In This Issue: - Alberta Mustangs Auto Club
Transcription
In This Issue: - Alberta Mustangs Auto Club
June 2007 In This Issue: Upcoming Events 2 President’ President’s Report 3 Barrett Jackson 07 6 A Fond Farewell 7 Shelby Visit 8 Okanagan Run 10 California Dreamin 12 Presidential 16 World of Wails 17 Pony Trader 21 Meetings or Cruise Departures Last Thursday of each month – 7:00pm Royal Canadian Legion #285 9202 Horton Road, SW Annual Membership Fees: Family $25 Sponsor - Sponsor List - $50 - Business Card Ad - $100 - ½ Page Corporate Ad - $250 Visit our Website @ www.abmustang.com Copyright 2003. Freedom to copy is given provided source is credited and copyright notice is shown. Some articles appearing in this news letter are copyrighted by their respective owners. UPCOMING AMAC MEETINGS & EVENTS AMAC Brunch – June Sat. Jun. 9th @ 10:30 am ABC Country Restaurant Douglas Sq. at Deerfoot AMAC Presidential S&S Sat. June 23rd Capitol Hill Community 1531 – 21st Ave NW AMAC Mtng/Cruise Thurs. Jun. 28th @ 7:00 pm 285 Legion 9202 Horton Road SW AMAC Brunch – July Sat. July AMAC Mtng/Cruise 14th Thurs. Jul. @ 10:30 am 26th @ 7:00 pm To be announced 285 Legion 9202 Horton Road SW Ph. (403)243-6205 Fx. (403)243-8102 Email: [email protected] 223114 Range Rd 285, Calgary, AB www.wmsracing.com President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary Newsletter Editors Newsletter Distribution Membership Sponsorship Marketing Directors Phone committee Activities Directors Web Masters Apparel Director Special Events Directors International Representatives Norm Johnson Bob Walker Brian Scarrow Lauren Blakey Cindy Chomiak Gary Chomiak Ken Burton Deb Parker Sharon Irwin-Besler Wade Besler Frances Halliday Kirsten Nielsen Ken Werner Mike Thomas Russ Penner Greg Kendrick Jim Bateman Gary Chomiak Wayne Hume Russ Penner Ford & Mustang Apparel Irene Olsen-Biovin Parts Dept Representative [email protected] 547-2018 281-8932 720-2002 284-4410 278-1800 278-1800 282-2182 255-7292 226-4115 226-4115 720-2502 295-8874 225-2227 239-1796 295-6281 276-7605 255-7292 278-1800 202-0717 295-6281 2 Main: 403-291-2900 Toll Free: 800-661-9770 Fax: 403-291-3768 2800 Barlow Trail NE Calgary, AB T1Y 1A2 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ‘SHOW’ A LITTLE ETIQUETTE The show and shine season is upon us and most of us need a little “tune-up” in proper show etiquette. After 30+ years of attending all types of car shows I would like to offer the following points for your consideration (some are my personal pet peeves). • There is no such thing as a bad Mustang. Some just cost more than others (this rule may not apply to Camaro’s or Mopar’s in general). • Try not to be a “car snob” because everyone who enters the show is trying his or her very best. Whether it is a Shelby or a 4 cylinder Mustang II the owner is proud of what they have. Remember a kind word or comment from a stranger does wonders for a sore back and the long hours it took to prepare a car. • Protect everyone’s car as if it was yours. When you are at car shows watch out for the cars around you. People are generally trustworthy but things like cell phones and cameras seem to find wings and are lost forever. • Also watch out for the Mums with their strollers, bicycles and the uncontrolled pack of kids. Most of the time people understand the rules and show restraint but occasionally a car gets scratched from strollers, bicycles or kids running their hands up and down the cars. Don’t be afraid to tell the kids or the parents to not to touch the cars. All owners will appreciate your comments. • If you are wearing a jacket with a zipper, please do it up so that you don’t rub up against a car. I have seen this happen and if you are the culprit you will feel like a complete fool! • Don’t be critical of other peoples work. We have all seen some smug son of a &^*%& stand in front of a car and rip it to shreds. This usually happens with the owners standing there in a complete state of shock. Keep your negative comments to yourself and praise the owners when it is obvious that a lot of time and effort went into his or her project. I remember saying something one time to one of these pompous asses and he was shocked that anyone would question him. I think I said something like ”Excuse me which car is yours because I would like to go over criticize it with you standing in front of it”. It is amazing that most of these critics do not even have a car in the show! • Feel free to ask questions and be willing to answer questions about your own car. If you see something you like or you have a question feel free to ask or express a positive comment. I have had some wonderful conversations at cars shows talking to other owners or people looking at my car. I find all sorts of leads on cars and or parts for sale, and have made more than a few friends along the way. I found that everyone is interested in telling you about his or her car. • Do not be afraid to enter a car that is not picture perfect. Most car shows or show and shines welcome all cars regardless of condition. I was at one car show in Vancouver and this guy brought this rusty piece of crap just for a laugh. The owner had a ball talking to people who started with a car in similar condition and he ended up with an award for the “best original” car. Cont’d… 3 • Please do not