the choke rodsfmodelaclub.org/the-choke-rod/2011/aug/choke-rod-aug-2011.pdf · the year paid plus...

San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Model A Ford Club of America

preserving and restoring the Model A Ford since 1956

Volume 55, Issue 8 MAFCA Certifi cate of Merit 2005 through 2010 August 2011

Upcoming ToursSunday August 21 - Palace of Fine Arts - San Francisco

Saturday September 10 - Oktoberfest - Marin A’sFriday-Sunday September 23-25 - Overnighter to MurphysSaturday October 1 - Lumberjack Days - Calaveras County

The Choke Rod

Photo by Scott Williams

Palo Alto Concourssee pages 8 & 9

The San Francisco Model “A” Ford Club encourages membership in MAFCA, the National Model “A” Ford Club. Benefi ts include an excellent bi-monthly publication, The Restorer, providing technical information and free liability insurance when participating in Club Events.

MAFCA Model A Ford Club of America, Inc.250 South Cypress StreetLa Habra CA 90631 www.mafca.com 562-697-2712

MAFCA dues are $40 per year. Dues for new members may be paid at any time. Dues paid between November 1 and December 31 are valid for the remainder of the year paid plus the following year. Along with your check send in your name, spouse’s name and complete address. An optional $10 initiation fee includes a club pin, decal, badge, windshield card and a back issue of “The Restorer” magazine. If you use Mastercard or Visa, include the expiration date and your signature. Membership includes a subscription to The Restorer.

The Choke Rod page 2

Volume 55, Issue 8 www.sfmodelaclub.org August 2011

President’s MessageOn Saturday July 30 John Bettencourt will lead the second San Francisco Old Fire House Tour. Please RSVP John at [email protected]. Don’t forget to bring $10 for the BBQ. If you want to make a donation bring a little more.

Next up is the Palace of Fine Arts Tour on Sunday August 21. If you plan to come please RSVP. Call my offi ce and leave a message with anyone who answers the call. My number is (415) 647-7077. We will lunch at a yet to be determined spot following the tour. The cost per person and the details regarding this tour will be handed out at the August meeting and/or mailed to you.

Murphys/Ironstone Concours Overnighter is Friday to Sunday September 23 - 25. We have a limited number of rooms reserved at the Murphy’s Motel. If you plan to go and need a room, call me at home and leave a message. Rooms will be on a fi rst come fi rst served basis. The number is (415) 282-2789.

The Marin A’s have invited us back again for their Oktoberfest. We must have been on our best behavior. At any rate we plan to go. The date is Saturday September 10.

Mark your calendars and be sure to let us know you plan to come and/or if you need a room.

See you at the meeting.

TOUR CHAIR: Steve PedoneEDITORS: Walter Caplan Scott WilliamsFASHION EDITOR: Rachelle MarquezTECH EDITOR: Steve OwsleyMEMBERSHIP: Walter Caplan

The Choke Rod is published once each month by the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. It is mailed free to each member in good standing and mailed to other antique car clubs in exchange for their publications. The Choke Rod takes no responsibility for the accuracy of materials, dates, places, prices, etc of its contents. Permission to reproduce is hereby granted provided credit is given to The Choke Rod. The Choke Rod welcomes articles, art work, ideas, suggestions, etc.

Please submit any and all material to the editor by the last Monday of each month. Articles and photos may be submitted to: [email protected] or mailed to Walter Caplan at 157 Warren Drive, San Francisco, CA 94131.

Barry Kinney

Offi cial Publication of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

MAFCA

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

Barry KinneyVICE PRESIDENTS

Tom EscherGunard MahlGreg Martinez

SECRETARY

Joan PetersonTREASURER

Jeanine MahlPAST PRESIDENT

Gary Barrango

The Marin A’s have invited the Napa A’s, the Sonoma A’s, and the SF Bay Area Chapter to their 2011 Oktoberfest to be held on Saturday September 10th beginning at 11 am at the Marin Rod and Gun Club in San Rafael.

The Marin A’s request you bring your Model A (if possible), hat, sunscreen, sweater (could be warm, could be foggy), camera, and any adult drinks you may want. Food and drink (water and soda) provided by the Marin A’s. There is no cost - we are guests of the Marin A’s.

Last year we all had a great time.Details to follow in the September issue of the Choke Rod.

