Volume VII, Issue V

speed-limit law 5/22/1929 Goodyear Blimp makes debut flight 5/28/1937 Volkswagen founded 5/29/1946 First Kaiser-Frazer produced 5/30/1911 First Indy 500 held 5/31/1927 Last Model T built Get your rides out on the road!

Hard to believe it is May al-ready? SE WI is still waiting for spring to arrive, no matter what the calendar indicates. Yes, we have had a couple of teases, but nothing more. As I write we are enjoying a balmy 43°F day! Notwithstanding the crummy weather, things are getting done. The Mrs. now has her newly refurb’d alloy rims in place on her Solara convertible. However, it did take two trips to the dealer to get the job done right,. I did explain it all to the service writer at the outset. Even so, the tech tasked with carrying out the instructions had a little trouble figuring out just what he was supposed to do with the nine wheels and six tires presented to him. The old wheels shall be taken to the recycler. It will be inter-esting to see how much we get for the 80 plus pounds of metal? I now have the 3rd brake light in place on the Cad. I had to fabricate a bracket to mount it,

as I did not like the looks of the license plate frame which housed it originally, The frame covered up too much of the license plate. I now need to wire it up. I have also started on the painting of the Cadillac gear shift knob. At present I am on primer coat number four. Dare I say, a lot of sanding between coats is required. Soon, I should be able to start applying the dark gray finish color. May Automotive Milestones 5/1/1954 Nash and Hudson merge to form AMC 5/2/1918 Chevrolet joins GM 5/3/1899 Packard begins operation 5/6/1928 Chrysler introduces the De Soto 5/14/1969 Last Corvair built 5/17/1868 Horace Dodge born, Niles, Michigan 5/19/1903 Buick Motor Co. incorporates 5/21/1901 CT enacts first

High RPMs

GDYNets® on the Web

Find GDYNets on the web: CCC® -THE FORUM -A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars.

Car Collector Chronicles Saved 62 -Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady -1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devoted to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the com-pany founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This web-site features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.

DAVE’S DEN: -A site de-voted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive informa-tion on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-bile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.

A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2014, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 2014 Ca s

Car Collector Chronicles®

Exploring:

• Car Collecting Today

• Classic Rides

• Reports From the Field

• Oldsmobile (1897-2004)

• Cadillac (1902- )

• Allanté (1987-1993)

• Corvair (1960-1969)

= Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE:

High RPMs 1

GDYNets On the Web

1

America Then and Now

2

Let’s Go Oldsmo- Mille Migliaing

3

30 Years Later 5

CCC® Forum EMail: OldsD88@gmail.com

One of the fora I regularly frequent has an ongoing message thread captioned “Detroit Then and Now.” Basically it laments the state of the auto industry and points out the why behind the present state of affairs in American industry and commerce. I am an avid walker. One would be amazed at the amount of automotive flotsam and jetsam I encounter on the side of the road during my jaunts. I sometimes think if I scav-enged it all I could actually assemble a vehicle. At any rate, I do like to stop and exam-ine it to see if I can tell from what kind of vehicle it came. Last week I spotted a small disc-shaped item laying on the ground. It was the size of a silver dollar. Here it is: As you can see, it is a center cap off of a modern day Chevrolet. Hey, what could be more American than “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet,” right?

You have to be asking yourself, “Yaros, what does this have to do with Amer-ica, Then and Now?” Well, I proceeded to examine the abandoned Chevrolet cen-ter cap. I turned it over and began reading the mark-ings on the part.

When I did so, I was more than taken aback by what I saw. One may clearly read “MADE IN ITALY” on the part. What the heck is that all about? Evidently, in 2014 Chevy is not all about base-ball, hot dogs and apple pie? Just how is it that we can not make this item here in America? That we do not is precisely what is wrong with our coun-try, and a major cause of the problems faced today by cit-ies like Detroit. To put it sim-ply, we don’t make anything anymore. To have to earn a living by dirtying one’s hands is deemed to be beneath us in this 21st century. Unless and until we once again have folk earning an honest wage from an honest day of manufacturing work, there is not going to be anyone who can afford to purchase the services being hawked by all of those white collar folk who think they are too good to have to work in a factory! It’s time we relearn that we can’t all be front office workers!

