JUNE PROGRAM Steve Gongora of House of Covers will talk about upholstery. 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, June 5, 7:30 p.m., at Old Car Garage.
PROGRAM: Upholstery by Steve Gongora of House of Covers. See Jeff’s article for details.
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED BY: Art & Betty Leupold and Lou Gorenz.
MAY ACTIVITY: Monday, May 28, we will celebrate the Club’s birthday with our annual party at Los
Ranchos Village Hall. Please see Joe’s article and the flyer included in this newsletter for details.
JUNE ACTIVITY: June 29-30, Special Club Activity, two-day tour to Ruidoso for the Classic Car Show.
Please see Joyce’s article in this newsletter for details.
BREAKFAST GROUP: The Breakfast Group will meet Saturday, June 2 at 8:30 a.m. at Rich Ford’s
Mustang Café, Wyoming and Lomas.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, July 10, 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
June Art & Betty Leupold / Lou Gorenz October Al & Jo Seery / Bob & Joan Quirici
July Neva & Marvin Coffee / Joyce & Jim Clements November Mark & Larry Williams / ?
August ? / ? December Holiday Party
September Lori & John Shelton / Bob & David Mathes
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FOR JUNE 2012
Jay Hertz, President
When you apply for a job these days, you are expected to have the knowledge and skills to perform it. You
will be competing for the job against qualified people who possess the experience and background to do the
job well. But in the early days of the automobile, the opposite was true. Due to the newness of the
automobile, skilled machinists, welders, die makers, carpenters, and other craftsmen were relatively rare.
Yet the need for skilled labor was very high, due to the fact that so many mechanical operations were
involved, and because automation and robot-operated assembly techniques had not yet been developed.
How appropriate, then, that Henry Ford should see the need to establish trade schools as a means of
converting untrained job applicants into valuable, productive workers.
The Henry Ford Trade School began in the Model T days and continued throughout the Flathead era. By
1927, the Trade School had 4500 students and 150 instructors. Its students devoted one-third of their time
to class work, studying the excellent trade school manuals published by Ford. The other two-thirds of the
students’ time was devoted to hands-on work, for which students were paid an hourly wage. The Trade
School operated at a loss, and was never intended to generate revenue. The Trade School was part of the
so-called “Ford University” whose other branches included an Apprentice School and a Ford Service School.
The Apprentice School was a three-year program in one of the factory’s specialized fields, and was open
to men between the ages of 18 and 30. The Ford Service School offered a two-year course to Ford service
personnel in about 36 foreign countries where Ford products were sold.
Although other car manufacturers may have had on-the-job training courses, Ford took it to a much higher
level. This was probably due to Henry Ford’s personal view that work (particularly skilled work) was
inherently valuable: valuable to the employer, but also valuable to the employee’s self-worth and to society
as a whole. Henry Ford viewed himself as a social engineer as much as an auto engineer, and the
development of a large cadre of trained workers helped fulfill that goal. Some historians have viewed the
trade school endeavor much like Ford’s adoption of the $5 work day, namely as a means of producing
revenue and selling cars: Workers who were highly trained earned more, and could therefore afford to spend
more on a new Ford vehicle, as so many of them did. But I think Ford’s motives surrounding the Trade
School were entirely sincere and not motivated by economic self-interest. I say this because the Trade
School was only one of a number of charitable, philanthropic, or social-minded programs introduced by
Henry Ford which were designed to benefit American society as a whole.
Probably the most noted of these was the Henry Ford Hospital. Henry personally donated $16,525,000 (an
enormous sum in the 1920s) for the hospital’s buildings and equipment. It was open to all. It charged only
a very nominal charge, regardless of the wealth or poverty of the patient. And it provided the very best in
up-to-date medical care, taking its cues (and some of its doctors) from Johns Hopkins and other prestigious
hospitals.
Henry and his wife Clara donated over $5 million to the Berry College in Georgia, a college devoted to
teaching poor children and young adults how to become self-sufficient through gainful employment.
Henry Ford donated the money to build seven non-denominational chapels around the United States.
