A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2017, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume X, Issue 2
Exploring:
Ca
February 2017
s
Car Collecting Today
High RPMs
Classic Rides Reports From the Field Oldsmobile (1897-2004) Cadillac (1902- ) Allanté (1987-1993)
Corvair (1960-1969)
◄ = Clickable Link
IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs
1
Then & Now
2
Pics to Ponder
5
Please join me in the marking of a milestone. This edition of CCC® is #100 of this pub! Vol. I, Issue No. 1 saw the light of day back in November of 2008. A few cars, a lot of words and a lot of pics have been enjoyed since that initial issue appeared. February Automotive Milestones 01-1898 Travelers issues 1st auto ins policy 02-1923: Leaded "Ethyl" gas 1st marketed in Dayton, OH 03-1948 1st Cadillac with tailfins produced 04-1922 Ford acquires Lincoln from Henry Leland 04-1941 R. E. Olds received his last automobile patent for an internal combustion engine design 05-1952 1st "Don't Walk" sign installed in NYC 05-1970 AMC acquires Kaiser-Jeep Corp 06-1954 Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing" debuts in NYC
08-1936 Wm Durant, filed for personal bankruptcy 09-1909 Fisher incorporates Indianapolis Motor Speedway 11-1932 Ford announces new V-8 engine 12-1898 1st car crash fatality happened in Great Britain 15-1902 Olds ran its 1st national autoe ad in Sat Eve Post 15-1968 AMC debuts AMX 16-1852 Henry and Clement Studebaker founded H & C Studebaker 17-1911 1st self-starter installed in a Cadillac 17-1972 Beetle replaces Model T as world's bestselling car 18-1952 Studebaker celebrates 100th birthday 19-1954 Ford Thunderbird born in prototype form 20-1909 Hudson Motor Car founded. 22-1923 1,000,000th Chevy produced 23-1893 Rudolf Diesel received German patent for
diesel engine 24-1909 Hudson Motor Car Co. incorporated 24-1968 American Motors debuts AMX 26-2015 Ernie Hemmings Died 28-1932 Last Ford Model A produced
- Keep ‘em rolling!
GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web: ®
CCC -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars.
CCC® Forum EMail:
◄
OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
Car Collector Chronicles® ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 2
Then & Now
“The Oldsmobile that gave initial rise to this lifelong passion was
What led to CCC® coming into being in the first place? Back in 2008 I was still gainfully employed as a labor relations specialist for the Milwaukee Public Schools. A whole lot, and I do mean a whole lot, of my 8-hour workday was spent online, trolling the net for info on old rides. To make the term “a whole lot” more tangible to the reader permit me to recount an incident at work. One day my boss came into my office, closed the door and said, “We have to talk!” She began the conversation by laying a good 4” thick stack of computer paper on my desk. It was a printout of every web site I had visited on my work computer over a rather short period of time. While there was the occasional work related site listed in the printout, most of the sites had to do with old cars. How I avoided being fired over this is beyond comprehension? When it became apparent I was not going to be terminated I stated my trolling would not be a problem in the future. It wasn’t, thankfully, but it also did not stop! By November of 2008 I had already owned Saved62 for over three years. Saved62 is the last in a long line of Oldsmobile cars both I and my family have been privileged to own and maintain. That long line stretches back to the 1948 model year.
my high school ride. She was a a 1960 Super 88 Holiday SceniCoupe with 3-on-thetree from the factory.”
The Oldsmobile that gave initial rise to this lifelong passion was my high school ride. She was a 1960 Super 88 Holiday SceniCoupe with 3-on-the-tree from the factory. In all my three score + 1 years I have never, ever, seen another. Even back then I knew she was special. Even finding info online about full-sized Oldsmobile B-Body cars equipped with a factory manual transmission is next to impossible. Believe me, I know as I spent hours looking! At any rate, by November of 2008 I had collected gigabytes of info on Oldsmobile cars and other old rides. I had even created a web site for Saved62. ◄ So I figured why not share this info I had been acquiring. I had plenty of time to kill and knew others shared my interest. So, CCC® was born. With the passage of time more than a few other rides found their way in and out of the Yaros Car Barn. I believe the next ride to find a home in our garage was Jean’s 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible. It came to us from WV, via ebay™. It was the first car purchased sight unseen. Rest assured there was a lot of communication with the seller before pulling the trigger on this purchase. Lucky for us, the seller was honest and not out to dump a car on unsuspecting buyers. On the subject of Corvairs, I want to proclaim publicly that Corvair owners are the friendliest and most helpful group of old car enthusiasts I have ever encountered. Indeed, they taught me much about GMs air cooled powered car. I was, and am, so impressed with their openness and willingness to assist that to this day I still regularly frequent the Corvair Center Forum. ◄ It is hoped this ride is still cruising the back roads of PA, where she went after leaving our care. It is also hoped that she is bringing as much enjoyment to the current owners as she did to us.
