December 2019 Mass Cruisers Auto Club Newsletter

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

Monthly Crusin

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Mass Cruisers Auto Club December 2019

October 24th Cruise Winner #1 1956 Chevrolet 210 Handyman Station Wagon

October 24th Cruise Winner #2 1931 Ford Tudor Street Rod

Wright's Farm Restaurant Cruise

October 24th Cruise Winner #3 1966 Pro Street Mustang

INSIDE: PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE FOOD PANTRY UPDATE CRUZIN AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS We’re on the Web

Celebrating 28 Years of Cruisin’ Volume 28 Issue 12

www.masscruisers.com And Facebook

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

Monthly Crusin Contact us by snail mail: P.O. Box 217, Wrentham, MA 02093 Or by email: HO350@comcast.net

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We have moved all monthly meetings to the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room at 1 Bass Pro Place in Foxboro, MA beginning in May. Monthly meetings will still be held the third Tuesday of the month starting at 7 PM, guests and visitors are welcome to attend. Business meetings will be held an hour earlier, club members are encouraged to attend.

Club Officers

DIRECTORY

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PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE

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OCTOBER 24TH CRUISE WINNER #1

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OCTOBER 24TH CRUISE WINNER #2

Secretary: Lesley Corda-Majeski Asst. Secretary: John Guravage

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WRIGHT’S FARM RESTAURANT CRUISE

Treasurer: Kevin Rushlow Asst. Treasurer: Rich Armando

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At Large Board Member: Steve Huntington

2019 FOOD PANTRY RESULTS

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OCTOBER 24TH CRUISE WINNER #3

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MESSAGE FROM SANTA

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SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS

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AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS

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President: Mark Crichton Vice President: Larry Nyborn

Special Assignments Webmaster: Steve Vining

Managing Editor: John Buchanan Newsletter Editor: John Guravage Digital Graphics Editor: Diane Thorton Facebook: Patrick Touhey New Members: Zeke Sawayer Sgts. at Arms: Rick Lawlor John Sturniolo Charity Coord.: Frank Bryant Food Pantry: Steve Fernald Bob Okerholm By-Laws: Wayne Lestan MAAC Rep: John Buchanan Cruise Nights: Steve Huntington Sponsors: John Buchanan Fred Tierney

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President’s Tailpipe

By Mark Crichton

Wrapping up another year of Car Shows at Bass Pro, we had some UPS and DOWNS. The season started slow and with three rainouts we still had a great turnout. The Food Pantry can and donation drive went very well. The Engine Build-Off finished in the rain and darkness with four teams from Norfolk Agricultural and Blue Hills Regional vocational high schools competing. All teams did a fantastic job. Now as we slow down for the winter months we can plan for next year's shows and gather our thoughts to see if we can improve the already successful season.

We ended this year losing three wonderful people, Roy Rossman, Paula Lawlor, and Roger Reizovic. All three will be missed greatly. Our deepest condolences to their families and friends.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season, see you next year!

Thank you, President, Mark Crichton

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October 24th Cruise Winner #1

By John Buchanan

Ken Madeiros has owned his 1956 Chevrolet 210 4-door Handyman Station Wagon for two years and, in checking my photo archives, I found a couple of pictures taken last year, one of which was Ken driving into the cruise which I’ve included here. I also recall Ken’s ’56 was mentioned as a possible cruise pick at one of those two cruises Ken brought it to Foxboro last year, so persistence paid off tonight with bringing home a Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruiser of the night award plaque along with a pair of Patriot Place adult Play Action Passes. This Handyman was from Washington state originally where is was restored and that an Oregon buyer had won the bid for at a Barrett-Jackson auction. In further checking the archives Ken’s PPG Vibrance “Rattlesnake” painted 1955 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery with air brushed green flamed front end was another cruise award pick in October 2015. We didn’t ask, but now are wondering if the ’56 wagon replaced the ’55 sedan delivery?

