TUMBLEWEED CLUB OF NEW MEXICO MARCH 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
MARCH PROGRAM
Paint and Body by Sean Sena of Sea-Nic 66 Restorations. See article in this newsletter for more details.
PLEASE NOTE: All meetings will include Show & Tell. Members are encouraged to bring items to share.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, March 6, 7:30 p.m., at Old Car Garage.
PROGRAM: Paint and Body by Sean Sena of Sea-Nic 66 Restorations. Please see article in this newsletter
for details.
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY: Jay Hertz and Mark Williams. Mark’s daughter will be on hand to pass
out Girl Scout cookies and make some sales.
THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITY: On Saturday, March 12, we will go on a tour of several garages. Please see
Joyce’s article in this newsletter for details.
BREAKFAST GROUP: Please note. The Breakfast Group will meet on Saturday, March 3 at 8:30 a.m.
at Rich Ford’s Mustang Café, followed by a tour of Mild-to-Wild. See Joe’s article in this newsletter for
details.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., at Jay Hertz’ home, 8704 La Sala Del Sur, NE.
Jay’s home phone number is 296-3137. See Jay’s article in this newsletter for details. All members are
welcome.
MEETING REFRESHMENT VOLUNTEERS 2012
March Jay Hertz / Mark Williams (Girl Scouts) April Max & Johanne Glover / Dee & Tom Patterson
May Ray Calderon / ? June Art & Betty Leupold / ?
July ? / ? August ? / ?
September John Shelton / Lori Shelton October Al & Jo Seery / ?
November ? / ? December Holiday Party
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FOR MARCH 2012
Jay Hertz, President
Do you like 1937 Fords? I ask the question because we are celebrating the 75th birthday of that model in
2012, and I have been thinking about them. In discussions with other Club members, it seems that the '37
models stir lots of emotional reactions, most of them negative. Count me among the Ford lovers who do not
love the '37s. Apparently, the buying public did not love them either, as production that year was significantly
lower than the previous V-8 years, this despite the fact that the Great Depression of 1929 was over by 1937.
Art Leupold reports that 1937 was a very bad sales year at his family’s Belen dealership. Furthermore, I
understand that only one 1937 model has been in the Regional Group in its entire history (not counting the
one belonging to Max Glover’s friend), which was a coupe owned by Rosey Rosendale long before I joined
the Club. Not only are the '37 models relatively uncommon today, but those that survived are worth less than
their predecessors of 1936 and earlier. Model to model, a 1937 is apt to be worth 10% less than the
comparable 1936, and 15% less than a comparable 1935 model. And you will not find a single 3-window
coupe among the survivors, since Ford discontinued that model after 1936 production, while continuing to
build the unpopular roadsters and phaetons which few buyers bought.
In this article, I explore what I think are three possible reasons the 1937 models were relatively unpopular
then and scarce among today’s collectors. Perhaps other reasons exist as well. I leave for last the
explanation that seems most likely to account for the phenomenon in my mind.
First: Styling. We all know that styling sells cars. It also influences the antique cars we like to collect.
Styling is subjective, and just because we may not find a car attractive in 2012 does not mean that it was
likewise rejected by the public in 1937. Tastes change. But the 1937 models may have been equally
unsatisfying visually then and now. Although modeled after the attractive 1936 Zephyrs, the 1937 Fords
appear boxy and ungainly by comparison. They lost the nice little dip in the front and rear bumpers that
many collectors find attractive about the 1933 through 1936 models. The grille is angular and so is the
sweep on the hood side, having lost the nice curvatures of earlier models. The hood, which now opened
from the rear (like an alligator’s jaw) seems too short and detracts from the car’s proportions.
Despite these styling concerns, Ford did make some appearance changes that may have endeared the '37
models to buyers of the day. The spare tire was now out of sight on all models except the station wagon,
having moved into the trunk. The industry-wide trend toward streamlining was evident on the '37s,
particularly with the headlights being molded into the front fenders. The old-fashioned composition top
(composed of vinyl over wood slats, chicken wire and cotton batting) was finally discontinued, making for a
smooth, one-piece top on closed cars. But Ford came to this improvement late in the game, two years
behind Chevrolet’s Master models. All things considered, I suspect that there were enough styling
improvements in the 1937 models to overcome the awkward appearance, so that styling was probably not
the biggest factor in their poor sales.
Second: Engineering Shortcomings. In the 1930s, Ford was notorious for being late to adopt engineering
advances. By 1937, the buying public could not help but know that Ford was behind the curve, since the
other low-price makers did such a good job of pointing this out in their ads. The delay in introducing the
one-piece turret top is but one example. Ford’s brakes were slightly updated in 1937 by replacing the rod
brakes with cable brakes. But many manufacturers including Chevrolet had gone to hydraulics earlier, and
they were clearly better. Ford suspensions continued to lag in 1937, retaining the two transverse springs
over the axles, while other makers had long since adopted the four-spring approach which yielded a softer
ride. Although Chevrolet and other GM makes had adopted the knee-action (Dubonnet) independent front
suspension as early as 1934, Ford was still years away from that improvement in 1937.
