Let me set the scene. Its a Friday afternoon, early February 2007. The Chev has been laid up, off the road for 8 years and my daughter has asked for it to be used for her wedding car in October 2007.
Here we go.I finished work at 1pm, put down a quick lunch, changed into the overalls, and into it. The first thing was to get the engine running. I throw in 2 new batteries, pull out the plugs, squirt a bit of oil in the bores, turn the engine over a few times with no plugs, fill up the petrol tank, pump up the perished tyres, press the starter, engine turns over and hey presto, nothing. Pull the choke fully out, pump the gas pedal a few times, hit the starter again, still nothing.
Like all simple engines from years ago there are only 2 reasons why they won't start, fuel and spark. Checked the dizzy, spark there, checked the plugs, spark there, then checked the carby, oops, dry as a bone. What did I know about petrol crystallizing. Nothing, but I was about to learn. Pulled the bowl of the carby, lots of white powdery crystals, not a good look. Cleaned out the bowl, needle and seat and inlet filter, re-assembled, hit the starter, engine fired, rough as guts and would not idle, generally not a happy camper.
Pulled the carby off and stripped it down. All jets and everything else covered and blocked with the same powdery crystals. Cleaned everything, re-assembled, refitted carby, hit the starter, engine fired and ran like a top, well sort of?
Good, that jobs done, next.
It was at that moment, within several hours of picking up the first tool to work on the Chev in about 8 years, I was back, the passion had returned. I had a date. I had a deadline. I had a challenge. I'm Back. Should I strip down the vac tank, no, its working, leave well enough alone.
I am on a roll
What's next. The radiator has a leak, worry about that later, lets do the other big jobs first. Checked around the rear wheels. Not happy. Oil was seeping from the rear axle onto the brake linings. I was about to learn another valuable lesson in maintaining a 28 Chev. I was unaware that oil can run from the gearbox, through the uni joint, down the torque tube and overflow the diff and back axle.
I removed the fill plug from the diff cover, and instead of putting oil in, it came out, about a litre of the stuff.
Still feeling pretty positive, even though I knew the rear brakes were shot, pressed on regardless. Stripped off the rear linings and soaked them in petrol to see if they could be salvaged. No way, they were full of oil. No matter how much I brushed, oil kept bleeding to the surface. Still, not a major set back as the brakes were always pretty average anyway, so a brake job was not the end of the world.
After all, its February, plenty of time till October. Famous last words, maybe.
Little did I know that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
It was then that I also noticed oil around the springs, which I thought was coming from the linings, must remember to check that out later.
What happened next was the most significant decision I made during the whole pre-wedding preparation, and had I not followed the path I did, the wedding day for the Chev may well have ended up on the back of a tow truck, or even worse.
Although not completely convinced it was required, I felt the best course of action was to remove the complete rear end, including springs and torque tube. If nothing else this would give me access for a good clean up and paint job. There was also a bit of wear on the top of the torque tube, where it fits into the universal joint housing, and this would be a good opportunity for a bit of repair and maintenance.
The Chev is put on jack stands, and unbeknown to me, would remain on them, without wheels until late July. If I had known this at the time would I have panicked, got cold feet, advised Melanie and Justin to make back up arrangements. You bet I would have.
Still feeling reasonably calm about proceedings so far, the rear end is lifted onto stands so that I can remove the axles, replace the wheel bearings and seals. Off comes the wheels and the first area of concern was the key ways on the rear axles, they're about twice the size of what they should be. Not happy as I know the job is getting bigger by the moment. I removed the diff to inspect the crown wheel and pinion. Give the diff a bit of a spin by hand, something was not right, there was a clunking noise every half turn.
After all how bad could it be. The car was still running when I put it away in 1999.
That turn for the worse was getting bigger. The crown wheel was loose as the 12 or so rivets securing it to the carrier were about half way sheared off. This means that for some time, or maybe even years, the crown wheel had been sliding back and forward each time I changed gear from 1st to reverse.
My pride and joy was not in very good condition, and to be more precise was unsafe. Could you imagine what may have happened if the crown wheel came adrift at 35mph, and I am talking safety as well as mechanical.