take yourself too seriously. Go to have fun and enjoy the crowd, the weather and do not expect to win an award. I know what its like to spend years restoring a car, then work all night to clean and polish the car to show up the morning of the show just to find out that your car is parked next to the most gorgeous restoration you have ever seen. It’s a little depressing but there is always someone out there that has taken more time, or spent more money and or is simply more talented than you. Do your best and then enjoy the moment. • When this happened to me, I was feeling lower than a snake belly in tall grass! I ended up striking up a conversation with the other owner, found out that he had everything professional done and spent a ridiculous amount of cash on his car (twice what I had invested in mine). When we compared notes he told me that he wished he had gone the same way I did. His car was so nice he was afraid to use it and that bugged him bad. In the end I left the show feeling pretty good about my car and what I had accomplished. • Support your Club at least once a year. I know everyone is busy but you should try to attend and enter your car in at least one event a year. There are so many different types of events you can enter in one season it can get overwhelming. Try to choose one that you and your significant other can both enjoy and let it grow from there. No one will mind if your car isn’t perfect. Participation is what counts. • Do not show up at a major club event and then park your car in the parking lot because you are simply too cheap to pay the entrance fee or too lazy to clean up your car. This is something that really pisses off club members who help organize the event. • So now go out to the garage, clean up the beast and we will see you at the Presidential on Saturday, June 23rd at Capitol Hill. P.S. I wonder if someone has a flowered shirt than can rival the one I’m going to debut on June 23rd? My daughter says I should not leave the house with it on because it is so incredibly ugly! I doubt anyone else has a more impressive flowered shirt than mine but you can try if you like! I fact I think I can get my Company to sponsor an “best flowered shirt award” and see who wants to challenge my extremely ugly taste in shirts! Norm “The Pres” Join us in WELCOMING our new members. Please help us to make them feel at home, wear your lanyards so we know who you are. Sid & Linda Duthie Scott & Mandara Hunter Tony, Gina, Joseph, Chynna & Kira Balasubramanian Dave Cook Bruze Mezei 4 CLASSIC IRON & MUSTANG PARTS A DIVISION OF 889662 AB. LTD. BOX 373 WARNER, AB. T0K 2L0 Full Feature Restoration Shop and Parts Supply Warehouse. We Specialize in the 64 ½ - 73 Mustang. Email: [email protected] www.classicironparts.com Toll Free 1-800-387-6697 Fax: 403-642-2296 5 Web store: By Bob Walker – AMAC VP This past fall Joe Jurcik and I decided we should attend the Barrett-Jackson. We are no different than other car nuts, and had always been glued to the TV during past auctions. We were anxious to go down and take in the action personally, and see for ourselves the quality of cars, excitement of the auction stage, and tour the displays. By the time we were ready to go I had convinced Keith Vickery, and my brother Wayne that this was too good to miss, and they readily accompanied Joe and me in Lorraine’s Subaru to head south. Our arrival in Arizona was not what I had in my mind as to what Arizona would be like. We were greeted in Flagstaff with blowing winds, blinding snow, and record cold temperatures. Luckily we Canadians came prepared with a Subaru, Noikean winter tires and snow brush, we needed them all. As we descended into Phoenix area, we quickly drove out of snow and ice and into desert, cactus, and sage brush. Our accommodation offered everything, and the best deal was we were within walking distance to the shuttle bus, which proved to be a short 5 min. ride to the auction site. We attended the auction on six days, and I don’t believe we missed any thing. The Barrett is a great experience, and recommended for all car nuts. The cars here were of higher caliber than other auctions, and presented very well. If you are selling a car here they tend to nickel and dime you with extra costs. Nickel and dime is more like $500 increments for such things as location of car at show, premier tent, time you go through, do you want TV coverage of your vehicle, etc. If you are a buyer, prices are definitely lower through the week and on Sundays. Friday and Saturday had the highest prices, and of course some of the premium cars. The Barrett does have one tent in which all cars are buy-it-now, with a price in the windshield. The cars in this tent seemed to be reasonably priced. The Barrett does have their BarrettJackson girls, which I have failed to notice on TV, I do believe they are a new addition, and are a good diversion from all the paint and chrome. If you are going to the Barrett or any of other auctions held nearby and in the same week, you are best to order your entrance on-line and you will save considerable dollars. All auctions have bidder’s passes and they are not a bad deal, as they usually include one guest. Russo and Steele This auction site was very close to the Barrett, and had many cars (500+) of equal quality. Russo and Steele auction definitely had