Completed: Bedford K restoration
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Having spent the past 14 months sharing the K’s restoration story with Deals on Wheels readers, I thought it that I would write one more article to share some of my experiences back on the road with my old faithful.
It’s really been quite a hoot reacquainting myself with a vehicle that since 1985, I often didn’t see for months – sometimes years – at a time because it was parked up in a dark corner of some garage or workshop gathering dust.
For me to be able to hop in it these days, press the starter button, and head off down the road almost on a daily basis is nothing short of incredible.
Out in the marketplace I find I’m getting accosted every time the old K and I set out on a trip to collect some timber for one of my many projects or to get a load of mulch from the garden centre.
Perhaps the funniest of these excursions took place just the other week when I had to take a trip to the other side of Auckland to collect some sheets of panel steel for my latest project, a 1942 International fire truck that I’m restoring for the Titirangi Volunteer Fire Brigade.
I presented myself at the steelworks office carrying the required documentation to collect four sheets of panel steel and asked that they load the sheets onto "that truck over there please".
The upshot of it was that despite the most up-to-date electromagnetic being used to load the truck, the job took about three times as long as it would have taken to hand-load the stuff.
I must have had to answer the same questions about ten times – what year is it – how long ago did I score the black and silver personalised plates, etc.
I’ve since come to terms with the fact that each time we sally forth on an excursion I need to factor in an extra 30 minutes or an hour to talk to people, something that doesn’t occur while out and about in a modern vehicle.
But the thing I’ve found most surprising is that it’s not just middle-aged and older men who seem to be most interested in the old girl, as it appears age and gender in this enlightened day and age hardly play a part in the level of interest shown in the truck.
In this final instalment of the K Bedford restoration project, I’m following my long-held tradition of taking each new vehicle I’ve owned on a trip over the tortuous road to Piha.
It must be at least 35 years since the Old K has made this journey, so we hope you enjoy coming along for the ride.
Enjoy!
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