Marin A’s OktoberfestSaturday September 10

Marin Rod & Gun Club - San Rafael

The Choke Rod page 3Volume 55, Issue 8 www.sfmodelaclub.org August 2011

Refreshments at the July meetingwere provided by Joan Peterson

Walter Caplanwill provide refreshments at the August meeting.

Overnighter to MurphysIronstone Concours d’EleganceFriday - Sunday September 23 - 25

By popular demand, for a fi fth year the Club is planning another weekend tour to the gold country with stops along the way, group dinners, and a fantastic car show on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Ironstone Winery in Murphys. A limited number of hotel rooms have been reserved byBarry Kinney for club members.

Accommodations are limited and will be on a “fi rst come - fi rst served” basis. Call Barry at 415-282-2789 to reserve a room.

Tour Leader: Barry KinneyRSVP 415-282-2789

Palace of Fine Arts TourSunday August 21

We are fortunate to be able to tour the recently renovated Palace of Fine Arts with Barbara Casey from San Francisco City Guides (you may recognize her from Barry’s offi ce).

We will meet at the Rod and Gun Club at 8:30 am for a running board breakfast - juice, coffee, and pastries. We will leave at 9:15 and travel together up the Great Highway through Lincoln Park and the Presidio to the Palace of Fine Arts for our private guided tour which will begin at 10 am.

Lunch will follow at a location yet to be determined by Barry.Tour Leader: Barry KinneyRSVP 415-282-2789

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Gunard Mahl August 2Gary Barrango August 4Nick Craig August 7Bob Craig, Jr. August 8Jack Hart August 14Maria Asuncion Young August 15Bev Kling August 16Colleen Rosenblatt August 16Zach Rosenblatt August 24Jack Green August 31

Barry Kinney & Coragine Savio August 9Gary & Cheryl Barrango August 26

Lumberjack Day ParadeSaturday October 1

West Point - Calaveras CountyAn American Horseman sanctioned parade, “downtown” car show and lumberjack contests (such as bucking, cross cut sawing, tug-of-war).

This parade was started in the early 1970’s by three West Point elementary school teachers, one of whom was our own Jeanine Mahl. It has grown every year since. Now it raises money for scholarships for local kids. It is lots of fun!

Jackson Rancheria Casino is about 10 miles away. Anyone who is interested should put this date on their calendar. For more information go tohttp://www.gocalaveras.com/lumberjack-days.

If you have questions, contact Jeanine Mahl at 415-664-2056.


1970-19711970

With the demand for more natural, less supportive bras, the early 1970’s saw a production of seamless, see-through bras coming to light. The garish colors and prints of the 1960’s were being replaced by ecru, beige, peach, apricot, buff, tan, brown and other complexion neutrals. White bras still existed but they were in competition with the fl esh tones.

Natural was the desired look, demanding for a better than braless silhouette. Underwire, heavy stitching, stiff panels, and other supportive devices fell out of favor, especially among young women. The styles were softer and less structured than those featured in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These bras were made possible with a new lightweight spandex blend and new methods of creating seamless cups.

Although smaller, perkier breasts were the ideal for these bras, as the decade wore on women in the UK, Europe, North America and elsewhere were getting bustier (due in part to the Pill). Companies responded by expanding their lines to a size DD or larger.

The fashion for going braless put many lingerie manufacturers out of business and so they turned their attention to reducing the production costs. Starting in the 1970’s bras that were to be made and sold in the United States were shipped overseas to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic to be sewn by cheap contract labor. Typically, a small component of the bra, such as a clasp or a label, was sewn onto the fi nished garment by U.S. workers, thus allowing the item to be marked “Made in the USA”.

In refl ection of improving racial equality in the U.S., Lovable, Exquisite Form, Bestform, Delightform, Glamorise, Lilyette, Formfi t Rogers and Gossard began using dark-skinned models (thought many of them were Caucasians with good tans) for bra advertisements placed in African American interest magazines and newspapers and some mainstream publications.

Gelmert came up with The Kicky-Dicky cropped top made from nylon which

needed no bra because the support was built in. For the young and daring the top could be worn on its own, although it looked just as good under a sweater.

1971There is popular belief that Mary Phelps Jacob did not invent the bra, but a man named Otto Titzling beat her to it a year prior (1912). This fact was based on a book that

was released in 1971 featuring a cast of dubiously named characters. The story was, however, accepted as fact.

