April 2019 Omaha, Nebraska President's Message Hello Members! Spring may finally have sprung and we can put away our Model A accessories! Right, I bet your sweet little babies haven t left the garage since winter began. Anyway, March was the National Women s History Month, formally recognized since 1987. So I thought I would pass along a few outstanding ladies in our history related to the early automobile. Here we go: Mary Anderson-January 1, 1903. She patented a window cleaning device, the predecessor of today s windshieldwiper. Her device consisted of a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a rubber blade on the outside of the windshield. Alice Huyler Ramsey- January 1, 1909. She was the first woman to drive coast-tocoast, from New York to California. She also founded the Women s Motoring Club. Wilma Russey- January 1, 1915. She became the first woman to work as a taxi driver in New York and was an expert garage mechanic. Charlotte Bridgwood- January 1, 1917. She patented the first automatic windshield wiper!!! Luella Bates- January 1, 1918. She began working for the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company. During World War I, she worked as a test driver traveling throughout the state of Wisconsin in a Model B truck. After the war, when the company let the majority of the women go, Luella remained as a demonstrator and driver. In January 1920, she traveled to New York City where she attended the New York Auto Show. During her stay she became the first woman truck driver to receive a driver s license in New York. In 1920, Four Wheel Drive sent Luella on three transcontinental tours throughout the U.S. to introduce the idea that the truck was so easy to steer that even a woman could drive it. (This information came from the Timeline of Women in Transportation History n https:// www.transportation.gov., if you wish to check out more interesting facts) One of the biggest obstacles to women and driving was the arm-busting crank start. This was made obsolete by Charles Kettering in 1912. It was the invention of the self-starter. I hope you found this interesting. I was intrigued by the fact that two of these women worked on visibility through the windshield, and developed a wiper! The Club Board has been working hard on trying to create some activities to provide new adventures for the year. So you will have to turn the page and look inside. See you soon, Esther 1
Upcoming Events April 7 Play at the Lofte Theatre (see p. 3) April 13 Second Saturday Soirée (see p. 4) April 13 Regular Meeting at the Elks Lodge 6:30PM (see p. 10) April 20 Highway Pickup (Back-up date = April 27) (see p. 4) April 28 Board Meeting at Sump Library (2-4PM) Club events & Tours May 5 Brunch at Plattsmouth Park with Manifold Cooking (see p. 3) Tentative: July 20 Tour to Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln Tentative: September 8 & 9 1919 Trek across America Our Car Shows: June 1 Skills and Grilles Show in Gretna August 18 Vintage Wheels at the Fort Show at Fort Omaha March Eat-out at Azteca Mexican Restaurant The Mexican food lovers were out in force for our Eat Out at the Azteca Mexican Restaurant Thursday, March 21 st. Folks commented on the large portions of food that came out on very hot plates. My Spanish isn t any better, but I sure felt full when we were done eating. Those who were present were: Dave Miller and I, Ed & Susan Dellinger, Lee Hendrix, Bob & Mary McKinney, Don & Janet Graves, Don & Karen Noodell, Jack & Kayla Sanford, Dave & Cindy Uhrich, and Gayle & Nancy Hanshaw! Submitted by Esther Miller COME JOIN US! April eat-out will be at Summer Kitchen April 18th at 6:30PM Summer Kitchen LaVista is at 12010 Giles Rd. Point of Contact: The Millers (402-593-2009) Looking ahead: May Eat-out: Kelley s Fish and Seafood in Blair TREATS AT THE MEETING There will be a sign-up sheet at the meeting to sign up to bring treats to upcoming meetings. Please consider signing up. 2
