THE EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB OF AMERICA Regional Group 96

Transcription

1 Valve Clatter THE EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB OF AMERICA Regional Group 96 Volume XXXII, No. 12 December 2010 Ken Burns Editor

2 Up Front with the President December 2010 It is with great sadness we suffer the loss of two long time NVRG members, Bob Wild and Bob Stewart. Both men passed away this November and will be missed. Bob Wild was a very active part of the car hobby and was found at many events always with a smile on his face and a warm greeting for all who met him. Bob Stewart was the original owner of the 1946 Ford you see in the upper right corner of this page. He drove the 46 every day until his health no longer allowed, at which time he entrusted me to take over as the next caretaker, and for that I am truly grateful. Both men were veterans and will the buried at Arlington National Cemetery in the coming months. Read further for details. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of both men. Eric presides over his last meeting This will be my last message to the club as President. I have had the honor to serve as President of the NVRG for the past two years and would like to thank you for letting me sit in the driver s seat for a while. I ve done my best to keep it out of the ditch and moving forward down the road. It has been an easy job because of the hard work of the Board of Directors who operate like a finely tuned Flathead V-8. Our members are some of the most active and willing volunteers which makes navigating any obstacles in the road a breeze. And with one of the best newsletters around to serve as a map for the road ahead, we will never be lost. But the time has come to hand the keys to the next caretaker. John Sweet will take over the duties of President and I m confident he will lead us to great places. December brings us to our annual Holiday Gala which will take the place of our regular membership meeting. We will resume our regular monthly meeting in January. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season. I would like to thank you all for your support and look forward to more V-8 fun in Hope to see you there, Eric Sumner Valve Clatter ~ 2 ~ December 2010

3 RESTORATION ROUNDUP A Roof Party by Jim LaBaugh Each restoration of one of our beloved Flathead V-8 Fords is a 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle in glass, steel, and, in some cases, wood. One of the wonderful things about being a member the NVRG is the fact that so many other members are willing to assist with the pieces when any one of us is having difficulty solving that part of the puzzle on their own. The restorers who rebuilt the wood on my father's '39 wagon used as much of the original wood as possible, but left out the two brackets that tie the front of the roof to the cowl. Fortunately, the two original brackets were found when Dave Westrate helped me sort through the box of parts resulting from the initial disassembly of the wagon back in To put the brackets in their rightful place meant that the roof had to come off, so Dave organized a work day to complete this part of the puzzle. First on the scene were Dave Westrate, Bill Simons and Hank Dubois. Our first task was to remove all the bolts and screws fastening the roof to the cowl and the rest of the wooden body. The next step was to lift the roof off the body, flip it over and rest it on the tailgate of Dave's pickup truck and wooden bench supports. Based on Dave's experience with the assembly of his '39 Standard Wagon years ago, and examination of Hank Dubois' original '39 Deluxe Wagon the day before, the wood was marked for removal. Dave made the cuts with a special Japanese wood saw, followed by methodical chisel work to remove enough maple to have the brackets fit with surfaces flush with adjacent wood. Bill Simons departed to attend a funeral just before Sandra and Cliff Green arrived enabling Cliff to join in the festivities. Once the brackets were aligned in the depressions, we discovered that the anchor screw holes through the wood and the cowl needed adjustment. Cliff drilled a new hole in one bracket, while Hank and I enlarged the existing hole on the other bracket with a needle file. In the course of checking alignment of the driver's-side doors Dave noticed a gap in the rear-quarter panel wood that needed adjustment. While Dave, Cliff and Hank sorted out that part of the wooden puzzle, I applied a coat of varnish to the depressions for the brackets and along the front edge of the roof that had not been sealed in the original restoration of the wood. A welcome lunch break at a nearby Diner provided time for the varnish to dry. Assembly continued on the return from lunch screwing the brackets to the roof. The roof was then flipped over. Roof Party continued on Page 5 Valve Clatter ~ 3 ~ December 2010

