Yards And Yarns

[jim short]

Dave Silcock just a little story racing a jaguar made him a hero well in the 60s 50s even the 40s we had heros in the 40s Brookby song won the great northen wellington and grand national steeplchase my uncle was involed with him and even today people remember !!Bob Scott rugby Peter Snell Smoke Ring,, Phill Shone Stirling Moss ,, 43yrs, I have had a mk2 3.8 Jaguar primrose with black leather ,started of doing gymkhanws then 2 cars side by side at Bay Park{still remember walking around the track putting some large stones where I hoped was the place to brake}then 4cars side by side and so on.Faster cars Ferraris Porsches Aston Lotus ect started to turn up.Soon we were outclassed thinking there must be a way to match the rich folk .What about that ex race car Bob Eden??? car sales in ponsonby road had a Dtypr jag mtr, a lite xk120 just sitting out in the sun and rain it started and ran sort of ok ,next Puke meet dave was loading the Mk2 onto the trailer ,nervisly I asked him what he thought of the xk?? f see it ill put an axe through the X@^VAQWJ??!He then went on to explain how a sailor had crashed it rebuilt it then crashed it again. I gave it amiss but there is know doubt he is a straight talker ,,somthing rather rare today { then again 4glasses of pino piot??may to blame}

[Dave Silcock]

Sorry guys supposed to have included the shot of Spears Speed shop. So now you know what I'm on about.

[Rod Grimwood]

It's along way to go for a beer Dave, but if you drop into the Waipu (Northland) pub on most afternoon/evenings, especially friday and saturday you will catch Mr Spear there having a quite ale. I had a chat with him over a year ago and he still remembers some pretty funny things from them days, and he does not look too different, with a good head of wavy black hair, baggy jeans and that hard case smile.

[bob homewood]

In turn I get to see quite a lot of Murray Spear ,he is often in and out of my shop,Dave you will be pleased hear ,one of the times he was in he was driving a Jag

[markec]

Murray normally drives a Yank Tank.

[jamie]

Hay Bob that name Murray goes back along time ,allmost as long ago as Ward and the double BED saga L.J. and his workshop Tom Donavan Gerard Bakker ECT ???? Rupuna ??? Jamie

[bob homewood]

Jamie ,yes the old double bed and burnt out relationships ,I wont say marriages ,because they say that its not fashionable these days,now its a relationship in the old days it was you were shacked up ,anyway perhaps I have a couple of incidents to add,I know of another case ,when she threw this guy out she threw the bed out with him ,it was a queen size ,I think they call it ,well as Charlie B would say ,it was a real big bugger anyway !,this poor guy had to take it away on the roof rack of his XC Falcon Wagon ,it's true ,we saw him drive past the day it happened and wondered what the hell was going on .Episode two another completely different couple she left him and then came back ,but made him burn the double bed and get a new one because the whore as she called this other poor lady had been sleeping in it ,same couple we caught up with them at the Supermarket she is sitting in the back seat of the car ,the front passenger seat is vacant ,my wife asks her why she is sitting in the back ,answer she can't sit in the front because the 'whore " sat there ,they have now got rid of the car ,no he didn't burn it ,well not to my knowledge anyway ,after all this I think that coffee you mentioned is looking good ,actually we might make it a Irish one how does that sound when I come down, oh thats right there was also the case where this guy had been hiding his "cashies " ( lucky guy to get any ) in the double bed mattress ,she threw him out ,he was trying to work out how he dould sneak back and get his money before she found it

[jamie]

I think it would be better to stay with them COST A lot less ?? Jamie

[bob homewood]

Just seeing Jamie's comment on Paritutu reminds me I must check and ask him if he lost his tent the weekend of the first meeting ,when we got home and unpacked the tent city we had that weekend ,I kid you not we found we had a extra tent ,if its not his and somebody is looking for it there is a remote possibility the Papakura Police Station may still have it

[jamie]

Hell no Bob it wasent untill Darren started Karting that I found you were not cool if you worked on things in the rain I was always a bit slow Jamie

[bob homewood]

