TUMBLEWEED CLUB OF NEW MEXICO AUGUST 2012
RG #79, EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB OF AMERICA, PO BOX 21538, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87154-1538
MEETS FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 7:30 P.M., OLD CAR GARAGE, 3205 CLAREMONT NE
TIMES
AUGUST PROGRAM
James Vigil will give us a presentation on model cars. See Jeff’s article in this newsletter for details.
PLEASE NOTE: All meetings include Show & Tell. Members are encouraged to bring items to share.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, August 7, 7:30 p.m., at Old Car Garage.
PROGRAM: Model Cars by James Vigil. See Jeff’s article for details.
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED BY: Beth & Jeff Jackson and Max & Johanne Glover.
AUGUST ACTIVITY: August 12, All Clubs picnic. Please see Joyce’s article in this newsletter for details.
BREAKFAST GROUP: The Breakfast Group will meet Saturday, August 4 at 8:30 a.m. at Rich Ford’s
Mustang Café, Wyoming and Lomas.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, September 11, 7:30 p.m., Jay Hertz’ home, 8704 La Sala Del Sur, NE.
Jay’s home phone number is 296.3137. See article in this newsletter for details. All members are welcome.
MEETING REFRESHMENT VOLUNTEERS 2012
August Beth & Jeff Jackson / Max & Johanne Glover November Mark & Larry Williams / Neva & Marvin Coffee September Lori & John Shelton / Bob & David Mathes December Holiday Party
October Al & Jo Seery / Bob & Joan Quirici
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FOR AUGUST 2012
Jay Hertz, President
Joyce’s excellent talk about World War II at the July meeting got me thinking about Ford Motor Company’s and Henry Ford's attitudes toward war and peace. So I hit the books to refresh my memory. Henry Ford was a determined and outspoken pacifist in the period leading up to WW I, and beyond. Although he never really departed from that view, his conduct, especially during WW II, showed that even a devout pacifist could come to the aid of his country in time of war. And he did it in such a big way that it earned him a cover story in Time Magazine’s March 23, 1943, issue as “Mass Producer” of war equipment. Here are some of the historical facts leading up to that public recognition. In the decade leading up to WW I, America was largely an isolationist country. This was due, in part, to its physical remoteness from the hotbeds of conflict in the Old World. For Midwesterners like Henry Ford, the foreign conflicts seemed particularly remote. Woodrow Wilson was President, and he ushered in an era of progressivism and isolationism which was supported by his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan’s focus was not on war, but on negotiating “cooling off” treaties among countries in conflict. Henry Ford felt that keeping American men working was the best antidote to being dragged into war. He believed that war was being promoted by East Coast money lenders and munitions makers, primarily for profit. He favored populist ideas like full employment, working the land, and pacifism, values which predominated in rural agrarian America. Despite Henry Ford’s status as a home-grown hero, he was becoming an international figure of considerable influence by 1918. By this time Ford Motor Company had factories and sales agencies in England and France, and it was soon to have an independent subsidiary in Germany known as Ford Werke. Henry himself was already the richest man in America. He had gained international notoriety the year before by declaring the $5 work day. For reasons such as these, his opinions were regularly sought by newspapers here and abroad, and he never hesitated to give his opinions. It was as if his status as a carmaker qualified him to render expert testimony on matters of international politics. Three years earlier, in 1915, Henry Ford had told the New York Times that, “the word ‘murder’ should be embroidered in red letters across the breast of every soldier.” He said publicly that he would rather burn down a factory than allow it to produce cars that might be used for military purposes. He pledged $1.0 million to finance a “world-wide campaign for universal peace,” and later upped the offer to “give everything I
possess” if he could prevent war and the stockpiling of war materiel. Perhaps emboldened by the attention he got in the media, and influenced by a group of peace activists who had sought him out, Henry Ford arrived at the idea of a trans-Atlantic peace mission as a means of avoiding war. In 1918, he chartered the Oscar II (which became known as the Ford Peace Ship) for a trip bound for Oslo, Norway. The trip itself was chaotic. The passengers selected for the trip were a hodgepodge of activists, journalists, lecturers and musicians whose chief characteristic was their eccentricity. Of course, they had no unified or definable plan for effectuating peace in the world. Their reception in Europe was something between apathy and declarations of foolishness. The mission was an utter failure, and Henry’s folly brought him personal embarrassment and discredit in the mainstream newspapers of the time. Simply put, America got a big laugh out of it. But the ridicule did not end there. After America had joined the war, Henry Ford suffered further embarrassment when his son Edsel evaded military service by claiming that his war work (supervising Ford Motor Company’s munitions and Eagle boat production) should disqualify him from military service. (The fact of the matter was that, during WW I, Ford Motor Company’s contributions to the war effort were minimal. The Navy had ordered 112 Eagle boats, which were anti-submarine boats, from Ford for a price of $46 million, but only seven boats were completed, and only one actually saw service by the time Armistice was declared.)
