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Like most Australians I'm locked up in solitary confinement in my home and unable to leave unless it's to get food , medical supplies or exercise all within a 3 mile radius and time limited too.
My cars, model making and pin striping tools and equipment are over 100 miles away and I cannot travel there, because it's not my primary address.

Hope life is better in the US, this place has gone nuts as I think whilst covid effects normal people's respiratory system it has completely destroyed the minds of all our alleged leaders and politicians.

Howdy gang, just figured I'd pop by and say Gidday.

Nuthin much happening at all down this a ways.  We're in the third week of our second wave lockdown, the first was bad enough but that's to a bunch of inconsiderate mindless morons the thing has taken off again and we've got three or four times the problem and death rate that we had first go around.

For me it's like solitary confinement.  No visitors allowed only reason to be out in public is gathering food, headed to work, helping the needy/elderly or exercise.   Must wear a mask if outside and cannot venture out of your postal code area.

Been no car guy activities here since March.

Not long home from another Kustom Nationals.  despite a bit of smoke haze we had a great turnout of cars and people for the weekend.  As usual I had a couple of my trusty image recorders handy so here's a few of my favourite shots.

So...everyone keeps saying that down under, the water in the drains swirls in a different direction, you drive on the wrong side of the road, your seasons are backwards, and now I see that you 'drive' your steam engines backwards also. Is all this true?  

depends which way you look at it.

Some very cool cars. Love that white Ford that looks like a cross of a U.S. Mustang and Torino. I imagine a lot of the older cars from the '30's and '40's were imported from the U.S.  Do the cars have to be converted to right hand drive or can they stay left hand drive?  Is there an Aussie aftermarket to make these conversions? Just curious.

The white coupe is a Ford Falcon, the styling cues are more Torino than Mustang.  

Most of the 30's and 40s cars arrived here as a RHD rolling chassis from Canada and the bodies were made locally.  Some are very much like the US models like the 35/6 touring sedans.  Although the one subtle difference is the swage line on US models kids up where it goes around the corner of the D pillar and over the trundled.  The Aussie one just goes straight around.

by the fifties we pressed most of the panels here, but the cars were still unique because our volume dictated the need to carry a model for longer than the US.  This our '56 and 8 Fords are a variation of the US 55/6 models.  

Ford Australia started making bodies towards the end of Model T.  Before that bodies were made by a number of coachbuilders and no two were exactly the same.

The Model 40 is probably the most unique of the Aussie early Ford bodies as it was made using a number of carry over parts from 1932.  For example my sedan has '32 rear doors and the entire rear section of the roof is '32 sedan.  The front doors are therefore totally unique to Australia and beacause the rear doors are short the body sits atop the chassis like a '32 and there's a spare (unique) spear shaped panel that fills the gap between the lower body and running boards.

The next day, January 1st I took my houseguests to play on my model train layout.



























After they departed my place I returned to being a retired old bugger where there's six Saturdays and one Sunday in every week and I do what I like whenever the urge strikes me to do it.

Amazingly the smoke cleared on Christmas ever so we started the year watching fireworks across the city and suburbs from my front verandah, was all quite spectacular.

But then, there was some whistling from aone street away and we looked around the end of the street to see a fireworks show almost as big as what most municipalities  had put on>

I couldn't believe what I was being as we live a hundred feet away from millions of acres of national park when half the country is on fire!  Well not quite that mush but an area about the size of California has already been burned out.  Like really how could people living in this area be so stupid?  And then there's the fact that it's illegal for unlicensed people to purchase fireworks here and also illegal for people to let them off at home or in an uncontrolled environment.  Fortunately as a result of everybody being on edge in respect to fires, the cops were quick to arrive and deal with it.

On New years Day my club The Confederates hosted our 31st Annual New years day Picnic In The Park by the beachfront at Mornington.

Right now I'm sitting outside my house gazing at the sky as I reflect on one hand with melancholy for Chritmases past and on the other with happiness as I contemplate Christmas future.

Got both my original and new families to my fresh digs for what I hope is a truly memorable day for all the right reasons.

Sorry I haven't been the most attentive or active member of the roundtable, but all things considered I've had a great year and I hope too so has everybody else here.

It's only an hour and a half away from Christmas morning here and I wish you and your families all the best for Christmas day plus health, happiness and prosperity as the new decade rolls on.

Just back from a long week of car guy activities.  Started with a classic car show Saturdayof last week.  It had been deferred a couple of times during the year due to bad weather, so on Saturday morning we had torrential rain.  A few cars turned out but quickly left the scene when they discovered how waterlogged it was.

