T Bird News - North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds

T Bird News
North Texas Vintage
Thunderbirds, Inc.
Local Chapter of VTCI
Volume 11 Issue 9: Aug, 2014
Sept 30, 2014
President’s Message
Well, September was a fun filled month of car shows. I managed
to get my new top put on and get my seat fixed but by the time I got
it back I had no time to get my two new tires I have needed. I made it
to the Crusin’ for the Cure with one tire way out of balance so it was
a little shaky driving there. About half way through the show I was
alerted that I had a small gas leak. I left the show early to try to get
the leak fixed so I could take it to the Virginia Hutto show. On the
way home I had a blowout. After waiting forever for a tow truck I got
my car home. I replaced a small piece of fuel line I thought was the
problem but now it looks like I have to replace the whole line. Well, I
made it to the Hutto show but not in my car.
It was a rough month on my car but we all know the problems
that seem to pop up at the worst times. It was still fun seeing everyone and seeing the different cars. Hopefully October will be a little
easier on me and my bird. Hope to see a big turnout at the Congeltons for our next meeting. It was such a fun time there last year if you
didn’t make it you won’t want to miss this time. Hope to see everyone
soon,
Bill
Oct Meeting: Gun Barrel City!
Fun, Friends, and Food on the patio at the Congleton’s on a gorgeous fall
afternoon—what more could we ask for?
Join us on Oct. 18th. Plan to arrive about 11 so we can eat at 11:30. We’ll
have our meeting after we eat! Meat & buns will be provided, so pull out a recipe for your favorite side dish, or make a run to Walmart for chips and burger
“fixins.” We’ll send out a reminder and sign-up list soon.
John and CeCe live at 101 Westshore Dr. in Gun Barrel City, 75756. Plug
the address into your gps or take Highway 175 south toward Kaufman to Hwy
274 in Kemp. Turn right and go 7 miles to Cedar Creek Pkwy (334). Go left,
over two bridges and turn right on Legendary (at a Valero Station). Go all the
way to the end. Turn left just before you end up in the lake! John and CeCe’s
house is the red brick on the right.
Last year 33 of us turned out for this, so mark your calendar now! We had a
great time, and you won’t want to miss out.
Inside this issue:
President’s Message
1
October Meeting
1
Cowtown Cruisin’ for
the Cure
2
Upcoming Car Shows
3
Birds & Bits For Sale
3
Hutto Car Show
4-5
2014 Event Calendar
4
Tech Article from a
Non-Techie
6
Cowtown Cruisin’ for
A Cure Pics
7-8
Convention Planning
Update
9
Advertisements
10
Contact #’s
10
10
Hutto Car Show
Thank You
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
2
Cowtown Cruisin’ for a Cure
By Larry Quattlebaum and Bonnie Kershaw
Saturday, Sept 20th was a great day for a car show in Fort Worth, TX. The weather was
great, the 507 cars that were shown were great, and the people who came to view them were
great. The Thunderbird display area was a combined showing area for all years of Thunderbirds. This event is a charity show and the proceeds from it go to the prostate cancer research foundation. This show is a major function of the North Texas Vintage Thunderbird
Club which invites all Thunderbird clubs and owners to participate with them in this event.
This year seven members of the Big D club participated in the show. They were Glen &
Marian Herbst, Larry & Jeanne Quattlebaum, Troy & Patty Stimson, Dave & Barbra Setser, Ron
Bickel, Rich Hall, and Daniel Hubert. (editor’s note: several of these hold dual membership in
NTVT as well as the Big D club.) This group showed six classic Thunderbirds , one Retro
Thunderbird and one 1955 Oldsmobile 88.
The award for the best Thunderbird of the show was won by Dave Setsers’s 1956. In
total the Thunderbird row had twenty five cars shown with eight Classics, six Vintage, two
Late Models (1979 & 1988), six Retros, two Mustangs, and a 1955 Olds 88. NTVT member
Brad Kershaw also brought his 1975 280 Z (powered by Ford, however, as it sports a 351
Windsor engine.)
All of us had a terrific time visiting with each other and admiring the many other beautiful cars on display. NTVT had a great turn-out. We did miss seeing Jay and Tiffini Robarge’s
‘57 convertible; it got to within 5 blocks or so and decided that was close enough. It blew a
tire and with a flat spare, Jay and Tiffini decided not to push it the rest of the way! They
stopped by near the end of the show to say hello before heading home with the help of some
friends. Brad and Bonnie were reminded that it would be wise to take jumper cables to every
event as the ‘60 Sunroof decided not to start after all the other birds had flown. But with the
loan of jumper cables from the event staff, we got going and made it home!
