Volume 7 Issue #3 May 1, Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club

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1 Volume 7 Issue #3 May 1, 2013 CTCI CHAPTER #116 OFFICERS Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club PRESIDENT BILL JURKONIE H C T35SCB@AOL.COM VICE-PRESIDENT BOB WITT BWITT@WITTBUILDING.COM SECRETARY PARRIS PUMA H C TREASURER RICK RAWE H C RAWERC@COMCAST.NET A CTCI GOLD MEDALLION and Multiple GOLD AWARDS Winning Newsletter SMCTC members enjoying the view that Captain Thomas Amis had from his front yard. DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE BOB BLY H C BLY_CAPTAIN@HOTMAIL.COM DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE BOB GRIFFITTS H C RLGRIFFITTS@AOL.COM NEWSLETTER EDITOR BILL LONG VOL H VOL C TBIRDBILL@YAHOO.COM Mimi s parking lot took on a different look one Saturday wonder if it will be open for another! Perry s barn find looks pretty good after a lot of TLC! Don t anyone tell him Peacock Blue was a 56 color. Look inside this issue for more stories/pictures

2 Page 2 President s corner by Bill Jurkonie, club president Page 3 Meeting minutes by donna Long page 4 In memorium of Dave Greene... By bill Long page 5 Spring fling by donna navratil page 6-8 Saturday breakfast april by Perry anthony page 9 Tech Tip by bill long page 10 Classified Ads page 11 Colorful chapter status by perry anthony page 12 A word from our sponsors page 13 Coming attractions page 14 News-worthy page 15 Events calendar page 16 SMCTC application/ctci application Pages Chapter #116 Meeting Date When: Thursday May 16, 2013 Where: Time: Puleo s Grill; 352 Fountain View Circle; Alcoa Meeting 7:00pm; come early for dinner Weather permitting Drive your Classic! Phone VOL Birthdays and Anniversaries for Bird Lovers May Anniversaries Bob & Sylvia Witt 15 (1976) June Anniversaries Dick & Jill Burdette 9 (1966) Bud & Phyl Morello 11 (1966) May Birthdays Faye Ashley 3 Jean Terry 5 Whit Whitaker 27 June Birthdays Donna Navratil 25 Paul Pier 30

3 Page 3 The President s Corner A regular report from your club President, Bill Jurkonie T35SCB@AOL.com Home: ; Cell: (Comments/questions/etc. should go directly to your President.) Hi, T-Birders. Hope you are enjoying our warm-up. We re continuing to bring bad luck to possible new meeting sites, as both Sullivan s and the Silver Spoon have closed right after the club decided to move our meetings to these restaurants. The May meeting will be held at Puelo s in Alcoa. (Hope the bad luck doesn t continue to follow our club and close this one as well. Whew!!) We have had great turn-outs for our bi-monthly meetings...27 in January and 26 in March. Several of our regulars were absent in March. If they had attended, our number could have been well over 30 present. At this writing, we ve cleaned the cobwebs off a number of classic T-Birds for a cruise and overnight up to Rogersville in March. Thanks Dick and Jill Burdette for coordinating this event. Then in April, we had our first Saturday breakfast at Mimi s in Turkey Creek with 20 members present. We plan to have a breakfast social every first Saturday of the month (if no other club events are planned) at a variety of restaurants in the Knoxville area. Watch your for up-to-date information. It will be at Mimi s again in June. The big event for May is Mockingbird Run V in the Tri-Cities with close to 60 Birds to run the track in Bristol along with several other fun plans. Keep in mind the two CTCI Regional conventions scheduled for this summer and review your Meeting Minutes for club news as usual. Also, I would like you to be thinking about running for an Officer position in We would be looking for Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Director at Large. Please contact me with any questions you might have regarding the duties of these positions. Happy T-Birding! Bill Jurkonie Plus one! Rick Miller of the Memphis club, and our new CTCI Treasurer, provided this note showing how International our CTCI really is: Here's a link to some videos of the T-Birds on the driving tour to Graceland and Beale St. from the 2012 Convention. The vids were shot by Willy Busch of Norway - I think you'll enjoy.

