NOVEMBER 2019 TUMBLEWEED CLUB OF NEW MEXICO
RG #79, EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB OF AMERICA, PO BOX 21538, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87154-1538
MEETS FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 7:00 P.M., OLD CAR GARAGE, 3232 GIRARD BLVD NE
TIMES
PLEASE NOTE: All meetings include Show & Tell. Members are encouraged to bring items to share.
NEXT MEETING: Next meeting is Tuesday, November 5th, 2019 at 7pm. Program will be Hot Rodding the Flathead V8 by Joe Abbin. Refreshments will be provided by Bob Payne.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm.
BREAKFAST GROUP: Saturday, November 16th, 8:30am at the Mustang Café at Rich Ford.
CLUB WEBSITE: Be sure to check out our website at www.abqfordflatheadv8.com Updated “current Information and calendar” is on the current information page. More club pictures are on the website.
FORD V8 FOUNDATION WEBSITE: Another interesting website to check out is www.fordv8foundation.org
EARLY FORD V8 CLUB OF AMERICA WEBSITE: www.earlyfordv8.org
NOVEMBER BREAKFAST
Breakfast this month will be held Saturday, November 16th, 8:30am at the Mustang Café which is at Rich Ford, 8601 Lomas NE. Join your fellow club members and friends for a delicious breakfast and good conversation.
NOVEMBER MEETING PROGRAM
The meeting program this month is about Hot Rodding the Flathead V8 and will include a discussion on supercharging that engine. Of course, one of the best known Flathead Supercharger fellows in the entire country, Joe Abbin, will be presenting the program.
Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas party will be a potluck on Saturday afternoon, December 14th at 1pm. The party will be at the Jackson’s house (8322 Calle Picaflor NW). The cost is $3 per person. The hosts will cook the meat, with side dishes provided by those attending. Tea, water and coffee will be provided. Reservations are required and can be made and paid for at the November club meeting or by contacting Beth Jackson before December 9th. Reservations may also be made by mail to Beth at the above address (zip 87120). Requested side dishes are salad, vegetable, dessert or bread and can be confirmed when you call or send in your reservation. Remember there is no club meeting in December. We have followed this format for several years and we have large crowds, delicious food and a very pleasant time.
Our annual gift exchange will take place during the Christmas Party. If you wish to participate, bring a wrapped gift labeled male or female, and you will go home with a lovely gift. Please make the gift something you would like to receive and keep the cost under $20. We also collect for Roadrunner Food Bank, leave your cash donation and we will make a donation from the club. Please call Beth before November 4th or after November 25th at 505-908-7564 if you have any questions.
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Jeff Jackson
Only two more president’s letters. So better get my stories out.
Ya’ll heard the story of me getting some work clothes from the back of a van driving down Coors a few years ago. Well, I saw a garage sale ad for work clothes and checked it out; durned if it weren’t that same feller.
Ok, so I buy some pants, 50 cents a pair and some lab coats, 50 cents each and a stack of flannel shirts he had for $5. Now the good part, Beth grabbed everything and washed it then announced she was taking two of the flannel shirts for her around the house warmth. Further she said one flannel shirt she hung up for me as it was too nice for the garage—- so we’re way ahead at this point.
The final straw was the pants. They were supposed to be 34-36 with elastic waists. No way, they must be 32-34 nevertheless Beth said you bought ‘em you wear ‘em.
So, in addition to saving money on clothes we also save on food ‘cause I can’t wear those damned pants if I gain an ounce.