All in all, as Larry said, it was a great day. And I completely agree with Larry’s closing
statement in the article he wrote for the Big D Little Bird Club (and which he generously allowed me to adapt for use in this newsletter—Thanks, Larry!). Here’s what Larry said: “This is
an annual event and is one of the most over-looked and under-rated car shows in the
Metroplex. I want to encourage all of you to put this on your next year’s agenda.”
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
3
Upcoming Car Shows/Events
October 4th: Cocky’s Wing Bar, 2650 SW Wilshire Blvd, Burleson Noon-4 pm. $10 Entry
fee. 50+ Awards.
October 11th: Cars and Coffee at Montgomery Plaza, Ft Worth. 8:00 a.m.—11:00
October 11th: 5th Annual Ariana Ivy Read Down Syndrome Awareness Benefit Car, Truck, &
Bike Show; 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Target Parking Lot, 751 Alta Mere Dr., Ft Worth Cash
prizes, Raffles, and 50/50 Drawing.
October 11th: Auto Excel—4015 Sycamore School Road, Ft Worth. 5:00-8:00 p.m. 40+
Awards. $15 entry fee. Hosted by D & D Rocking Rods
October 18th: WOOFSTOCK 2014; 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 701 Eldorado Pkwy in Little Elm.
For details contact Tracy at 214-277-3292
October 18th: Lipan’s Annual “Kick A Poo” Festival & Car Show Noon-4:00 p.m. $15 Entry
Fee. 200 Caddo St., Lipan, TX $15 entry fee
November 15th: The 5th Annual Classic Family Agency Show. 1:00-4:00 p.m. at 1001 NE
Green Oaks Blvd, Ste 171. Lots of raffles and give-aways. $15.00 entry fee. 42 Awards. This
show is sponsored by our own Tom and Michelle Grothouse as a customer appreciation
event. They usually have between 80-100 cars. For more details, see their website:
www.classicfamilyagencyinc.com or call 817-468-3066.
Editor’s note: these are not NTVT events, and we may not have personal knowledge on any
event listed beyond what is printed.
T-Birds and Bits—Cars and Parts For Sale
FOR SALE: 1966 town coupe Thunderbird. It runs, has no rust, and is a Texas car sold in Dallas at HornWilliams Ford. The interior is good shape. It has factory air, AM
FM radio with 8 track, power seat, and power windows. The codes
from the data plate read: 63C M 27 22T 61 01 8. The VIN number
is 6Y81Z108674. It is unrestored with 156,142 miles. Give Gary
Sestito a call at 214 770 0947.
Interested in ‘57 T-Bird Pedal Cars? One is Kingsbury Pink; the
other is a Cherry 7-Up Advertising Car. Terry McDonnell, at 817475-6394 in Grandbury, TX has them for sale.
Do you have a Thunderbird or T-bird parts for sale? Do you have certain parts you hope someone else might have for sale that you could
purchase? Send in your information so we can include it in the monthly newsletter! Items will be published for one newsletter only unless you
let me know an item needs to be repeated!
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
4
Virginia Hutto Memorial Classic Car Show
September 26th found quite a few NTVT members headed west to Eastland and Cisco, TX,
where members Danny and Cathryn Hutto hosted a terrific event: The First Annual Virginia
Hutto Classic Memorial Car and Truck Show. It was truly a tribute to Virginia, who died a year
ago in a tragic accident. We in NTVT had just a few opportunities to get to know Virginia, who
joined our club just two years ago. But getting to know the people who raised her and all of
her friends who helped with this show really pointed to what a wonderful young woman Virginia was. It was evident that her love for her family and friends, and her enthusiasm for the
classic car community, are the things that will last forever, far beyond the 23 years she was
given.
Over 3,000 people came through the gate in the two-day show. There were great food
vendors, good music, super give-aways, and lots of fun for everyone. The friendliness of everyone from the hotel clerks to the local merchants revealed good old, down home hospitality.
