PB 305 page 19.indd

November-December, 2010 305 Volume 52 Number 1

Nineteen-time Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill Award winnerFounded 1957

Plymouth® Owners Club, Inc.®Plymouth is a registered trademark of Chrysler Motors and is used by special permission.

MEMBERSHIPThe PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is published bi-monthly by the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc.,PO Box 416, Cavalier, North Dakota 58220. Periodicals postage paid at Grafton, ND.Membership is open to all persons genuinely interested in Plymouth or Fargo vehicles.Ownership of a club recognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for club membership. Clubdues entitle members to receive all BULLETIN issues published within the 12 month peri-od following establishment or renewal of membership. Membership in the PlymouthOwners Club is a prerequisite for membership in one of its regions.

DUESDues for first-time members are $32 per year payable in US funds. Renewals are $30per year payable in US funds. Payment can be made by VISA or MasterCard. No per-sonal checks outside of USA please. Overseas members may get airmail delivery for $45per year.

MEETSNational meets are sponsored by the Plymouth Owners Club. Such meets are held on arotating basis with location of the meets determined by local regions upon application tothe Officers and Board of Directors. Notice of the dates and locations of such meets willbe announced in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. At least one meet will be held east of theMississippi River and one meet west of the Mississippi with meets held in the Spring,Summer and/or Fall. On years ending in "8" a single Grand National Meet is held in theDetroit area in honor of Plymouth's 1928 beginning.

AWARDS &TROPHIESMAYFLOWER AWARD is awarded to the highest scoring 4dr sedan not winning Best ofShow at each national meet.EDITOR’S AWARDS are presented annually by the Editor for outstanding contributions bythe members to the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN.

JUDGING CLASSES Class 7 -- 1962-78 B-bodyClass 1 -- 1928-1932 Class 8 -- 1960-61 full size; 1965-77 C-bodyClass 2 -- 1933-1939 Class 9 -- 1964-1974 BarracudaClass 3 -- 1940-1948 Class 10 - Commercial (pickup, sdn del, stn wgn)Class 4 -- 1949-1954 Class 11 - 1976-80 F-, 78-84 M-, ‘80-81 R-bodiesClass 5 -- 1955-1959 Class 12 - 1978-85 FWD (Class 13 - none yet eligible)Class 6 -- 1960-76 Val. Class 14 - 1971-85 imports

Senior -- Best of Show cars since1996JUDGING GROUPS: Group I: 1928-39 / Group II: 1940-59 / Group III:1960-85 RWD /

Group IV:1971-85 FWD & imports

MEMBERSHIP ROSTERA complete listings of all current members along with their address and Plymouth and/orFargo vehicles roster can be downloaded at any time via e-mail or member can obtain adisc with the information. Contact Membership Secretary Jim Benjaminson.

ADDRESS CHANGESThe PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is mailed by periodicals postage. The postal service WILLNOT FORWARD YOUR COPIES IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS. If you planto move, use the postal address change form on the cover and send it to the MembershipSecretary BEFORE you move. The Plymouth Owners Club WILL NOT replace issuesnot received because of an address change.NON-DELIVERY OF THE BULLETINIf you have any questions or problems, direct your inquiries to the MembershipSecretary.BULLETIN DEADLINE DATES for ads, articles, photographs, etc.

Jan-Feb -- Dec. 10 Jul-Aug -- Jun. 10Mar-Apr -- Feb. 10 Spt-Oct -- Aug. 10May-Jun -- Apr. 10 Nov-Dec -- Oct. 10

Articles, etc., submitted to the BULLETIN CANNOT be returned to the author for reviewprior to publication. ALL submissions are subject to editing.RETURN OF PHOTOS AND ARTICLESAll items sent to the BULLETIN will be returned if requested with a SASE (please DONOT affix US stamps to the return envelope--as it will be mailed from Canada--butenclose within envelope).MAIL DATEThe BULLETIN is to be mailed by the last week of the even numbered month of the coverdate (i.e. the Jan-Feb issue is to be mailed in February, etc.).ADVERTISING POLICYPlease refer to the complete advertising policy printed in the Marketplace section.TECHNICAL ADVICETechnical questions may be submitted to the individual advisor for each model.Technical questions should be brief and specific. A SASE should be included with yourenquiry (please do not affix stamps if mailed out-of-country but enclose within envelope).

1928 QEarl Buton, Jr.(see address above)(845) [email protected] UJeff C. Buton275 Dutchtown RoadSaugerties, NY 12477(845) [email protected] 30U - 1931 PARobert McMulkinBox 40Lemon Springs, NC 283551932 PBBruce E. Buton2366 Glasco Tnpk.Woodstock, NY12498-1076(845) [email protected] Davis1870 Eldon Rd, RR1Woodville, ON KOM 2T0CANADA (705) [email protected] R. Peterson32 Crane RoadWalpole, MA 02081plymouth34@hotmail1935 - 1936Wayne Brandon5715 Forest Green Dr.Perry, MI 48872-9197(517) [email protected] L. Semichy18220 Daves Ave.Monte Sereno, CA 950301938John Sbardella11 Heritage PathMillis, MA [email protected] G. Kidwell;9 St. Andrews Garth;Severna Park, MD 21146(410) [email protected] (do NOT use hyphen)1940Jim BenjaminsonBox 345Walhalla, ND 58282-03451941Larry W. JenkinsRt. 1, Box 127Belleville, WV 26133-97281942William Leonhardt10100 Fletcher Ave.Lincoln, NE 68527-97351946-49 P15Frank J. Marescalco2610 D StreetOmaha, NE 68107-1622(402) [email protected]

1949 P17, 18Myron R. Davis50 Appleola RoadHendersonville, NC 28792(828) 685-70721950 P19, P20David PollockBox 196Shawnigan Lake, BCVOR 2W0 [email protected] Riddle20303 8th Ave NW,Shoreline,WA [email protected] Davis100 Tech DriveSanford, FL 32771(407) 330-9100, [email protected] Suminski27090 Jean RdWarren, MI 48093(586) 933-7404, [email protected] FuryTom VanBeek3006 Emerald StreetWestBend, WI 53095(262) [email protected] Breer66 Stanway BayMitchell, MBR5G 1H5 [email protected] Hinds1292 Daventry CourtBirmingham, AL [email protected] Sav/Belv/FuryRandy WilsonPO Box 647Maxwell, CA 959551960-76 A-bodyBruce Pine1458 Nunneley RoadParadise, CA 95969(530) [email protected] Sav/Belv/FuryJohn Thurman Wiggins677 Winklers RoadRed Boiling Springs, TN37150 (615) [email protected] B-BodyGerald Klinger1027 N.W. 1stGresham, OR 97030(503) [email protected] B-BodyDarrell Davis (see 1954)1964-65 B-BodyRob Elliott307 - 30 Ave. NE

Calgary, ABT2E 2E2 [email protected] C-BodyWilliam D. Coble, Jr.331 N. Roosevelt St.Shawnee, OK 748011966-67 B-BodyArt Schlachter2056 Cardinal Dr.Danville, KY40422-9732(859) [email protected] C-BodyBill Gallop, Jr.201 Park St.New Bedford, MA 027401968 C-BodyMark E. Olson707 4th StreetProctor, MN 55810-1722(218) [email protected] B-BodyClif Nelson7038 117th Ave. NEAdams,ND [email protected] C-BodyEdwin C. Hill412 West Temple St.Lenox, IA 50851-12281971-85 4-cylinder; FWDChris Suminski (see 1955-56)1971-72 B-BodyEdward F. Weingart334 Creekview DrHampstead, NC [email protected] C-bodyWally Breer (see 1957-58)1975-78 B-bodyEd Lanfer6201 Wade AvenueSt. Louis, MO [email protected]

1976-80 F-bodyWayne & Karen Fowler6902 Ruckles RoadMt. Airy, MD 21771(301) [email protected] M-bodyMichael Bonadonna455 North Cherry Pop DriveInverness, FL 34453-7975(352) [email protected] R-bodyChris Suminski (see 1955-56)Plymouth CommercialBob Manke6037 E. Canal Rd.Lockport NY 14094(716) [email protected] CommercialCam D. ClaytonBox 725, Kaslo, BCV0G1M0 [email protected]

Advisors wanted: 1970-74 E-body; 1972-73 C-body; 1973-74 B-body

GROUP IEarl Buton, Jr.2366 Glasco Trnpk.Woodstock, NY12498-1013

GROUP IIDave Geise417 Tennessee Tr.Browns Mills, NJ08015-5664

GROUP IIIMerrill Berkheimer36640 Hawk Rd.Hazard, NE68844

GROUP IVChris Suminski27090 Jean RdWarren, MI48093

TECHNICALADVISORS

TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS

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PPllyymmoouutthhPPllyymmoouutthh®

OOwwnneerrss CClluubbOOwwnneerrss CClluubbBox 416

Cavalier, ND 58220-0416

Phone: (701) 549-3746Fax: (701) 549-3744

e-mail: [email protected]

FOUNDER-DIRECTORJay M. Fisher

Acken Drive 4-BClark, NJ 07066-2902

(732) 388-6442

TECHNICAL DIRECTOREarl Buton, Jr.

2366 Glasco TurnpikeWoodstock, NY 12498-1076

(845) 679-6185 [email protected]

OFFICERS 2010-1OFFICERS 2010-111PRESIDENT

Nick DeSimone1423 Pecan Grove Dr.

Diamond Bar, CA 91765-2536 (909) 861-4950 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTBobbi Berkheimer36640 Hawk RoadHazard, NE 68844


MEMBERSHIPSECRETARY-TREASURER

Jim BenjaminsonBox 345

Walhalla, ND 58282-0345(701) 549-3746 [email protected]

CORRESPONDING SEC.Tom Nachand

5215 NW Cavalier Ave.Lincoln City, OR 97367


BULLETIN EDITORLanny D. Knutson

288 Strathmillan RoadWinnipeg MB R3J 2V5 CANADA


DIRECTOR 2006-11Carl D. Wegner

19600 Cardinal DriveGrand Rapids, MN 55744-6189


DIRECTOR 2008-13 (Judging)Joe Suminski

68226 Winchester CourtWashington, MI 48095-1244


DIRECTOR 2010-15Robert S. Kerico4640 Boardwalk

Smithton , IL 62285-3662(618) 444-6966

[email protected]

TThhee PPllyymmoouutthh BBuulllleettiinnTThhee PPllyymmoouutthh BBuulllleettiinnNo. 305 November-December, 2010

LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor (204) 889-8008288 Strathmillan Road, Winnipeg, MB R3J 2V5 CANADA

[email protected] or [email protected]

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MADE IN SWITZERLANDMADE IN SWITZERLAND1935 Plymouth PJ DeLuxe Tüscher-bodied four-door convertible

305-FULL ISSUE 1/7/11 12:02 AM Page 1

NNow, I’m not onebit Irish but itseems that some

Viking ancestor must havebrought a sweet colleenhome from the EmeraldIsle. Mr. Murphy came tothe Knutson household fora holiday visit and movedright in.

It began, inauspicious-ly enough, with a dish-washer malfunction.Nothing to affect thePLYMOUTH BULLETIN pro-duction, it was quicklyremedied by a repair bill. But Mr.Murphy and his infamous law had got-ten in the door and was not about toleave. Then he began to take on theBULLETIN, itself.

First, the printer refused to feedpaper. It had done this before. In fact,I had given up on it a year ago, butthen it got the message and beganworking again. Throughout the year itwould quit and I’d perform some tricks– and threats – and it would start uponce more. This time, neither tricksnor threats were of any avail. It wastime to get a new one, and the club’sofficers voted for me to make the pur-chase.

I tried to get one like the old oneso the same cartridges could be used.How naive could I be? The computerindustry has planned obsolescencedown to a science that would havemade 1950s automakers blush. Andthe obsolescence involves much morethan mere ink cartridges. My five-year-old “antique” Mac Mini 10.4.11was inadequate to drive this new HP

printer needing Version 10.5, eventhough they advertised a downloadabledriver that would make it work.

I finally phoned HP and they even-tually admitted a “typo” on their web-site. I’m the one credited with findingthat error, now corrected, for what it’sworth.

Finally, I had to phone Apple foran upgrading of my Mini, whichthey’ll readily supply, for a price. Italked with a very personable “Judy”(not her real name – I can’t rememberit) from Philadelphia and she was veryinterested in learning about Canada,which is good, because she asked,“What providence do you live in?” Iwas tempted to say “divine” but I knewwhat she was asking and replied that Ilive in the Province of Manitoba. Atleast she didn’t ask name of theCanadian state in which I live.

I have the upgrading CD now butrealize that its installation will changemy desktop with “new and improved”features. The old ones were okay byme. That means there’ll be anotherlearning curve to deal with.

By merely refusing tofeed paper, the old printer’sother functions also becamedisabled. I had assumed Icould continue using it as ascanner. No way.

Fortunately, I still havethe old 1997 computer set upand could use its scanner,transferring the files by flashdrive. Once the last scanwas made on this “ancient”machine, its mouse froze up.

Concurrent with myunsuccessful attempt atinstalling the new printer, my

computer’s Internet access quit. Again,some tricks and threats got it goingagain, but eventually they, too, were ofno avail, and my emailing and websiteaccess is now through my wife’s iBookwith the handy flash drive transferringfiles. Once my Mac is upgraded, that,too will have to be remedied.

As if that weren’t enough, Mr.Murphy got personal. A minor footmalady suddenly explodedinto celluli-tis, leading to daily trips to an IV clinicfor antibiotic injections and doctor’sorders to keep the affected foot elevat-ed. It’s not a treatment conducive tositting at the computer and finishingthis issue, but I finally got it done withno thanks to the ever-present Mr.Murphy.

And Happy New Year to you all,and you, too, Mr. Murphy whereveryou may be. You can stay there awhile.

– Lanny Knutson– Lanny Knutson

The Plymouth BulletinThe Plymouth BulletinNo. 305 Nov-Dec 2010

LANNY D. KNUTSON, editorLEEANN LUCAS, asst. editor

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From the EditorFrom the Editor

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Happy New Happy New YYearear,,MrMr. Murphy!. Murphy!

’Cuda reunion: ’Cuda reunion: This past summer I was finally reunited with the ‘Cuda340 (in its current state) that I had ordered in September, 1969. I hadn’t

seen it since I sold the car in 1974. A future story.


One of the most popularPLYMOUTH BULLETIN

issues now has its lead articleon the popular Chrysler prod-uct website allpar.com.

Jack Smith’s verbalaccount of the beginnings ofthe Road Runner – given at thePOC’s 2000 National Spring

Meet, held in Rapid City,South Dakota – was tran-scribed into an article featuredin BULLETIN 291, theSeptember-October, 2008,issue.

This “Road Runner” issue

quickly sold out at the clubstore and disappeared from theback issue list.

Now it appears on theAllpar website, reformatted butusing many of the pictures andgraphics that appeared in the

BULLETIN. The compete issueof 291 is available for down-load from plymouthbulletin.com

Jack Smith, an engineerand product planner withChrysler Corporation for manyyears, was instrumental in thecreation of the the RoadRunner while overcoming aconsiderable number of obsta-cles. He is known as the“Father of the Road Runner.”

Plymouth PressCLUB NEWS Plymouth Owners Club No. 305

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Edward N. Hagaman,Hackettstown, NewJersey, died on December28 at age 87, having suf-fered a stroke severalmonths earlier. Joiningthe POC in 1958, he was11th on the list of surviv-ing members. Theowner-operator of theHackettstown Shell & Service station was active in the old carhobby, participating in a number of Glidden and AACA tours. Hewas a member of a number of clubs in addition to the POC. Edwas a specialist in 1932 PB Plymouths, owning a touring, a con-vertible and a sport roadster. In the club’s 2006 Directory hewrote: “After I drove my first PB Plymouth, I went home and putFOR SALE signs on the three Model A Fords I owned.” He alsowrote: “I have four children. Two have ‘32 Plymouths, one has a‘41 convertible and the other has two ‘95 Plymouths.” Ed is sur-vived by his wife Joan, his children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

BULLETIN’s Jack Smith Road Runner story on allpar.com

Members Remembered

The Plymouth Bulletin (ISSN 0032-1737) is published bi-monthly. Subscriptionthrough annual dues: $32 new; $30 renewal. Published by the PlymouthOwners Club, PO Box 345, 603 Central Ave, Walhalla, ND 58282-0345.Periodical postage paid at Grafton, ND 58237. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to The Plymouth Bulletin, PO Box 416, Cavalier, ND 58220-0416.

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Plymouth wagons donated for fund raising

Benefactor of the Golden State Region R. R. “Zeb” Ziemer hasdonated three unrestored 1950 P19 station wagons from his

Goat Hill Tavern collection for the region to sell as a means ofraising funds for the 2011 National Summer Meet. Details onthese cars can be found in the Plymouth Marketplace of this issue.

Ed Hagaman’s 1932 PB phaeton


HHere we are, going into the sec-ond decade of the 21st century.Let’s pause a minute to reflect

on what we have to be thankful in ourlives.

As Plymouth Owners Club mem-bers, we are a hearty group, and most ofus have been around for quite a lengthof time. We have been fortunate toshare our lives with loved ones, spouses,children, in-laws, grandchildren andnumerous other relatives plus our com-panions and host of friends we haveknown both near and far.

As we move on, we can take pleas-ure and feel gratification for the positiveimpact we have had on so many people.They will be the ones to carry our lega-cy on to future generations. Most of ushave been privileged to enjoy havingbeen part of the on-going developmentand changes to the world around thathave been mostly on the positive side. Iam sure occasionally we think back andlong for the way things used to be andthe values that made up life as it hadbeen then – basically a longing for the“Good Old Days.”

Plymouth Owners Club membersare extremely fortunate to have devel-oped a passion for the Golden Age ofCars (for lack of a better phrase) andeven more specifically, a passion forPlymouth cars. This is very evident notonly in the many Plymouths we’ve pur-chased over the years but in those wehave encountered in our travels, remem-bering and cherishing the way theylooked coming off the factory line and

wanting to maintain them in that way asmuch as possible.

This passion is the one of the mainreasons behind the formation of thenational Plymouth Owners Club and itsphilosophy of authentic restoration.The club has been an active organizationfor over 53 years and has over 3,000members. What does this equate to inour lives?

I think we can feel a tremendoussatisfaction knowing that Plymouthsfrom the past are out there now and willbe in the future, helping us reminisceand giving us that exhilarating feeling oftimes past that we have all enjoyed.The Plymouth Owners Club has afford-ed us the opportunity to include ourfamilies in our favorite pastime and theopportunity to expand our circle offriends to include those who also have apassion for Plymouths and, for that mat-ter, all classic cars. Not only have wehelped enrich the lives of others butthey have very definitely helped enrichour lives as well.