4 Bob Wild by Hank & Cindy Dubois IN MEMORIAM Robert W. Wild died on November 5, 2010, in Warrenton, Virginia. Bob was a member of the Early Ford V-8 Club, the Model A Club and the Woodie Club for many years and was very active in all three clubs. Bob was always interested in cars, starting with the memory of a shiny new 1939 Ford coupe driven by a friend of his parents who stopped by their farm in North Dakota. He said his life-long addiction to old cars may have started on that day. Over the years, he restored quite a number of cars, including more than a few Ford V-8 s, and he helped many club members, in various ways, with their own restorations. Bob especially liked Woodies and, at one time, owned a pair of 39 s - a Standard and a Deluxe. More recently, his V-8 of choice was a 51 Woodie. Bob loved to drive his Fords and he and Jane seldom missed an opportunity to participate in Club tours, or for that matter, any other Club events. Bob was born on July 6, 1925, the second of eight children, and grew up on a farm in Osnabrock, North Dakota. In May 1943, after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served as an aircraft radioman and tail gunner. He was in flight training when World War II ended. In September 1945, while being processed for release at the Naval Air Station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he met Jane, who became his wife a year later. Bob graduated from St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1948 and worked in private industry until he was called back for active duty in the Navy in After a long Navy career which included tours on the East Coast, the West Coast, in the Pacific including Vietnam, and finally at the Pentagon, Bob retired in Shortly thereafter, he began a second career with the Navy Federal Credit Union. During his 14 years with NFCU, he first traveled extensively around the world supervising operations and setting up new facilities. Later, he served as Assistant Director of Planning and then as Director, Telecommunications Division before retiring in Bob never forgot his farm roots and, for many years, was actively involved in farming. He was a partner in a cattle raising operation on a 100 acre Pennsylvania farm that he and Jane had bought after Bob s retirement from the Navy. After selling that farm, Bob continued to raise some cattle on a smaller 21 acre farm that they bought near Warrenton. They built a house and a large garage on that farm and moved there in 1982 where they lived for the next 16 years. Bob and Jane hosted a V-8 Club tour to their farm during the early 1990 s. In 1998, they sold the farm and moved to their townhouse in Warrenton. To compensate for the loss of garage space, Bob built a large garage in Stuarts Draft where they also hosted the V-8 Club. Bob and Jane had three children, Jeanne Anne, Tim, and Beth (who with her husband, Ben McDonald, are also members of the V-8 Club), six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial for Bob will be celebrated at 11:30 A.M. on December 4, 2010, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Warrenton. Bob will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in the spring. He will be greatly missed. Bob Stewart by Dave Westrate Long time NVRG member Bob "Stew" Stewart has passed away at age 95. His wife, Joan, died two years ago. Bob was a World War II veteran. He met Joan in Australia and they were married in Brisbane in The Stewarts never had children. Continued on Next Page Memoriam continued on Next Page Valve Clatter ~ 4 ~ December 2010

5 (Memoriam continued) Bob and Joan purchased their 1946 new on February 17, They traded in a 1934 Ford Tudor (Roof Party continued) Cliff and Hank raised the front while Dave and I lifted the rear of the roof as we carried it back into the garage over the top of the body. The roof was then positioned in the top of the cowl and lowered onto the tendons on top of the door pillars. Bob proudly takes delivery of his new Ford that Bob called the most reliable automobile we ever owned. Bob and Joan drove the Ford daily all over the world for the next 19 years during his Air Force career. There is a picture of the Tudor when it was shipped home from Japan strapped to the top of a pile of telephone poles on the deck of the cargo ship - a unique ride, to say the least. Bob said that between 1947 and 1966 they put 200,000 miles on the 46 and changed the oil at least 200 times. In 1961 they had the engine overhauled. In 1966, upon Bob s retirement from the Air Force the car was put on blocks until 1977 when Bob began a two-year restoration the car. Once restored, the Tudor was again driven daily. When they could no longer care for the car, it was purchased by NVRG President, Eric Sumner, at which time it had travelled over 220,000 miles. Bob, Joan and the 46 on the last day they owned their beloved Ford Bob was a regular contributor to the V-8 Times, and he loved his V-8 Ford. See page 51 of the March/April 2000 issue for his saga of crossing the country in 1938 with a service buddy driving a 1933/4 Ford. A funeral service will be held for Bob and Joan at Arlington Cemetery on January 31, We will miss him. A few taps at the back of the roof aligned tendons with correct holes, and use of pipe clamps to spread the rear corner pillars allowed the roof to drop back in place. All of the screws and bolts were fastened and the roof was finally attached as Henry Ford intended for the first time since Without the incredible skill and experience of Dave Westrate, and the able assistance of Hank Dubois, Bill Simons, and Cliff Green, none of this would have been possible. I thank them all for participating in the roof party thereby helping me solve this part of the puzzle along the way to final restoration and regular visits to the highways and byways of Virginia and Maryland as part of our club's many tours. Jim I was very pleased to have the opportunity to help with your roof project. Most of the time I am the one receiving the help from the club members so it is nice to be on the donating side. Dave is a real craftsman with those wood bodies so I know those front brackets fit perfectly. It will be a great day when your '39 gets back on the road. /s/ Bill Simons Continued on Next Page Valve Clatter ~ 5 ~ December 2010

