Jul 13, 2011 ... PO Box 416, Cavalier, North Dakota 58220. Periodicals ...... boys and floored the
Chevy, never to see the Ford .... difficult to hot-wire. Thanks for ...
Photo © by Don Spiro Photography
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Founded 1957
Nineteen-time Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill Award winner
March - April, 2011
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Volume 52 Number 3
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1949 convertibles n A r – 19 i
Photo by Mark J. McCourt
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Tom Mulligan’s 1949 Special Deluxe convertible
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Founded 1957
Richard Wahrendorff’s 1949 Special Deluxe convertible formerly owned by Dan Kilpatrick
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TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS Plymouth® Owners Club, Inc.
®Plymouth is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC and is used by special permission.
MEMBERSHIP The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is published bi-monthly by the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc., PO Box 416, Cavalier, North Dakota 58220. Periodicals postage paid at Grafton, ND. Membership is open to all persons genuinely interested in Plymouth or Fargo vehicles. Ownership of a club recognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for club membership. Club dues entitle members to receive all BULLETIN issues published within the 12 month period following establishment or renewal of membership. Membership in the Plymouth Owners Club is a prerequisite for membership in one of its regions. DUES Dues for first-time members are $32 per year payable in US funds. Renewals are $30 per year payable in US funds. Payment can be made by VISA or MasterCard. No personal checks outside of USA please. Overseas members may get airmail delivery for $45 per year. MEETS National meets are sponsored by the Plymouth Owners Club. Such meets are held on a rotating basis with location of the meets determined by local regions upon application to the Officers and Board of Directors. Notice of the dates and locations of such meets will be announced in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. At least one meet will be held east of the Mississippi River and one meet west of the Mississippi with meets held in the Spring, Summer and/or Fall. On years ending in "8" a single Grand National Meet is held in the Detroit area in honor of Plymouth's 1928 beginning. AWARDS &TROPHIES MAYFLOWER AWARD is awarded to the highest scoring 4dr sedan not winning Best of Show at each national meet. EDITOR’S AWARDS are presented annually by the Editor for outstanding contributions by the members to the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. JUDGING CLASSES Class 8 -- 1960-61 full size; 1965-77 C-body Class 1 -- 1928-1932 Class 9 -- 1964-1974 Barracuda Class 10 - Commercial (pickup, sdn del, stn wgn) Class 2 -- 1933-1939 Class 3 -- 1940-1948 Class 11 - 1976-80 F-, 78-89 M-, ‘80-81 R-bodies Class 4 -- 1949-1954 Class 12 - 1978-2001 FWD Class 5 -- 1955-1959 Class 13 - 1997-2001 Prowler Class 6 -- 1960-76 Val. Class 14 - 1971-1994 imports Class 7 -- 1962-78 B-body Senior -- Best of Show cars since1996 JUDGING GROUPS: Group I: 1928-39 / Group II: 1940-59 / Group III:1960-89 RWD / Group IV:1971-2001 FWD & imports MEMBERSHIP ROSTER A complete listings of all current members along with their address and Plymouth and/or Fargo vehicles roster can be downloaded at any time via e-mail or member can obtain a disc with the information. Contact Membership Secretary Jim Benjaminson. ADDRESS CHANGES The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is mailed by periodicals postage. The postal service WILL NOT FORWARD YOUR COPIES IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS. If you plan to move, use the postal address change form on the cover and send it to the Membership Secretary BEFORE you move. The Plymouth Owners Club WILL NOT replace issues not received because of an address change. NON-DELIVERY OF THE BULLETIN If you have any questions or problems, direct your inquiries to the Membership Secretary. BULLETIN DEADLINE DATES for ads, articles, photographs, etc. Jan-Feb -- Dec. 10 Jul-Aug -- Jun. 10 Mar-Apr -- Feb. 10 Spt-Oct -- Aug. 10 May-Jun -- Apr. 10 Nov-Dec -- Oct. 10 Articles, etc., submitted to the BULLETIN CANNOT be returned to the author for review prior to publication. ALL submissions are subject to editing. RETURN OF PHOTOS AND ARTICLES All items sent to the BULLETIN will be returned if requested with a SASE (please DO NOT affix US stamps to the return envelope--as it will be mailed from Canada--but enclose within envelope). MAIL DATE The BULLETIN is to be mailed by the last week of the even numbered month of the cover date (i.e. the Jan-Feb issue is to be mailed in February, etc.). ADVERTISING POLICY Please refer to the complete advertising policy printed in the Marketplace section. TECHNICAL ADVICE Technical questions may be submitted to the individual advisor for each model. Technical questions should be brief and specific. A SASE should be included with your enquiry (please do not affix stamps if mailed out-of-country but enclose within envelope).
GROUP I Earl Buton, Jr.
GROUP II Dave Geise
Woodstock, NY 12498-1013
08015-5664
2366 Glasco Trnpk.
GROUP III
417 Tennessee Tr. Browns Mills, NJ
GROUP IV Merrill Berkheimer Chris Suminski 36640 Hawk Rd. 27090 Jean Rd Hazard, NE Warren, MI 68844 48093
TECHNICAL ADVISORS
1928 Q Earl Buton, Jr. (see address above)
(845) 679-6185
[email protected]
1929 U Jeff C. Buton 275 Dutchtown Road Saugerties, NY 12477 (845) 247-3158
[email protected]
1930 30U - 1931 PA Robert McMulkin Box 40
1950 P19, P20 David Pollock Box 196 Shawnigan Lake, BC VOR 2W0 CANADA
[email protected]
1951-53 Neil Riddle 20303 8th Ave NW, Shoreline,WA 98177-2107
[email protected]
1965-66 C-Body William D. Coble, Jr. 331 N. Roosevelt St. Shawnee, OK 74801 (405) 275-4004
1966-67 B-Body Art Schlachter 2056 Cardinal Dr.
Danville, KY40422-9732
(859) 236-9487
[email protected]
1954 Darrell Davis 100 Tech Drive Sanford, FL 32771
1967 C-Body Bill Gallop, Jr. 201 Park St.
Woodstock, NY12498-1076
1955 Jason Rogers 123 Carterwoods Drive
[email protected]
(478) 953-4760
Mark E. Olson 707 4th Street Proctor, MN 55810-1722 (218) 624-4482
Lemon Springs, NC 28355
[email protected]
1932 PB Bruce E. Buton 2366 Glasco Tnpk. (845) 657-6287
1933 Robert Davis 1870 Eldon Rd, RR1 Woodville, ON KOM 2T0
(705) 374-5059
[email protected]
CANADA
1934 Edward R. Peterson 32 Crane Road Walpole, MA 02081 plymouth34@hotmail
1935 - 1936 Wayne Brandon 5715 Forest Green Dr. Perry, MI 48872-9197 (517) 675-5717
[email protected]
1937 Robert L. Semichy 18220 Daves Ave.
Monte Sereno, CA 95030 (408) 395-4968
1938 John Sbardella 11 Heritage Path Millis, MA 02054
[email protected]
1939 Roy G. Kidwell; 9 St. Andrews Garth;
Severna Park, MD 21146 (410) 987-6081
[email protected]
1940 Jim Benjaminson Box 345 Walhalla, ND 58282-0345 1941 Larry W. Jenkins Rt. 1, Box 127 Belleville, WV 26133-9728
[email protected]
1942 William Leonhardt 10100 Fletcher Ave.
Lincoln, NE 68527-9735 (402) 467-2222
1946-49 P15 Frank J. Marescalco 2610 D Street
New Bedford, MA 02740 (407) 330-9100, 701-4493cell (508) 993-0619
[email protected] 1968 C-Body
Warner Robins, GA 31088
[email protected]
1956 Chris Suminski 27090 Jean Rd Warren, MI 48093
(586) 933-7404, cell
[email protected]
1956-58 Fury Tom VanBeek 3006 Emerald Street WestBend, WI 53095 (262) 338-8986
[email protected]
1957-58 Wally Breer 66 Stanway Bay Mitchell, MB R5G 1H5 CANADA
[email protected]
1959 Robert Hinds 1292 Daventry Court Birmingham, AL 35243
[email protected]
1960 Sav/Belv/Fury Randy Wilson PO Box 647 Maxwell, CA 95955 (430) 438-2376 1960-76 A-body Bruce Pine 1458 Nunneley Road Paradise, CA 95969 (530) 876-7463
[email protected]
1961 Sav/Belv/Fury
John Thurman Wiggins 677 Winklers Road Red Boiling Springs, TN 37150 (615) 504-3746
[email protected]
1962 B-Body Gerald Klinger 1027 N.W. 1st Gresham, OR 97030 (503) 665-8330
[email protected]
1963 B-Body Darrell Davis (see 1954) 1964-65 B-Body Rob Elliott 307 - 30 Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 2E2
Omaha, NE 68107-1622 (402)
[email protected] CANADA
[email protected]
[email protected]
1968-70 B-Body Clif Nelson 7038 117th Ave. NE Adams,ND 58210
[email protected]
1969-71 C-Body Edwin C. Hill 412 West Temple St. Lenox, IA 50851-1228
[email protected]
1971-01 4-cylinder; FWD
Chris Suminski (see 1955-56)
1971-72 B-Body Edward F. Weingart 334 Creekview Dr Hampstead, NC 28443
[email protected] 1974-77 C-body Wally Breer (see 1957-58) 1975-78 B-body Ed Lanfer 6201 Wade Avenue St. Louis, MO 63139-3108
[email protected]
1976-80 F-body Wayne & Karen Fowler 6902 Ruckles Road Mt. Airy, MD 21771 (301) 831-7150
[email protected] 1978-89 M-body Michael Bonadonna
455 North Cherry Pop Drive Inverness, FL 34453-7975
(352) 341-1019
[email protected] 1980-81 R-body
Chris Suminski (see 1955-56)
Plymouth Commercial Bob Manke 6037 E. Canal Rd. Lockport NY 14094 (716) 625-4048
[email protected]
Fargo Commercial Cam D. Clayton Box 725, Kaslo, BC V0G1M0 CANADA
[email protected]
Advisors wanted: 1949; 1970-74 E-body; 1972-73 C-body; 1973-74 B-body
V
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u th n er s Cl ub Pl y m oou t h Ow Own ub
HS format video cassettes are available to club members on a rental basis. Rental fees: Plymouth Club regional meetings: no charge / Individual member for personal viewing: $5 / Member or non-member for group showing to car clubs, fraternal organizations, schools, etc: $10. Only one cassette will be mailed at one time. You must make advance reservation requests (at least three weeks in advance). Cassettes must be returned via 1st Class mail within 24 hours following showdate. Cassettes cannot be mailed outside the U.S. CANADIAN ORDERS can be placed with: Rita Green,
[email protected]; (250) 383-2034. Rental: $8, plus $7 postage, Cdn funds. Renter responsible for return postage. Detailed descriptions of each cassette are listed in BULLETIN No. 187 and 1994 Roster.
Video Library Larry Nuesch, 77 Meadowbrook Lane Chalfont, PA 18914-2822 (215) 822-9584
[email protected]
Please order by number:
R1 - Pan-American Hwy Expedition,1940-41 R2 - Dodge Power Wagon R3 - The Airflow R4 - Plymouth: The Early Years R5 - 1935-36 Plymouths R6 - Chrysler's Turbine-powered cars R7 - 1937-38 Plymouths R8 - 1939-41 Plymouths R9 - Dodge: The Early Years R10- Sales Comparison: 1937,'38 Plymouth, Ford, Chevrolet R11- Jeep R12- 1955-56 Plymouths
PLYMOUTH BULLETIN back issues:
102 - Jan/Feb '77 111 - Jul/Aug '78 113 - Nov/Dec '78 116 - May/Jun '79 117 - Jul/Aug '79 119 - Nov/Dec '79 142 - Sep/Oct ‘83 146 - May/Jun '84 147 -Jul/Aug ‘84 149 - Nov/Dec '84 151 - Mar/Apr '85 158 - Mar/Apr ‘86 163 - Mar/Apr '87 187 - Mar/Apr ‘91 192 - Jan/Feb '92 194 - May/Jun '92 195 - Jul/Aug '92 196 - Sep/Oct '92 197 - Nov/Dec '92 201 - Jul/Aug '93 202 - Sep/Oct '93 204 - Jan/Feb '94 205 - Mar/Apr '94 207 - Jul/Aug '94 208 - Sep/Oct '94 209 - Nov/Dec '94 210 - Jan/Feb '95 211 - Mar/Apr ‘95 212 - May/Jun '95 214 - Sep/Oct '95 215 - Nov/Dec'95 216 - Jan/Feb '96 217 - Mar/Apr '96 218 - May/Jun '96 219 - Jul/Aug ‘96 220 - Sep/Oct '96 221- Nov/Dec '96 222 - Jan/Feb '97 223 - Mar/Apr '97 224 - May/Jun '97 225 - Jul/Aug '97 226 - Sep/Oct '97 227- Nov/Dec '97 229 - Mar/Apr ‘98 231 - Jul/Aug '98 232 - Sep/Oct '98 233 - Nov/Dec '98 234 - Jan/Feb ‘99 235 - Mar/Apr ‘99 236 - May/Jun ‘99 237 - Jul/Aug ‘99 238 - Sep/Oct ‘99 239 - Nov/Dec ‘99 241 - Mar/Apr ‘00 242 - May/Jun ‘00
Page 1
Spotlight Sketches, 1928-35 50th Anniversary Plymouth Meet 1978 Fall Meet Old Cars Price Guide; 1953-54 ads Retail sales bulletins 1979 Fall Meet Life of Walter P. Chrysler Plymouth in Australia Fargo commercial vehicles Plymouth in Norway, Sweden, Denmark Plymouth-bodied Dodges, DeSotos Turbine cars 1962 Plymouths; Chrysler Engineering Bldg. 1958 Plymouth 1960 Plymouth 1938 Plymouth 1932 PB Plymouth; '92 Denver Spring Meet 1967 Plymouths; '92 Indy Summer Meet 1942 Plymouth; Richard Petty tribute 1961 Plymouth; '93 Kansas City Spring Meet 1968 Plym.; '93 Plymouth (MA) Summer Meet 1928-30 Plymouth Models Q & U Plymouth miscellany Maxwell history; Ellis (KS) meet 1930-31 30U Plym.; '94 Faribault Spring Meet 1994 Newark (DE) Fall Meet 1969 Plymouths 1949 Plymouths Mayflower mascots; Petty '49 1955 Plymouth; '95 Frederick (MD) Summer Mt. 1995 Nebr. City Fall Meet WWII Plymouths Plymouth dealerships Plymouth miscellany 1954 Plymouth Des Moines Spring Meet; '54 Plymouth Newark Fall Meet; '54 accessories 1970-71-72 Plymouths 1957-63 Australian Chrysler Royals 1970 Superbird 1997 Kansas City Spring Meet 1997 Annapolis Fall Meet 40th Anniversary issue First Valiants; Mayflower winners 1973 Plymouths 1998 Grand National Meet 1998 Great Race ‘32 PB; GN Meet revisited 1946-49 P15 50th Anniversary 1960-74 Plymouth A-, B-, C-bodies 1974 Plymouths 1999 Springfield (IL) Spring Meet 1999 Hancock (MA) Summer Meet 1949 P17/18 50th Anniversary 1999 Doylestown (PA) Fall Meet 1966 Valiants; 74-81 Trail Duster
243 - Jul/Aug ‘00 244 - Sep/Oct ‘00 245 - Nov/Dec ‘00 247 - Mar/Apr ‘01 248 - May/Jun ‘01 249 - Jul/Aug ‘01 252 - Jan/Feb ‘02 253 - Mar/Apr ‘02 254 - May/Jun ‘02 255 - Jul/Aug‘02 256 - Sep/Oct‘02 257 - Nov/Dec 02 258 - Jan/Feb 03 259 - Mar/Apr‘03 262 - Sept/Oct ‘03 264 - Jan/Feb ‘04 266 - May/Jun ‘04 267 - Jul/Aug ‘04 268 - Sept/Oct ‘04 269 - Nov/Dec ‘04 270 - Jan/Feb ‘05 271- Mar/Apr ‘05 272- May/Jun ‘05 273 - Jul/Aug ‘05 274 - Sep/Oct ‘05 275 - Nov/Dec ‘05 276 - Jan/Feb ‘06 277 - Mar/Apr ‘06 280-Sep/Oct ‘06 282-Jan/Feb ‘07 283-Mar/Apr ‘07 286-Sep/Oct ‘07 287-Nov/Dec ‘07 288-Jan/Feb ‘08 289-Mar-Apr ‘08 290- May/Jun ‘08 291-Jul-Aug ‘08 294-Jan/Feb ‘09 295-Mar/Apr ‘09 296-May/Jun ‘09 297-Jul/Aug ‘09 298 - Sep/Oct ‘09 299 - Nov/Dec ‘09 300 - Jan/Feb ‘10 301 - Mar/Apr ‘10 302 - May/Jun ‘10 303 - Jul/Aug ‘10 304 - Sep/Oct ‘10 305 - Nov/Dec ‘10 306 - Jan/Feb ‘11
R13- Performance Comparisons: 1962,'63,'64 Plymouth, Ford, Chevrolet R14- Land Speed attempts, 1960 R15- Thrill Shows & Hell Driving R16- Ford Motor Company R17- Pierce-Arrow & Studebaker R18- Miscellaneous Marques R19- Armand Denis Expedition, #1 R20- Armand Denis Expedition, #2 R21- Armand Denis Expedition, #3 R22- Dodge: The Forties R23- Dodge Trucks R24- 1937-38 Dodge R25- 1994 rebuild of 1894 Springfield Duryea National Meet Videos: '85 Moberly Spring; '85
Hershey Fall; '86 Hershey Fall; '87 Newark Fall; '88 Detroit Grand National; '89 DesMoines Spring; '89 Sturbridge Summer; '90 Calgary Spring; '90 Newark Fall; '91 Hastings Spring; '92 Denver Spring; '92 Indy Summer; '92 Newark Fall; '93 Kansas City Spring; '93 Plymouth, MA, Summer; '94 Ellis Chrysler Home parade; '94 Newark Fall. 1956 Plymouths 2000 Rapid City (SD) Spring Meet, ‘56 Ply, cont 1950 P19/20 50th Anniversary Plymouth at races; ‘75 Ply; ‘74-83 Voyager Ply Down Under, ‘56 Miniatures, ‘32 PB sequels 2001 Reedsburg (WI) Spring Meet 2001 Newark (DE) Fall Meet Plymouth voyages; Arrow pickup; ‘51 sequels 1960-61 Plymouths; Stretched Plymouths 1976-77 Plymouths (Volaré) 2002 Hollywood (MD) Spring Meet 2002 Grand Rapids (MN) Summer Meet;‘52 50th Touring with Plymouths; ‘83 Scamp pickup 1928-29: Plymouth’s first years 1953 Plymouth 50th Anniversary Most Significant Plymouths 1954 Plymouth 50th Anniversary 1964-74 Barracuda Anniversary; Ont. 4cyl. meet Plymouths at Iola ‘04; Maxwell Centennial Tour 2004 Battle Creek Summer Meet; ME 4 cyl meet Plymouth Travels with P10 cnv; P15 wgn Finding Mrs. Miller, ower of milestone Plys. Valiant history; Yellow Rose ‘40; Swedish ‘49 ‘55 Plymouth 50th Anniversary 2005 Peoria Spring Meet; Woodies 2005 Vermont Summer Meet; 4cyl, Ont/Ohio Plymouths in Alaska, Hawaii; Fargo tanker Plymouth Belmont; Valiant convertibles 2006 Indy Spring Meeet; Ont. 4cyl Meet Club history-1; ‘29-31 Fargo trucks Club history-2; Fargo at Work, northern roads Club history-5; ‘07 Tulsarama; ‘57 Plymouths Club history-6; ‘07 Carolina Nat Fall Meet Ply deuces:‘32,‘42,‘52,‘62,‘72; Econ Run Plys Ply Memories: long-term owners; Econ Run Plys Ply Memories: Petty; Aust. utes; Econ Run Plys ‘57 Again; Ont 4cyl meet; Dempster Hwy 50th of the ‘58s Plymouths of the Southern Hemisphere Plymouth Things, Movies; ‘36, ‘50, ‘63 Plys ‘59 50th Anniv; Ont. 4cyl tour 2009 Wisconsin Summer Meet; ‘66 Sport Fury 2009 Maryland Fall Meet Reprise: Tüscher; Plainsman; Berkheimer Memorials; Italian ‘28-9; ‘71 police Fury Ply weddings; ‘31 PA travels; NZ Plys ‘60 Plymouth 50th anniversary 2010 Portland Summer Meet; oldest Ply 4 cyl tour Vermont; Tüscher PJ; driving P15s Peking to Paris ‘32; ‘31, ‘54, ‘60 Plys
All back issues: $3 ea. Postage: to USA,1 BULLETIN $2; 2-3 $4.95; 4 or more $8; to Canada: $2.50/BULLETIN; Overseas: $4/BULLETIN Please make all checks payable to the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. Payment may be made by VISA or Master Card. Please list second choices as many issues are in short supply. Plymouth Club Store is in the process of being reor-
ganized; please await annoucement of reopening.
