g n i r p S
Car Care
Elisabeth: Roch’s sweet ride
By CHRISTY LYNN MIDDLEBURY — Musician Chuck Miller wrote about them in his 1956 song “Bright Red Convertible.” Prince penned his sing“It’s great ing love letter to them, fun to “Little Red Corvette,” in 1986. cruise There’s just something around alluring about little red on a nice cars that few can deny. day.” They always catch the eye — Roch and make both women and MacIntyre men swoon. One such local beauty belongs to Roch MacIntyre, who sometimes parks his baby outside MacIntyre Services
off Exchange Street in Middlebury. “Her name is Elisabeth — or Betty,” MacIntyre says, “with the top down.” Elisabeth is a 1950 Ford Custom Convertible. She’s painted a striking candy apple red with silver detailing and a tan canvas top. “I don’t really know why, but I’d always wanted a ’50s Ford,” MacIntyre says. In the late 1980s, MacIntyre saw this car advertised in Hemmings Motor News, a magazine that caters to traders and collectors of vintage and exotic vehicles.
ROCH MACINTYRE STANDS outside MacIntyre Services on Exchange Street in Middlebury with his treasured 1950 Ford Custom Convertible, Elisabeth.
Being prepared will make your trip safe and fun (BPT) — Across the country people are planning to take longer road trips this year. If you plan to be one of them, here are five maintenance tips to consider for today’s cars. NEW TIRES “For four-wheel drive cars and trucks, buy new tires as a complete set,” says RockAuto.com Engineer and Vice President Tom Taylor. “Mixing old and new tires or just mixing tire brands can create small differences in tire diameter that may be enough to overheat and damage four-wheel drive parts.” (See Car trips, Page 6)
ELISABETH’S ROSY PAINT job and classic lines make her quite a head-turner when she’s out on the road. Independent photos/Christy Lynn
“The previous owner was a womBristol mechanic and the interior finish an whose father had worked for Ford work was done by Jim Ortuno at Shoreham and he wanted to do something nice for his Upholstery around 2009. daughter’s high school graduation present,” “Jim made it a new custom top, new seats MacIntyre recounts. “He bought the car and new carpeting and did a bang-up job.” from someone in California and worked on MacIntyre gave Elisabeth a new motor getting it in shape for his daughter, saying and modern tires, but everything else is of she could have it upon successful gradua- the classic “stock” that would have been tion, granted she didn’t get into any trouble original to the car. beforehand. She had it for Indeed, Elisabeth is beautimany years but eventually ful. needed the money and put the “They were way Her lines are straight and car up for sale. sleek, in a style that was reahead of the “I called her and pretty ferred to as the “Shoe Box curve with this much committed to it sight Style” that in 1949 pulled one. It’s like unseen,” MacIntyre recalls. Ford out of the mid-war He proceeded to send a sitting in your slump, when civilian productrusted employee and his wife living room on the tion of automobiles had been to Chicago to collect the car. suspended by the war effort. Elisabeth was given her sofa when you’re The departure to this name on that trip back to driving down the streamlined design from the Vermont by the wife of Ma- road.” previous “fat fendered” look cIntyre’s employee and, Ma— Roch MacIntyre of Ford’s cars was widely cIntyre says, “It just stuck.” popular and is credited both Originally the car was with saving the company as painted a “pea soup” shade of green and well as developing some of the modern authe interior was a light brown, MacIntyre tomotive design conventions we see today learned after looking up the vehicle’s iden- (integrated fenders for one). tification number. It was changed to red by “You look at that car — or at least I look the previous owner and MacIntyre decided at that car — and you say, ‘Holy crow, they to keep it that way. were way ahead of the curve with this one.’ “I did a fair amount of the tinkering with it It’s like sitting in your living room on the in my garage here,” MacIntyre says, but the sofa when you’re driving down the road,” finish body work was done by a now-retired (See Elisabeth, Page 6)
Tips for buying your teen’s first car (MS) — Many parents contribute money toward the purchase of their teenagers’ first car. But even those who don’t help kids finance the purchase of their first vehicle may still want to offer some advice as their teens start to look for the car they will no doubt remember for the rest of their lives. Different drivers need different things out of their vehicles, so a car that might be perfect for adults will not necessarily be the best fit for teen drivers without much experience traversing the nation’s roadways. The following are a few factors to consider when helping teens find their first car. SIZE Teenagers have little to no experience behind the wheel, so it’s best that they not drive cars that are especially small or large right away. According to the National Highway Traffic (See First car, Page 7)
PAGE 2 — Car
Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015
Car tech
PATRICIA A. HANNAFORD Career Center Automotive Technology students were busy in a full north campus garage last Thursday as they removed snow tires, did general repairs and even did a little welding. Pictured are Josh Hotte, Justin Seguin and Kelsey Kimball, right, Maxx Rheaume and Patrick Covell, lower right, and Kimball behind a welding mask, below.