Vintage station wagons are growing in popularity and Ken’s ’56 has all the right modifications to make the more than 200 mile round trip to our Bass Pro Shops cruise nights in comfort and style from his Feeding Hills home on the other side of Springfield, The 350 Summit crate engine has less than 1,000 miles on it so most of those must have been driving to Foxboro. And the 20-inch Custom REV wheels with coil over suspension must make those miles rolling down the Mass Pike a pleasure. The correct Dawn Grey and Ivory White exterior paint finish is complimented with matching grey/ white custom interior and the IDIT tilt steering column with Dakota Digital 1956 lighted Analog dash panel complete the whole transformation for today’s long-distance cruising needs. If you look closely, you’ll notice the rear door outlines but with missing door handles, a.k.a “shaved”, to appear like a the more desirable and rarer, but less utilitarian, 2 door wagons. Most Chevy fans seem favor the more upscale Bel Air Beauville and Nomad series station wagons, but these equally rare 2 door and more affordable 4 door 150 and 210 Handyman models are perfect candidates to transform into Resto -Mod highway cruisers for driving long distances in style and comfort.

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October 24th Cruise Winner #2

By John Buchanan

Gerry Vary purchased his 1931 Ford Tudor Street Rod from his friend Wayne Colby who built this gorgeous street rod 20 years ago. It wasn’t pretty back then, and it wasn’t complete when Wayne dragged the rusted hulk that must have been used for target practice out of the Maine woods. Some of the challenges Wayne faced included having to use fiberglass fenders until he could find good steel ones to turn his all steel Ford creation into a desirable street rod, worthy of being selected for one of the three Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruise award plaques at the 2019 season ending October 24 cruise night. The Mustang 302 V8, C4 tranny & Ford 9-inch rear with 3:50 gearing makes it a desirable Ford in a Ford combo, but somehow a Camaro steering column snuck in there making it an almost all Ford street rod. The chromed dropped axel, front disc brakes and chromed goodies topping the 302 V8 along with the dressed radiator & a-c hoses in the open engine bay dazzled in the late fall sun. The interior seats are originally JC Whitney but with the custom upholstered in red velour with grey accents that complement the PPG Flamboyant Metallic Red paint you would be hard pressed to fault the JC brand. And, in typical hot rod fashion, the paint color combo resulted in the ’31 being named “Flamboyant Tudor”. The typical early ‘30’s era wood framed canvas Model A Ford roof was replaced with a ribbed station wagon roof insert of unknown origin that reinforces and eliminates flex that typically results in paint cracked corners. This is the hot rod you would want to drive on one of the longdistance weekend car shows with plenty of room in the back to stow your gear or bring the grand kids with you out for an ice cream run. Because of the plenty-of-room in the back feature of these Tudor street rods, at least one interested tire kicker I know stopped by and asked Wayne if he was interested in selling it. He wasn’t because this was his good friend Wayne’s creation.

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Wright's Farm Restaurant Cruise

By John Buchanan

The annual season ending multi-club cruise to Wright’s Farm Restaurant in Harrisville, R.I. on Sunday November 3 enjoyed perfect fall weather with plenty of fall foliage to enjoy for the 10 Mass Cruisers & guests’ cars gathered at the Wrentham American Legion parking lot on Route 1A at Wampum Corners. This daylight savings practice of moving the clock back one hour on the first Sunday in November is what triggers this season ending cruise event. It is probably the last hurrah for many of the dozens of old timer Ford Model T and A’s s that find their way to Wright’s before they are stored for the winter. We had an early 12:00 noon seating in the Carriage House for our 19 club members and guests that can handle up to 500. Part of the fun at this annual event is watching the arrival and parking of all the different car clubs into the back parking lot, then following the family style all you can eat chicken dinner trooping back out to the parking lot to look closer at the several hundred cars parked there while others browsed the Wright’s gift shop. Some of us then drove down to Chepachet to browse through the antique shops and historic Brown & Hopkins General Store before heading back home via Route 44 before the 4:30 PM sunset and back home to watch the Patriots televised Sunday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