The book was authored by Wallace Reyburn and titled Bust Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling and the Development of the Bra. It tells the story of a young German whose desire to invent the bra was inspired by his father’s work as a bridge building engineer. His two brothers follow their father into the trade, but Otto follows his uncle into the fashion industry, where is determined to make his name in innovative corsetry. After an argument with his father about his career choice he moves to New York where he rooms in the same boarding house as a large-busted opera singer for whom he invented his fi rst bra.

The story continues as Otto meets his business partner, Hans Delving, after World War I and they encounter a Swedish athlete, Lois Lung, who needs Otto to invent a

pair of “infl atable falsies” to protect her breasts when hurdling. This was how the sports bra was created. The names and the story are scrutinized as false truths.

In the late 1920’s Philippe de Brassiere arrives in New York. He is a dastardly dress designer from Paris who claims he invented the bra fi rst and takes Otto to court. Because Otto failed to patent his invention de Brassiere wins the case and as the story states that is why the garment is called the “brassiere” and not the “titzling”. This author was also noted to write a book about the man who invented the fl ushing loo. It is called Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper.

Rachelle Marquez


In January 1942, a month after Pearl Harbor, FDR called for the production of 60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 antiaircraft guns, and 8 million tons of merchant shipping. For 1943, FDR wanted 125,000 planes, 75,000 tanks, 35,000 antiaircraft guns, and 10 million tons of merchant shipping. That was just part of what was needed to fi ght a war that spread from Asia to Europe and North Africa. “It must be done and we have undertaken to do it,” said FDR.

Industries geared up for massive wartime production. Factories were converted from making peacetime to wartime products. They changed from making sewing machines to bombs, vacuum cleaners to machine guns, shirts to mosquito netting, and kitchen sinks to cartridge cases. The Kleenex company switched to making two-gun and four-gun .50 caliber machine-gun mounts.

On February 10, 1942, the last new automobile that would be produced until the war ended in 1945 rolled off the assembly line. For the duration of the war, auto plants produced tanks, jeeps, and all kinds of weapons. At the cost of $65 million, which the U.S. government paid, the Ford Motor Company constructed a new half-mile-long building for the production of bombers. At the height of production, one bomber was produced every hour, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Other new factories were built: the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company built a huge new plant in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, to produce crankshafts, links, propeller shafts, and master rods for aircraft engines. New shipyards were built and old ones were expanded.

Elsie Rossio remembers how her “very small, very quiet farming community” of Seneca, Illinois, was transformed: “In early 1942 we began hearing rumors that a shipyard was coming to Seneca, but many of us did not really believe it until one morning we were awakened in the wee hours by the sound of huge

Getting Ready For War part threetrucks moving down Main Street. Just a few days later, the sound of jackhammers and the rat-a-tat-tat of carpenters’ hammers began echoing day and night.

The site of the shipyards and dock was at the southeast corner of town on the banks of the Illinois River, but you could hear the jackhammers everywhere.” The fi rst ship was completed fi ve months after the shipyard was built on the pastures. According to an article in the New York Times with the headline “Welder Launches Tank-Landing Ship,” seven thousand people attended the launching, and “Mrs. Harriet Williamson, 30 years old, widowed mother of three little girls, who learned welding and helped build the ship, smashed a bottle of champagne against the vessel. Her

husband was killed in a munitions plant explosion. In recognition of her courage, the company and fellow-employees gave her and the children war bonds, a medal, and other awards, besides giving her the role of honor at today’s launching.”

America’s industrial mobilization would require a staggering number of workers for traditionally male jobs at a time when millions of men were leaving the home front for the battlefront. So it was just a matter of time before America would be forced to deal with its entrenched attitudes about women’s roles and capabilities.

Rachelle Marquez


Fathers Day at St. Anne’s Home

Photos by Jim Hutton

Barry Kinney

Do you know anyone who bought their fi rst Model a Ford directly from the dealer. I bet not. However, there are a lot of us “New Comers” who have heard stories from the “Old Timers” about growing up with a Model A in the family.

One of the pleasures of Fathers Day at St. Anne’s Home is hearing the residents tell stories about family adventures in the old Model A. The minute they get into the car they begin to tell you how familiar the upholstery looks or how their father would never let the kids ride in the front seat.

