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Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc
Hornet Special Newsletter
Issue 60 March 2015
WHS Club ContactsSecretary
Bill Russell, ph (03) 9349 2262
PresidentLyle Cooper
ph (07) 3312 2365Editor
Henry Hancock, ph (07) 3878 2850
3 Gilia Court Indooroopilly Qld [email protected]
Important notices this issue
AGM and Hornet Extravaganza 2015 - In Bathurst NSW .. p7
WHSCA subscription update and email newsletter options ..p3
After the AGM in Barossa, John Clucas drove his Hornet up to Renmark and ran it around the Riverina as a participant in the
Jaguar Car Club of Victoria’s Border Run with the South Australian Club. The Hornet was welcomed into the Jaguar fold and, as the earliest participant, it led the 40 Jaguars in all the processions.
On display in Loxton
Page 2 Hornet Special Newsletter
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?Many years ago when young and naive, I bought four 18” rims at a swap meet thinking that all rims of 18” diameter had the same number of spokes. They were sand blasted, primed and put away, so it wasn’t until years later that I discovered that these rims had 54 spokes...(oops!)
To build one new wheel I emailed Richards, the wire wheel people in England, and ordered the requisite spokes of the correct lengths and a new wheel center. Query …. 54 not 48 spokes?,.. yes 54, oh, OK. Yes, 34 inners x 6 ½” and 20 outers x 7 ¼”.The centre and spokes arrived, and after counting them I put them away .... 4 months after that I arranged with a friend to “borrow” his jig to rebuild the wheel.
First … place the rim in the jig and put in a few spokes to hold the works together…. “Wait on!” says he, “Something here isn’t right! The offsets are different …. look at your sample wheel ….. the nipples are at different angles.” 15 minutes later he worked out that the spoke offsets were back 3 holes, not 2 holes which meant that I had spokes that were too short.
A little research revealed that there was a spoke manufac-turer in Melbourne .... so a fortnight later more spokes were delivered.
We had another try: I held things and generally got on the way, while the expert laced the spokes into the rim and center. The spokes were trued up, tensioned (which is a black art) and the wheel tested for running true, without any serious wobbles.
The moral of the story is that if you are young and enthusi-astic, or old and getting past it, don’t try fiddling with wire wheels………
The wheel with the tyre in the photograph has 48 spokes …. The wheel without has 54 spokes.
I now have three sand blasted & primed 54 spoke 18” rims (no centres) for sale and also four 48 spoke 16” wheels with good tyres.
[email protected] Chris Pike
Chris Pike has officially resigned from the Club, due to no longer having a Wolseley Hornet. Chris has been an active member of the Club since its inception and we acknowledge his contribution over the years.
Lyle Cooper - President
Count the spokes in Murray Couper’s ‘32 Hornet Sports wheel
And the spokes in John and Sharon Balthazar’s ‘34 WHS wheel
Issue 60 Page 3
CHANGES IN CLUB SUBSCRIPTIONS DUE 1 APRIL 2015Due to the increased cost of colour printing and postage we have had to make the hard decision of increasing the Club’s membership fees; also the falling AUD has made the UK membership more expensive. Our Treasurer, John Ireland has kindly offered to make the payment to the UK Club through his PayPal account, to help defray the costs in transferring money overseas. The new Treasurer of the UK Club has advised that a $10 penalty will apply to late payment of their subscription.
As you will see below, it is possible to belong to the Australian Club with access to our stock of second hand parts, for a very reasonable fee if you take the newsletter via email.
To belong to the UK Club with mailed newsletter and access to their spare parts is $80 per annum. The Treasurer collects this money as a courtesy to members to save time and money. However if that subscription is paid at the same time as your Australian Club Subscription by i.e. 30 April 2015 – then a $10 discount will apply.
Newsletter Email only (no membership) $10 yearNewsletter Email (with Australian Membership) $20 yearNewsletter hard copy posted (with Australian Membership) $35 yearCombined UK/Australian Membership with Email Australian Newsletter $100 year ($10 discount for payment by 30 April 2015)Combined UK/Australian Membership with Aust NewsletterPosted $115 year – discount as above
Please advise our Editor, Henry Hancock [email protected] of your choice of the above, and forward your subscription by the due date to:Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc C/- John Ireland, Treasurer83/40 Riverbrooke Drive, Coomera Qld [email protected]
OR by bank transfer to: Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc Heritage Bank Ltd BSB: 638-070 Account No: 8958866 Reference: your name
0.67% MANGANESEIn December 1993, a 1” long piece of steel was cut out from a damaged section of chassis 495/114, an Australian-delivered 1934 Hornet Special.
At Affinity Metals Pty Ltd of Melbourne it was subjected to analysis in a laboratory Spectrograph machine. The operator on the day was metallurgist Dale Parsell, himself the owner of a 1933 Hornet, and now a central figure in the well-known restoration business Historic and Vintage Restorations of Blackburn, Melbourne (www.historicvin-tagerestorations.com).