more mustangs and Shelby’s, in fact at least half a dozen 65/66 vintage Shelby’s. This auction has grown in the number of cars offered and will likely continue to grow as they are offering good quality, less cost for the seller and buyer, and a cheaper admission at the gate. Typical of this auction and the others are the custom cars. A car is simply not a clone any more, it may be called; a custom, a re-creation, a tribute car, a continuation, etc. Continued … 6 Barret Jackson 2007 – Continued… Silver Auction This auction was held in the grounds of the Fort Macleod Casino. It was a good venue with approximately 500+ cars. No real exotics here, but definitely good quality and more affordable cars. Cars at the Silver and Russo and Steele auctions may have a reserve price, or go through no-reserve, un-like the Barrett which is all non-reserve. For those that are observant, you may find an advertisement for the Silver in one of the hand outs at Russo ( Collector Car ) that states “ bring this page with you to the Silver Auction for one free admission”. Thanks to my observant brother we saved $72us. There were very nice show cars here as well as drivers. Overall it was a great experience, with good cars, good friends, good times, good food and good beer ( as good as American beer can be ). If driving down it can be done reasonably in a two day drive, with one night stop over. Salt Lake City is the only real bottle neck with high traffic. Most is interstate driving on two lane divided at 120 + KPH. We took a diversion through Zion State Park; it is fantastic with all its red sand stone and being water and weather eroded. Sort of like a very big Drum Heller valley, but more scenic. Personally I would like to go back to this area, to tour Zion and Arches parks in Utah, and see more of the Grand Canyon. It would be easy to spend two weeks here; of course this will have to be arranged between summer car shows. We are sad to say that Larry Lucas passed away at home on April 3, 2007 at the age of 57. He is loved and will be greatly missed by his wife Sandy and sons Jasen and Ryan. Larry was born in Benito, Manitoba but spent most of his life in Calgary working for the oil industry. He was an avid Ford and Mustang lover and boasted often about meeting and shaking the hand of Carroll Shelby. Larry served as President of the Alberta Mustangs Auto Club from 1984 through 1986, and it was his inspiration to start the AMAC Presidential Show & Shine which will be boasting it’s 24th annual event this June 23rd. Larry is also credited with initiating the AMAC Kiwi Award for the best club car at the Presidential, as well as the Presidential Award which is given to the Club’s most active member each year. Larry’s Cars: 1972 Mach 1 – Larry was the original owner of this car 1972 Ram Air Convertible 4 Speed 1968 Shelby GT 350 4 Speed AMAC says a fond farewell to true Mustang fan and a great club member. 7 A VISIT TO SHELBY AMERICA By AMAC Member Shawn Porter For as long as I have been going to Vegas I have wanted to make it out to the Shelby American plant and take a tour. Being a long time Mustang enthusiast nothing stirs more emotion than visiting one of the flagship companies in the Mustang’s storied life. One reason or another came up every time I was in Vegas for the past 6 years but this time I was bent on seeing the plant and taking the tour. My wife Nicole and I made a last minute reservation with Hertz and piled into the Explorer they provided and blasted out on i15 for the 20 or so minute trip north towards the raceway. I’m sure there was a better way into the Shelby plant but we ended up on the East side of the racetrack driving across the entire sprawling complex to Shelby. The up side to this though was driving past a holding lot where hundreds upon hundreds of Mustang GT’s sat tucked several blocks away from Shelby American just waiting to be turned into the hot little Shelby GT. My excitement built as we finally got to the front doors, 5 minutes to spare before the free 10:30am plant tour. This gave us a moment to look around the small showroom in the front by the gift shop where a dozen or so Shelby’s of various types, Cobra’s, Mustangs and even a GT sat with placards describing their make or importance. An older fellow came out and gathered together the crowd of 25 or so people (larger than I expected) and started the tour describing in more intimate detail the various cars in the showroom, many being even rarer than their placard would suggest. Some were racers campaigned by Carroll himself. Others were the first or only car of a certain model made. One on display which wow’s is a classic Cobra with its aluminum body polished into a magnificent shine. The thousands of man hours required to keep the car in this condition is incredible; they don’t clear coat it he says because it would turn from a bright sheen into a yellowy mess before long. After observing and taking in some stories on the classic muscle we proceeded into the back, first stop was the Cobra line where two or three new Cobras sat on stands in various states of build. The Cobra line it seems is a special one for those who work at Shelby. Only a half dozen or so master techs get the opportunity to work on this line, you have to know what you’re doing to work in there. We heard more fascinating stories