COB VETTE NEWS Since 1981 Volume, 35 Issue 5 May 2016 Notes from the President Finally the cruise season officially starts with cruise nights and shows around WNY. Two big events this spring for COB are the Spring BBQ at Wings Flight of Hope in Orchard Park, on Saturday, May 22 chaired by Mike & Lee Buccilli and the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 30 chaired by John Heffernan. The spring BBQ is a new event and Mike and Lee announced they have 88 members and prospectives signed up for this event. It will be great to check out the rides of new members and prospectives for the first time. For the parade we have 29 Corvettes signed up so far. If you are a snow bird and did not attend a meeting this winter please be sure to sign up at the May meeting. Last month I reported that the club would be traveling to Legendary Motors in Halton Hills, Ontario on June 18 for an exclusive tour of the facility. Due to conflicts with their busy summer schedule this event will be postponed to the fall. I look forward to upcoming reports and photos by members on recent trips to Watkins Glen by the Kirkland's, Buccilli's, and others as well as Dennis & MaryAnn Buckley at the Corvette Bash in Bowling Green, KY. In closing be sure to check the Corvettes of Buffalo Calendar of Events listed on our website by our webmaster Jim Bonus or the written version by Skip Polowy. Any additions or corrections let them know. Hope to see you soon. Have a great cruising season! Frank What s Happening This Month See page three. Super Cruise Request For the Super Cruise on Wednesday June 29 th, volunteers will be needed to help with basket raffle, 50/50 split raffle, parking, registration, set up and take down. Sign-up sheets will be available at the May and June meetings. Everyone s help will be greatly appreciated. If anyone has any questions please contact me. Thank You Again, John Biggie OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF www.corvettesofbuffalo.com 1
Officers President ---------Frank Pastore ------ 716-694-9024 Vice President --Wayne Scudder----- 716-692-8178 Treasurer --------Marianne Pastore -- 716-694-9024 Secretary ---------John Biggie --------- 585-492-2927 Board of Directors Sue Brownlee ------------------- 716-693-4654 Dick Brownlee ------------------716-693-4654 Mike Buccilli --------------------716-648-2037 Bruce Graham -------------------716-741-3350 Jim Kelly --------------------------716-681-7931 Skip Polowy ----------------------716-201-1889 Rich Zahner ----------------------716-225-1188 Committees Membership Newsletter Phone Comm. Sunshine Comm. Webmaster Activities Dir. Club Photographer Or Barbara Lipome 716-691-8845 Dennis Buckley 716-759-2972 Lynda Graham 716-741-3350 Karen Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Diane Skeide 716-876-1197 Jim Bonus 716-695-7643 Lynda Graham 716-741-3350 Dan Krakowski 716-675-5880 Face Book page Manager Dan Wroblewski 716-542-2041 Liaison for Out of Town Corvette Clubs Mike & Lee Buccilli 716-648-2037 Meeting every second Saturday of the month at First Presbyterian Church 9675 Main St. Clarence, NY, 14031 Meeting starts 7:00 p.m. Visit us at: http://www.corvettesofbuffalo.com/ Send Newsletter Articles To: Dennis Buckley E-Mail : djbuckley40@yahoo.com Submissions must be in by the 26 th Late submissions will be published the following month. May Anniversaries 1 st Bruce & Linda Graham 2 nd Larry & Lynn Ienco 16 th Wayne & Sally Scudder 24 th John & Donna Biggie 25 th Matt & Vaune Behr 28 th Lee & Barb Singer 29 th Gene & Bernie Colucci 31 st Ray & Debbie Schafer May Birthdays 3 rd Ruth Mussehl 4 th Tony Corigliano 5 th Joan Meegen 5 th Alice Greco 16 th Joyce Corigliano 19 th Bruce Mussehl 24 th Rose Ricigliano 2