A total of nearly $120,000 in cash and prizes was given away, topped off by a $5,000 grand
prize which went to a beautiful 1935 Ford Pickup owned by Mike Gaston. There were five
$1,000 winners for Best of Show in five different categories. In 4 separate categories set up
for Eastland county cars and trucks, 4 persons went home $250 richer than when they arrived. The judging, with which NTVT members assisted, was tough with many excellent vehicles on display. There were awards in over 40 categories out of which our own Betsy McMahon won 1st Place for the 60’s Cars, and John and CeCe Congleton won 2nd place in the
same category. Linda Goodpasture took 2nd place with her beautiful “Peaches and Cream”
truck in her category. All of these awards also came with cash prizes.
In addition, there were 15 special “Choice” Awards provided by local businesses. These
were $250 awards; members Jan Schorr (1969 Mustang) and Betsy McMahon (1966 T-Bird)
came home with two of these. See the complete list of businesses who contributed these
awards on page 10.
Several members also won raffle prizes: Brad Kershaw and Linda Goodpasture won silver
dollars, Larry Goodpasture won a car cleaning kit; Betsy McMahon won a pizza, Dom Zanella
won a large iconic picture of Marilyn Monroe (ask Susan Z about the text she received reporting that Dom was letting “another woman” ride home with him!) And Tom continued, page 5
2014 NTVT Event Calendar
October 18
November 1
November 15:
November
December 7
Regular meeting – At the Congleton’s in Gun Barrel City. Details by email!
TAMU Homecoming Parade.
5th Annual Collector Car Show, Allstate and Hagerty Customer Appreciation Event.
No Meeting (note—Leake Auction is Nov 21-23; no contact yet)
(Note: This is a Sunday! ) 4:00-6:00
Christmas Dinner and Party at Humperdinks in Arlington
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Virginia Hutto Classic Memorial, continued
Ossorio took home a beautiful Military Tribute .22 Rifle. There may have been
more winners in our club, so if I missed naming you, please don’t borrow Tom’s
prize to shoot me!
All in all, the members who attended agreed it was a terrific event. And
next year, it will be even better. We’ll be letting you know about dates in the
months ahead, but you can bet it will be just as much fun as this year. You won’t
want to miss it!
Thanks to Grant P., Brad K., Dom Z., and Betsy M. for the pics
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
5
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
6
A “Technical” Article from a NonTechnical Person By Betsy McMahon
Well, here I am again. Having to thank everyone and
their friends for helping me out. I brought my bird to
the Virginia Hutto Classic this last weekend. I did something I told myself I would never do: Since the judges
had to look in my trunk, I decided to leave the trunk lid
open, and the convertible top partially up. Good grief, I
see Dan Sublette & John Congleton do it all the time!
Big mistake for me. By the end of the day, the convertible top managed to settle down and
wedge itself against the trunk lid. I guess I would be tired after holding my arms up all day as
well. Not sure what Dan & John have fed their birds to make them stronger. We unwedged
(not really a word, but you know what I mean) the top, and after a few attempts, lowered it in
place on the car. But the trunk refused to close. It was late in the day, and most everyone had
left. I cornered Larry Quattlebaum, Dan Sublette, John & Cece Congleton (and I am not sure
who else at that time) to help Ralph figure out the problem. After about 30 minutes, they decided to unhook the rods and lower the trunk lid manually.
Sunday morning, Ralph (ever the electrical engineer) decided he could tackle it again. This
time we added electrical expertise from John Garfield, Jim Schorr, Dan’s co-worker Chad; used
John Congleton & Earl Hancock for the heavy lifting; Cece for communications (it’s a girl
thing); along with Dom Zanella to just give me a hard time. Some kind of MacGyver device
was created through my backseat armrest, and the trunk lid nestled almost all the way down.
Good enough for the trip home.
Ralph had already mentioned to me a week ago that he felt like he needed to learn how
that top works, so now he will get that chance. He’s a Buick guy, and they never had that issue. I thank all of those who helped instruct
Ralph, most importantly John G., Dan S. &
Jim S., as they have done it before. I also
thank everyone else who was there giving
me support… which included Marian Herbst
who personally made sure I made it home
okay. It is so great to be surrounded by such
kind people. You are all the BEST!
Buick Guy (aka Ralph) tackles T-Bird trunk while John
Garfield and Jim Schorr lend moral support.
