Sitting in some one's workshop

[Rod Grimwood]

Thought I would post this. Caught up with Fred Courtney in Kaikohe yesterday and he has a very interesting workshop. No doubt most of you will be familiar with Fred and his car. Hopefully Fred will join in and give us a quick history Etc of the beast. (a famous beast at that)
Any one else who has photos of some ones garage post them and join in.

[Steve Holmes]

Neat workshop! With a bit of jiggery-pokery in Photoshop, you'd be hard-pressed to know how old these photos are. Could almost be from 1960.

[pallmall]

Photoshop out the roll over bar and the eighties kiwi and it would look like a sixties photo.

[stubuchanan]

Photoshop out the roll over bar and the eighties kiwi and it would look like a sixties photo.

This one is 1962. Close enough? Note also the seatbelt, which it had as early as 1952, I think.

[David McKinney]

I was going to say something similar

[David McKinney]

The earliest seat-belt photo I can find of the car is from 1960...

[RogerH]

A closer shot :

[RogerH]

Although not the "Northland Special" - George Smith had lap belts in the GeeCeeEss in the 1950s.

[thunder427]

Although not the "Northland Special" - George Smith had lap belts in the GeeCeeEss in the 1950s.

.....Left-hander on to the main straight at Mairehau road race..........regards427/MJ

[jim short]

.....Left-hander on to the main straight at Mairehau road race..........regards427/MJ

I loved the story about george smith he pos. did more for racing than anyone .when he took up speedboat raceing he could not swim,and this day his boat sank he is floating with his lifejacked on and swimming with him were a lot of mice,they had a nest in the boat .in the fiftys nearly every high tide at sandspit Waiuku up to 30 ~ 50 boats would be there even redhead came once bit had to stay way out in deeper water

[Steve Holmes]

Are those Ardun heads Roger?

[David McKinney]

Certainly look like them to me
(and George Smith did use them on the GeeCeeEss from time to time)

[Rod Grimwood]

Short history on rear cowel, this car has/is history.

[RogerH]

George Smith ran the GeeCeeEss in a number of different engine and body configurations - here are some :

[Steve Holmes]

If those are Ardun heads, where are they now? Ardun heads are among the most desirable vintage speed parts ever. Less than 300 sets were made by Zora and Yura Arkus-Duntov, and although there is a company now re-manufacturing them, original sets can easily fetch US10K on the rare occasion they come on the market.

[bob homewood]

Steve ,some thirty years ago when I had a business in New Lynn ,there was a guy that looked like the Fonz that used to come down to one of the workshops in our street for Friday night beers ,one night when he had drunk too much to drive I dropped him home and he showed me his collection of old school V8 speed equipment,it was mind boggling ,he had been telling us all these stories about what he had ,I don't think we really believed him,but in amongst his Aladdins cave was a pair of Ardun heads,where they are now I don't know.maybe we should start a thread about people who collect stuff like this ,they must be out there

[AMCO72]

Yeh Bob, is like barn finds. Every time I pick up an English Classic car magazine, there is the lastest 'barn find', usually some exotic piece of machinery that was shoved away for 'the duration' then promptly forgotten about.....often because the owner didn't return from the battle front....very sad. Some of these machines have been deliberately bricked up in some grotty little lock-up. I'm not sure of the mentality of people who do this. I know David McKinney is NOT a 'pom' but having lived there for so long ,could perhaps enlighten us as to why English folk do these things. Mind you there are some funny buggers here in NZ who have fields full of cars which 'they are going to restore ONE DAY'!!!! They seem to get all possessive, and bitter and twisted, and wont let anyone have a look, and I mean genuine buyers, not the thieves that are floating around. There must be garages full of all sorts of stuff, kept because 'you never know, I might need it oneday'!!!!! Yeh right....... Thinks.. must go and have sort out of the junk in my shed, there is an inorganic collection tomorrow'.........later on.......NO, I just might want that one day. Anyone got any storage out there???

[Steve Holmes]

Yeh Bob, is like barn finds. Every time I pick up an English Classic car magazine, there is the lastest 'barn find', usually some exotic piece of machinery that was shoved away for 'the duration' then promptly forgotten about.....often because the owner didn't return from the battle front....very sad. Some of these machines have been deliberately bricked up in some grotty little lock-up. I'm not sure of the mentality of people who do this. I know David McKinney is NOT a 'pom' but having lived there for so long ,could perhaps enlighten us as to why English folk do these things. Mind you there are some funny buggers here in NZ who have fields full of cars which 'they are going to restore ONE DAY'!!!! They seem to get all possessive, and bitter and twisted, and wont let anyone have a look, and I mean genuine buyers, not the thieves that are floating around. There must be garages full of all sorts of stuff, kept because 'you never know, I might need it oneday'!!!!! Yeh right....... Thinks.. must go and have sort out of the junk in my shed, there is an inorganic collection tomorrow'.........later on.......NO, I just might want that one day. Anyone got any storage out there???

Gerald, I think hoarders are the world over. I've heard some amazing stories of cars in the US parked in paddocks, that are extremely desirable in certain circles, but that the owner won't part with, because they "want to restore it someday". There is a website somewhere on the www dedicated to Chrysler Superbirds, ie, Dodge Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds that are slowly sinking into the ground.

[Steve Holmes]

Steve ,some thirty years ago when I had a business in New Lynn ,there was a guy that looked like the Fonz that used to come down to one of the workshops in our street for Friday night beers ,one night when he had drunk too much to drive I dropped him home and he showed me his collection of old school V8 speed equipment,it was mind boggling ,he had been telling us all these stories about what he had ,I don't think we really believed him,but in amongst his Aladdins cave was a pair of Ardun heads,where they are now I don't know.maybe we should start a thread about people who collect stuff like this ,they must be out there

Wow, thats amazing Bob! I think 3 or 4 sets might have found their way to NZ. There is a set on a T-Bucket hot rod that was built in the early 70s and is basically untouched from when it was first built, but I don't know of any others.

[pallmall]

Wow, thats amazing Bob! I think 3 or 4 sets might have found their way to NZ. There is a set on a T-Bucket hot rod that was built in the early 70s and is basically untouched from when it was first built, but I don't know of any others.

Rob Campbell did an article over a couple of issues of NZ Hot Rod Magazine a few years ago that almost worked out and traced all the Ardun heads that were used in NZ. I made some notes and dug a bit more to add to his story. I must find the copy and throw some info on here to see if anything new can be added, it may take a little while to find though.