I removed the diff from the housing, and separated the torque tube so I could have it repaired. The machinist said he could repair the torque tube by machining it back to a uniform diameter, and there was no drama in taking metal off the torque tube as he was making up a new uni joint bell as well. The only requirement was that he wanted me to remove the tail shaft, which I thought was a pain, but it had to be done.
After all, how much more drama could come my way, things must start looking up soon.
Nuh no way.
As I removed the tail shaft it looked ok, the pinion looked good, but just to be sure thought I would remove the pinion from the tail shaft. Found what I thought was a deep scratch on the tail shaft, three quarters of the way around the entire circumference.
That's no scratch its a bloody crack.
With the feeling that this was becoming as loosing battle I dropped my bundle. It was the lowest point I had ever been to in the 34 year history of the car, and the most distraught I had been about the condition of the car, and my ability to fix it. I had no idea what was the best course of action.
What do I do now?
Are spares available?
Have I got enough time?
Do I tell the kids I can't make it?
All of a sudden the words "Its February, and I had plenty of time till October" were starting to cause a bit of a panic.
Yes it was lowest point in my time with the Chev, but it was going to get better, much better
And anyway it was February, and I had plenty of time till October, I hope.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
2007. Part 1 Most Important Year For The Chev. (The Event & The Plan)
It's February 2007, I am several weeks into a new job, and the Chev is the last thing on my mind.
Boy was that about to change.
First things first, let me tell you how 2007 became a very important year to me, and a new lease of life for the Chev that had been off the road for 8 years
My daughter Melanie and her partner Justin announced their engagement in 2006 and were to be married in October 2007. I cant remember the exact date they asked me to have the Chev as a wedding car, but there was no doubt that I would answer in any other way than yes. How proud I was that my little girl wanted the Chev to convey her on the most important day of her life so far.
Melanie and Justin started making wedding plans, so I thought I had better make a plan for the Chev, and it was so simple. There was no plan. I thought it would be a quick mechanical once over. New plugs and points, change the oil, replace the battery and tyres, a cut and polish and away we go. Seemed pretty simple, so its January 2007 and I am thinking plenty of time before the wedding in October, no drama. I will start in February, finish it in a month or so at a leisurely pace. Even allowed myself a few weeks to clean up the garage, get my tools in order and generally get myself into gear.
So I am preparing myself and my garage, which at the time was a mess, for what I thought was a pretty simple dust off and tune up. Just as well I never used to be a weather watcher in those days, as I am sure there were storm clouds gathering.
Boy was that about to change.
First things first, let me tell you how 2007 became a very important year to me, and a new lease of life for the Chev that had been off the road for 8 years
My daughter Melanie and her partner Justin announced their engagement in 2006 and were to be married in October 2007. I cant remember the exact date they asked me to have the Chev as a wedding car, but there was no doubt that I would answer in any other way than yes. How proud I was that my little girl wanted the Chev to convey her on the most important day of her life so far.
Melanie and Justin started making wedding plans, so I thought I had better make a plan for the Chev, and it was so simple. There was no plan. I thought it would be a quick mechanical once over. New plugs and points, change the oil, replace the battery and tyres, a cut and polish and away we go. Seemed pretty simple, so its January 2007 and I am thinking plenty of time before the wedding in October, no drama. I will start in February, finish it in a month or so at a leisurely pace. Even allowed myself a few weeks to clean up the garage, get my tools in order and generally get myself into gear.
So I am preparing myself and my garage, which at the time was a mess, for what I thought was a pretty simple dust off and tune up. Just as well I never used to be a weather watcher in those days, as I am sure there were storm clouds gathering.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Dark Days Will Last from 1999 to 2007
What's happened?
Where is he?
If the Chev had feelings these thoughts would have been going through its mind.
Sometime around Xmas 1998, the Chev fell out of favour, and was parked in the garage for a long long time. Early in its solitary confinement, a further blow was struck when I decided I could no longer justify the yearly registration. I was not driving it much and had lost the passion. Up until this time, from 1975 to 1999 the Chev had always been on full registration. I had never been and still are not a fan of limited or club registration. I believe that many abuse limited registration and it will only take a small crash for someone to be in real trouble, compared with the price of full registration.