This year was no different. There were lots of stories many a little devilish but all in good humor. Sadly, some of the wonderful people we met last year were not present to ride with us this Fathers Day.

Bob Farina met us on the drive in front of St. Anne’s Home. Bob owned and drove a Model A for many years and this event was his idea. This was the ninth year that the Club has celebrated Fathers Day at St. Anne’s. Bob recently sold his Model A to one of our new Club members. You will meet him soon.

Jonathan, Nell, Walter, Mike, Charlie and Victoria, Bob, Barry, Mike, John, Jeanine and Gunard, Todd and several others were there to entertain the families and guests at St. Anne’s Home.

When everyone who wanted a ride had been satisfi ed we were treated to a spectacular lunch in the lobby of the home. The remainder of the afternoon was spent on snacks and good conversation.

Fathers Day at St. Anne’s has become one of our more gratifying traditional annual events and, unless we are uninvited, we will be there again next year.

More photos on page 9.


From time to time we are asked which items should be carried in our old cars. That is, which tools and supplies can provide for an emergency repair, or at least help in keeping your classic car visible on the side of the road. Here’s what we consider necessary for your classic car’s tool kit. If you keep these in your trunk you stand the best chance of getting the old fl ivver running again, or at least not getting hit as it sits on the side of the road.

Your Classic Car Tool Kit Accessories

• A fl ashlight or portable light that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Or you might consider one of those fl ashlights that you crank. At least you don’t have to worry about the batteries being dead. You can’t make repairs if you can’t see what you’re doing.

• A roll of high-quality duct tape. Many small coolant hose leaks have been temporarily repaired with duct tape, not to mention cracked windows and loose trim.

• One or two wire coat hangers. It’s amazing how well this wire can hold up a broken exhaust hangar or loose engine bracket or loose door.

• Jumper cables, obviously, and they don’t do any good hanging in the garage.

• Ignition points, condenser and distributor cap. Keep the old ones replaced the last time you serviced the ignition. They will always do in a pinch.

How do you set the gap on the replacement points out on the road? Well, a standard piece of paper (copier, printer, letter, etc.) is .004 inches in thickness. Folded 5 times you have .020 thousandths, a very common gap for older cars. Of course, you could always add a set of wire gauges to your toolkit.

• A can of fl at fi xer can many times get your old tire back into service. These cans hold a liquid latex sealer and compressed air that, in most cases, will be enough to get you rolling.

• Road fl ares or plastic refl ectors are great safety items that can be placed at both ends of the car to warn traf-fi c that it’s parked on the side.

• Fuel hose, coolant hose, vacuum hose, fan belt. Hose lengths only need to be enough to replace a section that might break.

Your Classic Car ToolkitNow, For Some Tools to Get Your Classic Car Running:

• Flat-blade and Phillips screwdrivers in several sizes. • A knife or other cutting instrument • Pliers: normal, needle-nose and wire-cutting pliers

are an absolute necessity • Adjustable wrenches, two of them. • Open-end or box-end wrench set in common sizes, so

that adjustments can be made to brackets, distributor, etc. Cheap sets are available in home centers and some sundry stores.

• Voltmeter and, if necessary, an instruction sheet. • Lengths of several gauge-size wire and crimp con-

nectors. • Small hammer • Assorted hose clamps or nylon tie-wraps

We also recommend carrying a fi re extinguisher and fi rst aid kit. Both are inexpensive and really important when they are needed.

Sometimes it takes a little tinkering to keep your clas-sic car running. And if you’re on the road, having the right tools is a good thing — it’s better to have too many, than too little.

Steve OwsleyAdapted from http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/classic-car-toolkit.cfm


The Concours at StanfordThe Concours at Stanford is quite a show. Al, Jenny, Joan, and Nell worked hard to make this event successful and a pleasure for all of our Club members. This is not just a car show – it is an extravaganza of automotive excellence. This year the “Flat Heads” were featured. They fi lled the fi eld along with the Rolls Royce, Duesenberg and the Packard. There was something for everyone.

We cruised in about 9:30 and found a comfortable campsite under the trees. Walter prepared a table with cold cuts and salads. The Mahls brought cakes, both homemade and store bought, and salads. Gary brought a cooler fi lled with cold drinks. After lunch the options were to venture out and view the show or simply relaxing in the shade. Several long time friends and Club members stopped by to say hello. Gregory Timm who lives in Pescadero stopped by to offer the Club a lunch and a guided tour of Pescadero. Car shows have a way of opening doors and bringing friends together.