WHATS HAPPENING IN MAY May 1 May 3 May 9 May 10 May 14 May 16 May 17 Rod & Custom Swap Meeting Hoovers Dairy - Sunday Cruise 5pm COB Spring Chicken BBQ -----See flyer on page nine for time & location Uncle Joe s Spring Cruise 4869 Southwestern Blvd. Hamburg, NY 5pm-9pm COB Club Meeting Clarence Church 7 pm Vietnam Veterans East Aurora Cruise Night, American Legion Post 362, 5pm Pautler s Cruise Night Transit Road, Clarence, NY 5pm May 20-21 Dunkirk Swap Meet & Car Corral County Fairgrounds, 9am daily 489-4868 May 22 May 26 May 26 May? May 28 May 29 May 30 May 30 COB Spring BBQ at Wings of Hope, Orchard Park See Mike & Lee Buccilli Variety Club Cruise 6114 Broadway Lancaster, NY 5pm Akron Cruise Nights Main Street, Akron, NY Springville Parade See Lowell Rothenberger 11 am at Burger King The Caz Car Show Cazenovia Park Casino, S. Buffalo, NY (11am 6pm) Olcott Cruise Super Cruise 1pm -4pm Lockport Super Cruise Ida Fritz Park 5pm Memorial Day Parade, Williamsville, NY at 1:30 pm at South HS, Main St 3
Four New 2017 Corvette Colors Reprinted with the permission of: National Corvette Museum e-news @ http://corvettemuseum.org What better way to kick off Corvette event season at the National Corvette Museum than by debuting the four new 2017 Corvette colors? The last weekend of April each year marks the annual Michelin NCM Bash, and this year participants were the FIRST to see all four new Corvette colors: Admiral Blue, Black Rose Metallic, Sterling Blue and Watkins Glen Gray Metallic. Admiral Blue Sterling Blue Metallic Black Rose Metallic Watkins Glen Gray Metallic 4
5
12th Annual All Corvettes are invited to attend the Caravan & Luncheon Sunday, August 21, 2016 8:30 AM to 3 PM Hosted By: COB Escorted Caravan, www.corvettesofbuffalo.com Gathering at Cappellino Chevrolet Inc. 9000 Boston State Road, Boston, NY at 8:30 AM Lunch Buffet & Awards at The Grapevine Banquets, 333 Dick Rd., Depew, NY Pre-Registration is Required Limited to 150 Corvettes Assembly & check in 8:30 am Drivers Meeting: 9:45 am Departure at 10:00 am Portion of Proceeds to support local charities Free Custom Caravan T Shirt (1) per Car Door Prizes 50/50 Split 9000 Boston State Road Boston, NY 14025 716-941-5255 www.cappellino.net Continental Breakfast Sponsored By Cappellino Chevrolet Inc. Grapevine Banquets OPEN Cash Bar 12:00 noon Lunch Buffet --- 1:00 pm Registration includes: Buffet Luncheon, tax & gratuity Mail registration form & check payable to:: Corvettes of Buffalo C/O Robert Joseph, 12 Dover Ct, Lancaster, NY 14086 *** NO Later than August 4, 2016 Note: Confirmation of your registration will be done by E-Mail. Cancelled check is your receipt of registration, unless you pay by cash. Name (s) : Address: Phone : Club/ Group: Year & Color of Corvette: Signed: E Mail: Registration: Driver $40. Passenger $30. = Total (1) Free T Shirt size: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL Additional T Shirts S, M, L, XL---$15.00 ea. 2XL, 3XL---$17.00 ea. Total Enclosed $ Please complete this form and mail it along with your check. This form must be signed and submitted. Participants assume all risks and liabilities for their actions and their vehicles. By signing this form I release Cappellino Chevrolet, The Grapevine Banquets and Corvettes of Buffalo from any and all liability. For more Info Contact: Robert Joseph (716) 440-6091 Return bottom of Flyer with Payment Check or Norma Joseph (716) 440-1040 6
Lowell s 1966 Laguna Blue Corvette Lowell Rothenberger fell in love with the C2 Corvette when they first appeared and one of his friends purchased one. His dream of owning one came true when he saw his 1966 sitting under a light at Jacob s Chevrolet on Rt. 16 outside East Aurora in May 1966. Trading in his still unpaid-for Ford convertible, he drove home his new Laguna Blue Corvette convertible with the tan top. His father s reaction was Are you crazy? His love affair has lasted for almost 50 years. In that time, he fell in love with Karen Moore and in the summer of 1968, he proposed to her in that same Corvette. They were at a drive-in between Glens Fall and Lake George watching The Odd Couple. Since Karen said yes, they ve been a threesome for almost 47 years. His ownership is safe! Can you imagine letting someone sell the car in which you received your marriage proposal? Lowell drove his 1966 through 3 winters. He even put snow tires on it. The color has changed three times. For about 4-5 years it was painted candy apple blue having silver undertones. With thirty coats of clear lacquer on it, the paint began to crack fairly soon. Then Lowell began