I kept the insurance but modified it to "laid up" coverage, meaning everything is covered except driving on the road.
Luckily I rang Vic Roads to notify them the car was being laid up, rather than just not paying the renewal. Turned out to be a good move as the operator informed me that I could still retain the registration number, but I would be responsible if it was detected on the road during that time. Seemed like a good deal, and the registration number was reserved in my name.
That was it, the lights went out, no more late nights in the garage, the garage door only opened to get the lawn mower out or do a non car related job in the garage. To make it worse I took on another restoration, a VB Commodore for my son Ross. Poor old Chev parked or pushed outside while it was still mobile, having to watch all that attention being given to another car.
Time went on, the Commodore was finished and the Chev was back in solitary. A year passed, then another. I would occasionally start the engine, warm it up, and turn it off. This went on until the batteries died and that was it.
Time rolled on, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Nothing, no sign of life, no activity, nothing.
As I remember in the end the poor old thing was covered in dust, full of rubbish, and possibly at a cross road.
Roll on 2007
Where is he?
If the Chev had feelings these thoughts would have been going through its mind.
Sometime around Xmas 1998, the Chev fell out of favour, and was parked in the garage for a long long time. Early in its solitary confinement, a further blow was struck when I decided I could no longer justify the yearly registration. I was not driving it much and had lost the passion. Up until this time, from 1975 to 1999 the Chev had always been on full registration. I had never been and still are not a fan of limited or club registration. I believe that many abuse limited registration and it will only take a small crash for someone to be in real trouble, compared with the price of full registration.
I kept the insurance but modified it to "laid up" coverage, meaning everything is covered except driving on the road.
Luckily I rang Vic Roads to notify them the car was being laid up, rather than just not paying the renewal. Turned out to be a good move as the operator informed me that I could still retain the registration number, but I would be responsible if it was detected on the road during that time. Seemed like a good deal, and the registration number was reserved in my name.
That was it, the lights went out, no more late nights in the garage, the garage door only opened to get the lawn mower out or do a non car related job in the garage. To make it worse I took on another restoration, a VB Commodore for my son Ross. Poor old Chev parked or pushed outside while it was still mobile, having to watch all that attention being given to another car.
Time went on, the Commodore was finished and the Chev was back in solitary. A year passed, then another. I would occasionally start the engine, warm it up, and turn it off. This went on until the batteries died and that was it.
Time rolled on, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Nothing, no sign of life, no activity, nothing.
As I remember in the end the poor old thing was covered in dust, full of rubbish, and possibly at a cross road.
Roll on 2007
Monday, May 16, 2011
Seven Weddings
Over the years I have been happy to do weddings. Apart from 3 paying jobs, they were all family or friends, which I enjoyed a lot more than strangers. The 3 non family or friend weddings came about in the strangest way. The Chev has been involved in 7 weddings and 6 are covered in this posting. The 7th was the wedding of Melanie (my daughter) and Justin, and is covered in " 2007, one of the most important years for the Chev and I"
Wedding no 1 (Approx 1979)
My first wedding was for Rick (a guy that I worked with at Novalit in Cheltenham) and Margaret. Being the first time the Chev had a ribbon on its bonnet for a friend, it was a special occasion for both the car and its owner. I picked up the bride to be and her father from some where in the Chelsea area and we motored to a nearby church. Little did I know that a rumbling, grinding noise from under the car, would manifest its self in a year or so as a very difficult problem to overcome.
Anyway, apart from the noise, which was coming and going, the trip to the church went well, and then we drove to the reception at the Sandringham Football Ground, via a photo session at a local park.
Wedding no 2 (Approx 1987)
I received a call one day from someone who had been given my name by a friend, and asked me to use the Chev as a bridal car to take both her and her father to the church. She never told me who passed on my name, and after her father paid the money, cant remember how much, I didn't bother to ask her again.
The deal was I picked her up from somewhere in Boronia, accompanied by her father, and drive to the church in Underwood Road near the Toyota dealer in Fern Tree Gully.
There was no crowd outside to greet us, and I was not required to wait and take the Bride and Groom anywhere else.
I watched the Bride and her Father walk into the church, the only indication that a ceremony was to take place???
