March 2003 Volume 21 Number 3

Transcription

1 March 2003 Volume 21 Number 3 Here is a sample of the vehicle we will see on March 22, 2003 at the Tank Museum in Portola Valley. We must get an attendee count before March 10, so be sure to call or Marty Rosenthal or the Editor so we can give our hosts an accurate count and hopefully qualify for our own docent. ACTIVITY NOTICE March 22, Tour of Tank Museum, Portola Valley starting 9:30 a.m. You must get a reservation before the March 10th DEADLINE. Call or Marty Rosenthal. The Tour is FREE and not open to the public. (See Page 2)

2 Page 2 NCKCC News - March 2003 MILITARY VEHICLE TECH- NOLOGY FOUNDATION TRIP - MARCH 22 By Marty Rosenthal We have had to change the date to March 22nd for our trip to the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation located in Portola Valley. For a reservation call Marty Rosenthal at (650) or << bemardc@aol.com >> before the March 10th deadline. Guests are welcome but need a reservation. The Foundation boasts the finest collection of military tanks in the world. The Foundation is located at Pony Tracks Ranch and contains an extensive restoration facility, including a very knowledgeable full-time staff, toolshops, and archives. Aside from the tanks shown in the formal museum, there are several large barns full of tanks awaiting restoration. Following the tour some folks plan to lunch at Rossotti's (aka Zott s), 3915 Alpine Road, Portola Valley, which is an old stage coach stop. Plan to join in if it fits your plans. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. at Portola Valley Shell station, 201 LaCuesta Drive, Menlo Park. Here are the driving instructions: From San Josetake I-280 north to Alpine Road and exit to Alpine Rd. Go west about 0.2 miles and turn right on LaCuesta. From East Bay take Highway 92, cross the San Mateo Bridge and follow signs toward Half Moon Bay. Exit 92 at I-280 going south to Alpine Road. Go west about 0.2 miles and turn right on LaCuesta. (You could also take Highway 84 across the Dumbarton and go south when you get to I-280, exiting at Alpine Rd.) From San Francisco take US 101 south to I-280 south and continue to Alpine Road exit. Go west about 0.2 miles and turn right on LaCuesta. If you want detailed instructions from your home, go to the internet and type 201 La Cuesta Drive, Menlo Park. If you get lost Bette Rosenthal will have her cell phone (650) 438/1761. For more info on the Foundation go to: history.html Hope to see you there -- Don t forget to call in your reservation.

3 NCKCC News - March 2003 Page 3 LUNCH MEETING FEB. 22 STATUS REPORT By Vern Hance We ate, transacted business, watched videos and had lengthy discussions of how the DMV works. That pretty well summarizes the event. Carol s Brunswick stew, salad and cherry desserts went over well with even some requests for the recipes. We watched the KTVU news report on our San Leandro show and saw some other footage from that event. We even had two kit cars displayed in bright sunshine. Those attending included: Shane & Carolina Williams, Steve Cameron, Bill & Anne Landers, Chuck Maddux, Bette & Marty Rosenthal, Jim & Kathleen Standiford, Tom & Irene Wallters and Carol & Vern Hance. We were pleased to see Anne Landers, who appeared to be in good health again. The main topic of the business meeting was the show. Vern reported that he found that Jack London Square Partners is the property manager for the entire Jack London Square (JLS) We reviewed a copy of their policy which calls for a $1,000/day rental for either of the two general display areas at JLS. Note:In the week after the meeting, it was confirmed that the grassy area we thought would be so nice for our cars is known as the Meadow and costs $1000/day and that no cars are allowed on the grass. That leaves the paved area around Borders Bookstore as the only feasible area, providing we can finance it. Also subsequent to the meeting, Mike Brasfield reported that we would be welcome to hold our show during a Port of Oakland celebration on June 7 & 8, This show would be on an empty pier within walking distance of JLS, so it might be worth moving our show date up. We will seek more information next week and keep you posted.

