January 2016 - Skagit-Snohomish - Horseless Carriage Club of
Transcription
January 2016 - Skagit-Snohomish - Horseless Carriage Club of
BRASS RAMBLINGS Official Publication of the Skagit-Snohomish Regional Group Horseless Carriage Club of America January 2016 Page - 1 - January 2016 Skagit-Snohomish Regional Group Horseless Carriage Club of America The Skagit-Snohomish Regional Group of the Horseless Carriage Club of America is a non-profit organization with an active membership dedicated to the preservation of pre1916 motorized vehicles, literature, accessories, history, and associated items. Any person/family who is a current member of the Horseless Carriage Club of America, with interest or ownership in pre-1916 vehicles shall be eligible to apply for membership. Dues are $15.00 per year and include a minimum of 10 issues of the Brass Ramblings newsletter annually. The Brass Ramblings is mailed and e-mailed to local members in good standing, and e-mailed to other regional groups and the National Board. Permission to reproduce material appearing in this publication is granted, provided credit is given to the original source. 2016 Officers President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Keene Brewer 2bkeene@prodigy.net Ray Markley popmarkley@msn.com Gayle Musolf gamusolf@gmail.com Vicki Markley vrmarkley@gmail.com Yakima, WA (509) 965-1740 Maple Valley, WA (206) 949-5000 Seattle, WA (206) 601-9229 Maple Valley, WA (425) 432-5391 2016 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Martin, Donna McGinnis, and Robb Johnson (2016) Tom Brethauer, Pat Farrell, Dave Ellis (2017) EDITOR th Tom Brethauer 23611 39 Pl W Brier, WA 98036 Regional Web Site: National Web Site: http:// www.skagit.hcca.org http://www.hcca.org Page - 2 - (425) 402-3960 pennzip@yahoo.com President’s Ramblings HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! Now that the arduous election process is over we can look forward to a new year. I still find it hard to believe I prevailed through the primaries and even the general election itself. The competition was the strongest I have ever endured. It was a long and strenuous ordeal and I want to thank my most faithful supporters especially those that ponied up the large amounts of cash for my campaign. I want to assure you I have your back and will do my best to honor your requests and paybacks for your loyal support. I also want to recognize and thank all my competitors for their long hard fought battle. Having survived all that and now Christmas as well, I sit here the day after contemplating what to write before I get an email from Tom wanting my two cents worth for the newsletter. I’m sure all you past presidents are sitting there smiling as you read this knowing exactly what I’m talking about. What should I write about? This may be the hardest part of this office. Actually I think Tom has the toughest job (office) in this club serving as the editor. He has to wait and wait and sometimes prod until some of us send him articles and pictures so he can decipher everything, correct the grammar and spelling and fit it into some readable format that we can all enjoy. I tip my hat to you Tom, for all you do behind the scenes with little or no fanfare. My first thought is I should have a lot of latitude in this column because the title does have the word rambling in it! Actually I have been procrastinating all day. Instead of writing this message, I have been ordering all the things I did not find under my Christmas tree because I did not make a list, no one accurately guessed what I really wanted, or it was much too big to fit under the tree. I think I will start with a four post Page - 3 - lift, or maybe stop there because my wife might accidently read this part of the newsletter. If you are reading this, I trust you too survived Christmas and the New Year as well. If so, I’m sure your thoughts have turned to the goals you have set in order to complete those unfinished projects you have started and all the touring you plan to do in 2016. Forget the weight loss thing. As you start filling out your yearly calendar try to pencil in the tour or meeting you would like to host. There is a tremendous amount of talent and touring knowledge in this club and I hope to see many of you clamoring to get specific dates to demonstrate these abilities at the next meeting. Dave and Elaine Ellis have stepped up and volunteered to spearhead