In hindsight I think the trip in the Chev was a gesture to her elderly father, who I remember was more nervous then his daughter.
Strange, very strange you may say, but I was paid, so I drove home packed up the ribbon and that was that.
Wedding no 3 (Approx 1989)
It was a Saturday, and the wedding was over the other side of town, Essendon or some where over that way. I won't even try to tell you about the wedding, but lets just say that Vintage cars and a traditional Lebanese wedding don't really go together. But hey, I made $100 bucks for day and got a free feed out of it. Time to leave as the boys outside were getting a little bit out of hand, and they were too close to the car for my liking
Wedding no 4 (1992)
Preparations - Or how I broke my thumb in 3 places and nearly got shot by the police on the same night
The occasion was the upcoming wedding for Franca and Nigel, who both worked with me at Stem Industries.
I had embarked upon a mini restoration on the brake rods and linkages, prompted by the upcoming event, and I made good use of the after hours access to the workshop at Stem. In fact you could say on one Friday night I pushed my luck a bit too far, in possibly two directions.
The first thing happened when I was cleaning up the rear axle brake rods that operated the internal hand brake linings. As I recall the rods were not polished up enough for my satisfaction, so I thought I would spin them in the lathe while holding a piece of emery cloth against the rod.
The lesson I learned was when you are spinning a shaft on a lathe whilst holding emery cloth against it, you never hold both ends of the emery strip between the same fingers as the emery can grip and drag your fingers in under the spinning shaft, which it did, OUCH.
Not realizing the extent of my injury, which the Doctor confirmed 2 days later as three breaks in my thumb, between the tip and the first knuckle, I kept working for several hours, wondering why my hand was tingling and turning red and blue.
Any way, job done, its midnight, time to pack up and go home. Seemed like a good idea, except for one little thing.
I was busy loading all my tools into the open boot of my car, and like many times before the Security Service would drive in through the open gates, recognize my car, a flash of the headlights and then take off. Seems very simple, don't you think.
There was one little difference that Friday night, and it went like this. Ray is loading tools into the boot of his car around midnight, car pulls into driveway, flashes headlights, Ray waves, and Blue lights flash on for about 5 seconds.
Now Ray is a pretty smart fella, so he realizes its a Police car, not the security service. Ray waves again, blue lights on again with flashing headlights this time. Obviously he was trying to get my attention. Thinking I had nothing to hid as I was a Manager of this company, in a company car, with company keys, and authorised to be on site after hours.
Whats the sensible thing to do? Simple, walk the 50 metres to the Police car and reassure the constable that I am a law biding citizen, who appreciates him taking the time to drive through the open gate and check out a person loading tools into a car boot.
The policeman was so impressed by my greeting, all he could say was "If you ever walk up to a police car like that again with a weapon in your hand, you will be shot"
Now he has my 100% attention.
The whole time he was talking from inside the car, he was in darkness, with only his hands visible.
The next 10 minutes were spent on small talk.
Who are you?
Where do you live?
What are you doing here?
Tell me your rego number?
Hand me your licence.
All ended well. He advised me in future to have the gates locked if I was working after hours in the dark. This was a practise I religiously followed from then on.
While driving home, I had this thought that my throbbing finger may be dislocated, so what do you do when your driving, simple, you pull very hard on your possibly dislocated thumb to put it back into place.
WRONG, the lights start to go out, the radio goes blurry, and Ray feels very sick, and the oncoming cars start to move from side to side.
Hm, not dislocated after all.
The next month or so spent preparing the car for the wedding with a broken thumb was certainly a challenge, but I got there in the end.
Basic things like hammering, screwing, using pliers etc, all were very difficult.
The WeddingI picked up Franca on a Saturday morning from her parents house in Scoresby, and we then proceeded to St Joesphs Church in Boronia. I can't remember much about the day. The ceremony and reception both went well, and a good time was had by all.
The Chev parked outside the church
Wedding no 5 (Approx 1998)
Driving home one night from Oxford Medical, where I was working at the time, I noticed there was a lady in a Volvo following me.
What had I done to upset the driver who followed me from Bayswater, through Boronia into the Basin, into my street and parked out the front as I pulled up in the driveway.
