an 11am run that includes a pub lunch (own expense) or BYO.
Then on to a homestead for afternoon tea and prize giving. Cost $5 per car plus $5 per person for
afternoon tea, plus pub lunch if you have one.

AGM - 6 May
Think about putting your name forward for a position on the Committee for next year. You only get out what you put in to any club.

Peter Hunter
Club Captain

Heeeeellllllp!!!!!!!! or all contributions gratefully received

In our 12-page magazine each month there are eight blank pages which need to be filled by members.
Anything you have to share - comments, memories, aspirations, photos - will be much appreciated. The magazine is yours. Use it as a forum. It has world-wide coverage via the internet so you might be surprised at the feedback you get.

Each month we hope to feature a member and his/her vehicle(s). Ideally this will be contributed by the member themselves, but if you don't feel confident about putting it on paper we can help with that. And photos.

We also hope to feature accounts of the runs that we have during the year. If you go on a run send me a bit about how it went - where you went, what you did, what you wished you'd done...... whatever. And photos.

Perhaps we could run a "Before and After" series. I'm sure you all have those photos taken the day you bought your car and the day you finally stood back and decided it was finished - restored and ready for the
world.

Do you have any magazine articles that are worth repeating? ZZ enthusiasts no doubt have a library of old
and not-so-old magazines with articles relating to their cars. Perhaps we can give some of them an airing. And
photos.

Perhaps a list of useful websites? How about sharing the items from your Bookmarks list that you use in the
course of your restoration work or when you just want a Zcar fix.

Do we have any overseas friends who regularly, or just occasionally, read our website and feel like contributing?
We'd love to hear from you, whether or not we have heard from you before.
Do you own a Zcar or are you a carless enthusiast? Either way - join in. With or without photos!!

Mike has set a very high standard with the magazine and with the jokes he publishes. He's promised to keep me supplied with jokes. Hopefully between us we can continue his magazine. Let us know what you want to read and we'll try to supply it for you.

Now take pity on him. If I don't hear from you Jim will become the best publicised Zcar owner in town. At least he's a captive audience!! I look forward to hearing from you with your contributions.

Cheers
Carol Bell

Editor

The run started at Pak 'n Save at 1.30 pm, with some discussion on directions, as some members had to be back early.
I decided to take the lead, and suggested this to Peter Hunter.
On leaving the carpark: Stevens' Mk 3 Zodiac, Scott's Mk 3 Zodiac, Hunter's Mk 3 Zodiac Stationwagon, Spillane's Mk 3 Zephyr and Stokes' Mk 2 Consul, we headed south to Pareora where we detoured through the village (haven't been there for ages), then over the Pareora Bridge and off the main road, through some very scenic countryside and up to Bluecliffs.

Some way up Middle Valley Road, I noticed (as you do) the car behind getting further and further behind. I thought the maybe Eric and Ailsa must be really enjoying the countryside, but looking more closely, realised they had stopped.

By the time I turned round, everyone had stopped and Eric had the bonnet up. Well, about an hour later, with Laurie's mechanical expertise and spare parts (points, condenser, coil, distributor cap complete with leads) and jumper leads from my car, Eric's Zody spluttered into life, but not before a local farmer's wife came down the road to investigate what all the old cars were doing parked up (maybe she thought we were dumping them there!!).
So with all cars moving again, we continued through Gordon's Valley, Otipua, and on to Stevens' place for a cuppa.

It was a good run ,with Mk 3's outnumbering Mk 2's four to one.
I believe Eric is happy again now he has Big Red running better than ever. However, Bob Duke's apprentice mechanic is still a bit nervous about being shot with twin back-fires while working behind Eric's car.
Bob Duke's finger nails are now growing back, too.

Bob Stevens.