Independent photos/Trent Campbell
Be safe around trains tracks by following these tips Recent tragedies on the tracks are reminders that trains and the vehicles we drive are not in the same weight class, and in a crash everybody loses. Prevent crashes and stay safe by following these tips: • Never stop on the tracks. In other words, don’t approach them until you can see clearly that there’s room for your entire vehicle on the other side. You cannot be sure the driver in front of you will keep moving. And remember to stay at least 15 but no more than 50 feet from the tracks.
• If there’s no crossing signal, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no train. Always expect a train and be sure to look both ways and listen. • Always stop and wait until the train passes when gates are lowered or lights flashing, and make sure all tracks are clear before proceeding. Even in Vermont, there may be more than one. • Never try to beat the train. They are often closer and moving faster than you think. Trains may take a mile or more to stop, and can rarely stop before hitting you.
• If your vehicle becomes stuck on the tracks and a train approaches, abandon it and run away from the railroad tracks. Avoid being injured by your vehicle when it’s hit by the train. • Remember that train tracks are not pedestrian walkways. A train can arrive at any time and can’t always be heard. Cross tracks only at a designated crossing, and wait well back from the tracks for the train to pass, then check to be sure there isn’t another train before crossing. • When riding a bicycle, take extra care
to avoid getting a wheel stuck on the tracks. If necessary, dismount and walk the bike across when all is clear. Never play chicken with a train! They cannot stop quickly or swerve to avoid hitting us; it’s our job to stay safely out of their way. Information, tips and reminders from those who work to keep Vermont drivers safe — VT State Police, VT Department of Motor Vehicles, VT Agency of Transportation, VT Sheriffs Association. and the AARP Driver Safety Program.
Car Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015 — PAGE 3
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PAGE 4 — Car
Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015
Drowsy drivers have reduced alertness, delayed reactions (BPT) — One in five fatal car accidents in America involves a drowsy driver, according to a recent report from the AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety. Unfortunately, driving while fatigued is common in today’s business world. Yet the consequences of driving when
you’re tired can be tragic. “Drowsiness is similar to alcohol in how it compromises driving ability by reducing alertness and
Nuts and bolts
MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School senior Logan Boyer loosens the nuts on a Ford Focus wheel during auto tech class at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury last Thursday morning. Independent photo/Trent Campbell
attentiveness, delaying reaction times, and hindering decision-making skills,” says Dr. Nathaniel Watson, president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and national spokesperson for the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, which is raising awareness of the dangers of driving while fatigued. “Drowsy driving is deadly, but it can be prevented.” The Healthy Sleep Project has issued a Drowsy Driving Health Advisory, which urges every driver to take responsibility for staying “Awake at the Wheel.” Drivers should make it a daily priority to get sufficient sleep, refuse to drive when sleep-deprived, recognize the signs of drowsiness, and pull off the road to a safe location when sleepy. “Rolling down the windows or turning up the music will do little to increase your alertness while driving,” Watson says. “You can drink coffee for a short-term energy boost, but if you catch yourself drifting into other lanes or nodding off, it’s absolutely time to pull over and take a nap.” Getting seven to nine hours of nightly sleep is the best way to prevent drowsy driving, according to the Healthy Sleep Project. Drivers should also avoid driving late at night or alone, and they should share the driving with another passenger on long trips. How do you know if you’re too sleepy to drive? If you experience any
of these warning signs, you should pull over or have another passenger take the wheel: • You keep yawning or are unable to keep your eyes open. • You catch yourself “nodding off” and have trouble keeping your head up. • You can’t remember driving the last few miles. • You end up too close to cars in front of you. • You miss road signs or drive past your turn. • You drift into the other lane of traffic. • You drift onto the “rumble strip” or onto the shoulder of the road. The Healthy Sleep Project also encourages transportation companies to promote public safety by adhering to hours-of-service regulations, scheduling work shifts based on sleep need and circadian timing, implementing an evidence-based fatigue management system, and screening commercial drivers for sleep diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea. “There is no substitute for healthy sleep — it’s essential to promote personal safety and optimal alertness behind the wheel,” Watson says. “Evaluate your sleep habits, address potential problems with a boardcertified sleep specialist, and make sleep a priority to protect yourself, your passengers and other drivers from avoidable, life-threatening accidents caused by drowsiness.”
