A lifetime love of automobiles pays off with a Model T hot rod

Story and photos by Geoff Hope, WRCC member Wangaratta Rod & Custom Club (WRCC) will again host the biennial rod run from the 6 — 9 March at the Wangaratta Showgrounds. The ever popular Show-N-Shine will be held at the Wangaratta Kennel & Obedience Dog Club facility, at the rear of the Showgrounds from 11am — 2pm on 8 March with gold coin entry for the public. Hot rods, customs and pre 1978 vehicles will be on display; day entrant vehicles are most welcome for a $5 entrant fee with trophies to be awarded. Presentations for day entrants will take place at 1.30pm. Food and drinks will be available throughout the event, so come along and enjoy the day in shady surroundings and view some top class vehicles. This will be the perfect opportunity for like minded enthusiasts to talk with WRCC members about the Motorsport of street rodding, and how they can become involved. One of the rodders you may bump into is Cliff Jacka who was just 14 when he first became interested in cars. "I was going to a few car shows with mates and we found ourselves checking out an FJ hearse with very interesting artwork," Cliff said. "Pat Fay’s “Humpy Mekka” became my first love, or perhaps his artwork was, but it introduced me to the world of custom cars and the panel van scene. "A retired mechanic who lived down the road took me under his wing and taught me a great deal – removing engines, gearboxes, ball joints and the important part of putting them back together, including some finer points of mechanics. "When his son purchased a HJ panel van we stripped it to bare metal, removed the drive train and sent the van to the panel beaters for a completely modified look. "Then the fun and challenging part of putting the motor and gearbox back in without damaging the new paint work began." At 15 Cliff purchased his first car, a HR holden sedan, for "cheap" as it needed some TLC. "Luckily for me my parents didn’t mind having the car in the backyard while I repaired and replaced numerous parts, including a new interior and eventually a complete re-spray," he said. "By the time I had my licence the car was ready. "Then the unthinkable happened, it was stolen but luck was on my side as it was recovered. "That didn’t last long, however, it was stolen again and this time I got it back in hundreds of bits and pieces. "I had put my heart, soul and savings into that car so needless to say I was devastated." Cliff put it back together, sold it and eventually purchased a motorbike, but he never lost his passion for cars so when an opportunity arose, he purchased an XT Falcon, 289 C4 auto with a 9 inch diff in need of some loving care. "Throughout the years I’ve had a variety of cars and motorbikes, the most challenging was a Morris 1500," he said. "I was married by that time and my wife was not a fan, the less said the better. "I tended to gravitate towards older ford models, XR,XT, XW and XYs." Oddly enough Cliff never worked in the automotive trade. He had a variety of jobs starting as a messenger when he was 15 and progressed to a store person, crane driver and forklift driver. "I was also a meter reader which I enjoyed until being bitten by an unfriendly German Shepherd, so I returned as a forklift driver in the transport industry," he said. "By the time I was in my 50s I decided, with my wife’s blessing, that it was time to own a hotrod, in particular a street registered 1920 Model T Ford I had been keeping an eye on. "It has a HR Holden front end with Torana front discs and calipers, a VL Commodore RB30 engine 4 speed auto, VL Commodore diff on a 1933 Ford chassis. "I am also the proud owner of a 2007 softail Harley Davidson which was only recently acquired, but makes a fitting companion to the model T." After moving to Wangaratta in 2015 and going to a few car shows he met Craig Millar and Bevan Bradley, both of whom invited him to attend a meeting with the Wangaratta Rod and Custom Club. "I have now been a member for over eight years, the club members are a great bunch and my wife and I thoroughly enjoy the social events," Cliff said.

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