But, contrasting these engineering shortcomings, Ford did a few things in 1937 that might have won over
some buyers. Ford moved the battery under the hood in 1937. Ford lengthened the frame in 1937, which
may have contributed to a softer ride. The 1937 models saw the emergency brake handle move from center
to the more popular left side of the car. Ford also improved the power plant options in several ways. For
the traditional 85 horsepower, 21-stud engine, Ford moved the water pumps to the block, helping to achieve
better cooling. More significantly, Ford introduced the 17-stud V-8 60, which was a 400-pound engine of only
136 cubic inch displacement, producing 60 horsepower. It was advertised as an economy measure, both
as to the initial cost of the car and also as to gas mileage. And perhaps there was some truth to that. But
the V-8 60 was ill-fated. It was out of production by 1940 (except in Europe where it lived on into the 1960s).
This stemmed from lack of power (especially on hills or at high altitude) and excessive burning of oil, among
other defects. Of course, buyers in 1937 could not foresee these problems and may have been attracted
by promises of greater economy for the V-8 60.
All things considered, my view is that engineering shortcomings may have been a modest-to-significant factor
in the poor sales of the 1937 models.
Third: Recession of 1937-1938. Although the U.S. had emerged from the Depression around 1935-1936,
it encountered a severe recession in 1937 and 1938. The recession was one of the longest in U.S. history.
Before it was over, industrial production had fallen by 32%. In 1937, real GDP fell 3.5%, as non-farm
unemployment rose 6.6% to a whopping 27.9%. The Federal Reserve raised banks’ reserve requirements
in August, 1936, and again in March and May, 1937, reducing banks’ ability to extend credit. The decline
in industrial production from September to December, 1937, is the largest three-month decline in the history
of the Federal Reserve. Of all the states, manufacturing employment fell most in Michigan, as both auto
sales and auto production fell over 40%.
As if this weren’t bad enough, several other factors were at play. By 1937, both GM and Chrysler had
become unionized. In April, 1937, the Supreme Court had decided that the National Labor Relations Act,
which authorized unionization, was constitutional. GM had signed a collective bargaining agreement in
February, 1936, and Chrysler in April of that year. Largely due to Henry Ford’s willingness to use physical
force to resist unionization, Ford was able to hold off the unions until 1941. But the public realized, correctly,
that unionization in the auto industry would lead to higher prices in the showroom, and this caused buyers
to defer or forego purchases. Higher prices were, in fact, announced by virtually all manufacturers in October
and November, 1937, and auto sales plummeted further. Within the auto industry, average hourly earnings
rose 22%, from 79 cents per hour to 96 cents per hour, between October, 1936 and July, 1937.
Compounding all this, the Government began to collect Social Security taxes in January, 1937, further
depressing buyers’ available funds. By contrast, funds availability was probably much greater in 1936
because, during the last two weeks of June, 1936, the Government distributed about $800 million in Veterans
Bonuses, which was probably spent in 1936 by most recipients, helping to account for the higher 1936 car
sales figures.
In an excellent analysis, from which much of this economic information is abstracted, by Josh Hausman
entitled “What Was Bad for GM Was Bad for America: The Automobile Industry and the 1937-38
Recession,” the author addresses whether the recession caused the poor auto production, or whether the
poor auto production may have caused the recession. The auto industry employed one in every seven
workers in America during those days, and its importance to the economy cannot be overstated. If you have
any interest in reading Mr. Hausman’s analysis, I will bring a copy of the article to the meeting in March.
Regardless whether the recession caused Ford’s travail, or Ford’s travail helped fuel the recession, I think
you will agree that both the economy and the auto industry were in terrible shape in 1937. Struggling against
those huge headwinds, I think the auto industry was lucky to stay alive in 1937 and 1938. And I think we
have now have the main reason why 1937 Fords appear so infrequently in collections today.
FEBRUARY 2012 MEETING MINUTES
by Mark Williams, Secretary
A special thanks to our guests Steve Andrews (1939 Sedan), Mark Otero, & Clarice (1950 pickup) for coming
out to visit with us.
The Sunday Breakfast has been changed to the 1st Saturday of the month at 0830 at the Mustang Café
located at Rich Ford on Wyoming and Lomas.
Joe & Art had some vintage Ford literature for Show and Tell and Vern & Lori were our big winners for the
raffle. Our program was presented by Jay Hertz for Frank Corey on Touring for the upcoming year and all
members are encouraged to call other members for help with vehicle preparation so all can come out to the
events for this year.
