December 2012 Newsletter
Director’s Thoughts for December 2012
Twas the night before the Christmas & all through the garage,
Not a creature was stirring not even the dog.
As their engines were purring with the sound of winter sleep,
The cars & the motorcycles were snug in their suites.
As their fluids, & oils, & tanks have been tapped,
They are guaranteed not to leak during their long winters nap.
The tires are happy they do not have to churn,
For they go round & round the whole car season long.
While the interior is so spic-n-span clean,
There sits a tray of Irish Spring soap so the mice are not mean.
While the exterior too, is so bright & shiny,
The cover will protect it with its’ warm thick lining.
So knowing they can sleep not fearing any worry,
Knowing the battery tender is charging which makes it all worthy.
As the newer model of car is now being driven in the flurries,
Their owners now out shopping in a bustle of hurry.
In knowing the next few months will fly by like a charm,
Its’ great to know there will be no harm.
As the owners take such good care of their Buick beauties,
The Buick beauties will provide good care for that is their duty.
I hope you enjoyed reading this holiday poem by Sally,
And hoping you are enjoying the Buick car hobby!
Happy Holidays!
Your Elected Director, Sally Getz
P.S. From our family to your family, may you experience the most Joyous & Blessed Holiday Season with good Health, Happiness, Joy, and Laughter!
“Free Spirit” Meeting Minutes, November 6, 2012
Director Sally Getz called the meeting to order at 7:35pm. There were 16 members present. Motion made to accept meeting minutes of October by Alice Schaffer, seconded by Dolores Kennedy, so carried. Treasurer’s report for October given by Clarence Getz. This report does not include the most recent deposit made from the Kempton Show. It will be reported in next months report. Motion made to accept Kempton report by Isabel Lenny, seconded by Joanne Smith, so carried. In addition, our club maintains a separate account for DAF 2013 where Buick will be the featured car & the host being “Free Spirit” chapter.
I. COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Historian: Sally has sent photos of the club’s recent activities to our Webmaster. Please visit our website, www.buickfreespirit.org, to keep up to date with the club.
B. Kempton: Once again, Mother Nature threw our club a curve ball with Hurricane Sandy heading toward our area on Sunday, October 28th. Cautious car owners decided to avoid risking getting caught up in it, which affected our usual attendance. Sally thanked all of those who spent 3-4 hours helping with the show set-up on Saturday. She also thanked all of those who worked the show Sunday in various capacities. There were 103 preregistered vehicles; 16 day of show, and 2 cars in the car corral. Vendors: 11 preregistered outdoor, 2 day of show registrants, & 6 preregistered indoor. Motion made to accept report on Kempton Isabel Lenny, seconded by Dolores Kennedy, so carried.
C. .Membership: New members: George & Joanne Grossman, 3906 E. Grant St., Slatington, PA 18080, 610-767-8334(H), 610-390-4391(Cell). They own a 1969 Buick Skylark 4-dr Custom, 44469, and joined during the Kempton Show. WELCOME!!! Please add them to your roster(s).
D. Newsletter: Sally will start soliciting advertisers for 2013. If you are aware of someone or some business that might be interested, you can contact Sally for information, or Sally will make the contact if you prefer.
E. Programs: Sally is working on a line- up for 2013.
F. Ways and Means: $3.00 was sold @ the Kempton show.
G. Publicity: No report
H. Technical: Ed Lenny reported on a product that is used to fight the bad effects of ethanol in current gasoline. It also serves as a fuel stabilizer & claims to improve engine performance. It is called Star Tron, and is produced by the Star Brite Company. It is available in Wal-Mart, in the boat accessory department, & at other auto parts sources. 1 to 2 ounces are used per fill-up, which makes it economically feasible.
II. OLD BUSINESS
Holiday Party—Sally reported that the deadline for registration for the club’s annual “Holiday Gathering” is November 28th. By then your dinner selections & payments are due. Crazy Bingo will be played.