4 Meeting Minutes by Donna Long for Parris Puma Page 4 President, Bill Jurkonie, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. ATTENDEES: Bill Jurkonie, Lee Mabry, Rick and Janice Rawe, Bob and Sylvia Witt, Bob and Dino Griffitts, Bob and Ann Bly, Doug and Jean Terry, Alyce Anthony, Jere Krieg, Frank Navratil, Bill LaBelle, Denise Trulli, Bill, Donna and Zoe Long. A warm welcome was given to new members, Jim and Suzanne Burch, John and Linda Shearer and Paul and Julie Pier. Bill Jurkonie reminded us to sign the Gil Giberson book. MINUTES: Donna Long read an abbreviated copy of the January 24, 2013, Minutes, and they were approved as read. TREASURER S REPORT: The Treasurer s Report was approved as read. MEMBERSHIP: Bill Jurkonie said that we have 40 memberships and 74 members. NEWSLETTER: Bill Long said that we had a new logo and asked for articles, tech tips and items for sale. Frank and Donna Navratil give Bill the write-up for our trip to Rogersville. Frank advised of a memorial for Dave Greene. SUNSHINE: Ann Bly sent a sympathy card to Dave Greene s family and a get well card to Perry Anthony. Alyce said Perry is doing well but still pretty weak. A thank-you-note was read from Charlie Nelson for the help he received from Bill Long, Rick Rawe, Ernie King and Perry Anthony on the electrical system in his car. Club President, Bill Jurkonie, sent a letter of condolence to Dave Greene s partner, Susan, on behalf of the Club. CTCI REPORT: Bill Long is the new President of CTCI. He advised that our membership is getting older and that we really need to promote membership in CTCI. Bill mentioned the two regionals scheduled for this summer San Jose, CA, from July 31 August 4 and Des Moines, IA, on Aug The Navratils, Longs, Blys and Rawes are planning to go to the Des Moines regional. The Longs are also going to San Jose. CTCI is looking for a club to host the 2014 International event, as the New Jersey and Chicago clubs have backed out. OLD BUSINESS: * MBR VI The Knoxville Marriott proposal was not acceptable. We re checking into going to Oak Ridge or Greeneville, TN. * SPRING FLING - Frank Navratil reported that there were about 13 people attending the Spring Fling, which included lunch at Ami s Mill and Eatery, a tour of the Ami house and dinner and an overnight stay at the General Morgan Inn. ACTIVITIES * BREAKFAST AND SOCIAL The first will be held at Mimi s Café in Turkey Creek on April 6. We will have one the first Saturday of each month. * VW PLANT TOUR AND OVERNIGHT The tour will be on October 25 at 1:30 p.m. Only 20 people can go, so it will be the first 20 to sign up. We will stay overnight in Chattanooga at a B&B and then have the Saturday lunch and show at Button Willow. * VETERAN S DAY CELEBRATION November 9 at UT Hospital at 7:30 a.m., which includes breakfast. * MBR V Ed Fennell advised that they are at the limit of 55 attendees. Call him to get on a waiting list. Bob Witt and Bill Long will take photos for the CTCI article on the MBR V event. Bill Long advised that Geraldine Nuckels, Sandra Hood and Bob Young from CTCI are planning to attend. NEW BUSINESS * CLUB PATCH Sylvia Witt said that a patch can be made of the Club logo or something else. The cost is based on size. We decided to use the Club logo. We need a patch for CTCI s wall of chapters. * CLUB DIRECTIONAL SIGNS Bill Jurkonie is checking on having some directional signs made for the Club. * HARD TOP STAND - Bob Bly advised that a hard top stand is available from Thunderbird Concepts that will fit both the retro and old T-Birds. * We need someone to host an event in June. Bob Bly mentioned going to Shaker Village in Lexington. * We need to start thinking about new officers for next year. Bob Witt may step up for presidency. BRAGS AND WAGS * Bill Long said that the CTCI Board was very happy about the possibilty of us hosting a Regional in If you d like to see a good website for a T-Bird Club, take a look at It is from the New Jersey Open Road Thunderbird Club and has just been updated and put online. If you are a computer user and would like to do one for our Club, contact the Editor. It was easier than you think! EDITORS CORNER The Bird Word publication is issued near the middle of the EVEN numbered month by The Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club. Send articles and items of interest to the Editor, Bill Long at the address on the front page.

5 Page 5 In memorial DAVID GREENE The Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club recently lost a good friend and long-time sponsor. David Greene, owner and proprietor of David Greene s Classic Cars, passed from this earth in February David was known in many circle as Mr. Pontiac for his fondness of powerful and fast Pontiacs of the 1960 s. He was known to race them as a youngster and continued his love for them as he collected, restored and showed them for years. More recently, he began his classic car business in Lenoir City and sold and restored all makes of collector cars. When our club began to accept sponsors in the fall of 2009, David was approached. He became one of our original sponsors and continued to the present. David s shop could take credit for significant make-overs for Bob Bly s and Frank Navratil s cars and for some minor enhancements for my ride. The cumulative results of these efforts were three Gold Awards and one Gold Medallion Award at the 2012 CTCI Birds on Beale convention in Memphis. David was a friend to our Club and a personal friend to a number of its members including yours truly. I had known him for years before our Club came into existence and, like many of you, will miss him. Ed. Ed.

