big 300 issue! - Plymouth Bulletin

Transcription

Eighteen-time Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill Award winner
Founded 1957
January - February 2010
300
Volume 51 Number 2
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TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS
Plymouth® Owners Club, Inc.
®Plymouth is a registered trademark of Chrysler Motors and is used by special permission.
MEMBERSHIP
The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is published bi-monthly by the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc.,
PO Box 416, Cavalier, North Dakota 58220. Periodicals postage paid at Grafton, ND.
Membership is open to all persons genuinely interested in Plymouth or Fargo vehicles.
Ownership of a club recognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for club membership. Club
dues entitle members to receive all BULLETIN issues published within the 12 month period following establishment or renewal of membership. Membership in the Plymouth
Owners Club is a prerequisite for membership in one of its regions.
GROUP I
Earl Buton, Jr.
GROUP II
Dave Geise
2366 Glasco Trnpk.
417 Tennessee Tr.
Browns Mills, NJ
Woodstock, NY
12498-1013
08015-5664
GROUP III
Merrill Berkheimer
36640 Hawk Rd.
Hazard, NE
68844
GROUP IV
Chris Suminski
27090 Jean Rd
Warren, MI
48093
TECHNICAL ADVISORS
1928 Q
Earl Buton, Jr.
(see address above)
1949 P17, 18
Myron R. Davis
50 Appleola Road
1966-67 B-Body
Art Schlachter
2056 Cardinal Dr.
(845) 679-6185
earlbuton@yahoo.com
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Danville, KY40422-9732
(859) 236-9487
1929 U
Jeff C. Buton
275 Dutchtown Road
Saugerties, NY 12477
(828) 685-7072
1950
David Pollock
Box 196
Shawnigan Lake, BC
(845) 247-3158
jbuton57@yahoo.com
VOR 2W0 CANADA
dnpollock@shaw.ca
New Bedford, MA 02740
MEETS
National meets are sponsored by the Plymouth Owners Club. Such meets are held on a
rotating basis with location of the meets determined by local regions upon application to
the Officers and Board of Directors. Notice of the dates and locations of such meets will
be announced in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. At least one meet will be held east of the
Mississippi River and one meet west of the Mississippi with meets held in the Spring,
Summer and/or Fall. On years ending in "8" a single Grand National Meet is held in the
Detroit area in honor of Plymouth's 1928 beginning.
1930 30U - 1931 PA
Robert McMulkin
Box 40
1951-53
Neil Riddle
20303 8th Ave NW,
Shoreline,WA 98177-2107
AWARDS &TROPHIES
MAYFLOWER AWARD is awarded to the highest scoring 4dr sedan not winning Best of
Show at each national meet.
EDITOR’S AWARDS are presented annually by the Editor for outstanding contributions by
the members to the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN.
bbuton@verizon.net
JUDGING CLASSES
Class 1 -- 1928-1932
Class 2 -- 1933-1939
Class 3 -- 1940-1948
Class 4 -- 1949-1954
Class 5 -- 1955-1959
Class 6 -- 1960-76 Val.
DUES
Dues for first-time members are $32 per year payable in US funds. Renewals are $30
per year payable in US funds. Payment can be made by VISA or MasterCard. No personal checks outside of USA please. Overseas members may get airmail delivery for $45
per year.
Class 7 -- 1962-78 B-body
Class 8 -- 1960-61 full size; 1965-77 C-body
Class 9 -- 1964-1974 Barracuda
Class 10 - Commercial (pickup, sdn del, stn wgn)
Class 11 - 1976-80 F-, 78-84 M-, ‘80-81 R-bodies
Class 12 - 1978-85 FWD (Class 13 - none yet eligible)
Class 14 - 1971-85 imports
Senior -- Best of Show cars since1996
JUDGING GROUPS: Group I: 1928-39 / Group II: 1940-59 / Group III:1960-85 RWD /
Group IV:1971-85 FWD & imports
MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
A complete listings of all current members along with their address and Plymouth and/or
Fargo vehicles roster can be downloaded at any time via e-mail or member can obtain a
disc with the information. Contact Membership Secretary Jim Benjaminson.
Lemon Springs, NC 28355
NON-DELIVERY OF THE BULLETIN
If you have any questions or problems, direct your inquiries to the Membership
Secretary.
BULLETIN DEADLINE DATES for ads, articles, photographs, etc.
Jan-Feb -- Dec. 10
Jul-Aug -- Jun. 10
Mar-Apr -- Feb. 10
Spt-Oct -- Aug. 10
May-Jun -- Apr. 10
Nov-Dec -- Oct. 10
Articles, etc., submitted to the BULLETIN CANNOT be returned to the author for review
prior to publication. ALL submissions are subject to editing.
RETURN OF PHOTOS AND ARTICLES
All items sent to the BULLETIN will be returned if requested with a SASE (please DO
NOT affix US stamps to the return envelope--as it will be mailed from Canada--but
enclose within envelope).
MAIL DATE
The BULLETIN is to be mailed by the last week of the even numbered month of the cover
date (i.e. the Jan-Feb issue is to be mailed in February, etc.).
1967 C-Body
Bill Gallop, Jr.
201 Park St.
1968 C-Body
Mark E. Olson
707 4th Street
Proctor, MN 55810-1722
(218) 624-4482
seaplym@hotmail.com
mark@turbinecar.com
1954
Darrell Davis
847 Old England Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 644-1008
1968-70 B-Body
Clif Nelson
7038 117th Ave. NE
Adams,ND 58210
1933
Robert Davis
1870 Eldon Rd, RR1
Woodville, ON KOM 2T0
CANADA (705) 374-5059
ddavis8839@aol.com
1969-71 C-Body
Edwin C. Hill
412 West Temple St.
bobpat@nexicom.net
(586) 933-7404, cell
cjsuminski@yahoo.com
1932 PB
Bruce E. Buton
2366 Glasco Tnpk.
Woodstock, NY12498-1076
(845) 657-6287
1934
Edward R. Peterson
32 Crane Road
Walpole, MA 02081
plymouth34@hotmail
1935 - 1936
Wayne Brandon
5715 Forest Green Dr.
Perry, MI 48872-9197
(517) 675-5717
plymdr@aol.com
1937
Robert L. Semichy
18220 Daves Ave.
Monte Sereno, CA 95030
ADDRESS CHANGES
The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is mailed by periodicals postage. The postal service WILL
NOT FORWARD YOUR COPIES IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS. If you plan
to move, use the postal address change form on the cover and send it to the Membership
Secretary BEFORE you move. The Plymouth Owners Club WILL NOT replace issues
not received because of an address change.
aschlachter@roadrunner.com
1938
John Sbardella
11 Heritage Path
Millis, MA 02054
misunstd@world.std.com
1939
Roy G. Kidwell;
9 St. Andrews Garth;
1955-1956
Chris Suminski
27090 Jean Rd
Warren, MI 48093
1956-58 Fury
Tom VanBeek
3006 Emerald Street
WestBend, WI 53095
(262) 338-8986
tvanbeek@milwpc.com
1957-58
Wally Breer
66 Stanway Bay
Mitchell, MB
R5G 1H5 CANADA
wbreer@mts.net
1959
Robert Hinds
1292 Daventry Court
Birmingham, AL 35243
bobjanehinds@bellsouth.net
1960
Randy Wilson
PO Box 647
Maxwell, CA 95955
1960-76 A-body
Bruce Pine
655 Potter Ave.
Severna Park, MD 21146
(410) 987-6081
Roy.Kidwell@mymailstation.com (do NOT use hyphen) Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
pinepp@sbcglobal.net
1940
Jim Benjaminson
Box 345
Walhalla, ND 58282-0345
1941
Larry W. Jenkins
Rt. 1, Box 127
Belleville, WV 26133-9728
1942
William Leonhardt
10100 Fletcher Ave.
Lincoln, NE 68527-9735
ADVERTISING POLICY
Please refer to the complete advertising policy printed in the Marketplace section.
1946-49 P15
Frank J. Marescalco
2610 D Street
TECHNICAL ADVICE
Technical questions may be submitted to the individual advisor for each model.
Technical questions should be brief and specific. A SASE should be included with your
enquiry (please do not affix stamps if mailed out-of-country but enclose within envelope).
Omaha, NE 68107-1622
(402) 733-3153
fmsr@cox.net
1962 B-Body
Gerald Klinger
1027 N.W. 1st
Gresham, OR 97030
(503) 665-8330
austin54@comcast.net
1963 B-Body
Darrell Davis (see 1954)
1964-65 B-Body
Rob Elliott
307 - 30 Ave. NE
Calgary, AB
T2E 2E2 CANADA
elliotro@telus.net
1965-66 C-Body
William D. Coble, Jr.
331 N. Roosevelt St.
Shawnee, OK 74801
cknelson@polarcomm.com
Lenox, IA 50851-1228
1971-84 4-cylinder
Chris Suminski (see 1955-56)
1971-72 B-Body
Edward F. Weingart
334 Creekview Dr
Hampstead, NC 28443
edweingart@att.net
1974-77 C-body
Wally Breer (see 1957-58)
1975-78 B-body
Ed Lanfer
6201 Wade Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139-3108
Ed.Lanfer@federalmogul.com
1976-80 F-body
Wayne & Karen Fowler
6902 Ruckles Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
(301) 831-7150
wiffer@worldnet.att.net
1978-84 M-body
Michael Bonadonna
455 North Cherry Pop Drive
Inverness, FL 34453-7975
(352) 341-1019
mlb5355@hotmail.com
1980-81 R-body
Chris Suminski (see 1955-56)
Plymouth Commercial
Bob Manke
6037 E. Canal Rd.
Lockport NY 14094
(716) 625-4048
bobantqplys@aol.com
Fargo Commercial
Cam D. Clayton
BOX 725
Kaslo, BC V0G1M0
CANADA
dook@netidea.com
Advisors wanted:
1961 Sav/Belv/Fury;
1970-74 E-body;
1972-73 C-body;
1973-74 B-body
Plymouth ®
Owners C lub
Box 416
Cavalier, ND 58220-0416
Phone: (701) 549-3746
Fax: (701) 549-3744
e-mail: benji@utma.com
plymouthbulletin.com
The Plymouth Bulletin
__________________________________________________________________________
No. 300
January-February, 2010
__________________________________________________________________________
LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor
(204) 889-8008
288 Strathmillan Road, Winnipeg, MB R3J 2V5 CANADA
editor@plymouthbulletin.com or plybul@mts.net
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 12498-1076
(845) 679-6185 earlbuton@yahoo.com
OFFICERS 2010-11
PRESIDENT
Nick Desimone
1423 Pecan Grove Dr.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765-2536
(909) 861-4950 ndesimone@verizon.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Bobbi Berkheimer
36640 Hawk Road
Hazard, NE 68844
(308) 452-3980 bobbib@nctc.net
MEMBERSHIP
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Jim Benjaminson
Box 345
Walhalla, ND 58282-0345
(701) 549-374 benji@utma.com
CORRESPONDING SEC.
Tom Nachand
5215 NW Cavalier Ave.
Lincoln City, OR 97367
(541) 764-2011 33plym@centurytel.net
BULLETIN EDITOR
Lanny D. Knutson
288 Strathmillan Road
Winnipeg MB R3J 2V5 CANADA
DIRECTOR 2006-11
Carl D. Wegner
19600 Cardinal Drive
Grand Rapids, MN 55744-6189
(218) 326-5965 cwegner2@msn.com
DIRECTOR 2008-13 (Judging)
Joe Suminski
68226 Winchester Court
Washington, MI 48095-1244
Bruno Costers’ 1937 P4 Chrysler Kew
(586) 752-3140 jsuminski2@yahoo.com
DIRECTOR 2010-15
Robert S. Kerico
4640 Boardwalk
Smithton , IL 62285-3662
(618) 444-6966
Bobkool344@wmconnect.com
AP
lymouth called
-1-
Kew
BRUNO COSTERS PHOTO
(204) 889-8008 plybul@mts.net
THORSTEN LARSSON PHOTO
From the Editor
Plymouth 300
N
o it’s not a new Plymouth model,
even if Plymouth were around to
offer any models at all. No, the
300 moniker is safely ensconced in the
Chrysler lineup. That’s not to say that the
Chrysler marque has not made off with
some Plymouth names -- Sebring and
Voyager come to mind -- and whole cars,
most notably the Cordoba and the PT
Cruiser, both of which were originally to
have been Plymouths.
DESPITE SUCH SPECULATIVE MUSINGS, this
Plymouth 300 is firmly rooted in reality.
With this issue, the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN has
been produced 300 times. It’s just another
issue, yes, but it’s significant nonetheless.
What began as a four-page mimeographed newsletter in 1959 has grown over
the years to the computer-generated fullcolor publication we know today and from
four pages to this issue’s sixty-four.
I’ve been privileged to have been part
of that progression of BULLETINs since issue
162 -- not quite half of them, but getting
close. It could happen, but it will take four
more years.
TO MARK THIS MILESTONE, I’ve gone to a
reprise of BULLETINs past as a basis for the
stories featured in this issue. There is much
that is new, it is true, but even what seems
new is built on what has happened in the
past, which is the case in what you’ll find in
these pages.
The Atomic Plymouth story came
about when Jim Benjaminson was contacted
by a person who had found the original car
that Jim had written about in Issue 213.
The Tüscher article began with an internet inquiry from Bruno Costers about membership. The car he now owns was the
cover car of BULLETIN 161.
The Plainsman and 2010 Road Runner
stories had their start with internet links
given me by members which, in turn, led
me to auction sites and the contact people
for these articles.
Scott and Lynn Grundy and Bill and
Joyce Chace are continually touring with
their Plymouths during the North’s summer
season that’s short in months but long in
days. Another of their accounts appears in
this issue.
PLYMOUTH BULLETIN
editors
1959-62
1963-64
1965-67
1968-69
1970-74
1975-79
1980-86
1987-
Jay Fisher
Robert Ruckman
Donald Wood
Lou DeSimone
Harold Soukup
Andrew Weimann
Jim Bejaminson
Lanny Knutson
Trev Feehan promised me more on his
Plymouth-powered ‘29 Dodge truck, and he
delivered.
A second club-rostered ‘58 Plymouth
has been the subject of a die-cast model, and
Ron Waters tells the story of the modeling of
his Belvedere.
One-time fellow Albertan, Bob Just,
chose to restore a stablemate for his ‘66
Canadian Valiant convertible. This time he
turned to the ‘64 Valiant wagon that had
been his and Laurine’s transportation for
forty years.
-2-
Last, but not least, is a story that has
been in the works for nearly twenty years.
Following the 1991 Spring National Meet in
Hastings, Nebraska, I and other members
were invited to the Berkheimer homestead
to see Merrill’s vast collection of Plymouths
and some other Mopars. It was a fascinating
visit made even more so by Bobbi and
Merrill’s hospitality. I took a number of pictures, and we were planning to get together
to create an article for the BULLETIN. At
each national meet, we would tell one another that we have to do that story. National
meets are busy times, and so the idea got put
on the back burner until, over the years, we
kind of forgot about it.
It took a revival of the famed
Berkheimer Labor Day picnics to get the
story going again. Bobbi wrote it up and
sent a couple of CDs of pictures, and I’ve
put it together, almost 19 years later. Like
good wine, some things just take time.
ISSUE 302, the May-June BULLETIN, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1960
Plymouth and Valiant. Member Michael
Dabrowski is working on an article about
the full-sized Plymouths of that year. I’m
still looking for someone to write about the
first Valiants. I have a few, but more stories
from owners of the big-finned Plymouths
and ground-breaking Valiants of 1960 are
most welcome.
WE’VE MADE IT TO 300. Now, it’s time to
go for more.
-- Lanny Knutson
The Plymouth Bulletin
No. 300 Jan/Feb 2010
LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor
LEEANN LUCAS, asst. editor
The
Plymouth Press
Plymouth Owners Club
CLUB NEWS
No. 300
Memo to the Membership
National president seeks feedback on judging
TO THE MEMBERSHIP:
There has been a renewed interest in revisiting the judging
process used at POC national meets and making revisions necessary to resolve the issues related to the current process.
Therefore, a committee of veteran club members who are
also seasoned judges has been appointed to look into the recommendations for improving the judging process both at the organizational and judging performance levels and make improvement
recommendations to the national board and the general membership, while continuing to abide by the club charter regarding
authenticity of vehicles as the primary quality objective.
Wayne Brandon, 1935-1936 Technical Advisor, has agreed to
chair this committee which consists of Merrill Berkheimer, Earl
Buton, Don Feeney, Dave Geise, Dick Silhol and Bob Semichy.
In order to assure that the committee has as much information as needed to complete its work, Wayne requests that members respond to him by email with judging comments, suggestions
and recommendations.
Specific comments about the judging process should include
how to improve it or at least offer an alternative. Make your
observations about what is working and should remain as such or
how it can be improved.
You now have the opportunity to be a “voice for the future”
so put on your thinking cap and respond ASAP to Wayne at the
following email address: Plymdr@aol.com
This same memo has been sent to all members with email
addresses. For members without email and first reading this
memo in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN, the communication window
will be open until April 15th after which all of the responses will
be categorized and presented to the committee members in sufficient time to review them, give them sufficient thought and prepare for discussion at the time of their first conference call. Please
mail your response to:
Wayne Brandon
P.O. Box 467
Perry, Michigan 48872.
For your information, the following are some comments previously voiced:
• Concerns over the trophy cost or the overall cost for judges
at National Meets.
• Ties
• Replacing trophies with high quality engraved certificates
with the car’s picture. This would have obvious cost benefits.
• Establish a certification program for members' Plymouth
vehicles.
• Concern over cars with lower scores beating out cars with
higher scores.
• The actual judging process; for example, judges going to the
cars or cars going to the judges?
-- Nick DeSimone, president
Members Remembered
Note:
E ffective, January 1, 2010,
Plymouth Owners Club dues are
GORDON MCKEE, Loveland, Colorado, and member of the Rocky
Mountain Region, passed away on April 16, 2009, at the age of
84. (See page )
$32 for new memberships
and
JEANNE KREPS, Denver, Colorado, wife of Wayne Kreps, died
$30 for renewal memberships.
January 11, 2010. A member of the Rocky Mountain Region, she
served the region in various capacities and was the national treasurer from 1993-1995. (See page )
The Plymouth Bulletin (ISSN 0032-1737) is published bi-monthly. Subscription
through annual dues: $32 new; $30 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.
Our sincere condolences are expressed to Paul Curtis, Roseville,
Michigan, and member of the Detroit Region, on the sudden passing on January 17 of his 21-year-old grandson, PAUL ALEXANDER
(ALEX) CURTIS, also of Roseville. Alex had attended the 2000
Spring Meet in Rapid City, SD, with his grandfather.
