Classics by the Beach: August, 2022

Regular readers might recall that this Tonka-tough Kei truck has featured in a previous Classics by the Beach post. That's a fairly strict no-no for us; we at Upper Middle Petrol Head try, whenever possible, to bring you something new and exciting from each monthly instalment of Hobart's first-Sunday of the month car meet and to not repeat ourselves.

However, that all ended when I saw the Daihatsu performing its more than meets the eye party trick, transforming from what looks like a bog-standard flat-tray to a tipper in an instant, courtesy of a fairly serious looking hydraulic ram. That fulfils the new and exciting criterion, I reckon!

Fortunately for me, Classics stalwart AJ is a friend of the owner and asked him if he'd be prepared to reprise the performance so that I could video it for my newly established Instagram account (please feel free to follow me at uppermiddlepetrolhead)! Here’s a YouTube link, just in case you’ve missed my latest cinematic masterpiece; https://youtu.be/PCzgvJY6WYg .

But wait! There's (even) more!! Raising the tray revealed some of the very, very tidiest wiring that I've ever seen. I mean, I'm a bit of an electro-neat freak but the cable work on this machine is next level. We're not just talking carefully routed wires in split conduit, a bit of heat-shrink and some evenly spaced cable ties; our man has welded his own loom tabs to the chassis to ensure that everything's 100% secure and that there's no possibility of the circuits being damaged. He's even added his own multi-junction earth plates to guarantee the lowest resistance grounds possible. The fuel system plumbing is similarly well executed, too.

There’s also a custom-built rain tray protecting the mid-mounted engine and electricals, air horns have been fitted, and auxiliary illumination comes courtesy of an LED light bar and a pair of old school amber-lensed Narva fog lights. All the aftermarket switch gear in the cab features fighter jet-style covers, which is a bit of fun, even if they’re not for arming a pair of air-to-air missiles!

Don’t let the Kei truck cuteness fool you! It might be micro-sized but this Death Machine features a proper four-wheel-drive drivetrain, including a high / low transfer case, which combines with the vehicle’s light weight and tiny dimensions to create a fairly capable off-roader. The tipper function’s no gimmick, either; it was used as recently as last week to dump the tray’s contents without the need for any sweaty shovel work.

My best guess is that the vast majority of the cars that follow - with the possible exception of the 1962 Bristol V8 shown in the next six photos - won’t require a lot of explanation. That being so, we might draw the commentary on this month’s CBTB to a close. Please enjoy the rest of the photos and do consider taking a bit of a look around the rest of the UMPH site!

Thanks, as always, to all the wonderful car owners for displaying their magnificent machines and, in particular, to those who took the time to discuss them with me. It’s hugely appreciated!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

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

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

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