RON DAW

       Ron is a founding member of the Veteran & Vintage Chevrolet Association of Australia (Queensland) Inc. 


     Sometime ago I was with John Wheeler and his '34 tourer, when I made comment on how difficult it would be to do a story on Ron Daw and the restoration of one of the many vehicles that he has owned. John at that time agreed and stated that the best way would be to do a member’s profile, so here goes.

 
Ron, at the age of 16, left school to become an apprenticed electrician employed by Queensland Rail. The trial period of 3 months came to an end and Ron found he couldn't even wire a 3-point plug. Realizing that this career was not for him he left for a more challenging position at a local foundry where he signed on as an apprenticed moulder, casting mainly with brass and aluminium.

 

Shortly after, still aged 16, Ron noticed a 1929 Chev tourer for sale and purchased it. Parts were required and he found an advertisement in the Courier Mail selling 1928 Chev parts. Not knowing the difference at that time he went to look at the parts which were being sold by Harry Burton. It was here he also met up with Bryan Cantrell and both Harry and Bryan visited Ron to look at his '29. They became mates and shortly after Harry noted a story in a magazine titled "Crash Bang" about the newly formed VVCAA Club based in Sydney. (Crash Bang was a trade magazine of the 3M Company, where John De Brincat worked at the time. The article featured his 1926 tourer and the formation of the VVCAA in Sydney.) The three agreed it would be great if a club could be started in Brisbane, so an advertisement was placed in the Courier Mail for a meeting to be held at Ron's parents’ home to discuss the prospects of opening a Queensland Branch. 

 

Bryan was the contact for enquiries received from the advert and around a dozen prospective members attended.

 

Ron owned the '29 for 12 months and decided an upgrade was required as a mate of his had just sold his '27 Chev and had purchased a '34 Ford tourer the shape of which Ron was keen on. He looked at the photos of his parents’ ‘34 Chev sedan and thought the shape was equally as good, so followed up on a few vehicles for sale including a ‘34 and ‘36 Ford coupe, however these weren’t for him. He did go to inspect a ‘34 Oldsmobile roadster which he regrets he was too late to see, as it had sold a few days earlier.   However, the owner had another 'spectacular' car for sale under his house -   a '34 Austin, which Ron reluctantly stated was a 'nice car' but he had no interest.

 

Soon after, Ron at work on a Saturday noticed in the Courier Mail, a ‘35 Chev Standard tourer for sale that he wanted to see. Approaching his boss he told him how 'crook' he felt and that he would have to go home. Permission was given, home he went and then on to inspect the advertised '35 tourer. Driving down the road in his '29, who should he see driving towards him but his boss on the other side of the road, no doubt Ron was trying to look invisible as the boss's car passed by. Arriving at work Monday, his boss asked Ron "did my car see your car on Saturday?" A little more than a bit embarrassing for Ron!

 

The car advertised was in Everton Park and on arriving Ron found that the owner was - 'away up north' - and the owner's father was selling the car on behalf of his son, Joe Foxley. Ron purchased this vehicle for the princely sum of $140. Years later when Ron was making a delivery to the Golden Valley Hotel in Samford he noticed the Licensee's name was Joe Foxley and he introduced himself to Joe as the purchaser of his ‘35 tourer. Joe was an unhappy chappie about this purchase and was very scathing of his brother who without permission, had sold his car to Ron . Ron didn't say anything as Joe's father was sitting at the bar at the time and Ron decided it was time to leave!

 

The '29 was sold and the '35 became Ron's everyday car and the first car for Ron to   gain expertise on. The first job was to paint it two- tone blue over the two-tone brown and Ron states he was pleased with the job. 

 

The collection had begun. 




Next, not necessarily in order, came a '35 Master tourer, a '41 coupe which was swapped for a '35 roadster in 1973 and a VW. Yes you read it correctly, a VW!



