Tioga Transmission Volume 16 Issue 6
June 2016
Tioga Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America
June Meeting Information Tioga Region will be meeting at the Newark Valley Depot on June 20, 2016. The time is our usual 7:00PM. This will be one of the last meetings before the car show so it is important that we have a major portion of the membership present!
months there has been a definite lack of support from the membership. I realize that there are conflicts in the obligations of the membership with other interests, but it is one of the issues that have been addressed in the past.
Tioga Region can not continue to exist without the support of all the members. As of the last several
We are open to suggestions for a change of meeting times or nights, but we have not had an input that
would help us to meet your conflict needs. IT IS YOUR INPUT THAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE OUR CLUB FIT THE NEEDS OF THE MAJORITY. You need to communicate your concerns and suggestions if we are to make the changes that will fit the majority.
A Joint Venture On June 7, 2016 a small group of car guys got together at the BOCES campus to show the children our cars. The following clubs were represented, The Mustang
Club, Cruisin’ Buddies, Iroquois Region and of course our own Tioga Region. On the last page of this newsletter you will find a picture that does more to tell of
the success of this venture than anything that I could write. The car is my 1978 Monte Carlo. The child was confined to a wheelchair until he was helped into the car!
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Secretary's Report Meeting May 16 We met at Route 96 for ice cream. Twelve people enjoyed the time together .We continued on to the Depot for a video about Burma Shave advertizing.. Discussion followed regarding:
Shade tents will be provided for the car show
No privately owned umbrella or tents on the show field, signs will be created to enforce this rule.
2500 copies- fliers with registration have been ordered for $178
Motion and approved to create an separate area for all Tioga Region cars at the show. This is intended to show our presence without the confusion of our cars on the show field. Respectfully submitted, Cheryl Klingensmith
Volume 16 Issue 6
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Tioga Transmission
A Young Mans First Car!
his supper before we could go out looking. At last we entered Dad’s 1961 Rambler sedan to begin our search for the vehicle that would give me my independence.
June, 1962 location Monroeville Pennsylvania, nine miles east of Pittsburgh. After a long and frustrating battle with my German heritage father who insisted that I did not deserve a car until I had graduated from high school I was given permission to buy my first car. That Friday I had been promised when my father got home from work we would go car shopping. You can imagine my frustration when the old man was
more than two hours late in coming home! I had done some looking at cars on the local lots and had found one or two that might meet my needs. They were not the most attractive, but seemed to fit in the $250.00 to $300.00 range that I thought I would be able to afford with the $100.00 Dad gave me for a down payment. My frustration was compounded by the fact that my father would need to have
Soon my frustration increased as we cruised right by the used car lots that I had haunted in my on the hoof visits. My father said nothing when I pointed out the car I had decided would be right for that coveted first set of wheels. The six lane Parkway leading to the city was lined with car lots but my father continued past all the lots that I had walked to! Soon there were no more businesses along the section of road we were traveling, then a ramp provided the location for a “u” turn.
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Volume 16 Issue 6
First Car (Continued)
A short time later Dad turned into one of the largest used car lots on the Parkway. I had not looked in that lot because it was a more expensive lot and I was sure I would not be able to afford anything they might have in stock. By the time we were out of the car a salesman was at the door with the keys to a car in his hand. My father took the keys and led me to a 1956 Mercury! This was a Montclair two door hardtop that was the top of the line model for that year! The bright yellow and black color would make the few of the friends I had jealous as soon as they saw it. Although I objected that I could not afford such a nice car
Dad insisted that I drive this beauty. The test drive was amazing, not only was the car sharp to look at but it also had POWER! I was hooked!!! When we got back to the lot I attempted to open the hood to check the oil and look at the massive v-8. My father insisted that he had checked the engine and that as he had already completed all the necessary paper work all I needed was to sign the papers and drive my prize home, or as it was time, to work. It was irritating that I would have to put in four hours at my dish washing job before I could really go out on my own to drive. I could hardly wait to have people see me in this girl getter that I now owned! I should have said that the bank
and I owned as I now had a loan of $550.00 to pay off before I owned the car outright. I watched as my father drove away then opened the hood to see the engine for the first time. The 312 cu in v8 was rated at 210 hp and filled the opening with a satisfying snugness. I of course couldn’t resist pulling the dipstick to check the oil and found that although the oil looked new it was down a quart. I stopped at the first gas station and filled the gas and oil before driving the half mile to the motel where I worked. Four hours of washing dishes never seemed so long as they did that night. I was aware that I had to find a better job to be able to afford the beauty that now had my name on the title.
