John Heimerl`s great dusty find ! —”the Dull Pickle” -

June 8-12 National Airflow Meet, Durango Colorado
March 2011
Volume 50
Number 3
John Heimerl’s
great dusty
find ! —”the
Dull Pickle”
--featured article
Plus:
The Marketplace
Membership Paid ?
DEDICATED TO THE RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF CHRYSLER AND DESOTO AIRFLOW MODEL
AUTOMOBILES AND DODGE AIRFLOW TRUCKS-THEIR RELATED HISTORY AND LORE. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AIRFLOW CLUB OF AMERICA, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FOUNDED JUNE 1962.
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Presidents Message
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Greetings fellow Airflowers!
While we patiently await ―driving‖ weather, I’m
wondering if some of you might receive this Newsletter
via dogsled! We certainly are having an interesting winter. As I write this, I am in Arizona, driving to San
Diego on Friday to meet fellow ACA Members at the
Western Region gathering this weekend.
Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find a letter to our Editor
penned by past President and longstanding member
Chuck Cochran. Chuck commented on some of the actions taken by your Board last year. I mentioned those
decisions in the November, 2010 Newsletter. Chuck
was gentlemanly enough to send me a copy of his letter.
In reviewing it, I felt that he made some excellent
points.
The changes which we made to the judging policies
were motivated by recommendations from our two past
Chief Judges, and they had excellent points as well. At
a Board Meeting on February 5th, we reviewed Chuck’s
concerns as well as other issues. The Board agreed with
Chuck’s point that the tradition of awarding the WPC
Cup to the high point car was longstanding and significant, yet we still wanted to give our Chief Judge and his/
her team the opportunity to recognize (optionally) a car
which had historical significance or unusual provenance
(for example). We decided to reverse our decision regarding the WPC Cup, and thus it will continue to be
awarded to the high point car. However, once awarded,
that car will be ―retired‖ for a period of time and not be
eligible to receive the WPC Cup during that time period.
We did decide to institute a new award, which we
have designated the Carl Breer award. At the option of
the Chief Judge, this award may be awarded to a car of
unusual significance, and not awarded on the basis of
points achieved during the judging process. The decision to grant this award (or not) will be made by the
Chief Judge.
After some discussion, your Board members decided
not to revisit the decisions made regarding the Hard
Luck award and the Long Distance Trailered award.
There will be a Hard Luck award, and there will not be a
Long Distance Trailered award.
The primary responsibility of the ACA Board of Directors is to serve the ACA membership. We’re grateful
that Chuck reminded us of the significance of some of
our traditions. While we did not agree with all of his
points, we did agree with some and we acted accordingly. We’re flexible and want to do what is in your
best interest – if you have thoughts which you’d like us
to consider, contact an Officer or Director! Officer contact information is in every Newsletter, and contact information for all Board Members can be found in the
Roster!
Airflowingly
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MEMBERSHIP - Persons of good character become a member upon submission of an
application and payment of the annual dues as follows: $30.00 US per year $35.00 US
Individual Member or Joint Members (outside of North America) All memberships
expire on December 31st. Mail membership requests or renewals to:
Dennis Pitchford
14947 Leigh Ave.
San Jose, CA 95124-4524
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: The 10th of each month for the next
issue. Send all material to:
Neal Jacquot, Editor
2714 East 7th Street
Casper, WY 82609
E-Mail: <[email protected]>>
CHANGE OF ADDRESS:
Undeliverable copies, other mail items and
changes of address are to be sent to:
Mary Kathryn Eberly
207 West Main St.
Mount Joy, PA 17552-1213
Email: <<[email protected]>>
The AIRFLOW CLUB OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED is a non-profit organization founded in June 1962. The Club is dedicated to (1) the preservation, restoration,
exhibition, and use of Chrysler and DeSoto Airflow cars and Dodge Airflow trucks;
(2) the collection, recording and preservation, of Airflow historical data; (3) the dissemination to the public of the story of Airflow contributions to the automotive industry and (4) the promotion of good fellowship and cooperation among its members.