The VW and Master tourer were sold to fund a trip to USA with a friend, Graham Poulson. They initially arrived in L.A. and stayed with the editor of the Chev Club magazine and his family for several weeks. A '62 Chev wagon was purchased and then the lads toured the States for 6 months both bird-watching and car-watching. Ron returned to Brisbane and the foundry and stayed for a further 3 years until he purchased his first delivery truck and became an owner/driver.

 

Ron purchased a sewing machine to make a tarp' for his truck and took a TAFE course on upholstery to improve his skills. Daryl Stark took time to pass on his knowledge of welding and lead wiping to Ron and the timber and mechanical work came naturally.

 

His first major project was an FJ Holden sedan which he purchased in 1983. The 3 year project saw the sedan become a convertible, and the masterful shaping of the   boot to encase the upright spare wheel. This car is still in Ron's collection and is spectacular.

 

 Talking further with Ron revealed that over the years more cars came and went, including a '35 Standard sedan, '33 & ‘34 coupe and I am sure a few others he's forgotten, however the '35 tourer still remained.







Throughout the '70s & ‘80s Ron attended swap meets and collected Chev parts wherever he could and I am only one of many people he has helped out with parts and knowledge over the years.

 

In 1995 a '35 Master utility came Ron's way and a 2 year project began. The ute was in 'pretty poor nick' and took every minute Ron had to spare. Again the vehicle still remains in Ron's collection and is a tribute to the craftsman he is. Ron swore that this was the last restoration.

 

 

 
Memories fade and in 1998 at a swap in Rockhampton, Ron met a chap who was selling 7 of his 9 cars which were located in Innisfail. Photos of a '34 Master roadster were sent to Ron and a purchase price of $2,500 was negotiated and accepted. The car was shipped to Ron in a container on Queensland Rail and upon opening the container Ron thought "what have I done?"   He was sorry he had purchased it and actually advertised it for sale the following weekend but had no takers.

 

Well what to you do with a '34 roadster with all his knowledge? You restore it, don't you.   Of the original '34 he used the front cross member, firewall and three quarters of the roadster section. Every other panel is from different cars. Standard guards that Ron had in his collection were swapped for Master guards and numerous other parts from Laurie Scheuber. Then 4 guards were made from the 7 gained. Parts from 22 cars were used in the cowl and windscreen alone. 

 

Don Moyland assisted Ron greatly with the making and shaping of panels. A blue flame motor rebuilt at Wilsons’ was bolted to an auto Turbo 400. A Falcon diff and hydraulic brakes from a '37 Chev and 16" Pontiac wire wheels made it go forward and stop. Nine years later Ron drove it to Wagga Wagga on the 2007 run and had no problems. I, like a lot of others, are very impressed with this vehicle and again it remains in Ron's stable

 

 
In 2006 Ron imported a ‘47 Indian motorbike from the USA and enjoys outings now with the Indian Club.  As you would expect, Ron has "tidied the bike up" and it looks a picture.



The Brisbane floods arrived in 2011 and Ron was one of the many to have major problems. He awoke during the night and found it eerily quiet. On arising he found flood water in his back yard and had enough time only to save his vehicles and a few personal items. His house is a Queensland high-set with a good size shed on the lower backyard, housing car parts and the '35 tourer on blocks. The shed went completely under as did the '35, and the lower level of the house. Ron's tools and laundry with sewing machines and numerous parts were fully inundated and the top level of his home had water reaching half way up the walls.

 

Friends and Club members rallied together to help when the water subsided. When visiting Ron for this story, I found him finishing the last of the repainting inside his home. A new kitchen and laundry has been fitted and later in the month the floors will be repolished and carpet laid. Nearly four months of heartache but the end is near. 

 

Typical of Ron, he states that others are worse off than he and that he was relatively lucky! Ron was humbled by the support and help he received and would like to express his gratitude to all those that assisted him through this event. 