Here are the results: C Mn P S Si Cu Ni Cr Mo Co V0.20 0.67 0.03 0.04 0.07 0.07 0.09 0.04 < 0.01 0.01
A quick inspection of its carbon content suggests this is mild steel, and that is no surprise. But might there be a pro-prietary name for this steel product available to the Wolseley Works in 1933/34? And who was the supplier? Perhaps one of our British readers can help?
M.Santin
Page 4 Hornet Special Newsletter
REGISTRAR’S SEARCHIn 2014 the search of old newspaper classified advertisements was undertaken with added vigour.
We possessed a smattering of classifieds before now, but with considerable assistance from Bill Russell we are now heading towards collecting every Hornet and Hornet Special advert ever placed in Australia.With other avenues of Hornet research almost exhausted – think, for example, of ex-owner interviews, or the searching of state registration records – the classifieds present the best hope of finding treasures. This doesn’t suggest we hope to flush out dusty cars languishing in sheds, but rather, find the solution to the grand puzzle of “how many?”, “where, who and when?” and “what did it look like?”. It feels like ghost hunting, as a car advertised in one suburb seems to reappear in the next suburb 3 years later. But was it the same car? To answer this we must find the occupiers of both addresses, and the persons using those phone numbers. Can we connect them? Where are their descendents and do they have any old family photos? It goes on….
All states have been covered, including regional areas. So we find Hornet Specials have been advertised in all the majors but also in publications such as the Broken Hill Barrier Miner, the Illawarra Daily Mercury, Nepean Times of Penrith, Newcastle Morning Herald and the Toowoomba Western Star.
How complete is the search? Answer: about 40% done. Some 1200 ads have been found, 400 of which are interesting enough to have been added to the database.
Here are some recent discoveries:
“FAIRY”, advertised 28th June 1951, the South Coast Times and Wollongong ArgusFOR SALE - 1934 Wolseley Hornet Sports Roadster, good order, 6 Donald St, Fairy Meadow
“FORESTVILLE”, advertised 18th Feb 1950, the Adelaide AdvertiserWOLSELEY Hornet Special tourer 4 seater 14hp. Really sporty bargain, £385 or offer. 18a Second Ave Forestville
“VELVET”, advertised 15th Dec 1951, the Melbourne AGE
“HUNTINGDALE”, advertised 10th Aug 1957, the Melbourne AGE
“BIRCHGROVE”, advertised 3rd Mar 1953, the Sydney Morning Herald
WOLSELEY Hornet, special twin carb., freewheel overdrive, auto start, ₤300 or offer. 10 Dock Rd, Birchgrove, WB2393
“WAX”, advertised 14th Aug 1948, the Melbourne AGE
Wolseley Hornet Special Tourer 32 mod bargain $110 Holder, 18 St Johns Ave Mont Albert WX2916
Issue 60 Page 5
“TRUNK”, advertised 21st Oct 1944, the Melbourne AGE
The following advertisements were not listed as Wolseleys, but are too good to resist.
“TOOFAST”, advertised 17th Feb 1951, the Melbourne AGE
“BEATTHIS”, advertised 18th July 1959, the Melbourne AGE
M.Santin
Col Schiller’s ‘34 WHS Airline Coupe’s progress
QUEENSLAND COUPE’S RESTORATION
If any members have kept the original advertisements of their own vehicle, or any other Hornet, please forward a copy.
BEAT THIS MAN. Here’s a cool sports job for you Cats. Low slung,
sleek shape, real anchors, lots of go, runs on a wisp of gas. Corners? Like a train on rails Dad, like a train on rails. It’s got the lot. It’s new. It’s great. You can wheel this machine out of our show-rooms for about 100 slices – Pay off on a spin a week. Cast off now and beat it down here in your heap. Sandringham Motor Co. Pty. Ltd. 185 Bay Rd., San-dringham. XW3646-TRANSLATION-
Page 6 Hornet Special Newsletter
RECONCONDITIONED WATER PUMPSI have reconditioned two water pumps, one went to John Higham so there is one available for anyone who needs it. These are available to any member on an exchange basis – no charge – the only cost being the freight.
During the work on the pumps I became aware that the greas-ing caps are in short supply. The original nipples do not fit modern grease guns, so I have made up a few to replace them. Some owners just replace the brass grease caps with a modern grease nipple but it does not look as good as the brass assem-bly. In the photographs above, the top one is my manufacture with a modern grease nipple incorporated and the bottom one is the original.
John Higham says, “The rear section is about to be primed and painted on the inside so that the panel can be perma-nently fixed to the timber frame which should happen this week. Note that the body tub is one piece. The front valance has been made and the headlamp bedstead has been rebuilt”.
“The top and the louvred side panels of the bonnet are primed and will be fitted shortly with a new hinge. So it is getting close to the doors and mudguards, some work on which has been done”.
