Club Members Win Big at the AutoRama!

Volume 15 Issue 1
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Spring 2003
Letter from the Director
Upcoming Events
Stories
Tech. Tips
Club News
Director:
Michael McCaffrey
Asst. Director:
Rick Kinworthy
Secretary
Morgan Farrington
Treasurer:
Morgan Farrington
Show / Race Director:
David Newton
Assistant Show Director:
Robert Davison
MCCC Rep:
Frank Llano
Newsletter:
Carl Brimer
Photography By:
Charlotte Llano
Tim Winn
Quick Times
is the official publication of the
Lone Star Performance Buick Club (Chapter of the
GS Club of America). No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or manner without the
express consent of the Lone Star Buick Chapter
GSCA, unless this publication is listed as the source.
Club dues are $25 per year and are payable every
January 1st. Dues entitle the member to a one year
subscription to Quick Times along with other benefits
accordingly. The “Buick” name and all other related
Buick model names are registered trademarks of the
General Motors Corporation. And are used with
permission by the Lone Star Performance Buick
Chapter GSCA through it’s association with the Buick
GS Club of America.
From left: Frank Llano, George Jackson and Jack Laswell
Club Members Win Big at the AutoRama!
The LSPBC was beautifully represented during the 2003 AutoRama held at Dallas Market
Center. Frank and Charlotte Llano’s 87 Grand National, Jack and Jean Laswell’s 86 Grand
National and D’aun McCaffrey’s Chevrolet Z28 were each awarded 1st in class designations. George Jackson’s 71 4-speed GSX was also awarded the 2nd place slot in class
competition. Scoring was conducted by a panel of 3 judges whose points were combined to
determine placement. Frank Llano commented that “they even had hand held mirrors to
reach under the car and look for dirt on top of the transmission”. The contestants had to
clean every inch of the vehicles to help realize as many points as possible. Entrants left
their vehicles at the showroom for four days under tight security awaiting the final decisions
and answering questions from the spectators. Congratulations to the winners for being
awarded among the “best of the best” and promoting the LSBPC!
First, let me say hello to all of our new club
members! We are gearing up for a great season and so far the weather is cooperating. The
first big show of the season was a success for
some of our club members. Congratulations to
all of our AutoRama winners! That is a great
accomplishment when you have professional judging. I
also heard about the good turn-out and trophies at the
Awards Depot show. I am sorry I missed it.
I would like to thank all of the volunteers that are working
so hard to make this a great club. Rick Kinworthy is working hard and accomplishing a difficult task (finding new
members). David Newton is at every car show, even if
there is more than one on the same day. He is there passing out flyers and promoting our shows. Daniel Oviedo has
the best website that I have seen. What a great job! Morgan Farrington is keeping our finances in order and we actually have some money.
The “Show Team” at the AutoRama.
I hope to see all of you at our first show April 19th, and at
our second meeting of the year on May 10th.
Here’s to a great racing season and money making car
shows!
Michael McCaffrey
LSPBC Director
“Going Fast With Lots of Class”
The “girls” and Tim contributed at the show.
Several members came out to look around and show their support.
LSPBC group purchase for Denso Oxygen Sensors Club member Mitch Smith has arranged a group purchase
price for these sensors through Monarch products. For those
not familiar with the Denso O2 sensor, it has a great advantage over the GM one wire version because:
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It has a lead filter which allows use of leaded race fuel .
It has been reported to last up to 5 times longer.
It is a direct replacement for the GM P/N AFS-20 sensor.
It is $10.00 cheaper with shipping.
The current price is $16.39 + $6.00 S&H to the Arlington
area. Multiple people could coordinate a simultaneous purchase to effectively reduce the S&H cost to each person!
Jack Laswell and David Newton present their trophies.
To order, call 1-888-800-9629 and give the sales staff the
following information:
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P/N 234-1001 (1-wire sensor)
Group purchase Acct# 12876 (LSPBC)
Credit Card#
Shipping Address
Thanks Mitch!