What am I personally thankfulWhat am I personally thankfulforfor in my life? in my life? My immediate familywill always be at the top of the list. Iam thankful for all that I have been ableto provide for them and all they havereturned back to me in the way of love,respect and affection – among them, my13 grandchildren.

I am thankful for the many friends Ihave made over these years and Ibelieve the future is bright and holdstremendous potential for the next gener-ations.

I am thankful that when I made thedecision to purchase a classic car, a1940 Plymouth was available, althoughI may not have known then what impactit would have on my life. My 18-monthrestoration which took eight years, join-ing the Plymouth Owners Club, joiningthe Golden State Region, being electedregional president, hosting a nationalmeet in 2007 and ultimately being elect-ed president of the Plymouth OwnersClub have all been very positive andextremely gratifying experiences. All ofthis has helped me to broaden my hori-zons and has given me opportunities towork with many members who feel thesame about the Plymouth Owners Club.

The Plymouth Owners Club contin-ues to adhere to its original philosophyand is looking for ways to “wrap itsarms” around younger Plymouth own-ers who will be major contributors to itsfuture.

In closing I want to express myheartfelt appreciation to members of theBoard of Officers and Directors for theircontinuing support and I am lookingforward to next year as a banner year forthe club. In addition to the board, theregional presidents are the ones whohelp make up the heart and soul of theclub. To them I also say: “Job WellDone.”

I wish all members a MerryChristmas and Happy New Year andhope to meet more of you at variousactivities planned for 2011.

From the PresidentFrom the President

-- Nick DeSimone, president-- Nick DeSimone, president

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Job Job WWell Doneell Done


AA TToniconicHERE IS AN

ARTICLE fromChrysler TONIC. The captionunder the photo reads:

Twenty-four years ago comenext September 13, FrankBehrman of 2801 ParkAvenue, St Louis Mo.,bought a Plymouth car fromL. M. Stewart, Inc., then, asnow, a local Chrysler dealer-ship. This was the first yearPlymouths were on the mar-ket. Mr. Behrman hasowned and operated the carever since and it still is giv-ing good service with thespeedometer showingapproximately 125,000miles. It has the originalpaint, upholstery, chassis,differential and transmissionand it has never needed amajor repair job. In theabove picture, Mr. Behrmanis shown being congratulat-ed by J. H. Werber, SalesManager for L.M. Stewart,Inc., on the car’s long andsatisfactory performance.

The date of the TONICnewsletter is July 22, 1952. Iwish we could know wherethat first-year Plymouth mightbe now, 58 years later.

Bob KericoSmithton, Illinois

PorPortland Meettland MeetI ENJOYED SO MUCH yourprinting of the material on ourmeet in BULLETIN 304. Ourgo-to guy, Mike Bade, even

though he had lots of help,was key in our getting pre-pared for this program.

We should not forget EarlButon and the importance heplays; just his presence isappreciated.

Bill CallClackamas, Oregon

I WAS EXCITEDLY WAITING forthe last issue of the BULLETIN.I couldn't wait to see thereview of the 2010"Plymouths to Portland"Summer Meet. I wanted allthe members of POC to knowjust how much fun we had andabout all that is available herein the Pacific Northwest. ButI got a big surprise when Iwent though the BULLETIN.Not only did I like the reviewof the meet that Mike Badedid, but couldn’t put down theissue until I had read all theother accounts of members’experiences.

Starting with the editor’sarticle on page 2 and his tourreview through “Signs andScenes…,” it just made thetrip so real. I'm glad he hadthe opportunity to attend andlook forward to meeting himagain.

“The Name Game” byRob Hunt detailing theCalifornia group’s trip up thecoast highway was a very

enjoyable and easy read. Fromthe article you get a good feelfor the people who make upthat region. I just hope thatwe in the Cascade PacificRegion can muster as muchsupport for them at their meetin 2011 as they did for us.Thanks to all who made thetrip.

“Portland or Bust” byLee Lape is a great story aboutthe dedication and determina-tion of our members in thelove of their cars. Lee knewwhat he wanted, obviouslywell in advance, and theworked tirelessly toward hisgoal. Lee, we were privilegedto have you and your car atour meet.

The group that undoubt-edly made the greatest trip andhad the most fun getting toand from our meet is the groupthat camped their way acrossthe country. I can only imag-ine the stories these peoplehave to tell about their experi-ences in what had to be a verymemorable trip. This is just asmall example of what a greatgroup of people make up thePOC. Keep them rolling.

I hope that all of you whoattended had a great time, andhope all of you who didn’tattend enjoy the articles bythose who did.

Gary Rusher2010 “Plymouths toPortland” Co-chair

Portland, Oregon

Passing the torPassing the torchchMY 1933 PD rumble seatcoupe is now owned by mygrandson, David Osborn. I am94 years old and Dave is 30 soplease transfer my member-ship to him.

Wilbur OsbornWaterford, Pennsylvania

PLEASE TRANSFER JohnRoose’s membership to mydaughter and son-in-law Clifand Ginger Trout. Johnpassed away in April of thisyear and we (I) gave our ‘37Plymouth PT50 to her. She,her husband and three smallboys are thrilled to have “her”at their home now. I say “her”when referring to the truckbecause the PT50 was so dis-tinguished looking that I

LettersLetters

Plymouth badge lives onPlymouth badge lives onTHE NEW CHRYSLER BADGE kind of looks like the ‘55 Plymouthemblem mounted on the hood of the six-cylinder model. Howthings come back around…. and Plymouth lives on, in Chrysler.

Chris SuminskiWarren, Michigan

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THE NEW CHRYSLER BADGE

does, indeed (and unwitting-ly?) echo Plymouth’s 1955six-cylinder badge which,

in turn, echoes the ‘55grille. – ed.

PARK HUNTER PHOTOS


named her “Pearl,” a nice dis-tinguished elderly lady’sname.

Sande RooseLaGrange, Indiana

AFTER PLUS/MINUS 18 YEARS

of being a member of thePlymouth family and morethan 50,000 miles of pleasure

riding in our PlymouthConcord P22 business coupe,it is with regret that we mustend our membership. Our ageand health no longer allow usto enjoy our old timer. Wewish you, your organizationand all the members manyyears of Plymouth pleasure.We will also be sure to suggest

membership to the new ownerof our Plymouth.

Mr and Mrs. G. SchoutenZeist, The Netherlands

Plymouth ‘54Plymouth ‘54A ‘54 CONVERTIBLE is fea-tured in Hemmings ClassicCar magazine's February,2011, issue. It’s sharp looking

with the wire wheels and fend-er skirts.

Ken MorganKemptville, Ontario

THAT’S the ‘54 Belvedere oflong-time POC member AllynKilsheimer of Washington,DC. The car is a POC nation-al meet Best of Show winner.– ed.

TTech ech TTips rips response: esponse: VVaporapor locklock(BULLETINS 303, page 50, and 304, page 7)MIKE HOOKER of Vacaville, California, writes:There seems to be a couple of inconsistencies in Ed Sapp’svapor lock article. Ed tells us that his ‘29 Plymouth is a lowmileage car with a good original engine. However, he goes onto say that he was planning to replace its fuel pump after hegot the vapor lock issues addressed. The problem is that no‘29 Plymouth had a fuel pump. Instead, they had a vacuumtank mounted on the passenger side firewall. As you know, avacuum tank uses engine vacuum to draw gas from the car’sfuel tank and then feeds the carburetor by gravity.

Ed also tells us that the ultimate cause of his vapor lockproblem was a manifold leak that was directly above the down-draft carb. Well, the problem here is that ‘29 Plymouths didn'tuse a downdraft carb. They used an updraft one, like a ModelA. True, some owners converted their cars to use down-draftsas the years went by but that’s not the way they were built.

Based on these two items, I suspect that Ed’s car likely hasa later four-cylinder engine rather than its original ‘29 engine.

ED SAPP NOTES: Hi, Mike, thanks for pointing out my brainfreeze. I meant up-draft carburetor, of course (however, I waslooking DOWN at it at the time I replaced it and obviously getconfused easily….) and here is a picture of the repair. As I notedin my PlyTech article (“The Dreaded Vapor Lock Malady”), mycar does have a six-volt electric fuel PUMP, because the originalvacuum pump was rusted out and now resides on the firewall asan inoperable decoration.

You are correct that the original device produces a gravityfeed from the firewall to the carburetor bowl; however, it usuallyis referred to as a fuel pump because it pumps gas from a tank atframe level in the rear of the car to firewall level in the front,approximately two feet higher, then dispenses it via gravity tothe updraft carburetor. Anyone needing to repair the pump-gravity-feed mechanism should review Technical Director EarlButon, Jr.’s excellent PlyTech article, “Early Plymouth VacuumFuel Pump Restoration” in the September-October 2006 issue ofthe PLYMOUTH BULLETIN (Issue 280, page 46). Note that theTechnical Director calls the canister a “vacuum fuel pump” inthe title and throughout the article refers to rebuilding the tank(the correct nomenclature for the canister outer body) compo-nents. My electric version (also called a pump) actually pushesgravity-fed gas from the bottom of the gas tank, unlikediaphragm-vacuum operated pumps of later years that draw thegas to the engine-mounted pump from a rear-mounted tank. Allthree devices deliver approximately four pounds per square inchof pressure to regulate the flow of gas into the carburetor bowl.On my Plymouth, the Kingston Products canister currently is justa tin can with no mechanical function and I have never seen onein action.

Serial and parts numbers on my car match those associatedwith its production date of 15 May 1929. The carburetor, forexample, is an RT-08 updraft, replacing one of the same makeand model that was the original one on the car and the engineserial number is from that year grouping – not a later four-cylin-der engine.

The main point of the tech article, however, is that the earlyfour-cylinder engines have cast iron plumbing that often warpsand that a warp directly over the carburetor is not easy to spotbut is absolutely devastating to fuel delivery on a hot day. Themoral of my tech note is that owners of early model Plymouthsshould check for exhaust leaks over the carburetor before buyinga new carburetor and spending hundreds of additional dollars onother unnecessary fuel system repairs.

Here is a photo of the troublesome manifold with my “fix”in place. The poor man's cure was to file down the center portflange (it was warped) and put two gaskets between the intakeand exhaust manifolds. I discovered the cause when I paintedthe manifolds silver (the original color) and ran the car. Theresulting black soot (see picture, bottom center of center flange)told the story! But the discovery unfortunately came after I hadbought and installed a new electric fuel pump and then a rebuiltcarburetor after assurances from other early Plymouth ownersthat one of these two actions would “cure” my Plymouth’s mala-dy. However, now I have some spare parts and by doing themanifold repair at home I saved locating a machine shop in aland far away (we have no machine shops in Calvert County),thus avoiding spending even more money before I knew I hadfinally discovered the culprit.

Ed SappOwings, Maryland

REGARDING MR. SAPP’S NOTE: I think a vacuum tank and a fuelpump are indeed considered two quite different devices as far asmost folks in the hobby are concerned. Secondly, his commentthat he has never seen a vacuum tank in operating condition: Inmy own experience, there are a considerable number of (mostly)pre-1930 cars and trucks of all makes that are still running suc-cessfully on their original vacuum tanks.

Mike HookerVacaville, California

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Bears with itBears with itFIRST OF ALL, Lanny, I'd liketo thank you for your continu-ing superior work on a greatmagazine, the PLYMOUTH

BULLETIN! Each issue is a joyto read. A fellow POC /AACA member sent me thisphoto because I own a 1954Belvedere four-door in thesame San Gabriel green coloras the one in the picture. I'dnever let myself get in thesame situation as this couple,at least not on purpose!

I just thought you'd enjoya non-traditional antique carphoto. Keep up the goodwork!

Richard HunnicuttFlorence, Alabama

Ply signPly signHERE IN SLINGERLAND,Michigan, which is nearOwosso, is a beautifulPlymouth sign. The salesmansaw me taking the picture andwas probably wondering why.

Marv RaguseOakland, Michigan

SINCE I AM

rather heavy,have longgrey hairand beard, Ihave playedSanta locally for a number ofyears at no charge. I enjoy the

looks on the little one's faces, whichmakes it all worth while. I have

included some photos that I thoughtyou might enjoy. I also have included one

of Cooper dressed up sitting on the fender of my ‘40 Plymouth.Merry Christmas to you and yours. – Bob Drown, Neversink, New York

TO ALL OF YOU WoodieWorld/POC people who sup-ported me, morale-wise, afterthe crash: MERRY CHRIST-MAS! A special thank you toArt Butler, Chris and Will, whorepaired and have always takencare of PLYWOOD – from

Charlie Olson, PLYWOOD and Tikuayla, an authentic 1948 Hawaiian tiki.– Charlie Olson, Phoenix, Arizona

CHARLIE’S 1948 P15 phantom woody, called PLYWOOD (BULLETIN 302), was collateral damage ina Sepotember, 2010, accident when a Ford Exhibition ran a stop sign and collided with a carmaking a legal left turn, which, in turn, smashed into Charlie’s Plywood. It’s good to see thePlymouth back on the road. – ed.

Merry Christmas Merry Christmas andand

Happy New YearHappy New Yearfrom membersfrom members

From the Detroit Region

From Bruno Costers, Vosselaar, Belgium

From Paul Horch, Winnipeg, Manitbawith his newly acquiered ‘38 Plymouth-chassied Dodge

-7-


Dixie SpecialDixie SpecialTWO YEARS before my fatherbegan selling Chrysler cars in1926, he couldn’t even affordone. By 1936 he had finallybecome a Chrysler-Plymouthdealer, operating underMcKimmie Motor Company,the distributor in Richmond,Virginia.

I grew up around our storein Louisa, Louisiana. It sud-denly became a direct dealerin 1947 when Chrysler discon-tinued its distribution plan. Ioperated the store, still tradingas “Pettit Brothers,” for twelveyears after Dad passed away.Finding no buyer for such asmall store, I closed it in 2002when I retired to Florida.

I was amused to see the

letter by Dave Hermanson inBULLETIN 303 regarding theValiant “Dixie Special.” Ithought that it most surely had

become a forgotten chapter ofPlymouth history. We hadordered a Dixie Special forstock but I’ve never seenanother.

A pair of emblems wasshipped in the car’s gloveboxfor dealer installation. Each isa pair of crossed Confederateflags in chrome, with no color.I remember this Valiant as avery nice edition of a verynice car. I always likedValiants of these first years

and drove them as demos from1960 through 1964.

Not wanting to offendanyone, I put those emblemsaside and still have them inmy sixty-odd-year collectionof automobilia and my remain-ing stable of 20 collector cars.

The photo shows theemblem together with aPlymouth key and fob to giveit scale. The emblems arevery fragile. One of mine isbroken at the crossing, itsobvious weak point. I wouldbe surprised to hear that anyother example has survived.

Bill PettitNew Smyrna Beach, Florida

THE REMAINING PLYMOUTHS

IN MY COLLECTION: 1949 con-vertible that I drove homefrom the factory; 1956Belvedere four-door that wasmy grandmother’s; 1967Barracuda convertible with a273 Commando engine; 1968Sport Satellite 318-Torquefliteconvertible, the last of the fiveSatellite demos I used in 1968.

New Year greetings from HansRissi of Ride the Wind Ranch inRocky Mountain House, Alberta,wih remembrances [LEFT] of tour-ing during the summer past.

The 1961 Valiant sedan was the basis for the Dixie Special.

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BTB, once again…BTB, once again…JEFF GODSHALL'S LETTER in BULLETIN 304gives further evidence for an opinion I’veheld for some time: that not all the carscoming off the Plymouth assembly linescorresponded absolutely in every way towhat sales brochures and technical manualspurported them to be. My current BigTailed Beast is yet another example. While

it is a genuine SonoRamic Commando car(identified as such by VIN by both theChrysler Historical Society and by DarrellDavis), there are at least two aspects of itthat differ from every other ram-inductedcar I've ever seen. For one thing, it doesn'thave the cutout panels on the fender wellsthat are supposed to facilitate changing thespark plugs. In the days before everyworkbay in dealers' shops had a lift, it was

JJust when I thought I “knew everything” comes news of the 1961-1/2 SpringSpecial. Here’s the scoop from Jim Ozbold of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, whosedad sold Chrysler-Plymouth cars in that city when Jim was ten years old.

It seems that Rambler was beating the stuffing out of Plymouth during the 1961model year. Chrysler-Plymouth dealers all across the country were summoned totheir nearest zone offices to learn how to sell Plymouths against Ramblers. To high-light these events, a special car was built for each zone office meeting. I don't knowhow many zone offices Plymouth had in 1961, maybe 30 or 40. The special car thatwas built for each of the zone office meetings was raffled off at the meeting. Thecars were as follows:

1961 Plymouth Belvedere two-door hardtop• Exterior color-- solid silver monotone• Interior color-- white with silver inserts in the seats; black instrument panel andsteering wheel• 318 CID V-8• Powerflite two-speed automatic• no power steering• radio and heater• white sidewall tires• wheel covers• bright aluminum headlight trim (usually optional)• decal on right side of deck lid that reads “Dealer Silver Dollar Special.”

I questioned Jim Ozbold closely about that decal: didn’t he mean “Silver DollarSpecial?” No, he distinctly remembers it saying “Dealer Silver Dollar Special.”

Jim’s dad won the car and also a hundred silver dollars. He took the car back tohis Johnstown dealership and sold it to a young fellow who traded in a ‘59 Impala.The buyer got so tired of his friends teasing him about driving such an ugly car (the‘61 Belvedere) that he traded it for a new ‘62 Ford.

So, just when we thought we knew everything… -- Jeff Godshall

Royal Oak, Michigan

Dealer Silver Dollar Special

a tough job to change plugs in ram-inducted cars: first, those fender wellpanels were removed, then the front endwas jacked up, the front wheels wereremoved, and the plugs were changed byreaching through these holes (and also bycrawling underneath), and then puttingeverything back together. As I said, itwas quite a job and back then I was quot-ed a price of five bucks a plug plus theprice of the plugs – a considerable sumin 1960. Also, the Beast's carb linkagedoes not have the two-piece slotted throt-tle rods which permitted simultaneousthrottle response between the two carbs;instead, it has threaded rods secured toball joints on the bell crank. When I firstsaw this setup, I thought it was some sortof Rube Goldberg device perpetrated bya shade-tree mechanic. However, I wasable to find a Plymouth ServiceReference Book that identifies this link-age as being on “some early models,”and I have been told that some automo-tive magazines of the period commentedon early cars lacking the fender well pan-els, although I haven't personally seenany of these articles.

