May 2016 Mass Cruisers Newsletter

Mass Cruisers Auto Club Crusin’ at the speed of fun

We survived another New England winter. We kept busy over the “off season” with wrenchin’, partying and more wrenchin’. Our first cruise of the season couldn’t come soon enough and, thanks to Steve Hunting and his band of Merry Cruisers, it arrived on April 14, 2016. This 1954 Packard convertible was the Vintage Motorsports Plaque winner as chosen by Bass Pro shop’s Bob Herkowitz. Learn more about this classic and more about the cruise on page 6.

We’re on the Web

Celebrating 25 years of Cruisin’ May 2016

Volume 26 Issue 5

www.masscruisers.com And Facebook

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

We’re on the Web! www.masscruisers.com

Our clubhouse is located at 124 Main Street, Norfolk, behind the Dunkin Donuts shop and across the street from the police station. For more information please call: 781 551-0520. Visitors, guests and those interested in joining the

Mass Cruisers Auto Club are welcome to attend one of our monthly meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month in Norfolk.

Directory

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Presidential Emissions

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Club Officers President– John Buchanan

Vintage Motorsports Celebrates Spring with its clients

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Feeling the Heat: EPA backs off on regulating language for racing

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First cruise of the 2016 Season at Bass Pro

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Junkyard Junket: Winkel Auto

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Newsletter Editor—Paul Saulnier

Support our Advertisers

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Facebook Admin. – Patrick Touhey

Political insights from the Editor’s desk

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MayCruising in Massachusetts

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----------------Auto Shows & Events Page

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

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Advertising Rates Business card space…….$25.00/yr

To advertise in the Monthly Cruiser, please send a business card and a check for $25.00 to

Mass Cruisers Newsletter P.O. Box 217, Wrentham, MA.

Webmaster—Steve Vining

New Member Liaison—Don Cole Sgts. at Arms—Rick Lawlor & John Sturniolo Charity Coordination – Frank Bryant By-Laws – Roy Rossman MAAC Representative— John Buchanan

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

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Presidental Emissions

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It was a bit chilly and windy at our April 14 Patriot Place hilltop opening Bass Pro Shops cruise on April 14, but the sun was shining and any time that happens in early spring the show cars hit the road for some CRUIZN action. Estimates from 800 to 1,000 show cars showed up to kick off our 2016 Bass Pro Shops Cruise-In Car show. This was a great start. The following Sunday, the largest turnout in memory headed for the Early V8 Club’s annual swap meet at the Fitchburg airport. Overwhelmed with the huge turnout, the back-ups at the entrance gate I was later told went out to Route 2 and Fitchburg Center. The weather was absolutely perfect for our club members to cruise there and despite arriving before the official 8 am opening, sitting in the line with my hot rod for 45 minutes with the heater going full blast to keep the engine from overheating was nerve racking. Arriving any later was worse. I took a picture of a straight axle ’55 T-Bird Gasser overheating and while towing his buddy’s straight axle ’55 Chevy Gasser into the swap after its fuel pump overheated waiting in line for over an hour to get in.

But, any day is worth CRUIZN when perfect weekend weather arrives in the New England springtime.

If you look at our clubhouse white board for April, May into June events, the number that club members have posted is impressive. There are some new events showing up in addition to our regular ones like the Seekonk Show & Go that we are participating in as the host car club. New events include the Sunday May 15 Wentworth Institute’s 1st car show that Wayne Lestan will lead members to cruise to. Being a Wentworth Alum, I am also planning to go. Another is the Walpole Day’s Parade event that Patrick Touhey will be running the club’s valve cover racing track at. These two events are in addition to the regular May 13-15 SSAAC Annual weekend Trading Bee at the Mansfield Great Woods/Tweeter/Comcast/Xfinity Center that Don Cole and 5 – 8 other club members will be tending the six club spaces. The following weekend on Sunday May 22, Diane Thornton and Steve Huntington will be trying to round up at least 10 club cars to cruise to the Heritage Plantation & Gardens annual Rhododendron show in Sandwich. We need 10 to get the group discount of $15 plus we’ll able to display our cars on the grounds inside, something we haven’t done since 1991. Sign me up for that one too.

And then there is the Goodguys Show, now back at Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, N.Y. on June 10-12 and the much missed Famous 50’s Father’s Day weekend event at its new Villa Roma Resort venue in the Catskills as well as the highly anticipated Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction at the Mohegan Sun on June 23 – 26. I’ve already got my ticket for the June 24th Friday Auction. Somewhere in June we’re going to shoehorn a BBQ cruise to the Chamberlain School in Middleboro where Joe Kingsland and his Auto Shop students will man the grilles. There are the usual regular events like the Norwood Arena Reunion on Sunday June 5, one of our cruise sponsors Herb Chambers “Cars & Coffee” cruise-in at the Sharon Lexus store on Saturday June 11 but, that’s just an early morning event, and the June 19 Father’s Day Breakfast Car Show for the Holliston Historical Society hosted by our newsletter editor Paul Saulnier.

When you become a car club member, the opportunities to enjoy the benefits of owning a collector car with fellow club members and enthusiasts makes for an eventful event filled season of pure cruising pleasure. Drive safely and don’t forget those seatbelts if you got them.