-3-
From the President
voiced and shared; so why haven’t we
heard from you? The phone numbers
for the officers and directors have been
in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN and, starting with this issue, the email addresses
of the officers and directors will also
appear, so now it is even easier for us
to hear your “voice.” Don’t fail the
organization by remaining silent
except in localized complaining. Let’s
hear what you have to say, good, bad
or indifferent.
I believe in “the sharing and dissemination of information.” I will
keep the membership informed as to
the activities in
which the officers
and directors are
involved which will
have direct impact
on the organization
and I will report on
the progress being
made towards any
new or pending
goals.
There has
been a renewed
interest in revamping the judging
Nick’s
Nick’s 1940 P10 coupe
process at national
meets. I am in the
REQUIREMENTS FOR CLUB
process of forming, for lack of a better
MEMBERSHIP, that membership In the
name, a certification committee that will
Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. is open to
address this renewed interest. Details
any person of good character, genuinely
will be available to the membership as
interested in the Plymouth or Fargo
they are put into place.
vehicle, who will subscribe to the prinAs Bob Kerico mentioned in his last
ciples above. Ownership of a club-recmessage, the Portland Meet is coming
ognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for
up in June of 2010 and you members
membership.
who can, should plan on attending, with
Why do I bring this up?
or without your Plymouth. I know a
The national club exists for the bencaravan is planning to make its way
efit of the entire membership with
from the San Francisco area up to the
everyone being afforded equal impormeet and I’m included. Check with
tance. As I look to the future, thinking
other Plymouth members within your
of about what may lie ahead as for me
general area to see if you can put
as president, one of the most prevalent
together a group to join us there.
thoughts lies in wondering what the
-- Nick DeSimone, president
membership thinks about the organization and the job the officers and directors are doing. I am sure there are
members who have ideas, thoughts,
opinions or suggestions that should be
I take this
opportunity
I
would like to take this opportunity
to express my thanks to all who
took the time to vote in the last
POC national election. Almost 25% of
the membership submitted ballots which
is an increase of approximately 10%
over previous elections. I would like to
see the trend continue and have 40% of
our membership voting in the next
national election. As in most elections,
the individual you feel will do the best
job in a specific role or position can
only do so if elected and that can only
happen by voting. Remember, your
vote does make a difference.
I want to thank Bob Kerico for his
dedication in compiling the National
Meet Planning Guide which will be
invaluable to the regions as they host a
national meet.
The Plymouth Owners Club’s constitution very clearly defines in the section, PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION,
that the purpose of the Club is to
encourage the use, preservation and
restoration of Plymouth and Fargo automobiles and trucks, 25 years of age or
older, particularly the AUTHENTIC
restoration of these models; to provide
and regulate meets, tours and exhibitions for members’ vehicles; to provide
high judging standards at these meets; to
publish in the club magazine information of interest and value to the members; and to discourage any activities,
ideas or philosophies contrary to these
aims.
Furthermore, it states in the
-4-
Earl’ s PlyTech -- Universal Joint Dust Boot Study
T
he following list shows that universal joint boots for early Plymouths were leather. Later Mopar parts kits were released with
rubber boots. The POC authenticity policy is for the car to be judged as it left the dealer in the year it was sold as new.
Leather boots are still available at most major flea markets. Some leather boots have wire as the major fastening agent, and that is
acceptable, but the original boots have metal tabs which you put through slots and then bend over. The forward and rear parts of
the boot are fastened with metal bands which you pull tight and then bent over the universal joint flange and the propeller shaft.
Like the Shop Manual says: DO NOT OVER-FILL WITH GREASE.
-- Earl Buton, Jr., Technical Director
-5-
Letters
The Door
Fargo poster
WE WERE LOOKING for porcelain Mopar signs and found
this Fargo sign. A little out of
our price range but it’s a cool
sign.
Bobbi Berkheimer
Hazard, Nebraska
The owner and advertiser of the
sign, David Gonzales from
Wisma Antik, replies:
I PURCHASED the poster in
Sydney, Australia, in 1970,
during my early days of collecting. I had it folded up
until I married and settled
down in Perth, Western
Australia, in 1979. I then had
it framed. I was told that it
came out of an old Fargo dealership somewhere in Sydney,
together with a number of
other posters and advertising.
The poster measures 54" wide
x 42" high and is marked on
the bottom right hand side:
CODE YFEMD. LITHO IN USA
David Gonzales
Trigg, West Australia
Belvedere to
Por tland
THANK YOU for the great job
done with the PLYMOUTH
BULLETIN. I am very pleased
with the way the article on my
Belvedere turned out in the
297 edition. Well done and
To Jim Benjaminson:
WE RECENTLY FOUND,
online, your SeptemberOctober story about
“the Door” being on
display in Miami,
Arizona, and enjoyed it.
I had made a trip to
Miami myself in June
and got to see the door
first-hand. I also got to
With his father’s door
meet the proprietor, Dik
Mickle, who wasn’t there when Dennis and Lucy Ann (my siblings) visited the first time. He’s quite a fan. Here are a couple
of pictures from my visit, including one of Dik inspecting the
back side of the door. It’s amazing to me how long this door has
lasted, considering its lack of care. By the way, Dik is a very
engaging fellow. I enjoyed my visit so much that I stayed much
longer than I had intended.
Sully
Sullivan Richardson
much appreciated. I am starting to prepare for the Portland
Plymouth meet in June.
Don Mack,
Medicine Hat, Alberta
(son of Sullivan Richardson
of the Adventure South expedition)
Southern
exposure
A letter to Jim from Dik
Mickle of the Howlin'
Javelina in Miami,
Arizona:
I AM FINE and am again in
Brazil for the winter. I love all
the BULLETINs, as always, but I
think the Southern Hemisphere
issue is such a great one.
Congratulations.
Bill Brisbane
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
IT WAS SO GOOD to hear
from you in both ways.
The first came in the
mail with the Plymouth
Owners story about the
Richardson's door. We
sure did have a fun time
seeing them (the
Richardson family) and
reminiscing. We appreciate all you do and I’m
Telling our stor y
WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION
of our meet! Of course, we’re
biased, but your ability to lay
it out is creative and functional
at the same time. We really
appreciate your telling our
story in such an interesting
way. I know Peggy and Jerry
will also be pleased.
David Young and
Dianne Taylor
Westminster, Maryland
Marilyn, Sully and Dik
sure that we'll be crossing paths again with
your club and help in
keeping the vision alive!
Dik and Marilyn Mickle
Miami, Arizona
Dik and his prized door
Westminster
hospitality
and the entire Mid-Atlantic
Region hosted an incredible
POC meet. The meet was so
well-organized with wonderful
tours, excellent food and
WE JUST RECEIVED Issue 299.
What a issue! The coverage
of the Westminster meet is
awesome. David and Dianne
-6-
hosts--another POC meet we
will remember.
Merrill and
Bobbi Berkheimer
Hazard, Nebraska
Remembering Derek
“I guess there’s one more thing to do with a Plymouth,” writes
Dennis Cutshall of Honey Creek, Iowa, on the back of a photo taken
of him with his ‘53 Cranbrook convertible at the time of his daughter
Valerie’s wedding. “The ‘53 has always been her favorite.”
THANK YOU for including, in the BULLETIN, Bill and Lynn
Bartlett’s article about my son Derek’s passing. That was such
a nice surprise when I received a copy in the mail from them.
My son was my life since I adopted him -- and our ‘58
Plymouth Hollywood car and the Plymouth Club were a big
part of that life together.
I sat beside his bed the last 35 hours of his life here on
earth, held his hand, hugged him and even though he was out
of it, I continued talking to him about all the good times, especially with his Christine movie car and the fun we had scaring
people at car shows. I watched his every breath and every rise
of his chest as he struggled to breathe. I wanted so badly to be
with him when he passed away but I drifted off at 0620. Ten
minutes later I awoke and did not hear his heavy breathing and
saw that his little chest was motionless.
Every day, every minute, I think about this, break down,
but also realize how grateful I am that he came into my life at
OU
(Oklahoma
University)
that day. The
tears flow
each time I
write this to
someone and I
know life will
never be the
same. The
article you graciously placed in the BULLETIN honored my son
and brought me comfort.
My thanks go to you, the Bartletts, Chris Suminski, Paul
Frics, Jim Benjaminson and the many others in the Plymouth
Club for your friendship and compassion. You all are one of
the reasons I may survive this.
Jim Garvie
Grove, Oklahoma
Hill climbin’ Plymouth
HERE’S MY 1941 SPECIAL DELUXE on the starting line of the
Newport, Indiana, Hill Climb on October 4, 2009. That was our
second year of participation in the hill climb. We placed third in
our class. Although the top car was a ‘41 Studebaker, the next
four were Plymouths. Of the 15 cars entered in the class, eight
were Plymouths from 1939-1942. The 2009 event marked the
100th anniversary of the race.
Anyone interested in this event can mark the calender for the
first Sunday in October of each year. October 3rd is the race day
for 2010 with practice runs on Saturday.
The whole town turns out for the race, car show and townwide flea market… and it’s free! Check newporthillclimb.com
We have been Plymouth Owners Club members for two years,
now, and enjoy the magazine very much. It’s a real class act.
Bob Van Berg
Merrillville, Indiana
1939 World’s
Fair postcard
showing the
Chrysler Motors
Building-provided by
Norm Pennie,
Vancouver,
British
Columbia
-7-
Regional Report
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
(responsible for regions)
Bobbi Berkheimer
(308) 452-3980 bobbib@nctc.net
Carolina Region
we had to cancel, John has agreed to host
our February 27th meeting. -- Dean Yates
WE MET AT UNCLE BUCK’S in Salisbury,
North Carolina, for our November appreciation dinner. Twelve members were in
attendance.
President Dean Yates welcomed all to
the meeting. Appreciation was shown to
the members who attended four meetings
and helped with our 2009 show at the
North Carolina Transportation Museum.
They are Dean and Tanya Yates, Joe C.
Brown and Nancy Mitchem. A round of
applause was given for them.
Cascade Pacific Region
-- Nancy Mitchem
OUR JANUARY 30 MEETING had to be canceled because of the eight inches of snow
that fell on Friday night and all day on
Saturday. We had planned to hold our
meeting at John Jancic’s shop. Because
CAROLINA REGION
Dean Yates
PO Box 69
Faith, NC 28041
HOLIDAY FEASTING was the focus of the
CPPC annual membership meeting in
November 2009. Retha Harden and Ann
Klinger organized the helpful hands that
prepared the baked ham provided by the
club and the potluck side dishes and
desserts. Energetic members set up the
room and decorated the tables with 11
centerpieces that later became raffle prizes
for the 54 attending members.
The Nominating Committee’s proposed slate of officers was elected. Mike
Bade will serve as president; Robin Will
moves from secretary to vice-president;
Cari Catlow reclaims the role of secretary
GOLDEN STATE REGION
gsrmembership@yahoo.com
CASCADE PACIFIC REGION
GRAND CANYON REGION
Mike Bade
15149 SE Pebble Beach Drive
Happy Valley, OR 97086
(503) 206-4652 mdscbade@msn.com
COLONIAL REGION
Betty Kibbe
456 Holyoke St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 589-9854 winmil456@charter.net
DAIRYLAND REGION
Dick Silhol
2404 W. Plum Tree
Mequon, WI 53092
(262) 242-6139
dicksilhol@sbcglobal.net
DELAWARE VALLEY REGION
Bill Tropia
52 Breece Dr.
Yardley, PA 19067-1513
seehaas@snip.net
DETROIT REGION
Joseph B. Lewis, editor
9145 Hazelton
Redford, MI 48239
Russ Nardi, pres: (586) 566-5838
rpnardi@hotmail.com
Peter Marks
47 Flintlock Drive
Shirley, NY 11967
(631) 772-2270 liplymouths@aol.com
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
August Meerschaert
4132 Turkey Foot Road
Westminster, MD 21158
Tony Tricoci
10206 South 43rd Court
Phoenix, AZ 85044 (480) 893-8687
(410) 346-7020 oldcarcentral@juno.com
tx12@cox.net
MID-IOWA REGION
HEART OF AMERICA REGION
Jim Dooley
29341 US Hwy 69
Huxley, IA 50124
Mike Schaefer
12221 NE 136th
Kearney, MO 64060
(816) 781-7117 schaeferfam@hotmail.com
www.plymouthclub.com
HOOSIER REGION
(515) 597-3244
eeyore@huxcomm.net
MISSOURI "Show Me” REGION
Tommy G. Pike
1602 East Dale
Springfield, MO 65803
Kevin Reeves, President
1002 S McDonald St
Attica IN 47918 / (765) 714-0255
kevin.50plymouth@comcast.net
furyon66@earthlink.net
groshong@socket.net (Loyd Groshong)
OHIO REGION
HUDSON VALLEY REGION
Brian Underwood
596 Wyandot Road
Bucyrus, OH 44820
Richard Wahrendorff
1471 Rt. 213
Ulster Park, NY 12487
(740) 482-2402
bunderwood7@KRWPDLO.com
(845) 338-7871 rwwmds@hvc.rr.com
PA OIL VALLEY REGION
LINCOLN LAND REGION
Jim Stoudt
1290 Bankson Rd.
Oil City, PA 16301
Ed Lanfer
6443 Villa Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139 (314) 647-2778
(814) 676-6678
bjjstoudt@zoominternet.net
Ed.Lanfer@federalmogul.com
LONE STAR REGION
Michael Bonadonna
455 North Cherry Pop Drive
Inverness, FL 34453-7975
Van Massirer
124 Canaan Church Rd.
Crawford, TX 76638
(254) 486?2366
vmassirer@yahoo.com
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
Bill Sullivan
1015 Redwood Drive
Loveland, CO 80538
(970) 669-3541 BVSULL@AOL.com
TALL PINES REGION
Richard Tetzlaff
23383 Malanie Trail North
Scandia, MN 55073-9745
(612) 759 2103 ajorrj@aol.com
Winter: R.Ramberg rar1082@gmail.com
TULSA REGION
Jerry Burch
1111 South Florence Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104-4104
jerryburch@cox.net
UNITED KINGDOM REGION
Barry Reece
“The Meadows” Cookley Halesworth,
Suffolk IP19 0LU, ENGLAND.
tel/fax: 01986-784305
jillnbarry@reecejill.orangehome.co.uk
Jan Peel, Editor, JPeel83719@aol.com
FLORIDA SUNSHINE REGION
(352) 341-1019
mlb5355@hotmail.com
LONG ISLAND REGION
Margie Amos
PO Box 830
Wildomar, CA 92595
: (951) 719-6816
(704) 223-1195
plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com
after a year’s absence; Dolores Call
returns as treasurer; and Janet Laurine will
serve as member-at-large to the board.
While returning as secretary, Cari will
relinquish the role of editor of our awardwinning newsletter and hopes to spread
the joy of writing and photography among
other talented club members.
During our meeting, founding members Duanne Luckow, Jerry Klinger,
Dennis Mowery, Bill Call, Dolores Call
and Less Connor were recognized.
Following other reports, the Body Shop
(Member Care) reported that Joann Dixon
is still recovering from a broken arm suffered a year ago and Jerry Dixon is recovering from a broken hip, Pat Brost says his
chemotherapy is going well but he wants a
wig, and Retha Harden is facing back surgery.
PRAIRIE REGION
Pat Stanton
1915 County Rd. 45
Ft. Calhoun, NE 68023
(402) 571-9973
plstanton@mac.com
-8-
WESTERN CANADA REGION
Jim Hand
923 - 37 St. SE
Calgary, AB T2A 1C9
CANADA
(403) 272-1925
Email: Rob Elliott elliott.r@telus.net
Technical Committee chair, Jimmie
Fox, announced that they have lots of
parts on hand. The ones donated by members are free; the rest are reasonably
priced. The committee currently has a
complete 1951 Plymouth, less engine and
transmission.
Gary Rusher reported that (already in
November) he had received registrations
from Ontario, California and the East
Coast and reservations were showing up at
the motel. Twelve cars were, to date,
coming from California, and stops on their
drive are already planned.
Following the election, Gary recognized Dennis Mowery who was leaving
the board and Don Hufschmid who has
had perfect attendance for the past five
years of meetings. Mike Bade and Robin
Will were recognized for their graphics
work for the 2010 meet. Robin will team
up with Jerry Dixon for newsletter duties.
Dolores Call was congratulated for being
the only treasurer our region has ever had.
It was noted that under the leadership of
outgoing editor, Cari Catlow (our returning secretary), our region has won the
Golden Quill award for the quality of our
newsletter.
Mike Bade presented Gary Rusher
with a framed picture of his car in recognition of his years as our president.
Duanne Luckow showed a video of
Plymouth commercials from 1959 to 1969
plus a scary video from the mid-thirties
showing a crew rolling a Plymouth over
and over down a hill. Then, they started it
and drove away.
DECEMBER 4 saw a large group of CPPC
members at the Duniway Holiday Home
Tour and Boutique in the Eastmoreland
area of SE Portland. Each of the homes is
distinctive in architectural and interior
design with holiday décor inside and out.
Proceeds from the one-day tour and boutique benefit the Duniway Elementary
School to hire additional teachers and to
provide scholastic programs, field trips,
and music and gym programs.
The technical committee met once in
December. In 2010 the committee will
convene on the first Saturday of each
month at Jimmie Fox’s garage unless a
project requires work on-site.
Plans for the 2010 POC Summer
Meet Plymouths to Portland (June 16-19)
continue to progress. An extra board
meeting was held in December to keep the
momentum going. Mike Bade and Gary
Rusher will be sending to all of the
regions details of the event and tours and
registration form that appear on the web
site http://cascadepacificplymouth.org/ and
will be published in the PLYMOUTH
BULLETIN to encourage early registration.
Payment will be available through PayPal.
Canadian members are asked to obtain
bank checks in US dollars for the registration fees to avoid difficulties in converting
funds.
-- Cari Catlow
Colonial Region
OUR FESTIVE CHRISTMAS family gathering
brought our region’s 35th year birthday
celebration to an eventful end. At this
point in our history, we know how much
food to bring, what kind of food to bring,
the right kind of desserts and, most of all,
one or two grab bag gifts that usually
bring out the worst in us! I know those
cookies were delicious.
We even had a light snow falling most
of the day to help us with our holiday spirit. It was nice to see Selma Butler. She
and Eleanor Bock carried on in conversation just like old times, never missing a
beat! One of our members who usually
arrives about an hour late actually made
an early appearance.
All in all, we had a great party at Don
and Jane Palmer’s home in Tolland,
-- Betty Kibbe
Connecticut.
Dairyland Region
WE HAVE WELCOMED two new members
into our region. Carolyn and Robert
Coon, who live in Delafield, Wisconsin,
have a 1950 P19 coupe.