our Annual September tour possibly in Eastern Washington. Please contact them, support them, and contribute whatever you can to make this another spectacular club memory. It is a monumental task and deserves all of our talents and efforts. I am glad the monthly meeting was not scheduled to take place this past week. Mother Nature has closed Snoqualmie Pass for the last few days with 15 feet (that is 180 inches) of snow just about where the old snow shed was demolished this past year. Realizing that snow shed was built in 1950 for a good reason, smarter people now decided to remove it but I’m not sure about the reason? That is called progress and our tax dollars at work. Chinook Pass is closed until May because of snow and White Pass was also closed from both ends for several weeks because the road washed out in both directions. You will be comforted to know it is now open with a temporary fix with one lane open until Spring at a mere cost of $5 million. It would be remiss of me if I did not thank the Markley’s for their hospitality hosting the Christmas party and monthly meeting at their home. Also, thank all of you for bringing all that great food and adding to my (our) Holiday weight gain. But it sure tasted great! Apr 23 Meet & Tour Host – Gil Klecan, (619) 295-8000 Mt Vernon Swap meet Steve Hammett has stepped up and graciously arranged our January meeting. Our meeting will be held on January 16th (Saturday) in Arlington. We will meet around 11:30 to 11:45 am (and hopefully eat at noon) at Hubb’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant, 21102 67th Ave. NE Arlington. Steve will be showing the newly created DVD by Jim Moe for the Horseless Carriage Education Institution. The title is “From Horse Drawn To Horseless Carriage”. My wife Chris will fill us in on the history and background behind this project. MAY 2016 May 14-15 Til the next meeting - may the Brass be with you! SEPTEMBER 2016 Sep 8-9 Lansing to Dearborn run. John Grace 734467-7802 or jfgrace@peoplepc.com Keene May 22 May 23-26 JUNE 2016 June 20-23 Seattle Auto Swap Meet, Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe, WA http://seattleautoswapmeet.com/ Brass in Berks Co. Swap meet Jim Dix 607-562-3501 or brassinbucks@aol.com Brass in Berks Co. touring from Strasburg, PA. Jim Dix 607-562-3501 or brassinbucks@aol.com 60th Midwest Tour Mandan ND Helen Diemert 701-388-9797 or gizzmert26@aol.com AUGUST 2016 Aug 13 New London to New Brighton 2016 Calendar OCTOBER 2016 Oct 5-8 Hershey Swap Meet, HCCA RWO 30, BBQ Friday afternoon JANUARY 2016 Jan 16 Club Meeting. Hubb’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant, 21102 67th Ave NE Arlington, WA If looking for other auto related events to attend, a fairly extensive list is found here: http://www.oldride.com/events/washington.html FEBRUARY 2016 Feb 14-15 Early Bird Swap Meet, Puyallup, WA Feb tbd Club meeting Skagit-Snohomish Regional HCCA December 5th, 2015 Meeting Minutes Please submit calendar updates to Tom Brethauer promptly, as future planning depends on this information. MARCH 2016 Mar 12-13 36th Almost Spring Swap Meet and Car Show, Puyallup, WA Mar 17-18 26th Chickasha Pre-War Swap Meet, Chickasha OK. Mike Ersland 405-224-9090 APRIL 2016 Apr 1-3 Apr 3-8 Apr 10-13 Apr 14-16 Page - 4 - Portland Swap Meet HCCA Convention and Tour “Swarm to BEE Warm”, Brooksville, FL. Carl Pate 860-614-0875 or anpcop@aol.com Grizzly Bear Tour, Salinas CA Michael Sullivan 805-728-5317 or tenparry@yahoo.com Bakersfield International Swap Meeting was called to order at 1 PM by President Harold Musolf III at Ray and Vicki Markley's home in Maple Valley, WA. We wish to thank Ray and Vicki Markley for our meeting location today. No guests were present. present. 25 members were Minutes: Minutes from the October meeting. A move was made by Dave Ellis to approve the minutes as printed in the last newsletter. The motion was seconded by Ann Musolf and passed. Treasurer's Report: President Harold. Report given by Sunshine Committee Report: After having his triple by-pass surgery, Mike McGinnis's progress is good. Merl Johnson's wife Mavis Johnson has recently passed on. Old business: Dave Ellis will look into the possibility of having our 2016 Fall Tour in Idaho. He will have a sure answer for us in about a week. Mike Martin mentioned a possibility of having a 2017 tour in Idaho. Elections were held to fill the 2016 positions.... President: Keene Brewer, Vice President: Ray Markley, Secretary: Gayle Musolf, Treasurer: Vicki Markley. The positions were filled by acclimation. 