HEAT

…..and plenty of it!! Wow! What a week we just had. Record setting temps into the 105 range with heat indices of 115 degrees! How did you and your car fare?

I live by the water in Bayville, and no – it’s NOT cooler here. Up on the North Shore we do not get the summer breezes that come out of the south. I face north – straight across to CT. Here it is stagnant and humid!! It was like pea-soup, or peanut butter, as Yukon Cornelius says. I got sunburned playing with the kids in the water because on the hottest day of the decade, I did not use sunscreen. Why do you ask? I ask myself that too. I used it all the time this year and have been fine, but that day, I was setting things up outside and just kept going figuring I’d put it on later. Then I went in the water to cool down, and well, the rest is history. Stayed in the water, and that evening….lobster-boy!

What does any of this have to do with cars? Well that’s simple.

Wait…..I’m trying to come up with a seque….

Ah, yes.

Cars don’t like excessive heat. There is nothing good about it. They run hot and the interior and skin take a beating over time if left out in the sun too long. Kinda like us humans. So try to keep your vehicle in the shade when it’s hot and sunny. Protect your paint and interior, and if you (like thousands of other masochists out there) bought a car with black leather, well then it goes double! I will NEVER own a black leather interior car! Waaay too hot! Gets about 10 deg hotter inside, and 10–30 deg hotter on the seat surface!

I did not attend any shows that super-hot weekend, but I hear attendance was down due to the soaring temps.

I did go to a few cruise nights during the week, and man…. even at 9PM it was still in the 90’s!!

On Thursday I checked out the Glen Cove cruise during the evening – sweltering, but just a taste of what was to come Friday and Saturday!

The place was crowded and people were pretty undaunted. I wonder how the next few nights went at cruises around the Island?

One thing kinda struck me at Glen Cove. It was a different crowd from the classic cars cruises that we all know and love. This has become a mostly import and exotic cruise location. And that’s fine, diversity is good. Lotsa people come, but very few classics or muscle cars. Mostly Japanese pocket-rockets and a dashing of Euro cars too. It is good to have someplace to go to see something different from the norm one is used to seeing. Otherwise things can get quite boring and stale. So I am glad that there is a different venue like Glen Cove.

Here is the thing that struck me….

It was over 90 degrees with the sun beating down and almost every car there had ALL THEIR WINDOWS SHUT TIGHT!!

What? How? Who? Why? HUH?!!

At any car cruise you see about 95% of the cars with wide-open windows – or at least down a bit for ventilation. Not here. They were bundled up tight, locked, secured, and alarmed. And it was 90 degrees! I was wondering why, and then it hit me. No offense to anyone – but it was a different culture. The people there were all concerned about theft! Probably not of the vehicle, although maybe, but certainly of the contents. Would someone go in, lean in, reach in, unlock the door, open the console or glove compartment, etc? Steal a radio, IPOD, etc? Who knows?

But it was system-wide. Not just a few cars, 95% of them!! They were all concerned about theft I guess. Why else could they keep their windows all the way up, not even allowing a vent gap! (So no one could stick something in and pop the lock)

That tells you something. I am not a sociologist or psychologist, but usually when you are concerned with something, it is for one of two reasons. If it is theft you are concerned about, it is because you are surrounded by it and are being protective, or, because it is an activity you participate in and are thus paranoid that others will do it to you. Now I am not saying ANYTHING about ANYBODY being a thief, lets not extrapolate here. But what I am saying, is that there seemed to be a mass-thought pattern pertaining to it at the Glen Cove Cruise. You draw your own conclusions as to why it was such a concern for everyone there.

There was lots of bling on the cars, and lots of bling on the people. Values are different in different cultures, and that is OK. Difference is good.

We need diversity. But if you are involved in something or someplace that always has you on edge, or makes you think twice, then it is probably a sign that you need to change who you hang out with and where.

Over 90 degrees and every window shut and locked tight!! And almost every car had a black leather interior!! OUCH!!

I don’t know – at the classic car cruises you don’t see people worried about theft. It just struck me as odd, but then again, different culture.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OK – we got a big Newsletter this time out with plenty of columns and stuff for you to read! A new guest writer and some timely articles too!

