APRIL 2022 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., LOCATION TBA
V8 TIMES
PLEASE NOTE: All meetings include Show & Tell. Members are encouraged to bring items to share.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 5th, 7 pm at North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, classroom 7 at 7600 Carmel NE, one-half block North and West of Paseo Del Norte and Wyoming. Refreshments Johanne and Max Glover.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: TBD
BREAKFAST GROUP: Saturday, April 9th, drive to Madrid and have lunch. See article below.
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
APRIL 5TH MEETING
Crime and Crime Prevention with Joe Abbin
This month Joe will present a short overview of crime in Albuquerque and what we can do about it. For years Albuquerque has been plagued by an abnormally high crime rate, particularly violent crime. In fact, we have been in the top five most violent big cities in the country for the last five years and arguably the most violent big city west of the Mississippi! Joe will present the facts that you may not have seen elsewhere and the causes of our problems based on his research and years of experience on the Albuquerque Police Department as an active Reserve Officer.
There is hope however and the talk will concentrate on what can and should be done at all levels. In the end, we must personally prepare to be our own first responders and take precautions and utilize whatever tools we are comfortable with to protect ourselves. Joe will discuss our options that range from simple awareness to deadly force. C’mon down and join the discussion!
The meeting will be held at the North Domingo Baca Mutigenerational Center, classroom 7 at 7600 Carmel NE, one-half- block North and West of Paseo Del Norte and Wyoming. There will be models, George’s jam and an updated copy of Joe’s book “ABQ Blues” to be raffled off.
April Tour and Lunch
On Saturday, April 9th, we will be meeting at 9:30am at the Smith’s on Tramway at Central. From there we will caravan to Madrid via Old 66 and Hwy 14. Madrid is a quaint little town with lots of fun shops to browse through and several restaurants. We will have lunch there and then mosey on home. Come one, come all in your club car or your modern car, just come for a relaxing drive and delicious lunch.
President’s Message for April 2022 Chris Joiner
Wow, another month has come and gone. Some good news is the mask mandate is also gone. It has been a crazy month for Amy and myself. One of our dogs popped the ligament in her knee. It was determined she needed surgery. Thank you to George Abernathy for helping and squeezing us in to get her feeling better. I hope everyone enjoyed the March 12 breakfast and trip to Frank Brown’s collection. I am bummed that I wasn’t able to join. I should be able to be on the April drive to Madrid. I look forward to seeing everyone at our meeting in April.
Minutes of the March 1st, 2022 Meeting
The meeting was called to order by President Chris Joiner. There were 21 people present, including several guest and new members. Treasurer Amy reported an income of $75 in dues, $44 from the raffle and no expenses in February. Birthday greetings were extended to Larry Azevedo, Vi Chavez-Cropp, Bob Payne and George Abernathy. Thanks to George and Jackie for providing refreshments.
Old Business: There were no additions or corrections to the February meeting minutes. Joe reported that the February trip to the Commemorative Air Force museum in Moriarty was a success.
Joyce, reporting for the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs, said the Museum Car Show on May 15th will be a “no trophy” show. (see the activities for more shows going on around the area.)
New Business: Joe reported that there was a board meeting on February 22nd with a discussion of instituting a Lifetime membership in the club. The criteria decided on was reaching the age of 85 and having been a member for at least 15 years. He asked for input from the membership. There seemed to be little interest in “discounts” for members. Joe asked members to contact him or Chris with their comments on Lifetime memberships or some type of honorary membership.
On March 12th the group will be driving to Sopa’s in Bosque Farms for breakfast and then touring Frank Brown’s garage in Los Lunas. The next club meeting is Tuesday, April 5th at North Domingo Baca Mutigenerational building and Joe Abbin will make a presentation on Crime and Crime Prevention.
Joyce brought an item for show and tell – an EFV8 poster from the 26th anniversary of the club.
The raffle was held and refreshments were enjoyed, followed by a very interesting presentation by Frank Brown.