Accommodation was at a premium that first meeting,the old camp caretaker where we stayed let us put up as many tents as we could cram into our space ,from memory I think they charged per head as well ,a couple of my dead head mates had the best idea ,they couldn't find anywhere to stay ,so they ended up getting a bed at the cop shop ,got baked beans on toast for breakfast as well ,more than we got ,we couldn't find anything open

[jamie]

Bob Old mate your memory works better than mine what was your name agane Jamie

[bry3500]

Ok ..not essentially Historic ( please forgive)...but how many of you would take your wife for a spin at 185mph and scare the living bejesus out of her

[markec]

She didn't seem to enjoy the experience, I imagine his shares wouldn't have been very good for a day or two, maybe even the spare room.

[jamie]

Well she now knows what it is all abought ??? I did wonder what all the hand waving was for was she waving good by to her fans JAMIE

[Rod Grimwood]

She did not seem to comfortable, Notice the belts were not tightened up on her and she was moving around alot. He was short shifting as well, but don't think she would ubderstand that so that will not help with his Brownie points.
It is funny when you take people for a little ride how they brake and join the white knuckle club.

[AMCO72]

If you want to see what the poor old HWM, that we talked about in yards and yarns, looks like now, check out the top picture on page 59 of the latest Classic Driver.....april-may copy. I described the car as 'rough' when I saw it at a 1/4 mile sprint in 1967, now after several owners and having been carted from one end of NZ to the other, it has ended up at Auto Restorations in ChCh awaiting awakening!!!! [Original post; page 8, Y & Y, post 141 onwards.]

[Dave Silcock]

If you want to see what the poor old HWM, that we talked about in yards and yarns, looks like now, check out the top picture on page 59 of the latest Classic Driver.....april-may copy. I described the car as 'rough' when I saw it at a 1/4 mile sprint in 1967, now after several owners and having been carted from one end of NZ to the other, it has ended up at Auto Restorations in ChCh awaiting awakening!!!! [Original post; page 8, Y & Y, post 141 onwards.]

As I am waiting to see if the water leak on our car is fixed Gerald I have been reading some back yarns on Y&Y. Here's my tuppence worth on the HWM. I became mates with Graham Hallen when we raced each other in 1966 I think, He was surprised that a mere 6 cylinder had the measure of his V8. Buy this time I am sure it was back to a Chev, he used to boast of his Duntov pink spot cam. As I said in a previous post I got the CR gearbox out of it . He bought the Heron Daimler V8 sports car but still had the HWM, I think. Any way he thought the Heron was a bit lacking in the power department, and don't laugh Bob but a plan was hatched to put 4 Stomberg 97's on ,I tell you GH was hot rod to the core. I fabricated a manifold for it and we got it running, surprise surprise it was way too rich carbs designed for the steady flow of an 8 cylinder motor take exception the pulsing flow of 1 cylinder. GH lost interest in this project without changing a jet. He invited us down for a weekend at his families farm ,in the Waikato can't remember the place damn it,we were towing the Heron and thougt it would be a good idea to take it off the trailer and drive down! We both had a bit of a turn as you do. After breakfast we wandered out to the barn with a coffee and the first ciggie of the day, there I found the De Dion tube the Alfin brake drums ,backing plates and half shafts. GH had in typical hot rod fashion tossed it all out and fitted a Ford 9 inch live axle "bloody stupid Pommie shit" were his comments. Anyway he told me to take it away because it was going to the tip. When I heard that Roycroft had bought it,[used to service his fathers NSU the one that looked like a Simca] I rang him to let him know what I had and he came to our flat in Mt Albert to pick it up. This one should be on who am I but next door to us in Beanfield Ave was a young lady of Dolly Parton proportions that was a regular attendee at Aukland car club club nights and at all the races we went to, Rod Collingwood is excluded from this!

[markec]

I'm going to see Rod in the morning before calling on you Dave, should I ask him about the blond of Dolly Parton proportions?.

[Dave Silcock]

Yes you can ask him, he knows, as it involves a bit on the side, I can't comment futher except the racing number involved is 69