21 Jan 2008, 23:31
The amaizing thing about these RHD cars is how the information available just keeps increasing almost week by week.
Today I recived detailed photo's of vin 510, kindly supplies by Criag Ashton- Ridley. There definate differnences between it and later RHD cars. Also hiding in the bottom of the glove, box was a buiness card from a "Mr. P J Maldon" at Wooler-Hodec! This is the first proper piece of paper work from Wooler's, I have ever seen!
This afternoon, after ages on the phone, I tracked the very chap down and had an hour long conversation with him. He was able to confirm much of what we know and added some very interesting new bits.
Vin 510 was the first RHD car they did. It took some time and was the engineering prototype. Later Hodec engineering, made all the conversion bits neccesary, pedal boxes etc for the main batch. He cofirms that the "black cars" were of terrible build quality. They arrived with no pannels or doors fitted, just running underbodies. The dimensions of the underbodies varied greatly and they really struggled to get the "crappy", dented and miss-shaped pannels and doors, subsequently supplied by the factory, to fit. Before they were selected for conversion, they had to measure the dimension of the black cars very carefully. The best one's were individually selected and then taken from the chicken shed storage, down to the facory, for conversion.
He said the store-keeping at the factory was very poor, as boxes of essential parts delivered to them, often contained the wrong bits.
On the subject of Gerry Castle, I have no evidance that he changed anything other than, seatbelts, front lights rear lights. Indeed Andy and I were able to buy back, off his a window several sets of each origanal fitments. He was very much a late arrival on the scean and went around the succesfull bidders in the UK auctions, offering his services to get the cars up to "UK standard". He even organised several RHD conversions on vins 752, 752 and 11382 these were also carried out by ex Wooler-Hodec people, but post factory, so are of little historical interest.
Dusty was a proper RHD car and sold at Meashum auctions as such , but the new owner would not pay Gerry Castle his "Fee" to get it legal in the UK. That is why it still had its origanal rear lights and was still in the barn 20 years later when I found it.
Another few pieces of the jigsaw fall into place!
Today I recived detailed photo's of vin 510, kindly supplies by Criag Ashton- Ridley. There definate differnences between it and later RHD cars. Also hiding in the bottom of the glove, box was a buiness card from a "Mr. P J Maldon" at Wooler-Hodec! This is the first proper piece of paper work from Wooler's, I have ever seen!
This afternoon, after ages on the phone, I tracked the very chap down and had an hour long conversation with him. He was able to confirm much of what we know and added some very interesting new bits.
Vin 510 was the first RHD car they did. It took some time and was the engineering prototype. Later Hodec engineering, made all the conversion bits neccesary, pedal boxes etc for the main batch. He cofirms that the "black cars" were of terrible build quality. They arrived with no pannels or doors fitted, just running underbodies. The dimensions of the underbodies varied greatly and they really struggled to get the "crappy", dented and miss-shaped pannels and doors, subsequently supplied by the factory, to fit. Before they were selected for conversion, they had to measure the dimension of the black cars very carefully. The best one's were individually selected and then taken from the chicken shed storage, down to the facory, for conversion.
He said the store-keeping at the factory was very poor, as boxes of essential parts delivered to them, often contained the wrong bits.
On the subject of Gerry Castle, I have no evidance that he changed anything other than, seatbelts, front lights rear lights. Indeed Andy and I were able to buy back, off his a window several sets of each origanal fitments. He was very much a late arrival on the scean and went around the succesfull bidders in the UK auctions, offering his services to get the cars up to "UK standard". He even organised several RHD conversions on vins 752, 752 and 11382 these were also carried out by ex Wooler-Hodec people, but post factory, so are of little historical interest.
Dusty was a proper RHD car and sold at Meashum auctions as such , but the new owner would not pay Gerry Castle his "Fee" to get it legal in the UK. That is why it still had its origanal rear lights and was still in the barn 20 years later when I found it.
Another few pieces of the jigsaw fall into place!
Chris Parnham
Ex RHD Auto's etc.etc
Main Car.. Kia E Niro 4+
Toyota Vitz 4X4 1999 (the smallest 4X4 by far!)
Toyota RAV4 EV 1999.
1970 Jago Jeep.
DOC Club Historian
Ex RHD Auto's etc.etc
Main Car.. Kia E Niro 4+
Toyota Vitz 4X4 1999 (the smallest 4X4 by far!)
Toyota RAV4 EV 1999.
1970 Jago Jeep.
DOC Club Historian
Any clues as to when (during the conversion process) VIN# 510 was sent back to Dunmurry and why it was not re-VIN'd like the other Wooler-Hodec RHD cars?