Old Fords are kinda like old people —getting old is not for the weak! Now an old Ford can be rebuilt back to original and really be a fine piece of machinery assuming you are willing to drive like it was 1941. The roads were poorer, everyone drove slower and you could really enjoy the scenery — well you could enjoy the scenery except when you were yelling at the kids in the back seat to quit arguing. And, if you accept that today’s gasoline will kill old gaskets and rubber and you don’t mind replacing the fuel pump on a routine basis and you don’t drive when it is real hot unless you are willing to let the car cool down periodically, all is well. Like an older person, you accept some wear and some slow down with age. Now if you take an old Ford and fix it up with modern parts like a blower motor and an electric fuel pump in the gas tank and a great radiator and radial tires (Frank please forgive my blasphemy) you can drive all over. Still a Flathead but with technology Henry Ford couldn’t sell at low prices cheaply to the masses. An older person can get a face lift, a new knee, take pain pills and get around reasonably well I suppose. But, an older person can’t overhaul everything like you can with an old Ford. What’s your point Jeff? Actually, I’m not sure but it reminds me of today. I needed to move some cars around and the 1940 which has been sitting a while needed some carb work and the fuel tank cleaned then it fired up and ran well but still on bias tires and still leaking some fluids from the typical places. To move the 1940 I had to move the 1941. While the 1940 has been updated the 1941 is mostly original. Durned if the fuel pump didn’t go bad while sitting thus requiring pushing it around. Much to my dismay Beth isn’t as strong as she used to be and I’m getting lazy so out pops the skid steer. Now don’t laugh - I didn’t push the car with the skid steer. I just used the skid steer as a brace so I could push the 1941. That meant moving the car 20 inches then moving the skid steer 20 inches closer to the car and pushing again. Fortunately, though Beth isn’t as strong as she used to be, she can still move a board behind the tires so the car didn’t roll back after I had pushed it 20 inches. Hence the 1941 is going to get an electric fuel pump to help it along. Like older people a new part once in a while can be a good thing. Which could bring me to the story of my left knee which swelled up like a grapefruit after pushing the 1941 around – I’ll save for another time.
I don’t mind telling stories on myself, goodness knows I could write a book on the foolish things I’ve done. Like when you need the gas tank drained. No matter who you pray to or how long you pray you cannot put 5 1/2 gallons of old fuel in a five gallon can!
This month Jay will lead the club meeting as Beth and I will be traveling. The meeting is November 5th. This is the election meeting. Come and vote! Also, there will be signup sheets for the potluck Christmas dinner to be held Saturday, December 14. The club breakfast is Saturday, November 16th at the Mustang Café, 8:30am. And, ya’ll remember Christmas is December 25th this year.
Minutes of the October 1, 2019 Meeting
By Beth Jackson, Secretary
President Jeff called the meeting to order. There were 22 people present. Roger brought a friend from Santa Fe, Bob Napier, a retired mechanic. Bob later became our newest member – welcome Bob. Treasurer David reported we are on track with our budget.
Birthday wishes were extended to Mary Dierschke, Linda Frazer, Amy Joiner and Al Seery. Anniversary wishes went to Bud Hennessey and Linda Frazer.
Thanks to the Joiners for providing refreshments tonight and to the Abernathy’s for also bringing refreshments.
Old Business: Joyce, reporting for the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs, said the swap meet went well with 700+ spaces sold. Most vendors were happy but a lack of volunteers made the parking difficult and there was only one food vendor. Having spots on concrete was nice as it wasn’t too hot. Joyce also informed the club that there will be a National Western V8 Meet in Alamosa, Colorado in September 2020. This is very close for club members to attend. Let’s make a showing there.
Last month’s recipe for the newsletter was submitted by Pat Bost. Laurel McGlasson was asked to send the recipe for the delicious Sopapilla Cheese Cake that she provided for refreshments in September and she agreed.
Once again, the iffy weather kept the ’32 and ’33 Fords from attending the meeting for a comparison, so Will Clements will be showing pictures of the recent National Meet in Auburn, attending by the Clements family.
The nominating committee, Jeff, David, George, and D, was represented by Jeff reporting that they had some difficulty coming up with people willing to be officers. Jeff asked if anyone in the club had an issue with having the Chevy Club attend meetings in conjunction with us. When no one objected, he then presented a slate for consideration. On the ballot will be Joe Abbin for President, Jay Hertz for Vice-President, Beth Jackson for Secretary, George Abernathy for Treasurer and the following Directors: Roger Wilbur, Chris Joiner, Larry Bost, Demetrio Lee and as past-president, Jeff Jackson. Elections will take place at the November meeting and a ballot will be printed in the newsletter so all members may participate in the election.
New Business: October’s breakfast will be held on Saturday, October 19th at 8:30 am at Wecks on Fourth St. near Osuna. The Ponderosa was suggested last month by Don Gutierrez but it was discovered that they do not open until 10am on Saturdays. Joe Abbin suggested the Mustang Café for the November 16th breakfast.
Again, it was mentioned that there will be a Western National Meet in Alamosa Colorado next September 20-24, 2020. If you register by December, you will get a discount. The Clements offered to present a program on judging next year to get everyone ready for the meet.
The Christmas party is scheduled for the 2nd Saturday in December which this year will be on December 14th. After a spirited discussion, it was decided to go with the tried and true format of a pot luck at the Jacksons house. Signups will be available at the November meeting.
