KITS AND PIECES

The TJ Ace is an intriguing exposition on some classic sports influences, based on entirely unknown origins, but the unique end result is a tribute to one man’s determination

Ace in the hole

An ‘ace in the hole’ is a card that is held face down until an opportunity arises to use it to its greatest advantage. When I first saw the TJ Ace back in 2016 — see New Zealand Classic Car August 2016, Issue No. 308 — that opportunity was a long way off. The car was about threequarters finished.

Just what that meant in terms of time frame is covered by the home car builders’ refrain that their latest project is “90 per cent finished with 90 per cent to go”. An example of this could be something like turning on the headlights. It should be a simple task and generally it is unless you discover they don’t work or are trying to earth the fitting through a fibreglass panel. What should be a half-hour task can take days and generally involves a lot of muttering, occasionally tool throwing, and often watching the family dog slink off somewhere else.

Eventually this may be followed by a euphoric moment when suddenly the switch works and the garage is filled with an almost holy light. At this point the children and the dog may come back into the garage although the jubilant builder’s mood may fade as he ponders why the other headlight did not come on.

When I visited Tristan in his shed in Rangiora in 2016, the car was finished mechanically but not running — mainly because he was just about to start wiring it. Tristan believed that this was going to be quite straightforward as he had imported a complete aftermarket loom from the US. I didn’t want to bring down the vibe but I remember wondering if he had a dog and if it had somewhere else to go. Remarkably I found out later there had been no issues with it.

LOST IN THE MISTS OF TIME

Regular readers will recall that I often come across kit cars that have changed hands several times before finding someone who will finish them. In this case it is entirely unknown just how many builders have worked on this car and whose dreams it had slowly crushed in its 60-plus years of history. However speaking to Tristan, I could tell that he was the person who was going to finish it — especially when he showed me a photo of what the car looked like when it arrived compared with its current state in 2016.

It was 1994 when Tristan first spotted the car in his neighbour’s paddock. He thought at first it was one of Frank Cantwell’s Pumas, produced from 1957 to 1964. Others thought it was a Cobra replica but all it takes is a glance at the car’s rear end, with its un-cobra-like proportions, to quickly dispel that theory. The only thing certain was that this car was a unique piece of New Zealand automotive history, and Tristan was determined that it should be saved.

Tristan’s neighbour had purchased the car in Invercargill some years earlier intending to turn it into a track car but, as is so often the case, it wound up rotting in his paddock. At some stage somebody had made a botched attempt at flaring the wheel arches and then given up part way through the process. Tristan would later cut them off and fabricate his own.

DREAM TIME

It took Tristan more than five years to convince his neighbour to sell the car to him but his persistence was eventually rewarded and in 2009 he bought what he now calls the ‘TJ Ace’, which is certainly appropriate.

Having previously restored an Alfa Romeo Alfetta and converted a

Holden EK Special into a ute Tristan just saw converting this remnant of a longlost dream into an actual car as “a bit of a challenge”. In the time between setting his eyes on the car and finally becoming its owner it had lived out in the elements and had suffered further indignity. Not enough of the chassis remained for Tristan to make a copy, never mind repair it. The wooden firewall and floor had started to rot and the doors were long gone. Fortunately the body, being fibreglass, had survived quite well.

Without a chassis or a decent floorpan Tristan decided to rebuild the car as a retro-styled modern car. The original classic ’50s look would be retained as much as possible but alterations would be made to increase comfort along with the addition of modern reliable componentry where it was needed. That, after all, is very much in the tradition of specials builders through the ages.

Once that decision had been made it was easy to cut the car transversely through the middle and lengthen the cockpit by 380mm to provide more leg room — Tristan wondered if the first owner was vertically challenged.

It was 1994 when Tristan first spotted the car in his neighbour’s paddock. He thought at first it was one of Frank Cantwell’s Pumas, produced from 1957 to 1964

Then came the construction of a custom platform chassis to carry a narrowed ’96 Mustang rear end and Mustang II front suspension. The original car had probably been fitted with a four-cylinder motor attached to a three-speed gearbox. This build got a 302-cubic-inch (4949cc) Ford Windsor V8 and a T5 five-speed gearbox.

As it was a scratch-built car Tristan had a free hand in sourcing suitable parts from a variety of cars, in addition to those already mentioned. Steering is via a Mazda 626 steering column assisted by a power-steering unit taken from a Toyota Hilux.

Tristan had purchased a set of Cobra-style doors off Almac Cars in Upper Hutt and he modified the existing door holes and the curves of the body panel to suit. On my first visit the car was presented to me in grey primer with many parts just sitting in place — so that I could get a good impression of what the finished car would look like.

NINETY PER CENT COMPLETE

In 2020 Tristan contacted me to tell me the car was finished and in the process of getting its final Low Volume Vehicle (LVV) Certification. All homebuilt cars need to get LVV Certification prior to registration and a Warrant of Fitness to ensure that they are safe for the driver and other road users.

It was almost a year before I was able to revisit Rangiora. Although the car was finished it was still going through its final certification process. Tristan is pulling out all the stops to have it on the road in time for his birthday. By the time you read this it should be a regular sight in Rangiora.

The finished TJ Ace is an impressive sight. I could not help but admire the work that Tristan had carried out on the car since the last time I had seen it. The car now has an MGB windscreen so well blended into the overall look that it appeared to be factory fitted. It is unlikely that the original car ever had a windscreen but as Tristan intends to drive this car all around the country a windscreen was a no-brainer. Tristan said that he spent a lot of time building the body up to ensure that the fit of the MGB frame was perfect.

Tristan had almost no previous experience with fibreglass but the quality and fit of the panels belie this. Headlights and tail lights have been frenched and fit beautifully — after hours and hours of Tristan applying body filler and even more hours sanding it off. The exterior has been painted in a metallic Alfa Romeo gunmetal grey with a green tinge.

The body-coloured interior was created by Tristan with a strong nod to the art-deco era. The Bluetooth radio and amplifier have been hidden in the boot. Modern speakers in the door cards and some additional buttons on the painted centre console are the only indication that this car can play tunes other than those emitted from the exhaust pipes. All the gauges in the custom-made instrument binnacle were imported from the US and enhance the car’s classic look.

LONG ROAD, SHORT DRIVE

I especially like the way the body paint continues through to the interior of the car. Tristan avoided the temptation to hide the curves of the interior under vinyl or leather. It is very much easier to hide blemishes under vinyl but the glossy paint provides more evidence, if it were needed, of the effort and man-hours that Tristan expended on achieving the standard that he set himself.

As Tristan’s house is in the country down a long shared driveway I was able to take the car for a short drive. My first impression is that Tristan has got it right. This Ace would probably be one of the most powerful cars in any pack. I silently applauded his decision to extend the cockpit. Despite being 1.8m tall I found the driving position comfortable and not in the least bit cramped, with the pedals well spaced and the gearstick positioned so that the hand drops easily over it.

The car drives just like a modern car with a light clutch. Changes were quick and not notchy. Naturally there is plenty of power from the V8 which ensures that the wide and grippy rear tyres accelerate the car to the legal speed limit in a remarkably short distance. The gauges were easy for the driver and passenger to read.

A quarter of a century after first seeing the car Tristan has still not found any information about its origins. Hopefully, in the strange way these things work, one day he will park his car somewhere and be approached by a complete stranger who will finally solve the mystery. In the meantime Tristan’s wife and family are looking forward to several picturesque trips around the South Island.