Check in at the soapbox to see what TBCCC Vice President Frank Foglia has to say.
THE HEAT IS GONE !
What a long hot summer! Come to think of it, what a hot September and October, too. Now that the weather has cooled, this is a great time of the year to out with our cars and cruise to shows and club activities. Because of the heat, I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped on my cars - at least some of the upgrades I wanted to do. But now, the cooler wather makes it much easier to get out onto the driveway without having your clothes soaked with sweat after about 20 minutes.
Our Chevy Club is already over 6 months old. I certainly hope that the cooler weather will bring more of our members to our outings. If you haven't yet made it to any of the cruises or shows, you are missing out on some really nice company and activities.
Our "Helping Hands" program has been set up. Let's take advantage of it. Everyone can purchase a club plaque for only $25 and and club shirts and hats are still available. Does it sound like I am pitching for more member involvement in our club? Yes, I am. There are some people in our club who have put much time and effort into making this a real nice experience. Since this monthly letter allows me to voice my opnion, I plan to take advantage of it. So, do you believe we will get enough members committed to hosting our own car show? Will we get enough members to take part in Ron Cahill's Garage video project?
Maybe part of the reason some people have not been involved is due to the lack of cars available to take to these activities. If that is the case, it is understandable. Maybe I'm just being naive. Speaking for myself, and I want to stress that this point is solely my own, I am disappointed because I don't see enough members taking advantage of the opportunities a car club offers. I belonged to a Classic Chevy Club outside of Florida. What we did one June about five years ago was to get together with another club in our area and host a big show that was held at a Chevy dealership. The dealership even allowed us to display cars in the showroom. We had legitimate vendors and even raffled off a car. It was really quite impressive. The turnout was spectacular. It ended up being a feature int he Sunday newspaper.
Well, that's it for this month. If you wish to respond to anything mentioned, please feel free to email your opinion to our website.
See you next month, Frank
What a
Tampa Bay Classic Chevy Club Helping Hands
A while back I came across an article in “Collector Car” magazine. It was about a car club in New England that would meet every other Wednesday night to help each other with their restoration projects. I told Bob Hendryx about it and told him that if and when we got a car club together, this would be something to consider.
About eight years ago I was finishing up putting my 57 together. The body was on, engine and transmission were in and it was time to drive it around the block.
Without an interior, I put a milk crate in as a drivers seat and started it up. It sounded great with the new stock exhaust. I backed out of the driveway and put it in drive. What excitement! Went down a long street and waited for the powerglide to up-shift……….nothing………….more gas………….nothing but low gear. Back to the garage, jacked, it up and re-check the trans linkage. OK, everthing was correct, what now?
After reading up on trouble shooting, it was time to pull the transmission out. I raised the car, put it on 4 jack stands and proceeded to remove that hunk of cast iron. With the aid of a couple of floor jacks and 2 x 4s ,it was out. It must have taken me about 4 hours to remove it . You see, at that time it was just me under the car. My best friend had moved away a few months earlier and my other car guy friend had a
chronic lower back problem. My two boys were both away at school in Boston and
Wash. DC. There was really no one else I felt comfortable asking to help me with this
pain in the ass job.
I could go on and on about this powerglide ordeal. This tranny was supposed to have been rebuilt when I bought it in a donor car. Afterall, the inner seal on the main shaft looked new. The fluid was clean and didn’t smell. BUT, something was definitely wrong with it. I spent a lot of money with FATSCO in New Jersey for parts,
seals and hardware. New governor, modulator, etc., etc., etc. It ended up going back in and then out again 2 more times before taking it to shop (I didn’t want to leave my newly painted Bel Air at some tranny shop.).
I recall having a stiff neck for weeks afterward, not to mention sore shoulders and elbows, cut fingers and knucles. It was such a frustrating experience. Boy, I could have used some help back then, not just under the car, but also for a little moral support. I believe that a car club should be much more than going to cruises and shows together. I know that if I had belonged to a club then I certainly would not have felt embarrassed to ask for help.
Are there any members in our club that could use some help?
Junkin' It
At our last meeting we briefly discussed the current clunker incentives for new car purchases. Terry pointed out that since they are intentionally destroying
the engines, the cost of used engine parts will rise sharply. On the other hand, I just read that many of the cars being turned in to dealers are in very good to excellent condition. This will bring alot more business to todays "auto salvage" yards. I don't think that they like to be referred to as junkyards anymore.
I'm sure that most of us remember gong to the junkyard years ago for most of our parts replacements. I recall my first car, a 57 hdtp. It was making all kinds of strange noises and banging in the rear. A friend told me that his Dad would put a banana in noisy rears and trannys! I did consider it but....
So, my first major repair on the car was made out in the street in front of our house, as our driveway was on an incline. I drained the gear oil and pulled out the rear. The ring gear didn't look so good. When I reached into the housing, I filled my hand with chunks of steel. So, off the the junkyard.
