Wheel Tracks Articles Archives - Page 41 of 48

How can clothing tell about history?

Having a strong sense of history, every time I start this column, I try to think of something that will be of interest and informational to all. Yes, including the male gender!

How can clothing tell about history? It simply tells of the everyday lives of those early years and how people dressed to accommodate all of their actions during the day and evening. Those early years, depict to me a time of gentleness, grandness, of softer times with lots of fun thrown in. Maybe it’s just an illusion that presents itself to me from time to time, but it sure is fun playing dress-up.

Because of my age, I find it easier to write about the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. It’s not hard to write about the 70’s and 80’s, but in my mind I see those first years as relating to my growing up. Maybe that’s why all of you gentlemen, relate to your cars the way you do. We are trying to find that tangible connection to our past and besides, having the cars is fun and a great hobby.

As far as I am concerned, the two fashion shows that we put on each year, are a little like the frosting on the cake, and rounds out the story of our cars, and having fun being with other folks that like to have fun also. Your really missing the finishing touch to your story if you don’t participate in one of the shows or attend. We are only as good as you, and we need lots of participation, both in playing dress-up and watching the rest of us play dress-up.

The folks with the older cars have to search long and hard to find outfits that go with the era of their vehicles and should be commended for their efforts. When you see someone in an outfit of the Model T and before era, it is hard to imagine how people managed to stay looking clean and elegant by the time they got to their destination. The open cars were a challenge just to get from one place to another in one piece. No wonder they all wore long dusters and netting over their hats, as drivers and passengers were exposed to all kinds of weather. I’ve had the opportunity to ride in Rod Rice’s Model T, and found it to be a hoot, and if Rod is out there with his “ T ”, ask him for a ride. It’s a great experience, and you’ll begin to understand what that fashionable gear is all about!

The ladies that drove must have found it to be more challenging than the men, with those long skirts. It had to be hard to keep skirts up out of the way of the three pedals that control the “T”. Goggles were a must even with the windshield; no paved roads in those days. Just think about the yards of netting to keep that big floppy hat on top of the head, and I bet they didn’t wear white gloves to drive! I somehow think it was easier to sit stiffly in the passenger side all bundled up than to try and drive the big high autos.

A woman driver was a rare sight, and even today there aren’t many women who venture to drive the older cars. It takes lots of “arm-strong steering” and good long legs to reach the brakes that may or may not stop on a dime. Yes, ladies, it’s a lot more fun, to be the passenger, and arrive looking exactly like you just left your home, but only after you remove your duster and veiling.

Shelburne Fashion Show

The fashion show at the Shelburne Car Show was exceptional this year! The weather was beautiful and all of the contestants were beautifully attired. Many thanks go out to all that participated in the show, as it was a success because you took the time to make it special. I am beginning to think that there might be some people out there that don’t really understand what the show is all about.

It is a story… a story of what people were wearing in the times of the early automobiles. By that I mean anything 25 years or older, just like the cars we drive. That means that anything is acceptable up to the year of 1980 this year. Can you imagine that? And, your outfit doesn’t necessarily have to be the year of your car.

Some of us like a particular era and try to find something that fits, which is really hard as people were generally smaller in the early years. Some go for the forty’s, fifty’s and now the sixty’s, as the sizing is a little more easy to find, and the price a little more reasonable. Some of us only have to look in their storage closets or attics, for something to wear. I would like to see more participants, especially the male gender. So, ladies when you’re looking consider an outfit for your husband. Just ordinary daywear is also an option, after all people had to work too.

Second hand stores are popping up all over now, as the demand is getting high. The Internet is another source. Just take time to choose carefully, making sure the fabric is strong and clean, and that the item fits. Half of the fun is in trying to find something and the other half is showing it off, such as a costume party or a fashion show like the one we just had. No need to feel shy as everyone is there to have fun, and fun we do have. There is still time to find an outfit for the Stowe Show, but at Stowe you are required to wear something that is the year of your car.

Won’t you join us next year; we would love to have you participate!

1915 Cornelian – Motoring Moment

…in some people’s blood… witness stock car racing as the world’s largest spectator sport. How about “blood” being in racing?

