March 2015 NEWSLETTER PREZ SEZ

March 2015 NEWSLETTER
Calendar
March
17th - Car Club Board
Meeting 2:30pm At HIE
18th – 7pm Geberal Club
Meeting FRSC
19th – Car Show
Committee Meeting
2:30pm at HIE
April
11-19 REDDING 25th
Annual Kool April Nites
Classic Car Show (530)
226-0844
16 GRASS VALLEY Union
Hill School car and bike
fest - 10am-3pm - (530)
575-4111
16 SUISUN CITY 31st
Annual Biggest Little Car
Show - 10am-3pm - (530)
626-0552
16-17 OAKDALE
Chocolate Festival &
Classic Car Show - 9am6pm - (209) 847-2244
18
CITRUS HEIGHTS
Annual Spring Fest Car
Show at Lowes 530-7486181
18 SACRAMENTO 2015
Elks Classic Car Show
Swap Meet - 8am-3pm
26 SACRAMENTO 55th
Annual NCRG Swap Meet
ARC College (530) 6742840
PREZ SEZ
I thought this month I would impart to you a lesson hard learned in the
past few days and weeks that might hit someone else out there. I had
just brought home this old riding lawnmower I received from my
grandfather, and was going through it – cleaning it up. Now grandpa
said all I need was a fresh front tire and a new battery and I would have
a great running lawnmower. Well…. As with most things I “inherit” from
my grandpa or dad, it was not that simple. Sure I replaced the tire and
the battery, but man that thing would not even start up! So, as a
product of the modern day I got online and searched for solutions to my
problems. Can you believe it?! A YouTube video from a 12 year old
suggested a total re-wire of the mower to bypass all the safety
switches. From the wiring ideas of a pre-teen I now have a good and
running mower… I’m still learning every day and it comes from all
different sources.
MEMBER
PROFILE: VERNA
MAE ALWAN
Verna Mae is a collector, no
question about it! You may know
about her hat collection – a couple
shown here – but you have never
seen her hatpin collection, complete
with decorated ceramic hatpin
holders. You might think they are
ornate salt shakers, but there is no
hole in the bottom to put salt in.
Then there
is the
assortment
of trinkets
picked up
at swap
meets (where Verna Mae confessed she only
buys, never sells), including such gems as
decorated brass ash trays that fit onto the
window glass in your cars, tire-tube patching
clamps that attach to the hub of your car, an
assortment of curb feelers, and this funky
antenna that was originally destined to grace
roof of the OTHER ’39 Ford – a four-door sedan
deluxe that she and her late husband Munees
owned for a time.
Verna Mae and Munees built the house that she
lives in on 5 acres, and for more than a decade,
Munees restored steering wheels. He was also
an expert craftsman who made custom
furniture like the pieces shown in these
photographs. His workmanship was superb
and his furniture was greatly in demand.
Munees was so well known and respected as
a restorer of steering wheels that for more
than fifteen years after his untimely death in
1998, Verna Mae received calls from collectors
seeking his service.
Verna Mae’s involvement with special cars goes
back half a century. She was a Charter Member
of the Ford V8 Club before joining the Oro Dam
Cruisers about fifteen years ago, when the club
met at RCBS. For nearly her whole tenure at
the Oro Dam Cruisers, Verna Mae has been the
club’s secretary. Her special cars at the
moment include a 1939 Ford four-door
convertible sedan – Verna corrected me when I
called it a phaeton, pointing out that phaetons
have side curtains (usually eisenglass),
whereas convertible sedans have roll-down
windows – and a 2003 Thunderbird, the retro
style reminiscent of the original ’55-’57 T’birds.
She and Munees bought the ’39 Ford in New
York in 1953 in it’s red incarnation, and
lovingly restored it to its current magnificent
state. She and Munees did all the work on the
car, except the top, upholstery, and wood
graining – a lost art that was prevalent a
generation or two ago.
Interestingly, the engine in the car was once
used as a field pump, having a metal frame and
a cowling in front of the radiator. At the time, it
was painted CASE yellow, befitting its use as a
farm implement, and it had recently been
rebuilt, so no further work was necessary. A
disgruntled farmer was quite disappointed to
be outbid on the engine. I guess he had to
pump the water himself. The engine has a
heavy-duty air filter, complete with horsehair,
which, I’m guessing, would be harder to replace
in 2015 than in 1939. The electrical system is 6
volt and the distributor – way down there at
the front of the engine – is
of the dual-point variety. The engine displaces
221 cubic inches and has a compression ratio of
6.20:1, putting out 85 horsepower. Verna Mae
pointed out that the sparkplug wires are
“bootless” and the throttle and choke rods have
boots, which concours judges look for.