Another instance: I traded that firstBTB for a ‘65 Sport Fury two-door hard-top with the 426 Street mill, a four-speedtransmission, power brakes, Sure-Gripdifferential, tinted glass and radio-delete(no power steering or air conditioningeither -- power robbers in those days),ordering it in Colorado very early in the‘65 model year. The 426-S engine pack-age also required the heavy-duty “police”suspension and oversize drum brakes.From the time I took delivery, thosebrakes gave me trouble. After a few hun-dred miles, they’d begin to chatter andI’d take it in to the dealer and the drumswould be turned, after which the carwould be fine for a while, but soon afterthe chatter would return once again. As Irecall, to keep up the warranty, author-ized dealers had to perform normal main-tenance and I had it in a dealer’s shop inAlbuquerque for such work. On the racknext to it was a New Mexico State Policecar, a ‘65 Fury I with the 325 HP/383 CID

engine, so I went over to look under it.There, I found I could stick my fingersbetween the drums and the wheel rims,whereas on my car, the wheels anddrums were snug against each other. Ipointed this out to the tech person work-ing on my car and he went right over andgrabbed the service manager, who toldme, “You’re in luck -- that’s a factory repright there.” This gentleman took one

Dealer Silver Dollar SpecialDealer Silver Dollar Special, unlike the illustrated Belvedere hardtop, was all silver.

CH

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-9-


look and said, “Put the right size wheelson this young man’s car right now!” Nomore brake problems, and I got some newtires out of the deal as well, since this wasjust about a year after I took delivery.

I have discussed both cars with DarrellDavis (who also had a ‘60 SonoRamicFury and ‘65 426-S Sport Fury), and hesays that the ‘65 Sport Fury should havecome from the factory either with no fend-er skirts or with spinner-less wheel coversto accommodate the larger wheels. Butmy car had both and it looked just like the

Medium Red Metallic convertible withmatching interior in the catalogue (and agorgeous car in its own right!). Our bestguess is that someone screwed up on theassembly line, either accidentally puttingthe wrong parts on or was just not about tostop the line to run down the proper ones.

But why did my current BTB show upin its configuration? Perhaps it was a“mule” (or test vehicle), although I doubtthis is the case. Darrell offered that it mayhave been damaged at the factory andshipped to Denver after delayed repair to

serve as a factory rep’s car. It left the fac-tory on 10-25-59 (rather late for an “early”model), but wasn't sold until 02-23-60.While I found the original bill of sale inthe car, there is nothing noted about itbeing a demo or used. Who knows, butit’s not quite a “kosher” SonoRamic car.

I know purists will regard me as a mav-erick, but I really believe some oddballcars are authentic.

Joe GodecColorado Springs, Colorado

“My“Mydaughter and I are inIndia and came

across this right-hand-driveBelvedere parked in the ChorBazaar – the Thieves Market –here in Mumbai,” wrote memberGeorge Conboy of Rochester,New York, this past October. “Iam not too good with mid-‘50sPlymouths (my Belvedere is a‘53) so perhaps you can date it,”he continued.

“It’s a ‘56,” we can tellGeorge, and add that it is likely asix-cylinder car, given the lack ofa “V” on the mesh of the centergrille. The trunk trim, be it the“V” of a V8 model or straightemblem of a six, is missing.Interestingly, although it has theSportone side trim, it does nothave a contrasting color within thetrim as found on North American‘56 Plymouths. The paint appearsto be original.

It was probably built byPremier (PAL) in India, says JimBenjaminson.

– LDK– LDK

AA PPllyymmoouutthh iinn IInnddiiaaAA PPllyymmoouutthh iinn IInnddiiaa

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-10-


BBy the time you read this,the Christmas season will

be over, so a belated“Merry Christmas” and

“Best Wishes for 2011” toall of you.

IIfeel like I'm intruding onWilliam Brisbane’s modelcolumn but I just can't resist

sending along this photo of a newmodel of the 1941 PT125Plymouth pickup that I recentlydiscovered. I also couldn’t resistadding it to my collection (don't tell mywife – and – where am I going to putthis one?)

When I first spotted the model on aWal-Mart shelf in Canada, I figured itwas a Dodge pickup. I almostwalked past it, but curiositygot the better of me. When Ipicked up the box I could readPLYMOUTH painted in a con-trasting color on the tailgate, anice feature considering themodel is 1/43-scale. Made byMaisto (in China), the model ispart of their American Classicsseries. Maisto also makes asmaller 1/64-scale models, butI didn’t find any Plymouthpickups in that size (perhapsthese are made only in 1/43-scale).

SOME YEARS BACK Danbury Mintbrought out a 1/24-scale PT125 pickupafter a lot of urging from Don Bunn andmyself, convincing them that theycould produce a Plymouth pickupmodel for minimum cost by basing it

on their already-existing Dodge pickupmodel. Like on the “real” trucks, only a

few minor details had to be changedto make a Plymouth pickup out of aDodge.

Plymouth built 6,073 PT125pickups in 1941, the final year ofPlymouth truck production that had

begun in 1937. Today the club reg-istry counts 79 of them that are still in

existence. No doubt there are a lotmore of the 1/25- and 1/43-sizedPlymouth pickups in collectors’ handsthan there are of the “real thing.”

Oh, by the way, did I mention Ihave a real one sitting in the shed?

-- Jim Benjaminson-- Jim Benjaminson

Benji's PageBenji's Page

-11-

Out of the shed: Out of the shed: Jim’s 1941 PT125, Chevy bumper and all!

Danbury Mint’Danbury Mint’ss 1941 PT125,built and certified at 1/24-scale,was produced at the urging ofPOC members Don Bunn and

Jim Benjaminson.

IrresistibleIrresistiblePlymouth pickupPlymouth pickup


Buckeye RegionTHE REORGANIZATION of the BuckeyeRegion (formerly the Ohio Region) is pro-gressing very well. We had meetings inApril and in June of 2010. The meeting inJune was held at a vintage car show inMarion, Ohio. Unfortunately the Ohiosummer was extremely warm and humidand many folks spent their days and nightsin an air conditioned atmosphere. Whenfall was upon us we were on the rollagain. We had a very productive meetingon October 31 at Member Jim Hoffman’shome in Marion. We are pleased toannounce that our membership has dou-bled since last April. We expect it to triplewithin the next few months.

We have made plans to hold an All-par Car show in June, 2011, in Mt.

Victory, Ohio. Member Jerry Burrie willhost the the show at his Chrysler dealer-ship, Hardin Motors, in conjunction withother activities in his community. Jerryhas hosted eight or nine Mopar Shows inpast years. Jerry had an unfortunate firewhich destroyed his dealership, but he hasrebuilt a wonderful new facility.

We are also planning tours and otheractivities for 2011. We anticipate having atour of the D & D Restoration shop inCovington, Ohio. This shop is wellknown nationally and has restored cars forthe Jay Leno collection.

Another local Ohio attraction is alsoon our agenda. We are planning a tour andouting to visit Malabar Farms State Parkin Lucas, Ohio. The Malabar farm wasthe dream of Louis Brumfield, aHollywood mogul and Pulitzer Prize-win-

ning author in days gone by. HumphreyBogart and Lauren Bacall were married,and spent their honeymoon at the farm in1945. Mr. Brumfield hosted many partiesand activities for other notables.

In order to improve our visibility inOhio, we are planning on having our ownwebsite for the Buckeye Region. Work onthis project is already underway.

We are all working hard to make2011 a banner year for the BuckeyeRegion. We hope that the winter monthswill be milder than the winter of 2010.

– Ron Thomann

Carolina RegionON SEPTEMBER 25TH, we took a speciallyarranged tour of the Steele RubberCompany plant in Denver, North Carolina,

Regional ReportRegional Report

BUCKEYE REGIONRon Thomann

8001 Schott Rd.Westerville, OH 43081 (614) 895-2319

[email protected]

CAROLINA REGIONGreg Errett

PO Box 2511Winston-Salem, NC 27102

(336) [email protected]

CASCADE PACIFIC REGIONMike Bade

15149 SE Pebble Beach DriveHappy Valley, OR 97086


COLONIAL REGIONBetty Kibbe

456 Holyoke St.Ludlow, MA 01056


DAIRYLAND REGIONTom Wagner

4913 Foxwood Blvd.Lakeland, FL 33810 (Dec 1-May 1)(920) 285-2660, cell [email protected]

DELAWARE VALLEY REGIONBill Tropia

52 Breece Dr.Yardley, PA 19067-1513

[email protected]

DETROIT REGIONJoseph B. Lewis, editor

9145 HazeltonRedford, MI 48239

Russ Nardi, pres: (586) 566-5838 [email protected]

FLORIDA SUNSHINE REGIONMichael Bonadonna

455 North Cherry Pop Drive Inverness, FL 34453-7975


GOLDEN STATE REGIONKenneth Wilson

312 Bagshaw Court San Jose, CA 95123


GRAND CANYON REGIONTony Tricoci

10206 South 43rd CourtPhoenix, AZ 85044 (480) 893-8687

[email protected]

HEART OF AMERICA REGIONMike Schaefer

12221 NE 136thKearney, MO 64060


HOOSIER REGIONKevin Reeves, President

4924 S. 500 W.Lafayette, IN 47909 / (765) [email protected]

Jan Peel, Editor, [email protected]

HUDSON VALLEY REGIONRichard Wahrendorff

1471 Rt. 213Ulster Park, NY 12487


LINCOLN LAND REGIONEd Lanfer

6201 Wade AvenueSt. Louis, MO 63139 (314) 704-5608

[email protected]

LONE STAR REGIONVan Massirer

124 Canaan Church Rd. Crawford, TX 76638

(254) 486?2366 [email protected]

LONG ISLAND REGIONPeter Marks

47 Flintlock DriveShirley, NY 11967


MID-ATLANTIC REGIONDianne E. Taylor

407 E. Nicodemus Rd.Westminster, MD 21157


MID-IOWA REGIONJim Dooley

29341 US Hwy 69Huxley, IA 50124


MISSOURI "Show Me” REGIONTommy G. Pike1602 East Dale

Springfield, MO [email protected]

[email protected] (Loyd Groshong)

PA OIL VALLEY REGIONJim Stoudt

1290 Bankson Rd.Oil City, PA 16301 (814) 676-6678

[email protected]

PRAIRIE REGIONFrank Shemek

11901 South 34th St.Bellevue, NE 68123


ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONWayne Kreps

8911 Ithaca WayWestminster, CO 80031


TALL PINES REGIONRichard Tetzlaff

23383 Malanie Trail NorthScandia, MN 55073-9745

(612) 759 2103 [email protected]: R.Ramberg [email protected]

TULSA REGIONJerry Burch

1111 South Florence Ave.Tulsa, OK 74104-4104

[email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM REGIONBarry Reece

“The Meadows” Cookley Halesworth,Suffolk IP19 0LU, ENGLAND.

tel/fax: [email protected]

WESTERN CANADARob Elliot

307 - 30th Avenue NECalgary, AB T2E 2E2 CANADA


NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT (responsible for regions)Bobbi Berkheimer


-12-


during their annual open house. About adozen of our club members plus somemembers from the AACA met for the tour.The Steele staff was very friendly andknowledgeable and invited us to comeback for a more extended tour of theirfacilities. After the tour we went toLancaster’s Restaurant in Mooresville forlunch and our meeting.

Steele Rubber Company manufacturesa wide variety of rubber parts for mostmakes and models of cars and trucks,including Plymouth. If they don’t have itin stock, their talented staff can try andreplicate a replacement rubber part. It’s afascinating process to see, from the cre-ation of molds to the “cooking” of the rub-ber to the final packaging and shipping –they do it all. Overall it is a very impres-sive operation, and it’s right here in ourown backyard.

Dean Yates reports that our annualMopar Car Show went very well as wehad 51 cars come to the show. A widevariety of beautiful Plymouths, Dodgesand Chryslers showed up for the meet.

– Greg Errett

ON OCTOBER 30 we held our monthlyouting in Gold Hill, North Carolina. Wefirst traveled to Granite Quarry for a visitto the Old Stone House. Built by Germanimmigrant Michael Braun (later changedto Brown) in 1766, this two-storyGeorgian-style house is the oldest struc-ture in Rowan County. The home wasstately for its time, with the stones on thefront carefully shaped and matched.

Our next stop was only about fivemiles away at Organ Lutheran Church.Organ Church, originally named ZionLutheran Church, was built in 1774. JohnStirewalt, a member of the congregation,built a pipe organ for the church and itbecame known as Organ Lutheran Churchbecause of this instrument.

We then traveled just a few milesdown the road to Grace Lower StoneChurch. Grace, commonly known asLower Stone, is one of the oldest churchesin Central North Carolina. Of the GermanReformed tradition, its date of organiza-tion is unknown, but is generally acceptedas having occurred sometime in the year1745. It was founded by German settlerswho came to this area from Pennsylvaniaaround 1739. My in-laws still attend thischurch, where the old church is still usedfor regular services. This is where mywife Tanya and I were married just a fewyears ago.

After leaving Grace Lower Stone we

headed for our final stop in Gold Hillwhich was a rough and rowdy miningtown and home of one of the first goldrushes in history. The first gold found inGold Hill was in 1824. Some of the finesthomes in the state were those of miningengineers and wealthy mine owners. Wevisited the Gold Hill jail, the Assay Office,the Barnhardt and Miller Shafts, theChilean Ore Mill and also the old EnglishDry Stacked Rock Wall constructedaround 1845 (it still stands intact and cre-ates two walls of the jail). We also visitedthe Log Barn, the Randolph Shaft site, andwalked along the Old Mining Road to thePower House. We also visited the E.H.Montgomery General Store where a lot ofthe history was made. The Montgomerywas built around 1843 and is one of thefew remaining original stores from thegold mining era. After our tour we haddinner at the Gold Miner Cafe.

– Dean Yates

Cascade Pacific RegionSEVENTEEN CARS were parked undersunny skies on the 20th fort he CPPC’sAugust tour to the Oregon coast and thetown of Astoria. After 30 miles of driv-ing, we stopped at Camp 18 Restaurant forlunch. There we were met by four moremembers, including Kris Nachand whohad recently broken both ankles in a fall.It was a major feat for her to travel in a‘33 Plymouth convertible. The Camp 18parking lot looked like it was hosting a carshow, and other guests enjoyed looking atthe cars.

Before entering Astoria, the groupstopped at the Astoria Column. Beautifullyrestored, the column has 164 spiral stepsto the top. Several members hiked to thetop and, there a few purchased gliders tosail off the column. What is it they sayabout men and their toys?

After checking into the hotel andenjoying dinner, the group headed to theFinnish Meat Market to watch the melo-drama Shanghaied in Astoria. Several

members got into being allowed to throwpopcorn at the villains of this productionin its 21st year. During one number, anoth-er member received a bright red lipstickimprint on his forehead from one of the“ladies of the night.” He wanted to keep itbut his wife had other ideas. One of theplay’s catch-phrases was “We like sturdywomen,” referring to the toughness ofScandinavian women as depicted in theplay. CPPC’s own “sturdy woman,” KrisNachand, was front and center in enjoyingthe play and not letting two broken anklesget in the way.

On Sunday, some of the group took abus tour to Fort Clatsop, after which theyshopped at the Astoria Farmer’s Market,the second-largest in the state. Beforeheading home, we took a tour of therecently restored Liberty Theater. Datingfrom 1925, the theater is an ItalianRenaissance-style building.

The Astoria trip was a great tour andwell attended. – Vicki Williams

MIKE BADE CALLED our September meet-ing to order with 37 people present.Among the several reports was JerryDixon’s on the Vancouver ConcoursdeElegance, a unique show with carsparked on the grass of Officers Row. Allthe Chryslers were in one class. With Jerryand Joann’s ‘67 Barracuda was a ‘70Hemi convertible which was appraised attwo million dollars. “The car has the trueconcours flavor of big-money cars,” saysJerry, (but) “It was a perfect place withinteresting activities. Our own LesConner won an award in his group.

Ken VanColen reported that the TechCommittee had gone to Tim McCarthy’shouse to work on his ‘40 Plymouth. Timsays THANK YOU. – Donna Bade

OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY PICNIC held onOctober 10 (10/10/10) in Willamette,Oregon, was a huge success despite less-than-favorable weather, thanks to all whocame out to enjoy the afternoon of conver-sation and activities – Mike Bade

THE HEAD COUNT of our October meetingwas 48. Donna Bade provided snacks anda birthday cake in honor of the CPPC’s10th anniversary.

Attending as guests were Gabe andMaria Montoya, who are restoring a ‘51Plymouth four-door that had belonged toGabe’s grandfather. Other guests wereGerry Peterson and his son Gary who hadjust purchased a ‘40 Plymouth sedan. Bythe end of the meeting all guests were newmember. Attending his first meeting was

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Nat Homick’s ‘69 Road Runner


new member Chris Winchell who had pur-chased fellow member Ken VanCoelen’s‘49 Plymouth.

Following reports and announce-ments, 15 founding, and still active, mem-bers of CPPC were recognized and indi-vidually presented with plaques and namebadges identifying them as founding mem-bers. In addition to the 15 who were pres-ent, another 28 are also founding mem-bers. – Cari Catlow

Colonial RegionOUR SEPTEMBER 17-20 South Coast ofMaine trip began with first day stops atBob’s Clam Shack in Kittery, Maine,Yummies Candy Store with over 10,000pounds of candy on display from floor toceiling, and a large antique store in Wellswhere we purchased more “absolutelynecessary” items. Our next stop was atSeaside Trolley Museum inKennebunkport where we met up withBob Card, a national member, with his ‘39convertible. The trolley museum was greatand we got to ride on two different trol-leys, one from the turn-of-the-century anda more “modern” one from the 1950s.

Following an overnight stay atFreeport, the 14 members headed to OwlsHead Transportation Museum. Since theweather was great, the vintage airplaneswere flying. There were Wright Brothers-type planes, bi-planes and a repro of theRed Baron’ tri-plane. They also had a spe-cial display of heavy earth movers alongwith their usual great collection of antiquecars, trucks and motorcycles.

Lunch was at Moody’s Diner inWaldoboro. Opened in 1927, it is to befeatured on the Food Network’s “Diners,Drive-ins & Dives” as will Bob’s ClamShack. We went back to the motel at ourown pace for rest until it was time to headto Cook’s Sea Food Restaurant where westuffed our bodies again.