Das Awkscht Fescht (DAF)—Sally reminded everyone about the DAF 2013 car registration fees. Registrations now to December 31, 2012 are $12.00/vehicle. Registrations January 1, 2013 through July 1, 2013 are $15.00/vehicle. DAF is a Preregistration Show only!
III. NEW BUSINESS
Club Elections— Since there was just 1 nominee for each office up for election, secretary, Ed Lenny, made a motion to accept the candidates: Clarence Getz for treasurer & Stacy Sterner for secretary, by acclamation. Isabel Lenny seconded the motion, so carried. Director Sally Getz & Assistant Director Dan Reiniger are in the 2nd year of their 2 year terms. Shirley Schaffer & Don Atwood are also in their 2nd year of their 2 year terms. Dave Brady will serve another term on the Board of Directors, & Thomas Sylvester will join the Board in 2013. Donald Sterner will be Membership Chairman by acclamation. Congratulations to everyone!
Ways and Means—Sally is accepting orders for club jackets.
Assistant Director, Dan Reiniger, thanked all those who volunteered at the Kempton Show. Sally wished all a good holiday season.
Motion to adjourn November meeting made by Al Smith,seconded by Alice Schaffer @ 8:18 pm, so carried.
Respectfully submitted,Ed Lenny, Secretary
Old Car Show, Kempton, Pa, Sunday, October 28, 2012
For those members who attended the show, “THANK YOU”. This years show was not our usual huge success, yet it was not a 100%, complete washout. Mother Nature has not been totally on our side again this year, however, she did give us a partial break as we did have some participants on the show field, both cars & flea market vendors who attended, the day before Sandy hit the area(s). The following are the award recipients:
Directors Award
George Grossman, Slatington,Pa,1969 Buick Skylark
Class A
1st Place – Larry Reber, Hamburg, Pa,1934 Ford 4dr Sedan
Class B – no participants on show field
Class C
1st Place – Gordon Degler, Birdsboro, Pa,1958 Chevy Impala
2nd Place – Kathleen Duckett, Slatington, Pa, 1950 Buick 2dr
3rd Place – Carl Billig, Kutztown, Pa, 1953 Hudson 4dr Hornet
Class D
1st Place – Steve Durk, Edwardsville, Pa, 1965 Chevy SS
2nd Place – Terry/Rhonda Danenhower, Lenhartsville, Pa, 1969 Chevy
3rd Place – Bob Soltis, Lansford, Pa, 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire
Class E
1st Place – Joseph/Rose Barachie, Lehighton,Pa,1972 Oldsmobile Con
2nd Place – Kenneth Heckman, Hamburg , Pa, 1977 Oldsmobile Omega
3rd Place – John Karas, Macungie, Pa, 1972 Buick Hardtop
Class F
1st Place – Rick Phelps, Kinnelow, NJ, 1991 Corvette Cp
2nd Place – Patti Frey, Hamburg, Pa,1987 Chevy Camaro
3rd Place – Dolores/Leroy Bogert, Germansville, Pa, 1980 Triumph TR7
Class G
1st Place – Larry Coll, Hazleton, Pa, 1941 Chevy Cpe.
2nd Place – Tony Gornick, Walnutport, Pa, 1933 Willys Cpe
3rd Place – William/Phyllis Mitchem, Nazareth, Pa, 1938 Chevy Cpe
Class H
1st Place – David Brady, Emmaus, Pa, 1946 Hudson Truck
2nd Place – Mike Reese, Kempton, Pa, 1940 GMC Flatbed
3rd Place – Rodney Helmer, Lehighton, Pa, 1965 Ford F-150
Class I – no participants on show field
Congratulations to the award recipients!
For those who didn’t attend this show, the car on the magnetic plaques & awards was one of Harley Earl’s concept cars, his “Dream Car”, a 1938 Buick Y-Job, the World’s First Concept Car! What a Beauty! The following is a brief history:
Harley J. Earl (November 22, 1893-April 10, 1969) was the initial designated head of Design @ General Motors, later becoming Vice President, the 1st top executive ever appointed in Design of a major corporation in American history. He was an industrial designer & a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching & hand sculpted clay model as automotive design techniques. He subsequently introduced the “concept car” as both a tool for the design process & a clever marketing device.