LSPBC members honored were as follows:
Jack Laswell — 1st Place in the 80’s class
Jack Laswell — Best over-all Buick
Tina Newton — 2nd Place in the 70’s class
David Newton — 3rd Place in the 80’s class
Tina Newton’s award winning Buick GS clone
Other members in attendance included Cody Copeland,
Frank Martinez, Frank Llano, D’aun McCaffrey, Ray Arnold,
Daniel Oviedo and Tim Winn. I apologize if I have left anyone out here.
Congratulations!
Frank Martinez is “on the road again”!
April 12-13th
May 30th
Swap meet at the Ball Park in Arlington
The 9th annual Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour sponsored by
Chevrolet and co-sponsored by Flowmaster exhaust, will
kick off an eight day run across the great American south in
Nashville, Tennessee. It will conclude on Friday June 6th in
the DFW, Texas area.
http:///www.hotrod.com
April 18th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
April 19th
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
June 1st
Muscle Club Car Challenge at Thunder Valley Raceway Park
in Noble, Oklahoma.
June 6th
Conclusion of the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour
Long Haulers Presentation in Fort Worth, Texas
http:///www.hotrod.com
April 24-27th
Pate swap meet at Texas Motor Speedway.
http:///www.pateswapmeet.com
April 26th
Muscle Club Car Challenge at Hallsville Raceway, Hallsville,
Texas.
May 2-4th
Buick Race Day at Norwalk Ohio
http:///Buickperformancegroup.com/events.htm
May 3rd
Elvis Fun Run Car Show put on by the North Texas Chapter
of the BCA. For additional information call 1-903-961-2034.
http:///www.buickclub.org
May 9th
June 7th
Ewing Buick & GMC car show hosted by the Lone Star Performance Buick Club.
Registration: 10:00 am — 12:00 noon
Awards: 3:30 pm
Entry Fee: $10.00
Same classes as our regular car shows
Featuring KLUV 98.7 FM Disc Jockies
Door Prizes and a 50 / 50 pot to be awarded
Address: 4464 W. Plano Pkwy in Plano, Texas
More Information: Morgan Farrington @ 972-239-0223
June 8th
Muscle Car Club Challenge at Redline Raceway in Caddo
Mills, Texas.
June 13th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
May 10th — LSPBC Meeting
June 21st
Location: Buck and Loons
Address: 3417 South Cooper, Arlington, TX 76015
(about 1 mile North of I-20 on the east side of Cooper St.)
Time: 3:00 pm for officers, 4:00 pm for all members
Menu: American and other various favorites.
May 13-17th
GS Nationals at Bowling Green
http:///buickgsca.com
May 17th
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
June 28-29th
Swap meet at the Ball Park in Arlington
July 11th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
July 19th
October 18th
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
July 23-27th
October 25th
Buick’s 100th Birthday Centennial Celebration
Location: Flint Michigan
http:///www.buickclub.org/buick_centennial_2003.htm
Buick vs. Ford Shootout at Thunder Valley Raceway Park
in Noble, Oklahoma.
http:///www.okbuicks.com
August 8th
October 26th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
Muscle Car Club Challenge at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis,
Texas.
August 16th
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
September 12th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
September 14th
Muscle Car Club Challenge at Texas Raceway in Kennedale,
Texas
September 20th
LSPBC 3rd Saturday Cruise Nights
Located at the Chuck’s on the SE corner of Hwy 121 and
Preston Rd. in the Minyard’s parking lot. (Plano)
Registration: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Voting: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Trophy Ceremony: 8:30 pm
Plus 50/50 pot and door prizes
http:///www.chuckscruise.com
October 9-12th
18th annual NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at the Texas Motorplex
October 10th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
November 2nd
Muscle Car Club Challenge at Redline Raceway in Caddo
Mills, Texas
November 14th
2nd Friday drag racing at Redline Raceway
November 15th
Muscle Car Club Challenge awards banquet in Addison,
Texas.
http:///www.home.att.net/~racerx88/tmccc.htm
It’s Buick’s 100th year don’t let the celebration pass you by!