At the yard, I asked one of the workers for a rear for 55-64 Chev. He pointed over to a huge pile of rears and said to go pick one out. He said that the price was
"a pound" each. I must have looked quite confused, which I was, so then he said, you know, five bucks!" Back in 1967, an English pound was worth $5.00 U.S.
One could examine each one and check on the gear ratios w/o anyone bothering you. Furthermore, they would let you wander around the yard looking for
whatever your heart desired! Needless to say, I can recall countless 55-57 Chevys everywhere. I bought a perfect front seat out of a 57 Nomad that was about to
be crushed for $10.00. Boy, today some are asking hundreds of dollars for some real pieces of , I guess, junk?
Last week I was driving back to Tampa from the east coast across rte. 60. I still hadn't located a part Ron Cahill had recommended to solve the idle problem
that I was having with the A/C on. It was an electric throttle switch . I came up to huge yard on the left side of he road going east near Bartow. I eagerly went in and inquired about older GM's that had this part. The guy behind the counter said that they only dealt with cars 1997 to current. Wow! All of the cars I could see, which were certainly acres worth, and the oldest being a 97? As I was leaving, another guy told me to try a "you pick it yard" on route 17 South. I headed over there with hopes of finding what was turning out to be a hard part to locate.
At this yard I could see hundreds of cars from the road. I asked "Do you have any early GM's, 1970's to early 80's?" He pointed to a large quadrant of the
yard and told me to take a look. Many of the cars I checked out were either missing the carbs, the intakes or the entire engine, BUT it wasn't long before I came upon a 77 Oldsmobile V-8 w/ AC. The switch and bracket were attached to the carb w/ 2 screws, but they weren't philips head but slotted. I headed back to the office and on my way I saw a 1967 Chevy convertible and a 63 Chevy! A nice young guy named Jeremy gave me a screwdriver and in no-time I was back with the part. Five dollars and I was on my way.
I saw another yard some distance before Valrico called Mid-Florida Auto Salvage. I stopped in out of curiosity and inquired about older cars. The owner told me that he had some cars going back to 1971, mostly GM.
It was fun going back into junk yards, oops, excuse me , I mean salvage yards. If you need parts or just want to walk around w/o any hassles or fees, here's
the info:
Bartow Auto Salvage
3450 Hwy. 17 South
Bartow, FL
(863) 519-7000
The second yard I stopped at:
Mid-Florida Auto Salvage
4445 Hwy. 60 West
Mulberry, FL
(813) 643-3316
Long May You Run
Rock singer Neil Young had a hit some years ago called "Long May You Run." I had heard it many times yet I recently found out that the song was about.....his
car! The lyrics to the song are an example of the literary technique called "personification." This refers to giving an object human qualities. Some of the lines to the song go:
"We've been through some some times together, with trunks of memories still to come." Also
"It was back in Blind River in 1962 when I first saw you alive....with your chrome heart shinin in the sun, long may you run."
I recall being at a large car show once and saw a display an owner had with his car. It was a "Time Capsule" of the year of his car. I think that it was 1959. He listed
a bunch of noteable aspects of American pop culture of that time. It included the "Hula Hoop ", songs, people and fads of 1959. Remember Alvin and the Chipmonks?
Davey Crockett? The movie 'The Blob?"
Well, I started to think about the year 1957. I wrote it as a narrative of my car telling the story.
IF MY CAR COULD TALK
I was built in the Tarrytown New York plant in May 1957. I came out with a newly developed 283 engine and a two speed powerglide. I also had power steering and power brakes. That was it as far as options went. No power windows or seats, although they were available. I came off the line a breautiful Harbor Blue color with a white rag top.I spent most of my days in New England, where it didn't take much time to get rusty. My second owner took my body off my frame in 1979, but then left me untouched for 17 years. That's when my current owner took me and carefully began to restore me to my original condition.
1957 was a seemingly carefree time. Gas was cheap, less than 15 cents a gallon, and Dina Shore was telling people to see the USA in their Chevrolet. Everybody
"liked Ike." Elvis sang "All Shook Up" and "Jailhouse Rock." Pat Boone's "Love Letters In the Sand" was the billboard number one hit that year. TV dinners and
Jiffy Pop made it easy to stay in front of the tv watching "Superman" and The Hardy Boys." One could go to the movie theater for 25 cents and see Gary Cooper
in" High Noon."
Wouldn't you agree that in much the same way, to us our cars are time capsules? They take us back to a time and place that we have fond memories of. Tearing it up in the high school parking lot or packing your friends into the trunk at the drive-in theater. Going to the beach and going home with a blistering sunburn in those days
before sun block.
When you get behind the wheel of your classic and you drive down Memory Lane, don't forget to think "Long May You Run!"