the smelly, time consuming task of removing all the paint and wet sanding it down to the fiberglass. He had it painted Laguna Blue again. He added a side mirror on the passenger side. About 1990 92, Lowell did a full body-off restoration. Some club members gathered in Rothenberger s garage to lift the body off the frame. The frame was then trailered to Erie, PA where it was power sanded and powder coated. Boy, did it shine. Looked almost too pretty to put the body back on! Lowell did put the car back together with only one bolt left over. (He never did figure out where it should have gone.) Empire Automotive did the fiberglass body work, filling in holes from the extra tail lights and that passenger side mirror. They repainted it the original color, Laguna Blue. (Karen really misses that mirror! Now she can t check her make-up and hair-do while riding in the Vette!) When their sons were little, all four members of the family would ride to Corvette activities. Scott sat on the console and Peter sat on Karen s lap. Couldn t do that today! Sometimes the 1966 Vette has felt her age and Lowell is contemplating some changes to help her perform better. We ll see how that works out. In the meantime, that car stays in the family!! Karen R. 7
2016 NCM Michelin Spring Bash American Car Craft asked Mary Ann if she would like to display her car with them at the NCM bash April 28 th, 29 th, and 30 th. American Car Craft is the vendor where we purchased all of the stainless steel accessories installed in the engine bay. Mary Ann was very excited to have her car on display for all the Corvette enthusiasts from around the country to see. It was also a great excuse to make our first trip of the 2016 season. The weather was not very good when we left and it got worse the farther south we went. It rained most of the way and we encountered several violet thunder storms, three accidents, and a couple of tornado warnings along the way. Mary Ann made friends with a chicken at one of our rest stops. The weather cleared when we arrived Wednesday afternoon. We met the folks from American Car Craft at the museum to work out the details on where the car would be displayed. We had arranged with Elite Detailing to come to our hotel to clean the car for the show and they did an excellent job. Unfortunately, it rained again Wednesday evening. You can see in the pictures I had a lot of help from the ACC people getting it ready Thursday morning. The weather was fine Thursday and Friday with sunshine, mideighties, and high humidity. There was a constant flow of people looking at, asking questions, and taking pictures of the car. We met a lot of very nice people including a couple from Strykersville that remembered seeing Mary Ann s car at the Akron cruise night last summer. American Car Craft also had a booth set up inside at the front of the museum where they had a white Z06 with blue lights on display. Thursday afternoon and all day Friday the ACC technicians were kept busy installing accessories. We both had a lot of fun and enjoyed seeing all of the other vendors offerings. The Corsa Exhaust vendor set up next to us installed over twenty exhaust system by closing on Friday. The new interactive display on the sink hole was very enjoyable. The last feature is a simulated video of the collapse of the cave from inside the cave. It is very realistic and only lacks the cars coming down around you. We left Saturday morning because the forecast was for severe thunder storms and possible tornados. Mary Ann & Dennis B. 8
9
10
2016 Memorial Day Parade DATE Monday, 30 May 2016 ASSEMBLE Williamsville South High School 5950 Main Street, Williamsville Corvettes Back of Parking Lot as always 277th Army Quartermaster Company Trucks Front of Parking Lot as always TIME Arrive between 1:15 (13:15) PM and 1:30 (13:30) PM Parade Steps Off at 2:00 (14:00) PM AFTER PARTY American Legion George F. Lamm Post #622 962 Wehrle Drive Beer & Soda are Free Hamburgers are $3.00 and Hot Dogs are $2.00 each 11
ESB 2 nd Car and Bike Show All Cars must be registered by 12:15pm Day Of. No Exceptions! CTRL + Click to follow the link for printable registration form http://tesb.org/uploads/3/4/4/6/34467427/binder1-_car_show_flyer_-_alt.pdf 12