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First car (continued)
Of course the weekend was not the time to begin a job search so that would have to wait until Monday to begin. The last dish was finely washed and the kitchen secured, I now had time to drive for the first time without a destination or supervision. At midnight I fired up the Mercury and without any destination in mind proceeded to put the first twenty five miles on the clock totally at my direction! I had no qualms about parking the yellow beast in front of the house for all the neighbors to see that night. Saturday morning I could hardly wait to get out the hose and bucket to do homage to the object of my new found freedom in the form of it’s first bath. With the car now free of the light coat of dust that had accumulated over night I again opened the hood to admire the massive engine. Of
course the next obvious step was to pull the dipstick to see the oil level, to my utter shock the level was once again down by a full quart! A quick trip to the service station down the street provided not only the needed quart of oil but a backup two quarts just in case. The next stop was at the local parts store where I found floor mats and a suicide knob in the proper bright yellow to go with the shinny outside. Of course it was imperative that I cruise the mall and a couple of other local hangouts so the proletariat could see how the other people lived. It was soon time for lunch and as I had promised my mother that I would be home
for it I made a quick return home. I had driven all of fifteen miles on this outing. Within that same afternoon I had added another three quarts of oil to the total that I had purchased and they had all been added to the engine. I now decided that there was a serious problem with the car but how could I tell my father that this Lemon Yellow car might just be living up to it’s color? I now had decided to make the purchase of the necessary oil in bulk in the form of gallon size containers. It became a routine that at each stop I checked the oil and added as needed. The second gallon container soon was replaced by the third!
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Volume 16 Issue 6
First Car (Conclusion)
Monday morning my job search was derailed when the engine of the Mercury died! Thirteen quarts of oil in 189 miles could not delay the inevitable. The next step seemed to be impossible, My father proposed to tow the Mercury 38 hilly miles to a mechanic he knew with his six cylinder automatic transmission 1961 Rambler Classic sedan!!!
The mechanic confirmed that the car had been sold to me with a blown piston, bent rod, bent crank shaft, ruined bearings, and sawdust in the pan to hide the noise of the engine tearing itself apart! To make matters worse the
car dealer insisted that he had sold the car as is and he would do nothing to stand behind the deal! I was now $550.00 in the hole and without a drivable car! Back I went to the motel to wash more dishes so I could pay for a heartbreak that had n o more usefulness. That night though my father assured me that there would be a car in the parking lot for me to drive home when I left work. Half way through my shift I was told to come to the front desk as I had a visitor, my father was waiting with the keys to the car he found to replace the Mercury. It was a
good thing that it was dark when I first sew the car that would be my consolation. The 1955 Plymouth 4 door sedan had a six cylinder engine with three on the tree. The only addition to the basic car was an AM radio. The rust that had eaten the fenders was included without extra charge. I honestly believe that the only thing holding the body together was the paint! And it had a dog of an engine! There was never an Industrial six Plymouth that was so beaten on but nothing I did could kill that gem!
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Members At Grand National The Grand National meet at Williamsport Penna. Was attended by at least three of our members.
the reward to have their Ute receive their first Grand National Award! Congratulations!
Bernie Sheret was one of the judges who had the honor of selecting cars in his assigned class to receive the highest award AACA presents to the best restored cars in our national organization.
Bill Clark entered his 1957 Metropolitan for a repeat Grand National which he easily achieved with the well known car.
John and Lisa Milton had
Bill also did an outstanding job of covering the show for both
Iroquois Region, which he represents as their Secretary and Newsletter editor, and Tioga Region, which he also belongs to. The picture below shows John and Lisa’s Ute at the show and was provided by Bill for us to enjoy.
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Volume 16 Issue 6
I Am Frustrated For the last eight years I have wondered who was actually coordinating the Strawberry Festival Parade as the seemed to wait till the last possible moment to send out the information about the lineup and times to the persons who would be involved in the actual parade. This year though they have made it a record! We are now
less than a week from the kickoff and they still have not sent the information! Saturday the 18th is the date but I have no idea as to where and when we are to line up! These people seem to forget that we have to let not only our own members know what is happening but also the members of Iro-
These might not be in our club but we do have cars that are just as impressive.
quois Region and The Crusin’ Buddies. We have made all the necessary arrangements that they have requested, but they have been dragging their feet. All I can say is that as soon as I get some information I will get it out to you. Watch your email for the information. I hope that they have not decided to eliminate us from this outing!!!