6 NOVEMBER NVRG TOUR TROLLEYS AND STREETCARS by Keith Randall On Saturday November 6 th, eight club members and two wives got together for an insightful visit and tour of the National Capital Trolley Museum located in Colesville, MD. Five of us gathered at Fair Oaks Mall and the rest joined up at Kilroy s Restaurant where we all enjoyed a great meal and some good conversation. After lunch we headed out into busy Saturday traffic via the Beltway. Thanks to the organization and directions provided by Hank Dubois we all arrived at the museum in a timely manner. (No early V-8 s ventured out into the traffic for this event!). The National Capital Trolley Museum first opened in Ten years earlier in 1959 the idea of a museum was conceived when it was announced that streetcar service in the District of Columbia was to be abandoned. In fact, January 28, 1961, was the date that the last streetcar plied the rails in the District. Tragically, a major fire September 28, 2003, destroyed 8 streetcars and trams and a car barn. However, in relatively short order the museum was again open with 11 cars either on display or offering trolley rides to the public. One last development was in store for the museum when the Maryland Inter County Connector (ICC) became a reality and right-of-ways were obtained. The funds obtained from the right-of-way proceedings allowed for the relocation of the entire museum to its present location and made possible the construction of a visitor center, maintenance car house and supporting facilities. So, if you are like me, do you know the difference between a trolley and a streetcar? The name trolley refers to an electric vehicle that operates over fixed rails imbedded in pavement. The actual trolley is a small device, usually a wheel or slider, which touches the overhead wire to carry the flow of electricity from the wire to the electric motors. It s this small device that gives the vehicle its name. A streetcar is another name which can be used interchangeably to describe the same vehicle. Just to further confuse you, the word tram is used in some other countries to describe the same vehicle! We all took advantage of riding in a restored streetcar that the museum operates. The vehicle being used on the day of our visit was car This streetcar was built in 1951 and originally used for many years in Toronto, Canada. In 1995 the museum obtained the car and restored it. The Motorman for our journey into the past was Wells Drumwright, a retired dentist and he was assisted by a Conductor. The Motorman is responsible for the operation of the streetcar and the Conductor is responsible for collecting tickets and the safety of the passengers. Both gentlemen were dressed in the correct period uniforms. The track used for the museum s streetcars is comprised of two sections. The first section is a new section laid after the ICC relocation and it is joined to a second section that dates back to the original museum in the 1960 s. The rails meander through woods and grassy areas to a loop turn that takes you back to the visitor center. If you use your imagination, you can get an idea of what is must have been like riding in a streetcar through busy downtowns. The only pedestrian we observed on our ride was a white tail deer that a couple of the hunters in the group were sizing up as a possible trophy! DID YOU KNOW? Once back at the visitor center we toured the display barn that houses several streetcars. Some are restored while others are original and still others are barn finds. There are streetcars from Belgium, Germany, Canada and the District on display. The earliest car in the Washington Streetcar Collection is Trolleys continued on Page 8 Valve Clatter ~ 6 ~ December 2010

7 NOVEMBER PROGRAM Early Ford V8 Heaters A Whole Lot More Than Hot Air by Dave Gunnarson Rob Doudrick (pronounced DOW-drick) regaled the assembled NVRG members at the November membership meeting with a thoughtful, interesting and detailed presentation on early Ford V-8 hot air heaters. Once again, we are blessed having another very knowledgeable member share his passion with our group. As with most tales, Rob s story starts with a rather simple thought: Wouldn t it be nice to have a hot air heater in my 1936 Tudor? This simple sounding concept has taken him on quite an interesting journey. More on that later, but first, here is some of the information from Rob s presentation. were installed to block the flow. Starting in 1937, Novi (of Indy racing fame) began to supply hot air heaters to Ford and Sunday was phased out. Both types of units were available in 1937 and Sunday s heat exchanger design is an enclosed bundle of parallel tubes together inside a cylindrical shell. Hot exhaust gas flows though the tubes and air flows around the outside of the tubes. Novi s design is a single inner tube with concentric fins inside a shell. Exhaust gas flowing though the inner tube heated the fins which heated air inside the shell. Outwardly, these heat exchangers looked very similar. Sunday Heater Exchanger Ford began offering hot air heaters as a dealerinstalled option in 1935 and continued through The hot air heater concept is to collect warm air from the back side of the radiator, direct it over the exhaust manifold in a heat exchanger without contacting the exhaust gases, and then duct the heated air into the vehicle. Ford s initial supplier was Sunday. Installation by the dealer required the removal of the right-hand (passenger-side) engine pan and exhaust manifold and the V-8 engine cross-over pipe. A new combined exhaust manifold and heat exchanger assembly was installed as well as a new cross-over pipe, the collector tube behind the radiator, and ducts to the interior of the car and the controls. Holes had to be cut in the firewall and in the dash for defrosters starting in 1937 or 1938, so it was not a trivial job for the dealer. It was, however, a good source of revenue. The earliest hot air heater provided no way to control the flow of hot air, so flapper valves Novi Heat Exchanger In 1938, a fan was introduced to provide a pressurized supply of hot air and better control of the flow to the passenger compartment. Previously, the only driving force was the air pressure of the moving vehicle forcing air into the collector tube behind the radiator. The fan was controlled by a three position switch that had OFF, Sleep and High settings. Finding one these position switches and a good knob is very hard. Carbon monoxide is always a concern as a leak in the heat exchanger or exhaust system could result in those fumes entering the passenger compartment. Rob showed us a small carbon monoxide indicator button used in air cooled light aircraft. If carbon monoxide is present, the color of the button Continued on Next Page changes. One difficult challenge for Rob was finding Heaters continued on Next Page Valve Clatter ~ 7 ~ December 2010

8 (Trolleys continued) a car built in 1898 by the American Car Company. The visitor center also houses numerous pictorial displays highlighting the history and use of streetcars in America. There is a short movie about the history of streetcars as well. One of the questions asked of our guides was how did Washington s streetcars get the electricity to the cars to operate their motors? The answer: Washington streetcars collected their power through the use of a plow attached to the truck of the car. The plow extended below street level to make contact with two conductor rails that carried and returned electrical current. In Washington streetcars were required to use this method of power collection because Congress had mandated that there be no overhead wires within the city. When there were tracks that were laid into the suburbs, the streetcars would switch from the underground plow to the trolley pole on top of the car to make contact with the overhead wire. So, are there plans to bring back streetcars to Washington? YES! There are plans to build a demonstration line in Southeast DC using a newer version of streetcar. This line would run from the Anacostia Metro Station to Bolling Air Force Base! (Heaters continued) a replacement for the asbestos tube used between the components mounted on the engine and the tubes mounted on the body. He has found a fiberglass cloth substitute which can be sewn into a tube with a spring inside to maintain the tubular shape. He is also experimenting with Teflon-coated fiberglass. This will eliminate the hazards of asbestos and provide a stock-looking replacement. A 1946 service bulletin informed dealers to use up remaining stock of hot air heaters. By this time, hot water heaters had taken over. The number of parts necessary for a hot air system and the increasing complexity of vehicles along with the concern of an exhaust leak into the car s interior made them obsolete. Hot air heaters did provide more heat as the temperature of an early Ford flathead exhaust can run several hundred degrees hotter than boiling water. One early warning was to watch out that you didn t melt your shoes! In his search for an original 1936 Sunday heater, Rob has purchased collections of parts, dies, literature and original design drawings related to hot air heaters. Hot air heaters were slightly different for open cars, closed cars and commercial vehicles. This required many different parts and pieces and each new model year required new designs as well. Rob is doing his best to figure out what parts fit certain vehicles and is always on the lookout for original installations to help him sort out which parts fit certain models and years. He is probably the most knowledgeable person on Ford hot air heaters around and is continuing to do research and improve his knowledge. If you have an original hot air heater installation, contact Rob or send him photos. Rob started a business just for early Ford V8 heaters and has the goal of being able to make some reproduction parts available, offer repair services and help others get their units serviceable. Rob still doesn t have a heater for his 36, so if you know of a very nice Sunday unit, or any hot air heater components for sale, give him a call or send him an . Valve Clatter ~ 8 ~ December 2010