MARCH 2012 MEETING PROGRAM
Paint and Body by Sean Sena
Our March 6 program will be led by Sean Sena of Sea-Nic 66 Restorations. Sean does high quality
restorations and has done work for several Club members. He will talk about body preparation, material
selection, restoration costs, and other aspects of restoring a car’s paint and body. Sean has offered to have
a tour of his shop sometime in the future, possibly along with Jimmy Johnson who owns the adjacent shop
and has a number of award-winning custom Fords. Come prepared with questions for Sean.
MARCH 4 BREAKFAST AND TOUR
by Joe Abbin
The breakfast this month will be held at the Mustang Café at Rich Ford on Saturday, March 4 at 8:30 am.
Following breakfast we have been invited to tour Mild-to-Wild on the corner of 2nd and Summer. M2W has
a great facility that does paint and body, media striping, fabrication, etc. on all types of vehicles. Come on
over!
MARCH 2012 CLUB ACTIVITY
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, GARAGE TOUR
by Joyce Clements
1. Start the day at the TNT Muffler Shop, 12035 Central NE, 1 block east of Juan Tabo. Be there at
10:00am, and Brian will show you his equipment for pipe-bending and exhaust systems.
2. Next we head for Powdrell’s for a BBQ lunch. Address is 11301 Central NE, just west on Central. We
are expected there between 11:00am and 11:30am.
3. After lunch, Frank Corey invited us to see his garage at 2513 Ross SE. Go west on Central to San Pedro.
Turn left (south) and go to Gibson Blvd. Turn right (west) and go to Yale Blvd. Turn right (north) and drive
to Ross Ave. (where old Pioneer Wear factory used to be and a motel currently is); turn right (east).
4. Jay’s Shop, 2420 Midtown Place, Unit I. Go back to Yale Blvd. Turn left (south) and return to Gibson
Blvd. Turn right (west) and go to University Blvd. Turn right (north) and go past Menaul. University
becomes the north-bound frontage road along I-25. Continue north on the frontage road to Comanche, then
go left (west) on Comanche, under the overpass, and turn right on Alexander, which is the first possible right
turn. Take Alexander to Midtown Road, which is about four blocks, make a right and then an immediate left
onto Midtown Place.
5. Jeff’s shop, 8322 Calle Picaflor NW. Leave Jay’s and return to Comanche. Turn right (north) on Edith
St. to Montaño and turn left (west). Take Montaño west to Coors Blvd. Turn right (north) and go to Frontage
Road. Frontage Road is the turn into SIPI, note there is a Ram service station at that corner. The turn is
immediately before Coors goes under Paseo Del Norte. Turn right (east) at the Ram Station and then an
immediate left and follow this road. River Point Health Center should be on your right side (if it is on your
left go back to the Ram Station and start again). Follow that road. It will parallel Coors to the north for a
short distance then turn right ( east) and go behind the River Point Health Center past a green dinosaur and
then make a right ( south), to Calle de Alondra and turn left on Calle de Alondra. Go to the second street
Calle Picaflor. Jeff and Beth are the corner house at Calle de Alondra and Calle Picaflor. The address is
8322 Calle Picaflor NW. If it were easy to get to the house you wouldn't need these detailed directions!
MARCH 13, 2012 BOARD MEETING
By Jay Hertz
Hello, All. This is to let you know that we will be holding our March directors’/officers’ meeting of 2012 on
Tuesday, March 13, at my house, 8704 La Sala Del Sur, N.E. (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 to our Board meetings.
SPECIAL CLUB ACTIVITY
JUNE 29-30, 2012
Drive to Ruidoso on Friday, June 29. Overnight will be at the Lodge at Sierra Blanca. Special rate is $100
for the night (normal rate is $190). Phone number for the Lodge is (575)258-5500, and you must tell them
you are with the Classic Car Show. Included is a free BBQ dinner (brisket, sausage, ribs, etc.) to be served
to all show registrants on Friday night at the Lodge. Saturday, June 30, we will participate in the Car Show
at the Ruidoso Convention Center. Registration for the show is $30. You will be able to pre-register when
the forms are available in February. Checks should be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, who will get all
the proceeds. Show is from 7:30am to 3:00pm. There are to be awards and prizes. Their web site is
www.newmexicoclassiccarshow.com if you wish to find out more. After the show we will drive back to
Albuquerque and should be home before dark.
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)
MARCH BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
Happy Birthday to:
6 Larry Azevedo
15 Bob Payne
26 Frank Corey
28 Frank Hammond
30 Tony Gomez
Happy Anniversary to:
29 Frank & Dorothy Hammond
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 publisher, 342-9126, or email: tumbleweednewsletter@gmail.com.
2012 CLUB EVENTS
Date Meetings Resp.