Frank has two original 32 Fords and several modified 32 Fords. He bought his first 32 Ford in the 60’s for $100. He was in the movie prop business in California and retired at age 53. He sold a vehicle to Mark Harmon in 1985 (an actor who is actually nice) and reported the worst actor he dealt with was Mel Brooks. He had the following tips for classic car owners:
When parking old cars, disconnect the battery.
For oil changes, use 20/50 Valvoline racing oil (it has zinc)
Change cooling system every 2 years and use 1 gallon antifreeze and distilled water for the rest
Use “Stable” in gas tanks to keep gas from going bad, 1 oz for 10 gallons
Smell gas cap to check for old gas if car has been sitting.
Thanks to Frank for a great presentation. We will be seeing his cars after breakfast on the 12th.
Amy Joiner, acting Secretary
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. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month. Beth Jackson, 505-908-7564, or email: JBJaxun@gmail.com
CHECKING AND REPAIRING ORIGINAL FUEL PUMPS
If you are having fuel delivery problems, first check to see if the cause is the pump or elsewhere. Check the input side of the pump. The input side is under suction, not pressure, so the pump will draw in air rather than leak fuel. The cause could be a bad flexible line, one of its connections, or a bad fuel bowl gasket. If your pump has a glass bowl, air leaks will show up as bubbles, or not filling the bowl completely.
If you can prime the carburetor and start the car, you can check vacuum on the pump input. All flathead pumps should pull 10 inches of vacuum at idle, and hold some vacuum for one minute after engine shutoff. Sticking your fingertip on the pump inlet while the engine idles will work, too. The pump should have obvious and consistent suction. Weak or varying suction means it’s time to take off the pump.
After the pump and stand are removed, you can check the fuel pump push rod length. On 1934-48 cars, cast iron intakes use an 8.87” rod, while factory aluminum intakes use a 7.87” rod. Push rods measure 10.079” for all 1949-53 V8s. Wear is usually visible on pump push rods; if the ends look nice, the rod is usually okay.
The amount of lift provided by the camshaft eccentric should be 0.200 inches for all flatheads. Camshafts can wear prematurely, particularly after the introduction of the double pump in 1949. This pump produces a much greater force on the camshaft. Ford recommended using push rod EAB-9400-A with double pumps; this is a harder rod, identified by a bright ground finish at the bottom. The 8BA push rods are softer, dull on the bottom end, and have visible spot welds. The 8BA push rods should only be used with single action pumps. After experience with several cars, we would strongly recommend using single action pumps. They’re easier on the cam, easier to rebuild, and have fewer parts to fail.
Whenever you have the flex fuel line disconnected, you can check to see if the car has a plugged fuel line, or a bad pickup tube inside the gas tank, by blowing through the line from the firewall end. Take off the gas cap, and listen for bubbles in the tank.
A weak pump may have a torn or hardened fuel pump diaphragm, or the pump valves could be sticky. Check the linkage (9376 and 9381) for wear and slack. When installing a pump, it should make a pumping noise, and try to spring up from the manifold. With worn-out linkage, the pump just settles down and sits on the manifold.
Many older pump valves (9352) had a center disk made of hard brown phenolic material. These tend to be very reliable, unless varnished from bad gas. Many newer pumps have valve disks made of a black rubbery material, which works fine if it’s ethanol resistant. We had one new foreign-made pump fail because the valve disks swelled when exposed to ethanol, and stuck halfway open.
If the pump is pumping too much gas, the diaphragm spring 9396 may be too stiff (common on foreign-made pumps for 1934-48), you may have a plugged gas cap vent, or somebody lengthened a worn push rod too much. Slight excess pressure can be lowered by shimming with a thick exhaust manifold gasket under the pump stand.
On any mechanical fuel pump, the output pressure is largely controlled by the stiffness of the (Ford 9396) diaphragm spring. All Ford/Mercury/Lincoln Zephyr products from 1932-47 were designed to have only 1.5 to 3.5 pounds of fuel pressure, so they had relatively weak springs. Newer 8BA-style flatheads specified 3.5 to 4.5 pounds of pressure, 7HA sixes 4 to 5 pounds. These later pumps had stiffer diaphragm springs.
