Thanks for that.Originally Posted by George Sheweiry
Thanks for that.
Well George, you have been a busy boy and good on you, even got my lazy arse itching. I have shifted more crap sideways in my wifes rubbish storage shed and even found a gearbox in the corner, eyeballing an engine in the other corner. It won't be immediate, but the old girl may come for a play soonish. Will have to pull car out and give complete go over,(it has only sat there since 91) Body repaint, fit windows, check rose joints, brakes check, renew all lines, new fuel cell, new wheels, new seat & belts etc. so will not be this week.
Most importantly try and find Log Book and documentation.
If its too hard Mr Grimwood, I'm sure I could relieve you of the offending vehicle.....
Mate , Its gonna be just like the old times except we'll be slimmer and more handsome!!! yeah right. Well I am glad that this little project has got you on the move Rod, So what about some photos of everything you just pulled out and of the car! I can feel a new thread comin on!!! Biscuit.
Shrewsberry?
Your onto it John, 'Dumty Doo'
He's had that little name for a few years now, all had names back then.
Good on you Roddy, [& the rest of the ole boys]seems like a lot of older boys have an itching to skid some tyres , make the most of it ,have fun , but just remember ,[as my dad said] expectations are greater than realizations........... I am with you all on having some great fun & CLOSE FAST racing , sounds so exciting ,
I will be there to watch , might pop up on my sceemin eagle lol
Still got a good tow car & trailer ????????lol
Grant, screaming eagle? At the risk of highjacking the thread, let me ask you something. People used to ask me all the time here in Queensland how can I not race? or why am I not racing anymore. One of the reasons I never felt as though i needed to was because of my Ducati. Riding a bike up in the foothills here in northern Brisbane is a little like my racing was. I don't go very fast on the road, just keep up a nice momentum and take my 'Car racing lines' through the corners. Done right it is as good for the soul as getting a pole position. You stop for a coffee and a chat so it is sociable. Actually it is amazing the amount of times Bike people have commented on the lines I take. I would not have thought there would be much difference, but apparently there is.
Question, do you share this bike connection? Most of my old racing buddies look at me rather strangely when you try to explain. I don't even bother anymore. Had a few people trying to entice me to look at the Aust Tranz Am class. The hot shots of this class I used to race against in Historic group NC with my GTHO.
....
Chuck it on a trailer Drifty and bring it down. Can have it going in three weeks. I can even do the paint work and panel these days. Have my workshop almost sorted with my machinery all coming out of the container next week. We can at least get yours out there....I will have to just watch and see if any old Group A Fords or such fall at my feet as what happened at Taupo when John Leaf Moth so generously gave me his Holden V8 to entice me away from Brap Brap Brapping....haaa. But mate the offer is there and I am a bit closer than Rotorua Branch. With regards Tony Rutherford. P.S. Biscuit my man...I have received your message and I will be in touch very very soon.. Yo.
If you need to explain, they would'nt understand !!!!!!
Steve, I could not agree more , oddly enough though Gary & I had this same convo last week, he is over it he says [driving] & probably did more racing than us [perhaps] , eg doing a few bathursts , sharing drive with Dick J , & Greame Croz etc at a higher level not to mean any one is better than any one else as ego does play a part, I still have the hankering & I feel it never leaves our physiology once its ingrained from the excitements of being at the right end as you & I have been.
But Steve you are right re the Bike as well, this helps to get it out of our system there is that hill called the Kaimai Ranges , all new & reshaped seal since you were here last , you probably drove over it on your way to B/Park or you may have gone through Waihi, any way the bike people say that hill is the best in NZ to go up & get the corners correct [not speeding up but flowing]as you say it gives abuzz.
Steve my bike does not arrive until next month , hot rod Harley lol, I realize it is not the best handling with the big rear tyre, I am only just getting my bike licence , but better get my confidence [by law] on a little bike first , pitty you were not here we could go for a ride , not to mention us going for a skid in yr GTHO ???
Parnelli , yeessssss I understand what Steve is saying & you . SSooooooooo looking forwards to the new lease of life ... I really do relate ..... I did ride bikes in my teen & loved them , my family was against them ????
I guess that says it all!
How did you get on with John Telford and his RX7 mazda.
Just read through most of this thread. Reminds me of the meetings I called to try and get group N happening here in Queensland. Forget the handicap races unless you want a big accident. I can think of 4 times I was completely on the grass at Lakeside because of the speed differential.
I created a points score system based on consistency of lap times, PB's and passing points to determine the overall winner of the Queensland cup. It worked perfectly (due to my amazing wife doing the scoring) and kept all the slower car competitors keen, motivated and racing!
The fields just built and built and it is a very popular category now. The first winner of the Queensland cup was Rhonda Burrows in her Mini Cooper, beating all the men!
if you want to do something like that it was easy to do. I wanted to make sure the fastest car did not win this series. Why? because although I could be very consistent, (got points for that) I could not get any points for passing, as i was out front.