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Plymouth ® Owne rs C lub Box 416 Cavalier, ND 58220-0416
Phone: (701) 549-3746 Fax: (701) 549-3744 e-mail:
[email protected] plymouthbulletin.com
The Plymouth Bulletin
No. 307
March-April, 2011
LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor (204) 889-8008 288 Strathmillan Road, Winnipeg, MB R3J 2V5 CANADA
[email protected] or
[email protected]
FOUNDER-DIRECTOR Jay M. Fisher Acken Drive 4-B Clark, NJ 07066-2902 (732) 388-6442
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Earl Buton, Jr. 2366 Glasco Turnpike Woodstock, NY 12498-1076 (845) 679-6185
[email protected]
OFFICERS 2010-11 PRESIDENT Nick DeSimone 1423 Pecan Grove Dr. Diamond Bar, CA 91765-2536 (909) 861-4950
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT Bobbi Berkheimer 36640 Hawk Road Hazard, NE 68844 (308) 452-3980
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY-TREASURER Jim Benjaminson Box 345 Walhalla, ND 58282-0345 (701) 549-3746
[email protected]
CORRESPONDING SEC. Tom Nachand 5215 NW Cavalier Ave. Lincoln City, OR 97367 (541) 764-2011
[email protected]
B ULLETIN EDITOR Lanny D. Knutson 288 Strathmillan Road Winnipeg MB R3J 2V5 CANADA (204) 889-8008
[email protected]
(586) 752-3140
[email protected]
DIRECTO R 2 0 1 0 - 1 5 Robert S. Kerico 4640 Boardwalk Smithton , IL 62285-3662 (618) 444-6966
[email protected]
1949 convertibles pe
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DIRECTOR 2008-13 (Judging) Joe Suminski 68226 Winchester Court Washington, MI 48095-1244
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MARK MCCORD PHOTO
(218) 326-5965
[email protected]
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DIRECTO R 2 0 0 6 - 11 Carl D. Wegner 19600 Cardinal Drive Grand Rapids, MN 55744-6189
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From the Editor THORSTEN LARSSON PHOTO
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Open Air ‘49 T
his BULLETIN’s theme didn’’t develop in the usual way. There was no long-range plan to devote an issue soley to convertibles from 1949. Nobody suggested, “Hey, let’s do an issue on ‘49 ragtops.” Of all things, this issue’s theme began with an ad, a rather persistent ad, at that. Some of you may have been aware of the recurring ad in the CARS WANTED section, placed by one Dallas Wiese of Toledo, Iowa, for a driveable ‘49 convertible, preferably blue like the one he had when he and his wife, Joyce, were married (now, 60 years ago). I figured that there had to be a story in this and so I inquired. Sure enough, there is… and this issue has it. I then checked through my computer files and found a couple ‘49 convertible stories I had saved from regional newsletters, namely Larry Stanton’s and Tom Mulligan’s. Not much later, I received Bob Drown’s account of meeting Richard Wahrendorff and his ‘49 convertible. Checking further, I discovered that Richard had recently purchased his car from fellow member Dan Kilpatrick and that when it was in Dan’s possession, the convertible had been the subject of a Hemmings Classic Car article. Not only that, but Tom Mulligan’s ‘49 “droptop” had also been featured in an HCC article two years earlier. Contacting Jim Donnelly of HCC, I was able to receive permission to reprint the two articles and to contact the photographers for their pictures and permission to use them. Thus, this issue took shape. What I did not do was contact all
of the 40-some ‘49 convertible owners on our roster, requesting their contributions. With longer-range planning, that would have been possible, but there was little long-range planning with this particular issue. It simply began with material available, an idea and it went from there.
For this issue’s logo, I went to my cigar box full of dash plaques and pulled out the one from the meet which I was involved in hosting, the 1990 Spring Meet in Calgary. For that logo, I had “commissioned” a good friend, Ray Yauk, an erstwhile newspaper sports cartoonist, who had become a Lutheran minister, who was then working amongst the down-and-out street people in one of Canada’s richest cities. -2-
Ray wasn’t really a car guy. For him cars were, at best, a necessity for getting from Point A to Point B, but he was very much a people-guy, as the people on the fringes of downtown Calgary would attest. In that, and as a friend, he was interested in my life too, including my car life, and was happy to do some cartooning work for our upcoming meet. He took the ‘49 convertible from a Plymouth ad and put a friendly guy behind the wheel, waving his cowboy hat. We had our logo, thanks to Ray. Sadly, Ray died in 1997. THE NEXT BULLETIN is taking shape much the way this one has. Beginning with some ‘56 Fury material mailed to me and what I’ve had on file, I’ve contacted owners for their stories on Plymouth’s first Fury. It will be a celebration, of sorts, marking the car’s 55th anniversary. Plans are in the works for a 50th anniversary celebration, this time of the 1961 models. Owners of ‘61s, I hope to be hearing from you. I’ve also been planning to do issues on the first Valiants (1960-62) and E-body Barracudas (1970-74), but I haven’t yet received enough material to proceed. I’m still hoping to hear from owners of these Plymouths. But now for some open air, ‘49 style. – Lanny Knutson
The Plymouth Bulletin No. 307 Mar-Apr 2 0 11 LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor LEEANN LUCAS, asst. editor
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T he CLUB NEWS
Plymouth Press Plymouth Owners Club
No. 307
The Great Roster Update is on! M
embers have begun receiving the Great Roster Update card with their dues renewal notices. The first members getting the card are those with an April 30, 2011, renewal date. Roster Update cards will be included with each mailing of renewal notices. The project will take an entire year to complete, as the cards will be included with renewal notices for June 30, August 31, October 31, December 31 and February 2012. Members who do not return the card with their renewal will be asked a second time for their updated information. Please: Do not write “same as before” on the cards. List your cars, address, phone number and email address on the card. Cards returned, to date, indicate there have been many changes! One last cautionary note: PLEASE DO NOT RENEW AHEAD OF TIME! Please wait until you receive your renewal notice envelope to send in your dues. Renewing ahead of time only helps to screw up the system. If you
are going to be away during the time period of your renewal, drop me a note with your renewal so I can specialhandle it. If you are uncertain as to your renewal date, simply look at your mailing label: 22811 means your membership expires February 28, 2011; 43011 means your membership expires April 30, 2011, and so on. Please notice a change on the renewal envelopes. Directly above your mailing label are two messages: one reading “Yes, please send me a new membership card” and the other reading “No, do not send me a new membership card.” If you wish to receive a new card, check the “yes” box. If you do not want a new card, check the “no” box. If neither box is checked, I will assume you do not wish to receive a membership card and your cancelled check will act a proof of payment for your dues. Thank you for your cooperation!
– Jim Benjaminson, Membership Secretary
Speed limits posted
T
od Fitch, of California and the Golden State Region has added a speed limit chart to his “Plymouth – The First Decade” website http://ply33.com/ Misc/speed based on the contents of Benj’s Page in BULLETIN 306. The Plymouth Bulletin (ISSN 0032-1737) is published bi-monthly. Subscription through annual dues: $32 new; $30 renewal. Published by the Plymouth Owners Club, PO Box 345, 603 Central Ave, Walhalla, ND 58282-0345. Periodical postage paid at Grafton, ND 58237. POSTMASTER: Send address
Club Video Library to be shut down
W
ith the waning of VHS technology and the rising costs of postage, the POC Video Library has fallen into disuse. The videos have been kept in two libraries: one, maintained by Larry Nuesch in New Jersey and a second, managed by Rita Green of Victoria, BC, for Canadian members. The videos were loaned to members who paid a rental fee and postage costs. Larry Nuesch reports that he has sent out only one or so videos this past year. His Canadian counterpart reports she hasn’t sent out a video to a Canadian member for several years.
Membership secretary Jim Benjaminson will gather the remaining videos and store them until a decision is made as to what to do with them. Some or all videos could be copied onto DVD disks and kept for posterity, depending on the costs of doing so and the quality of reproduction. Copies could then be made, on demand, for members wishing to purchase a disk. The videos could also be simply disposed of. Contact a board member if you have suggestions concerning the videos listed on the inside back cover of each BULLETIN.
Members Remembered Stuart Riddell, Williamstown, Vermont, died on December 15, 2011, at age 62. An owner of a 1932 PB sport roadster, he had been a member since 1981. He is survived by his wife, Linda. Walter T. Trittipoe, Shady Side, Maryland, died on January 12, 2011. The owner of a 1947 P15 Special Deluxe business coupe, he had been a member since 1993. He is survived by his wife, Janette. Opal Crowe, Minden, Ontario, died on March 19, 2011, at the age of 70. She and her husband of 51 years, Don, attended nearly all four-cylinder tours with their ‘31 PAs, a coupe and a sport roadster. P h i l Volpe, New Castle, Delaware, died on March 31, 2011, at the age of 66. The former national president of the POC (2002-03) also served three terms as vice-president and five years as a director. He was the owner of two ‘67s, a Belvedere II sedan and a Satellite convertible, and a ‘69 Fury II two-door.
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From the President’s wife
Teach them while they’re young
car shows since shortly after being born. They show a wonderful enthusiasm and appreciation for old cars. They have learned car show etiquette DO NOT TOUCH. But Papa’s garage is another thing. They are allowed to sit in Papa’s old cars, and pretend they are going on trips to the store or another car show. They also help Papa by handing him tools, asking questions, and holding the flashlight. It is my hope that this love and care of what is old will stay with them and
I asked my wife to put on her thinking cap and write the president's message for Issue 307.
My
appreciation of cars began when I was young, growing up in the fifties. My older brother and I would sit in our front window and watch the cars passing by. He would teach me the names of the cars and give specific details about each that would help me remember. When I gave an incorrect answer, he responded with a smack at the back of my head. And so I learned the names and years of many of the models of the 1950s. On Papa’s Papa’s running board: three DeSimone grandchildren Justin, Gianna and Christian Unfortunately, I never learned about Grant. anything under the hood. But my love to take the Model A, so it was sold to a that they will be fixing up their own old for the cars of those years, when I was a friend. My husband, however, did not cars, someday. preteen, has stayed with me. At car lose his yearning for another “old car.” My thing is sewing. I noticed that shows, those are the ones I still graviHe maintained his love for fixing by when my children were little they wanttate toward. doing the maintenance on the cars we ed to do what I was doing. They wanted When I met my husband he did have. As our children to sew. Instead of getting them toy had a ‘31 Model A. He grew, he shared that love sewing machines, they learned on the drove the Model A and skill with the real thing. They learned to thread, sew, when we got marboys. Car shows clean and maintain the machine. To this ried, and we became an inteday they have an appreciation of the brought our first gral part of our machine, what it can do and the joy of child home lives, as did the the results. Not all of them sew anyfrom the hospiawareness of more, but they are giving their children tal in it. The the many clasopportunities to learn. nurse was hesisic “old timers” It is my belief that when a child is tant to release us we enjoyed in given hands-on experiences with the real at curbside to our daily travels. thing, they learn respect as well as love “that noisy old car.” Today we for it. It becomes a real part of them, And my appreciation have several grandchiland through this deep-seeded love and of old cars grew. dren. A couple respect, they naturally want to pass it A few years Changing oil: “In the red shirt is Christian, age 10, of them have on to future generations. in the brown shirt is Justin, age 8, and the old man is later, we moved been going to -- Charmaine DeSimone and were unable ‘ageless.’ Directly behind us is my 1940 P10 coupe.”
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2009 PLYMOUTH BULLETIN Awards Selected by Jan Peel and Bob Van Buskirk
Column:
Personal Car Stories:
“When Plymouth was the car to beat” by Clif Nelson, Issue 294 “The Lesser ‘Bees’ ” by Clif Nelson, Issue 295 “Atomic Plymouth Found!” by Jim Benjaminson, Issue 299 “Cuda man” by Clif Nelson, Issue 299
“Confessions of a Fury nut” by Wally Breer, Issue 294 “50 years of ownership” by Dave Burkart, Issue 294 “My Granddad’s Plymouth” – a parable by Kan Norton as written by Harold Norton, Issue 296 “Error in Judgment” by Greg Rager – Photos by Brad Bowling, Issue 297 “A very special wedding anniversary with Jay Leno” by Mark Olson, Issue 298
Feature Article: “Plymouth of the Southern Hemisphere” – Various authors: Phil Gander, John Goldsmith, Lanny Knutson, Brenton and Norma Hamilton, John and Carmel Kelly, Nelson Lipinski, Lars Sorensen, Adrian Stern, and Roberto Marenzi And thanks to all the photographers, Issue 295 “21st Annual 4-cylinder Plymouth Tour” by George and Sylvia Bahro, Issue 297 “Plymouths Cover the World” by Ed Wilkinson, Issue 298 “First Restoration” by Les and Marie Bennett, Issue 298 “Warning: fuel pumps for six-cylinder engines” by Cam Clayton, Issue 298 “Plymouths Shine in ‘09” by David B. Young and Dianne E. Taylor, Meet Coordinators, with photos by Mike Perlberg, Paul Connolly, and Tom Kenney, Issue 299
Plymouth Movies: “The Book” / “The movie” / “The car” / “Driving Christine” by Michael Morelli, Issue 294 “Christine the car” by Martin Sanchez, Issue 294 “Our PJ’s Movie Adventure” by Ed Hovorka, Issue 296 “Member in the Movies” by Paul Horch, Issue 296
Road Trip Feature: “Good Company” by Lanny Knutson, Issue 298
Series:
Historical Feature:
“Swedish 1935 Plymouth Memphis Bound” by Thorsten Larsson, Issue 295
“An encore in refinement” by Lanny Knutson, Issue 294 “Mid-year trim changes & series addition: 1958 Plymouth” by Jeffrey I Godshall, Issue 294 “Plymouth body plates” by Jim Benjaminson, Issue 295 “The Little Owner’s Manual” by Andy Weimann, Issue 296 “Plymouth by name” by Larry LaBrack, Issue 296 “Chrysler Factory Employee Badges” by Rob Elliott, Issue 296 “Another Diesel Plymouth” by Jim Benjaminson – Photos by Michael Noe, Issue 297
Short Feature: “Member assists Jay Len’s purchase of a Chrysler Turbine” by Mark Olson, Issue 296
Technical Article: “Earl’s parts bag” and “Sparkplug study” by Earl Buton, Issue 294 “Setting the timing on your flathead engine” by Ken Bartz, Issue 297
Letter / Photo: “And another” by John Robertson, Issue 294
2009 Best B ULLETIN Cover
Letter to the Editor:
Photo by Mike Perlberg of David Steed’s original 1928 Q Sedan, Issue 299
“Today is 24th December” by Gary Thorpe, Issue 294
Not awards but special thanks…
Photo: Plymouth Wagon, page 35, Issue 297 ‘Plymouth-Dodge’ Harley-Davidson at the Harley-Davidson Museum, by Paul Curtis, Issue 298
for all the great tributes for the many that passed away in 2009. My special thanks to Lanny Knutson, Bob and Judy Kerico (Issue 295) and Bob Van Buskirk (Issue 298) for their tributes to Stan Peel. All loved ones are missed even after all this time, as that’s the way Plymouth people are. – Jan Peel
Photography of Minis: “A Collector’s Collection” by Wally Breer, Issue 294 – Photos by Larry Schau -5-
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Benji's Page
Dwight Cervin
chased it from the original owner. The other part of the story dealt with two young lads in a shoe-box Ford sedan who kept harassing him on the road, catching up to him, then passing, then slowing down so he would have to pass them. I suppose they couldn’t figure out what that “old man” (Dad was 46 at the time) was doing driving such a hot rod as a ‘57 Bel Air convertible with fuel injection. Anyway, after several
W
hen I joined the Plymouth Club in February of 1967, the member closest to me was in Fergus Falls, Minnesota – Marlin Aagenes, who later became a good friend. In 1968 my folks and I took a trip to the west coast to visit relatives in Arizona and California. We planned it so we could coordinate with the Harrah Swap Meet in Reno, Nevada. While walking the swap meet grounds with Dad, I spotted a ‘33 Plymouth flying lady radiator cap on the ground at a vendors stand. As I reached down for it, someone else reached in and grabbed the ‘32 flying lady that was alongside it. The two of us almost knocked each other over. The “someone else” turned out to be Dwight Cervin. He was the first club member I ever met in person. He was after the ‘32 PA-PB radiator cap (I don’t remember if it was for a friend or for his touring car). I wanted the ‘33 cap for the car my dad used to have, a ‘33 PD business coupe, from which I still have the body. In later years, Dwight and his wife came and visited us in North Dakota and looked at our cars. They were driving his ‘54 Imperial at the time. Dwight and I kept in touch over the years and he shared WWII photos he had taken of some of the cars he had seen while in India: Indian versions of U.S. makes, all GM models. Dad was service manager for the local Chevrolet dealership, and in 1957 the boss’ son took delivery of a ‘57 Bel Air convertible with the 283horsepower, 283 cubic-inch fuel-
Dwight Cervin with his ‘28 Plymouth Q. Photo taken at the Motion Picture Country Home, June 1988; first place trophy
injected V8. The 283-horse version was a very rare car (if we had only known it then!). But the thing never ran right. Dad took the car to the GM Training Center in Golden Valley, Minnesota, to see if the GM techs could fix it (they couldn’t). On the trip down, two things happened: Dad came across a 1931 PA Plymouth touring car puttsing down the road. Dad said he followed it for miles just to look at it, until it finally turned off onto a side road. That had to have been Dwight’s car before he had pur-
passes, Dad said he simply pulled into the passing lane, waved “bye-bye” to the boys and floored the Chevy, never to see the Ford again. And Dad did later find a cure for the miss in the fuel-injected engine… by accident. He was leaning under the hood working on the thing when a customer came by and asked him a question. Rather than pull himself out from under the hood completely, Dad balanced himself by placing his hand on the plenum chamber and turned around to talk to the guy. The car suddenly ran perfectly. Realizing the change, Dad pulled his hand away and it started to run rough again. He placed his hand back on the same spot and it settled right down. The plenum chamber had a naked-to-the-eye flaw in it that allowed air to enter the chamber where it wasn't supposed to… problem solved after many miles and trials. I still have Dad’s service manual for that fuel injection system.
Hurrah Swap Meet, 1968: Sig Benjaminson, Jim Benjaminson (wearing that “goofy Harrah's straw hat!”), Dwight Cervin
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-- Jim Benjaminson
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Letters
The rest of the honeymoon stor y
From the Cervin family GRANDPA ( DWIGHT C ERVIN) would have felt so honored having such a large article printed about him. These magazines (copies of BULLETIN 306) will be treasured by the family members that I will sending them out to. On behalf of all of us, the Cervin family, we want to thank you for remembering our father, grandfather and brother.