Incidentally, you may think that the car is now
green, but you would be wrong. The official
color listed in the Ford literature is Cloud Mist
Gray. (Verna thinks Henry Ford was
colorblind.) There were two choices of tops for
this model Ford – black with red piping and
brown with brown piping. The latter was
selected for this green/gray beauty. The top is
foldable and would fit into a well in the trunk, if
it was ever actually folded; but being a show
car, the top has always remained in place.
Nonetheless, in order to be authentic, both the
top latch and the correct latch belt are in place
on the car.
A complete description of the car accompanies
it at shows, except at concours, when no
documentation is permitted, lest the judges be
persuaded by the verbiage. What is required at
concours is a fire extinguisher. In keeping with
the vintage of the car, Verna Mae selected an
ancient one that she found at one of the many
swap meets she has attended.
Subsequent to making the descriptive sign,
Verna Mae learned that the car was #1940 of
3516 four-door sedan deluxe made in 1939. A
word about the upholstery is in order. The car
was reupholstered in leather, using the original
seat patterns as the seats could be used as
patterns. Verna Mae and Munees also
purchased two additional cow hides to use
where the original had used the hides of
naugas. Verna Mae pointed out that the seat
bolsters were separate from the seats and
actually were part of the “B” pillar if the car,
below the removable painted panels between
the windows.
For its first show, the car was trailered to a
Regional Ford V8 Show in Reno, where
scrutineers picked it apart, finding such things
as rubber gaskets under the brake lights, rather
than cork, as it had when it left the factory. The
President of the Ford V8 Club owns a 1939
Ford, so he knew what was original on the car
and what was not. One strutineer lamented
that the steering wheel was the wrong color,
but relented when he was told by the President
that Munees was the person who restored
steering wheels for classic cars. There was also
some discussion about the authenticity of the
1939 California Worlds Fair license plate, until
the subject of Treasure Island came up.
At the show, they learned what items would
need to be amended before the next show.
These included the tonneau, a complete tool set
– including grease gun – in gunny sacks and
housed in the removable panels under the floor
of the trunk. They learned well, as it its next
outing, a Ford V8 Show in Oregon, the car was
awarded the prestigious Dearborn Trophy,
given only to superior restorations that
authentically represent the car as delivered by
the Ford factory! The car has been shown at
numerous shows and concours, where it
routinely garners First In Class Trophies. A few
are shown here. And although you may be
familiar with Verna Mae’s 1939 four-door
sedan convertible, you will usually find her in
her 2003 Ford Thunderbird.
OUR FRIDAY SCHEDULE IS FULL
First Friday: Thanks to Bob Buskirk we have the entire Oroville Downtown Business Association’s
(ODBA) First Friday Schedule attached below.
April 3rd: The Creeper Races, Car Show, and Chili Cook-off
May 1st/2nd: Cinco de Mayo Celebration complete with Mariachi Band and Salsa Tasting
June 5th: Wine and Olive Oil Tasting
July 3rd: Red, White, and Blue sales
August 7th: Block Party, Frozen T-shirt Contest, Doggie Bikini Contest, Band, Rib Cook-off, and more.
September 4th: ‘50s Band, Sock Hop, Car Show, Pin-Up Girl Contest
October 2nd/3rd: Art Walk and Wine Tasting; The Bounty of Butte County
November 6th: Spirit of Giving, Christmas Photos, Craft Fair, etc. with donations to charity
organizations such as Shop with a Cop
December 4th: Tree Lighting
December 12th Parade of Lights
The ODBA solicits our suggestions for improving their First Friday events, so give it some thought and
bring up ideas at our meetings, or get in touch with Bob Buskirk.
Second Friday: The second Friday of each month starting in April will find us at the Denny’s Car Show,
hosted for the fifth year by Stacey Bisel. There is some construction going on at the old Montgomery
Ward building that will ultimately be morphed into a healthcare facility, but Stacey says the building
probably won’t be ready for occupancy until next year. But for this year, there should be no problem
as the workers are usually gone before 5PM. Take note that there will be no Denny’s Car Show on May
8th (VE Day for those old enough to remember) because of the Show and Shine at the Feather Falls
Casino.
Third Friday: Blueberry Twist will be hosting a monthly car show at their new location. The next one
will be on March 30th at 6PM. Each show will have a different theme and if you have some ideas about
that or about the show in general, please call our host, Crystal at the Blueberry Twist.
