The Long Way Round

What drives sensible people to do stupid things? Some smoke, despite overwhelming evidence that it will probably make them prematurely dead. Others drink and drive. Then there are those who join religious cults, think that tattoos of their kids' names done in joined-up writing look classy or believe that McDonald's actually employ baristas.

UMPH has tried to live a moderately intelligent life. He stopped attempting to ride motorbikes years ago, more often than not drinks in moderation and has never once voted Liberal. So what on this funny little planet possessed him to buy a Fiat and why did he think it was a good idea to detour down Tasmania's east coast on his way home from the Longford Revival?

It may have been the weather. The Weber twins' sweet music might have seduced him, too, as he and his mate from the last two Huon Valley adventures turned left at Conara and headed east - that and the fact he couldn't face the Midlands Highway twice in one day.

The run east started well enough; save a minor delay behind a line-marking truck, the road was largely clear and the Exxie was running beautifully. Fingal. Avoca. St Mary's. Then down to Falmouth where the coast began and the view opened up.

The Fiat continued to thrust along, now heading south, taking hills and bends in its stride. The car's inherent mid-engined balance, low-profile tyres and coil-over suspension had it cornering like an F1 racer while its gauges reassured UMPH that everything was hunky-dory. So far, so good.

Maybe it's a bit down on power? Missing, just a little? It's holding its speed; temperature and oil gauges are reading okay. Probably a slight fuel blockage. It'll clear.

Nope. It is slowing a bit. Not much. But noticeable. Temperature's up, too. Not in the red but climbing ...

Bicheno's not too far; better check the engine there. If we make it, that is.

Temp's hit the red! And what's that? Smoke? Yep. UMPH can smell very, very hot oil and the temperature gauge has now hit zero. WTF?!?

A picture paints a thousand words

Another thousand words (AKA a blown head gasket)

And what of the Longford Revival? Not worth the drive*, to be frank. However, here are a few of the more interesting cars that were on display:

* Even if UMPH's day hadn't turned to faeces.

This fabulous XB wagon was parked in the church car park opposite the festival.

Perfect paint ; a brilliant restoration.

This Caprice was also parked at the church

Very tasteful

The De Ville variant. Just as nice and also parked at the church.

Thanks go to David the Triabunna tow-truck driver for taking care of the Exxie when UMPH would have happily rolled it over a cliff, and to the Bison and Meriloy for their assistance. Thank you, too, to the concerned lady that offered UMPH her mobile phone whilst waiting in Bicheno.

UMPH
(former Italian car afficionado).

PS: If you enjoyed this post, please visit http://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au for more classic cars, route suggestions and Tasmanian dining experiences.

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

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