Mechanics and those behind the scenes

[markec]

I was given an old newspaper clipping yesterday and was asked if I could clean it up and print it, part of it is attached.

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[markec]

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[jim short]

Come on Dave thats not a Jaguar ..Well today I guess it is!!

[markec]

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[Steve Holmes]

Whats that in post #4 Mark? Is that PDL II?

[markec]

Sorry the image is not that good, it came from an old newspaper cutting. Yes Steve it is PDL 11, with the designer and major fabricator, Rik Deihl on the left,Pete Pinion next, Bob Stewart then Lyall Williamson.Dave may make some more comment,I was asked only to try and rescue a decent copy of the Images.
I have changed an identity.Also a spelling error.

[Dave Silcock]

Sorry the image is not that good, it came from an old newspaper cutting. Yes Steve it is PDL 11, with the designer and major fabricator, Rik Diehl on the left, Dave Silcock next, Bob Stewart then Lyall Williamson.Dave may make some more comment,I was asked only to try and rescue a decent copy of the Images.

Sorry Mark it is me in the engine shot but is Pete Pinion in the shot with the chassis. The history of this car is very well told in New Zealand Classic Car September 07. I worked at PDL on my return to Ch CH from Auckland in 1975. I think I was there for a couple of years,and saw the building of the car from start to finish. Apart from the brackets that held the brake fluid containers and secured the side pipes I had nothing to do with the car it self, but did build the motors ,gearboxes and diffs. Jac Mac stated in one posting that you could walk from the yard to the dyno room on 351 C blocks!! This was not the case when I was there and Rik can remember and quote the few failures they had. The engines I built [all the modifications were completed by Rik for PDL 1] were both alloy blocks and the spare stayed in the truck all season. There has always been a host of people taking credit for the building of PDL 2 most of it untrue . The above mentioned magazine tells it how it was, I was there and always thought that Rik never ever got the credit that he deserved for creating such a beast.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Dave. Much of the credit for that article has to go to Todd Stewart. Todd organised to get Rick, Leo Leonard, and Bob Stewart all at the team HQ and I flew down and spent the day with them. We sat in the conference room around a table, I put my dictaphone in the middle of the table, pushed record, and let them go. It was a really great day, and one I'll always remember, as that is one of my all-time favourite race cars.

Bob was only there for a short time, this was only a couple of months before he died. But he really enjoyed being there and listening to the old stories. Rick thanked Bob for giving him the opportunity to build that car. As he said, Bob didn't give him an open chequebook, but he pretty well trusted him and left him to it, and Rick rewarded him with the finished product, which was world-class. As you say Dave, plenty of people have taken credit for that car in some way, but it was really Rick who designed and built it, and who was almost the forgotten man.

Sean Craig was there to take the pics, including this one: L to R: Leo Leonard, Rick Deihl, Bob Stewart, Todd Stewart, Chris Hyde.

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[markec]

Sorry Dave, I have changed the identity.

[thunder427]

Sorry Mark it is me in the engine shot but is Pete Pinion in the shot with the chassis. The history of this car is very well told in New Zealand Classic Car September 07. I worked at PDL on my return to Ch CH from Auckland in 1975. I think I was there for a couple of years,and saw the building of the car from start to finish. Apart from the brackets that held the brake fluid containers and secured the side pipes I had nothing to do with the car it self, but did build the motors ,gearboxes and diffs. Jac Mac stated in one posting that you could walk from the yard to the dyno room on 351 C blocks!! This was not the case when I was there and Rik can remember and quote the few failures they had. The engines I built [all the modifications were completed by Rik for PDL 1] were both alloy blocks and the spare stayed in the truck all season. There has always been a host of people taking credit for the building of PDL 2 most of it untrue . The above mentioned magazine tells it how it was, I was there and always thought that Rik never ever got the credit that he deserved for creating such a beast.

...Totally agree with Davids comments re Rik Diehl,a super talent,I had the pleasure of being T/A (Technical Assitance,which means I stood around all day!!) for Rik when he built a trick set of Boat,over the transome exhausts for Greg Fitzgibbon at 409 Harewood Rd Service Station in and around 1975,I still 'brag' about the 'unbelievable' job Rik did to this day,perfect comes to mind and you have to stand on his toe to get him to talk !!!!............my respect and regards to Rik..................thunder427/Myles Johnson:cool:

[markec]

I'll pass those regards on Myles, I will see him again in a couple of weeks.

