Mass Cruisers December 2020 Newsletter

Monthly Crusin

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

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Mass Cruisers Auto Club December 2020

IT’S JUNKYARD JUNKET SEASON — BLANCHARD’S page 5

GARAGE ? MUSEUM ? MAN CAVE ? pages 6 & 7

&

WINKEL AUTO pages 10 & 11

NOVEMBER 1ST COFFEE page 4

ALSO INSIDE: PRESIDENT’S MUSINGS MONTHLY SHOWS & EVENTS NEW COVID-19 PROJECTS We’re on the Web

Celebrating 29 Years of Cruisin’ Volume 29 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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www.masscruisers.com

Monthly meetings in the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room are being held in November and December under COVID-19 Phase 3 protocols and limiting live attendance to just 15 members. Business meetings were held previously on line using ZOOM meetings or held on an emergency basis as needed. With all of our 2020 cruise and car show events cancelled, Club member cruises to alternate sites were held whenever possible.

DIRECTORY

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PRESIDENTIAL MUSING

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COVID-19 MUSING

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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS CARS & COFFEE

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BLANCHARD’S JUNKYARD JUNKET

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COVID-19 PROJECTS GARAGE? MUSEUM? MAN CAVE?

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DEC/JAN EVENTS

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COVID-19 PROJECTS FIRE HYDRANT

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“WE GOT YOUR SIX” RALLY

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

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WINKEL AUTO JUNKYARD JUNKET

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Club Officers President: Larry Nyborn Vice President: Open Secretary: Lesley Corda-Majeski Asst. Secretary: Open Treasurer: Kevin Rushlow Asst. Treasurer: Rich Armando At Large Board Member: Steve Huntington

Special Assignments Webmaster: Scott Beer (NEW) Managing Editor: John Buchanan Newsletter Editor: Open Digital Graphics Editor: Open Facebook: Patrick Touhey New Members: Lou Valentine

Sgts. at Arms: Rick Lawlor John Sturniolo Charity Coordinator: Open Food Pantry: Steve Fernald Bob Okerholm

By-Laws: Wayne Lestan MAAC Rep: John Buchanan Cruise Nights: Steve Huntington Sponsors: John Buchanan Fred Tierney Club Events: Rich Armando Photographer: Steve Vining,

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Presidential Musings

By Larry Nyborn

What’s Your Reason?

There are many different reasons for owning a classic/antique auto as there are owners. Just like the guy who wants his own private world. Let’s not forget the ladies; there are some just as passionate about their rides as the guys. Maybe your Dad or Mom, Uncle, or neighbor owned a certain car when you were growing up and you knew even then that one day you would own one like it. Maybe you’re hung up on certain marques like Chevy’s or Pontiacs. Maybe taking that cruiser out is a stress reliever. Maybe you swell with pride as you admire your ride or show it off to others. Maybe working on the machine is therapeutic. Maybe you enjoy swapping stories in the company of other car owners.

Maybe the comraderies and fun cruising with your car club to cruises and various auto events gives you that important something to look forward to.

It’s a great feeling of belonging to that special cruiser culture. The possibilities of model choice, style, restoration, modification, maintenance, etc. are endless. So, when it comes to ownership, what’s your reason?

COVID-19 Musing

By John Buchanan EDITORIAL

When the clocks are turned back on November 1, trying to find replacement outdoor auto events for the COVID-19 cancelled ones challenged us to come up with weekend afternoon activities that will meet the ever changing guidelines issued by each of the three states, Massachusetts, Rhode Island & New Hampshire, where we typically can enjoy our cars or have some outdoor fun. Fortunately Fredrickson’s Farm in North Scituate, R.I. continued hosting Sunday afternoon cruises through October up until November 8. Then, as we were rolling into the weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving weekend, COVID-19 test-site gridlock started happening when a surge in positive test results were being reported as well as seasonal cold weather started shutting down our outdoor dining opportunities. Fortunately, we were able to dust off a couple of Saturday Junkyard Junkets up to Southern New Hampshire which, fortunately, was open to Massachusetts residents, all before settling down to feast on a non-traditional COVID-19 ThanksgivBye ing holiday dinner to give thanks for what adventures we were able to enjoy in 2020 2020. The Chinese Zodiac got it right; it was definitely the year of the RAT. And, for those club members who were able to use this COVID down time to actually complete some delayed projects, we’re interested in seeing or hearing about them. Please send me some pics along with a few words that can be posted in our upcoming winter newsletters. Posted in this November issue are Bob Walton’s Garage man-cave & John Sturniolo’s Fire Hydrant COVID-19 projects .