Joe reported that Albuquerque is still #1 in the nation in auto thefts although there has been some improvement. Also this year Albuquerque is on a record roll for homicides.
Member of the month of October was Tom Patterson. Vern Willan agreed to be interviewed for November’s article.
David brought a unique wind chime that he constructed from auto parts and it was highly sought after in the raffle. We all enjoyed the wonderful refreshments and the interesting program on the National Meet in Auburn. Will did an excellent job photographing the cars, people and events and telling us about them. Thanks, Will.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH – Vern Willan
Vern Willan is a good ole boy from the south. He was born in Madison Wisconsin and he is quick to point out that is ‘South Wisconsin’. He stayed there through high school and through mechanic jobs at local service stations where he developed his interest in cars. He and his dad restored or ‘fixed up’ his first Model T during this period. “My dad hated Model T’s because he said he spent 30 years keeping them running.” His father was a mechanic.
Vern went from high school to the Air Force where he was a jet engine mechanic. He says “I fought my way through the war with a wrench”. After the service, using the GI Bill he obtained a pilot’s license and flew for a small regional airline. When that went belly up he went to college and got a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace at the University of Arizona and later finished an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana.
Vern met Pat, his wife, when he got out of the service. He says “we met in May of 1970 and were married in November 1970.” Obviously, he is a quick worker. Pat and Vern have three children, all girls and they spend a lot of time with them and the grandchildren. He notes that grandchildren are like magnets to grandmothers. Their kids are in Albuquerque, Bloomfield, Colorado and South Carolina.
Vern maintains two 1926 Model T’s. He also has a ’30 Model A he converted to a speedster. Vern said it takes 5 minutes at a service station to fill it up and 30 minutes to answer everyone’s questions. He calls the speedster the Evansville Special because he brought it home in bits and pieces from Evansville. He is currently focusing on a 1938 pickup which he is pleased with except for the air cleaner.
“Pat is fine with me working on cars but she is not too fond of my Harley.” Vern says he was on an early date with Pat riding a Harley. They were going to watch a motorcycle hill climb. The oil tank on the Harley split and covered Pat with oil. When Vern got home and told his dad, his father said “If you can ever get another date with her then marry her!” Vern recalls fondly, “She came back”.
Vern has known Joe Abbin for a long time. Vern spent 30 years with the labs at Sandia. He was very happy at the lab. “Lots of good people and good work”, he said. As you know Vern and Pat traveled a lot until a few years ago. We called Vern our summer member. Unfortunately, Pat needs medical attention here so they spend more time in Albuquerque. Glad Vern is able to be more regular at our meetings. Sounds like a future officer?
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Laurel McGlasson
Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake
2 cans Pillsbury Crescent rolls ¼ cup butter (melted)
2-8oz packs of Cream Cheese (room temperature) 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 cup Sugar 4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Press all the seams together. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
JOKE OF THE MONTH
Have you ever asked your child a question too many times? My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room. While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven-month-old daughter, she was clean. Then I realized that Danny had not asked to go potty in a while. I asked him if he needed to go, and he said “No.” I kept thinking “Oh, Lord, that child had an accident, and I don’t have any clothes with me.” Then I said, “Danny, are you SURE you didn’t have an accident?” “No,” he replied. I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse. Sooooo, I asked one more time, “Danny, did you have an accident?” This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over, spread his cheeks and yelled “SEE MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!” While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing, he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down. An old couple made me feel better, thanking me for the best laugh they’d ever had!
2019 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
President: R. Jeff Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com)
Vice-President: Jay Hertz (jdhhag1@comcast.net)
Secretary: Beth Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com)
Treasurer: David McLain (dwmclain5153@gmail.com)
Director: George Abernathy (gabernathy@sunriseveterinary.com)
Director: Demetrio Lee (Dmost_1@yahoo.com)
Director: Roger Wilbur (rogerwilbur88@gmail.com)
Director: Joe Abbin (roadrunnerengr@msn.com)
November Birthdays and Anniversaries
Jay Hertz (5) Vern & Pat Willan (7)
Roger Wilbur (11) Philip & Corrine Lovato (14)
Leslie Montgomery (22)
Ray Calderon (30)
THE NEW MERCURY 8
In the mid-1930’s, Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie convinced Henry Ford to design and build a car to fill the price gap between Fords and Lincolns. The 1939 Mercury was the first production car to come out of Ford’s new Design Department. The new model went through several design changes before going into production in the fall of 1938. Gregorie, with Edsel’s help, worked out the initial design, but he left detail and trim to other people in the department. The Mercury kept the style of Fords, but was larger, roomier, more powerful and had a more luxurious interior.