Henry Ford began the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. These were not merely collections of
artifacts from the industrial revolution, but teaching tools designed to glorify America’s prominence in
industry, education, art, and sciences. Henry Ford caused many historic buildings from the east coast, the
Midwest, and even from England to be disassembled, moved to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, and carefully
re-constructed brick by brick and board by board. These include Noah Webster’s house, the original Thomas
Edison laboratory, and even Ford’s own primitive shop where the founder’s prototypes had been built. Ford
was a visionary in the field of historical preservation.
Henry Ford employed a staff of social workers whose job it was to make the factory workers’ lives more
fulfilling, or at least to mold them into people and families that Henry Ford regarded as socially desirable.
The social workers would periodically interview workers at their homes, urge them to marry (if single) and
to raise children. The social workers decried use of alcohol and tried to eradicate it in workers’ homes. They
promoted the adoption of religion and worship. They abhorred unsanitary living conditions and urged healthy
surroundings and diets. They promoted racial equality and de-segregated neighborhoods. This latter aspect
was in keeping with Ford’s own view of racial equality, as evidenced by the fact that his factories were open
to blacks and minorities, droves of whom flocked to Michigan from the South for employment. Ford
employees who refused to live up to the social workers’ standards could be dismissed from employment at
the factories. Of course, you and I would regard Ford’s efforts at socializing the workers as paternalistic,
intrusive and unwarranted. But it all goes to show that Henry Ford had a specific view of how Americans
should live and behave when it comes to citizenship, employment, spirituality and family.
All these endeavors were charitable or philanthropic in nature, even though some of them would be
considered misguided or inappropriate by today’s standards. They were not designed for profit, and they
were entirely unrelated to the production or sale of Ford automobiles. I think the Trade School and the other
branches of the Ford University were conceived with the same general mindset. And there can be no doubt
that many men who would have been otherwise unemployable were transformed into productive citizens,
taxpayers, and happier individuals.
Next time you drive your Ford or work on it, think about the dozens of people who had a hand in its
conceptualization and production. Most of them would have been Trade School graduates. Your Ford
automobile is a beneficiary of that program, and a better vehicle as a result.
MAY 2012 MEETING MINUTES/MAY 2012 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
by Mark Williams, Secretary
If the minutes are available prior to the June meeting, they will be distributed.
JUNE 2012 MEETING PROGRAM
Upholstery by Steve Gongora, House of Covers
by R. Jeff Jackson
How do you get that perfect look on your car upholstery? Who in Albuquerque can give you a top notch
interior to match your killer paint job on that perfectly restored Ford? Maybe the answer is House of Covers.
Come to the June 5 meeting and check it out.
House of Covers, located at 115 Richmond NE, in the Nob Hill area, was founded by Steve’s father, Hector
Gongora in March of 1972. Steve joined the business in 1977 after graduating from UNM and took over
when his father returned to active military duty in 1982.
The business has been providing automotive upholstery repairs, custom fittings and restorations for 40 years.
House of Covers also features interior upholstery accessories such as dashboard covers and sheepskin seat
covers as well as exterior accessories like front-end masks and car covers.
The business, with just five employees, has done its fair share of high-end restoration business including
work on Ferraris, classic cars and vintage automobiles. In September of last year, when the production crew
of “Elvis Has Left the Building,” a motion picture comedy starring Kim Basinger, came to New Mexico to film,
they had a problem. The crew found a 1955 Cadillac in Corrales, but it had a red and white interior. They
wanted an all-white, original interior, so they called House of Covers to convert the car. The finished product
was exactly what the producers were looking for.
Steve has had a personal interest in Corvairs since the mid-sixties when his cousin visited the family in his
early model rear engine Corvair. He started driving one in 1970 and has been driving them ever since. We
won’t hold that against him.
JULY 10, 2012 BOARD MEETING
By Jay Hertz
Hello, All. This is to let you know that we will be holding our July directors’/officers’ meeting on Tuesday, July
10, 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.
