THE Wangaratta Rod & Custom Club (WRCC) popular biennial Rod Run on the Labour Day weekend from March 8 - 11 showcases the lifetime passion of many members for their vehicles.
Rods such as Bill and Bev Wenham's fiery red 1934 Ford coupe will turn the heads of most people who may feel they can only admire such dazzling beauty from afar.
But that's not the case.
In the lead-up to the Rod Run, the WRCC is holding a meet 'n' greet day on Sunday, February 4 at the Wangaratta Showgrounds from 11am to 1pm to show anyone interested what it takes to own one of these beauties.
You will not only get up close and personal to the owners but also their machines.
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Bill said he first became interested in hot rodding in 1975 when he was in his early 20s.
"My friend Keith Stamp was building a 1934 roadster and told me that he knew where there was a 1933 Ford four door sedan," Bill said.
"Consequently I bought the sedan; it was completely disassembled, but all the parts were there except for engine and transmission diff and suspension.
"I bought a Chev sedan to get mechanical parts and by December 1977 the car was built and registered."
Bill has been a member of the Wangaratta Rod & Custom Club since it was founded in 1977.
"The club was comprised of people around about my age, most had young families, and it was enjoyable to travel to other places to hot rod functions," he said.
In 1980 Bill and Bev were married and used the 1933 sedan for the wedding car.
"It was a bit tough in early times going to rod runs," he said.
"We bought a tent because the hot rod run was usually held at a caravan park.
"The other entrants were mostly camped at the caravan park, so it was good to be camped with all the other rodders."
Bill remembered one event when the couple left after work to go to Cowra at about 5pm and arrived there at 11pm.
"We got the tent pitched and went to put the beds in the tent only to find that there were three corner jacks sticking through the bottom of the tent," he said.
"They would have definitely made the air beds go flat so here I am bending the points over with a claw hammer."
Lesson learned the Wenhams bought a camper trailer.
Eventually the couple had three children, but that did not stop them from attending rod runs.
"The children would sit in the back and we would load all the extra gear on the floor between the back and front seat," Bill said.
"As the children grew up we bought a small caravan.
"The rod runs were real family events and enjoyed by everyone."
Bill decided he would like to have a 1934 coupe but could not afford to buy a completed one so the idea was to build one.
"In 1991 I was able to buy an American 1934 five window coupe," he said.
"It was a rusty old body that was in fairly good condition.
"There were a lot of good parts to it and fortunately I had most of the other parts for it at home."
By 1998 he started to build the car and by 2006 with help from others the car was fully completed and registered.
The Wenhams have participated in the club for all of that time along with other long time members.
Bill said they were all helpful with other people's projects and liked passing on information to each other.
"There has also been a bit of a natural turnover of members and we have got to know many new people," he said.
"I would recommend to anyone to participate in a club like this if you enjoy playing with early cars and socialising with others."
The meet 'n' greet will also include a sausage sizzle and drinks, entry is by the back entry to the showgrounds along Golf Links Lane.
VEHICLE DETAILS:
1 Make: Ford
2 Year: 1934
3 Model: Five window coupe model 40 (US Model)
4 Engine & Transmission: 1966 Ford Windsor 302ci C9 3 speed Transmission
5 Suspension: Holden coil suspension
6 Brakes and Steering: Disc brakes front and rear Steering box and drag link
7 Wheels and tyres: Weld wheels (alloy)
8 Interior & Trim: Fabric trim including dickie seat by Benalla motor trimmers
9 Gauges: VDO Tachometer, speedo, oil, volts, fuel and temperature
10 Paint and Panel: Bright paint and panel shop.
HISTORY: In Bill Wenham's own words:
"The car was imported for me by Albury hot rodder Colin Manglesdorf from California in 1991.
It was just a body shell without other parts.
Even though the body was imported, other parts sourced from Australian 1934 Fords could be used for it.
I had been collecting parts for a number of years previous and when the body arrived I pretty much had all the body parts to make a complete car.
Although I obtained the car in 1991, I did not start working on it till 1998.
I used Australian mechanical parts for the steering, brakes and suspension.
The original V8 engine and manual transmission were not with the car, so we used a later model engine and transmission.
The drivetrain now comprises of 302 cubic inch Ford V8 and automatic transmission and a 9 inch diff.
There was a full restoration of the body including some body modifications.
Bodywork was carried out by myself, Keith Stamp, Dean Soderblom and Rob Sgro from Bright paint and panel shop.
Trim work was done by Neil Sinclair at Benalla motor trimmers.
Engineer Certification was done by John Lyons and the car was first registered February 2006.
I have found it to be a reliable car.
I have traveled to hot rodding functions at many destinations in Victoria and New South Wales.
Most times we have towed a camper trailer or a caravan to these places.
The car is unmodified since it was built in 2005."