Sunday morning, the men headed toGoldenrod Garage in Freeport. Theowner, Neil Martin, lets people wander atwill through his large collection of antiquecars stored in several large buildings. Healso has a very large junk yard out back.

Others split up to go to church or goshopping. Shortly after noon, we met up atthe L. L. Bean main store which is open24/7/365. We had a lot of laughs at thehuge trout fish tank where you can climbinto a bubble and let the fish swim aroundyou. We took lots of pictures.

We then took a short ride to Yarmouthand the DeLorme Map Store. There we

viewed the world’s largest rotating globe.Over 41 feet in diameter, it is made fromsatellite photos and is complete down tomajor highways, rivers, mountains andcities.

After three couples left for home, therest of the group set off for a recommend-ed sea food restaurant with only generaldirections and no name. After severalfalse turns, a local “Down Easterner” ladywas asked for directions. We never didget the correct directions, but we knowwhere her sister lives. She told us to go tothe store near the Exxon station whereCorey works. The restaurant is down atthe “hawbah.” We were also to be lookingfor the moose and if we got to the church,we had gone the wrong way. So we head-ed back to the small café where we atebreakfast each morning and enjoyed greathome cooked meals.

At the same café on Monday morn-ing, we said our goodbyes. We arrivedhome happy but tired, having travelled atotal of 822 happy miles. – Doug Crook

Dairyland RegionOUR REGION ELECTED officers for 2011 atour banquet held November 6, 2010.They will be Tom Wagner, president; RonLeibly, vice-president; Janice Mitchell,secretary and Teri Tarwood, treasurer. JeffTarwood will be our newsletter editor andKen Bartz will be in charge of our web-page. – Tom Wagner

Delaware Valley RegionOUR SEPTEMBER MEETING was opened onthe 20th by president Bill Tropia with 11members present.

A report on our Videon Show wasmade by Bill Tropia. It was a success foreveryone and both the dealer and ourregion are highly pleased with it. JoeHernandez reported that he had contactedthe Videon management about possiblyhosting a second annual show in 2011.Their response is a definite yes.

Following other reports and discus-sion, Frank Mollo held a Tech Talk discus-sion on testing fuel pumps, having broughthis test equipment for the demonstration.Joe Hernandez had provided two fuelpumps for testing.

Ruth Carmine had donated some ofher late husband Jim’s POC items andrelated Plymouth and Chrysler books, pinsand assorted items. Two of Jim’s jacketswere the prime items to be raffled at themeeting, being won by Dave Geise and

Warren Barcalow.

BILL TROPIA OPENED our October meetingwith 14 members present. After severalreports, an invitation was formallyreceived from Larry Nuesch to come tohis home in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, forour annual Christmas party.

– Hank DeMayo

Detroit RegionPRESIDENT RUSS NARDI called ourOctober meeting to order at GordonRinschler’s Hobby Shop with 15 memberspresent were.

Russ Nardi led a discussion on ideasfor holding a national meet in 2013. DonWood will again talk to The Henry Fordregarding use of the Village for a showduring the annual Motor Muster.

Paul Curtis reported on the status oflate member Dave Cleavinger’s sevencars, saying that the Jowett-Jupiter wassold prior to Dave’s passing. The remain-ing cars are reported to be out of probateby the end of the year.

Joe Lewis reviewed his previousreport on the Snooks Museum. There wasinterest in visiting the museum on October23.

Nominations for 2011 officers: presi-dent, Russ Nardi; vice-president, StanPaurazas and Ron Kline; recording secre-tary, Paul Curtis; treasurer, DennisOleksiak; corresponding secretary, JoeLewis; sergeant-at arms, Ed Ungerman.

OUR NOVEMBER MEETING was called toorder at Little Daddy’s Restaurant inBloomfield Hills, Michigan, with 14 mem-bers present.

The tentative dates for our proposed2013 national meet are the week of June12–15, 2013 (which leads into Father’sDay weekend). Ron Irvin will check intothe possibility of having the car show inPlymouth, Michigan. There is also a goodpossibility of holding the car show in con-junction with the Motor Muster Meet heldat Greenfield Village on Saturday, June 15,2013.

Paul Curtis stated that he and WaltBoelstler went back to Dave Cleavinger’shome to look at and evaluate the parts hehad. There are many Studebaker parts andsome Mopar parts, all in boxes. Paul alsomentioned that a small pile of parts will besold with the 1960 Valiant station wagon.There is also a stack of parts for his1948Chrysler.

Remaining discussion centered on ourannual holiday party, the WPC Museum’s

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annual Trees & Traditions exhibit andnominations. – Paul Curtis

Florida Sunshine Region OVER THE SUMMER we attended three all-Mopar shows, two in Tampa and one inInverness.

The first was at a new Chrysler-Jeepdealer in North Tampa, a smaller show ofabout 35 cars. Unfortunately, for me,most of them were muscle cars, not muchfor C-bodies! There I met fellow POCmember Tom Lovingood who was show-ing his impeccably restored ‘58 Fury. Inthe same category was my ‘65 Sport Fury.Both Tom and I won awards that day.

The next show was put on by CitrusMopars, a new club in Citrus County.There were 56 cars registered at this showheld at Crystal Chrysler. This showincluded old cars and trucks with justthree classes: new, old and trucks. KenMcNally handled registration and I over-saw judging. Another regional member,Doug Beals, was one of the judges andhad the toughest class of “new” cars.None of us won anything that day.

Last was a show presented by theFlorida Mopar Association at Jerry UlmChrysler in Tampa. The 50-car show hadthe usual assortment of B- and E-bodiesbut also a few C-bodies, including a ‘72New Yorker in all-original condition.Other POC members present were TomLovingood and Frank Tomes. Frank’s ‘36sedan looks great and won first in hisclass.

AT OUR SUMMER MEETING we discussedrefinements to our zone system which

divides the state of Florida into variouszones of our region which can encouragegreater local participation in our club.

– Mike Bonadonna

Golden State RegionADOPT A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS: Forthe last two years our region has success-fully participated in the OrangewoodFoundation Christmas program and onceagain we are supporting the program byadopting a family. The foundation sup-ports foster children and has a focus onteenagers who are working towards suc-cessful independent living.

The family chosen for us to help is afamily of three: Rickie and Veronica, bothrecently former foster youth and their littlegirl, Valerie, who is four. They are hard-working parents who live in an apartmentwith another family.

We are thankful for the support wehave received for this worthy cause.

– Margie Amos

Grand Canyon RegionOUR OCTOBER MEETING was held atElvira’s Restaurant in Tubac, Arizona,with six members in attendance. A tour ofthe Titan Missile Museum near Tucsonpreceded the lunch and meeting.

Although it no longerhouses a live missile,the museum has aTitan II shell posi-

tioned in the silo fordisplay purposes.

Original equipment from the era is seenthroughout the tour of the Control Centerand surface area. A launch simulation ispart of the tour and one member of thetour group gets to sit at the control paneland press the launch button.

During the meeting, new businessinvolved discussion of a combined meet-ing with the Golden State Region in LakeHavasu City, our December meeting andelection of officers. Several nominationshad been confirmed. – Barbara Tricoci

Hoosier RegionSCOTT AND PEGGY JONES hosted a pitch-in dinner at their home on October 23 forour annual auction. The day was on thechilly side but we all enjoyed gettingtogether on their patio with lots of “warm”talk going around. After Scott cooked the(mammoth) hot dogs, we moved inside tothe garage area for our pitch-in with lotsof good food spread out. If anyone left

hungry it was his/her own fault. President Kevin Reeves then brought

the meeting to order. He reminded every-one of the Christmas Party at Murphy’sSteak House. We then had discussionregarding possible events for 2011.

After the meeting was adjourned, theauction fun began began. With several“gentlemen” raising the bidding on severalitems by one to ten cents at a time, wewound up with $66.30 from the auction.

– Jan Peel

WELL, MY LADY did it upproper now. She is the auc-

tioneer, and it seems like whena certain item was up for sale and some-one made a comment, she let out with anot-very-lady-like comment. Guess hertongue got ahead of her thinking cap. Forshame! Guess she’s owed 30 lashes witha wet noodle, huh?

– The “Unknown Mouse” in the Corner

OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY was well attendedwith 27 present. After our lunch,President Kevin Reeves brought the meet-ing to order. Bob Hein donated some1956 Plymouth models to the club to besold with the proceeds going to the clubtreasury.

After other business, the meeting wasturned over to vice-president Bob VanBuskirk. This year Bob brought memora-bilia that he has collected about JamesWhitcomb Riley. As the various itemswere passed around, Bob gave an interest-ing talk about them.

We then had our white elephant giftexchange. There was some exchangingbut most people were pretty satisfied withwhat they received. – Jan Peel

WELL, GUESS WHO was late tothe Christmas party? It wasnone other than my lady, JanPeel, the one who had set thedate and time. I realize she had unan-nounced visitors at the last minute butmaybe she should have called someone sothey wouldn’t worry. Thirty lashes with awet noodle again?

– The “Unknown Mouse” in the Corner

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Tom Lovingood and his ‘58 Fury

Scott Oller’s “new” ‘68 Barracuda gets the once-over at the Hoosier meeting.

Frank Tomes’ ‘36 sedan


Lincoln Land RegionTHE IRON CURTAIN SPEECH begins “FromStettin in the Baltic to Trieste in theAdriatic.” Those famous words by SirWinston Churchill were heard by ourgroup of Plymouth travelers once more aswe toured the Churchill Memorial atWestminster in Fulton in October. Our fallexcursion took us along Missouri Route94 of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Most ofus took the scenic trip along the bluffs ofthe Missouri River on a warm Indian sum-mer day. We met up with members fromthe Missouri “Show Me” Region forlunch, then toured the famous ChristopherWren church designed in 1677. After thepost-WWII speech at the start of the ColdWar by one of the 20th Century’s greatestleaders, it was fitting that Gorbachev alsospoke in Fulton, announcing the end of theCold War that had begun so long ago in1946. Sir Winston’s words were propheticand his life was chronicled in large detailin the museum below the church.

We traveled all morning in caravan,eventually picking up a total of 16 mem-bers driving a total of five vintagePlymouts plus modern cars.

We also toured the Auto WorldMuseum, Bill Backer’s vintage auto col-lection of 80+ vehicles of all types including a rare 1932 DeSoto road-ster and a 1946 Hudson pickup truck. Wesaid our goodbyes at the museum after agroup photo taken in front of the automuseum. Thanks go to Tommy Pike andMark Aubuchon for making this trip areality for us.

The nine Missouri folks who joinedus came in five vintage Mopars.

– Bob Kerico

Long Island RegionHERE WE ARE in the eleventh month of2010, as of this writing. It actuallysnowed on the first of the month, much tothe surprise of everyone. Luckily it melt-ed on contact and turned to rain later inthe morning. As the month has progressedwe have had some great days to take theclassic Mopars out on the road.

Many of the guys are still gettingtogether on Saturday evenings at the McDonald's in North Babylon, New York.The proceedings there usually result in aplethora of belly laughs among the partici-pants.

Our November meeting was unofficialdue to the lack of a quorum. In attendancewere seven members and one guest. No

official business was conducted; however,a date and place for our Christmas lunch-eon was agreed upon.

We have two new members who haveto be officially voted in. They are JaySatenstein (‘66 Valiant Signet) and Frank“Junior” Cestaro (‘67 Chrysler NewYorker). Also invited to our next meetingis an acquaintance of Mike Nisi's fromNorthport named Ernie who recently pur-chased a 1950 Plymouth which at onetime belonged to Joe O'Connell.

– Pete Marks and Dave Wegenaar

Lone Star RegionTHE WEATHER COULDN’T have been bet-

ter for our region’s fall tour. We gatheredat the Weston Inn in McGregor, Texas, onOctober 8 for a brief show and then acruise through McLennan and Coryellcounties. The club participants were Markand Valerie Ballard (‘70 Fury III convert-ible), Carl and Becky Bradley (‘50 4-doorsedan), Marc and Judy Honey (‘50 coupe),Van and Mary Massirer (‘56 Fury), Mikeand Dorothy Morrison (‘58 Savoy 2-doorhardtop) and Norman Scott (’50 Dodgepickup). We were joined by two guests,Billy Jack Waters and Dean Allison, whodrove Dean’s ’31 Willys.

We lined the cars along the road infront of the motel and attracted someattention from passersby, some of whomstopped to take a closer look at the cars.Around 11 AM, we drove southwest onrural roads to Mother Neff State Park,where we had a picnic lunch and shortbusiness meeting.

After Neff Park, we went to TheGrove where Van had arranged for us togo through St. Paul Lutheran Church, ahistoric church that dates from 1883.Pastor John Heckmann told us about theWendish origin of the church and showedus the stained glass windows.

From The Grove, we drove norththrough Flat and Mound and then throughCoryell County to the Massirer ranch,where Van showed his collection ofMassey-Harris and Massey-Ferguson trac-tors. The day’s tour concluded back inMcGregor, where the group had dinnertogether.

On Saturday, the same group againassembled at the Weston Inn except thatJohn and Brenda Shriver joined us, andthe Bradleys were unable to come. FromMcGregor we went north to Crawford, cir-cled through Tonkawa Park, and thendrove by the Bush Ranch. We stopped atthe Prairie Chapel School, which dates

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Member RememberedLincoln Land Region

THE 1953 P24 BUSINESS COUPe of ourlate member Al Fritzsche, who died onOctober 6 (BULLETIN 304, page 3), fol-lowed close behind the funeral carahead of Al’s ‘54 Savoy on his last tripon earth. We followed along from theLutheran church to Mt. Olive, Illinois,in our own Plymouths. Both of Al’ssons, Bill and Jim, and his brother-in-law Larry Rose took charge in drivingso that we had a constant reminder ofAl’s work. Driving Plymouths in thefuneral procession were seven of ourmembers. All of the FritzschePlymouths were at the visitation thenight before the funeral and WayneAugsburger drove his ‘48 P15 businesscoupe in memory and tribute to hisfriend.

JIM VANHORN’S REMEMBRANCE of Al isthat he fashioned a template for use infabricating stainless steel door and win-dow trim for Jim while restoring his ‘47Convertible. When it came to sheetmetal work, Al had no peer in the ourregion.

Bob Kerico recalls a trip that theclub took to New Harmony, Indiana,over a weekend in autumn. While head-ing as a group to dinner on a darkSaturday night, Al’s ‘54 Savoy’s hubcapcame off and went into the median. Alwas intent on finding it, so he enlistedall of us to head out on Sunday morningto search the grass in the median strip(tall grass too). I think it was JackKaylor who came upon it, finding ituntouched and unscathed. Al had agame-winning grin for us as he placedthe cap back on his Savoy for the triphome.

I was with Al in South St Louis ona club errand one morning when he lostthe brakes on his Savoy whileapproaching an intersection. He calmlypulled through the light, coasted to asafe stop in an open space and pulledthe hand brake. That was Al: cool,smooth and unflappable in any situa-tion. – Bob Kerico

The late Al Fritzsche and his ‘54 Savoy


from 1908, and had a brief restroom stopat Canaan Baptist Church. From there wewent north through the country on scenicroads including two low-water crossings.We drove to Valley Mills and then on toClifton. We stopped for lunch at Johnny’sRestaurant and then toured the BosqueMemorial Museum. A docent at theMuseum explained the prehistoric discov-eries in the area and showed a brief videopresentation on the Horn Shelter, a localarcheological site. From Clifton, the tourtook rural roads to Mosheim and back toValley Mills. The tour went on toCrawford and then back to McGregor.

The weather, the scenery and the fel-lowship made the tour enjoyable. We lookforward to more in the future.

– Mary Massirer

IF YOU SHOULD EVER HAPPEN to be innorthwestern Arkansas, I would encourageyou to visit the Museum of Automobilesnear Morrilton at Petit Jean State Park.Mary and I visited the museum recentlyand highly recommend it. It’s not a largemuseum, but it’s nice. Each year in lateSeptember, the museum sponsors anAntique Car Swap Meet and MilitaryVehicle Show. It might be a good outingfor the POC. You can get more info atwww.museumofautos.com. – Van Massirer

Mid-Atlantic RegionNEEDLESS TO SAY, members of the antiquecar hobby provide entertainment for thepublic through car shows. On the road,thumbs up and flashes of lights arereminders that others enjoy them as well.However, little compares to the responseswe get from residents of nursing homes.Their faces light up as they seeminglyremember the era represented by a particu-lar car. They love to talk about the carsand exhibit their knowledge of them, oftentelling a personal story.

On a beautiful sunny day inSeptember, members of our region had theopportunity to light up the faces of CopperRidge in Sykesville, Maryland. CopperRidge opened its doors in 1994 with a

state-of-the-art dementia care program forwhich it has since received internationalrecognition.

Around the mid-1880s, a 300-footdeep iron and copper mine opened in thearea. The entry way of the facility fea-tures a showcase of copper items.

Our members went all out andbrought cars representing four decades ofMopars: Karen and Wayne Fowler’s ‘36coupe and ‘41 sedan; David Young andDianne Taylor’s ‘33 sedan and ‘60 Furyconvertible; Marian Barry’s ‘68Barracuda; Ralph and Jean Gregory’s ‘32Dodge convertible; Sandy Resch’s ‘36coupe; Jerry Seitz’s ‘47; Bill and MaudeStreett’s ‘50 convertible; Roy and PatKidwell’s ‘65 Barracuda; AugustMeerscheart’s ‘37 sedan and Al and AnneHerold’s ‘65 Sport Fury hardtop.

Later, members traveled down the hillto Baldwin’s Station Restaurant for lunchand a meeting.

OUR NOVEMBER MEETING was held at theFirst Lutheran Church in Ellicott City,Maryland, with 30 members attending.Following a covered dish lunch, presidentAugust Meerschaert called the meeting toorder.

Amongst the reports it was noted thatwe received a check from Copper Ridgefor our visit to the facility’s residents. Amotion was made and passed that thecheck be returned as our visit was intend-ed to be a goodwill gesture.

Our annual Christmas party and theplanning of activities for 2011 rounded outour meeting. Then the results of the elec-tion of officers for 2011 were announced:president, Dianne Taylor; vice-president,Jean Gregory; treasurer, Ralph Gregory;and secretary, Karen Fowler.