APRIL 2012 CLUB ACTIVITY
SATURDAY, APRIL 28, GRANTS, URANIUM MINING MUSEUM & ICE CAVES
by R. Jeff Jackson
The tour to Grants was blessed with great weather for our flathead Fords – cool and not too breezy. The
tour kicked off from the Jacksons’ at 9:40am Saturday very close to the scheduled 9:30 departure. That
worked well for scheduling the rest of the day. Jay and Helen were in their beautiful '36, Joyce, Jim and Will
directed their '40 coupe (with jump seats) accompanied by Ray, Jeff and Beth manhandled their '40 coupe
on its first trip in 25 years, while Bob Agnew puttered along nicely in his '51 hot rod. There was some car
swapping during the trip as several members got to ride with Bob. Mark Williams piloted Jay’s pickup and
trailer as the tour “vulture wagon” and spare water/gas supply, which thankfully was never needed. Marvin
and Neva had their late model car and faithfully kept with the group, supporting the old cars.
We took Paseo to I-40 and stayed on the frontage road to Route 66 Casino. A short stint on I-40 and we
were back on old 66 at the 117 exit. We were able to stay on old 66 or frontage roads the rest of the way
to Grants. We passed Budville – hardly any of the old wrecking yard was there, Laguna, Acoma, Cubero,
and other small towns or remnants of towns on the way to Grants. We passed several wrecking yards as
we entered Grants and it would not surprise me if someone sneaks back and checks out the older cars still
in the yard.
In Grants the first stop was the Uranium Mining Museum where Hal Whitacre, a retired mining Geologist, did
an excellent job of showing us the ins and out of uranium mining. Did you know each miner worked on
individual incentive-based contracts? A top miner could earn $70K/yr and that was in the late 1960's. Jeff
and Beth lived in Grants at that time and can attest that Friday nights after payday were wild times for the
miners! Mines in the area varied from surface mines to underground mines going nearly 4000 ft down while
the average was closer to 2000 ft. The uranium mines in this area played out in about 1984 when the better
quality ore was removed. Grants boomed to over 20,000 people by 1970 and is now down to about 7500.
Quite a change in population. Grants is looking forward to a recovery with some mine leaching operations
hopefully starting in the next year. As we left the mining museum we were met by a member of a local car
club who we caught admiring our cars. He invited us to a Grants car show on May 5.
From the mining museum we went to lunch at El Cafecito. They had a room reserved for us and did a fine
job of accommodating our needs. The food was good and the service was excellent. Several
adventuresome travelers marveled at the deep fried fruit stuffed tortilla offered for desert. A very short wait
for the food helped put us back on schedule and gave us the energy to travel south from Grants on Highway
53 about 25 miles to the Ice Caves and Bandera Volcano.
The 1000 yard uphill walk to Bandera helped us all work off lunch, but the walk was worthwhile with some
lovely views into an extinct volcano. We all took the owners’ suggestion and walked to Bandera first then
took the short hike to the Ice Caves. In the heat of the summer this would have been even more excellent
advice. As you reached the Ice Caves and started down the steps (we warned each other to be mindful of
the uneven steps) there was a point where a noticeable chill was felt. As you went further down it became
cold until reaching the area of the ice where it was 31°F. Yep, in the summer you want to take the Ice Caves
walk last in order to cool down. Fortunately for us our late April trip didn't encounter any really hot weather.
We gathered back up at the Trading Post and swapped a few stories before mounting up for the trip home.
Everyone stopped in Grants for fuel. Bob and his hotrod needed the least fuel, Jay and his '36 were next,
while Jeff and Beth decided they must have a gas tank leak as their '40 needed the most fuel. On the way
home Jay felt the need to flex his '36 and took off. Jeff and Beth held up the rest of the crowd steaming
along at a top speed of 58 mph but not nearly fast enough to catch Jay. We traveled back mostly as we had
come on frontage and old 66 and highway 124.
Everyone arrived back in Albuquerque before dark with no mishaps! What a wonderful adventure touring
with this nice group. Personally, we hope we can double or triple in size the next tour.
MAY 2012 CLUB ACTIVITY
PICNIC SHOW AND SHINE
by Joe Abbin
When: Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2012, 11am-2pm.