Despite the ridicule, Henry Ford continued to be sought out for his opinions, and even obtained a
recommendation from President Wilson that he run for the U.S. Senate. President Wilson claimed that Henry Ford was “the only man in Michigan who can be elected and help to bring about the peace you so much desire.” Thus, Ford became a serious candidate for Senate in 1918, running on the Democratic ticket. Ford ran a poor campaign. His popularity as a commentator on current events was counterbalanced by his innate reclusiveness, and made him a lack-luster campaigner. His opposition, Truman Newberry, was well-positioned in the Republican party, and came from the Detroit-Grosse Pointe elite. Newberry had criticized Henry for years, for the $5 work day and for Edsel’s draft evasion, and had even supported Ford’s arch-rival George Selden in the Selden patent litigation. Thus, Ford wanted desperately to defeat Newberry for Senate. But it was not to happen. Ford lost by only 2200 votes. He was a bitter loser. In September, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland after spending several years building up for war. Even as late as that point in time, Henry regarded the emerging European war as a “phony war,” made up by “the Jewish bankers,” and he opposed shipment of arms to Britain and France. He joined the America First Committee, a group of 800,000 people who thought that American democracy was best served by remaining out of war. In an action that was highly controversial, he accepted the award of the German Grand Cross, a gift from Hitler, and Germany’s highest award to foreigners. This occurred before Germany was actually at war, but Ford’s acceptance of the award was tantamount to standing by while Germany armed for war. In 1938, one year before Germany invaded Poland, Ford Werke was negotiating with the German government to build troop transports for the German army, an idea which Henry Ford found acceptable because he thought that appeasement of Hitler would keep America out of the emerging war. But by the spring of 1940, as America’s involvement in the war became more likely, Ford’s attitudes began to change. He committed Ford Motor Company to the war effort in grandiose fashion, pledging to build 1000 airplanes a day in May, 1940. When America was attacked at Pearl Harbor, Ford’s opposition to building war equipment was fully overcome. Ford Motor Company accepted contracts to build a huge variety of war equipment, and commissioned the building of the gigantic Willow Run factory for that express purpose. The Willow Run factory was a full quarter-mile wide and either one-half mile, or a full mile long (my sources vary on this). By any standards, it was a huge undertaking, and one carried out with great urgency, under Henry
Ford’s personal direction. It took 60,000 people to operate the factory! (For comparison, Albuquerque's official population in 1941 was only 35,449). Also, during this time, Henry Ford was experimenting with synthetic rubber, to be used in the war effort. Rubber was in great demand and an essential war commodity. Up until this time, rubber was derived exclusively from rubber tree plants. Ford’s experimentations, however, did not yield results until the war was over.
During WW II, Ford Motor Company produced:
8,685 B-24 Liberator bombers
57,851 airplane engines
277,896 jeeps
93,212 trucks
26,954 tank engines
2,718 tanks and tank destroyers
4,291 gliders
Ford Motor’s war output earned the company $5.26 billion. That placed it third in war production, behind General Motors and Curtiss-Wright. Ford’s efforts in WW II earned several Army-Navy “E” citations for “exemplary” war work. Of interest to New Mexicans, not all of the Liberators produced by Ford were actually deployed. Nearly 500 Liberators which never saw service were later shipped to New Mexico for storage in government facilities, where they were eventually scrapped.
Much of the embarrassment Henry Ford suffered in connection with WW I was displaced by favorable perceptions in the WW II era. But the WW II experience did not extinguish Henry’s pacifism. Being the complicated man he was, he could stay fast to his ideals of peace while lending his talent as an industrialist to the war effort in the 1940s. He regarded himself as a pacifist until his death. This was despite his personal dedication to war production and despite the unquestionable fact that Ford Motor Company contributed hugely to the success of the American war effort.