Before I could even ask the what was going on, she said I want your car for my wedding in 3 months, how much will you charge.
Not really wanting to do a wedding at that particular time of my life, as I was still establishing myself in a new job, I asked for double what it was worth, hoping it would scare her off.
To my surprise she said ok, opened up her purse, gave me the money in cash, got my phone number, said she would call me in a few weeks, hopped into the Volvo and drove off.
Well, she did ring me, the wedding went ahead. I suspect it was another gesture from a daughter to her father, as again they were the only people that rode in the car to the church.
The journey involved picking up the bride and her father in Mooroolbark, and taking an exceptionally long route to the church in Lilydale, under instructions from her father, who had a 28 Chev in his younger days.
Again there was no requirement for the Chev to participate in any activities other than a conveyance from home to the church, no crowds, no photos.
Who am I to wonder and come up with an explanation, I took the money, did the job, and that was that.
Another Wedding, number 6, will take place in 9 years that will change the Chev for ever more, but more about that later.
Wedding no 7 (December 2007)
This was the wedding of Gary (my nephew) and Alex. They could not have chosen a better day, but it was a bit hot.
The ceremony took place in a park in Vermont, near where Gary's parents Colin and Leanne were living at the time.
I picked up Alex from Gary's parents house and travelled the short distance to the park.
The Chev then watched the proceedings from the street and then welcomed the happy couple back into the car for the trip to another park for a photo session, followed by transporting the newly weds to Gary's parents house for the celebrations that continued well into the night.
Always a bit special when you do such an event for family.
Wedding no 1 (Approx 1979)
My first wedding was for Rick (a guy that I worked with at Novalit in Cheltenham) and Margaret. Being the first time the Chev had a ribbon on its bonnet for a friend, it was a special occasion for both the car and its owner. I picked up the bride to be and her father from some where in the Chelsea area and we motored to a nearby church. Little did I know that a rumbling, grinding noise from under the car, would manifest its self in a year or so as a very difficult problem to overcome.
Anyway, apart from the noise, which was coming and going, the trip to the church went well, and then we drove to the reception at the Sandringham Football Ground, via a photo session at a local park.
Wedding no 2 (Approx 1987)
I received a call one day from someone who had been given my name by a friend, and asked me to use the Chev as a bridal car to take both her and her father to the church. She never told me who passed on my name, and after her father paid the money, cant remember how much, I didn't bother to ask her again.
The deal was I picked her up from somewhere in Boronia, accompanied by her father, and drive to the church in Underwood Road near the Toyota dealer in Fern Tree Gully.
There was no crowd outside to greet us, and I was not required to wait and take the Bride and Groom anywhere else.
I watched the Bride and her Father walk into the church, the only indication that a ceremony was to take place???
In hindsight I think the trip in the Chev was a gesture to her elderly father, who I remember was more nervous then his daughter.
Strange, very strange you may say, but I was paid, so I drove home packed up the ribbon and that was that.
Wedding no 3 (Approx 1989)
It was a Saturday, and the wedding was over the other side of town, Essendon or some where over that way. I won't even try to tell you about the wedding, but lets just say that Vintage cars and a traditional Lebanese wedding don't really go together. But hey, I made $100 bucks for day and got a free feed out of it. Time to leave as the boys outside were getting a little bit out of hand, and they were too close to the car for my liking
Wedding no 4 (1992)
Preparations - Or how I broke my thumb in 3 places and nearly got shot by the police on the same night
The occasion was the upcoming wedding for Franca and Nigel, who both worked with me at Stem Industries.
I had embarked upon a mini restoration on the brake rods and linkages, prompted by the upcoming event, and I made good use of the after hours access to the workshop at Stem. In fact you could say on one Friday night I pushed my luck a bit too far, in possibly two directions.
The first thing happened when I was cleaning up the rear axle brake rods that operated the internal hand brake linings. As I recall the rods were not polished up enough for my satisfaction, so I thought I would spin them in the lathe while holding a piece of emery cloth against the rod.
The lesson I learned was when you are spinning a shaft on a lathe whilst holding emery cloth against it, you never hold both ends of the emery strip between the same fingers as the emery can grip and drag your fingers in under the spinning shaft, which it did, OUCH.