 

This of course has put his retirement plans on hold for a while but I'm sure his spirit will pull him through. He has a property in NSW waiting for him and the prospect of starting his retirement project - the restoration of the ‘35 tourer he purchased when he was 16 years old. The blue flame motor will be replaced with an original and the two- tone blue will become two-tone brown again. Three hides for the upholstery have been purchased from the Murwillumbah swap and many other parts are being collected. The new set of tyres previously purchased, floated away in the flood and Ron found one last week on the roof of his neighbour's shed along with his tent.

 

Talking further with Ron revealed that over the years more cars came and went , including a '35 Standard sedan, '33 & ‘34 coupe and I am sure a few others he's forgotten, however the '35 tourer still remains.

 
AAMI will not be paying his insurance claim, so we hope he gets a helping hand from the much maligned Premiers Flood Fund.

 

Meanwhile the cleaning of parts carries on with Ron looking for the right sized drum to make a molasses bath.

 

I'm sure Ron will do a great job of the '35 restoration and we all look forward to the end result.

 

Craig

                                                

1930 UNIVERSAL SEDAN (or 1931 SUBURBAN?)

       

 

   I will give you a hint, the best time to arrive at Ian and Nola's is around smoko, perhaps 10am. That is the time my wife Amanda and I arrived and came away several hours later full as a boot, that's after seeing their '30 Universal or '31 Suburban, but that part of the story will come later in the column.

It was back in '78/'79 that the Herse's took off to Mudgee on a rally in the '30 Roadster, all four of them in the front seat, that Ian thought he should be looking for another car. As Nola stated, "we looked like a tin of sardines driving down the road". On the return from Mudgee, Ian decided "we need a '28 Tourer to add to the collection" and was actively on the look out when Noel Enders of Ipswich mentioned that a "30 sedan was for sale out his way. Two '30's are better than one, so Ian went off to investigate and fell in love yet again. The vehicle was purchased for $900 and packed on the trailer for the homeward journey. On the way home Ian and Nola called in to see Ian's Brother, who on spotting the car stated, "you're on the wrong road for the dump". Undeterred the car came back to their shed and a meticulous rebuild.

Ian had gathered some information from the previous owner. He had purchased the vehicle from a lady in Ipswich, whose brother was the original owner. She had inherited the vehicle after her brother had passed away.The brother was a mechanic who was employed by Howard Motors based in Brisbane. The story goes that the owner of Howard motors, back in November of 1931, had called all the staff together at the end of the day and had told them the '32 models were expected shortly and until the '31 suburban was sold and off the lot, the staff could not go home. The mechanic either purchased the car because it was good , cheap or he wanted to go home, but anyway he became the owner. The new owner lived at Ipswich and travelled to Howard Motors daily in the Chev, which even today is a fair drive.

The vehicle when Ian and Nola purchased it had been sitting in a shed for years in the same condition as when the owner purchased it from the mechanics sister. Each of the four guards were torn to shreds and 3 wheels had been badly damaged, as all had been patched and welded at some point. Three doors were nailed shut,with only the front passenger opening, although the glass was missing. But the body was perfectly straight and rust free.