Sunday was my club's month breakfast and afterwards we all headed to Berwick for the annual rod and custom picnic.  Yeah I have lots of photos, maybe post a few tomorrow.

Tuesday was Melbourne Cup day, which is a holiday here, yeah we get a day off for a horse race.  Anyhow the day started with a swap meet on one side of the world, a shop open day and BBQ in the middle and an afternoon cruise in car show on the opposite side of the world.  We made all 3, yeah I got photos of that too.

Friday morning we headed out with jeanette's 48 coupe loaded to the gunnels for a weekend away in new south wales.  Not a run for Corey's model A so four of us were jammed in a business coupe for 5 hours each way.  And Dolly too.

It was a great weekend but marred by a tragic accident on the drag strip.  The driver was airlifted to Melbourne for emergency treatment and remains in a pretty bad way.

The trip home was uneventful except that by the time we got here I had a nasty cold.  Posted some pics for the locals on facebook and added some words and pictures int the next issue of the Flathead Ford V8 Times.  Newsletter of the EFV8 Club for which I'm editor and social director.

So Im now back on track for a prefect score of at least one car guy even every weekend of the year.  With more than two or three events some weekends I'll blow it out of the water.

About six hours into a new painting, this one is a lot of fun, but frustrating at the same time.

That looks awesome so far.  Keep at it so I can see the finished product, I'll give you until next week, OK?  

Hang around the RRT ... post a bit as you can.  We all enjoy it..  :!:

Like a bad smell!  

OK it seems I have it all sussed out including how to resize for quick easy loading and to fit a smaller screen than mine.

My '33 Ford has changed a little since it last appeared here and it's almost at the point where it can be called 'done'.



The Humpy has been cleaned up and the last job was restoration of the wheels I had custom made back in 1970.  Not an inexpensive job but they are more perfect than before and the car is now exactly as it was 47 years ago.

Outside my future In-Law's house in 1970, with shiny new wheels.


Same location today.



In-law's driveway about 12 months before our wedding day.



Almost the same location today.



That'll do for now as I don't think you need a bazillion images posted here from me, if you're interested in what's been happening then maybe make me your facebook friend and we can save Enjenjo some bandwidth. and Ill stick with what's relevant for here.

Thanks Chris, let's see if this works.

https://i.postimg.cc/NjBwQ7MC/Corey-Burnout.jpg

OK that sorta worked, but it appears this works gooder..



Explanation of the image.  My lady's 18 year old son who learned to drive in his mother's V8 Hot Rod, is no longer allowed to drive it now he has a license.   The fresh license also is on probation for 3 years and as such isn't allowed to drive a V8 powered car.  But he is allowed to drive a stock(ish) 90 year old Model A Ford with no shock's mechanical brakes and all the other stuff that makes such a car a bit of a challenge.

The old gal is mint and a bunch of fun too, so as money allows, Corey is updating it with a few hot rod style modifications.  The front shocks transformed the way it drives and rear are the next challenge.  The wiring was a bit dodgy so Corey is slowly working his way through it and has already fitted a six volt alternator.  The wheels are stock '35 Ford up front with widened '32 units at the rear for that traditiona just right rubber rake.  There's a few leafs from the front springs also been sent on vacation and that helped soften the way it rides.  Braking requires a few days advance planning and steering means getting started on winding the wheel a few minutes before arriving at the corner.  But boy is it a bunch of fun.  Corey's mum has given me a second lease on life but this old car and it's young owner take me back to when life was something else altogether.

Anyhow we have a friend Nom Hardinge, who has a couple of Bonneville and DLRA records under his belt plus a 300mph club membership and every time Norn see's Corey he greets him with, "Hey Corey, your car is full of sick, do a burnout!"  So recently Norm received this image of Corey at the wheel of his old banger doing an awesome burnout.

That sucks big time Tony and reinforces what I have always said.  No matter how tough you think things may be there's always somebody worse off.

The last thing my late wife said to me while I held her in my arms as she took her last breath was, "Just get on with it."  And so I am.

Busy sunday afternoon... I am down to months before retirement and "stuff" has to go.  Major down sizing is still happening.

Hey Tony, it's not necessary to downsize when you retire.  I'm keeping all my stuff so the kids have something to keep them busy once I'm gone.  

As for my problems, they are only so if you let them be so.  Yup, I have a few challenges but nothing I cant beat into submission.