Stay safe and enjoy a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah with your family

Monthly Crusin

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CARS & COFFEE

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By Diane Thornton

Every year in my short CRUIZN experience, moving the clocks back one hour on the first Sunday in November for Daylight Savings Time marked the end of the traditional outdoor car shows and cruise nights and was a reminder to replace the batteries in the smoke detectors. This date was also celebrated by many southern New England Car Clubs with a gathering of clubs that cruised to the Wright’s Farm Restaurant in Harrisville, RI. for their famous all-you-can-eat family style chicken dinner. The Mass Cruisers would usually include a stop in the historic village of Chepachet and possibly a nearby vineyard winery. With COVID-19 shutting down large indoor gatherings, Wright’s was out as a destination cruise for 2020 and alternative Cars & Coffee events started lighting up the Facebook events pages. Doug Reinbold, one of our Bass Pro Shops cruise sponsors—the Reinbold Insurance Agency in North Attleboro—, sent invitations out to his auto enthusiast customers for a Sunday Cars & Coffee at his back yard garage. Larz Anderson Museum also planned a first ever “Calling All Cars” event, the Rebels & Rods continued their planned Sunday morning cruises to the East Bay Grill in Plymouth until the end of November and the “As Good As It Gets Café” in Wilmington was hosting a “Kars N Koffee” as well.

Then 4-5 inches of snow hit us on Friday October 30 which resulted in Larz Anderson postponing their Sunday event to November 8 and the Kars N Koffee event in Wilmington cancelled out as well. However, the sun started to do it’s job on Halloween by melting enough of the white stuff for Doug to keep his Sunday coffee event on. Besides that, he had pre-ordered 100 Dunkin Donuts & gallons of coffee that needed to be consumed. Then, there was the annual giant auto swap meet at Thompson Speedway on his calendar for the following weekend so it all worked out. Some attendees brought their daily drivers but most of us brought our classics and hot rods. The coffee was hot and the donuts fresh and tasty. Thanks Doug, we needed something to do to fill in for the annual cancelled Wright’s Farm “Gathering of the Clubs”.

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IT’S JUNKYARD JUNKET SEASON at BLANCHARD’S

By John Buchanan

The Mass Cruisers Junkyard Junket Season is in November. Reason is we enjoy trekking through the few remaining yards that have pre-WW-II iron hidden away in the pucker brush foliage where hornets and mosquitoes, except for the ticks which are still active, thrive during warmer months and snow along with sub-freezing temperatures have not yet gotten its grip on New England. Thoughts of potential winter projects are also dancing in our heads.

It’s been 5 years since our last junket to Blanchard’s Auto Salvage in Wilton New Hampshire and 3 years to Winkel Auto Parts in nearby Milford, NH. Thanks to COVID-19 shutting down our Bass Pro Shops Cruise, Seekonk Speedway Show and inaugural Newport Car Museum Car Shows, this healthy outdoor activity seemed like the right fit for November 2020 with a second surge of infections ramping up. These junkets are held on Saturday mornings when most salvage yards are open for business. Both yards are less than an hour drive from us, so we begin by meeting at the Rte. 109 MacDonald’s side lot off I-495 (Exit 19) in Milford at 7:30 AM to launch our small group cruise to New Hampshire.