Upcoming Events An Afternoon at the Lofte Theater April 7 at 2:00PM The club is planning on attending a presentation of the Calendar Girls at the Lofte Theater for the 2:00 pm show on Sunday April 7 th in Manley, NE. This is a hilarious comedy that all starts from a women s group trying to buy a recliner. Tickets are $22 each and can be purchased over the phone with a credit card by calling (402) 234-2553 and then picked up at the ticket office the day of the performance. Following the theater we will go to Parker s in Ashland for dinner. This should be a fun activity, so join your fellow member for a few laughs, and some good food. Howard Denker It s not too late to get your tickets, but be careful if you decide to get them online. Howard found out that there are online sites that say they are selling tickets, but they cost more and the theatre doesn t even accept them. The only ones they accept are sold by etix. Start by going to https://www.lofte.org and click the Tickets button. Make sure the address goes to etix. Manifold-cooked Brunch May 5 -- Meet at 10:30AM Y all know that the manifold on a Model A gets really hot when you are driving, right? Well, we are going to use that heat to cook our brunch dishes for our May 5 Brunch at the park in Plattsmouth. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that we will be warming our food on our manifolds because we are going to start with food that is already cooked. This is kind of an experiment, so we don t want to end up with uncooked food. We have very little experience with manifold cooking, but we will all have some after this event! We will meet at 10:30AM at the north side of the Buckey s at 84th and Frederick (across from Mangelsen s) to get our food all situated on our manifolds and plan to leave by about 11AM. Then, we will drive to the park in Plattsmouth to eat our brunch. We will be chatting ahead of time with everyone who signs up about what to bring. There are so many possibilities. Be thinking about what you want to bring. Here are some possibilities: Meats like bacon, breakfast sausage, ham. Breads like muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones Casseroles like Hashbrowns and Eggs, overnight French Toast. Combinations like biscuits and gravy Plates, eating utensils, napkins and coffee will be furnished. We will have fun figuring out what works best. What s the worst that could happen? See this Santa Clara Valley Model A Club booklet for inspiration (but let s not try out their ambitious recipes yet.) We can use foil packages like they suggest or use disposable foil pans, depending on what you plan to bring. 3
Ah-ooga I have received a couple of requests for a tech talk on making the Model A Horn work and sound better. This is a good idea and maybe we will be successful. Horns are sometimes touchy as to how well they work maybe good for a while and then no sound at all when the button is pushed or worse yet, sound kind of like a sick cow. So, let s take a look at ways to hopefully make your horn sound good. See you at the meeting. Don It s time for Second Saturday Soirée again! The topic for the April session will be fuse block assembly and installation on members cars to protect the electrical system. This is a continuation of Howard s Tech Talk at the February meeting. As in most cases, some assembly is required. Well, this is the case here, too. Hopefully, all those interested in this fuse system can be on hand to assemble their fuse blocks and install them on their A s. If you missed the February Tech Talk but are interested in this topic, feel free to come to the Soirée to check it out. Should you have any questions on the fuse block, please e-mail Howard or call him at 402-333-1393. If you have questions on getting to Don s shop, call Don at 402-659-1815. One other question who is bring donuts?? Coffee will be available. Highway 36 Litter Pickup. The Highway Pickup is scheduled for 20 April, with a 27 April rain date. I would like to thank all the members that have signed up to support the Club on this activity. Many hands make for a light load. So if you have signed up, please show up. We can make it easy, and with sufficient help, it can also be fun. We will meet at Cubby s at 156 St. and Highway 36 at 10:00 as usual and then proceed to the pickup sight. After the pickup we will have lunch together at a spot to be agreed