4 Page 4 NCKCC News - March 2003 SPEEDSTER UPGRADE = BOXTER TRANQUILITY By Chuck Honodel I thought I would take Joel Heinke's suggestion and offer a short article for the Kit Car Sun newsletter. I discovered that the wind blowing up from the backside of my Vintage Speedster shook my hat and glasses so much that it was fatiguing and shaking my vision at speeds over 60 mph. I decided that some sort of wind deflector was needed so I fabricated a 4 inch high plastic deflector attached to the windshield. It looks somewhat like a sun visor flipped up ala my old '63 Comet convertible. Well that helped only a little so I decided that some version of the Boxster rear windscreen was in order. I didn't know how high or wide the screen should be to produce an adequate wind block. I figured that a few iterations might be necessary and I wanted the screen to fit inside of the top in its up position. If I were out in the weather and wanted to put the top up I had no place to store an oversized windscreen on board. So I knew that the first design must be a fitted size, cheap and expendable. I began by sketching a double loop support that left the center section open for an unobstructed rear view from the small rearview mirror. I fabricated this test unit out of 3/4 inch PVC and cut two pieces of acrylic plastic 13x16 inches and attached them to the two loops. I mounted the unit behind the seats using 4 legs extending below the crossbar and resting on the floorboards. They do not touch the seats which could set up annoying vibrations. The crossbar extends to the sides and is attached with removable nylon ties to the top framework. This way I can change the design and have not modified the car in any way. I didn't want to do any serious drilling or cutting until I was satisfied it worked. (Continued on page 5)

5 NCKCC News - March 2003 Page 5 (Continued from Page 4) I tried this first effort at speed and was fairly satisfied. But not completely. I tried to reduce the wind through the center section by taping in a third piece of plastic in this area. That proved very effective. I have left the windshield deflectors on during all the tests so far. Without too much effort I was able to design version number 2. First I tilted the loops in a more upright 15 degree angle by cutting the loop legs and gluing them with additional bracketing. This placed the screens in a closer and normal looking position. I then cut a new single plastic sheet that covered both loops and the center section as well. I cut this center section down about 4 inches to again allow an unobstructed view to the rear. When testing the first design, I noticed a lot of wind blew through the center section and a solid screen should reduce this draft. I painted the PVC frame a color similar to the interior and reinstalled the assembly. To test this latest design I drove out a backroad near I-5 and started back cranking up to 80+ mph. It was evening time and cold but the windscreen was doing a good job. I noticed some headlights following me so I backed off to 65 and then 55 as I neared town. The car behind followed me through a few turns and when I stopped at a light the guy got out and ran up and asked me if it was real! I said "yes it is a real car (I knew what he was getting at) and I am testing out this rear windscreen". That's as far as the story goes for now. I hope to get some more testing time on this design soon (but it's cold out there!) and then I will negotiate the fabrication of a chromed steel frame and polycarbonate plastic screen for a final version. Editor s note: Thanks Chuck for a creative article. I m sure some others of you have some good ideas -- lets share them!!

6 Page 6 NCKCC News - March 2003 CHRONICLES OF A HANDCRAFTED AUTOMOBILE By Joel Heinke I decided to use mostly visual communication this month verses verbal to show progress. The nice spring like weather prompted me to push the GTO out of the garage for a photo session and a spring time garage cleaning. I had some extra motivation as every thing in the garage had such a thick coat of bondo dust that just entering the room meant you'd exit with dust on your clothes. Shown above: The recently sculpted rear fender now has a very bold, voluptuous look to it. Shown above: The angle from which most people will view this car once it hit's the streets. I've found it occasionally necessary to view the developing body work from a distance to see how the various panels complement one another. This trip out of the garage gave me the biggest sense of accomplishment to-date. The flow from rear fender to roll pan is smooth and natural. I can only thank the Italian coach work artists named Gestione Sportiva and Sergio Scaglietti for their original design genius.

7 NCKCC News - March 2003 Page 7 Shown at upper left: The rear clip is now all to shape. Rear tire outlet vents are the next order of business. Shown below left: The overall body shape is now unmistakably GTO.

8 Page 8 NCKCC News - March 2003 AHA LOSES KEY MEMBER We have heard through Curt Scott that John St. Thomas passed away on February 14, 2003 That's smilin'/mischievous John above presenting the A.H.A.'s prestigious "Good Manufacturing Practices" trophy to Shell Valley Motors' Rich Anderson, April John was a fixture in the A.H.A. and at the annual Knott's Berry Farm show. John could take the roughest, most abysmal kit and turn it into Fabergé Egg. He personally produced 'Best of Show' cars at just about every KBF show throughout the years. Indeed, he was in the process of building (and significantly improving upon) a Cobra replica when his leukemia suddenly took his life. John St. Thomas was a certified, cardcarrying good guy. He is survived by his wife Joan (herself an invaluable and dedicated member of the A.H.A. and a staffer every year at the KBF show), and sons Jeff and Michael and daughter Jennifer. It was John, ever pursuing good clean fun, who mischievously concocted KBF's Grand Prix Sanitaire (Grand Sanitary Prize) every year... a trophy at each year's KBF show for such singular esoterica as: Cleanest Grille, Cleanest Cobra Sidepipes, Cleanest Driver's-Side Carpet, Cleanest Radiator, Cleanest Tire Tread, et al. Folks were always perplexed as to why this strange fellow was crawling around their car, closely scrutinizing their exhaust pipe or sidepipes or carpets or tire tread... John will be sorely missed by everyone fortunate enough to have known him. This is the Daimler-Chrysler Tomahawk, powered by an 8.3 liter, 500 HP V-10 engine. It might go into production.