On arrival at Blanchard’s there is a log in waiver sheet to be signed now with open unescorted access into the yard not being allowed due to theft according to the yard manager Dana Lafluer.

We were also asked to not post any YouTube videos or Facebook pictures highlighting the hidden treasures still being saved from the crusher by owner Wendy Blanchard. To that end, the pics shown in the newsletter were takJunket participants were Steve Huntington, Mike Rabbitt, John Sturniolo, Bob en in the office parking area and not in Hines, Rick Lawlor, John Buchanan & Diane Thornton the back 30 acres.

After two hours of scouring the yard, only Diane Thornton came up with some treasures to bring home for a creative welding project she will conjure up over the winter. The rest of us had a ball tracking down other potential ideas to mull over, like rescuing a derelict telephone truck to repurpose as a back yard tool shed or finding matching trim pieces for our projects.

As a club that has enjoyed access in the past, and hopefully in the future, we were very appreciative of the opportunity to again roam through the 30 acres without restriction.

Rick Lawlor looks over Dana LaFluer’s 1920 Model Touring that he still runs through the yard on occasion.

Yard manager Dana LaFluer and owner Wendy Blanchard look over the items Diane Thornton wanted for some winter projects.

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GARAGE? MUSEUM? MAN CAVE?

By Bob Walton

Sometimes when a building has multiple functions it is difficult to categorize. My garage is one of those buildings.

Four years ago we purchased a ranch style home in Norton, MA. It has an attached 25x25 garage and a two story detached 28x32 garage. The detached garage had only one single overhead door when we moved in, so a second was required if I was to put two vehicles in it.

That turned out to be a lot more complicated and expensive than one might think.

We added lighting, heat, paddle fans and wiring for a large window air conditioner.

Insulation was next followed by blue board and plaster. I think I can enjoy the garage much more if I don't add up what has been spent.

My plan was to complete my vision for the interior during 2020. Then Covid-19 hit. This canceled almost all outside activities which allowed me to focus my efforts almost exclusively on my garage. Although over the years I have changed water pumps, radiators, starters, alternators and other external parts, I am not much of a mechanic, so I didn't need to consider welding, painting, sand blasting, or other operations which would soil the white walls.

After much consideration I decided on displays that would be arranged by topic. Some of the topics areas are: States I've traveled in my '68 Cadillac, Route 66, plaques, trophies, buses (I drove highway coaches parttime for 30 years), the Cadillac Club of North Jersey (of which I was the founder in 1991), Cadillacs in general, NASCAR, Volkswagen, major auto museums visited, well-known car people I've met, and assorted miscellaneous topics. At this point in time there is very little wall space not covered by some photo, poster or memorabilia that I’ve collected over the years. I'd love to have you visit my garage, masked and socially distanced of course.

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GARAGE? MUSEUM? MAN CAVE? Photos & commentary By John Buchanan

Don’t be intimidated by Bob’s neatly organized and artfully appointed Garage/Museum/Man Cave. Bob was Inspired by his longtime friend, U.S. Route 66 travel buddy and Co-author Sal Santoro’s personal museum in Sarasota, FL, Bob’s move from N.J. to New England, along with the recently enforced COVID-19 shut down, gave him the time and incentive to remodel the detached garage at his Norton, MA home. Perhaps those of us that collected mementos over the years may be able to use some of Bob’s ideas to make our own workshop/ garage/man-woman caves more habitable and relaxing instead of storage for all the stuff we tucked away in hidden corners collecting dust.