about how the Cobras are made and where supplies are sourced from, interesting stuff to be sure. Next up was the main plant floor where current Shelby’s are made. Previous to the current Shelby GT run the Shelby Hertz Mustangs were built in here and due to the immense increase in numbers for the Shelby GT they had to completely reorganize the plant floor, rearranging and adding lifts all over the place. Despite this change and increase in density the whole place looked highly organized though no robotic equipment to speak of was on hand. All the work is done by hand on lifts and usually no more than two people work on a Shelby GT at any given moment, allowing them to keep quality control in check and isolate problem work stations or workers quickly. We were in for a treat today too, one of Shelby’s chief engine builders brought out one of their new big block crate motors. He explained they were special engines that they have been developing that vary from 400 to 800HP with a supercharger and can have any configuration you can imagine. We got to see one of these engines in 600HP form fired up for us on a portable engine rack. The sound was incredible, you could tell this motor was packed with power but it idled and ran as smooth as any mild motor I’ve seen in tamer cars. He went on to explain that their top end package makes enough power it would cause the portable cart to actually start moving on its own, that’s some impressive horses! Continued … 8 A Visit to Shelby America – Continued … Before the tour ended we were introduced to Steve Navarro who I had time to chat with in the showroom later. Steve is an interesting fellow, he’s only been with Shelby American for 8 months yet he has risen through the company in record fashion. A Master ASE Steve started off working on the Hertz build and after that project was over was promoted to the Cobra line. An honour he said, but after a short while on there the dealings of Ford and Shelby took another turn for the better and the Shelby GT was announced and Steve was essentially put in charge of that line. So Steve does a lot of the press dealings, big ideas and the like now. It’s really interesting work and more interesting is that Steve doesn’t appear to be over 30, perhaps a good thing to breathe life into the auto industry again. Aside from his work as a right hand man to Shelby’s President Amy Boylan he also takes the cars to demos, talks to magazines and is helping develop and promote all the cool advancements in the Shelby GT product line. The Shelby GT isn’t officially available in Canada (a shame to be sure) but those that are lucky enough to be able to order one can now get their VIN from their dealer and take that to Shelby’s website. With the VIN entered into a personal account they can see where in the Shelby American plant their car is. So if it’s in suspension or body mod’s or some other station they can pull up that info and also pull up a web cam and watch their car being worked on live over the internet, too cool for any enthusiast! Steve was also proud to say that come March of this year Shelby will also have a modification shop open so you can bring your GT500 or Shelby down and get mod’s done right at the plant. Even better, if you have a Shelby GT on deck to be built you can add custom Shelby parts at the time it is being built at the Shelby plant. If you want a Shelby supercharger, done, different wheels, hood etc., all purchasable online so your custom Shelby GT is just that, truly customized and built all in Shelby American’s facilities. After chatting for a while with Steve I took the opportunity to snap a few more shots of cars I’d missed including Carroll’s own Shelby CS6 Mustang and before I left toured the gift shop. Proof positive that this was a great tour and fun experience, even my wife who generally has no interest in classic cars or car shows really enjoyed the tour and chat with Steve. There is a lot more to see and learn here, I could keep going on and on but I don’t want to ruin any of the trip for those of you that want to check it out. If you’re ever in Vegas or are planning a road trip, put the Shelby plant on your route, it’s definitely worth the stop. 9 May 17th – 21st A quick stop in Fernie for dinner, then on to Cranbrook for the night. We took the South route down to Kelowna to avoid the mud slides. A great BBQ Friday night at Mark & Carol’s to meet with the Kelowna Mustang Club. The ladies spent Sunday touring area wineries and sampling the goods! Thanks to Carol & Gladys from the Kelowna Mustang Club for being our designated drivers! Oh Yeah – and we saw some really nice cars at the car shows too! 10 GOODBYE SCOOTER - Unofficial AMAC Mascot Many of us remember our little friend Scooter from a number of club events and area car shows, he was frequently spotted in the pages of this newsletter. We are sad to report that little Scooter passed away April 14th 2007. He will be missed by many of us, but mostly by his loving owners Kevin Allen & Kirsten Nielsen. Mustang Trivia 1. What Actor raced SCCA World Challenge with Steve Saleen? 2. What size fuel injectors were factory installed on ’87-’93 5.0 Mustangs? 