In 1915 Howard E. Blood got into American auto racing big time. To get his new cycle car off the ground, Howard had big plans for his little car. The car was the Cornelian, a cycle car of 500 lbs displacing 103 cubic inches (powered by a Sterling engine).

The big part came as Howard got Louis Chevrolet, recently of the Chevrolet Automobile Company and a seasoned and successful race driver, to agree to race the new car. The cycle car was well made and sported a uni-body, independent rear suspension and a “suicide front axle”.

Undaunted by it’s size and power, Louis qualified for the 1915 Indy 500 with Howard’s jewel. With a qualifying speed of 81 mph, the Cornelian was in. History reports that Louis was having a great, albeit little, ride when on the 77th lap he broke a valve and had to retire. It is interesting to note that the Chevrolet car grew out of the Little Motor Company… and that the little Cornelian grew out of Chevrolet’s race.

Post-race orders looked good for Howard and his petite product but after production of 100 units, the writing was on the wall and the Cornelian dropped from sight. Should you doubt this story, check the museum at Indy Speedway. The smallest car that ever raced at the Brickyard 500 is there, uni-body and all.

British Car Week

British Car Week has become an annual tradition that occurs during the last full week of May. This celebrated week has been chosen as a commemoration for the wonderful British automobiles of the past, and their enthusiastic owners, who have so proudly kept them maintained for all to see and appreciate many years after their production.

This special week is intended for all British car owners to get their British cars out on the roads in their little corner of the world, and give them the exposure they so rightly deserve. While not only heightening the awareness of these charming vehicles for new enthusiasts, it will also help assure their preservation for many years to come for others to appreciate.

For 2005, this event will take place during the week of May 28th through June 5th. The nice thing about the timing is that it will coincide with the weekend of the VAE Shelburne show! Please tell your British car friends to get the LBC out on the road and come to the Shelburne Museum for the show. If you don’t have your Shelburne reservation, get it now. See the “Drive Your British Car Week” web site at www.britishcarweek.org for more information on other activities for the week.

Stirling Engine – Motoring Moment

Do you think that modern technology can tease 200 horsepower out of 57 cubic inches of displacement? Wow, how fast would it have to turn and could you do it on standard fuel and would it pollute? Almost 200 years, around 1820 it was done… by a Scottish minister named Robert Stirling.

You may have heard of man and engine but to fully appreciate both read on. The Stirling engine is not an internal combustion engine… it is an external combustion (think heat) engine. Here is what Sam Julty had to say about the Stirling in 1974… long before there was the fuel and pollution problems of today.

“Unlike the Otto-cycle engine found in todays cars, the Stirling engine thrives on external combustion. That is, consumption of fuel takes place outside the combustion chamber where the power impulses are born. Thus when a constant fire is going at a steady rate, pollutants are already drastically reduced. The engine is noiseless and vibration free. It has no carburetor since fuel is fed to a separate firebox. It has no valves since fuel is neither introduced nor removed from the piston area. It has no flywheel since the engine has two crankshafts, which are turned by movement of the pistons. It has no muffler since combustion is silent and it occurs in a separate chamber.

The principle behind the Stirling engine involves the use of expanded and contracted gas working on the pistons. The gas may be steam or vapors from some exotic element. Each cylinder has two pistons, one above the other. Each cylinder has a small pipe, which runs from the top end of the cylinder to a point below the upper piston. When the lower piston, called the power piston, just completes a power stroke, it is in its lowest position in the cylinder.

The upper piston, called the displacer, is in its highest position in the cylinder. The gap between the two pistons is a fixed volume of gas, which is at a fairly low temperature. As the power piston starts to move upward, some of the gas is forced into the small tube and is piped to the head of the displacer. There, the gas is headed and in expanding, forces the displacer downwards. This forces more gas to the top of the displacer where it is headed and expanded.

At a certain point, the displacer blocks off the passageway to the small pipe, and whatever gas exists between the displacer and the power piston is trapped. As the displacer is forced further downward by the expanding gas, it pushes the power piston down to turn the crankshafts. The cycle then repeats. Note: There are no explosions driving the pistons. Rather there is merely a fixed volume of gas, which is heated and cooled. A 4 cylinder Stirling engine CAN produce 200 horsepower from 57 cubic inches.” Wow again.

