October 2018 Newsletter

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Virginia Allison
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com Treasurer: Jerry Longstreth 412-466-9091 gll1231@msn.com Members met at Denny s Restaurant in Cranberry.

The two-hour drive north was a pleasant way to start the tour on this early autumn morning. As we arrived, we met more members who came from other locations.

1 RECENT EVENTS: Autumn Winery Tour 2018 October 2018 Newsletter OFFICERS: September th President: Wayne Bane Vice President: Peter Sarkis Vice President: Marc Koszak Secretary: Mary Beth Meyer Treasurer: Jerry Longstreth Members met at Denny s Restaurant in Cranberry. Warren and Jeanene Smith and Gordon Ries joined us for breakfast and to see us off on our journey to North East, PA. The two-hour drive north was a pleasant way to start the tour on this early autumn morning. As we arrived, we met more members who came from other locations. We also met our new club members Greg and Janice Petrus. We entered the Winefest and started sampling wines from scores of regional wineries. There were also several craft booths and we were entertained by live music. Several food vendors were on location where we could take a break from sampling to enjoy some good food. In the late afternoon we met and walked a short distance to the Ruffed Grouse Restaurant. We had a nice dinner and compared notes about our favorite wines of the day. After dinner we traveled to the hotel to check in and get refreshed. We boarded the hotel shuttle which took us to the Presque Isle Downs Casino. Our first stop was the casino restaurant for an evening beverage and dessert. Some stayed and tried their luck at the slot machines and gaming tables and others headed back to the hotel. We met in the morning for a leisurely breakfast and said our goodbyes. Some decided to stay in the area and tour the sites and others headed home. The Pitt Birds want to thank Ed and Debbie Kaczkowski for organizing and leading this great tour.

RECENT EVENTS: UPCOMING EVENTS: Autumn Winery Tour 2018 - Continued Hovatter s Wildlife Zoo Saturday, October 20 th Kingwood, WV Plan to meet at the Meadowlands McDonalds at 8:00 AM, we will depart

The Zoo is located in Kingwood West Virginia and is home to over 30 different species of native and exotic animals from all over the world.

2 RECENT EVENTS: UPCOMING EVENTS: Autumn Winery Tour Continued Hovatter s Wildlife Zoo Saturday, October 20 th Kingwood, WV Plan to meet at the Meadowlands McDonalds at 8:00 AM, we will depart at 9:00 AM. GPS: 235 Meadowlands Blvd, Washington, PA We will caravan to Kingwood, WV where we will visit the Hovatter s Wildlife Zoo. The Zoo is located in Kingwood West Virginia and is home to over 30 different species of native and exotic animals from all over the world. What started out as a small collection of deer, black bear, cougars and tigers has turned into a menagerie of Chimpanzee, Grizzly Bear, various species of Orange and White Tiger, Spotted and Black Lepoard, Ring Tailed Lemur, Baboon and many other species. Admission is $12 for adult. After a tour of the zoo, we will have late lunch at the Rosemary s Thyme Mexican Restaurant located at the Preston County Country Club at 183 Club House Road. Kingwood WV. If you have any questions please contact Pete or Karen Sarkis at Autumn Meeting Saturday, November 17th The Pitt Birds will meet at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 17 th at Perkins Restaurant in Cranberry. GPS: Route 19, Cranberry Twp, PA Agenda items are: Nomination of Officers Suggested Activities and Tours for 2019 Holiday Dinner Plans 2

MEMBERSHIP: Current Membership: 71 Members Welcome New Members: Frank Giovannitti Terry and Carolyn Marburger Greg and Janice Petrus Wishing a rapid recovery to Rich Augustine.

The Pitt Birds Thunderbird Club is a chapter club with the Classic Thunderbird Club International (CTCI) and the International Thunderbird Club (ITC).

Membership information to CTCI or ITC can be found by visiting the following web sites. Classic Thunderbird Club International: www.ctci.org Then click on Become a Member on the Home page.

3 MEMBERSHIP: Current Membership: 71 Members Welcome New Members: Frank Giovannitti Terry and Carolyn Marburger Greg and Janice Petrus Wishing a rapid recovery to Rich Augustine. FOR SALE: 1956 Thunderbird Contact: Bob Macek H: C: $40,000 Interested in Joining an International Thunderbird Club? The Pitt Birds Thunderbird Club is a chapter club with the Classic Thunderbird Club International (CTCI) and the International Thunderbird Club (ITC). Both CTCI and ITC have regional and international events, provide excellent technical advice, publish bimonthly magazines, offer vendor sourcing, and articles about other local clubs. Membership information to CTCI or ITC can be found by visiting the following web sites. Classic Thunderbird Club International: Then click on Become a Member on the Home page. International Thunderbird Club: Then click on the Membership button on the Home page. Nomination of Officers: The Pitt Birds are soliciting nomination suggestions for the following offices in this club: President Vice President Secretary Treasurer The positions for the Newsletter Editor and Historian are also available If you are interested or know of someone that is interested, please contact Wayne Bane at or dbane3413@gmail.com. 3 Yellow with white, yellow and black interior. 312 V-8, Automatic, power steering, brakes, windows and seats. 3,500 miles since total restoration in Black Hartz soft top, Goodyear radial tires. CTCI silver concourse winner. Perfect Condition Thunderbird Contact: Carol Vivaldi H: C: clvivaldi@gmail.com $35,000 Coral Sand w/white hardtop and black convertible top. 312 V-8, Automatic, power steering, power windows, radial tires, radio works well, Have original Town & Country radio, 44,000 Miles, Original California car in good condition. Men s and Ladies Golf Shirts: Turquoise / Thunderbird blue golf shirts with the Pitt Birds logo. Contact Mary Beth Meyer at The price is $ Shipping and handling to your address is an additional $5.00.