3. The first Steeda Mustangs were named after what storied road course? Fast Car Appraisals – Fred 242-3856 Answers on Page 21 Make sure to let them know you are an AMAC member! Advantage Ford 12800 McLeod Trial SE 225-3636 Trophy Sponsor ’05, ’06 & ‘07 Presidential Western Motorsports Inc. www.wmsracing.com 243-6205 Trophy Sponsor ’05, ’06 & ‘07 Presidential Classic Iron & Mustang Parts Warner, AB 1-800-387-6697 www.classicironparts.com Wrinkles Autobody 45 10th Ave. SE 601-2378 Metro Ford 111 9th Ave. SW 263-6670 www.metrofordomline.com The Mustang Shop Bay 5, 5019 11th St SE 243-1582 / 1-800-707-0774 www.themustangshop.ca Classic Car Auctions Car Crazy & Silver Dollar Casino Harold Henninger 287-6565 www.carcrazy.ca Toys for Boys (Mr. Speedometer) 505 53rd Ave. SE 258-2909 11 Universal Ford Lincoln Irene Olsen-Biovin Parts Dept Representative 2800 Barlow Trail, NE Nelson Racing Fast Car Appraisals By Fred Nelson 242-3856 Vintage Vehicle Appraisals Norm Flanders 282-2547 [email protected] Canada Brokerlink Insurance Downtown 232-6100 Dalhousie 286-7277 Fish Creek 278-0045 Sunrise 250-8816 By Jim Bateman Part 6 Continued from the April 2007 edition … When ever you are working with a dangerous installation it is very important that you use the correct tools and that they are in good condition. We borrowed a professional spring compressor and followed all the safety precautions outlined within the documentation. Once the springs where in place we installed the KYB gas shocks that held the springs in place as the chassis was not on the ground yet. The springs we chose for this build are slightly lowered by 2 inches and will provide enough stiffness for the 302 cubic inch motor that will power this car. The steering components are all replaced and we went with the stock parts and coated them with a good paint to maintain their new appearance as this car will be a driver. When we were installing the coil springs on the front of the chassis we managed to scratch the new black paint that we carefully protected with tape, this will happen from time to time and will require a touch up later in the project. There are some occasions where you attempt to perform a simple task and without thinking cause damage that requires replacement. I am pointing this out as we all make bone head mistakes and when you are working on a project such as this and it happens, and all you can do is correct it and move on. The incident that plagues me with this build was when I was hammering out the pinion bearing in the 9 inch carrier I could not understand why it was not sliding out as easy as I remembered the others I have changed in the past, this was due to the fact I was forcing it from the wrong side. This damaged the case for the 9 inch carrier and replacing this was the only solution. This set us back a few days, but not a major show stopper. The old saying measure twice and cut once, reverts to look twice and hammer once. We decided to powder coat the all the brackets for the suspension such as shock brackets on the rear leaf springs and the shock tower shock supports. This will prevent scratching and provide a durable oil resistant coverage for these parts. The installation of the export brace is very important as this car is suspended on the rotisserie and needs as much support as possible. Every project will provide you a new learning experience and this project is no different. We decided to use lead instead of polyester filler to fill in the rear quarter panel to the roof welded seam. This involved watching a video and trialing some old parts to prepare ourselves to complete the body lead work needed to cover this area. The reason we wanted to use lead is it is more flexible than the traditional bondo used on most body repairs today and the fact that this is what the factory used also helped us to make up our minds. continued …. 12 California Dreamin continued … This process is also very dangerous and requires safety when completing the work. The bars we used are 70/30 totally lead free composed of Tin, Copper and Zinc that provides high strength and is safer to use. The process also requires flux/tinning to be applied to the area before the lead can be introduced to the metal seam. We used masks, eye protection, and gloves when we applied the tinning to the metal area, and we spread this beyond the area we planned on leading. The tinning was scrubbed into place using copper steel wool as we heated the area with the oxy/acetylene torch. I used a rosebud tip on the torch to spread the flame out evenly across the metal panel. This process was performed outside as to reduce the fumes and soot distribution in the shop. We rolled the car on its side while it was on the rotisserie as gravity plays a very important part as you melt to the steel. I have a new respect for the old timers that use lead and do it by themselves, as this process took two of us to complete. After we had covered the entire area with tinning butter we proceeded to heat the area and melt the lead into place and spread it into the seams. I held the torch as I adjusted it to the optimum temperature, (trial and error is the only way to achieve the flame required) and heated the area. I then placed the 70/30 lead bar into the flame and against the heated panel allowing it to melt, then Gary would use the wood paddle dipped in an oil based cream to spread the lead and flatten it out on the welded seam. This was repeated until the entire area is covered with lead and all parts