Thank you to everyone that has supported the club in the
past, however; this year we need you more than ever to
make it the best year yet! If I remember correctly, this is our
4th year putting on the Cruise Night with Chuck’s All American Food and Fun. It is one of the best cruise nights in the
country and you made it that way! Give yourself a hand!
Volunteers are always needed. If you would like to help out,
let me know. Remember, these shows pay for the events
you want and like!
The drag race program is new for the club this year. Instead
of maybe one or two events with trophies, we have decided
to have an eight event payout series at Redline Raceway.
Payouts will be $125.00 from LSPBC and $100.00 from the
racetrack to the winner! The runner-up payout is $75.00 and
$50.00 to each semi-finalist from LSPBC! It will cost you an
$5.00 per car to enter the bracket race in addition to your fun
and grudge entry fee. At this time they need a minimum of
13 cars from us entered at each event to be eligible for this
program. This is not set in stone, however; the owner of the
track would like this minimum to make it worth their while.
Other club racing rules are as follows:
1. You must be a CURRENT club member
2. Any vehicle is allowed, but we encourage you to bring
your Buick!
3. All IHRA rules and regulations are applicable
Also, don’t forget the Muscle Car Challenge Series. This is a
nice event that travels around the area to various racetracks.
If you need more info on this series, Frank Llano is our club
contact.
Reminder — Cruise Night Rules:
1. $10.00 entry fee
2. All members with Buicks must enter the Buick classes
3. Members’ other vehicles may enter any class with no
restrictions.
4. You may only win 1st place in the Buick Club class once
per year.
5. You may win 2nd place in the Buick Club class as many
times as you can.
6. Club members can not vote for other club members in
the club classes.
Again, I want to welcome our new members and welcome
back our members from previous years!
May the bird of happiness stay away from your Buick!
(hehehe) See you at the other end!
David Newton
LSPBC Show / Race Director
Our next club meeting will be held at Buck n’ Loons on May
10, 2003. The officers will meet at 3:00 pm and all members
will meet together at 4:00 pm. Although the menu is mostly
American, they also include other various popular selections.
Is that overflow bottle under the hood slimy, nasty and discolored? Try this cheap and unconventional cleaning
method:
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Remove radiator overflow bottle from vehicle
Insert “kitty litter” or other absorbent abrasive equivalent
Cap open ends with your hands and shake vigorously!
Empty contents and rinse thoroughly with water
Repeat as necessary
Your overflow bottle should now have an improved appearance as a result of removing the internal film that causes
most discoloration.
Source: Rick Kinworthy
For those of you who like to chrome your engine compartment, and; you are on a tight budget like myself, you may
want to try Economy Plating in Balch Springs, TX. These
guys do nice work at a reasonable price. I’ve had all my
chrome work done there as well as a few of my fellow members in the club. The phone number there is 972-285-5112
for any questions that you may have. They are located at
11224 Limestone Drive.
Happy Motoring,
David Newton
Members brave the cold and flocking birds at the first meeting of 2003. Groups also gather to see what’s new with the
toys on hand.
If you are anything like myself, you most likely cannot wash
your vehicle without applying some sort of tire shine to complete the job. For years I used “foamy sprays” to achieve
this task. Recently I stumbled upon a product that was new
to me from Meguiar’s. They produce a product that dispenses as a liquid gel and is applied with a curved sponge.
This purple liquid applies evenly and does not run down your
freshly dried wheels. Especially beneficial is the fact that it
does not “brown” my tires and reversed this effect caused by
other brands. It also has a much longer lasting result (a couple of weeks not days!) It may seem a little more expensive
by the bottle, but; you will use much less per application. I
continue to buy the spray versions to “renew” the underside
of the plastic fender guards and the front air deflector on my
vehicles.