You Buick and Ford guys are gonna love this edition!

LET’S GET TO IT!! -- HERE WE GO!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1 Editor’s Introduction

2 Picture Caption Contest

3 Cruise Night Information & Updates

4 Guest Writer’s Columns

Lou Refano

Sandy Kane

Howie Schneider

Rich’s Tech Tips

My Car Story

5 The Archive

6 Editor’s Closing

___________________________________________________

Long Island Classic Cars’

AUTOMOTIVE PICTURE CAPTION CONTEST

Submit your entry along with your name and e-mail address to: newsletter@liclassiccars.com

This contest is open to everyone! (LI Classic Cars.com paid personnel, regular column writers, and business advertisers are not eligible.)

Winners will be notified by e-mail and/or phone.

Please submit all entries by the 20th of the next month. (Ex: for February’s contest the entries are due by March 20th)

No substitutions of prizes will be allowed.

In the event of prize choices, winner will be given the opportunity to select the one they want.

All decisions are final and are made by the paid personnel of Long Island Classic Cars.com

Winners must claim their prizes within 30 days of contest end or forfeit the prize to the runner up.

If there are multiple correct entries on puzzle, matching, fill-in, or Q&A contests - winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries.

A few simple rules:

1) Be funny and creative!

2) Keep it somewhat clean!

This one from April’s issue was tough to decide – if you remember, we let the public vote!!

Here is the resulting winner…….

“Won't Start? I think you might have flooded it.”(Kevin Flanagan)

Kevin wins a 22 Piece Spring Clamp Set!! Congrats!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is last month’s winning entry from Julian Snyder

“All wuz goin well til Bubba stuck the throttle. Billy Bob took a header and by the time the boat hit the lake all our jars of shine done broke. We found Billy Bob stuck in someone’s camper but missin’ his boots an three fingers.”

Julian wins a “Wheel Shield” and Armor All Cleaner Set! Congratulations!!

Here is this month’s picture….

Go to it! Send in your funniest creative captions by 9/20/11 and win the prize!

___________________________________________________

“EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!”

26 Big Locations now!!

Any others in Queens or Brooklyn that we don’t know about??? TELL US!

2011 Cruise Night location updates:

MONDAYS: Richie Ray’s Pizza. 540 Commack Rd. (Corner LI Ave) Deer Park, NY

by Louis Refano

…. So Carroll Shelby’s vision of transforming a British roadster into a pavement-eating racecar for the street became reality, albeit not a financially successful one. But when he turned his attention to Detroit iron, he truly made an enduring name for himself.

The fun began on April 17, 1964, when Ford Motor Company introduced what would be the most successful new car in history…the Mustang. Over 670,000 of these popular-priced, sporty cars went out the door in the extended 1965 model year. One of the big selling points was the flexibility…a choice of coupe, convertible or fastback 2+2 that could be configured just the way you wanted it in terms of trim, power plants and options. With engine choices ranging from the 101 hp six to the 271 hp high-compression V-8, you could go economical, sporty, or muscular. Of course, our friend Mr. Shelby was slightly subjective on that last category, and of course, wasn’t interested in leaving well enough alone. He envisioned a Mustang with the ol’ Shelby touch, so in December of ‘64 Ford sent him an allotment of Wimbledon White fastbacks which he turned into Shelby GT-350s.

Converting the cars followed the racing formula: Remove anything that doesn’t make it faster. Many stock parts were deleted at the Ford factory or at Shelby American, including hoods, exhaust systems, and decorative grille bars. Shelby put a fiberglass hood on and added a fiberglass shelf in place of the rear seat. The power train was a modified Ford 289 V-8; it utilized a Cobra aluminum high-rise intake manifold, a Holley 4-barrel carb, “Cobra” emblazoned finned valve covers, steel tubed exhaust headers and dual side-exit exhaust pipes. These modifications bumped the horsepower to 306.