JULY 2012 MEETING MINUTES
by Mark Williams, Secretary
Old Business. The Ruidoso Tour was a lot of fun according to the six members who were able to go. Accommodations at Sierra Blanca included breakfast and was a nice place to sleep. There was a great turnout for the show and our very own Jay Hertz as well as Jeff & Beth Jackson took home hand-carved Bear Trophies. The show was held to benefit Make A Wish Foundation. Bob Agnew took his gorgeous car out for a cross country cruise and at every car show he stopped at, he won a award or trophy. Congrats! Also out on tour last month was Joe Abbin and Joyce Clements who in their own roundabout ways met up with Bob in Hiawassee, Georgia for the big Eastern regional meet. The Memorial Day Dick Precit Award was presented to Jeff & Beth Jackson for their 1939 4-dr. Convertible.
New Business. The All Clubs Picnic will be August 12th at Oak Flats. Admission is $5.00 a car and side dishes and salads are in great demand. On September 8th the Experimental Aircraft Club will be flying into Moriarty and would love it if some classic cars would come out and chill on the apron with the planes.
Program. Joyce put on an interesting program about WWII rationing and what life was like for people back home who were trying to make do. She had ration coupons, cookbooks and other informational material. Joe shared an admirable collection of pinups and other literature, including an interesting collection of wartime how-to manuals and some family memorabilia. The program was quite lively and there was a lot of audience participation. The cakes Joyce and Neva brought for refreshments were examples of thecreative recipes women developed to feed their families during rationing.
JULY 10 2012 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
by Jay Hertz, President
Confirming the decision made at the July business meeting, Jay appointed Joe Abbin, Jeff Jackson and Neva Coffee to constitute the Nominating Committee for the nomination of officers for 2013.
We decided to order dash plaques for those who bring a car to the State Fair in September. Jeff Jackson has placed the order.
Larry Williams, our treasurer, will prepare a pro forma budget for the year 2012. The purpose is to get a rough sense whether the Club is breaking even on an annual basis, or whether our expenses exceed our income. In turn, this information will be used to guide our future decisions on the expenditure of some of our reserves. Our reserves currently exceed $5000.
Among other ideas for the use of our reserves, four ideas generated substantial interest and will probably be pursued.
First, the Tumbleweed Group ought to have a website. The initial cost is apt to be affordable, especially given the availability of off-the-shelf programs and the availability of experienced website developers in the community. Likewise, the cost of maintaining and updating the website is thought to be very small and well within our ability to afford. If approved by the club membership, a committee will be appointed to handle the arrangements and to begin to develop the content, the links and a protocol for periodic updating.
Second, we gave serious thought to hosting the Western National Meet in either 2014 or 2015. We have not done one since our initial (and successful) one in 2000. Preliminarily, we thought that we could do the advance work for very little expenditure, and that the revenues from the event would more than reimburse our outlays. If the idea is approved by the membership, we will appoint a committee to begin the initial explorations and planning.
Third, as a means of attracting new members, we discussed subsidizing members’ dues (both national and local) by paying one-half of the dues amounts for the member’s first year. This idea will also be presented to the membership for approval at the August business meeting.
Fourth, we also discussed awarding a flathead club trophy to a Ford owner at one or more car shows held by other clubs or organizations as a way to encourage membership in our club. We will discuss this at an upcoming meeting as well.
AUGUST 2012 MEETING PROGRAM
Model Cars by James Vigil
by R. Jeff Jackson
The program for the August meeting will be provided by James Vigil. The topic will be model cars. For those of you who do not already know James, you will be greatly entertained by James’ friendly and amusing style. He will bring several models from his collection and talk to us about model collecting, model sizes, model types, etc.
SEPTEMBER 2012 MEETING PROGRAM
Ladies Night
by Joyce Clements
Beth Jackson and Joyce Clements are organizing a “Ladies' Night” for the September 4 meeting. We are asking for all you ladies out there to share your hobby or interest with the membership. We will be calling on you to do a short presentation. It does not have to be car or history related. Start thinking about it, ladies. What do you do in your spare time?
