Pictured above is our Zephyr ute. This was handed over to me from my dad who had restored it many years ago. For a long time this old girl spent a lot of time collecting dust and used to store some of dad's stuff. My girls when they were little spent many a Sunday going on Vintage car runs with their grandparents, sometimes even camping over at some lovely spot like the Gawler Ranges.
Sadly at the moment she is in our shed awaiting some attention. Her brakes need fixing and her paintwork is a bit tatty. So there she is collecting dust and junk in her back section. We have joined the local Vintage Car Club and hopefully soon we will be driving her again.
I love the big steering wheel and the gears on the column. It brings back memories of when I learned to drive on the farm. My driving lessons consisted in being sat on a tractor with the harrows on behind, showed what to do and then proceed to follow mum or dad who were ahead with another tractor and seeder. I think I may have been about 12 years old. Once I mastered driving the tractor I got to drive the little (blue bomb)Austin car that my grandmother used to own and travel down the road to the bus stop every morning. Ten to eight the bus got there and arrived home at five to four and I got to drive home again. My brother would drive as well but we went a lot faster and did some "wheelies" on the way.
I remember on one occasion going up to sixty six (the name of the paddock) to the sand hills to collect mushrooms. On the way home with mum in the passenger seat there was a smell of smoke. Quick as a flash mum told me to turn the car off and get out. She lifted the bonnet and threw some dirt on the wiring that had caught fire. We then had to walk a fair distance to home.
Sadly at the moment she is in our shed awaiting some attention. Her brakes need fixing and her paintwork is a bit tatty. So there she is collecting dust and junk in her back section. We have joined the local Vintage Car Club and hopefully soon we will be driving her again.
I love the big steering wheel and the gears on the column. It brings back memories of when I learned to drive on the farm. My driving lessons consisted in being sat on a tractor with the harrows on behind, showed what to do and then proceed to follow mum or dad who were ahead with another tractor and seeder. I think I may have been about 12 years old. Once I mastered driving the tractor I got to drive the little (blue bomb)Austin car that my grandmother used to own and travel down the road to the bus stop every morning. Ten to eight the bus got there and arrived home at five to four and I got to drive home again. My brother would drive as well but we went a lot faster and did some "wheelies" on the way.
I remember on one occasion going up to sixty six (the name of the paddock) to the sand hills to collect mushrooms. On the way home with mum in the passenger seat there was a smell of smoke. Quick as a flash mum told me to turn the car off and get out. She lifted the bonnet and threw some dirt on the wiring that had caught fire. We then had to walk a fair distance to home.
My sons handprints left in the dust.
This old girl was built back in 1956
On our block are these wrecks. They have been collected for spare parts. I don't know how many we actually need though?
Zephyr sedans, 1956, 58 and 59 waiting to be put to good use to.....
restore this old girl. This one is actually drivable but not very pretty to look at. "Shame car" our son calls it. We recently purchased this one from a policeman in our town, he hadn't finished what he started out to do before losing interest and moving on to a different brand of car.
Hubby continues to dream, I wish he would get on with making this dream a reality. Money is one of the reasons this is taking so long as it can be an expensive hobby.x Tania
I have driven a zephyr around a paddock.
ReplyDeleteHow old were you when you would drive to the bus stop?
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a young lad driving to the bus stop in Womboota every morning... and he couldn't have been more than 10 or 11!
Hi Tania...nice to see you back. I thought you must have just been caught up, life is hectic and blogging takes so much time up.
ReplyDeleteI sure will miss Heidi, she and I are so close. I have never been totally on my own before so this will be a new experience for me. I want her to spread her wings though. She is such a good girl and I have come to rely on her support a lot.
I love that old zephyr.. boy it brings back memories. I think we all learnt to drive the same way back then, didn't we. lol.
Have a lovely week Tania. Marilyn xoxo
My dad had a zephyr and he still talks about it today.
ReplyDeleteIt was his all time favorite car!
Hi Tania
ReplyDeleteRestoring old bombs is an expensive hobby but the end results are very satisfying. Bit by bit your hubby will get there. They look like a fun car to tour around in. Nice pics.
Cheers - Joolz
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteTatersmama,
I was about that age, 10 or 11, when I got to drive to the bus stop. My brother was with me to start with until he left school, then I was on my own. There's four years age difference between my brother and I so he was getting ready to leave school as I hit highschool.
Marilyn,
It was funny when I went for my license, the copper asked how long I had been driving and how I had learnt. When I told him, the hardest thing he made me do was a u-turn! No reverse parking for this little brown duck, thank goodness as I wasn't very good at it, still the same today.
Your daughter sounds lovely and I am sure you will miss her very much. At least she is only a phone call away if you need to talk. My girls have all flown the nest although one has come back to be closer and one has never left the same town, my middle girl however lives in Melbourne.
Angela,
My dad is still restoring Zephyrs, among many others, but Zephyrs are his all time favourite car as well.
Joolz,
Yes it does take time to restore these old bombs, but it also costs, so doing it bit by bit is the only way to go I think. I am hoping this post gets him motivated. His comment was, I am a Holden man and I want a Torana, well bad luck they are way out of our price range buddy! (heap of junk in my opinion anyway)
xTania
Hi Tania,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful car! The old cars are so easy to fix, too - not like the new ones with all their fancy computerised gizmos.
What a neat old car! I really find cars like this neat and interesting.
ReplyDeleteShe looks a beauty I have never driven in one though...Hubby thought it wonderful as well he's a real car buff, me as long as it gets me from A toZ I'm happy..
ReplyDeleteMandy
I love old fashion cars.
ReplyDeleteI am not very good at reverse parking either Tania. I only fluked it for my license. I really don't know how I did it though. Haven't been able to do it since.
Hi Tania, I've bit a bit absent from blogland lately, sorry to hear about your dad, glad he seems to be doing better. I really like the look of that wash and scrub thingy you made. Must learn to crochet, have bought a book to teach myself. Moving your daycare stuff out was a good move - you would feel like you've got your home back while still having your income/business next door so to speak. The old car cars against the red dust are picturesque - I hope you get the old girl running again.
ReplyDeleteHello Tania
ReplyDeleteMy Son in law has a dream (a yellow falcon) but no money so his dream will be just that for a few more years.
They even built a larger garage to house his dream - Daughter says he can dream on by just looking at it lol
Cathy
Hi Tani
ReplyDeleteMy brother got a Charger that he and his son worked on and has since sold that for a Chrysler Valiant 1966. I fancied this "new" car myself.
My mother has a Holden Belmont 1972 which she has looked after and it I now regarded as a classic car. I use to drive an old Holden EH whilst at uni and wish I had kept it, it went to my dim brother who has no sense of family history and sold it on. Mum and I were both annoyed as my granddad had it.
So old cars are addictive.
Karnak
I love the bottom car photo that is great. My brother and I used to practice driving an old Hillman that looked like this. It was so much fun. Its great when men have a hobby just like women do.
ReplyDelete