OUR UPCOMING APRIL MEETING will be an
overnight tour, an activity we have not
done for many years. The 375-mile round
trip will be a tour of the eastern counties
on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with
stops at the Kohler Design Center, the
Shops at Woodlake, the Northern Kettle
Moraine State Forest and the Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA) Museum in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We will be using
back roads as much as possible that will
take us through the scenic parts of four
counties.
At the Kohler Design Center, we will
see the latest cutting-edge design ideas for
homes and many display dioramas of
Kohler engines, applications and exhibits
of Kohler products.
The EAA museum is one of the most
extensive aviation attractions in the world,
covering the history of flight with more
than 250 airplanes, artifacts and exhibits.
April is still a bit early to break out
-9-
our Plymouths but some may be on the
-- Dick Sihol
tour.
Delaware Valley Region
OUR NOVEMBER MEETING was called to
order by our president Bill Tropia with 16
members present. Under old business, we
talked about our upcoming Christmas
party. Dave Geise suggested we donate
some of our treasury money to a worthy
cause. We agreed to donate a gift certificate for the purchase of tools to a tech student attending a vocational school that has
auto-related courses.
Jim Carmine announced the result of
our election: Bill Tropia, president;
Warren Nelson, vice-president; Hank
DeMayo, secretary; and Dave Geise, treasurer.
For Tech Talk, Art Ubbens brought in
a vacuum pump he uses to withdraw oil
from an engine.
OUR JANUARY MEETING was called to
order with 15 members attending. Warren
Nelson, Joe Hernandez and Bill Tropia are
pursuing South Jersey dealerships at
which we could hold a Mopar show.
During Tech Talk, Joe Hernandez circulated two sheets listing Mopar NOS
parts that are available. -- Hank DeMayo
Detroit Region
PRESIDENT RUSS NARDI called our
December meeting to order with ten members on one guest present.
Following our November tour of the
National Automotive Historical Collection
(NAHC), Russ Nardi reported on the lack
of Plymouth Owners Club material on file.
He stated that the NAHC would welcome
any of the POC publications and Plymouth
car materials we would donate. Russ is
preparing a package at this time and
encourages members to get their donated
materials to him.
Secretary Joe Lewis presented the
results of our election of 2010 officers.
Our current slate of incumbent officers
will continue in office for the coming year.
During Tech Time, Woody Law
reported on a 1928 Plymouth coupe that
Paul Curtis had mentioned a year ago.
The owner is now “motivated” and is
looking for offers. Ron Kline is looking
for a tubular rivet tool that will work in
window channels. Joe Lewis passed out
an Auto Body Fit Quiz that was prepared
in 1953 for Chrysler Corporation technicians. All who were present took the quiz.
-- Paul Curtis
Florida Sunshine Region
IN NOVEMBER, the Florida Mopar
Association sponsored the 22nd Annual
Mopars with Big Daddy show. As always
it was a great show. As with most shows,
muscle cars dominated but there were a lot
of ‘50s and ‘60s cars present. On Sunday I
met with fellow member David Orr who
was there with his excellently
restored ‘64 Sport Fury. I also met some
people who were interested in our club.
We welcome new members, Stephen
Jenkins with his ‘65 Sport Fury, Jim Wynn
and his ‘39 P8 and James Sewell with his
‘48 Special Deluxe.
Our year end meeting was held
November 15th in New Port Richey. The
meeting was called to order. Election of
officers was held. A new dues structure
was proposed and accepted, and plans for
future events were discussed.
-- Mike Bonadonna
Golden State Region
THE NEW YEAR OF 2010 has begun and I
am very happy to be president at the helm
of this golden ship. I thank my fellow
members for their support and confidence
while I finish out the term that Nick
DeSimone has relinquished, as he is now
our new national president.
Congratulations to you Nick. I know great
things will be in store for our club.
Nick DeSimone has been temporarily
filling in as our newsletter editor but as he
needs to focus on his presidency we would
like someone to volunteer whilst honing
his/her publishing skills.
And lastly, I am pleased to announce
that the Golden State Region has awarded
another scholarship. Our recipient is
Patrick Craig, son of Roger & Donna
Chrislip. This young man is continuing his
education in the automotive tech field and
we were happy to be able to assist him in
his endeavors. Congratulations to Patrick.
-- Margie Amos
Grand Canyon Region
OUR DECEMBER MEETING was held at the
home of Tony and Barbara Tricoci in
Phoenix with 13 in attendance. The meeting was also a holiday get together with
“white elephants” a-plenty. Wonderful
Italian cuisine was supplied by Tony and
Barbara and other members brought
snacks and desserts. Everyone enjoyed
the food and no elephants were injured
during the exchange.
Tech Time: Ken Dickson had several
questions about his 1954 Belvedere that
initiated member discussion on hub
removal, under-dash wiring, and brake
shoe alignment. The most mysterious of
the three topics is a clicking sound that
comes from somewhere behind the dash.
It is most likely a circuit breaker that is
cycling open and closed. The only electrical items that aren’t functioning properly
are the heater and windshield wiper. He
will disconnect those two items from the
electrical system to see if one of them has
a short that is causing a breaker to trip and
reset. If that is indeed the problem, the
next challenge will be to locate the actual
short in the heater, the wiper or the wiring
that leads to them.
The brake shoe alignment discussion
centered on a home-made alignment tool
that he made according to plans he
received from Dana Billingsley. Ken
plans to bring the tool to the next meeting
and explain how it is used.
OUR JANUARY TOUR began with a visit to
the Steel Dreamz showroom in Gilbert,
Arizona. They have a nice selection of
restored cars available for sale and in the
back lot are more cars that aren’t quite as
perfect but still interesting. They don’t
specialize in any particular marque.
Vehicles available that day included a
restored woodie, some custom motorcycles, and a custom pickup truck made
from a Cadillac. After the club meeting,
some of the members went to Steel
Dreamz’s other, brand new, location where
their own restorations are done on-site and
still more completed cars displayed for
sale, including some newer MOPARs as
well as some petroliana.
Our January meeting was held at Joe’s
Real BBQ in Gilbert with 11 in attendance. Before going into the showroom
members had an opportunity to take a
close look at Daniel and Cheryl Honore’s
1950 Plymouth with its fresh coat of paint.
There was a discussion regarding the
possible cancellation of the July and
August meetings because the 120 degree
temperatures are a little hard on the old
cars, not to mention their owners. A
motion carried unanimously.
-- Donna
Bickel
Hoosier Region
OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY at Murphy’s
Steak House was the close of our 2009
events. Mother Nature decided to cooperate and have a nice day for our party,
enjoyed by 20 members and four guests
-10-
who contributed to the warmth of the
room with their “chit-chat” before our dinner. It was truly a great group.
After our tummies were all satisfied
we settled down to the business of the day.
President Kevin Reeves welcomed everyone and had them introduce themselves.
Following business, vice-president Bob
Van Buskirk then read “Defective Santa
Claus” by James Whitcomb Riley. What a
welcome surprise. We then had our
“White Elephant” wrapped gift exchange.
Surprisingly enough there was very little
exchanging.
Welcome to our newest members,
Nicholas and Cathryn Essinger of Troy,
Ohio, owners of a 1948 P15 Special
DeLuxe.
-- Jan Peel and Kevin Reeves
I GOT TO GO TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY in
my lady’s briefcase (she didn’t know I
was there until we got home.
Surprise, surprise!). I don’t
know how Bob Van Buskirk was
able to read that little story without getting his tongue twisted like a pretzel. He really must have great control.
Being a retired teacher maybe helped? I
just heard about Fran Fisher’s exercising
cat – seems it likes Fran’s recumbent bike.
When the cat jumps on the recumbent it
starts up and she thinks she is exercising.
She sleeps for awhile and then, with a satisfied grin, jumps down. Of course she
hasn’t pedaled a lick! You didn’t know
that cats could grin? Just watch them
sometime especially when they know
they’ve done something wrong.
-- The Unknown Mouse in the Corner
Lincoln Land Region
OUR JANUARY MEETING was held at
Powhatan Restaurant in Pocahontas,
Illinois. Ed Lanfer presided over the business meeting as our region’s new president. Fifteen members were in attendance.
We discussed monthly events for the
year and upcoming workdays at three of
our members’ places. Spanky Cox was
wanting to disassemble a P15 in January.
Al Fritzsche can’t lie down flat on his
back, due to recent surgery, and will need
help with any work requiring that activity.
Dick Taylor mentioned that he has master
cylinder work to do.
Spanky presented a DVD with information about the early days of motoring
with silent movie footage of early flivvers
and horseless carriages and their effect on
culture. Background commentary is by
-- Bob Kerico
Groucho Marx.
Lone Star Region
WE ENDED OUR FIRST YEAR with 68 members, including spouses, and we are looking forward to the second year with great
anticipation and an expanded program of
activities.
At our January meeting in Brenham,
Texas, Mike and Dorothy Morrison laid
out the plans for our next meeting, a
multi-day affair in April in the Texas Hill
Country. The Texas Hill Country is nice
at any time of year, but it is especially so
in the spring, and the area offers numerous
possibilities for one’s entertainment.
We had an interesting discussion
about the possibility of hosting a national
POC meet in Texas at
some point in the future.
To accommodate our far-flung membership, we are attempting to have at least
some of our meetings outside the central
Texas area and are seeking members who
are willing to plan and host a meeting in
their areas.
Wanda Newman, on behalf of the
Care Committee, passed around a card for
Howard LaPier, whose cancer has
returned. Sadly, Howard will be selling
his 1941 P12 woodie.
Leonard Newman shared a display he
had brought of Plymouth memorabilia,
including original advertisements from the
early ‘30s, a cap, table decorations and
Plymouth parts and books.
-- Van and Mary Massirer
Mid-Atlantic Region
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF DECEMBER found
Mid-Atlantic members dressed in festive
holiday garb arriving at the Cozy
Restaurant for our luncheon and auction.
As usual, Karen and Wayne Fowler
had outdone themselves, setting favors at
each place, a treat for the eyes as well as
our tummies. Excitement rose as people
arrived with a fantastic variety of auction
goodies--numerous car, food and wine
items as well as a variety of Christmas
novelties.
After a filling meal from the buffet
line, Carl VanBibber called the meeting to
order for the last time, as he would be
turning the gavel over to newly elected
president August Meerschaert. Several
awards were presented, including the
annual Byard Award which went to Ralph
and Jeanne Gregory for their many years
of involvement in the club, particularly in
planning events and leading caravans with
their ‘38 business coupe. A plaque was
presented to Carl VanBibber in recognition
of his two years as president. A special
award of appreciation went to Paul Moore
who has been one of the writers for our
Mayflower newsletter and has contributed
a number of articles to the PLYMOUTH
BULLETIN.
When our monthly meeting, with 55
present, was closed, we got down to some
real business: The Auction! The auction is
an annual fund raiser for our region. The
bidding can get rather intense at times.
Porter Harrison’s homemade wine created
some lively bidding as did a wine-toting
Santa, a holiday train, jewelry, Chrysler
and Plymouth hats, shirts and models as
well as various food and chocolate items,
more than 70 in total. One item, a hat that
comes back each year, arrived again.
Our parents would be proud to know
that we don’t need to be entertained; we
make our own entertainment and nothing
is quite as entertaining as our annual auc-- Peggy VanBibber
tion.
OUR FIRST MEETING OF 2010 was held
January 18 at the Mount Airy Tavern in
Mount Airy, Maryland, with 20 members
attending. Following reports, president
August Meerschaert led a meeting that
discussed and planned events for the coming year.
-- Karen Fowler
Mid-Iowa Region
WELL, IT IS HERE AGAIN -- another Iowa
winter. I have winterized my ‘34 Dodge
and’72 Satellite and really miss driving
them these several months.
Several Mid-Iowa members attended
the fall swap meet at the state fairgrounds
in Des Moines. On October 1, our regional board met at the Hy-Vee lunchroom in
Johnston, Iowa, to discuss several items of
business, including possible future activities.
The next meeting was a cookout at
the home of Jim and Joannie Dooley near
Huxley, Iowa. The weather turned out to
be pretty good and those attending
enjoyed the food and fellowship. New
member Andy Worthington attended with
his ‘40 Plymouth sedan, a very interesting
car.
In November, members and guests
met at the Country Club Restaurant in Des
Moines for our annual fall dinner which
took the place of the harvest dinner we’ve
had for several years. Several people in
our club have been dealing with illness or
taking care of family members with health
issues, so we decided to forego preparation of our own food. We will miss the
-11-
harvest dinner. It was always well attended. However, we did enjoy our meal and
the time to visit with one another.
Congratulations to member Bill Eye
for receiving a first place trophy with his
‘56 Belvedere convertible at the National
Fall Meet in Westminster, Maryland. Bill
also received the hard luck trophy for having to overcome some mechanical problems along the way. Bill says that he had
problems with the fuel pump and in the
electrical/ignition system. -- Ed Lynam
Prairie Region
OUR NOVEMBER MEETING was held in
Beatrice, Nebraska, on a absolutely warm,
sunny and perfect Saturday afternoon at
the TaeKwonDo School that Shawn and
Crystal Dewey manage. Twenty-one were
in attendance. Three couples arrived in
vintage Mopars.
Shawn, Crystal, and Katy gave us all
a great explanation of TaeKwonDo and
then they and some of their students put
on a demonstration of the TaeKwonDo
skills and forms as well as some of the
weapons that are used in the sport. I think
they proved to all of us that TaeKwonDo
is a lot of work and takes a lot of skill and
practice. Shawn asked the rest of us if we
would like to come on the mats and learn
some moves but, strangely enough none of
us took him up on his offer.
After some good eats, Becky Bartlett
read an article from a South American
magazine called La Luneta. The publisher
of this magazine, Orlando Bongiardino, is
a friend of Bill and Lynn Bartlett whom
they have met through the Plymouth club.
Orly is a national Plymouth Owners Club
member from Argentina, and his car was
on the front cover of BULLETIN 295 which
covered Plymouths of the Southern
Hemisphere. Orly wrote an article in La
Luneta, in Spanish, about his car being on
the cover of the BULLETIN. Becky read
the Spanish version and, translating it in
her head, into English for the rest us.
There were some words she had trouble
with but, we got the gist of it. After all,
we didn't really know what it said anyway.
The kids and a few of the “big kids”
had fun playing games on the mats while
the rest of us enjoyed visiting about our
lives and families with plenty of talk about
old Plymouths.
-- Lynn Bartlett
OUR DECEMBER MEETING was held at
Chances R Restaurant in York, Nebraska,
with 29 members and two guests attending.
The meeting was called to order by
President Pat Stanton. She pointed out the
two items on the meeting’s agenda: election of officers and choices for philanthropy.
Roger Wermeskerch presented information about the Nebraska Rod and
Custom association (NRCA) scholarship.
A brief discussion was done by the group,
with a review of options for local charities. Terry made a motion which was seconded by Lucinda to donate $300 to the
NRCA scholarship and $300 total to four
different Salvation Army locations. -Larry Stanton
THE SNOWBIRD SWAP MEET in Holdrege,
Nebraska, was just the break we needed
from the January blahs. The sun was shining all day long, Carolyn Reddish had lots
of bargains at her sale and Larry Stanton
bought a 1994 Dodge van, so it was a
great day. Afterward, we made our annual
trip to Sacramento, Nebraska, for a great
dinner. We thank Art and Carolyn for
opening their lovely home to us and for
the raisin cream pie and sweet rolls. As
-- Pat Stanton
always, it was a treat!
AT OUR JANUARY MEETING held at the
Holdrege fair grounds, eleven members
were in attendance. Pat, our president,
announced that all current officers were
elected for another year. Lee Lape’s
motion to waive local dues for the first
year of a first membership for all new
members joining both the local and
national Plymouth club was seconded and
passed by majority of members present.
-- submitted by Larry Stanton
EDITOR’S NOTES to the meeting minutes:
While most of the meeting was going on,
Larry, the secretary, was test driving and
purchasing his 1994 Dodge van. It took
two people to take notes for his absence. I
would like to thank those two people.
Good job. Also, take note that Pat beat
out her competition for president by three
votes. This is a “tuff” crowd!
-- Pam Fleming
OUR FEBRUARY MEETING, held in York,
Nebraska -- during our 17th annual York
Get-away Weekend -- was called to order
by Treasurer Linda Lape (acting president/secretary, three times removed). The
17 members and two guests present shared
a little about what was going on in their
lives.
After reports were given, discussion
was held on upcoming events, especially
our own annual swap meet. -- Linda Lape
Members Remembered --
Rocky Mountain Region
JEANNE KREPS, wife of Wayne Kreps, died January 11, 2010, after a
Jeanne receiving
the Long Distance
award at the 1998
Grand National
long battle of numerous health problems. She was a longtime member of both the national and Rocky Mountain Region clubs. She was
elected treasurer of the national Plymouth club from 1993-1995 and
was involved with judging as a score-keeper for many of the national
Plymouth meets.
Jeanne was very active in our region, holding the offices of secretary
and treasurer. She was always willing to help with the clubs' national meets and giving assistance to local club activities. She will be
remembered by her dedication to the clubs and her will to keep going
despite her health challenges
GORDON MCKEE passed away April 16, 2009, at the age of 84. Gordon was an active
member of the Rocky Mountain Region and had a 1950 P19 Suburban which was purchased new by his grandfather. Our condolences go to his wife Shirley.
-- Bill Sullivan
IT IS REMARKABLE that Jeanne was able to make the trip from Denver to our Labor Day
picnic. The afternoon they arrived at Kearney, I sat in the car with her; she was having
so much trouble breathing at that time. Then they drove up to our place on Sunday,
Wayne put her in the wheelchair and rolled her all over our place. Later, she sat under
a shade tree for a long time, making the best of it all. Unbelievable: her determination
and Wayne's caring for her.
-- Bobbi Berkheimer
Rocky Mountain Region
ON NOVEMBER 8, Les and Mary Leather
hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner with
21 members and one guest attending, several driving their vintage Mopars.
Beef stew--out of this world--was the
entrée of the day along with side dishes
and desserts brought by members.
After lunch, the meeting was called to
order by Jay Thomas, standing in for our
president, Bill Sullivan. An update was
given on Jeanne Kreps, who was having a
lot of health problems. We also heard of
Lowell Stahlman, whose cancer has
spread to his eye, for which he was going
through radiation treatment. Deanna
Desroisers had recently had back surgery.
Best wishes were offered and cards were
signed for Jeanne and Lowell.
PEG TOTEVE AND DAUGHTER JERI and
son-in-law Jim were our Christmas party
hosts. December 6 was a cold and snowy
day, but the welcome was warm and inviting. Twelve members ventured out.
Along with the warm conversation, we
enjoyed a ham dinner with plenty of other
dishes and desserts. Nobody went away
hungry.
After dinner we had a gift exchange.