Ian got to work and discovered that the motor had a hole in the block the size of a fist, which had a piece of galvanised steel rivetted over it for a quick fix. The 2nd gear in the box had razor sharp teeth and the diff had a half turn in it before it took up. He decided the best thing to do is to start from a restored rolling chassis and this was not the one to start with. On purchasing another rolling chassis he commenced on a major rebuild, although he could not use one set of rear springs, as every leaf was broken and they were strenghtened by a shaped piece of Ironbark, attached by No.8 wire. Of the mechanicals of the original running gear of the vehicle purchased, Ian used only the horn and generator. Ian is well versed with anything mechanical, being of a farming background with heavy machinery knowledge and completed all of the rolling chassis rebuild withs parts sourced from Ian Maris. Ian had learnt something from when he restored his '30 Roadster some years before where he had used one of those new fangled machines to clean the motor, a water blaster! The owner of the machine had told Ian to just point and sqeeze the trigger which he did, after he saw the owner scarper away to the backblocks. He was covered in black s*** in the first second but decided to go on and finish. This time he took the clean option and acid dipped the motor and it came back as shiny as a sixpence. Over the moon Ian rebuilt the motor and all other mechanicals of the vehicle. On completing he started the motor every week and would bring it up to temperature before shutting it down. He found that the oil pressure was dropping although their was no oil loss. He kept checking the level until one day their was no oil showing on the dipstick. On pulling the sump off he found that the oil had turned to jelly and there was no liquid oil at all.He believes that the acid leaching from the block caused a chemical reaction which turned the oil to jelly. Luckily he had added Wynns Friction Proofing and the bearings were not affected. He trailered the body over to a timber "professional" on the Northside of Brisbane who at that time had a good name for his work. Some time later Ian picked up the completed body late afternoon, paid for it and trailered it home. Nola states that he burst in the next morning and said " I am going over to kill that b****". On checking the work ,he found nothing lined up or closed properly on the whole body. On calming down he went to work fixing the problems, which took all his spare time over 5 weeks. He added more bracing where required to stop the sagging and realigned the doors. This took five weeks of every bit of free time he had. Then to the panel repair and paint which Ian undertook himself and is a real credit to him. Upholstery was sent to a shop in Beenleigh and is still in very good nick, in gold velour, which suits the style of car.

In '82, the day before leaving to the Parkes rally, Ian picked up the car from the upholsterers. In the afternoon he arrived home proud as Punch and decided the head needed retensioning before leaving the next day. On goes the tensioner on the left hand front stud and the corner of the head fell off. Ian promptly got on the phone to his brother,who happened to be pretty handy in this department and before the evening was out the repair weld was complete. Early the next morning Ian and Nola drove to Parkes. No futher problems occurred apart from the fuel consumption, which averaged 6 miles to the gallon. This was rectified on returning to Brisbane with a complete carburettor rebuild.

A short time after they were travelling South of Pottsville going up the range, when 2 young blokes were " sucking pieces off my bumper bar," following them in a 6 cylinder Cortina. At the top of the range Ian put the car in "angel gear" and let it coast down the steep hill. The Cortina could not pass due to the speed the Chev got up to and believe it or not, Nola was speechless.

Now back to whether the car is a 1930 Universal or a '31 Suburban.

During the depression all cars were selling slowly and it appears that this Universal was sent back to the distributor for a revamp. The seats were given a 5 inch pleat as with the '31's. A concertina luggage rack replaced the '30 model and a special bonnet was produced and fitted. The top of the bonnet remains the same, with the side panel now incorporating the 3 panelled flutes of the '31. This side panel is higher than the '30 model. The side suages match the thickness of the '30 model which is wider than the '31 model. This makes Ian and Nola's vehicle rather unique. I read the advertising spiel in the Courier Mail advertisement as pictured, quoting the '31 Suburban on a 107 inch wheelbase which is the length of a '30 model. The '31's came out on a 109 inch base. I guess that is some sort of proof that changes were made around that time. This car has travelled some miles since restoration. Along with the roadster, 50,000 miles in total has been covered and is still in perfect condition. It's a real credit to the owners and the way Ian and Nola are, I'm sure,another 50,000 is not out of the question.

 

 

Craig

1932 CHEVROLET CONFEDERATE PHAETON

           

 

    Noel and Edna Gallagher purchased this car in 1984. Noel knew the car through it's owner, Rex Rogers,who coached his son in cricket at the Gabba grounds. Noel would see Rex arrive to training in the 32 and would think to himself " what a bomb" and couldn't imagine that he would ever own it. However, the purchase of the vehicle was more by chance. Noel's brother in law Kevin Ridings was a member of the VVCC and he encouraged Noel to join and then to look for a vehicle. Noel had inspected one other when he heard of this vehicle being for sale. Rex had passed away and had left the car to his family who after a period decided to sell. The vehicle was still registered and the family had only used it around Xmas to drive to the park opposite and give the kids a ride. The car was complete and had not been interfered with but Noel thought that the asking price was too much. He was asked to make an offer which he did and several weeks later the car was his.