Not realizing the extent of my injury, which the Doctor confirmed 2 days later as three breaks in my thumb, between the tip and the first knuckle, I kept working for several hours, wondering why my hand was tingling and turning red and blue.
Any way, job done, its midnight, time to pack up and go home. Seemed like a good idea, except for one little thing.
I was busy loading all my tools into the open boot of my car, and like many times before the Security Service would drive in through the open gates, recognize my car, a flash of the headlights and then take off. Seems very simple, don't you think.
There was one little difference that Friday night, and it went like this. Ray is loading tools into the boot of his car around midnight, car pulls into driveway, flashes headlights, Ray waves, and Blue lights flash on for about 5 seconds.
Now Ray is a pretty smart fella, so he realizes its a Police car, not the security service. Ray waves again, blue lights on again with flashing headlights this time. Obviously he was trying to get my attention. Thinking I had nothing to hid as I was a Manager of this company, in a company car, with company keys, and authorised to be on site after hours.
Whats the sensible thing to do? Simple, walk the 50 metres to the Police car and reassure the constable that I am a law biding citizen, who appreciates him taking the time to drive through the open gate and check out a person loading tools into a car boot.
The policeman was so impressed by my greeting, all he could say was "If you ever walk up to a police car like that again with a weapon in your hand, you will be shot"
Now he has my 100% attention.
The whole time he was talking from inside the car, he was in darkness, with only his hands visible.
The next 10 minutes were spent on small talk.
Who are you?
Where do you live?
What are you doing here?
Tell me your rego number?
Hand me your licence.
All ended well. He advised me in future to have the gates locked if I was working after hours in the dark. This was a practise I religiously followed from then on.
While driving home, I had this thought that my throbbing finger may be dislocated, so what do you do when your driving, simple, you pull very hard on your possibly dislocated thumb to put it back into place.
WRONG, the lights start to go out, the radio goes blurry, and Ray feels very sick, and the oncoming cars start to move from side to side.
Hm, not dislocated after all.
The next month or so spent preparing the car for the wedding with a broken thumb was certainly a challenge, but I got there in the end.
Basic things like hammering, screwing, using pliers etc, all were very difficult.
The WeddingI picked up Franca on a Saturday morning from her parents house in Scoresby, and we then proceeded to St Joesphs Church in Boronia. I can't remember much about the day. The ceremony and reception both went well, and a good time was had by all.
The Chev parked outside the church
Wedding no 5 (Approx 1998)
Driving home one night from Oxford Medical, where I was working at the time, I noticed there was a lady in a Volvo following me.
What had I done to upset the driver who followed me from Bayswater, through Boronia into the Basin, into my street and parked out the front as I pulled up in the driveway.
Before I could even ask the what was going on, she said I want your car for my wedding in 3 months, how much will you charge.
Not really wanting to do a wedding at that particular time of my life, as I was still establishing myself in a new job, I asked for double what it was worth, hoping it would scare her off.
To my surprise she said ok, opened up her purse, gave me the money in cash, got my phone number, said she would call me in a few weeks, hopped into the Volvo and drove off.
Well, she did ring me, the wedding went ahead. I suspect it was another gesture from a daughter to her father, as again they were the only people that rode in the car to the church.
The journey involved picking up the bride and her father in Mooroolbark, and taking an exceptionally long route to the church in Lilydale, under instructions from her father, who had a 28 Chev in his younger days.
Again there was no requirement for the Chev to participate in any activities other than a conveyance from home to the church, no crowds, no photos.
Who am I to wonder and come up with an explanation, I took the money, did the job, and that was that.
Another Wedding, number 6, will take place in 9 years that will change the Chev for ever more, but more about that later.
Wedding no 7 (December 2007)
This was the wedding of Gary (my nephew) and Alex. They could not have chosen a better day, but it was a bit hot.
The ceremony took place in a park in Vermont, near where Gary's parents Colin and Leanne were living at the time.
I picked up Alex from Gary's parents house and travelled the short distance to the park.
The Chev then watched the proceedings from the street and then welcomed the happy couple back into the car for the trip to another park for a photo session, followed by transporting the newly weds to Gary's parents house for the celebrations that continued well into the night.