Where: Los Ranchos Village Hall, 6718 Rio Grande Blvd NW
Yup, we’re having a picnic! We will be celebrating our Tumbleweed Group’s 38th birthday, the 50th birthday
of the Early Ford V-8 Club, the 110th anniversary of the Ford Motor Company, the 60th anniversary of the
flathead’s demise (bummer) and the City of Albuquerque’s 307th birthday! All dates are approximate. The
festivities begin at 11 am at the Los Ranchos Village Hall. We’ll line up all those flatheads for display and
play some games. Then we’ll make sandwiches, share some goodies and tie everything together with
birthday cake. Sodas and chips will also be provided, courtesy of the club! Wow, a free lunch (donations
accepted)! Feel free to bring a side dish, a salad or anything else you’d like to share with the Ford party
animals. Volunteers to help and cleanup are appreciated. Let’s put on the biggest display of flatheads since
1953! Bring your friends!
We will have our popular 50-50 raffle with some nice prizes as well as the cash!
Contact Joe Abbin at 296-7678 to volunteer and for details.
JUNE SPECIAL CLUB ACTIVITY
JUNE 29-30, 2012, RUIDOSO MAKE-A-WISH CAR SHOW
by Joyce Clements
We will be leaving Albuquerque on Friday, June 29, headed for Ruidoso for the Make-A-Wish Car Show.
If you plan to go, meet at the Fuddrucker’s, 2120 Yale SE (near the airport), at noon for lunch. We will depart
and head south on Hwy 47 as soon as lunch is finished. We’ll go Hwy 47 to Hwy 60, to Corona. Next towns
on the way will be Carrizozo, Capitan, Hondo and Ruidoso. It’s the scenic route, and the drive should be
a pretty one. We plan to arrive in Ruidoso in time for a BBQ dinner, free with your registration. Dinner will
be served from 5:30-7:00.
The show will be on Saturday, June 30, from 7:30am to 3:00pm. The entry fee check should be made out
to Make-A-Wish. It is $30 before May 20 and $35 after that date. There will be trophies, door prizes, Tshirts,
etc. for show entrants. We will leave the show as soon as it is over and drive back to Albuquerque.
We should arrive before dark. Their web site is www.newmexicoclassiccarshow.com.
JULY 2012 CLUB ACTIVITIES
By Joyce Clements
July 4 we will have the traditional parade in Corrales, followed by burgers and dogs at the Azevedo
homestead. You should plan to bring a dish to go with the lunch and your own drinks if you like something
other than lemonade. Times will follow in the July newsletter.
July 14 is an easy evening cruise to Los Lunas. We will meet at the Pit parking lot area at 5:00pm and drive
to Los Lunas to join their monthly cruise. It is supposed to be an “Ice Cream Cruise.” Cruise starts at 6:00.
More details will be in the July newsletter.
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)
~~‚~~
JUNE BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
Happy Birthday to:
5 Romeo Kubes
15 Marka Catchpole
19 Vern Willan
23 Birdie Stacey
Happy Anniversary to:
26 Richard & Colleen Selby
28 Tony & Virgie Gomez
~~‚~~
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
6/5 Upholstery: Steve Gongora, House of Covers Jackson
6/2 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
6/29-30 Tour to Ruidoso; BBQ & Show. See Newsletter article for details. Clements
7/3 WWII: Joyce Clements Clements
7/7 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
7/10 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay Hertz’ house
7/4 4th of July Parade & Picnic, Corrales Azevedo
7/14 Los Lunas Ice Cream Cruz. Meet at the Wells Fargo Bank in Bosque Farms at 6pm. Bill Schofield
(505)565-2105. Clements
8/7 Transmissions: Steve Koburi, United Transmission Jackson
8/4 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
8/12 All Clubs Picnic Alt: Tour Madrid/Cerrillos Turquoise Trail NMCCC Abbin, Marco
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/?? State Fair Jackson
9/28-30 Swap Meet Clements
10/2 Air Cleaners: Joe Abbin & Will Clements Abbin, 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;
Overdrives: Frank Corey Board, Corey
11/3 Breakfast group will meet Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
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 8:30 a.m., Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
OTHER NEARBY EVENTS OF INTEREST
May 26-27 – 30th Annual Mustang Enchantment Car Show – Rio Grande Mustangs, Albuquerque –
f.mcmullan@q.com
June 1-3 – Red River Classic Car Show – Red River C of C (575)754-2366, www.redrivernewmex.com
June 2 – Firehouse Festival – No. Rte. 14 – 10am-2pm – Peggy Fleming, pafleming@sandia.net
June 2 – High Desert VW Rumble – 1/4 drags mile for all VW-powered vehicles – 888-925-2227 or
www.abqdragway.com
June 3 – South Valley Civitan Club Classic Car Show – El Camino Real Academy – 11am-3pm, $15 entry
– Carol Kline (505)452-0585, carol@eventsplus.net
June 7-9 – New Mexico Route 66 Motor Tour – Tucumcari to Albuquerque to Gallup – www.rt66nm.org
or 505-688-5829.