6 Page 6 Spring Fling to Rogersville by Donna Navratil Thank you to Dick and Jill Burdette for planning a wonderful day in Rogersville on March 16! What a great turnout we had for what turned out to be a beautiful day in the country. Our caravan started out with the Navratil s meeting at the Bly s. From there we traveled to meet the Rawe s and the Long s at Witt s Building Supply. Off we went to Rutledge Pike where, lo and behold, not too far up the road was Bill Jurkonie sitting at an intersection just waiting to fall into line. Upon arriving in Rogersville, Dick Burdette was standing on the sidewalk waving to us and giving us a big hello. Since we were a little ahead of schedule for our planned lunch, the girls took a little time for some shopping downtown. Then, we hit the country road again for our 12:30 lunch at the Amis Mill Eatery. The Terry s, the Morello s and Nancy Fennell were already there to join us.

7 Page 7 Spring Fling to Rogersville cont. The Amis Mill Eatery sits on the property of the historic Thomas Amis House. Its owners also own the eatery and have done an incredible amount of work to make this place a really special spot to enjoy. On 60+ acres along Big Creek, the eatery allows you to enjoy the cool waters of the stream, the Big Creek Dam and Waterfall, the charming and ever-so-popular Birdhouse Trail as well as a fine lunch. Our lunch on the sunporch afforded us views of all of the above while we dined. President Bill Jurkonie and Nancy Fennell share the table with Russ (aka Bud) and Phyl Morello. Rick and Janice Rawe join the hosts Dick and Jill Burdette. Bob and Ann Bly sat with Frank and Donna Navratil. Donna and Bill Long join Jeannie and Doug Terry.

8 Page 8 After a leisurely lunch, we followed Dick over farm and field in our retro-birds. (Fear of rain kept all but the Morello s and Burdette s classics out for a spin.) Wendy met us on our arrival, dressed in period clothing, to give us the grand tour of their lovingly restored home. What a treasure the Thomas Amis home is! Wendy and Jake Jacobs have a truly special place here filled with family treasures, unique furnishings from their years living in Colorado, and artifacts unearthed from the surrounding areas while gardening. Captain Thomas Amis was a Revolutionary War hero who built his stone house in 1781 from a land grant. It is the oldest stone house in TN and Wendy is the direct descendent of Captain Amis. She is a wealth of information on the history of the day, the home and the many important people who took shelter there over the years. Thanks Dick and Jill for arranging the deluxe tour for all of us. We sure did enjoy it! Unfortunately Nancy Fennell, Bill Jurkonie and the Morellos had to call it a day after our afternoon at the Amis place. But, with the weather a warm 70 something, the rest of us took the scenic drive to Greeneville with locals, Dick and Jill, leading the caravan. We pulled into the lot at the historic General Morgan Inn around 4:30 PM with just barely enough time for a little R&R till our dinner in their Brumley Restaurant. A great time was had by all over a leisurely 3 hour dinner! And a good night s sleep in their beautiful restored guest rooms capped off a perfect day! Spring Fling to Rogersville cont.

9 Page 9 SATURDAY BREAKFAST - APRIL Twenty SMCTC members showed up at 9:00 AM for the club s first Saturday Morning Breakfast at MIMI s in Turkey Creek. Three braved the cold AM and arrived topless BUT ALL T-Birds looked spectacular. Perry and Alyce arrived with their barn find E Bird and Perry s comment was that the dual fours sure are fond of fuel. After kicking tires in the parking lot, everyone went inside where MIMI s had set up special tables in the back room for all of us. Service was terrific and a good, hearty breakfast was enjoyed by all. Conversations were lively and covered the waterfront as you might imagine everything from the Terry s selling their home to the ongoing challenge by President Jurkonie to locate a restaurant for our club meetings that will actually remain in business [ the Silver Spoon is now closed]. More on this dilemma in the newsletter. As part of our first Saturday Breakfasts, Ass t Manager Diane Whitacre and the wait staff toured the T-Bird parking to pick their favorite color Bird. They announced that Rick and Janice Rawe s Goldenglow Yellow was the favorite and awarded a free breakfast compliments of MIMI s. A lively discussion ensued regarding repeat winner RULES and it was decided that the best rule was NO RULE a la the Christmas Gift Exchange procedures. A special opportunity existed for Bob and Sylvia Witt and Bob and Ann Bly to have their T-Birds participate in a professional photo shoot by Brooke Rhodes Photography. They were last seen heading to the site of the shoot on a beautiful day in Tennessee. These old guys wouldn t even let me sit on the fender of their car. It was also determined that the Saturday Breakfasts gatherings were fun and that we should continue having them when another SMCTC event is not in conflict on the 1 st Saturday of each month. As a consequence, the next gathering will be June 1 st as May will see most club members at Mockingbird Run V in Johnson City. Report by Perry Anthony and Photos by Bob Witt and Bill Long