Always a bit special when you do such an event for family.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The 80's and the 90's
This is a time span that is hard to recall many events, apart from some of the improvements that I mentioned in previous postings. There were several weddings will I will cover in a later section, and of course the Pharlap movie, also covered in a previous posting.
For most of this time 84 to 96, I worked for Stem Industries in Bayswater, and the Chev was used on an infrequent basis to drive to work. The other item of interest relating to Stem was the great workshop that I had access to after hours and on weekends. Many an hour was spent repairing and or making parts, and you would be surprised how good a fire hose is for cleaning radiators.
There were many drives with the kids and numerous outings during this period, and the Chev always managed to get to the destination and back home under its own power, no matter how bad the weather conditions may have been.
Mind you it can be pretty hairy in pouring rain with just 1 six inch wiper blade moving across the screen.
The following are a series of pictures taken during 1994, which were sent to the insurance company in support of my application to increase the cover.
The Chev has been continuously insured since 1975, and always with the same company.
For most of this time 84 to 96, I worked for Stem Industries in Bayswater, and the Chev was used on an infrequent basis to drive to work. The other item of interest relating to Stem was the great workshop that I had access to after hours and on weekends. Many an hour was spent repairing and or making parts, and you would be surprised how good a fire hose is for cleaning radiators.
There were many drives with the kids and numerous outings during this period, and the Chev always managed to get to the destination and back home under its own power, no matter how bad the weather conditions may have been.
Mind you it can be pretty hairy in pouring rain with just 1 six inch wiper blade moving across the screen.
The following are a series of pictures taken during 1994, which were sent to the insurance company in support of my application to increase the cover.
The Chev has been continuously insured since 1975, and always with the same company.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The late 70's and the 80's
The eighties was the time the Chev became part of my children's early years, and hopefully the memories will remain with them for many years to come. However I think the first child I took for a ride in the car was my niece Kristen. As I recall she was very young and was in a very primitive Kids car seat that hooked in between the seat and the back cushion. Very very primitive by today's standards, but in those days, well. Would you believe I constantly remember that occasion as the metal frame of the seat made a mark on the vinyl seat back, and every time when I clean the seat, the memory comes back as if it was yesterday. Pretty proud moment when an Uncle takes his niece for a ride in his pride and joy.
The following 2 pictures were taken in the winter of 1979 and are of my 2 nieces, Kristen and Michelle, who also accompanied me in a couple of the Boronia Lions Xmas parades. There was even a picture of them both taken for the local paper on each side of the Chev radiator, which sadly I did not keep a copy of, but I have the memory.
I cant recall how my name was given to a member of the Boronia Lions Club, but I received a call early in December one year, asking me to drive the Chev in the Lions Xmas parade. This lead to the Chev being in at least 4 parades that I can remember. The first was at the head of the parade, and I had the Olympic diver Valerie Beddoe as my passenger. The second was completed with the Mayor of Knox in the car, fully suited out in the mayoral robes, and it was during this parade the Chev displayed how tough the motor was, while at the same time giving me a big scare.
Half way through the parade the engine boiled completely dry, and by the time I got to the end there was not a drop of water left in the radiator, and all this happened while I was struggling not to to run down the group of local scouts with a banner that were walking the entire route about 10 feet in front of me.
Any way managed to get to the end, which in those days was behind the old fire station, without taking out any scouts. Parked the car, joined in the celebrations, came back in an hour or so, completely refilled the cooling system and drove home, no worse for wear. Try doing that with your modern car.
The Chev was used as a transport car for Santa at a Xmas party in the 80's at Stem Industries where I was working at the time. The following 2 pictures show Santa arriving and the kids receiving presents from Santa.
The eighties was also the only time the Chev struck a blow in anger. Jan and I were inside one Sunday afternoon, when Ross came running in, very distressed saying Melanie was hurt and there was blood every where. Running out to the garage we find Melanie screaming, bleeding from the mouth.
What happened was the kids were bouncing around on the seats, Melanie had fallen and struck her mouth on the gear stick. When we cleaned her up and checked her mouth we originally thought she had knocked a front tooth out, but the tooth had been driven completely back into the gum. A call to the dental hospital was followed by a trip into their casualty to make sure there was no other damage.