9 NVRG AUTOMART CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF THE 1935 FORD What better way to close out our celebration of 1935 Fords than to share pictures of 35s owned by NVRG members? Ed. Wanted 51 Ford V-8 radiator, part # 1BA-D Steve Groves, /10 Wanted Be confident that your vintage vehicle is road worthy. MAC s garage is providing free one way transport from your garage to ours. In addition, all club members will receive a 10% discount on Mac s antique catalogue parts. We provide quality work at a low hourly rate. Contact Ben McDonald, Monday-Friday, 8am macsgarage4u@gmail.com. 9/10 Hank Dubois Hank Dubois Hank Dubois John French Dave Gunnarson Dorothy Morrison Buzzy Potter Art Spero Wanted Looking for flathead Ford and Mercury stock camshafts for performance analysis experiment. Contact Lloyd Emery: lloydemery@cox.net or cell /10 For Parts 337 c.i. truck block and trans from a 1948 truck. Block cracked - many good parts left. $50 for all - you haul. Jason Javaras /10 For Sale 1951 Ford F1 Panel Truck for reasons I'll go into later. I'll probably put it on Ebay or Criag's List but I thought I would offer it to members of the club first. If you're interested or know of someone who might be, please get back to me. Thanks. Allan Edwards, P.O. Box 2215, Front Royal, VA Phone: , Cell: /10 For Sale 6 heads 1 is 59AB/5 are 8AB s. Didn t see any cracks but need to be cleaned /inspected. Asking $ 60 for all 6 heads. Sold as one lot. Tom Shaw /10 The following NVRG members also own 1935 Fords but I don t have a photo: Nick Arrington Roadster; Jim Crawford Tudor; Jim Eberly Coupe; Derek Girman Phaeton; Von Hardesty Tudor; Patrick O Neil Phaeton Wanted Useable or re-buildable overdrive transmission and any ancillary parts. Reasonable price paid. Bill Simons or bsimons@rustinsurance.com 12/10 Valve Clatter That s all, folks! ~9~ December 2010