By all press accounts of the day, this Shelby GT-350 was a brutal race car built for the public. It was beastly fast and required a heavy foot and strong arms to drive it. Unlike a racecar, it could be purchased at Ford dealerships and came with a full warranty. A total of 562 were built.

Modifications were made to Shelby’s car-building process for ‘66, due to customer complaints as a result of inefficient production methods. Ford dealers wanted a more comfortable sports car that could be serviced by a regular Ford technician. They also asked for more color choices, an automatic transmission and a back seat. Shelby dealers were also concerned about the $4,547 price tag, which was more than a loaded Galaxie 500 (a new Mustang hardtop started at only $2,372). So the ‘66 Shelby GT-350 became a more comfortable, customer-friendly package, with optional high-performance automatic and AM radio, and a choice of five exterior colors. They were even offered by some Hertz rental car agencies. Production shot up to 2,378.

For ‘67 the Shelby Mustang’s appearance was differentiated more from the stock Mustang than previous models. Fiberglass was used to create a longer, lower profile. The front grille intake was heavily modified. Scoops were added ahead of the rear wheels to provide brake cooling, and there were also rear-facing scoops that covered the stock rear-quarter vents to draw air out of the passenger compartment. While there were greater cosmetic changes, mechanically the car was more similar to the basic Mustang. Shelby dealers were happy to sell a visually exciting product with creature comforts, but without the specialized maintenance and training.

In ‘68 Shelby production was relocated to Michigan because the best source for high-volume fiberglass parts was nearby in Canada. The A.O. Smith Co. manufactured all ‘68 Shelbys from Mustang fastbacks and convertibles. Some cosmetic changes were made including a larger grille opening and sequential taillights from a ‘65 Thunderbird. There were two models available: the GT-350 which featured Ford’s new 302 cubic inch V-8 with 250 hp, and the new GT-500 which used a 428 cubic inch, 360 hp version of Ford’s Police Interceptor package. If that wasn’t enough…

In mid-’68 the racer in Carroll Shelby just wasn’t satisfied, so, he introduced the GT-500KR (for King of the Road). This beast used a 428 Cobra Jet V-8 with 400 hp, extra bracing, wider rear brakes, heavy-duty wheel cylinders and heavy-duty brake line fittings. Production of all ’68 models was 4,451, of which 1,324 were convertibles. In ’69 the Mustang underwent its first major redesign…made longer and sleeker. The third-generation Shelby Mustang went full circle in relation to the stock Ford product. In ‘65 the GT-350 looked exactly like a Mustang, but underneath beat the heart of a racecar. For ‘69, the GT-350 didn’t even resemble the pony car in silhouette, but its mechanical DNA was pure Mustang. The exterior was further enhanced through composite fenders, hood and rear cap. Paint colors offered the greatest choice in Shelby history, with all of Ford’s “Grabber” hues available such as Competition Orange, plus Black Jade, Acapulco Blue, Gulfstream Aqua, Pastel Gray, Candy Apple Red and Royal Maroon. The GT-350 received Ford’s new 351 Windsor V-8 of 290 hp. The GT-500 continued with the fire-breathing 428 Cobra Jet.

Carroll Shelby convinced Ford to end the GT-350/500 program in the fall of ‘69 because the American auto industry and federal government were tightening the screws on muscle cars. Also, Ford Motor Company had their own mass-produced sports packages for the Mustang including the Mach I and Boss 429. Shelby agreed to update 1969 leftovers into 1970 models with new VINs, black hood stripes, chin spoiler and a required emission control unit.

Shelby ended his association with Ford to pursue other projects. But in 1982 Lee Iacocca, Ford President in the ‘70s and now Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, called on Shelby to work his performance magic with the Dodge Division. The first fruits of that arrangement were the 1983 Dodge Shelby Charger, a compact hatchback modified by Shelby with high-performance equipment. He went on to modify several Dodge models from subcompacts to pickup trucks; some models, such as the 1984 Omni GLH (“Goes Like Hell”) and the 1986 Shelby GLH-S (“Goes Like Hell Somemore”), were modified at the Shelby factory and sold as Shelbys. Starting in 1985, these models were turbocharged; at only 2,200 lbs. these cars had a very impressive power-to-weight ratio. While at Chrysler, Shelby also had a significant involvement in the development of the 1991 Dodge Viper supercar.