Apart from numerous skinned knuckles, cuts, abrasions and minor injuries to the owner over the years, I am very pleased that Melanie's injury, as distressing as it was to all of us at the time, was and has been the only accident the Chev has been involved in during its 38 years.
The final shot is of the Dean clan in the Chev, some time in the late eighties.
The following 2 pictures were taken in the winter of 1979 and are of my 2 nieces, Kristen and Michelle, who also accompanied me in a couple of the Boronia Lions Xmas parades. There was even a picture of them both taken for the local paper on each side of the Chev radiator, which sadly I did not keep a copy of, but I have the memory.
I cant recall how my name was given to a member of the Boronia Lions Club, but I received a call early in December one year, asking me to drive the Chev in the Lions Xmas parade. This lead to the Chev being in at least 4 parades that I can remember. The first was at the head of the parade, and I had the Olympic diver Valerie Beddoe as my passenger. The second was completed with the Mayor of Knox in the car, fully suited out in the mayoral robes, and it was during this parade the Chev displayed how tough the motor was, while at the same time giving me a big scare.
The next parade was with a clown in the back, which my children enjoyed immensely. Not sure what happened with the Lions but the Xmas parade was dropped a year or so later, never to be run again.
The following photo has a young Kristen in the back seat, with an even younger Ross in the front.
This photo shows my son Ross in the front, and my very young daughter Melanie in the back seat with her Auntie Kay.
The eighties was when the Chev did its biggest trip so far, to Healsville and back. The occasion was an outing for my daughter Melanie's play group. As I recall it was a shocking day, pouring rain, howling wind etc. Blankets and rugs were in full supply, more to keep the rain out than the cold. We made it up to Healsville ok, but after filling up with petrol on the way back, the car would not start for a few minutes, which I now believe was the faulty ignition switch that I mentioned in the posting on breakdowns.
The Chev was used as a transport car for Santa at a Xmas party in the 80's at Stem Industries where I was working at the time. The following 2 pictures show Santa arriving and the kids receiving presents from Santa.
The eighties was also the only time the Chev struck a blow in anger. Jan and I were inside one Sunday afternoon, when Ross came running in, very distressed saying Melanie was hurt and there was blood every where. Running out to the garage we find Melanie screaming, bleeding from the mouth.
What happened was the kids were bouncing around on the seats, Melanie had fallen and struck her mouth on the gear stick. When we cleaned her up and checked her mouth we originally thought she had knocked a front tooth out, but the tooth had been driven completely back into the gum. A call to the dental hospital was followed by a trip into their casualty to make sure there was no other damage.
Apart from numerous skinned knuckles, cuts, abrasions and minor injuries to the owner over the years, I am very pleased that Melanie's injury, as distressing as it was to all of us at the time, was and has been the only accident the Chev has been involved in during its 38 years.
The final shot is of the Dean clan in the Chev, some time in the late eighties.
Monday, May 2, 2011
1983 - My Part in Pharlap the movie
Its a Saturday morning and 50 Vintage cars were paid $75 each to drive around Flemington race course for about 3 hours. Seemed like a good deal, covered the cost of gas and a good feed on the way home. Around and around we went, sometimes the different way, sometimes with actors in the back, sometimes on our own. Any scenes that may have shown my car were never in the film, but hey what a great day. To see the amount of money and time spent for what was only about 20 seconds in the movie. Cant remember if I had the roof down or not, but it was a very warm day, I remember that much.
That's about as close to achieving fame as the Chev ever got, apart from leading the Boronia Lions Xmas parade in the 80's with the Mayor of Knox one year, the Olympic Diver Valerie Beddo the next year, a clown the next, and my kids in a couple. But that's another story for later.
See the link on Pharlap below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVod_-fnl4&feature=related
That's about as close to achieving fame as the Chev ever got, apart from leading the Boronia Lions Xmas parade in the 80's with the Mayor of Knox one year, the Olympic Diver Valerie Beddo the next year, a clown the next, and my kids in a couple. But that's another story for later.
See the link on Pharlap below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVod_-fnl4&feature=related
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