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COVID-19 FIRE HYDRANT PROJECT Project & pictures by John “Sweet Pea” Sturniolo; words by John Buchanan

Fellow club member and assistant Sergeant at Arms John “Sweet Pea” Sturniolo is a great mechanic to have join your cruise, particularly when something goes wrong with your car. I don’t think there has been a year go by that Johnny hasn’t helped get a club member’s disabled car back on the road. He did it for me when the coil on my ‘61 Impala died in the hotel parking lot at the 2017 Old Orchard Beach cruise weekend following my long haul road trip through the Canadian Maritimes. Well, during the enforced COVID-19 shut down in April and May, Johnny had time on his hands to do some spring season backyard landscaping at his Franklin home. Johnny was asked to haul an old heavy fire hydrant to the town dump but, looking it over, he thought it was pretty cool looking and started to chip off the layers of built-up paint. When he discovered under the layers of paint it was a 1916 Pratt & Cady Co. Fire Hydrant (Hartford, CT) it soon became a full blown restoration project and he thought it would look great resurrected in the Italian national colors of RED, WHITE & GREEN. All Johnny needs now is a pet male Italian Greyhound or Bolognese to complete the picture.

Upper left: Before restoration Lower left: Readied for paint Right: completed yard art landscape

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IT’S JUNKYARD JUNKET SEASON at WINKEL’S

By John Buchanan

Stephen LaPlante goes over the rules of yard with club members

The Saturday November 21 Junket cruise up to Winkel Auto’s salvage yard in Milford, NH enjoyed perfect 60 degree weather.

Gary LaPlante’s son Stephen opened up the salvage yard for our 14 member group that included our newest club member Dennis Folan, a Mopar muscle car owner on the hunt for parts. Stephen went over the rules of the yard before we began our hunt for parts and pictures.

The yard was featured in Roadkill’s host Steve Magnante Junkyard Gold, Season 3 Premier, “Mopar-only Junkyard”, highlighting this gold mine of Mopar muscle era cars, trucks and parts. Which came first, the Bird or the Bee? Gary has been on a mission to find and bring back to New Hampshire as many of these Mopar Super Bee & Roadrunner muscle cars he can find as he makes bi-weekly runs down to Florida and back. A couple of examples, the Dodge Super Bee and Plymouth Roadrunner are shown here. Despite the largest invento-

“BIRDS & BEES”

ry of Darts, Barracudas, Cudas, Dusters, Challengers, Chargers in New England along with just about every Mopar model from the 60’s & 70’s, sprinkled here and there are other marques of interest that can be found tucked away for some future restoration project. John Ricker, who’s got couple of 944 Porsche’s in his collection spotted a Porsche 928 hiding in the brush.

Mike Rabbitt has been on the hunt for one-year only 1968 Chrysler Imperial 18” wiper arms to replace one he lost in a Pennsylvania tornadic downpour on the road back from the 2017 Louisville NSRA Street Rod Nationals. As luck would have it, Mike found the mother lode today on a couple of 1968 Chrysler Newport’s. Meanwhile, he and wife Lorna also found a couple of iron decorator items for their new home in Uxbridge. One, a former welded iron wine bottle rack with decorative colored glass leaves, is destined to be repurposed to hold rolled up automotive catalogs for the outhouse.

Continued on page 11

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IT’S JUNKYARD JUNKET SEASON at WINKEL’S Continued from page 10

Perhaps your wife wouldn’t appreciate celebrating her ?? birthday with a junkyard tailgate party, however in a surprise turn-about, Ann Hines didn't seem disappointed when Diane Thornton strung a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner on a nearby stake-bodied truck and hubby Bob opened the back of his SUV to serve up portions from a delicious marble birthday cake along with hot Dunkin Donuts coffee. Happy Birthday Ann. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN

How about rescuing a Dodge Explorer Motorhome?

Still available for anyone hot to restore a 1955 Dodge Royal Sierra station wagon with its intact 270 hp Polyspherical Red Ram V8 under the hood.

If you are wondering why we do these November junkyard junkets in this day and age when the ordering of needed used auto parts is easily done on the internet and the few remaining salvage yards have mostly parted out or crushed their 25 year and older vehicle stash since the 2009 Cash-For-Clunkers law decimated many salvage yard inventories of cars and trucks; well, it’s outdoor fresh-air fun and it’s a heck of a lot safer than hiking in the woods during hunting season, BAM!

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

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P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093

Monthly Crusin