Mass Cruisers Auto Club Crusin’ at the speed of fun Our Patriot Place Cruise winners for April 27th, a jet black ‘55 shoebox and May 11th, a chopped ‘50 leadsled, are spotlighted on pages 4 and 5 inside.
Daz and Sherry Alberty took a first place prize at WOW. Page 2.
Cruiser Kamilla Kissell always wanted to go to Cuba. She finally made it and brought back a few pictures of preserved Detroit iron. No cigars though. Page 7. We’re on the Web
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April 2017
Celebrating 25 Years of Cruisin Volume 27
June 2017
Issue 6
www.masscruisers.com And Facebook
MONTHLY CRUISIN
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Contact us by snail mail: P.O. Box 217, Wrentham, MA 02093 Or by email: HO350@comcast.net
We’re on the Web! www.masscruisers.com
Our clubhouse is located at 124 Main Street, Norfolk, behind the Dunkin Donuts shop and across the street from the police station. For more information please call: 781 551-0520. Visitors, guests and those interested in joining the
Mass Cruisers Auto Club are welcome to attend one of our monthly meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month in Norfolk.
Club Officers
Directory
2
Presidential Emissions Cruise Night Schedule
3
April 27th Cruise Winner: 1955 Chevy BelAir
4
Vice President—Diane Thornton
May 11th Cruise Winner: 1950 Ford Tudor Custom Sedan
5
Secretary—Patrick Touhey Asst. Lesley Corda
May Cruis’n Around By John Bushanan
6
Treasurer—Wayne Lestan Asst. Kevin Rushlow
Car Pix From Cuba By Kamilla Kissell
7
Webmaster—Steve Vining
May Shows & Events
8
Support our Advertisers
9
----------------Spring 2017 MAAC Meeting
10
_____________________ - - - - - - - 11 June Cruisin
contact the newseditor@masscruicers.com for information about newsletter advertising options
President– Ed Beatty
Newsletter Editor—Paul Saulnier Facebook Admin. – Patrick Touhey New Member Liaison—Don Cole SSgts. at Arms—Rick Lawlor & John Sturniolo Charity Coordination – Frank Bryant By-Laws – Roy Rossman MAAC Rep — John Buchanan
Special Events Cruise Night—Steve Huntington Car Show—Rich Armando Club Events Calendar – (open)
Monthly Cruisin
Presidential Emissions
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Over the years we had Old School hot rods, lead sleds and muscle cars. Oh I forgot the classic car. They hate anything that’s been modified. The last few cruise nights that I have attended I’ve seen more tuners showing up. The engineering on some these cars is outstanding. I’m not a big fan of front wheel drive cars myself . Seeing a 240ZX with a small block like it’s from the factory is impressive, especially when owner tells you he did it in the driveway. We have to remember the cars that inspired us when we were kids is what we build for performance cars now. So the cars that are being built now by the kids that are in 16, 17 early 20s are the cars they grew up with and what they have to work with. Not all of them are show cars, some look half finished but that’s their ride. Take a look at one of the cars and you will be surprised. I'll be sending out more ideas for cruise nights that we can do as a club during the week.
Our club’s first Junk Yard Junket in April 1997, 20 years ago. Can you identify the one remaining active club member that is in this photo?
Below, Daz and Sherry Alberty took a first place prize at WOW.