One of the car's attractions was the original Q plate. To keep this, the car had to pass a roadworthy inspection on the change of ownership and after some quick talking the vehicle passed and was on a flat bed truck heading for Noel and Edna's garage. Noel decided a full restoration was the way to go and with the assistance of his neighbour John White and a good few metal milk crates to keep everything off the floor and in place the restoration began. Noel and Edna's son assisted in the stripping of the body and Len Harker undertook the panel repairs and paint. One particular concern was the bonnet which was in very poor repair and Len made a beautiful job repairing and fitting.

The motor was sent away for a "full rebuild" by a supposed expert and much to Noels annoyance, he found after 4,000 miles ,that the full rebuild was a kerosene restoration. Noel found that the gearbox only needed new bearings and the diff was equally in good condition. Radiator repairs were undertaken and a new clutch fitted. The late Keith Albury retrimmed the vehicle and also built the hood.

The car's first trip was to Rockhampton in 1988, 4 years after the purchase. All was well until they had just passed Calliope when a fan blade decided that it didn't belong on the fan and parted company with it. The blade went straight through the bonnet and I can only guess what was said when this happened. They made their way back to the historical village at Calliope where with the assistance of a mate of a mate the opposite blade was removed and now nicely balanced they drove on to complete the rally.

After 4,000 miles the "fully rebuilt" motor packed it in and Noel had it out and down to Wilson's Reconditioning for a real job, and I can say that it sounds absolutely great. John White the neighbour and mechanic assisted Noel with this job and still services the vehicle.

You will note in the photo that Noel and Edna decided that the Deluxe specifications would make the car look better and I agree 100%. The twin horns and tail lights look great as does the chromed bonnet vents. I like the fob watch holder on the dash and the radiator cap.

After discussing the car with Noel and Edna and having the best home cooked morning tea, Amanda my wife and I were off for a jaunt in the car. Girls in the back in case the car needed a push and Noel and I in the front. It is a credit to both Noel and Edna how well the car drives and looks. Noel has never used a hose in washing this car and uses a bucket only.

Another great morning for me being able to hear and see the history of a car.

 Story from Ross McGown and Craig Williams


1927 1 TON CAPITOL TRUCK   

           

     Back in 1972 Ken was visiting a neighbour Dave Pringle, who was a dairy farmer from Samsonvale, close to the headwaters of the North Pine Dam. Ken being a farmer himself and handy at building things ( as most farmers are) was asked by Dave to cut down his old '27 Chev truck and make it into a farm trailer. Ken, who knew the truck, didn't want to see it ruined and put a proposal to Dave to swap a farm trailer he owned for the '27 Truck. Dave accepted the offer and Ken became the new owner of the Chev truck.

Dave, the initial owner, had used the truck to take the cream 4 miles to Kobble Creek Railway Station, 3 times a week and once a week he would make the long journey of ten miles into Dayboro to collect his weekly supplies. He was also a keen follower of the speedway at Davies Park and all the lads from the area would climb on board the truck and drive into Chermside on the dirt roads to catch the tram to the speedway held on a Saturday night. This was the life of the Chev until 1955 when when Dave purchased a modern Bedford truck and transferred the tray of the Chev onto the Bedford. The Chev was then driven into the shed where it sat until Ken became the owner in '72.

When Dave purchased the Bedford, he received a free service from the supplier to be utilised when the vehicle reached 5,000 miles. Eleven years later Dave drove in for his free service!!!!  This Bedford is still registered and on the road!
Back to 1972 when Ken with the assistance of his son, towed the 27 truck back to his farm chained to the farm trailer he was to swap with Dave, which in turn was attached to the tractor. Ken decided to see if the truck would go and with a new battery in place and fuel in the tank, it was turned over but with little result. He filed the points and tried again and away it went. The kids drove it around the farm and then the truck was put away in the shed until 1978.