HERE’ S THE REST of the story from “A New Life for the Honeymoon Car” in the BULLETIN 305. We sent a copy to Mike, and he was more than happy to give us an update. He is still doing a major renovation and says “I have pictures of the progress so far. I will get them sent to you soon. Ginnie and I are planning on being married in Hawaii in June. The honeymoon will take place another day. We are looking at taking all kids and their spouses and just having a grand time on the islands. More coming as we tie up the details.” As for our Plym 2, it is running very well and attended our Lone Star Region meeting in Austin the end of January. Richard Robertson Austin, Texas
some fantastic cars from all over the country. There weren’t many oldies, though, that weren’t all tricked out and rodded. It’s surprising how much traffic that trailer gets. If you’ve seen photos of the trailer before, note that it now has diamond plate trim around the frame and ‘32 Ford pickup fenders. Can’t wait for cruising and camping season. Here’s a photo of Betty and me at the show – we’re still kickin’. Betty and Bill Ward Sandy, Utah
Coupe’s coop
Wood wouldn’t
GREETINGS FROM U TAH! We participated in Autorama this year with “Boop’s Coupe” (the car) and “Boop’s Coop” (the trailer). The old Plymouth got a best-in-class award and the trailer got an outstanding-in-class award. It was quite a show with
John and Jean Cervin - son and daughter-in-law Christy Cervin - daughter Kristina Cervin - granddaughter Nicole Cervin Tuttle - granddaughter Mrs. Melba Cervin Smith - Dwight's 93-year-old sister
that story before, but I am familiar with Chevrolet’s counte- advertising. GM countered the claims of the superior safety of the “allsteel body” with a simple test: take a round, metal tube (like a straw) and try to bend it. No problem. Put a piece of wood (like a dowel) inside of it and then try to bend it. Impossible. Therefore a wood framed body is safer that an an steel body! (They claimed.) If you think the accident photos of the allsteel Plymouths I provided in BULLETIN 306 look bad, you ought to see the ones I have of wood-framed Chevrolets! Jim Benjaminson Walhalla, North Dakota
R EGARDING Andy Weimann’s column item about the recalled issue of the Plymouth Sales Promoter magazine with the ad about cars with wooden framework in the body: they didn’t all get recalled; I have a copy of it! I hadn’t heard
Fur y surprise WE JUST RECEIVED P LYMOUTH BULLETIN 306. What a pleasant surprise to see our 1967 Fury III on the back cover. Thank you for the recognition. Looking forward to seeing you in Rochester, Minnesota, this summer. Dean and Ardith Skinner Eureka, Illinois
Speed limits I’VE LOOKED FOR YEARS for references for speed limits
“back in the day” and had only gotten information for Ohio and California. Thank you (Jim Benjaminson) so much for your article in the January-February issue of the P LYMOUTH BULLETIN. One question: Maryland appears to be missing from the list. Do you have the 1941 speed limit for that state? Tod Fitch Sunnyvale, California
Hi Tod: Maryland 50 - dual lane highways 55. I was really surprised at the speeds in relation to the types of cars still on the road back then and as for the condition of the roads there was not that much pavement -- at least in this part of the country (North Dakota)! – JB
Toyland video As mentioned in BULLETIN 306, a video of the Soukup Toyland & Museum was made last fall but not by the myantique.com website as stated but by the iantique.com website where it is available for viewing. I found the site and joined, in order to watch the video which is titled “toy museum.” It is about 1 1/4 hour long and contains a lot of detail about what is in the museum. A lot of MOPARs along with other stuff is represented. I especially enjoyed seeing a toy garage which Harold had found. It was made in 1938 or 1939 and has a poster on the side which is a copy of the fullsized Chrysler dealership poster which we have. Terry Hoeman Columbus, Nebraska
The direct link to the Soukup Toyland video is: http://www.iantique.com/vid.php?user=News&video_id=356 -7-
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Coil polarity? I READ WITH INTEREST Donald Russell’s article on proper connection of ignition coils. Of course, I immediately ran out to check my own two ‘39 Plymouths and found that both coils have only one low-voltage terminal, which is connected to the distributor in the engine compartment. Of course, Chrysler coils of that vintage extend through the firewall, and I found the other terminal at the other end in the passenger compartment, making incorrect connection impossible. Someone once told me that Chrysler adopted this configuration to make their cars more difficult to hot-wire. Thanks for the tip, though! Bob Brown Tallahassee, Florida
The wiring diagram from the Plymouth Service Manual, 1946-1954, shows the coil wiring to be opposite of that shown in BULLETIN 306.
I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE with Dennis Cutshall. He read the article about ignition coils by Donald Russell, in the BULLETIN 306. He said the sketch showing the correct way to connect them up is inaccurate, and he even found some documentation in his service manuals. He was wondering if you had any other feedback on this. He’s just afraid people will be hooking these coils up wrong. Lee Lape Papillion, Nebraska
and also on my friend's ‘46 Dodge D25. I'm sure they are both connected wrong. I'll see if it makes a difference. LATER, AFTER BEING TOLD OF THE DISCREPANCY: I was out in the garage yesterday and checked the replacement coil on my Ford truck. I had it wired with the + side to the battery. It has been running great that way. I checked my friend's '46 Dodge and I had the coil with the - connected to the ignition. It has always been hard to start. I reversed the wiring and it fired up almost instantly. NOW I don't know what to think. I'd like to find out more about the coil thing. Right now I'm happy with the + going to the battery. Paul Horch Winnipeg, Manitoba
TODAY I RECEIVED the latest P LYMOUTH BULLETIN. It’s another great issue. I have briefly checked it out and I was glad to find the article on the ignition coil. Who knew that all these years I've been connecting those things backward? I need to check out the ignition system on my ‘52 Ford truck
‘60 supplement M AY I SUPPLEMENT Rudy Kraut’s nice article, “Plymouth ‘60: On the track and in the classroom” (BULLETIN 306)? The article speaks of some 1/64th-scale ‘60 miniatures of Petty Plymouths. While I don’t have the 1/64th-scale Number 42 of Lee Petty, I do have the 43 of Richard. It was produced by Racing Champions: www.racingchampions.com I also have a Toolbox Treasures 1/24th-scale Number 42, autographed by Richard. The “model” for this model may be the ‘60 Plymouth restored by Kim Haynes of Gastonia, North
Carolina, that is pictured and described in a book entitled Classic Stock Cars. The Haynes car very likely is not Richard’s actual 1960 racer, as it appears to be a “SkyHi” rear-window Fury. Every photo I have seen of Nos. 42 and 43 in action back in 1960 shows them to be low-rearwindow Belvedere twodoor hardtops. Still, it is a neat model and I like it not only for its autograph but also because of
its resemblance to my BigTailed Beast, with its interior being remarkably similar. A company by the name of Sun Star may release a convertible in 1/18th-scale this year, along about
October or so. I have been able to supply some information to a representative of the firm about the SonoRamic Commando engine, so I assume it will have that mill under the hood. I just hope
Valiant domination: The NASCAR 1960 Compact Race -8-
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it doesn’t have wire wheels which, while very popular with restorers of ‘60 Plymouths today, were virtually unknown on them back in the early 1960s. At any rate, I am looking forward to seeing what will come out. It is interesting that the ‘60 Plymouths with their 325-horse 383s fared better on the tracks than did the ‘'61s with the 350/413s. However, those “flippedon-their-side” fins lead me to suspect that this feature tended to generate an aerodynamic lift over the rear, thus reducing traction, especially on turns. And both Richard and Lee had terrible crashes coming out of turns with their ‘61s. On the other hand, the “stabilizers” (Plymouth's official name for them… honest!) supposedly improved their stability. Incidentally, as a preliminary to the 1960 Daytona 500, NASCAR introduced a “small-car race” for the compact cars (Corvair, Falcon, and Valiant) that were new for that model year. This was televised on CBS’s “Sports Spectacular,” and it was dominated by the Valiants (and I do mean dominated, because there were seven of them in the race and they finished 1 through 7!). These cars had the “dealerinstalled” 148-horsepower Hyper-Pac engines with a four-barrel carburetor, headers, high-lift cam, special distributor, and a larger capacity radiator. One advantage to being an old fudd like me is that I can remember watching Marvin Panch, the first-place finisher, and the others show their heels to the rest of the field. Since Bill France was somewhat anti-Chrysler, he canceled compact car races after the
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1961 race was won by Lee Petty’s Valiant. It was a trick similar to the one he pulled in 1965 when NASCAR banned the 426 Hemi after the ‘64s blew away their competition. Joe Godec Colorado Springs, Colorado
‘40 coupe meets ‘49 conver tible THE HEATER S TA RTED LEAKING in my 1940 P10 business coupe, so I took the heater out, and sure enough the core was bad. I posted on both the POC forum and P15-D24 forum about my quest for another serviceable MOPAR heater. I had replies from both sites, but since Richard Wahrendorff of the Hudson Valley Region lives about 50 miles from me and said that he had one he would sell, I bought the one he had. I drove my Plymouth, or “Wayback Machine” as I like to call her, to Kerhonkson, New York, about 24 miles northeast of Neversink, to meet Richard and pay for and pick up my new-tome heater. Richard drove his 1949 Plymouth convertible about the same distance to meet me as I drove to meet him. We had a nice visit over a cup of coffee and a bagel, I took some photos, paid him for the heater and we both left for home. I want to publicly thank Rich for the heater, the visit, and him showing me his beautiful Plymouth convertible. Old Plymouth owners are the best – yes they are! Bob Drown Neversink, New York
Another PlySign ON A RECENT TRIP to Atlanta, my wife and I were passing through a small town in North Carolina called Hayesville. I noticed the Chrysler dealership’s sign still bore the Plymouth name. They were remodeling and are planning to replace the dealership sign. The new one won’t include “Plymouth.” Not all changes are for the good! Woody Poor Valsese, North Carolina
Captive impor ts
preferably older ones. I was hoping that your club could help find some of these models. Among the Plymouths that I’d like to feature are the Arrow, Champ, Saporro, Conquest, Vista and Cricket. Knowing how car fans are, perhaps some of your members would know where to find any of these or a reardrive Dodge or any pre-1980 captive import.
M Y NAME is Sam Fiorani and I write for Automotive Traveler magazine. My editor and I were discussing possible articles for future issues, and one of my jokes on the subject was taken seriously. Now my joke has required me to do the research. For this article, I'm looking for captive imports, -9-
Because we're looking to photograph the cars in Philadelphia, I’d prefer to find cars owned in that region (eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, northeastern Maryland), but we’ll work with any owner. Sam Fiorani
[email protected] (484) 410-4132 automotivetraveler. c o m
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Brake and speed limits C ONCERNING THE RECENT A RTICLE, “P15 Driving Impressions,” I should like to enter the following comments. First, I feel highly honored to receive such genuinely positive comments from two very distinguished persons: Frank Marescalco, our P15 Technical Advisor, and Jim Benjaminson, our membership secretary and columnist, and in two different issues. For the most part, both acknowledged my impressions as being much as their own would be; perhaps in my senior years my thoughts are not too far out of whack. Yet, I still feel that I must respond to both. First, in reference to Frank’s note about the brakes of the Plymouth being better than the other two in the low-priced field: they are. My impressions are drawn from my own vehicle, and I do feel that these brakes do work quite well – even though I’ve not had to use them very harshly! And, I did not properly state that item. All of my comments were prefaced by the advice that one should not do anything fast! I am writing about a vintage vehicle and definitely not a vehicle of the last thirty years. This means that one cannot drive these vehicles in the same manner as one would the newer cars (with ABS, let alone antiskid control). It is unfortunate that I don’t have a copy of the road test done by Tom McCahill for Mechanix Illustrated, as I might have been able to relate the brakes directly to the “other two.” And to the comments of Jim as to the speed limits of some seventy years past, the following might be considered. It was interesting to read of the various speed limits throughout the United States in 1941. Please note that, in most cases, the cars of 1946 to 1948 were very much warmed-over 1942 models! My comments noted specifically that the prior owner of my car told me that in a majority of the areas the speed limit was only 35 MPH. [This was my typographical error as it should have read, “45 MPH.”] I noted that he was with the Maryland State Police back then; I did not give a maximum speed limit for any state. But the column from Jim matched up with quite a few of our eastern states; they did not change much till the 1950s. Part of our conversation was of the many rural roads that were built during the 1930s: narrow, two-lane roads that were not capable of much higher speeds, safely, due to design and construction. The maximum speed limit was not the point in my article. This was indirectly pointed out by Jim’s three pictures, captioned, “Speed Limits?” However, most of the roads after WWII were in rural areas, and many had been built in the 1930s under the CCC and the WPA (tune in to PBS.) There were no expressways, nor Interstates, nor turnpikes in 1948, as they were a development of the Eisenhower era in the mid-1950s. (Okay, there were some four-lane roads in, around and near cities.) If one wanted to drive from Detroit to Miami, one would take US 25, with most of the trip on a two-lane road (with a berm), and even though the speed limit may have been 50 to 60 MPH, there wasn’t that much opportunity to travel that fast; other, slower, traffic resulted in rear-end collisions (see pictures noted above). In fact, Interstate 75 (replacing US 25) was not fully completed until 1969 or even 1970. (I know, as I lived just
south of Knoxville and would travel to my parents’ and inlaws’ homes in Toledo quite often.) For my early days of driving in Ohio in the mid-1950s, I seem to recall that the speed limit was 55 day and 50 night. Today, April 2011, most of the roads in Ohio are still rural, where the posted speed limit is 55 mph; on the expressways and the Interstates, it varies from 55 to 65 MPH. And it was just last weekend that the speed limit on the Ohio Turnpike was raised to 70 MPH! And while speaking of ‘speed limits,’ it may be worth while to open another can of worms. I believe that many senior members will remember certain motoring comments made by their fathers, be it back in the 1940s, 1950s, or the 1960s. I can remember my father saying many times that a person’s car was either being junked way too soon or had to have an expensive engine job (valves and/or rings) because the driver had been consistently driving too fast! Yes, lubricants have since improved, but so have the engineering tolerances of current engines. He’d say to just slow down a bit, have regular service and oil changes, and “add Bardahl Top Oil!” And he just loved his big Buick (ooops, sorry) until I obtained a new 1969 Chrysler for him (while I was working for Chrysler); my grandparents drove Dodge Brothers and Dodges. The other item about the speed (or cruising ability) of the older cars is that of the options of overdrive and rear axle gear ratio. Overdrive would allow one to drive at a higher speed while keeping the engine speed (RPM) lower. One could also order/install a different rear-axle gear ratio (the ring and pinion gear) to permit this. I am at a loss right now as to where I read it – either in a WPC News article, which, by the way, was co-authored by our Tech Adviser a few years ago, or in the Technical Service Manual or Parts Manual – and I cannot now find the article. I seem to remember that the three gear ratios for the P15 were 3.9, 4.0 and 4.1. I do not know the ratio in my P15, but per the tachometer (Westach of California), at 2,000 RPM the speed is about 40-41 MPH. So, if the maximum horsepower (95) is developed at 3,600 RPM, then it should top out at around 75 miles per hour! It was surprising to see (in the above-mentioned WPC article) that on the P15 there was another option, which I think would have had very few takers, being a device that limited the maximum speed to 45 MPH – and one had to pay for that! Lower RPM and lower gear ratios would help in achieving better gas mileage in many cases, provided that the foot was not otherwise too heavy. (What is the price of “regular” gas in your area? On March 31st, it went to $3.79.9/gallon! Shades of that $4/gallon of just a few years ago, eh? And our economy is no better today.) Okay, folks, I am still pleased to have had my articles accepted, and highly honored for the positive comments from Frank and Jim. As they said before, it would be nice if a few other P15 owners would contribute. One member read my articles, then drove over 200 miles to meet me and to see the “Maroon Balloon.” THANKS, “Blue Goose.” As a wise old bird said once, “When you’re in a hole, quit diggin’!” Think I’m in deep enough. Thank you for the patience required in reading this letter. Nicholas Essinger
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Troy, Ohio
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Model Plymouth kit covers A S FA R A S I CAN JUDGE, the article on the 1960 models in BULLETIN 303 has unleashed quite some enthusiasm! I was very pleased as well. Yesterday I received the BULLETIN 306, and its cover made me do today what was long overdue: to send you copies of covers of Plymouth model car kits. As a kid I bought a 1/32-scale model of the ‘32 roadster. The model I built didn’t survive (only a few pieces remain) but a part of the box did, as I would always save the front or side of a box. Maybe it is a well-known kit, but I haven’t seen one since I was about 10, and that’s about 40 years ago now. Here are the details of the covers I sent you: 1932 Plymouth roadster 1960 Plymouth Fury wagon 1960 Plymouth emergency wagon 1962 Plymouth Fury hardtop
Life-Like 1/32 Collector’s Series, no. C-336 Jo-Han 1/25, no. C-4560 Jo-Han 1/25, no. C-5100 – this should be a “Belvedere” Jo-Han 1/25, no number – one of the pictures as found on the side of model kit boxes to make you aware of other kits 1963 Plymouth Fury hardtop Jo-Han 1/25, no. C-5263 – this kit could be built in two versions: stock or custom. The box has a picture of the stock model on its side. 1968 Plymouth Fury police Jo-Han 1/25, no. GC-1300 – three police versions could be build; a very fine kit 1977 Plymouth Fury Yodel 1/24, no. YPM-7-1000 – I bought this actual Fury kit in Germany in the mid-eighties on a car show but I never could lay my hands on another one. For the purists: I converted my kit to a “plain Jane” stock Fury, as this is what most Furys were. 1977-78 Plymouth Fury / Dodge Monaco Yodel 1/24 – The Japanese company Yodel had the “American Police Series,” a range of kits in scale 1/24, whereby one could build this model either as a Plymouth Fury or a Dodge Monaco (only the grille and rear lights would make the difference). These kits were not for the demanding modeller but merely meant as toys (electric motor included). Still, with a bit of love, a reasonable car model could be the result.