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April 27th Cruise Winner 1955 Chevrolet BelAir
There are many very nice cars from which to select a Cruise Night winner each week. Quite often on any given Thursday cruise, another new killer show quality car drives in that grabs everyone’s attention, including the Bass Pro Shops designated team charted to pick the cruise winner. There are also great cars among the top three candidates identified, but are never selected. This week, Westwood resident Rich Strauss’s stunning black 1955 Resto-mod Chevrolet BelAir rose to the #1 spot to proudly display the coveted Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruise award plaque after being among the top three cars identified at the April 13 cruise. You can’t miss this Chevy with its MA “CHEV 55” vanity plates. More important, the night’s cruise winner also receives a Patriot Place gift package that includes Entrees for two with beverages from the Blu Fin Lounge; two adult passes to The Hall at Patriot Place, where else can you see five Super Bowl Lombardi Trophies in one place; a Menchie’s Patriot Place frozen yogurt cake and a Fudge Sampler from Uncle Buck’s. Video: http://clubs.hemmings.com/masscruisers/4-272017_slideshow.html Rich’s Chevy was originally built by Classic Resurrection in Grove City, Ohio, a tri-5 specialty builder outside Columbus, when he bought it 8 years ago. It rides on a C4 Corvette suspension of polished and clear coated aluminum with disc brakes all around and riding on Ridler 5 spoke billet aluminum wheels. The engine compartment, where the small block 400 engine sits, has seen significant detailing work done by Rich where he just recently added tri-power Holley carbs sitting on an Edelbrock intake and fitted with custom stainless steel inlet fuel lines. From the chrome plated dual master cylinder reservoir on the firewall to the polished and chrome plated radiator up front, all the detail work that Rich has done and maintained for a driven car is amazing. Comfort inside the Chevy is provided by grey & black vinyl upholstered 1963 Chevy bucket seats & console. So, if you have one of the many great looking rides attending our cruise every other Thursday, don’t feel snubbed by not becoming the Cruise night selection. The whole idea of this and other area cruises is to, first and foremost, drive your car for your own personal enjoyment and then display it for other enthusiasts to appreciate the beauty and work that has gone into preserving theses unique and sometimes very rare vehicles.
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May 11th Cruise Winner
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1950 Ford Tudor Custom Sedan One of the rules followed when selecting a cruise night winning car by Bass Pro Shops mangers is that the same car cannot be one that was previously selected in the past two years. That isn’t true for car owners though. Tonight’s cruise selection for the Vintage Automotive sponsor cruise plaque is our first three-pete winner, Wally Hayes from Norwood, for his old school 1950 Ford Tudor custom sedan. Wally had two cars selected in 2014, his 1937 Ford Standard Sedan and 1924 Model T Street Rod. He does have more potential candidates available from his collection and he has driven a few of them to our cruise but they had not yet caught the attention of the judges responsible for picking their favorite cruise car. Wally bought this nice custom ’50 Ford with a 3 ½ inch chop four years ago from a local builder in Wilbraham, MA. Although he has yet to do any additional work or modifications to it he is planning to replace the stock Ford 3.73 rear end and possible the rear leaf springs. It is powered by a Chevy 350 with a 700 R4 tranny for today’s highway speeds driving. The leather Infinity power bucket seats and Vintage Air A/C provide comfort when cruising with his Old Koots Car Club buddies. These 1950 shoe box Fords along with the larger Mercury kin were the most popular cars to customize 60 years ago and they still turn heads today when they are done properly like Wally’s Ford with its eye catching maroon paint finish, custom pin striping, Frenched tail lights and lowered stance.
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MAY CRUIZ’N AROUND By John Buchanan May is when the snowbirds come back from their winter migration habitats and most of the area cruise nights start getting into full swing. May is also when I get the urge to CRUIZ to both the familiar and new cruise venues. One of our own Bass Pro Sponsors, Herb Chambers Cars & Coffee, switched last year from monthly Saturday mornings to Sunday and this year the change was noticeable at their opening event at their BMW store on U.S. Route 20 in Sudbury. The parking lot was packed for the first time in my memory by 8 AM and when I arrived I had to find an empty lot along to park my Chevy and walk across the highway to see all these early birds’ cars. My eyes were popping over all the high end exotics and super cars that were there, a virtual candy store of 6 figure beautiful rides. I got my coffee and muffin before they ran out, took some pictures, and left by 9 am to travel East on Rte. 20 into Boston and Wentworth institute for their 3rd annual SAE Student Chapter Car Show that fellow Mass Cruiser Herb Connors mentors for the school’s