That`s how he rolls

A River City Weekly Publication
November 20, 2008
Let’s make a deal
Current economy is giving consumers
a chance to bargain for the best car
prices in years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
“This is the best time to buy a car — as far as dollars — I can recall in 30 years.” — Gil Birdsong, Westmark Credit Union
That’s how he rolls
Custom-car builder
works to restore
1934 Plymouth
How to prevent
brake failure on
the open road
BY REBECCA LONG PYPER
River City Weekly
It’s 5 a.m., and Tom Valiquette is
in his shop and deep in thought.
As owner of Tom’s Classy
Customs he is trying to solve a
problem on the car he’s restoring,
and he knows every modification
causes a domino effect. So he’s
working carefully, thoughtfully,
analytically.
It’s not the type of thought
process you’d expect from someone who rebuilds cars, but that’s
the way Valiquette rolls: precision
work on all projects, even those
that won’t ever see a show — but if
Brake it
DOWN
When Tom Valiquette is finished rebuilding the 1934 Plymouth Coupe, it will
be an original. He’s redesigning the frame and custom-building the body.
Rain-swept pavements and icy
roads are no place to discover
your vehicle’s brakes don’t work.
That’s why knowledgeable motorists have their brakes inspected
before the bad weather hits.
“Some drivers wear out their
brakes more quickly than others,” said Tony Molla, spokesman for the National Institute for
Automotive Service Excellence
(ASE). “Brakes are made to last
PHOTOs BY KORT DUCE
they did, they’d probably win.
His latest riddle arrived three
weeks ago in the form of a 1934
Plymouth Coupe. The car came
from a Sandpoint barnyard, where
it was parked in 1962. The customer bought the car and hired
Valiquette to do the work after seeing a 1940 Ford pickup Valiquette
fixed up; that pickup won Best
of Show at Yellowstone Rod Run
in August and five top awards at
MINIATURE CLASSICS
Morrodders Gambler’s Run and
Car Show in September.
“(Valiquette) is creative and he
does exceptional work — the kind
of work you’d want to do yourself,” his current client said.
The Plymouth project — which
will be Valiquette’s 10th complete
build — is in its infancy, the car
stripped to bare metal awaiting
bodywork and modifications.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Hobbyists build
models small in
size, big on detail
BY REBECCA LONG PYPER
River City Weekly
George Howard has been buidling model planes since 1967. Above, Howard
paints a P-47 Thunderbolt airplane at 1/48 scale. The P-47 was used during
World War II.
PHOTO BY KORT DUCE
Old habits die hard, and George
Howard’s 41-year addiction is
building model airplanes.
It’s been this way since he was
nine. He doesn’t do a quick-anddirty job because the draw is in
the details. The plane interiors
are painted out to mimic their
larger counterparts, no easy task
considering his model size of
choice is 1/48th the actual size.
Howard’s knowledge of planes
translates into accurate paint
jobs too. While in the Air Force,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
30,000, 40,000, even 50,000 miles,
but if you drive down a mountain
to get to work or are in stop-andgo traffic everyday, your brakes
may wear out faster. It depends
on the type of driving you do.”
Molla and other automotive
industry experts recommend
that brakes be checked every
35,000 miles, but local expert Don
Eastman, Bybee’s Alignment and
Brake manager, suggests inspections every 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
Many auto-care centers offer the
service for free; however, it’s
not a job for the average do-ityourselfer.
“A technician needs to make a
visual inspection that includes
pulling the wheel off to see how
much lining is left,” Molla said.
In some states, a brake inspection by an authorized technician
is required if you want to buy, sell
or re-register your vehicle.
And here’s some motivation
for getting things inspected:
If problems are caught early
enough, brake-pad repair might
be enough. When brake pads are
replaced, rotors are usually resurfaced too. That’s because rotors
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
2 Idaho Falls Wheels l RIVER CITY WEEKLY November 20, 2008
Custom-car builder works
to restore 1934 Plymouth
CONTINUED from PAGE 1
When finished the Coupe
will roll out of Valiquette’s
shop christened
“Frankenstein” or “Highboy
Hemi,” sporting a sun roof,
huge back tires, a tilted cab
for a cartoon appearance
and a blower motor sticking out of the hood.
“(The owner will) only
drive it a quarter mile at a
time, but it will be fun quarter mile,” Valiquette said.
The car will probably
be candy red, a favorite of
Valiquette’s because “boy,
you just can’t lose with
candy-red paint,” he said.
That’s the color of the Ford
pickup he recently finished
— exact paint color: hot
raspberry candy — and one
of the colors on his 1940
Mercury convertible that
placed in the Great Eight
while competing for the
Ridler Award, the equivalent of the Super Bowl in
the world of auto shows.
While Valiquette is proud
of his Great Eight accolades, he doubts he’ll head
back for another of the
competitions because the
cost for that caliber of car
Valiquette takes his time refurbishing and customizing cars. Each modification can cause a
domino effect, he said.
PHOTOs BY KORT DUCE
Local Dealer, Local Help and Low Prices!
Mac
Advantage
2940 S. 25th E. • Idaho Falls
(Syringa Wireless Building)
200-2775
is almost prohibitive.
Valiquette plans to finish
the Plymouth in May or
June, then he’ll begin his
next custom job, maybe
another prostreet-style car
like others he’s been doing
lately — a narrowed rear
end with 18-inch-wide tires
in the back.
Even though Valiquette
swore he’d never build cars
for a living — people don’t
see or appreciate shaved
door handles and fixed fuel
lines, the 12 hours searching for answers that only
yield six hours of pay and
the wear and tear on his
body — he loves when one
Valiquette’s
calendar car
they also got a one-ofa-kind that nabbed top
awards at both shows it
has entered.
The truck is also the
grand-prize winner
featured in Napa Auto
Part’s Cool Rides
Calendar for the month
of June.
Kevin said the truck
is mostly for show —
Kevin and Tamie
Merrill got more
than they bargained
for when hiring Tom
Valiquette to do a
custom restoration on
their 1940 Ford pickup.
Sure, they spent more
than they expected, but
is done.
“By the time you get done
with the car, you don’t
have any fingerprints left.
Thousands of pieces have
to be worked over,” he
said. “I like the end result
— that’s the reward. The
rest is work, and it’s tough
work.
he and his wife have
logged 30 total miles in
it since restoration was
completed in July —
and the workmanship is
what he expected from
Valiquette.
“I knew whatever he
did to my car was going
to come out top of the
line,” Kevin said.
SNOW TIRES FOR
SALE, LIKE NEW
Bridgestone Blizzak
snow tires, mounted, to
fit 1994 Ford Escort LX
or similar, used one season, excellent condition.
Over $900 new; asking
$600/OBO. Call 221-7710.
1994 Ford Escort LX
FOR SALE
Two door hatchback,
manual, 167K miles, interior very clean, recent
new brakes, tires, struts.
Excellent mileage, great
little car. $1,000/OBO.
Call 221-7710.
4 Idaho Falls Wheels l RIVER CITY WEEKLY November 20, 2008
Hobbyists build models
small in size, big on detail
CONTINUED from PAGE 1
it was all planes all day for
Howard.
“Like a good piano tuner,
I could tell you from the
squeal of the plane coming
up behind me what kind of
plane it was,” he said.
Some models come
with painting guides, but
Howard said his experience
seeing actual planes helps
him know how to accurately paint them.
That’s the way it is with
most model builders,
said local hobby store
owner Chris Cope. A lot
of hobbyists own or have
owned a specific model of
car and want a miniature
version of it, and current
and past military personnel
often seek kits of familiar
tanks, carriers and planes.
Younger builders gravitate
to cars they admire.
Self-proclaimed Ford fan
and model-car enthusiast
Ernest Hughes chooses
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury
kits. And by “kit bashing”
— taking parts from different kits and adding them to
projects — he gets a totally
custom creation. Hughes
Ernest Hughes of Idaho Falls enjoys building model cars. Most often they are custom-made
with engines, detailed painting and wiring, independent steering and exhaust lines.
PHOTOs BY KORT DUCE
Hughes built this miniature auto shop to store some of his
model cars.
also does scratch building
where he makes original
parts from plastic, like special beds for pickups.
Though Cope said the
hobby is maintaining its
popularity because “it gives
(builders) a sense of accomplishment, they get to
see the end result of their
work and it’s something
fun to do,” Howard said
kids nowadays aren’t as
easily intrigued by model
building. Hughes agrees.
“It’s hard to get the
younger generation into it
because they want instant
gratification,” he said. “It’s
hard for the model industry
to compete with games and
Internet and stuff like that.”
Both Howard and Hughes
picked up the trade from
working with their fathers,
and Hughes said that is
how many young hobbyists
get started today.
Howard works on planes
while volunteering at the
Legacy Flight Museum in
Rexburg — where many of
his models are on display
— and at home, where
a dozen dangle from the
ceiling. And when detailing
interiors and exteriors, he
adheres to a phrase clipped
to his computer: “When we
compromise our value system, we are participating in
integrity slippage. Integrity
slippage is progressive and
fatal.”
“The only person who
knows you cut corners is
you. If you start cutting
details here and there, it
really starts showing outside,” he said.
A model citizen
George Howard isn’t stingy with his work.
He sells models and donates the profits to the
Legacy Flight Museum. And he takes custom
orders. With a clear photo of a military plane
and other pertinent information, he can build a
plane looking just like the actual aircraft. He
also splits his profits with the museum on jobs
like this. For more information, call 359-5905.
Do you love
River City Weekly?
Help us cover postage and have the
paper delivered right to your mailbox!
Visit our Web site to
subscribe today!
www.rivercityweekly.com
November 20, 2008 RIVER CITY WEEKLY l Idaho Falls Wheels 5
Marriage licenses
Nov. 10 –14
All are from Idaho Falls unless
otherwise indicated.
Nicholas C. Alford, 24, and Maryann
Leslie Kener, 20.
Brent Neils Schneider, 48, and Kerrie
Fay Bailey, 46.
Christopher D. Freeman, 25, of Rigby
and Angela Maria Cervantes, 22.
Don S. Michaelson, 60, and Linda L.
Malone, 59.
Jed Lance Martindale, 49, and Gloria
Maria Aguilera, 33.
Bradley Allen Wilde, 32, and Breanne Irene Peck, 29.
Blaine Y. Searle, 46, and Kristy K.
Bushnell, 44, both of Shelley.
Building Permits
Bonneville County, October
Lee Boren, 6698 N. 25 E., mechanical, $3,500.
Kim and Geri Keele, 2872 E. 113 N.,
garage, $11,340.
Michael Ryan, 510 N. Westridge
Drive, $2,481.
McNeil Development, 1015 W. Crane
Drive, mechanical, $600.
Jerry K. Fray, 5737 S. 15 W., me-
chanical, $408.
Patrees Stucki, 12963 N. 15 E.,
mechanical $2,000.
Tate C. and Krista M. Vance, 2950
N. Sunlight Drive, house with garage,
$67,507.
The Hansen Family Trust, W. Broadway, garage, $13,000.
Palidades Creek Ranch LLC, 100
Caribou Forest Circle, water storage
tank, $212,500.
Mayra Nava, 2020 N. Deborah Drive,
mechanical, $2,021.
Tebbin G. Johnson, 2586 E. Iona
road, addition, $1,134.
Jason and Jaci Ward, 3791 E. Prism
Drive, house with garage, $102,347.
Mark Mickelsen, 9088 N. River Road,
garage, $29,400.
Dale Russell, 1598 E. 49 N., lean-to
and pump house, $3,055.
Vernon Theiman, 4027 E. Lincoln
Road, mechanical, $600.
Dale Michelson, 7533 N. 5 W., HVAC,
$6,000.
Idaho Falls, Nov. 10 – 14
Scott Yeager, 3064 Janessa Lane,
house, $56,459.
Scott Yeager, 3070 Janessa Lane,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
6 Idaho Falls Wheels l RIVER CITY WEEKLY November 20, 2008
Let’s make a deal
Current economy is giving
consumers a chance to bargain
for the best car prices in years
BY KENDRA EVENSEN
River City Weekly
Concerns about the
economy may be weighing
on a lot of minds right now,
and talk of the rollercoaster
stock market on the tips of
many tongues. But there
may be a ray of sunshine
for consumers in all this
— like the opportunity to
bargain like they’ve never
bargained before.
Both car dealerships and
financial institutions are
reporting some of the best
deals they’ve ever seen in
the auto world right now.
Demand has slowed down
so manufacturers, dealers
and lenders are working
hard to sweeten the deal
for would-be car shoppers.
“It’s a great time for
people to buy,” said Steve
Kuhn, Teton Toyota’s business manager. “Anytime the
market slows down it gets
better for the customer.”
Kuhn said the manufacturer and dealer incentives
available right now are the
best he’s seen in his 17-year
career. For instance, Toyota
is offering 0 percent APR
on 17 different models right
now, he said.
And because of the decrease in demand there are
more vehicles to choose
from. Hybrids like the
Prius, which there has been
a waiting list for, are now
appearing on the lots.
On top of the incentives,
dealerships are also trying to clear the lots right
now to make way for new
vehicles, which gives consumers another bargaining
chip.
“This is the best time of
year to buy,” said Steve
Rierson, Broadway Ford’s
general sales manager, adding that prices are just a bit
lower than he has ever seen
them. He started working
for Ford in 1992.
And although there have
been rumors circulating
about there not being any
money to lend, they aren’t
true.
“There’s plenty of money
to lend,” Kuhn said.
Local banks and credit
unions are saying the same
thing.
Citizens Community Bank
has money for loans, said
Steve Kuhn, business manager at Teton Toyota, said manufacturer and dealer incentives are
the best he’s seen in 17 years.
PHOTO BY KORT DUCE
Becky Holzemer, branch
manager. And she’s seeing
some great deals coming in.
“Everything is lower right
now,” she said, adding
that prices on SUVs have
dropped dramatically because of recent gas prices,
which are also finally coming down. “There’s a lot of
value out there right now.”
Gil Birdsong, Westmark
Credit Union’s executive
vice president, agrees, adding that it’s the best buyer
climate he has ever seen
for those who can afford to
buy a vehicle.
The credit union has
Putting them away for the winter
BY MARK SCHELL
For River City Weekly
The changing seasons
remind us it’s time to service motorized equipment
and vehicles before putting them away for winter
storage.
Four-cycle engines
should be stored with
freshly changed oil. Used
oil contains contaminants
that add acid to the oil;
engine oil with an acidic Ph
causes rapid corrosion of
engine soft metals, specifically lead and tin in the rod
and main bearings. If left
long enough, acidic engine
oil will also attack iron and
steel components. Fresh
engine oil prevents this aggressive chemical attack.
It’s also important to coat
the internals of the engine
with fogging oil to prevent
internal rusting. If fogging
oil is not used, you should
operate the engines a minimum of every six months.
Either empty the fuel
tank or fill the tank into the
lowered interest rates in
an effort to help stimulate
the local economy. And
Westmark isn’t the only
one.
“Most places — across
the board that I can name
— have rates lower now
than they did a year ago,”
Birdsong said.
Members with good
credit can get rates as low
as 4.9 percent at Westmark,
he said. And unless personal circumstances have
dramatically changed,
those who could qualify
for a loan a year ago could
qualify today.
“This is the best time
to buy a car — as far as
dollars — I can recall in 30
years,” he said.
Still the number of people
asking for loans has decreased at Westmark Credit
Union. Consumers seem
to be reluctant to spend
due to concerns about the
economy and stock market.
“The real confounding
thing is that’s exactly what
Americans need to do —
spend money,” Birdsong
said. “Go Christmas shopping ... it’s the best thing
people can do right now.”
small filler neck area and
add a gasoline stabilizing
treatment. Either method
minimizes the air/gasoline
interface — the surface
area where the oxygen in
the air comes in contact
with the gasoline. The
smaller the air gasoline
interface the slower the
gasoline evaporation, and
the slower the combination
with oxygen, which generates varnish in the fuel.
If your vehicle or machinery has a battery, remove
it and store it fully charged.
Disconnect the ground
(negative) lead first to
prevent accidental electrical discharge, which could
damage the battery.
With two-cycle equipment, if the mixed fuel
remains in the tank for the
winter it can separate and
drop out of suspension to
form sludge type deposits
in the tank and carburetor.
If all the fuel is removed
from the tank there is a
potential for water to rust
the inside of the fuel tank.
Luckily, most two-cycle
equipment has plastic
tanks, so rusting is not
normally a problem. If the
fuel tank is metal, remove
the fuel and coat it with a
product that prevents rusting during storage.
Boat equipment also has
special needs. In addition
to changing the engine oil,
disconnecting the battery
and servicing the fuel system, pay attention to the
lower unit outdrive.
Be sure all the old grease
is removed from the boat
trailer wheel bearings and
make sure the bearings are
dry. Bearings can rust if
stored wet and rusted bearings fail very quickly; repacking the bearings in the
fall is highly recommended.
Remember that proper
maintenance is much more
economical than expensive
component replacement.
CONTINUED from PAGE 5
Shaun Ker, 470 E. 24th St., patio
cover, $484.
Open Spaces Property Management,
sign replacement, $340.
Gary S. Groenewold, 2249 Enell St.,
kitchen remodel, $0.
Gemstate Regional Dialysis, 2225
Teton Plaza, electric wall, $7,000.
Red Robin, 2450 E. 17th St., electric
wall sign, $20,000.
house, $56,459.
Scott Yeager, 3076 Janessa Lane,
house, $56,459.
Matthew Cardon, 2010 First St., car
wash enclosure, $15,000.
Mike and Laurie Bartell, 2379
Hoopes Ave., basement remodel,
$32,000.
Le Ritz Hotel, 470 E. 24th St., new
roof, $33,200.
Mark Schell also hosts
a local radio show, “Peak
Performance.”
Send questions
for Mark to
[email protected].
November 20, 2008 RIVER CITY WEEKLY l Idaho Falls Wheels 7
How to prevent brake
failure on the open road
CONTINUED from PAGE 1
get warped from heat as
they brake, which results
in the vibration you might
feel. If repairs are made in
a timely fashion, calipers
may not need replacement
— a service more than
double the cost of brakepad replacement, said
Logan Davis, Wackerli Auto
Center service advisor.
You may need to visit the
auto repair shop if:
 You hear a hum
that’s like a musical tone
or a chirp. It’s an audible
warning signal from your
vehicle’s brake wear sensor
that the brake pads are
worn. Brake pads on all
domestic and imported vehicles have these sensors.
 Your car pulls to one
side when you step on the
brakes. This means the
brake piston/cylinder caliper assembly in the front
disc brakes is frozen. When
you hit the brake pedal,
the calipers bring your car
to a stop by squeezing the
brake pads against the rotor, a flat metal plate that
Why do the
lifespans of
brakes vary so
much?
Besides how and where a
driver drives, some difference comes from when the
brake systems were built.
According to Bybee’s Alignment and Brake manager
Don Eastman, manufacturers used to use asbestos in
brakes, which worked great.
Don Eastman, manager
Asbestos started coming
of Bybee’s Alignment and
under fire in the late ’80s
Brake
and early ’90s, and when
asbestos was removed from brakes, they ceased to work as
well until new systems were perfected.
Also, trucks in the 1990s often had less effective braking systems — some lasting only 12,000 miles — because
bodies got bigger, but brakes didn’t. Nowadays trucks have
larger brakes to complement larger vehicles.
If repairs are made in a timely fashion,
calipers may not need replacement —
a service more than double the cost of
brake-pad replacement.
— Logan Davis, Wackerli Auto Center service advisor
Logan Davis, Wackerli Auto
Center’s service advisor
PHOTOS BY KORT DUCE
holds the brake pad. This
creates friction that slows
the tire’s rotation. In cold
weather, parts of the caliper assembly exposed to
water and road salt can corrode, causing the caliper to
stick in one position. As a
result, one brake pad will
wear out before the other.
When that happens, the
vehicle will veer to one side
when you brake.
 Touch the brake pedal
and you hear a grinding
metal-to-metal sound. The
brake pads may be worn
right down to the rotor’s
rivets.
 You feel a chatter or
vibration when you brake.
Either the tire lug nuts were
tightened without a torque
wrench or the rotors are
warped, usually from normal wear and tear. They’ll
need to be resurfaced or
replaced.
 The brake pedal feels
spongy. This means the
brake fluid level is low or
there’s air in the brake
line. It could also be a
brake line leak or puncture,
which happens sometimes
from rocks and other road
debris. If the brake line
ruptures, your brakes may
fail or force your vehicle
into a skid.
The U.S. Federal Trade
Commission offers one
other sign of brake trouble
in its guide “Taking the
Scare Out of Auto Repair”:
an acrid, burning smell. It’s
a signal that your brakes
may be overheating —
something that can happen
if you repeatedly brake
hard when driving down
mountain roads. The FTC
recommends you:
 Check the parking
brake.
 Stop.
 Allow the brakes to
cool.
 Light smoke coming
from a wheel indicates a
stuck brake.
“The vehicle should be
towed for repair,” the FTC
said.
If your vehicle is
equipped with a supplemental anti-lock braking
system (ABS), it can help
you retain control of your
car if you skid on ice, snow
or rain-slicked pavement.
The ABS rapidly and
automatically pumps the
brakes, keeping the wheels
spinning so that you can
continue to steer the car.
If the ABS warning light on
your dashboard stays on,
the ABS system may be
malfunctioning but your
regular brakes should still
work.
—By Rebecca Long Pyper,
River City Weekly, and Vicky
Katz Whitaker, Creators
News Service