Four Cylinders were Heresy to T-Bird Fans Bill Vance / Times Colonist Since its arrival as a 1955 model, the Ford Thunderbird was strongly associated with V-8 engines.

4 Four Cylinders were Heresy to T-Bird Fans Bill Vance / Times Colonist Since its arrival as a 1955 model, the Ford Thunderbird was strongly associated with V-8 engines. In fact, for the first 27 years of its life, until 1981, it had them exclusively. In 1982, fuel economy concerns brought a V-6 to accompany the eight. And much to the chagrin of V-8 fans, in 1983 the T-Bird came as a six only. Ford then began covering all the bases for the next five years with sixes and eights, and for the first time ever a four in the 1984 T-Bird. Four cylinders in a Thunderbird was seen as an aberration for a car that had established its market niche as a good-performing personal luxury car with lots of velour, vinyl roofs and opera windows. Part of that image included the power and smoothness of a V-8. A four was definitely out of place under the hood. 4 Ford knew it had to offer a special more dashing image along with the T-Bird s four cylinders, so it replaced its baroque, squared-up appearance with a completely restyled body. Its sleek and quite daring aero shape was almost European, with its tightly drawn lines and steeply raked windshield. It was a harbinger of Ford s aerodynamic mainstream future that would reveal itself with the 1986 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable. But the T-Bird s aspiration to look European was just the beginning. Ford had something even more Continental up its sleeve: a highrevving four-cylinder powerplant it hoped would be attractive to enthusiasts who might be considering a European car. When the T-Bird s reincarnation was completed, Ford sent it out into the world to test the marketplace. The four-cylinder Thunderbird Turbo Coupe arrived as a mid-year model in Under its hood was a revised version of the 2.3-litre, singleoverhead-cam, turbocharged engine that had been used in the Mustang, the car whose platform it shared. It had been improved with port fuel injection and the latest electronic engine management system to control ignition timing and fuel flow. Long intake manifold runners gave better low-speed torque, and turbo boost was increased from the Mustang s six pounds per square inch to 10 psi. Horsepower increased from 130 to 145. In an attempt to control the solid rear axle s wheel-hop tendencies under hard acceleration, engineers added two horizontal shock absorbers at the back, for a total of four. Modified MacPherson struts were used in front, and power went to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. Performance was adequate, with the 2.3-litre four pushing the 1,424-kilogram coupe to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds, and a top speed of 198 km/h (Car and Driver, July 1983). There were no major changes for 1984, 1985 and 1986, although there were improvements such as a better instrument panel and bigger tires. The Turbo Coupe sold about 15,000 copies, about 10 per cent of total T-Bird annual sales.

Four cylinders were heresy to T-Bird fan Continued To inject even more excitement, Ford gave the 1987 Turbo Coupe a restyling featuring a smooth, grille-less nose and flush-fitting headlamps and

5 Four cylinders were heresy to T-Bird fan Continued To inject even more excitement, Ford gave the 1987 Turbo Coupe a restyling featuring a smooth, grille-less nose and flush-fitting headlamps and windows, all contributing to improved aerodynamics. It got four-wheel, anti-lock disc brakes and shock absorbers that automatically switched their compliance from regular to firm in spirited driving. The four got a hormone injection with the turbo intercooler from the now-dead Mustang SVO. Dual exhausts and other tuning tricks resulted in a sizzling 190 horsepower when mated to the five-speed manual. Those opting for the four-speed automatic had to be satisfied with only 150 horsepower from a non-intercooled engine. The 190 horsepower improved zero to 100 km/h to 8.0 seconds with the manual and top speed to 221 km/h. The Thunderbird Turbo Coupe stayed around for one more year when Ford discontinued the four in favor of a supercharged V-6, which was not only faster but was almost as fuel-efficient. The V-8 also continued. While the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was a bold attempt by Ford to enter the exotic, high-tech world, it was not a great sales success, partly because buyers didn t really relate to a four-cylinder Thunderbird. Also, the four seemed rough and noisy compared with the V-8 and V-6 and many imported fours. And since most T-Bird buyers weren t too concerned about fuel economy, this wasn t a strong selling point. The Thunderbird would be discontinued in 1997 due to slow sales, but the nameplate had too much goodwill to languish very long. It returned for 2002 with a retro 1950s motif, and guess what? two seats, just as it started with almost 50 years earlier. Under the hood was a V-8 engine, just as God and T-Bird enthusiasts intended. It stayed until Visit and Join the Pitt Birds Thunderbird Club Facebook Page Please visit the Pitt Birds Facebook page, post a comment or a photo of your Thunderbird and see what others have posted. Visit: 5

November 2013 Newsletter

Visit: www.pittbirds.org November 2013 Newsletter OFFICERS: President: Bob Macek 412.331.6218 bobbetty_m@verizon.net Vice President: Peter Sarkis 412.310.1589 sarkis2004@comcast.net Secretary: Betty Macek