AUGUST 2012 CLUB ACTIVITIES
August 12 – All Clubs Picnic
By Joyce Clements
The NMCCC All Clubs Picnic is scheduled for August 12 at Oak Flat Picnic grounds on Hwy 337 (old south Rte. 14). There will be a charge of $5 per car entry. Tickets will be available at the August meeting. If current fire restrictions remain in place, we will be able to have a propane grille, and the Council will provide burgers and dogs. Ice cream and toppings will also be on the menu. If you attend, please bring a side dish of beans, vegetable or salad. There will be 3 nice door prizes and a 50/50 cash drawing; the winner gets to choose the charity to which the other 50% goes. If you’d be willing to help set up, take down, or flip burgers, please get in touch with Bob Agnew. Games such as Horseshoes, Badminton, Ring Toss, etc. are also welcome. There will be a group leaving the Smith’s at Tramway and Central about 10:00am if you’d like to travel in a group. Please see the flyer included with this newsletter for details.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 BOARD MEETING
By Jay Hertz
Hello, All. This is to let you know that we will be holding our September directors’/officers’ meeting on Tuesday, September 11, at my house, 8704 La Sala Del Sur, NE (phone 296-3137) beginning at 7:30 p.m.
It is near Wyoming and Candelaria. From that intersection, go east and take the second left-hand turn bay, which is General Stillwell. Go to the end of General Stillwell, which is only about four blocks. Where it ends, the house on the right is mine. It is a corner house with a stop sign on the property. The entrance is on General Stillwell even though the address is on La Sala Del Sur. I will have refreshments. All members are welcome at our Board meetings.
STATE FAIR CAR SHOW
September 16, 2012
by R. Jeff Jackson
The Tumbleweed V8 Club is invited to participate in the Car Day at the New Mexico State Fair. The fair is shorter this year and will run from September 13 to September 23. The car day is Sunday, September 16. Our club is assigned the same great spot as last year. Details for where we meet are not finalized but expect just about the same plan as last year – we will meet at a location close to the fair grounds and enter as a group on September 16, Sunday morning about 8am and be escorted out (to beat the traffic) about 3 that afternoon.
We’re all looking forward to great weather day, showing our cars, and introducing more folks to old car collecting and driving.
2012 EASTERN NATIONAL V-8 MEET
June 19-22 in Hiawassee, GA Y’ALL COME BACK TOUR
by Joyce Clements
Jim, Joyce and Will Clements decided to attend the Eastern National Meet of the Early Ford V-8 Club in Hiawasee, Georgia. That meant getting a Ford ready to drive. The Tudor '40 was the original choice, but when the meet was a month away, the engine was not back from the rebuild shop. Plan B: Take the '40 coupe. That meant check all major components, repack the wheel bearings and put new seals, adjust hood, door, and trunk latches, time the distributor, and much etc. Joe Abbin helped with the distributor, a few parts were borrowed from the sedan, and after many road tests around the neighborhood, we declared victory and packed our suitcases.
We set out on June 15, with Will driving, Jim riding shotgun, and Joyce navigating from the jump seat. We made Amarillo by night, occasionally tinkering with the distributor, as the car was running on the hot side, but we were not losing water. At this point we discovered we had forgotten to load the part of our luggage that had most of our clean shirts, but the Amarillo WalMart provided a new one each. We crossed Oklahoma and were in Van Buren, Arkansas for the night. The car was still getting too warm, but we decided the temp gauge was not at all consistent. Fortunately the weather was moderate, so we were not uncomfortable. We stayed on I-40 all the way to Memphis, only taking one shortcut cross country to avoid Little Rock. The next night we were in Corinth, Mississippi, a really nice little town. By this time, we were off the freeway, and we discovered that Mississippi has really nice secondary roads. We were to miss these a little later in the trip.
Next day we drove across Alabama to Chattanooga, in southern Tennessee. The corner of South Carolina was crossed, then south to Blairsville, Georgia, which was to be our home for the next few days. There are no straight roads across this part of the country; there are several big rivers and lots of hills which must be crossed and circumvented. The countryside was really pretty, the roads were good, if a little hilly and windy. The old coupe woke up and seemed to be right at home in this environment. A lot of folks in this part of the country remember the moonshiners driving these cars – they had large trunks for the booze. It wasn’t hard to get into a conversation.