upon. Howard Denker Hens Nest Plans for the Next Three Months April May June Bring a baby picture of yourself. We will make it into a contest and see who can identify the most photos with prizes for the top three winners/guessers! Bring your graduation photo. Be prepared to share what you wanted to do after graduation and what you actually did! Bring your wedding photo. Share one special memory from the day. For those who don t know, Hens Nest is what we call the Ladies get together while the men have a Tech Talk at Regular Meetings. These activities will allow us to know each other better and share some laughs from our younger days! 4
Lots of good food. Just look at the plate of Nachos that Jean Rima got! Some really serious dice rolling! The lucky winners were: Ladies High Dot Gertner, Lori Rima & Mary Denker They rolled for the prize and Dot got it. Ladies Low Jean Rima & Kayla Sanford They rolled for the prize and Jean got it. Men s High LeRoy Rima No rolling necessary Men s Low Larry Blecha & Howard Denker They rolled for the prize and Larry got it. Those attending were Jason Suggs, Don, Janet, Jeff Graves, LeRoy and Jean Rima, Bruce and Lori Rima, Howard and Mary Denker, Larry and Elaine Blecha, El and Dot Gertner, and Jack and Kayla Sanford. 5
90 years ago 1929 From http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1929.html New Model A prices (in 1929), FOB Detroit Body Style 1929 Phaeton $440 Roadster $435 Standard Coupe $500 Business Coupe $490 Special Coupe $510 Sport Coupe $530 Tudor $500 Fordor $600 Town Sedan $670 Cabriolet $645 Taxi $800 Town Car $1,200 From https://mafca.com/data_new_prices.html Jim s Tech Tip from the MAFCA on the Go Newsletter Don't Blow "A" Head Gasket, Maintain Your Battery Water in the Battery??? Yes, if your Model A battery has caps that you can remove to see inside, you need to add water to the cells on a regular basis. Charging the battery boils the water off while you drive. If the plates inside the battery are exposed to air, it ruins them and reduces your battery s storage capacity. So you need to check the water level about once a month. Unfortunately, the battery access plate in the front floorboard provides a small opening to work through. Not very easy to add water to each cell. I ve tried pouring water in from above and just made a mess! Here s my tip: Get a plastic syringe (100 to 150 cc) from a pharmacy or feed store and put a 6-8 piece of vacuum hose on the end of it. Pour some distilled water into a clean cup. Now, draw water up into the syringe and use the hose end to squirt water into each battery cell, to bring the liquid level back up to the bottom of the vent well (see figure). Remember that this is sulfuric acid in the battery. Don t splash it up by spraying the water into the cell too fast. Don t let the end of the hose go into the acid. Please wear safety glasses while working around a battery. Have a Model A Day! Jim Cannon 6
Our Club Library Are you a wannabe Librarian? Do you have room for 3 bookcases (3 feet wide and 6 feet tall)? Here s your chance! Mary McKinney has housed our library for 10 years and she wants to find a new home for it. Hosting the library is a service to the club that doesn t take much work. If someone requests a magazine or book, you just bring it to a meeting or have that person come to pick it up. Mary says that has not happened often in recent years. In the meantime, you have the library all right at your fingertips to read many years worth of The Restorer and Model A News plus several books and other resources. See a partial list below. Sadly, if we can t find a new home, we will have to find something else to do with this collection. Any ideas? The Legendary Model A Ford Krause publications 1999 Wheels for the World 1903-2003 Penguin Group 2003 Henry's Lady Evergreen Press 1972 Automobile Quarterly Vol XII, Number 4 1974 Uncle Henry's Ford Rouge-One Man's Perspective 1965-1998 Moore Publishing 2008 Ford Model A Album compiled by Floyd Cramer & Leslie Henry 1960 How to Restore Your Model A Volumes 4 MAFCA 1988 How to Restore Your Model A Volumes 5 MAFCA 1994 How to Restore Your Model A Volumes 6 MAFCA 1999 Model A Ford Mechanics Handbook Les Andrews 1998 Antique Ford Repaint Manual -1928-1936 Ditzler 1962 Model A Ford Paint & Finish Guide MAFCA 1991 Model A Judging Standards & Restoration Guidelines MAFCA & MARC 1974 Ford Model "A" Instruction Book Ford Motor Company 1928 Door & Deck Lid Handles -MAFCA National Meet 2000 Ron Accornero 2000 VHS tapes Ford at the Races -55 minutes Lorin Sorensen 1992 It's Ford for '40-50 minutes Lorin Sorensen 7