Two of our Club members came early and were “On the Grass”. Mike Cunneen and Kevin Enderby had their cars judged and both came away winners. The Palo Alto show works a little different than most. You can pay the entry fee and show in the Corral as display only. The advantage is that you can bring a guest, see the show, leave anytime, have convenient parking and a bottle of wine for about the cost of two spectator tickets. Or your can enter to be judged “On the Grass” and must stay all day.

Our only obligation was to volunteer to help when needed. Gary Barrango helped direct traffi c during the judging. However, this event is so well organized that our help was almost unnecessary. Unnecessary or not, I felt a little guilty for not helping more. I think we owe Joan, Nell, Jenny and Al – BIG TIME.

Barry

Kinney

Photos by Scott Williams


Photos by Scott Williams

Fathers Day at St. Anne’s Home continued

Photos by Barry Kinney


Actually, it was a Packard that started the whole thing; a black, stretched, sleek, seductive, straight 8, 1940 Packard with a body by Darrin. This had been my father’s dream car for years. So, in 1960 he answered a For Sale add, fl ew down to Ft. Lauderdale and drove back to our home in Lake Forest, Illinois with The Darrin, as she was later named. This was our family’s second car, or actually our dad’s car since he drove it daily to and from work, a classic beauty!

Thus began my interest in antique and classic cars. My dad knew a mechanic that could keep The Darrin road-worthy, but it was up to me and Dad, (my three sisters weren’t really interested), to keep her exterior and interior ship shape. She received a new rag top, new, larger rear window to make highway driving safer, new upholstery, and eventually two different color schemes over the period we had stewardship of this classic automobile. The fi rst color scheme was an elegant two-tone gray that was very understated and reminded me of Marlene Dietrich in a Balenciaga evening gown. A couple of years later Dad decided to swing to the complete opposite and found a lacquer, candy-apple red that really suited The Darrin to a T, more like Rita Hayworth and a night on the town.

Each spring, Dad and I would hunt through the auto wreckage yards for Packard parts and each year we would have to travel further and further north into the wilds of Wisconsin as the yards would become picked clean by other auto enthusiasts.

The Packard was our ticket to The Lake Forest Rotary Club’s annual Classic Car show held at The Lake Forest Academy. Since The Packard was driven, all seasons, over northern Illinois’s highways full of slush and salt, though she was sleek and gorgeous, she was never really in show condition. Only once did we succumb to Packard enthusiast’s plea to enter the show and when we saw the judge’s face when he held a mirror to her undercarriage did we realize we were in the wrong league.

Whereas my Dad was always drawn to the long, sleek, American beauties, the Dusenbergs, Auburns, Cords, and Chryslers, I was enchanted, yes beguiled by, their more humble cousin, the Ford Model A. Whereas my dad would just beam ear-to-ear when a magnifi cent, super charged straight 12 would start up and idle-purr like the engine of a B-17, the simple, chuckling rhythm of the Ford’s friendly four made my heart skip a beat.

Luckily for me my dad noticed, because in the summer of 1965 my dad approached me with a proposal. If I would spend the summer, scraping, priming and painting our two-story house, he would either pay me what he would pay a painter, or he would fi nd me a Model A. Well, you know what offer I took. That September, my senior year in high school saw me driving a cute, 1931, black with red wheels, Model A Victoria Tudor Sedan. Unfortunately for my father, a year

earlier he realized he did not have the fi nancial resources to do The Darrin justice and he sold her to a collector. It was a black day in our household when she appeared on the cover of Classic Car magazine, still in her smashing candy-apple red paint job.

Since we only had a two-car garage my mom’s station wagon had one half and Dad’s commuting car, a common ‘64 Cadillac convertible, took the

other. The Victoria had to withstand the Chicago winters outside in the drive. When it was below freezing she was reluctant to start, but I could get a push, pop the clutch and chug off to school. After a snowfall, before the school lot could be shoveled out, I was always the fi rst to chug through the drifts while my friends were still shoveling out their low slung cars.

Then in the fall of ‘66 I went off to Tulane University in New Orleans and I had to sell the Victoria, but she paid for a year of my college education, leaving a hole in my heart.