9 NCKCC News - March 2003 Page DUES DEADLINE 50 MEMBERS LOST! The March deadline has arrived and it looks like we will lose 50 members who have not paid their dues. Those persons will receive the Sorry We Lost You postcard instead of the April newsletter. Thanks to all of you have already paid your $24 annual dues for 2003 and for the many kind remarks. I am continuing to list below the last name of those that have paid their 2003 dues during February. So if you don t see your name, (Check the Jan & Feb issues for your name) please write that check for $24 to NCKCC and mail to the Treasurer, Vern Hance at 3317 Ellesmere Ct., Walnut Creek, CA Also don t forget to include a note reporting any errors (phone, , car make, etc.) in the December 2002 roster. Boscacci Foldenauer Geiser Hill Holloway Meese McCormick O Connor Rabon Reed Mike Rosenthal To keep your roster current, several new changes are listed below for you to make pen & ink corrections to your club roster. Diana Foldenauer, of Classic Factory fame, has a new area code in Indiana it is now (574) not (219). Diana says Hello to us and sent some information about the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club annual meeting that will be held on Labor Day weekend in 2003 at Auburn, Indiana. Last years meeting was the 50th Anniversary and over 400 A-C-D cars showed up. Quite a spectacle to see. She says it is snow, snow, snow right now but driving weather will be here soon. Paul & Jacklyn Meese report a new address: PelHam Drive, Windsor, CA Louis Boscacci sends Best Wishes for a successful 2003 for the club. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS We have one new member in February and we welcome welcome him to the club. Ben Nelson lives in Reno, NV, (795) , and drives a Mercedes SSK (Gazelle) replica powered by a 69 VW engine. I think the car was built by former member, Terry Tupper of Sacramento and Terry sponsored Ben s membership. Welcome aboard and we hope you can get to some of our events in spite of the distance from Reno.