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 3
Then & Now—Cont’d. With the sale of the ‘Vair the Mrs.’ ride needed to be replaced. At a car show we were participating in she found a 1985 Buick Riviera convertible that tickled her fancy. After a test drive, some investigation and a little negotiation, it became ours. The car came out of an estate and the heirs were very concerned that it go to a good home. It did! We even took the car on a vacation trip out east one summer. I would be less than honest if I did not acknowledge that the 307 c.i., 4 bbl. carb Oldsmobile engine ran like a dog and did not get good gas mileage at all. Also this is the only old ride I have ever owned that was required to undergo emission testing. It did and failed. It cost me an arm and a leg to get it to the point of being able to pass the mandated test. While the Mrs. now regrets having done so, she decided to pass the car on to another owner. This decision was predicated on the fact that the car had attracted a, for lack of a better term, an urban following. I can say that the new owner was more than excited about being able to purchase this car. Not only was he excited, so were his wife and children. As Rockford, IL is not that distant, perhaps we shall run across it some time in the future? In my youth my now departed father lusted for a Cadillac. He never got to the point where he could afford to purchase one new. To satisfy his desires he scoured the used car market for a suitable candidate. One day in 1964 he asked me to go with him to look at a car. He had spotted a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 4-door Sedan. It was Cape Ivory over Inca Gold in color. After a test drive and listening to the exhaust by cupping the tailpipe with my hands I proffered that the car needed at least a valve job, and maybe a major overhaul. Even so, Dad was drooling and wanted it. I told him to negotiate down the price and if he got it I would help him do the engine work. He did, and we did. In 1964 both of us were working jobs in the steel mills in Gary, IN. We did not work the same shifts, however. So he would turn wrenches on the car while I was working in the mill and I would take his place in the garage while he went off to earn his daily bread. I do not recall how long it took, but we were at it for quite a while. We finally did get the overhaul done: new bearings, rings and a valve job. She not only purred like a kitten, he thought it was the cat’s meow that he now had a Caddy to drive to– and-from work and grinned like a Cheshire cat! For this period in his life all was right with the world! Like father, like son. His appreciation for Cadillac was passed on to me. Although both of us were Oldsmobile men tried and true, both of us were drawn to Cadillac cars. Like him, I too acquired a 1955 Cadillac. Mine was a Series 62 Coupe deVille. She came to me in 2009 from New York state. As most of you know, I dubbed her the Gray Lady. On her arrival I found out the car was too long to fit in my garage without alteration; alteration to the garage, not the car. That problem was immediately rectified and she took up residence in the Yaros Car Barn. Just like Dear Ol’ Dad, the Gray Lady brought a smile to my face every time I entered the car barn. She was a beauty to behold. I was so into her I created a massive web site ◄ chock full of Cadillac information. Many an enthusiast has commented about the web site. I did hook up online with a lot of Cadillac owners. I have nothing but kind words for and about them. As for real, live, face-to-face relationships with Cadillac owners, I shall only say I find them to be cut from a different cloth.
“[H]e thought it was the cat’s meow that he now had a Caddy to drive toand-from work and grinned like a Cheshire cat!”
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
Then & Now—Cont’d.
While I did a lot of work on the car, and admired her a lot, I seldom drove the car. Just sitting and looking pretty was beginning to visibly take a toll on the car. I decided something had to be done. I could not permit this fine specimen of craftsmanship and design deteriorate while under my stewardship. The something to be done turned out to be passing the car on to another person who, hopefully, would make use of the car and in the process let her be seen and enjoyed by others. The Gray Lady easily found a buyer in a very short period of time. To the best of my knowledge today she is ensconced in Bill’s Backyard Classics Auto Museum in Amarillo, TX, where she is able to be enjoyed and appreciated by a multitude. When it comes to Cadillac appreciation it has been said: The medical term for the affliction is “Caddyholicism” An addiction to the ownership of Cadillacs or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from Cadillac dependency. Manifestation "He had a long history of depression, euphoria, cash flow problems and Cadillacs." So what is the purpose behind this trip down memory lane? It is to show from where, and just how far, we have come since 2008. The fact is that back then I was bubbling over with enthusiam and full of questions. Whatever I was able to learn I made an effort to share. One, and the main, way of sharing has been via the pages of CCC®. It has been an enjoyable experience for me, and I hope for you as well. It has also taken a lot of time and effort. In the early days I couild crank out a newsletter will little effort, off of the top of my head so to speak. More than just of late it has been taking days to research and compose what you read. And when I do so, I find myself dissatisfied with the product, which more and more is nothng but a rehash of what others before me have said, and probably more eloquently. I find myself creating original content less and less. I find myself dreading the approach of another publication deadline. Pulling each issue together has become work, instead of a joy. That this is so has been weighing on my mind for some time now. Consequently, I have determined that issue #100 of CCC® will be the last. I am retiring forthwith. I shall still be around on the web. For those that frequent Corvair Center, Classic Oldsmobile, CadillacLaSalle, Mid-Centrury Cadillacs and the AACA fora, you will undoubtedly run into me there. We shall still be driving and showing Saved62. So, it is not like we are dropping off the face of the earth. In parting, let me say that it has been a great ride! I have enjoyed getting to know you and sharing our love for old rides. We shall be looking for you on down the road ….
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Car Collector Chronicles
Pics to Ponder Adios folks!
Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com.
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-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: You are on your own from here on out ...