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Cowtown Cruisin’ for A Cure: 2014 Pics
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
7
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
More Cowtown Pics
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
8
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
9
Update on Planning for “Boots & Birds”
By Brad Kershaw
Last month, the Steering Committee in charge of planning the 2015 SC Regional VTCI
Convention asked the NTVT membership to begin securing sponsors for the event. Betsy
McMahon got us off to a good start by contacting members Tom and Michelle Grothouse who
have an insurance agency representing Allstate and Hagerty Insurance; they have pledged to
provide the famous handled Hagerty bags for the convention. Also, Marian Herbst has acquired (from her employer) the donation of some nice water bottles to put in those bags. We
hope other members will use the sponsorship request letter that we emailed out last month
to get more sponsors for the event. It’s really easy—just ask the people with whom you do
business if they would like an opportunity to help support the Classic Car hobby and get
some advertising for their business at very reasonable prices. Give them a copy of the letter
explaining the sponsorship levels, and ask them to make the check out to North Texas Vintage
Thunderbirds, Inc. Or perhaps you own a business and would like to be a sponsor yourself.
Just call or email Bonnie Kershaw if you are interested!
Brad Kershaw has updated the sign-up sheet with a little more explanation of the duties.
We will send this out to the membership so you can see where you would like to serve, and
we will be circulating this signup sheet at the regular meetings.
The steering committee has selected a logo and the design and trophy committee has contacted several trophy companies to see what is available within the budget allocated. They will
also finalize polo and t-shirt designs and orders. The steering committee has examined the
sample shirts and everyone agreed they will be excellent shirts.
The steering committee will be meeting at the hotel soon to finalize menu selections and
introduce ourselves to the contact person for the hotel.
The steering committee has also finalized the extra activities that we can provide the attendees at the most reasonable price. These activities will need individual hosts to do the follow-up planning and execution at the convention itself. Look for these opportunities on the
signup sheet.
Betsy provided a budget to help plan and price the convention and all the activities. This
will aid the steering committee in establishing the prices that will be published on the convention signup form in the January edition of the VTCI publication, The Scoop.
The steering committee will publish a convention agenda and pricing to the club later this
month.
Welcome New Member, George Boley, from Allen, Texas!
George owns a 2004 Retro, and we look forward to meeting him and his T-bird soon!
North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.
Officers 2014-2015
President:
Bill Stepina
817-371-7979
bstepina@att.net
1st Vice President:
John Congleton
214-728-3616
zzcog@suddenlink.net
2nd Vice President:
John Garfield
817-653-3219
j-g.garfield@att.net
Secretary:
Brad Kershaw
817-447-8243
bradandbonnie@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Tom Ossorio
817-705-9106
Tom.Ossorio@dsisolutions.biz
Newsletter Editor:
Bonnie Kershaw
817-447-8243
bradandbonnie@yahoo.com
Volume 11 Issue 9:
Aug, 2014
Page
10
The companies below are known by NTVT to provide excellent service and products and have
been loyal supporters of the club. We encourage
all T-Birders and classic car enthusiasts to support these companies.
WELCOME TO SAM PACK'S
Five Star Ford
North Richland Hills
Sales (877) 770-9956
Service (877) 464-1620
Parts (877) 461-7772
www.5starford.com
Sam Pack’s 5 Star Ford supports NTVT
Visit These Websites:
NTVT
www.ntvtbird.org
Or check us out on Facebook:
NTVT Thunderbirds
Virginia Hutto Classic Memorial Thank You
We would like to recognize the following business for supporting the
Virginia Hutto Memorial Classic Car Show by sponsoring the “Choice”
Awards. Meghann’s Market, Fullen Motor Co., J & J Air Conditioning, Texas
Cattle Exchange, Mark Bible, Stanley Ford, Louise’s Café, Gary D Peak, Edwards Jones, Steve Key, Ken’s Motorcycle Shop, Chicken Express, Mike’s
Wrecker, Higginbotham, and A-Quality Steel.
VTCI, our Parent Club
The fire departments in Cisco, Eastland, and Ranger as well as the Ag
@ www.vintagethunderbirdclub.net departments of the colleges in Cisco and Eastland also contributed to the
event. Thanks, also, to all the individuals and businesses who donated raffle
prizes, including our own Dan Sublette who designed and built and donated a
The Thunderbird Registry
child’s wagon
http://www.tbirdregistry.com/
We extend a huge thank you to Danny and Cathryn Hutto, Mason Harris, and all of Virginia’s friends who worked tirelessly to make this event a
huge success! Job well done!