2016 Directors: Mike Martin, Donna McGinnis, and Robb Johnson (2016) Tom Brethauer, Pat Farrell, Dave Ellis (2017) President Harold adjourned the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 1:20 PM. December 5th Christmas Party & Meeting Carriage Education Institution that you won’t want to miss. Directions: Take I-5 North or South to exit 208, Go east on State Highway 530 for 2.7 miles Turn right on 211 Pl. N.E. for 0.4 miles Turn left on 67th Ave N.E./Armar Rd. The Restaurant will be on the left in 150 feet. Mark & Bob’s Excellent Car & Trailer Adventure Bob Strieter had been looking for used car trailer capable of hauling his antique cars without putting the tops down; and I have been looking for a two cylinder Buick. Bob had been staying in touch with his old friends Dave & Carol Ayres from his HCCA group in California. He recently learned that they were selling off their antique car collection along with their truck and enclosed car trailer with an 8’ high rear door. They had just sold their truck, so Bob bought the trailer & told me their 08 Model F Buick was also for sale. So, since the stars & planets seemed to be aligned by virtue of having an empty trailer to haul a beautifully restored two cylinder Buick with a relatively new body & running gear, it was the right time to buy this car. By report, the Christmas Party at the Markley’s was a very nice gathering with great food and much socializing. Unfortunately, we have no photo documentation of this event, as apparently, all cameras and cell phones were confiscated before festivities began. I heard that the internet was also temporarily disabled there too! You can only imagine what you missed. January 16, 2016, Meeting Our next meeting will be held on Saturday January 16th in Arlington at Hubb’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant, 21102 67th Ave. NE Arlington. Plan to arrive around 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. for lunch at noon and to view the splendid production entitled “From Horse Drawn To Horseless Carriage”. This is an excellent educational piece, made by the Horseless Page - 5 - Dave Ayres is a meticulous engineer who got this Buick with a “Plumber’s Body” on a 1908 Model F chassis. Bob’s friend Bill Phillips provided his original Model F Buick for Dave to use as a pattern to build a new Side Entrance Tonneau body. He also told me that David Dunbar Buick provided his cars with these bodies for plumbers who installed his porcelain bath tubs and fixtures when so many people were upgrading to indoor plumbing. The original body and upholstery was included with the car along with a Silver Tray awarded to Dave Ayres when he won the 1977 AACA Cup along with the third place ribbon he won at the 27th Annual Pebble Beach Concourse D’Elegance. So, our adventure began early Monday morning December 7th to unsuccessfully beat the traffic through Portland. We spent one night near Sacramento & arrived at the Ayers beautiful home in the foothills outside Clovis CA just after 10AM Tuesday. We extricated the “Plumber’s Body” from the rafters and put it in the back of Bob’s truck under a tarp to keep it dry on the trip home. Then we hitched up the trailer before lunch with Dave & Carol. After lunch, we loaded the car along with several boxes of parts, patterns & cool stuff that went with the car. We departed around 3PM to stay with my sister overnight in Fresno. Since Bob has several local HCCA friends who wanted to see him, we arranged to have dinner with them that evening at a local restaurant. Bill Phillips was there telling stories about the car and how it started life as a “Plumber’s Truck”. He explained how Dave Ayers meticulously made the new body to original specifications and rebuilt the running gear with a new crankshaft, pistons, etc. Others brought boxes of car parts to give to Bob along with a lug box of oranges and lemons for us Washingtonians to enjoy when we got home. We unloaded the car at the Buick Barn Thursday morning and Bob made it home with his new trailer by using frontage roads because I-5 was closed due to a landslide. We had a great time making the trip and we are both very pleased with our new purchases. Mark Shaw PRG Gasleak - North Bank Reporter --------------------------------------------------------------Rise