In 2003 Carroll Shelby, who now had a company called Shelby Automotive, signed on with Ford once again. His first project was a concept car, the Shelby Cobra Concept. It was the only car Shelby designed and built from the ground up, and it resembled an updated AC Cobra.

In the summer of 2006 the big bad snake came back…a new take on the Shelby Mustang, based on the redesigned 2005 Mustang which had retro elements from the original ‘65 fastback. Ford introduced the Shelby GT-H at the 2006 New York Auto Show. Like the original GT350H from 1966, the GT-H featured gold-on-black paint and was only available from Hertz car rental. 500 cars were built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original Shelby GT350H. For 2007, a convertible version of the GT-H was offered by Hertz. This time the convertibles came with a custom light bar reminiscent of the 1968 Shelby Mustang convertibles.

There was also a 4.6 liter, 281-cubic-inch, 319 hp Ford Shelby GT slotted between the 300 hp Ford Mustang GT, and the Ford Shelby GT500, which used a 500 hp supercharged V8; this was essentially a retail version of the Hertz car. Thanks to the popularity of the GT-H, Shelby offered the 2008 Shelby GT as a coupe or convertible in limited numbers. A very limited number (100) of Barrett Jackson Shelby GTs were built in 2008 that were black with red stripes, also available in coupe or convertible; these were sold exclusively in Arizona. The Grabber Orange Shelby GT-C was sold exclusively in California and only available as a coupe (less than 220 models were produced).

For 2009 the King of the Road came back…a new GT500KR was introduced with 540 hp supercharged ponies and a functional cold air intake. For 2011, the Shelby GT500 got an engine update with an all-new 5.4 L aluminum engine, which is 102 pounds lighter than the previous cast-iron engine, and uses Ford-patented plasma-coating technology. This beast delivers 550 hp and 510 ft-lbs. of torque. All Shelbys are currently modified at Shelby Automotive's factory in Las Vegas.

Flamboyant. Dynamic. Forceful. Creative. Visionary. Just some of the adjectives used to describe the automotive creations of the prolific drag racer and entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with unapologetic American muscle-car performance…Carroll Shelby. And, they are representative of the man himself. A great American success story in the field of transportation. His passionate dreams inspired generations of hot rod freaks, muscle car fans and weekend warriors. And you can be sure, he ain’t done yet.

Sources: carrollshelby.com, wikipedia.org, musclecarclub.com, supercar.biz, chrisescars.com,

Mustang-The Original Pony Car 1964-2011 by Krause Publications

( Luigi, wow! I wish I owned one of these cars! A nice Shelby ‘Stang from the late 60’s.) Pete

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By Sandy Kane

Last year’s show in 2010 was a big success, and built on the momentum from the previous years efforts. Although the forecast was for rain, and it did rain briefly at 11:00AM, we still had 275 “die hard” loyal friends of LICruizin 2010 stay to the bitter end (we did close down at 2:00PM due to the cold and wind.) The show was a success, with 213 PSA tests (for the early detection of Prostate Cancer) provided by our hospital staff and one positive ultimately returned. There were hundreds of cars, great music, food, and entertainment. Despite the elements, everyone had a great time and we thank all you for coming!

Our 2011 event has been moved to a bigger and more centrally located spot - Sears Auto Center in Hicksville, across from Broadway Mall. {PLEASE NOTE THAT LICRUIZIN IS STILL AN INDEPENDENT SHOW. WE HAVE NO AFFILIATION WITH ANY OTHER CLUB OR ORGANIZATION, BUT WE WORK WITH STILL CRUISIN CAR CLUB OF SAYVILLE FOR OUR EVENT DAY REGISTRATION. LONG ISLAND CRUIZIN IS A NEW YORK STATE 501c(3) NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION. WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEER AND NO ONE IS COMPENSATED. } The event is being held on September 11 with no rain date. We will have a memorial to honor the day, with a 12:00 noon Color Guard and four moments of silence to recognize the four airplane attacks.

