Five environmentally friendly ways to use your car

13 May, 2015

In today’s increasingly environmentally conscious world, keeping an old classic car on the road is a genuinely responsible activity. You’re extending the usable life of the car — as classic car enthusiasts, we know that we can keep a good car on the road for at least a century-plus, as long as we look after it and treat it to a refurbishment every few decades or so.

By running a classic car for a long period of time — let’s say 20 years or thereabouts — we won’t be requiring as many modern cars. Remembering that over 20 years, an average motorist will ‘consume’ a car every two to three years. Even if the classic car of your choice is a thunderous, gas-guzzling, big block V8-engined muscle car, your environmental footprint will still be smaller than the bloke who whistles through up to 10 fuel-efficient modern cars over that same two-decade period.

However, there comes a time when some cars are simply way past their sell-by date; they’re too rusty, too expensive, or simply not worth the effort to restore. Such cars are inevitably scrapyard-bound, destined to end their days slowly rusting away in a landfill or, if they’re lucky, being processed and eventually recycled.

But it doesn’t have to be that way — help save the planet by adopting one of these DIY uses for that old rusty car sitting in the lean-to alongside your home garage.

1. Cook off

Of course, a car BBQ is an absolute must-have for the classic car chef. Cook up a storm for your mates and fellow car club members. Another bonus: you can hitch this one up to your classic car and take it to your next show. Chuck another prawn on the barbie, mate!

2. Flower power

You just can’t beat that old classic car back up — bunging in a few shrubs and flowers will turn any beat-up old car into a joy to behold.

3. A good night’s sleep

That’s guaranteed when you convert your favourite US cruiser into a stylish bed, especially when your bedroom’s been themed to match. Just make sure you get the nod from your partner before going ahead — otherwise you’ll be planning this one for your bachelor pad!

4. Shoot-’em-up

Tired of looking at the rusty old Mustang that you simply can’t afford to restore. Well, drag it out of your lock-up, get the gas axe out and convert it into a pool table. That’ll put the balls back into this pony car … right down one of the pockets!

5. Trailblazer

Finally, chopping off the rear end of that old Morrie cut any restoration work down by a big margin — no engine, gearbox, interior, or electric to work on. Result: a cool trailer to pull with your traveller.

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.