Plymouth duces 32, 42, 52, 62... Econo Runs

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RACHEL STYER PHOTO
Gary and Carolyn Gray’s 1932 PB roadster
1932 - 2008
Destroyed in a fire on January 29, 2008
F15747 Plymouth Bulletin 288 Created By Patty Desautel CMYK
Sixteen Time Old Cars Weekly “Golden Quill”: Award Winner
Founded 1957
Founded 1957
SHEILA NAWROCKI PHOTO
1942 P14 Special Deluxe convertible
Denise Brady
and Dakota, her German Wire-haired Pointer
3/3/08
1:24 PM
Page 1
Plymouth ®
Owners Club
Box 416
Cavalier, ND 58220-0416
Phone: (701) 549-3746
Fax: (701) 549-3744
e-mail: benji@utma.com
The Plymouth Bulletin
__________________________________________________________________________
No. 288
January-February, 2008
__________________________________________________________________________
LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor
(204) 889-8008
288 Strathmillan Road, Winnipeg, MB R3J 2V5 CANADA
editor@plymouthbulletin.com / plybul@mts.net
plymouthbulletin.com
_______________________
FOUNDER-DIRECTOR
Jay M. Fisher
Acken Drive 4-B
Clark, NJ 07066-2902
(732) 388-6442
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Earl Buton, Jr.
2366 Glasco Turnpike
Woodstock, NY 12498-1013
(845) 679-6185
OFFICERS 2008-09
4 2
Deuces Wild
2
PRESIDENT
Robert S. Kerico
4640 Boardwalk
Smithton , IL 62285-3662
(618) 473-2412
VICE PRESIDENT
Bobbi Berkheimer
36640 Hawk Road
Hazard, NE 68844
(308) 452-3980
MEMBERSHIP
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Jim Benjaminson
Box 345
Walhalla, ND 58282-0345
(701) 549-3746
CORRESPONDING SEC.
Tom Nachand
5215 NW Cavalier Ave.
Lincoln City, OR 97367
BULLETIN EDITOR
Lanny D. Knutson
288 Strathmillan Road
Winnipeg MB R3J 2V5 CANADA
DIRECTOR 2004-09
Philip Volpe
40 East Edinburgh Drive
New Castle, DE 19720-2908
(302) 322-5705
(218) 326-5965
DIRECTOR 2008-13
and of Judging
Joe Suminski
68226 Winchester Court
Washington, MI 48095-1244
(586) 752-3140
Deuces Wild
Billy and Rickie Beardmore’s
Beardmore’s 1942 P14C Special Deluxe sedan
3 2
Deuces Wild
2
DIRECTOR 2006-11
Carl D. Wegner
19,600 Cardinal Drive
Grand Rapids, MN 55744-6189
Plymouths from the “deuce” years
-1-
7 2
Deuces Wild
DAVID YOUNG PHOTO
(541) 764-2011
2
Project8
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 2
From the Editor
Where were you in ‘72?
W
here were you in
‘72? The question
came to me while
going through the surprising
number of articles on 1972
Plymouths that came together for
this issue. I don’t know where
you were, but LeeAnn and I were
getting married! Yes, we celebrated our 35th anniversary this
past summer together with our
three children, their spouses and
six grandchildren.
Parked in front of First
Lutheran Church in Glasgow,
Montana, on July 10, 1972, was
our own new ‘72--not a
Plymouth but a Dodge, a
Sportsman 200 wagon, as it was
officially known, though we and
everyone else called it a van.
Vans were an “in” thing at the
time and we had just gotten
ours. We rationalized our purchase, telling ourselves of the
money we’d save camping on
our honeymoon rather than paying for hotel rooms. (We’d do
the latter now, but then we were
young.) And we stayed true to
our word as we trekked through
Calgary (unaware that it would be
our home within six years)
and on to Banff and Jasper
National Parks.
When we met, we
were both driving similar cars--I, a ‘70
‘Cuda; she, a ‘67
Firebird. At first it
seemed these cars
would be okay for transporting us and her two children, Rob (then known as
Bobby) and Mandy, aged 5 and 3, both
July 9, 1974, it brought home our
daughter Signe. During its last years
with us, the van served as Rob’s high
school vehicle.
AS THIS BULLETIN was shaping up to
become something of a 1972 issue, I
realized there were stories in my
files of Plymouths from other years
ending with “2” and that in 2007
each was having an anniversary
ending in “5.” Most notable was
the 1932 PB Plymouth, marking its
75th anniversary. Much has been
made this past year of the 75th
anniversary of Ford’s Deuce, but
Plymouth’s ‘32, though not quite
the cultural icon its Ford counterpart has become, is a notable car
as well. With this issue, we
honor that car as we do
Plymouths from ‘42, ‘52, ‘62 and
‘72. Since deuce means two, and
each of these years end with “2,”
they all qualify as “deuces,” at
least in a generic sense, and we’re
pleased to feature them as such.
of whom I would later adopt. The rear
seats were certainly large enough for
the two kids, but I soon learned
that, even seat-belted in, they
needed more room than
that, giving us another
reason for the van purchase. So, the
Firebird was traded. I
just couldn’t let the
‘Cuda go, at the time,
but two years later it
was necessary, and I did.
The van stayed with
us for 13 years, serving as our
primary vehicle for most of them. On
-2-
MY FILES, both paper and electronic, are full of stories and articles sent by members this past
year. Normally, they would have
been printed by now but last year
was not a normal year as our special
50th anniversary coverage has pushed
their planned publication dates on to
this year. I plan to give them coverage
in the next two issues. Also in the
works is coverage of the 40th anniversary of the Road Runner, the 50th of
the ‘58s and, of course, the Grand
National.
SO, what did you do in ‘72?
-- Lanny Knutson
The Plymouth Bulletin
No. 288; Jan/Feb 2008
LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor
LEEANN LUCAS, asst. editor
288-p.3-new
2/29/08
8:21 AM
Page 1
The
CLUB NEWS
Plymouth Press
Plymouth Owners Club
No. 288
1932 PB roadster destroyed in fire
Gary and Carolyn Gray lose business, sign collection and car
ire has claimed a
prize PB roadster,
together with a sign collection and the business
of Gary and Carolyn
Gray of Mt. Vernon,
Ohio. Fire was detected
by a passing truck driver
at 4:30 am, January 29, at
Rivers Edge Hunting and
Fishing, the Grays’ business, and quickly spread,
eventually destroying the
building, also owned by
Co-host of the 2005 4-cylinder tour in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Gary Gray, pauses
the Grays, which housed
for a photo with his PB roadster. The car was destroyed in a January fire.
the roadster and two
Gray writes. “The bad news
additional vintage cars
is that a beautiful 1932
being stored for other ownPlymouth roadster was
ers. An extensive collection
destroyed as were many
of original porcelain and
original porcelain and neon
large neon dealership signs
signs--a loss for me but, just
was also lost.
as importantly, a loss for the
“No one was hurt and
whole antique car communionly things were destroyed.
ty.”
PB
That is the good news,”
SHEILA NAWROCKI PHOTO
F
Golden Anniversary
T-shirts available
T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing
the club’s Golden Anniversary
logo are now available. See
page 63 of this issue for
details.
Members’ Plymouths featured in newsstand magazines
Lorraine Boyce's ‘49 P18 convertible is featured on the cover
and in an article of the February 2008 issue of Cars & Parts.
Lorraine, of Greenwood, Indiana, is a member of the Hoosier
Region. Kay and Harold Norton's ‘50 P19 two-door fastback
is one of the feature cars in the February 2008 issue of
Hemmings Classic Car.
Member remembered
PAUL “CHIP” STEVES passed away at his Columbia, Maryland,
home on December 23, 2007. He was 82. In addition to being a
member of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Plymouth Owners
Club, Chip and his late wife Jean were long-time members of
the Maryland Chapter, Model T Ford Club International. He
joined the POC when he bought a 1964 Barracuda from Clayton
Miller. After selling that car, he purchased a 1954 Belvedere
sedan which he upgraded to meticulous driving condition.
The Plymouth Bulletin (ISSN 0032-1737) is published bi-monthly. Subscription
through annual dues: $28 new; $26 renewal. Published by the Plymouth Owners
Club, PO Box 345, 603 Central Ave, Walhalla, ND 58282-0345. Periodical postage
paid at Grafton, ND 58237. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The
Plymouth Bulletin, PO Box 416, Cavalier, ND 58220-0416.
-3-
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 4
From the President
Open the garage!
R EGIONAL POC GROUPS have seen a
distinct turnover in personnel, with
new people heading up a good number
of the regions this new year. It is
always gratifying to see that our membership is dynamic because it is good
for the club overall. I salute those of
you who have assumed new duties in
your regions.
T
his BULLETIN issue is the first of
“Year Fifty-plus-one” for the
Plymouth Owners Club, and the
80th anniversary of the Plymouth automobile.
As we wait for the spring and the
new driving season ahead of us, we all
have the memories of last year’s events
to recall. You probably have your
favorite. Is it Santa Maria? Tulsa?
Concord? Someplace closer to home?
For picking just one happy event, how
about Hans and Annick Reinhardt's
journey from Beijing to Paris in their
1950 four-door sedan? The BULLETIN
took you on that road trip with assistance by the Reinhardts. My friend
Bill Ward out of Sandy, Utah, provided
me with a travelogue in the form of a
CD of that special event. It features
stunning photography from parts of the
world we hardly know or see anything
about. We are grateful for that ride
across Asia into the heart of Europe,
along with a little yellow Plymouth.
Bill Ward is known for the Old
Plymouths website
www.oldplymouths.com
which, as of February, 2008, is “Now
Under New Management.” The website was due to be shut down, because
the website host he had been using was
sold to another web hosting company
and a change to new web server was
necessary. Bill, not having the time
nor expertise to do what was needed,
though he might have to shut down the
site, but Steve Conover, a POC member in Shillington, Pennsylvania, and
his son Rich have agreed to convert the
website and keep it going. I thank
them both for keeping that site “in the
Hers and His: Betty and Bill Ward’s ‘50s flank their visiting compatriot, Bill Gellert’s ‘50
from Illinois.
family,” as it were. If you have an
interest in the 49-52 Plymouth models,
have a look-see for yourself. Bill’s
stewardship since he started the site is
a continuing labor of love that will not
soon wane as he and wife Betty continue enjoying the hobby with their “his
and hers” 1950s.
T HE G RAND N ATIONAL M EET in
Auburn Hills is on the docket for the
year 2008 and will be the only national
event scheduled thus year. This issue
has registration information for you
from the Detroit Region. If you are
“on the fence” about this event, talk
with those who have attended previous
Grand Nationals--you might want to
contact me. That might convince you
to head up to the Motor City this summer. Just to be on the nostalgic auto
plant tour might be all that you need to
crank up that Plymouth and head there
with us. Judy and I hope we will see
many of you in attendance in late July.
I would like to see a large representation in Auburn Hills from every decade
of Plymouth, and only you can make
that happen.
-4-
I F YOU COME ACROSS an interesting
Plymouth or perhaps even one you
own that you want the readership to
know about, let Lanny know and he
will do a feature article on it for you.
We are always on the lookout for great
stories, whether they be about
Plymouths or a good human interest
story related to Plymouths.
We are adding a new product to
the club store merchandise lineup, a
very high-quality shirt with the 50th
Anniversary logo. See the separate
box with more info.
T HE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS
should be busy, the weather should
cooperate, we are getting the annual
cabin fever and soon it will be spring,
then summer. Let’s open the garage
doors, wipe off the dust, tune up the
Plymouth, apply a bit of polish to paint
and bright work and get out and take a
drive.
-- Bob Kerico
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 5
Director of Judging
Some facts about judging
T
he Plymouth Owners Club is 50
years old and still has some of the
same questions it has had from
day one. Many of them center on judging.
Most of the phone calls I receive are
from members asking about restoration. I
tell them that the purpose of the club is to
encourage the use, preservation, and
AUTHENTIC restoration of our cars and
trucks. The key word is AUTHENTIC.
My advice is to restore your car to the
condition in which it was when it was
driven out of the dealer’s showroom, but
I always say, “It is your car and I cannot
tell you what to do with your car.”
If you choose to not restore your car
to the original condition, you must be
prepared to lose points under our judging
criteria. If your early Plymouth did not
come with overdrive and you decide to
install one anyway, be prepared to lose
points. Contact the technical advisor-- as
listed in the front of the BULLETIN--with
your questions for your particular year.
MY SON, CHRIS, AND I are in the process
of setting the classes for the remaining
years to the end of the Plymouth history.
I am also in the process of revising the
judging guides for Groups I, II, and III. I
am not making any changes, just condensing and making corrections.
I am also in the process of creating a
judging library. These are binders that
will contain information to support paint
color, interior, engine, wheels, accessories, or whatever. I need your help
with this task. Please send me documentary information that will back up why
your Plymouth is equipped differently
than expected.
SOME MEMBERS are also confused about
the way trophies are awarded. First-, second-, and third-place trophies are given in
each class. There are presently 10 classes, plus a Senior Class. At three per
class, that makes 33 trophies that a host
region has to prepare. Plus, there is Best
of Show in Groups I, II, and III, which
adds three more trophies, plus Hard Luck
and Long Distance (for an antique
Plymouth that is driven to the meet),
which add two more trophies. This is a
total of 38 trophies. There is also a traveling trophy called the Mayflower Award
that is supplied by the National Club for
the best four-door sedan. The regions
will be instructed that they must follow
the practice of providing a sufficient
number of trophies.
Also, there may be ties among the
class awards, but only those with true ties
may also be awarded a trophy. You must
achieve more than 75 points to qualify for
a trophy, but only the first three cars in
each class will be awarded a trophy. It is
not feasible to give trophies to all cars
that score more than 75 points.
WE ALSO HAVE THE TASK of recruiting
judges whenever there is a National
Meet. Your help is needed if you want us
to continue having judging at our meets.
It is not difficult to be a judge. It is a
learning experience, and it is a lot of fun.
Plus, you get to meet new members. We
always pair one of our newcomers with
an experienced judge. Please step up,
because we are always in need of judges.
Thank You!
-- Joe Suminski
Director of Judging
Letters
Engine spec info
A GOOD WEBSITE for the
Plymouth engine stats is
www.secondchancegarage.com
Along the left column. click
ENGINE SPECS and then find
PLYMOUTH CARS and pick the
engine you want.
The site has specs for
engine, including tune up, piston and ring, valve and engine
bearing, distributor and generator, regulator and starter specs
and engine tightening specs,
along with capacity data and
wheel alignment info.
I encourage anyone who
knows of internet sites that contain good information to share
them with us.
Carl Wegner
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Great asset
I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED
to get my Nov/Dec., 2007,
BULLETIN and find Bob
Manke on the cover in his
1941 P12 Special Deluxe.
Having met Bob only once, I
do not know him well, but I
note that he has recently been
named technical advisor for Plymouth commercial vehicles.
Bob was of great help to me while I was restoring my 1940 PT105 pickup. He lives about an
hour from me, and I phoned him to ask for some advice and whether he would mind my coming to
have a look at his ‘41 PT125. In no time I was on my way. Bob very graciously allowed me to
pepper him with questions and take plenty of photos of his prize-winning truck, all of which came
in handy as my restoration progressed.
That ‘41 Special Deluxe was in a few pieces at the time; the body was off the frame in Bob's
shop. It looked like a dusty old relic, so it was great seeing the photo on the cover, evidence of the
beautiful job he did on the restoration.
I would heartily encourage Plymouth truck owners to get in touch with Bob if they have
questions or need advice. He is a great asset to the club.
George T. Conboy
Rochester, New York
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288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 6
Letters
B ULLETIN : from
USA to Canada
via Sweden!
I GOT BULLETIN 286 yesterday
and it came from Sweden! It
apparently went from North
Dakota to Sweden and then
back to Canada. Any clue?..
Bob Davis
Woodville, Ontario
I JUST RECEIVED BULLETIN
286 today, January 30. It was
well worth the wait and I spent
much of the afternoon reading
it. When disposing of the
plastic wrapper, I noticed a
sticker in the corner over
where it says the POSTAGE
PAID AT GRAFTON ND on the
BULLETIN's jacket. My
BULLETIN was mailed from
Sweden! Does this qualify for
a Long Distance Award?
Wonders of modern mail, I
guess. I wish I could blame
this one on Canada Post,
whom I am sure sends BC's
mail to Newfoundland for
sorting! I am surprised that
the Grafton PO has chosen
Sweden for this task.
Better late than never
though. I have always said
that the only problem with the
BULLETIN is that once it
arrives, it is necessary to wait
two months for another. My
next one should be along
much sooner.
Best wishes, and kindest
thoughts to Jim and Mrs. B.
David Pollock
Shawnigan Lake,
British Columbia
IT'S BEEN HAPPENING THIS WAY
for the past few years with the
First Class mailings of the
BULLETIN I get as editor. They
put my mail in with the interna-
tional first class mail. The way
it works is that when a carrier,
such as FedEx, has the contract
to deliver a company's international mail, they ship in bulk to
the country with the lowest
international first class rates
and from there the mail is sent
out to the individual subscribers. Usually that country
has been Sweden.
The normal periodical class
mail to US and Canada had
been going the regular way.
Now I guess all out-of-US mail
is going this way.
I hope this explains the
mysterious postmark from
Mälmo, Sweden, home of some
of my mother’s cousins and/or
their descendants. Who knows,
maybe one of them is handling
the mail. -- LDK
S p e e d Tr a p D i n e r
WOODVILLE, OHIO -- Plymouth Club members Bob Semichy,
the club's 1937 Tech Advisor from Los Gatos, Calif., and Paul
Curtis, Roseville, Mich., couldn't resist stopping by the Speed
Trap Diner for breakfast when they saw the 1951 Plymouth
squad car parked on the roof. Bob and Paul made the 1500mile round trip to the Concord, NC meet in a 1935 Plymouth
touring sedan that Paul had purchased just two weeks earlier.
Bob had flown to Michigan and kept Paul company as they
drove to Carolina in Paul’s 12th PJ!
Paul Curtis
Roseville, Michigan
Plymouth badge
I have collected several
Chrysler and Plymouth
employee badges thru the
years. One has “ChryslerPlymouth Division” and others
have “Plymouth” on its own.
Would any members
know of someone I could contact to obtain information on
these badges? Most of these
appear to be from the thirties
era.
Rob Elliott
Calgary, Alberta
The latest addition to my Plymouth family: a California car
and, being a 1971 Fury III with the 360 engine, still affordable…a nice driver, too.
-- Clif Nelson, Adams, North Dakota
two favorite TV shows--Wheel
of Fortune and Jeopardy.
Because I was so engrossed in
reading the magazine, I only
caught glimpses of my shows.
Not that I really minded,
because it was well worth it.
Jan Peel
Indianapolis, Indiana
elliotro@telus.net
Better than TV
$69,000 Sp. Fur y
WELL, YOU TWO HAVE DONE
IT AGAIN: put out a beautiful,
packed BULLETIN (#287).
And, since Stan got to it first, I
wound up missing most of my
AN INTERESTING BIT of news
from Richard Tibben who
brought his 1964 Sport Fury
to the National Spring Meet in
-6-
Santa Maria (BULLETIN 285, p.
36) and won a first-place trophy. -- Nick Desimone
IN BARRETT-JACKSON NEWS,
the twin to the brown 1964
Plymouth that I showed at the
Santa Maria meet and I had
also restored (as a 426, 4speed car) sold for $69,000. I
sold it to my friend for
$22,000 who in turn ran it
through the auction.
Richard Tibben
Nipomo, California
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 7
Clif ’ s Notes
Best car
for the money
jacked up with shackles so the rims and
tires could fit under the fenders. So cool,
compared to what we had available
before, eh? When what came to be known
as the “coke bottle” body style, like that of
the Chargers and Road Runners, came out
in 1968, we found that the wide tires
would fit under them nicely, but not on my
‘67.
I’LL SIDETRACK A BIT from the facts just
for some enjoyable memories of the first
time, the HEMI was an expensive option at
ave you ever thought of how the
Road Runner I got to “flog on.” That hap$700-plus.
advent of the Plymouth Road
pened during the early summer of 1970. I
The coupe is what they came out with
Runner during the1968 model
was working on road construction in
first. Later in the spring or early summer,
year changed the idea of muscle cars?
South Dakota and I needed a ride home
the hardtop line was added. The hardtop
Introduced in September of 1967, it was
for the weekend. My buddy Butch had a
brought you a bit fancier Road Runner,
an instant hit.
‘68 Runner. Since he had to drive the
since the Satellite interior--called the
Some other cars have been claimed to
company truck to the next site up in northDecor Group--was available in this model.
be the father of muscle cars, but I believe
eastern North Dakota, he asked me to
The coupe started life as the
the Road Runner is the first truly afforddrive his Road Runner there, a distance of
Belvedere two-door sedan. Can you
able muscle car. The ‘55 Chrysler C300
perhaps 400 miles. Interstate highway
imagine that light little coupe with that
has been claimed, in more recent years, to
speed limits at that time were 75 MPH, and
powerful HEMI motor in it? I can't, as I
have been the first, but the term “muscle
they let you get away with a lot more. I
never did drive one at the time. I have
car” was not even heard of in 1955. A
asked Butch “how fast can I run her?”
ridden with friends in them in recent
big-bodied car like the 300, even if it did
His answer was: “Put ‘er at about four
have the highest horsepower engine of
grand; she runs good there.” It must
its day, cannot be classified as a mushave had the standard 3:23 Sure Grip in
cle car. The1964 Pontiac GTO has
it, because four grand on the tach was
also been proclaimed the first muscle
115 MPH! YES, you heard me right!
car, but I am a bit biased, so it doesn’t
I left Selby, South Dakota, a little
get the title either. They did put a big
after 6:00 PM and was at the site near
block engine in a medium-sized car,
Grand Forks, North Dakota, four hours
true, but it was not affordable… at
later. My only stop was a gas stop /
least not as affordable as the Road
bathroom break about halfway there.