Evolution of Roads 13
SPRING CHICKEN BBQ SUNDAY MAY 22, 2016 12 NOON TO 5:00 PM AT THE WINGS MEETING PLACE 3964 CALIFORNIA RD. ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127 FOOD WILL BE AVAILABLE ONE TIME ONLY TO BE SERVED AT 1:00PM MENU HALF A CHICKEN DINNER SALAD MACARONI SALAD A ROLL AND BUTTER BABY RED POTATO SALAD WITH DILL DRESSING KEG OF BUD BEER, COFFEE, TEA, POP, & WATER PLEASE BRING A DESSERT TO SHARE FOR EXAMPLE: COOKIES, BROWNIES,CUPCAKES,FINGER SIZE PASTIRES OR PRETZLES /CHIPS. THEY WILL HAVE A CASH BAR FOR ANYONE WANTING WINE OR A MIXED DRINK. ***** VERY IMPORTANT ***** **NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL CAN BE BROUGHT IN TO THE VENUE** YOU MUST SIGN UP BY MAY 9 th SO WE CAN GIVE CORRECT COUNT. PLEASE CONTACT: MIKE & LEE BUCCILLI AT 716-648-2037 OR CYBER06@VERIZON.NET. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT YOU MUST BE ON THE SIGN UP LIST INORDER TO PARTAKE IN THE LUNCHEON MEAL. THIS FUN EVENT IS FOR ALL OUR CLUB MEMBERS AND PRESPECTIVES----YOUR COST IS $0.00 14
1964 Corvette Restoration----Update #5 Steve bought this car sight unseen with a lot of boxes and bins of parts that were taken off the Vette by the last owner. He started to restore the car, but lost interest and a lot of parts. Buying this car in this condition is a problem because if you didn't take it apart you have to know where the parts go and what is missing. This was the reason Steve asked me to put this puzzle back together. The last owner started to take the passenger door apart and all I found was the side glass that was in the bottom of the door. There wasn't any vent window assembly regulator (that raises and lowers the glass) locks, door handle or sticker. Steve called a friend that had a vent window assembly without the glass or frame with some parts and hardware. We still needed more missing parts and found in the Corvette Central parts book like the window regulator, chrome strip and weather stripping. The only problem was we had to buy everything in pair for both doors. It would have been cheaper to buy a door which we did, after the parts came in. Another problem with the repro parts were junk and had to be barn job to work (like the window regulator). After spending about $700 on new and used parts we still needed the vent frame and glass. I answered an ad in the Buffalo News about Vette parts looking for the vent frame and glass and ended up buying a whole 1964 door complete for $300, with all the parts that we needed. We found it 3 weeks to late. At this time I changed the repro regulator with the one from the door we bought and put the door parts together and made sure everything fit and worked well, Then I took both doors apart to get them ready for Steve to start the body and paint work when he can fit it in at his shop. It looks that this project will sit for a while because he is very busy with customers cars. Pete Ricigliano 15
Corvettes of Buffalo 2016 Picnic Hi all, Just to give some quick info. on our 2016 picnic. Date Aug. 14th. 11am -? place Tonawanda Firemen's Park 318 Two Mile Creek Road, Tonawanda 14150. Lunch will cooked onsite by BBQ Master Michael Bampton. Lunch will be smoked pulled pork sandwiches, roasted chicken half s, baked beans, coleslaw, ears of corn grilled or boiled, Butter(salted & unsalted), 3 different BBQ sauces, Salt/Pepper. Anyone able to bring an appetizer, salad, or desert would be appreciated. There will be a signup sheet at March meeting. There will be cold pop & water. If you want to bring beer or wine in a cooler that's ok. Thank you, Wayne & Sally Scudder 716 861-7331 **************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************** Alexander Bay -----1000 Island Trip Here is the information for Capt. Thomson's Resort P.O Box 160 45 James Street Alexandria Bay NY 13607 [Phone: (315) 482-9961 Fax: (315) 482-9511]. http://www.captthomsons.com/resort/ I have 10 rooms reserved, 6 Lower Harbor 4 Upper Harbor all on the Main Channel. The dates are check-in June 1 st and check-out June 3rd. There has been an Off-Season Escape Package price increase Lower Harbor 2015 was $387.00 now price is $419.00 Upper Harbor is now $459.00 these are double occupancy prices. This is the best price I could get. If anyone wishes to reserve June 1st Escape Package trip. My contact is Megon 315 482-9961 tell her you are with the Corvettes Of Buffalo group. There will be a sign-up sheet at March Meeting. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Wayne Scudder 716 861-7331. Escape Package includes: 2 night stay Double Occupancy A drink per person @ Riley s Bottle of Champagne in room 1 dinner for two and two breakfast for two @ Riley s Singer Castle boat tour & Castle tour is a 3 ½ hr. boat tour and guided castle tour in one All sales taxes & services charges 16
Wheels in Motion Car Show Saturday - July 23, 2016 To be held in Ontario Beach Park, Lake Avenue, Rochester, NY Sponsored By: The Ontario Beach Park Program Committee "Hosted by the Rochester Corvette Club Great Music, Food & Family Events 50/50 Raffles & Proceeds to benefit the Patriot Guard Riders of N.Y. Show Time: 10:00 AM 4:00 PM Rain Date July 24, 2016 Registration: 9:00 AM 12:00 PM Award Presentation: 4:00 PM Please make checks payable to: Rochester Corvette Club Mail to: Rochester Corvette Club, 386 Upper Valley Road, Rochester, NY, 14624 Early Registration: $10.00 - Must be postmarked by July 9, 2016 - Early entries will receive a FREE Dash Plaque Late Registration: $15.00 - After July 10, 2016 and Day of Show Mail in Registration ends July 16, 2016 NO REFUNDS Questions? Contact: Dave Kuchman 585-506-8581 Email: daleku51@aol.com Entry Form (Please print clearly) Wheels in Motion Car Show Office Use Name: Phone: Cash Address: State: Zip Check Email: Car Club Affiliation: Car Year: Make: Model: Stock: Modified: Check # Date Rec. Entry # 17
Long Forgotten Corvette Collection Rediscovered Neglected and forgotten, an amazing one of a kind Corvette collection has been sitting lost in various locked storage garages for over 25 years just gathering dust. Where did this collection come from? How could anyone just lock those cars away? In 1989 music network VH1 organized the largest prize giveaway ever done at that time. They organized a massive giveaway of Chevrolet Corvettes, one from every year from 1953-1989. 36 Corvettes spanning 3 decades. Who was the lucky winner of all these cars? Thousands entered but only one person was declared the winner and his name was Dennis Amodeo. In grandiose fashion, VH1 handed Amodeo a bag of keys for the cars presented to him by the singer from The Beach Boys and VH1 used Amodeo s image on every commercial possible to maximize their clever promotion and turned him into their poster child for their network. What the new owner did next is crazy. *Update: Jerry Seinfeld purchased the 1956 and used it in his TV show comedians in Cars Having Coffee with Jimmy Fallon. At first glance it seems like a big waste of funds but their platform for people to enter was toll calls at $2 per entry. The savvy network not only made back their investment money, they also made a profit on the promotion and did that in just a few weeks. Why did the winner sell the cars? The grouping of the classic cars was estimated to be worth over $600,000 at the time, a huge amount for any car collection. While excited to win, Amodeo soon fielded a phone call from an interested person who wanted to buy the whole collection to use in an art project. Some of the cars are already repaired and sold while others are in the process. A sweet 1957 Chevrolet Corvette convertible has a taped-on color swatch. The previous owner wanted to paint them all neon colors for an art project. The grouping of the classic cars was estimated to be worth over $600,000 at the time, a huge amount for any car collection. While excited to win, Amodeo soon fielded a phone call from an interested person who wanted to buy the whole collection to use in an art project. Amodeo parted ways with his stash of corvettes and sold them to famous New York photographer named Peter Max. The sale was for an estimated $250,000 in cash, $250,000 more in Peter Max s art and future potential profits. Max stored his newly acquired