In 1938, the Styling division, under Earl’s instruction, styled & built the “Buick Y-Job”, also known as the “Fireball”. This was the motor industry’s 1st concept car. It was built upon a standard Buick chassis, but has a long, low, streamlined custom body, hand-built by Earl’s craftsmen. The Y-Job featured numerous innovations, including hidden headlamps, power windows & convertible roof, & air-cooled airplane-type brakes. He started “Project Opel”, which eventually became the Chevrolet Corvette, & he authorized the introduction of the tail-fin to automotive styling.
While many one-off custom automobiles had been made before, the Buick Y-Job was the 1st car built by a mass manufacturer, General Motors, for the sole purpose of determining the public’s reaction to new design ideas. After being shown to the public, the Buick Y-Job became Earl’s daily driver.
He is remembered as the 1st styling chief in the US automobile industry, the originator of clay modeling of automotive designs, the wraparound windshield, the hardtop sedan, factory 2-tone paint, & tail-fins. He said in 1954, My primary purpose for 28 years has been to lengthen & lower the American automobile, at times in reality & always at least in appearance. The extremely low & long American cars of the 1960’s & 1970’s show the extent to which Earl’s influenced an entire industry & culture.
Hope you enjoyed reading this tidbit on Harley Earl along with his GM history!
Til October 2013—————————————————–Happy Motoring!
In 1940, Buick added a new member of the Buick family. Buick’s new offering was the type of vehicle Buick had not build since the1920’s & even though it had much to do with filling a utility role, in the Buick manner it also had a lot to do with glamor & class. Although Buick announced its new Estate Wagon to the press on January 20th & the first ad appeared in February, by that time initial production had already delivered a great many Estate Wagons to the center where the idea had first been sparked-Hollywood. When Buick first studied the feasibility of producing a station wagon, GM’s in-house Fisher Body Division wasn’t interested, thus forcing Buick’s assistant chief engineer Ed Ragsdale to look elsewhere for someone to build the prototype. Elsewhere turned out to be in Reading, Pennsylvania & the Biehl Body Company. When Biehl presented the finished prototype, Buick management was so impressed it immediately placed an order to have 500 more built for the model year. The prototype was then shipped to the West Coast & the Coconut Grove nightclub in Hollywood for a special thank you presentation by Harlow Curtice.
To build the remaining 500, Buick rail shipped floor plans & cowl assemblies to Biehl then mounted the finished bodies. The Wagons were then sent back to Flint by rail for final assembly on the regular production line. Designed specifically to fully utilize the Series 50 Super chassis, this wide frame provided exceptional width & roominess inside the Estate Wagon. Outfitted with luxurious interior trim & upholstery, both front & rear seats could accommodate 3 comfortably while there was room in the rear-most seat adjusted forward & backward while the rear seat could easily be removed without the use of tools. Seat frames were chrome-plated tubular steel & the front floor mat was the same as that used on passenger cars, rubber with carpet inserts. The body was constructed using white ash framing & mahogany panels, finished in natural color. The roof was made of durable black material & was supported by white ash matching lumber. Windshield & door windows were safety plate glass with the rear side window, just as with the rear quarter windows on the regular sedan, comprised of 2 pieces of laminated glass, the forward half mixed, the rear half adjustable for & aft. With luggage & parcel carrying capacity a full 52.8 cubic inches, the rear contained an upper lift gate & when opened was supported by an automatic latching & unlatching support similar to that of the regular Buick trunk-lid-support. The lower tail gate swung open downward & was supported at either end by heavy chains. The lower gate assembly also had the capacity to carry a 600-pound load. An extra large compartment contained the spare tire & tools & could be reached through a door between the tailgate which swung downward & could be locked independently. The Estate Wagon’s leather upholstery came in red, black or brown while all solid exterior colors offered on the Series 50 Super were also available for the Estate Wagon. Mirroring “the right product at the right time” & committed to a first year total production of only 500 Estate Wagons, all were quickly snatched up & additional prospects told they would have to wait for the new 1941 selling season, before getting 1 of their own. 1 of the first to purchase an Estate Wagon was Clark Gable who, with his new wife, Carol Lombard, used it often to spend quality time outdoors-hunting, fishing, & camping between motion picture assignments. With this information, it sure seems like the Buick “Free Spirit” chapter of Pa has closer ties to the Buick Motor Co. than what we thought!