Party
3/6 Paint: Sean Sena of Sea-Nic 66.
Hertz 3/3 Please note. Breakfast group will meet on Saturday 3/3 at 8:30 a.m. at Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
3/13 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay Hertz’ house
3/10 Garage tour. TBA. Clements
4/3 Route 66: Ed Boles, City of Albuquerque, will talk about Route 66 and possibly transportation in general.
He’s quite an authority, Clements
Coffee
4/7 Please note. Breakfast group will meet on Saturday 4/7 at 8:30 a.m. at Rich Ford’s Mustang Café.
including the Santa Fe Railroad.
Club Purpose: Neva Coffee, Director of Club Purpose.
4/?? Tour to Grants & ice cave. Lunch Jackson
5/1 Rear Ends: Gary McGlasson.
Abbin 5/6 Breakfast group will meet Sunday at 8:30 a.m., K-Mart Parking Lot, SW corner of Eubank & Montgomery.
5/8 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay Hertz’ house
5/20 Museum Car Show Clements
5/28 Birthday Party @ Los Ranchos Abbin
6/5 Upholstery: Steve Gongara, House of Covers
Jackson 6/3 Breakfast group will meet Sunday at 8:30 a.m., K-Mart Parking Lot, SW corner of Eubank & Montgomery.
6/29-30 Tour to Ruidoso; BBQ & Show. See Newsletter article for details. Clements
7/3 WWII: Joyce Clements Clements
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 8/5
8/12 All Clubs Picnic Alt: Tour Madrid/Cerrillos Turquoise Trail
NMCCC
Abbin,
Marco
9/4 Ladies’ Night Beth & Jeff Jackson, Clements, Coffee
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/?? Tour to Chimayo Abbin
11/6 Elections & Tabletop Show;
Overdrives: Frank Corey Board Corey
11/4 Breakfast group will meet Sunday at
11/13 Board Meeting, 7:30, Jay Hertz’ house
11/17 Festival of the Cranes, Bosque del Apache Tour
12/4 Holiday Party Board 12/2 Breakfast group will meet Sunday at Cooperage
Above is the proposed list of programs and activities for the Tumbleweed V8 Club for 2012. If you can help with
any of the activities, please don’t hesitate to volunteer.
OTHER NEARBY EVENTS OF INTEREST
March 10 – Los Lunas Cruz Poker Run – Wells Fargo Bank, Bosque Farms – 1:00pm – Bill Schofield, (505)565-
2105.
March 10 – Rich Ford 51st Anniversary – Lomas and Wyoming, Albuquerque – All vehicles welcome, Show and
Shine – 9am-3pm – Food, music, entertainment – Free Event – Ron or Su 293-0581.
March 30-31 – 15th Annual Main Event Car Show & Cruise – Artesia – Dorothy (575)746-9477 or
dorothy@tberryweb.com
CLASSIFIED ADS
Free to First Comer: 1968 Marquette engine analyzer. Call Jay Hertz at 235-8235.
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, 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.
Wanted: V-8 Times Magazines. Need May-June 2007 issue, and any issues from the '60s and '70s for my own
set. Joe Abbin, 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, 299-7154.
For Sale: For information on the following, call Lou, 450-1789:
74 Ford LTD 2 Dr. HT, 400 auto, great driver. $1900
62 Scout 4 x 4, engine runs good, needs clutch, one time price $950
95 F 150 XL, 5 speed, inline 6 EFI. $1900
40 Ford bumpers and guards. $75
Old car gasoline heater, “South Wind.” $75
2004 F250 XL Super Duty. $6200
For Sale: 1953 Ford Victoria w/ Merc V8 and AOD. Bidding will start at $8500. John, 243-9877.
For Sale: 1956 Cadillac Seville Eldorado 2 dr. HT, Non-Restored #2 or #3 car, VERY NICE. John, 243-9877.
For Sale: Hydraulic Pumps & Tanks, parts washer pump & tank, shelving, cabinets, racks, machine bases,
casters, and aluminum roofing shingles. Max Glover, 249-7344
For Sale: Two 1941 Mercury Sedans, 95% complete, not restored. One 1941 Mercury Coupe, 95% complete, not
restored. Larry Azevedo, (505)410-1909.
For Sale: 1950 F2 Longbed Flathead 8. Rebuilt motor, tranny, rear end, brakes, and radiator. Many new parts
available. Mark, 859-0881.
For Sale: 2003 BMW CI330 2 dr. Jeff, 908-7565
Wanted: 1938 Pickup rear fenders. Vern, 238-2028
Wanted: Two 305x65x18 Tires. Lou, 450-1789
Tumbleweed Regional Group
Early Ford V-8 Club of America, Inc.
PO Box 21538
Albuquerque NM 87154-1538
FIRST CLASS MAIL