In addition to honoring our fallen heroes this year, LICruizin continues to be an event focused on saving men’s live. For the sixth year, we will have a hospital lab facility set up on the event grounds providing free PSA tests. This is a simple blood draw (and nothing else) that is used for the early detection of Prostate Cancer. Just walk over to the PSA testing tent, fill out their information form and get tested. It is easy and fast and it could save your life, as it has for eighteen men so far!

For those of you with some curiosity, we have (for the second year) a hands on demonstration with the DaVinci surgical robot. This is a $2.5MM robot that is used in hospital operating rooms around the country to perform Prostate Cancer surgery as well as 150 other types of surgery. The machine will be on the event floor and available to everyone to come over and actually operate.

NOW FOR THE “CAR STUFF”!

We are introducing our “How To Clinics”, a series of vendor presentations on various aspects of restoration and car care. They are half hour presentations and are free to anyone attending LICruizin. See our schedule below, select the sessions you want to attend, walk over to the Clinic Tent on the main event road (“Cross Bay Boulevard” in honor of our newest Prostate Cancer survivor), take a seat and learn.

The schedule is…

10:00AM - 10:35AM - Automat Tim Browner will present custom and original auto interior seating options including reupholstering, rebuilding and repair, as well as redoing the balance of the interior.

10:45AM - 11:15AM - Resto Trim Roque will present repair and refinishing of your stainless and aluminum automotive trim.

11:25AM – 11:55AM – Cap-A-Radiator Bill Carberry will discuss the pros and cons between aluminum and copper radiators, and review basic cooling system issues with a question and answer section as part of his presentation.

1:00PM – 1:30 –Detailing Dynamics Matt Zakarian will cover all aspects of detailing and protecting your prized automobile from a professional point of view as well as covering the benefits of the "clear bra".

1:40PM – 2:10– Auto Appraisals Unlimited Jan van der Baan will discuss vehicle values, provenance and the role it plays, benefits of tracing the history of your vehicle, why you should have it appraised, and what is hot/not.

WANT TO SELL YOUR CAR?? We have set aside a special area – our Car Corral – and marked it with pennants. Rather than put your car in with all the other exhibitor cars, park in the Corral and have it showcased. There is no charge for this special parking, just be sure to tell our volunteers parking the cars on the event ground when you enter and they will direct you to the Corral.

BRING YOUR FAMILY!! We have great food from Carlyle on the Green Caterers, a limited amount of shopping for the women, and a separate amusement area for the kids with an inflatable obstacle course, Dave & Busters games and raffles, Mr Softee ice cream and cotton candy. We will also have the ALCO 0-6 – a 100 year old Indy 500 racer that just came back from a special ceremony at the 100^th running of the Indy 500 – and may have a few more surprise cars showing up

WANT SOME NOSTALGIA? We have Fonzie and ChaChi (not the originals but still really good) to spin the oldies and play some audience participation games as you walk by the bandstand.

WE CAN’T FORGET YOU, OUR CAR EXHIBITOR, EITHER. We have our auto related vendors, five of whom are speaking in our Clinic, plus other vendors of car related goods and services.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR CAR PICTURE PRINTED ON THE 2012 LICRUIZIN’ EVENT T-SHIRT? We have a special raffle for $10.00 additional that will put you in the drawing, which will be held at the end of the event. We are picking 3 cars from the pre registered and two from the day of event entrees. These winners will be assembled immediately after the show for a group photo session. The picture will be converted to artwork used by our T-Shirt silk screener for 2012 and may also be used for various other printed pieces as part of our 2012 event promotion. Be sure to check off the T-Shirt raffle box when you are filling your registration form.

NEED MORE INFORMATION? Email me at info@licruizinforacure.com or call our show hotline: 888-LICRUIZ (542-7849) and leave a message.