10 Page 10 Do you like to lower your soft-top and go topless to enjoy the open spaces? When doing that, have you had an experience of damaging the wire-on trim on your soft-top when you lower and raise the top? (Photos at right shows the typical damage) I had this happen to me until I began doing the following : Figuring that I wanted to keep the wire-on trim on the soft top from rubbing against the weatherstrip trim at the back of the door opening, I decided that a thin, but stiff, piece of plastic would do the job. My initial solution was to use pieces of some special packaging material from the factory where I worked. I cut four pieces of the material about 10 inches by 12 inches each. Then I would position two of these shields on each side of the car when the soft top is lowered but in the forward position. As the soft top is pushed back into the storage position, the shields were wedged between the soft top and door post area, right where the damage normally occurs. This technique worked well for me; however, I was unable to get some additional pieces of the material to share with my friends once I retired. I did some research around my wife s kitchen and saw a thin plastic cutting board which looked to be about the same as my packaging material. I went to the local Target (and also a Wal-Mart) and was able to find packages of these thin plastic cutting boards in the kitchen department. They are priced for $10 or less. You can get by using one of these per side but two on each side works the best. They work well when pulling the top forward as well as when you are storing it. When not being used, they are simply stored behind the seat, out of the way. Bill Long

11 CLASSIFIED ADS Page 11 SMCTC member George Beatty is selling his Dusk Rose '57 [ repainted 40 years ago]. Perry Anthony appraised it on 4/2/12. Very solid car that is complete with the odometer showing 65,870 on a rebuilt 312 six years ago. Manual windows and steering. If any club member has interest, they should contact George directly at FREE TO A GOOD HOME: New member Richard Ambs advises that he has a large volume of battery acid that he no longer needs* and will share for free. Contact him directly at richard@ambscallcenter.com to arrange pickup. * (I did not inquire about what he does with it.) FOR SALE 57 PORT HOLE TOP VG TRADE FOR CONV TOP METAL CAR KITS NEW IN BOX CALL 55 DELUXE CAR COVER $50.00 OLDER, DRY FUEL PUMPS $5.00 FUEL LINES [CARB/PUMP] $5.00 EA HARD TOP GLASS[ MINOR SCRATCH] $25.00 GRILLE MOULDINGS L&R [ NEW] $ TRUNK HANDLE [ NEW] $ FUEL SENDING UNIT [6V] [ NEW] FULE FILTER ASSBLY [ USED] HORN RELAY [ NEW] $5.00 MISC TOP WEATHER STRIPPING[ NEW/USED] $10.00 FOR ALL 57 EXHAUST CLAMPS,- MISC [NEW] $10.00 FOR THE LOT OF 5 ITEMS 4 WIDE WHITE TIRES[ 7.50x14 ]--- LOOK NEW BUT OLD $50.00 FOR ALL MUCH MORE. GOTTA GO! PERRY *MISC USED DOOR HANDLES, TRIM $1.00 EACH *USED DRY AIR CLEANER TOP AND BOTTOM $15.00 *GOOD 6V STARTER MOTOR $50.00 *USED WATER PUMP-GOOD- $45.00 * L TRIM-INTERIOR NEW $5.00 EA *REAR GAS SHOCKS [ 57] USED BUT GOOD $25.00 *WASHER RESERVOIR [ NEW] $7.00 *TRUNK SPRINGS L & R [ USED] $7.00 * AIRCLEANER [USED] $10.00 * PLASTIC WHEEL MEDALLIONS [ NEW] [ 4] $40.00 *2 SETS JACK STANDS [4].--- $6.00 PER SET Make an offer!

