Volume VI, Issue 4

motor parts or tires you are in big trouble. The parts will sleep at the customs office. Small parts you can still order.” April Milestones—Walter P. Chrys-ler was born (1874), and the Oldsmobile marque died (2004). - Stay warm & enjoy your ride(s)!

Easter is quickly approaching. It seems like it was only yesterday that I put the March issue to bed? Now, here I am cranking out the April issue. I thought ret irement was supposed to let me do things at a leisurely pace? While Easter may be coming on fast, I cannot say the same for spring. At least not here in WI! A line I read on an Olds forum recently caught my fancy. It was written in response to a solicitation of opinions regarding a proposed vehicle purchase. The writer opined: There are now more Faux-Four-Twos on the road than GM ever built. It caught my eye because it is so true. The same maxim ap-plies to the J2 offering from Oldsmobile in 1957 and ‘58. Over the last few years I have seen far more 3-deuce setups than ever rolled off the line at the factory. So buyer beware, and not just Olds buyers!

A SAFETY TIP—This crossed my desk not too long ago, and I deem it worthy of passing on: Tetrachloroethylene, the active ingredient in brake cleaner, when combined with heat (like from welding) and argon gas (used in MIG and TIG welding) makes phos-gene, a potent and deadly nerve gas. One whiff can kill you, or leave you with lung, kidney, pancreas and/or brain damage. Do not expose parts cleaned with brake cleaner to heat from a MIG or TIG welder if you value your health/life! I know that we all have spent many hours searching for parts for our rides. Be glad you are not in Argentina. A reader from there writes: “I'm a car collector in Argentina. In the latest times we are facing prob-lems ordering parts. For us, it is forbidden to buy big parts for the classics. Especially from the USA. Today if you need to buy

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 © 2013, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 2013 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

Summer Dreamin’ 2

Adding Modern Touches to Your Classic

3

Torque vs. Tension Oldsmobile

3 4

Delrado 88? Humor on Wheels

5

CCC® Forum EMail: OldsD88@gmail.com

In an effort to mitigate the winter blahs I have been eyeballing the upcoming car show calendar. Being retired, theoretically, I can pick up and go wherever/whenever I want. If that were true, here are a few events I would like to hit: There is Carlisle, a collector car swap meet, car corral and an Auctions America by RM auction featuring 8,100 vendors and 2,000 vehicles for sale in the car corral. This is one of the world’s largest auto related swap meets. It is held twice a year at the Car-lisle (PA) Fairgrounds; a 150 acre venue. This event has been ongoing since 1974. The 2013 dates are Apr 24 - Apr 28, and Oct 2 - Oct 6. Adult Admission: Wed.- Sat. $10 / Sun $5 / Event Pass $30. Find out more on the Carlisle web site. Not to be confused with Carlisle is Hershey. Why would anyone confuse the two? They both take place in PA. Both have a fall date. Both have vendors and car corrals. The difference is that Hershey is a car club event. Technically, it is the Antique Auto-mobile Club of America (AACA) Eastern Division National Fall Meet and Car Show. I have never been to Hershey. Everybody should go once. Right? They say, no matter how much time one spends, you just simply can not take it all in. After all, we are talk-ing over 9,000 vendors, 1,000 car corral spaces and 1,500 show cars. In addition to all that, there is also the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum to take in while in the neighborhood! While admission to the happenings at Hershey is free, one will have to pay $12/day to park their ride. This year Hershey will happen Oct. 9 –12. The AACA has a web site with info for all interested in attending. Then there is the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, MO on Aug. 10. The event incorporates a car show and cruise. The “Mother Road” and old cars make for a combo that is pretty hard to beat. That being said, the Lincoln Hwy. (US 30) folks want to claim a piece of the pie. Their right to do so is solidly grounded in the fact that US 30 was our first paved transconti-nental highway. 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of this road. To celebrate, they are staging a cross-country drive with both San Fran and NYC starting points. The two caravans shall meet in Kearny, NE, after averaging 240 miles per day of touring. I will not try and speak for others. I will say that I had the pleasure of being part of a multi-day tour. For me, it remains a memorable collector car experience. You can not beat the camaraderie and old fashion good times to be had. I have been eyeing this one for a few years. Have yet to go, but it is a biggie. How big? So big, that Barrett-Jackson is now sticking its nose in. Is that good or bad? B-J is giving away big bucks to promote its empire. The Barrett-Jackson Cup award will dole out $40K in prizes to Hot August Nights participants. Barrett-Jackson will hold also hold a classic car auction in connection with, and during, the Hot August Nights event. What you need to know: To put your car in the event, be prepared to shell out $170. Rooms, I am sure, will be also be a considerable expense. To stay at Harrah’s Reno for the week the lodging bill would come to $680. Hot August Nights sounds like a bucket list item to me? Here is the HAN web site.