(Should be another great event for a great cause!) Pete

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2011 Buick Nationals and my Trip to Danvers, Massachusettes

by Howie Schneider

On July 6th at 9:30 am I embarked on my trip, 250 miles north to Danvers, MA. I was heading to the Buick Nationals. I had some good directions from a friend: LIE to Throgs Neck Bridge, Hutchinson Parkway to Merrit Parkway to Mass turnpike to 95 north. The NAV system kept trying to tell me to get off the Merrit and go another way, I finally had to yell “Shut up TomTom!” Good thing I was in the car by myself, but, I was traveling in a convoy of other Buick vehicles heading up there. Twelve other guys and girls from the club. I was going to stay from Wednesday through Sunday for the whole event, and I was looking forward to enjoying the time off from work!

My automobile that took the trip with me is a 1989 Buick Regal Gran Sport. The car is Arctic White with a blue velour cloth interior. It has the four bucket seat option which is quite stylish, it also came with 16 inch flat wheels, p/n 1649, and four wheel disc brakes. Today this is like having 20 inch wheels and tires, remember – back in the 70’s and 80’s – 14” rims were the norm and 15’s were considered big! The dash is a full digital display which is colorful and very nice at night to look at. I bought the car only two years ago from a fella here on LI. His uncle was the original owner! Since I have owned it, I repainted it, had the motor rebuilt along with the brakes and a few other items. I keep it well tuned and drive it quite a bit! The car is one of about 2,200 made (Regal Gran Sports) out of a total of about 75,000 Buick Regals produced.

The trip took four hours and was very smooth and uneventful, getting close to 24 mpg with the a/c on was also nice! I met my Buick buddies at the Coco Keys Hotel and Water Park. That is where we stayed for the duration of the event. This was a beautiful place, it was clean, well maintained, and a hotel that I would recommend to anyone. It also incorporated a Water Park. Wow, was that fun! I went in the pool, on the slides, and down the tubes. One young lady told me to go on the dark tube – the wildest of the rides, hmmmmm, ok at my age….. maybe not.

The Cars at the Nats ranged from the years 1905-2000. Some highlights were a Burgundy and Black 1940 Limited Brewster Town Car, a Black 1949 Buick Roadmaster, a Red 1961 Buick LeSabre Convertible with a Kennedy-Johnson bumper sticker still in place, and a Yellow 1965 Buick Rivera GS. A few other beauties that stood out for me were a Red 1959 Buick Invicta station wagon and a Black 1979 Buick Rivera.

The Buick Reatta Club was also there with many cars from the years 1988- 1991. Black, Silver, White, Burgundy and of course Red. The Reattas only came in five colors and were only made in those few years. A neat car though, and not all that many left. There were 569 Automobiles in attendance, parked in lines labeled A-Z, those were the various classes and sections. I was in the P class, which incorporated cars from the mid 60’s and up that were Gran Sports.

I met with Judges at 7.30 am Sharp for breakfast in the West Wing.on Saturday. By me being a Judge I can learn more and bring it back to the members. I was invited by the Buick Club to have the honor of judging, and I worked in two of the classes.

The BCA, Buick Club of America, uses the 400 point System for judging. This means you do not add points, you subtract from 400, which is what everyone starts with. This can be a serious business in the hobby (lots of work, you want to get it right, and people are demanding!) so I cooled off every day from 2pm-4pm in the Water Park to take a break and get myself ready to go out there again!

Jon Henry and Jack Welch, co-chairmen of the Minutemen Chapter out of Danver’s MA, were directing traffic around the venue. These Gentleman were very polite and helpful, the only rule was - do not tell them you are Yankees fans and you will survive, lucky for me -I am a Met fan! I had the opportunity to meet people from South Africa, Alaska, Canada, England, South America, California, Chicago, Texas , New Jersey, France, Australia and of course Danvers and Boston Massachusetts, where the event was held. This was a fun and very exciting experience.

Outside of the Nats, for all you who might consider going and bringing the family along, there were many things to do in the area. Tours of Boston, Salem, Gloucester and Marble Head, the big Swap meet and Clam Bake, (which are part of the NATS but held off-site) many Restaurants, Shopping Malls and more!