Reproduced pumps tend to use the stiffer springs for all year pumps, to reduce cost. We have had good luck with modern replacement pumps for 8BA, but the pumps for 1934-48 cars are inconsistent; some have defective linkage, one had bad valves, and most work better with the weaker diaphragm spring salvaged out of the old pump. In one case, all we managed to use from a new foreign-made pump was the diaphragm. If you’re working on a pre-48 flathead, you should strongly consider rebuilding an original fuel pump.
To test a diaphragm spring, all you need is a ruler and a kitchen scale. Place the spring on the scale, and compress it with your fingers to 5/8” height. The reading on the scale tells you what the spring fits: 6 to 7.5 pounds for a Model B spring, 7 to 8.5 pounds for 1934-47, and 15 to 16 pounds for a 7HA six. We haven’t located a specification for 8BA (single action) pumps, but those springs are about 12 to 14 pounds in our experience. As you can see, the diaphragm spring pressure is proportionally related to the fuel output pressure, and using the right spring can make a big difference.
Ford introduced the glass fuel bowl in about 1947. The flat brass filter screen, formerly under the metal lid, moved to a location above the glass bowl. In July, 1951, Ford replaced the brass screen with a filter (1BA-9365-A) inside the bowl. This required changing the glass bowl’s lip to fit the new filter element. Older glass bowls had a pointed top edge, to dig into the gasket. Newer glass bowls, for use with the filters, had a flat top edge. Mercury already had a “strainer” (8CM-9365) in the double action pumps from 1949-51. The older style glass bowl may not seal well when using a filter in the pump. Check everything!
Joyce & Will Clements
2022 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
President: Chris Joiner (amy2001tweety@hotmail.com) 505-382-8723
Vice-President: R Jeff Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com) 505-908-7565
Secretary: Beth Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com) 505-908-7564
Treasurer: Amy Joiner (amy2001tweety@hotmail.com) 505-382-8724
Director: Joe Abbin (roadrunnerengr@msn.com) 505-263-1946
Director: Larry Bost (LBost111@gmail.com) 505-379-7891
Director: Roger Wilbur 505-603-5031
Director: Joe Warren (jbwarren302@gmail.com) 505-554-1387
Director: George Abernathy (docszoo22@gmail.com) 505-771-2113
April Birthdays and Anniversaries
Philip Lovato (1) Lou & Mary Gorenz (18)
Gene Dierschke (1) Richard & Barbara Polk (23)
Joe Abbin (4) George & Jackie Abernathy (28)
Lou Gorenz (8)
Lorna Azevedo (16)
Johanne Glover (16)
Nancy Agnew (17)
Bob Agnew (18)
Gus Van de Velde (27)
Photos From Frank Brown’s Garage Tour
Frank Brown
Andi Brown is in the middle
Parking Lot
Upcoming Events
APRIL
April 1-2 – Main Event Car Show & Cruise – Heritage Plaza, Artesia – Entry $25 – Friday: Registration 1-6pm, Cruise/Parade 6pm – Saturday: Registration 7-11am, Show 9am-3pm, Decades Awards 3pm – Face Painting, Food Trucks - (575)748-2744 or www.artesiachamber.com
April 2 – Smokin’ Oldies Car Show – Courthouse Park, Deming – Dorinda (575)494-7072
April 23 – 20th Annual Park ‘n the Park Car Show – Campus Park & Rio Rancho Event Center, 2516 King Blvd, Rio
Rancho – Open to cars 35 years old & older – Gates open 7am, show 10am-4pm – Entry $30, Public free – Park
inside Event Center or outside on grass – Food trucks, vendors, DJ-Steve, fun jumps for kids, beer garden –
(505)892-4499 or www.rrnm.gov for more information and entry forms
April 24 – Cruise & Schmoose – Goodwill Parking Lot, 5000 San Mateo NE (next to Sonic), Albuquerque – 10am-3pm
– Free admission but bring a donation of money or items for Goodwill – dash plaques for first 100 – Ron or Su
MAY
May 1 – Northern NM Honor Flight & Car Show – NM Veterans’ Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd SE, Albuquerque –
Entry $20, Spectators Free – 8am-3pm – Shirley Johnson (505)410-3978
May 7 – 2022 Antique Tractor & Car Show – Corrales Rec Center, Front Field, 500 Jones Rd, Corrales – Food, music
