YEARS IN THE MAKING – Take one old 1923 Ford Model T mix it with a Hot Rod Club and finish off with the Tiki Auto students and their Tutor ….this is their story
Oily hands. Skinned knuckles. Greasy gunk under the fingernails. Having to learn not only a whole lot of new technical terms, but exactly how each part works. They’re all part of the journey the students at Tikipunga High School Automotive Trades Academy have undertaken in the last three years.
But the smiles tell the tale — it’s all been worthwhile. For today, Tuesday 22 September, the project car they’ve built alongside volunteers from the Whangarei Rod and Custom Club was unveiled at the school. The Tiki T, as it’s commonly known, is an open-wheeled hot rod based on a 1923 Ford Model T; now re-powered with a 318 cubic inch Chrysler V8.
Barbara Massicks, the current President of the WRCC, explains that the hot rod project has been ongoing over this time and naturally the student roll has changed, so the practical experience gained by the students is spread wide. The Club members have been happy to share their many decades of experience with the pupils; the goal is to help young people towards useful trades employment. The Tiki T journey will be on Channel 83 Sky tonight and airs on YouTube on Tuesday 29th September. – (Extract by Barbara Massicks, President WRCC).
