Dodgy Day in the Hunter
04 December 2022 / Written By: John Purcell, Photos: John Purcell, Chris Cameron
It’s been a few years since the Hunter Chapter had a Dodgy Day and most of us had never attended one. Though we did know that it was a day to show how to take a “dodgy” car and learn how to clean and polish it for such events like a “Show & Shine”. The problem was that our resident cleaning specialist was away so we were left with a challenge to solve.
The solution came in the form of our resident Hunter mechanic, Glenn, who happened to recently install a brand-new hoist in an equally-new workshop at his home. Taking this important information on board it was decided to look at a car that was possibly a bit dodgy mechanically, show what things both an owner or a mechanic should be checking on by means of a thorough inspection and show problems that can occur on an older car. As well as having a social sausage sizzle for lunch.
With Glenn and Denise as our hosts, 16 members turned up to check out the first car, a 2002 NB8B with 250,000kms on the clock and belonging to yours truly. This car had been modified early in its life and not well looked after prior to my purchase. As the inspection progressed through the standard rego inspection onto underbody checks of brakes, ball joints, suspension, wheels and tyres and many other things that I have never seen my own mechanic do, it became apparent that this old soldier had very little wrong with it. In fact, the only thing noted was that the handbrake needed a slight adjustment. What a surprise!
After the inspection it was onto a demonstration of puncture repair - how many of us carry that little tyre plug kit and have used it? Not many I think and this was indeed the case with our group. Phil provided an old spare 4WD tyre and after creating a puncture (with a 6mm drill) proceeded to demonstrate how to ream out and plug a puncture with the kit then successfully inflating the tyre to road pressures with no leaks. It can be done, now I know! After that it was a demonstration of the kit that comes in the NC & ND’s on how to use the tyre repair liquid patch. Very interesting to our lady members as it doesn’t require removing the tyre to do the repair.
Checks and demonstrations done and our sausages cooked it was time to stop for our Sausage Sanga lunch followed up with many delicious desserts provided by the ladies and Kerry. Lunch successfully demolished it was back to the hoist to look underneath an NC and spot the differences between the models. This one did have an issue, a leaking oil pressure switch which was easily picked up when on the hoist. The next MX5 off the rank was an ND, and it was quickly picked up that the tyres needed to be replaced. The owner was one step ahead though and the car had already been booked in for new rubber next week.
So, all up, full marks to the NB as the winner with no real issues.
All members learned a little something from the day - the puncture repair a big plus as well as an understanding of what goes on underneath that daily drive you usually hand to a mechanic for a service.
Many thanks to Glenn and Denise for hosting, to Glenn (assisted by Barry) for sharing his mechanical knowledge, to Phil who did the tyre demonstrations, to Rob for a great job cooking the sausages and to the members who allowed their cars to be put up for inspection.