The Airflow Club of America is authorized and licensed by Chrysler Corporation to
use Chrysler, Dodge and DeSoto trademarks. Additionally, the Club is officially a
member of the Chrysler Corporation family of enthusiast clubs under specific legal
provisions of a signed agreement dated January 20, 1994.
The AIRFLOW NEWSLETTER, published monthly, is the official publication of the Airflow Club of America. The opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the
Airflow Club of America. official policy. All manuscripts, articles, letters and ads are subject
to being edited unless specified print verbatim.
AIRFLOW NEWSLETTER - COPYRIGHT 2010 by the Airflow Club of America, Inc. All
rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or part, in any form, without express written permission of the Airflow Club of America, Inc. The Club’s internet address is
<<http://www.airflowclub.com>>.
AIRFLOW CLUB OFFICERS
President – Frank Daly, Sammamish, WA. (425)-210-1804
Vice President – Chandler Smith, Fort Worth, TX. (817) 921-6699
Secretary - Doug Conran, Benton Harbor, MI. Phone: (269)-925-1950
Treasurer - Dennis Pitchford, 14947 Leigh Ave., San Jose, CA 95124-4524
Phone: (408)559-7977, E-mail: <<[email protected]>>
NATIONAL DIRECTORS
Dennis Barfield, Goose Creek, SC
Jim Lightfoot, Simi Valley, CA
John Librenjak, Riverside, CA.
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
Eastern: John Wagner, Athens, GA.
Central: Roger Bise, Ft. Smith, AR.
Western: Tom Prince, Walnut, CA.
CLUB STAFF
Editor: Neal Jacquot, (Address and email in above box)
Mail Records: Mary Kathryn Eberly, 207 W. Main St., Mount Joy, PA 17552-1213, Phone:
717)-653-1094, Email: <<[email protected]>>
Chief Judge: Phil Putnam: Orland, CA.
Chief Judges Emeritus: John Heimerl, Suffolk, VA.
Chief Judge Emeritus: Don Mitchell, Port Byron, IL.
Chief Judge Emeritus: Ellis Claar, Greensburg, PA
Historian: Frank Daly, Sammamish, WA
Storekeeper: John Librenjak, Riverside, CA. Phone:
Website: Jim Lightfoot, 743 Harper St., Simi Valley, CA 93065
Phone: (805)522-4040, E-mail: <<[email protected]>>
RECENT PRESIDENTS
1998-2002
Jim Lightfoot, Simi, CA.
2002-2006
Charles ―Chuck‖ Cochran, Indianapolis, IN.
2006-20010
John Librenjak, Riverside, CA.
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but he did indicate he had one back home and it
was a good original. I told him how impressed I
was with the car and how I hoped to own one
someday, he just smiled and offered to sell me a
model A Ford engine that was in his dad's shop.
Article and photos by John Heimerl
Seven years passed, and every year I wrote
Danny Beazley asking if he wanted to sell his AirI was eleven, and stuck on old cars already. I
flows. Some years I got a polite refusal, some
had only seen an Airflow car in a book, where it
years nothing, but I stuck to it. Meanwhile, the
was called "the car which almost broke Chrysler". years were not kind to Danny and he faced colon
Interestingly, that was in 1962, and Airflows were cancer, and beat it, but not without major surgery.
generally treated with contempt compared with to- It re-prioritized his life. In 1980 I was 29 when my
day. At that age all I could think was this was an
friend Emmett called up and said, "Hey, you need
to call my brother, he wants to talk to you about his
old cars and he's lost your number".
At 29 and being a DJ I was not making a whole
lot of money, but as you can guess, I called immediately. Danny said, “You still want to buy that old
Chrysler? I'll sell you the car but you have to take
a bunch of parts out of my basement and haul off
the parts car, too”. Too good to be true, I thought!