Fourth Friday: The fourth Friday will find us back at Denny’s for their twice-monthly car show. These
Friday events will give us an opportunity to check out our rods and customs prior to the weekend car
shows that fill our summers. See you there.
UPCOMING CAR SHOWS AND SWAP MEETS
APRIL
11-19
16
16
16-17
18
18
26
REDDING
25th Annual Kool April Nites Classic Car Show (530) 226-0844
GRASS VALLEY Union Hill School car and bike fest - 10am-3pm - (530) 575-4111
SUISUN CITY 31st Annual Biggest Little Car Show - 10am-3pm - (530) 626-0552
OAKDALE Chocolate Festival & Classic Car Show - 9am-6pm - (209) 847-2244
CITRUS HEIGHTS Annual Spring Fest Car Show at Lowes 530-748-6181
SACRAMENTO 2015 Elks Classic Car Show Swap Meet - 8am-3pm
SACRAMENTO 55th Annual NCRG Swap Meet ARC College (530) 674-2840
MAY
2
3
8-9
15-16
16
16
17
17
23
24
30
30-31
WOODLAND 16th Annual Main Street Reunion (530) 662-3814
FAIR OAKS Annual Car Show (916)967-2903
OROVILLE Gold Rush Car Show
OAKDALE Chocolate Festival & Classic Car Show (209) 847-2244
GRASS VALLEY Union Hill School Car & Bike Show (530) 575-4111
SUISUN CITY 31st Annual Biggest Little Car Show (530) 626-0552
RED BLUFF 41st Red Bluff River Park Car Show (530) 527-7892
SACRAMENTO Fast Ford and Muscle Mustangs Show & Shine (916) 200-6597
ANDERSON Happy Valley Car Show (530) 357-5166
SACRAMENTO 13th Annual Socios Car Club Car Show (916) 821-2542
AUBURN 39th Annual Mother Lode Swap Meet 916-202-5842
PLEASANTON 21st Good Guys Summer Get Together (925) 838-9876
JUNE
5-7
13
19
20
27
28
LINCOLN Thunder in the Valley Show & Shine (916) 543-0464
WOODLAND Annual Reiff’s car Bash (530) 666-1758
SACRAMENTO Sacramento Swingtime (916) 233-9274
MARYSVILLE Classic Car & Bike Show (916) 224-7467
ANGELS CAMP Angels Lions Club Classic Car Show (209) 728-9971
SACRAMENTO Sacramento Summer Festival (916) 275-8609
TRIVIA
1.
In what year did the Ford Motor Company introduce the Mercury?
a.
1937
b.
1938
c.
1939
d.
1940
2.
In what year did the Ford Motor Company introduce the Ford V8-60 engine?
a.
1937
b.
1938
c.
1939
d.
1940
3.
In what year did the Ford Motor Company introduce hydraulic brakes?
a.
1937
b.
1938
c.
1939
d.
1940
4.
In what year did the Ford Motor Company introduce column-shifted transmissions?
a.
1937
b.
1938
c.
1939
d.
1940
5.
In what year did the Ford Motor Company start to use different grilles on the Standard and
Deluxe lines?
a.
1937
b.
1938
c.
1939
d.
1940
ANSWERS: 1c, 2a, 3c, 4d, 5b
KENNY & VICTORY
SPEEDWAY
by
Tom Piantanida
For years it had been a
ritual; every Saturday night
between May and October,
Kenny could be found at
Victory Speedway, the 5/8
mile oiled clay on the grounds
of the Orange County
Fairgrounds. It is the longest
track in southeastern New
York, so it drew fans and
drivers from New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Not really an oval, the
front straight had a slight kink
to the left just about at the
start/finish line. Because of
this bend in the track, the first
few rows of grandstand seats
near the Turn One were in line
with the first half of the front
straight. Kenny and his
friends always occupied these
seats so that they could watch
the cars come right at them as
the stockers approached the
start/finish line.
Those were also the
best seats from which to watch
the starter, Tex Enright. It
was Tex’s habit to slowly walk
down toward the first turn as
the cars formed up for a twoby-two start. At the
appropriate moment, Tex
would turn toward the cars as
they started to accelerate out of
the fourth turn. Starting
almost at the outside rail, Tex
would first walk and then run
toward the approaching cars,
angling slightly across the
track as he advanced. When
the cars were nearly upon him,
Tex would break sharply to the
right, run a few steps and then
jump into the air, waving the
green flag. Alternately, if the
cars were not lined up
correctly, he would simply run
to the inside of the track and
shake his head “No.” He
would then walk back up
toward the first turn and repeat
the performance as the cars
formed up again.
There was always
banter between the announcer
and Tex, especially if the
announcer needed to fill in
some time while a wreck was
cleaned up. Because Tex had
no microphone, the announcer
had to “interpret” the signals
that Tex gave him. In one
such exchange, the announcer
reported that Tex had gone to a
friend’s house in New York
City. “How did you like the
house, Tex?”
Tex held out one hand
and wiggled it to show that the
house was only so-so.
“Not that good, eh?
You say you went down to his
basement and he had a huge
set of trains?”
Tex nodded and made
an expansive move, slowly
spreading his arms wide, to
show how large the train set
was.
“Tex, that wasn’t his
basement; that was the
subway!”
Rumor had it that Tex
was actually a high school
teacher from New Jersey, but
Kenny never found out if that
was true.
Kenny and his friends
liked to arrive at the track early
so they could watch the cars
pull into the pits, keeping an
eye out for their favorites.
Occasionally, Kenny got to
crew for Eddie Stevens, who
had been a year ahead of
Kenny in high school. Eddie’s
was a low-buck operation that
relied a lot on donated help,
parts, and money. Eddie still
ran a “full race” flathead in his
’38 Ford coupe, at a time when
most of the other cars ran
overhead-valve engines.
On this particular
Saturday night, Kenny
couldn’t be late. His
girlfriend, Bobbi, was riding
up to Victory Speedway with
her cousin, Marie, and Marie’s
husband, Art, who had never
been to the track.
Unfortunately, Kenny’s boss,
Phil, didn’t care that Kenny
wanted to be at the track in
Middletown by 6 PM. Phil
was supposed to return to the
store by 4, so that Kenny and
his cousin George could hit the
road, but at 4:15, Phil called to
say that he wouldn’t get back
until 5.
“Nasty break!” Kenny
said, returning from the pay
phone. “Phil won’t be back
until 5.”
“Bonus time!” George
announced. When Phil messed
up their plans by either
returning later than he was
supposed to, or calling to ask
Kenny to close the store,
Kenny and George treated
themselves to “closing
bonuses.” Closing bonuses
were usually ice cream sodas
or sundaes that they awarded
themselves. Sometimes, just
to be cool, it was Tiparillos.
Tonight it would be both.
George finished his
black-and-white soda and
Kenny his chocolate sundae
before Phil returned. George
also stashed a couple of
Pepsi’s in Kenny’s car for the
trip up to Middletown. When
Phil arrived, George and
Kenny donned their letter
jackets and split for Kenny’s
’56 Ford Victoria. Kenny let
the car’s exhaust rap off and
then he peeled out so that Phil
would know that Kenny didn’t
appreciate Phil’s late return.
They cruised up the
Palisades Interstate Parkway,
driving just above the speed
limit, knowing that the
Parkway Police were out in
force, and they could let the
car out when they got to the
New York thruway. Once on
the thruway, Kenny opened it
up while George kept an eye
out for state troopers. Kenny
recounted a trip last year when
their other cousin, Max, drove
his brand new ’57 Ford
Fairlane to the track. During
that trip, Max got into the fast
lane and Kenny put his ’56
into the slow lane. They then
paced each other as they
accelerated. At one point, they
passed a car in the center
lane—one on either side—with
their speedometers pegged at
120.
Kenny was driving in
the fast lane; the speedometer
not pegged, but close. He was
just finishing the story when he
passed under a bridge and
discovered that the road took a
turn to the left. He’d been
through that turn many times,
but this time he hadn’t been
paying attention to where he
was. Kenny kept his foot in it,
fearful of having the car spin
out if he let off the accelerator.
As the car negotiated the turn,
it also started a controlled fourwheel drift, tires chirping on
the expansion joints and lane
dividers as the car crept
sideways!
Looking to his right,
Kenny saw that George’s eyes
were wide and his knuckles
white where his fists grasped
the seat and door handle.
“If we get a flat now,
we’re not getting out to fix it,”
Kenny said softly,
underscoring the situation.
George didn’t laugh until after
they were through the turn.
They turned off the
thruway at the Middletown
exit just as a ’54 GMC wrecker
exited from the opposite
direction. Kenny noted that
this was the red, white, and
black wrecker that was used as
a push truck at Victory
Speedway. George rolled
down the Ford’s window the
better to hear the truck’s
exhaust sounds as they
emanated from a split
manifold, glass packs, and
chrome stacks. George and
Kenny both knew that the
exhaust note of that truck
could break windows.
Kenny pulled into the
track at 5:55; he and George
had made the trip from
Teaneck, New Jersey to
Middletown, New York in
fifty-five minutes. Kenny
wondered if it was a record.
They had to wait while Richie
Kolka pulled into the infield
with his “K-2” ’39 Ford Coupe
on a trailer, and then they
parked the Ford and trotted to
the refreshment stand where
they were to meet the others.
As it turned out, Bobbi and her
guests hadn’t arrived yet.
At about 6:20, Kenny
spied Bobbi and her cousins
approaching. After
introductions, Kenny
suggested they each get a
sausage, pepper, and onion
sandwich. Kenny thought he
would probably drive all the
way up here for the sandwich
even if there were no races.
Marie and Art had
never been to the races so
Kenny made a point of telling
them about the track and
drivers. He led them down
toward the first turn where
they took seats in the front
row. Some of the cars were
circulating on the track,
making last minute
adjustments to ignition timing
and carburetor jetting.
As soon as everyone
was seated, Marie asked, “Is it
safe to sit here?”
“Yeah, we always sit
here. These are the best seats,”
Kenny told her.
Kenny described the
cars and drivers for Marie and
Art. “The real hot shoes are
Sonny Strupp and Otto
Harwi,” he told them.
“Both of them drive
Ford coupes with overheadvalve engines. The red and
gold number 24 is Sonny
Strupp’s car and the number 1
is Otto Harwi’s. I would bet
on one of them to win the
main,” Kenny continued.
“What is that car with
the ‘W’ on it?” Art asked.
“That’s Whip
Mulligan’s ’34 coupe,” George
reported. “It has a GMC 6cylinder engine.”
“So does the 6JR,”
Kenny added. “The 6JR is
also called the Mushroom
Special because of the special
valve tappets in the engine.
It’s driven by Carl VanHom.
He has a chance of winning.”
“The only other guy
that has a chance,” George
added, “is Ray Brown in the
#356 Ford coupe.”
“They’re not here
tonight,” Kenny went on, “but
sometimes twin brothers, Aldo
and Mario Andretti, come over
from Nazareth, PA. and give
Sonny and Otto a run for their
money.”
Someone had started a
fire in the infield to keep
himself warm. Kenny could
remember sitting in the stands
during a snowstorm.
“A Cairomaniac,”
George announced.
“No. That’s a
pyromaniac,” Kenny corrected.
“No it isn’t. That’s a
pyramid fire,” George retorted.
The cars were
circulating to warm up. After
a few minutes of warm-up
laps, Tex brought the cars to a
stop on the front straight, and
walked to each car, instructing
the driver to take a particular
position for the start. As Tex
walked toward the first turn,
Kenny explained what the
starter would do.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
Marie asked.
“Tex did get hit once
when some new driver pulled
to the inside of the track on the
start.” Kenny replied. “He
wasn’t hurt too badly though.”
Tex took up a position
near the first turn and
signaled the cars to make
one more lap. Then he
started to walk back
toward the start/finish
line. As the cars exited
turn 4, Tex executed his
usual procedure. Marie
clenched both fists and
brought them up to her
face, drawing in a gasp as
Tex approached the
onrushing cars. She
relaxed when Tex made it
to the inside of the track
uninjured.
On the start, Stutz Van
Steenburg went for an opening
between Richie Kolka’s K2
and the W of Whip Mulligan,
believing that his ’55 Chevy 2
door, having enclosed wheels,
could push the open-wheel
cars aside. That plan worked
until Richie Kolka’s car
climbed the rear wheel of Dee
Dee Kruger’s coupe. For a
while it looked like Richie
would gather it up, but his
right, front wheel dug in and
put the K2 on its side.
The K2 slid along the
front straight and looked, for a
moment, like it might roll onto
its roof. Unable to avoid the
K2, the 356 hit it from the rear,
accelerating it and driving it
toward the outside rail. As the
rest of the pack started through
the first turn, the K2
encountered the outside
guardrail.
The ancient wooden
guardrail was not up to the task
of stopping the sliding car, and
gave up in a shower of
splinters. Continuing its slide,
the K2 crossed the ten feet
between the guardrail and the
grandstand walkway,
eventually coming to rest a few
feet in front of Marie.
“See,” Kenny said, “not
even close.”