12 Page 12 Smoky Mtn. Club CHALLENGES other Clubs to Color Contest Perry Anthony has provided this update to the Color Challenge that was issued to all CTCI Clubs and their members. We want to welcome the Virginia Classic Thunderbird Club to our little challenge. Right now the bragging rights still belong in the hands of the Big D Club in Dallas. Remember the rules are that the cars must be registered in the name of a CTCI member. ORANGE COUNTY (CA) [ #78 ] 18% THUNDERBIRDS OF SONOMA (CA) [ # 33] 20% CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD OWNERS CLUB (IL) [#98] 33% PITT BIRDS (PA) [ # 31 ] 43% ROSE CITY T-BIRDS (WA) [ # 51] 53% (R) SMOKY MTN CLASSIC T-BIRD CLUB (TN) [ #116 ] 57% (R) TRAIL BIRDS (FL) [ #113] 70% VIRGINIA CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB (36) 73% SACRAMENTO CLASSIC T-BIRD CLUB (CA) [ # 14] 77% (R) THE AMERICAN ROAD T-BIRD CLUB (MI) [ #5] 80% (R) BIG D (TX) [ #46] 87% (R) (R) means that the number has revised from an earlier number. DID YOU KNOW? If you are already a CTCI member and you sponsor a new member, you will get $5 free credit with CTCI! Are you not a member of CTCI?? Why not? You are missing out on the best resource available for Classic Thunderbird owners when it comes to: ++ Technical articles ++ Suppliers of parts and services ++ Answers to technical questions ++ Ads for previously owned classics ++ News of other T-Bird owners ++ Announcements of Shows and Events Find an application at the end of this newsletter.

13 And now a word from our Sponsors Page 13 Need something else for your car?? See one of our sponsors. Identify this member and get a free drink at MBR V.

14 Coming attractions! Page 14 May 4-6 in the Tri-Cities area. Participants from NINE states. Currently some spots and rooms are available: call Ed Fennell to see if you can still get in See next issue of The Bird Word for pictures and stories. CTCI Regionals in 2013 San Jose (CA) Region 3 July 31- August 4 West Des Moines (IA) Region 2 August See your Early Bird or for more details. where the first drive-in theater was? Hint: Some of our members have probably made out there! Answer at bottom of page. his family were avid bowlers. evidence has been found that in addition to being archers, William Tell and Unfortunately, all the Swiss League records were destroyed in a fire,...and so we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled. if the shoe fits. get another one just like it. hear them speak. light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you Talk to your car and don t let people say this! Ans. Camden, NJ in 1933

15 Page NEWS-WORTHY Perry Anthony may have been slowed by his heart surgery but he is still making the news. Here is an article from the local AACA rag (where SMCTC member Bob Witt is President) and some notes from SEMA. Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives to Stop Sale of E15 Gas Pending Scientific Analysis SEMA-supported legislation (HR 875) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives directing the National Academies to conduct a scientific assessment on how gasoline blended with 15 to 20 percent ethanol (E15 and E20) may impact gasoline-powered engines, vehicles and related equipment. The analysis would consider a variety of issues including tailpipe and evaporative emissions, impact on OBD systems, materials compatibility and fuel efficiency. The National Academies would have 18 months to conduct its analysis, during which time sales of E15 blended gas would be halted. HR 875 has been assigned to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for consideration. The Committee passed a similar bill last year but no further action took place. The U.S. Senate is currently considering another SEMA-supported bill (S. 344) to ban sales of E15. We Urge You to Contact Your Congressional Representative to Request Support for H.R. 875 H.R. 875 acknowledges that E15 causes corrosion with incompatible parts. Ethanol increases water formation which can then create formic acid and corrode metals, plastics and rubber. The EPA allows use of E15 in 2001 and newer vehicles, but agreed to make it illegal to fuel pre-2001 vehicles with E15. A required warning label on the gasoline pump will not protect consumers from accidentally misfueling these vehicles/engines. H.R. 875 prevents the EPA from permitting the sale of E15 before the report from the National Academies has been submitted to the House Science Committee. This is NOT a photo from Mimi s parking lot! H.R. 875 potentially protects millions of vehicles and engines that can be harmed from E15. The EPA was premature in permitting the sale since it is still unclear how E15 impacts tailpipe and evaporative emissions, OBD systems, materials compatibility and fuel efficiency. DON T DELAY! Click here to contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives to request support for H.R Under Federal Officials, Identify Your Congressional District Representative: For more information, contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org.

16 Our Favorite Mouseketeer! Tribute page compliments of The Bird Sheet; Thunderbirds of Sonoma (CA)

17 Page 17 Puleo s Grille - Alcoa COPY this page! Put it near your calendar OR put the data on your Smartphone. Thank you to our event sponsors. If you haven t sponsored one lately, sign up for one now!

18 Page 18 The Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club Brochure Location is Variable Call for correct location. Remember-- If you print out this brochure and distribute it, that the meeting location is changing in 2013! The new permanent location is T B D.

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