Runner would be. The ‘67 Plymouth
Sunflower seeds and a beverage in my
GTX, it is true, did have a lot of
hand got me through. What a ride!
horsepower (375 horses from the 440
Yes, I do know that I was not running
Magnum); but, being a fancy car, it
according to “specs” at the time, but I
does not qualify in my book either.
1969 Road Runner I had once owned. Now, it has was young (25) and young at heart. Tell
The first truly affordable muscle
been restored. me that none of you ever ran a good run
car has to be the1968 Road Runner,
like that! You can see why the Road
years, but drivers never get “on them”
priced at $2831 for a coupe, if my memoRunner was popular with the moonshine
now like they would have in the old days,
ry serves me correctly. I still think about
runners down south. After all, I had to see
right? Wish I could have had the opportuall the ads for this car that appeared in not
if those ol' ads with the southern boys runnity back then to just let it all hang out:
only the car magazines but most of the
nin’ ‘shine were true. THEY WERE!
HANG ON!
other best-selling magazines of the day.
To be continued in the next issue, this
Just imagine all those 425 horses just
Think about it. Can it be 40 years
column will give you more facts and tales
wanting to let loose through the fourago that our beloved Road Runner came to
of fun about the best car made for the
speed to lay rubber with the 7:75 x 14pass? That basic coupe with rubber floor
money: the Plymouth Road Runner! I will
inch tires (or maybe 8:25 x 15-inchers if
mats, a vinyl bench seat and no arm rests
write mainly about the Road Runner
you opted for that). Bias ply tires were
was light and affordable. It came, at first,
throughout 2008, as this is the 40th
“it” back then. Polyglas came on the
with only a four-speed transmission. Later
anniversary year of our beloved Road
scene anywhere from one to two years
the 727 automatic became available. The
Runner… hard to believe, but it is!
later, and radials followed a year or so
only two engines offered that first year
-- CLIF NELSON
after that. I recall the polyglas tires (F70 x
were the venerable 335-horse 383
cknelson@polarcomm.com
14s) being put on my 1967 Satellite,
Magnum and the incomparable 425-horsemounted on chrome reverse rims which
power 426 cubic inch HEMI motor. Either
were the rage at the time. The car was
way, what a choice! Although, for its
H
-7-
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 8
Regional Report
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
(responsible for regions)
Bobbi Berkheimer
(308) 452-3980 bobbib@nctc.net
Carolina Region
had 34 wanting to fill the 28 reservations
that Nancy Conner had organized, a franTHE FEEDBACK I HAVE RECEIVED about
tic but nice problem to face. Volunteers at
the national fall meet has been very posithe Albertina Kerr Center cook and serve a
tive. I think we pulled off a mini Grand
nice lunch, model clothes from the Thrift
National, and all our members are to be
Shop, as well as run the Thrift and
commended for making this event happen.
Antique Shops. Alexander Kerr, founder
Dan Payne has done a fantastic job of takof the Kerr Glass Manufacturing
ing the photos of the meet and getting
-- Nancy Mitchem
Company, helped establish a center in
them to the editor
1907 as a tempoCAROLINA REGION
GRAND CANYON REGION
MISSOURI "Show Me” REGION
of the PLYMOUTH
rary shelter for
Thomas E. Carroll
Glen (Frank) Johnston
Tommy G. Pike
BULLETIN
homeless men.
181 Charles St.
1509 North 106th Street
1602 East Dale
It has been an
This evolved into
Forest City, NC 28043
Mesa, AZ 85207 (480) 354-6114
Springfield, MO 65803
furyon66@earthlink.net
eventful and histor(828) 245-7220
frank_ruth_johnston@msn.com
care facilities for
UNCUNCC26@AOL.com
ical year. We
children, an adopPA
OIL
VALLEY
REGION
HEART OF AMERICA REGION
attended the
tion home, a
Mike
Schaefer
Jim
Stoudt
CASCADE PACIFIC REGION
Lowe’s Motor
12221 NE 136th
model for private
1290 Bankson Rd.
Gary Rusher
Kearney, MO 64060
Oil City, PA 16301
Speedway display
foster care, and
---------------(816) 781-7117
(814) 676-6678
in both April and
group homes for
schaeferfam@hotmail.com
Wilsonville, OR -------bjjstoudt@zoominternet.net
www.plymouthclub.com
September with
individuals with
(503) 638-5521 chiefgr@hotmail.com
good attendance.
developmental
PRAIRIE
REGION
HOOSIER REGION
COLONIAL REGION
One of our foundRoger Wermeskerch
disabilities in the
Kevin Reeves, President
Betty Kibbe
8100
SW
24th
Street
ing members, and
Portland metro
1002 S McDonald St
456 Holyoke St.
Lincoln, NE 68523-9391
our secretary and
Attica IN 47918 / (765) 714-0255
area.
Ludlow, MA 01056
(402) 423-4109 rbwe@alltel.net
Kevin.Reeves@insightBB.com
newsletter editor,
Six members
(413) 589-9854 winmil456@charter.net
http://clubs.hemmings.com/
Jan Peel, Editor, JPeel83719@aol.com
prairiepoc/index.htm
Dennis Dupuis,
attended the techDAIRYLAND REGION
passed away, leavHUDSON VALLEY REGION
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION nical meeting on
Dick Silhol
ing a big void in
Richard Wahrendorff
Saturday, January
Bill Sullivan
2404 W. Plum Tree
1471 Rt. 213
the operation of
5. President Gary
1015 Redwood Drive
Mequon, WI 53092
Ulster Park, NY 12487
Loveland, CO 80538
our club. Gregg
Rusher brought an
(262) 242-6139
(845) 338-7871 rwwmds@hvc.rr.com
(970) 669-3541 BVSULL@AOL.com
Errett has stepped
dicksilhol@sbcglobal.net
old headlight
up to the task of
reflector which
TALL PINES REGION
LINCOLN LAND REGION
DELAWARE VALLEY REGION
newsletter editor
had been restored
Richard Tetzlaff
Terry Lash
Bill Tropia
23383 Malanie Trail North
7078 North Rte. 159
and is doing a fanusing the tech52 Breece Dr.
Scandia, MN 55073-9745
Moro, IL 62067
tastic job.
nique developed
Yardley, PA 19067-1513
(612) 759 2103 ajorrj@aol.com
(618) 656-3865
We had people
seehaas@snip.net
Winter: R.Ramberg rar1082@gmail.com by Bill Atwood,
taylormd@madisontelco.com
from 24 states
who owns
TULSA REGION
LONG ISLAND REGION
DETROIT REGION
attending our
UVIRA, Inc., in
Jerry Burch
Peter Marks
Joseph B. Lewis, Editor
national meet and
Merlin, Oregon.
1111 South Florence Ave.
47 Flintlock Drive
9145 Hazelton
116 people at the
Gary explained
Tulsa,
OK
74104-4104
Shirley, NY 11967
Redford, MI 48239
awards banquet.
jerryburch@cox.net
how this process
(631) 772-2270 NMPCM@aol.com
Walt Boelsler, pres: (586) 773-0410
Good comments
waboelstler@comcast.net
is done and why it
WESTERN
CANADA
REGION
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
were heard from all
provides better
Ben Ostrander
Carl VanBibber
GOLDEN STATE REGION
who attended the
quality and
Site
11,
Box
52,
RR
1
6650 Fox Meade Court
David Maxwell
De Winton, AB T0L 0X0 CANADA brighter lights.
meet.
Frederick, Maryland 21702
4365 Carolyne Way
(403) 938-5504
(301) 698-9574 carlret@aol.com
After 12 years,
He has obtained
Email: Rob Elliott elliott.r@telus.net
Santa Maria, CA 93455-6642
I am stepping
permission from
REGION
MID-IOWA
(805) 937-6585
down as the
Bill Atwood to
Cliff Tribby
fortyseven.plym@verizon.net
Carolina Region
12 Main Street
reprint an article
Melbourne, Iowa 50162
president, thankful
in the CPPC
(641) 482-3368 CTribby@partnercom.net
of the support I
newsletter detailhave enjoyed in serving the club as presiing the process. Part one of two appeared
dent.
in the January issue; part two will be in
Keep those old Plymouths rolling.
the February issue.
At the February technical meeting
-- Tommy Carroll
TWENTY-FIVE MEMBERS met for the
eleven members met to restore the front
Mayflower holiday lunch at the Albertina
OUR JANUARY MEETING was held at the
springs on Dennis Fisher’s 1953 Plymouth
Kerr Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
IHOP Restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC,
convertible.
After changing the coil
Until the last couple of days we actually
with 18 people present, including our
newest members Mark and Hayden
Pepich. Old business included a review of
our national meet and extending thanks to
our corporate sponsors, Steele Rubber
Products and Lake Norman Chrysler-JeepDodge. New business included discussion
of elections and upcoming events.
Cascade Pacific Region
-8-
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 9
springs and making final adjustments, they
had the car level front to back and from
side to side.
The Technical Committee is updating
the CPPC vendor list so it will be available for sale at the Portland Swap Meet in
April. The club and its members have
four stalls reserved to sell items that have
been donated.
-- Cari Catlow
Colonial Region
DESPITE THE IMPENDING THREAT of several inches of snow, we managed to pull off
another of our exciting Christmas family
get-togethers at the Palmer house. It did
snow very lightly all afternoon; but, nevertheless, we continued enjoying our feasting, our frolicking, our fun grab-bag festivity and our fruitful meeting. We are
getting “sooo” good at this food stuff-everyone seems to know just how much,
and what, we need to make our dinner
complete. We are also getting pretty good
at eating just about every morsel of food
so there are no leftovers. What’s that I
heard? Someone complaining about the
gifts? Did someone say there were too
many candles as gifts? Maybe the gift
buyers were planning on a rough winter
and power outages. Gee whiz, there
comes a time when you have enough hammers, screwdrivers, extension cords, oil
cans or tarps. Oh well, there’s always
next year. Thank you Palmers for hosting!
At the meeting part of our December
2 festivities, we had an election with the
same officers continuing. A couple of
interesting trips are in the works for the
2008 season and we were reminded that in
2009 our region will be 35 years young.
Jane Palmer’s dad passed away in
December. John Gilman’s mom passed
last June. We express our condolences.
We are an aging population and there will
be some unfortunate happenings along the
way, so we enjoy ourselves with our
Plymouth family.
-- Betty Kibbe
WE WELCOME new members Gerry and
Jackie Plummer of Brookfield, Mass.,
owners of “Daisy Mae,” their 1955 Savoy
sedan, and Earl and Flora Harvey of
Clinton, Mass., who own a 1934 sedan.
-- Kurt Oelmann
Dairyland Region
WE WILL BE MAKING PLANS to attend the
2008 Grand National Meet in Auburn
Hills, Michigan, hosted by the Detroit
Region. Ten years ago our Dairyland
Region was one of the largest groups in
attendance at the meet with a contingent
of 30 region members with 15 Plymouths
as the1998 Grand National Meet in
Plymouth, Mich., celebrated the 70th
anniversary of the Plymouth car! Those of
us who attended the 1998 meet are
still talking about the fun we had at the
meet with sand-filled swimming pools,
repairing blown head gaskets and replacing generators in a motel parking lot, driving Chrysler products at Chrysler’s proving grounds and the ferry trip across Lake
Michigan on the S. S. Badger. Our March
meeting agenda has time allotted
to discuss plans and arrangements for a
Dairyland Region caravan to the meet,
possibly using one of the two car ferries
now crossing Lake Michigan.
The 2009, National Summer
Meet committee activities are beginning to
show results, especially in arranging for
donations for goodie bags and door prizes.
-- Dick Silhol
Delaware Valley Region
OUR NOVEMBER MEETING was called to
order by President Bill Tropia at the
American Legion Hall in Magnolia, New
Jersey, with 16 members present.
Bill reported on our forthcoming
Christmas party. Dave Verna reported that
he had submitted photos of cars at our
Berlin show to a new Mopar magazine,
Mopar Enthusiasts. Jack Cipriano passed
around a bottle of wine, a 2006 Petite
Sirah California, which has a red Dodge
truck, of 1940 vintage, on the label.
In place of our December meeting, we
traveled over the river and through the
woods to the Neusch’s house. We had a
great time at our Christmas party this year.
Our club presented Lorraine and Larry
Neusch a night out as thanks for the hard
work they do hosting this occasion.
-- Hank DeMayo
Detroit Region
PRESIDENT WALT BOELSTLER called our
January meeting to order at the home of
Russ and Dorothy Nardi with eight members present.
President Boelstler led a discussion on
the 2008 meet. Paul Curtis presented
samples of the various trophy sizes furnished by Will Knudsen. Paul also presented several car drawings donated by
Bob Semichy for the silent auction . A
discussion on the number of trophies
needed followed. Joe Suminski spoke on
-9-
the judging changes currently being discussed by the National Officers.
Member Clarence Clouse received a
pacemaker in January and is now back in
his apartment at Sunrise Assisted Living.
During Tech Time, we had a general
discussion on plating. Paul Curtis reported
on two higher quality companies he has
worked with.
-- Paul Curtis
Golden State Region
TOM AND JAN REED hosted our February
meeting at their house in Whittier. A nice
surprise was waiting for us. Tom's friend
John Manifor had shown up with his 1929
Cadillac roadster; it is very nice indeed.
After we checked out John's car, Tom
opened his garage so we could drool over
his 1958 Plymouth with a Hemi in it. Tom
said that he will be driving it soon.
We then traveled to Phil Reed's
Garage to see his collection. Phil is a car
guy through and through, and his collection is of quality cars. I liked the 1929
Stutz Roadster the best. Phil has been into
everything from quarter midgets that his
son drove to owning the winning car at
Denver’s annual midget race, beating out
Kasey Kahne, of NASCAR fame. Phil
drives his cars and will be driving an original Model T from Baltimore, Maryland,
to California this summer.
We returned to Tom and Jan's house
and had a great lunch. Jan's cookies are
the best. We had a short meeting during
lunch. Margie Amos gave her treasurer’s
report. We are looking for students to
apply for our two scholarship funds.
Seventeen members and guests were in
-- Tony Cipponeri
attendance.
Heart of America Region
OUR JANUARY MEETING was opened by
our new president, Mike Schaefer.
Outgoing president Bill Krenzer presented
the 2007 Points Performance Award to
Jerry and Doris Elwood. Awards were
also given to Bill Krenzer and outgoing
vice-president Bob Yates for their six
years of service to our club.
We discussed, at length, possible
tours, the March potluck meeting, July
picnic and Christmas party for the coming
year. It was also decided that we will participate in the Shriner’s Swap Meet this
spring.
Following the meeting, a number of
us enjoyed lunch at Tien Tien Asian
Buffet.
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7:02 AM
Page 10
JANUARY’S CAFÉ CRUISE was hosted by
Ed and Marilyn Ernat at The Corner Café
in Liberty. Ten members enjoyed a respite
from the frigid weather and had a good
lunch and visiting.
SEVERAL OF OUR MEMBERS are or have
been ill with flu symptoms. Don Wood is
in a rehab facility. We hope that the bitter
cold (at this writing) will soon be an
unpleasant memory and all will be feeling
better.
Again, we discussed coming events.
Then Karen Zammar expressed her enjoyment in belonging to our club and suggested we tell others of the benefits we’ve
received from membership. George
Zammar, a retired grocer, also gave some
timely tips on interpreting dated items
while grocery shopping.
Several of us dined and visited at Jack
Stack Barbecue after the meeting.
-- Winona Krenzer
Hoosier Region
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Fred and
Glenda Baker, Frankfort, Indiana, owners
of a yellow 1951 P23 Cranbrook convertible; Bob and Mary Best, Greensburg,
owners of a 1954 P25 Plaza; Harrison and
Pam Collins, Mitchell, who have a 1965
Deluxe business coupe; John R. “Bob”
and Carol Cooper, Hartford City, 1953
Cranbrook club coupe; and Jeff and Teresa
Wright of Portland, Indiana,who have a
1961 green and white hardtop.
Loraine Boyce’s Plymouth is the pretty “lady” on the cover of the February
issue of Cars & Parts. An even prettier
picture of “Lady” Loraine beside her
Plymouth is in the four-page article begin-- Kevin Reeves
ning on page 14.
OUR JANUARY MEETING was opened by
President Kevin Reeves with 16 members
and guests attending. A thank-you note
from Berniece Snider was read, thanking
members for cards, calls and prayers during Marvin’s hospital stay following a
five-bypass surgery. The Sniders were
present at the meeting. Ray Scott sent similar thanks for members’ cards and visits
as he recovered from a compressed spinal
fracture. Both are in a “Don’t hug me, I’ll
hug you” mode. Jan Peel passed around a
get well card to be sent to Connie
Benjaminson (wife of Membership
Secretary Jim) who is battling cancer at
Rochester, Minnesota.
-- Jan Peel
Hudson Valley Region
OUR FIRST MEETING was held January 20
at the Olympic Diner in Kingston, New
York, with six members present: Earl
Buton, Jeff Buton, Bruce Buton, Dan
KiIlpatrick, Fred Schwarz, and myself.
We discussed plans for attracting new
members. We also discussed a possible
chapter meet at the Dutchess County
Fairgrounds at the annual Rhinebeck Car
Show and Swap Meet held in May. Tours
were also discussed. We decided that the
name of our chapter will be the Hudson
Valley Region. We planned to hold our
February meeting at Foster's Steakhouse in
-- Richard Wahrendorff
Rhinebeck.
Lincoln Land Region
OUR PLANS FOR 2008 include “work days”
at Terry Lash’s home as we work to get
Arnold Sommerfeldt’s 1941 P11 back on
the road. In March we’ll be at Spanky’s
(Wayne Cox) for a “Parts Car Teardown
and Meeting.” Spanky has a list of cars he
can pull up to the house for stripping. A
sunny day will mean working outdoors,
and he can provide up to four cars for us
to work on. A rainy day means working
inside and on only one car. Members are
asked to give their number one picks of
the car they’d most like to tear into. Most
removed parts will be available at a good
price.
In April there will be an evening at
the G. I. Jukebox Conklin Barn Theatre
for a “tuneful and hilarious USO spectacular” recalling visits of Hollywood stars
and starlets to entertain “the boys” during
World War II.
A visit to a car museum in Columbia,
Illinois, and nearby Jefferson Barrack
State Park is planed for May. Our chapter
picnic is slated for Beaver Dam State Park
in June.
Another work day and other trips are
planned, including one to Auburn Hills,
Michigan, for the 2008 Grand National
Meet.
The year will wrap up with a
Christmas banquet at Diamond Mineral
Springs in Grantfork, Illinois.
-- Kathy Taylor
Long Island Region
OUR JANUARY 9 MEETING was called to
order at 7:43 by Sgt.-at-Arms Kinane with
eleven in attendance.
In his report, President Marks stated
that we have a firm commitment for the
-10-
use of Calabro Airport for our June 22 car
show which we will jointly run with
Kiwanis. The proceeds from the show
will be evenly divided between the
Sunrise Fund for children with cancer and
the children's charity chosen by Kiwanis.
Vice President Kniotec will make inquiries
about having Hot Wheel cars up for the
June show with Plymouth Club and
Kiwanis logos printed on them.
Bill Hayden, owner of a 1966 Fury I
two-door, was accepted. D. Wegenaar
moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:33.
-- D. Wegenaar
Mid-Atlantic Region
GOING, GOING, GONE: these words could
apply to the food as well as the auction
items at our annual Christmas luncheon
and auction on December 2 at the Cozy
Restaurant in Thurmont, Maryland.
The tables were loaded with over 40
auction items of interest to nearly everyone. First, David Young and Dianne
Taylor presented a great pictorial history
of Mid-Atlantic Region activities during
2007. Soon we were called through the
food line to load our plates with fried and
steamed shrimp, clams, chicken and beef.
Desserts numbered better than a dozen
homemade pies, cakes, cookies plus ice
cream with toppings.
Each year we look forward to the
awards ceremony, especially the awarding
of the Byard Award that recognizes the
club member who has made significant
contributions to the club as voted by club
members. This year’s recipient was Al
Herold, a long-time member who had
served three years as club secretary but is
best known for the entertainment he provides at the end of each meeting with his
renditions of old time favorite songs of the
‘50s and ‘60s.
Roy Kidwell was also recognized for
his two years of serving as president of
our club. As Roy was at home recuperating from a recent operation, Pat Kidwell
accepted the plaque on behalf of her husband.
After a brief business meeting, the
auctioning began. It took a couple of
items before the bidding really took off,
but then no holds were barred. At one
point, Jerry Seitz found he was bidding
against himself for a Plymouth steering
wheel. Some had side businesses going at
their tables as they’d win a bid and then
put the item up for sale to their tablemates. In the end the auction netted
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 11
$1413 but the greatest richness came to
each of us as we shared the beginning of
the Christmas season with a very special
-- Peggy VanBibber
group of people.
OUR JANUARY MEETING was held at the
Olive Leaf Restaurant in Mount Airy,
Maryland, with 35 members present.
Following dinner, President Carl
VanBibber called the meeting to order. He
introduced the 2008 officers: Fran Byard,
membership; Jack and Mary Ann Veara,
historians; Peggy VanBibber, Mayflower
reporter; Pat Kidwell, Sunshine; Clayton
and Evaline Miller, Maude Streett and
Tom Kenney, photos; Roy Kidwell, technical advisor, chief judge and email coordinator.
Clayton Miller spoke about a memorial for our deceased member Chip Steves.
We decided to put funds together with
those from the Model T Club to purchase
a brick at the National AACA Museum.
The meeting was then turned over to
David Young for discussion of, and planning for, our 2009 national meet. The
theme of the meet is “Let your Plymouth
shine in ‘09.” Discussion was held
regarding a theme car, an honoring of our
deceased members and tour possibilities.
The meeting was closed by Al Herold
and his renditions of “What a Difference a
Day Makes” and “Don’t Know Why I
Love You But I Do.”