of the seam are filled in to allow for the strength and structure for the roof line. This process took two of us and holding your breath does not prevent the liquid lead from dropping to the ground. When we completed the one sail panel we set out to do the second one, and much like anything else we were now experts at leading making the process a lot quicker on the other side. When the lead application was completed we used the files to cut down the high spots and feather the lead to match up to the steel panel. The lead is softer to work with and easier to cut down to match the body lines. The next very important step is to apply the etching primer to cover the exposed steel. We then added some polyester fill to cover the small pinholes and finish the feathering of the panel and lead fill. Now this went very well and I recommend this as the method of completing the sail panel to quarter panel seam for classic cars. The lead work kit can be purchased from Eastwood as you will find very few shops that carry this form of body fill. continued …. 13 California Dreamin continued … The next installation will be the rotors and the brakes as we will need to install the wheels on to place the car on the ground again. The axle shafts are installed without the carrier for this same purpose. The wheels and tires are installed and the car is moved to the four post car hoist and the engine hoist is used to lift the back end of the car as we remove the rotisserie support brackets. The car is then positioned over the four post hoist and lowered to allow the tires to touch, then we remove the engine hoist sling and roll the car to the middle of the unit. The next action is to lift the front of the car and remove the remaining rotisserie supports and lower it to the hoist. The car now sits on all four wheels, and is and is supported on the new suspension. The next important task is to install the motor on the mounts and compress the suspension, before we attempt to adjust the doors and fenders. This is very important as we strive for straight gaps in the doors and fenders we have to have the suspension loaded to make sure the gaps remain when we are finished the project. We now have the motor installed and the wheels on the car with no steering wheel or completed suspension that is aligned, so moving it around is still a bit of a problem. The solution is to place the car on the rolling wheel cradles for ease of movement around the shop. We can now move the project car from side to side and forward and backwards to position it for the installation and alignment of the doors and fenders. The doors are now re-installed and the fenders placed on the car and bolted down to complete any bodywork required to prep the car for the high build primer surface coating. We installed the hood and the trunk as well along with the quarter extensions and the fender extensions, and any high and low spots are filled or ground to match the panels. Now the car is beginning to take shape, but wait we have to remove the fender again as there is a small amount of welding needed to close up some weakened metal and imperfections Stay tuned, the adventure continues …. A few AMAC members and their cars turned out for the Annual Heritage Park Show. Apparently Don Nelson owned 50% of the Mustangs at the show. Good showing Don! 14 LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED * INSURANCE * COLLISION * •PAINT * FRAME * AUTOBODY FREE pick-up & delivery at your convenience 45 – 10th Avenue, SE, High River Discounts to all AMAC Club Members FREE Courtesy Cars LIFETIME WARRANTIES (403) Wednesdays Wild Wednesday’s – Home Depot – McLeod at Glenmore June 2nd Three Hills Car Show June 23rd 24th AMAC All Ford Presidential Show & Shine in conjunction with the Capitol Hill Show & Shine August 25th Calgary T-Bird Club Show & Shine August 26th Cool Cars Cruising for Cancer - Charity Cruise & Car Show Hosted by Corvettes Unlimited Calgary Sept. 1st-3rd International Mustang Meet – Great Falls, Montana 15 9:00am – 11:00am 10:00am – 4:00pm 2007 PRESIDENTIAL CAR CLASSES Class No. Description Class No. Description A Stock 64 ½ to 66 All Models GG Modified 99 – 04 All Models AA Modified 64 ½ to 66 All models H All 69 to 71 Boss B Stock 67 to 68 All Models J Stock 05 to 07 All Models BB Modified 67 to 68 All Models JJ Modified 05 to 07 All Models C Stock 69 to 73 All Models K All SVT All Models CC Modified 69 to 73 All Models L All High Po – All Years D All 74 to 78 All Models M All Mercury – All Years E Stock 79 to 93 All Models N All Special Interest EE Modified 79 to 93 All Models O All Trucks – All Years F Stock 94 to 04 All Models P All T-Birds - All years FF Modified 94 to 98 All Models Best of Show – All Classes Note: Classes A through JJ are Mustang only classes Once again our trophies will be sponsored by Advantage Ford & Western Motorsports 16 By Bob Found The problem with Hard Luck Awards is that it's usually an award given to an exhibitor BEFORE the show, and not after, because after all, the show's over. Who knows what happens after a car show? Thus begins my tale of the trauma I was subjected to after the World of Wheels in Calgary. Instead of World of Wheels, it was more like World of Wails! In order to fully pity me, let me take you back to the spring of 2006 and the list of 80 things to do on my