October 2016 Mass Cruisers Newsletter by John Buchanan

Mass Cruisers Auto Club Crusin’ at the speed of fun

We’re on the Web

Celebrating 25 years of Cruisin’ October 2016

Volume 26 Issue 10

www.masscruisers.com And Facebook

MONTHLY CRUISIN

Page 2

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. Directory

Presidential Emissions

Club Officers President– John Buchanan

August 25th Cruise winner: 1932 Cadillac LaSalle

September 1st Cruise winner: 1956 Packard Carribean Custom Hardtop Coupe

September 6th Cruise Winner: 1937 Mack Jr.

Driving the Mrs.

Newsletter Editor—Paul Saulnier

Car show Videos and Trophies

Facebook Admin. – Patrick Touhey

Support our advertisers

New Member Liaison—Don Cole

-Auto Shows & Events Page

----------------August Cruisin Massachusetts

Sgts. at Arms—Rick Lawlor & John Sturniolo

--------

Vice President—Diane Thornton Secretary—Patrick Touhey Treasurer—Wayne Lestan

contact the newseditor@masscruicers.com for information about newsletter advertising options

Webmaster—Steve Vining

Charity Coordination – Frank Bryant By-Laws – Roy Rossman MAAC Representative— John Buchanan

Special Events Cruise Night—Steve Huntington Car Show—Rich Armando Club Events Calendar – (open)

Monthly Cruisin

Presidental Emissions

Page 3

The Thursday September 15 Bass Pro Shops Cruise by all accounts was special, being the annual dash plaque night for the first 1,000 cars that attend and the season long drawing for the 350 Engine grill, boy & girl bikes and battery tender which is reason enough to CRUISE to Patriot Place on Route 1 in Foxborough.. But Governor Charlie Baker, along with area Representatives Steven Howitt (Seekonk/ Rehoboth/Norton), fellow club member Jay Barrows (Foxborough/ Mansfield/Norton) and Betty Poirier (North Attleborough/Attleboro) and Patriot Place General Manager Brian Early also showed up to experience what the cruising hobby has grown to become in Massachusetts in the 21st Century since its early beginnings more than 60 years ago. I still have fond memories of my own experiences of those early cruising days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, with my buddies driving to those long gone iconic destinations like Jolly Cholly’s and Rattey’s Car Hop on Route 1 in North Attleboro and the infamous Adventure Car Hop on Route 1 in Saugus for one of those Arnie “Woo Woo” Ginsberg WMEX radio touted Ginsburgers. Here we are in 2016, doing the same thing, only to Patriot Place for the Uncle Buck’s burgers & dogs, Capriotti’s sandwiches & Subs and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurts which are a whole lot better than what Jolly Cholly’s or Adventure Car Hop offered back then. And, Worcester’s B101 “The Pike” DJ, Cruisin’ Bruce Palmer, does a masterful job spinning the oldies on state of the art music system versus turning up the volume on your car’s AM radio to hear Arnie blow his “Woo Woo” horn. I missed it all because my son Jim and I were off on our previously planned annual CRUIZN road trip to Prince Edward Island, the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia and Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor; 9 days and 2,600 miles of almost trouble free driving in the ’61 Impala. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the Impala’s original 12V coil died after pulling into the Edgewater Beach Motor Inn parking lot at Old Orchard Beach on our way back home via the 23rd Annual Old Orchard Beach Cruise and Car Show. It’s when breakdowns like this happen, that you really appreciate being a member of a car club. Thanks to fellow club member John Sturniolo for troubleshooting my breakdown problem in the motel’s parking lot, Lou Valentine offering up the keys to his pickup truck at the cruise to Steve Huntington, who drove me to the nearest O’Reilly’s parts store to get a new coil to install. We would have missed a great cruise night and parade at Old Orchard Beach that night. As the cruise and car show season starts to wind down heading into October, I am again looking forward to our October 1 & 2 5th Annual Provincetown Cruise Weekend with the other car clubs that host cruise and car events along the 118 mile Massachusetts historic U.S. Route 6. October is also when we invite guest speakers to our monthly meetings and we have two excellent car enthusiasts lined up for October and November. Bob Walton, co-author of the out-orprint book “Route 66 The People-The places- The Dream”, regularly attends our Bass Pro Shops cruises in his 1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible, “Big Red” as a newly minted Massachusetts resident, will speak at our Oct. 18 meeting. David Wilson, author of “Give Me A Brake”, previously scheduled for October will speak at the Nov. 15 meeting on the dirty little secret about spongy brakes.

