With the various COVID-19 restrictions, it has been over two years since the Sprite Club General Meetings have had a Guest Speaker, so the 4th of July General Meeting was a special occasion.
Our Special Guests were Ian and Wendy Gibbs from the NSW Sprite Car Club who were stopping over in Adelaide on their “A Spritely Adventure” tour of Australia. Having mechanical problems ( a burnt exhaust valve) when arriving in Adelaide, the repairs were completed in time for Ian and Wendy to bring along their 1964 Austin Healey Sprite “Esme” and specially-built camper trailer “Shirley” as Guests of Honour.
With nearly 50 members present (including Gerry and Bib van Oosterom – Victorian Sprite Club members) there was an opportunity to listen to Ian and Wendy’s journey so far.
Leaving Grafton nearly 100 days ago Ian and Wendy headed north to Queensland, travelling to Cairns, turning left towards the Northern Territory and Darwin, Esme and Shirley travelled the outback roads with road trains and Grey Nomads. After Darwin, the team headed further West towards the blue waters of Broome, and the Western Australia coast. After Perth, they headed through the Tall Timber forests of South-West WA towards Kalgoorlie before heading east across the famous Nullarbor Plain.
Ian and Wendy talked about their travels and the experiences and fun that they have had so far. Arriving in Adelaide only a few days before the meeting, a burnt exhaust valve had a number of local workshops assist with the repairs to get Esme “back on the road”!
Ian and Wendy also discussed the specifics of Esme, having been used as a road, race and rally car during their ownership. Esme (with Wendy at the steering wheel) has also competed in the Austin Healey challenge in the USA and the 1998 International Healey Commemorative Race at the Bathurst 1000. With upgrades of torquey 1275cc engine, 5 speed gearbox, telescopic shock absorbers, modern seats, plus the addition of several creature comforts, Esme has proved herself as a strong tow vehicle throughout the journey so far.
Then it was Shirley’s turn in the spotlight. Having purpose built the trailer Ian discussed the build process and the use of as many common parts to Esme, so Shirley could also be a mobile spare parts department if required. Shirley contains twin lithium batteries for lighting and to power the fridge, solar panels in the tonneau cover, food storage and battery powered fridge, fuel tank plus electric pump to refuel Esme as required, as well as the rooftop tent, chairs, tables and associated camping paraphernalia.
Many questions were asked and one of the topics was reliability of the Sprite. Other than a broken timing chain (due to a loose bolt – as A series engines usually do not break timing chains) a weeping rear wheel hub (more on this later) -, a cracked inlet manifold and carby issues on the WA leg of the journey, there had only been a few issues along the way that had slowed their progress, but all were easily repaired. This carby issue of varying rich and lean would probably lead to the burnt valve on arrival in Adelaide.
Not only was this the first chance for a Guest Speaker (or two) but thanks to Chris and Tina, Michael, and Pat we had a great spread of nibbles, platters, and a varying range of wines to sample after the meeting. Members chatted with some they may not have seen at a meeting for several months, while some ventured outside where Ian and Wendy had set up Shirley in “Camping Mode” for all to see.
Our thanks to Ian, Wendy, Esme and Shirley for entertaining the Sprite Club members and President Gordon handed them a bottle of Sellick’s Chills Shiraz (grown from grapes by Club member’s Dean and Suzie) and some SA goodies to be added to Shirley’s food container for later on the road!
Also, thanks to Chris, Tina, Michael and Pat for assisting with the supper.
Postscript
Esme and Shirley (with Ian and Wendy) turned in an Easterly direction on the Tuesday after the meeting, heading to Penola and the Coonawarra district (for more supplies!), Mount Gambier, Warrnambool, Lorne, the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne. Leaving the Vic Capital, they headed across the Gippsland area to Lakes Entrance, and up the Easterly Coast to Eden.
A run in with a Kangaroo put a dent or two in Esme’s grille and lower panel on the scenic coast run to Bermagui, continuing up the coast to Mollymook, Kiama to Sydney. Here a few rest days and a chance to catch up with NSW Sprite Club members. A visit to Colin Dodd’s – Sprite Parts – helped sort a few parts and issues that had occurred on the way.
After some searching, the sources of the leaking rear hub was located. Since Katherine, NT, where wheel and hub nuts and moving axle bearing were found to be loose after the local mechanics had checked the brakes and had not retightened everything correctly. Ian had initiated a number of repairs, but the leak persisted during the various legs of the journey through WA and SA. It was found that the rear axle flange had several cracks causing the oil to leak. How this did not break in the numerous miles that had been travelled since, is a testament to the British Engineering, particularly with the added load of the camper trailer and assorted bits’n’pieces.
With just a few days left in the “Spritely Adventure” we look forward to Ian and Wendy’s (and Esme and Shirley’s) next journey and thank them once again for stopping by and sharing their Spritely Adventure with the Sprite Club of SA.