Blairsville was about 14 miles from Hiawassee, and it was a pleasant drive along a lake road to get to the meet. While registering the next day, we found Bob Agnew, there with his '51 super-charged Ford. He had a much longer trip than we did, but he can tell his story.
There was a swap meet next door at the fairgrounds and a room full of raffle prizes to peruse. The car passed its safety check, and we spent most of the day at the swap meet, visiting with old friends and making some new ones. That evening we attended a welcome dinner in a large tent in the parking lot. The evening’s entertainment was an Elvis impersonator. He was dressed in an Elvis outfit from his Las Vegas days, and sang many of his old songs. He was very good, and we had a wonderful time. Many participants were trying to dance on the asphalt, some successfully. In the parking lot behind the tent, a “moonshiner” from Dawsonville had a trailer with a still. He entertained all with his stories. He had a scrapbook with lots of pictures and history of moonshine in the area. He and his associates are trying to start a museum of moonshining, and are seeking a license from the state to manufacture the stuff legally. He drew a large audience of persons who were interested in the process.
The next morning, a caravan was formed to drive cross country to the car collection of Larry Bailey. This was an adventurous drive through hilly country with lots of 10 and 15 mph curves, both uphill and down. Larry has a large estate, including a covered bridge over his creek. The barn was like a museum with lots of Fords, a Packard, and a Pontiac. His specialty was 1934 Fords, all but one in pristine restored condition. The less than show quality one, a roadster, was his driver. It was a truly impressive collection. Of course, a stop at an antique mall on the way home made the day more complete. Back in Hiawassee, we washed most of the bugs off the coupe, and got her ready for the Concours on Thursday. We also put on a different distributor. That helped with the cooling. The Councours took place on the fairgrounds. There were several tiers of roads on the grounds, and the cars were arranged up the hill, giving a view of several “layers” of cars. Jim and Will were on the Lincoln judging team, and Joyce was on the 1935-36 team. The day was a bit warm, but there were shade trees to hide under. We all learned a lot from our fellow judges. There was also a 1939 coupe on display, that had been an actual moonshine runner. There were feet sticking out from under that car all day. Friday we drove around the area, and took a back highway up into Tennessee. It was a nice ride. We were favorably impressed with the hill country in northern Georgia and southern Tennessee. We found a nice lakeside café with an antique store next door. The day was complete. We also checked on the raffle prizes, and we won a condiment basket with a Georgia cookbook and lots of goodies, mostly containing peaches. Friday evening was the awards banquet, again in the tent. Everything went well until the awards were being
announced. The person who lined up the awards was not the same person handing them out, leading to a bit of confusion about who won what. We, of course, were enjoying the company of the people at our table and just laughed at the poor guy announcing the awards. Eventually, all was straightened out, and all collected their trophies. We bid farewell to our friends and headed off for a well-earned nap. On Saturday, we went south towards Joyce’s old home town of Thomasville. The road was pretty straight and ran through large growths of turpentine pine, an important industry there. It was not a very exciting ride, but we got into some light rain. We spent the night in Valdosta, where we got what might have been the last room available there. It’s a favorite stopover between Atlanta and Disney World. We found a fabulous Italian restaurant, and enjoyed a gourmet dinner. It kept drizzling next day, and it was still raining when we got to Thomasville. It is a smallish resort town, and has been since before the Civil War, with a nice downtown and some great old victorian houses. It was Sunday, so everything was closed. We spotted the fire station, and
the firemen found us a map. With their help, we located the house where Joyce lived until she was 7, and it was again for rent. We also found the hospital where I was born, and Flowers Bakery, where my dad worked before the War. We think the school where I was in first grade was now a museum, but we couldn’t get inside to find out for sure. Things haven’t changed much since I left.
The next night we spent in Laurel, Mississippi, and again we were impressed with the nice roads. Our next overnight stop was in Texarkana. Here we found road construction, mediocre motels, and poor restaurants; it was also hot. We headed out next morning, trying to get ahead of the heat. When we got to Clarendon, Texas, the temp clock read 115. No wonder the car was hot. The outside temperature was too high to allow us or the car to cool off. It was 105 when we got to Amarillo at 9pm, and we called it a day. Next day was still hot, hot, and we drove slowly into Albuquerque. We didn’t want to do serious damage to the car, and it was ready for a nice cool patch of shade. It was a fun tour, we went to parts of the country where we had not been before, and we had a great time. We were gone 13 days, and put 3,989 miles on the old Ford. We’d like to go back to that part of the country again, but we will try to avoid a heat wave and Texarkana next
time.