The big Banquet Awards Dinner on the 8th rounded out the event. Held on the last day, it presented all the trophies and awards. I was fortunate and won a Silver Award from the Buick Club of America for my Regal Gran Sport I was also recognized as a Senior Level Judge. I go to most of the NATS within a five hour car ride from LI. I attend them for various makes, not just Buick. The Buick NATS are put on by the Buick Club of America, a national organization, and they rotate the venue around the country.

In Conclusion I want to say that you should try to go to any National Event. They are fantastic and it will “step up your game.” You will enjoy it and learn quite a bit too!

(Sounds like a great trip Howie. I’ve been to some NATS, they are cool!) Pete

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

RICH’S TECH TIPS

By Rich Fiore

I'LL GET TO IT .…. .EVENTUALLY !!!!

So many times I have seen people that either own or go out and buy a classic car and claim that they are eventually going to restore it. They had great intentions but it just never materialized.

The first step before doing anything is for one to ask oneself -what do I want to do with this ride. Is it to just tool around town or is it to take it to car shows. Next question would be, what level of restoration do you wish to achieve ? Concourse show winner ( bringing it back to its original factory look ) or do a custom /resto mod type of thing. This can modify the engine, drivetrain and of course, the body.

Next are you willing to perform the entire restoration yourself or have a resto shop do the entire job. If you’re like me, you know where your limitations are and will do most of it but stop at the areas ( like paint ) where you know you have never aquired the proper skills. Re-do's are painful and costly. Most hobbyists cannot do everything. Unless you have mucho dinero for specialty tools like welders, blast cabinets, spray guns etc most of this work is best left to the pro's. If you do seek a pro, make sure you get references. Talk it over and get things in writing. Remember that these estimates always grow in size.

Figure ahead of time if you want to re-use, replace or upgrade. Usually the answer is quite obvious.

keeping the number matching parts is critical when bringing back to stock condition ... at least the driveline. Ask yourself if the part is salvageable and will it have a great impact on the cars originality. An example would be to upgrade to disc brakes or radial tires. I never feel the overall value is hurt on parts that can be easily bolted on and off. Also keep in mind that there are quality differences in replacement parts.

So lets say you have decided to go ahead with a project. If you don't already own the ride and you are out looking to buy something, the goal is to buy as much car as you can afford. Its always a good idea to have a car that is already running for the sake of moving it to and from ... unless you are lucky enough to have a garage/shop that you can store it in while working on it.

If you are new and just starting out with restorations, you can purchase some of the relatively inexpensive tools. Whenever possible always have an experienced friend help out with the critical areas like brakes, steering and suspension. You never want to compromise safety issues ... period.

In starting the project lets start with the basics. Always have a pen/paper and digital camera in hand. Before disassembly you always want to take notes and pics since it may be quite some time before you get back to reassembly. Also keep receipts for purchased parts. Next step would be to break the job down into specific areas instead of looking at the entire project and getting that overwhelming feeling. Stay focused on that area until it is done. This is a great confidence builder and generates enthusiasm for the next area you are going to tackle.

Another important thing I have found is to always plan ahead. Always have all of the new parts and/or hardware available when you need them. There is nothing worse than stopping the job due to missing parts or hardware. If the part has to be farmed out ( like chrome )... definitely do it right away.

Come time for installation you will be happy you did.

Finally, try and network as much as possible. Connect with friends, experts, car clubs and read as much as possible on that particular area of restoration. A shop manual will be necessary especially when torque specs and certain areas of the rebuild require reference.

So as stated, look clearly at the entire project. Decide if you do want to take on the project at all and if you will need help. Tap into a network of resources and find a talented, reliable team of professionals, and the outcome will be a great and rewarding project.

Other option is to buy it done.