More than 100 names were considered for the new car, among them Pharoah, Fleetwing, Trojan, Cyclops, Falcon, Winged Victory, Corsair, Edsel, Comet, Forzelli, Eros, Minerva, Groundflight, Autocrat, Fordocart, and Panther. Edsel decided on Mercury “the Winged Messenger of the Gods” from Roman mythology. He insisted on the name Ford-Mercury, following in the footsteps of the Lincoln-Zephyr. Gregorie tried to talk him out of that, but Edsel insisted. Several East coast dealers were able to change Edsel’s mind just after production started. The first few models were sold with Ford-Mercury hubcaps before the name became Mercury 8; one of these rare hubcaps is in the V8 Museum at Auburn.
The Mercury wheel base was 116 inches, 4 inches longer than the Ford. The body was 8 inches wider at the doors. The engine size was increased from 221 to 239 cubic inches, and horsepower went from 85 to 95 hp. The chassis had the same basic design as the Ford, and both cars shared the new hydraulic brake system. The cars all weighed in at about 3,000 pounds, 150 pounds more than a Ford. The cars were priced: Tudor Sedan $916, Fordor Town Sedan and Sedan-Coupe $957, and the Sport Convertible with automatic top $1,018, approximately $300 more than a Ford.
The car was introduced to the public by Henry and Edsel on November 4, 1938, as a 1939 model. The Mercury did fill a niche in the mid-priced auto market, and vaulted to tenth place in sales in its first three months. In its first year about 60,000 units were sold in the USA, and about another 10,000 around the world.
Information for this article came from various sources, and some have different opinions.
Joyce
Tumbleweed Early Ford V8 Club Calendar for 2019
November
Tuesday 5th Club Meeting 7pm Officer Election, Refreshments Bob Payne
Saturday 16th 8:30am Breakfast at the Mustang Cafe
December
Saturday 14th Club Christmas Party – 1pm potluck at the Jackson’s
Tuesday 17th (tentative Board meeting with new and old officers and directors plan for 2020)
Saturday 21st Breakfast
Upcoming Events
OCTOBER
October 31 – Trunk of Treats – Halloween Fun Night – Old Tyme Shop & Ice Cream Parlor, 10786 S. Hwy 337, S. 14, Tijeras – 5:30-8:30pm – Cupcake-Cake Walk, games, raffles, scaryoke, hot dogs, pumpkin bowling, pumpkin painting, movie – Donations accepted & appreciated – Barbie (505)281-3892 to reserve your spot
October 31 – Red Ribbon Parade & Car Show – Dona Ana Elementary School, Las Cruces – Madeline (575)527-9506
NOVEMBER
November 2 – Feed NM Kids Car Show – Philip & Sons Service, 4101 4th St. NW – Entry $25 – Proceeds to Feed NM Kids Thanksgiving Meal – Donations welcome – Entry includes raffle ticket & lunch – Show 9am-3pm, lunch 11:30am, raffle & awards 2:00pm – Philip Lovato (505)264-9081, (505)338-3665 – www.FeedNMKids.com or text “thanksgiving” to (505)375-6627
November 2 – Cars-N-Coffee – The Owl Cafe, Lomas & Eubank – 7:30-10:00 AM. Join us for Hot Coffee, Free Donuts, Hot Cars!! (505)291-4900
November 2 – Car & Bike Show – Las Cruces First, 5605 Bataan Memorial West, Las Cruces – Entry $20, $25 DOS – 9am-2pm – Proceeds benefit Open Gates Ministries – T-shirt with entry – Trophies – Joe Polanco (575)642-0219 or Nufie Hernandez (575)202-5793
November 2 – 13th Cops & Rodder’s Car Show – Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, AZ – Bonnie (520)207-2878 or www.soazlef.org
November 9 – 23rd Annual Veterans’ Day Car Show – Veterans’ Home, T or C – 9am-3pm – Entry $30, free admission – 10x10 swap space $25 – Proceeds benefit Veteran Residents – Awards, dash plaques – Jennie Bustamante (575)894-8445, Ginny Shannon (575)894-4287, Sam Shannon (575)740-3905
November 11 (Monday) Veterans’ Day Ceremony at T or C Veterans’ Home – Hot beverages & pasties, 8:30am front lobby, tour facility 9:00-9:45am, ceremony 10am – Donations accepted
November 9 – Matanza & Low Rider Car Show – 2002 Bridge Blvd SW – Entry $10 – Fundraiser for