Early Ford V-8 Club of America
Purpose from By-Laws
Section 1. The general purpose of this Club, incorporated as a nonprofit society, and hereinafter called the National Club, shall be to preserve and authentically maintain vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1932 through 1953 inclusive, and to serve as an accurate and technical source of information concerning these automobiles for the benefit of its members as well as the general public.
Section 2. Vehicles recognized by the National Club include:
(A) Ford cars and trucks, Lincoln and Mercury cars.
(B) Any vehicle built during the years 1932 through 1953 that utilizes a chassis and running gear
manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1932 through 1953.
(C) Other vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company throughout the world for the model years 1932 through 1953, such as the Mercury trucks, Meteor and Monarch cars manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Canada and Australia.
Section 3. Regional Groups are authorized to allow members in good standing with the National Club to hold office, vote, and tour in the local Club as they so deem.
Section 4: The word “AUTHENTIC” will be defined for purposes of clarification as being the proper
description of a genuine standard production vehicle in that it must be of the same chassis, body, upholstery, color, engine year, and parts as that which the Ford Motor Company offered in that particular year of the vehicle's production.
EARLY FORD V-8 FOUNDATION & MUSEUM
Some of you may not know that the Tumbleweed RG is a life member of the Early Ford V-8 Foundation. The goal is to build a facility that will serve as a center for history and artifacts about the 1932-1953 Ford products. The concept of the Foundation was born about 20 years ago, and in 2007, a home for all the Ford memorabilia and artifacts collected was started in Auburn, Indiana. A small building is complete and open to the public. Volunteers have spent many hours organizing and displaying the vast collection of neat stuff. This summer, the library is being organized and catalogued. Many people have donated artifacts, vehicles and memorabilia that have filled the current building. Our own Frank Corey donated a 1946 Mercury that is on a postcard and on the cover of a DeKalb County, IN, tourist brochure. The plan is to build a larger facility designed like the Ford Rotunda, in order to display more objects for the public. In order to facilitate this goal, the Foundation is seeking to increase membership. Individual memberships are $25 per year, and
for the remainder of 2012, if you join, a buddy can join for free. You can find out more about the Foundation at www.fordv8foundation.org.
2012 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
President: Jay Hertz (jdhhag@comcast.net)
Vice-President: R. Jeff Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com)
Secretary: Mark Williams (mwdomesticengineer34@gmail.com)
Treasurer: Larry Williams (l-m-williams@comcast.net)
Director of Club Purpose: Neva Coffee (marvin.coffee@comcast.net)
Director of Education: Joe Abbin (roadrunnerengr@msn.com)
Director of Touring: Frank Corey (frankford4@aol.com)
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AUGUST BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
Happy Birthday to:
1 Jeannine Kontny
3 Bud Hennessy
7 David Mathes
24 Harvey Catchpole
26 Kara Williams
29 Jim Clements
Happy Anniversary to:
19 Larry & Margaret Williams
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NEWSLETTER NOTE
Members are encouraged to submit articles and ads for inclusion in the newsletter, but please remember we have space limitations. Article submissions may be reformatted for newsletter purposes, but they will not be edited without the author’s approval. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month. Please contact Micki Hughes, newsletter editor, 505.359.3227, or email: tumbleweednewsletter@gmail.com.
2012 CLUB EVENTS
8/7 Model Cars: James Vigil Jackson 8/4 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at
8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
8/12 All Clubs Picnic NMCCC
9/4 Ladies’ Night Beth & Jeff
Jackson,
Clements,
Coffee
9/1 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
9/11 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay Hertz’ house
9/16 State Fair Car Show Jackson
9/28-30 Swap Meet Clements
10/2 Air Cleaners: Joe Abbin & Will Clements
10/6 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
10/?? Tour to Chimayo Abbin
11/6 Elections & Tabletop Show;
11/13 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay
Hertz’ house
11/17 Festival of the Cranes, Bosque del Apache Tour
12/4 Holiday Party
Board 12/1 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at
OTHER NEARBY EVENTS OF INTEREST
August 3 – 2012 Summer Bash Show of Force Power – Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque – 12am-5pm – Free to enter – Open to all cars and motorcycles – Contact Dan 846-0587 or daniel.lynn@kirtland.af.mil
August 11 – Los Lunas Old School Cruz – Wells Fargo Bank, Bosque Farms – 6:00pm – Bill Schofield 565-
2105.