Member News Contact Mary McKinney (402-332-3993; MaryBobMcKinney@cox.net if you have any member news, good or bad, that you would like to share. Members Birthdays and Anniversaries We have received word that two former members have passed away. Mike Spangenberg passed away on January 10, 2019 in Council Bluffs. Mike and his wife, Rosie, were members from 1987 to 1992. Frank Wolfe passed away on March 16, 2019 in Judsonia Arkansas. Frank was a member from 1972 to 1988. Jan Hartenhoff has been in the hospital with blood clot and blood pressure problems. Former member Gene Partridge has been hospitalized with a broken hip. We wish them both a speedy recovery. Flood Woes! As far as we know, none of our members have lost a Model A to the flood. Rands and Noodells did get water pretty close to their homes. April Day Name Event 10 Katie Musel Birthday 13 Tony Hartenhoff Birthday 16 Linda Beiriger Birthday 17 Charlie Earnest Birthday 19 Jim Musel Birthday 26 Millie Jankowski Birthday 29 Bob & Mary McKinney Anniversary 29 Dick Knapp Birthday May Day Name Event 4 Daniel Leddy Birthday 5 Cori Vance Birthday 8 Marilyn Cahalane Birthday 9 Ken Grigsby Birthday 11 Ed & Susan Dellinger Anniversary 16 Cindy Uhrich Birthday 17 Roger Sebeneicher Birthday 21 Barney Deden Birthday 22 Rose Wanek Birthday 24 Jill Musel Birthday 27 Dick & Mary Knapp Anniversary 28 Greg Bowden Birthday 28 Howard & Mary Denker Anniversary 30 Nadine Schmid Birthday The lucky winner of the Split Pot at the March meeting was Jim Musel. The Kitty was won by El Gertner. Any member may attend a Board Meeting, but be sure to check with Esther. The room in which we usually meet at Sump Library in Papillion has room for several guests, but sometimes we get bumped to a smaller room. 8
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The Meadowlark Club is a chapter of both national clubs. This is the official publication of the Meadowlark Chapter. Members may publish at no cost, ads for items wanted, for sale, or trade. They are also invited to submit technical Model A information and other interesting tidbits. Material should reach the editor by the last Saturday of the month. The Newsletter Editor is Janet Graves (janet@omahaneb.org, 402-453-7166) MAFCA http://www.mafca.com/ MARC http://www.modelaford.org/ Club Address: PO Box 6011, Omaha, NE 68106 2019 Officers President Esther Miller 402-593-2009 daemiller@cox.net VP/Pres-Elect Howard Denker 402-333-1393 popoutomaha@centurylink.net Secretary Nancy Hanshaw 402-423-4448 nchanshaw@gmail.com Treasurer Janet Graves 402-453-7166 janet@omahaneb.org 2019 Board of Directors Brian Gernandt 402-253-1885 bjgernandt@gmail.com Jeff Graves 402-332-9218 dudleygraves@hotmail.com Dave Miller 402-593-2009 daemiller@cox.net Jim Musel 402-995-1005 jim.musel@hmtrucking.com Bruce Rima 402-533-8198 brucerima@yahoo.com Monthly meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month (except January) at 6:30PM 2019 meetings will be at the Elks Lodge 6410 S 96th ST UNLESS we get bumped. Be sure to watch the newsletter for changes. We have decided to continue having our general meetings at the Elks Lodge for 2019. If you hear of a meeting place that might work for us in the future, be sure to mention it to a Board Member. Membership dues for the Meadowlark Club are $24.00 per year. Membership in one of the national clubs is required. You may join both national clubs if you wish. MAFCA dues are $50.00 per year and MARC dues are $45.00 per year. Prospective Members: Please call Membership Chairman, Don Graves, (402-453-7166) for more information. Club web address: http://meadowlarks.omahaneb.org Club web master: Janet Graves (janet@omahaneb.org) Newsletter editor: Janet Graves (janet@omahaneb.org)