-- Karen Fowler
Prairie Region
OUR JANUARY 20 MEETING, held at Roger
and Bethine Wermeskerch’s barn, was
attended by 20 members, plus guests.
The first order of business was the
election of 2008 officers. The following
were elected: Roger Wermeskerch, president; Frank Shemek, vice-president; Larry
New members (as of Oct. 31/07)
Stanton, secretary; Linda Lape, treasurer;
Crystal Dewey, editor; and Lee Lape,
membership coordinator.
Roger discussed adding the new club
position of Events Planner to coordinate
area events with club meetings and
encouraged all members to investigate
events of interest in their communities and
offer to host a monthly club meeting during the event. Bethine Wermeskerch
offered to serve as Events Planner. Jerry
Fletcher, Linda Lape and Pat Stanton
offered to help her as needed.
A vote by email and mail on continuing our annual club swap meet was discussed. The total vote was 8 votes to continue, 8 votes to discontinue. As there
was no majority, the club swap meet with
be held, as scheduled, on May 18, 2008.
Roger and Val Cutshall reported on
the publication of the car council directory, available at the Lincoln swap meet in
March 9. Roger thanked Dennis and Val
for their work on this project. Our club
will buy an ad in the directory advertising
our club swap meet and Plymouth national
meet.
- Larry Stanton
Tall Pines Region
OUR JANUARY MEETING, and the first one of
2008, took place at the home of Jack and
Ginny Schultz near Medford, Minnesota.
No old cars this time, though, as we were
locked in the midst of an upper Midwest
winter. The temperature as we started the
meeting was right at 0° F., but sunny with no
wind, so it wasn’t too bad. Jack had the
garage warmed up nicely for the guys to
meet there, and the women went up to the
house where it was comfortable.
Along with the 16 members attending
was national officer Jim Benjaminson. As
many of you know, Jim’s wife, Connie, was
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for treatment of leukemia. Jim was invited to drive
the 45 or 50 miles from Rochester to join us
for the afternoon. He agreed, and we’re glad
he did.
After some car talk and looking at
Jack’s latest project, a beautiful ‘41
Plymouth four-door, we got around to our
business meeting. We discussed taking at
least two tours during the year, preferably
three days or longer, each, not including the
tour many are planning to take to the Grand
National Meet.
Talk revolved around a possible trip up
to North Dakota (about 400 miles from the
Twin Cities), to see Jim Benjaminson, his
cars and whatever other activities he could
arrange. Mentioned was a Pioneer Museum
and a couple of private collections Jim
knows of in his area. Tentatively, we agreed
to go to Jim Benjaminson’s in mid-to-late
June, depending on his wife’s health and his
schedule.
There was talk of leaving a few days
early to go to the Grand National Meet in
Detroit and seeing some sights along the
way. A show of hands revealed that about
four to six couples are planning to go to
Detroit this year.
Short reports on the current happenings
at the national club level were presented by
Carl Wegner and Jim Benjaminson. Jim
talked about getting all the past issues of the
PLYMOUTH BULLETIN on DVDs.
Don Rohweder reported that he has
been working on our Tall Pines website.
Our new web address is:
www.tallpinesplymouth.com.
I just visited it and it looks very professional,
with many pictures of Tall Pines Member’s
cars, a statement about us and what our club
does, and an e-mail link to field questions or
comments.
Following some more car talk and a
look at the vehicles in Jack’s storage shed,
we enjoyed a pot luck dinner. Thanks go to
Jack and Ginny for hosting our group.
-- Happy Plymouthing!
Rog & Jean Ramberg
Nick F. Bangar
1878 Peterson Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030-4035
Jerry Estes
573 Vesper Way
Camano Island, WA 982827632
Gunter Kramer
10563 Joplin Street
Commerce City, CO 800220621
Dana Billingsley
8311 East Via De Dorado
Scottsdale, AZ 85258-3805
Gary Guevin
906 River Road
Weare, NH 03281-5216
Fred Long
625 San Gabriel
St Louis, MO 63125-1165
Thomas J. Conca
62 Ledgewood Drive
Cranston, RI 02920-3015
Don Haugen
411 LaForet Drive
Morganton, NC 28655-8094
Chris Marrone
80 Greenbriar Lane
Newtown, PA 18940-1680
Terrance Conklin
P O Box 372
West Winfield, NY 13491-0372
Lee & Carolyn Hughel
221 North Jefferson Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46201-3139
J. Trent Metcalf
3382 Zuercher Road
Dalton, OH 44618-9763
John L. DeMoss
4010 East 24th Court
Des Moines, IA 50317-4113
Dennis A. Jennings
6554 Peniel Road
Tryon, NC 28782-8829
John McCormick
19704 Old Lincoln Highway
Council Bluffs, IA 51503-1201
-11-
Bob McCoy
706 East Wyndwicke Drive
St Joseph, MI 49085-9608
Daniel R. McCoy
8467 Varina Road
Richmond, VA 23231-8243
Mickey W. Pond
220 North Douglas Street
Sedan, KS 67361-1313
Brad Starks
428 Rice Street
Ionia, MI 48846-1417
Martin H. Zeek
RR 1 Box 1756
Henryville, PA 18332-9123
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:02 AM
Page 12
Plymouth Owners Club sponsors….
The 1st Vermont Harvest Tour
1928—1932 Four-Cylinder
Plymouth Meet & Tour
All Plymouth Owners Club members are welcome,
but should hitch a ride with a four-cylinder friend for the tours.
September 11th - 14th, 2008
Thursday, September 11th
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. - Registration at Hilltop Inn of Vermont (3472 Airport Road, Berlin)
For reservations call 802-229-5766 or visit www.hilltopinnvt.net
The room block rate is $65.00 per night (3 or more nights) plus tax. There is parking for RVs at the Inn at no
charge (please call to let them know you are coming). To take advantage of the room block rate,
reservations must be made before August 11, 2008. Make sure to Mention the club when calling.
Friday, September 12th
•
•
•
•
•
Drive across the famous Floating Bridge
Visit Porters Music Box Museum ($4.50 pp)
Lunch & Display the Cars at the Tunbridge Worlds Fair (no admission fee, lunch on your own)
Tech Talk & Flea Market
New England Famous Chicken Pie Supper ($9.00 pp)
Saturday, September 13th
Tour the Granite Capital of the Worlds own Quarry - Rock of Ages ($4.00 pp)
Visit the Nation’s smallest Capital City for a photo opportunity
Tour Cold Hollow Cider Mill - see cider that's still made the old fashioned way. Lunch to follow (self pay).
Weather Dependent - Sun! Stowe Mountain Resort: Take the easy way up Mt. Mansfield in the gondola,
where spectacular views await you near the peak of Vermont's highest mountain. Or Experience an
exhilarating 2,300 foot ride down Spruce Peak on the Stowe Alpine Slide. (pay on your own)
Rain! Go shopping in Stowe, visit the Trapp Family Lodge or spend the afternoon on your own.
• Banquet at Suzanna’s Restaurant (at the Hilltop) ($20.00 pp)
•
•
•
•
Sunday, September 14th
• Breakfast at the Wayside Restaurant - a place to eat true Vermont food. (pay on your own)
REGISTRATION
No judging / No trophies/Dash Plaques
Names of those Attending:_____________________________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________City/State/Zip:__________________________________
Phone:__________________Email:_______________________Plymouth Year______Model________Body__________
Please note how many will be attending each event:
___ Please register my car - $16.00 per car
___ Porters Music Box Museum - $4.50 pp
___ Chicken Pie Supper- $9.00 pp
___
___
___
___
Rock of Ages Granite Quarry - $4.00 pp
Saturday Lunch (location TBD) - self pay
Banquet at Suzanna’s Restaurant - $20.00 pp
Breakfast at the Wayside - self pay
Total Due:________________ please enclose with registration and return by August 11, 2008.
Please return with payment to:
~ Dianne Stephenson ~ PO Box 171, Williamstown, VT 05679 ~ 802-433-5442 ~
-12-
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Grand National
NEWSLETTER
DETROIT’S FAMILY-ORIENTED EVENT SCHEDULE IS THE BEST ONE EVER!
FridayTourEvent-Nostalgic Bus Tourof Old Auto Plants
Here's a look at the Wednesday “YouCruise” events!
Register for this 3-hour historic bus tour passing all the old manufacturing plants of marques like Chrysler, Maxwell, Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto,
Studebaker, Chalmers and many more. Lunch will be served in the restored original Ford Model T manufacturing plant located on Piquette
Street. The tour is narrated by noted historian and Plymouth Club member Don Wood and National Automotive History Society member Tom
Deptulski. Visit the website for the Piquette Plant at:
http://www.tplex.org/1_overview.html
Wednesday, July 30 — We've put together four short tours ranging
from 4 to 27 miles (one way) & you can do one or more tours without
reservations!
MuseumBronze-(4miles)
Museum Bronze is a collection of more than 1000 hand-made working models that demonstrate the precision building of machinery for
mass production and the historical impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Http://www.museum-bronze.com/
The Detroit Zoo-PolarBears to Penguins! (12miles)
The Detroit Zoo features 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits with 1300
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates of 250 different species. http://www.detroitzoo.org/
MorleyCandyMakers—AHistoryofChocolateExcellence!(27miles)
Since 1919 Morley Candy has been producing great tasting, quality
chocolate products. At the end of the tour, you'll sample Morley favorites
in our Candy Shop. http://www.morleycandy.com/
Walter P. Chrysler Museum
On Wednesday evening we'll cruise 4 miles over to the W. P. Chrysler
Museum where we'll enjoy a cook-out and a tour of the Museum!
http://www.chryslerheritage.com
THE SHOWHOTEL!
The Marriott at Centerpoint is a centrally located facility
that is no stranger to car club events. They have hosted many
of the National Events of Car Club from around the country.
The Plymouth Club will have a special show area on the
grounds of the hotel for our SATURDAY SHOW! There is
excellent, secure trailer parking in a special connecting
storage lot. A standout among hotels in Detroit and its
suburbs, the Detroit Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint
introduces you to the utmost in responsive service,
outstanding amenities and expansive meeting space within
the Centerpoint Business Campus. Here, richly appointed
guest rooms offer solitude and welcome conveniences like
high-speed Internet access. For dining, the Parkway Grille
treats you to award-winning cuisine and alfresco dining.
There are fitness options, including a pool and sauna. Also
Available: Scheduled Van Service within 5 mile radius and
Great Lakes Shopping Mall.
TO BOOK YOUR ROOM CONTACT THE HOTEL AT:
3600 Centerpoint Parkway - Pontiac, Michigan 48341
USA
Phone: 1-248-253-9800
Fax: 1-248-253-9682
Toll-free: 1-800-228-9290
ThursdayTourEvent
Thursday, July 31 - The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village is
our destination. This is a 25 mile bus ride to the 90 acre site in
Dearborn, Michigan. Some of you will want to drive your own
cars, which is a great way to see more of the area. If you desire
bus transportation, it is by reservation only and you must indicate
this on your entry form. The Museum & Village are separate admissions and you can choose one or both attractions. POC Group and senior rates apply but reservations are not necessary...simply pay as you go!
http://the henryford.org/
-13-
Make sure to mention the Plymouth Owner’s Club Grand
National Event!
For information about other hotels in the area, camping information, or other important information about the Grand
National Meet, visit the Detroit Region website at
HTTP://WWW.PLYMOUTHCLUB.ORG and click on the
Grand National Meet Logo.
288-FULL ISSUE
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Page 14
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-14-
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Page 15
-15-
286-New p.16
11/20/07
8:17 AM
Page 1
b e lo w
Baltimore
• Tour: Car Restoration Shop
• Collection of Case Automobiles.
Mopars,Tractors, Farm Machinery
• Antique Belt Driven Machine Shop
antique cars and memorabilia
• Gettysburg and Boyd’s Bears
• Carroll County Farm Museum
Tour
Conowingo Dam
Annapolis
Washington DC
Ladew Gardens
Western Maryland
Crab
Feast
dbyoung@umbc.edu
detaylor@towson.edu
410 876 0702
-16-
3/3/08
12:20 AM
Page 1
D EUCE is what 2007 has
been called by many who marked the 75th
anniversary of the car known as the Deuce,
the 1932 Ford. The car picked up its moniker
because of the Fords favored by early hot rodders-roughly from 1923-1934--it, the most favored, came
from the year ending with “2”--hence, the Deuce.
Celebrations of the Deuce’s 75th year took place
throughout North America, likely around the world.
Member Trevor Landage of Calgary, Alberta, left his
Plymouth at home and took his ‘41 Ford to join the
Cross-Canada Hot Rod tour when it came through
his city and drove to its conclusion in Victoria, British Columbia.
Plymouth has its deuce, too--a 1932 model known as the PB,
which matches, and in many ways exceeds, the famous Ford version. Actually, in a generic sense, Plymouth (as do other manufacturers) has several deuces, since any year ending with “2”
technically qualifies. This issue takes the generic route, beginning with Plymouth’s offerings for 1932 and continuing through
each decade to 1972. Here is a rundown of Plymouth’s deuces:
T
HE YEAR OF THE
plated with a very thin coating of chrome that needs
a special protectant to keep them from corroding
during shipping, but they quickly became pitted with
rust once the cars are in customers’ hands. Most
restored ‘52s are “inauthentic,” having chrome superior to what the car had when it left the factory.
A bright spot for the year is gorgeous two-toning that spreads from the roof onto the trunk of the
Belvedere hardtop. Mechanically, with a mid-year
introduction, the ‘52 becomes the first Plymouth to
be factory-equipped with overdrive.
3 2
Deuces Wild
2
288-new 17,47
1962 PLYMOUTH’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL models,
the ‘62s are considered by many as “ugly duckings.”
Searching for the next step after his successful finned
Forward Look cars, stylist Virgil Exner introduces
Deuces Wild
what he calls Forward Flair, a European-inspired
look with a long hood/short deck configuration that will be a hit
with the Mustang a few years later. Well on his way in creating
full-size models, Exner is suddenly ordered to downsize the cars,
based on a cocktail party rumor that Chevrolet is coming out
with a smaller car (it is but with an additional car, the Chevy II,
not as a replacement for the big Chevrolet). Exner does well to
get the smaller car into production--and its styling is critically
acclaimed by the automotive press. The buying public, however,
firmly rejects it. After years of the excess of fins and chrome,
buyers are yearning for conventionality, which Ford and
Chevrolet provide, leaving Plymouth in their dust, sales-wise.
One place Plymouth is not in the dust is at the race track.
The combination of the downsized bodies’ lighter weight and
high-output engines makes the cars hard to beat at the drag strips
and even on NASCAR tracks, boosting a Mopar performance
legacy that will continue for years to come.
From the perspective of a time, 45 years later, when cars
need a certain “edginess” of style to succeed in sales, the ‘62
Plymouth “doesn’t look so bad.” Exner’s “edgy” Forward Flair
has become just that, a flair that has reached forward in time.
6 2
2
1932 PLYMOUTH ENTERS THE YEAR with four less
cylinders than Ford but with twice as many springs
and hydraulic brakes to boot. With its Floating
Power engine mounts, it boasts “The smoothness of
Deuces Wild
an eight; the economy of a four.” It matches Ford’s
V8 horsepower, as both produce an advertised 65 BHP.
Plymouth’s four, in its final year of production, is at the zenith of
its development while Ford’s V8, rushed into production, has
numerous problems, oil leakage and overheating chief among
them.
Ford’s Deuce is, admittedly, a good looking car, its Edsel
Ford-directed styling being inspired by no less than the
Duesenberg Model J. Not to be outdone, Plymouth (as John
Hendricks claims in BULLETIN 246) derives its 1932 styling from
the famed L29 Cord. Ford’s Lil’ Deuce Coupe is to become
famous; but Plymouth’s coupe has the lower roof lines that Ford
coupe owners have to “chop the top” to achieve. The lines of
Ford’s roadster are appealing but cannot match the curves of
Plymouth’s last true domestic roadster.
3 2
2
1972 THE HEMI IS GONE. The convertible is gone.
The horsepower race is over. The crunch of high
rates from the insurance companies combined with
increasing government regulations has brought the
Deuces Wild
burgeoning muscle car era to a screeching halt. Only
the big Fury is available with the big block 400 (no longer the
383) and the 440. The biggest engine for the rest of the line is
the small block 340, still potent but detuned from earlier versions. And horsepower is now measured in more accurate net
amount which seems lower, because the numbers are lower, but
really isn’t. The big Fury gets a new rendition of the fuselage
body introduced in 1969. The rest of the line carries on with
what it had in ‘71.
7 2
1942 WAR, RAGING throughout much of the world,
is poised to engulf the United States as the 1942
models are introduced. Plymouth updates the body
introduced in 1940, making it more massive with the
Deuces Wild
lower edges of the doors curving to cover the running boards. The production run of these P14 models is to be
very short, coming to a halt on January 31, 1942. With their normally bright chrome or stainless trim replaced by painted metal,
the latter of these cars become known as the “blackout” models.
Although its actual production time is short, the P14 will go
on to a long lifespan following the war when, slightly revised in
1946 as the P15, it will stay on the market into 1949.
2
4 2
2
8
1982 PLYMOUTH “DOWNSIZES” AGAIN by moving
its Gran Fury badge from the discontinued mid-size
R-body of 1981 to the M-body, new to Plymouth in
the USA (but not in Canada where it’s been available
since 1978) which, in the USA, previously carried
only Dodge and Chrysler badges. During its eight year existence, this Gran Fury will become the favorite of city police
departments everywhere. The bulk of Plymouths sales, however,
will come from the K-car Reliant and the compact Horizon and
its T3C coupe variant.
No Plymouth Owners Club member has yet registered a
1982 Plymouth with the club.
-- Lanny Knutson
1952 ANOTHER DECADE; ANOTHER WAR. The
Korean Conflict does not halt automotive production
but certainly affects it. Plymouth basically carries
over its 1951 models without even changing the P22
Deuces Wild
and P23 designations. There are slight variations to
distinguish the years. The ‘52 has a round hood medallion, the
“waves” are gone from the hood ornament ship and, on the trunk,
the PLYMOUTH nameplate is combined with the license plate
bezel. On the front bumper, the license plate bracket is replaced
by slots punched into the bumper. The bumpers themselves are
5 2
2
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2
Deuces Wild
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My First Plymouth
by Wayne Augsburger
Collinsville, Illinois
B
etween my third and fourth years of high school, I worked as a gandy dancer on the
Illinois Terminal Railroad and earned enough to buy my first Plymouth. It was a fourcylinder Floating Power coupe with freewheeling. I sure was proud of that car.
The motor rocked when it ran and eventually broke the upper radiator hose. It happened to be
the same size as the air hoses on rail cars. When the hoses broke on rail cars, they always broke at
the top end, so there was enough good hose left (about 18 inches) to be used on my Plymouth.
Once I put the stiffer railroad hose on my car, the motor wouldn’t rock nearly as much as it had
before. That lasted about two days; then it pulled the snout off the radiator.
One time I was called out of a movie theatre because my brother-in-law’s car had broken down
with a thrown rod on the road between Flora and Xenia, Illinois. I went home and got some mine
cable and headed back. It was very cold, about five degrees above zero.
On these Plymouths, the third brush in the generator sets the charging rate. I had it set too low
for using the headlights and the heater at the same time. “Like to froze.”
When I got to them--seven in all--they were warm and comfy because they had blankets. My
sister said, “Damn, he brought that #*@* coupe!” She was trying to figure how they could all fit
into the trunk. I replied, “I’ll tow you home” and tied the bumpers together.
My brother-in-law’s car was a 1934 Oldsmobile 8, a big, heavy car. There were many hills
between there and home and to pull all that weight uphill, I had to shift down… but downhill, I
had to floor the Plymouth to keep it from getting bumped!
We made it home, safe and sound.
REPRINTED FROM THE LINCOLN LAND PLYMOUTH BULLETIN, NOV/DEC, 2006
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Lar oy & Catie Smit h’s
Page 19
Plymouth Saga
2
‘32 Plymout h
T
he saga of Laroy and
Catie Smith’s ‘32 PB
sedan began more
than 40 years ago.
Laroy’s sister, thenrecently married, found herself in need of money, and
she and her husband just
happened to have a 1932
Plymouth. Its engine had
blown, and the disassembled
front end was in boxes.
They offered the car and
parts to Laroy for $175.
Assuming he could have it running in a short period of
time, 17-year-old Laroy borrowed his dad’s pickup, found a
tow bar and was off to Sheridan, Oregon, to pick up his new
prize. Reattaching the PB’s front bumper, Laroy hooked up
the tow bar and was off to the northern Oregon coast. A few
miles down the road from Sheridan, one side of the tow bar
came unhooked, resulting in a near disaster.
Arriving at his home in Seaside, Laroy was ready to go to
work. He quickly realized that he knew nothing about fixing
up an old car. It took him a couple of weeks to find someone
to repair the engine. A shop in Portland was willing to take
on the job. So all the parts went into a box and off to town
they went.
The engine was bored and the bearings were poured.
Two weeks later, Laroy got a phone call that the engine was
done, so off to town he went again.
Having never worked on a vehicle of this age, Laroy discovered that assembly would take a while. Finally, he
thought, everything was in place. He turned the key.
Nothing. He tried towing the car to get its engine to fire. It
was not a good move. After two blocks, the engine froze up.
Being unfamiliar with these engines, Laroy didn’t know
that the oil pump had to be primed before the engine was first
turned over. So, there went the new bearings.
The shop people were not impressed when the block and
parts showed up after yet another ride to the city.
Three weeks later, the phone rang again, and Laroy was
told that his engine was ready for the second time. Arriving
at the mechanic’s home, he found his engine on the garage
floor, purring like a kitten. Now it was time for its second
trip to the coast.
A few extra nuts and bolts later, the engine was in and the
fenders, hood and all the parts in the boxes were installed.
Finally, the PB was running and turning heads on the streets
of Seaside.
The last time the car was licensed was in 1982. Then it
sat in semi-storage for some 20 years. During that time, the
‘32 got a new paint job (which took about six months), and in
2003 a new interior was installed.