August 11 – Wine & Shine Classic Car Show – Wines of the San Juan, Blanco – 10am-4pm – Preregistration $10, $15 day of event – Free wine glass if registered by July 31 – Awards, door prizes, Brittny Arnold (505)632-0879 or wsjnmsales@gmail.com
August 17-18 – 21st Run to Copper Country – Gough Park, Silver City – Pre-'74 – Doug Colgan (575)388- 3468 or www.coppercountrycruizers.com
August 18 – The 1st Annual Car Show in Estancia – Old Court House, 9th & Loring – By Independent Businesses of Estancia Area – Parade at 9:45am to Show – Cars 25 years & older – Free, Awards – Tommy 384-2575 or 384-2579 – http://nmcarcouncil.net/events-2/estancia-1st-annual-car-show/
August 18 – 13th Annual NM Rt. 66 Car Show – Rich Ford, Edgewood – 10am-2pm – Car show, food, live remotes, entertainment – All free – Bruce Shaffer bcougar67@msn.com
August 24-25 – Taos Autumn Run – On Plaza, Taos – Pre-'79 – Non-competitive – (575)770-0757 or jirehelectric@hotmail.com
August 26 – 20th Annual Make-A-Wish Benefit Car Show – Reliable Chevrolet, 9901 Coors Blvd. – Rio Grande Corvette Club, Pat Salerno Pat_S@rgcc.us or marober7@me.com or www.rgcc.us – Open to all.
2012 CENTRAL NATIONAL V-8 MEET
August 20-23 – “Show Your V-8 in the Show Me State” at Branson, MO. See www.earlyfordv8.org for information and registration form.
2012 WESTERN NATIONAL V-8 MEET
September 11-14 – “Round Up at Redmond” in Redmond, OR. See www.earlyfordv8.org for information and registration form.
2013 GRAND NATIONAL GOLDEN JUBILEE
The Early Ford V-8 Club will celebrate its 50th Anniversary at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, June 17-21, 2013. This is the site of the first meet held by the founding members of the Club. It will be a big event, and the only National Meet for 2013. Start thinking about attending, and get your Ford ready for the road. Registration and information are available at www.earlyfordv8.org.
THE GREAT RACE 2012
by Joyce Clements
The Great Race this year was from Traverse City, Michigan, north into Canada, around the Great Lakes, and back to Traverse City. Please note that the winner was a 1935 Ford. This story is from the Historic Vehicle Association newsletter. They had a 1955 Oldsmobile Super 88 entered in the race. Gab Joiner went to the race, but was unable to participate, due to illness.
Thousands gathered in downtown Traverse City, MI for the Grand Start on Saturday June 23 to see off the participants in this year’s running of the Great Race. What your daddy never told you about long-distance travel in a seriously old car: After driving for more than 10 days, through two countries, 19 cities, and over 2,300 miles, the team from the Historic Vehicle Association has put together this short list of “road rules” that anyone who wants to attempt a cross-country
trip should follow. Would they do it again? Are you kidding? Yes. Driving is half the fun of owning a historic vehicle. The team returned home tired, but a bit wiser, learning each day from the wonderful participants in this year’s Great Race and meeting a few car guys and gals along the way. Every day brought a new experience and – in the interest of passing along some of the hard-earned knowledge – here is a brief rundown of the “Top Five Things We Learned Today,” condensed to ensure the greatest amount of car specificity:
1. Do not, under any circumstances, name your car Miss Adventure. Really, you’re just asking for trouble.
2. Just because a car starts up, doesn’t mean it will continue to run all day; especially if it is an older model vehicle with a stubborn personality to match an equally stubborn name.
3. If the triple-digit distance one has to drive in a day is exceeded by the temperatures outside, it’s best to enjoy said drive in the comfort of an air conditioned car.