America, Then and Now

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

“ One would

be amazed at

the amount of

automotive

flotsam and

jetsam I

encounter on

the side of the

road during

my jaunts .”

Let’s Go Oldsmo-Mille Migliaing Being both an owner and a fan of Oldsmobile, the following caught my eye recently. I thought it deserved to be passed on to the readership of CCC®. It makes for a more than interesting story. Two guys meet at Annapolis. They remain friends long after having leaving the naval academy (’77). Though each takes separate paths in life, their routes intersect now and then. This is one of those times but, as you will see, the route to coming together in this instance is, shall we say, a bit convoluted. It runs from San Diego to Savannah. Then it continues on from Savannah to Genoa, Italy. From Genoa it goes on to Desenzano del Garda, Italy. For good measure another 1,000 miles is added on during a round trip ex-cursion from Brescia-to-Rome-to-Brescia. All tolled, we are talking about a venture cover-ing a mere 8,251 miles! This is because the two guys, retired commanders (O-5) Dave Frederick & Vince Sadd, have decided to do the Mille Miglia with a 1954 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Coupe. The Mille Miglia is a 1,000 mile round trip en-durance race taking place in mid-May. It was first run in 1927. For the next 30 years exotic sportsters annually took over the Italian high-ways and byways. The number of participant and spectator deaths (56) brought a halt to the annual spectacle in 1958, three years after Sir

Stirling Moss set the course speed record of 98.53 MPH. The event was revived in 1977. The modern day event is not a head-to-head racing competition, however. Rather, it now takes the form of a 4-day classic car road rally. That being said, not just anyone may take part. First off, only cars of the type that raced during the 1927-57 era are permitted. Such restriction itself limits the pool of current day participants. It further appears that some past vehicle types are given preference over others? One must assume the selection committee desires to make the event as appealing as possible to the viewing

public by encouraging “vehicle diversification.” After all, what could be more boring than having to endure the sight and sound of hundreds of Alfa Romeo or Bugatti automobiles winding their way through the streets of quaint Italian villages? So, your choice of vehicle is significant in terms of one’s chances of receiving an invitation to participate. The chosen vehicle must be able to pass an inspection by FIVA (Fédération Internation-ale des Véhicules Anciens) and be issued an ID Card. The cost for inspection and issu-ance of ID card is $250. In the U. S. of A. these inspections are handled by the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA). One may learn more about the inspection process by going to this web site http://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2011/06/12/Everything-you-need-to-know-about-FIVA-ID-cards. Ok, your car has been inspected, authenticated and certified by HVA/FIVA. You are now ready to submit your entry app to the selection committee of the Mille Miglia; sort of.

THE MILLE

MIGLIA:

“[W]hat

could be

more boring

than having

to endure the

sight and

sound of

hundreds of

Alfa Romeo

or Bugatti

automobiles

winding their

way through

the streets of

quaint Italian

villages?”

Car Collector Chronicles Page 3

Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;

Let’s Go Oldsmo-Mille Migliaing—Cont’d. There is one critical item which needs to accompany your submitted application. It is the requisite entry fee. For 2014 it is a mere 8,540€, or 11,798.09 USD! $11.8K buys team mem-bers a welcoming coffee in the Mille Miglia Paddock, 4 nights of 4-star accommo-dations including break-fasts, 4 “light” dinners, 2 buffet lunches, admission to the awards ceremony, a parting aperitif and a fare-well luncheon. Having sent one’s cash