BUT, you say, But is this really a steam engine? Not necessarily. Steam probably in 1820… but today we can get heat pretty quickly and efficiently from a variety of sources: atomic, chemical or electrical. I wonder who will be first to put a Stirling performer in their product? GM could use a boost.

Plattsburg Transportation Museum

Located on the former Plattsburgh Air Force base is the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum (CVTM). It is located in a building at 12 Museum Way on the base and it celebrated its first birthday in the Fall of 2004.

The concept for the museum grew out of the find of a Platsburgh-built Lozier Type 82 limousine. Dr. Anthony Vaccaro located the Lozier in Washington State and noted that there were not missing parts from the vehicle. He then transported it to Ontario Canada for total restoration. Three years later the Lozier was fully restored.

In 2000 the Museum was started by a group of history and auto enthusiasts. The original intent was to dedicate it to the Lozier Automobile, however the collection has diversified into many makes and forms of transportation including trains, airplanes (and a cockpit simulator) to other classic autos. Some of which are still being restored and prepared for display.

The Museum is a continuous work in progress and is housed in three of the Air Base’s buildings. The design of the facility is to make it a hands on show. There is a area dedicated to children which allows for child friendly activities.

As the museum is run mostly by volunteers, hours have been limited to weekends and by special appointment. Their web site can be found at: www.cvtmuseum.org or telephone them at: 518-566-7575.

Hats, hats, hats!

Hats, hats, hats! All shapes and sizes. My daughters and I had the distinct pleasure of viewing and buying from a private vintage clothing collection one Sunday afternoon. What a wonderful way to shop, with no distractions, no pressures to buy and no other person waiting to buy once you set an article back down.

We could have bought the whole collection, but some restraint had to be made. We were allowed to pick and try all that we bought, and had a wonderful time doing it. The owner of the articles had them all arranged on racks, and the hats were carefully laid out on her husband’s air hockey table. I don’t think that I have seen so many hats of various age and patterns in one place at one time. The clothing ranged from the 1930’s to early 60’s, but was a small size. We had our pick of dresses, coats, shoes, hats and purses. What a time!

With all said and done, we came away with quite a bundle of goodies, with one daughter even buying 15 hatboxes for a display in her bedroom. I don’t even want to know what my son-in-law thought of that! It’s not often that you get a chance like this, and we were fortunate to have a friend of a friend who told us about the clothing.

Collecting can be very interesting and time consuming, but if the word gets out that you are interested in vintage fashions, it doesn’t take long for many avenues to open up. It is truly amazing what people have in their attics, and collecting can be a great deal of fun.

Second Hand Shops

Have you visited your local second hand clothing shop lately? If not, you are missing a bet. Oh, I know what you are thinking…. that you wouldn’t want to wear something that someone else has already worn and may be out of style. I think you should take a second look; things are not what you think.

Vintage clothing and used clothing may have a bad reputation of being ratty and out of style. Not the case at all…vintage clothing has become big business, and if you doubt my word, take a moment or two and go to the web site: www.secondhandrosevintage.com. I think you will be greatly surprised. This company has many sites in many states now, and seems to be growing.

The articles of clothing are carefully selected, clean, fashionable, and very wearable. Many people are in auto clubs, museums, historical groups, stage shows, etc., that need period clothing. Designer fashions are greatly sought after, and the prices seem to be right, for the quality of the clothing. Names like Adele Simpson, Edith Head, Lilli Ann and Christian Dior come to mind. These are names to watch for in your hunt.

But, even if you don’t find designer fashions in your quest, take time to look through the racks and racks of second hand clothing. You may be surprised at what you find and at what price you find it at. And, really, do fashions change that much? Do things really go out of style if they are well made and well taken care of? I have many friends who regularly shop second hand clothing stores that come away with great finds for very good prices. You just have to take the time and look carefully and be selective in what you buy, and I bet no one will know the difference. Have fun!

2004 Restoration Award Winners

Our 1966 Corvette Convertible – The Story

My interest in Corvettes probably started back in 1954 when some friends and I attended the General Motors Motorama Show in Boston where the highlight of the show for me was the fairly new Chevrolet Corvette display. However it would be 21 years later that I would become the owner of one of these cars.