Most people liked their presents, so there
was little stealing of another’s gift. People
also brought gifts to be donated to a family in the church of one of our members.
During a brief meeting we elected our
-12-
board for 2010: Bill Sullivan, president;
Jay Thomas, vice-president; Chuck
Putnam, treasurer; and Sandra Hicks, secretary.
FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, I found being
secretary was a challenge and fun to do.
A lot of work and time goes into putting
an informative and interesting newsletter
together. I appreciate the encouragement
and support I received and I enjoyed putting my little twist on the newsletter.
-- Betty Putnam
Tall Pines Region
OUR ANNUAL EARLY HOLIDAY BANQUET
was held December 6 at the Timber Lodge
Steakhouse in Bloomington, Minnesota.
We had a nice turnout with 15 members
and a guest attending. Making their first
meeting in a while were Rich and Carol
Tetzlaff, now well along in their recovery
following their car accident this summer.
Also attending and deserving special
mention for coming in their old Plymouths
on a cold winter day were Ed Reinke in a
‘36 sedan, Wayne Peterson with his P15
taxi-yellow sedan, and Jeff, Vivian and Ed
Juneau and Carmon Klugseth in Jeff’s ‘66
Fury station wagon.
We had a nice time visiting in a private room with a nice gas fireplace. When
the meal was over, the gifts that Jack and
Virginia Schultz had secured for us were
passed out and opened. Our thanks go to
them for getting and bringing the gifts, as
they have for the last several years.
After the gifts, we had a brief business meeting in which we had an election
of officers. Jeff Juneau offered to serve as
vice-president and was elected, along with
the remaining officers from last year. We
thank Jack Schultz for his many years of
serving as our chapter vice-president. His
knowledge of the club and how it works
has been a great asset to us. We also
made some preliminary plans for meetings
in our upcoming year. One change we
made was to omit the January cold-weather meeting, having a meeting, instead, in
late February which will also include
March.
We had more time for visiting, which
we did for a while, then we wished each
other holiday greetings and broke up to go
our separate ways home.
-- Happy Plymouthing,
Rog & Jean Ramberg
United Kingdom Region
OUR OFFICERS FOR 2010 for the UK
region are the same as last year: Barry
Reece, chairman; Jill Reece, secretary and
treasurer; and Patrick Donlan, technical
Among the Heart of America Region guests at the Berkheimers’ Labor Day picnc
were Don [RIGHT] and Jeri Wood and their son-in-law and daughter.
advisor. We are now getting members
from Europe as we now have Swedish and
Belgian members. Best wishes for the new
year.
-- Barry & Jill Reece
In BULLETIN 254, Gavin Upstill’s East
Essex-based ‘60 Belvedere was a
Plymouth in Plymouth.
A P lymouth in P lymouth
T
hose travelling Swedes, Thorsten and Sonja Larsson, were
at it again with their PJ sedan, although this time staying
on their side of the Atlantic.
In 2009 they headed to England to take in the Rally of the
Giants, a major US car meet in Stevenage, north of London.
There they met Barry Reece of the POC United Kingdom
Region. During the show a guy photographing their PJ said to
Sonja: “Haven’t we met before? Oh, now I know. It’s you
from the BULLETIN!”
After the show, they headed south, destination the port
city of Plymouth. Thorsten
writes: “We stayed in Plymouth
for three days. A common phrase
heard when people realized the
make of the car: ‘A Plymouth in
Plymouth! Great!’ I took some
pictures near the harbour, but getting to the Mayflower steps was
not possible, due to restoration
work.”
Photos were taken at the Old
Citadel (see BULLETIN 254, p.1)
and Smeaton’s Tower, a lightPB
house first lit in 1729.
-13-
A Sw ede in England
PLYMOUTH 4 CYLINDER
22ND ANNUAL TOUR & MEET
MAY 27 TO 30 2010
ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO
HOST HOTEL: Best Western Stoneridge Inn
6675 Burtwhistle Dr. (Hwy 401 & Hwy 4 S)
Acc $99.00 per night
Call before Apr 26, 2010 (mention Plymouth Tour)
Continental Breakfast
Plenty of parking for all
Fuel on site
PLYMOUTH 4 CYLINDER
22ND ANNUAL TOUR & MEET
MAY 27 TO 30 2010
ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO
Name______________________________ Co-pilot ____________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________
Year of car ______________
Model ______________________________________
Registration: $25.00
___________
Dinner:
___________
$30.00 x _____
Total:
__________
For golf shirts or hats please add a note with sizes & quantity. Shirts $20. Hats $10.
Mail to:
Wally Taylor
49 Dunwich Dr
St. Thomas, ON N5R 4T7
Contact: Wally at 519-633-0730 or wallron@sympatico.ca
Canada
Don't forget your goodies for the running board fleamarket!
-14-
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SAVE THE DATE
June 16-20, 2010
-17-17-
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-19-19-
THE ATOMIC PLYMOUTH
PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 213,
covering Plymouth’s involvement in WWII, featured an
article on a ‘42 Plymouth that
carried the core of the first
atomic bomb to be detonated.
Now, that Plymouth has been
found!
The Atomic Age ar rives
in the backseat of a P14 sedan.
THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE
by Jim Benjaminson
With contributions by
Ferguson “Lindy” Willis
John Teske
Lloyd White
Gerald Fleenor
David Hoover
ifty-three years ago the United States did something no other country had done before and no
country has done since (and we can only hope no
country will ever do again). On August 6, and again on
August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear
bomb on a country with which it was at war.
At the time there was great rejoicing that World War
II had finally come to an end and that the killing that
had claimed millions of lives over the previous several
years was finally over. The end had justified the
means—as least by the standards of 1945. In hindsight, the decisions the United States made in using
nuclear weapons have come under close scrutiny and
criticism. To question the decisions of those who went
before us is not the purpose of this article. Rather, it is
to illuminate a very little-known fact of that history: that
the nuclear age arrived in the back seat of a 1942
Plymouth!
When the United States was drawn into the war in
December, 1941, the country and its allies were faced
with vicious enemies on both sides of the ocean;
Germany on one side, Japan on the other. Those scientists who were able to escape from Nazi Germany
told their American colleagues of Germany’s work at
producing a bomb that would utilize power from the
very source of nature itself, the atom. (Since the article
was written it has been discovered that Japan was also
working on a nuclear program.)
During those first desperate hours of the war, these
scientists pleaded with the renowned Albert Einstein,
asking him to approach President Roosevelt with their
information. Reluctantly Einstein did so, requesting
the President to authorize United States’ own research
F
B
ack in BULLETIN 216 (January-February 1996), the
Plymouth Owners Club dedicated the entire issue to
documenting Plymouth vehicles used during World
War II. The original intent had been to publish the material in
1995, which marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the
war. As has happened many times in the past, last minute
material kept arriving and the issue was delayed until 1996.
In that issue I wrote an article entitled “In the Back Seat
of a ‘42 Plymouth—The Nuclear Age Arrives.” The article
stemmed from material broadcast on a Canadian television
news magazine called “Prime Time.” A two-part series commemorating the end of World War II, the program interviewed
Philip Morrison, a scientist who had been involved with the
Manhattan Project which led to the building—and use of-atomic bombs on Japan. During the interview, a short film
clip was shown in which Morrison detailed how he had transported what would become the “core” of the bomb in the back
seat of a Plymouth sedan. The film showed the car to be a
1942 Plymouth sedan.
As it has been 14 years since that material was published,
we will revisit the subject again. At the time I wrote that the
’42 Plymouth that delivered the core for the first bomb was
apparently lost to history – but as we revealed in the last
BULLETIN, the car has been found. To tell its story, we have to
start at the beginning.
-20-
into making an “atom bomb.” Roosevelt
responded, authorizing what was codenamed the Manhattan Engineering
District and is now commonly called the
Manhattan Project. At two billion dollars,
it was the most expensive scientific discovery in the world up until that time.
Gathering eminent scientists, mathematicians and physicists from around the
world, the project began work on “the
bomb” at a secret laboratory located in
the non-existent city of Los Alamos, New
Mexico. There, just 34 miles from Santa
Fe, 6,000 people lived, worked and
played in a community that officially did
not exist! Scientists began to “disappear”
from the face of the earth, not to be seen
until after the war.
“Bomb” on board: The ‘42 Plymouth, carrying the plutonium core, departs for Trinity.
Based on experiments conducted in
Chicago by Nobel Prize-winning physiremoved the fissionable plutonium core from the vault
cist Enrico Fermi, the world’s first self-sustained and
at Omega. The core had been separated into several
controlled nuclear reaction took place on December 2,
sub-critical pieces which were fitted into two special
1942. The crude “reactor” was built of graphite blocks
valises for the journey down to Trinity. Morrison placed
located under the west stands of a racquet court at the
the special valises carefully next to him in the back
University of Chicago’s Stagg Field.
seat of Robert Bacher’s sedan, and, with one security
Led by the controversial American physicist J. Robert
guard ahead of them and one behind, they set off for
Oppenheimer, work on the bomb itself began at Los
Alamogordo.”
Alamos in 1942. Culmination came on July 16, 1945,
Around 3:00 PM on Wednesday, July 11, 1945, this
when they accomplished the first successful detona1942 Plymouth left Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
tion of a nuclear device. It took place at a point in the
with Morrison and the plutonium core of what was to
deserts of New Mexico called “Trinity,” named by
become the first atomic bomb. The occupants of the
Oppenheimer from a reference in John Donne’s 14th
Plymouth were on a mission to deliver the core of the
Holy Sonnet.
“Gadget” (as the bomb was called) to the Alamogordo
Preparations for detonation of the bomb had come to
Bombing Range, 230 miles to the south. The ‘42
a fever pitch by early July 1945. On July 8, a series of
Plymouth pressed into service for this delicate task
tests with a dummy bomb began at Los Alamos, each
was one of the many used as army sedans during the
overshadowed by what, in a few days, would happen
Second World War.
with the real bomb at Trinity.
Quoting Morrison, Goodchild continues: “I remember,
To start with, the bomb was driven for miles over rockwhen we were driving through Santa Fe, which was
strewn roads to simulate the journey down from Los
then quite a sleepy little town, I was just thinking about
Alamos. “It came through this first experience
what an extraordinary thing it was to be driving along
unscathed,” wrote Peter Goodchild in his book J.
there in just an ordinary car and yet we were carrying
Robert Oppenheimer, Shatterer of Worlds. “Philip
the core of the first atomic bomb.”
Morrison, accompanied by a guard and a radiologist,
Later that evening, the procession arrived at the
Trinity site on what had been the McDonald Ranch
Looking to what’s
what’s coming: The Plymouth’s 1942 brochure cover.
-21-
(Author’s note: the McDonald ranch house was still
some miles from the Trinity site). That same night, a
much larger convoy left Los Alamos for Trinity; one
truck was conveying the explosive assembly that
would surround the core Morrison was carrying.
Another scientist named Kistiakowsky recalls “For
reasons of security we transported it at night, but to be
whimsical, I decided that I would start the trip at ten
minutes after midnight—Friday the 13th!”
Still another scientist, Leo Jercinovic, remembers:
“We traveled, accompanied by a very large entourage
of security forces, military police in front and behind us.
I thought this was supposed to be a rather secret and
quiet affair, but every time we went through a town,
why, they would turn on the sirens and the red lights
and we would go through town raising a raucous din—
website www.mphpa.org/classic/COLLECTIONS/LAMDAV/Pages/LAP-MDAV-054.htm. The internet article was
reprinted without this author’s permission.)
and of course this was early in the morning. They had
hoped to warn off any drunken drivers who might drive
into their paths—which they succeeded in doing while
waking up half the neighborhood!”
Interviewed for the Canadian television program
Prime Time Magazine, Philip Morrison recalled the
story of transporting the core of the nuclear bomb to
the Trinity site. “I drove out of Los Alamos in an o.d.
G.I.-painted Plymouth with a Women’s Army Corps
driver—with great speed and talent at the wheel—and
a (sic) armed convoy…because I had in my lap the
special container which a Navy draftsman and I had
designed to be the perfect safe home for the core of
the first test bomb—what we called the plutonium
core—plutonium sphere.”
The core was delivered about 6:00 PM to the staff at
the George McDonald ranch house located at the
northern edge of the test range about ten miles from
Ground Zero. Shortly after noon on Friday, July 13,
the core was transported to the tower where the gadget was suspended.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the final assembly of
the bomb began taking place. At 3:18 PM the bomb
was ready for insertion of the plutonium core. Once its
core was in place, the bomb was hoisted one hundred
feet atop a tower constructed to hold “the Gadget.”
That night, as a rainstorm with thunder and lightning
danced around the armed bomb, Manhattan Project
scientists nervously awaited the detonation time, set
for 5:30 AM. At 5:10 the countdown began while the
scientists watched from the bunker known as S10,000,
ten miles from the tower at Trinity. What would happen
was anybody’s guess. There were some present who
thought it simply wouldn’t work. Others expressed a
fear the bomb would set the atmosphere on fire and
incinerate the earth.
The bomb was detonated at 5:29:45 AM Mountain
War Time, Monday, July 16, 1945. Weighing about two
and a half tons, the bomb yielded an explosive charge
estimated to be the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT.
When the countdown reached zero, Otto Frisch
recalls “and then without a sound, the sun was shining.” (Author’s note: this day would later become known
as the “day the sun shone twice”.) Philip Morrison,
describing the scene to Prime Time, recalls that his
face went from the “cold of a desert morning to the
heat of desert noon” ten miles away from Point Zero.
Oppenheimer, who had led the project from its infancy, recalls that some laughed, some cried and others
stood in awed silence. “There floated through my mind
a line from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita: “I have
become death, the shatterer of worlds,” he recounted
later. Ken Bainbridge shook Oppie’s hand and commented “now we’re all sons of bitches.” With a
month’s time, the war was over.
T HE CAR THAT DELIVERED the core of the world’s first
nuclear bomb has been all but forgotten by history. Fate has
been much kinder to the two B-29 Superfortresses that
dropped the bombs over Japan than to the car that delivered
the core of the first bomb to the desert of New Mexico. Both
planes (built in Omaha by the Glenn Martin Aircraft factory)
have been preserved and are on display. Everything from
their serial numbers to the planes’ nicknames to the names of
the crews have been recorded. Enola Gay, named for pilot
Col. Paul Tibbets’ mother, which carried a uranium device
dubbed “Little Boy” to Hiroshima, has been partially restored
and is displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The
second plane, Bock’s Car, piloted by Major Sweeney, which
dropped a plutonium device dubbed “Fat Man” on Nagasaki,
is displayed at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Dayton,
Ohio. Both aircraft (along with 13 others) had been modified
to carry the atomic bomb.
Until just recently (1995) the role played by a lone ‘42
Plymouth army staff car has been all but unknown. Assigned
to Robert Bacher as head of the “G” Division (“G” for
Gadget) at Los Alamos, the car that ushered in the nuclear era
is little known outside of a few black-and-white photographs
and a grainy piece of movie film. These facts are known: it
was a 1942 Plymouth P14C Special Deluxe four-door sedan,
painted olive drab, bearing government license number W44410. Unlike the specially ordered 1941 Plymouth staff
cars, the “nuclear Plymouth” wasn’t even equipped with
blackout lamps. Somewhere along the line it received a dent
in the left rear fender. Its serial number and its ultimate fate
are equally unknown. (Author’s note: A recent posting on
The Manhattan Project website claims the car was purchased
new in 1945 for use at Los Alamos. This is highly unlikely,
considering the condition of the car in July of 1945 as attested to by the photographs. There were no new cars for sale in
1945, although the car could have been in government storage for use by the military.)
Had it not been for Philip Morrison’s 1995 interview, no
one would have remembered it was driven to the Alamogordo
bombing range by a woman driver—who at this time (still)
remains unidentified.
(Author’s note: Some paragraphs of the original article have
been deleted here. The original article appeared in the JanFeb 1996 PLYMOUTH BULLETIN, Volume 37, No. 2, pages 3031. The article was reprinted with permission in the Winter
1999, Vol. 86, issue of Army Motors. The Army Motors article can be found on the internet at the Manhattan Project
1942 P14C Town
Town Sedan: Bill Call at the start of the 2003 tour
-22-
F OLLOWING THE APPEARANCE of
the original story in BULLETIN 216,
member John Teske, who worked for
the U.S. Department of Energy, wrote
that shortly before the BULLETIN came
out, their employee magazine entitled
D.O.E. This Month commemorated the
50th anniversary of the first atomic
explosion. On the front cover was a
photograph (the lead photo of this article) of the 1942 Plymouth that carried
the core to Trinity. With the aid of
several individuals, including the historian of the Los Alamos National
Laboratory, John obtained three photographs reproduced from the original
1945 negatives. John wrote, “there are
probably other photos of the car. I
asked the persons at the Los Alamos
archives if the files contained other
photographs of 1940s Plymouths but
was told they would not be able to recognize a Plymouth from other cars of
the period!” The photos John sent, one
of which was reproduced on page 12
in BULLETIN # 218 (May-June 1996,
Vol. 37, No 4), had only recently been
declassified. One of the three photos
John sent showed the car as the trigger
device was being loaded into the back
seat at the McDonald ranch house.
Over the years I made various
attempts at trying to positively identify
WHICH 1942 Plymouth had been used
at Trinity. From the grainy movie film
captured on VHS tape of the Prime
Time television program, I tried to
read the number on the hood of the car.
I then contacted member Lloyd White,
who had spent considerable resources
restoring an original 1942 Plymouth
Town Sedan that had been an army
staff car when new (the car is now
owned by member Bill Call and was
driven by him on the 2003 Coast-toCoast tour). In his 1999 letter to me,
Lloyd wrote
the Army, the license plate and the
number on the hood were the
same. I checked a listing for the
hood number in some material on
U.S. Army registration numbers
pertaining to vehicles during WWII,
and the hood number does not
come up—which does not mean it
wasn’t used, but it was not used by
the U.S. Army.
A S THE YEARS WENT BY, I more or
less forgot about the “Atomic
Plymouth” until I received a message
this past October from member Gerald
Fleenor. A recently retired employee
of the National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy,
Gerald’s news hit like a bombshell:
Did I know that the “Atomic
Plymouth” had been found?
Combining material from Gerald and
David Hoover of the National Museum
of Nuclear Science & History in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, here is the
story:
After the war, the Trinity Plymouth
was
transferred
from
the
Department of the Army to the U.S.