Best regards from the Netherlands,
Ewald Stein Oosterhout, The Netherlands
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The Oddball
Road Runner
I
had just gotten my issue of the BULLETIN, and couldn’t have been happier with my first Odd Ball column. I’m looking forward to staying with two pages. The Oddball will work out of the box as far as theme stories go; I won’t have duplications that way. Look for more pictures than text. Last issue’s picture of “Variations...” shows a “dealer only” complete packet of a mailer. My bad for not labeling each shot better. I started on my next article when the above-mentioned issue arrived. Looking at page three of Issue 305 with Jack Smith holding on to the Road Runner by the neck, I knew that the Plymouth Road Runner needed to be my
next story. That showroom item is the quintessential Road Runner collectible item. The Road Runner was introduced in 1968. One of the first items that was given to the customer was the “Catch a
GREAT! Plymouth,” with the Road Runner in front of the “Win you over” heart. For the purist, I will address Chrysler Corporation’s Road Runner promotional stuff, but will also include a few pictures of some of the myriad fun collectibles. This is the tip of the iceberg: hopefully enough to have you looking for more. So until next issue, keep looking for the “Oddball.” – Andy Weimann
[email protected]
1. Bumper sticker, holographic card and lapel pin
2 . The same holographic card and the two dealer postcards
3. Non-Chrysler Corporation stuffed toys, mugs, banks, Christmas items, pens, baby bottles and jam and mustard containers to name a few
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4, 5. 1969 dealer promo items
6, 7. Chrysler Corporation Times Vol. 8 #3 March 1968: Petty and Road Runner article
11. Dealer model promos which were sold to the dealers to give away to the “kids” (the dealer cost was about $2.00 each)
8. 1971 Rapid Transit System color catalog
10. Non-Chrysler Corporation model kits
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9. 1973 dealer proof ad sheet for magazines
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Regional Report
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT (responsible for regions)
Bobbi Berkheimer (308) 452-3980
[email protected]
Carolina Region GREETINGS from Winston-Salem! I hope all members and their families are healthy and are getting ready for spring. On February 26, we held our second meeting of the year, this time at Punchy’s Diner in Concord, NC, one of the club’s favorite places to meet and eat. Seventeen members came out to participate in the meeting and share their ideas. Of course, we discussed the officer elections and the Charlotte Auto Fair, but we also continued to plan ahead for other future club activities. We reviewed the club’s 2011 calendar of activities and agreed on having a fall tour in October. -- Greg Errett P UNCHY’ S is a very good 50s/60s-
style diner. The decor is true to the time period with a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A, and a mid-1950s Ford F100 in the show area along with many pedal cars and other time-period items. They have the best ‘Bang For Your Buck’ food! This place really knows how to fix a plate! If you leave hungry, it's your own fault! The service is good, the food great, and the price excellent! -- Dean Yates
Cascade Pacific Region
Jim Philips who has been a member for three years. Visitors from Milwaukie, Tom and Bonnie Short, were introduced. Upcoming activities and tours were announced, including “Allure of the Auto,” an event at the art museum. A group is planning to retrace the route taken by the Golden State Region on their way north to the 2010 National Meet in Portland, this time going south to attend the 2011 National Meet in Pacific Grove, California. – Donna Bade
AT OUR F EBRUARY MEETING, Mike Bade, president, presided with 37 people in attendance. Following reports, Mike welcomed new members Gerry Peterson and his fiancée Kena Jacobs. He also recognized
THE TECH C OMMITTEE MET at Gary Rusher’s shop to help him put some of his ‘30 coupe back together. But, as things would have it, they found themselves lacking some parts. The head was not back from being boiled out and
BUCKEYE REGION
FLORIDA SUNSHINE REGION
LONE STAR REGION
R O C K Y MOUNTAIN REGION
Ron Thomann 8001 Schott Rd. Westerville, OH 43081 (614) 895-2319
[email protected]
Michael Bonadonna 455 North Cherry Pop Drive Inverness, FL 34453-7975 (352) 341-1019
[email protected]
Van Massirer 124 Canaan Church Rd. Crawford, TX 76638 (254) 486?2366
[email protected]
Wayne Kreps 8911 Ithaca Way Westminster, CO 80031 (303) 427-5543
[email protected]
GOLDEN STATE REGION
LONG ISLAND REGION
CAROLINA REGION Greg Errett PO Box 2511 Winston-Salem, NC 27102 (336) 747-6871
[email protected]
CASCADE PACIFIC REGION Mike Bade 15149 SE Pebble Beach Drive Happy Valley, OR 97086 (503) 206-4652
[email protected]
COLONIAL REGION Betty Kibbe 456 Holyoke St. Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 589-9854
[email protected]
DAIRYLAND REGION Tom Wagner 4913 Foxwood Blvd. Lakeland, FL 33810 (Dec 1-May 1) (920) 285-2660, cell
[email protected]
Kenneth Wilson 312 Bagshaw Court San Jose, CA 95123 (408) 227-1837
[email protected]
MID-IOWA REGION Jim Dooley 29341 US Hwy 69 Huxley, IA 50124
Mike Schaefer 12221 NE 136th Kearney, MO 64060 (816) 781-7117
[email protected] www.plymouthclub.com
HOOSIER REGION Kevin Reeves, President 5268 W. 500 S. Westpoint, IN 47992 / (765) 714-0255 Jan Peel, Editor,
[email protected]
Russ Nardi, pres: (586) 566-5838
[email protected]
(410) 876-0702
[email protected]
HEART OF AMERICA REGION
Bill Tropia 52 Breece Dr. Yardley, PA 19067-1513
DETROIT REGION
(612) 759 2103
[email protected] Winter: R.Ramberg
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Joseph B. Lewis, editor 9145 Hazelton Redford, MI 48239
(631) 772-2270
[email protected]
Dianne E. Taylor 407 E. Nicodemus Rd. Westminster, MD 21157
Tony Tricoci 10206 South 43rd Court Phoenix, AZ 85044 (480) 893-8687
DELAWARE VALLEY REGION
[email protected]
Richard Tetzlaff 23383 Malanie Trail North Scandia, MN 55073-9745
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
GRAND CANYON REGION
(515) 597-3244
[email protected]
UNITED KINGDOM REGION Barry Reece “The Meadows” Cookley Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 0LU, ENGLAND. tel/fax: 01986-784305
WESTERN CANADA
[email protected] [email protected] (Loyd Groshong)
[email protected]
PRAIRIE REGION
Ed Lanfer 6201 Wade Avenue St. Louis, MO 63139 (314) 704-5608
Frank Shemek 11901 South 34th St. Bellevue, NE 68123 (402) 291-4834
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
[email protected]
(845) 338-7871
[email protected]
LINCOLN LAND REGION
Jerry Burch 1111 South Florence Ave. Tulsa, OK 74104-4104
Tommy G. Pike 1602 East Dale Springfield, MO 65803
Jim Stoudt 1290 Bankson Rd. Oil City, PA 16301 (814) 676-6678
Richard Wahrendorff 1471 Rt. 213 Ulster Park, NY 12487
TULSA REGION
MISSOURI "Show Me” REGION
PA OIL VALLEY REGION
HUDSON VALLEY REGION
TA L L PINES REGION
Peter Marks 47 Flintlock Drive Shirley, NY 11967
Rob Elliot
307 - 30th Avenue NE Calgary, AB T2E 2E2 CANADA (403) 277-1956
[email protected]
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resurfaced and the water pump’s rebuild was not finished. There was a lot of discussion about the things that could be checked out while the engine was partially down. Pat Brost suggested that we check the valves while they were visible. They all checked out to be good. Tim McCarthy helped time the engine while a dial indicator could be used on top of a piston. A good part of the day was spent trying to alleviate headlight concerns that Tim had regarding his recently purchased ‘36 coupe and the problems Marlo Edmon was having in getting the lenses to fit into the headlight buckets on his pickup. (We won’t mention the brand, as it is other than a Chrysler product.) All-in-all, it was a very helpful and informative day. – Gary Rusher
Colonial Region WHAT I S THE LONGEST WORD in the dictionary? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Or, is it even in the dictionary? That is the best word I can use to describe our dinner meeting at the Oliver Wight Tavern in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, attended by 20 members. Every possible food item was available on the Sunday brunch menu, and there was no way anyone went home hungry! We were each greeted with a mimosa drink and a table with coffee, a vast tea selection and hot chocolate that was set up in our private dining room. Oh yes, did I mention the roaring fire in the huge fireplace that made us all feel warm and toasty? Our February dinner meeting is proving to be one of our most popular events of the Plymouth season. We are off to a great Plymouth start for the season. We tossed around some ideas for tours and meetings. Now that the weather is cooperating and the humongous piles of snirt (a combo of snow and dirt) are starting to recede, we can get moving on our activities. – Betty Kibbe
Dairyland Region WINTER IN THE D AIRYLAND R EGION is our slow time. Our last meeting of the year is the November Banquet with the next get-together in February. The
weather in Wisconsin and northern Illinois is often iffy at best with the usual mix of snow, sleet, rain and of course, the “Dark of Night.” Also, we have several members who, as snowbirds, begin to head south after the November meeting. All combine to make it better for us to wait until February to begin our new year. A change in the way we have our meetings was introduced at our 2010 banquet. It was decided to limit our business meetings to three per year and make all others social meetings with whatever activity or trip the host wants to set up. The thought behind this is twofold: one, the amount of actual business conducted at each meeting is usually small and, as such, can be done in a few real business meetings per year; two, the hope that more actual fun time will improve the quality of our gettogethers. With this in mind, our first meeting this year was held at members Rob and Kris Borman’s house in rural Elizabeth, Illinois (near Galena). Going to the Bormans’ house must be what a trip was like for many of our old Plymouths when they were new. A lot of two-lane roads with the last few miles through somewhat hilly country near their home almost makes you think that you should be in a 1930s Plymouth. This was a social meeting which had a great potluck (sadly, circumstances did not allow for Rob’s excellent homemade pizza to put in its usual appearance, but there is always next year). We had a very good turnout of members (15 in attendance), great for that time of year. Lots of good times and conversations ensued as we caught up on the last couple of months. We hope to do it again next year. OU R M ARCH MEETING was held at Ron and Shari Leibley’s home in Oconocmowoc, Wisconsin. A St. Patrick’s day lunch was prepared by Shari, with the able assistance of other members with their delicious dishes. After the lunch was consumed, the ladies decided to visit a large Ben Franklin Craft store in town while the menfolk proceeded to discuss many topics of great interest to all of them, especially Plymouths. Sixteen members attended. -15-
Dairyland has several activities planned for the coming months including a possible Dairyland Reunion in July for all members of Dairyland past and present. Ken and Vickie Bartz are working on this, and we hope it is a great success. It would be great to see some of the past members again. Dairyland also welcomes two new members: Bob and Cris Haddad. They are from Freeport, Illinois, and have two Plymouths: a 1949 P-18 four-door sedan and a 1949 P18 convertible. – Jeff Tarwood
Delaware Valley Region BILL TROPIA BROUGHT our January meeting to order with seven members present. Business as usual included planning for our May 14 show at Mt. Ephraim Dodge and our annual spring banquet scheduled for April 10. We were informed that fellow members Ed Ober and Fred Brown had undergone surgeries, Ed on his lung and Fred, a quadruple by-pass heart surgery. We wish them well. For Tech Talk, Bill Barrett expressed concern about the alcohol content in gasoline. He distributed brochures from Star Tron, a company that sells a fuel treatment designed to prevent ethanol problems. startron.com OU R F EBRUARY MEETING was cancelled due to a snow warning (and the forecasters were right). Warren Nelson had a knee-replacement in January and is mending well. – Hank DeMayo
Detroit Region WELL, OLD M A N WINTER refused to release his grip on the Midwest in general and the Detroit metropolitan area in particular. We had so much snow that we cancelled our February meeting. THE WEATHER, HOWEVER, did not deter Gwen and me from taking a weekend train trip to the Chicago Auto Show. We met a couple friends there who took us to the show. I have to admit that the Chicago show is much larger than the one in Detroit. We had a very enjoyable train ride both ways, although several delays pushed our return to Dearborn back three and a
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half hours. To our surprise, as we stepped off the train, we saw six to seven inches of snow on the ground. Thank goodness for our Dodge Nitro’s four-wheel-drive, which enabled us to traverse through the snow with no problem. -- Joe Lewis P RESIDENT R U S S N ARDI called our March meeting to order at the home of Ron and Jan Irvin. Ten members were present, including new member Tom Neil. President Nardi distributed the results of the survey regarding a proposed national meet which show a majority being in favor of hosting a meet. He then reported on a conversation with a national director regarding our decision to host the 2013 meet. The national club needs a decision soon, as there is interest in having a coast-tocoast tour in 2013. Our membership agreed to move the regional meet to 2014. Paul Curtis reported on the status of Dave Cleavinger’s remaining five cars. Paul has been in contact with Dave’s brother and sister-in-law, who are helping with the sale of the estate. Anyone interested in one of the cars should call Mel or Sylvia at 517-882-5881. Dennis Oleksiak reported that he and Vicki had visited Woody at St Joes in Pontiac. Woody is recovering from the surgery he had earlier this year but still has a long way to go in therapy. During Tech Time, Tom Neil asked for information on steering wheel interchange. – Paul Curtis
Grand Canyon Region S IX MEMBERS AND ONE GUEST gathered for our February meeting. After a sumptuous meal at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, Harold and Kay Norton led our group through a portion of Saguaro National Park and on to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. This museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. Unfortunately, the weather was on the cool and breezy side and eventually turned to a light rain. While a shower is a generally welcome event in this desert region, much of the museum is outdoors, so the precipitation caused us to cut our visit short.
Grand Canyon Region’s Region’s new banner Our primary discussion during the meeting concerned our regional banner being created by Bob Bickel. OU R M ARCH MEETING was a potluck BBQ held at the home of Bob and Donna Bickle in San Tan Valley Arizona, with ten members attending. After the meeting Bob showed a DVD of the unearthing of Ms Belvedere, the 1957 Plymouth buried in 1957 and unearthed in 2007 along with a time capsule from the period. The meeting was called to order by Tony Tricoci. Following some discussion, we decided to purchase a banner ten feet long with grommet holes and a white background with fairly large letters. Tech Time: Frank Johnston talked about how vehicles that have been stored for long periods of time sometimes smoke badly when started, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the engines is in need of a rebuild, so don’t panic. Frank recently purchased an old MOPAR and it was smoking quite badly when it was first started but he decided to drive it home “as is.” The smoking gradually decreased and when he got to about 70 MPH the smoke quit completely as the rings loosened up in their grooves and became reseated! -- Donna Bickel
Heart of America Region IT WA S COLD IN KA N S A S C ITY this January. The Chiefs being in the playoffs helped heat us up…briefly. We had 22 members and one guest at our January meeting. We talked about the Christmas party which had been held at the Eden Heights Church and was attended by 29 of our members with two guests. We arranged to have our 2011 Christmas party committee provide some options so we could lock in a place early for our party. We also agreed -16-
to have a silent auction at our February meeting. Members were to bring any parts, books, gifts or food items for the auction. The last time we had an auction we took in a great deal of money for the club. January’s cruise was at the Corner Café in Riverside with 19 members and one guest attending. The lunch was great in spite of the mountains of snow outside. In January, we mourned the loss of Don Wood, who died in his sleep on January 1, 2011, four days short of his 54th wedding anniversary to his wife Geraldine. Don was one of the founding members of the Heart of America Region Plymouth Club, known and admired by many in both regional and national clubs. He will be missed. Bill Krenzer won the 2010 Points Competition which consists of earning the most points for attending meetings, cruises, tours, car shows and any other activities that benefit the club. AT OUR F EBRUARY MEETING we had 27 members and one guest attending. Our silent auction was held after our regular meeting, garnering over $300 for our club. During our February meeting we usually begin to plan for the year’s swap meets, cruises, tours and car shows. Lots of suggestions were made, many by Jerry Elwood, and plans are beginning to form. Our Christmas committee began providing suggestions for locations and we had a good discussion and even more suggestions. At our March meeting, we hope to choose a location and lock in a date and time. Every March we have a potluck lunch and meeting at the Eden Heights Church. Plans are coming together for this March. Finally, Mike Welsh wrote a story about his experiences with a 1976 Lincoln Continental. Mike, who had acquired this car from the family of a
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25 members present. Discussion included distributing our Mid-Atlantic Mayflower newsletter as a pdf file and our club website. A review of our club by-laws also took place. – Karen Fowler
friend who had passed away, wrote about his experience getting it ready for and driving on a 2000-mile tour. Quite exciting. – Gene Bellet
Hoosier Region OU R M ARCH MEETING at Murphy’s Steak House was well attended with 22 members present. While receiving our usual good service of excellent food there was a lot of both serious and fun chattering going on. (I should have had my recorder. [Or the Unknown Mouse in your pocket – asst. ed.]) Kristen Reeves made an apology for an error that was made in her secretary report for the February meeting: She reported that the 1942 Plymouth had a similar style to the new 300. It was actually a 1942 Chrysler. Her apologies to Chrysler. President Kevin Reeves then brought the meeting to order. He had brought the 1956 Plymouth model cars to the meeting and six were sold. These are to be sold for $8.00 each. If members of other Plymouth Owner Clubs want to purchase, the shipping cost would have to be added to the price. Tours were then discussed with two possibilities being offered and several others announced. No one mentioned going to the Golden State Region’s National Summer Meet in Pacific Grove, California. Eight are planning on going to the Tour with the Tall Pines in Rochester, Minnesota, Jan Peel reminded members that she is starting the Member Profile in the newsletter and that Bob Van Buskirk had agreed to be first. – Jan Peel
Lone Star Region WE HAD A GOOD TURNOUT of 15 members for our March meeting held in conjunction with the car show in Hamilton, Texas. The folks at Hamilton put on a good show and even reserved a space with a table under the trees for our business meeting. They handed out lots of door prizes and had a good feed at noon. Well over 200 cars were entered in this year’s show. One of the participants at Hamilton was our own Chris Brandon, who drove his 1974 Valiant Brougham four-door
Prairie Region Hamilton show: Judy Honey sits between her and Marc’s ‘50 coupe and Van and Mary Massirer’s ‘56 Fury.
sedan) to the show. Chris is stationed at nearby Ft. Hood but will soon depart for an assignment in Iraq. Please keep him and his family, and indeed all of our military people, in your thoughts and prayers as they serve our country in hostile areas. – Van Massirer
Mid-Atlantic Region OU R JANUARY MEETING was held at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, with 20 members present. Discussion, led by President Dianne Taylor, included setting goals for 2011, reviewing our bylaws and announcements of upcoming events. WE HELD OUR F EBRUARY MEETING at Ledo’s Pizza, Severna Park, Maryland, with 24 members attending. Following dinner, President Dianne Taylor called the meeting to order. Following reports, David Young spoke to the members regarding the possibility of distributing the Mayflower electronically to those with email capabilities. Roy Kidwell said that there is proposed legislation for Maryland to go to a single tag on all cars. This would enable members to have other type tags, e.g., POC tags, on the fronts of their vehicles. Sandy Resch reported that Clayton Miller had recently been hospitalized but was at home and doing okay. Discussion on other items followed. Following the meeting, the members were entertained by the MidAtlantic Crooner, Al Herold, with an appropriate Valentine’s Day song, Rose are Red, My Love. WE HELD OUR M ARCH MEETING at Salernos in Eldersburg, Maryland, with -17-
OU R ANNUAL Y ORK GET- AWAY weekend was held on February 10, with 28 people attending. Introductions where given by everyone present and all of us got a little more information on one another: our favorite car, hobbies, where or how we met their significant others, all kinds of good stuff. Frank Shemek then brought the meeting to order, and reports were given and the thank-yous we received for our yearly donations were read and noted. It was noted that pioneer member Ardene Bartlett was in the hospital. She had surgery on her frontal artery which was 99% blocked. They ballooned it and put in a stint. She is now going to a nursing home to get physical therapy, and everyone is hoping she continues to get better and will be able to come home. Frank stated that the web site was done and up and running. Everyone commented on how well it looks. The website address: prairieregionplymouthclub.club.officelive.com
OU R M ARCH 6 TH MEETING at the Lincoln Swap Meet, attended by ten members, was called to order by Vicepresident, Denny Cutshall. Our president Frank Shemek was absent, due to the death of his mother.. Discussion took place regarding our annual swap meet and future meetings, trips and events. – Pam Fleming
Rocky Mountain Region WE HELD OUR ANNUAL New Year’s lunch at Johnson’s Corner Restaurant on January 15. We had a great turnout due to our remarkable white elephant gift exchange. Welcomed were new members Pete and Renee Haldiman and returning regional members Greg and Rita Berkheimer who were attending with their daughter Darchanna and her little daughter Kiahna.
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After an enjoyable meal with lots of conversation, Wayne Kreps conducted our meeting and then dismissed us so we could get started on the real fun. Bill Sullivan picked a large gift that turned out to be a LARGE coffee table book on muscle cars--so cool that someone offered to buy it from him. Sandra Hicks picked a really neat music box with a little car that comes out of its garage and makes its rounds. There were other great gifts and some not-sogreat, but everyone had fun, and that’s the point, after all. IN F EBRUARY, we met at the Guadalajara Restaurant in Windsor, Colorado. Dan and MIllie Leopard were our guests. Dan, who does auto upholstering, brought lots of samples and some pictures of his work. We had a time of questions and answers. Member Chuck Putnam brought a set for Dan to work over. Stan and Sandra Hicks, our hosts, brought some tools and a miniature rose bush for door prizes. Our meetings can be very profitable, as we make wonderful friends, share information and ideas, enjoy good food and win an occasional 50/50 drawing or door/old car prize. It just pays to come to meetings! -- Sandra Hicks
Tall Pines Region
OU R M ARCH MEETING was held at the home of Howard and Cookie Cassidy near Forest Lake, Minnesota. We had a nice turnout of 18 members. No old Plymouths yet, but it was warming up; maybe next month. We had a good time visiting and sharing pictures and stories until it was time for our business meeting. Our vice-president, Jeff Juneau, called the meeting to order. Business, again, primarily concerned planning for our Fall National Meet.
HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR, A PUBLICATION
OF
HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS
WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING of the year on January 30th at the home of
Jack and Virginia Schultz near Medford, Minnesota. We had a nice turnout of 24, considering it was a chilly, mid-winter day. At the beginning of our event, the ladies met in the house, while the men met in Jack’s garage. In the garage, nearing completion and a trip to the upholsterer, was the 1937 P4 sedan that belongs to members John & Leslie Watschke. It will be a very sharp vehicle when finished. After some time for visiting and inspecting Jack’s car collection, we joined the ladies in the house. Since we are planning the 2011 Fall National Touring Meet to be hosted by our region, we thought it best to gather and meet where everyone could hear and participate. In the absence of our president, Rich Tetzlaff, our vice-president, Jeff Juneau, conducted the meeting. Lengthy discussion, mostly concerning the national meet, followed. We then enjoyed our usual late-afternoon potluck dinner. Thanks to Jack and Virginia for hosting our meeting.