and fall of Ford's sales network architect: Prison, success, bankruptcy Leslie J. Allen We left Fresno the next morning at 7 AM and shared the driving to arrive home before 9 PM the same day. Fortunately, we traveled between the bad storms and encountered almost no rain or traffic issues on the return trip. Page - 6 - From the dawn of the 20th century through World War I, Ford Motor Co. dominated the nascent auto industry. But although Henry Ford Norval Hawkins was an engineering genius, he was no salesman. His company's earliest sales achievements can be traced to one car, the Model T, and to two men - one of them, Norval Hawkins, a convicted embezzler. Treasurer James Couzens was Ford Motor's business brain from its founding in 1903, says Robert Casey, transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. Couzens hit the streets and asked people who they thought would make good auto dealers, Casey says. Couzens sought go-getters "who would not just wait for customers to come in but would try to seek out customers and advertise," he adds. From the big house In 1907, Ford hired an experienced public accountant, Hawkins, as an auditor. Hawkins quickly rose to become the company's commercial and general sales manager. In his 1920 book of sales advice, Certain Success, Hawkins wrote that before he joined Ford Motor, he had been an "organizer" of many large concerns, including 28 auto companies. Hawkins failed to mention that he had served a short prison term for "defalcation of funds" when he came to Henry Ford's attention. "It was said of Mr. Hawkins that Henry Ford, learning of his ability to sell things and to cut costs, used some influence in getting him out of the penitentiary to have him sell cars," the New York Herald Tribune wrote in Hawkins' obituary. Hawkins landed in prison after he had embezzled $8,000 from Standard Oil Co., which employed him as an auditor, says David Lewis, a professor of business history at the University of Michigan. Henry Ford hired Hawkins, Lewis says, because he believed that any man could be rehabilitated. Despite his criminal history, Hawkins' success in building Ford's dealership network is undeniable. "He was the guy who said we have to estimate sales ahead of time to be able to establish our production schedules," says Ford Motor historian Robert Kreipke. Branch offices Under Couzens and Hawkins, Ford Motor set up branch offices in major North American cities, in part to minimize shipping costs. Eventually the company created 32 branches in the United States and Canada. "These were, in effect, company stores," Lewis told Automotive News. "Generally they were rather ornate and upscale. Page - 7 - After all, they projected the image of the company." Besides selling cars, the branch offices oversaw Ford dealerships in their territories. By 1913, Ford had nearly 7,000 dealers. "They were chosen with care: men financially reliable, of good standing in the community, occupying presentable homes," historian Allan Nevins wrote in Ford: The Times, The Man, The Company. Hawkins wrote that during his dozen years at Ford Motor, the company evolved from "a few hundred scattered, unorganized, uncontrolled and nondirected dealers" into a network of nearly 11,000 sellers. Ford's annual sales jumped from 14,877 vehicles in 1907 to 946,155 in 1919. Ford Motor began to pull away from its many competitors with the debut of the original Model A in 1903. Its business took off when the Model T was launched five years later. "By the time the Model T was introduced, people really wanted a Ford dealership," Lewis says. Prominent business executives, politicians and rich young men all saw a Ford store as "a chance to make some money without any manual labor," he says. During the Model T's heyday, Ford Motor owned half the U.S. car market. Pressure on dealers As the U.S. economy slid into recession just after World War I, Henry Ford started to lean on his dealers, largely because he owed money to New York bankers. "They were licking their chops, hoping he couldn't pay them and they could take over Ford Motor Company," Lewis says. So Henry Ford started dumping cars on dealers, the Henry Ford Museum's Casey says. "He would just box 'em up, send 'em and say, if you don't pay for them, we're going to take your franchise away," Casey says. Ford "was able to pay his notes by foisting his financing essentially off on the dealers," Casey