Page 4 Monthly Cruisin

August 25th Cruise Winner 1932 Cadillac LaSalle 2016 August 25 Bass Pro Shops Cruise

Thursday’s cruise honoree Ken Bourque was being pressed for a few years by a fellow Dodge Brothers car owner who wanted to buy his 1919 Dodge Brothers Roadster. He kept upping his offer price to the point that Ken finally sold it to him. Ken’s wife Barbara, noticing that the empty garage space not having a special car to take care of, appeared in need of a replacement for the Dodge so she started scouring the monthly Hemmings magazine until she spotted the picture ad for a 1932 LaSalle from a San Antonio collection for sale. She showed it to Ken suggesting it as the possible replacement for the Dodge. The rest is history. What a wife. The LaSalle was in a private San Antonio collection consisting some 30 to 40 cars that included Duesenberg’s and Packard’s. The mechanic who maintained the vehicles in that collection was told by the owner that when he dies, he could pick out one of the cars that were in a particular line and he selected the 1932 LaSalle. Unfortunately, that promised gift LaSalle was not spelled out in the owner’s will and the mechanic had to purchase it from the family’s estate. He was 85 at the time and when he reached the ripe old age of 90, it was time to let it go and that was when it was advertised in Hemmings and Barbara spotted it three years ago. The LaSalle was the lower cost companion brand of Cadillac that was introduced in 1927 and was continued to be built by Cadillac up until 1940. LaSalle’s actually out sold the Cadillac as it was competing with the Packard 120’s, so it was a surprise when it was dropped from production in 1941. It didn’t take an awful lot convincing for Bass Pro Shops Guest Judge Jeff Goldstein to honor this museum quality LaSalle with the Vintage Motorsports sponsored Cruise Award Plaque.

Page 5 Monthly Cruisin

September 1st Cruise Winner 1956 Packard Carribean Custom Hardtop Coupe http://clubs.hemmings.com/masscruisers/9-1-2016_slideshow.html

David Larson from Medfield has some really nice “old” cars at home. His 1960 Dodge Polara took one of the two Best of Show awards at our 25th Annual AutoFest Car Show last month. Every now and then he also brings his 1956 Packard Caribbean to our Bass Pro Shops cruise as he did for the Thursday Sept. 1 cruise where it was selected for the Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruise award plaque. Despite the lousy weather all around our Patriot Place hilltop location, there was no rain in Foxborough and the typically huge turnout of show cars was the lowest of the season. But, as D.J. Bruce Palmer noted when announcing Dave’s 1956 Packard for everyone to get a closer look at, it would be a worthy pick among two thousand cars. Dave purchased his Packard off eBay Motors from Texas back in 2005 and, when it arrived home, he discovered it had the wrong parts installed on the engine and it needed some minor body work, paint as well as new interior. This project turned out to be his first and last restoration. But, this luxurious Caribbean had some really cool features making the effort worthwhile. From 1953 to 1955 Caribbean’s were available only as convertibles and the 1956 hardtop model was added in its final year of production with only 263 produced. It has the one year only 374 CID dual 4-bbl V8 putting out 310 HP and, except for the Chrysler 300B 454 CID 355 HP Hemi V8, was one of the fastest cars on the road doing 0-60 in under 12 seconds, not too shabby for a 4,965 lb. car. The car’s tri-color paint, Dover White - Danube Blue & Roman Copper Metallic and hooded headlamps, was mid-fifties décor for top of the line models, however the reversible color coordinated seat cushions - brocade on one side and leather on the other - was unique. The Torsion- Level suspension and push button electronic Twin Ultramatic transmission gave the Packard the best ride of any car on the road in in 1956.

Page 6

Monthly Cruisin

September 15th Cruise Winner 1937 Mack Jr.. 2016 September 15 Bass Pro Shops Cruise Video

By Diane Thornton Photos by Nancy Bloom

Fred Orlando was thrilled to have his 1937 Mack Jr. pickup truck chosen as the Bass Pro Cruiser of the Night at our September 15 Bass Pro Shop cruise. Considering this was his second visit in four years – he’s feeling pretty special! Fred has owned his handsome truck for 47 years! He bought it in 1970 and finished it in 1984 – right down to the last bolt. Fred did all the mechanical work over the years. He credits Floyd Bent (now retired) with the wonderful red paint job! Fred told us the Mack Jr. line was a joint venture of Reo and Mack Truck Co. Fred informed us there were only 18 slated for building when production began. The engine is an F140 Continental engine – marine version.

