Enthusiast Essentials: have you got all of these in your shed?

29 July, 2016

With the diverse range of vehicles covered by our motoring titles, New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car, it’s clear that the car enthusiast demographic is incredibly varied. So how do you curate a shopping basket to cater for a car person, whether they’re into imports, V8s, or classics? Our editors have discovered a heap of products this month, and there’s sure to be something that every car enthusiast will want to add to their collection.

Vintage style

Now these would look cool in your garage! Road-Relics stocks a range of reproduction parts for Australasian petrol pumps, with clock faces, decals, pump parts, visibowls, nozzles, and more, all to cover early electric and manual pumps.

Large decals have an RRP of $30, globes have an RRP of $395, and there’s a special RRP of $35 for an oil-bottle spout, cap, and decal of choice. All prices include GST.

Call 027 9377 177, email [email protected], or visit road-relics.co.nz for more information.

Stop the surge

If you’ve got a first-gen Camaro, Holden HQ, or anything else with a terrible factory fuel tank design, Holley has you covered. The new Holley HydraMat solves the problems associated with traditional fuel pickups up steep inclines, and during hard cornering, acceleration, stopping, and low-fuel conditions. HydraMat’s unique internal reservoir means fuel remains available even under extreme fuel conditions. It acts as a 15-micron pre-filter, and is also suitable for alcohol, ethanol, methanol, and E85 fuels.

To find out more, or to purchase for $369.68 plus GST, contact the team at Segedins Auto Spares on 09 638 6439.

Low loader

If your show car or race car sits at the right height, you’re probably no stranger to trailer-loading hassles. Futura Trailers has just the solution, with its new aluminium Low Loader. Lower it to the ground with just one press of a button, simply push or drive your car onto the deck, raise the trailer, tie the load down, and you’re off.

The trailers are built in Auckland from lightweight, high-strength, precision-machined 6005 aluminium, and simple lifting technology allows for safe and easy loading.

Pricing starts at $7800 for the single axle or $10,900 for the tandem. For more information, or to order, email [email protected], phone 021 918 800, or visit futuratrailers.com.

Handle the jandal

Get your second-gen Mustang handling the way it deserves to, with the Hotchkis Total Vehicle System package. The package includes tubular control arms — designed for ultimate grip, with geometry-corrected suspension angles — and Hotchkis coil springs, with rose-jointed adjustable strut rods, heavy-duty tie rod sleeves, and a lightweight 32mm front sway bar. The rear end gains Hotchkis multi-leaf springs, subframe connectors, and an adjustable rear sway bar, with a full set of Fox aluminium sports shocks. The kit includes everything required for installation into your ’67–’70 Mustang, for a vintage Mustang that handles like a modern sports car.

For more information, pricing, or to order, get in touch with Paul Manuell at Eastern Automotive Performance Centre on 09 274 2941.

Dune slayer

Sometimes the quad bike just ain’t cutting it across the sand dunes, or you want to take a buddy along with you for the ride. You could pour cash into a heavy old four-wheel drive, or make the smarter choice and get your hands on the new Maverick Turbo. With an additional 22kW on the regular model, the Maverick Turbo is home to a Rotax 1000R and good ol’ snail, and pumps out 98kW.

Available now for $35,699 — Contact JFK Powersports on 09 276 6817 to book a test ride.

Unrivaled support

Fortune Auto is a name that needs no introduction across these pages — it’s recognized for its high-end suspension products, most notably found in a gaggle of time-attack series and Formula Drift. It’s the only company still assembling and servicing shocks in the US, and every shock that leaves the factory floor is hand-built to the customer’s requirements.

Fortune Auto shocks are available at a starting price of $1950, ranging up to $12,000 — for further information check out fortune-auto-newzealand.com.

WedsSport SA10R

  • Finish: Zebra Black
  • Size: 18×10.5-inch
  • PCD: 5×114.3
  • Offset: +25

prosportauto.co.nz

Faded no more

Prolonged exposure to UV rays and the elements causes plastic headlight lenses to become oxidized and a yellow hazed look is produced over time. The Rain-X Headlight Restoration Kit provides an easy, three-step solution to restore your headlights back to their original clarity. Not only will your headlights be clear once again, but night-time visibility for the driver and other motorists will also be improved.

Available from leading automotive and hardware retailers for a retail price around the $60 mark — head to rainx.co.nz for further information.

Volks Rollers

Wheels, as they say, make or break the car. And, if you’re looking to update your old Volkswagen’s looks without detracting from its classic essence, look no further than EMPI classic wheels. These look great on any classic Volkswagen and are available from Qualitat, the official stockist, in a wide range of multiple sizes.

EMPI wheels are priced from $175 (incl. GST), and you can find out more by contacting the Qualitat team on 09 579 3710 or visiting qualitat.co.nz.

Get pumped

Whether you’re restoring a classic or looking after your daily-driver, at some point, you will need to replace the fuel pump. Do it right, and use a BN-brand mechanical fuel pump for your carburetted engine, with hundreds of available models to suit all kinds of British, European, and Japanese vehicles, and tractors. The fuel pumps are made to ISO 9001 quality certification — tried and tested — and start from $90 (excl. GST).

Get in touch with Quality Rebuilds Ltd at qualityrebuilds.com or phone 09 267 4700 to find out more.

 

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.