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2019 Food Pantry Results

By John Buchanan The Food Pantry collections at our bi-weekly Bass Pro Shops cruises experienced an excellent 2019 year with an estimated 3 tons of nonperishable food and $10,500 in cash generously donated by our cruise participants. Bob Okerholm and Steve Fernald took on this year’s challenge of organizing and coordinating the food collections at the cruise entrance with five local food pantries in Foxboro, Walpole, Norfolk, Wrentham and Attleboro. In addition to the regularly supported area food pantries, the July 11 cruise food pantry collection proceeds were handled by the Jarheads Motorcycle Club of Whitman, MA who reported they collected $2,200 in addition to the non-perishable food items at the cruise.

On Thursday November 7 Bob Okerholm delivered the checks to each of the food pantries just in time for the seasonal Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday demand for area families and those in need. It is helpful to note that $1 helps provide 3 healthy meals for hungry children, hardworking families and struggling seniors. So your financial donations will provide over 31,500 healthy meals this holiday season. It is very rewarding to see the appreciative look from all the area food pantry volunteers when Bob hand delivers the checks.

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Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

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October 24th Cruise Winner #3

By John Buchanan

Rick Finamore’s familiar yellow 1966 Pro Street Mustang has been CRUIZN to our Mass Cruisers Cruise Nights dating back over 20 years ago to when we were on Rte. 1A at the former Pete’s Dream in Walpole (now Napper Tandy’s). Rick’s ’66 Mustang was his first car, a 5 year old stick shift 6 cylinder blue coupe bought off Rodman’s used car lot across the street from today’s dealership by his dad for him when Rick was just 14 years old with the $200 that he saved from his paper route. Following 16 years of ownership, Rick undertook an eight-year transformation into its current pro street form that was completed in 1995. The ‘66 then went on to be featured in 14 magazines, appeared in a National UTI video ad for a couple of years and was used for the featured background photo in The Johnny Lightning “Street Freaks” series package that sold over 2 million models.

The stance of Rick’s ’66, sitting atop the custom Chick Brignolo Racing’s chrome moly frame & full tube chassis and sissy bar out back along with the PS Engineering Trans AM 15 x 14 rear big’s and 15 x 3 little’s up front, looks absolutely pro-street perfect. Add in the polished chrome 671 BDS Blower sitting tall above the equally detailed small block 306 cu. in. Ford Racing engine and you’ve got yourself hot rodder’s eye candy.

Add in the awesome sound from this huffer coming out of the 3 1/2/ inch Flowmasters and it turns heads every time it drives into the cruise which is the primary reason Rick’s pony car was selected for one of the three Vintage Motorsports Cruise Night Award plaques made at our final Oct. 24 cruise, along with a pair of adult Patriot Place Play Action Passes. Backing up the 306 is a C6 Tranny topped with a Reverse Manual Valve Body and B & M Street Bandit Shifter and Ford 9-inch rear with 4:30 gears. Although Rick keeps all the chrome polished; chassis, interior and engine detailed, and the Fruehauf Trailer Yellow paint finish highly polished, Rick pointed out a few hardly noticeable road-warrior scars the car has accumulated over the past 24 years of driving it over New England roads which proves it was never intended to be a trailer queen.

Many cruise regulars also know Rick as the Chairman of the Boston World of Wheels hosted each March at the Seaport World Trade Center and who is also a car show judge at the Super Chevy and Championship Car Show circuit. I think he may have put to rest any question of how does a professed life-long Mustang owner get invited to judge on the Super Chevy Car Show circuit when he bought a 1961 Impala for his wife a few years back and began adding some mild mod touches, transitioning it into a Super Chevy.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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December 2019 Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093

Monthly Crusin