June 9 – 2nd Annual Summer Car Show – 702 Carmony Lane NE (behind American Furniture Warehouse)
– LOE GTO's to benefit Albuquerque Christian Children's Home – Entry $15, Setup 8 to 10am, Show 10-3pm
– 831-9697
June 9 – Cleveland HS Band Boosters 2nd Annual Car Show – Hill Top Plaza (across from K-Mart), 1640
Hwy 528, Rio Rancho – Setup 8-9:30am, Show 10-3pm – Entry $25 – terrycoleman@chsbandboosters.net
June 16 – New Mexico 100th Birthday Cruise – Depart Enchanted Trails RV Park, I-40 Frontage Rd &
Atrisco Vista 8:00am – Cruise Rte 66 to Budville and back to Albuquerque downtown for show – Entry $10
– www.oldrt66.com or www.abqsummerfest.com
June 16 – Route 66 Rock and Rockabilly Stage and Car Show – 7th & Central – Rte 66 Assn & City of
Albuquerque – Noon-6:30pm – Part of New Mexico Centennial Celebration – www.cabq.gov
June 17 – 9th Annual Father's Day Car Show – Valley View Christian Church, NM Hwy 344 & Dinkle Road,
Edgewood – 9:00am to 3:30pm – Tony Jaramillo 459-2358 or www.valleyviewnow.com
June 23 – 2nd Annual Classic Car Show – Brookdale Place Valencia Senior Living, 300 Valencia SE,
Albuquerque – 10am to 2pm – Complimentary admission, entertainment, refreshments – Su or Ron to
reserve your space, 293-0581
June 29 – Celebrando con Alegria Car Show – National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. SW – Entry
$15 pre-registration, $20 day of event – Benefit to Women Battling Gynecological Cancers in NM – Setup
7:00-9:00am, Show 10:00am-3:00pm – Entrants get raffle tickets for prizes – 400-8191 or
mcsparkey8@msn.com
For more information and event flyers, visit www.nmcarcouncil.org or call Joyce at 884-7912.
2012 CENTRAL NATIONAL V-8 MEET
August 20-23, 2012 in Branson, MO. See www.earlyfordv8.org for information and registration form.
2012 EASTERN NATIONAL V-8 MEET
June 19-22 in Hiawassee, GA. See www.earlyfordv8.org for information and registration form.
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.
Services Offered: Vintage engine rebuilding, any make, any model. Stock or modified. Dynamometer
testing available. Results guaranteed. References available. Gary McGlasson, 505.250.1586.
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, email Tom Stacy at tombird@wildblue.net or call 575.894.7137:
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. $200.
Two '51 transmissions. Standard $20. Overdrive $50.
For Sale: For information on the following, call Max Glover, 249.7344:
'66 VW squareback, Euro. model, $6700.
'74 MGB GT coupe, 4 cyl., 4 spd., $3750.
For Sale: For information on the following, call John Shelton, 243.9877:
'55 to '57 Chevrolet trucks and parts
1956 Cadillac El Dorado
For Sale: For information on the following, call Lou Gorenz, 450.6789:
2000 F-250 Super Duty, single cab, LWB, clean, excellent maintenance, trailer package, 5.4 V-8 auto
OD, $4250.
'67 Bronco grille, $50.
'40 Ford bumpers & guards, all $50.00. Needs chrome.
For Sale: 2003 BMW CI330 2 dr. Jeff Jackson, 908.7565.
For Sale: 1952, 1953 Ford radios, 6-tube, 8-tube. Frank Corey, 299.5168.
Wanted: '49 F-1, chrome parts, bed parts, Lou Gorenz, 450.6789.
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.