Left, is the overheated 1955 T-Bird Gasser towing the 1955 Chevy Gasser with an overheated fuel pump.

Monthly Cruisin

Vintage Motorsports Celebrates Spring with Its Clients

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By Paul Saulnier

With virtually no advertising except for word-of-mouth, Vintage Motorsports hosted about 75 cool cars on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at their shop in Holliston. By Noon, cars were parking on Whitney Street and beyond. Then passersby stopped to see what was happening and then the food was ready.

What spread Greg Pellegrino and Neil Childress put on for their guests. Lots of choices to drink, hot dishes and barbeque. Greg wouldn't promise that Vintage motorsports would it again next year, but he didn’t say they wouldn't.

Greg Pellierino, above, enjoyed his first client appreciation day.

Charlie Harris, above, came by to pass out flyers for his annual show, formally held at Elm Bank in Natick, but starting this year it will be held in Medfield at 45 Hospital Road, and known as Medfield on the Charles.

For more information, go to www.elmbankautoshow.net

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Feeling the Heat: EPA Backs off on Regulating Language for Racing

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by John Buchanan Removing Clarifying Language from the Proposed Phase 2 Mediumand Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas Standards. The final Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles will not contain clarifying language regarding modification for racing purposes.

EPA is committed to protecting public health by ensuring that cars driven on public roads meet pollution standards under the Clean Air Act. Congress required these standards for good reason: emissions from motor vehicles have been linked to premature death in people with heart or lung disease, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, and increased respiratory problems.

And EPA supports motorsports and its contributions to the American economy and communities all across the country. EPA’s focus is not on vehicles built or used exclusively for racing, but on companies that don’t play by the rules and that make and sell products that disable pollution controls on motor vehicles used on public roads. These unlawful defeat devices pump dangerous and illegal pollution into the air we breathe.

The proposed language in the July 2015 proposal was never intended to represent any change in the law or in EPA’s policies or practices towards dedicated competition vehicles.

Since our attempt to clarify led to confusion, EPA has decided to eliminate the proposed language from the final rule.

The Agency will continue to engage with the racing industry and others about ways to ensure that EPA supports racing and while maintaining the Agency’s focus where it has always been: reducing pollution from the cars and trucks that travel along America’s roadways and through our neighborhoods.

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First Cruise of the 2016 Season

See the cars, the stars and the action on our web site: http://clubs.hemmings.com/masscruisers/4-14-2016_cruisenight.html or on vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/163577614

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Wrench’n

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Coffee

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Robert’s Automotive

The final monthly Saturday morning “Wrenchin’ n’ Coffee” work session at Robert’s Automotive in Attleboro was wrapped up on a rainy April note. No collector cars, just the daily drivers were brought into the shop along with hand carried projects also being the order of the day.

Madam Vice President Diane Thornton brought in her Scion tC to swap the winter treads she installed last November for the summer treads. She’s really proficient now handling the air gun and those 19 mm lug nuts. Frank Bryant brought in his son’s SAAB for a front end alignment.

Mike Rabbitt put his 257,000 mi. Dodge Stratus up on the lift so he and John Nunez could track down a front end suspension noise. Bad news; this Mopar will be heading for the cloud car junkyard. Rick Lawlor took on a sandblast job to remove paint from Mike’s 440 valve covers and air cleaner assembly to be repainted by Mike. And, new member Steve Fernald brought in a broken emissions tube from his ’79 Silverado to chase down a fix. The rest of us showed up for the coffee & donuts and to lend a hand where needed.

Above,Diane Thornton removing the lug nuts from her winter tires to replace with mounted summer tires on her Scion tC

Above, John Nunez assisting Mike Rabbitt track We owe Bob Hines a world of thanks for down the source for his front suspension noise. opening his shop one Saturday morning for the past 7 months, October through April, to allow club members a proper shop environment to work on their vehicles, projects or solve problems they were trying to sort out on their own. This has been both a great social and learning experience for members and a huge benefit to have experienced club member shade tree mechanics to ASE certified level mechanics on hand to assist and teach, as well as having access to vehicle lifts and use of state of the art diagnostic equipment and tools to perform work on our cars.

And now the 2016 cruising and car show season has begun with our own opening cruise on April 14 at the Bass pro Shops, Patriot Place on historic U.S. Route 1 in Foxborough, MA.

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Support Our Advertisers

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Political Insights from the Editor’s Desk Its an election year. According to a survey paid for by Autoweek, if you’re a fan of Hillary you like Toyotas. If you want The Donald to be our next President, then you’re a Ford fan, and believe it or not, Ford is the brand of choice for Berine Sanders supporters. Go figure.

Libertarians want a Volvo or an Acura. If you’re behind Cruz, you should strut your stuff in a Nissan or a Honda. Trump supporters want nothing to do with Teslas, preferring instead a Mercedes Benz.

And, generally speaking, Infinity, Lincoln and Buick are off limits to all political affiliations. No word on what street rodders prefer.

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April 2016 Cruisin’ Massachusetts

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Auto Shows & Events Page

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May 2016

Last Page

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

P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093