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS: Stan andGloria Richard, Landisburg, Pennsylvania,‘50 Special Deluxe; John and CherylGallagher, Bethesda, Maryland, ‘39 pick-up; Nelson Clapp, Montgomery Village,Maryland, ‘53 Cambridge. – Karen Fowler

Prairie RegionTHANK YOU TO Pam and Fred Fleming forhosting our October meeting. We had agreat lunch at Lone Star, and then traveledto the Flemings to watch a selection ofFred’s stationary engines in action. It’s avery interesting collection and it was agreat day to be outside spending time withfriends. Linda Lape soon realized thatFred and Pam live very close to theUniversity east campus ice cream store, so

the party moved on down the street to topoff the event with an ice cream treat. Goodtimes! – Pat Stanton

OUR OCTOBER 10 MEETING was held atthe Lone Star Steakhouse in Lincoln,Nebraska, with twelve membersattending. The meeting was called toorder by President Pat Stanton and reportswere given and discussed, as were futureactivities, our annual swap meet, our clubbylaws, dues and roster, membership cardsand the launching of our club website.

– Larry Stanton

KERMIT AND RUBY WILKE of Wilcox,Nebraska, hosted an open house inOctober, which had begun as a suggestionfrom the Great Plains Region of theNational Woodie Club. It was a gorgeous60-degree-plus day for sitting outside andvisiting, eating hotdogs and several sidedishes or wandering out to the Wilkes’newest building which houses 30 of hisrestored “drivable” vehicles. The ances-tral family home and older buildingswhich house “works in progress,” parts,bicycles, etc., were also open. Of course,Ruby was dressed in her vintage “Roaring‘20s” clothing!

Members of eight or more car clubs,including the Prairie Region PlymouthClub, took part.

Patsy Cline (AKA Melinda Ferree,Wilcox' city clerk) entertained us bysinging several of Patsy’s most popularhits. Those of us who had heard her onlytwo days before at the Kearney PrimeFestival didn’t mind, as very few songswere repeated. – Terry & Andree Hoeman

Rocky Mountain RegionTHE FALL HARVEST CAR SHOW, held inSeptember in Fort Morgan, Colorado, wasvery well done and a lot of fun. Our ownCheryl and Stan Baumgartner have beenvery involved in helping produce a greatshow for ten years. Cheryl says it’s been alot of work but also a lot of fun. This wastheir last year as they are turning theirpositions over to younger board membersbut their advice will still be sought.

There were 250 beautiful cars at thisyear’s show, which is really good, consid-ering it was a very cool, fall-like day.Cheryl says it didn’t seem to dampen theenthusiasm of participants and spectators.

Our club had several cars entered inthe show this year as we have had for sev-eral years now.

COCONUT-BATTERED HALIBUT, grilledsalmon, deep fried salmon – fish! –

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The Lone Star touring carsled byi the Massirerss’ ‘56 Fury


accompanied by a pot luck that was won-derful. This was our October event com-bined with the Chrysler Club. TheSmallwoods have so graciously and gener-ously provided us with this wonderfultime of delicious fish and food for a num-ber of years. It is a highly anticipatedmeeting.

The group was large and manybrought their “cool” cars to share andshow off. We also had a “show and tell”time. John Tuthill brought a very oldModel T horn that was found in a rela-tive’s attic. A Chrysler member broughthis collection of miniature Imperials, some

of which are quite rare. Carol showed offher garage sale treasures which she actual-ly bought for Jay Thomas who loves vin-tage clothing. The treasures? Wonderfulold hats. There were other items but thesecaught my interest.

We ate, visited, watched the Broncosand generally had a great time.

– Sandra Hicks

Tall Pines RegionOUR OCTOBER MEETING was held on the17th at the Big Steer Restaurant, nearNorthfield, Minnesota. Ten members

arrived in their old Plymouths; eight morein modern vehicles.

Following our meal, we got rightdown to business in planning our 2011Touring Meet to be held in Rochester,Minnesota, on Tuesday, August 30th, toSunday, September 4th, 2011. Fifteenitems, in all, were discussed extensively.

Since we will be celebrating our 40thanniversary as a region next year, weagreed to put a small mention of it in ourmeet’s artwork.

– Happy Plymouthing,Rog & Jean Ramberg

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TTour with the Tour with the Tall Pinesall PinesPlymouth Owners Club Inc.

2012011 National Fall 1 National Fall TTouring Meetouring MeetAugust 31, SeptemberAugust 31, September 1-3, Rochester1-3, Rochester, Minnesota, Minnesota

Tall Pines Region, hostsTuesday August 30th: Early arrival begins.

Wednesday, August 31: There will be organized daily driving tours throughout beautiful southeastern Minnesota’s bluffcountry and the Mississippi River - Lake Pepin area.

We plan to drive to Harmony, Minnesota, where participants will board buses and begin an Old Order Amish tour.Guides will explain Amish culture and history while stopping at five or six working farms.

Driving back toward Rochester ,we will visit Historic Lanesboro, the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota. A tour ofthe town will provide viewing of the beautifully restored homes and mansions or visiting the many unique shopping and din-ing opportunities. This is a fun town especially for the ladies.

On Wednesday evening there will be a street fair in downtown Rochester with shopping opportunities and live music forthose interested.

Thursday, September 1st: There will be a driving tour to the National Eagle Center located on the banks of the MississippiRiver. The center has many exhibits providing insight into the life of the eagle. We hope to be participants in an interactiveprogram where we can see eagles feeding and bathing and learn about the eagles significance in the environment and theirimportance in Native American culture. Hopefully we will be able to view wild birds from the observation deck. We canlearn about injured eagles and of how they can be returned into the environment.

Later in the day we will visit Lark Toys. This is one of the largest independent toy stores in the United States. It has ahuge hand-carved wooden carousel and for a buck you get a ride. There’s an old-time toy museum and toy exhibits. If youneed a souvenir of the trip for the grandkids, this is the place to get it.

Friday, September 2nd: We plan to offer a bus tour into western Wisconsin and a visit to Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum.The museum includes antique, classic and muscle cars along with motorcycles, bicycles, over 200 pedal tractors and morethan 600 pedal cars on display. In addition there are thousands of auto-related toys. This is a fascinating museum andincludes one of the most beautiful views of the Mississippi River Valley.

Also we will visit The Pickwick Mill. Built in the 1850s, it is one of the oldest water-powered gristmills in southeasternMinnesota. It was built with locally quarried limestone with a timber frame that was so closely fit that nails were not used.This will be an extremely educational and interesting stop.

On Thursday evening there will be a special hamburger meal at the hotel.

Saturday September 3rd, will be a day for touring around the Rochester area. We recommend visiting the MayowoodMansion. The Mayowood estate was created between 1910 and 1938 by Dr. Charles Mayo co-founder of the internationallyknown Mayo Clinic. The centerpiece of the 3000 acre estate is the 38 room Mayowood Mansion and gardens.

The Olmstead County Historical Center is another interesting stop with numerous exhibits, including the five historicbuildings on the grounds.

We hope to arrange for tours of several other historic homes in the area. The day will conclude with the banquet andpresentation of some awards at the host hotel.

Sunday, September 4th: breakfast and farewells Contact: Carl Wegner [email protected]


Please Join us in…

GRAND BEND, ONTARIO, CANADAMAY 26, 27, 28, & 29 2011

23rd Annual4-Cylinder Plymouth Registry1928-1932 FOUR CYLINDER

PLYMOUTHMEET and DRIVING TOURThurs. May 26 Check-in, Dinner on Own & Short Driving TourFri. May 27 Morning Driving Tours, Lunch, Afternoon Tour, Dinner & Running Board Flea MarketSat. May 28 ~ Schedule & all the fun stuff will be finalized in the springSun. May 29 Breakfast & Tour to Large Antique Flea Market

*If not staying over to Monday, check-out of motel & depart at your leisureMon. May 30 Memorial Day USA

No planned events but lots to do and see in this popular Lakeside Resort AreaREGISTRATION FORM

Name______________________________________________________ Spouse&/Or Guest _____________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________ City________________________ Postal/Zip Code___________

E-Mail__________________________________________________________________ Phone ( )______________________________

Plymouth: Year___________ Model __________________________ Body__________________________

Fee: $25.00 Send Registration Form & Cheque to: PeterWarnerP.O. Box 1089Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0Canada

E-Mail: [email protected] Telephone: (519) 238-2473

ACCOMMODATION (Book on your own)It is very important to book prior to March 31, 2011 to guarantee space. This is a popular Vacation Area and this is a holiday weekend.We have the entire motel blocked until this date ~ Don’t miss out! After March 31, 2011 rooms will not be held exclusively for our group!

HOST MOTEL: Bluewater Motel (519) 238-2014 RV PARKING: Townsite RV Park (519) 238-5625Rates from: $92.00 Full Service Sites—Reserve Earlywww.grandbend.com/bluewatermotel/ *Primitive (no service) sites ~ No charge at our farm*Mention Plymouth Car Tour

FEATURES• All paved roads • No Judging…just fun!• Long Distance award • Food and Admission…you pay at establishment• First 25 cars registered receive dash plaque • Border Crossing is E-Z• Running Board Flea Market…bring those surplus Plymouth items ~Passport or enhanced drivers license is all that

is required! Canada welcomes tourists!

}

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Please use the pdf from the last issue (304)


Please Join us in…

GRAND BEND, ONTARIO, CANADAMAY 26, 27, 28, & 29 2011

23rd Annual4-Cylinder Plymouth Registry1928-1932 FOUR CYLINDER

PLYMOUTHMEET and DRIVING TOURThurs. May 26 Check-in, Dinner on Own & Short Driving TourFri. May 27 Morning Driving Tours, Lunch, Afternoon Tour, Dinner & Running Board Flea MarketSat. May 28 ~ Schedule & all the fun stuff will be finalized in the springSun. May 29 Breakfast & Tour to Large Antique Flea Market

*If not staying over to Monday, check-out of motel & depart at your leisureMon. May 30 Memorial Day USA

No planned events but lots to do and see in this popular Lakeside Resort AreaREGISTRATION FORM

Name______________________________________________________ Spouse&/Or Guest _____________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________ City________________________ Postal/Zip Code___________

E-Mail__________________________________________________________________ Phone ( )______________________________

Plymouth: Year___________ Model __________________________ Body__________________________

Fee: $25.00 Send Registration Form & Cheque to: PeterWarnerP.O. Box 1089Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0Canada

E-Mail: [email protected] Telephone: (519) 238-2473

ACCOMMODATION (Book on your own)It is very important to book prior to March 31, 2011 to guarantee space. This is a popular Vacation Area and this is a holiday weekend.We have the entire motel blocked until this date ~ Don’t miss out! After March 31, 2011 rooms will not be held exclusively for our group!

HOST MOTEL: Bluewater Motel (519) 238-2014 RV PARKING: Townsite RV Park (519) 238-5625Rates from: $92.00 Full Service Sites—Reserve Earlywww.grandbend.com/bluewatermotel/ *Primitive (no service) sites ~ No charge at our farm*Mention Plymouth Car Tour

FEATURES• All paved roads • No Judging…just fun!• Long Distance award • Food and Admission…you pay at establishment• First 25 cars registered receive dash plaque • Border Crossing is E-Z• Running Board Flea Market…bring those surplus Plymouth items ~Passport or enhanced drivers license is all that

is required! Canada welcomes tourists!

}

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by Wendell NobleMilton, Vermont

InInthe Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, the hills camealive to the sound of four-cylinder Plymouths. Thiswas the scene of the second Vermont Harvest Tour

held September 16-19, 2010. The tour was based at theNewport City Motel in Newport, Vermont.

Throughout the day and evening of Thursday, September16th, folks and cars drifted in from points afar. Mary and Iarrived with our ‘29 U roadster around noon and spotted PhilFoster from Ontario wiping down his and Gwen’s ‘32 PBsedan for the tour. Then we spotted Ed and Maureen Perkinsfrom Connecticut and their‘28 Q roadster, freshly restored andready to log some miles. Peter and Esther Warner were therefrom Ontario with their ‘32 PB roadster.

As the afternoon wore on and we set up our registrationtable, more of the glitterati of four-cylinder Plymouthdomappeared. Kem and Sheila Jones came from Ontario, withWally Taylor, but minus their ‘32 PB roadster, due to trans-portation problems. Don and Sally Haddock came over fromNew Hampshire with their recently restored ‘28 Q roadster.All the Butons – Earl, Esther, Jeff, Janice, Bruce, Jennifer andlittle Klara – arrived from upstate New York with Earl’s ‘32PB convertible, Jeff’s ‘31 PA roadster and Bruce’s ’ 28 Qtouring car. Charlie Berndt and Conrad Masse came fromConnecticut in Charlie’s ‘30 coupe. Steve Stevenson and

Becky Watson drove up from Williamstown, Vermont, inSteve’s ‘32 PB convertible, as did Terry and StephanieWinters in their ‘32 PB coupe. Don Feeney and DennisWilliams from Ohio, Patrick Dolan from Indiana, John Miertafrom New Jersey, Bob Manke from New York and Gary andRachel Campaigne from Ontario came without four-cylinderPlymouths but with the desire to enjoy the sight, sound andfeel of these fine machines on the road. Larry and ButchLaBrack and Barbara Martin came from California andMassachusetts with a couple of extra cylinders in their 1935PJ sedan. With everyone accounted for, we headed the fewmiles to Derby Center for dinner and comraderie at the CowPalace restaurant, overlooking its magnificent herd of elk.For those wanting a taste, elk was on the menu.

Every tour must have at least one rainy day. Friday start-

TTTT HHEEHHEE SSSS EECCOONNDDEECCOONNDD VVVV EERRMMOONNTTEERRMMOONNTT HHHH AARRVVEESSTTAARRVVEESSTT FFFF OOUURROOUURR CCCC YYLLIINNDDEERRYYLLIINNDDEERR TTTT OOUURROOUURR

Leading the pack: Leading the pack: Gary Olney’s ‘31 PA phaeton

-21-


ed with cold drizzle and fog, but a promise of clearing later inthe day. Co-host Gary Olney led the way with his 1931 PAphaeton as we headed out over beautiful but misty country-side to arrive shortly at the Haskell Opera House in quaintDerby Line. As we pulled in to park on the damp lawn,Becky Watson noticed a bit of mud under Steve’s car. Wequickly discovered the cause – a dropped tie rod had causedhis front wheels to “snow plow” sizeable divots in the lawn.

Most of us enjoyed a guided tour of the opera house andlibrary, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border. We sat inthe United States listening to the guide describe the history ofthis beautiful building from Canada! Meanwhile, back on thelawn, Terry Winters struggled to reattach Steve’s tie rod, withlots of free commentary, and momentary success.

We continued ourtour of lakes and hills ofthe Northeast Kingdom,arriving at the Old StoneHouse Museum inBrownington at noon fora catered meal and aguided tour through theimposing four-story stoneschool building whichwas built in two years in

the 1830s by the teacher, Alexander Twilight, with the help ofone other man.

With the sky finally clearing, we were off again on ourreturn trip over scenic Burton Hill and back to Newport.Most of the cars proceeded over the hill to the scenic vista onthe other side and some ensuing photo-ops. A few of us onthe tail end of the entourage stopped to deal with Steve’s tie

rod end which once again bit the dust. Thistime Terry’s mostvaliant effortsweren’tenoughto get itto stayreat-tachedso,admittingdefeat, weparked the car in

a friendly neighbor’s yard and made a bee line back toNewport. We had a boat to catch.

The Newport Belle was awaiting us at the dock on LakeMemphremagog with our catered evening meal. “Captain”Bill Cook and his wife, Nancy, piloted us on an evening din-ner cruise around the U.S. portion of the lake, while tellingchildren visiting the wheel house tales of pirates and sunkentreasure.

Saturday, the sun was out. And we were now down bytwo cars, as Jeff Buton discovered an unaccounted-for noisein the drivetrain of his 1931 PA. Starting with stops in Derbyand Derby Line to peruse Gary Olney’s extensive collectionof antique cars and memorabilia, we crossed the border into

TTying one on: ying one on: Volunteers tried fixing thebroken tie rod of Steve Stephenson’s grass-plowing PB convertible, but to little avail.

Astride the border at Haskill Opera House: Astride the border at Haskill Opera House: Dennis and Bobstand in Canada [LEFT]; the rest are in the United States.

Barn fresh: Barn fresh: Stopping for a look at Gary Olney’s vast collection

The Butons on Burton Hill: The Butons on Burton Hill: The Buton fleet [LEFT] meets theWarners’ PB roadster going the other way.

Cap’n Cook Cap’n Cook [CIRCLE] at the helm with Quinn Olney and Klara Buton

Old Stone House MuseumOld Stone House Museum

-22-


Rock Island, Quebec, and headed west to Beebe Plain onCanusa Avenue. We took care to stay in our westbound lanesince the border is in the middle of the road and the eastboundlane is in the U.S. We drove the 70 miles around LakeMemphramagog, visiting the Bleu Lavande lavender farm and

having cider and donutson the pier at Georgevilleon the east side. The topof the lake is in the cityMagog from which weheaded back south on thewest side with a visit toSt. Benoit du LacAbbey and alunch stopbefore reen-teringVermont

at North Troy. Following a photo op at theOld School House covered bridge and a visitto Worth’s maple sugar house, we returned toour hotel in Newport.

Our day ended by gathering for a banquetat the East Side Restaurant in Newport on thelake shore. The banquet was enlivened by a brief

talk by Sheila Jones, describing the travails andadventures that she and Kem endured on their

Mopar-powered honeymoon trip. That is asubject worthy of its own BULLETIN article.

Sunday morning, trailers wereloaded and good-byes were said, as wepromised to see one another again in GrandBend, Ontario.

PBPB

GGaarryy GGaarryy OOlleennyy’’ss OOlleennyy’’ss ccoolllleeccttiioonnccoolllleeccttiioonn

From Gary’From Gary’s barns:s barns: [CLOCKWISE FROM

ABOVE] Klara Buton checks out a pedalcar; Floating Power sign: FloatingPower demonstration – the front chassis is without; the rear, with; Dodge Brothers screenside delivery; PA chassis.

St. Benoit Du Lac St. Benoit Du Lac AbbeyAbbey

Hosts: Hosts: Gary and Nancy Olney; Mary and Wendell NobleThe Nobles’The Nobles’ ‘29 U roadster ‘29 U roadster at the Old Schoolhouse covered

bridge.

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1928 Q touring: 1928 Q touring: Bruce, Jennifer & Klara Buton, Woodstock, NY

1928 Q roadster: 1928 Q roadster: Ed & Maureen Perkins, Guilford, Conn.

1930 30U coupe: 1930 30U coupe: Charles Berndt, Middleford, Conn.