Shine On!
Carl Brimer
New member Denise Hosack proudly displays her Buick
along side of Mitch Smith’s T-Type while meeting her fellow
enthusiasts.
Daniel Oviedo has performed exceptional work to update
the LSPBC website after a long stint of stagnation. The site
has really taken on a new sense of pride and distinguishment. Thanks for all your efforts!
Thanks to Charlotte Llano and Tim Winn whose photos
have helped make this newsletter more thorough and entertaining.
Thanks to Morgan Farrington for maintaining the LSBPC
treasury and our membership requirements. Especially since
it is income tax season!
Thanks to all those not mentioned here at this time who
have selflessly dedicated time to the improvement of this organization!
Full Spool Ahead,
Carl Brimer
LSPBC Newsletter / Editor
Recently, the question was posed concerning what exactly
is required by NHRA and IHRA in the matter surrounding roll
bars. For simplicity, I will refer to the NHRA 2003 Rulebook.
Generally, If your vehicle meets the requirements of NHRA, it
will also meet the requirements of IHRA . This technical area
is one that more frequently prevents the faster Buicks from
completing a pass without repercussions. The guidelines for
determining if your vehicle is required to have a roll bar is as
follows:
Section 1A:4
Roll Bar
“Roll bar mandatory in all cars running 11.00 (*7.00) to
11.99 (*7.49), in convertibles running 11.00 (*7.00) to 13.99
(*8.59), and in all dune-buggy-type vehicles running 12.00
(*7.50) seconds and slower. Permitted in all cars. See General Regulations 4:10, 10:6”
Roll Cage
“Roll cage mandatory in cars running 10.99 (*6.99) or quicker
or any car exceeding 135 mph. In full-bodied cars, with
unaltered firewall, floor, and body (from firewall rearward, wheeltubs permitted), running between 10.00
(*6.40) and 10.99 (*6.99), roll bar permitted in place of roll
cage. In convertibles running 10.99 or quicker or exceeding
135 mph, roll cage mandatory. Cars running between 7.50
(*4.50) and 9.99 (*6.39) must have chassis inspected every
three years by NHRA and have a serialized sticker affixed to
cage before participation. Plating of chassis prohibited for all
cars manufactured after 1/1/2003. Effective 1/1/2003, rearengine dragsters must conform to SFI Spec 2.7A; vehicles
exceeding 170 mph must meet appropriate SFI Spec for
body used. All others must conform to specs for body style
used, as listed in General Regulations 4:11, 10:6”
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Tell your friends that late model Buicks are welcome!
* = 1/8th mile designations
You must refer to General Regulations
4:11 & 10:6 for complete requirements.
These regulations discuss material wall
thickness, placement and other critical
installation requirements that affect your
safety!
Continued next page…...
Typical Roll Bar
Technically Speaking Continued….
As I am sure that you are aware, this article in no way is
attempting to cover all the safety requirements or the application thereof to your vehicle. This is solely for the purpose of
aiding your decision based upon the performance of your
vehicle. In addition to keeping yourself legal to operate at
these speeds, there are other benefits to installing a roll bar
such as:
1. Greatly reduced unibody flex that would otherwise cause
“stress cracks” to form.
2. Reduction of a portion of your applied power lost to chassis flex.
3. Improved weight transfer to “plant the rear tires”
4. Even if you are attempting to preserve the “factory appearance”, a properly installed roll bar presents a higher
degree of safety and a nice aggressive appearance.
I know that you could just take a chance, and that you would
not have this regulation imposed at every track. However,
the risk of personal safety and the law of physics are against
you. I personally would not dream of competing at the level
that I do without one.
D’aun McCaffrey’s award winning Chevrolet Z28
Be Safe!
Carl Brimer
Newsletter / Editor
NHRA C/FIA 4238
IHRA E/SA 4238
Mitch Smith “heating the hides” at the Texas Motorplex