4. Okay, yes, stopping is great. But once stopped, can we start again?
5. Bugs have it better off with modern cars. The grilles of these older cars resemble that of a battlefield; a war waged with millions of tiny casualties, none standing a chance or hope of survival. What a mess. Those who followed along in real time will recall with a knowing smile the trials and tribulations faced by Team HVA and the appropriately-named Miss Adventure during this year’s running of the Great Race. Regardless of any mechanical setbacks, a great time was had by all and many new friends were made along the way, each with an interesting story to tell – many of which will be shared in the coming months as part of our This Car Matters movement.
A full recap of the individual stages as experienced by Team HVA and Miss Adventure is available on the HVA blog, while more photographs from the race are available on facebook. This year’s race was won by Barry and Irene Jason, whose 1935 Ford Coupe helped carry them to victory all the way around the Great Lakes. More information on the winners of and participants in this year’s event is available on the Great Race’s web site. A big congratulations to all this year’s participants – as Corky Coker says, “to finish is to win.”
CLASSIFIED ADS
For Sale: V-8 Times Magazines. Issues from the '80s to date. $1 each or 6 for $5. Several year sets in hard binders. Half the proceeds to our club. Joe Abbin, 505.296.7678.
For Sale: Auto road test and auto related magazines from the 1950's thru the 1980's. Find out how your 1956 Mercury performed “in the day” from Motor Trend or how Consumer’s Guide rated it! “Time capsule” assortments of 3-6 magazines for various years for $10 each or individual magazines for $3. Various titles, Motor Trend, Popular Science, Mechanix Illustrated, Consumers Guide, etc. Joe Abbin, 505.296.7678.
For Sale: Rebuilt generators, starters, carburetors, distributors, water pumps, clutches, etc. for your
flathead. Best deal in town. Also parts. What do you need? Art Leupold, 505.299.7154.
For Sale: For information on the following, call Max Glover, 249.7344:
'66 VW station wagon. Rare model. Very clean. '74 MGB GT.
For Sale: '69 Ford XL 2-dr. fastback 429, 360 hp, auto, excellent driver, $6900. Call Al, 450.1789.
For Sale: For information on the following, email Tom Stacy at tombird@wildblue.net or call 575.894.7137: I give up. I have run an ad for a flathead V8 engine and 2 transmissions for the last 3 issues and no takers. I would rather one of you have these than the landfill so just come and get them. First come first serve. Flathead V8 engine '49-50. This is a truck engine since it has a floor shift transmission behind it. It won’t turn but is fairly complete lacking only the starter and generator. Come and get it. Two '51 transmissions. One Standard, one Overdrive. Come and get it.
For Sale: 1951 Ford Victoria. This is a rust-free example. I bought it in 1999 from a guy here in Truth or Consequences, NM who was attempting to restore this car which formerly belonged to a relative. Presumably it is a New Mexico car. The exterior was done so I completed the interior,
rebuilt the flathead V8 engine 23,000 miles ago, added overdrive, dual exhaust and 1" lowering blocks to correct a slight rake. I recently replaced all the wiring. Because the paint job
is less than top quality and the miles I have put on it I am classifying it in #3 condition. Old Cars Weekly Price Guide and NADA.com price it at $13,500. At present it needs nothing and you could drive it home. 575-894-7137, tombird@wildblue.net.
More photos: http://s1170.photobucket.com/albums/r538/TumbleweedPhotos/Toms%20Car%20Photos/.
Wanted: V-8 Times Magazines. Need May-June 2007 issue, and any issues from the '60s and '70s for my own set. Joe Abbin, 505.296.7678.
Wanted: Timing fixture or distributor test machine for 1932-48 Ford-Mercury-Lincolns. Jim Clements, 884.7912.
Services Offered: Vintage engine rebuilding, any make, any model. Stock or modified. Dynamometer testing available. Results guaranteed. References available. Gary McGlasson, 505.250.1586.
Services Offered: Frank Corey, who recently made a presentation about the mechanical aspects of Ford overdrives, is available to consult on the electrical aspects as well. Frank has a supply of overdrive parts for sale, for those who may be interested. Frank can be contacted at 505.299.5168 or (frankford4@aol.com).