[Dave Silcock]

Myles, He is coming into the shop this morning so I'll pass it on.

[Rod Grimwood]

Myles, He is coming into the shop this morning so I'll pass it on.

Try and stick around you 2 I will try and get some one to come over and take some DNA and blood, and maybe we can do some cloning, that will help alot of us out when looking for talent to make/repair these old toys.

[Dave Silcock]

Hey Rod Rik and I are not going away just yet .Riks talking about taking some time off soon ,and thats from fettling Stan Redmonds Lola, to finish this way over the top hot rod he is building for himself and a Lister Chev he has been collecting parts for for years. I did 10 miles in the blue car yesterday and man its awesome, got to stay around to enjoy that!!!

[AMCO72]

Thats good to hear Dave. All the pressures and temperatures OK?

[Dave Silcock]

Thats good to hear Dave. All the pressures and temperatures OK?

Yes alls good Gerald, got a bit of oil smoke on the over run, as its got 6 more cam bearings and the cam lobes are drilled I think we have got a bit of a flood going on in the head. Good news is I have managed to get the carbs to run on a 19 degree angle. Rik arrived yesterday with the Weber book stating 7 degrees is tops but No 8 wire over comes all clever technology!

[Rod Grimwood]

Great to hear Dave, bet you had a smile after that run. Yes Rik has a bit to do on Stans car. Not good, was there and saw it. Brett Willis who I have been hanging around with said he spoke to Stan the other day he reckoned he was good. What do you think may be your first run in Jag Dave.

[markec]

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With Tyler Alexander and Timmy Mayer.

[pallmall]

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/gavinevitt/Sportscargraphic001Standarde-mailview.jpg

[Oldfart]

Love the high quality wrench in hand!

[Shano]

Yes what happened to the story about Bruce McLaren hacksawing up shifting spanners?

[Wal Will]

That photo was taken a bit before Bruce had that sort of control. Mike Barney (stilson in hand) was still working for Coopers at this time. Not sure if I ever saw/heard of him cutting up a 'Shifter', but I did witness him once remove a 'nut knurgeler' (as he would call them) from the hand of a very surprised mechanic, and throw it in the rubbish bin after he started his own team.

[Wal Will]

In the earlier photo we have our Mayers mixed . Teddy standing on the back of the wagon, Timmy driving.

[Wal Will]

Just a quick explanation.
Knurl (roughen the surface)
Geld (remove the nuts)
Knurgeld - the resultant finish on the surfaces of a nut after having a knurgeler applied.
Knurgeler (noun – the ‘d’ being dropped in this form) - the adjustable gap tool used to mutilate the hexagonal pattern of a nut just prior to it slipping and smashing your knuckles into an hard object.
I must confess that I do have a couple of these tools in my tool box at the moment, but they are used only when all else fails, and even after all these years I have a quick look over my shoulder to make sure Bruce is not watching.

[Oldfart]

Classic Wal!

[Wal Will]

Mike Barney was/is good company. I recall him filling out an 'arrival form' on a flight into America, and where they asked 'occupation' he wrote 'Scrunch knurgeler'. I wonder if he was thinking of the tool he has in hand in that photo.
I also wonder what ever happened to that form when it reached the person who was to vet it, they are probably still trying to figure that one out.

[Dave Silcock]

In a similar vein Steve Horne once told me of a piss take of Van Der Straten's son who was not that skilled engineering wise. during the annual stock take of everything including the truck, there was always a box of a dozen " swooples'' to be account for and ticked off the list

[markec]

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[markec]

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[pallmall]

A few years ago! Jim Richards.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/gavinevitt/JR005Quicke-mailview.jpg

[Oldfart]

A few years ago! Jim Richards.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/gavinevitt/JR005Quicke-mailview.jpg

Taken at Speedway Motors in Manurewa I suspect, looks like it anyway!

[markec]

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