In 2004, Cascade Pacific members Jimmie and Bonnie
Fox were vacationing in Seaside and stopped at the Bridge
Tender Tavern, the downtown Seaside landmark which Laroy
and Catie have owned and operated for 30 years. After sampling the establishment’s famous clam chowder, Jimmie and
Bonnie went outside to admire the Smiths’ Plymouth.
That visit resulted in the bug hitting Laroy again, and he
decided to make the PB roadworthy. Many minor adjustments had to be done, and some hard-to-find parts were located by phone and eBay, taking more time than he had expected
it would.
The car did have new tires, but after sitting on them for
20 years, it needed another new set. Then it was ready to roll
for monthly Cascade Pacific get-togethers.
Laroy, having joined the Plymouth Owners Club in
October, 1966, is number 22 on the list of currently active
members and is pleased to have a region located in the Pacific
Northwest.
REPRINTED FROM THE CASCADE PACIFIC REGION NEWSLETTER,
MAY, 2004. EDITED.
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80,000 miles since then. It has
been on trips to Key West, to
Canada, twice to Breckenridge,
Colorado, to Branson,
Missouri, and our most recent
trip to Rapid City, South
Dakota.” In 1993, it was
awarded the AACA’s national
“Henry Ford Award,” an honor
that can only be won by a car
that is driven, as opposed to
being a show car. It had just
received its AACA Senior
Award when it won the Henry
Ford Award.
Billy and Rickie’s ‘42
Plymouth had 22,890 miles
when they bought it from its
second owner in 2006.
Initially, Billy had to unstick
the brake shoes to get the car
moving. The gas line was
clogged, but he was able to
start the motor by hooking it
directly to a can of gas. Once
he got the car home, he fixed
its brakes and fuel system and
was able to drive it to Hershey
that year. Although the car doesn’t burn oil, it loses it through
the main seals which have dried up over the years.
Otherwise, the ‘42 is in amazingly good shape; and, as
David observes, “It purrs like a kitten.” Both Billy and David
commented on the condition of the seats and seat covers and
the door panels, all of which appear to be original and show
little or no wear. While the car has an after-market radio
under the dash, it appeared not to have an antenna until Billy
located it under the driver’s side running board. (Actually,
David notes that under-the-car antenna are also found in earli-
4 2
2
Deuces Wild
Could be …
Owned by
Billy and Rickie Beardmore
Deale, Maryland
A Keeper
F
or 27 years, Billy and Rickie Beardmore’s 1942
Plymouth sat in a garage not far from their home in
Deale, Maryland. It could easily have still been sitting
there except that its elderly owner happened to mention one
day in 2006 that she “probably ought to be thinking about
selling it.” The word got back to Billy, and he ended up buying the car, bringing to seven the number of antiques he and
Rickie now own.
Their favorite antique is a 1931 Model A coupe. They
also have a ‘29 Model A four-door sedan, a 1941 Cadillac
limousine (with a liquor cabinet built into the back of the
front seat), a red 1965 Buick convertible, a 1957 Chevrolet
four-door sedan and a 1959 British taxi called--are you ready
for this?--a “Beardmore.”
During his visit to Billy and Rickie’s place south of
Annapolis to shoot photos of their 1942 Plymouth, David
Young had a close look at their antiques and learned of the
taxi. “It’s a ‘50s car that looks like a ‘30s car,” David
explains. “It has a little British Ford four-cylinder engine and
a 35-gallon petrol tank, so it would only need filling once a
week. With no window cranks, its side windows are raised
and lowered manually.” The president of the company was a
gentleman named William Beardmore who, so far as Bill and
Rickie know, is not related to them.
The radio antenna is located under the right running board.
er eras, noting that his 1932 Plymouth PB roadster has one
similarly located.)
Interestingly, the ‘42 Plymouth does not have a heater,
though, as Billy points out, it has all the knobs for one, but
they are all dummies. “You can’t pull them and you can’t turn
them,” he says, noting that it probably had something to do
with where the car was to be sold. If it were going to Florida,
for example, it certainly would not have been equipped with a
heater. “Back in the old days, heaters were always an extra.”
Why buy one if you were not going to need it? Nonetheless,
he notes that there are punch-outs for a heater on the firewall
of his Plymouth, but they are all intact.
An AACA Award Winner
Their all-time favorite antique is their Model A coupe. “We
restored it in 1990,” Billy explains, “and have driven it almost
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A firefighter for 29 years
A native of Washington, DC, but raised in
Morningside, Maryland, Billy graduated from high
school with a vocational (auto mechanics) degree.
He went to work as a firefighter in 1965, rising
through the ranks until he retired in 1991 as a battalion chief.
Rickie, too, was born in Washington, DC, but
has also lived in Colorado, California, Florida and
Maryland. She worked for the National Bank of
Washington (DC), writing programs for the bank’s
change-over over to computers. “She and her colleagues,” Billy recalls, “would write the programs
in Washington but would have to travel to New
York to test them because there were no computers
in Washington at the time.”
Long before Billy’s retirement, he built a body
shop at their home and began restoring wrecked
cars and re-selling them. Over 25-plus years, he has restored
more than 20 antique and classic cars and repaired a few hundred “total loss” cars. At one point, he was doing regular
insurance work as well. In those days, he notes, “Rickie did
most of the raising of our three kids (Shelley, Jim and Jerry)
while I was working 60 hours a week for the fire department,
plus whatever hours I had to work at part time jobs. And she
also took care of the paper work of the body shop.”
Billy and Rickie have been married for almost 44 years,
and over those years Rickie has been very much involved
with the cars that have come though the body shop and with
the antiques they have owned. (“She tried to have my brother
buy our 1931 Model A so she could give it to me as a surprise
on my birthday,” Billy recalls, “but he refused to buy it without me looking at it first.”) She also helped a great deal in the
restoration of that car and others. She did the sandblasting of
all items that would fit in the sandblast cabinet,” Billy recalls,
“helped with sanding, upholstering the seats and chasing parts
at flea markets and at Bratton's Antique Auto Parts."
What’s more, Rickie drives all of the cars, putting more
than 15,000 miles on the Model A alone. She also enjoys
planning trips and locating historic hotels and restaurants at
which to stop along the way.
year and theirs was probably built early in the production run.
As pointed out in the Chrysler Chronicle, the “final ‘42s went
on sale the end of January and were sold without chrome
trim; as elsewhere in the industry, they’re called “blackout”
models. With the demand by the armed forces for cars, many
new models that were not on order or not already in consumer
hands were impounded by the government for use by the military.”
According to the Standard Catalog of Chrysler, many
innovations were to be found in the 1942 models. “The new
body sat lower on the chassis and, for the first time, running
boards…were concealed by the doors, which flared out over
them.” It was the second year for “alligator” hoods that open
at the front. Also for the second year, a vacuum controlled
shifting mechanism was offered, but was not sold in great
numbers. Essentially, these cars became the P15s sold after
the war. The Chrysler Chronicle refers to the P15s as
warmed-over ‘42s, noting that the industry did not have to
introduce new designs since the public’s pent up desire for
new automobiles was so great.
Once again, most of the four-door sedans sold had “suicide” doors, so-called because the rear doors opened front
ward. A four-door, five-passenger Town Sedan was also
offered that year with rearward opening doors, but only 5,821
were produced as opposed to the 68,924 four-door sedans produced with suicide doors, Billy’s and Rickie’s Special Deluxe
being one of them. Nor does it have the vacuum shifting
mechanism. However, the seat covers appear to have been a
factory installed option inasmuch as the upholstery underneath seems to be in like-new condition.
Although many cars of various ages and models have
passed though the Beardmores’ multi-bay restoration shop and
their multi-car garage, it is quite possible their rare 1942 fourdoor Plymouth Special Deluxe sedan could be a keeper. After
all, their oldest son, Jim, has a 1967 Plymouth convertible
that he has almost finished restoring; their youngest son,
Jerry, has a ’29 Model A roadster pickup that he has fully
restored; and now their daughter, Shelley, “seems to be very
-- Paul Moore
interested in the ‘42 Plymouth!”
Memories of Bill Thomas
Billy recalls hearing about the Mid-Atlantic Region through
the late Bill Thomas, a long-time Mid-Atlantic and POC
member. “Bill and I worked together at our body shop for a
few years. This was after Anacostia Chrysler-Plymouth,
where Bill worked for many years, went out of business,”
Billy recalls. “I was supposed to be teaching Bill about bodywork, but I think I learned more from him about mechanical
work than he learned from me about body work. Bill Thomas
knew more about cars than any person I have ever met.”
Billy and Rickie are also good friends of Darcy Erion
and Bobbie Cox and have met other Mid-Atlantic members at
various functions, including those of the National Capital
Region AACA, to which they also belong.
The Beardmores’ P4C Special Deluxe is one of 68,924
built that year. It was a short run for civilian production that
REPRINTED FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC MAYFLOWER, NOV-DEC, 2006. EDITED
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Blackout in Red
2
Deuces Wild
RACHEL STYER PHOTO
4 2
by Denise Brady
San Francisco, California
woman who worked as a civilian employee at the Presidio of
San Francisco Army base during World War II. She bought
the car new in January, 1943, and drove it 15,000 miles before
putting it in mothballs in the back of her garage at 17th and
Noe streets.
A couple of hydraulic-jacks later and the car was mine,
because I had the good fortune to be the next Brady child
poised to get a drivers’ license.
I had a blast driving that car around San Francisco in
1966, but I was always getting into trouble. Like a lot of
teenagers, I was frequently tooling my girlfriends around
town when I was supposed to be studying at the library.
Some fireman would inevitably tell my dad: “Hey Joe, I saw
the Plymouth out at the beach yesterday!” So much for
anonymity.
I also learned the hard way about the consequences of the
enormous blind spot presented by the canvas top. In 1942
Plymouth was among the last to have a “Victoria” style convertible top. The convertible coupe has a full back seat but no
rear side windows and only a small glass rear window. I suppose that in 1942 there weren’t a lot of opportunities in town
to be making lane changes, but I’m here to tell you that things
had changed a lot by 1966. My family lived off of Geary
Blvd., a six-lane road. I would dutifully use my arm signals,
then speed up, slow down, speed up again and slow down
again and then cautiously move into the right lane, which
worked pretty well until I ran into a Metropolitan. From then
on, warm coats were required clothing, because I drove
nowhere unless the top was down. I remember nights so
foggy I had to use the windshield wipers. There we were, me
In
the spring of 1966, my dad, Joe Brady, a San
Francisco firefighter and father of four, stumbled
across a 1942 Plymouth convertible parked sideways
across the back inside wall of a garage that my grandfather
rented. The car had been there for years and could barely be
discerned under the pile of junk that had accumulated on top
of it, including a dining room table that had broken through
the canvas top.
Dad bought the car for $25 from the original owner, a
A rear view shows the painted trim pieces of a blackout model.
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a SF firefighter, worked on the Plymouth with my dad to get
it running earlier that year. Bill Leonhardt, the Plymouth
Owners Club's technical advisor for '42s, was an enormous
help. I've pestered Bill and his wife with numerous phone
calls over the past three years and I always got the help I
needed and, on occasion, parts too.
This is what I’ve learned about the
Plymouth’s pre-1966 history: In
1942, Plymouth only made 2,804
Special Deluxe convertibles,
of which only nine are
known to exist today
(registered with the
Plymouth Owners
Club). It’s
believed that I
may have the only
‘42 convertible
from the Los
Angeles plant and
the only “blackout
model” known to
exist. Early in ‘42 all
available chromium was
diverted to making military
equipment; the cars remaining to
be assembled at that point (at the tail end
of production), as identifiable by their serial and
engine numbers, have painted trim and other slight modifications. These cars are called blackout models.
Regardless of what the records indicate, this was my first
car, and every time I slip behind the wheel, memories of high
school come pouring back. It’s definitely got a lot to do with
the familiar smell of leather seats and soggy wool.
RACHEL STYER PHOTO
and my Star girls, bundled up in our pea coats and mittens,
smelling like wet wool, with the top down, of course.
I tooled around the city with my girlfriends in tow that
school year until I banged up a few fenders and blew the
motor. Dad, realizing that the ‘42 was a real gem and that its
future was in serious jeopardy, wisely took swift and decisive
action. With 17,000 original miles, back into
storage the ’42 went; off came the
front end; out came the motor
and that’s how it remained
for 40 years. I visited the
car regularly to treat
the leather seats and
reminisce, but over
time, I admit, my
attention waned.
For the next
10 years or so,
there were many
passionate debates
over the dinner table
about what should
come of the Plymouth,
but Dad didn’t budge.
In the fall of 2004, my siblings’ (Bob, JoAnne and Mike)
sense of “fair play” prevailed, and they
happily allowed me to take possession of the ‘42
Plymouth as part of the distribution of our parents’ estate.
The timing was perfect; getting the ‘42 on the road became
my first retirement project. However, after the first broken
fingernail I might have given up if it weren’t for the support
of Jimmy O’Keefe and the late Dick Richardson, two fixtures
in the San Francisco car restoration scene. Jimmy and I go
way back. You could have found the Plymouth parked next to
Jimmy’s 1947 Ford woody on 3rd Avenue in front of
Grandma’s house in the summer of ‘66, and Dick Richardson,
RACHEL STYER PHOTO
Progression in restoration: ten years of storage; body work begins; after final paint and awaiting bumpers.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PUBLISHED A STORY WITH PHOTOS ABOUT THIS LOCAL CAR
ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2007.
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Blackout
Only two blackout models are known to be on the club
roster: Denise Brady’s convertible and the Town Sedan of Bill
Call. (Also, Call’s is one of only two ‘42 Town Sedans on
the roster; the other, a regular model, belongs to Bill
Leonhardt). Bill Call’s Town Sedan is painted as it originally
was for the US Army. Such cars had not only the usual blackout trim but also the grilles and bumpers painted the army’s
olive drab body color. In the case of this car, its restorer,
Lloyd White, had it painted in a gloss color as it might have
been for a high-ranking officer. It had first been painted in
semi-gloss but he found it to be far too drab in displaying the
great amount of work that had gone into restoring the car.
(According to some reports, a few ‘42s actually were
delivered to the military with wooden bumpers!)
Likely, no two blackout cars are the same. On all, the
front fender trim was shortened and the rear fender trim was
eliminated. Everything else seems to have been up for grabs,
as Denise Brady reports regarding her car:
by Lanny Knutson
A
fter the United States entered World War II in
December, 1941, and before its last passenger car
was built on January 31, 1942, Plymouth joined other
manufacturers in producing what have become known as
“blackout” models.
With chromium and stainless steel being in high demand
for the war effort, items made of these materials were substituted with those made of regular steel and painted. Bumpers
seem to have been excluded from such substitution, but not in
all cases.
Don Butler, in The Plymouth-DeSoto Story, reports that
“generally” the substitute trim on P14 models was painted a
light color on dark-colored cars and dark on light-colored cars
while the grille was painted a gray color. He adds, in what
seems an understatement, that there was “some minor variation in the formula.”
According to club technical advisor for 1942 models, Bill
Leonhardt, in BULLETINs 134 and 197, the steel side trim was
of a different contour than the stainless version and lacked the
center groove that had borne a red stripe. However, to keep
all things equal, on blackout cars on which existing stock of
stainless trim was used, the trim was painted in the same
manner as the steel trim. Over time, some owners discovered
the bright stainless under the paint on their cars’ trim and
removed the paint for a brighter look.
Bill Leonhardt gives the following serial numbers as the
approximate beginnings of the blackout models:
P14C
Detroit
11474830
Evansville 20160112
Los Angeles 3305324
PB
DENNIS DUPUIS PHOTO
P14S
Detroit
15150781
Evansville 20160112
Los Angeles 3136084
The thing about blackout models (Bill Leonhardt agrees) is
that there is no one true standard. In the case of my car,
the headlight trim, the hood emblem and the bumpers are
actually chromed. Presumably, the LA factory already had
a supply of these parts in stock. The trim piece that wraps
around the front fender is the flat short piece with no
groves that Bill refers to. The fender skirts also have
Sumac Red-painted trim.
As a 16-year-old, I scraped some of the paint that
was already flaking off the trim pieces because it looked
prettier than the red trim (for example note the half stainless/half painted trim around the windshield.) However,
the grille has always been stainless and has the original red
pinstriping in the grooves. The inset in the center of the
grille with the inlaid Plymouth ship was originally black,
but I had it painted red this time around. There was only
one coat of original paint on the car, according to the shop
that took it down to bare metal. That is what I had expected, considering that the car had 15,000 original miles when
I got it from the original owner in 1966.
My feeling is that the factory used whatever it could
scrape together to assemble these last pre-war cars and, in
this case, painted the trim the same color as the car.
Maybe they left the grille unpainted because, otherwise,
there would have been no contrast whatsoever to the body.
Note that this car was not sold until January 1943.
I am absolutely confident that, other than the red
inset in the front grille, this paint job matches the original.
Blackout Town
Town Sedan as painted for its original owner, the US
Army, now belongs to Bill Call of the Cascade Pacific Region.
Town Sedan in regular production trim was restored by 1942 Tech
Advisor Bill Leonhardt.
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Page 25
Wheeling and Dealing
by Ken Bartz
Blanchardville, Wisconsin
H
aving a 1940
Plymouth business
coupe, I thought it
would be nice to get a later
model version like a 1950,
‘51 or ‘52. So I started surfing the internet and found
one in Georgia. It seemed to
be a bit far away, but I was
sent some pictures, and that
did keep my attention.
Meanwhile, I found a
four-door sedan, located near
Milwaukee, on eBay. It was
listed for $300 with no reserve, but did not sell at that price. I
emailed the owner and asked if he would take a hundred
bucks for the car. He said no, as he had $45 in a new battery.
Within an hour of replying to my message, he emailed back,
writing that he would take the deal because if he didn’t, his
wife would leave him. Well, I hooked on my trailer the next
day and left to get it.
The car was located almost in downtown Milwaukee. I
found a place to park the truck and trailer combination, which
is not easy to do in a city. I drove the car onto the trailer (yes,
it ran and drove). Then I went in to the house to pay. When I
came back out, I discovered that I was getting a ticket for
parking in a bus zone: $35. Ouch, that hurt!
for a 1952 Plymouth business coupe
$500 for the whole car, delivered. “Yes,” was the answer. I
now had one car to deliver and one car to pick up. Here is
how events unfolded:
“Hey Bill, how would you like to take a trip with me
for a couple of days?” I explained the plan to him.
“I’ll talk to Nancy to see if anything is going on…
Sure when do you want to leave?”
I then emailed the guy in Georgia with the ‘52 business
coupe and said I’d be there in a couple of days to pick it up.
So, Bill Abels and I started, heading for a place outside of
Nashville to unload the junker ‘52. We pulled into the place
late in the afternoon, unloaded the car and collected the
money.
We stayed at a motel south of Nashville that night. The
next day we made our way via I-75 to north of Atlanta,
Georgia. From there, we went through several small towns to
find our destination. The owner was waiting for us. He let
me take the car for a ride around the neighborhood. The
engine seemed a little rough, but the brakes worked. I paid
the guy the money and loaded the car on the trailer. After it
was tied down, he treated us to some refreshments and also
loaded up a box for us with some locally grown fruit and his
own bottled beer.
On the road again, we headed back to Nashville,
Tennessee. We stayed the night outside the big city. I dreaded going through Nashville during morning rush, but Bill did
a suburb job of directing me through the city’s highway system.
After that, driving the whole length of Illinois seemed to
take forever, but we made it home without any bad things
happening.
‘52 junk, but it paid for itself.
I got the car home and then placed an ad on the internet
that I had 1952 Plymouth four-door parts for sale. I sold the
exterior visor and a few other parts on eBay, recovering my
initial cost. Then I got a letter from a guy who wanted many
different things from the car. I asked where he was located:
Tennessee, just west of Nashville. I asked if he would give
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W ITH THE BUSINESS COUPE HOME ,
I put a compression tester on each of
its cylinders after the engine was
warmed up. The1952 engine was pretty tired, as three of the six cylinders
showed 30 PSI. So, I put the car into
the garage and proceed to remove the
front clip. (See my instructions on
how to remove the front clip.) Once
the front clip is off, getting the engine
out is much easier.
Fellow Dairyland club member Ed
Hochmuth told me about an engine
rebuild place in Green Bay that does a
good job at a very nice price. I loaded
up two P23 engines in the truck and
took them to their shop. The following spring I made the three-hour drive
to pick them up. They sure looked nice!
I proceeded to make an engine stand so
that I could run the engine out of the car.
I’d seen engine stands at swap meets that
were meant for V8s, and I thought that I
could make one for a flathead six.
After installing all of the accessories on the engine, I was able to
start it, or at least try. It would not
even pop nor sputter; just spin. I
thought, “What is the problem?” I
slept on it overnight and tackled the it
in the morning. The problem was that
the float on the “rebuilt” carburetor was set
wrong. As soon as the carb was pulling vacuum, the engine was instantly flooded with gasoline. I removed the carburetor and took it apart to reset
the float level. The gasoline was so plentiful in the intake
manifold that I had to take a rag to soak it up.
Bringing it home. The coupe’s right there, in the rearview mirror!
Then the engine started, but, the fan belt kept coming
off. The pulley on the crankshaft was meant for
the wide V-belt, and I could not get the proper tension on a narrow belt. There were a
couple of narrow pulleys on my shelf, but
they had groves where the front crankshaft seal is located. I took one to the
local welding shop which put weld in
the groves and then turned it smooth
and polished the shaft. It came back
looking like new. With the pulley
installed back on the engine, it was
started again. It sure “ran smooth!”
Then the oil leaks started to show.
The first were from the connections to the oil
filter. I had used the old tubing, and the flair
ends were not very good. So, I then had to learn how
to use a double crimp flaring tool.
The next leak I encountered was at the point where the
coolant enters the engine from the radiator. I found that the
problem was that the engine rebuilder had sprayed the entire
engine with a grey primer. The primer was not allowing the
gasket to make a good seal, even with silicon sealant. Once
that was repaired, I ran the engine on the stand for 10-plus
hours.