One day a family friend told us that a relative of his was going to sell his 1966 Corvette convertible and asked if we might be interested. The next thing I know the car is in our drive with instructions to drive it for a few days. This we did and after looking the car over and considering the condition of the paint and body and how badly it seemed to handle we sent the car back with a definite no answer.

During the time I had the car I had rolled the driver door window down several times, the last time, the thing failed, I ended up replacing the entire assembly inside the door. (I guess you could say this was the start of the restoration of this car though I didn’t even own it yet.)

About a week later we were on our way to BTV to catch a plane to Disney World with the kids, and as we turned off from Williston road on to Airport Drive, parked in the lot of the gas station on the corner was this same Corvette with a for sale sign on it. Don’t know what sort of chemistry took place, (I think I actually felt sorry for the car, it looked like it never had any TLC) but when we arrived at the airport I found myself in a phone booth calling the owner and telling him we would take the Corvette.

When we got back, the long road to this year started. My first project was to get the handling to a point where I could at the very least keep the car in my lane of the road. Some one had put wide Craggar alloy wheels and tires on the car, which was a misfit. I removed them and replaced them with OEM wheels and tires w/original wheel covers and spinners. Wow what a difference. Little did I know this was to be the beginning of my continuing Corvette education.

I very soon learned that mid years Corvettes have a parking brake system that was unique to them at that time. Although this design is used on many GM models currently, back then they were not compatible with Vermont weather, and when they fail, the procedure in the service manual didn’t really help. When I finally got to the inside where the working parts resided I couldn’t believe what I saw; it was one solid mass of corrosion. Thankfully I learned of a supplier who produced these parts of stainless steel. Great, the parking brake now works but the jubilation was short lived, as I found out, things, it seemed went downhill from here.

As I drove the car, it seemed that every couple weeks I would have to bleed the brakes. This lead to researching the brake system and learning that because of the design, using solid mounted calipers w/ constant contact pads to rotor, plus corrosion caused by moisture absorbed by alcohol based brake fluid, pumps air into the system. This required a complete disassembly of all four calipers (each having two halves) and master cylinder which I did, and sent them to a vendor to be sleeved with stainless steel. Reassembled them and installed them. One more problem solved. But the list continued. Over the next few years I replaced ball joints, springs, shocks, stabilizer links, all front and rear rubber bushings, wheel bearings, seals, trailing arm pins and bushings, rotors and pads

Since the very beginning the engine ran smoothly, but smoked moderately, however, eventually I detected a slight noise in the lower end. Before things got worse I pulled the engine and transmission. Did a complete overhaul on the engine,( machining done at a vendor’s shop) disassembled the transmission and installed a refresh kit which all took me a little over a year. This included installing a new radiator and rebuilding the windshield wiper/washer motor, carburetor, distributor and fuel pump.

During this period of time the inspection sticker had expired, so on the day of final completion I had made an appointment for an inspection at 4:oo PM that afternoon. However on the way didn’t a trooper stop me and give me a ticket. I tried to explain the situation, even asked the officer to call the station but said they didn’t have to do that. I sent the ticket in requesting a trial which never happened of course, as the assistant D.A. (young enough to be my son) let me off after hearing my story.

One thing that always bothered me about this car was that the electric clock never worked. So one day I took it all apart was able to find the manufacturer’s name and to my surprise I was still able to purchase parts (at car shows). I had the face silk-screened and reinstalled it. This was great, but it made the rest of the dash look terrible. You guessed it, out came the main dash, matter of fact out came the whole interior seats carpet, belts, everything. This was the point where we decided that we couldn’t reinstall a new interior unless we had the body repaired and painted. Since I didn’t really have a place to do body work or paint and my own body was now needing some restoration of it’s own, we had no choice but to have this done by an out side source. While this was being done I totally restored the seats and re covered them. In 1966 some of the options available to a purchaser were seat headrests and shoulder belts. These are available through Corvette restoration parts suppliers so I added these two features when finally installing the interior.

While my car was out to the shop for painting and bodywork it was learned that the frame was very weak in some key areas so the decision was made to remove the body and restore the frame. It was completely sand blasted repaired and painted and the body replaced. Again the parts to do this are available through Corvette parts suppliers.