Over the years I have kept up my love of classic automobiles and for a time dallied with foreign ones. A friend turned me on to the delights of the designs by Andre Citroën and he and I invested in a ‘53 Légère Traction Avant and a ‘55 Commercial TA. We were living in New Orleans when Katrina struck. We had sold the Légère, but the Commercial was lost, since there was 9 feet of water in our neighborhood for over three weeks. We lost two cars along with everything in our house. It is a bit of a set back to one’s system having to scrape snail slime and dried fi sh carcasses off the upholstery of one’s automobile and the walls of one’s house. I am not even going to talk about the molds. We eventually sold the Commercial to a mechanic in Baton Rouge and turned our energies to mucking out and restoring our house, but that is another story.

I managed to stay in New Orleans for two more years after Katrina teaching at Newman School where I had been for 12 years, thinking my classic car days were over. The city was not a very pleasant place to live at that time. Then, over spring break, I received a phone call from a friend teaching in

‘A’ BEGUILEMENT


Randall Bowman

an independent school in the East Bay, asking if I’d consider coming out here to teach. I jumped at the opportunity and said, “YES!” Because I didn’t even have to think about it and every fi ber of my being vibrated with the prospect, I knew it was time to leave. I fl ew out and interviewed at several schools in the Bay Area. Luckily for me, there was a position at one of the premier independent schools in San Francisco and I was offered a contract. I jokingly tell people I only wear long-sleeve shirts to hide the black and blue marks on my arms because every morning I wake up, look out my apartment window and realize I live and work in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I pinch myself to make sure it is not just a dream.

Katrina and the aftermath has had a powerful impact on my life that continues still today. I have decided not to dwell on the destructive past and losses, but to live joyously in the present. I have just fi nished my 4th year teaching at The San Francisco Day School. My partner and I sold our house in New Orleans and he has taken up residence in the

19th century stone house we are restoring in the Périgorde region of France.

Last April I decided to do something about the hole in my heart left by my having to sell my Victoria in 1966. I gave my 2006 Nissan Altima to my niece who just graduated from university and started looking for the car of my dreams. As soon as I saw a picture of this beautifully restored 1930 Model A Tudor sedan, I was beguiled and I bought her. She is my only car and I have named her after Josephine Baker, the jazz singer of the 30’s who captured the hearts

of the Parisians. So, if you happen to be in the city and see me chugging down the city streets in Josephine, give a honk or a wave. I’ll “aooogha” and wave back, because I just want you to know I may be beguiled by Josephine, but I am whole-heartily so happy to be here.

In every Model A Ford Club there is always someone who contributes signifi cantly to the hobby but in many cases never owns a Model A. In fact, our Bylaws say that owning a Model A is not a prerequisite to being a Club member. This is the case with Bill Usedom. Bill was an amateur photographer and a member of MARC and MAFCA but never owned a Model A. Bill recently passed away. However, Bill left behind forty albums of automobile pictures. One of these albums fi lled with pictures of Model A Fords was recently donated to the San Francisco Model A Ford Club by Mr.Lee Spencer.

Mr. Spencer writes:

Dear Barry, Bill Usedom never owned a Model A but in 1969 and 1970 he was a member of the San Francisco Model A car group and hung out with them. He is remembered for taking pictures of “Old Cars” and attending car shows from coast to coast for fi fty years. He passed away in December of 2010.

I feel this album (one of forty) of stock Model A Fords should be with the current San Francisco Model A Ford Club. Please share it (456 pictures) with your Club and other car lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Respectfully yours, Lee”

The Club wishes to formally thank Mr. Spencer for his donation of Bill Usedom’s album of Model A Ford pictures. These pictures will serve to keep Bill in our minds and hearts. They are a photographic history of the Model A Ford that will be preserved and shared with current and future club members and all of those who appreciate old cars.

The Legacy of Bill Usedom

Barry Kinney


The New Guy part two

I was fortunate enough to be born into a family of car lovers. Our great-grandpa was a service manager at a Chevy dealer, and after World War II, grandpa drove logging trucks and worked as a heavy-duty

truck mechanic. Grandpa also had a few Model Ts (in parts) and a 1923 Chevrolet Touring Car.