{Big smile. }

(Good points Rich. I always like to label things and for the small parts use ziplock bags.) Pete

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My Car Story

Rudy Hall: 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 XL

My parents bought my 1966 Fairlane XL brand new in 1966 - it was their last new car. It was built in Marietta, Ohio where the motor and transmission were assembled on the chassis February 6^th, and the body put on the chassis February 8^th by the folks on the evening shift as car # 11. My parents kept it in the garage and it was used only on special occasions. My father used his pick-up truck for his everyday vehicle. My parents did take the car on a few trips though. They drove it from PA to East Meadow, NY for my wedding in May of 1969. They also drove it on a couple of vacation trips to Niagara Falls, NY and to West Virginia. When dad passed away in 1976, the car retired to the garage where it remained for 22 years. My mother had the car inspected each year; it was a total of a one mile round-trip, then it returned to the garage to await next years trip. The car only “racked up” 22 miles in the next 22 years!

After much hinting around from me, my mother finally gave me the car in 1997. A few of my young nephews had their eyes on it, but mom gave it to me because she knew I would take good care of it. The car was in excellent shape only requiring a little touch up paint, a repair for a small rip in the front seat, and re-chromed bumpers. The car had bias tires (original tires) that I replaced with radial tires a few years ago. The car now has sixty thousand miles on it and is still in mint condition. We have taken the car to many events, we went to the Ford Fairlane Club event in CT back in 2005 where we won a trophy for “Best Unrestored Car”. And then at another biggie, the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA. Ford Motor Company presented us with a trophy for the “Best Unrestored Car”! We have received many trophies for the Fairlane but the best one was from a Chevy show. (Because I beat out all those 55-57’s that the owners were bragging about!)

The car has the small block 289 cu in V8 engine with a C4 automatic transmission with a console mounted shift lever. The only power feature on the car is the power steering. The brakes are manual, as are the windows. The car has the standard AM radio and all gauges, lights, etc work well. The color combination is black over a beautiful red vinyl bucket seat interior. This car being the XL – was the upper trim level and had more chrome than the basic model did. Even more than the standard 500.

I drove the Fairlane in several movies including American Gangster, Taking Woodstock and, most recently, Men in Black III. I also drove the car in the weekly TV series Life on Mars. You can see this car if you check out those flicks. I had a lot of fun doing that, and made a few bucks in the process. I also got to meet some very interesting people and learned a bit about the “biz”. My wife and I love going out in the car, in 2000 we entered the Fairlane in the Great Northeastern Race. It was our first race so we were considered “rookies.” We joined many other participants at a meeting place in Milville, NJ. The cars were inspected to determine their category, then we paraded the cars through the town and afterwards enjoyed a nice dinner at the local hotel. The next morning we were given special speedometers and clocks. Directions were distributed just before the start of the race. Each car left the starting point at a specific time, approximately 1 minute apart. Part of the race took us onto the Cape May Ferry to Georgetown, MD and continued round trip back to Milville. Each day was a new itinerary that included a barbeque on a local farm and dinner back at the hotel in Milville. At the end of the first day, we attended a “What did you do Wrong” dinner. We did plenty wrong! The race is not about speed, but arriving from one checkpoint to another in a specific time range. If you arrive at your checkpoint too early, you are penalized more than if you arrive late. The navigator is the most important person in the race. My wife, the navigator, kept telling me to slow down but I couldn’t get the idea of speed, and arriving first, out of my head. In 2001, we entered the race again. We were no longer rookies and we did a lot better finishing 22^nd out of 36 entrants. If anyone wants to get involved, it’s a lot of fun but expensive. The Great Northeaster Race was featured on the History Channel. After the race was over, some cars continued on to Boston, MA to participate in a ten day race to Los Angeles, CA. The cars had to be 1950 or older, so we could not participate in that one. But, boy, what a time we had!

I hope some day that one of my grandchildren will take interest in the car and get as much enjoyment out of it as I do. How neat it would be for them to be able to say that their great-grandfather, grandfather and their father owned it. However, they have been warned not to cut out the dashboard and put in a big radio!

The car cost $2,649 new. I have been offered a lot of money for the Fairlane, but it is priceless to me. It is not for sale!

PS. The car is still in the garage, only now it’s in my garage!

(Rudy, that is priceless. To have your family’s car like you do – can’t beat it! Hang on to it buddy!.) Pete

______________________________________________________

The

Pete Giordano

Editor

Long Island Classic Cars.com