Forest Service in New Mexico and
painted Forest Service Green. The
Plymouth served the Forest
Service for a number of years and
then, according to research done
by museum curator David Hoover,
was apparently transferred to the
Bureau of Indian Affairs. From
there its whereabouts became
unknown. In 1995 a rusted and
partially dismantled 1942 Plymouth
“hulk” with faded Forest Service
paint was found in a salvage yard in
Gallup, New Mexico. This vehicle
is a six-cylinder, four-door (suicide
doors on the rear) sedan as was
the Trinity Plymouth. “It is more
than likely the original Trinity
Plymouth,” states Hoover, “and is
now in the possession of the
National Museum of Nuclear
First of all, the Army did not keep
Science & History in Albuquerque.”
records regarding their vehicles
The “Hulk” was in poor condition,
once they disposed of them after
too poor to be placed on display, in
their military use. I looked up the
The “Hulk”: the 1942 “Atomic Plymouth” as the minds of the museum authorinumber you listed for the hood
found. ties, so the museum found a
number of the Plymouth that carreplacement to put on display until
ried Philip Morrison and the core of
the
day
the
original
car could be restored. The display
the bomb, and that hood number does not show as a
Plymouth
was
purchased
in 2007 for $7,000 via internumber being used on an Army vehicle. The license
net
from
Frontier
Motor
Company
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(plate) is a U.S. Government plate, not a U.S. Army
In
excellent
original,
drivable
condition,
with original
plate, this tells me the car was probably not controlled
interior and showing 41,185 miles, the car was repaintby the U.S. Army. When vehicles were controlled by
-23-
the Packard and Plymouth were found in the same
New Mexico junk yard, spotted by a local military vehicle collector who recognized them for what they were,
bought them both (they were going to be crushed the
next day!), brought them to Albuquerque and later
donated both cars to the museum. With the help of
New Mexico Packard enthusiasts, the Packard has
been restored.
Both the Packard and the replica Plymouth can be
seen daily at the National Museum of Nuclear Science
& History, 601 Eubank SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123.
The museum phone number is (505) 245-2137 Ext
118. The website is located at
www.nuclearmuseum.org.
The Trinity Site is open to the public only two days a
year, the first Saturdays in April and October. The easiest entrance is through the White Sands Missile
Range, Stallion Center Gate, off US 380 between
Carrizozo and San Antonio, New Mexico.
AT
THE CONCLUSION
of my original article I wrote:
This article is meant to neither condemn nor condone
the use of the atomic bomb. Plymouth Owners Club
member Lindy Willis, a retired engineer who worked at
Argonne National Labs near Chicago recently (1995)
sent this writer a piece of graphite from Fermi’s first
nuclear reactor experiment. At the time Lindy wrote
“thoughtful people, including the scientists who developed the project, have wondered from the beginning
whether nuclear energy would, in the long run, turn out
to be a benefit or a curse to humankind. On that day
(in December 1942) they were thinking only of survival.
We may never answer the larger questions surrounding the nuclear energy issue. I personally cut your
piece of graphite from one of the original blocks (of
Fermi’s experiment). I assure you it is absolutely safe
to handle and is free of radioactivity. This was an
important piece of an experiment which brought huge
change to the world, its politics and its philosophies. I
hope you will enjoy having it. Even more so, I hope
you live in a world which can be freed of curses,
nuclear and any others!”
The 1942 “display Plymouth” is a replacement for the “Atomic
Plymouth” AKA the “Trinity Plymouth” until it can be restored.
ed in o.d. green to replicate the Trinity Plymouth. The
museum was told the Ohio car was the “last car off the
Plymouth line before car production was ended for the
war.” Delivered new to Patterson Chrysler-Plymouth
on October 15, 1941, the sale date and serial number
(11436184) easily disproves this claim, and, unlike the
“real” car, it is not fitted with blackout trim.
Because of the condition of the original Trinity
Plymouth, and its secure location on a U.S. military
base, special arrangements had to be made by David
Hoover to take the photos you see here of the car. As
they have been unable to open the front passenger
door, it has been impossible to obtain the serial number. The only factory identification number found to
date is the under-hood body number 400-A-37188.
The car is missing some parts and needs a total
restoration.
In addition to the Plymouth, the museum has a fully
restored 1942 Packard Clipper eight-door Fitzjohnbuilt limousine on display. The eight-door Packard had
also been used at Los Alamos for transporting workers
and was later transferred to the Forest Service. Both
E VEN MORE RECENTLY Lindy wrote me from his retirement
villa in Mexico:
Another interesting Plymouth connection to the atomic story relates to the famous 1939 letter that (Albert)
Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt, stating that
recent experiments showed the possibility of releasing
large amounts of energy from the atomic nucleus, and
hinted that this might be applied to weapons. The sug-
The 1942 Packard: in service;
as found; being restored.
-24-
gestion was made that the U.S. should be hastily
expanding its involvement in such research. Such an
idea seemed crazy in 1939 and the scientists knew
that only Einstein could convince Roosevelt of its
necessity. Edward Teller (“The Father of the ‘H’
Bomb”) told me of the visit he and Leo Szilard made to
Einstein’s summer home on Long Island to compose
the Roosevelt letter for Einstein’s signature. I remember Teller saying to me in his heavy Hungarian accent
that “Szilard could do almost anything but he couldn’t
drive a car, so we drove my 1935 Plymouth out to Long
Island to find Einstein’s house.” So, Plymouth had
already figured in the bomb program at its early inception, several years before even Fermi’s 1942 chain
reaction experiment became the birth of the Manhattan
Project.
I haven’t received a BULLETIN for many months, which
is probably due to mail not being delivered in Caucel.
So I’d really like to have any recent issues relating to
the “Atomic Plymouth.” During the war, I served on an
“APA” (attack transport) and soon after putting to sea
from boarding 2,000 veteran troops at Okinawa, we
were told that our destination was the initial landings
on the Japanese home islands, AND that calculations
indicated that only about half of us would survive. As
we steamed north we suddenly altered course to the
east and were told that the war had ended and we
were bringing the troops to Seattle. I often reflect on
the probability that the atomic bomb saved my life and
many others, both Japanese and Allied. We, of
course, had not even a rudimentary understanding of
its science. So even less could I imagine that my
engine room watches were preparing me to enter a 35year career in that science, working alongside the very
people who had developed the weapon that had saved
us.”
(Author’s note: club member “Lindy” Willis worked at
Argonne National Labs for 35 years on various projects,
including the world’s first nuclear submarine, Nautilus.)
F ROM ITS INCEPTION in 1939 to the war’s culmination in
1945, Plymouth played an important role in the development
of the nuclear age. Considering that New Mexico Packard
enthusiasts stepped up to the plate to restore the ‘42 Fitzjohn
Packard limousine, don’t you think the Plymouth Owners
Club should do the same thing to preserve what may be the
most historically significant Plymouth of all time?
PB
Goodbye to all this--for the duration anyway: The last
Plymouth leaves the factory before conversion of the plant to war
production. The Plymouth Company, Chrysler Corporation, Detroit,
Michigan.
ALFRED T. PALMER, PHOTOGRAPHER.
1952 Cranbr ook
Ed Botchie
Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania
T
his ‘52 Cranbrook is the third car
I’ve owned. It followed my first
car, a green ‘52 Cranbrook and my
‘72 Duster which I bought new. This
car I found on a Chevy dealer’s used
car lot in October, 1974. It was a oneowner car with about 57,000 miles on
it. The dealer sold it to me for $500
and gave me a one-year warranty. I
drove this car for a number of years as
my daily driver and then retired it for a number of years. I started restoring it in 1997 and finally completed it in June 2002.
Besides the first place at the 2009 National Fall Meet, it has won numerous first places locally, was at the 2004 Invitational
Chryslers at Carlisle, and a Best of Show at the 2003 NCPC National Meet. PB
-25-
A Plymouth
In BULLETIN 161-- the last
edited by Jim
Benjaminson -- the 1937
P4 Tüscher-bodied convertible, then owned by
Hans Mentink, was the
cover car.
by Bruno Costers
Vosselaar, Belgium
It
by
Tüscher
all started 27 years
ago when I was member of the AAC club in Holland
amerikaanseautomobielclub.nl . They liked my 1937
P4 Kew sedan so much that they asked me for a article
and pictures to put in their club magazine.
I had owned my 1937 Chrysler P4 Kew DeLuxe
for ten years. Built in the United Kingdom, it has
right-hand-drive and is one of only 73 producedthat year. Nineteen thirty-seven was also the first
year for metallic paints by Chrysler. As with this
car, I keep all my cars in a dry air-conditioned
garage.
After the article was published, another member from Holland, Hans Mentink, contacted me and
told me that he owned the same kind
of car, although it was a convertible model with lefthand-drive. We have
been in contact ever
since, and recently, he
has sold the car to
me.
The car had, at
that time of our
meeting, just undergone an intensive
and expensive twoyear restoration. He
had bought the car in the
late ‘70s from a antique car
dealer in Holland. Although it
was in rusty condition, the car
was missing
only a few
parts such as
the front
bumper and
the glove
box door.
The
Chrysler
still had its
original
American
Bosch
radio.
-26-
The American Bosch radio
The Kew had 60 unique pieces to make it a right-hand-drive
car.
The restoration work on the Tüscher car was done from
1978 to 1980 by a body shop in Tilburg,
Holland. The Mentink family used the
car for 27 years, driving it a total of 40
000 km.
Under the hood, on the left side is
a number -- 203853 -- that is still visible,
providing evidence that the Chrysler had
been confiscated during World War Two.
It would be nice know more details as to who drove this car
during the war. Since the car was found in a barn in the
North of France and its original French license plate, number
74-AD-68, still exists, we had believed that the confiscation happened in France, possibly by the Nazis,
but we also knew that some cars had been confiscated by the army in Switzerland.
Later, a website guest, Markus Hermann,
sent a picture of his1937 Chrysler, a Plymouth P4,
with a similar number --10584-A -- under its hood. This leads
us to conclude that the confiscation number on the Tüscher
car is also of Swiss origin. Hermann’s car has
been used only in
Switzerland (Jura)
and had become
a company car
for a director
until it was
retired in
1963.
by Ernst Erb
guest to our website
radiomuseum.org, Bruno Costers,
sent me three photos of an American
Bosch car radio Model 536. Finding this
of interest, I posed some questions to him
to learn more about the radio. I also
wanted to know the type of car in which
the radio had been placed. This questioning resulted, bit by bit, in a very interesting story. I like to
understand the history behind things such as this radio and the
car in which it was installed.
To my astonishment I found that the story
begins in Luzern (Lucerne, Switzerland) in
the garage called Garage Epper Luzern that
belongs to a friend of mine. His late father,
Ernst Epper, whom I also knew, had established this garage. My friend, Kurt Epper, took over
operation of the garage from his father. Now the garage is run
by his son, Stefan Epper, who also became a friend.
I was also surprised to find that Carosserie
Tüscher (TG) still exists as Carosserie Tüscher
AG (TC), in Dällikon near Zürich. They now do
the coachwork for trucks, lorries with trailers and
motorbuses, etc. In 1936 they showed the following plate:
A rolling chassis of a 1937 Chrysler (in the
USA, called a Plymouth P4) was imported by
Tüscher in Zürich, Switzerland. This chassis
was built on December 1,1936.
At that time it must have taken two or three months
A
before the chassis arrived in Zürich. A copy of the document
given by Chrysler in Detroit still exists, and from it, the
owner could even find that it has an original Borg Warner
overdrive. Called a 1937 Plymouth Six DeLuxe in North
America, the car was sold as a 1937 Chrysler-Plymouth Six
DeLuxe in Europe while those assembled in the Chrysler Kew
factory in the United Kingdom were sold as a Chrysler Kew.
WWII confiscation numbers: Marcus Hermann’s P4 sedan;
Coster’s P4 Tüscher convertible [inset] prior to restoration.
-27-
American Bosch company located in Springfield,
Massachusetts, which was later called United American
Bosch.
In the middle, one can see the knobs and scale for the
radio American Bosch model 536B. The chassis with loudspeaker and set was placed beneath the left hand side of the
dash, under the steering wheel. The space beneath the right
side was for the heater.
When the top of the radio case is removed, the tubes can
be seen clearly. The top, with its interesting logo, also incorporates the speaker.
As can be seen with the controls, only the broadcast band
was most commonly used at that time.
-- Ernst Erb
radiomuseum.org
T HE A MERICAN B OSCH RADIO M ODEL 536,
536 restored with
the car and operational once again, was manufactured by the
Factory export document
We are ready to enter the Eru-Michelin Rally held May 2-10,1987, between Estoril,
Portugal, and Noordwijk aan zee, Holland, a distance of almost 2750 km (1700 mi.).
Although it was Hans’ car at the time, its future owner, Bruno, is driving.
At the famous Coppa Bella Macchina in the
area where I live. www.coppabellamacchina.be
In Belgium:
Belgium: At the Chrysler's new home [LEFT].
-28-
A Plymouth called Kew
Bruno Costers’ 1937 P4 Chrysler Kew
was featured on the rear cover of
BULLETIN 150, the JanuaryFebruary, 1985, issue.
B
T HE
runo Coster’s 1937 P4 Chrysler Kew saloon was
assembled at the Kew Works located in Surrey,
England. Inheriting the ties Kew had with ChalmersMassachusetts, which was later called United American
production. Knocked-down vehicles were shipped to the
United Kingdom and there assembled with right-hand-drive
components added. Likely, the cars originated from
the Windsor plant in Canada, as the U. K. had lower
tariffs charged on goods manufactured in a fellow
Commonwealth country. Even though Belgium
is a
.
left-hand-drive country, some right-hand-drive cars
were sold there. The Kew P4 was brought to
Belgium by a friend of Bruno’s who sold it to him in
1977.
He has enjoyed the car for the past 33 years, taking it on many tours with his friend’s own 1937 P4, a
Tüscher-bodied convertible that has now become the
The motorcycle, a 1922 Saroléa -- one-cylinder 550 cc. four-stroke -- is a sedan’s stablemate. -- LDK
Belgian make. Bruno has owned two Saroléa and one Peugeot motorcycles.
-29-
Plymouths
in
M ARBLE
Bruno Costers wrote in BULLETIN 156 (Jan.-Feb. ‘86) of his 1937
P4 Kew and his friend’s 1937 Tüscher-bodied P4 convertible,
which he now owns, being carved in wood and the Kew, also,
sculpted in marble.
Below is an edited reprint of that article.
bodywork.
In order to get ourselves nice models, we went to a
famous artist who lives in our area and asked if he could
make rough models in wood before starting the actual artwork
of a Chrysler in white Italian marble.
After two weeks, the wooden pieces were finished and
the result was very promising. Indeed, after taking a good
look at these wooden models, we decided to have two more
made so we could have two different models of each car.
Upon the arrival of the Italian marble, the artist, with infinite patience, sketched the outlines of the cars on the block
and then started the actual work.
After a rough form was obtained, door handles, headlights and bumpers slowly began to appear. Again, all details
were drawn on the outside of the work so that the doors and
wheels could be chiseled in perfection.
E
veryone who owns an old-timer dreams, from time to
time, of seeing this old-timer in miniature form, sitting
on a desk or in a showcase.
In Europe (of 25 years ago), it had been impossible to
obtain miniatures of these old-timers, especially Chryslers and
particularly the cars my Dutch friend and I own.
The first model is of a Chrysler Kew Six Touring Saloon
DeLuxe from 1937. It is a Plymouth P4 that was assembled
in England and sold under the Chrysler name. The other car
is a convertible Chrysler from Switzerland with Tüscher
-30-
All details were made to precision. After being finished,
each piece was polished until it was smooth to the touch and
shining with a soft glow.
About 90 hours of hard manual labor went into the models before they were ready to be admired on the top of my
desk.
The work method for both the wooden and the marble
models was approximately the same, but working on the
wooden miniatures was a lot easier, as the material is much
softer than marble and does not chip.
The main problem of working with marble is in the brittleness of the material. Every wrong move with a hammer,
chisel or grinder can result in unrepairable damage.
As you can see in these pictures, the artist, Mr. E.
Verwimp, is a true artist who combines skill and patience to
make miniatures worth looking at. They’re true masterpieces!
-- Bruno Costers
-31-
The Plainsman
was featured in
Bulletin 198, the
“Dream Car” issue,
with a reprint of a
Special Interest Autos
article.
The wagon also made
an appearance in
BULLETIN 205.
Return of the
Plainsman
D
just what the future held.
One of the fastest
growing segments in this
automotive market in the
mid-1950s was that of the
station wagon. Exner’s
response to this trend was
the dream car called
“Plainsman.” The task of
transforming Exner’s
designs to a finished
product fell to the famed
Italian coach builders,
Ghia. The actual car was
crafted on a fully functional chassis with a complete drivetrain, so that it could be as practical and usable as any production Chrysler.
Finished in a captivating bronze metallic
paint with an ivory-white padded top, the
car was accented by extensive stainless steel
and chrome. Headlights were sheltered in
exaggerated canted housings while a split
front grille allowed for plenty of cooling air
to the engine. There was a massive chrome
bumper in front with simulated air intakes
on the outer edges. To the rear of this
wagon was a set of cathedral-style taillights
mounted into the peaked quarter panels.
The gas filler tube was concealed under one
of the taillights.
Factory promotional material stated
that the Plainsman was designed to reflect
the “colorful and casual way of life that typifies the nation’s westward movement.”
uring the heyday of Detroit’s “Dream Cars,” the
annual auto shows were must-see events and the best
places to witness just what tomorrow would hold for
motorists of the future. The American buying public was
treated to the latest styling trends, innovations, technologies
and advancements in engineering, as well as a vast array of
gadgets that could do anything from automatically parking
one’s car to offering a place to cook a meal and wash dishes.
As Vice-president of Styling for the Chrysler Corporation,
Virgil Exner created a new school of automotive design. His
“Forward Look,” as it was termed, would guide the design of
all passenger car marques under the Chrysler corporate banner. Moreover, the post-war sales boom essentially gave
Exner carte blanche to transform his visions of tomorrow into
reality. Across the country and even around the world,
Exner’s cars became the highlight of many stops on the auto
show circuit as crowds would gather to see for themselves
-32-
Unlike most of the station wagons available at the time, the Plainsman was a
two-door model and featured a wide Bpillar, decorated with a hand-crafted
steer’s head badge which provided a
focal point for the southwestern theme of
the interior. There was comfortable seating for up to eight. An upholstery combination of leather bolsters with genuine
unborn baby calf-skin inserts helped
carry the motif throughout the vehicle. Up to six
adults could sit comfortably on the front and center bench seats, while a rear-facing power seat
was accessible from the fold-down power
tailgate. This trendsetting seat could accommodate a pair of youngsters in what would
later be known as the “Spectator Seats.”
As stunning as this dream car was to
behold, it was still a test bed for proposed production details that would eventually find their
ways onto the station wagons offered by
Plymouth, DeSoto, Dodge and Chrysler.
In addition to the rear-facing seats,
another innovation first seen on the
Plainsman was the unique storage of the
spare tire, which was concealed under a
flip-panel that comprised the lower portion of the right rear quarter panel and
blended in with the design of the car.