Original HPOF
– 1930 Oakland, Wayne Koffel, Bangor
– 1955 Lincoln, Gail Koffel, Bangor
Repeat Drivers Participation
– 1947 Cadillac, Arnold Rapoport, Allentown
– 1955 Oldsmobile Super 88, Ed Lenny, Allentown
Rep. Preservation
Class 20B – 1933 Plymouth,Martin Zimmerman, Denver
Class 20D – 1936 Buick Gary Hiller, Schwenksville
Class 27A – 1955 Buick Bernie Boback, Wilkes-Barre
– 1955 Buick Rodney Wiedinmyer, Reading
1st Junior, Class 27L
– 1977 Buick, Thomas Raab, Sinking Spring
Repeat Preservation, Class 27N
– 1980 Buick, Wayne Kieffer, Hatfield
Again, many congratulations!
Where: Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts. 100 & 78, Allentown, Pa.
Social hour w/ cash bar @ 5:00 pm. Dinner @ 6:00 pm. “CRAZY BINGO” after dinner.
Remember, each person must bring a wrapped gift=$10.00 for “CRAZY BINGO”. (You bring a wrapped gift=$10.00, you go home with an unwrapped gift=$10.00.)
Dinner includes soup & salad bar, entree, potato, vegetable, drink, & special dessert.
Please pick an entree:
____Chicken Parmigiana
____Black Diamond Steak
____Broiled Haddock
Member Name___________________Spouse name_____________________
(Member==FREE), (Spouse==$22.00), Non-member/Guest==$22.00
Child(ren) 12 years of age & under==menu choice price
Please make check payable to “Free Spirit” Chapter. Mail to: Sally Getz, 1060 Main Road, Lehighton, Pa 18235. Please reserve by November 28, 2012.
4 – “FREE SPIRIT” Annual Christmas/Holiday Party, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts. 100 & 78. Social hour 5:00 pm., dinner following @ 6:00 pm.
8 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts. 100 & 78, 7:30 pm. Join others for supper @ 6:00 pm. Mr. Charlie Potts of Reading, will be our guest speaker. Please come out to hear his presentation!
18-20 – Auto-mania 2013, 23rd Annual Indoor Automotive Parts & Memorabilia Flea Market & Car Corral, Agricultural Hall, Allentown, Pa. Bill 717-215-0700
19-27 – Philadelphia International Auto Show, Pa Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
FEBRUARY 2013 (WEATHER PERMITTING!)
5 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts. 100 & 78, 7:30 pm. Join others for supper @ 6:00 pm.
7-9 – 77th Annual AACA meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. 717-534-1910
1964 Buick LeSabre Convertible – Condition 3. 300 Cu-in engine, automatic transmission, new brakes-disc brakes, numbers match. 106,000 miles. RUNS GREAT! White paint, good black top, black interior w/ new carpet. Asking $10,500 Paul Barndt. 610-847-2278
1967 Buick GS 400 Hardtop project car. Original California car, assembled in Fremont, CA. Solid body in primer, doors on car, ready for paint. New Legendary black interior already on seats, also carpet & side panels. Original engine & transmission. New wiring harness, many new parts. Asking $7500. In central Florida. Must be reassembled. Parts to convert to AC included. Call Paula @ 407-873-7262
1973 Buick Apollo 2 Dr Hardtop, 350 2 barrel, 92K miles. NEW paint, wheels, tires, tune-up, & radio. Dennis 610-379-5526
1988 Buick Reatta Hardtop – Red w/ British Tan interior. Original owner, excellent body condition. 120K miles. 2008 inspection & registration. New tires, ps, pb, ac, pw, power seats. $3,000.00. Contact Toni 610-797-7900
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