The hood and carpets were one area that was left to the experts. The hood frames and bows had already been made up. The bows were quite a tricky job being rolled from tube and then curved and flattened at the ends. The frames are also difficult, having to concertina properly when folding the hood down, but having an original to copy made this a lot easier to get right. The underlay and carpets were really well done but the hood and tonneau cover were disappointing in some aspects. The hood appears to

have shrunk since it was fitted and I suspect this is because of the way in which it was cut from the material. Unfortunately I didn't have a tonneau, which could be copied, and the method of shaping the rear section was not very well done. Another job to attend to in the future!

One last area, which I haven't covered yet, is the painting. The paint used was a 76 General Motors Carnation Red in ordinary 93 spraying enamel with appropriate primer/surface undercoat. It's interesting, that the same color in a synthetic gives quite a different shade. The enamel was chosen since I was going to do it myself, and our yard looked like a mad washer woman’s, with bits of car hanging from lines strung between the garage and the trees. It should also be easier to repair/repaint sections following any dings (who, me??). One problem, which became apparent, is that all panels should be painted as positioned in their usual orientation on the car, as they seem to show up with slight variations in color tone when repositioned on the vehicle. I should also have given the front guards a few more coats, but had got to the point where I needed to get the car mobile for its LVV certification. One of these days I'll get round to it, but it's very difficult to pull it off the road again.

The April 1995 MaG contained quite a useful article about registration of vehicles and requirements for VIN's (Vehicle Identification Numbers). One category it didn't really cover however was that for LVV's (Low Volume Vehicles) which includes one offs such as mine. Fortunately, in 1991 I'd gone to a car show in Auckland's Greenlane, where the Sports Car Club of New Zealand had a display with quite a lot of information on the requirements for certification. They have spent considerable time and effort working alongside the road transport people on this area, obviously figuring that this was the best way to have input into the final regulations. If you are considering building a special or even modifying an existing vehicle you should talk to them (or some other authorized body) as a first priority. Briefly, you will need to submit plans with relevant engineering calculations for approval, they will carry out a series of inspections as manufacture/assembly progresses, with a final check and road test on completion prior to issuing a VIN and identification plate for the vehicle. At this stage you can obtain a VIC (Vehicle Inspection Certificate) and WOF (Warrant of Fitness) at the local garage followed finally be registration. There is of course a cost involved in obtaining a VIN, and to some degree this will depend on the complexity of your proposal. Vehicles that incorporate matching parts (i.e. all componentry from one donor vehicle) are more easily certified than those, which are a mix of components.

Insurance was interesting with conventional companies uninterested. A policy was eventually arranged through the Car Club insurance scheme run by Garry Mooney Ltd for an agreed sum under their limited mileage option.

Would I do it all again? The answer on reflection is probably no despite a surprising number of requests for this.

What did it cost? Having done the exercise over approximately 12 years it didn't seem like I'd spent a lot of money and all up the cost was below NZ$10,000. However, if you conservatively estimated only a couple of hours per week over this time, the labor cost still comes out at over NZ$20,000.

Would I sell it? I don't think so, even though everything has its price. After all that time and effort, it would be extremely difficult to part with. Besides, my kids would probably kill me.

Why is it registered MGTFZ? Simple really, it's basically a Z type Magnette that looks like a TF.
The Magnette used to built the TFZ was in a very rusty condition and it was on it's way to the wreckers. Mechanically, it was also in a verybad shape and I had to rebuild almost all the major components, as well as suspension, steering etc.
I have retained the chassis no. on the ar, on the TF identification plate, as the car number. It was KA BB 23 29847.

When am I going to stop rabbiting on? Right now - hope you enjoyed the article.

Capacity 1622 cc

No of cylinders 4

Bore and stroke 76.2 x 89

Valve gear OHV, pushrods

Compression ratio 8.9 to 1

Camshaft 717 grind

BHP 80 HP @ 5000 rpm (at rear wheels)

Carburetors Twin SU HS4 Semi downdraft

Exhaust Free flow twin pipe from MGB manifold, muffler and resonator

Clutch Borg and Beck 8" dia single dry plate diaphragm spring type

Gearbox Four speed synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and top

central floor change

Overall ratios Top 4.55, 3rd 6.252, 2nd 10.074, 1st 16.562

Reverse 21.658

Final drive Hypoid bevel 4.55 to 1

CHASSIS

Steel ladder type

Front Independent coil spring and wishbones

Telescopic dampers with upper and lower tie bars

Rear Semi-elliptic leaf spring

Telescopic dampers

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