Our dad bought his 1930 Ford Model A pickup from the original owner in 1973 – a house painter in Placerville who used the truck for his painting business. Dad did a frame-on restoration in our garage in 1974 and fi nished right before I was born. My brother, sister, and I each came home from the hospital as newborns in the Model A. Safety laws for kids in cars have defi nitely changed.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Mom and Dad were active members of Model A Clubs in the Sacramento and Eureka areas. My siblings and I have many fond memories of club activities, especially the food and great people. Mom and Dad’s truck was a driver – we used it in club events, parades, birthday parties, or just errands around town. Once my siblings and I entered high school, the Model A-related activities tapered off, but it still got driven, including to senior prom.

Fast forward to November 2010. I purchased the Model A from my folks who were downsizing after purchasing a 1939 Buick Special. I hope to give the Model A a good home and create new memories as they did. I immediately joined the San Francisco Model A Club and am now doing some tinkering on the Model A. My fi rst project is refi nishing the oak wood strips in the bed. This column will follow my efforts.

So last month’s column detailed the struggle to remove the oak boards from the back of the pickup. With time (and trial and error), they fi nally came free.

With boards, hardware, metal strips, and central plate out of the truck bed, it was time to prep them for fi nishing.

This seemed straightforward enough. Label them sequentially. Strip them with a belt sander, repeating as necessary. Clean and prep for varnish.


A good friend loaned me his belt sander and orbital sander. After a trip to the local hardware store, I donned a mask and goggles and then attacked the fi rst oak board with 50 grit sandpaper. Yeah, that belt didn’t even make it past the fi rst board before it was clogged and rendered useless. Before swapping sandpaper, I inspected the board further. Remnants of house paint from the 1970s (the original owner was a house painter) remained stuck on the board. Further, the ends of the boards were coated with a hard, clay-like substance: 80+ years of dirt, grime, and gunk (and possibly some house paint). Removing this required a switch in tools: a hammer, a chisel, a screwdriver, and a wire brush.

This proved partially effective. Next stop: a planer.

Back up north in Humboldt County, Dad and I ran the oak boards through the planer. We learned two things: (1) 80 year-old oak boards have the tensile strength of iron, and (2) due to 80 years of warping in pretty much all directions, the signifi cant curvature of the oak boards meant the planer only leveled out part of the surface. Back to the belt sander.

Several 50 grit belts later, I was fi nished. Moving on to 120 grit felt like a huge accomplishment, although

a nagging voice wondered if I had removed too much material. Nevertheless, the original wood was slowly reappearing. I especially liked the black diamond-shaped indents on the bottom where the hardware joints held the oak strips together. The fi nal touch was the orbital. It was likely overkill at this point, but a few passes of the orbital with 120 grit sandpaper left the oak strips in good condition. I also wondered about the damaged/rotten/defective tongues (in the tongue-in-groove). Some I was able to fi x with wood glue and clamps, but others were too far gone. Would that matter?

Dan Bowermaster


2011 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA MAFCA TOURSIT’S THE JOURNEY! NOT THE DESTINATION!

2011 Schedule of Events

MONTH DAY TOUR LEADER TOUR

JAN 30 BARRY KINNEY PRESIDENT’S BRUNCH MARCH 5 SATURDAY SF MODEL A FORD CLUB CRAB FEED - MONTE CRISTO CLUBAPRIL TBA KINNEY GREEK CULTURAL PARADE & CELEBRATIONAPRIL-MAY 29-1 KINNEY SPRING SPEED WEEKEND - AUBURN, CAMAY 1 SF MODEL A FORD CLUB DREAM MACHINES - HALF MOON BAYMAY 15 KINNEY FRIENDSHIP DAY - CAÑADA COLLEGEMAY 30 MONDAY CAPLAN MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE - PRESIDIOJUNE 18 SATURDAY CAPLAN / OWSLEY ST. ANNE’S HOME - FATHER’S DAY WEEKENDJUNE 26 PETERSON / JUMP / THOMAS PALO ALTO CONCOURS AT STANFORDJULY 17 CAPLAN “FUN IN THE SUN!” CAR SHOW - LOS GATOSJULY 30 SATURDAY BETTENCOURT FIREHOUSE TOUR & BBQ - SAN FRANCISCOAUG 21 KINNEY PALACE OF FINE ARTS TOUR - SAN FRANCISCOSEPT 10 SATURDAY MARIN A’S ANNUAL “OKTOBERFEST” CELEBRATIONSEPT 11 KINNEY ANTIQUE AUTOS HISTORY PARK - SAN JOSESEPT 22-25 CAPLAN / OWSLEY / MACHADO OVERNIGHTER-MURPHYS-IRONSTONE CONCOURSOCT TBA CAPLAN / OWSLEY JIMMY’S OLD CAR PICNIC IN GOLDEN GATE PARK

NOV 13 GREG MARTINEZ VETERAN’S DAY PARADE ON MARKET STREET DEC 10 SATURDAY SF MODEL A CLUB CHRISTMAS BANQUET - BASQUE CULTURAL CTR.