chapter. There were no exotics or supercars, just a bunch of alumni, like myself, supporting their show. The exciting news for this year’s show was seeing the student designed and built SAE Baja off-road vehicle powered by a 10HP Briggs & Stratton engine that will be competing in Akron Ohio against other colleges in June for the first time. Herb is on the hunt for sponsors to supplement the small budget allotted by WIT. Where all the clubs business is usually handled at the monthly business meeting, Club President Ed Beatty wants to use the following week’s monthly meeting as a cruise night by members to other area cruises. On short notice the first cruise selected was the A&W Cruise on U.S. Route 44 in Smithfield, RI that Bruce Palmer D.J.’s, about 30 miles over the back roads from the Norfolk clubhouse. Of course, the cruise would start earlier at 5:30 PM rather than the normal 7 PM meeting time to arrive at a reasonable time. A dozen club member cars, plus newly returning former Mass Cruiser member Mike Egan with his freshly painted 1963 Rambler Classic 660, made it to the A & W. With more advanced notice next month, we should see much higher member participation. But CRUIZN didn’t end there during this long awaited great stretch of weather. Some of us made it over to the Wednesday “Cancer Sucks” at the North Attleborough Elks, the Thursday “Wheels of Time Cruise” at Raynham Park and the East Taunton nostalgic Star Drive-In cruise. Yep, there are at least a dozen cruises each night posted in our monthly CRUIZN to pick from. Don’t hesitate to call one another when the urge to cruise somewhere comes up. This gives us an opportunity to show the Mass Cruisers support for all the area cruise events and also pass out flyers for our own upcoming August 20 AutoFest Car Show. Keep a supply on hand in your car.
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Car Pix from Cuba By Kamilla Kissell Since my college years I have wanted to vist Cuba. Finally this past November, I took my first trip - I say this because six weeks later I went back for a second time in January! Claro que si of course - one of the highlights of visiting Cuba is the opportunity to see and take a spin in one of our very own Classics - a great way to see Havana "American" style . The photo of me in the red 1954 Chevy - in the drivers seat no less! is a stop on the tour at the Plaza de la Revoluciรณn _ this is the noteable square where Fidel addressed the Cuban people on many important occasions. Since the US embargo against Cuba (in Cuba called el bloqueo, "the blockade") which started in 1958, the Cubans have not had access to parts but have been MORE than resourceful in repairing and maintaining these American beauties! An amazing array of colors from pink, purple, orange, red and more make Havana one the most colorful and unique cities to visit. Feel like going back in time to see for yourself - visit Cuba now - Vamenos!
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Support Our Advertisers
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Spring 2017 MAAC Meeting By John Buchanan The 2017 Mass. Assoc. of Auto Clubs quarterly spring meeting was held in the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room following the Mass Cruisers opening April 13 Cruise Night. Having the meeting at this cruise venue allowed MAAC to set up a table and provide information to cruise attendees about MAAC and answer any questions they may have about pending legislative matters affecting our hobby. After voting and installation of the 2017 slate of officers, the same crew from 2016 by the way, President - William Ellis (Bay State Antique Auto Club), Vice President - Dean Zwicker (Model A Restorers of Massachusetts), Treasurer – Doug Linden (Minuteman Model A Club) and Secretary - Dennis Newman (Sham-Rods), we got down to the business of reviewing the 23 legislative bills of interest to our hobby that were submitted to the 190 th General Court of 2017 & 2018. The Newsletter of MAAC; SPRING 2017, which is posted on the MAAC website www.massautoclubs.org; just click on the “NEWNEWS” number plate. The bills reviewed were categorized into three broad classes; bills with which to involve MAAC’s lobbyist; bills which a MAAC representative will attend public hearings to submit a position paper on and bills with which MAAC will just note support or non-support that could include sending a letter noting MAAC’s position to the bill’s legislative sponsor. Representative Steven Howitt, ranking member of the Joint Transportation Committee where most of the bills were referred to, was also on hand to answer questions about the legislative process for the meeting attendees. It should also be noted that MAAC has also added a BEACON HILL NEWS FLASH for everyone on the email list using MailChimp. This allows you to GIVE FEEDBACK which is always welcomed. You can join the MAAC mail list by clicking on the MAAC website green “JOIN” number plate. You don’t have to be a paid member to receive these emails and in all probability you may already be in a club that is a member of MAAC and has a club representative attending meetings.
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Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Norfolk MA clubhouse.
P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093