Car Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015 — PAGE 5
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PAGE 6 — Car
Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015
Elisabeth (Continued from Page 1) cruise around on a nice MacIntyre says as he proudly gazes at the day.” car. Elisabeth also comes MacIntyre grew up in Middlebury and fol- out for parades and occalowed his father into the family petroleum sionally as the escort vehicle business. for weddings or special events. “I grew up around gas stations and in the MacIntyre also has a 1946 Ford pickup crude oil business and have truck in the MacIntyre garage been tinkering with cars since on Court Street that he also high school,” he says. “My “I did a fair admires and brings out for first car I pulled out of the amount of the special occasions, but seems junk yard and fixed it up in to have particular affinity for the garage until I got my li- tinkering with it Elisabeth. cense. It wasn’t the prettiest in my garage here “We drove my daughter thing, but it was legal and it … Jim (Ortuno) Katharine and her husband worked.” at their wedding,” MacIntyre made it a new MacIntyre is now 70 years says, “which of course is a old, “but I feel like I’m 25 custom top, new fun thing to see as a parent.” when I’m riding in that thing,” seats and new In fact, MacIntyre says, he says with a grin. carpeting and did Katharine is the one with her “It’s kinda fun — 1:30 in eyes on the car as its next a bang-up job.” the afternoon on a summer potential owner. “She said to — Roch MacIntyre me, ‘Dad, don’t you ever sell day and everything is pretty caught up. I’ll jump in ElisaElisabeth’… and I won’t. She beth and we’ll go off down some of our can have her when I’m done.” favorite roads to drive. We don’t go out in After all, what’s not to love about a little the rain or bad weather, but it’s great fun to red convertible?
Car trips (Continued from Page 1) CHECK THE SPARE TIRE Adding air to the spare used to be all that was needed, but many newer cars do not have a spare tire. They may have “run-flat” tires or come equipped with an air compressor and sealant. Become familiar with your vehicle’s spare tire system before you leave town and decide if it is adequate.. TEST YOUR STRUTS Pushing down on a fender and counting the bounces is not a good test for the shocks and struts on modern cars. “Some people are happy that their struts seem to be lasting forever but they don’t realize that the struts actually wore out thousands of miles ago,” says Taylor. “Bad struts lead to unnecessary wear on a whole slew
of additional parts including the brakes, rubber boots, suspension bushings and engine mounts.” For the safest handling and braking, replace your struts and shocks at 50,000 miles or at the mileage recommended by the manufacturer. MORE THAN THE BELT Modern engine belts last a long time. Most car owners do not resist when their mechanic tells them it is time to replace the belts after many miles or years. “Owners should listen to their mechanics when they are told the belt tensioners need to be replaced along with the belt,” says Taylor. “Those are the spring-loaded pulleys that keep the belt at the correct tension. Putting a new belt on old tensioners can mean premature wear on the new belt or damage to the alternator or other components spun by the belt.”
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Car Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015 — PAGE 7
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First car (Continued from Page 1) Safety Administration, young drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 are significantly overrepresented in fatal crashes. The NHTSA suggests such drivers’ immaturity and inexperience plays a significant role in that overrepresentation. So parents likely do not want their children in the smallest car possible, as such vehicles may not protect teens as adequately as slightly larger vehicles in the case of an accident. In addition, very large cars, such as pickup trucks or SUVs, can be difficult to control and are best suited to older drivers who already have years of driving experience under their belts. A mid-size sedan is big enough to protect teens and their passengers in the case of an accident, and such vehicles are small enough to handle easily. PASSENGER CAPACITY Another factor to consider when shopping for cars for teenagers is passenger capacity. The more seats there are in a car, the more friends teens can pack into their vehicles. Numerous teenagers in a car at once can prove distracting to the driver, and that distraction can pave the way for an auto accident. Steer clear of minivans, SUVs or other vehicles that feature a third row of seats, as teens may be unable to stay focused on the road with so many passengers in tow.
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PAGE 8 — Car
Care • Addison Independent, Monday, April 6, 2015
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