says. "Having a Ford dealership in 1920 was really lucrative. You didn't want to lose it. You would try your best to come up with the money and sell those cars." Hard times Ford Motor continued to lead the industry in the 1920s. But by 1930, Ford's dominance started to wane as the low-end market created by the Model T became saturated. Ford fell behind in technologies such as hydraulic brakes. General Motors and Chrysler Corp. ascended. "Being a Ford dealer then had gone from almost this license to print money to being kind of tough," Casey says. "You had to explain to your customer why mechanical brakes were better than hydraulic brakes - which was a hard thing to do because they're not." The system of branch offices staffed by Ford employees that had proved so successful in the Hawkins years fell out of favor once Model T sales declined. Ford Motor decided it needed more aggressive salespeople. And Hawkins? After he left Ford Motor in 1919, he joined GM for two years as a sales, service and advertising consultant. According to one account, he drew a $150,000 salary. Adjusted for the cost of living, that is equal to about $1.5 million today. Hawkins quit GM to try his hand at selling baby buggies, Lewis says. The 1929 stock market collapse and a subsequent banking crisis in his hometown of Detroit hit him hard. "In the Depression, he lost his shirt," Lewis says. The sales hero of Ford Motor Co. ended up bankrupt. He died in 1936 at age 69. Plumb, and to re-elected members Bob Ladd and Chris Paulsen. Member Autos Profiled The Fords of Les Gitts 1913 Ford Town Car Only (3) models were produced in 1913: Tourings – 12,715 @$600 Runabouts – 33,129 @ $525 Town cars - 1,415 @$800 The town car was supposed to be Ford’s luxury vehicle, but were not very popular, as the body tried to allow so much room in the rear to seat 5 (3 on rear seat and 2 on jump seats) that the driver’s area was pushed forward close to the steering wheel and resulted in a very uncomfortable seating position. Many were used as taxis. Very few town cars exist today. The Model T was Ford's ticket to early dominance of the U.S. auto industry. National Board Members Announced for 2016 Congratulations to our new National HCCA Board Members; Steve Rinaldo, Steve Cook and (fellow Skagit-Snohomish member) Don Page - 8 - My town car came out of Oregon being an old restoration of an original car. I have a photo of the car as found prior to restoration, proving it was a town car. Current plans for it are having the wheels rebuilt and then re-painting it back to the correct dark blue with French gray pinstripe. A few upholstery repairs are scheduled for it. I feel very fortunate to have found one and look forward to taking it for spins next summer. My car was purchased from Jim Beuzenberg and is pictured on the cover jacket of the book “From Here to Obscurity”. The car runs and drives wonderfully and is very dependable. The only work needed is to change oil once a year and put gas in it. 2016 “Swarm Warm” … 1911 Ford Torpedo Runabout 1911 was the first year of the Torpedo Runabout @ $725. I don’t know how many were made as Ford did not break down the production records by runabout type. Torpedos were produced either open (no doors), or closed. The low body and sweeping fenders were only produced for 1911, as the 1912 Torpedo look more like a typical roadster, with exception to the fuel tank and now an added tool box on the back behind the body. The Torpedo was discontinued in 1912. These were considered the raciest of the Fords made. These sit lower and have much more leg room because the fuel tank sits behind the body. Interestingly enough, though very desirable today, they were not too popular when they were new, probably because of the difficulty of getting in and out of them. to BEE Have you signed up and made your reservations? – The 2016 HCCA Annual Convention and tours will be held April 3 – 8, 2016 at the Hampton Inn, 30301 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL (352-796-1000) … The Annual Meeting, Tours, Events, Seminars and Presentations will allow us to meet the goal of Sharing, Educating and Passing our experience on to others. Because the event allows us to meet face to face, it reunites old hobby friends and allows us to expose the public to the Horseless Carriage Club of America in different parts of the country. There will be a gas light tour of the town, involvement with local schools and multiple seminars. Touring is being planned to an Indian battle site, a Preserve and Park, Airboat on Withlacoochee river, Train ride on CP&G railroad (Not full size), Air show @ Sun ‘n Fun Florida, and Lunch overlooking the Gulf, School visit to educate and share our historic vehicles and history with the next generation. Night events will include talks on Early Automobiles, “The Need to Race”, and View of WWI from American Field Service Ambulance driver seats and an Annual Members meeting. **REMINDER** DUES are DUE!!! Be sure to send $15 with the completed application for 2016 to Vicki Markley and mail it to 21832 S.E. 245th St, Maple Valley, WA 98038 or bring it to the next meeting. Be sure to renew your National HCCA membership as well. Classifieds: Wanted: Porcelain signs and old service station stuff. Tom 425-402-3960 Page - 9 - Sunday April 10 to Wednesday April 13, 2016 REGISTRATION FORM Driver’s name: _____________________________________ Address: __________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________ Cell phone: ________________________________________ Passenger(s): ______________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Car: Make: ____________ Year:________ Model:__________ Insurance Carrier:_________________ Policy #:___________ HCCA Member Number:________________ TOUR COSTS Required Costs: 1. HCCA Fee per car……………………………………………………...$10.00 Other Costs: 2. Tour bag and driving directions per car …………………………..…$40.00 3. Passengers……………………………………………………………….…free 4. Meals – on your own (final lunch at Steinbeck House ≈ $20/person) 5. Tours – on your own (Point Sur Light House - $12 admission) – on your own (John Steinbeck Center - $15 admission) REQUIRED TOUR COST PER CAR ………………………………………$50.00 Optional Costs: (a la carte touring…only pay for what you want) 6. Tour car banner……(pre-order/add to tour cost)…………….….…..$15.00 7. Tour T-shirts……(pre-order/add to tour cost each)……………..…..$10.00 (indicate number you wish to pre-order-adult XL___, L___, M___, S___) TOTAL TOUR COST:…………………………………………………………$________ Please send this registration form and check made out to Michael Sullivan to: Michael Sullivan 816 Capitan Street Newbury Park, CA 91320 Page - 10 - MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION YEAR 2016 SKAGIT/SNOHOMISH REGIONAL GROUP HORSELESS CARRIAGE CLUB OF AMERICA Regional Group Membership – Any person/family who is a current member of the national HCCA with ownership and/or interest in pre-1916 automobiles shall be eligible to apply for membership. Members are entitled to all Regional Group privileges, including receiving notices of club functions and newsletters, a roster of members, the right to hold office, and the right to vote (ownership of a pre-1916 automobile is a requirement for voting rights). Members agree to abide by all rules and regulations as designated by the bylaws of this Regional Group and the National HCCA. Dues in the SKAGIT/SNOHOMISH REGIONAL GROUP are $15.00 per calendar year and membership in the NATIONAL HCCA is a prerequisite. National dues are currently $45.00 per year. NAME: __________________________________________________________________________ Last Husband Wife PHONE: (______)__________________________NATIONAL HCCA#________________________ ARE NATIONAL DUES CURRENT? Yes _______ No _______ *National dues must be current to process CELL PHONES: Husband: (_____)____________________ Wife: (_____)____________________ ADDRESS: Street:_________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip EMAIL ADDRESS:____________________________@____________________________________ _____Yes, correspondence by email is fine. YEAR MAKE OF AUTO _____No, I need correspondence by mail MODEL BODY TYPE ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ In compliance with the laws of the state of Washington, I certify that I have Automobile Liability Insurance (P.D. & P.L.) on my antique cars used for club functions. I also agree to make sure that the policy is in force for the entire year no matter when the expiration date is. NAME OF COMPANY____________________________NAME OF AGENT____________________ POLICY #_________________________________ EXPIRATION DATE_______________________ SIGNATURE____________________________CHARTER/LIFETIME MEMBER: Yes____ No_____ Mail completed form to: Vicki Markley, 21832 S.E. 245th St, Maple Valley, WA 98038 Page - 11 - Page - 12 -