car. The car first went to Aero-Tech Welding to get two locking lug-nuts removed from the front wheels. In my attempts to remove the nuts without a key (lost), I mucked up the wheel and lug nut holes royally. I took the car back there later for a couple days to get the blower intake made out of stainless steel, instead of the 4 inch sewer pipe I had installed. I didn’t want anyone to say that the pipe looked like the material it normally transports. Next it was to Cascade Vans who did premier work on interiors of other rods but less than stellar work on my car, resulting in my taking the car back 3 times! A guy named Terry created the tonneau cover and aluminum console from my cardboard design and the old plastic console. In order to facilitate his work I had to take the car, twice, to Sundre by trailer and drop it off at his shop. Terry had some health problems which put the project behind schedule. I was really concerned about his health, because who would finish the car if he died? I didn't drive the car most of the summer because it was in the shops I mentioned. Between my frequent work forays across 3 provinces, I managed to deliver the car to Wrinkles in November. Around Christmas time Wrinkles' manager quit, forcing Lawrence to work in the office and after Christmas, 3 employees quit. So I wasn't very popular when I started whining about getting my car painted! Lawrence and Corey pulled out all the stops working long hours and weekends to deliver the car to me Jan 31, as promised. As usual, great work for the agreed-to price. It was -20C outside and all I had for heat in my un-insulated garage was a small construction space-heater, and the warm feeling in my heart for my car. I pulled the interior and stereo apart, rewired the doors and windows with relays so I could control them by remote control. I put in a new stick and a whole lot more chrome and aluminum parts inside the car and engine bay. The week of the show, I had to take holidays to ensure that I would not get called in for work. I got called anyway, but I told them I could "not partake in the events they requested". In other words, piss off! Like many others, I got the car to the Stampede grounds early but had to wait 1-1/2 hours in the line-up before getting to the Round Up Center parking lot. Pumped up full of excitement and coffee, I had to make two trips to the “bushes”. Approaching the entry I drove out of the line-up to take the car off the trailer and drive it in, rather that unload inside. The car wouldn't roll back to take up the winch tension, even by raising the hitch, so I decided to just drive the car off. In my attempt to do so, the trailer bounced, causing both ramps to fall off just before I got my back tires on to them! Fortunately a bystander and Barbara saw this and ran to my car yelling at me not to move. They put the ramps back on and I got the car off without issue after that. (It's the only time I didn't mind Barbara yelling at me.) Entering the building I was following the guide-guy, when I had to reverse the car - I didn't HAVE a reverse gear! What the hay? (Okay, okay, I didn't use the word "hay".) I shifted it about 6-7 times before it finally engaged, but when I tried to put it back in first, I now had no first gear! Arrrgggghhh! I sat there cursing "What the hay! What the hay!" and shifting, trying to get it to go, while the guide was wondering why the hell I was taking so long to move 10 feet! (I've raced the ¼ mile in less time than it was taking me to go one car length!) Continued… 17 World of Wails – cont’d… Eventually I got it moving and parked in my spot only to have my better-half tell me the car wasn't straight. I was staring daggers at her but I had to agree being 4 inches off alignment looked bad. After 289 shifts, I got it lined up. I was glad everyone was so busy they didn’t take notice of the idiot sitting in a non-moving car, cursing at the steering wheel and slamming his right arm into the dash. Maybe they thought I didn't like the music on my stereo. I wanted to keep the gauges and speakers lit up, so I had brought a computer power supply, rated for twice the current that I was going to be using but I didn't account for the wonky cooling fan in the power supply. It ran for 4 hours before it gave up the ghost so I put in a 10 amp battery charger for the 6 amp current draw but it also got too hot and started cutting out. The next day I brought a portable "muffin"-fan (and no, I did not buy it at Tim Horton's) and stuck it on top of the battery charger. This worked. The rest of the show was uneventful, except in tear-down when I stuck my finger in the muffin fan, but worse, I was dreading leaving the building with a useless shifter. Consider how popular I would be holding up a line of performance cars that can't idle and are anxious to get out! My fears were realized when I had to back the car up but couldn't. This time I jumped out of the car, pushed it back, drove forward, jumped out, pushed it back, jumped in, searched for first, and went. I was getting "clutch-leg", 'cause even though I have a centrifugal clutch, at low rpm the spring-pressure is horrendous. It was snowing when we left the building. The top was down and I couldn't put it up because I had the fancy tonneau cover installed. I also couldn't see where I was going because of the