Out with the old in with the older at Super Southern Swap Meet

15 March, 2016

A vast array of new and used automotive parts were up for grabs at the Super Southern Swap Meet, held at Kustoms Clubrooms in Christchurch on Sunday, March 13. The swap meet was open to automotive items only with everything from tyres, wheels, lights, and the usual unwanted hoardings available for a price. Several complete cars were even amongst the items with a price tag on them. There was an Mk3 Zephyr that looked like it was pulled out from under some trees, and a 1930 Willys, which had a $10K price tag on it.

For those who arrived early and needed their caffeine fix, coffee and snacks were available. After looking around at the parts and parting with some money, it was time to have a look around the car display, which had a great selection of vehicles on show. Even though there was the threat of Cyclone Pam hitting, it was great to see that the weather remained clear and warm, with plenty of people making the most of it.

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.

Out with the old in with the older at Super Southern Swap Meet

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