Having very few family holidays as a child, the ones we did have were memorable & done in style.
As a 7 year old 1 remember going to Washdyke with Dad to the car wreckers to get some rear seats. Dad having read a popular mechanic or similar.
Recipe: Take one Mkl Zephyr, remove rear of back seat, fit spare back seats lengthways from rear of front seat right through to rear of boot. - Parents bed & kids play/sitting area during travel.
Construct fold down canopy for roof, fit to roof rack- children's sleep area luggage storage during travel. make canvas cover to fit round-passengers door dressing room.
Already fitted to camper, radio, heater & light.

Vivid memories of our trip: Our MK1 being slung onto the ferry in a net (while one of the crew was discussing with Dad how many cars they had dropped down the side)
Campers digging trenches round their tents in Palmerston North during a downpour while we were high & dry in the Mkl.

The Zoo's, Wellington was the best.
Dad sleeping upstairs with me as my sister got scared one night- Dad got very cold feet as they had to hang out over the end of the roof.

My job was to keep Dad awake whilst travelling, we had to wait on the Rimutakas while a stolen car was pulled back up from over the side of the hill, Mum & my sister missed lots of neat things as they were always asleep.

We travelled up through the middle of the island to above Auckland & down the east coast, camping in the MK1 for a fortnight.

On our trip back from the Convention last year I was a bit nervous about travelling over the Rimutakas, however my

husband kindly let me drive while he had a sleep, so I had the privilege of driving successfully over the hill with no mishaps.

Ruth

Our love affair with Ford Zephyr's really started some time ago, in fact as far back as the early 1950's! You see, this was the time when Owain was still a lad, and was often found with his nose pressed hard against the showroom windows, admiring the latest models.

Remember, this was at a time when a new car was either a necessary working tool for people like commercial travellers, or a luxury item for the well to do financially.
Public transport was the normal way of travelling to work, going out, shopping trips and the like, and for those who could afford a car, the pre war models prevailed.
Mind you, without any annual testing, and with very little motoring legislation applied, provided the car would go - then off you all went!

But back to Zephyrs. Our local Ford Garage owner had a new MKI Zephyr convertible no less, and wasn't that a car to be seen in! They sounded powerful, they could spin their back wheels, and overtake most everyone else.
They had to be good, the police forces used them!

In about 1958, a friend visited my father, and arrived in a brand new Zephyr II Convertible. Oh how I wished we could win the pools, or rob a bank or something.
We had to pick up some lorry parts that day, and I was told to go with the visitor to show him the way.
Just before we left, our visitor asked me if I had passed my driving test, and also could I drive an automatic car. I truthfully replied 'yes' to the first part, and not so truthfully 'yes' to the second - well I knew I was a quick learner!
He asked me to go by myself so that he could talk to my dad. I don't know if he ever checked the mileage that day, but the Zephyr cruised around a fair bit of North Wales before reluctantly returning home! What a car!

In the mid 60's, my second car was a MKII Zephyr, used to travel from Southend to Chelmsford each day, and back home to North Wales most weekends.
That one had an overdrive fitted too. Fuel consumption was always around the 26mpg mark, and I can't remember it ever breaking down.
The only slight drawback was that servicing cost that bit more - six plugs not four, and a bit more oil, but only a little price to pay for such comfort, speed and space.

Then came along a green MKIII Zephyr 4 for a change.
Lots more room again, and a four speed gearbox which went a long way to compensate for the loss of two cylinders.
Surprisingly enough, there was less than 5mpg difference in fuel consumption between 4 and 6!

Over the years a number of Zephyrs have been and gone, but some have stayed with us for some time.

We bought a 53 Zephyr Six almost twenty years ago, NOM 17, and still have it now. It is seen on a good many of our family photo's, and toured the car rallies for around ten years as well.
Semaphore indicator arms are of no practical use nowadays, but were boasted about when the car was new.

In contrast, the leather interior was standard then. How priorities have changed! The six cylinder engine is a nice relaxed unit, and combined with such a low ratio gearbox gives ample torque.
The crossply tyres and hard steering you have to get used to however! Motoring from a bygone era.

When Ford announced a new Zephyr it was something totally different from its previous model range. Imagine the excitement when the MKII range was released.