headlight covers so I had to ask a bystander coming out of the Saddledome to remove them for me. Driving around the Dome to the parking lot where the trailers were, I got the trailer hooked up to the truck and proceeded to get the car loaded. I checked my watch because I figured since it was only 7:30, I could be home by 8 PM. That was before the car fell off the trailer. The right rear-wheel spun the ramp out and the car came down hard on that side, falling onto the trailer with the wheel just touching the ground. Not having many tools with me, like a tall jack or even a drink like Jack Daniels, I called AMA for a tow truck. The tow truck got lost (who doesn't know where the Saddledome is?) and didn't show up for over an hour. When he eventually arrived, we tried ½ dozen scenarios to get the car lifted safely so we could get the ramp underneath the wheel without damaging the car. Naked parts Ramp on No ramp Continued… 18 e World of Wails – cont’d… f It started to snow heavily and it was getting into the car. o I had put the top up as far as I could (storing the tonneau in the truck) but the vinyl wouldn't stretch in the cold so the top would not lock down. Since my back r windows didn't work, a testament to my great electrical wiring technique, I put the flannel car cover on while we worked on the off-the-trailer-issue. Around 11 PM Barbara and I were dehydrated and hungry with nothing to eat or drink. She had been ill most of the day in the first placePand this was only exacerbating the situation. I ate the snow off the trunk of my hood and though it wasn't yellow, it still tasted funny. I had two migraines in a row and e a waste of $25 bucks! Shoulda bought a bottle of the two migraine pills I took (the $12 ones) did not help. What r whiskey instead. f used a bottle jack to jack it up. Then we couldn’t get We got the car lifted but couldn't remove the tow-bar so we the jack out and had to use a pry bar to lift the car the half-inch required. (Reminds me of the song, "The leg o bone's connected to the hip-bone, the hip-bone's connected to the…"). Finally the ramp was put on and the car r winched onto the trailer. I brought the car home with the top cinched down with bungee cords and drove slow so mgot home at 12:30 AM. I wouldn't lose the top or turn the car into a sail-boat. --- We a trailer and into my garage. Once again I anticipated The next day I took ANOTHER day off to get the car off the problems with the ramps, the winch that didn't work initially, n the sheer ice in the alley and the fact I have to drive uphill into my garage. c the car off in minutes. eI jumped into the cockpit, put the car in reverse, lined Well, the winch worked and I got up, put it in first, and drove right into the garage. No problemo! I'm beginning to think this is a younger man's job, so next year, I just want Norm Johnson to come and get my a car. Don't ring the bell, I'll be in bed! Let me know if I win anything. n d Bay 5, 5019 – 11 Street, SE Calgary (403) 243-1582 or Toll Free 1-888-707-0774 www.themustangshop.ca Canada's #1 Source for Performance and Restoration Mustang Parts. Established 1987 R e s t o r a t i o n ¾Restoration parts and materials for classic mustangs ¾Performance parts and “dress up” items for late models ¾Used parts for early and late models ¾Accessories and literature ¾Competitive prices ¾Knowledgeable service M u s t a n g 19 P a 20 Classified Ads are free to A.M.A.C. club members and $10 for nonmembers. Ads will run for two issues of the newsletter only. If you would like to place a new ad, re-new an ad or cancel an ad, please call Neil Burton @ 247-8531, or better yet, email me at [email protected] CARS FOR SALE: 1968 Mustang Coupe - Candy Apple Red! Rebuilt 289 engine with COMP camshaft, 302 heads and roller tip rockers. All new brakes, suspension and interior, chrome rims and tires. 6-disk CD changer in glove box with control in center section. Over $20,000 invested, excellent working and running condition. Turn the key and head off to the car show. $18,500.00. Contact Gary at 815-0068 (cell) or 2781800 (home), [email protected]. (May) 1967 Mustang Convertible, complete professional “body off” restoration (complete detail), “AS BUILT” condition, 79,500 original miles, 1,399 since rebuild, 3 spd, 289 2V, Bucket seats, center console, Ps/pb, ptop with glass backlite, Remote mirror – driver side, d/n mirror, Rocker panel moldings, SS luggage rack, 14” Michelin tires (new with restoration), Original color – Brittany Blue, Kiwi and Presidential “Show and Shine” award winner, complete picture and paper record of restoration. Beautiful car - Ready for show! $39,900. Many more photos and info available. Phone Fred Kelln (403) 581-0386 (Mar) 1985 Dodge van – 318 2 bbl automatic. Finished interior – insulated and carpeted. Well maintained, recent tires, carb rebuild, brakes, etc. - $2000 firm. Call Monica @ 652-3512 (days only). (Mar) MISC / PARTS FOR SALE: Flowmaster American Thunder mufflers for 05+ Mustang GT. Mufflers are lightly used for 2 months and are in great condition, no rattles or rust. Include polished tips and are a direct bolt in swap with a great sound! Regular price $330, asking $200. Contact Shawn at 248-6915 or [email protected] (Mar) Trivia answers: 1=Tim Allen of Home Improvement Fame, 2=19 lb/hr; 3=Sebring International Raceway 21 22