Ken's farm was purchased by the government for the North Pine Dam around this time and the truck was trailered to Eggers Farm Moggill, where it rested until 2002 when it was transferred to Ken's residence in Kenmore, to begin its restoration. Ken found that the years of being stored at Moggill had caused the vehicle to deteriorate quite considerably. He decided to restore the truck by taking pieces off the vehicle and fixing them as he went. The body panels and engineered parts weren't sand blasted as you would expect , but soaked in one part molasses and 4 parts water to clear any rust. I arrived to see this process taking place on Ken's Massey Ferguson tractor parts ( which Ken is currently restoring) and the parts were absolutely rust free when taken from the mix.

Ken dug a hole in the garden for the bigger parts, such as guards, lined the hole with heavy duty moisture barrier,covered the parts with the mixture (after removing as much grease and paint off them)and left them for 2 - 3 weeks. The mixture can be used again or added to , as I saw, with the drum of mix he had been using for small parts, over a long period of time. Where required, Ken used fibrerglass on body panels straight onto the bare metal after the molasses clean. 

Wood work was undertaken again by Ken who had very little timberwork experience, apart from sawing down trees for milling, used in building his farm house and fence posts. 

The truck had only 22,000 miles on the clock and on taking the head off , Ken found the bore had no wear at all and he put that down to "Dave being a very steady driver". The valves needed work and the head was sent off to Peter Liddies Cylinder Head Engineering at Sumner Park. Datsun exhaust valves were fitted and worked a treat. Gaskets for the rebuild were sourced from N & J Gaskets, Brendale who had a set on the shelf and cost a grand total of $55. 
Ken removed the sump and found the oil to be like treacle. The oil filter upon opening with a can opener was completely blocked. He removed the felt and fixed it so the oil flowed directly through and soldered the filter back together. 

Gear box and diff were cleared of their treacle like oil and refilled and the gasket on the vacuum pump replaced. 

The front wheel wooden spokes were rebuilt by Keith Wilson

Wooden Wheels, but the rear wheels were in excellent condition. Whilst the wheels were off the bearings were sourced and replaced being supplied by Allied Bearings and Seals based at Rocklea, who, on viewing with a magnifying glass, knew exactly what was required. The brakes were replaced along with the cables and new tyres were sourced from Antique Tyre Supplies. 

Ken painted the vehicle himself and whilst having no previous experience, it has come up a treat. The upholstery was completed by Archerfield Auto Upholsterers, the chrome fitted and the truck was ready to burst into life again. 

Ken proceeded to drive it out the driveway and around the block only to find the motor stopped dead after backfiring badly. After taking the timing gear cover off he noted the timing gear was stripped. At 4pm he contacted Chevparts in Sydney and at 9am the next morning the parts arrived. His neighbour was on hand to assist and on completing the fix, they jumped in the truck and drove around the block. The truck conked out several times but they found that it was fuel starved which was promptly fixed. 

Ken also noted that there was a problem with the brakes, that is, there was hardly any! He checked everything again and again but still could not figure out why they weren't working. He then found that the brake rods had been put together back to front at the cross shaft thereby not allowing enough pressure for the brakes to work sufficiently. On reversing the rods the brakes worked perfectly. I wondered whether this was the reason the previous owner, Dave, drove so slowly? 

The truck was registered again in May 2006 and apart from minor irritations has run well since. 

Ken attends the Dayboro Historical festival each year and drives the truck through Dayboro in the parade. The roads are paved now not like the first years of the the life of the Chev. On the second time at the the festival, Dick Dale, who at that time was 94 years of age, rode with Ken in the truck and told him of the history of the vehicle. Dick was one of the lads who would jump on the back and ride off to the speedway on a Saturday night. The story brought tears to the eyes of Dick, remembering the good times associated with the old 27 Chev truck. 

Ken took me for a ride through the streets of Kenmore and I was very impressed with the way it performed. I'm glad he fixed the problem with the brakes as we did have to stop quite quickly at one intersection. I wonder why some drivers of modern cars think they don't have to give way to older vehicles! 

Another report of an interesting Chev restoration and as with each of them, plenty of tips and new things learnt.

 

Craig