10 FOR THE LADIES (CIRCA 1935) In 1935 a Kentuckian named Duncan Hines compiled a list of his 167 favorite places to eat and slipped it inside his Christmas cards. It made quite a hit. The next year his list had grown to 475 and he put it in book form, calling it Adventures in Good Eating. By 1946 the book had gone through 30 printings and had become the restaurant bible of the American traveling public. Our family swears by Duncan Hines, attested a typical reader. His well-off professional and middle-class readers undoubtedly felt they needed a guide when traveling, agreeing with Hines s comment in a 1947 interview: I ve run more risk eating my way across the country than in all my driving. Distrust of the general run of restaurants reflected the times. Under the economic constraints of the depression and the labor shortages of World War II, standards of cleanliness and cooking in many restaurants slipped badly. Adventures in Good Eating revealed sharply defined dining preferences. Hines and his legion of volunteer reviewers favored places with women cooks that specialized in home-like meals and made their own rolls, desserts, and salad dressings. WASPy country inns, tea rooms, and cafeterias predominated while relatively few restaurants serving ethnic foods made the list subtly undermining the promise of adventure. Sprinkled throughout the book were Hines s reflections regarding sanitation (clean catchup bottle tops, no smears on sugar bowls), essential ingredients ( good butter, fresh eggs, rich milk and a loving touch ), and favorite dishes (cornbread, fried potatoes, codfish cakes, baked beans, and eggs). He freely dispensed advice to restaurant operators, urging them to burnish their silverware, provide sharp knives and comfortable chairs, and use locally available foods. In interviews through the years he minced no words in expressing his dislikes. Among his memorable quotes are these: After many years of eating my way around the country, I have concluded that the principal reason for looking at the average menu is to see what to avoid. Baby beef, baby lamb, baby lobster, baby chicken. Who wants to eat babies? I never order baked potato without inquiring when it was baked, because a warmed-over baked potato is about as edible as a gum eraser. I would like to be food dictator of the U.S.A. just long enough to padlock two thirds of the places that call themselves cafes or restaurants. From the blog Restaurant-ing through history TECH TALK Do you know what folks are using on their aluminum manifolds and heads to keep them looking good? I have my 34 coupe engine apart and I m ready to start reassembly. Steve Ross That's a problem. You can get the aluminum looking good but it won't stay that way. I would have two suggestions. One is to use mag wheel cleaner, the type for raw wheels, which has acid in it. Spray it on, brush it and wash well with water and soap. If you do it on the motor the acid will also etch or remove cad plating---a bad thing. The acid is also excellent for making brass parts look like new. Before doing that you might try to find Simple Green Extreme aviation formula and spray that on and scrub and then rinse and dry with compressed air works great on dirty castings but won't remove corrosion like the wheel cleaner might. I also could supply the names of two types of glass beads that when used in combination give a nice satin finish, not as rough or course as regular glass beads. I've use this on carburetor bodies with very good results. Don Fowler The best thing I have found for cleaning aluminum heads is lacquer thinner. It takes all the oil and grease off easily, but of course the heads have to be nice underneath the grime. If they are rough they should be glass beaded. Bill Simons Valve Clatter ~ 10 ~ December 2010

11 NVRG Calendar December 4 Annual Holiday Gala at Fairfax Country Club 27 Valve Clatter Deadline - submit articles, want/sell, etc. to Ken Burns helenandken@verizon.net January 2011 February 1 Happy New Year Everyone! 11 Membership Meeting 7:00 pm Nottaway Park Program: Ford Literature Show and Tell Bring your interesting pieces to share with everyone, John Sweet. Refreshments: Dave Westrate 25 NVRG Board of Directors Meeting 7:30 Oakton Library 25 Valve Clatter Deadline - submit articles, want/sell, etc. to Ken Burns helenandken@verizon.net 8 Membership Meeting 7:00 pm Nottaway Park Program: Fords what are the differences? TBA. Refreshments: Eric Sumner 20 Clem & Sandie s Antique Train & Car Day Clem sez: Hopefully no snow and good health for all. 22 NVRG Board of Directors Meeting 7:30 Oakton Library 22 Valve Clatter Deadline - submit articles, want/sell, etc. to Ken Burns helenandken@verizon.net LAST CALL YOUR 2011 DUES ARE DUE! NVRG 2010 dues are payable by December 31 and now being collected. Dues remain at $15 for one year. It s easy to pay: Send a check made out to NVRG to David Gunnarson, Membership Chair, Ellie s Court, Fairfax Station, VA or pay Dave at our Holiday Gala. Let him know if you need to update your membership roster information, i.e. address, , phone, cell, etc. Also changes in the cars you own. N.B. Remember you must also be current on your National membership dues. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Name tags for Club members and spouses are available through Dave Westrate (DLWBAW@aol.com) The cost will be about $10- $15 each depending on the number we order and the way they are produced. Dave with the way you would like to see your name on the tag. Valve Clatter ~ 11 ~ December 2010

12 Board of Directors NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL GROUP Vice President Secretary Treasury Membership Tours Primary Tours Assist Programs John Sweet Cliff Green John Ryan Dave Gunnarson Leo Cummings Hank Dubois John Sweet President: Eric Sumner FFX Show Property Refreshments Historian At Large Web Site Newsletter Dave Westrate Vacant Hank Dubois Don Lombard Frankie Martin Rick Parker Ken Burns REMEMBER! No December General Membership Meeting See you next year. Regional Group 96 Early Ford V8 Club Post Office Box 1195 Vienna, Virginia, FIRST CLASS MAIL