Fellow club member Bill Farrell and I had made a junkyard trip to several salvage yards in northern Iowa and in
Minnesota. During that trip, I was lucky enough to find an
overdrive transmission from a 1954 Plymouth station wagon.
What a find!
With the front clip off the car, it was easy to clean and
detail the front suspension. The next step was to get the
engine back in the car and then install the overdrive.
The P22 business coupe’s transmission is much shorter
than the overdrive transmission. The shifting linkage hooked
up with no problem. The drive shaft was taken to a shop to
be shortened by seven inches. The universal joints were
inspected and lubricated. Having the total drivetrain installed,
I could not wait to drive it. Put the front clip on first or you’ll
get into trouble!
Everything is now back together and the car drives even
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better than I had expected it would. With the 3.73:1 rear end
and the overdrive, it is pleasant to drive. I did not use the carburetor kick-down switch; but, instead, installed a toggle
switch on the lower dash. The wiring configuration that I
used allows the governor to do all of the switching of the
overdrive solenoid. Once the car is over 28 MPH, I just let up
on the gas and I can hear the solenoid shaft move into place.
Then when the speed falls below 28 MPH the solenoid drops
out and the transmission is in normal drive. I installed a light
on the dash that comes on when the overdrive solenoid is
engaged. This configuration works great. On a long trip to a
Dairyland meeting, I got 21 MPG.
What is next? My wife is in the process of sewing for the
upholstery to be installed this spring. Then I will need to
learn how to do body work and painting. Maybe this 1952
business coupe will be ready to show at the 2009 Dairyland
Region’s 2009 National Summer Meet in Oconomwoc,
Wisconsin.
PB
My ‘51 club coupe now has a ‘52 business coupe companion.
Removing the front clip on a 1949-52 Plymouth
Bumper
Electrical
Either completely remove the
Remove the battery. Label
front bumper or remove the
the wires as you remove
two forward bolts and let the
them. Remove all of the
bumper tilt toward the floor.
wires from the starter solenoid located on the left side
Body
inner fender. Remove the
Remove the rocker panel
wires from the terminal block
moldings from both sides.
on the left side of the radiator
For the duration, the clip can be a nice patio decoration.
Remove the bolt that is locathousing that pertain to the
ed at the bottom of the fender
horn, turn signal and the headlights.
behind the rocker panel molding (+2).
You may have to cut the pairs on the
Remove the kick panels from both sides
same terminal.
of the interior. Remove two nuts from
inside the framing member on each side
Radiator
(+4). Remove one bolt on each side
Drain the fluid from the cooling system.
under the hood by the hood hinge (+2).
Remove the upper and lower radiator
(10 fasteners, total)
hoses from the engine. Remove the two
nuts that hold the bottom part of the
radiator to the frame. Use 5/8” deep
socket. (+2)
If the car is equipped with a radio, a
grounding strap has to be removed from
the antenna inside the fender. Pull the
antenna cable from inside the car.
Heater
Disconnect the wire to the fan motor.
Disconnect the remote heater control
cable. Remove the two screws that
attach the heater fan to the radiator
frame. Remove the two heater hoses.
Remove the two nuts from the underside
of the fender that hold the heater core.
Remove the two screws that hold the
band around the cardboard heater box.
Now you can slide out the heater core.
Remove the five screws that hold the
cardboard box to the firewall. Then pry
loose the box from the firewall, being
careful while breaking the seal to the
firewall.
Now the clip is ready to be removed.
With two people on each side lift the
front clip from the car. Three people
would be better, as it is bulky. The time
required is about two to three hours.
-- Ken Bartz
Bartz 2005
Without the clip, frame detailing and
engine installation is easy (ier).
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______________________________
Front clip removal photos were taken by
Lanny Knutson during the 1991 engine
rebuilt for his ‘49 Plymouth. The process
was repeated in 2003. The clip can be
removed by one person, as he can testify, but
it’s better to have some help. The procedure
is just as Ken describes it.
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A Night to Remember
by L. R. Foster
Chico, California
O
other cars, a
faded, dirty, but
straight 1952
Plymouth
Cranbrook convertible: blackwalls, hazed
chrome, a white
top that was several shades into
tan from dirt, but
no dings, a nice
interior and it
started on the first
crank. I felt sorry
for the little car; it
needed help. It
was $19 and,
many years later,
The Esplanade, Chico, California, in the 1950s.
though I know I
had bought several cars that day, I
only remember
the Plymouth.
I usually went for
V8s and most
often with fins,
but I liked the
Plymouth. A couple of days later, I
detailed it. The
faded orangebrown paint
turned a deep lustrous red; the convertible top,
sparkling white. I
put on a good set
of wide whitewalls that I had and did a simple tune up. At
the same time, I had three 1957 Lincoln Premieres, a coral
pink convertible, a turquoise two-door hardtop and a black
two-door hardtop; also a white ‘59 Dodge D-500 Coronet
two-door hardtop with every accessory and a 1957 Series 62
Cadillac convertible in pale pink.
When I went cruising (I was still a teen, remember) I usually took one of the flashier cars. But one night the Dodge
wouldn't start, and it was blocking everything else in the
driveway… except the ‘52 Plymouth. It was a beautiful summer evening and I wanted to cruise in a convertible. It was
also later in the day than when I usually started cruising, so I
thought: “Why not? It’s a cute car anyway.”
The cruise then was up and down the Esplanade and
Main Street and Broadway, which were all kind of the same
street with name changes. The Esplanade is still a very nice
drive with timed stoplights. (As they were in the ‘60s--you
could make the lights at 28, 56, 84 or 112 MPH; each increment more frightening.) And there were lots of trees and
shrubs for scenery. I cruised around a while and no one really
noticed the little Plymouth much, although one college guy in
-28-
ne of the
ways I
earned
money when I
was in my late
teens was buying
and selling used
cars. Between the
ages of 16 and
21, I went
through hundreds
of cars, almost
everything built
from the late forties to the sixties.
I was also on the
lookout for the
“right” cars to
keep forever.
My usual
way of shopping
was to go to the
ChryslerPlymouthImperial dealer
(A.Volpato, Inc.).
At the time, they rarely kept a used car more than five years
old on the main lot. All the rest ended up in the “south 40” at
the end of the lot. Usually there were four or five cars I’d
buy, ranging in price from $15 to $50; most were less than ten
years old.
One week I remember in particular because I had intended to keep one of the cars. The five cars that week were: a
1957 DeSoto Fireflite two-door hardtop with full power and
factory A/C, and badly in need of a detail job but selling for
only $15; a white 1957 Imperial Crown two-door
Southampton, likewise dirty, also $15; a 1955 Packard 400
hardtop, red and white, in nice condition for $35; also a ‘57
Buick Century four-door Riviera for $17; and one I was going
to keep, a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk with 21,000 miles,
in perfect condition but higher priced at $125. I bought all
five, detailed each and sold all but the Hawk. I did end up
not keeping the Hawk, but that was a typical car-buying
week. I also bought from nearly every car dealer in town at
one time or another.
One week I walked on the lot and saw, in among the
Outdone by a Six
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Ford vs. Plymouth
V8 vs. Six
a ‘51 Studebaker Starlite coupe yelled: “Nice car!” The usual
turn-around point was the A&W drive-in but if you went past
that, East Avenue was the turnaround. After East Avenue,
there were less street lights and more open country with very
little traffic.
I pulled up to the light at East Avenue and a nice black
1950 Ford convertible, also top down, pulled up alongside. I
didn't really know the guy, but I knew his nickname from
school. They called him “Jeep” because his initials were J.P.
He had two other guys with him. The Ford sounded cool with
dual glass packs (my Plymouth had one). Someone yelled:
“You want to race?” and they all laughed
hysterically. We were aimed in the
direction of the quiet part of
the Esplanade: five miles
of wide, straight road.
The light changed
and the Ford
pulled ahead of
the Plymouth but,
after a car length,
it didn’t get any
further. At around
sixty, I put the
Plymouth in overdrive and
was now even with the Ford.
Ever so slowly, the Plymouth inched
ahead of the Ford, then started widening the distance to several car lengths. Jeep flashed his lights, which at
the time meant: “I give up.” We were both doing over 90
MPH, which I had no idea the little Plymouth was capable of.
Before then, I had very little respect for six cylinders of
any kind, especially old flatheads. That little red Plymouth
was like the “Little Engine That Could,” and it did! I do
believe it was the slowest drag race I ever participated in, but
still it was more than I thought the Plymouth capable of…
until then.
Jeep and I became friends; he bought a ‘57 Dodge D-500
a few weeks later but would never race me again with anything he had.
I sold the little red Plymouth convertible to a local collector who took good care of it, but eventually I lost track of it.
Then one day a customer at my detail shop who normally
drove Imperials made an appointment for a ‘52 Plymouth
convertible. I didn't keep track of the serial numbers, and the
license had been changed, but it sure
looked like my old convertible
though with fresh interior.
I’d like to think that it’s
the same car. He’s
taking fine care of
it.
From
that day on I’ve
had a healthy
respect for sixes,
especially the
Chrysler Corporation
flatheads. A friend’s ‘70s
Volare with a slant six was
clocked at 120 MPH once by the
friendly California Highway Patrol. It was an
amazing car too.
The '52 Plymouth had provided a teenager with a night to
remember.
The Little Engine That Could
And Did!
PB
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mother’s garage. And there it sat for
about a year. (Eddy describes the
garage as one that looks like it was built
to house old cars: tiny, with big swinging doors.) The Fury had 82,000 miles
on the odometer when they bought it,
and it now has 115,000.
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Following his forebears
While waiting to turn 16, get his license
and begin to drive his Fury, Eddy
cleaned the chrome and stainless and
“got it presentable.”
Meanwhile, he finished high school
and went on to attend Towson
University for two years. He also began
to follow in his father’s footsteps, learning the plumbing trade. Before long, he
decided to make a career of it, and he is
now president of Zepp Plumbing and
Heating Company, Inc. On his way
toward heading the company, he
became, at age 24, the youngest person
in Howard County to qualify as a master
plumber. Later, he taught plumbing at
the county’s apprenticeship school for
three years.
Eddy’s late grandfather, Edgar W.
Zepp, also a plumber, went into the
business in the late 1930s and worked
for more than 30 years before retiring in
1972. Four years later, Eddy’s father
started his own plumbing business and is still at it to this day
on a part-time basis, with his son, Eddy, Jr., having taken over
the reins of the business. And yes, there is yet another Zepp
to carry on the tradition should he chose to do so. At the
moment, though, Eddy and Angelina’s son Liam, at only five
years of age, is preoccupied with his toys at the family’s
home in Ellicott City.
Once he had his Sport Fury presentable, Eddy set about
making it the show car it is today. To begin with, he had the
seats recovered, the carpets replaced and added a new white
top. He drove it for a while before having it refinished in red,
Like Father, Like Son
Owned by
Eddy, Angelina and Liam Zepp
Ellicott City, Maryland
E
ddy Zepp, Sr., bought the family’s Fury convertible
new back in 1962. Eddy, Jr., remembers, to this day,
washing the car on Saturdays and how proud he felt to
be riding in it to church on Sundays. His dad still has that ‘62
convertible and now Eddy has one as well. It is not an exact
copy of his dad’s, though. His dad’s Fury is black. Eddy,
Jr.’s, on the other hand, was white when it came off the
assembly line but is now red. And, while his dad is the original owner of his ‘62, Eddy, Jr., is the second owner of his.
Eddy, Jr., was still in high school in 1980—and too young
to drive--when he acquired his Fury. His dad’s Fury had been
in storage for a number of years when he lost his storage
facility. Having to get the car out, he and Eddy decided to
restore it to its original condition. They turned to Hemmings
looking for a parts car and soon found one advertised in
Greenville, South Carolina. It seemed to be just what they
were looking for, so they hooked a trailer to their Dodge van
and headed south to look it over.
What they found on arrival turned out to be a ‘62 Fury
convertible that was in better condition than Eddy, Sr.’s. Too
nice, in fact, to be merely used for parts. Instead, Eddie and
his father bought it from the woman who was its original
owner, trailered it home and stored it in Eddy’s great-grand-30-
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Prior to joining the Plymouth
Owners Club, Eddy was more
familiar with the Chevrolet
club, though never a member himself. Eddy’s dad is
a charter member of that
club, as is the Plymouth
Owners Club’s Dottie
Miller. It was through
Dottie that Eddy, Jr.,
heard of the Plymouth
club and became a
member a few years
ago. Dottie recalls
that Eddy, Jr.,, was at
an all-make show at
Meadowood Park in
Lutherville with
Angelina and Liam and
their ‘62 Fury when, in a
conversation with Dottie,
he heard about the
Plymouth Owners Club.
Subsequently, he became a
member. He has also been a
member of the National Chrysler
Products Club for more than 15
years.
taking care of a few rust spots in the rear quarter panels in the
process. The original owner was a short lady who had had
the rear view mirror moved for easier viewing and Eddy has
left it in that position. The dealership
had also added front fender markers,
one of which is still on the car.
The other fell off during a snowstorm in the late 1990s. The
final step in the restoration
process took place approximately ten years ago when Eddie had
the engine rebuilt.
Liam, the next Zepp generation, has his own car.
“Quite a rare machine”
The collection expands
That’s how the Standard Catalogue of Chrysler describes the
1962 Sport Fury convertible. “Announced about four months
after the rest of the line,” the book goes on to say, “the
revived Sport Fury became Plymouth’s premium offer.” With
a factory price of $3,082, it was Plymouth’s most expensive
model that year. The “plainer” convertible Furys such as Eddy
Zepp’s, were only $158 cheaper. Only the six and nine passenger Fury station wagons sold for more. The six-passenger
wagon’s factory price was $2,968 and the nine-passenger was
$3,071. A total of 4,349 Fury convertibles was produced during the model year.
-- Paul Moore
Meanwhile, other golden oldies have come Eddy and
Angelina’s way: a 1970 Sport Fury acquired in 1987 from its
original owner, a 1966 Sport Fury in 1989 and a 1969 Road
Runner in 2001. The latter is undergoing a complete restoration and presently sits on a trailer ready for the project’s next
phase. They also acquired a ‘68 Chrysler New Yorker in
2006. Needless to say, the garage at the Zepp home continues
to expand as each new acquisition arrives. Fortunately, Eddy
is no slouch when it comes to do-it-yourself carpentry.
There was a time, Eddy recalls, when, as a member of
the Convertible Club of Greater Baltimore, he was very much
into parades. Don Royston recruited him to be the parade
coordinator, and it wasn’t unusual for him to line up dozens
of convertibles to participate in such special events as the
Preakness, the St. Patrick’s Day and various 4th of July
parades, not to mention parades honoring Orioles’ and
Ravens’ post-season victories. Eddy is also an active member
of the Clarksville Volunteer Fire Company, having begun his
service there in 1980.
While antique cars, the plumbing business and volunteer
firefighting are among Eddy’s preoccupations, Angelina’s
include information technology and genealogical research, not
to mention the care and feeding of a precocious five-year-old.
A graduate of Carroll Community College with an AA degree,
Angelina hopes to resume her studies toward a liberal arts
degree at some future date, possibly at the University of
Baltimore where she had begun her studies in that field prior
to Liam’s birth.
REPRINTED FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC MAYFLOWER, MARCH/APRIL, 2007. EDITED
Liam gets in the picture as Mid-Atlantic photographer David Young
gets a shot of his family’s Fury.
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Plymouth’s mid1962 trim changes
“Mid-year Spear”
excerpted from Collectible Automobile, April 1995
Rare two-tone: This Sport Fury has both the ‘62-1/2 trim moldings and rare
two-toning with a molding-less paint break line along the C-pillar. Note, also,
the blackwall tires, body-color wheels and small hub caps.
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PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY
JEFFERY I. GODSHALL
‘Sixty-two-and-a-half: This is the only known ad of the mid-year Fury with its
new front-to-back belt molding (barely visible on the white car), added to visually “lengthen” the car. The front fender trim is the simpler Sport Fury type. The
Sport Fury also was given the new full-length moldings. The ad, which appeared
on the inside front cover of the April, 1962, Plymouth Traveler, was provided by
retired Chrysler designer, automotive historian/writer and Plymouth Owners
Club member Jeffrey I. Godshall.
A
lthough the 1962 Plymouth was by and large
a handsome car, the buying public didn’t cotton
to Virgil Exner’s new styling direction, a
Valiant-derivative design that placed the emphasis on a
long hood and short deck, rather than soaring tailfins.
When the model run figures were totaled, the public
bought fewer 1962 Plymouths than the incredibly ugly
1961 model, a situation that unfortunately led to Exner’s
dismissal shortly after the beginning of the model year.
When Exner’s replacement, Elwood Engel, arrived
from Ford in November 1961, he was asked to do something to respond to dealer complaints and salvage the
design.
The dealers had two principal criticisms: namely,
that the exterior trim levels weren’t up to Impala/Galaxie
standards, and the “unconnected” bodyside molding
treatment made the Fury look even shorter than it actually was. To remedy the first problem, the number of taillight/backup light pods was increased on Furys mid-year
from four to six.
To remedy the second problem, diecast belt molding
extensions were added to the upper front fenders and rear
quarter panels to create a continuous bright molding running the full length of the car from front to back. When
the belt molding extensions were added, the Fury’s heavy
arrow-tipped front fender/door molding was deleted and
replaced with the much thinner Sport Fury molding,
which in addition wrapped around the leading edge of
the hood to the opposite fender.
These changes did not happen simultaneously; some
mid-year Furys had the six taillight pods and the original
body-side moldings, while later Furys had both the six
taillights and the belt molding extensions.
Shortly after it entered production, the 1962-1/2
Sport Fury also received the upper front-fender/rear
quarter belt extensions, which definitely detracted from
the purity of line present on the Sport Fury as originally
introduced in January 1962.
Canadian Furys and Belvederes could be ordered
mid-year with “Sportsweep styling” that included the
belt-high narrow color sweep moldings lifted from the
Dodge Polara 500 (thus adding a slim band of contrasting color running the full length of the car), together with
the Sport Fury-type (there was no Canadian Sport Fury)
narrow hood/fender/door molding.
-- Jeffrey
Jeffrey I. Godshall
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Canadian Sportsweep
LANNY KNUTSON PHOTOS
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7:02 AM
Canadian Belvedere, belonging to Ralph and Sandra Stordeur of
Winnipeg, Manitoba, has the mid-year Sportsweep trim lifted from the Dodge
Polara 500, which differs from that of the U. S. Furys in that it adds a band of
contrasting color. The car also has a Dodge dash (and a temporarily installed ‘66
steering wheel). From 1960-1966, Canadian-built Dodges and Plymouths shared
instrument panels. Plymouth panels were used in all years expect 1962 when Plymouths and
Dodges both came with Dodge instrumentation. The car is powered by the uniquely Canadian 313
V8 (looks like a 318) and rides on later-model Mopar road wheels.
World’s
orld’s lowest mileage ‘62
Plymouth? Just 47.6 miles
were on the odometer when
Steve Frizell of Holdrege,
Nebraska, brought his Sport
Fury convertible (which also
bears mid-year moldings) to
the 1991 National Spring Meet
in Hastings, Nebraska. It went
home with a first place trophy.
LANNY KNUTSON PHOTOS
00047.6 miles
Steve still has the car.
car.
He doesn’t drive it much,
so even now, 17 years
later, it remains an
extremely low-mileage car.
He now has a powdercoating business for vintage and collector cars.
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F amily V acation
in our 1972 Plymouth Custom Suburban
in our 1972 Plymouth Custom Suburban
(a good e-bay story)
A stop at Lake Powell
by Hans & Kathy Rissi,
Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
become the new owners of a 1972 Plymouth Custom
Suburban nine-passenger station wagon.
The next job was to make arrangements to get the car
from L.A. to Canada.
O
ne of our daily drivers for the past 18 years has been
a 1971 Custom Suburban nine-passenger station
wagon. We bought it while we were still living in
W E HAD ALREADY PLANNED a vacation in June, 2007, to
Switzerland and used it daily as well as on vacations. The
the national parks in Utah and Arizona with one of our cars,
most memorable vacation was to Scandinavia in 1989, where
so we thought we could fly to LAX, pick up the car and drive
we rolled out our sleeping bags in the back of the car.
east to Grand Canyon and then we would be right where we
We brought it to Canada in 1993 together with our 1968
had planned to be. Kathy and I had been to all these places in
Road Runner and drove it summer and winter. It brought a
1990 and wanted to see them again and show them to our
lot of building material from the local lumber store to our
sons Joe (10) and Ben (4). I wrote the seller asking if I
ranch, pulled a stock trailer before we got a truck and carried
should fly down there by myself right
our canoes to a lot of lakes and
away and drive the car home, or if
rivers. (Yes, for years we were the
he thought it would handle the long
only ranchers in Alberta without a
trip without any problems so the
pickup truck!) Mechanically, the car
four of us could have an enjoyable
is still sound today, with a healthy
vacation. He wrote back: “Bring the
440 and 727, but all those years have
family.”
taken their toll on the body. Rust is
So that’s what we did. On Sunday,
showing now, and it needs extensive
June 10, we drove our ‘71 wagon to
body work and a fresh coat of paint.
the Calgary airport and flew to Los
So we started thinking that findAngeles. The seller had told us he
ing a wagon with a solid body and
would get the car ready for the trip
fresh paint would be easier than
by putting new shocks in the rear,
restoring the ‘71 and probably less
installing new belts and hoses, flushexpensive as well. We knew that
ing the radiator and mounting the
we’d only find a wagon without rust
stock rims with new tires and the
in one of the southern states.
original hubcaps. He would wait for
In April this spring we found a
us at the loading area at the airport.
car listed on e-bay that looked like it
We landed on time and were waitcould be the one. I talked to the selling for our luggage when we saw
er in Los Angeles a couple of times
our car cruise by and then come
and placed the winning bid. Paying
back a few minutes later. I had
for the car a week later, we had
Grand Canyon boys: Ben and Joe
insurance with me, and the seller had
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organized a trip permit
The Grand
for us.
Canyon was impresSo there we were,
sive again, and we
engine running, full
walked along the rim
tank of fuel and ready
for a while and pitched
to hit the road. We
the tent at the campput our luggage in the
ground.
back and headed east
The next morntowards Arizona.
ing we drove east
We had brought
along the rim into
our camping gear and
Navaho country, stopplanned to buy a few
ping at a Navaho tradmore things at our
ing post before driving
first stop in a bigger
on to Lake Powell.
city; among them,
There we stayed at the
some basic tools. We
campground and went
Grand Canyon
stopped quickly in
for a swim at the
Barstow and then in
beach.
Needles, California, on Route 66 to check the car and found a
After supper from the stove, we went to the nearby swimsmall leak in the radiator. Having no tools, we left the car
ming pool and sat in the hot tub under the stars. The next
overnight at a 24-hour service station so they could take the
morning, we rented a 150HP power boat and explored Lake
Powell for two hours. Then, we boated to Antelope Canyon
radiator out and have it repaired the next morning.
with its beautiful red rocks, had a dip in the lake off the boat
Around the corner was a Best Western with an outdoor
and everyone had a turn behind the steering wheel. We were
swimming pool which we used extensively. During the day it
surprised at how fast the rental boat would go. This was one
had been 107 degrees Fahrenheit, and it stayed warm
of the highlights of our trip.
overnight. We bought another half a day at the hotel and by
Our next stop was Bryce Canyon, our favorite national
four o’clock that afternoon, the car was ready to go. The
park, where we tented again and walked at most of the view
repair was very expensive, and during the time I watched the
points. The next day we hiked up a creek to a waterfall where
mechanic that afternoon, he dropped everything from a cigawe played for a while and then rented a cabin on a camprette to his tools at least once on the engine. The weak radiaground, right next to the swimming pool and hot tub. Early
tor was not something the seller could have known; he had
the next morning, 7:00 AM, Kathy and Joe went on a horseonly driven the car on short trips in the time he owned it and
back ride along the rim while Ben and I got ready for the
had it prepared well for our trip.
day’s trip. Following another dip in the pool after the ride, we
So we were on our way again and stopped in Kingman,
left and drove for eight hours (430 miles) to Pocatello, Idaho,
Arizona, to buy some basic tools and camping supplies. Then
and, the next day, we drove through Idaho into Montana.
we drove on into the night. It gets dark there much earlier
While driving north on I-15, I noticed a highway patrol
than we are used to, and we wanted to make it to Seligman on
car going south. About five minutes later, I saw one in the
Route 66. We were only a few miles away when the lights
rear view mirror and thought “That couldn’t be the same
started to get weak, and we just made it to the top of the exit
ramp when the car stalled.
I popped the hood, and with my flashlight I saw that a
wire on the alternator had come loose, and I knew right away
that the tool-dropping mechanic was to blame. I hooked it
back on, but now I needed a boost to get going again. A lady
stopped and said she would send somebody to help. Kathy
just laughed and got the sleeping bags out. Ben must have
figured that this was enough for the day and fell asleep. They
were all real troopers, while I was hoping that these breakdowns would not be a pattern for the rest of the trip.
After almost an hour, a sheriff drove up, checked our
papers and gave us a boost. The car started right away and
the lights were back. We drove into Seligman and stayed at a
motel. (If y’all seen the movie Cars from last year, Seligman
is “Radiator Springs,” with Mater parked on main street.)
The Sheriff made sure we got safely to the motel.
The next morning we checked out the various Route 66
cafes and stores and were on our way to Williams and north
to the Grand Canyon. We would have no more problems with
the car for the rest of the trip!
Bryce Canyon couple: Hans and Kathy
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boy and Indian made him spend most of his life in Montana
and Alberta, including many months with the different native
tribes in both places, plus working as a cowboy.
After that, we spent one more night in the U.S., in Shelby,
just south of the border. Early the next morning we stopped
at the US/Canada border to import the car. First we stopped
at the US side to clear the title (they need all the information
on the car faxed to them at least two hours before you arrive),
and, after twenty minutes, we were on our way to Canada
Customs. There we answered more questions about the car:
manufacturing date, value, etc. They collected Goods and
Services Tax and on we went. The whole procedure had only
taken a little over an hour!
Our last stop was Fort Whoop-Up, a trading post in
southern Alberta that was founded by two American traders.
The fort got its supplies from Fort Benton on the Missouri
River in Montana by way of oxen trains that took three weeks
to cover the distance we had just driven that morning!
We stopped in Calgary to get our ‘71 Fury and drove both
of them home the same night. It was a great vacation with
memories that will last us a lifetime!
Montana cop: “I suppose so.”
one,” but as it turned out, it was. He was about to pass, when
he slowed down, fell in behind us and turned on his lights. I
stopped and he told us he was stopping us because he noticed
we didn’t have a real license plate in the back. I showed him
our trip permit on the windshield and he checked my driver’s
license. Everything checked out, and he told us he saw the
car going north while he was going south, that his friend used
to have an identical car and he wanted to have a closer look. I
asked him if I could take a picture with him and
his cruiser and I must have been the first
person to ask him this question. He
looked at me with a puzzled
look and said " I suppose so."
So we were back on the
road again, heading
towards our favorite spot
in Montana, the 1860s
Gold Rush towns of
Nevada City and Virginia
City. There we stayed at the
Nevada City Hotel in a museum-like hotel room, just upstairs
from the saloon. This saloon was used
for a scene in the movie Little Big Man with
Dustin Hoffman. A lot of western movies were filmed
around here in the seventies and eighties. Every weekend in
summer, volunteers put on a show depicting events from the
past gold rush days.
After a good night’s sleep we were off to Deer Lodge,
Montana, to check out a car museum. It turned out that we
discovered Deer Lodge to be the Museum Capitol of the
Northwest. We toured the car museum where, most notably
for us, a 1957 Dodge and a couple of 1969 Road Runners are
among some other fine cars. Then we toured the State
Prison Museum, built in 1879 and closed in 1979 when they
built the new prison five miles out of town. Next, we went
to a old west museum and then a toy museum, all within a
couple of blocks.
Having seen enough museums for a day, we drove on to
Great Falls where we stayed overnight and spent the next
day at the Charles M. Russell museum, right next to the
famous western scenes painter’s home and log studio where
he did most of his work. Russell was an interesting fellow
from St. Louis, Missouri, whose love for everything cow-
T HE
I’ VE LEARNED about the car so far: it
was sold new in North Carolina and went to
Wisconsin where it stayed until 1984.
Then it came to California and was
last licensed in 1986. It sat in
Long Beach until 2006 when
the last owner bought it,
freshened it up, drove it a
few times and parked it
with his car collection. The
odometer shows 48,316
miles. It has a rebuilt 360
two-barrel engine (the original
engine was a 400) with a 727
automatic transmission. That little
360 engine proved to be a super-strong
engine, bringing us through 107 degrees
Fahrenheit and over 7700-foot high mountains while getting
an average of 22 miles per gallon! Very impressive for such a
big car! It doesn’t have the power the ‘71 has with its 440
four-barrel, but it moves the car easily and cruises smoothly at
70 miles per hour. I’m sure this car will stay with us for a
long time; we’d gotten to know it well already on our 2500mile trip and we love it.
Have you ever seen a station wagon with a “cooler” front
than the 1972 Plymouth? Plymouth makes it!
PB
FEW THINGS
Together in Calgary: The “new” ‘72 meets the “old” ‘71.
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i
l
l
i
e
W
loved it
… so do I
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On
April 28, 1972, Willie and
Louise Hendrix traded
their 1968 Fury II fourdoor sedan for a 1972 Fury III four-door
sedan. Willie had started working at the
Kokomo Chrysler Transmission Plant in
1945 and had at least three and a half
years to work before he was eligible to
retire. He did not want to drive his new ‘72 to work where
“door dings” in the parking lot are common, nor did he want
to drive it in the Indiana winters when tons of salt are put on
the roads. So, the ‘72 was put in the garage and his ‘62
Dodge Custom 880 sedan was used 90 percent of the time.
The ‘72 was driven only on summer vacations and on the
nicest of nice days for the next 25 years!
I hired on at Chrysler in 1963; yet, by the time Willie
retired in December of 1975, his path and mine had never
crossed. I met Bob “Hoot” Gibson within two weeks after I
hired on, and Hoot and I became the best of friends.
Hoot retired in June of 1981.
One evening Hoot called and asked me to
come over to his house. For the past 17 years
Hoot and I had been “into” old cars--he, having
a ‘62 Chrysler 300, and I, having a ‘57 New
Yorker and a ‘73 New Yorker Brougham.
When I arrived at Hoot’s house, he said,“I’m
going to show you a car you’ll really like!” As
we pulled into the driveway to a house to which I
had never been before, we were met by a short man. Hoot
introduced me to Willie. Within a couple of minutes his wife,
Louise, came out. We all became instant friends. Hoot said,
“Show him your car, Willie” at which time Willie went to the
two-car garage and opened one of the doors. As the door
opened, I could see the rear end and right side of the ‘62
Dodge 880 sedan. I could see that the rear bumper was dented and rusty, the chrome around the taillights looked like
sandpaper, there was a station wagon luggage rack screwed
on to the top of the car, and the bottom half below the chrome
had been painted with a brush with no apparent masking of
the chrome trim! I was speechless! I looked at Hoot with a
puzzled look, and he said, “Go on in!”
The garage had no windows and was dark but as I entered
and as I turned to my right, the lights came on and there sat a
gorgeous ‘72 Fury III four-door in shiny emerald green or, as
Plymouth called it, Sherwood Green Metallic. The car was
absolutely new inside and out! Of course, the Plymouth was
only nine years old at this time (1981) but in Indiana most
nine-year-old cars had been through several owners, were
rusted out and many were parts cars in the salvage yards! To
say I was impressed would have been an understatement!
During the next twenty years, I was never in that
Plymouth but rode in (and drove) the Dodge. Meanwhile, the
‘72 Fury sat in the dark garage all covered up.
On March 22, 2001, I lost my best friend of 37 years
when Hoot passed away at age 72. On May 15, 2001, I lost
my other best friend of 20 years as Willie, at age 80, had
passed away. I still miss them very much. The three of us
did a lot of “old car-ing” together. Willie’s wife, Louise,
passed away on September 9, 2003. On October 16, 2003,
one of their daughters called, asking me if I would like
to buy the Plymouth Fury. I had recently bought a
‘56 Chrysler New Yorker, so I said I couldn’t
afford it at that time. But when they told me
the price, I said I’d take it, as I could not afford
to turn it down.
At first I thought I’d try to sell the car, as
I’d never cared for the ‘72’s “odd-shaped” front
end and rear end; but the more I drove it, the better
I liked it. Even the A/C works! It is not a perfect car,
but for an original, it is probably one of the better ones in the
country. It is totally as it was when it came from the factory!
The cloth seats still have a “stiff” feel to them, and the plastic
chrome around the armrests is like new.
Willie loved his 1972 Plymouth Fury III four-door sedan
for 29 years. I hope I can keep it that long. I’ll only be 87
then!
PB
Michael’s
Michael’s Fury III won the Mayflower Award as the best fourdoor sedan at the 2006 National Spring Meet in Indianapolis. He is
on the right in the center photo with presenter Wayne Brandon.
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PAUL MELIN PHOTO
by Michael Noe
Frankfort, Indiana
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Page 38
Knocking on Heaven’s door
7 2
Winnipeg’s
innipeg’s “Cruise Brothers,” Larry D'Argis and Paul
Williamson, automotive writers for the Winnipeg Free Press, pose
with their respective rides.
Gasoline in his veins
O
ne of Willy’s most prized rides is his 1972 Plymouth
Fury II sedan. With 60,000 original miles on the
odometer and a 318-cubic-inch V8 under the hood, it’s a
little reminiscent of the dozens of police cars used in The
Blues Brothers. What makes it unique is that you don’t see
any of them on the road anymore. That fact caught the eye
of local movie makers.
With many vehicles over-restored, it’s often difficult to
find vehicles that fit in with the script and the director’s
image. Willy’s Plymouth fits the bill as either a periodcorrect car or as an old cruiser. Included in scenes from
both The Stone Angel and The Heaven Project due out in
2008, Willy is ecstatic that his big Mopar cruiser will be
immortalized on the silver screen.
-- Larry D'Argis
yourself blessed. You’ve been touched by The Heaven
Project.
The film (was) being shot right here in Manitoba, and the
crew was practically set up in my backyard, shooting near the
east gate of Birds Hill Park (on the northeast edge of the city
of Winnipeg).
Allow me to put on my bold radio announcer voice and
read directly from the website that bills itself as earth’s
biggest movie database:
The Heaven Project is a harrowing and frightening
thriller about a man who has everything he’s ever loved
stripped away from him; and to earn his life and family
back, he must face obstacles of mystical origins, endure
countless tests of his faith, struggle with his own sanity,
and explore the depth and the power of his soul.
LARRY D'ARGIS WRITES THE "CLASSIC CRUISING" COLUMN
EVERY FRIDAY IN THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Knocking on Heaven’s door
Sure hope I never have to walk a mile in that guy’s shoes.
I’d be happy if I could just quit smoking.
Further prodding revealed that Linda Cardellini and Paul
Walker star in the project, which is directed by John Glenn
and features a plot in which a criminal is sentenced to death.
When he awakens from the supposed lethal injection, he discovers that God may have given him a second chance.
by Paul Williamson
JUNE 15, 2007
If
you’ve spotted a convoy of cool-looking trucks and trailers, strange-looking vehicles with cameras attached to
them and a few bona fide Hollywood celebrities, consider
-38-
PHOTO
Willy’s Fury is dancing with the stars
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It’s been a number of years now since Hollywood discovered Manitoba but my first reaction when the movie types
started showing up was: “All right, I’m finally gonna get discovered.”
In the fantasy world I live in, I see myself as a Steve
McQueen-type in the classic movie Bullitt. The reality is I’m
way more like Ricky from the Trailer Park Boys--this parallel
really seemed to gain some traction in the summer of 2005
when I started cruising around in a rather large and somewhat
battered 1972 Plymouth Fury II.
The Fury’s star was born the previous summer when my
buddy Rosco, a local picture car co-ordinator, was looking
after the cars for the locally-shot film The Stone Angel. My
Fury was used in a background scene alongside my wife
Melanie’s 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass. I was feeling pretty darn
good about my fledgling collection of vintage iron, but I had
no idea my Fury would one day achieve even more fame.
Let me recap:
A couple years back, we bought the big green Fury from
my wife’s great-aunt Tena Gretchen, whose husband Michael
had purchased the car brand new at Chyzy Sales in Arborg,
Manitoba, back in the fall of 1972. Michael passed away in
the 1980s but Tena kept the house and the car in perfect order
well into her 80s.
I spotted the car for the first time several years ago when
Melanie’s uncle Mitchell commandered the big boat to our
place for a visit.
Although the car has a bit of rust and a few small dents, it
screams character, and for me it was literally love at first
sight. When Mitchell told me it would probably be for sale, I
practically begged him to keep me in mind.
In the summer of 2005, a deal was struck, and we drove
out to Gimli, Manitoba, to pick the car up. Initially, I was
pleased with the fact that I had purchased a nice low-mileage
Mopar for a good deal and was excited to show it off to my
friends. Little did I know it would be in the movies, not once
but twice…that the car would be a star.
Things really heated up in early May when Rosco introduced me to fellow picture car co-ordinator Scott Sullivan,
who was responsible for all the on-screen vehicles in The
Heaven Project. Scott was looking for a green sedan, and
Rosco had a feeling mine might be the one. After sending off
some photos and crossing my fingers, I got the call a few
days later.
In this film, the car is used for much more than just background shots. My Fury was deemed a “Hero Car,” which
means that it’s driven in the movie by one of the stars. The
official name on the movie contact refers to my car as
“Ricki’s Car.” I laughed out loud as Sullivan drew up the
document in my shop. “So lemme get this straight,” I
quipped. “The character that’s gonna drive my car is named
Ricki, and he’s gonna rob a bank. Dude, that’s awesome.”
Sullivan chuckled at my enthusiasm, and while he didn’t
completely agree, that’s the story I’m sticking with until the
movie hits the theatres. Finding vehicles can be tough, but
Sullivan’s biggest challenge is matching characters with cars,
apparently my Fury was perfect for the role.
In total, the production had my car for two weeks. Upon
return I was totally impressed. In addition to a full tank of
WILLY'S GARAGE
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gas, the car was exactly as they had received it.
Sullivan arranged for me to be on set for the Birds Hill
Park shoot, and it was totally cool to watch this army of
artists at work. They literally make magic.
When I arrived, the crew was busy tweaking a 1970 Ford
pickup that was the star attraction for the late-afternoon shoot.
The truck was placed on a massive platform trailer that was
pulled by a Dodge truck that looked like it was built at
Monster Garage.
The guys were installing a weird-looking wooden frame
on the roof of the old Ford that had a bunch of pipes snaking
through it and was covered with 10 sprinkler heads. Despite
our wet weather, the crew likes to control the climate for a
shoot and effectively created a rain simulator.
Special effects technician Cole Hunter, whom I met last
year on The Stone Angel set, was orchestrating the make-itrain project. Cole is a talented fabricator and the second coming of Macgyver. In addition to keeping the film’s cars and
trucks looking and running right, guys like Cole also engineer
and build stuff that not only looks cool but also actually
works.
After poking around the set for a while, I followed my
nose over to a well-equipped catering trailer owned by a
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Page 40
friendly dude known as Jeff the Chef. Jeff Nelson’s company,
Meals for Reels, has been serving the film industry for seven
years and is based out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Jeff
offered me a tasty burrito and we shot the breeze for a while.
I was just about to call it an afternoon when the film’s
star, Paul Walker, strolled up. Walker starred alongside Vin
Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, arguably the most popular
car movie of the last decade. Among others, he also starred in
future cult classic Joy Ride P and 2 Fast 2 Furious. I’m no
paparazzi, so I asked Walker if I could take his picture, and he
was all smiles.
We talked for a few minutes, and I told Walker I owned
the green Plymouth Fury that was part of the shoot the previous week. He commented it was a cool car, and that he was
in it near the opening scene, so that pretty much made my
year. As Walker wandered away with a healthy helping of
poached eggs on toast, Jeff the Chef offered that he was one
of the nicest actors he’d ever met. Judging by the candid
moment I got to share with Walker, I’d have to agree.
Although I promised Sullivan I wouldn’t divulge his
budget for movie cars, I will tell you that the money the production paid me for use of the car was exactly $150 more
than I paid for it in 2005. I’m treating it like found money
and plan to clean up the old Fury and give it a fresh coat of
paint. It's also time to clean out a stall in the shop and start
parking it in the garage. This isn’t just any old Plymouth
Fury; this is Ricki’s Car, from The Heaven Project, and It’s
going to be treated like a star.
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I’m betting Tena, who passed away a year ago last
December at the ripe old age of 91, had something to do with
all the positive karma that surrounds the Fury. She certainly
wouldn’t approve of he car being used in such a sinister scene
as a bank robbery, but I’m betting she would have loved the
title.
PAUL (WILLY) WILLIAMSON IS A FULL-TIME AUTOMOTIVE
WRITER/EDITOR WITH THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
willy@freepress.mb,ca
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7:02 AM
1972 Valiant Scamp
Owned by
Brett Papineau
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Page 41
Old Enough
“I
’ve got an old
Plymouth, too. Not
as old as yours,
though. Want to see it?”
That was Brett Papineau’s
greeting to his and his wife
Anastasia Meseman’s home
following the baptism of their
daughter Zoë. My usual summer Sunday transportation is
my ‘49 P18 sedan, and it
caused a bit of a stir as it
pulled up in front of the
Papineau/Meseman home.
Before sitting down to
lunch with the grandmas,
grandpas, aunts, uncles and
little Zoë, Brett took me out to the garage. There sat a very
nice Valiant… not as old as a ‘49, but a very well-preserved
1972 Scamp hardtop.
Brett had found the car five years ago, advertised in the
local Auto Trader. When he drove out to St. Malo, a small
town outside of Winnipeg, and first saw the Valiant, he
“knew” he had to have it. His grandfather had owned Darts
in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s which he drove in his daily
commutes from his home in Souris, Manitoba, to the nearby
city of Brandon. The Scamp, with its Dart body, brought
back the good memories Brett has of his grandfather and his
cars.
The Scamp came to Brett with full documentation and
service records, including the factory build sheet and the original bill of sale from Midway Chrysler-Plymouth, a dealership
in downtown Winnipeg that just closed its doors in 2007. The
listed price of $3506.75 was for a fairly basic car powered by
a 225 Slant Six and having an automatic transmission, AM
radio and a rear window defroster as its only options. The
first repair bill is dated May 3, 1973, for the “princely” sum
of $9.28 for turn signal switch repair.
Appraised in 2004, the now 29,000-original mile Valiant
7 2
2
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was given a rating of 76.1 out of 100 and called “excellent
overall.” It has never been winter-driven, a remarkable feat
for a car that has spent all of its 36 years in the Winnipeg
area.
Zoë will grow up hearing of her great-grandfather and
possibly of his Dodge Darts. She will be growing up with her
daddy’s “old Plymouth.” It may not be as old as her pastor’s
‘49, but for a car 35 years her senior, it will be old enough.
-- Lanny Knutson
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Road Trip to New Orleans
even without overdrive, the road trip
will continue. I will just drive slower.
The overdrive requires electricity to
operate; I pull to the side of the road
and quickly find a loose screw which
fastens a wire to the solenoid beneath
the car. Screw tightened; problem
fixed. The overdrive is working again.
As we
drive on,
we see
many
trucks
filled with
soybeans
and corn.
It is harvest time
in the
Midwest.
We drive
southward to the Cave-In-Rock
State Park in Illinois where SR1 ends at the Ohio River.
by Robert and Wanda Van
Van Buskirk
Indianapolis, Indiana
F OR US , “Wanda the Wife” and me, the most enjoyable use of the old Plymouths is to go on road trips to
explore parts of the country we have never seen. We
drive to places where there are no Transportation
Security Administration searches and no passport
required (yet). Our Plymouths have no seat belts, no
alarm systems, and no gps navigation systems. We do
not have a cell phone. The original purchasers of these
Plymouths did fine without these features; so do we.
For us, the Plymouths are time-travel machines to a
simpler, freer time. They still deliver dependable transportation. Load the family and supplies, and go.
http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R5/CAVEROCK.htm
This cave was used for the river pirates scene in the movie
How The West Was Won. We walk over the hill and along the
Ohio River to explore the cave. Fortunately, there are no river
pirates lurking in the cave. As we
walk the return path, I spy a
small snake soaking up
the warm sunshine. He
consents to a photo.
We quickly find
our way onto the ferryboat which crosses
the Ohio River. We
can see Kentucky
across the river. The
crossing is quick and
easy, and we find that the
Kentucky road leading from
the river is covered with newly fallen leaves for us to crunch
with our Plymouth.
We drive westward and notice a machine shop, with a
huge crank as a
signpost. I stop
and ask what it is
from. “An EMD,”
We
had contemplated a trip to the Louisiana Gulf
Coast in 2005, but Hurricane Katrina struck on
August 29 that year and changed our plans. We
went to the North Carolina Outer Banks instead. In 2006, we
went to Louisiana.
The news was not good from New Orleans: corruption,
displaced families, unrepaired hurricane damage, and high
crime were among the news items. A news story about thousands of people living in Federal Emergency Management
Administration (FEMA) trailer parks interested me. Why was
the rebuilding going so slowly? The weather in Indiana was
abnormally cold throughout September and October. Finally,
the weather forecast for early November promised above normal temperatures. Good weather for a road trip.
Day 1 - Wednesday, November 8, 2006
The Plymouth has been serviced and
washed. We load luggage and supplies
and drive westward from Indianapolis on
Interstate 70 to Illinois SR 1.
Shortly after, we turn south on SR 1,
and the overdrive misbehaves by not
engaging. I make a quick decision that,
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Page 43
widely over the Mississippi River Basin by the Native
Americans for ceremonial purposes.
Next, we stop at a 1927 FLOOD sign. This worst flood
in American history as been the subject of art and music,
including “High Water” by Bing Crosby and Paul Whiteman.
Here are some 1927 Flood references:
says the man. I Rolodex the acronyms in my brain and quickly offer ElectroMotiveDiesel? My Lionel train collecting
pays off; this crank was from a diesel locomotive. It may have
traveled to New Orleans before it became a signpost.
We drive westward to US 51, which smoothly leads us to
Memphis by nightfall. A problem with road trips in
November is that the shorter days leave less time for sightseeing. We drive through Memphis without getting lost and
begin looking for lodging as soon as we cross into
Mississippi. We drive and drive along Highway 61. The highway is void of motels and restaurants. To the west, along the
Mississippi River, we can see the lights from the gambling
complex at
Tunica, the third
largest gambling
complex in the
country. Also,
there are dozens
and dozens of
brightly lit billboards along US
61, to lure people
to Tunica. But no motels. Finally, 60 miles after we enter
Mississippi, we reach Clarksdale and find food and lodging.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/timeline/timeline2.html
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2001/20020405.htm
Next, we stop at the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge.
There was an alligator
sign, but no
alligators
in the
swamp
with
cypress
trees. I had hopes of
seeing an alligator on
this trip, to satisfy my reptilian personality.
We continue on to Vicksburg National Military Park. The
Civil War battle at Vicksburg determined that the North would
control shipping on the Mississippi River. A 16-mile drive
with over 1000 monuments and displays explains the battle.
My favorite display is the Cairo, a Union gunboat that was
sunk in 1862 in the Yazoo River. It has been raised and exhibited with many explanatory displays.
Just outside of Port Gibson are the Windsor Ruins. There
are 23
Corinthian
columns that
were part of a
plantation house
that burned in
1890. Now, one
can only imagine what the
building looked
like.
We stop for the night in McComb, Mississippi.
Day 2 - Thursday
As I return from the motel office with the morning coffee, I
notice two huge Ford Expedition SUVs with US GOVERNMENT license plates, towing big fishing boats. I see a man
in one of the boats pouring ice into a cooler. I ask him about
the fishing boats. “The government likes to fish, too,” is his
reply. He has my attention. He explains that the government
does fish population surveys for the Army Corps of
Engineers. He says that he uses trot-lines to catch fish. I
can’t imagine that the dam and levee builders have ever
changed plans because of a fish. By this time, he is loading
foot-long catfish into the re-iced cooler. He says that catfish
is the only species caught the previous day. I
think they are part of the government’s
“filet and release” program.
As we drive south on SR 1,
we see many huge bales of cotton and an old Plymouth in
need of love. More harvesting.
We happen upon the Great
River Road State Park and pay
the honor box entry fee. We
drive in and park in the lot near the
Mississippi River. We climb the
observation tower and watch a deer cross
onto a small island. It is a great sunny morning to be in
Mississippi.
We continue southward on SR1, and stop at
the Winterville Mound.
In the visitors’ center is an
explanation of the
mounds which were built
Day 3 - Friday
Another nice day, sunny and warm. We see several truckloads of cut pines as we continue eastward across southern
Mississippi. We are in Southern Pine country. The first stop
for the day is Purvis, Mississippi, to see a storage area for the
FEMA trailers that are used to house hurricane refugees.
There are 35,000 of these trailers in Mississippi and 75,000 in
Louisiana. This storage lot contains over 1000 of the 200square-foot travel trailers. The trailers come and go according
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to need. I do not understand why the rebuilding process is so
slow.
We speed on to Gulfport, Mississippi, where we see our
first Hurricane Katrina damage. The boardwalk along the
Gulf and all buildings
near the Gulf of Mexico
have been badly damaged.
We arrive at lunch time
and eat a tailgate lunch in
a gulfside parking lot.
While we eat and gaze at
the damage, a group of
Presbyterian church workers from Pittsburgh pulls alongside
us. One of them feeds the gulls. We talk about the hurricane
and the recovery process. They are gutting the Katrina-damaged interior from the home of an 84-year-old woman. They
tell of stripping flooring from still-wet-after-a-year floors. I
volunteer an afternoon of work and they refuse, saying that
security checks are required. I am rejected and puzzled.
Wanda and I are very good at rehab work. We have worked
on dozens of houses, we have even platted two subdivisions
and built new houses. We are experts. Rejected experts.
I drive westward on the highway along the gulf and gaze
my rejected mind away at the damage. The Katrina storm
surge has removed nearly all structures for a distance of up to
mile inland from the gulf. A few have managed to get rebuilt
but mostly what is left is cleared land. There are some FEMA
trailers, indicating that the owners are still present.
We use the Interstate to get to New Orleans faster. We
stop at a Louisiana rest stop, where I take a nap while Wanda
goes inside for maps. A catnap later, she appears with maps,
including a New Orleans map which shows the Lower 9th
Ward and Industrial Canal levee break points. Things are
about to get interesting.
When we enter New Orleans, we can see that damage is
everywhere and many businesses are closed, never to re-open.
The reports of high crime run through my head. We could get
mugged. As we drive through the Upper 9th Ward neighborhood (upper, because it is
on higher ground) we see
many FEMA trailers, with
above-ground sewer,
water, electric and gas,
located on the lots of damaged homes. We see many
homes that are being
worked on, including a
new Habitat for
Humanity house. We stop
and talk with a pair of men
whose home had been
recently wrapped in
LOWE’S wrap. I take their
picture and, before I drive
away, one asks if we have
been across the bridge yet.
I say no, and he says that
we have not seen anything
yet. We drive further down the street, and I stop to photograph
a house with big brown
dog rescue markings on
the front.
I take the picture and
talk with two nearby men.
They also ask if we have
been across the bridge yet.
The bridge across the
Industrial Canal leads to
the Lower 9th Ward. Levee breaks in the Industrial Canal
caused the flooding in New Orleans.
We are soon there. It is an OH-MY-GOD experience. While
we scan the horizon for non-existent criminals, we survey the
total desolation. Very few
houses are left. Most of
the lots have been cleared.
Shortly, we stop in front of
a house that is resting on
top of a truck. It had
floated in the flood waters
and come to rest on top of
the truck as the waters receded.
Soon, we are joined by a group of church workers from
Utah who are taking a break from their rebuilding work.
There are other church groups about, soaking up the devastated ambiance. Everybody is stunned by what they see. I photograph the new levee wall and we leave.
The light is
fading fast. We
make the decision
to return to the
very moving environment of the
Lower 9th Ward
before returning to
Indiana. We hightail it out of town,
crossing the
Mississippi River
on the white-knuckle, very narrow, Huey P. Long Bridge. We
stop for the night at Morgan City, Louisiana.
Day 4 - Saturday
Today, we will see alligators. We drive southwesterly toward
the wetlands near the Gulf of
Mexico. We spend most of the
day driving westward along
the gulf, through bayou
and Cajun country.
(Cajun is a shortening of
Acadian. The Frenchspeaking Acadians were
driven from Canada over
200 years ago and settled
the area west of New Orleans.)
The first stop is at the Tabasco
plant at Avery Island. We pass up an opportunity to buy a gallon of Tabasco Louisiana Hot Sauce for $36.99. Death in a
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have set up trailers and are starting to rebuild. The destruction by Rita was total.
jug. Outside, workers are painting storage tanks green. I later
emailed Tabasco for information about the green tanks and
received this reply:
http://geology.com/news/2005/11/holly-beach-louisiana-hurricane-rita.html
Day 5 - Sunday
The light is fading fast. We spend the night in Lafayette.
Subject: Re: Green Tanks
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:23:58 -0600
From: "Kali B. Quibodeaux" <countrystore@TABASCO.com>
To: Robert Van Buskirk <vanbuskirk@netdirect.net>
Hi Bob,
The new green tanks are for vinegar. We put them there to
give us more capacity in the event of another hurricane and our
supply is interrupted. If you have any further questions, please
let me know.
Sincerely, Tabasco Country Store Customer Service
We head eastward to the gulf coast west of New Orleans.
There are many bridges in southern Louisiana because of the
bayous and the Intracoastal Canal, a system of water highways within the border of Louisiana.
As we drive, we see pelicans and
shrimp boats. A sign at the Grand
Isle State Park warns that Katrina
has been here. We walk the long
pier and see no damage until after
we have walked over a rise and see
that Katrina had removed much of
the pier. We walk along the beach
and leave.
As we
drive toward the Lower 9th Ward,
we see a beautiful pink and blue
house. When we arrive at the Lower
We drive around Avery Island, but the weather is windy and
chilly, and just a few birds are sighted, one of them a giant
egret. And no alligators. We see sugar cane fields and a sugar
refinery, as we continue our drive toward the coast.
Soon, we see our first alligator: road killed. We see
three alligators and several turtles
that day, all were road killed.
Some people use their cars
for weapons.
We stop at the Cajun
Diner, where we eat a fine
lunch of a crab cake sandwich,
butterfly shrimp,
and fried okra. We are
in bayou country. A bayou is a slow-moving
stream through wetlands, smaller than a
river.
We drive westward along a road
that goes through wetlands for long distances. There are many kinds of birds, including egrets and roseate spoonbills. We begin to
see damage from Hurricane Rita.
9th Ward in the early
afternoon, our first
stop is at the blue tent
of the Common
Ground Relief
Center. The tent is
used to distribute the
tools and help to help
the people of the
Lower 9th. There, we
talk with Keith
Bernard, who tells of
how, when the evacuation for Katrina was ordered, he had stayed behind to watch
people’s homes. When the neighborhood flooded, after the
levee had broken, he located a boat and was soon joined by a
dog. They paddled to a two- story house where they waited
until they were rescued. He points to a sign of progress: a
new line of utility poles.
A year and millions of donated dollars later, gas, water
and electricity have not returned to the lower 9th. There are
many church groups in vans that have come to the Lower 9th
this sunny Sunday afternoon to look
at the devastation. We see
water gurgling from a broken fire hydrant and a broken house supply line, a
1954 Dodge, a chicken, a
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=24499
At Cameron, we see buildings that have been stripped to
the metal girders by the high winds. The hurricane damage
continues to get worse as we drive west. After a ferry ride,
we drive ahead on the Creole Nature Trail. We pass a salvage
yard for Rita debris, another FEMA trailer park and many
damaged and demolished homes.
We stop at a place where we can drive onto the beach of
the Gulf of Mexico. We drive the Plymouth onto the beach,
watch the sunset and gather some seashells. Before we leave,
we talk to some fishermen.
We speak with amazement
of the damage that we have
seen. One of the fishermen
asks if we have been to
Holly Beach, and explains
that Holly Beach was wiped
out by Rita. Three hundred
people had their homes
destroyed by Rita. Holly Beach was gone. The twenty-foot
storm surge had scrubbed the homes away.
We drive westward to see Holly Beach. It is like the
Lower 9th Ward, only on a beach where 300 people once
lived. There is mainly vacant land. A year later, a few people
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church with a hopeful message
and a closed school.
The Lower 9th is still largely a
ghost town. Two more recent occurrences that slow the recovery in
New Orleans: 1.) The Travelers
Insurance of St. Paul, the largest
supplier of commercial insurance in
New Orleans, has announced that
they will not be renewing most policies in New Orleans because they
do not have faith in the levee system; 2.) The city government
is going ahead with plans to demolish 5,000-plus housing
units that have been closed since Katrina, in spite of the housing shortage. It seems that nature and the government have
conspired to change the (pardon this word) complexion of
New Orleans. Billions of dollars will be spent. So far, very
little of this money has reached the neighborhood level.
We see a huge oil refinery as we leave New Orleans, and
we spend the night in Gonzales, Louisiana.
20 miles through the mossy live oaks
of the Natchez Trace Parkway
before rejoining US 61. We spend
the night in Cleveland,
Mississippi.
Day 7 - Tuesday
Today is get-home day. We cross into
Tennessee and after a gas fill-up, I notice a bar sticking
beneath the front end of the Plymouth. The stabilizer bar is
broken.
The stabilizer bar improves handling of the car when a
the car hits a bump. When the left side of the car hits a bump,
the stabilizer bar transfers the rising force of that wheel to the
side without the bump. This causes the non-bump side also to
move upward while reducing the travel of the bump side. The
front of the car stays more level.
The broken stabilizer bar causes
the car to be more
difficult to handle.
The problem is most
noticeable when I
pass large trucks,
and the wind around
the trucks causes the
car to lean and pull
to the left.
We are in a race with the weather. Rain is moving into
Illinois from the west. We race to get through Illinois before
the rain makes driving difficult; we are
pretty successful.
We meet light rain
for about an hour
before we reach I-70
and outrun the rain.
The rain arrives at
home about an hour
after we do.
Day 6 - Monday
We cross the Mississippi
River again and drive by
the Nottoway pre-Civil
War mansion near White
Castle, Louisiana. We also
see trucks being unloaded
at a sugar refinery. Then
we go to Baker,
Louisiana, to see
Renaissance Village,
one of the largest
FEMA Katrina trailer
parks. There are 600
trailers that house about 2000 Katrina refugees. A high fence
and a guard shack restrict access to this
trailer park. FEMA is required to furnish housing for 18 months after a
disaster. Since the damaged areas
are not yet rebuilt, another problem
will happen when FEMA shuts
down Renaissance Village.
We leave and head north along
US 61. As we drive to Natchez, we
see an
old pancake
restaurant built in the mimic
style of a large woman. We
see a riverboat casino, then we
find a riverside park at the
bottom of a steep drive down
the levee wall, and eat a tailgate lunch in the afternoon
sun.
Heading north, we drive
Afterthoughts
Every day, I still think about what we saw in New Orleans.
Just this morning, (Dec. 27, 2006), there was an article in the
paper about billions of misspent Katrina dollars.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/12/26/AR2006122600789.html
We saw few signs of this much money being spent to rebuild
the damaged areas. I hope that there are no more Katrinatype disasters for a long time.
Anyway, we went 2903 miles in the Plymouth. Thanks to
Louie Pippen, who donated a stabilizer bar, the stabilizer bar
has been replaced. The Plymouth has been serviced and is
ready for the next road trip. We are looking forward to another Plymouth adventure.
PB
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Plymouth and the Economy Runs
A Look a t Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the Gilmor e and Mobilg as Econom y Runs fr om 1936 to 1968
1957: Crossing the finish line in Sun Valley is Mary Davis, driving a Plymouth Belvedere 8, placing first in the Low Price Class. Mary
is the first woman to score a class win in the Mobilgas Economy Runs.
the Mobilgas Economy Runs were resumed in 1950. In 1956,
the United States Auto Club (USAC) took over the supervision of the runs.
In the early days of the economy runs, cars were usually
entered by new car dealers or distributors located in the Los
Angeles area. DeSoto-Plymouth dealer Harry A. Shortell was
an active entrant in the Gilmore Economy Runs. As the
1950s progressed, well-known Los Angeles area dealers participated, among them, Andrew J. Crevelon, Art Frost,
Greene-Halderman and W. R. Shadoff. As the 1960s dawned,
Chrysler Corporation became more and more involved with
factory participation on behalf of individual dealers who,
along with dealer associations, could be named as entrants.
Factory engineers and test drivers were tapped as drivers and
co-drivers, replacing many of the dealership employees and
private individuals who had performed these duties.
During the 1950s and well into the 1960s, a good deal of
publicity was generated in both newspapers and magazines by
the annual economy runs. Each year, articles appeared in
such publications as Motor Trend, Motor Life, Hot Rod, and
Speed Age, to name just a few. The articles covered aspects
of the year’s event along with the gas-saving techniques of
the winning drivers. In addition, Floyd Clymer published
yearly books covering the economy runs in the 1950s.
From 1936 through 1958, results were determined by
using a ton/miles-per-gallon formula which was calculated by
by Dave Hermanson
Loudon, Tennessee
S
ince the first automobile was produced, all types of
reliability and endurance runs have been staged in an
effort to show and publicize one manufacturer’s success over all others. One such event occurred in 1921 when
an informal economy run sponsored by the Los Angeles
Motor Car Dealers took place over a course from Los Angeles
to Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, a lack of definite
rules and supervision left these early mileage results open to
question.
In 1936, the Gilmore Oil Company, already known on the
West Coast for its sponsorship of automobile racing (including competing in the Indianapolis 500 and other racing
events) began sponsoring an economy run. The AAA Contest
Board, under the direction of Art Pillsbury, sanctioned and
supervised the run, which included inspections of each car to
ensure stock status was maintained. They provided observers
who rode in each car during the course of the run to ensure
that all rules and procedures were followed. These early
economy runs were one-day trips, traveling from Los Angeles
to Yosemite National Park until, in 1941, the destination was
changed to the Grand Canyon.
Gilmore Oil merged with General Petroleum in 1945, and
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multiplying the weight of the car, passengers and luggage in
tons by the number of miles traveled and dividing this figure
by amount of gasoline consumed. This formula was devised
to put all competing cars on a relatively equal basis by compensating the weight differences between each entry. Over
time, the results would show that this formula over-compensated the heavier cars, and this formula (along with the
Sweepstakes Award for the highest ton/miles-per-gallon) was
dropped after the1958 run in favor of using a straight milesper-gallon figure.
From a beginning of disappointing results, Plymouth, in
1957, started a tradition of economy run successes. This era
saw Plymouth collecting 19 first-place trophies, the most by
any make competing in the history of the runs. This record of
victories included a string of 12 consecutive years in which
Plymouth was found in the winner’s circle. A Plymouth
Valiant 100 6 also recorded the highest mileage of all cars
competing in the 1967 Economy Run.
1967: Crossing the finish line at Cobo Hall in Detroit is the class
winning Valiant 100 6. Driven by Chrysler Corporation Engineer
Bob Checkley, it also scored the highest mileage of any car in the
1967 Mobil Economy Run and broke Rambler American's five-year
streak for this honor.
Par t 1
T he Gilmor e Year s -- 1936 to 1941
on January 13th, followed a more difficult route which covered 314.5 miles. More exact mileage measurements were
introduced this year, and, beginning this year, all cars competing were impounded several days prior to the start in order to
be thoroughly checked for stock status. Plymouth placed a
disappointing third in its price class. Ford, competing in the
economy run for the first time, placed first. For the third
straight year, a Graham Supercharger 6 captured the
Sweepstakes Award scoring 55.927 ton/miles-per-gallon with
a Willys 4 once again recording the highest figure of 30.534
miles-per-gallon.
1936 – The inaugural Gilmore Economy Run, held on
January 9th, was a 352-mile contest extending from Los
Angeles to Yosemite National Park. Every car that was
entered finished the run within the time limits specified,
although the drivers encountered a driving rainstorm in the
mountainous terrain approaching Yosemite. Plymouth placed
second in its price class, finishing behind a Graham Crusader
6. The Sweepstakes Award was captured by a Graham
Supercharger 6 scoring 55.47 ton/miles-per-gallon. A Willys
4 recorded a figure of 33.21 miles-per-gallon, which was the
highest figure ever achieved in the history of the economy
runs.
Class 2-A
Graham Crusader 6
Plymouth Deluxe 6
Chevrolet Master 6
TMPG
47.61
43.10
41.43
Class B
Ford Deluxe 60 8
Chevrolet Master 6
Plymouth Deluxe 6
MPG
25.33
22.42
25.70
Weather played havoc with the cars competing in
this year’s Gilmore Economy Run, held on January 5th. After
battling treacherous road conditions, driving rain and snow
for most of the day, the drivers then encountered a severe
snow storm 42 miles from the finish line in Yosemite National
Park. This required the use of tire chains. As a result of these
conditions, 13 of the 29 competing cars failed to complete the
difficult 314.5 route within the prescribed 11-hour time limit
and were disqualified. All of the disqualified entries, which
included all of the cars in Plymouth’s price class, had their
results published, although none could compete for any
awards. Once again Plymouth placed a disappointing last
among the four entries. A new Sweepstakes Champion was
crowned when a Studebaker Commander 6 scored an impressive 55.875 ton/miles-per-gallon with a Willys 4, once again
recording the highest figure of 26.88 miles-per-gallon.
the Gilmore Economy Run, which, held on January 7th, covered pretty much the same 352-mile route. Frigid winter
weather played a factor in this year’s event, as ice-covered
roads, snow and cold temperatures resulted in the need to use
tire chains as the cars neared Yosemite National Park.
Plymouth again placed second in its price class, finishing
behind a Chevrolet Master 6. The Sweepstakes Award was
again captured by a Graham Supercharger 6 scoring 53.4
ton/miles-per-gallon with a Willys 4 again recording the highest figure of 28.16 miles-per-gallon.
TMPG
41.8
41.3
MPG
28.850
21.993
21.250
1939 –
1937 – Yosemite National Park was again the destination of
Class B
Chevrolet Master 6
Plymouth Deluxe 6
TMPG
50.767
43.491
40.460
MPG
19.45
20.83
Class B
Ford 8
Hudson 112 Deluxe 6
Chevrolet Master 6
Plymouth Deluxe 6
1938 –
Yosemite National Park again was the destination of
the Gilmore Economy Run, although this year’s event, held
-48-
TMPG
48.649
46.980
46.628
43.700
MPG
24.57
24.38
23.30
22.79
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Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the econom y r uns
1940 –
In contrast to the weather problems encountered in
1939, this year’s Gilmore Economy Run was a much
smoother event even though driving rain, snow and falling
temperatures were once again encountered. Held on January
4th, the route to Yosemite National Park covered 306.5 miles.
All entries crossed the finish line within the 10.5-hour time
limit. The use of overdrive was becoming more and more
evident, with half of the entries being so equipped. More
extensive inspections of each entry were made by AAA officials prior to the start of the run, proof of their concern over
strict adherence to stock status requirements. Unfortunately,
Plymouth once again placed last among the four entries. For
the second year in a row, a Studebaker Commander 6 captured the Sweepstakes Award with 54.750 ton/miles-per-gallon, with a Willys Deluxe 4 continuing to record the highest
figure of 30.05 miles-per-gallon.
Class B
Studebaker Champion 6
Ford 85 Deluxe 8
Chevrolet Master 6
Plymouth Roadking 6
TMPG
53.448
51.420
48.022
45.164
1936 - 1968
TON M.P.G.
M.PG.
1936 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.10
25.70
Yosemite: Driven by Don Langmo – Entered by Sweitzer & Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 3 Entries in Price Class 2-A
1937 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
41.5
20.83
Yosemite: Driven by Jimmy Walker – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 2 Entries in Price Class B
1938 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
40.46
21.250
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 3rd out of 3 Entries in Price Class B
1939 Plymouth Roadking 6 sedan
43.700
22.79
Yosemite: Unknown driver – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Unofficially finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
($801 - $1000)
All cars in Price Class B were disqualified for taking longer than the
allotted eleven hours; however, their performance was still published.
MPG
29.19
24.92
22.87
22.54
1940 Plymouth Roadking 6 4-door touring sedan
45.164
22.54
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
21.71
1941 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.417
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by unknown. Finished 2nd
out of 2 entries in Price Class B
1941 – After five years of traveling to Yosemite National
Park, with contestants becoming overly familiar with the
route from Los Angeles, a new destination and route were
selected for the 1941 Gilmore Economy Run. Held on
January 9th, the run had cars headed toward the Grand
Canyon following a 599.3-mile route from Los Angeles via
Las Vegas, which was termed by most drivers as a 14.5-hour
endurance test, as they encountered every type of weather
condition including strong headwinds, which had a negative
effect on mileage. Sponsors of all General Motors cars
declined to participate in this year’s event, resulting in only
two cars competing in Plymouth’s price class. A new
Sweepstakes Champion was crowned when a Lincoln Custom
12 scored an impressive 57.827 ton/miles-per-gallon. This
was the highest ton/miles-per-gallon figure achieved in the
six-year history of the Gilmore Economy Runs. A Willys
Americar Plainsman 4 recorded the highest figure of 29.06
miles-per-gallon.
Class B
Ford Super Deluxe
Plymouth Deluxe 6
TMPG
849.557
43.417
1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe 6 4-door sedan
43.8372
21.254
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 3rd out of 3 entries in Price Class B
($1450 - $1750)
1951 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
48.954
24.145
Grand Canyon: Driven by Lee Winchester – Entered by GreeneHalderman, Los Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 4 entries in
Special 6-Cylinder Lightweight Class
22.090
1951 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
47.934
Grand Canyon: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1400 - $1750)
1952 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
47.0250 23.0797
Sun Valley: Driven by Bill Cameron – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 1st out of 2 entries in Special 6-Cylinder
Lightweight Class
1952 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
49.0433 23.5220
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 5th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1600 - $1950)
MPG
23.05
21.71
1953 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
46.9501 22.8301
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price –
Standard & Overdrive)
PREPARATIONS HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED and entrants
had signed up for the 1942 Gilmore Economy Run when the
attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World
War II. In 1945, Gilmore Oil Company completed its merger
with General Petroleum. In 1949 plans were finalized with the
AAA Contest Board and General Petroleum to renew the
activity in 1950. A new era of the economy run was about to
begin.
1954 Plymouth Belvedere 6 4-door sedan
47.7067 22.4397
Sun Valley: Driven by LeRoy Schlick – Entered by Plymouth Dealers of
Southern California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price
– Standard & Overdrive)
1955 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door sedan
43.7723 19.3683
Colorado Springs: Driven by Ak Miller – Entered by Plymouth Dealers.
Finished 5th out of 6 entries in Class A (Low Price)
Dave is still looking for information and pictures from the earlier
days of the economy runs, particularly the Gilmore events from 1936
to 1941, and is always happy to correspond with other enthusiasts.
Dave Hermanson, 205 Gadusi Way, Loudon, TN 37774-6840.
(865) 408-0262
Beginning with the 1955 run,
all cars were equipped with automatic transmissions
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Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the econom y r uns
Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the econom y r uns , 1936 - 1968
1936 - 1968
TON M.P.G.
M.PG.
1956 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door sedan
47.7381 20.6793
Colorado Springs: Driven by Art Rene – Entered by W. R. Shadoff
Plymouth, Pomona, California. Finished 2nd out of 6 entries in Class A
(Low Price)
TON M.P.G.
M.PG.
1936 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.10
25.70
Yosemite: Driven by Don Langmo – Entered by Sweitzer & Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 3 Entries in Price Class 2-A
1957 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
52.6211 21.3907
Sun Valley: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 10 entries in Class A (Low Price)
1937 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
41.5
20.83
Yosemite: Driven by Jimmy Walker – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 2 Entries in Price Class B
1957 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
51.4061 20.8968
Sun Valley: Driven by Dick Griffith – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 8th out of 10 entries in Class A (Low Price)
Entrants could exercise an option to enter a second car of the same
make and model, provided the second car was operated by a qualified
woman driver and relief driver. The official score for that make and model
was determined by whichever of the two cars achieved the best Ton Miles
Per Gallon Average over the entire course. This scoring rule was used only
in the 1957 Economy Run.
1938 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
40.46
21.250
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Finished 3rd out of 3 Entries in Price Class B
1939 Plymouth Roadking 6 sedan
43.700
22.79
Yosemite: Unknown driver – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Unofficially finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
($801 - $1000)
All cars in Price Class B were disqualified for taking longer than the
allotted eleven hours; however, their performance was still published.
1958 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
48.3264 20.0088
Galveston: Driven by Pierce Venable – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 7 entries in Class A (Low Price)
1940 Plymouth Roadking 6 4-door touring sedan
45.164
22.54
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
1958 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
48.1804 19.9897
Galveston: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 2nd out of 7 entries in Class A (Low Price)
21.71
1941 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.417
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by unknown. Finished 2nd out
of 2 entries in Price Class B
Beginning with the 1959 Run, the Ton Miles Per Gallon formula
was dropped and all cars competed strictly on a Miles Per Gallon
basis. From here on, there are no official overall winners, only
individual class winners.
1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe 6 4-door sedan
43.8372
21.254
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 3rd out of 3 entries in Price Class B
($1450 - $1750)
1959 Plymouth Belvedere 8 2-door hardtop
21.1548
Kansas City: Driven by Pierce Venable – Entered by W. R. Shadoff
Plymouth, Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 8 entries in Class C
(Low Price – 8 Cylinder)
1951 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
48.954
24.145
Grand Canyon: Driven by Lee Winchester – Entered by Greene-Halderman,
Los Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 4 entries in Special 6Cylinder Lightweight Class
1959 Plymouth Belvedere 8 2-door hardtop
20.9880
Kansas City: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 2nd out of 8 entries in Class C (Low Price –
8 Cylinder)
22.090
1951 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
47.934
Grand Canyon: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1400 - $1750)
1960 Valiant V-100 6 4-door sedan
27.2992
Minneapolis: Driven by Ginny Sims – Entered by Los Angeles Valiant
Advertising Association. Finished 2nd out of 10 entries in Class A
(Compact – 6 & 8 Cylinder)
1952 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
47.0250 23.0797
Sun Valley: Driven by Bill Cameron – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 1st out of 2 entries in Special 6-Cylinder
Lightweight Class
1960 Valiant V-100 6 4-door sedan
27.4700
Minneapolis: Driven by Art Rene – Entered by Los Angeles Valiant
Advertising Association. Finished 4th out of 10 entries in Class A
(Compact – 6 & 8 Cylinder)
1952 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
49.0433 23.5220
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 5th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1600 - $1950)
1960 Plymouth Savoy 6 2-door sedan
24.8265
Minneapolis: Driven by Mary Hauser – Entered by Plymouth Dealers of
Greater Detroit. Finished 1st out of 7 entries in Class B (Low Price – 6
Cylinder)
1953 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
46.9501 22.8301
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price – Standard
& Overdrive)
1960 Plymouth Savoy 6 2-door sedan
24.7360
Minneapolis: Driven by Pierce Venable – Entered by W. R. Shadoff
Plymouth, Pomona, California. Finished 3rd out of 7 entries in Class B
(Low Price – 6 Cylinder)
1954 Plymouth Belvedere 6 4-door sedan
47.7067 22.4397
Sun Valley: Driven by LeRoy Schlick – Entered by Plymouth Dealers of
Southern California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price –
Standard & Overdrive)
1960 Plymouth Belvedere 8 2-door hardtop
22.8899
Minneapolis: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 11 entries in Class C (Low Price –
8 Cylinder)
1955 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door sedan
43.7723 19.3683
Colorado Springs: Driven by Ak Miller – Entered by Plymouth Dealers.
Finished 5th out of 6 entries in Class A (Low Price)
1960 Plymouth Belvedere 8 2-door hardtop
22.5256
Minneapolis: Driven by Jim Fosdick – Entered by Plymouth Dealers
Association of Southern California. Finished 2nd out of 11 entries in Class
C (Low Price – 8 Cylinder)
Beginning with the 1955 run,
all cars were equipped with automatic transmissions
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Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the econom y r uns
Pl ymouth’ s perf or mance in the econom y r uns , 1936 - 1968
1936 - 1968
TON M.P.G.
M.PG.
1956 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door sedan
47.7381 20.6793
Colorado Springs: Driven by Art Rene – Entered by W. R. Shadoff
Plymouth, Pomona, California. Finished 2nd out of 6 entries in Class A
(Low Price)
TON M.P.G.
M.PG.
1936 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.10
25.70
Yosemite: Driven by Don Langmo – Entered by Sweitzer & Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 3 Entries in Price Class 2-A
1957 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
52.6211 21.3907
Sun Valley: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 10 entries in Class A (Low Price)
1937 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
41.5
20.83
Yosemite: Driven by Jimmy Walker – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los
Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 2 Entries in Price Class B
1957 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
51.4061 20.8968
Sun Valley: Driven by Dick Griffith – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 8th out of 10 entries in Class A (Low Price)
Entrants could exercise an option to enter a second car of the same
make and model, provided the second car was operated by a qualified
woman driver and relief driver. The official score for that make and model
was determined by whichever of the two cars achieved the best Ton Miles
Per Gallon Average over the entire course. This scoring rule was used only
in the 1957 Economy Run.
1938 Plymouth Deluxe 6 4-door touring sedan
40.46
21.250
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Finished 3rd out of 3 Entries in Price Class B
1939 Plymouth Roadking 6 sedan
43.700
22.79
Yosemite: Unknown driver – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Unofficially finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
($801 - $1000)
All cars in Price Class B were disqualified for taking longer than the
allotted eleven hours; however, their performance was still published.
1958 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
48.3264 20.0088
Galveston: Driven by Pierce Venable – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 7 entries in Class A (Low Price)
1940 Plymouth Roadking 6 4-door touring sedan
45.164
22.54
Yosemite: Driven by Ben Cole – Entered by Harry A. Shortell, Los Angeles,
California. Finished 4th out of 4 entries in Price Class B
1958 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door hardtop
48.1804 19.9897
Galveston: Driven by Mary Davis – Entered by W. R. Shadoff Plymouth,
Pomona, California. Finished 2nd out of 7 entries in Class A (Low Price)
21.71
1941 Plymouth Deluxe 6 sedan
43.417
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by unknown. Finished 2nd out
of 2 entries in Price Class B
Beginning with the 1959 Run, the Ton Miles Per Gallon formula
was dropped and all cars competed strictly on a Miles Per Gallon
basis. From here on, there are no official overall winners, only
individual class winners.
1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe 6 4-door sedan
43.8372
21.254
Grand Canyon: Unknown driver – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 3rd out of 3 entries in Price Class B
($1450 - $1750)
1959 Plymouth Belvedere 8 2-door hardtop
21.1548
Kansas City: Driven by Pierce Venable – Entered by W. R. Shadoff
Plymouth, Pomona, California. Finished 1st out of 8 entries in Class C
(Low Price – 8 Cylinder)
1951 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
48.954
24.145
Grand Canyon: Driven by Lee Winchester – Entered by Greene-Halderman,
Los Angeles, California. Finished 2nd out of 4 entries in Special 6Cylinder Lightweight Class
22.090
1951 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
47.934
Grand Canyon: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1400 - $1750)
1952 Plymouth Concord 6 2-door sedan
47.0250 23.0797
Sun Valley: Driven by Bill Cameron – Entered by Andrew J. Crevolin,
Alhambra, California. Finished 1st out of 2 entries in Special 6-Cylinder
Lightweight Class
1952 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
49.0433 23.5220
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 5th out of 5 entries in Class A ($1600 - $1950)
1953 Plymouth Cranbrook 6 4-door sedan
46.9501 22.8301
Sun Valley: Driven by Eddie Bishop – Entered by Art Frost, Glendale,
California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price – Standard
& Overdrive)
One of my all-time favorite Mobilgas Economy Run photographs is this picture taken by one of Mobil's photographers. Yes,
I know it is not of a Plymouth but a Chevrolet. This
was at the start of the 1960 Economy Run at
Exposition Park in Los Angeles. There is a young
man of 14 years standing in the background (look
at the car’s right-side A-pIllar; see the boy with
dark hair, wearing a light jacket) who happens to
be yours truly! The starter leaping in the air is
race promoter J. C. Agajanian who served in this
capacity from 1951 through 1966. The driver of
the Chevrolet Biscayne 6 is one-time Chevrolet Test
Driver Betty Skelton.
1954 Plymouth Belvedere 6 4-door sedan
47.7067 22.4397
Sun Valley: Driven by LeRoy Schlick – Entered by Plymouth Dealers of
Southern California. Finished 4th out of 5 entries in Class A (Low Price –
Standard & Overdrive)
1955 Plymouth Belvedere 8 4-door sedan
43.7723 19.3683
Colorado Springs: Driven by Ak Miller – Entered by Plymouth Dealers.
Finished 5th out of 6 entries in Class A (Low Price)
Beginning with the 1955 run,
all cars were equipped with automatic transmissions
-51-
288-FULL ISSUE
2/29/08
7:03 AM
Page 52
Plymouth Miniatures
Dusting off the Duster
hearing the name “Duster” associated for the first time with a car, I
have to confess that I thought the fit was
just right. Knowing that it was a Plymouth
that was proudly bearing that moniker
made it seem even better to me. It couldn't
have been a more appropriate badge for a
car, and I am certain that most readers cannot help but agree with me.
The name “Duster” brings up many
images, all which are easily applicable to a
car, especially to one that is a formidable
little Plymouth. Think, for instance, of a
pitcher throwing a duster at a batter: maybe
not the most legal of pitches in today's sterile baseball world but a duster or dust back
is a stern warning to a batter that he’d better be aware of the pitcher and his space.
And, taking the baseball imagery a bit
further: how about the ump dusting off
home plate, which is to say, “getting
rid of any dirty competition” that
builds up around his home plate.
The “dusting” off (or away) of
any competitors is an image that can
be transferred from the ballpark to the
home. Remember when you didn’t
behave and had the seat of your pants
dusted off? It was a message you likely did not forget for some time. Can
you likewise remember that vintage
can of scouring powder in the kitchen
cupboard (what was that brand now?) with
the image of the old women giving her surroundings a good dusting? No doubt
things around the house would turn up spic
and span for some time to come or that
frantic female duster/cleaner would get her
dust rag loose again. In short, cleaning
someone’s clock or taking care of a mess is
what a duster is all about, and Plymouth
was the car that took the task seriously.
During its automotive lifetime, which
was seven model years, the Plymouth
Duster appeared in one basic design configuration. The Plymouth Scamp, which
came on the scene a year after the Duster,
was really nothing more than a rebadged
Dodge Dart. When the early ‘70s compact
Dart proved to be a competent little car and
a brisk seller, Chrysler made the decision to
add it to the Plymouth line in order to
exploit to the maximum the sales potential
of the vehicle. Chrysler, for sure, was not
playing fair with its Plymouth line, but life
in the world of Detroit automaking was just that: anything
to make a buck. The Dart outsold its
Scamp twin by a big margin, I am sure,
even though I don't have the sales figures
to back up my statement. It doesn't taking a
marketing genius to explain the reasons
why. Who was going to look twice at a
Scamp when the Dart was the first pretty
girl to arrive at the party? As for me, I
remember seeing some ad shots of the
Scamp back then and maybe one or two on
the streets, but my memories of the car are
vague, to say the least. Regarding miniatures of the first Scamp, I cannot point my
finger at even one, but then again not many
Dodge Dart models come to mind either.
The Plymouth Duster, on the other
Cheap and good-looking horsepower is
what made Plymouth an icon name in the
muscle car field.
I might add, too, that the Demon was
Dodge's twin of the Duster, but it suffered
in comparison much as did the Plymouth
Scamp reported above. The Duster was the
one to have if you had to choose. Sorry,
Dodge fans, but that is a fact.
MINIATURES OF THE FAMED DUSTER are the
real issue here, and the news is not too
promising. There are only a few of them,
and you might just find it easier to locate a
real, nicely restored or original Duster
vehicle than a couple of little ones.
Pictured is a model of a 1/24-scale plastic,
promotional ‘72 Duster 340 with its
original Rapid Transit System box,
made by Product Miniatures
Corporation (MPC) of the USA, and
sold in Plymouth dealerships and
other selected retail outlets at the time
the real car hit the showrooms. Not
many other miniature versions of the
little Duster exist (but stay tuned to
future columns). If it is realism in
7 2
your miniatures that you are after, you
cannot go wrong if you invest in a
promotional model. Your initial outDeuces Wild
lay will be a bit on the high side,
because promos are among the pricihand, was a direct descendent of the
est
of
miniatures, as most collectors well
Valiant and the Barracuda, an amalgam of
My Duster is finished in Gold Leaf,
know.
the two, so to speak. It combined the
a
factory
color according to the box flap.
roomier, sedan features of the Valiant and
With
its
original
box, it would likely sell in
gave Plymouth a lower-priced vehicle with
the
$125
range
on
eBay or at an old car
the sporty heritage and distinct features of
event,
and
quite
possibly
a good deal more.
the famous ´Cuda. With the passage of
Besides
the
Gold
Leaf-finished
Duster,
time, Plymouth presented a number of difother
factory
colors
were
made.
Possibly,
ferent versions of the Duster coupe but
you
might
find
one
in
the
color
of
your
never really altered the coupe’s styling. In
own
car.
an obvious attempt to make an attractive
The MPC Duster is the only plastic
coupe even more attractive to prospective
Duster
miniature I know of. As to any
buyers, especially among the younger musDuster
models made in other materials, I
cle car crowd, a high-performance Duster
only
know
of one, which die-cast. I've
was offered. The result was a positive one,
been
unable
to “dust off” any others, either
as I know of no car freak friends of mine
on
my
shelf
of
miniatures or in my memowho weren’t and still aren’t enthralled with
ry
bank.
the hot 340 CID Duster. For some reason, a
A Duster was known to”'dust off” the
muscled-up Duster will stop me dead in my
competition,
and the Rapid Transit System
tracks if I see one on the road or at a car
Duster
promo
takes care of business even
event, a reason I attribute to its unique
in
the
miniature
world. Nuf´said!
styling features coupled with what was a
2
On
very reasonable original sticker price.
-52-
-- Bill Brisbane
test
test
test
test
.ERYEV]*IFVYEV] :SPYQI2YQFIV
RACHEL STYER PHOTO
Gary and Carolyn Gray’s 1932 PB roadster
1932 - 2008
Destroyed in a fire on January 29, 2008
F15747 Plymouth Bulletin 288 Created By Patty Desautel CMYK
Sixteen Time Old Cars Weekly “Golden Quill”: Award Winner
Founded 1957
Founded 1957
SHEILA NAWROCKI PHOTO
1942 P14 Special Deluxe convertible
Denise Brady
and Dakota, her German Wire-haired Pointer