10 Page 10 NCKCC News - March 2003 FOR SALE BACK ISSUES of Kit Car and Kit Car Illustrated, 1985 to the present. For complete listing send self addressed envelope to Alan Atherton, 1964 Villarita Drive, Campbell, CA COBRA-. Registered 2001 Shelby <200 miles, smog exempt, Arntz styling, Butler quality. 351 Cleveland w/ 10 setback, Jag rear-end, 4-spd top-loader, Hurst shifter, H.D. half-shafts and strut assy. 52% wt on 12 Z-rated rear rubber, 10 rubber front. 6-piston 13 Wilwood brakes. Hood, trunk, doors molded inside & out. Finished eng. compt. Marty Krueger or mck427@msn.com (3/02) COBRA Ford power, Jag rear-end. Silver w/ black interior. $21,500 Call Bob Elster (1/02) COBRA/VW KIT Snake body fits on your 3 shortened VW chassis. $6,200 Call Wayne McAllaster (510) or medusa427@aol.com (3/03) FIERO parts and services for Kit Cars. Dash kits for Lambos, brake & suspension upgrade parts, Fiero frames - regular and stretched. Contact George Miller (510) at the Fiero Shop. or check DODGE PICKUP HD (3/4 ton) Laramie SLT, std cab, long bed, Cummins 5.9L intercooled turbo diesel, 5-spd trans, top of the line, lots of extras and power everything, great for pulling a 5th wheel, car trailer, or ski boat. 112K miles, runs and looks great. Joel Heinke (925) ; jandjheinke@earthlink.net (02/03) LA DAWRI Fiberglass sportscar body based on a Henry J frame. Made in Long Beach by one of the pioneer kit car companies. $3,000 Wayne Wenger Santa Teresa, Gilroy, CA Phone (408) (11/02) MERCEDES 500K 4-PASSENGER. This all metal replica was built by H.T. Price with leather interior, 400cid Ford power, auto tranny, A/C, stereo/cassette, wood steering wheel. Call Diana (574) Write Orange Rd., South Bend, IN (3/02) PANTERA Factory built, only one known to exist. Red w/ beige interior, Chev power.$35,000 Call Bob Elster (1/02) SEBRING 5000 parts. Two complete new bumpers w/ mounting hardware, set of fiberglass seat pans, chrome grille surround, chrome fender beading. $75 for all. Also new GM HEI distributor for $100. Don Owens (530) or e- mail owensdon@pacbell.net (1/02) STERLING powered by 63 Buick 3.8 liter V-8. Fast, reliable, smog legal. White w/ brown interior. Removable sunroof, stereo, CB. Gorgeous, one-of-a-kind looker. Ya gotta hear the engine snarl. Excellent condition. REDUCED TO $4,000. Roy Yates (2/01) LUXURY HOME with SHOP. 4-Br, 3-bath, 3,600 sq. ft. designed for casual or formal life style. Landscaped backyard and patio overlooks a 4,000 foot paved & lighted runway in this Air-Park development. Attached heated hanger and shop perfect for auto & plane enthusiasts to live in a friendly community. Located 30 miles east of Sacramento near mountains, skiing and water sports. Offered at $595,000 by Don Owens (530) owensdon@pacbell.net 2002 AHA Knott s Berry Farm Show 90 minute video covering cars and awards. Available as DVD disc $19 or VHS tape $16 postpaid in U.S. Send check to VMH Services, 3317 Ellesmere Ct. Walnut Creek, CA Or use a credit card and funds via PayPal to vmh@mac.com (6/02) CAR TRAILER - Specially built for Porsche Speedster. Suitable for other VW based kit cars with 53.5 inch track width. Wheel runner channels are 6 wide. $600 o.b.o. Vern Hance (925) or nckcc@compuserve.com (11/02) Cars for Sale ads in the Kit Car Sun are for members only. Rate is $10 for 12 issues. MERCEDES 500K PARTS - For Classic Factory 500K: (4) door latch plates, patterns for tall tail light bases and side window frames. Also windshield frame patterns for 4-pass 500K. Call Diana (574) Write Orange Rd., South Bend, IN (3/02) MERCEDES 500K (Marlene) replica. Soft and hard tops, 17,000 miles, pwr brakes and steering, 351 V-8, Blaupunkt radio/cd player, anti-theft alarm. Excellent condition. Reduced to $15,000. Maury Schwarz or (6/00)

11 NCKCC News - March 2003 Page 11 CALENDAR OF EVENTS March 22 - Tank Museum (Marty Rosenthal) March 29 - Show planning (Carolina Williams) April 12 &13 - AHA show, Knott s Berry Farm April 19 - Coming out party (Steve Cameron) May 16 - Winetasting - Eldorado County (Steve Cameron) June 27 to 29 - Medford Trip (Chuck Maddux) May 31& June 1 - Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival (Paul King) July 3 - Benetia torchlight parade (Chuck Maddux) August? - Hot August Niles show (Vern Hance) Check July 19 & 20 - Bethel Island show (Vern Hance) September 6&7 - NCKCC Car Show (Carolina Williams) September 12,13 & 14- Cool Sept Däys show (Bob Bohaboy) October 19 - Winetasting - Livermore (Leanne Jones) October 24-26, Club Sandwich, Riverside Hotel, Laughlin. NV November 2 or 9 - Buffet (Leanne to investigate; Steve has a backup plan) SMOG UPDATE This is the smog sticker that Bob Bohaboy got for his Marlene. His Certificat of Sequence was Jim Standiford reported that a BAR employee told him that the Sequence number is what will ensure that your vehicle is recognized as a Smog Exempt vehicle. Other than that confusion still reigns OFFICERS AND APPOINTEES: Shane Williams, President shane_1997@yahoo.com Steve Cameron, Vice President nckcc@usa.com Vern Hance, Treasurer, Editor Ellesmere Court, Walnut Creek, CA vmh@mac.com Tom Wallters, Secretary TWallters@nptest.com Steve Cameron, Membership & Sacramento Chair 2 Woodriver Ct, Sacramento, Carolina Williams, Show/Events Chair The Kit Car Sun is published monthly by the Northern California Kit Car Club. Opiniors expressed by authors should not be be considered the position of the club. We are a non-profit educational organization and do not intend to influence legislation.