to Italy, all that can now be done is sit and wait to see if from the thousands of applications yours is one of 450 selected by the committee to be a participant. Lo and behold, for Dave and Vince, it is! In terms of actual process, the above “how-to” outline does have the cart before the horse. Once Dave and Vince decided the Mille Miglia was to be a go, they had to decide on what their ride was to be. As Dave put it after reviewing lists of past entrants, “Hey, I see a 1954 Olds was in the race. We can afford one of those!” It was decided they would cast their fate with Oldsmobile. Of course, they did not have one. One had to be found. The search focused on three criteria: The car had to be original, the ownership history had to be able to be documented and it had to at least have the potential of being mechanically reliable! The car they ended up acquiring is pictured above. It had been in the same family since it drove over the curb of the Olds dealership in 1954. Per Dave, “We purchased our car from a lady named Donna. Her grandmother purchased it new in Daytona Beach in 1954, passed it on to her son, a Navy pilot, who passed it on to his daughter, Donna.” Hmm, I wonder if the Navy tie was a factor in the buy decision made by these former commanders? Only after the purchase did Dave see home movies showing his parents owning the same car in the very same color! What are the odds? Now having a vehicle in hand, it had to be readied mechanically. A sum equal to 75% of the vehicle purchase price was spent in properly prepping the car. Work was done on the suspension & steering; brake, fuel, cooling, electrical and exhaust systems; to name but a few components. 5 new tires were purchased. A wise call on their part was to have the harmonic balancer re-vulcanized. The last thing one needs is to have the harmonic balancer decide to go into its own orbit while navigating the Italian road course! The Olds withstood the rigors of a serious shakedown cruise with Dave, accompanied by his daughter, driving it from San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA. No car problems surfaced during the cross-country trek. Dave reports the Rocket engine averaged 12 mpg. Going a distance of approximately 2,388 miles, and assuming a per gallon price for gas of $3.75, $746.25 was spent on gas. But hey, who is counting? A second reason for the west coast-to-east coast drive was to deliver the car for transport. In Savannah it was placed in a ship container to make the ocean voyage. Round trip trans-Atlantic transport expenses for the Olds are $6,050. Then, of course, Dave & Vince have to get themselves to Italy (and back). Once there, the plan is to reunite with their Olds in Genoa on 9 May. This is most definitely going to be quite an adventure. It would certainly rank high on anyone’s bucket list of activities. You may follow the guys on their trip via Facebook®. Here is the official web site of the Mille Miglia . By going there I was able to ascertain that Dave & Vince are but 1-of-2 entrants who shall be piloting a 1954 Oldsmobile in the 2014 Mille Miglia. The other is fellow American Jim Gingery. Dave intends to provide rally updates via the Facebook® link previously referenced in this article. I am also informed that once the race has been run the Oldsmobile shall be returned to the states and offered for sale. When that happens I shall pass on the sale details along with, hopefully, the guys comments on their experience. One sale detail I can pass on to you right now is that when the Mille Miglia Oldsmobile vet does become available for purchase, it will have some 4,000 more miles on the odometer than when this adventure began. Have fun guys, and stay safe!

Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;;

30 Years Later From the Houston Chronicle A Lake County man is celebrating the return of his stolen car after 30 years - and savoring just how kind the years have been to his ride. When Skip Wilson's 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air vanished in 1984, it was a junker with no engine or transmission. When the car was finally recovered and returned this week, it was a restored classic, souped up and cherried out. "It's got a new motor, upholstery, brakes, rims and tires, and the gauges - those are new, too - only say nine miles," the 65-year-old resi-dent of Clearlake Oaks (Lake County), California said. Wilson bought the hot rod in 1975 from his nephew in Pennsylvania for a whopping $375. He used it as his daily driver for years before it was ripped off from his front yard. The retiree, who is battling cancer, never thought he'd see the car again. "I assumed somebody chopped it up and was using parts of it at the racetrack," he said. That assumption evaporated when Wilson got a call from a California Highway Patrol investigator in Southern California asking him if he had any documentation that could prove he was the owner of the long-missing ride. The CHP and U.S. Customs had found the car in a shipping container just days before it was to set sail, bound for a buyer in Australia. Given the three decades that had passed since the car went missing, Wilson didn't have the police re-port handy, but after some digging, he was able to produce the necessary documents that proved the car was his. A few weeks and a $900 transportation fee later, Wilson was reunited with a car he hardly recog-nized - a vehicle fit for a car show or a parade. He said the state Department of Motor Vehicles told him that the car had been through four owners but that the serial number had never caught attention because the first character had been left off. Wilson feels bad for the previous owner, who likely poured a significant amount of money into the restora-tion - and for the would-be buyer in Australia - but said he's tickled to have his car back. "Every time I saw one of them on the road, I thought it was her," he said. "It's just unbelievable." – Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, come start/join an ongoing dialog with other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . ______________________________________ -- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD