April 2015 - Gold Rush Car Show

April 2015 NEWSLETTER
Calendar
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
May
9
15th Annual Gold
Rush Car Show
19
Club Board
Meeting 2:30pm at the
Holiday Inn Express
20
General Club
Meeting 7pm
PREZ SEZ
Well folks we are on the verge of another Gold Rush Car Show, and
I’m still here and still standing. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out
and put another successful show in the history books. Changing the
subject a little, I wanted to just give a shout out to our club in general. I
was just looking through our budget this year, and WOW! We have
really put this car show money to work in our community. Look at this
list: Special Olympics, Oroville Rhinos, Feather River Senior Center,
Oroville Hunger Walk, Caring for Women, Las Plumas Robotics,
YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Rescue Mission, ODBA, and we still have
request coming in. You should all be very proud to be a part of this
club!
MEMBER PROFILE:
MEMBER PROFILE: BARBARA AND DALE HUBLER
You’ve all seen their magnificent 1963 Ford Galaxie at car shows where the car
has garnered multiple awards, but few know the story behind its resurrection.
The car languished in Thermalito for 30 years before Dale found it, and finding it
was a stroke of luck. Dale had been doing some handiwork in Thermalito and
uncovered the car while clearing some bushes. It was so deep in the mud that the
doors could not be opened. The owner of the car told Dale he could have it as
payment for his handiwork, but that did not set well, so the car remained in the
mud for six more months. Finally, a deal was struck, and the Galaxie became the
property of Barbara and Dale. They had to see the potential that the car offered,
because it was not obvious to most observers.
Now this was a car that begged to be restored! It had left the Ford factory with a coat of blue paint,
some of which remained; a bench seat if you could still call it that; and a 352 cubic inch engine that
was more boat anchor than motivator. Barbara and Dale had the twice-overhauled engine redone by
Bob Haskett and mated it to the Ford-O-Matic transmission, and they added air conditioning for those
stifling summer afternoon trips home from car shows. When redoing the interior, the couple decided
that the original bench seat needed to be traded for a pair of bucket seats, more befitting a convertible.
Dale allowed as how the bucket seats are the only non-1963 part on the car, having come from a 1964
Galaxie 500. They were available at greatly reduced cost relative to recovered 1963 seats.
Note the back seat occupants who insist on sitting in the car at every show. The only time they are
absent is when the seats are occupied by grandsons Blake and Rylee.
The blue paint – what was left of it – was stripped off in favor of a Deep Iris finish, lovingly spayed on by
Dale’s cousin, who also repainted Dale’s first car – a 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe. And just so you don’t
think that this car is what Dale calls a “Cotton Ball Car” – we would say “Trailer Queen” – here are a
couple of photos that show it is an all-weather car that is driven routinely by the couple.
While you may appreciate the external appearance of the car, you should also know that the
underhood area is just as well appointed, and the rear is every bit as nice as the front.
The car came home in 1997 and received its frame-off restoration during the next two years. After that
it was Trophy City; the car garnered its first First Place Trophy at the 1999 Handi-Riders Car Show and
after several tries, won the coveted First Place Trophy of the Historic Weaverville Car Show in 2014. In
between, there were many others.
You might ask: “What background would prepare a person for an undertaking of this magnitude?” The
answer in this case is as a repairer and restorer of railroad cars, which is what Dale did for the Solano
Railcar Company and Heritage Railway Systems. Dale worked on every kind of rolling stock except
locomotives and cabooses, developing metalworking and woodworking skills in the process. He even
was involved in widening wheelsets from the US railroad standard of 4’ 8-1/2” to the BART standard
of 5’ 6”. His love of woodworking allowed him to furnish the Hubler home with custom made pieces
that he designed and built, including this grandfather clock and cabinet.
And as if that weren’t enough, Dale also was a race mechanic for a NASCAR team that raced at Antioch
and Petaluma.
Barbara and Dale are very active in the Oro Dam Cruisers, and have been members since 1998, when
the club met in RCBS. Dale has been a member of the club’s board for the last seven years – ever since
the Feds told the cruisers that non-profit organizations needed a BOD. When they are not involved in
club activities, the couple makes an annual pilgrimage to Branson, MO, to visit relatives. On each trip,
they decide on a new route that will allow them to see different scenery. They have also been known
to spend leisure time camping and to make mudruns and snowruns. When asked what is appealing
about special-interest cars, Barbara believed that men like the mechanical aspects and women like the
paint and upholstery.
APRIL FIRST FRIDAY CAR SHOW AND CREEPER RACES
By all accounts, the show was a success. There was a large turnout of nicely turned-out cars by the
usual suspects, and a funfest known as the Creeper Races.
When it came time to award the trophies, the following winners were announced:
CRAZY COUPE
TERRIFIC TRUCK
MUSCLE CAR
FABULOUS FORD
DROP TOP
RACE CAR
COOL CHEVY
RAT ROD
JOANNE SHAPHERD
ALLEN LUSSIEL
DEBBIE BROWN
DALLAS PAUL
DALE HUBLER
TERRY BROWN
DENNIS HENDERSON
CARL SODEBERG
The Creeper Races featured “vehicles” with any
combination of wheels from 3 to 8, save 7.
Nobody chose the luck number of wheels.
These racers ranged from mild to wild, and one
entry might have been disqualified for having
’34 CHEY COUPE
’55 FORD F100
’68 CAMARO
’63 FORD GALAXIE
COBRA
an onboard source of propulsion – a squirrel in
an exercise cage – but the judges deemed the
stuffed squirrel to be a weight penalty rather
than a power assist. The bicycle wheel was a
nice – if completely ineffective – touch.
The powerful team of Casa Viejo ran so often in
the double-elimination tournament that they
needed a break to recoup. They were the
eventual winner of this annual event.
The one team with the three-wheel creeper,
which having larger wheels and fewer of them,
seemed to have the advantage. However,
suspension problems in the form of inadequate
caster forced the wheels to oscillate in the
manner described by Bill Cosby as “woogedy
woogedy” shopping carts.
The Coyote entry made no “bones” about
having the only female entrant.
One star of the Creeper Races was MC Bill
Tronson, 2012 Ross-Harmon Educator of the
Year, who kept the event lively with timely
patter, cute quips, and humorous blow-by-blow
descriptions of the successes and foibles of the
participants.
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
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
Hunting (Installment 1)
by
Tom Piantanida
It was Saturday, and Kenny awoke with
a strong desire to go hunting. He pulled on his
jeans and headed to the bathroom for his
morning ritual. With his hair slicked back into
a so-so D.A. – he could never seem to master
the art of the D.A. the way his best friend, Bob
had – and wearing his best – that is, his cleanest
– T-shirt, he went downstairs to have some
breakfast.
His grandmother was seated at the kitchen
table working on a crossword puzzle and nursing a
cup of “regular” coffee, that is, coffee with cream
and sugar. “Your friend, Alfred Turso, called last
night,” she reported.
“His name is Al Stoessel, Grandma. I
keep telling you that. What did he want?”
“He said to tell you that he and somebody
named Bob and somebody else named Ronny
were going someplace this weekend.”
“That’s Reiny, Grandma. Did he say where
they were going?”
“Some lake. Red Lake?”
Kenny searched the possibilities. “Did he
say Greenwood Lake?”
“Yes, that’s the lake.”
“What time did he call, Grandma?”
“About seven, I think.
“Why didn’t you tell me last night?”
Kenny fumed.
“You weren’t home.”
“But I got home at eight and you didn’t tell
me!”
“I guess I forgot.”
Kenny called Bob’s house and confirmed
with Bob’s grandmother – who was about as
dependable as his own – that Bob had gone
somewhere for the weekend. With, Al and Reiny
gone, too, Kenny would have to go hunting by
himself.
He snagged a ratty long-sleeved shirt from
his closet before going to the garage to pick up
some hand cleaner and rags. After using one of
the clean rags to wipe the dew off the Merc’, he
threw the stuff into the trunk.
His ’49 Merc’ was nosed and decked, and
had Frenched headlights. A ’55 Olds’ grille
floated in the Merc’s grille shell. The lowered
coupe sported fender skirts, baby spotlights, and
twelve coats of Biscaye Blue Metallic lacquer –
hand rubbed.
Kenny wasn’t really hunting for anything
in particular; he’d know what he was looking for
when he saw it. His first stop was Tiny’s Diner in
Nanuet, where he had a cup of “regular” coffee
and a Kaiser roll. While he ate, he read the many
signs that were plastered haphazardly around the
walls of the diner. Two of his favorites were: We
reserve the right to serve refuse to anyone and Use
very little sugar, and stir like hell; we don’t mind
the noise. Tiny served humor along with his great
food.
After his brief breakfast, he thought of
going to Dave Spector’s Junk Yard, which was
right there in Nanuet, but opted instead for
Frenchy’s in Spring Valley. Frenchy had no back
fence on his yard; the yard ended at the spur track
that the Erie had lain west of town.
Frenchy – so named because he always
wore a beret – ran a loose ship. The yard was
never closed because Frenchy lived there. But, it
was not always open, either, because Frenchy
liked to tip a few. On any given day, a “buyer”
could peruse Frenchy’s stock for any new items
that may have arrived overnight. Deposited items
were welcome any time.
Kenny knew most of the old stuff that
slowly sank into the well-oiled dirt of Frenchy’s
yard – the rusted-out Divco milk trucks, a couple
of Peter Brega school busses, a ’40 Ford pickup
that Kenny coveted – so he just wanted to wander
around looking for newly arrived treasures. He
parked the Merc’ a block away and walked the
tracks to Frenchy’s. No need to advertise that
he’d spent more than a few bucks on his car.
There wasn’t much new at Frenchy’s since
the last time that Kenny had visited. Frenchy
didn’t pay much for his stock, so he rarely had any
late-model cars. It was said that some people even
paid Frenchy to let them dump their rust-bucket
Fords and Plymouths on his lot. Kenny poked
around, all the time keeping one eye out for
Frenchy.
As he was picking though a pile of freshly
deposited engine parts, Kenny spied the distinctive
finned surface of a high-compression cylinder
head. He could only see about ten square inches
of the head, peeking out through a gap made by a
radiator shroud and a cluster of bumperettes. In a
few minutes, he had unearthed a right-hand
aluminum Offenhauser head for a ’49-’53 Ford
engine. It would fit nicely on his Merc’.
The sealing surface of the head was in
good shape, and Kenny guessed from the size and
shape of the combustion chamber that the
compression ratio was at least 8 to 1. His ’49
Merc’ had come from the factory with 6.8 to 1
cylinder heads – 9CM, the factory called them –
but he’d replaced them with 7.2 to 1 factory ECM
heads. The 7.2 heads had made a noticeable
difference in the Merc’s performance, so Kenny
just had to have the 8 to 1 Offy heads.
Kenny carried the Offy head to one of the
old school busses and stashed it under the hood
where he thought that nobody would ever look.
Then he returned to the “new” pile and pored over
it for half an hour, finding some useful items like
an aluminum cam gear to replace the fiber one in
his Merc’. But, he couldn’t find the left Offy
head, it would be impossible to find a mate for the
right head, so, in frustration, Kenny decided to
abandon his find and drive to another junk yard,
probably Keehon’s.
As he was walking toward the train tracks,
he pushed aside a decrepit Thor wringer-type
washing machine, and there, underneath, was the
left Offy head. Somebody had probably found the
head and stashed it under the washing machine,
like he had stashed his in the bus.
He pulled it out, and found that it was in
even better shape than the one from the “bone
pile.” Toting the head, Kenny walked back to the
school bus, where his other treasure lay hidden.
As he passed Frenchy’s office/home, a newly
arisen Frenchy called out,” What cha got there?”
Startled, Kenny answered, “I found this
old cylinder head that might fit my car.”
“Not unless you got half a Ford V-8, it
won’t”
“Well, can I buy it, anyway? I might be
able to find another one.”
“You’ll never find another one, kid,”
Frenchy shouted, and then started hacking from
the exertion.
“I’ll take my changes.” Kenny answered,
knowing just where to find a mate.
“If you wanna buy just that one head, I’ll
have to charge you for a pair, ‘cause the other
one’s around here somewhere, and I can’t sell it
by itself.”
Kenny walked into the unlit office. Old
fan belts, hoses, water pumps, and other assorted
“treasures” festooned the walls, each bearing a
faded price tag.
“How much do you want for it?” Kenny
asked, already calculating that a pair of Offy highcompression heads was worth about $30. He’d
paid $20 for his ’53 Merc’ EAC heads.
“Forty bucks is the best I can do, kid.”
“A new set is only fifty,” Kenny
countered, not knowing if that was even close to
the real price. “I’ll give you twenty.”
“Make it thirty and you’ve got a deal.
“Twenty-five.”
“Okay, kid, take it for twenty-five.”
Kenny fished in his pocket and peeled
twenty-five dollars off his roll, which was mostly
“ones.” He’d come back later and get the other
head from the school bus. Not a bad deal, Kenny
thought. A pair of Offy heads for twenty-five
dollars.