One would have to hurry home from Hot August Nights in order to ready themselves to partake in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. It is billed as the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars.

Summer Dreamin’

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

“US 30 was

our first

paved trans-

continental

highway.

2013 marks

its 100th

anniversary

of this

road.”

Summer Dreamin’—Cont’d. It is a one day event, running from 9 to 9. The cost to be a part of it is nothing! Woodward Av is synonymous with Detroit and the auto industry. It is a step back to a time when cars dominated the American culture. We are talking car shows, parades, curise-ins and live entertainment. All the details may be found at the Woodward Dream Curise site. Sadly, a word of caution must be injected with respect to the Woodward Dream Cruise. There is no way of getting around the fact this event takes place in the Detroit environs. Detroit is down on its knees, economically speaking. That fact brings out the worst in some folk. Consequently one must keep a close watch on their person, possessions and vehicles. It seems that almost every year vehicle thefts are reported. Last year, a participant not only had his car stolen, but also the enclosed trailer in which he had secured it! Being forewarned is being forearmed. Do you have any “must do” car related events to recommend.? We would love to hear and learn about them! Send them to the Editor. Adding Modern Touches to Your Classic I was amazed to learn how easy and inexpensive it is to update my old rides with

the installation of a “lights on” warning system. Anyone can do it, and in a very short period of time. And, when you are done no one will be able to visibly detect the mod. Head down to your local Radio Shack and pick up a $10.99 Radio Shack Part #273-071 electronic chime and a package of 22-18 gauge male spade wire quick connects (Part #64-3132), or a 4-pack of fuse taps (Part # 270-1204) if you have glass fuses.

The chime will have three wires coming out of it; black, blue and red. For this instal-lation, connect the black and blue wires together. They will feed the chime, only when the ignition is on. To accomplish this connect the joined black/blue wire to the wind-shield wiper fuse using the spade connector or fuse tap. The red wire goes to a source that has power even when the ignition is off. For this you should be able to use the tail light fused circuit. Double sided tape may be used attach the buzzer to a solid surface under the dash. You now have a working “lights on” warning chime for a cost of less than $15, and less than an hour of installation time. Torque vs. Tension FACT—Under/over and irregular tightening cause 30% of all assembly failures. Among wrench turners, who does not have a torque wrench? No one would even consider tightening a head bolt, manifold bolt, carburetor hold down nuts, you name it, without resort to one. Auto repair manuals, since time immemorial, have contained torque recommendations. How many of us have had the unfortunate experience of snapping a bolt/stud by applying too much torque? If you have, then you know torque!

“I was amazed to

learn how

easy and

inexpensive

it is to

update my

old rides

with the

installation

of a ‘lights

on’ warning

system.”

Car Collector Chronicles Page 3

Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;

Torque vs. Tension—Cont’d Well, it turns out that you really don’t know torque at all. The critical measure when it comes to tight-ening fasteners is not torque. Rather, it is tension. Tension is measured in pounds of pressure. Torque is but a measure of the effort required to turn a nut on the threads of a bolt. Before a fastener can even begin to tighten, 50% of the applied torque is consumed in overcoming mating surface friction. Another 35% of the applied torque is used up overcoming thread friction. That leaves all of 15% of the torque applied available to actually tighten. Tightening only occurs when a fastener/bolt has been placed in tension. If the fastener/bolt is not stretched then there is no clamping load placed on the surfaces being mechanically joined. A properly tightened bolt is one that is stretched so that it acts like a very rigid spring pulling the mating surfaces to-gether. The bottom line here is that torque recommendations are but a convenient means of approximating the amount of force necessary under prescribed conditions to produce the requisite tension to keep surfaces properly joined. It is used because the average person simply does not have the equipment needed to measure tension. Yes, that equipment does exist. It is called a Skidmore-Wilhelm™. And, yes, it is quite expensive. For a clear, concise and short presentation on the difference between torque and tension I highly recom-mend this You Tube™ video. It is very informative and does a far better job of explaining all this than I! Oldsmobile Delrado 88? Now and then I encounter information on cars that I never knew existed. That is not at all unusual for me, except when it comes to Oldsmobile. Nevertheless, this one caught me off guard. Me thinks it ulti-mately, became the Delmont 88, which was introduced in 1967 and produced for just two years, replacing both the Jetstar 88 and Dynamic 88 model lines.

Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;;

Humor on Wheels How many horsepower? Nor is it equipped with an EPA mandated diaper!

– 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: • Who knows? • Happy Easter, and my spring be sprung!