– Free public parking & entry – Car entry $5 or donate blood on site – Grif Newcomb gnewcomb21@gmail.com or
https://facebook.com/events/s/antique-tractor-show/4941016639345399
May 15 – Albuquerque Museum Car Show – 2000 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque (tentative) –
May 28 – Land of Enchantment GTO Club 12th Annual ACCH Car Show – Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center, Albuquerque – Benefits go to Albuquerque Christian Children’s home
May 28-29 – MCA Regional Car Show – Marriott Pyramid Hotel, Albuquerque – Open to Mustangs, Fords – Eric
Shirley (505)268-2595
Out of State Events
April 28-30 -51st Pate Swap Meet – Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth, TX – 817-608-7293 or www.pateswapmeet.com
June 1-6, 2022 – Early Ford V-8 Club Eastern National Meet – Franklin, TN 630-858-9424 or www.2022enm.com
July 9-14, 2022 – Early Ford V-8 Club Western National Meet – Wenatchee, Washington www.efv8psrg.org
September 16-23, 2022 – The Border Affair Driving Tour – Colorado and New Mexico – Lou Mraz 303-755-4637 or lfmj60@aol.com (see article on next page)
Colorado/New Mexico Tour
Plan to spend the third week of September, 2022, (Friday 9/16 thru Friday 9/23) in Colorado and New Mexico, driving the “road less traveled”. Please note the exact dates for the tour will be forthcoming soon, and the dates will include arrival day. This will be a full, seven-day+ motoring adventure, featuring lots of very interesting things to see, do, and experience. And you will certainly enjoy the awe-inspiring vistas and scenery that will magically be appearing before your windshield. Among other things, we will cross the Continental Divide 4 times during the tour, and yes, there will be some serious elevations encountered. And did I mention the great driving and scenery? Remember the road trip vacations back when you were a kid? This tour will feel like a revisit to those days. We will begin the adventure in Trinidad, Colorado, a major stop along the fabled Santa Fe Trail, and conclude the tour in Chama, New Mexico, where we will enjoy an all-day excursion on the Cumbres & Toltec (narrow gage) steam powered scenic railroad --- think 1880’s state of the art rail transportation at its best, and you will be there. In between, we’ll experience the fun and joy of motoring down many of the less traveled roadways in both Colorado and New Mexico --- the kind of two-lane highways for which our vintage FOMOCO vehicles were designed. Have you ever driven on a road cut thru a huge volcanic dike? On this tour you will be able to do so, when we travel the “Highway of Legends”. Want to visit a cavalry post, where Col. Kit Carson had his last command? You can do so on this tour, and Fort Garland is the place. Also note the part of south-central Colorado/north central New Mexico that we will be visiting has a very strong flavor of historical Spanish Colonial times. The very first (acknowledged) European explorer to reach this part of Colorado and New Mexico was Francisco de Coronado, in 1540, and the following (European) settlements in this part of the world Predate the English settlement at Jamestown (VA) as well as the Pilgrims arriving at Plymouth Rock. The native American settlements hereabouts are much older, and we will also be visiting one. Great Sand Dunes National Park will also be on our tour list. What --- you didn’t know that Colorado is home to a huge dune field, now covering more than 30 sq. miles? Well, it really is here and bigger than life, with some of the dunes now approaching 800 ft. in height. This is a great place to visit and explore, so plan on getting some serious sand in your shoes while romping on the dunes. What else will we be doing? Driving thru mountains, and over Wolf Creek Pass will be one thing. Do you remember the country/western song by C.W. McCall? This is the place --- yes, there really is a Wolf Creek Pass. We will also be visiting small towns (some with very interesting histories), and