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Tulsa DVD viewed by the Grand Canyon Region. It is available for $25 at:
http://www.tulsaramastore.com/servlet/StoreFront
After some more time for visiting, we enjoyed our customary potluck afternoon dinner. Most people left for home not long after that, but a few stayed around to see the progress made on Howard’s 1936 Terraplane four-door, and to take a tour of his transportation minimuseum in the barn behind his house. Thanks to Howard & Cookie for hosting our meeting. – Happy Plymouthing, Rog & Jean Ramberg
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Please PleaseJoin Joinusus usin… in… Please Join in…
GRANDBEND, BEND, ONTARIO, ONTARIO, CANADA CANADA GRAND GRAND BEND, ONTARIO, CANADA MAY26, 26,27, 27,28, 28,& &29 292011 2011 MAY MAY 26, 27, 28, & 29 2011 Thurs. May 26 Thurs. Thurs.May May2626 Fri. May 27 Fri. Fri.May May2727 Sat. May 28 Sat. Sat.May May2828 Sun. May 29 Sun. May 29 Sun. May 29
}}}
Mon. May 30 Mon. Mon.May May3030 REGISTRATION FORM REGISTRATION REGISTRATIONFORM FORM
23rdAnnual Annual 23rd 23rd Annual 4-Cylinder Plymouth Registry 4-Cylinder 4-CylinderPlymouth PlymouthRegistry Registry 1928-1932 FOUR CYLINDER 1928-1932 1928-1932FOUR FOURCYLINDER CYLINDER PLYMOUTH MEET andDRIVING DRIVINGTOUR TOUR PLYMOUTH MEET PLYMOUTH MEETand and DRIVING TOUR
Check-in, DinnerononOwn Own & ShortDriving Driving Tour Check-in, Check-in,Dinner Dinner on Own&&Short Short DrivingTour Tour Morning Driving Tours, Lunch, Afternoon Tour, Dinner&&Running Running BoardFlea Flea Market Morning MorningDriving DrivingTours, Tours,Lunch, Lunch,Afternoon AfternoonTour, Tour,Dinner Dinner & RunningBoard Board Flea Market Market Schedule&&allallthe thefun funstuff stuffwill willbebefinalized finalizedininthe thespring spring ~~~Schedule Schedule & all the fun stuff will be finalized in the spring Breakfast & TourtotoLarge Large AntiqueFlea Flea Market Breakfast Breakfast&&Tour Tour to LargeAntique Antique FleaMarket Market *Ifnot notstaying stayingover overtotoMonday, Monday,check-out check-out of motel&&depart depart atyour your leisure *If *If not staying over to Monday, check-outofofmotel motel & departat at your leisure leisure Memorial Day USA Memorial MemorialDay DayUSA USA No plannedevents events butlots lots to doand and seeininthis this popularLakeside Lakeside ResortArea Area No Noplanned planned eventsbut but lotstotodo do andsee see in thispopular popular LakesideResort Resort Area
Please use the pdf useSpouse&/Or the pdf Name______________________________________________________ Spouse&/Or Guest _____________________________________ from thePlease last issue (304) Name______________________________________________________ Guest Name______________________________________________________ Spouse&/Or Guest_____________________________________ _____________________________________ from the last issue (306)
Address_____________________________________________________ City________________________Postal/Zip Postal/Zip Code___________ Address_____________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________City________________________ City________________________ Postal/Zip Code___________ Code___________ E-Mail__________________________________________________________________ Phone( ( )______________________________ )______________________________ E-Mail__________________________________________________________________ E-Mail__________________________________________________________________Phone Phone ( )______________________________
Please use the pdf
Plymouth: Year___________Model Model__________________________ __________________________Body__________________________ Body__________________________ Plymouth: from the last issue (304) Plymouth:Year___________ Year___________ Model __________________________ Body__________________________ Fee: $25.00 Fee: Fee:$25.00 $25.00
E-Mail:
[email protected] E-Mail: E-Mail:
[email protected] [email protected]
Send RegistrationForm Form & Chequeto: to: PeterWarner Warner Send SendRegistration Registration Form&&Cheque Cheque to:Peter Peter Warner P.O. Box 1089 P.O. P.O.Box Box1089 1089 Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0 Grand GrandBend, Bend,ON ON N0M N0M 1T0 1T0 Canada Canada Canada Telephone: (519) 238-2473 Telephone: Telephone:(519) (519)238-2473 238-2473
ACCOMMODATION (Book on your own) (Bookononyour yourown) own) ACCOMMODATION(Book ACCOMMODATION It is very important to book prior to March 31, 2011 to guarantee space. This is a popular Vacation Area and this is a holiday weekend. guaranteespace. space.This Thisisisaapopular popularVacation VacationArea Areaand and this this isis aa holiday holiday weekend. weekend. veryimportant importanttotobook bookprior priortotoMarch March31, 31,2011 2011totoguarantee ItItisisvery We have the entire motel blocked until this date ~ Don’t miss out! After March 31, 2011 rooms will not be held exclusively for our group! Wehave havethe theentire entiremotel motelblocked blockeduntil untilthis thisdate date~~Don’t Don’tmiss missout! out!After AfterMarch March31, 31,2011 2011rooms roomswill willnot notbe be held held exclusively exclusively for for our our group! group! We HOST MOTEL: Bluewater Motel (519) 238-2014 RV PARKING: Townsite RV Park (519) 238-5625 HOSTMOTEL: MOTEL:Bluewater BluewaterMotel Motel(519) (519)238-2014 238-2014 RVPARKING: PARKING:Townsite TownsiteRV RVPark Park(519) (519) 238-5625 238-5625 HOST RV Rates from: $92.00 Full Service Sites—Reserve Early Ratesfrom: from:$92.00 $92.00 FullService ServiceSites—Reserve Sites—Reserve Early Early Rates Full www.grandbend.com/bluewatermotel/ *Primitive (no service) sites ~ No charge at our farm www.grandbend.com/bluewatermotel/ *Primitive(no (noservice) service)sites sites ~~ No No charge charge at at our our farm farm www.grandbend.com/bluewatermotel/ *Primitive *Mention Plymouth Car Tour *MentionPlymouth PlymouthCar CarTour Tour *Mention FEATURES FEATURES FEATURES • All paved roads • No Judging…just fun! • Allpaved pavedroads roads NoJudging…just Judging…justfun! fun! • All ••No • Long Distance award • Food and Admission…you pay at establishment • LongDistance Distanceaward award Foodand andAdmission…you Admission…you pay pay at at establishment establishment • Long ••Food • First 25 cars registered receive dash plaque • Border Crossing is E-Z • First2525cars carsregistered registeredreceive receivedash dashplaque plaque BorderCrossing CrossingisisE-Z E-Z • First ••Border • Running Board Flea Market…bring those surplus Plymouth items ~Passport or enhanced drivers license is all that • RunningBoard BoardFlea FleaMarket…bring Market…bringthose thosesurplus surplusPlymouth Plymouthitems items ~Passportor orenhanced enhanced drivers drivers license license is is all all that that • Running ~Passport is required! Canada welcomes tourists! required!Canada Canada welcomes welcomes tourists! tourists! isisrequired!
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2011 National Summer Meet hosted by the Golden State Region
Pacific Grove, California - July 13 through July 16, 2011
Pacific Grove, offering an unparalleled quality of life, shares its borders with the Monterey Bay, the City of Monterey, the Pacific Ocean and the Del Monte Forest with breathtaking views.
The host hotel is the Sea Breeze Inn & Lodge, 1100 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA. 93950 (800) 575-1805 / Fax: (831) 643-0235 Arrival Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 Departure Date: Sunday, July 17, 2011 R o o m B l o c k : Variety of 1 & 2 beds – modifying counts is contingent upon specific guest bookings. 20 rooms for Wednesday 7/13; 25 rooms for Thursday 7/14; 40 rooms for Friday & Saturday 7/15 & 7/16 Rates: Standard 1- Queen Room = $89.95 + tax 7/13&14 and $109.95 + Tax 7/15&16 Standard 2- Queen Room = $95.95 + Tax 7/13&14 and $119.95 + Tax 7/15&16 Reservation Procedure : Guests to call individually to reserve, mention the Plymouth Owners Club for preferred rates and availability. B i l l i n g : On own, all charges. Cancellation Policy: Guests will be held to a 30-day cancellation policy and a 2-night minimum. Cut-off Dates: Guests will be able to reserve at preferred rates until April 20, 2011; afterwards standard hotel rates will apply. Inclusive: AM Coffee & Muffin Social, use of onsite amenities, wireless Internet, local calling.
The Pacific Grove/Monterey area is very popular in July. Please call the Seabreeze Inn and book your room as soon as possible. SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES Tour information, signup sheets and maps will be available in the Hospitality Room Thursday, July 14th: Driving tour to Big Sur – Tour Guide Tod Fitch. Depart the meet hotel at 10:30 AM for an hour long 36 mile drive along scenic California Hwy 1 over to the Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. www.nepenthebigsur.com Along the way we will stop for photographs at the famous and photogenic Bixby Creek Bridge. The restaurant has fabulous views down the rugged coastline. After lunch we will return along the same route. The group size limit is 40 guests so make your decision as soon as possible. Friday, July 15th: Driving tour to several wineries – Tour Guide Tod Fitch. There is a $12 fee per person to cover the winery tour. Depart the meet hotel at 10:00 AM for a short drive to the Chateau Julien Winery where we will tour the facilities with an explanation of the wine making process and an opportunity to taste some of the vineyard’s wines. Then we will continue on to the village of Carmel Valley for lunch and visit several wine tasting rooms or, for those who prefer, visit some shops and galleries. The return route to the meet hotel will show off some quintessential California landscape. We should be back at the meet hotel by 3:00 PM. (Note: This tour was changed from an all-day trip to San Juan Bautista Mission to allow time for participants to wash and prepare their cars for Saturday’s judged show.) Saturday, July 16th: Ladies/spouse bus tour for lunch and shopping in Carmel – Tour Guides, Leslie Fitch and Kim Hunt. SELF-GUIDED TOURS At your leisure, these tours are available every day. Wi n e Tro l l e y Tours of Montere y – $59 per Pepson (Includes 5-hour guided tour & wine tasting at one venue). A box lunch ($15.00) and additional wine tasting ($7.50 each) can be purchase while enroute. A Plymouth Owners Club special $89.00 per person, includes the box lunch and wine tasting at all 6 wineries.To make reservations/purchase tickets, please call 831-624-1700. Experience an unforgettable journey wine tasting in the aesthetic beauty of Carmel Valley aboard “Hattie the Magnificent Trolley.” For more details: www.toursmonterey.com Montere y M o v i e Tour – Daily boarding near Fisherman's Wharf (Monterey, CA) at 1:00 PM. Cost $55 per person, seniors $50, children 15 years and under $35. To make reservation/purchase tickets, please call 800-343-6437. Winding through Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, this scenic tour also stops along the stunning 17-MILE DRIVE® in Pebble Beach. The three-hour adventure takes place aboard the multimedia Theater-On-Wheels®, a customized luxury motor coach with high-back seats, overhead video screens and personal headsets. As you glide past sites made famous on the big screen, you’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood glamour. For more details: www.montereymovietours.com/index.htm Summer and Fall Whale Watch: Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, Dolphins, Killer Whales Reservations can be made by calling (831) 375-4658 with a credit card to hold your spot. Departure is from Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center located on Fisherman’s Wharf. For more details: www.montereybaywhalewatch.com/trips.htm Morning trips: 4 to 5-hour trips every day, departing at 9:00 AM and returning between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. Cost for morning trips: Adults $45, children 12 and under $35, children 3 and under free Afternoon trips: 3 to 4-hour afternoon trips every day Trips depart at 2:00 PM and return between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Cost for afternoon trips: Adults $36, children 12 and under $25, children 3 and under free Monterey Bay Aquarium, located in Monterey at the west end of historic Cannery Row. Tickets can be ordered by phone (866) 9639645 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Mon. through Fri. Tickets prices: Adults, $29.95, Child (3 thru 12) $19.95, Student $27.95, Seniors (65+) $27.95. For more details: www.montereybayaquarium.org / John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove - Driving Tour: This is a self-guided driving tour of John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove. It features local sites relating to the lives and work of John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts. There are 20 places to visit on the tour. For more details: www.93950.com/steinbeck/ -20-
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July 13-16, 2011 Pacific Grove, California REGISTRATION: $ 1 5 per person or $ 2 5 per couple by June 1st; After June 1st $ 2 0 per person or $ 3 0 per couple (Includes: name tags, meet program, goody bag, hospitality room, Thursday complimentary dinner) $______________ Participant’s Name _________________________________ Spouse/Passenger _____________________________________ Address __________________________________________City _______________________________Zip ______________ Phone (h) ________________________ (c) ________________________ Email __________________________________ I’ll be a Judge ___________ Which Category or Class or Year _____________ VEHICLE REGISTRATION: POC Region______________________________ Car to be Judged: ______ number of cars @ $ 25.00 by June 1st or @ $ 30.00 after June 1st
$______________
Year _______ Model __________________ Body Style ________________________ Car, Non-judged: ______ number of cars @ $ 25.00 by June 1st or @ $ 30.00 after June 1st
$______________
Year ________ Model _____________________ Body Style _________________________ SELF-GUIDED TOURS Available all days – Pay as you go Wine Trolley Tours of Monterey; Monterey Movie Tour; Monterey Summer and Fall Whale Watch; Monterey Bay Aquarium; John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove - Driving Tour SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES (See Activity Descriptions on accompanying page) Thursday , July 14: Guided tour down the Big Sur coastline to a lunch at Nepenthe Restaurant. Tour Guide Tod Fitch. Note: Limited to 40 people so register early. Number ______ Pay as you go Friday, July 15: Guided tour to several wineries; lunch at Carmel Valley Tour Guide Tod Fitch Number ______ Pay as you go Saturday, July 16: GSR POC Ladies Lunch & Shopping in Carmel – Transportation provided Tour Guides, Leslie Fitch and Kim Hunt Number ______ Pay as you go 6 : 0 0 P M Awards Banquet & Awards Program Buffet Menu make your selection Grilled Chicken Alfredo_____ / Grilled Carmel Style Tri-Tip_____ / Carved Ham_____ / Vegetarian Pasta Dish _____ Total Banquet Number ________ @ $ 40.00 $______________ T-Shirt Order: S____ / M____ / L____ / XL____ @ $15 / XXL____@ $17 / XXXL____ @ $18 Total $______________ Make checks payable to: Golden State Region, POC 2011 National Meet MEET TOTAL $______________ Mail completed registration to: 2 0 11Summer National Meet, c/o Nick DeSimone, 1423 Pecan Gro v e Drive, Diamond Bar, C A 91765-2536 For additional Meet Information, call or email: home phone (909) 861-4950 or cell phone (714) 864-0658 Email:
[email protected] -21-
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Tour with the Tall Pines Plymouth Owners Club Inc.
2011 National Fall Touring Meet August 31, September 1-3, Rochester, Minnesota Tall Pines Region, hosts Tour Overview Beginning on Wednesday, August 31, there will be organized daily driving tours throughout beautiful Southeastern Minnesota’s bluff country and the Mississippi River, Lake Pepin area, from the host hotel: LaQuinta Inn and Suites, 1625 So. Broadway, Rochester MN. 55902. Special room rates of $75 can be reserved by calling 507-281-2211 and asking for the Plymouth Owners Club rate which ends August 10th, 2011. Includes free hot breakfast buffet, wireless internet, indoor pool, onsite restaurant, fridge and microwave. All tours leaving Rochester will be approximately 120 miles round-trip, and because of limited parking we will be offering a bus tour on Friday. We strongly encourage the use of GPS devices, cell phones and handheld walkie talkies so people can complete the tours with minimal confusion. We will be providing complete addresses and phone numbers for each tour stop. We are urging early registration as some tour and events are limited. We will attempt to tour on rural, less-traveled roads where possible.
Wednesday, August 31: The plan for Wednesday is to tour to Harmony, Minnesota, where participants will board smaller vans and begin an Old Order Amish tour. Guides will explain Amish culture and history stopping at 5 - 6 working farms. Most stops offer retail opportunities to purchase Amish quilts and crafts. Driving back toward Rochester, we will visit Historic Lanesboro, the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota. Lunch is on your own and a tour of Lanesboro will provide viewing of the beautifully restored homes and mansions or visits of the many unique shops. This is a fun town, especially for the ladies.
Thursday, September 1 s t : Thursday will be a driving tour to the National Eagle Center located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The center has many exhibits providing insight into the life of the eagle. We hope to be participants in an interactive program where we can see eagles feeding and bathing and learn about the eagles’ significance in the environment and their importance in Native American culture. Hopefully, we will be able to view wild birds from the observation deck, and learn about injured eagles and how they can be returned into the environment. Lunch is on your own, but we have arranged for box lunches to be available at Nelson’s Cheese Factory, Nelson,Wisconsin. Nelson’s is known for their super ice cream cones. Following lunch we will be visiting one of the largest private Franklin automobile collections in existence, and it has a Plymouth also. Heading back to Rochester, we will stop and visit Lark Toys. Lark Toys is one of the largest independent toy stores in the United States. It has a huge hand carved wooden carousel and for a buck you get a ride. There’s an old time toy museum and toy exhibits. If you need a souvenir of the trip for the grandkids this is the place to get it. The evening begins with a Tall Pines Region build-it-yourself Burger Buffet at the hotel. Be sure to check this on the registration form. If you’re still not tired, drive to downtown Rochester for the Street Fair with shopping and music.
Friday, September 2nd: On Friday we will offer a bus tour. We will tour into Western Wisconsin and visit Elmer’s Auto and To y Museum. The museum includes antique, classic and muscle cars along with motorcycles, bicycles, over 200 pedal tractors and over 600 pedal cars on display. In addition there are 1000s of auto-related toys. This is a fascinating museum and includes one of the most beautiful views of the Mississippi River valley. Also we will visit The Pickwick Mill. Built in the 1850s, it is one of the oldest waterpowered gristmills in Southeastern Minn. It was built with locally quarried limestone with a timber frame that was so closely fit that nails were not used. This will be an extremely educational and interesting stop.
E lmer ’s
Saturday September 3rd: Saturday will be a day for touring around the Rochester area. We will be visiting the Mayowood Mansion. Mayowood The Mayowood estate was created between 1910 and 1938 by Dr. Charles Mayo, co-founder of the internationally known Mayo Clinic. The centerpiece of the 3000-acre estate is the 38-room Mayowood Mansion and gardens. The Olmstead County Historical Center is another interesting stop with numerous exhibits including five historic buildings on the grounds. Following lunch on your own, we recommend a tour to Assisi Heights and home of the Sisters of Saint Francis. There will be a one-hour tour of the buildings and grounds. The view of Rochester is very picturesque from Assisi Heights. On the way back to the hotel we will stop at the Plummer House, the former residence of Dr. Henry Plummer, a Mayo Clinic partner and founder. The Plummer House is located on Pill Hill as it became known because of all the doctors’ residences located there. Again there will be spectacular views of Rochester. The day will conclude with the banquet, membership meeting and awards at the host hotel.
Sunday, September 4 t h : breakfast and farewells
Contact: Carl Wegner
[email protected] -22-
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Tour with the Tall Pines Plymouth Owners Club Inc.
2011 National Fall Touring Meet August 31, September 1-3, Rochester, Minnesota Tall Pines Region, hosts Member’s name__________________________________ Spouse / Passenger_____________________ Address_____________________________________ City_____________________ Zip____________ Phones (home)_____________________(cell)___________________ Email_______________________ Ve h i c l e R e g i s t r a t i o n :
Year _________ Model_____________________ Body style__________________
(We strongly recommend the use of GPS tools, cell phones and walkie talkies for all tours) ---- Registration desk opens, beginning Tuesday August 30th, at 5:00 PM -----
Registration: $20.00 per vehicle/member before August 10th –– $25.00 after August 10th $_____________ Activity Registration
( See descriptions of activities on the accompanying page.) Wednesday August 31, 2011 Driving tour to Harmony, MN. There, experience Old Order Amish culture, with a 2 hr. guided van tour, visiting working farms. (Limit 70) Number @ $25_____ $______________
Visit Historic Lanesboro, lunch on your own and shop before returning to Rochester. Thursday, September 1 s t , 2 0 11 Driving tour to the National Eagle Center, Wabasha MN. (Admission) Box lunch available at Nelson’s Cheese factory. Nelson WI. (Lunch on your own) Visit one of the largest collections of Franklin automobiles in the country, then on to Lark Toys. Thursday evening, Special “Burger Buffet” dinner.
Number @ $ 11 _ _ _ _ _
$______________
Evening Street fair, Downtown Rochester, food, shopping and music. Friday, September 2nd, 2011 Because of limited parking, today we offer an all day bus tour. We will be visiting the historic Pickwick Mill, Pickwick, MN, and Elmer‘s Auto and Toy Museum, Alma, WI. Cost will include the Bus ride and all admissions. Lunch on your own. Number @ $ 2 5 _ _ _ _ _ $______________ Saturday, September 3rd, 2011 Participation pictures. Visit the Olmstead County Historical Center and Mayowood Mansion. Number @ $ 1 0 _ _ _ _ _ $______________ Tour to Assisi Heights, Sisters of St. Francis and historic Plummer House. (Admission) Evening dinner buffet, membership meeting and awards. Number @ $ 2 4 _ _ _ _ _
$______________
T Shirt Order: S_____ M_____ L_____ XL_____ XXL_____ XXXL_____ (All T shirts have pockets) Total T Shirts @ $15.00 ea. ______ Registration Total
$______________
Make checks payable to: Tall Pines Region POC Grand Total $______________
Mail completed registration to: Don Rohweder, 2 6 1 1 s t Ave SE, New Brighton, MN 5511 2 Fall Meet Information: Richard Tetzlaff 651-433-2707 or cell 612-759-2103,
[email protected] / Carl Wegner 218-326-5965
[email protected] / Don Rohweder 651-636-2506,cell 612-817-6135
[email protected] Meet Hotel: LaQuinta Inns and Suites, 1625 S. Broadway, Rochester, MN 55902 507-281-2211 Information on alternative self-guided tours for people with other interests available at the registration desk.
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Plymouth Owners Club sponsors ...