1931 P1931 PAA roadster: roadster: Jeff & Janice Buton, Woodstock, NY 1932 PB conv1932 PB conv. sdn: . sdn: Earl & Esther Buton, Woodstock, NY

1932 PB sedan: 1932 PB sedan: Phil & Gwen Foster, Niagara Falls, Ontario 1932 PB roadster: 1932 PB roadster: Peter & Esther Warner, Grand Bend, Ontario

1931 P1931 PAA phaeton: phaeton: Gary & Nancy Olney, Derby Line, Vermont

1929 U roadster: 1929 U roadster: Wendell & Mary Noble, Milton, Vermont

1928 Q roadster: 1928 Q roadster: Don & Shirley Haddock, Laconia, N. H.

-24-


1932 PB conv: 1932 PB conv: Steve Stephenson, Betty Watson, Williamstown, Vt.

1935 PJ “4+2”:1935 PJ “4+2”: Larry LaBrack, Alpine, Cal.;Butch LaBrack, Barbara Martin, Westminster, Ma.

Going home:Going home: The Nobles’ ‘29 U

1932 PB coupe: 1932 PB coupe: Terry & Stephanie Winters, Williamstown, Vt.

“Earl and the Mob”“Earl and the Mob”

Rear view of the Buton QRear view of the Buton Q

Club badge of the original P4COCClub badge of the original P4COC

70 years ago? The Old Schoolhouse Bridge70 years ago? The Old Schoolhouse Bridge

PH

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WWith the monumental horsehair-lined convertible topfolded down on top of the trunk, we take thePlymouth out for a spin under a blue and sunny

sky. Its 205 inches of length, 128 inches of wheelbase andthe lack of power options ensure an exhausting driving expe-rience, especially on winding roads. The 201.3 CID inline-sixwith a compression ratio of 6.7:1, developing 82 HP @ 3,600RPM, is sturdy and dependable, but far from lively in this3,461-pound piece of extravagance. The lavish leather interi-or in two-tone cream and maroon offers ample room on twobench seats for up to five passengers. The classy style is evenmore emphasized by the real-wood upper door trim, whichwas designed and craft-turned to serve as decoration panels aswell as noble handle bars. And the large-scale clock with its

white face and filigree hands seems to admonish the motoristthat time is money.

Rolls-Royce? Cadillac? Mercedes? Close, but not closeenough! The radiator emblem and the hood ornament resem-bling a sailing ship as well as the lettering affixed to the high,narrow grille designate this imposing four-door convertible asa car brand that had joined the Chrysler product family in1928: A Plymouth – more precisely a 1935 type PJ DeLuxefour-door convertible – which differs a great deal from itsordinary siblings. It wasn’t built from stock parts in one ofChrysler Corporation’s large assembly plants in Detroit, LosAngeles or Windsor, Canada. Instead, it started its life as along-wheelbase chassis and was delivered to the GebrüderTüscher & Co. (in English: Tüscher Brothers & Co.) bodyshop for becoming a custom-built creation of luxury.

The PJ for 1935 was completely new. Unlike its prede-cessors up until 1934, all models now rode on a heavier X-braced frame. The styling changed from square to mildlyround, and the bodies were bolted on the frames both vertical-ly and horizontally. The engine received many improve-ments, including the implementation of extra water jacketingand additional five horsepower, resulting in this year’s total of82 horses. But to cut costs, Plymouth abandoned the inde-pendent coil-spring front suspension which had been intro-duced on the earlier PE and PF models and returned to semi-elliptic springs and a tube front axle. Longer “New

The stock Plymouth PJ series was a typical Americanhigh-volume automobile. The 1935 Plymouth PJ

DeLuxe four-door convertible featured on these pages,however, was coach-built in Zürich, Switzerland, byGebrüder Tüscher & Co. and did not have to fear

great competition, even from Rolls-Royce.

by Christof GonzenbachAuto IllustrierteSwitzerland

Translated from the German by Gunter KramerCommerce City, Colorado

PHOTOS ©AUTO ILLUSTRIERTE BY RICHARD MEINERT

MADE INMADE INSWITZERLANDSWITZERLAND

-26-


Generation” leaf springs were designed to improveride quality.

The 1935 Plymouth catalog offered two-and four-door sedans, a two-seater convert-ible, coupes with or without rumble seats, awoody wagon and even a pickup. All 113-inch wheelbase versions combined to securesales of more than 300,000 units. A handful of128-inch wheelbase vehicles was sold as well,namely the stately traveler sedans and seven-pas-senger sedans which provided a step up the ranks inregards of standards and class.

Only one year later, however, the PJ wassucceeded by the completely technicallyredesigned P1 and P2 1936 Plymouths.

SWITZERLAND IN AUGUST OF 1931: To faceand counteract the rising unemployment in thecrisis years after the stock market crash, theSwiss government opted (heavily lobbied by theSwiss Coachbuilder Association) to reduce theimport tariffs for automobiles and their components by40 percent, but only with the provision that the carswere either built or assembled in Switzerland andSwiss parts suppliers and coach builders wereinvolved as business partners. Needless to say,the Swiss coachbuilder trade blossomed out.Gebrüder Tüscher & Co. even saw the necessi-ty for building a new assembly hangar toaccommodate the 1933 convertible production.Up until 1939, a total of 213 high-quality convert-ibles was produced and shipped from the factory in

Zurich’s Hardturmstrasse. The close proximity tothe then-Chrysler distributor AMAG (Automobil

und Motoren AG [in English: Automobile andEngine Stock Corporation], a Swiss carimporter and dealer founded on January 3,1945, by Walter Haefner) provided for theconversions of predominantly Chrysler (84

cars) and Plymouth chassis (52 cars).Additionally, Tüscher built 25 Buicks, 13 Jaguar

SS, 12 DeSotos, six Studebakers, four Delahayesand four Auburns. Even one Bugatti, one Maybach

and one Rolls-Royce received a Tüscher tailor-made body.

Manufacturing a coach-built vehicle was byno means comparable with modern produc-tion technologies. It required much moretime and skills and no car was similar toanother due to individual customer requests

and preferences. Our featured open four-dooris one of only 15 bodies based on the long 1935

PJ chassis which was distributed by AMAG. All ofthem shared the patented Tüscher door lock system

in which the aft doors open to the rear, the foredoors to the front. Both are hinged at the mas-

sive B-pillar which doesn’t exceed the car’sbeltline in height. Class and individuality insuch an open tourer didn’t come as a bar-gain. A steep price of 25,000 Swiss Franksread the final invoice. That’s about five

times the sticker price of a regular PJ travelersedan in the USA and could also have bought a

Cadillac convertible for the sophisticated customer

-27-


– definitively not the price range for the com-mon man. For those who were able and will-ing to invest this kind of money, though, anycoach-built motor vehicle by Tüscher prom-ised the highest quality combined with dis-creet and relatively modest styling – the way togo in crisis-ridden times where swanky and pre-tentious lifestyle shouldn’t be overly displayed.

THOSE MUST HAVE BEEN THE INITIAL THOUGHTS and motivesof the PJ’s original owner Willy Sträuli, hailing from theSwiss city of Winterthur, who ordered the car in an unimpos-ing green-gray color scheme, thus conforming to the mid-Thirties fashion of dark and restrained two-tone colors. Wedon’t know how long Mr. Sträuli enjoyed his acquisition butthe PJ convertible spent many decades in storage and was notresurrected until 2003 when sold at an estate sale.

The nuts-and-bolts restoration took the new owner fivechallenging years. As a finishing touch of individuality, heopted for the non-original color combination cream-whiteover maroon, starting on the rims and up throughout the inte-rior – a little over the top for most car enthusiasts. Hans PeterTüscher, PhD., the company founder Fritz Tüscher’s grand-son, remembers: “Bright colors like those were inconceivableback then!”

AFTER WW II, the Gebrüder Tüscher & Company builtmainly buses for bus companies, the Swiss Postal ServicePTT (Post, Telephone, and Telegraphy) and the Zurich

Transportation District. The body shop inZurich is gone. The company chose to relo-cate and continues their business to the pres-ent day in the town of Dällikon. PBPB

Former POC ‘35 PJ Tech Avisor, Paul Curtis, provided parts andadvice during the resotation of this car.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM AUTO ILLUSTRIERTE.auto-illustrierte.ch

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-29-


by Sebastiano PatanèTrecastagni, Italy

ItItwas the year 2004. I saw the car of Fausto, one of myfriends – a 203 Peugeot. I liked it. I asked him foradvice on finding one for myself and started to look for

a 203 Peugeot in both France and Italy. It was very difficultbecause when I received the answers and the photos, I’d findthat the car was already sold.

So, after a year my friend Fausto sent me a photo and toldme: “Be delighted, here is a nice car.” It was a 1929Plymouth U touring. I did not know anything about this carand I looked at it for about three months. In the end, I decid-ed to buy it.

The purchase was easy but the restoration difficult. Thecar was very rough, all its components were completely wornout and the badly done repairs had changed its originality.

Thanks to this car, I become member of POC, beginningmy adventure in the Plymouth world. A lot of people helpedme to find news, documents and the pieces of the car I need-ed. I learned how to look for, to find and to evaluate needed

items. The difficulty, instead of keep-ing me away from the Plymouthworld, fascinates me more and more.

So before I finished the ‘29 U tour-ing, I started to look for another carfor use on longer journeys, but with abeautiful line. But it must be“American” – large, powerful, andimpressive. Always Plymouth. Ichoose the P8 which proved to be dif-ficult to find. I could have done betterlooking for the P9. In the end, I founda beautiful, interesting P10 in goodcondition with a working engine. Youjust need to turn the key and theengine will run. I decided to buy itand I charged one of my friends livingin Chicago to check the car and toprovide for shipping it to Italy.

For various reasons, my friend didnot go to see the car for about threemonths. When he phoned to see thecar, he found it had already been sold.He asked if I was disappointed. The

difficulty in getting something, as I wrote in one of my books,urges me to do so harder and better. I did not give up thesearch. My dear friend, Dr. Veniero Molari (now deceased)phoned and told me: “I have seen in a magazine not publishedin Italy, but only in the US, a P8 is being sold in Connecticut.He gave me the phone number and the email address. I start-ed my search for news and evaluations. I tried to get anunderstanding of the real condition of the car and the repairsI’d need to do. I bought it at last!

But I did not take it to Italy at once. In Connecticut is arestoration firm that I contracted to entirely rebuild the brakesystem. I bought new whitewall tires. The inside of the carwas completely rebuilt as if it were new. My car, my P8, wasready to come home. Only the last tests needed to be done.

The last engine overhaul and the mechanical partsrequired some small repairs. The car was repainted, and therewas the P8. It can now rumble along the roads around theVolcano Etna in Sicily.

Now the car is in Sicily. Shortly I will start the work. Itis nice to see the profile of the P8 with its rumble seat, lined

WWWWeellccoommee eellccoommee hhhhoommeeoommee

PPPP8888!!!!With Italy’s Mount Etna backdropping Sebastino’s P8 r/s coupe

-30-


up to the profileof the VolcanoEtna. The gentlecurves of themudguard (fend-er) and the bon-net (hood) mixwell with thehills of theextinct craters.

It is large,beautiful andpowerful. I willdrive through thewoods of my

mountain withthe powerfulhorsepower ofmy P8.

Welcomehome P8!

I thank all themembers of thePOC who helpedme in the searchand gave me gen-erous advice.

PBPB

“Pretty rare car“Pretty rare car, a rumble, a rumbleseat coupe; 1939 – lastseat coupe; 1939 – last

year for the R/S.” year for the R/S.” – Jim Benjaminson

Proud new owner: Sebastiano and his P8 r/s coupe

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AA ''ssppeecciiaall''AA ''ssppeecciiaall''11994488 PPllyymmoouutthh 11994488 PPllyymmoouutthh

SSppeecciiaall DDeeLLuuxxeeSSppeecciiaall DDeeLLuuxxeeby Nicholas EsingerTroy, Ohio

“Oh“Oh, come on,Cathy, let’sgo to the

DQ Cruise-In tonight.” Itoften takes a few tries, but shewill usually relent once sheremembers that they servefood. Several times this sum-mer it has been warm, but thefact that we can turn the win-dow vents inward to bring infresh air is a comfort; so isopening the “mighty” hoodscoop to really move the air.And, again, we are out for aspin together in the MaroonBalloon.

I have been fortunate to have had some rather nice oldercars in the past dozen years, and Cathy has traveled with mein my old cars to some national summer meets (WPC &NCPC, and Packard). We have traveled in the 1954 PackardCavalier touring sedan, the 1964 Imperial Crown Coupe, the1982 Chrysler Cordoba and the 1984 Chrysler ExecutiveSedan (a custom-built long\-bodied LeBaron), the last two ofwhich I still own. A bit of local travel last summer and thissummer have been completed, but in “our newer car,” a veryoriginal 1948 P15C Special DeLuxe four-door sedan. Overthe winter of 2008/09, I got that feeling that I needed anothercar, even though I hadn’t sold either of the other two! After aspring visit to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum with a localMoPar club and meeting Jim Worton, the museum's manager,I became more enthused with the idea of finding a MoParfrom the 1940s, the one decade I was missing. (Oh, by theway, if you haven't been to the WPC Museum then youshould make plans now! If you work it right you might evenmeet Mr. Worton, a right good man.) While there I found andbought a model of the 1941 Plymouth four-door sedan in yel-low and at a great price, too. Once home, I started reviewingold issues of WPC News and NCPC Journal (I was not then amember of POC) for some interesting-but-complete cars ofthe 1940s. For various reasons, including garage length, Idecided that I wanted a postwar Plymouth; I located threesuch cars. After talking to the owners about the good, thebad, the easy or hard to fix/repair of this era of car, I decidedon a P15. One owner was insistent that his car was not forsale even after I repeated that I was just searching for owner-ship information! And you can about guess the rest of thestory: He was so impressed with my search and questions thatafter several hours (days) of conversation he said something

to the effect that I seemed like a decent guy AND would takevery good care of his car. So, he offered it to me – and at awonderful price, just money! I must add here though, that Iam glad that I did not “fly in, drive home.”

In late May 2009, I talked two friends into making thetrip with me to Maryland “just to look at the car.” One friendis a regular line-mechanic at the local Chrysler-Dodge-Jeepdealer whom I've know for ten years. The other, a profession-al race car driver, has a truck and closed-box trailer, and I’mglad he did as it really rained hard shortly after we loaded upthe Plymouth! The first words out of their mouths when wesaw the Plymouth were, “Better take it Nick, it is nice!” Afterthe test drive, it was still a go, even though we knew it had anexhaust problem. Troy, Ohio, to central Maryland and back is1100 miles and 25 hours!

Immediately upon arrival at home, it was three days ofworking on the car to get it really cleaned up, washed, waxed,and vacuumed out. Then out for the Troy Strawberry Cruise-In and the Festival Car Show that first weekend. It camehome with a 'Top 50." In the following two months it wasserviced by several specialists. A major tune-up to includethe vacuum control unit was done as well as points, plugs,wires, oil and the oil-air filter changes, lubrication, brakeinspection but there was still something “wrong.” So, toD&D Classic Restoration in Covington, Ohio, it went in July.There I am known to Ralph and Mike for providing someChrysler parts and information. They informed me that allthat was needed were new manifold gaskets! In and out thenext week, and it sure helped out the rest of the tune-up, too.Had the transmission and clutch checked out by Noel Renner,a retired transmission man, and it was found to be in goodorder.

The best thing done was to have Mike at Bushong Autodo a complete balance and alignment! At first, Mike said,

TTTThh eehh ee MMMMaarroooonn aarroooonn BBBBaalllloooonnaalllloooonn

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"No way, we don’t have anything in the computer that farback,” to which I noted that I had not only the original own-ers manual but also the original service manual fromPlymouth for all P15s which have the needed numbers. So,we plugged the numbers in and by gosh they worked! Ifyou've not driven one of these cars with the old-style bias-plytires (6.70x15 WSW), even new, then you’re in for a surprise.After the service, the car really drove a great deal better. Nomore constant steering wheel adjustment nor wanderingaround on the road. Well, many services later in the summer– the final one was the replacement of the rubber seal in thehood scoop; it is still tight. Really, all of the glass is clear andnot cracked. Except for the plug wires, all wiring is stillbelieved to be original and all metal and chrome/stainless isalso original. The entire interior upholstery is as it came fromDetroit in June of 1948 and very solid and intact except fortwo small tears and a spot of water leakage. On the test drive,the radio worked well but now a problem has arisen as thereis almost no volume. Four color-coordinated seat belts wereinstalled this July.

Other equipment on this nearly loaded P15 include: AM

radio and cowl-mounted antenna, twin All Weatherheather/Defroster, directional signals, dual outside mirrors,spot light, fog lights, back-up light, lighted hood ornament,front and rear bumper guards with grille guard (a replace-ment?), stainless wheel trim rings; and the 6.70x15 WSW bias-ply tires. The car was repainted in the original color, CruiserMaroon (#601), in the old style paint by the original owner in1994. The original base price was $1,529 and with extras,freight and delivery, I am told that the total price was $1,858– and that was more than most families earned in one year!Over the 39 months of P15 production, there were 1,054,118Plymouths built; of this, 514,986 were the Special DeLuxemodel, an estimated 398,000 made as 1948s. There were more

four-door sedans than any other body style and the higher-priced Special DeLuxe out sold the DeLuxe by more thanfour-to-one.

Everything works except the afore-mentioned radio. Imust believe that most of this is due to a couple of simplefacts: the original owner took good care of the car for over50 years and did not drive it too much; the second owner is aretired director of the Maryland State Police Motor Pool.They had the 1948 Deluxe model as police cruisers, so heliked this car also, and he never drove it too much. But hedid take it to Hershey for the Fall 2007 AACA event wherethis Plymouth earned the coveted HPOF (HistoricalPreservation of Features) Award. When I bought this car ithad only 69,025 original miles! Currently, it has just under70,500 miles and the Maroon Balloon is driven locally (up to50 miles) and rather easily. Out on the open road it holds aneasy and unburdened 45-50 miles per hour with no stress.Fuel is easy. The engine was built (originally for the 1934Dodge until Plymouth got it in 1942) with case-hardenedvalve seats so the use of current unleaded fuel is not a con-cern (no additives needed)! Of all details, the fuel mileage isbetween 15 and 20 miles per gallon.