then (maybe) relaxing and banishing all your aches and pains by soaking in very soothing natural hot springs (if you are so inclined). In addition to all of this, we’ll be visiting the newly designated Chimney Rock National Monument, which preserves a 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) village ruin, located high up on a mesa. And did I mention the great mountain scenery and the Continental Divide? Finally, we will drive to Chama, New Mexico, for the fascinating, 64-mile, all-day journey on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The coal burning steam engines, which power the railroad, are a sight to behold as well as an experience not to be missed. And we will be able to get reasonably close to these metal monsters. This is a gritty and unforgettable encounter with technology from another time --- from the beginning of the industrial revolution --- that is very rarely experienced in the world of today. The Cumbres & Toltec is a ride that will be an adventure, and one that you will certainly treasure and remember. I’ve mentioned just some of the highlights that will be a part of the tour. There is much more available. Colorado alligators anyone? If you explore the route and do a little research, I’m sure that you will be able to identify many additional things that will capture your attention and interest --- and that is OK. These tours were never intended to be nose-to-tail forced marches, with everybody necessarily doing exactly the same thing at the same time. Deviations that grab your attention and intrigue your interest are encouraged. For further information, please contact: Louis Mraz, Chairperson 11195 East Warren Ave. THE BORDER AFFAIR by Lou Mraz (from the Feb 2022 issue of The Distributor}
Businesses Used by Members
(Send us names of businesses you have used)
1. Starters and Alternators of New Mexico, 3711 Franciscan St NE, Albuquerque NM 87107, 505-344-5025, Eldon.
2. Skinners Carburetor & Distributor Service, 300 Aspen Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505-344-3704, Albert & Nic.
3. McBride’s Springs & Welding, 1010 2nd St NW, Albuquerque NM 87102, 505-242-2174.
4. Old Car Garage/World Wide Automotive, 3232 Girard Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM 505-881-2722, Bob.
5. The Santa Fe Detail, 7512 Avenger Way, Unit 2, Santa Fe NM 87507, 505-204-5120, Luis.
6. Horizon Auto Glass & Tint, 8201 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM 87110, 505-897-9000, Rod Williams. Also at 1560 Deborah Rd SE, Rio Rancho NM 87124, 505-822-1717.
Tumbleweed Early Ford V8 Club Calendar for 2022
April
Tuesday 5th Club Meeting 7pm – N Domingo Baca Center - Program – Joe Abbin - Crime & Crime Prevention. Refreshments Max and Johanne Glover
Saturday 9th Tour to Madrid includes lunch, meet at Smith’s @ Central and Tramway at 9:30am
May
Tuesday 3rd Club Meeting 7pm Program Refreshments Clements
Sunday 15th Museum Car Show, breakfast following set-up
Monday 30th Club Birthday Party at Los Ranchos
June
Tuesday 7th Club Meeting 7pm – Program – Auto Electric, Refreshments open
Saturday 11th Breakfast 8:30am
July
Tuesday 5th Club Meeting 7pm – Radiators, Refreshments open
Monday 4th Parade in Corrales and Hopefully Picnic at Azevedo’s
Saturday 9th Breakfast 8:30am
August
Tuesday 2nd Club Meeting 7pm – Program – Max Wade on goats, Refreshments open
??? All Clubs Picnic
Saturday 13th Breakfast 8:30am
September
Tuesday 6th Club Meeting 7pm – Program on medical, Refreshments open
Sunday 11th State Fair Car Show
Friday – Sunday 23rd – 25th - Annual NMCCC Auto Swap Meet
October
Tuesday 4th Club Meeting 7pm – Program – Pinstriping, Refreshments open
Saturday 8th Tour to the Tunnels followed by lunch
November
Tuesday 1st Club Meeting 7pm Officer Election – Program – Women’s Interests, Refreshments open
Friday/Saturday 11/12th Overnight tour to Las Cruces
December
Saturday 10th Club Christmas Party (tentatively pot luck)
Tuesday 13th (tentative Board meeting with new and old officers and directors plan for 2023)