1st Western New York (Niagara) Tour 1928 - 1932 4 Cylinder Plymouths September 15 - 17 2011 Thursday, September 15th: Registration 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Holiday Inn Lockport , 515 Transit Rd. (Rt 78), Lockport, NY 14904 For reservations call 716-434-6151 or 1-800-HOLIDAY or www.holidayinn.com Room rate is $91.00 plus tax (mention Plymouth Owners Club) Reservations must be made before August 15, 2011. Includes Continental Breakfast Trailer and motor home parking on premises • 5:30 pm There will be a short tour and stop for dinner (pay on your own) Friday, September 16th: Tour 8:30 am • To the Historic Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Boat Cruise Includes 2 hour cruise on the Erie Canal through 2 locks cost: $13.00 each • After a stop for lunch we will tour to the Niagara Power Project to see how water is turned into electricity (free of charge) • Then we will tour to the Herschel Carousel Factory and Museum and enjoy a ride on a restored carousel (cost: $3.00 each) • Return to hotel Saturday, September 17th: Tour 8:30 am • Buffalo Waterfront, Naval and Servicemen’s Park (cost: $5.00 each) • Pierce Arrow Car Museum (cost $7.00 each) • Then lunch at the Anchor Bar, Original Home of the Buffalo Chicken Wing • Return to hotel • 6:30 pm Banquet at Holiday Inn If you are interested in seeing Niagara Falls, come a day early. I will arrange a tour on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. Call for details. Registration Name __________________________________________ Spouse/Guests _______________________ Address __________________________________________ City ______________________________ State/Province_______________ ZIP/Code _________ Phone ________________________ Your Plymouth
Year __________ Model _________________
Registration Dinner Total Mail to:
$18.00 per car $25.00 x _______
________ ________ ________
Robert Manke, 6037 E Canal Rd, Lockport, NY 14094 Phone: 716-925-4048 e-mail:
[email protected] Dash Plaques
Running Board Flea Market -24-
Tour 50 - 70 miles per day
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Use pdf
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Things …and our brothers John and Horace Dodge Plymouth by Rob Elliott Calgary, Alberta
At
the age of 27, Horace Dodge invented a four-point dirtproof adjustable ball-bearing race for use in bicycles. A patent application was made on July 20, 1895, and the bearing was first used in Maple Leaf bicycles manufactured in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In 1897 John and Horace Dodge were involved in the manufacture of “Evans and Dodge” bicycles in Windsor. Sources of information vary on the dates, mergers and sales events that followed. EvansDodge was purchased by National Cycle of Hamilton Ontario in 1899. National Cycle and four other bicycle manufactures were purchased in 1900 to form Canada Cycle and Motor Company. The Dodge brothers sold their shares for $7500 and moved Dodge Cycles and Machine back to Detroit. Bicycle manufacturing in Syracuse, New York, was booming in 1896. Over 40 different manufacturers were producing bicycles there, including one firm called Dodge Cycles. I cannot find any ties to the Dodge Brothers. I believe this headset badge and pin are from the Syracuse plant. Canada Cycle and Motor Company (CCM) produced bicycles in Canada until declaring bankruptcy in 1983. Procycle of Quebec bought the assets. Some sources indicate that the Dodge brothers brought their asset value in machinery to Detroit from the Windsor plant. Ransom Olds approached the Dodges in 1901 with a request to produce 2000 engines. Henry Ford followed with a need of production parts for his cars. The Dodges were contracted and the Dodge dynasty began. This Plymouth headset badge is another mystery. The badge is stamped on very thin copper and then enameled. I have found limited information on the Plymouth Cycle Company. The
Evans and Dodge bicycle owned by the Detroit Historical Museum (supposedly John Dodge’s own bike) and deposited in the Chrysler archives PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES HYDE Evans and Dodge headset badge PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES HYDE
Dodge Cycle headset badge
Plymouth Cycle Company headset badge
“Our Defender” Dodge Bicycle badge also has a sailing ship theme
Wheelman webpage lists Plymouth Cycle in Plymouth, Indiana, 1895 to 1896, and Plymouth Cycle by Lindsay Brothers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, also during 1895 to 1896. 1 bicycle production began in 1895.
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C ALGARY has 550 kilometres of paved pathways and 260 kilometres of onstreet bicycle routes within the city. As an avid cyclist, I have purchased a few Plymouth cycling jerseys online. At one time I found myself bidding against a fellow Plymouth Owners Club member from California who shares the same interests. His cycling and vintage car season would be longer than mine here in Canada. Plymouth cycling jersey worn by Rob Elliott on a tour through Calgary’s Edworthy Park
Plymouth Reebook cycling jerseys – two styles – front and back, probably from a British team.
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P(Plymouth ine Wood Wood)
the next week, I studied pictures of my car and my Franklin Mint model of it (BULLETIN 279), and I marked up the block of wood with a pencil on how it should look. The following Saturday, we jumped in the car and drove over to my shop in Springfield, Nebraska, and I cut out the shape on the bandsaw. Once we got home, I worked with him using the coping saw to cut out the trunk between the fins, and we did a lot of sanding. Between Saturday and Sunday, we applied the sanding sealer, did more sanding, then clear coat and final sanding. While that was drying, I chucked up the axles (actually nails) in my cordless drill and used some emery cloth to smooth them out. I read in my Google searches that some people use polish on those axles, so I broke out the Simi-Chrome and polished them. He came over on Tuesday, and we then sprayed on the black paint. I suggested “wide whites,” so we painted the outside of the wheels. And all the while, I was thinking about how to add the trim. I kind of remembered some shiny duct tape I once had, so I searched the basement and came up with it. Next I cut a pattern out of some construction paper and made the two side pieces. And then I thought, why not make shiny bumpers and a windshield? So I cut out those pieces as well. Thursday night Logan was back over again, so we applied the “chrome” pieces and installed the wheels. We dosed the axles with liberal amounts of powered graphite. Logan was looking through the craft supplies grandma always has around, and we found the head and tail lights. We were ready for Saturday, and “race day.” Oh, and Logan got his cast off on Tuesday. The races were held Saturday night after the scouts’ Blue and Gold Banquet. The car was weighed, and found to be light (just over 3.5 ounces). The car can weigh no more than 5 ounces. Another parent had some weights and a hot glue gun, so some weight was added to the bottom to bring the car up to 5 ounces. Now the track is a lot different than when I was in scouts 50+ years ago. The track is all-aluminum and each of the four lanes is on a timer. My dad built a track out of wood that our pack used when I was in scouts. We had a scoutmaster at the end of the track to determine which car was first, second, etc. The winners were raced against the other winners, until, through the process of elimination, you had the fastest cars. In Logan’s case, four cars were put on the track and raced and the times were recorded. This was repeated four times, once for each of the four lanes. Then the times were averaged. It didn’t take too long to figure out who the winners were. Logan won third place in the Tiger
Derby by Lee Lape Papillion, Nebraska
In
February, my daughter and son-in-law asked if I would be interested in helping my grandson Logan build his Pinewood Derby car for Cub Scouts. My son-in-law is a partner in his CPA firm and was in tax mode, working long hours seven days a week. And you should also know Logan broke his thumb by having it between the legs of a folding chair when he was folding it up. So he had a cast from his elbow to the tips of his fingers on his right hand. I said, “Sure, I’d be glad to work with him,” and began thinking about how to build it. I looked at Pinewood Derby cars on Google and found hints to make them faster, etc. But I kept thinking how cool would it be to make it look like my ‘58 Belvedere convertible. So, the next time they were over for Sunday dinner, they brought the kit and I bounced my idea off him. He thought it sounded great. During the course of
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Cubs class (his first year in scouts). I wasn’t sure how fast it was going to be, but I was hoping he at least would get something for originality – best design, something like that. I was as thrilled as he was that he actually placed! My grandson David has his Pinewood Derby race coming up in a couple of months. I’m thinking of my ‘41 coupe for this one. Stay tuned! PB
Racing license Polishing an axle
Applying sealer
Race!
Applying paint
Trophy, car and Grandpa!
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Anniversary Plymouth
by Dallas Wiese Toledo, Iowa
T
his story starts more than 60 years ago when my dad presented my older brother and me with a 1930 Model A Ford. I was a junior in high school in the little town of Montour, Iowa; population 353. My first contact with a girlfriend was going for a ride in the Model A after a basketball game with a cute cheerleader. I was just 15 years old. The older guys in town had filled me in on how things should go. I parked the Model A down by the schoolhouse, just a block from where my girlfriend lived. When I decided to check things out (according to the older boys directions), she slapped me and jumped out of my Model A and ran home – very confusing for me at the time. Fast forward to the summer of 1949: I was working for my father, who was doing roadside erosion work for the DOT. Dad sent me from Davenport, Iowa, to our home town of Montour with a truck and instructions to bring back a cultipacker which was used in the seed bed preparation. I happened to stop at the local ChryslerPlymouth dealer, owned by Bill Devins and a man named Clark. There on the showroom floor sat a new blue 1949 Plymouth convertible. Since one of the jobs my dad had me doing was being the timekeeper and handling the payroll, I was permitted to write checks on his account. I decided to make out a check for around $2300 for that blue convertible. In order to get the truck and cultipacker back to Davenport, I needed a driver. Our neighbor, only 15 and big for his age, was recruited. I knew Dad would hire him, so I recruited him to be the driver of the one-ton pickup with a flat bed that was loaded with the cultipacker. I followed with the new convertible. We had gone about ten miles from home when the pickup driver came upon a sharp curve and rolled the pickup and cultipacker, parts flying in every direction. Needless to say the pickup and cultipacker were totaled, but
the driver was not hurt. Now I was faced with the task of showing up in Davenport, less truck and cultipacker, but with a new convertible. Next came the explosion (my dad). However, he let me keep the convertible and make weekly payments. During 1950 I lived at home in Montour and worked in nearby Marshalltown. Two young gals rode back and forth to work with me, one happening to be the cheerleader named Joyce from the Model A experience. By New Year’s Eve I had convinced her I was now a gentleman, and we celebrated New Year’s Eve together. From there on we dated steadily. She began to slide over closer and closer to my side of the car so I felt it was time to pop the question. We were engaged in March and were married on April 6, 1951. We rented a tworoom apartment, where an older lady lived, which we later bought for $1200. It was quite primitive, with an outhouse and no running water, etc. We carried water in a bucket from the town pump. One day when I was up by the pump washing my convertible, my brother and his pals drove by, throwing a cherry bomb in my bucket. So much for that bucket! By late 1951, I sold the convertible to my brother, as I was trying to raise money to start a farm machinery business. My dad was a silent partner (brave man). A couple of years later my brother decided to sell the convertible and asked for my help. In those years I did not have very good judgment in driving and drove like a wild man. In demonstrating the ‘49 to the buyer, I performed by taking the guy for a ride through -30-
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"Dead Man's Curve" at 80 MPH, slipping a little as we went through the bridge. All survived, and I’m still alive – a little smarter, though. Now, being age 83, I find it pretty hard to believe what a fool I was. Fast forwarding through the years: I spent 35 years as a diesel engineer at the power plant while my dear wife and I ran a grocery store/restaurant, raised four children, bought and moved to an 80-acre farm (and did the farming), and ran a Yamaha motorcycle shop for eighteen years. My wife took the day shift and I took the evening shift. Sometime in the ‘80s I began a search for a ‘49 Plymouth convertible (blue preferably). Having saved the registration of the original, I had it traced and discovered it went to salvage and was crushed. Over the years I have looked at ‘49s but failed to find one in good shape and fairly priced. One of the saddest things happening during my search was calling a man near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who had a red ‘49. I called from Madison, Wisconsin, to see if he still had the car. The next day, I made the 100-mile trip to see the car, only to find he had sold it the year before. I have never figured that one out. One of the near misses I had in my hunt was a blue ‘49 that was sold at auction in Chicago in October 2001. This car was previously owned by Mickey Mantle, the famous baseball player. I learned of the sale just three days after the auction took place. Checking with the auction house, I found that the car only brought $12,000. I finally bought a yellow 49 which needed a lot of work. I have had new floors put
in it and done some other work but am unable to complete it. Joyce and I elebrated our 60th wedding anniversary on April 23, 2011, in Toledo, Iowa. I extended an invitation to any club member who would care to attend our celebration and offered to give a $100 reward to anyone who showed up at our celebration driving a 1949 Plymouth convertible. PB
April 6, 1951
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Bill Devins, from whom I purchased the ‘49, later moved to California and became famous for building sport cars.
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Special Deluxe Droptop
Feature article from Hemmings Classic Car, July, 2005 by Jim Donnelly P HOTOS © BY DON S PIRO P HOTOGRAPHY
Above all, however, Americans craved new cars, and the auto industry was only too happy to accommodate them. Kaiser-Frazer, Studebaker and Hudson were actually the first into the marketplace with “new” post-war cars as early as 1947. But by 1949, the biggies had finally reverted from wartime production and had caught up with the independents, and then some. In years to come, 1949 would be noteworthy for advances in technology and style that occurred across the board. The biggest came from Ford, which radically redesigned virtually its entire lineup, including both Lincoln and Mercury, producing more than 1.2 million cars in all. General Motors unleashed a broad array of changes, including new high-compression OHV V8 engines for both Cadillac and Oldsmobile, and extensive restyling that gave all its divisions
T
he shooting was over, the green-glowing mushroom clouds had finally dissipated and, at least in America, society was eager for a return to optimism and normalcy after being mired in economic collapse, and then global war, for two consecutive decades. The auto manufacturers – most of them – were well into rolling out their 1949 models on the 20th anniversary of the day when the Wall Street bubble popped with the concussive force of Zeus’s thunderclap. After the long period of stagnation in the consumer marketplace, the great race of acquisition was on in earnest. Where the Hempstead Plains stretched out of sight on Long Island, a community of little homes called Levittown sprang up, and veterans streamed east from New York City to build their families there. The world was still a tumultuous, disorderly place, with the Communists forcing the Nationalists into offshore exile in China, the Berlin airlift circumventing the Soviet blockade of that city, the partitioning of Germany and the unsettling revelation that the comrades in Moscow now had the bomb, too. Regardless, war-weary Americans were ready to rock. Broadcast television was in its infancy, but you could catch Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town. Film-goers were stunned by the Oscar-sweeping All the King's Men, inspired by the demagogic Louisiana populist Huey Long, and they cowered when James Cagney, as the demonic Cody Jarrett, raised his face to a flaming sky and shrieked, “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” in Raoul Walsh's riveting White Heat. -32-
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distinct appearances and personalities, a case in point being the dramatic Cadillac Coupe de Ville and Buick Roadmaster Riviera, both novel hardtops. This task force of new products propelled GM to sell more than 2.7 million vehicles in 1949. And then there was Chrysler. In 1949, the captain of Chrysler was board chairman Kaufman Thuma Keller. Mr. Keller had enjoyed a remarkable rise through the industry’s ranks, starting out as a clerk before eventually becoming a master mechanic at Buick, led at the time by Walter P. Chrysler. After Chrysler reorganized doddering Maxwell-Chalmers as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, Keller accepted a personal invitation to join the firm as vice president of manufacturing. He was particularly instrumental in integrating Dodge into the company’s lineup of brands, after Chrysler purchased it in 1928 from New York investment bankers Dillon, Reed, which had in turn bought out the company three years earlier. Keller was named Chrysler’s president in 1935, and was elevated to chairman after Walter P. Chrysler died in 1940. In drag racing parlance, Chrysler got gate-jobbed, left snoozing at the starting line. It “introduced” its 1949 models in late 1948, but because the 1948s had been selling strongly, they were simply issued registration numbers re-identifying them as 1949 cars – there was little corporate urgency to get the “real” 1949s out in a hurry,
and Chrysler wanted no launch-related glitches. The genuine new 1949 models didn’t first appear until March 1949, and the production start of some body styles didn’t commence until July. At Plymouth, the changeover meant that, for the first time since 1934, Plymouths would be built on two distinct wheelbases. The shorter model, dubbed P17, measured 111 inches between the wheel centers and was used by the likes of a business coupe and new, all-steel Suburban wagon. The P18’s wheelbase was 118.5 inches, and it could be ordered as a Deluxe club coupe or four-door sedan, or for a few extra dollars, as a Special Deluxe with a broader body variety: Club coupe, sedan, Suburban, or as Plymouth’s sole convertible model. Regardless of wheelbase, Plymouth’s sole engine was its 217.8-CU. IN. L-head straight-six. A compression nudge to 7.0 from 1948’s ratio of 6.6:1 yielded a corresponding horsepower increase to 97 for 1949, over the previous year’s 95 HP. Under Keller’s tutelage, Chrysler product philosophy favored copious interior space – indeed, the 1949 Plymouths had more interior room by every dimension than the cars they replaced – and that meant the new designs approved by Keller were generally taller and boxier than the more aggressively styled offerings from most of the competition. Critics chastised this sort of conservatism, but the combination of fresh sheetmetal and Plymouth’s well-33-
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Optional spare tire inflator has a hose that connects an external valve (shown below the taillight in the left photo) to the spare tire valve. Also shown, above, is the electrical hydraulic power convertible top pump.
established reputation of durability and affordability resonated forcefully with the buying public. Despite the late arrival of the “real” 1949 cars, hurrahed as “The Great New Plymouth” in national advertising, Plymouth produced 574,734 cars that year, of which some 508,000 were actual 1949 models built from March forward. That represented a sales increase of more than 47 percent over 1948’s total. Included in the output quantities were 15,240 Special Deluxe convertibles, including this restored, award-winning Plymouth Cream example owned and driven by Tom Mulligan of Tucson, Arizona. Perhaps better than any other bodystyle that Plymouth built in 1949, the Special Deluxe convertible presents the styling changes that were so long in gestation. It’s blocky, to be sure, though markedly more svelte than the 1948’s coats of steel. Plymouth kept the horizontal-bar grille treatment, but the bars used in 1949 were more delicately proportioned. Contrastingly, the brightwork spears running rearward along the front fenders and quarter panel look comparatively more aggressive; they’re significantly longer than the 1948 pieces. As Plymouth’s premium model range, the Special Deluxe series was treated to hearty cosmetic burnishing, including a chrome windshield frame and trim moldings, mahogany-toned dashboard graining with matching garnish moldings, rear fender stone guards and S PECIAL DELUXE front-fender scripts. The convertible added a standard power top with boot and full leather upholstery. Tom’s car adds more still – by searching through Hemmings Motor News, swap meets and websites, he has located and installed every available dealer-installed accessory offered for the 1949 Plymouths. A partial list includes a trunk-mounted MOPAR spare-tire inflator that he located with its original box, full wheel covers, a complete tool kit, bumper guards, an exhaust extension, and auxiliary interior lamps, such as a parking brake warning lamp. “I guess I’ve just got a thing for accessories,” he said. “Go grab the MOPAR accessory book from that year, and if it’s in there, I’ve got it. I’d have to say that the grille guards were probably the toughest pieces to find.” This is Tom’s second encounter with a 1949 Plymouth convertible. The first began in high school and lasted for years until he sold the car. Eventually becoming wistful, he set out on a hunt for another convertible, and enlisted the help of a local Plymouth buff in the search. More than four years ago, he learned that a professionally restored 1949 Special
Specifications
1949 P18 Special Deluxe convertible coupe Base price: $1,982 Options on this car: Various dealerinstalled; owner-installed overdrive
Engine
Type: L-head, straight-six, cast-iron Displacement: 217.8 cubic inches Bore x Stroke: 3.250 x 4.375 inches Compression ratio: 7.0:1 Horsepower @ RPM: 97 @ 3,600 Torque @ RPM: 175-lbs.ft. @ 1,200 Valvetrain: Solid valve lifters Main bearings: 4 Fuel system: Single Carter BB D6H1 1-bbl. carburetor, cast-iron intake manifold, mechanical pump Lubrication system: Pressure, mechanical pump Electrical system: 6-volt Exhaust system: Single exhaust
Transmission
Type: Three-speed manual, column shift, synchronized 2nd and 3rd gears; 28 percent electrical overdrive Ratios: 1st 2.57:1; 2nd: 1.83:1; 3rd: 1.00:1; Reverse: 3.48:1
Differential
Type: Hypoid, semi-floating axles Ratio: 3.90:1
Steering
Type: Worm and roller Ratio: 18.2:1 Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.25 Turning circle: 40.0 feet
Brakes
Type: Four-wheel hydraulic,manual Front: 10-inch drum Rear: 10-inch drum
Chassis & Body
Construction: All-steel body on box-section steel frame Body style: Two-door, five-passenger convertible Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: Independent, coil springs, tubular hydraulic shocks Rear: Live axle, longitudinal leaf springs, tubular hydraulic shocks
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Pressed steel discs Front: 15 x 4.5 inches Rear: 15 x 4.5 inches Tires: Goodyear Power Cushion bias-ply Front: 6.70 x 15 inches Rear: 6.70 x 15 inches
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 118.5 inches Overall length: 191.5 inches Overall width: 72.0 inches Overall height: 64.0 inches Front track: 55.0 inches Rear track: 56.0 inches Shipping weight: 3,323 pounds
Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts w/o filter Cooling system: 15 quarts Fuel tank: 17 gallons
Calculated Data
BHP per CID: 0.44 Weight per BHP: 34.25 pounds Weight per CID: 15.25 pounds
Production
Special Deluxe convs.: 15,240 Total 1949 Plymouths: 508,600
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brake linings were bonded to the shoes, not riveted.” Not a few MOPAR fans also appreciated Fords, and Tom is no exception: For years, he was a regional officer with the Early Ford V8 Club of America, and he freely acknowledges that even though Plymouth convertibles typically sell for significantly less than comparable Fords, they can hold their own against them in practically every driving element. “I really like Fords, but if you live out here where in summer it’s hotter than the hinges of hell, the Fords are prone to overheating,” he said. “The Plymouths aren’t intimidated at all when it’s really hot. Horsepower-wise, they’re about the same, and the Plymouths are cheaper to buy up front. It doesn’t make sense to me to pay $18,000 or so for a 1940 Ford that’s going to need another $20,000 or $25,000 worth of work to get it where I want it.”