We completed this phase of the restoration in mid May of this year, as you can see this was an on going project from day one, however we did on occasion have periods when we could drive and enjoy the car. Even when the car was off the road being worked on, we still attended Corvette shows to search for parts and network with other Corvette people to learn and exchange information. In spite of all the pitfalls, it’s been a great ride. Many thanks to my wonderful wife Jeanne, the kids Wendy and Greg, and a lot of other people, who all have either bought parts, or pawed through many boxes of used parts at car shows or just were there when I needed them in support of this project. Right now there are left over parts still in each of our bedrooms.

The Shelburne Concept: Shelburne for Profit?

I would like to encourage our members and friends to attend the upcoming Shelburne Classic Auto Festival. Please put these dates on your calendars now! JUNE 3, 4, 5, 2005. The VAE puts on two really great car shows each year, which are our source of income to pay for the VTC scholarships, monthly newsletter, notices, postage, stipends, sunshine donations, appreciation dinner, awards for members, etc. We pay hidden costs such as taxes, equipment repairs, insurance premiums, phone bills, and for monthly meets. This club is big business and we need your support. Every member of this club is subsidized. If it weren’t for being a profitable club, dues would be $85.00 per member.

I continue to listen to some controversy over the Shelburne car show as not being profitable. Do you realize that all the Shelburne car show needs to become profitable is you? The Shelburne show breaks even on a budget of about $20,000 a year. If the weather cooperates and at least 900 paying customers walk through the spectator gate, we get $9000.00 from the museum. If more walk through, the museum makes out. We have a cap on gate revenue, which is fine. (Remember the idea is to help out the museum as well as us). We don’t need the gates extra money. Don’t confuse Shelburne with Stowe. Stowe collects a gate revenue of $35,000 plus on a good year. But keep in mind that the Stowe budget is $60,000 plus. Stowe needs a huge gate to make up the difference of a $40,000 higher budget. Do you follow me so far? What Shelburne needs is you, your old car, your neighbor’s car, your kid’s car. Shelburne needs you as a flea market vendor, and your neighbor, and your friend as a flea market vendor.

Keep in mind that at Shelburne, the VAE keeps all the money from car registrations, flea market vendors, car corral vendors and tractor pull entries. Look at the numbers. If the Shelburne show breaks even with 260 cars and 24 flea market vendors, then lets add Stowe’s figures. Put 600 more show cars at Shelburne the day of the Show and we’ll have a $12,000 profit. Put 600 more flea market vendors there and we’ll have $18,000 more. The VAE can potentially profit $30,000 at the Shelburne car show. All we need is your enthusiasm for this VAE fundraiser. Imagine 860 cars at Shelburne. There’s plenty of room. And for those of you who think the classes are too spread out, they won’t be spread out at all if we have wall to wall cars!

Think about the advantages of the Shelburne show. Look at what Shelburne supplies us with for free that would be an out of pocket expense at any other show field: A show field, a flea market field, a tractor field, grass mowing, perfect road conditions, dust control, parking, overflow parking, bussing if needed, parking lot attendants, gate attendants, electricity, lighting, water, food, restrooms, trash bins, tents, tables, chairs, use of buildings, set up help, fenced off grounds, 24 hour security, telephones. Did I mention shade? In exchange the museum wants a first class show that’s been advertised heavily.

If you feel strongly about making money for the VTC scholarship then you should feel equally as strong about the Shelburne car show. They give us their facility on what would otherwise be a slow weekend for them in exchange for a busier gate. In so doing, we help to preserve Vermont history and an education center for people of all ages. School children, from every school in the state attend the museum at some point in their 12 year grade school education. All we have to do to help out is put on the biggest car show we can. Somehow 260 cars is not a huge car show for a 40-acre setting. It’s somewhat embarrassing. We could easily fit 1,000 cars on this field. We could easily fit several hundred flea market vendors. Maybe we abbreviate too much and should spell our name out more, VAE — Vermont Automobile ENTHUSIASTS. With a lot of Enthusiasm this show could be as big of a fundraiser as Stowe, on only one third of the budget and a lot less work.