booty into various storage garages over the next 25 years, always promising to do some kind of art show or display the cars. But words are just talk and not all promises are kept, and soon these gems were slowly forgotten about by the mainstream and decades of dust and disrepair fell onto the iconic American vehicles. Recently new pictures of the ghostly collection were revealed for the first time in years. It turns out Max was looking for yet another place to move the collection a few months ago when he was approached by a man and his partners who wanted to discuss the possibility of buying the whole lot. Soon a deal was reached and the cars have been freed from their dusty morgue and are slowly being re-animated to their original state. While some of the Vettes just don t lend themselves to being restored (as their value isn t close to what it would cost to get them road-worthy) there are a few gems in the lot which will eventually be show stoppers if and when they are ever brought to auction. A rare collection of 36 classic Corvettes that were hidden away for more than 20 years are being prepared for sale and one model alone is expected to sell for half a million dollars Heller tried to work with Peter Max to restore the cars for sale then split the proceeds. Max declined. Soon however, Max asked Heller 18
if he wanted to buy the collection outright. The deal was made and the historic collection was soon in garages being restored. Heller said the thick layer of dust that covered the cars had protected the paintwork, and some vehicles would need little in the way of restoration. Some would take around two weeks, and would simply need a few hoses and belts changed, while others would require more than a years worth of work. Decades of dust have made the cars quite wrecked but one by one the best cars in the stash are being brought back to life by Heller and his partner and their restoration director. There isn t no way that engine is going to turn over. What was shocking was that none of the cars had any kind of car covers or protection from the dust. Ironically the dust helped protect the paint! The images of the car mausoleum were haunting. The vibrant colors and classic lines were covered under decades of thick dust. The fluids were dried out and engine parts frozen. How could anyone let that happen? The 1955 Corvette which is one of only 700 ever made is getting a good once- over at the garage and will most likely be one of the most valuable cars in the entire collection. The 82 doesn t have much hope of being worth more than what the cost would be to restore it. The major efforts are going into the older more valuable models and some of the newer models will most likely be left as is. Wayne S. Long Forgotten Corvette Collection Rediscovered CTRL + Click to follow the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmsnmsmikvi 19
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR PRIMARY COB SPONSOR 9000 Boston State Rd, Boston, NY 14025 Sales: 716-941-5255 Service: 877-317-8150 Commercial: 866-710-9783 www.cappellinochevy.com Corvettes of Buffalo Member Discount Contact Bill Solak @ 716-941-5255 ext. 205 25% off PARTS and 10% off LABOR 20
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR MAJOR COB SPONSORS 21
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR COB SPONSORS 22
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR COB SPONSORS 23
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR COB SPONSORS 24
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR COB SPONSORS THE SHOWBOAT MOTEL & RESTAURANT 3434 NORTH PLUM POINT ROAD HIMROD, NEW YORK 14842 607-243-7434 showboat-motel.com Specializing in family reunions and just plain fun! Come on down and enjoy. We have everything you need for a weekend or a week. We are in the center of Finger Lakes Wine Country. 20 miles South of Geneva; 16 miles North of Watkins Glen Just off Rt 14 and right on Seneca Lake! Room rates $70 - $119/night/2 persons Seasonal May - October The SHOWBOAT CREW is at your service! Newsletter Rates per year: Business Cards $25.00 1/8 Page $50.00 1/4 Page $75.00 1/2 Page $135.00 Full Page $250.00 25