Deluxe convertible might be offered for sale to the right buyer. Tom contacted the owner, based in Huntington Beach, California, and decided to make the long westbound run across Interstate 10 to check it out. “Normally, before I decide to buy a car, I go check it out at least four or five times, ask to drive it for awhile,” he said. “This time, the guy pulled it out of his garage, I walked around it once, looked at the interior for a minute, and wrote a check. And I've never regretted it.” Small wonder: This 1949 Special Deluxe convertible had won Best in Show for two straight years at the national meet of the Plymouth Owners Club. With a near-concours example now in hand, Tom started out on his hunt for MOPAR accessories. One of them was a MOPAR factory heater, in this case out of another 1949 Plymouth, which Tom had powdercoated, re-cored and then bolted in place himself. Given the vast expanses of southern Arizona, he made one decidedly non-stock modification to the Special Deluxe: He went out and bought a 1952 Plymouth parts car, for one specific reason: To extract its MOPAR overdrive unit, which was a new option that year and was priced at $102. As Tom put it, “It bolts right into the 1949 transmission with no modifications at all; you only have to drop the transmission to install it. You don’t have to cut the driveshaft down or anything. It’s electrically operated off a solenoid and relay with a push-pull (dashboard) cable, and it overdrives (the 1949 three-speed manual transmission’s top gear) at 28 percent. I just bolted it in, and it works perfectly.” The add-on overdrive is justified by the fact that while Tom drives the Plymouth only about 750 miles annually on weekends, he drives it, with a capital “D,” including freeway and mountain motoring. The Arizona speed limit on interstates is 75 MPH, and Tom knew immediately that the stock powertrain was inadequate. Explaining why, he said, “When these cars were new, most highway speed limits were set at 50 MPH. As it was, the Plymouth was perfectly competent at 50, but today, especially on the freeways, if you’re just puttering along in your little ‘49 Plymouth, everybody else is just going to run right over you. Now, with the overdrive, if I’m doing 70, I’m right around 2,000 RPM.” Unlike many collector-car owners, Tom has opted to stay with bias-ply tires for authenticity instead of switching to radials; in his case, they’re Goodyear Power Cushions. Nonradials notwithstanding, he assures that, “Plymouths had a really strong chassis that year, with new shocks (dubbed “SeaLeg” by the manufacturer), and even at 70 MPH, on bias tires, it really handles well. I’d say the brakes are excellent. In 1949, Plymouth went with two wheel cylinders on the front drum brakes instead of the industry’s standard of one, and the
Owner’s View
Retired Tucson police sergeant Tom Mulligan is a captain of security in that city’s school district, but his recreational hours are consumed with promoting the virtues of post-war Plymouths. He’s adamant that it’s a smart, affordable way to get into the hobby. “Being that I’ve also got Fords, I think a lot of their appeal comes from brand loyalty. A lot of people think the Plymouths are tough to do, but they’re really not. There are a lot of suppliers out there. Look, I just bought an NOS front grille guard for $80. For a 1940 Ford, you can only get a reproduction, and its going to cost you $250, probably. ‘Remember that Lee Petty ran a 1949 Plymouth coupe in NASCAR's first season, and finished second in the season championship. These were the Little Cars that Could. They'd didn’t out-speed everyone, but they sure outlasted them.” REPRINT COURTESY OF HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAGAZINE, A PUBLICATION FROM HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS PHOTOS, COPYRIGHT DON SPIRO PHOTOGRAPHY
Pros
• Lots cheaper than similar Fords/Mercurys • Less frequently seen than similar Fords/Mercurys • Like cockroaches, L-head straight-six is tough to kill
Cons
• Parts-hunting requires a little effort • Lacks macho panache to some onlookers • Without O/D, it’s weak in today’s traffic -35-
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A 50-year-long love af fair with Plymouth's 1949 Special Deluxe convertible coupe
This article was written when the car was owned by Dan Kilpatrick. He has since sold it to fellow POC member Richard Wahrendorff.
ber was my dad’s 1941 DeSoto. MOPAR history is in my blood.” The second-series Plymouths have maintained their appeal to Dan for more than fifty years: “I remember when the 1949 models came out – I always liked the Plymouth convertible’s rippled bumpers, exposed chrome trunk lid hinges, the great dashboard and raised taillamps. Now I’m lucky enough to own one.” Dan found our featured long-wheelbase P18 Special Deluxe for sale at a car show in Chatham, New York, back in 2000. “The car’s restoration was completed just before the show where I first saw it,” he recalls. “The restorer was a fellow from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and he sells all the cars he restores. He put a lot of money into it, and he’s told me that this is the one car he’s sorry that he sold.” When he took delivery of the convertible, Dan received a stack of receipts for the restoration parts, as well as photographs of the car before it was restored. “It was a basket case, in an odd shade of green. The body was surprisingly solid and complete, though, and he indicated that the car had come from an estate sale around Lake George, New York. The only rust he repaired was a bit in the floor pan and trunk pan. He re-
Feature article from Hemmings Classic Car, September, 2007 by Mark J. McCourt P HOTOS BY MARK J. MCC OURT
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omantic types point out that cars like this eye-catching 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe convertible coupe conjure up images of innocence, gingham dresses and picnic baskets. Few would argue that there is something optimistic and prosperous about a late 1940s American convertible, especially one from the “Low-Priced Three,” which was new in a time when the country held big possibilities for everyone, and everybody felt they had the opportunity to move up in the world. The pull towards owning a Plymouth convertible was strong for retired IBMer and Rhinebeck, New York, resident Dan Kilpatrick. “I shared a 1948 Plymouth five-passenger coupe with my brother – it was my first car,” he reminisces. “Going back to my childhood, my family always had Chrysler products. The first car I remem-36-
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required constant steering corrections. The Plymouth’s tube shocks offer an extremely comfortable ride compared to knee-action shocks, and the brakes – big 10-inch drums with dual wheel cylinders – are surprisingly good. The 1949’s chair-height seats are so comfortable that I’ve driven more than 200 miles to a meet in Killington, Vermont, and have gotten out of the car feeling like I’d just started out. “I don't think that MOPARS, and Plymouths in particular, are comparable in quality to equivalent Fords and Chevys – notice the way this car's doors close, their sound, the way the expensive-looking dashboard is put together,” Dan opines. “You'll see that, all over, the engineering is superior.” He’s justifiably proud of his latemodel ‘49 Plymouth, and it attracts a crowd everywhere he takes it. “I have shown the car many times and it always wins a first or second place. It’s also won a National Plymouth Owners Club first place award; I’m planning to take it to the AACA show in Binghamton, New York, for judging this summer.” If our hunch is correct, he’ll bring home another trophy.
plated all of the chrome, and polished the stainless steel trim; whoever rebuilt the engine did an outstanding job, as it runs and drives beautifully.” A big part of this convertible coupe’s enduring appeal is its handsome tan-overSalvador Blue color scheme. “I don't think I would have picked this exterior color, had I restored the car myself,” he admits. “Looking at the color chip, it doesn’t look appropriate for a convertible, and I might have done a maroon. Now, in my opinion, when you see it with the tan top up, it’s the best.” The optional combination Bedford Cord cloth and vinyl bolster upholstery is another special touch on this Plymouth, as it replaced the standard leather seating and brings welcome coolness for the driver's legs after a top-down afternoon in the hot summer sun. A die-hard convertible aficionado, Dan finds that his 1949 Plymouth provides an interesting contrast to his handsome navy blue 1940 Plymouth convertible coupe and the perfectly restored 1940 Ford convertible that he used to own. “The column shifter in the ‘49 shifts a bit easier, with a high clutch, and it’s so torquey and well-geared that it will easily pull from 20 MPH in third. The 97 HP from the 217.8CU IN L-head straight-six is very comparable to the power of the Ford’s flathead V8, and it easily cruises along at comfortable highway speeds of 50 to 55 MPH. “My Plymouth has bias ply tires, and as with all old cars on bias plies, it has a tendency to wander a bit going down the road, but nothing like my Ford… that car
REPRINT COURTESY OF HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAGAZINE, A PUBLICATION FROM HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS
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Just Waiting for a Queen
by Pat Stanton Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska
At the 1989 Spring Meet in Des Moines, Iowa
Plymouth Spring National meet held in Owatonna, Minnesota, in 1981. The six-cylinder engine purred quietly and was able to pull the family pop-up camper through the Rocky Mountains to the Plymouth National Meet held in Golden, Colorado. Since the car is a red convertible, it was requested to transport the Nebraska Pork Queen through the Seward Fourth of July parade. It also carried the 1993 Fort Calhoun High School homecoming king and queen to the football game. The ‘49 is now retired to the back of the barn while other projects get all the attention, but it is still all together and ready for a come back… just waiting for a king or queen who needs a ride. PB
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hen Larry Stanton from the Prairie Region joined the Plymouth Owners Club in 1976, he didn’t own a Plymouth, so he began looking for a project car. In 1980, he found what he was looking for, a 1949 P18 convertible that he bought from fellow Prairie Region member, Wayne Page. The car came with all its parts.
The Nebraska Pork Queen rides in Larry and Pat’s convertible through the Seward 4th of July Parade.
Daughter Rachel waits while Daddy works on the car.
At that time, Larry didn’t own a building to store the car, so he spent about a year reassembling it in the family driveway. He repainted it to the original color called Mexico Red and had it ready to enter in the
A 1959 Sport Fury, Fury Larry’s current driver, as pictured at the 2000 National Spring Meet in Rapid City, South Dakota. He is presently working on a 1963 Sport Fury convertible and a 1970 GTX clone. Ready to go: car, camper and family departing for the 1987 Spring Meet in Colorado
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by Richard Wahrendorff Ulster Park, New York
PHOTO
Unforgettable
ast November I bought my ‘49 Plymouth P18 convertible from fellow club member Dan Kilpatrick. The first time I rode in it was on our last tour to Olana, New York, in 2009. Unlike today’s cars, it is comfortable and roomy, and the ride is smooth and quiet. The car was meticulously restored and looks brand new, inside and out. It was an experience that I would never forget. There was no rust anywhere, and the engine compartment was just as clean. During the summer, Dan decided to sell the ‘49 convertible. After some thought, I told him I wanted to buy it. I told him I wanted something to drive while my PJ Deluxe touring sedan was being restored. Since it was late in the year I only got to drive it twice after I bought it. The first was on the day I brought it home and the second was on the day I made a trip to Hoffman’s Barn in Redhook (about 10 miles from my home). The rest of the year was devoted to getting the car in better running condition and finding other things that might need attention. I noticed that the engine had some fuel/choke issues. So I had the carburetor rebuilt and reset the Sisson choke. That made a dramatic improvement. After making a few other adjustments, I was ready for the road, but snow had come and I had to put off driving the Plymouth until spring. When I purchased the car, the former owner gave me a copy of the car’s original build sheet from the Chrysler Historical Collection. The car was built in Detroit on June 2, 1949, and shipped June 3, 1949, to Syracuse, New York, and delivered to H. L. Johnson Sales, Inc., in Troy, New York. The car was painted Salvador Blue and had a Bedford Cord and Blue Leathercloth interior. The car also came with an eight-tube radio and an All Weather Comfort System Model 550 heater, both of which still work very well. The car still has the original engine. Other Plymouth accessories were added later by the previous owners. These include fender skirts, a clock, a door mir-
ror, a trunk light, fog lights, door handle guards and an exhaust deflector. Directional signals were also added at some point. The car has had a meticulous restoration and has won several awards in the past. The car and the previous owner Dan Kilpatrick were in a featured story in the September 2007 issue of Hemmings Classic Car magazine. One day while I was viewing one of the POC Forum ads I saw that a fellow club regional member, Bob Drown, was looking for a heater for his 1940 Plymouth coupe. I emailed him and said that I had one, and we decided to meet at the Rainbow Diner in Kerhonkson, New York. On March 15 the weather was nice, the snow was melted, and I decided to drive the Plymouth for the first time this year. The car started right up and soon settled to a quiet idle. The diner is about 20 miles away. Most of the roads driven were back roads, and the traffic was light. My average cruising speed was between 45 and 55 MPH. When I arrived at the diner, Bob met me in the parking lot. After I sold him my heater, we went inside and had coffee and talked a bit. Afterwards, we departed, and I arrived back home about a half-hour later. The car ran very well the whole time. I'm looking forward to my next outing with the Plymouth. PB
MARK J. MCCOURT PHOTO
MARK J. MCCOURT PHOTO
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The second in a series about a Plymouth and a family
The 1954 Plymouth
by Phil Hall Roseburg, Oregon
Sometime ago, Mike Bade, president of the Cascade Pacific Region of the Plymouth Owners Club, encouraged me to write the story of our 1954 Plymouth. Mike said that the story of our car was – at least somewhat – the story of our family, and that club members could get to know a little something of us through the story of our car. So, Mike, thank you for the invitation and encouragement to write this story.
of Phil and Rose Ann Hall
with a five-dollar permit, head to the mountains to cut firewood with our hand bow saw. As before, we would load the Plymouth with as much wood as we could possibly cram into it. I have mentioned that the Hy-Drive system on the Plymouth enabled it to go almost anywhere without getting 1976 I had graduated with a degree in forestry, and in stuck. One weekend I took the family for a drive way the fall I landed a job as a forester with the up in the mountains where I worked during the Bureau of Land Management in Medford, week to show them the beautiful forests and Oregon. Rose Ann and I had never been the great looking country. We took the out west before and we looked forward Plymouth up an unsurfaced roller-coastto the new adventure. We hooked the er, an up-and-down jeep road which Plymouth to the back of a U-Haul was quite steep in many places. We truck, drove to Delaware to say had a lovely outing, and the good-bye to family and headed Plymouth took us safely home. west. Later, at work I took a We kept our Irish Setter in two-wheel-drive pickup truck on the Plymouth during the move, that same jeep road and got stuck in and one night he got bored and a saddle. There was a steep pitch tore down (and ate most of) the into the saddle and a steep pitch out of headliner. To this day, the car does it. Once into the saddle, the truck was not have a headliner. Arriving in unable to go forward up the steep grade Medford, we unhitched the Plymouth and out of the saddle and unable to get back up started our search for a house to begin our the steep grade into the saddle. It new life in Oregon. This is in 1976 as we arrive in eastern Oregon on our took me about four hours to slowly I drove the Plymouth to work way to accept a job as a forester and begin our new life. jack that truck out of its predicamy first day on the new job and Because I know he is there, I can see our Irish Setter in the ment. I had simply assumed that would drive it to work thirty years back seat. Quite an adventure for a new family. How many the modern two-wheel-drive truck later on the day of my retirement. people would have just sold the Plymouth and left it behind should traverse the jeep road since Although I was starting a prorather than take a $150 used car across country. Never a fessional job, the entry salary was regret in that department. our 1954 Plymouth had driven it with no problem. Silly me. quite modest, and we found ourIn February 1978, with me at the selves eating more than our share wheel, the Plymouth took Rose Ann to the hospital in of peanut butter sandwiches and pancakes. Once again, we Ashland for the birth of our third child. I can be taught; occasionally found ourselves short of fuel oil money. Once while taking Rose Ann to the hospital, it was not necessary again, we would take the rear seat out of the Plymouth and,
4. Moving west
In
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On one of our annual trips to the mountains to get a Christmas tree: Vince, Christina and Rose Ann, pregnant with our son Nathaniel, who would be born in February 1978.
To the left, our son Nathaniel, bundled up in a blanket, is being held by Rose Ann. The year is 1978 at Crater Lake.
Rose Ann and Vince Vince on a 1977 visit to Crater Lake National Park, which is about two hours east of where we lived in Medford, Oregon.
enough clearance to get for me to be reminded to drive at a speed appropriate to over obstathe urgency of the situation. Later the Plymouth carried cles. This partwo proud parents and a fine baby boy, Nathaniel, safely ticular trip was home. quite tough on the Plymouth. The exhaust system got ruined going over the boulders and gullies on the jeep road. ne more story of the Plymouth and jeep roads: I had been Then, on the way home, while the Plymouth was on the shown, by the archeologist at work, an old Shasta Indian Medford viaduct, the thermostat froze up and the car immediencampment way down the Klamath River Canyon. It is a ately and seriously overheated. There was no place to pull wonderful site, with shelter depressions on a high ridge overover for some miles. By the time I was able to stop, the looking the river hundreds of feet below. The site is in the engine and radiator were making fearsome noises. I tried to middle of nowhere, many miles down a very difficult jeep add water, but the engine stalled. When I tried to restart it, I road. At that time I was serving as a Scoutmaster, as I would found the engine was so hot that it for many years. I would load the had locked up. I waited a while and Plymouth full of young Scouts with after the engine cooled, it freed up packs in the trunk and packs piled and started. Although the engine high on an old detachable roof rack was badly damaged with the temper which we had inherited from Rose having been taken out of the piston Ann’s dad. Once a month, the rings, the Plymouth took us safely Plymouth would take the boys home. The engine at this point had camping. gone 70,000 miles since I had On one occasion, I thought it rebuilt it in North Carolina. Once would be fun to take the boys campagain, we decided to put money into ing at the site of the old Indian the Plymouth. camp. The jeep road into the site This time we had enough money to was extremely rough, with big gulOne of our many camping trips: Note that the do all that was necessary to make the lies and large boulders. On several detachable roof rack is still being used. This is about engine right in every respect. As a occasions, I had to have the boys get 1980 and the old tent had just about had it by this result of scoring and the overheating, out so that the Plymouth would gain point, and we retired it not long after, as it was falling two of the cylinders required sleeves.
5. Second rebuild
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Because it took a while for the shop work to get done, the Plymouth was down for about two or three weeks. By then, we had purchased our first home, and it had a garage in which I was able to disassemble and re-assemble the engine. That was the good news. The bad news was that there were no large trees to use for pulling the engine, so I had to rent a cherry picker. Our young children, Vince, Christina and Nathaniel, along with their neighborhood friends, gathered around the Plymouth as I prepared to start the car for the first time. They had been closely supervising my work throughout the entire process. When the Plymouth fired up, the children were jumping up and down, running around shouting, “It works! It works! It works!” They were entirely too cute for me to find their lack of faith disturbing. The Plymouth has rolled about 120,000 miles since that event. Although it suffered a burned valve once about 50,000 miles ago, it runs and sounds as good as it did the day back in 1981 when the children celebrated it being restored to life. After one particular little vacation to the Redwoods in the early ‘80s, we were returning home late at night on Highway 199, which is very crooked and windy along the steep Smith River Canyon. The children were asleep in the back while Rose Ann and I were talking quietly up front. Rounding a bend, we were all of a sudden confronted with a large rock that had rolled off the mountain into the middle of our lane. There was no way to avoid the rock, and so we took it head on. The rock went under the car, banging, crashing and bouncing the car up and down. What an event! The children didn’t wake up but Rose Ann and I were certainly wide awake after that. To this day, the cross member for the transmission and places on the frame are bent where the Plymouth rolled over that rock. The front end, oil pan, aluminum bell housing, transmission, brake lines and rear end all somehow survived. The Plymouth brought our family safely home.
taken us up to the mountains to play in the snow, taken us up to the mountains to get Christmas trees, taken us up and down the full length of the Oregon coast, the Redwoods and northern California, Crater Lake, central Oregon, Mount Hood, Columbia Gorge, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, Chelan, Mount Rainier and that list also goes on. Back east it had taken us to Skyline Drive, Great Smokey Mountains, Kitty Hawk, Atlantic beaches, and the list goes on. It has hauled firewood, lumber, engine blocks, concrete, bricks, trash, groceries continues the list. During these years, the car also continued to carry Boy Scouts on camping trips. The Plymouth was one of the cars in which our children learned to drive. Teenagers are tough duty for any car, but the Plymouth always brought them safely home.