I have been fortunate with my cars, especially being invit-ed to the Concours d'Elegance with my other cars over theprevious five years. I never placed, but had a ball showingagainst some really fine cars, and enjoyed just “being there.”Last Fall, the Plymouth was entered in the Concoursd'Elegance and showed really well, especially considering thecompetition. Then in July the Maroon Balloon was entered inthe 41st WPC Club Summer Nationals which were held inDayton, Ohio, only 27 miles from my home. I was very sur-prised to be announced as the winner of the Chrysler/JensenAward for the Outstanding P15. This was the first time in sixyears that it was awarded. In early August I was informed

that all three of my cars(Cordoba, Executive, andP15C) were chosen by theselection committee to repre-sent the fine cars of WalterPercy Chrysler at theConcours d'Elegance 2010 inDayton, Ohio! My oh my,what a wonderful situation tobe in but it is the cars that arethe plus here, not me. Yet,were the opportunity to arise,any one, two, or all three ofthese cars would be availableto a new, but caring, ownerwithout too much hesitation.

“Oh, Cathy, let’s go to the DQCruise-In tonight, OK?” “Yes,we can eat there, too.”

PBPB

-33-


by Nicholas EsingerTroy, Ohio

AAnd now, concerning somedriving impressions for the1948 Plymouth Special

DeLuxe which I have owned for fif-teen months and just over 1,400 miles.First, though, it must be stated thatthese are my observations and only forthis particular car. Not having drivenany others, I would not be fair indeclaring that these observations holdfor your car, nor can I imply that allone million fifty-four thousand of thetotal production of the P15 series willbe the same as what I feel, see, andhear, when I drive my car. Also, nothaving seen the report of TomMcCahill of Mechanix Illustrated(BULLETIN 181, pp18-19) more thansixty years ago when he tested thesecars, my ideas may not be the same!Should you disagree with my impressions, I would love tohear from you – as I don't know all of the answers. Be sureto include the topic as well as your impressions (or findings).After all, we do want to keep these fine cars running, right?

FFIRSTIRST,, the policy of not doing anything fast/quickly is proba-bly the best policy. So, take the time to actually read theowner’s manual prior to jumping in and driving away. Theoriginal was in my car when purchased. Also, take a brieftour through the Plymouth Service Manual for general famil-iarity. Should you not have these books, they are availablethrough Bishko Automobile Literature (1-800-544-3312; justsay “Nick referred us” and you just might save a buck ortwo). Second, spend a few minutes in the driver's seatbecoming familiar with the location of the various controls,switches, knobs and instruments (and the mirrors, too) beforeyou even try to fire it up. And, while you’re just sitting there,adjust the seat and then do the mirrors again.

It is funny, isn’t it, how people have changed in stature(size) in the last three generations! I immediately put the seatall the way to the back as I stand about six feet tall and therestill is an imagined feeling of “lack of room.” That big steer-ing wheel has some bearing, though, on the feel of closeness.Not so in the back seat; it is comfortable – after one gets intothe car, one sits up, one doesn’t get in and sit down; thosewere chair-high seats back then. Mr. Zeder and the designerswanted their customer to sit up in a car, as on a sofa, and notdown.

And remember, these cars do not have automatic trans-missions. Therefore, you need to know the use of the clutch,the brake and the gas pedal – all in combination – for a suc-cessful drive. Become used to their locations and functions.Remember also, when you're ready to start the engine, the useof the hand throttle and the manual choke. And, yes, for nowkeep the parking brake applied (pulled back) – that is the

sickle-shaped handle just under the instrument panel of the farleft side, by the door and kick panel.

So, you’re ready to start. Insert the key (as always,MOPAR keys are teeth-up), and turn a quarter turn to the rightand stop – it goes no further. The gauges should now allmove (maybe only a bit): fuel, temp and amps. Next, with afinger of the left hand, push the starter button located at theleft side center of the instrument panel. The starter shouldengage, causing the engine to crank and, hopefully, to start.Depending on the temperature, one may need to use a vari-able amount of choke and some hand throttle until the enginewarms up. I've found these older cars to be rather cold blood-ed; therefore, they need to warm up enough before one drivesoff. Otherwise, they tend to stall out and “buck ‘n jump”until sufficiently warmed. Right, you’ve been driving thenew cars too long: they have automatic chokes and fuel injec-tion, meaning one can start up and take off. But not theseolder cars!

So, you are now warmed up enough and ready to take offfor a nice leisurely drive. Are the mirrors set? If seat beltshave been installed in the last few years, do buckle up – it isall that is keeping you from being impaled onto the steeringcolumn, or your passenger from being thrown through thewindshield or out an open door if in you are in a collision.(My seat belts were just installed in June, purchased fromDan’s in Oregon.) Hand throttle and choke are returned backto normal. No people nor objects near the car nor in the pathleading out of the garage? Release the parking brake, depressthe clutch, engage reverse gear – and remember, this is athree-speed H-pattern on the column – and give it a bit of gasas you engage the clutch slowly, but not all the way. Backout of the garage and down the driveway and, if clear, turninto the street. Clutch, and brake, if needed, and shift intofirst and slowly release the clutch as you start to move on thestreet. And another thing: these cars are not speed demons, so

PPPP1155CC1155CC

DDDDrriivviinngg rriivviinngg IIIImmpprreessssiioonnssmmpprreessssiioonnss

-34-


you probably won’t be going but 5-10 MPH when you slowlyshift into second gear. Why slowly, you say? Easy, there isno synchronizer between first and second gear; only second tothird gear! Oh, you noticed? There was a severe grindingsound when you tried to shift too quickly (or without double-clutching)! At about 8-15 MPH one can shift (maybe a bitquicker now) into third gear. These cars werenot then, and certainly not now, anykind of a hot rod – that is, if youwant to keep it all togetherin one piece and notblowing up the drive-line nor comingapart, so as tolast another 60-plus years!Down-shift-ing is usual-ly donewithoutproblems aslong as it isdone easilyand slowly andyou do it at simi-lar speeds as up-shifting. However,being the chicken that Iam, I don’t shift back into firstuntil the car has stopped! Doremember to depress the clutch just prior tocoming to a full stop. This car has only 70,473 miles(original) as of 8/8/10 and I want it to last for another fewyears. Braking has been without incident, but is not the great-est! They are standard drum brakes, not disc and certainly notpower assisted. So, again, one doesn’t do anything “fast.”You have to learn to plan ahead and be attentive to activitiesaround you (on the road as well as along the road) when driv-ing these vintage cars. Oh, and by now you’ve noticed anoth-er oddity: it is better known as “Armstrong” power steering.While driving, one normally does not notice this fact; itmakes itself known while one is moving very slowly or tryingto park the car. But one can get quite a bit of leverage forturning with that large diameter steering wheel, even at lowspeeds. So far, we’ve covered general knowledge, starting,shifting, braking and steering. And now for the open road.

OONCENCE MOVINGMOVING,, the car really handles very well, wouldn’tyou say? Most of my driving is local (country roads andaround town) and rarely on the Interstate or expressways.The majority of the “superslabs” weren’t here fifty years ago,so there was not yet a standard for higher-speed driving. Infact, if one does much research on the highways in the 1940s,one would find that most roads had speed limits well below50 miles per hour! The prior owner of this Plymouth hadbeen with the Maryland State Police since 1948, and he saidthat in a majority of areas the speed limit was only 35 MPH!Very few area roads would “permit” speeds over 50 MPH, butthat may have been due more to the construction and design

of the roads than the actual posted speed limits. Therefore, Iam very much in line with the speeds of the late 1940s andearly 1950s when today I say that the car rides very well andfeels very stabile in the 45-50 MPH range. I have not yetknowingly had it over an indicated 52 MPH. I sometimescheck my speed with the portable Garmin GPS unit affixed to

the windshield, and find that the speedometer andthe GPS are amazingly consistent.

While driving, you shouldbe aware that the oil pres-

sure can be a criticalconcern. It should

operate between alow of 45 to a

high of 50pounds (PSI).Slow waydown orstop, and itwill alsodrop, but it

goes back upwhen you start

off again. Even with the

headlights turnedon, the amperage/bat-

tery should indicate a pos-itive charge unless you are

stopped at idle. That includes thefog lights being on too. While we’re at it:

when using the directional signals, one can see the varyingamp reading; so, I feel that all is in order.

Like most gauges of modern cars, the fuel gauge is vari-able… to say the least. Even when full, it may or may not soindicate once you’re on the road! And as far as its generalaccuracy, I just make a habit of not letting it get below half-full, so that I don’t get stranded.

To the reverse of high-speed there is an actual quest tosee just how slow one can drive while in top gear – first,without stalling and, second, to drive very slowly and thenaccelerate away without stalling or quitting. My experienceshave been that I can maintain a slow speed of 4-5 MPH andstill be able to pull away, especially in traffic.

So, with all of this information, I still do not have anyreliable figures as to fuel mileage, that old bugaboo of howmany miles per gallon one can obtain. I imagine that at asteady 45-50 MPH on an open road that one could expect 20MPG. But we didn’t buy these old cars for their MPG classifi-cation, did we? My driving is too variable: cruise-ins,show/competition fields, letting it warm up before driving off,and just cruising around town. However, it is between 15 and20 MPG, and that is with a good tune-up. I should not mentionany brands here, but having made a study of ten (major)brands for all of my cars in the recent past, I use one of thetop two “tested” brands of regular grade gasoline. And,speaking of gasoline, I find that because this beautiful littleengine of 217.8 CID was designed for Dodge in 1934 and“given” to Plymouth in 1942 (after millions of ‘“tested”

-35-


miles), that the Chrysler engineers made the use of gasolineto be of either type – leaded or unleaded – by properly creat-ing valves and seats of the proper materials. Thus, there isno need to use any type of additive along with a fill-up ofregular grade gasoline! Wasn’t that thoughtful of thoseChrysler engineers back seventy-five years ago? Not sowith many of the cars of the late 1950s and the years there-after.

Much the same with engine oil: always use a very goodbrand and grade of motor oil, and be sure to watch theweights. Nearly all oil of today is of higher quality thansixty years ago. I prefer HD 30 by Pennzoil. Also, makesure that the transmission, rear-end, and all other lubricantsare of the proper weight and type, if for no other reason thanto keep the seals in good shape. All are good reasons tohave and use the owners manual and the Plymouth ServiceManual. If you need the proper lubricants, then find themand use them. Remember, “Plymouth Builds Great Cars” –but you have to help too!

Not stated earlier, but a very good practice to get intowith these vintage cars, is to always, before you even getinto the car, do a few simple routine service checks. Pop thehood (and here we have to use the inside hood release) tocheck the fluids: oil, water, and battery (so make sure youcarry a quart of oil, regular water, antifreeze and distilledwater; I keep this in a box in the trunk. Here, the use of aminiature kitchen baster is useful, as well as a LED flashlightwhich is kept in the lockable glove-box. While checkingthings underhood, don’t forget to check the tire pressure ona weekly basis with an accurate gauge. The 6.70x15 bias plytires’ pressure should be 24 pounds; it is a rough rider if it istoo high.

SUBMITTED BY NICHOLAS ESSINGER, 10 AUGUST [email protected] (937) 335-1724 – CURRENT CARETAKER OF A

BEAUTIFUL 1948 PLYMOUTH SPECIAL DELUXE FOUR-DOOR SEDAN IN

CRUISER MAROON; VIN 11991858 WITH 70,473 MILES (8/08/10)

AA Note from theNote from theTTech ech AdvisorAdvisor

The article is very nicely written.Nicholas is right on concerning thefacts about the car, and his opinionsare close to what my own would be.I would have given a better ratingfor the brakes. In comparison to theother two brands in the same agecategory, Plymouth’s brakes aresuperior. It would be nice to have afew more random owners donatetheir thoughts for a good compari-son. I'm sure some of the member-ship would be happy to volunteer.

– Frank Marescalco, P15 Tech Advisor

-36-


by Marc HoneyAustin, Texas

JJudy and I want to honor the originalbuilder of our recently acquired 1950P19 business coupe by keeping it

active in the Plymouth Owners Club. TonyCipponeri passed away April 29, 2010.Back in 2002, Tony, along with Tod Fitch,rounded up 21 members in the Riverside,California, area and founded the GoldenState Region POC which was eventuallygranted a charter by the national POCboard. Tony, a proud member of bothorganizations, owned a 1933 Plymouthcoupe and later added the 1950 P19 busi-ness coupe. The 1950 coupe was bought oneBay out of Arizona in 2003 and wasrestored to stock condition and then shownon the local car club scene. It seems Tonyhad bigger dreams for the 1950 three-seater;he wanted to “retro-rod” the car with latemodel all-Mopar drivetrain and drive itacross country to some of the big national events.

Tony and a neighborhood friend started work in about 2008that resulted in the installation of a 360 V8 long block with anEdelbrock aluminum intake with an Edelbrock 1825 four-barrelcarburetor, and electronic ignition. The engine is backed by a"warmed up" B&M modified 727 Mopar Torquefliteautomatic with floor shifter. I promise, youdo not want to be drinking coffee withan open cup when that thing hitssecond gear if you know what Imean! The original radio wasrestored and the interior wasupdated. Front disc brakeswith a power-boosted mastercylinder and Vintage (brand)air conditioning and heatwere installed as last projects.Unfortunately, Tony fell ill justas his dream was coming togetherand was unable to do hisspring/summer tour with the car.

When I saw the car on eBay, I knew Ihad to have it to replace a dream car I onceowned. From 1973-2003, I owned a 1951Plymouth three-passenger coupe that I bought as a $100 projectwhile in college. I built it as a period-correct hot rod for thelate ‘50s with Fenton split cast iron headers, an Edmunds dualone-barrel aluminum intake manifold, an Edmunds finned alu-minum high compression head and an Isky cam. Tobacco-col-ored tuck and rolled naugahyde on stock bench seat and choco-

late carpet andheadliner weretopped off with abright yellowtwo-partpolyurethanepaint job. It wasa sweet ride that

moved me from Florida to New Orleans and on to Texas in1979 and was my daily driver for almost ten years until it brokedown. I had to sell it in 2003 when we tried to retire to a beachcondo we owned in Florida which had no garage. I had beenmoving it around for years planning to retro-rod it when I

retired and realized without a garage I would never revive myold dream. Fortunately, it went to a collector in

Oatmeal, Texas, who has repainted andfixed it up.

Cut to late June 2010, I seea 1950 Plymouth on eBay that

had been built exactly theway I wanted to do my ‘51,and the rest is history. Isweated my way throughthe bidding process and at

1:30 AM one morning, Ibecame the owner of my lat-

est Plymouth. When the carshowed up on the trailer at my

house in Austin, I was very pleased tosee that it met all expectations anddescriptions, which is not always the casewith eBay.

Knowing Tony's story, it made sensefor us to try and keep the car in the POC family, so we soughtout the one closest to us. What a pleasant surprise when VanMassirer, president of the Lone Star Region- Plymouth OwnersClub, invited us to come along on their fall cruise held October8 and 9 in the Crawford, Texas, area. A great group of people,high quality cars and weather you couldn’t “order up” any bet-ter all combined into a wonderful experience that led us to join-ing the club and this group of loyal Plymouth owners – and thedream continues.

My sole motivation in writing the article was to let the folks in theGolden State Region know that their founder's car has gone to a

good “Plymouth home” and is still active in POC… missionaccomplished.

CCCCoonntt iinnuuee tthhee oonntt iinnuuee tthhee DDDDrreeaammrreeaamm

Tony Cipponeri wipes down his P19 businesscoupe during the 2007 National Spring Meet.

-37-


by Richard RobertsonAustin, Texas

AAChristmas present for us in 2009was the prospect of a new life forour Honeymoon Car. It is 57 years

old, has 270,251 miles and has not run forabout eight years. We got the 1951Plymouth Cambridge on October 19, 1951,the day before we married. We took it onour honeymoon.

When our son, Rick, was married, hetook it on his honeymoon. And our daugh-ter, Beth, had it when she married. So it islogical to call it the Honeymoon Car.

It may be the honeymoon car again forthe new owner, our friend, Mike Heuser wholives in Farmington, New Mexico. Mike hasprobably forgotten more about auto mechan-ics than many mechanics know. For yearshe kept Jeannie and David on the road withtheir RV as they sang their way across thewestern United States and Alaska. Many times he would goafter them whenever and wherever they werestranded to get them going again. He is verypartial to Chrysler automobile models andhas a collection of Plymouths, Dodgesand Chryslers. Adding our Plymouthto his fleet is very special, he says,because of its history and our familyfriendship. It will be his honeymooncar because he and Ginnie plan to bemarried and he plans to have restored itin time for their honeymoon.

Parting with our Plymouth leaves uswith mixed emotions. It has certainly been ourhistory. I drove it over 100,000 miles fromTemple, Texas, to Fort Hood for ten years. Charlie Freemanand I car-pooled for nine of those years and “solved” all ofthe Exchange problems as well as those of the world. Wecarefully waxed it nearly every summer. When it took us toRockport on vacation, it had a protective cover against thesalt air.

And for years it carried either our canvas-covered row-boat or paddle board on top. We even added a trailer hitch sowe could pull a light fishing boat.

In our square dancing days, we drove to dances in Austin,Rockdale, Cameron, Waco, Belton, Salty and Killeen and toSPJST (Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas orSlavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas) halls aroundTemple. Before our first child, Rick, was born, we were at adance in Cameron and Marian was very “great with child.”Our other Temple dancers were there and joked with us thatshe might deliver on the side of the road on the way home.We left the dance a little early and learned the next morningthat our friends spotted what they thought was our car besidethe road and they quickly stopped and all ran out to our res-cue. To their embarrassment they had descended upon a cou-

ple making out! In the late fifties I was at work at Fort Hood and had

an appendicitis attack. I went to a Killeen doctorwho told me that I’d better leave for Temple

immediately or expect to spend a week inthe hospital there. In great pain I enlist-ed Sam Rice, the Main Exchange storemanager, to drive me to the King’sDaughters Hospital in Temple. It was awild ride in the Plymouth and in

Temple we had to cross train tracks toget to the hospital. We heard the train

whistle in the distance and Sam “put thepedal to the metal” just in time. The doctorswere waiting at the hospital and I immediatelywent into surgery. I never learned how Sam got

back to Killeen. We were blessed with auto mechanics for most of Plym

1’s (as we called it) active life. Tillman Marshall, one of thesquare dancers, took care of it for the ten years in Temple.

FFoorr tt hh ee FFoorr tt hh ee HHHH oonneeyymmoooonn oonneeyymmoooonn CCCC aa rraa rr

AA NNAA NNee ww ee ww LLLL ii ff eeii ff ee

At Rick’At Rick’s wedding:s wedding: August 14, 1976

In Temple, Texas: May 1960

The original honeymoonersThe original honeymooners

-38-


On his recommendation we went to H. P. Wellsat University Garage when we moved backto Austin. H.P. had Bill Guthrie workingwith him in the garage, and that led to a28-year relationship with Bill takingcare of the Plymouth. He was asproud as we were of the car. I wouldtake it to him wherever his locationwould be and then drive his car to work.After work I would take his car back andpick up thePlymouth.Or if heneeded itlonger, hewould haveme keep hiscar and hewould get aride to hishome. Itwas verysad whenBill retiredand moved to Granite Falls. That wasthe beginning of Plym 1’s neglect.