“In the mean time I have been stocking up on new engine parts from the UK as well as new rear half shafts, new splined wheel hubs all round, Rudge Whitworth spinners and have had the wire wheels (not on the car) refurbished. The radiator has been refurbished with a new core, but not chromed. John Prentice and Joe Wilson have helped fill a large number of
gaps on the mechan-ical side, but the engine will not be rebuilt until the body is finished”.
JOHN HIGHAM’S PROGRESS
Lyle Cooper
Lyle’s progress has been a step backwards due to a head gasket leak, so he is incorporating the “Peter Baker” gasket reinforcement as reported in Newsletter Issue 55, December 2013. He is taking the op-portunity to incorporate a pressure oil feed to the rear main as shown in the photo (as fitted to late 1933 engines) and is also incorporating a pressure oil feed to the front main and a neoprene oil seal.
LYLE COOPER’S PROGRESS
The piped oil feed (the factory oil feed utilized the gallery between the engine block and the rear engine mount casting and relied on accurate machining and a gasket).
Issue 60 Page 7
The Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia’s PROVISIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE AGM weekend at Bathurst NSW on 13-16 NOVEMBER 2015 has been distributed to financial members by email, however all 1930 - 1935 Hornet enthusiasts are welcome to attend. Please query John Higham at the email address or phone number below.
Once in a lifetime opportunity for your Hornet to circuit the Mount Panorama course Pit Straight, Hell Corner, Mountain Straight, Griffins Bend, The Cutting, Brocky’s Skyline, The Esses, The Dipper, Forrest’s Elbow, Conrod Straight, The Chase and Murray’s Corner.
We hope you will support the aim of getting as many Hornets to Bathurst as possible. Wouldn’t it be great to see 10 Hornets lined up on Pit or Conrod Straight!
An interesting and exciting program has been planned by John Prentice and John Higham in conjunction with Bill and Rhonda Trollope, including the Partner’s Program.
The MG Pre War Register is having a meet in Bathurst on the same weekend, with 75 cars registered at this early stage.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Interstate Member Options: Bathurst is abt 3 hrs drive from Sydney - 200km the Great Western Highway M4/ A32.
Drive your Hornet to Bathurst.•
Drive your car with trailered Hornet (parking available at Motel); OR hitch a ride with someone •attending
Fly into Sydney and hire a car from the airport. •
Bus and/or Train to Bathurst - Limited • early morning train service from Central Station in Sydney to Bathurst takes just over 3.5hrs at a cost of less than $40. Another option is to catch a train from Central Station, Sydney to Lithgow (departures hourly and take less than 3 hrs) and then a bus to Bathurst (1hr).
Bus leaves Sydney Airport at 11am and arrive Bathurst at 4.40pm - 5.5hrs.
Refer: www.sydneytrains.info/timetables/timetables_by_line.htm
Distances from: Melbourne to Bathurst via M31 800k 8 hrs; Brisbane to Bathurst via New England Hwy A15/B84 1000k 12hrs; Adelaide to Bathurst 1175k via Mid Western Hwy/B64 13hrs.
ACCOMMODATION/QUERIES:
Get in early and book your room at the Quality Hotel Bathurst, a special rate of $129 p/n includes continental breakfast (16 Queen rooms will be held until end October). Quote Reference: Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Aust. More up-market rooms are also available, should the Queen Rooms all be booked.
Please advise John Higham – [email protected] Ph 02 62381559 of your intention to attend, as well as your partner, so that bookings for activities can be made. John will also answer any queries you may have.
2015 AGM and HORNET EXTRAVAGANZA
The Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc. (Victoria, No. A0034589S) exists to encourage the preserva-tion and use of Wolseley Hornets, Sports and Specials. The Club and its Committee take no responsibility for the accuracy of this newsletter’s content nor for the consequences of acting upon any information published herein.
John Ireland writes from the Gold CoastKevin Dowson-Park, on the right in the photo, and his son Charles visited me on Sunday 21st. Kevin is a WHSC member from Wales. I took them out in the car which they much appreciated. Kevin has a nearly completed ‘34 WHS with two seater body similar to Alec Sturgess’ car. Regards John.
Issue of all WHSCA Newsletters on compact disc.The Committee has electronically scanned all News-letters and is considering how best to distribute these to members free of charge.
TEETH ON THE SEAT
Photos of Jim Carr’s ‘34 Doctors Coupe advertised FOR SALE in the last Newsletter. Email [email protected]
WANTEDFor Brian McMillan of the Vintage Car Club of Qld - a 1913 Wolseley EngineContact: 0412 303 477
Mike Hawthorne is com-mencing the restoration of his 1931 vertical dynamo Hornet Coupe, see News-letter issue 46 Sept 2011, with the upholstery and asks how the upwards-pointing “teeth” at each side of the top rear of the seat back function for ad-justment?