A functional and utilitarian vehicle,
the Plainsman offered over 106 cubic
feet of load space with the tailgate lowered and the center and rear seats folded
down. With the tailgate down, it provided just over seven feet of depth for storage and a width of five feet. All told,
there was plenty of room for sports
equipment, picnic gear, groceries, gardening supplies and more.
The effect was magnificent and the
buying public was in love. The western-style Plainsman won
rave reviews wherever it was shown, but as so often happens
with one-of-a-kind vehicles of this type, it had to be retired
from the limelight. Unlike a number of show cars that were
destroyed after their show life was over, the Plainsman was
more fortunate. Due to the fact that its body had been crafted
in Italy by Ghia, Chrysler was told by US Customs that the
car would have to either leave the country or they would have
to pay the duty within 18 months of importation. Thus, in
1957, the car was shipped to Cuba where it was loaned to the
president of the Cuban bank who used it as a family wagon.
The wagon was eventually purchased by the Chrysler Export
Manager who was living in Cuba. This gentleman was later
forced to escape Cuba in order to avoid being arrested by
Castro’s government, and he took the Plainsman with him.
In the 1960s, he was assigned to Australia, and while
there he had several modifications made to the wagon. First,
in order to comply with local laws, the Plainsman was converted to right-hand-drive. While it had originally been pow-
ered by what was described as a
“Chrysler Special V8,” a modern 440
cubic inch V8 was installed with plenty
of power. For many years, the legend of
the Plainsman circulated around
Australia. It came back to the United
States when this export manager retired.2
It was enjoyed for nearly 20 years
as a family car, driven on many occasions in the United States. A private collector eventually acquired the car and converted it
back to left-hand drive. Even in its unrestored
and “as-found” condition, this car is a tribute to
the skill and craftsmanship of a bygone era of
show cars. The details of its remarkable history and escape from Cuba have been obtained
from conversations by the owner with the
export manager’s family. It retains the 440cubic-inch V8 engine and automatic transmission
and continues to be very driveable and street legal,
although it is in need of a complete cosmetic restoration.
This is a remarkable, trendsetting
and one-off station wagon in the grand
tradition of the American West.
-- Reprinted with permission from RM
Auctions: www.rmauctions.com
An
extensive article written by Leon
Dixon on the Plainsman first
appeared in the February, 1980, issue of
Special Interest Autos, and was reprinted
in PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 198. The article
can now be found on the plymouthbulletin.com website. The information in
the following footnotes was taken from
Dixon’s article. (Another reference to the
Plainsman, including a picture of it as an
RHD vehicle, appears in BULLETIN 205,
page 11.) -- LDK
1Although the Plainsman was created while Virgil Exner was corpo-
rate vice-president of styling, he had little to do with its development. The car was designed in total by David Scott, a young designer in the Plymouth studios. Thus, as many critics have suspected,
the vehicle, lacking many of Exner’s styling cues, is not of his
design. Exner’s one contribution was to encourage Scott to take his
original design, which was for a cabriolet, and make it into that of a
sporty station wagon.
2Following its Cuban sojourn, the Plainsman spent time in Mexico
and New York before being driven cross-country to San Francisco to
be shipped to Australia. Years later, it spent time in Japan before
returning to the United States. After being driven around southern
California for some time, the Plainsman’s original 260 V8 gave out.
The 4900-pound vehicle, sorely underpowered with the small V8,
finally had adequate power with the newly-installed 440. A true
restoration would dictate a return to original power. However, the
Plainsman’s actual 260 engine, with correct numbers, is likely long
gone.
PHOTOS BY DARIN SCHNABEL / RM AUCTIONS
-33-
Alaskan Plymouths
Introduced in BULLETIN
276, Fairbanksans Scott
and Lynn Grundy and Bill
and Joyce Chace have
become known to the club.
Tales of their perambulations in the sub-arctic
regions of Alaska and
Canada have appeared in
issues 280, 291and 292.
by Scott Grundy
Fairbanks, Alaska
On The Road Again
last year, Bill and Joyce Chace drove their 1952 Cranbrook
and my wife Lynn and I drove our comfortable 1955
ast year I wrote about our fantastic road trip up
Belvedere.
the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, Northwest
We departed Fairbanks early on June 28 as
Territories, Canada, with the Anchorage
we had to push to make the dinner show in
club, in BULLETIN 291. We had so much fun I
Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada. The
decided to organize a tour for our local club. I
major mishap this day occurred when the driver
proposed a civilized (mostly paved roads) 1,500of the motor home was “attacked” by his wife
mile round-trip from Fairbanks, Alaska, to
with a dry chemical fire extinguisher while underCanada. Club members leapt at the opportunity!
way. The driver’s window was open and the car folWe limited ourselves to ten vehilowing thought the motor home was on fire. She claimed
cles so we would not
the discharge was accidental. Sure! We made it to Beaver
overwhelm faciliCreek in time for dinner and enjoyed the show, espeties, and we
cially when a small plane “crashed” through the roof!
adopted the
The singing was amazing and world class.
name
The next morning we headed south to
“Adventure
Whitehorse on a frost-heaved but well-maintained
Before
segment of the Alaska Highway. We spent three
Dementia
wonderful nights
Tour 2009.”
in Whitehorse.
(I love the
The town, people,
name!) Our
food, museums,
assortment of
S.S. Klondike
vehicles ranged in
sternwheeler, etc.,
age from a beautiwere terrific, and
ful 1932
one couple even
Studebaker that
squeezed in a side
was hauled behind
trip to the Takhini
a vintage ‘73
Hot Springs. But
Dodge Travco
best of all was the
motor home to a
Frantic Follies
mint low-mileage
Vaudeville Show.
1976 Volkswagen
[FROM BOTTOM TO TOP] The group stops at a mountain lake; the women pose with a “stage Mountie”
It was by far the
convertible. As
L
at Beaver Creek; the Plymouths with the SS Klondike sternwheeler at Whitehorse, Yukon.
-34-
best show we experienced on the trip, and we saw them all.
The Canada Day (July 1) parade in Whitehorse
was very enjoyable. The weather was super, and
there were many beautiful children who really
enjoyed the attention we provided as we wished
them a happy Canada Day and entertained them
with strange-looking vehicles and funny sounding
horns. Our rigs were heavily adorned with
Canadian and Alaskan flags. We lined up roughly
according to the age of our vehicles. When the senior
lady of our group heard “oldest first” she thought she was
going to have to lead the parade, but the regal ‘32 showcased
our vehicles. The celebration continued on to the Rotary Park
where we displayed our cars and the locals thanked us profusely for coming. Love those Canadians, eh?
The drive to Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, included
stops at the Miles Canyon swinging bridge, beautiful Emerald
to coordinate for our group in Skagway. This was our first
drive on this highly scenic route, so we took several
pictures and arrived in Skagway last!
Most of the group took the narrated
Streetcar Tour that afternoon in the reportedly
refurbished 1927 B Series Mack buses from
Disneyland. It was a little disappointing to learn
that the original earlier vintage canvas-topped
White buses had been returned to Yellowstone
National Park about five years ago. We also questioned
the validity of the Mack claim, as everything other than the
Motometer on the hood and some body parts seemed to be of
a relatively new design. Regardless, we all found the fantasy
‘27s enjoyable. Our driver/narrator was delightful, and she
loved our group. We gave her lots of new material regarding
Bobby Sheldon’s car, the first to be built in Alaska (in
Skagway no less). A spectacular fireworks display occurred
that evening at the waterfront in fabulous weather.
The Miles Canyon swinging bridge
Lake, Carcross Desert (known as the smallest desert in the
world), “downtown” Carcross and other highlights. Atlin is
the most beautiful dying town I’ve ever visited. Atlin Lake
hosts the highest point of land in freshwater in the world -Birch Mountain, elevation 6,755’ -- on Teresa Island.
Queued up for the parade in Skagway,
Skagway, Alaska
The 4th of July parade in Skagway was very enjoyable,
too. We had a Model T touring car from Whitehorse join our
group. The crowd loved us. Later as we walked the streets in
our club T-shirts, we had many folks commend our group.
That afternoon we drove out to Dyea and hiked the rigorous
Chilkoot Trail (well, only the first 100 feet of this historic
access route to the Klondike gold discovery, so we could take
a group photo).
Beautiful downtown Carcross
The next morning the VW led us to
the northern-most palm trees (spruce
trees ”planted” with their roots in the
air). Another member led us out of
town to the Pine Creek Falls. It’s
amazing how much water twists
through that narrow gorge.
Then we were off to Skagway,
Alaska, via the spectacularly beautiNorthern “palms”
ful southern section of the Klondike
Highway. Lynn and I departed early because we had logistics
On the historic Chilkoot Trail
Trail
-35-
The following day most of our group boarded the narrow
gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad for a narrated,
highly scenic excursion. Two couples stayed and toured more
of the Skagway highlights that afternoon. Their reward was
hearing “Buckwheat” recite Robert Service’s poems of the
gold rush. Fabulous!
That evening we attended the Days of ‘98 show, and a
member of our group was commandeered to the stage by “the
ladies of the night.” He was eventually led upstairs by the
girls and reappeared in a colorful striped night shirt and was
proclaimed as “Skookum with a wonderfully deep voice!” He
represented both manhood and our group superbly, and will
likely be our 2010 club president!
Haines Hwy.
Hwy. enroute to Haines Junction, Yukon
takingly beautiful. We stopped for several photos, pushed our
Plymouth hard to catch the group (but never did) and bucked
a very stiff headwind all the way. Well, this, combined with
our exploration in Haines, caused us to run out of fuel.
Fortunately, we were on a downhill run and we were able to
coast to within a quarter-mile of our inn… and gasoline. As I
walked to the inn, the group greeted me incredulously, but
leapt to my rescue. As a ‘60 Thunderbird was towing me to
the gas station I pleaded with all whom I encountered to not
tell our club president that I was assisted by a Ford. Of
course, I was later greeted by our Ford-loving president with,
“I heard a FORD came to your rescue!”
Most of our group spent the last night of July 7 in Tok,
Alaska, overeating and enjoying our last evening together. A
group of us toured the vintage parts vehicles in the Iron Age
Reclamation junk yard that evening.
Enjoying the “ladies’” attention in Skagway,
Skagway, Alaska
July 6 found us all queued up for the
ferry to Haines at 5:45 AM in continued
superb weather. As the “leader,” I
planned to arrive first. I was on time
but was last once again. We had a
scenic one-hour “sail” and a terrific
breakfast enroute to Haines. Once in
Haines, the group scattered, as there
is much to see. For example, the
Hammer Museum is really unique
and hosts a very interesting display of
about 1,500 hammers from Roman
times to the present.
The return drive to Haines Junction,
Yukon, on the Haines Highway, was breath-
I F YOU HAVEN ‘ T ALREADY DONE SO , you have my personal encouragement to drive the historic Alaska Highway and its
marvelous offshoots. The road is paved and has lots of services. There is so much to see and do in the North. Driving an
old car is always best, and
many vintage car groups
have made the journey, but we have yet
to see a Plymouth
group. Please
come and spend
lots of money
enroute; the people of
the North will love you!
I enjoyed organizing
Bill & Joyce; Scott & Lynn
Lynn
this event. The tour was
At
Beautiful
Lake
Bennett
fun and a camaraderiebuilding experience for our club. We’re contemplating a tour
next summer involving the Alaska ferry system to quaint
Cordova, Whittier and other sites. It should really be fun,
especially in a well-fueled Plymouth!
PB
Oh, the ignominy.
ignominy. Towed by a Ford!
-36-
In BULLETIN 298, a small item
on Trev Feehan’s factory
Plymouth-powered Dodge truck
can be found on page 54 in the
“Plymouths Cover the World”
section.
Here’s more on this Australian
truck.
by Trev Feehan
Nightcliff, Northern Territory
Australia
At work, during apple picking in the late 1940s
T
he truck was bought new
in 1929 by Mr. Sam
Norton, an apple grower
from Lenswood, a small town
about 20 miles from Adelaide,
South Australia. It was used to carry apples and fruit and
vegetables to the Adelaide markets until the 1950s, when it
was retired to work around the farm.
Mr. Norton bought the truck from Waymouth
Motors, the Adelaide Chrysler/Dodge agent. It had
been imported with a cowl, dash and windscreen.
The sheet metal seems to be the front part of the
American sedan. The door hinge mounts are in
the windscreen pillars. The tray (bed) and cab
were built by Ross Motor Bodies, an Adelaide
body builder.
Over the years the truck was passed down
through the family until Graham, one of the
grandsons, brought it to Darwin, Northern
Territory, in the 1980s. I bought it in 1993 and got
all of its history. It was pretty run-down at that time,
and the engine had a crack running full length along the
block, but I rebuilt it to more or less what it was. Graham has
driven it a few times since and says it seems about the same
as it always had been.
It has a Graham Brothers 133-inch one-ton chassis, Series
UI-C-133 with a four speed gearbox, 600x20 tyres and steel
spoked wheels. The motor is a 1929 U Series Plymouth
engine which has a heavy cast timing case that carries the
A Plymouth called Dodge
water pump. The
Plymouth cars didn’t have
this, as their engines were
cooled by a thermosyphon system. I
don’t know of
any other
differences.
The
Water pump on a Plymouth U engine
radiator,
bonnet (hood), lights and mudguards (fenders) are similar in style to the contemporary
Chrysler cars. It was marketed as a Dodge
Four truck. Nobody seems to know about the
four-cylinder trucks today, but the six cylinder
models were very popular. Graham said one of
their neighbours was very impressed with it and
bought one himself.
The same truck was marketed as a Fargo with the DeSoto
motor, a different cowl and wooden spoked wheels. They are
also very rare. I know of about three that exist here.
We have a pretty active car club in Darwin, and the truck
gets a lot of use on club activities and in private running. It
always creates a lot of interest.
PB
Owner Trev Feehan at the wheel
-37-
A ‘MINT’ version
PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 279
covered the process of creating a Franklin Mint
model from Lee Lape’s
1958 Belvedere convertible.
Now, we read of the same
being done with Ron
Water’s 1958 Belvedere
sport coupe for the
by Ron Waters
Danbury Mint.
Hartford, Connecticut
of my 1958 Plymouth
As
the restoration of my 1958 Belvedere
neared completion, I received an email from
the Danbury Mint. They had seen pictures of my
car on the internet and were interested in creating a scale
model.
My car,
car, 99%
assembled (missing the hubcaps when this photo was taken).
HERE’S A LITTLE BACKGROUND: I’ve owned my Plymouth
a full-quarter panel replacement was not that difficult.
since February, 1988, when I purchased the car sight unseen
The process took a long time… years. But it was all phofrom an individual in northern California. This was a running,
tographed
and documented on my website, which I named the
driving car with an amateur restoration.
Finland
Gazette
– A Celebration of Chrysler's Fin Era Cars:
After transporting the car to my home in Connecticut, I
1955-61
http://home.comcast.net/~ronbo9.
fixed a few problems, such as the missing speedometer cable
The car was finally ready
and the dash which had been
for
paint
in mid-2003. By
painted white by a previous
January,
2004,
the freshly paintowner. I also had the ratty interior
ed
Belvedere
was
back in my
restored with OEM fabric and
garage,
awaiting
reassembly.
It
vinyl. I drove it to car shows and
took
another
five
years
before
cruise nights for several years
the car was assembled and driveuntil I decided to have the engine
able.
rebuilt. About this time, the
bondo in the quarters began to
IN EARLY 2008, the Danbury
crack. This, and mysterious driMint was looking for another car
vability problems subsequent to
to add to their already impresthe rebuild, convinced me in 1997
sive collection of highly detailed
that a full, body-off-frame restora1/24th-scale die cast models. I
tion was necessary for this very
had earlier purchased their 1957
rare automobile. I also wanted to
Chrysler 300C convertible and
document the restoration on the
was impressed not only by the
internet, which was a novel idea at
level of accuracy, but also by the
the time.
working steering linkage, doors
The trunk floor, right quarter
and trunk lid.
panel, floorboard and fenders all
The email from Danbury
needed patching or replacement.
said that they had seen pictures
Danbury Mint photographer Doug Whyte shoots a detail
Fortunately by this time I had
of the Plymouth on my website
shot of a quarter panel molding using a sizing stick for accuacquired MIG welding skills. So
and wanted to photograph it for
rate scaling down to 1/24th size.
-38-
Details of the dashboard and interior are photographed.
Doug Whyte shoots detail of the driver's door jamb.
possible model creation. They already had the body shell
from their very popular ‘58 Fury and “Christine” models, so
they were going to reuse that shell for a third ‘58 Plymouth
model. After gaining assurance that this wasn’t a scam, and
that they really were from the Danbury Mint, I arrived at a
date with them that would work for me as well as the representative from Danbury and their photographer.
Over an hour was spent photographing the car from every
angle, using a sizing stick to make sure that the scale was
retained as they scaled it down to 1/24th size. A lot of time
was spent on the interior and the engine, as those would have
to be made especially for this model. I was asked to keep this
quiet until the project had been approved and the model had
been produced.
Because of overseas production difficulties, creation of
the first prototype was delayed until the December 2008.
I got to see a subsequent prototype in March 2009. They
asked me to identify any problems that I noticed with the
model. I was already aware that
they were going with the Power
Pak (four-barrel carburetor) with
dual exhaust for the 318 engine.
My car has a two-barrel carburetor
with single exhaust. I wrote up a
page of discrepancies, which they
appreciated and sought to correct
before the final models were created.
The June 2009 production
release was a happy occasion for
me. It was gratifying to see that
my twelve-year restoration project
had been given some recognition.
Doug Whyte photographs the quarter panel as Rick Hanmore, a
rep from the Danbury Mint, holds the sizing stick
PB
-39-
Bob Just’s 1966 Canadian
Valiant (Dart-bodied) convertible
was featured in BULLETIN 242.
Now, he has restored his and
Laurine’s long-owned 1964
Valiant station wagon.
Owners: Laurine and Robert Just
Red Deer, Alberta
(story by Bob Just)
Justs’ Valiant
rebuilt by Barry
Lutz at Ber
Machine in 2007.
The 7-1/4 rear
differential was
torn down and
new bearings
were installed by
the owner. A complete new front suspension with parts from
Just Suspensions was installed.
New brake shoes, drums, wheel cylinders, springs and master
cylinder installed. The body work was started by Guy
Tofsrud at Country Collision and Restoration. The NOS interior material came from SMS Auto Fabrics. The seats belts
T
his Valiant was purchased by the current owners in
July of 1969 from Estevan Motors in Estevan,
Saskatchewan. We are the documented second owners. This is a car equipped with an original 273-V8 which
became available after January 1, 1964. The car was built in
June of 1964 and was delivered to Estevan Motors the same
month. The car was driven as a daily driver until the summer
of 1980 when it was parked with only 55,000 original miles
on its odometer.