Cornucopia Adult & Family Services – 11am-2pn – Food (posole, chicharrones, more), live mariachi music, face art contest, kids’ games, silent auction, beer garden – https://cornucopia-ads.org
November 10 – 3rd Annual Veterans’ Day Freddy’s Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show – 10201 Central NE (just w of Eubank) – All present & past veterans invited to attend. Set up 7:30-10am, Show starts 10am
with singing of National Anthem – Open to all classes: classics, trucks, motorcycles, vintage, patinas, muscle cars/trucks, hot rods, lowriders, lowrider bikes, exotics, special interest vehicles – In lieu of entry fee, please donate elementary school age supplies for a neighborhood elementary school – Also a toy and coat drive – Please do your best to help out our kids – Awards given at 3pm, door prizes, 50/50 drawing – Manager to raffle off a beautiful one of a kind 26" Freddy's Bicycle like last year, special appearance by Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and their Elf 1-4pm – Also Bill Fouch & Route 66 Calendar Girls – Music by Rockin' Rob doing his great songs – Contact Rob at 881-4320 or Joe Mascarenas at 235-5900 for more information.
November 15-17 – 22nd SW Nationals – Westworld, Scottsdale, AZ – Open to pre-’88 – Goodguys (925)838-9876 or www.good-guys.com
November 16 – LUNG FORCE Walk Car Show – Hoffmantown Church, 8888 Harper Rd NE – Sponsored by American Lung Assn – Check in 7:00am, show 8-11am – www.lungforce.org/walk to register or Maria Geisseler Mgeisseler@hmespecialists.com
November 16 – DTA’s 70th Birthday Car Show – Indoor Merchandise Mart, Denver, CO – Celebrating Denver Timing Association’s 70 years – Seeking vintage hot rods
November 22 – Veterans’ Parade – Durango, CO – 11am
November 23 – “Just for the Hell of It” Show – Body Works, Las Cruces – Open to all – Mike Garcia (575)541-5772
November 23-25 – NSRA Model Train Show “Rails Along the Rio Grande” – Balloon Fiesta Park – Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 9am-4pm – Adults $5, under 12 free, free parking – Big operating train layouts, new & used model trains & accessories – www.railsalongtheriogrande.org
EARLY FORD V8 TOURS
Go to Early Ford V-8 Web Site for More Information.
June 15-18, 2020 – Eastern National Meet – Morgantown, PA – www.NCR36.com for information.
September 20-24 – 2020 WESTERN NATIONAL MEET – ALAMOSA, COLORADO Sponsored by Hi-Country RG. Register by December 31 for $75, $100 till June 1, $125 after June 1, 2020. Deanie Kennedy (303)489-3944 or 2020EFV8MEET@ecentral.com. It’s only a bit over 200 miles from Albuquerque, and the drive is scenic. The Denver group always puts on a good tour, and Colorado weather is always interesting. Plan to go.
NEWSLETTER NOTE
Members are encouraged to submit articles, ads and photographs for inclusion in the newsletter. Please understand we have a volunteer Newsletter Editor so try and submit typed and proofed articles, comments, and new want ads (for sale items will continue to be updated at the meetings). The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month. Beth Jackson, 505-908-7564, or email: JBJaxun@gmail.com
Ballot for 2020 Officer Election Tumbleweed V8 Club
President: Joe Abbin ___________ Write in_______________________________________________
Vice-President: Jay Hertz _________ Write in _____________________________________________
Secretary: Beth Jackson __________ Write in _____________________________________________
Treasurer: George Abernathy ___________ Write in ________________________________________
Directors: Vote for four: Roger Wilbur ________, Demetrio Lee ________, Chris Joiner__________
Larry Bost ____________ Write in ________________________________________________
Note: Jeff Jackson is automatically a director as past president.
Mail Ballot to Tumbleweed V8 Club, PO Box 21538, Albuquerque, NM 87154-1538
It must be received by Monday, November 4 to be counted.
Or you may email your choices to current President Jeff Jackson at jbjaxun@gmail.com