In 1970 a guy came into his shop and noticed Fred liked old trucks. The gent told him there was a Mack Jr for sale in Holliston. Fred got on his motorcycle that night and went down to investigate. Parked in the back of the small used car lot under a light pole was an unusual truck shape. Fred had nothing to go by to identify it… no badges, no hubcaps…just flaky green paint. The lot attendant brought him into the ramshackle office/shed and showed him a huge old school teacher desk – where all the finer pieces of the truck were stored inside the drawers and across the top of the desk. Fred bought it!

The next day he and a friend brought a battery, fresh fuel and a lot of luck. They spent some time with it, cleaned the points, and he actually drove it home to Walpole that night! He remembers there was an inner tube sticking out of one of the tires! Well, that truck has nothing but the best dressing it up now!

Monthly Cruisin

Page 7

Driving The Mrs.

You can tell how long a couple has been married just by watching them drive their car:

If he’s driving and she’s cuddling up close, they are newlyweds. They also have to have an old car to be able to sit that close. That also proves they’re newlyweds. If she’s driving and he’s cuddled up close, they’ve been married for a few years and he’s in a little trouble. Alcohol may be involved. Especially if they have bucket seats. If he’s driving and she’s sitting way over on the other side, as far away as she can get, they’ve been married at least five years and he has forced her to leave the mall before she was ready. If he’s driving and she’s speaking heatedly to him and pointing out directions with her hands, they’ve been married ten years. If he’s driving and she’s not speaking to him at all, they’ve been married eleven years. If he’s driving and she’s sitting in the back seat, they’ve been married fifteen years. If he’s wearing a cap, he’s also had a serious demotion. If they’re driving separate cars, they’ve been married twenty years. If she’s driving and he’s walking, they’re divorced. From Red Green’s Duct Tape is Not Enough

Page 8

Monthly Cruisin

Car Show Videos and Trophies 2016 August 21 25th Annual AutoFest Car Show Mass Cruisers 25th Annual AutoFest Car Show  Click here to see slide show video by Steve Vining A great turnout with over 360 registered show cars competing for two Best of Show, two Top 100 Showdown Picks, 8 additional superlative and 30 Top picks in 5 categories. There were 40 club member and sponsor vehicles also on display including the Lost in Space “Chariot” and 1935 Class Winner from the Detroit Autorama Show. This year the Wrentham Fire Department hosted a Fireman’s Muster & Antique Fire Apparatus Parade and display of 20 vehicles at the show and competed for special awards. 2016 August 25 Bass Pro Shops Cruise

2016 August 25 Bass Pro Shops Cruise  Click here to see slide show video by John Buchanan This was the postponed cruise due to the Thursday night August 18 Patriots – Bears pre-season game. It was another great night with about 1,500 cars and motorcycles attending Ken Bourque’s museum quality 1932 LaSalle Sedan was selected for the Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruise award plaque. BACKGROUND MUSIC: “Get Lucky” Funk Inc. guitar instrumental

Spindles Car Show We did not have big numbers representing us at the Marshfield Fair Grounds Sunday but we were well resonated. Four of us were there and four took prizes. Good for club pride. First Place 2WD Stock Truck Steve Huntington - 64 Chevy Pickup First Place Corvette 1968 through 1983 Wayne Lestan-1969 Corvette Second Place Foreign Car all Don Cole-59 Volvo Wagon Third Place (not sure of category) Daz Alberty -99 Firebird

Monthly Cruisin

Page 9

Support Our Advertisers

Monthly Cruisin

Page 10

Auto Shows & Events Page

Page 11

Monthly Cruisin

Cruisers @ Old Orchard Beach

Top left: Lady Cruisers in the Picture Frame: Jeanne Lestan, Diane Thornton, Annie Huntington, Linda Valentine, Neringa Bryant Top right: Frank got 1st for the hot rods class, Dave got 2nd for the Trucks class and I got a 3rd for GM cars of the 60’s. Above: Club members who didn’t get any trophies but seemed happy about it because they’re were the happiest people at the show. Right: Friday Night Cruise in downtown Old Orchard Beach

Monthly Cruisin

October 2016

Last Page

Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Norfolk MA clubhouse.

P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093