Of our five children, Rick was theone with the greatest connection to thecar. Not only did he have it on hishoneymoon, but he and his wife Kevynhad it the years he was in law school.About the time the other kids were tak-ing driver education, they were drivingautomatic transmissions instead ofstick shifts, so their connections to thecar while growing up were as its pas-sengers.

Marian drove the car the years sheworked at Ortega Elementary Schoolin East Austin and after she startedworking for Dr. Heffley. Coming

home one day she was hit byan oncoming car. Fortunatelywe had a parts car (sometimescalled a cannibal) and with adifferent hood and front fend-ers and some chrome fromKattner Junk Yard in Thrall,we had it looking like new.Then in 1985, I picked up acopy of the Green Sheet, and awant-ad jumped out at me,saying a 1951 PlymouthCambridge was for sale. Ifinally bought it as anotherparts car but couldn’t standtreating it as such and had BillGuthrie get it running again.And after a new paint job, it

was a twin to Plym 1 and becamePlym 2. We still have it and are trying to get

it running again. A year ago, in our Christmas letter

to Mike, I told him the car was his for atoken dollar amount and all he neededto do was to come and get it. So afterChristmas, 2009, he and Ginnie came

with trailer to pick it up. To get it out ofthe garage with its frozen right front

wheel, Mikejacked upthe car andput twowheel dol-lies under itand pulled itout with hispickup.When hewas unsuc-cessful infreeing thefrozen

wheel, hecalled his 86-year-old Plymouthmechanic friend, Clyde Alexander,who told him he would have to drag italong the street. It worked! The nextday Mike cranked it onto his trailerand began the long drive to NewMexico. He called New Year’s Eve at7:15 PM and reported an uneventful tripall the way home. He was and is excit-ed.

Mike has promised audio and visu-al updates as he prepares Plym 1 to go

on another honeymoon. Now let’s get the twin running

again. PBPB

Plym 2 and Plym 1: We found “Honeymoon’s” twin in 1985.

Mike with “Honeymoon” on his trailer

Father and daughter: I’m with Jeannie the travel-ing folksinger who introduced us to Mike. Ouryoungest daughter, Beth, is the one who honey-

mooned in the Plymouth.

-39-


by Joseph B. LewisRedford, Michigan

MyMy1964 Valiant V200 convertible was producedlate in the 1964 model year. It was shipped toAdvance Auto Sales, Inc., a dealership located

in Auburn, Maine, and was originally purchased on October5, 1964, by a gentleman who lived in Old Orchard Beach,Maine. The car actually wasn’t sold until afterthe 1965 models were being produced.

There were only 5,856 V200Valiant convertibles produced duringthe 1964 model year. My car wasthe 2,745th V200 convertible toroll off the Old Dodge Main Plantassembly line, which was locatedin Hamtramck, Michigan. My caroriginally had a white body, a blackconvertible top and a red interior witha red top boot. It was also ordered withpower steering, power brakes, an AM radio,power convertible top, windshield washer unit, back-up lights and white sidewall tires.

I’m not sure of the details, but the Valiant was brought toMichigan and ended up on the used car sales lot of AlbroChrysler Plymouth, Inc., in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The carwas then purchased by a relative of the first owner on March6, 1966. At that time the car had only 4,400 miles on theodometer. This family drove the Valiant from 1966 throughthe spring of 1981 at an average of approximately 2,900 miles

per year. Theycontinued todrive the caruntil the springof 1983, when agentleman, whobecame the thirdowner, pur-

chased the car. He drovethe car about one year andthen decided to sell itbecause of financial rea-sons.

In March of 1984, heran an ad in the SundayDetroit News. I saw thead and called him to getmore details about the car.He told me that everythingon the car was original butthere was some framedamage on the left side. Iwent over to look at thecar a few days later. Atfirst I was not veryimpressed. The car hadalso been hit on the rightrear quarter panel, and thefront bumper was alsodamaged to the point ithad an inverted V- shapein the middle that would

have to be straightened. I told him I couldn’t pay his askingprice because of the body damage that would have to berepaired. I gave him a counter offer. He thought it over andcalled me several days later stating that if I would give him$25 more than what I offered, the car was mine. I agreed and

purchased the car on April 1, 1984. I actually gotthe car for $125 less than his original asking

price.I would like to thank a fellowPlymouth Owners Club, Inc., mem-ber who made me aware of theValiant convertibles. At that time,I was looking for a 1967 through1969 Barracuda convertible but

could not find a decent one for salein the metropolitan Detroit area. He

stated that a Valiant convertible was agreat alternative. This is when I took his

advice, and the rest is history.When I saw a 1964 Valiant showroom brochure that had a

picture of a convertible with a red body, red interior and a redtop boot, I decided to change the exterior color of the car. Iwas immediately sold on that color combination, since theexterior color was all I had to change.

At present, the Valiant has been repaired and repaintedred. It now has over 81,000 original miles on the 225 slantsix engine which puts out 145 horsepower. It has been avery reliable car that we have enjoyed driving in and out ofthe state of Michigan. I would recommend the Valiant modelto anyone looking for a dependable and durable Plymouth.

I’m also very pleased to tell anyone that “Yes, this is myfirst convertible.”

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE OCTOBER 28, 2010, EDITION OF OLD CARS WEEKLY NEWS & MARKETPLACE

MMMM yy yy FFFF iirrsstt ii rrsstt CCCC oonnvveerrtt iibb ll eeoonnvveerrtt iibb ll eeAt the 1988 Grand National MeetAt the 1988 Grand National Meet in Plymouth, MichiganGwen and Joe Gwen and Joe [BELOW] at the 1991 National Summer Meet in

Brampton, Ontario.

-40-


At the 1998 Grand National:At the 1998 Grand National: same location, different wheelcovers

At the 2008 Grand National:At the 2008 Grand National: hub caps, this time

From a 1964 VFrom a 1964 Valiant brochure:aliant brochure:inspiration for Joe’s red Valiant convert-ible. The caption reads: “… you’llnever go fishing for compliments.”

AA 1964 1964 Argentine VArgentine Valiant ad: aliant ad: It

looks like a Dodge Dart, but it’s a

Valiant. Unlike the Canadian Valiant of

1964 (and ‘63) which had a Valiant

front clip mounted on a Dart body, the

Argentine Valiant was all Dart. The

Canadian Valiant would follow suit for

1965 and ‘66.

FROM THE DETROIT REGION NEWSLETTER,

JOE LEWIS, EDITOR

-41-


TThe Plymouth Furystarted out in1956 and was

sold from that yearthrough 1958 as an off-white hardtop coupe withgold anodized aluminumtrim. From 1965 when ithad been reintroduced asa full size car, until 1977, Plymouthsales owed a great deal to the Fury’spopularity. The Fury was available infour trim levels: Fury 1, Fury II, Fury IIIand Sport Fury and priced to matchChevrolet’s Biscayne, Bel Air, Impalaand Impala SS models.

I owned a 1965 Fury I four-doorsedan, or rather, I should say, my wifedid before I married her. After we weremarried, I pulled the motor and transmis-sion, for some reason. The body thengot buried along with the remains of thebarn on our newly purchased farm. Itwas a 14-year-old car and a bottom-of-the-line model but why we buried it, Iam not sure. It must have been sometime before I had started my Mopar-onlyjunkyard on this same farm. So there isa ‘65 Fury I four-door that has beenburied by a Caterpillar tractor on myfarm. I wonder what is left of it.

In 1959 Plymouth introduced theSport Fury as its top-of-the-line model.The Fury model name was stepped downto replace the Belvedere and Belvederecame back as a mid-model line. TheSport Fury was dropped at the end of1959 but did come back in 1962.

It seems funny to think that the 318wide block had started out as the high-performance engine in the late ‘50s only,in time, to become the bottom-of-the-line, V8 engine-wise, by the mid-‘60sand later.

I just looked on eBay and found a

1966 Fury hot rod for sale. It is a stationwagon done up neatly in purple withorange flames. It can be had for $6400with the “buy it now” price. If I had themoney I’d buy it, you can bet on that. Ido love Mopar station wagons. It has a318 with mild shift kit. You can be sureit would be fun to play with.

The main C-body I had way-back-when was a 1970 Fury III two-doorhardtop purchased in 1972 for $1400.The reason why it was so cheap is that itwas an oddball with a 383 two-barreland three-speed-on-the-tree manualtransmission. It had a vinyl top with airconditioning but no power steering andwas a bench seat car. It did get over 20MPG cruising at 80-plus MPH on theInterstate. One time very late at night, Idecided to see what it would do top-end-wise as it had a very high-geared rearend. It would not break the tires loosebut did well over 135 by the speedome-ter. Whew!

The car was traded for a 1974Mustang II Ghia model with a V6 andfour-speed. We thought we had the cat’smeow but with three kids, maybe not,eh? The Fury did have a rather uncom-fortable front seat. It would have beenbetter with buckets.

There has been some talk aboutPlymouth C-bodies. What year did theystart to call them that? My guess wouldbe 1967. Am I right? (Officially, 1965,

but, for convenience, 1960-61 full-sizedPlymouths are often called C-bodies aswell. – ed.)

In 1968, 28,996 Fury I models astwo- and four-door sedans were made.Where are they now? They made 59,284Fury II models in two- and four-doorsedans plus a wagon model. It’s hard tobelieve but there were 195,033 modelssold in the Fury III line. They came in

every body style possible.There were only 26,204Sport Fury models sold thatyear, including hardtopcoupes and convertibles. Bythe way, what is an FT coupein that line? (It’s called theFastop with a roof line moresloped than the regular hard-top’s. – ed.)

In the Sport Fury line they had two kindsof coupes for 39,670 cars sold. Last butnot least were the super-fancy VIP cars.Where in blue blazes are they? We haveone in our Mopar-only junkyard. Thecar is owned by my son. It’s very rough,restorable though it could be. In 1968they apparently built 349,187 C-bodies.That is a lot of cars for not many to bearound anymore compared to the musclecars like the Road Runner and GTX.

In ‘69, by comparison, there were74,866 Fury I models available in two-and four-door sedans plus six-passengerwagons. With Fury II models availableas two- and four-door sedans plus hard-tops and two sizes of wagons, they pro-duced 70,507 cars. In the Fury III linethey built 234,303 in every model fromfour-door sedans to nine-passenger wag-ons and convertibles. Sport Furysaccounted for 17,868 cars sold in twokinds of coupes and a convertible. Thismade for 411,325 C-Bodies built in1969.

These statistics from just two yearsof C-body Plymouth production tell youthat there were a lot of them were sold –nearly three-quarters of million. Theymust be mostly junk by now or havebeen recycled. I will continue with morespecs on these cars in the next issue. Ihope you had a happy holiday season.

-- CLIF-- CLIF [email protected]

ClifClif ’’s Notess Notes

-42-

PlymouthPlymouthC-bodiesC-bodies

1967 Sport Fury Fastop


The 1970 Sport Fury GT C-body was one of Plymouth’s Rapid Transit System.

-43-


by Bill WellsTifton, Georgia

MyMyfirst remembrance of aPlymouth automobile comes from 1936. Oneday my dad came home from work in a brand

new shiny (black of course) four-door Plymouth. I got in theback seat and tried to reach the handles on each side. I wasonly four years old at the time. He went back to work, butwhen he later returned he was driving a business coupe whichwas way too small for a growing family.

In January 1943, my sister was born. Whenthe four of us traveled in the coupe, she wouldhave to sit in my mother’s lap or stretch outon the shelf between the front seats and theback window. I sat between my parents.My dad later traded the Plymouth for a redDodge truck.

In the early 1950s he traded for a 1950

green two-door sedan. There is one pictured in the AntiqueAutomobile Club of America, July/August, 2008, issue on page34 that is exactly like the one he had.

He also had a 1955 two-door Savoy which was orangewith a brown top. He had this car when he died in 1967. Afterhis death I drove it for several years.

My mother continued to trade for Plymouths. Iremember when she bought a 1960 white four-door withthe high fins and later she traded for a 1978 four-door,white with a red top. She died in 1986.

Over the years I have owned three Dodge automo-biles: a 1956 was a wedding gift; later I bought a two-door 1964 Dart and 1965 Coronet station wagon. Ibought only one Plymouth. In 1984 I traded for a 1981maroon four-door Reliant which I drove for three years.

I am excited about being a memberof the Plymouth Owners Club and hope tolearn more about the history of a fine auto-mobile. And who knows, I might again bea Plymouth owner one of these days. PBPB

My dad and his ‘50 PlymouthMy dad and his ‘50 Plymouth

AA friend of my aunt’friend of my aunt’s sitting on our ‘36’s sitting on our ‘36’s bumpers bumperwith my sister and mewith my sister and me

1955 Savoy1955 Savoy

My‘81 ReliantMy‘81 Reliant My motherMy mother ’’s ‘78 Vs ‘78 Volaréolaré

The ‘60, with my sonThe ‘60, with my son

BBillill andand his his PPararents’ Plymouthsents’ Plymouths

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Plymouth PotpourriPlymouth Potpourri

Plymouth spotting:Plymouth spotting: “Marilyn and Bill” (no last name given) say they “drove 4,750 miles to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, to getthis off-the-main road picture of a 1950 P19 ‘fastback’ sedan and an old gas pump.”

The 1931 PThe 1931 PAA r/s cabrioleetr/s cabrioleet was found in 1968 in Kenne, New York, by DonaldScott of Ontario, New York. Above is how his car appeares in a 2009 photograph.

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IIt’s a simple concept; nothing earth-shattering about it. Yet, practicallyanything has two sides. A coin has

heads and tails. Stamps have a face and asticky side.

Getting away from objects and into themore abstract, we find it possible to specu-late that people likewise have two distinctsides to their personalities. It could be thatthey have a “good” side as opposed to a“bad” one or a “light” versus a “dark” side.The possibilities are endless when it comesto discussing humans and human behavior.

Now that I have you thinking abouttwo-sided things, let’s add Plymouth minia-tures to the mix. Right, there is such ananimal as a two-sided Plymouth miniature.Just take a look at the pictures I’ve includ-ed and read on.

As is often the case withPlymouth miniatures I find andenjoy writing about in this col-umn, the source of my materialis an antique or a flea market.This tin-plate friction-drive 1958Plymouth Suburban stationwagon, made by Bandai ofJapan, was found at a Saturdaymorning flea market held onlyin the summer months, high ona mountain top near US Rt. 40in western Pennsylvania, not toofar from my home. I’ve oftenlocated some neat automotive-related itemsat this event but nothing, from my point ofview, that can be considered as an especial-ly rare and valuable miniature as thisBandai Plymouth.

Both the seller and I smiled brightly asI stopped at his table and picked up thisSuburban for a closer look: he, of course,because he saw me as a potential buyer; I,needless to say, for having spotted a gor-geous and seldom-seen Plymouth minia-ture. The seller had placed the Plymouthstrategically with its left side to the buyerand, man, was I impressed – a fabulousvintage miniature in like-new condition.My impression dimmed, as did my cheerfulgrin, when I examined the other side. Hissmile, no doubt reflecting mine, alsodulled. How could one side be so down-right perfect and the other show seriousrust damage on the roof edge between thetwo doors and also on the lower front door

and front fender? On the left side I was gazing at a

tin station wagon that, as a toy vehiclecollector and Plymouth lover, made mymouth water like that of a long-lost hikeron the Gobi Desert running across a sur-prise fresh water spring. Just take a ganderin the pictures at the ivory lower bodycolor with a light, almost pale green roofand matching green and ivory checker-board patterned litho interior, the full wheeldiscs and perfect chrome, including thatshow-off grille sported by the ‘57-58Plymouths and the solid, brightly trimmedbumpers. And for sure, all late ‘50sPlymouth fans will have already taken noteof those stylish Exner fins that Bandaiaccentuated with PLYMOUTH beautifullyscripted in black letters.

Even the base of the car is detailed insilver over black with a large B-logo mark.I should also add that this car was noslouch as a driver. Its friction motor worksjust as if it were new, plus the plastic glaz-ing in the front and rear windows, oftendefective on vintage tin-plate vehicles,looks factory fresh. Flipping this tinPlymouth masterpiece over on its rightside, in this case its “wrong” side left meheartbroken. Nothing’s changed from mydescription above except that durned rustthat left me confounded as I tried to fathomhow it could have happened. Finally, theseller broke my silent and glum reverie bymuttering that a former owner had left thePlymouth too close to some damp pipesand, “yeah, it’s too bad.”

“For sure,” I stammered and askedabout the price, hoping it would be a rightside and not a left side one. No such luck;it was much higher than even I might have

imagined, given the damage. Disheartened, I walked the rest of the

fair but just couldn’t resist the lure of thetwo-sided Suburban and went back to theseller with the intention of negotiating alower price. We hassled awhile in a friend-ly manner and finally settled on $55. Heclaimed he was taking a loss, and Ibemoaned the fact that I was paying a stiffprice for half a Plymouth. You might say itwas a discussion with two sides! He wasdoubtlessly glad to part with it for a decentbuck, and I had purchased a still comelyvintage Plymouth with some rust. Thinkingabout it a bit more, who among us canrecall a ‘58 Plymouth without any rust atall.

Expect to shell out someheavy-duty cash if you are inthe market for or have the rareopportunity to acquire a tin-plate Bandai Plymouth. Youmight find a genuine clunker inthe $40 range. One similar incondition to mine will run youfrom what I paid to about $75.A mint car with perfect left andright side might even go for asmuch as $250. I’ve seen ithappen on eBay.

In closing this article, Iam again thinking that maybe my two-sided introduction is not as applicable as Ihad originally thought. Examining myPlymouth for the umpteenth time, I’vecome to realize that it, in fact, has morethan two sides, just like a lot of things andpeople. There’s the front end and rear tailgate, the roof, hood and undercarriage, aswell as the interior. That adds up to sixmore good sides that, together with myalready perfect left panel, leave me withseven admirable sides and only one rustyside to worry about. Seven out of eightisn’t too shoddy no matter what we aretalking about, and it’s “gotta” be even bet-ter when the fortunate topic is a rare andvintage Plymouth miniature.

-- Bill Brisbane-- Bill [email protected]

Both sides, nowBoth sides, now

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Plymouth MiniaturesPlymouth Miniatures


Founded 1957

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