If you would like to lead a tour, please call Barry Kinney at 415-282-2789We encourage Club Members to plan additional driving tours throughout the year.

There is room for more than one activity or tour per month.

Jan 29-30 Turlock Swap MeetMay 27-29 NCRG Round-Up in Dan Foley Pary, Vallejo, CA www.ncrgmafca.comAug 1-6 Northwest Regional Group Meet.Dec 1-4 MAFCA Annual Membership Meeting & Awards Banquet Santa Rosa, CA - Host Sonoma A’s


San Francisco Bay Area ChapterModel A Ford Club of America

July 14, 2011

SF Model A Club Monthly Meetings:The meetings continue to be held monthly, the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm.

The location is the Monte Cristo Club at 136 Missouri Street in San Francisco. The meeting place is located in a safe neighborhood and parking is convenient. If you have questions or need directions, call Gary at (415) 821-2628 (daytime)

The next scheduled meeting will be on Thursday, August 11, 2011

A number of club members gather together for dinner before the monthly meeting at 6 pm.Please feel free to join us – dinner location will be at Goat Hill Pizza at 18th & Connecticut.

The meeting was called to order at 7:35 pm by Walter Caplan. There was one guest Al Malatesta The minutes from the previous meeting were approved as written.

Reports of Offi cers

President: Palo Alto Concours – John Bettencourt reported that everyone loved the show. Thanks to Al Thomas, Jenny Jump, Joan Peterson, and Nell Richmond. We had a nice picnic in the Grove. John passed around his photos from the show.

Firehouse Tour – John Bettencourt reported on it. He brought fl yers. Walter will e-mail everyone a reminder. We will meet at the Rod and Gun Club at 10 am on Saturday July 30 for a running board breakfast - we will depart at 10:30 am to begin the tour. BBQ will be $10 per person.

Ironstone – Friday September 23 to Sunday September 25. Show is on Saturday September 24. Make room reservations by calling Barry.

Palace of Fine Arts – Sunday August 21 with Barbara Casey of City Guides. Meet at the Rod and Gun Club at 8:30 am. Leave at 9:15 am. Tour will begin at 10 am. Lunch site yet to be determined.

Lumberjack Parade – Saturday October 1. For information contact Jeanine Mahl.

Vice President: No report

Treasurer: Starting next month Jeanine will be treasurer.

Secretary: No report.

Editor: We are getting good quality newsletter articles. The New Guy (Dan Bowermaster) will continue his articles, and in August our newest member Randall Bowman will write an article.

Tour Director: No report

For The Good Of The Order: No Report

Bent Rod: Walter will get it from Gunard next month.

Joan Peterson brought the refreshments for this month. Walter will bring them next month.

There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm.

The next monthly Meeting will be Thursday August 11, 2011 at the Monte Cristo Club at 7:30 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by

Joan Peterson, Secretary

in this

Choke RodPresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4Getting Ready for War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5Father’s Day at St. Anne’s Home. . . . pages 6 & 9Your Class Car Tool Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 7The Concours at Stanford . . . . . . . . . pages 8 & 9‘A’ Beguilement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pages 10 & 11Legacy of Bill Usedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 11The New Guy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pages 12 & 13Tours & Schedule of Events . . . . . . . . . . . page 14Meeting Minutes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15

Insert: Ironstone Concours

The Choke Rod is available online in color

www.sfmodelaclub.org

San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Model A Ford Club of AmericaPO Box 31387San Francisco, CA 94131-0387415-621-0500

AUGUST MEETING Thursday August 11, 2011

7:30 pm - Monte Cristo Club136 Missouri Street (Potrero Hill)

San Francisco

the choke rodsfmodelaclub.org/the-choke-rod/2011/aug/choke-rod-aug-2011.pdf · the year paid plus...

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