But, the next question was how much? All the old
car advice I had even heard was when you got a
chance to buy something you really wanted, don't
hesitate - and bring a trailer! I asked and he
dodged. He said, you can come up here and look
and make me an offer. That was a Friday and the
very next morning I had the open trailer behind the
incredibly advanced looking car for 1934. It would old GMC and a friend following with another
be ten years until I saw another one.
pickup and we had Glenburnie, Maryland in our
In Saluda, Virginia, I was walking with a funeral sights.
procession winding back through the woods to lay
a friend's father to rest in a family cemetery. As we
followed the casket, the forlorn lamps and 39-bar
grill of an old car poked out of the brush, small
trees growing through it's rusty and bent triple-tier
bumper, its Moonglow Deep Poly paint in ruins. I
was stunned. It looked like the Airflow in the book!
On the way back from the graveside service, I elbowed my friend, Emmett Beazley, whom I had
given his first real job in radio. "What's the deal on
that old car?" "Oh", he said, "that belongs to my
brother Danny. It's his parts car. He has a decent
one back in Maryland." After working up my courage at the wake, I introduced myself to Danny and
asked what the story was. He was a bit distant
(after all I was only 22 and he was at least 15
years my senior, and he had just lost his father),
Airflow 6600480, AKA
“The Dull Pickle”
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Dull Pickle Shines!…..continued from page 3……….
When we got to Danny's the fun really began!
First a tour of a basement crammed full of
spare car parts, many of them Airflow. I was
stunned, again. All this goes with it? “Yes,
I've been collecting at Hershey since the 50's,
I got the car at a gas station near here in
1951. It was brought in for repairs and the
owner never had the work done, and never
came back. They got a mechanics lien title,
and I bought it from them”.
And then it was time to look at "it". We
went out back and here were a row of tin
sheds, one added to another, there must
Why don't we look at the other cars in
case you are interested in anything else?, he
offered. So we stepped into the next shed,
which was also his workshop, and I found
myself standing next to a 1917 Indian with
sidecar. All original. Does it run? I asked.
Sure, he said, you want it? Give me $1200.
Seeing as how I was scared to death that the
Airflow deal was going to be way more than I
could afford, I said, probably not. Looking
back, how dumb was that!
Well, anyway, we toured a Durant, a Star,
a couple of Dodges and Plymouths, a Terraplane, and the likes, but I
came right back to the Airflow.
“Make me an offer,” he says. I
asked, “would you take a
grand?” He said, “nope.” “ I
want $2500 for it all. But, I will
take payments.” Ah, the
magic word. Payments! So I
said, “ how about $500 now
and five hundred in three
months, and $500 every six
months after that?” “Huh,” he
said, “that's a long time.... but
seeing as how you are my
brother's friend, you gave him
a job, and you kept asking,
OK.” I was so thrilled I forgot
have been twelve! Danny went to one near
all about the Indian!
the middle, swung open the doors, and there,
So we loaded up, and loaded, and loaded
sitting on four cinderblocks, sat a car only a
and loaded until we had two full pickups and
mother could love, totally covered in gray
parts stuffed in the car and strapped to the
dust. I couldn't even tell what color it was. But trailer and we could get nothing more on
as I went around it, there was no rust, not
board. Danny said he had more parts scateven a little! I was amazed. It was green un- tered around and as he found them he would
der all that dust, the color of a dill pickle, but send them or call me to come back. He kept
duller (thus “dull pickle”) . The roof material
sending parts for ten years! Eventually, sellwas mostly gone and the seats were stained ing some of those parts meant I bought the
from being wet sometime in the past, but the cars for nothing.
car was all there. No way I can afford this, I
We went back for the car that started it all.
thought. Cracked a cylinder head, he said,
With chain saws and chains. And I'll never
but I have a good one. I stammered someforget finding the rusted out carcass of the
thing about not being sure what it was worth original radio sitting in the ground (ouch!) and
since it didn't run. He seemed unfazed.
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the huge cloud of brown rust that followed us
down the road. It was a good thing there was a
big Warn winch on that trailer. Later discovered the parts car came from our friend Ken
Curtis, in Raleigh, NC. Ken said, you know, I
hauled that out of a swamp in Carolina, and
the frame was almost rusted in two back then!
Mice had made it into one cylinder and it was
stuck tight, but I'm proud to say that parts from
that frozen old engine helped Jon Clulow get
his C-10 overhauled, and have crossed the
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dered, later to learn that the front floor mat had
been linoleum. Then I began to look at the
paint more closely and found green everywhere, over-sprayed on springs, backing
plates, cross members, axles. The green was
behind the headliner, inside the doors, under
the dash... Except around the engine where
the radiator, dustpans and inner fenders were
green.
Thinking back to Ellis Claar. OK, I guess,
no wonder he did not seem surprised. Seems
custom order cars were sometimes pulled off
the line, with dealer reps pushing for a quick
sale and delivery. This turned out to be a black
car, which was re-sprayed two-tone green after
the driveline was installed. There were numerous places where you could see the original
black.
Now, the story gets embarrassing. That car
is still the way it was when I bought it in 1980.
Other cars, Airflows and many more, got in the
way. I stored it in about ten different places including one museum, where it sat behind a
sign that said “1934 Airflow, rare, progressive
car, but not worth restoring”. In 1999 I finally
could afford one place for all the cars. And
continent since.
then it still did not get restored. Now I think I
The good car turned out to have a good
won't. Its patina has become so familiar it's like
motor, just suffering from 59,000 miles, long
an old friend, albeit one I haven't seen enough
storage, a cracked cylinder head and a busted of. Hopefully, we’ll all see more of it soon.
tooth on first gear. I finally had the short block
rebuilt last year and it goes back in this winter.
And the car turned out to be a strange one.
Next page and below–manufacturing andWith the body tag indicating color code 310, it
dealership orgins
was not in the "How to ID an Airflow" data
sheet. I called Ellis Claar, then Chief Judge.
Yes, code 310, he said. Spring promotion. Not
many sold, not in the list, but I can give you the
modern paint codes. It's two-tone, light green
body and dark green fenders."
The whole thing was so faded and dirty, I
had missed it. A good cleaning and some rubbing compound and it was obvious that the
fenders and the spare tire cover were a darker
green! Then, as I began to clean up the car,
the mysteries compounded. There was no sign
of a front carpet, just a bunch of old grayish
hard stuff in small crumbled pieces. There was
a full carpet in the back, still OK. Why, I won-
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Continued from page 5….”Pickle”
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ACA members may use this free ad section to buy or
sell Airflow items. Print your ad clearly. Ads may be
edited and must be renewed by the 24th day of each
month for it to be in next month’s edition. Ads run for
two months, then must be resubmitted.
For Sale: 1936 Airflow C-10
Complete restoration by Gary
Hoover completed 2009. ACA
Junior 1st Place at Lexington in
2010. Documented over $80,000
invested. I have fulfilled an item
on my bucket list and now will
sell to good home. Offers? Will
deliver in US in enclosed trailer.
Contact: James Torseth, 288 21 ¾ St., Chetek, WI Phone::
715 579 2857, Email: [email protected]
For Sale: (1) 1936 Chrysler grille very nice driver quality asking 750.00; (1) 1936 Chrysler grille-lightly pitted and 2 small
cracks at the bottom 300.00; (1) 1936 Chrysler hood good condition 350.00; (1) 1935 Chrysler hood with grille good condition
650.00. Open to all offers. Please contact me for photos.
Contact: Randy Rutherford, 183 Lower Seese Hill Road,
Canadensis, PA 18325, email [email protected] or by phone
at 570-460-8395.
For Sale: 1934 Chrysler CV Sedan. Restoration started many
years ago but never finished. Solid car mostly complete. asking
12,000 but open to offers. Contact me for photos and more details.
Contact: Randy Rutherford, 183 Lower Seese Hill Road,
Canadensis, PA, 18325, email [email protected] phone 570460-8395.
New S-2 owner requests help in replacing transmission oil; ACA member assists! (via Yahoo/discussion
group……)
Hi,
My name is Denny Malinky and I have a 1936 Desoto Airflow I
recently purchased from Bob Schofield. I just changed my
transmission fluid to Mobil 1 75-90 weight synthetic gear oil.
Will this be okay, or should I change to something else? My
plan is to drive the car frequently. I have read that synthetic is
the way to go, but wasn't sure if the gear lube was the correct
lubricant. Bob said he had been using a Harley-Davidson 70
weight oil, but I called my local H-D dealer and they told me 60
weight was the heaviest viscosity they carried. I would like to
hear what others have used successfully. Thanks!
For Sale: Reproduction gas tank filler grommets. Grommets fit
1934-35 Chrysler and DeSoto coupes and sedans.
These are EXACT reproductions. Please
specify - coupe or sedan when ordering. Price is
$45.00 plus $5.00 shipping. (Check payable to John
Librenjak - NOT Airflow Club).
Contact: John Librenjak, 3595 McKinley St., Riverside, CA
92506, Phone: (951)788-4678.
For Sale: Original Chrysler and DeSoto Literature! Large selection of Chrysler and DeSoto sales brochures, manuals, factory
photos, etc., for all models including Airflows. Send stamped
envelope with years for free list. Please specify Chrysler or DeSoto as I have lists for all makes of cars/trucks/motorcycles worldwide.
Contact: Walter Miller, 6710 Brooklawn Pkwy, Syracuse, NY
13211. Phone: (315)432-8282 or Fax: (315)432-8256. E-mail:
<<www.autolit.com>>.
Ads for the Marketplace
Post, phone or E-Mail your ad insertion to : Neal Jacquot, 2714 E. 7th St. Casper, WY 82609, or Phone: (307)
234-9198
or Email: [email protected]
an image that is from the Airflow Technical CD that explains
the reasons for what. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Airflow/
photos/album/2100589525/pic/915987830/view?
picmode=large&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=81&dir=asc
Most all of these products listed have additives, It would be up
to you to decide which would be the best application. Some Airflowers stress the importance of using Aircraft oil to fill the bill,
others say a good 80-90 multi wt is just fine and foaming is not
an issue. Others say a 70 wt. is too thick and cooler temperatures won't allow good circulation. I have read other on line
sources that claim the 70 wt. oils are unregulated so it could be
anything. I feel one thing is certain, modern oils are much better
than what was available in the 1930s'. The old wax buildup is
detrimental to the irreplaceable overdrive parts. Overdrive Airflows should be cleaned out meticulously before you drive
them. Be sure and search overdrive in theYahoo forum.
Denny
Denny,
I have wrestled with this same question and it has been discussed in this forum in the past. Just do a search in the Yahoo
group site. I know there are plenty of 70 wt. oils out there as;
RevTech, Red Line, Penn Grade 1, Lucas and Bardahl. I posted
7
Jon Clulow
Pasadena, Maryland
National Meet, Durango Colorado…………..
Information and registration in April Newsletter
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edy. Also, at the St. Joseph, Michigan meet, Bill Hill’s original
CU coupe fell into that same historical category.
Dear Editor:
I am not opposed to a rule that would make a winner ineligiI was somewhat perturbed by the announcements in the
ble to compete for a certain period of time, although I do not
November issue. I am a strong supporter of our new President, think this has been a problem.
Frank Daly, and I think he will be proactive, and I realize that
What I want to know is, ―was there a groundswell of interhe does not vote except in case of a tie. I am for hope and
est from members that led to these decisions?‖ Was there an
change and progress if it is in the right direction, but in my
advanced agenda that gave Board Members adequate time to
opinion the announced changes are in the wrong direction.
consider all sides of each question with thorough reflection?
I agree that there should be some type of Concours award
Did voting members have input from Club members? I have
for a car that presents itself well or in an unusual manner, e.g., heard that two of the Board Members were absent, leaving only
it has charisma or perhaps because of body style, color, acces- four voting members. I am anxious to read the published meetsories, etc., but it should be a separate award, not the WPC
ing minutes delineating who made each motion, who seconded
Bowl. The Bowl has been designated for the high point car
the motion, and the final vote tally. Then I think Club memsince 1975—35 years. It would be a sacrilege to change that
bers should have an opportunity to respond and possibly have
historical precedent!!! That would be like replacing the Star
these changes revisited.
Spangled Banner with Hip Hop America! And what does the
high point car get-nothing? One of the purposes of the Club is Airflowingly,
to encourage authenticity and originality. Are we abandoning
that goal and purpose?
Chuck Cochran, Indianapolis, Indiana
I am not against lowering the standards slightly so that more Past President, Director and Secretary, Member since 1962,
Airflows are eligible for awards. I thought that there were two Attendee at 41 of 46 meets
or more cars at Lexington that should possibly have received
awards. However, if the effort is to encourage more attendees Neal,
to enter their cars for judging, I do not think that lowering stan- I thought it was an interesting article on blackwalls in the Janudards is always the answer. I know many of the people in that ary Newsletter. I find it was odd that the Editor-in-Chief of
category, and each has his/her own reason—ranging from
Hemmings bothered to write about his hangup from cleaning
knowledge that their car is too imperfect to a general disinter- whitewalls when he was a kid. I realize that nearly all modern
est in awards. But that did not prevent them from attending,
cars have blackwalls and whitewalls are not the norm. Being
and after all, isn't mutual interest and love of airflows what the different IS the Airflow legacy. Mr. Lentinello had it all wrong
Club is all about?
about whitewalls being marshmallows, they are like clouds
The Hard Luck trophy was rightfully done away with many floating above the sea of millions of blackwalls.
years ago because it usually rewarded someone who had not
prepared their car well. Many other clubs have abandoned it as Jon Clulow, Pasadena, Maryland
a negative type of award from a bygone era. Today it is of even
less importance because most members trailer their cars, which
ACA member Frank Shimer,
begs the question, why eliminate the long distance trailered
Jr.,
78 of Lancaster, PA passed
award? Trailering an airflow is not for the faint of heart. Trailaway
on January 18. He was
ering in high speed traffic of today among 18 wheelers is danthe husband of Nancy L. Stoner Shimer. He was
gerous, expensive, tiring, and time consuming, but it preserves
born in Harrisburg. Frank retired in 1992; he had
your valuable restoration (read financial investment). Your
been a safety engineer at Hambright and Davies. He
modern truck will probably get you home in time to go to work
was a 32nd degree Mason. Frank loved to collect antique cars
on Monday, but your 75 year-old Airflow might not. Many
and had a passion for helping others.
clubs present such an award. I think Howard Urwin’s dedicaHe was a member of St. Peters Evangelical Luthern Catholiction in bringing his car from Alberta, Canada is deserving.
Church
where he had been an active member. He served in the
The award items that I think should have been cited are not
US
Air
Force
during the Korean War.
mentioned. One is the historical or preservation award. The
He is survived by his wife Nancy, three children, and 5
most interesting Airflow at Lexington was Tim McCoy’s origigrandchildren. The Shimer address is 1910 Haroldson Avenal CU sedan, probably the oldest known Airflow in the world
nue, Lancaster, PA 17601. Funeral services were held on Janu(by serial number). Yet, in spite of all the interest and releary by Snyder FuneralHome.com. Source: Mary Kathryn
vance, there was not an appropriate award for it. That is a tragAIRFLOW CLUB INTERNET FORUMS
The Airflow Club participates in two internet forums, one hosted by the AACA
and other hosted by Yahoo. The easiest way to reach the AACA Forum is to
go to the Airflow Club Home Page at <<www.airflowclub.com>> and at the
bottom of the page click on the AACA Forum address. If you want to access
the forum directly, their address is <<http://forums.aaca.org>>. Then click
on Forums. This opens all the forum lists. Click on Register Here and register
as a forum member, then scroll down the list Airflow Club of America in the
Chrysler Products group.
March 2011