We still have a 1961 Zephyr Six which we keep in regular use.
It tows our 16' caravan with ease, transports brides to the church in style, and can still leave a puzzled face or two behind at traffic lights!

Whereas the MKI Zephyr was a classy car, the MKII range fitted in with the Rock and Roll era image.
Bright colours, lots of chrome, coloured plastic seats, and room for a radio provided for the first time.
Mechanically, an improved six cylinder engine and snappier gearchange gave the car even more 'get up and go'.
We quite often use ours to tow the car transporter trailer, sometimes with another Zephyr as the load!

About the only improvement we have made to our MKII Zephyr is the use of radial tyres.
We are always conscious of the fact that there is only single line braking, and one leak will lose all four wheel braking. In other words, none at all!
We would like to fit a dual circuit master cylinder, and if you have any advice or experience here we would like to hear from you please.

A couple of years ago we fitted a new engine to the MKII.
The original unit was still running after more than 120,000 miles, but was making some groaning noises from the crankshaft area! The replacement engine was fitted without cutting out the front panel, yes, it can be done without dismantling the engine!

Spare parts for Zephyrs are not hard to come by, from suppliers of old car items, and there is such a camaraderie amongst Zephyr owners that spare parts are made available between each other in order to keep our favourite marques proudly motoring on.

We have often said that the Zephyr is an entirely practical car.
It is roomy enough to carry six people, has ample power and acceleration, will tow heavy weights without complaining, and for us is very pleasing to the eye.

And OK, our pipe dreams of the fifties have finally come to fruition, albeit quite a few years later. That's our excuse anyway!

Owain and Alvina Williams
Article courtesy of Classic Motor Co

Although the design was a great success, and hailed by most of the Police forces testing it as a exceptional Police car, the cost proved to be prohibitive. The cost of conversion was about �1000 a car, which the Police forces could not afford, and coming onto the scene at the time was the Range Rover which not requiring conversion was considerably cheaper.

The picture shown is of Peter Musselwhite's 4WD WUL 365G, which had been used by the Transport & Road Research Laboratory in Berkshire. It has been fully restored by him to a very high standard, and is regularly seen at shows throughout Britain.

Article & photo courtesy British MKIV Owners Club

In 1968 the British Home Office ordered a prototype batch of 22 MK IV's to be fitted with both a Four Wheel Drive and an anti-lock braking systems. Twenty of these cars were fully equipped as marked police cars, and each force was also provided with a standard Zephyr 6 so comparisons could be made.
The 4WD was designed by Harry Ferguson Research, based on the successful system already installed in the Jensen FF.
The anti lock system was the unique Dunlop Maxaret system.
Due to the extra weight and the drive unit required for the front wheels the suspension had to be completely re-designed, the McPherson struts being replaced with a wishbone style suspension.

OLD IS WHEN ....Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs and make love," and you answer "Honey I can't do both"
OLD IS WHEN .... A sexy babe catches your fancy and your pacemaker opens the garage door.
OLD IS WHEN ......An "all nighter" means not having to get up to pee.
OLD IS WHEN .....Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.

Todays Life lesson for husbands

DANGEROUS: Are you going to wear THAT?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: Wow! Look at you!

For Sale

MkI Convertible - suitable for restoration, plus MkI saloon with O/D. Ph Phil Rooke 03 686-1812 or 025 350-674

MkIII Over-riders, (4) free to a good home. Ph Stu 04 528 9518 or 021 1158472 (Upper Hutt)

Buy

Zip drive wanted for Editor to download club magazine - if you know where we can get a good secondhand Zip drive, please contact Carol Bell 684-7733 or Mike Constantine 688-8391.

Rookies Run - Pak 'n Save, 1.30 pm

International Convention Brisbane, Southern Connection, Christchurch

Winchester Swap Meet

All British Car Day / Run, Oamaru

Rotary Classic Car Run, Ashburton

Annual General Meeting

SC 10th Annual All British Day - Timaru, All Ford Day - Westport

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