A full restoration was started in 1989 in Lloydminster,
Saskatchewan. The car was moved to Red Deer, Alberta, in
1996, where a full tear-down was started.
The pushbutton 904 Torqueflite transmission was rebuilt
by Ken at Northwest Motors. The engine was rebuilt by Dan
Just at Red Deer College in the early ‘90s and torn down and
Like his ‘66 convertible, Bob Just’s ‘64 wagon is technically Dart
bodied. In 1963-64, Canadian Valiants had Valiant front clips on
Dart bodies. Since Darts and Valiants shared the same station
wagon body, the difference is hardly apparent except for the round
Dart taillights. (U.S. Valiant wagons had vertical rectangular lenses.)
The interior has been completely refurbished.
-40-
were redone by Snake Oyl
using new webbing
and rechromed
buckles. The car
was reassembled
and the final
prep and paint
were done by
Comfort
Collision &
Restoration. The
Rallye wheels are from
a 1969 Dart GT with reproduction center caps from Compton
Wheels and beauty rings from Wheel Masters. Other suppliers of parts were RPM, Saskatoon; Laysons; Andy Bernbaum
Auto Parts; and Year One.
This Valiant, restored to original except for the Rallye
wheels, was completed and
back on the road in June
2008.
1964 Valiant V-200 station wagon
273 CI V8
Serial number 749189261 decoded
7 - Valiant
7 - Station Wagon
4 - 1964
9 - Assy. Plant Windsor, Ont.
189261 sequential serial number
Fender Tag Decoded
Model VX2 - Valiant 273 ci. V8 – H-45
Body: 85 - 4dr station wagon (11,146 U.S station wagons built)
Paint: HH - Light Turquoise
Trim: HIQ - Light Turquoise cloth /vinyl
Most 1964 Valiants: 82%, came with a six cylinder engine,
18% came with the 273 V8 option, 65.8% had an automatic,
27.5% had a three-speed manual, 6.7% had a four-speed manual,
15% had power steering, 0.7% had power brakes, 1.7% had electric windows, 27.1% had tinted glass, 49.5% had radios, and 2.3%
were sold with air conditioning.
PB
MoreTüscher
Bruno’s
Bruno’s ‘37 Tüscher at the Belgian inspection station after purchasing it and bringing it into his country from the Netherlands.
1935 PJ Tüscher phaeton: Paul Curtis and Wayne Brandon
provided parts and advice in this car’s restoration. A full article
will appear in the next issue.
-41-
Bobbi and Merrill
Berkheimer were introduced
to members in BULLETIN 132
as Merrill began his term as
national president in 1982.
4 Generations of Berkheimers
host their Plymouth family Labor Day weekend
They and their Plymouths
have graced the pages of the
Bulletin many times… and
covers, too -- most notably,
the “before” and “after”
shots of their ‘37 convertible
on BULLETIN 156.
by Bobbi Berkheimer
Hazard, Nebraska
tours, “anything goes” games, a hog roast and just plain fun
and visiting.
After our boys had grown and were married, it became a
huge project for the two of us, so we gave up this idea but we
continued to attend a Rocky Mountain meeting or so each
year.
Early 2009, Alton Johnson and Jay Thomas asked if the
Rocky Mountain Region could tour our Plymouth car collection. We said yes, remembering the fun times in the past, but
Merrill and I agreed that, at the age of 70, we do not have the
energy to do the games and some of the activities. Still, they
kept telling us “we know we will have fun,” so we began to
get excited and were off and running with their request.
As time went on, we had other Plymouth friends who had
asked to see our car collection, so we decided to also include
members of the Heart of America, the Missouri “Show Me”
and the Prairie Regions.
Next came getting ready for our Plymouth Collection
Tour. With the week-long help of our boys Jeff and Greg, and
Greg’s wife Rita,who had come four days early, we managed
to get our original and restored cars clean and running, the
yard spiffed up and the food cooked. Our grandson, Preston,
In
1972, Merrill, our two boys, Jeff and Greg, and I
attended the Plymouth 4 & 6 Cylinder Owners Club
National Spring Meet held in Loveland, Colorado.
We had not previously heard of a Plymouth club but found
the Rocky Mountain Region to be wonderful hosts. We
immediately decided to join the national club as well as the
Rocky Mountain Region. For the next few years we drove
from central Nebraska to Colorado, which was a minimum of
a five-hour drive, to attend their regional meetings.
After receiving much encouragement and support, Merrill
and I organized the Prairie Region. Still, we continued, over
the next 37 years, to remain in contact with the original
Rocky Mountain members: the Alton Johnsons, the Ken
Hammers, the Murray Kellers, the Les Leathers, the John
Toteves and Mary Thelan. As the years went by, we met
many new members as we now and then continued to attend
one of their meetings. We’d also continue to see them at
national POC meets. Years back, we would invite them,
along with three other car club groups, to our home for our
Labor Day Week-end Fling. This was a three-day affair with
-42-
his wife Megan and our great-granddaughter Taylor, came two
days prior to the event, so we had our usual excellent and
appreciated help.
Some of our cars had not been started or driven in many,
many years, but they had always been kept in a building. One
of the cars, a 1950 four-door sedan, started right off. We had
not had driven it in over 25 years! Others took a little more
persuading, but we were able to get all of the cars out of the
building in which they were stored. We then moved many of
our Plymouth cars into different areas of our place for display.
We have 160 acres, so there was a lot of room for Plymouths.
who were dressed in authentic clothing of the period. They welcomed
us with smiles and a warm
“howdy” as we entered the building. We were invited to an
adventure that links our nation,
transporting us back in time to an
era when covered wagons, handpulled carts, and trains first crissI-80 from the Arch
crossed the prairies. The Great Platte River Road Archway is
an adventure that pays tribute to the pioneers who passed
through Nebraska on their ways west. The Archway is a
1,500-ton structure that spans Interstate 80 without impeding
the heavily traveled interstate.
After the tour, we enjoyed a dinner at the Chuck Wagon
located at the Archway. The dinner, catered by a Come ‘N Get
It Barbeque, featured pork, beef, cornbread, corn on the cob
and a salad bar. As we ate, we began visiting and catching up
with the happenings of our Plymouth family. Later, we headed back to the Ramada Motel for more chit-chat and many
stories while we were getting acquainted.
1950 P20 sedan: Not driven in over 25 years!
S ATURDAY AFTERNOON we met the Rocky Mountain and the
Heart of America and the “Show Me” Regions at the Ramada
Inn parking lot in Kearney, Nebraska. We then cruised a few
blocks to the Great Platte River Road Archway where we
were greeted by Gary Roubicek, the director of the Archway.
After a brief welcome, we continued on to tour the Great
Platte River Road Archway. Inside, we were met by the staff
What awaits inside? See below…
M ID - MORNING ON S UNDAY we
caravanned about 25 miles north of
Kearney to our home for a tour of
Lucky the llama
our Plymouth car collection. There we were greeted with coffee and donuts provided by more members of the Prairie
Region. After briefly chatting, we hit the road down the lane
and out to our many car buildings. Merrill led the way, supervised by Lucky, the family llama, and Mickey, our dog, and
assisted by our sons Jeff and Greg and grandson, Preston. He
had many fun, interesting and challenging stories to tell about
the family quest of amassing a large collection of Plymouths
from 1929 and on -- cars, pickups and even a 1977 Chrysler
Group picture at the Great Platt River Road Archway
-43-
Mopars everywhere
showed her personal collection of
many vintage
ladies’ purses and
told of their histories and described
the variations in
the jeweled, silver
and gold meshed
and knitted purses
of her beautiful
The lean-to
Merrill’s
Merrill’s cars & parts
collection.
Sno-Runner snowBy this time,
mobile. We -many of the guys
Merrill, Bobbi,
had grabbed chairs
Jeff and Greg -and joined the
have been collectladies under the
ing Plymouths
shade trees on the
since the early
lawn and were
1960s. In fact
ready for some
Merrill still has his
food, which had
first car, a 1948
Plymouth hubcap heaven
been prepared by
P15 coupe
Rita, Megan and
which he purchased in 1954 when he was 15 years old.
Bobbi. The head chef was Preston who grilled over 100 tasty
Many topics of conversation were covered by the many
hamburgers. The entire Berkheimer family served the many
Plymouth owners. The ladies did some touring along with the
guests.
guys but, as the day went on, they began to gather in lawn
chairs on the large lawn relaxing and visiting and viewing the
N EXT ON THE LIST of the day’s activity was Keith Danbury,
fruits of Bobbi’s love of flowers and collectables. The weatha long-time member of the Kearney Car Club and the lead
er was perfect for this planned day!
guitar player of the Rough Around the Edges band. From the
Carolyn Reddish from Holdrege, Nebraska, whom the
back deck of the Berkheimer home, he and two other guitar
Berkheimers met at the 1980 National Spring Meet held in
players entertained the Plymouth family with a lot of the
Kearney, shared her love of collecting with the group. She
Rough Around the Edges band
Carolyn Reddish
-44-
Don Schmidt’s
Schmidt’s ‘51 P22 sedan from Ravenna, Nebr.
Nebr.
Art Reddish’s
Reddish’s 1974 Satillite from Holdredge, Nebr.
Nebr.
Brad Skiles’ ‘68 Barracuda from Huntley,
Huntley, Nebr.
Nebr.
Rick Kwiakowski’s
Kwiakowski’s ‘67 Barracuda from St. Paul, Nebr.
Nebr.
Bill Johnson’s
Johnson’s ‘69 Mod-Top
Mod-Top Barracuda
Region. We were pleased to hear that so
many of our Plymouth family are
Patsy Cline fans. Alton Johnson
from Loveland, Colorado, told her
that he has every album that had
been originally produced. We
were told that Joyce Reed got so
excited she lost her gum!
oldies in their repertoire as well as several originals which were hilarious,
such as “I’m a Spy for Wal-Mart”
and one that went kind of like this:
“When I’m gone, just put me in a
Glad bag out at the curb for the
sanitation truck, or if I go the
other way, an oven bag!”
Last on the entertainment
agenda was Patsy Cline impersonator Melinda Ferre who is
from a small town about 30
miles south of Hazard. For over
an hour, she wowed the audience
with her spectacular voice, singing
the original songs Patsy Cline made
famous. The front deck became a
dance floor for several of the charter
“Patsy Cline” members of the Rocky Mountain
S EVERAL WHO ATTENDED the
Plymouth Family Gathering
drove their Plymouths. The
only ones having car problems
were Stan and Sandy Hicks from
Briggsdale, Colorado, who blew a
head gasket on their 1966 Barracuda,
but they were able to baby it back
home by keeping the radiator full
Ken Hammers and childchildof water. Stan also put a can of
hood friend, Betty Wolfe
-45-
stop-leak in the radiator which seemed to help.
Many personal stories were shared throughout the day.
Bill Johnson from both California and Holdrege, Nebraska,
and a mutual friend, Mary Olson, from Holdrege, joined our
group. His car is a 1969 Barracuda hardtop which he has
owned for 30 years, having bought it from its original owner
in southern California. The Barracuda has the extremely rare
factory air conditioning (less than 100 of these cars had factory air). It also has an automatic transmission, power steering
and a 318 engine and has put on 115,000 actual miles.
Another rarity is its optional Mod Top vinyl roof and interior.
The seats and door panels are done in a mod floral-vinyl
which matches the fade-resistant mod vinyl roof. Bill drove
the car back to Nebraska in 2007, the first time the Barracuda
had left California. Bill was raised on a farm outside of
Kearney, graduated from Kearney High School, was in the
Army, a Vietnam veteran, and moved to southern California
in the early 1970s. He grew up loving cars and has sold cars
all of his life. Now retired, he spends time in both Nebraska
and California. After their time with at the Berkheimers they
drove the car to Yellowstone, and then down the California
coast highway back to Bill’s home.
Another fun story is of Don Schmidt’s car, a green
restored 1951 Cranbrook four-door sedan. Vicki Schmidt had
surprised her husband, Don, by handing him the keys during
the 2004 car show at Annevar. It was also Father's Day and
he was surrounded by friends and family. The former owner
brought the car to the show. Vicki goes on to tell the story:
Several weeks before that, we had seen it go down the
street in front of our house, and I thought Don's head was
going to spin off his shoulders as he did a double take
while it went by. He said it was just like the one he used
to drive to high school, even the green color was the same.
(No, it was not the same car he had once driven, but one
just like it.) I later found that our son-in-law, Craig, knew
who owned it and that the owner wanted to sell it. The
rest is history!
It was the biggest purchase I had made without Don’s
consent or knowledge. I was kind of nervous about making the deal on my own and whether Don would be happy
that I did it. I was relieved… he was VERY happy!
We have enjoyed taking it to a few local parades and just
cruising around town on cool summer nights! We've had
a lot of fun with it.
The Berkheimers’ ‘70 Superbird
One of the many stories told by the Berkheimers was of
how they became owners of a 1970 Plymouth Superbird in
about 1982. Scott Dowse, a friend and classmate of Jeff and
Greg, had purchased the Superbird, and we all enjoyed seeing
the car cruise around our area. We had mentioned to Scott if
he ever decided to sell the car that we would like first chance
at purchasing it. So about noon on aweekday Scott gave us a
telephone call saying that he wanted to sell the Superbird.
Bobbi went flying out to tell Merrill, who was working with
our sheep. Shortly, we were on our way to town to talk about
the car. Scott was relocating to Chicago and needed a reliable
car. We had recently restored a gold 1964 Barracuda. Bobbi
had been putting some money in a savings account so she
thought this was the place for part of this savings account.
After a short discussion, we came to an agreement and we
had added a Superbird to our collection! We still enjoy hearing stories of Scott and our boys. Our boys were allowed to
take this car out for a spin now and then, just as we have done
with all of our Plymouths.
B Y THE END OF THE TWO DAYS , 94 Plymouth family members had enjoyed a beautiful Nebraska fall day at the country
home of Merrill and Bobbi Berkheimer. They had a wonderful time with others of their Plymouth family from Colorado,
Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and California. Loyd
Groshong of Troy, Missouri, traveled 527 miles to get to the
Berkheimers.
No tour of our Plymouth car collection would be complete without someone finding parts. On Monday morning,
Vistors’ Plymouths: Russell & Pin Jenkins 1949 P15 club
coupe from Drexel, Mo.; Don & Vicki Schmidt’s P20 sedan Jim
Vistors’ cars: Ken & Joyce Reed’s 1939 DeSoto from
Independence, Mo; Bill & Winona Krenzer’s 1948 P15 business
coupe from Prairie Village, Ks.
-46-
THANK YOU SO MUCH for the
wonderful time we had
last weekend. Ken (a
former Rocky
Mountain charter
member now living in
Iowa) really enjoyed
meeting all the old friends
and all the fantastic cars.
Again, our thanks!
-- Ken Hammers and Betty Wolfe
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW how much we enjoyed being included in
your celebration. Your sons are great. Of course, the cars are
amazing. Bill was so thrilled to get to see them. He enjoys the
unrestored ones as much as the finished ones.
-- Thanks again, Mary Olson & Bill Johnson
Picking parts: Jim Holloway found some parts to take home
to his Barracuda.
Jim and JoEllen Holloway from the Heart of America Region
came back and they were able to take home parts for their
Barracuda.
Thanks to Greg Berkheimer, Jim and JoEllen Holloway
and Vickie Schmidt for taking and giving us so many great
pictures of the weekend. Merrill and I got so busy, we completely spaced out on picture taking.
JUST A NOTE TO THANK YOU so much for the lovely weekend you
planned and hosted for the fellow Plymouth Club Owners. We
enjoyed it so much; loved the museum over I-80--one of the best
museums I have ever been in. Sunday was a beautiful day with
good food and music and the interesting talk by the lady with the
antique purses. Then of course, the tour of all the old cars was a
delight for all the men and women as well. We enjoyed ourselves.
-- Jim & JoEllen Holloway
A few of the very nice thank you notes we received
are below. Everyone was so appreciative! We also
had a wonderful time and enjoyed hosting our
Plymouth family, again!
WE JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW that the Plymouth Club members
who traveled to Nebraska thoroughly enjoyed your outstanding
hospitality and presentation. Everything was perfect! You are
indeed the most gracious hosts!
-- Your friends in the Heart of Plymouth Owner’s Club thank
you for a most pleasant day!
YOU’LL GET SHOWERS of thank-yous and none will be more
heartfelt than ours. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day from
start to finish: your spectacular collection of cars, the very delicious food, your selection of entertainment, your beautiful yard
and, most of all, your whole family’s gracious hospitality. It will
be a day to long remember! Thanks so much for inviting us. We
just wish all of our region members could have shared the experience.
-- Love, Bill and Winona Krenzer, Heart of America Region
THANK YOU SO
for opening
your home to us
and arranging such
a memorable weekend! Your hospitality, the museum
tour, your amazing
collection of
Plymouths, the fabulous entertainment, the awesome
weather, all made
for an unforgettable
Labor Day
Weekend!
-Again, thank you
from your friends
in the Rocky
Mountains.
MERRILL AND BOBBI, thanks for a great time! I have not had
such a fun and relaxing time in many years. Seeing old friends
was so much fun. I really enjoyed my time and appreciate the
time with you, the boys and their families. -- Denny Cutshall
LES AND I WANT TO AGAIN THANK YOU for the wonderful day we
had at your place. I know what work you put into it. Thanks
again!
-- Mary & Les
Leather
MUCH
WE LOVE YOUR
We really
enjoyed your
Mopar gathering.
What a relaxing
day… and the cars
are always so fun to
look at. The food
and the entertainment topped off
your perfect day!
Thanks for including us! -- Don &
Vicki Schmidt
CARS!
The hosts: Bobbi, Jeff, Preston, Taylor, Rita, Greg, Merrill and Megan Berkheimer
-47-
Gallery of Berkheimer cars
1934 PE r/s conv: Restored by Jack
Schultz, Medford, Minn. The engine was originally in a 1934 sedan that Merrill’s parents
owned when they brought him home as a
baby from the Nebraska Children’s Home.
1937 P4 r/s conv: Restored by Jack Schultz.
Bought from Jim Benjaminson. Found in a
field 5 miles from the Canadian border.
1948 P15 conv: Purchased in the early
1970s for $600 from John, a member of the
Rocky Mountain Region. His son had driven
the car to high school. The car has never been
restored. Jeff and Greg drove this car to
many of their high school activities from
1976-1980. It has been a fun car for the family. The Berkheimers met the Rocky Mountain
Region in the Black Hills of South Dakota
where we spent a few days touring the area
and then traveled on to Owatonna,
Minnesota, to the 1981 National Spring Meet.