6. Snow adventure
My
oldest son, Vince, and I drove the Plymouth to Mount Rainier National Park for a backpacking trip. It was September, and the weather was grand. At least it started out as such. On one of our multiple backpacking trips, we were a two-day hike into the back country off the north flank of the mountain when we were hit by an unpredicted and fierce snowstorm. Vince and I got up about an hour before sunup to hike out before the storm closed us in. We hiked the distance out in about eight hours or so. The temperature was frigid, at times the wind was fierce and the snow piled up very quickly. What had been bare ground and sunny skies two days previously were now whiteout conditions with drifts of waist-deep snow. Vince and I were both well-prepared with gear and we were both strong hikers. When we had left the Plymouth to do the hike, there were signs warning hikers that in the event of a storm the buildings and roads would be closed without warning. The park personnel were true to their word, so when we got back we found the place deserted and all of the buildings boarded up. At first we did not see the Plymouth and feared it had been towed away. We soon found the car, however. It looked like a large mound of snow. Vince and I were tired and cold, but we quickly uncovered the car, pulling the snow off with our hands. The park service rangers had left us a note under one of the wiper blades telling us that they were aware of us and in the event we made it out they provided us the combination
5. A new home
In
1984, we transferred to Roseburg, where we still live. The house we bought in Roseburg did not have a garage, a lack which I finally remedied in 2000 by building a fully insulated and finished four-car garage. Although it now resides in that garage, most of our Plymouth’s life has been spent in the elements. Not long ago I was thinking out loud that I would like to take a drive in the Plymouth, but that it was raining. Hearing this, Rose Ann laughed and asked what was I thinking, since the car had sat out for years and had always been driven in any kind of weather. Meekly and somewhat defensively, I replied that the car was clean and that I hated to get it dirty and have to clean it up again. Rose Ann was right, however. After all the years of constantly being exposed to the elements and being in constant tough and dirty duty, what, indeed was I thinking? The weather has never had much of an effect on the Plymouth. The Plymouth has always started and run fine regardless of the weather. It even started that winter here in Roseburg when it got down below zero. It has driven us through the occasional snow storms here in the valley. It has run errands, taken kids to school, taken us to church, -42-
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because of the high position of the radiator in relation to the engine. Model T Fords, having been designed without water pumps, rely entirely on thermo-siphon.) After the Plymouth had cooled off and I had reinstalled the generator, it fired up with no apparent ill effects from its seven-mile drive without a fan belt. The Plymouth had brought Rose Ann safely home.
7. Staying in shape
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e’ve always spent whatever money was required to keep the Plymouth in good mechanical shape. Because it has been in good and reliable mechanical shape, we’ve always felt we could get in the Plymouth and go anywhere, and we have. Cosmetics, or making the Plymouth presentable, however, was never able to make it to the list of family financial priorities. By the late 1990s the Plymouth looked the part of a car that had been ridden hard for many years. You don’t drive a car for so many years and for so many miles while doing all the repairs and maintenance yourself – without becoming very familiar with just about everything on the car. You know how things go on, how they come off, how they are taken apart, how they are put together, you know what is in good shape and you know what is not in good shape. I have enjoyed working on the Plymouth to keep it on the road. I can remember so many little jobs over the years on the Plymouth, such as putting bushings and brushes in the starter, adjusting the voltage regulator, putting I don’t know how many sets of brushes in the generator, relining the brakes, rebuilding the master cylinder and wheel cylinders, adjusting valves, replacing water pumps, points, plugs, condenser, rebuilding the carburetor, replacing wheel bearings, fixing worn-out wiring, and the list goes on. I have enlisted Rose Ann, Vince, Christina and Nathaniel to provide assistance on many different tasks on many different occasions. I already have told of Vince helping at an early age. I remember putting Christina under the hood, and sitting her, at about 5 years of age, on the engine to have her use the tool to spin the valves on their seats to lap them in with valve grinding compound. Over the years, every member of the family has, at some time or another, helped me bleed the brakes. Christina tells me that she thinks she was about eleven or twelve years old when she was old enough to reach the brake pedal and help with brake bleeding. If the family was not in there getting greasy and dirty along with me, they were nevertheless always available as spectators and ready to provide moral support. There are not all that many things on the Plymouth that I have not worked on at some time or another. Some things on the Plymouth seem remarkable because I have not had to do anything with them. The transmission and differential are two big examples. One small example I thought of the other day, when under the hood, is the directional light flasher which was on the car in 1973 and is still working after so much use. I have said that the Plymouth has always started and always brought us safely home. This is not to say that a 1954 automobile with such constant rugged use would be without the need of occasional work.
Different Different snow, snow, different different time: These pictures were taken either in late October or early November 1976 in the Southern Oregon Cascade Mountains.
to the lock on the gate located at the bottom of the mountain road. We got in and hoped the car would start. I was afraid the snow had blown under the hood and had wet the ignition wires. The old six-volt cranked slowly in the cold, but after just a little hesitation the Plymouth fired up. The snow was about two feet deep in the parking lot but it was fairly light and fluffy. That was the good news. The bad news was that although we were very well-prepared for backpacking, I did not have tire chains in the car. I put the Plymouth in gear, but at first the engine was not warmed up enough to push through the snow. Once we got moving we headed down the mountain. The road down was steep and winding. Although I was coming down in low gear, the Plymouth would pick up enough speed that I would have to touch the brakes from time to time. On two different occasions, as the Plymouth approached extremely steep precipices with ninety degree turns in the road with no guard rail, I touched the brakes, and could feel the tires break traction and the car begin to slide. I turned the wheel as we entered the curve, but the car did not respond; it just kept going straight ahead, when, at the last moment, the tires bit the road and the Plymouth safely swung through the curve. It was a white knuckle ride all the way down and one in which I think both Vince and I forgot how cold and tired we were. As we descended the mountain, the snow became less and less, until finally at the bottom it was all rain. The Plymouth brought us safely home. Plymouth truly did build great cars. There are so many little stories I could tell that illustrate the ruggedness of our Plymouth. Another such story is from the time Rose Ann was attending Umpqua Community College about seven miles from where we live. One day she called me from school to tell me the car was not generating. I drove out to the college, removed the generator and took it home for repair. About an hour or two later, Rose Ann came up the drive way in the Plymouth. She had assumed that I had come out to the school and had fixed the car. At the time the temperature gauge was not working. (The engine did not get extremely hot, as in the incident with the Boy Scouts; in this case the thermostat was open, and some cooling took place though a thermo-siphon effect, which is possible -43-
To be continued in the nex t i s s u e …
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Clif ’ s Notes
Something for everyone I
t’s time to pound out another story from the yester-yore of Plymouth land, somewhere out beyond the Land of Oz. We had lots of fun at Bill’s (see the last issue) for years, but all good things come to an end. He moved and we tried the same things out at his lake place. Well, we really didn’t; he was afraid the neighbors would complain. Not many lake people are car guys, you know. Bill, being a true car guy, does not live by the lake anymore for that reason. Elaine thought they’d live out there happily, but car guys “gotta let loose” once in a while, don’t they? It turns out that Bill and our buddy George, who loves Dodge Challengers and AAR ‘Cudas, decided to go drag racing on a big scale. George has had a number of drag racing cars from 12-second cars up to an 8-second Challenger drag car, which is still a door-slammer, not a fliptop. I know Challengers are not Plymouths, but a close cousin to Barracudas, right? Bill fielded a brand new Dodge Stratus with a Ray Barton Hemi engine until the urge for drag racing left him. He is still into Plymouths, owning a Plymouth Prowler in a yellow color, I believe. He may still have the two Road Runner convertibles too; I sure hope so. No Plymouth guy who is true blue could ever let those two go. I’m hoping he still has the Vitamin C Orange six-pack Runner that I also mentioned in the last article. I will check. Yes, I know I promised I’d write more about Plymouth C-bodies and will do that in the next issue. There is a 1970 Fury III four-door hardtop, a 1972 Fury II two-door hardtop and a 1968
Fury VIP two-door hardtop on my June 11th auction sale if you’d like one of these for a project. The 1972 is an easy restoration, very complete; the 1970 is not too bad either, but the VIP has most of the glass out of it. It is great for parts or an ambitious restoration.
Getting back to Bill’s and our fun in those days. We had everything from ‘68 Hemi Road Runners and 1970 ‘Cuda Hemi cars with elastomeric bumpers to basic Plymouths like a 1967 Satellite 318 hardtop doing those burnouts and having fun. I’m wishing I had some of the pictures from those days, but they are prints and not digital. If I live long enough, I will get some scanned and publish them in a future P LYMOUTH BULLETIN. Speaking of the BULLETIN, our buddy Jim Benjaminson in my home state here of North Dakota tells me of a guy from Australia who is looking for a Plymouth Scamp or Dodge Rampage. I have an ‘83 Plymouth Scamp (only year they built the Plymouth version) in white with a topper and two Dodge Rampages to pick from. One is an -44-
automatic and the other a five-speed model that I drove for over a year, after purchasing it. It has tranny trouble now but it still runs well. There is another auction of interest for Plymouth lovers coming up besides my own on June 11th. Yvette VanDerBrink tells me that the ‘73 340 Cuda in the Soukup auction is really cherry. I would love to have it, but, as you all know, I am cutting back on my collection. My fiancée would love to have me keep my 1928 Dodge coupe. Maybe she will buy it, you never know. At the very least, since she loves it so much I will try, sometime before the sale, to take her for a ride in it. It will be so neat, the two of us driving down the two-lane in a 1928 Dodge. I just had a wild thought. We are getting married on April 20th. Maybe I can bring the car here to Mandan and we could drive the 1928 from the church to the reception and dinner. MAYBE! My auction has those three ‘28 Dodges and a set of ‘29 Dodge fenders plus a 1948 Dodge coupe minus the front clip. That’s about it for ‘20s through the ‘40s MOPARS. There’s not much in the ‘50s either, except a 1955 Dodge four-door project car and a 1957 Plaza four-door for lots of good parts. Once you get into 1960 and beyond, there are oodles of Plymouth and Dodge parts and cars. Hope to see you there on June 11th at Adams, North Dakota. There is a little something for everyone! That should be quite a sale in Nebraska, too; mostly Plymouth items there. Yvette VanDerBrink is doing the Soukup sale, too; same as mine. If you have questions about my sale or items there, look it up on vanderbrinkauctions.com or you can call me at 701-944-2729, home at Adams; 701-331-9092, cell; our Bismarck home number is 701-258-2142. Thank you and best of motoring to you! It is April 2nd as I write this and there’s talk of another winter storm here this weekend. Yuk! -- CLIF NELSON
[email protected]
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Plymouth Miniatures
Plymouth calling
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hat would you think if, out of the blue, I just up and called you on the phone? You'd probably first check the incoming number on your machine and, not recognizing it, hesitate prior to answering. It could be a crank call or someone wanting to sell you something you don’t want. I couldn’t blame you for not picking up the receiver. I'd likely do the same. Now, what might happen if you knew beforehand that it was me, your P LYMOUTH BULLETIN columnist? Although most Plymouth owners do enjoy a chance to “talk Plymouth,” only few of you might recognize my name (nor would I expect you to). What if, however, I first told you that I was calling you on an honest-to-goodness “Plymouth” calling card. That’s right, a phone card paying homage to one of our own, in this case a 1947 P15 Plymouth, just like the one you see in the picture attached to this article. My guess would be: instant connection. This calling card was issued in the early ‘90s by a Brazilian telephone company called Telemar, and was valid for 60 minutes of chat time (obviously not limited to “Plymouth-speak”). According to the license plate on the Plymouth, it is a ‘47 model and the car was originally from the city of Sao Paulo. The card further states (in Portuguese) that this vehicle is currently on display in the Antique Car Museum in the State of Ceara, which is in the northeast of Brazil. The street location of the museum is Avenida Manuel Sales de Andrade in the capital city of Fortaleza, in case you are in the area or planning a trip to Brazil and might want to visit. But you might want to call first. By the way, calling cards (not ones featuring Plymouths!) were popularly used in Brazil prior to the cell phone era and at a time when fixedline phone communications were costly and still somewhat unreliable.
Okay, so now I’ve picqued your interest and you’re ready and willing to pick up the phone. How about if I sweeten my little offer of calling you on a Plymouth-decorated phone card and invite you to a beach where you are assured of seeing a Plymouth or two? Sound to good to pass up? Probably does, especially if you live in the northern climes and are fed up with snow and cold right about now. Take a long, slow look at the beach scene in the postcard (attached as a picture) and it won't be difficult for you to envision standing by the phone or reaching for your cell with the hope that it doesn’t take long for my call to come through.
The very inviting beach that you see is called Castanheiras (broadly translated to “Nut Tree Beach”) and is located in the municipality of Guarapari, a seaside town in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. From the writing on the reverse side of this card, one can establish that it was mailed in 1976. I suspect, however, that the senders used a postcard printed in an earlier time. My guess is that the postcard scene is of a mid-‘60s vintage, judging from the lineup of automobiles that appear to be overlooking the calm ocean waters and thoroughly enjoying the scene. While I am in the process of phoning to invite you for an afternoon at the beach, what really interests most of us, aside from the sunshine, blue skies and -45-
placid sea, are the cars that brought the sunbathers to this destination. Like you, I first glanced at the antique vehicles (which is really why I bought this postcard in the first place) and only afterwards at the beach and its occupants. The third car from the right, and without doubt the one we most want to set our sights on, is a medium-blue ‘51 Plymouth Cranbrook sedan with matching interior and whitewall tires. A closer view of the wheels tells me that this Plymouth wears the smaller, dog dish hubcaps and not the full wheel covers. Our Plymouth is also the oldest vehicle among those at the beach this day. It strikes me as being very well-maintained and preserved for the already 15-or-so-year-old vehicle it was when the picture was shot. In contrast, I can see quite a bit of rust on the rear quarter panels of the Willys Rural Wagon to the right of our rust-free and dent-free Plymouth. Under the shade trees to the right of the scene are numerous of other vehicles, but it is impossible to make out which brands might be present. It wouldn't surprise me a bit, though, to find another Plymouth or two at this beach outing. In case you are as curious as I am, I cannot fail to mention the other vintage vehicles that are keeping our ‘51 Plymouth company on this gorgeous day. Starting from the left: a white DKW sedan (these little German compacts were actually manufactured in Brazil for awhile in the ‘60s), two Willys Rural Wagons (also made in Brazil) sandwiching our Cranbrook, a VW Beetle, a Renault Dauphine and, lastly, the only other American car representative I can make out, a ‘59 or ‘60 Pontiac or Olds, painted red with a white roof and also
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AT T E N T I O N C O L L E C T O R S ! ! ! ! NO E ERV RES
Collector Vehicles, Parts, Vintage Snowmobiles At Auction!
The Clif Nelson Collection
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Saturday - June 11th, 2011 At 10:00am 7038 117th Ave. NE, Adams, North Dakota 58210
Directions: From Grafton, N.D.- Follow Hwy 17, Approx. 45 miles, past Adams, ND to North on 117th Ave. NE to auction site. Follow signs!
sporting whitewalls with small hubcaps. If you think about it for a minute, this group would not fail to cause a buzz at any cruise-in or car show held nowadays, even if not assembled on a tropical beach. As I hang up the phone on this little Plymouth adventure, I am not suggesting that you cease filtering all your incoming calls before picking up the receiver or pushing the green button on your cell phone, but you might want to give second thoughts to that habit of not picking up or answering the telephone. There just might be an honest-togoodness Plymouth calling card on the other end and you might be receiving an invitation to a beach party with a bunch of vintage cars. By the way, if you really aren’t home when your phone does ring, or if you dropped your cell in the tub by mistake and it won’t power up, I hope that you were at the least out and about scouting for old postcards and other Plymouth memorabilia to bring along to the beach to show us the next time around. Pssssst… is that your phone? I hear ringing once again! -- Bill Brisbane
[email protected]
VanDerBrink Auctions is pleased to bring you this assortment of Collector Vehicles from Original Drivers to for project and parts along with HUNDREDS of MOPAR COLLECTOR PARTS and even vintage snowmobiles. Clif Nelson has been collecting cars for over 30 years and has decided to start a new chapter of his life and will offer his collection at No Reserve at auction to the highest bidder. There is something for everyone from Corvettes, 1970 Roadrunner, 1966 Plymouth Drag Car to man, many MOPAR parts and more. You won’t want to miss this auction! HUNDREDS OF COLLECTOR CAR PARTS! 90% MOPARCHALLENGER, CHARGER & MORE! Many late 1950’s to 60’s and MANY,MANY, Used MOPAR 1962-1974 parts! Chrome, Hubcaps, Rims, Speedo clusters, Clean Fenders, doors, hoods, deck lids, Many Seats, taillights, headlights, steering columns, some NOS small parts, Engines including 440 V-8’s, 383 V8’s, and 318’s. 6 PACK #’s Correct for Coronet, and MANY MORE!!! SERVICE MANUALS FOR MOPAR, SOME SNOWMOBILE, AND OTHER ADVERTISING, 2-OLD GAS PUMPS! … COLLECTOR VEHICLES: CHEVROLET- Fabulous 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible, 283, AT, Fully Restored Driver! Wow- Original 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Silver Anniversary Edition, L48 350 V-8, At, Low Miles! Shows-27,500 miles. Excellent Original 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Silver Anniversary Indy Pace Car, L48 350 V-8 engine, AT, Low Miles, Shows- 18,000 miles, new tires, Eye Catcher! 1956 Chevrolet 4dr Sedan, Copper/ Cream, 6cyl, 3spd, Clean Driver, Cool! 1953 Chevrolet 210 4dr Sedan, Black, Nice, 1978 Chevrolet Wrecker, Rebuilt 350 V-8 & TrannyCHEVROLET FOR PROJECT-PARTS-ROD: 1936 CHEVROLET 2DR SHELL, 1936 Chevrolet 2dr Sedan, 1947 Chevrolet 4dr Sedan, 1949 Chevrolet 4dr Sedan, 1952 Chevrolet 2dr Sedan, and others for parts, some project, rod.. FORD- PROJECT, PARTS OR ROD: 1946 Ford 2dr Sedan, parts, 2-1949 FORD F-1 Pickups,1950 Ford Custom 2dr Shell,1951 ford 2dr Black, parts, 2-1953 Ford Sedans, parts, 3-1957 Ford Fairlanes, parts, 1958 Mercury 4dr Sedan, 383 V-8 , 3spd, project or parts, 1968 Ford LTD-DERBY!, 1952 Mercury 4dr, parts, 1976 Mustang II Fast Back, parts or project, and other for mostly parts… 1950 Desoto 4dr Sedan, 1954 Olds 4dr, Complete Project or Parts, There is also a variety of other late 1980’s to early 1990’s Vehicles for parts, some Drivers including 1997 Sebring JXI Convertible, 1998 Chrysler Sebring JXI Special Edition Convertible- Bad Motor, 1983 Chrysler New Yorker, Bad Tranny, and Many Horizon Compact Cars.. PLYMOUTH: WOW! 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner, working air Grabber Hood, 383, at, blue, originally sublime green w/white top! Nice Driver! 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Drag Car! Roll Bars set up for racing, 380hp 360 CU V-8 Engines. 12:5 ¼ Mile! Coool! Ready To Rock! 1951 Plymouth 2dr Coupe, Rolling Project, 1953 Plymouth 2dr ht, Project, 1957 Plymouth Plaza 4dr, V-8, Manual, Project, more Plymouths for Projects or PartsDODGE: Restored 1928 Dodge Coupe, cream/brown, Beautiful!, 1976 Dodge Charger, 440 Magnum V-8, at, Nice Driver, Dodge for Project-parts: 1928 Dodge 4dr Sedan, 1928 Dodge 4dr Sedan, Rough For Parts, 1948 Dodge Coupe, 1955 Dodge Custom 4dr Sedan, V8, Manual, 1963 Dodge 4dr Sedan, 1965 Dodge Coronet 4dr Sedan, 1966 Dodge Coronet 2dr Ht, Rolled, 1967 Dodge Coronet 500 4dr Sedan,2- 1968 Dodge Coronet 2dr Ht Shell, 2- 1967 Dodge Dart (1)gt 2dr ht, Parts, 1971 Dodge Demon 2dr Fastback, 1972 Dodge Dart 2dr Ht, 2-1970 Dodge Chargers, Shell and for Parts, and More… VINTAGE SNOWMOBILES-ORIGINALS & PROJECTS: 1972 Artic Cat Puma 340, 1977 Scorpion Sting 440, 1972 Scorpion Super Stinger III 440, 1973 Scorpion Stinger 340, 1975 Scorpion Whip 400, 1976 Scorpion Whip 440..
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Terms: Cash, Good Check/Letter of Available Funds preferred Credit Card w/limit. Payment in full Day of Sale. Removal Day of Sale or within 10 days. Titles for CASH, others mailed certified. All items Sold AS IS NO WARRANTY and ALL SALES ARE FINAL. ON-Line bidding available at www.proxibid.com and separate on-line terms apply. Driver’s License needed to get bidding number. NO BUYER’s PREMIUM for on-site bidders. Loading available.
Plymouth Fireball 500 factory show car. (see page 13, #7) JIM BENJAMINSON PHOTO
Clif Nelson Owner
Can’t come to the auction Bid ON-Line www.proxibid.com For Pictures, Hotels, Trucking, Inventory, and More Auctions:
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Yvette VanDerBrink-Auctioneer ND #833 “The Lil’Nordstrom’s Gal” Dale Pavlis - Auctioneer ND #896 • Aaron Williams - Auctioneer ND #903 507-673-2517 or 605-201-7005
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Photo © by Don Spiro Photography
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Nineteen-time Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill Award winner
March - April, 2011
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Volume 52 Number 3
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1949 convertibles n A r – 19 i
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Tom Mulligan’s 1949 Special Deluxe convertible
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Founded 1957
Richard Wahrendorff’s 1949 Special Deluxe convertible formerly owned by Dan Kilpatrick