At Lakeside, even scratch races had risk. My car was lapping the other cars within 3 laps. Lakeside is a twisty track. They would look in the mirror and be clear, however the Falcon GTHO was on them in a flash. hence my excursions onto the grass with all 4 wheels under the bridge. Very very dicey stuff.
Can I share this story with you,
A long, long time ago at a race track far away, (Wigram) a very young guy traveled down to the South Island with his mates on a racing holiday. He was racing a Fiat 128 in the NZ Castrol GTX Championship, and decided to enter the only race he could for this meeting. It was the 0-6000cc BNSW championship race. He started off but was soon left behind by the fastest racing saloons in NZ. He looked in the mirror a lot, but never saw anyone behind. He was going around the hanger section of Wigram and still saw no one coming around to lap him. Moments later the leaders were upon him with the 2 leading cars taking evasive action and going outside the red cones (knocking them all down) to try and miss the little 128.
Lesson learnt. I nearly caused a f^%$# big accident because of the ridiculous speed differential. My car would be howling down the back straight at 86mph, while the other cars were doing more like 160mph.
Very dumb! And i thought I was looking out for them..............and I was. It was a good thing that the driver of the Cologne Capri was my Dads business partner and also my God father, or I may have got my arse kicked that day.
Get the cars out. You have a big problem as people want to do well. Find a way to keep it interesting. Using a Qld cup style of pointscore you do not need handicaps.
First rule------Have fun
Second rule ------enjoy the cars
George,
By the way I envy you having the mustang. That car is one of the biggest regrets of my racing exploits. I had a choice to make. Buy the Sidchrome Mustang and move to Australia or buy the formula pacific that I did.
My Shellsport team were all going to move over with me if I bought the Mustang. As JR told Neville Bailey my main man, we would not win against Moffat and Co but we would get noticed. I was 19 years old at the time and who knows.
Anyway George, glad you have the car, you are the right guy to look after it.
George not only bought the car, he has kept it since- that is dedication.
Hi Steve, I was racing my ex Fancevic ho back then, I was 20 at the time when I saw the old girl at Geoff Sutherlands paint shop. He pointed me towards Jerry Claytons and the next thing you know I was the proud owner. I am an electrician by trade and the appliance repair guy where I worked at Rankin McManus Electrical opposite Charlie Coways Chequred flag cars on Dominion rd had just bought a Beazley section in Glendene for $3,500. and had a Beazley house built on it for $15,000 and I managed to scrape together $9,500 for the mustang. so it was 1/2 a house back then, but I was wrapped but the neighbors were'nt, as I did like to do the odd "street meet" then! Unlike most clever people I have kept pretty much all my old race cars but now I am 57 and 28 race and muscle cars is probably a bit over the top so i am probably going to have to move a few on. And there in lies the dilemma. "which ones"
George [re which ones] you have free choice to which one or ones [to sell] if you desire , I understand you have looked after the metal, ... like us [most here] there has been some very valuable cars past through our hands,at the end of the day mmmmmmm [3
d thinking lol ] it really matters not............... , because you know they will be looked after ........ . My wife is funeral director I keep reminding , friends & people a like there are no roof racks & tow bars on hearsts............... .enjoy the present moment....... go & skid some tyres mate ......have fun ......... Grant
Last edited by Grant Sprague; 06-29-2013 at 09:45 AM.
You will figure it out. The price i was told for the mustang and trailer was more than you paid. I did pay $11,000 for the pacific however. You are right, that was a lot back then. I do have a 69 Fastback (sportsroof) in my garage, and have had it for years. Since you have the one I really wanted, it is better than nothing!
Actually there is a really neat story to the one I have. Short version is it has a compliance plate by Ford Australia, and another build tag with EX AUSTRALIA stamped on it.
The story goes, and I have checked this story with the original owner and mustang club officials as follows. The original owner travelled to the States to buy a 69 sportsroof. He went to the Ford factory and was shown around, however told that they had switched to the 1970 production line. The owner said he did NOT want a 70 but one with the 4 headlamps (1969). They said sorry..........While he was in the factory he saw a 69 shell in the corner of some room. He said what is that car, and was told it had been taken off the assembly line as it has a defect in the build. He said put it back on the line and I will pay $1,000 over list for it. They did, and he did.
It was put back on the line and came off the line with some 1970 parts on it, which it still has to this day. This story has remained consistent in mustang club circles since the car arrived in Australia. The defect is in the welding of the roof left hand side gutter rail. It is funny when you over hear mustang gurus say that so in so parts should not be on this car. If only they knew the story.
So, I have possibility the only 69 Mustang in the world that left the factory amongst the 1970 cars! That makes it extremely valuable George, however you cannot have it as I have bequeathed it to my daughter Krystal. Pitty, as if you gave me $xxxx plus the Sidchrome car I may have considered it. - Ha Ha!
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