1950 P20 sedan: Original interior. We won
our first national POC 2nd place trophy with
this car; we have owned it about 30 years.
1961 Belvedere sedan: 40,090 mfg; 3470
lbs; $2561
1962 Fury conv: Our most recent restoration. Painted by Roger Wermeskerch,
Lincoln, Nebr.
1963 Sport Fury htp: Purchased from Jim
Sheaffer; restoration by Greg.
1966 Sport Fury htp: 40,090 mfg; 3730
lbs; $3006
1967 GTX htp: Super Commando 440 375
hp; 3265 lbs; $2747 Painted by Roger
Wermeskerch
1968 Fury III 4dr htp: 383 4bbl; 45,147
mfg; 3635 lbs; $3067
1968 Sport Fury conv: 383 2bbl; 4483
mfg; 3680 lbs; $3236; most expensive
Plymouth of the year
1965 Sport Fury conv: “Indy Pace Car”
318 4-barrel engine; 38,348 manufactured.
When new this model weighed 3,715 lbs. and
cost $2,920. Jeff purchased this car shortly
after he graduated from Ravenna High School
in 1978. It’s an original car! Still owned by
Jeff Berkheimer.
1967 Sport Fury conv: Built with V8
engine only. 3,133 mfg; 3645 lbs; $3279,
most expensive Plymouth of the year
-48-
Gallery of Berkheimer cars
1970 Fury III conv: 3770 lbs; $3415; 1952 1970 Superbird: 3785 lbs; $4298; 1920 mfg
mfg; painted by Mike Olson, Holdredge, Nebr.
in street form. Nose extension made of steel
for street version, adding 17.2 inches to std
Road Runner; Standard engine: 440, 4bbl.
We bought the car in the early 1980s from
Scott Dowse, a high school friend of our boys.
1970 Barracuda conv: "Red, Red, Red"
A number-matching car, it’s the only one
known with this package: red interior, red
exterior, red bumpers, front and rear dual red
-painted mirrors. Originally made for a
California Plymouth dealer’s showroom,
this car is one of the 52 made with the ‘Cuda
383 engine. Thirty were made with automatic,
22 with four-speed tranmissions. Purchased in
Pleasanton, Nebraska, early in the 1980s, the
car was restored in 2004.
1971 Duster Twister:
Twister: In Feb 1971 the
Twister package option was introduced for
those who wanted a regular Duster with a
“hot machine” look. Strobe strip pattern
adorned the hood center. The car also has a
sun roof; painted Hemi Orange with black
trim. When we bought the car the front end
had been wrecked. The car is a driver and
not restored.
1978 Raod Runner: Greg bought this car
in 1981 a year after he graduated from
Ravenna High School. Vivid stripes reach
from the front corners to the B-pillars which
carried them up to the arch over the roof.
Known as the Sun Runner with a t-bar roof
and lift-out skylights.
Owned by Greg and Rita Berkheimer, Greely,
CO
1986 Shelby Charger: 2.2 fuel injected
turbo
1984 Scamp GI pickup: 4-speed
1984 Shelby Charger: 2.2 engine
.
1986 Shelby Charger: 2.2 fuel injected
turbo
1984 Shelby Daytone Turbo
Turbo Z: 2.2 fuel
injected turbo; 5-speed transmission
1985 LeBaron conv: 2.2 automatic
-49-
1984 Shelby Charger: 2.2 engine
.
Private designer/builder
proposes a revival
of the Plymouth marque…
for a price
Plymouth for 2010 ?
by Michael Leonhard
I
think it’s a difficult and tight task to
bring back a trademark that has vanished into thin air, especially nowadays when competition in the automotive industry is tougher than ever. And
so it may be for Plymouth, a brand that
has disappeared yet leaves memories of
having built great classic and muscle
cars.
The most noted Plymouth car ever
may be the Road Runner. For a possible
and effective relaunch of the Plymouth
brand, a re-issue of the Road Runner
could fit the bill. Overall, it means the transfer of remaining
memories and spirits of a car brand from yesterday into the
future. Directly tying in with a time when Plymouth achieved
rear with a big diffusor for improved road grip and a dual
exhaust system. The taillights are styled to match the headlights and become visible when turned on. To a large part, the
roof is made of glass and the A-pillars are made of aluminum.
The C-pillar becomes a dominating
design element on the roof section and
carries the typical interrupted Road
Runner graphics. The color of choice for
the body is Sassy Grass Green. The noise
when honking the horn? “Beep-Beep” of
course!
Our Road Runner concept could
provide the basis for the next level of
evolution -- an over-the-top performance
version -- the Superbird. Theoretically,
the Superbird could be as serious a contender on NASCAR ovals as it was back
in the good old days of the “aero wars.” And it could further
success, as it did back in the late ‘60s and the beginning of
‘70s, I chose the Road Road Runner name for a
relaunch of Plymouth--a bird and brand rising again
like a phoenix from the ashes.
The concept takes most of its cues from the
Road Runners of the years 1971 and ‘72. In combination with its modernized and futuristic shapes, it
keeps the character of the original car. The front
looks dramatic and mean, thanks to a headlight section made of tinted glass. The headlights become
visible only when they are turned on. The same
goes for the illuminated Road Runner logo in the
center. The big grille opening provides plenty of air
for the radiator. The Hemi-powered monster gets
rid of hot air through the typical hood scoops. The
side view is characterized by a dramatic dynamic
shape with a low roof line, high belt line, squaremolded wheel-arches and big magnesium five-spoke
wheels (22-inch rear, 20-inch front) combined with
red-line tires. The powerful looks continue on the
-50-
rough up the sports car and super car
market.
The car features the typical aerodynamics and design characteristics of the
classic Superbird but in a more refined
and functional manner. In front is a
sleek nose cone that slips into air like a
knife through butter, incorporating a
spoiler below the centered grille opening. The split black nose decoration
from yesterday has been translated for
the new Superbird with tinted underglass headlights plus a related grille element to create a similar look.
Other specific elements are scoops
on top of the front fenders, a racing gas
cap and an exhaust system that is an
integrated element of the rocker panel.
The huge rear wing with two panels
effects enormous downforce. The top
panel is made of aluminum and is
adjustable.
In accordance with the former
Superbird’s connection to NASCAR racing, it has the
corporate “Petty” blue paint, Richard Petty’s “43” numbers and Goodyear rubber wrapped on NASCARinspired magnesium rims (19-inch front, 21-inch rear)
painted white.
www.michael-leonhard.com
…and 2012?
THIS CONCEPT was created by independent designer Michael
Leonhard. The car is intended to be built as a one-off of a
running vehicle using a 2009 Dodge Challenger 6.1 L Hemi
platform and drivetrain with an all new body finished in
show quality. The original interior from the donor vehicle
will be modified to match the concept theme with new seat
cover designs, door trim, headliner and rear quarter trim
design. No change will be made to the dash, console, etc.
THE IMAGES AND PERMISSION TO USE THEM ARE COURTEOUSLY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR.
ALTHOUGH OFFERED FOR SALE, the 2010 Road Runner’s asking build price of $950,000 has proven to be too steep.
Leonard has had two or three interested parties and an offer
at half the asking price but he says that won’t cover the fabrication costs. He asks: If you know of someone in your
club who has the financial background and wants the car
built for him (her), I should appreciate knowing of and getting in contact with this person. -- ed.
Another Challenger cum
Daytona / Superbird
GORDON HEIDE from the southeast
Michigan area brought his latest
creation fresh from its display at
SEMA in Las Vegas, Nevada, to a
Michigan 2009 fall cruise event. The car is supercharged and the headlights are
fixed with covers that drop down in front of them into the nose cone.
-- Chris Suminksi
-51-
Clif ’ s Notes
models, remember?) while in the U.S.
Navy back in 1969 and just about done
with my tour of duty for Uncle Sam.
(Remember those days? Draft or enlist-those were the choices in that era.
Well, I chose to be a sailor.) I bought a
‘67 Satellite in September, 1969, while
aboard the USS Hornet stationed out of
Long Beach, California (the Apollo 11
and 12 recovery ship-- “hadda get that
in, don’t ya know?”) I bought this car
used, with 19,000 miles on it, from a
VW dealership owned by Roman
Gabriel and Merlin Olsen (yes, the guy
who was later on Little House on the
day. We met him on I-29 heading
Prairie) and called the Gabriel-Olsen
south. The ‘65 looked so neat on the
dealership. They were football stars for
trailer.
the Los Angeles Rams at the time.
I have a shell of a ‘65 Belvedere II
(Remember those days?)
sitting in my boneyard here. It’s the
I did own another ‘67
driver years later in the
form of a Belvedere II
hardtop purchased for
about $250 from a
“Baser” up here at the
Grand Forks Air Force
Base. It had seen better
days, interior-wise, and
the paint was faded some;
but, with a 318, it was a
nice driver. I used it that
winter as a work car; it
had a tremendous heater.
The car had come from
Bethlehem, PA, but was
not a rusty car. My then16-year-old daughter took
a liking to the car so she
got to drive it from time
to time. She had her
learner’s permit. and, with
a licensed driver aboard,
1965 Satellite: Carl Wegner
she went for a drive on a
gravel road. You guessed
closest I’ve come to owning a two-door
it, inexperience and loose rock led to
hardtop ‘65. I have owned a few ‘66
me getting a call while at the 1992
Belvederes and Satellites, but never a
Mopar Nats in Columbus, Ohio, telling
nicely finished car. These were good
me that the girls were okay but the car
drivers but not real great cars and they
had been rolled in the ditch. I came
had been “driven hard.” I still have two
home to a not-totaled-but-not-driveable
of them sitting in the yard, but they are
‘67 Plymouth. I sold the car, a piece at
gutted interior-wise and motor-wise too.
a time, and made pretty good money off
I do not think I’ve ever had a ‘66 big
of a cheap car, but it would have been
block car here.
fun to keep it. My buddy Don bought
I started my second love for
the last chunk of it for the rust-free
Plymouths (my first was for those ‘40s
cont. on page 54…
-52-
Dreamin’
Just Dreamin’
T
LANNY KNUTSON PHOTO
hinking about an article for this
issue made me think of all the
Plymouths I have owned over
the years.
The ‘62-64s that I have written
about have their popularity based on their drag
racing days, but how
about the ‘65-67
Plymouths? I’m not sure
about the ‘65s, but I
know that the ‘66s and
‘67s have the nickname
"ducktail" because of
their indented rear windows. I love all three of
these years.
In my humble opinion, the ‘65 two-door
“post” is the nicest looking Plymouth as the oldstyle drag car. I owned
one of these for a couple
of years. It was a project
car for which I had all
kinds of ideas, but you
know money constraints
always get to us in the
long run, don’t you? The
car was from the state of Washington,
so it was rust-free on the outside but
had rusty floorboards. It was not undercoated, and that was the problem. It
was the “el cheapo” model so it had
very little chrome. Still, some guy in
Illinois heard about it. He had been
looking for one to build a drag car, so
down the road it went. I wept a bit
when it left, honest! He had paid for it
ahead of time and my wife and I were
gone south of here somewhere for the
Plymouth Miniatures
A Plymouth Postcard
from Paraguay
T
wenty-five years ago, my mother
and father visited me in Brazil,
where, at the time, I was living,
working and raising my family. My parents had previously been to Brazil and
would come a number of other times
while their health still permitted
such lengthy travel. Mostly, they
just remained in Rio de Janeiro
with my family and me, enjoying
their grandchildren, balmy weather (as opposed to Pennsylvania in
January) and, of course, the
beach. One year, however, with
some time off, my wife and I
were able to take them on a brief
excursion to the small neighboring country of Paraguay.
Our stopover in Paraguay
was only a brief one, but my
father, a Pennsylvania farmer's
son, confessed quietly to me
that never in his lifetime had he
ever thought he would set foot
in that landlocked little South
American country which few
people from his generation
(and many in the current one)
knew much about. He was
thrilled by his brief stopover in
Paraguay and never failed to
mention it to friends or to
thank us for chaperoning the
trip. You may be wondering
why he also wasn’t so
impressed with Brazil,
Paraguay’s gigantic neighbor which
occupies more than half of the South
American continent? Well, he was, for
sure, but he had been to Brazil on many
occasions and was familiar with its beauty, tropical climate and friendly people.
Going to Brazil for five weeks in the
winter and staying at his daughter-in-law
and son's house wasn't much different
than going to Florida for many North
Americans seeking to escape the cold.
Brazil is always exotic, to be sure, but it
wasn’t Paraguay, a littleknown spot in the world he
could only remember reading about
somewhere in a geography class 60 years
ago in a one-room school house and
never again hearing much about (who
does?) during his lifetime. His
only son and family lived in Brazil, and
he’d keep track of us and of news about
Brazil, but not much of what happens in
Paraguay makes news in the outside
world. You might even say that what
happens there just stays there.
This little anecdote about my father
came to mind, and I decided to set it
down in print in a Plymouth Miniatures,
because I had recently come across a
vintage color post card featuring a main
-53-
commercial
street in
Asuncion,
Paraguay,
set sometime in the
early ‘60s.
As any car
spotter can
easily observe in
the pictures of this
postcard illustrating my
article, the newest car on the street
appears to be a 1960 Ford. I located this
post card on the table of a seller of literature at the Saturday flea/antique
market in Rio de Janeiro that I
seldom miss attending. Over
the years, it has provided me
with some very curious material,
all with a Plymouth theme.
(Obviously, I am digressing
again from the subject of
Plymouth miniatures, but I just
can’t bear the idea of not revisiting Paraguay with my father and
taking my readers on the same
trip and, even better yet, doing it
in a Plymouth. We'll return to
miniatures in the next issue of the
BULLETIN. They'll be there on the
shelf waiting where they never
require an oil change or check of
the coolant levels.)
By now sharp-eyed viewers will
have spotted a late ‘40s Plymouth
P15, alongside the Ford and looking as if it's ready to challenge the
latter to a cruise up Calle Palma, a
main commercial street in
Asuncion, Paraguay's capital city.
“Hey, watch that VW Bug up
ahead!” I doubt if much would
remain of it, if it were tail-ended by
our big Plymouth. Calle Palma, by
the way, translates to "Palm Avenue" in
English, but I certainly don't see any
palm trees. Hopefully they are further
down the avenue. I'd guess that our
Plymouth is out on a shopping spree and
the passengers not complaining about the
lack of trees. Asuncion is known, especially in Brazil, as a place for finding
shopping bargains, as it is considered to
be a duty free port. There are more
attractive streets to be seen in Asuncion,
I can assure you, but the attraction there
for most folks is shopping for cheap
goods. It's also very hot and humid in
the summer months, maybe even more
so than some other Latin American
cities located closer to the equator, and
can be surprisingly chilly on winter days
and evenings. I just thought I’d mention
the climate in case you want to go shopping there or, better yet, Plymouth
watching.
As for our P15 Plymouth, most
readers will have noticed, hopefully
with a grin, that it is the oldest vehicle
transiting Calle Palma, and that fact
surely says a lot about our favorite make
of car. It likewise looks to be in excellent condition with no rust or dents. Of
course, we wouldn’t expect less from a
Plymouth. I should mention, though,
that in my experience and despite the
humidity, vehicles in Paraguay, general-
Clif ’ s Notes
ly speaking, are not candidates for rustouts. There was a lot of traffic on
Palma even back then, and the P15's
owners obviously have no fear that their
car will overheat before they reach their
destination. Chalk up another plus for
our already-vintage Paraguayan
Plymouth. By now both readers and
writer are probably wondering about
how many Plymouths actually made it
into this small South American nation
over the years. Your guess is as good as
mine, but, judging from the number of
other U. S. cars on Calle Palma in the
early ‘60s, I’d venture to say a good
many.
Vintage postcards are loads of fun
to collect and are not overly expensive
to acquire at flea markets, antique shops
and on eBay. Many of them have
superb photos or illustrations of old
cars, trucks, buses, garages, roads and
automobilia of every kind, as well as
being a portrait of the past that reminds
us of how the landscape once was, of
buildings and landmarks many of which
are long gone, and of dress and style.
You name it, and you might find it in an
old postcard. Prices usually range from
50 cents to up to five dollars. As
always, try to find postcards that are still
in good condition, and sometimes even
the message on the reverse (when there
is one) will provoke memories and
smiles as we read the writer-sender's
impressions from long ago. I don't
remember if my father sent a postcard
from Paraguay to anyone, but, if he did,
it was surely to brag that he had finally
made it there. And now we can confirm
that Plymouths also landed in Paraguay
even before my dad.
-- Bill Brisbane
williamb@helicon.net
-- cont. from page 52
floorboards to put in his rusty ‘67 GTX
out of rust-laden southern Minnesota.
I have two shells of ‘67 Belvederes
here; one is restorable, the other is
rough. There are two four-door sedans
here too and lots of random parts for
those years, since many of them have
rolled through here over the years.
Someday, I hope to own a real nice
‘66 or ‘67 B-body hardtop or convertible. Speaking of which, I just now
remember a ‘66 Belvedere convertible
that I owned years ago. It was a driver
with a rough top and interior. I owned it
for about a year and sold it to a guy who
“restomoded” it with a newer motor and
the Lemon Twist yellow paint from the
‘70s cars. This guy traded in a ‘47
Dodge pickup and some cash. As soon
as I dropped the convertible’s top before
he came that Saturday, I knew I should
have kept it, but, alas, it was not to be.
Funny how as I go on, I think of more
of them.
I just thought of a ‘65 Belvedere I
should have bought about 20-some
years ago. Don (another Don) was up
here in my yard with a very nice red and
black hardtop with a 273 in it. I had a
‘70 Challenger project car he wanted,
but we could not get close enough on
price, so it went home again. I think he
thought it was worth about $9500 at the
time (that was before the car prices went
nuts) so I passed. If that happened in
1989 or ‘90, then I would have purchased a Sublime cloned ‘70 440 Road
Runner convertible in very nice condition for $4500. I also had bought a ‘70
Challenger big block four-speed convertible for less than ten grand (think
about that price now). It was Plum
Crazy. The ‘65 was a nicely done car
but not priced right for the time. Later
on in life, I thought I had goofed up, but
who was to know at the time, eh?
Also, I just remembered a nice oneowner black ‘66 Belvedere II I owned
back in those days. Its maroon bench
interior was very nice. Though it had a
bit of rust in the rear quarters, it was a
beautiful driver, for $500, at the time.
“Dreamin’, I am always dreamin.’”
… ‘til next time: Happy Plymouthing!
-- CLIF NELSON
cknelson@polarcomm.com
%(5.+(,0(53+272
0HUULOODQG%REEL%HUNKHLPHU·V3UVFRQYHUWLEOH
$UHSULVHRI%XOOHWLQVSDVW
Founded 1957

big 300 issue! - Plymouth Bulletin

Transcription

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