T R E A S U R E V A L L E Y M O D E L A F O R D C L U B O F A M E R I C A

The Rattlin’ Rag March 2017

When I was in high school I drove a 1929 Chevrolet 4 Door Sedan and had a friend who had a Model A Roadster/Coupe. He had two bodies and a big walnut tree in his back yard and would hoist one body off then drop the other one onto the car for summer or winter use. One day he decided to replace the Model A engine with a V8 engine and began tearing the whole car apart. Another friend and myself would go to Mike's house and watch and help him if needed. Finally after a month or so he was finished and we were all there to watch the results of his labor but when he hit the starter there was just a clunk and a whir and it didn't start. The battery was dead. Well that was no problem, we would 'push start it' but it wouldn't start so we pushed it out into the street, tied a rope to it and the other end to my '29 Chevy and pulled it up and down the street trying to get it to start. No luck. It just popped, backfired and shot flames out of the carburetor. We pushed it back into the barn and took the battery to the local gas station to be charged. In those days the only battery chargers were at the gas station. It was about a foot and a half square and two feet tall and took all night to charge.

The next day after school we gathered at Mike's house to try again with a charged battery. We all stood around up close and watched as Mike hit the starter and much to our surprise it started right up. He adjusted the carburetor a bit and checked the timing and she was running as smooth as a well tuned clock. We were all very impressed until Mike put the car into reverse and began to back out of the driveway and that's when we all broke into hilarious laughter. The car went forward instead of backwards. He had one speed forward and three speeds backwards. It seams that he got the rear end in up-side-down. He installed the ring gear on the right side rather than the left which is only possible in a Model A Ford. Once Mike pulled the rear end and corrected the problem everything was ok but we sure heckled him a lot.

The other day I related this story to Craig Warrick, our master mechanic and expert on Model A's and he told me that old farmers reversed the rear ends on purpose at times to make farm machinery from old Model A's. That triggered a memory in me of two Model A Ford farm machines that two brothers from Burley, Idaho brought to the 2002 Northwest Regional Meet to show. One of them is a tractor and the other was a 'Hay Loader'. The loader was built onto the rear of the car and I am sure that the rear end was reversed for three speeds in that direction. It makes sense because the engine would act as a counter balance for a load. ... Them old farmers was perty smart, wasn't they.

I bet there would be a list a mile long of all of the Model A Ford modifications that were done.

THE VERSITILE MODEL A FORD by Ron Carr.. Emmett, ID

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2017 TVMAC Officers

President – Dave Larson

Vice President – Elvin Hightower

Secretary – Dee Borden

Treasurer – Arlan Potts

Membership – Arlan Potts

National Rep – Jim Borchers

Sunshine Committee – Elaine Hightower

Tour Chairman – Glen Clayton

Newsletter – Judi Ornellas

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Polar Bear Run

Cartoon / Index / TVMAC Officers 2

Calendar / Website Award

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4 Banger 400 / Cartoon / Wanted

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Lady A’s /

Dresses for Sale 5

Polar Bear Pictures 6-7

Ford Plant Postcard circa 1917

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Membership 10

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Deadline for the next months Rattlin’ Rag:

Friday, April 14, 2017

Please send us: • Trade / Swap /For Sale Ads

(Model A’s only please) • Vendor or service recommen-

dations • Lady “A’s” updates • Stories you would like to

share, Technical questions or any other Technical Tidbits.

• Current Events Please email:

Judi Ornellas at: judiandfred@gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE—2017 NW Regional Meet will be “Sea the Bay in Your Model A” in Coos Bay, Oregon, June 22—24, 2017.

More information can be found at http://2017nwrm.weebly.com

Thanks Gale Maxey for the cartoon.

Activity Calendar

If you need to add any tours to the Tour Calendar please contact Glen Clayton Email—atures2017@gmail.com phone 461-1931 [NOTE: NEW EMAIL]

March 18—Annual Lois and Frank Memorial Fun Run. Meet at Ron and Fran Carr's home at 2731 Orchard Lane, Emmett (phone 208.365.6077) around 10 a.m. for coffee and donuts. Plan to leave Emmett at 11 a.m. for a tour of the "Ride for Joy" facility (therapeutic horse riding program) followed by lunch in Ola.

April 7-9—Portland swap meet at the Expo Center

April 15—Firebird Raceway Spring Swap Meet 9 a.m.—Admission $7.00

April 22—Lady A’s learn to drive a Model A day—Men’s day for severed nerves.

April 22—Annual Wings and Wheels Fly-in/drive-in Emmett Airport, Emmett 8 a.m.

April 23-Boise Depot is celebrating its birthday 11 a.m.—5 p.m. We have 6 stalls available-contact Glen.

May 6—27th Annual Melba Fun Run with Support for the Melba Senior Center. More information to follow.

May 20– Parade America Nampa, 10:30 a.m., details to follow

June 9-10—4 Banger 400 beginning in Baker OR—more information on page 4

June 10—Old Fort Boise Days parade, line up 9:30 a.m.

June 17-Emmett Cherry Festival car show 8 a.m.-3p.m.

June 21-24—Northwest Regional Meet in Coos Bay, Oregon. Depart Tues., June 20, overnighting in LaPine, Oregon, then on to Coos Bay. Plan to return Sun. June 25 also overnighting in LaPine, Oregon.

July 4-(Tues.) join in your own hometown activities

July 15– Emmett Valley Show-n-Shine 6 a.m. in Emmett City Park

Sept 8-9—Payette A&W cruise night/swap meet/car show (Fri, & Sat.)

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C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s :C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s :C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s :C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s :

Local Events:

• 2nd & 4th Mondays: Hightower Garage: 6:00 pm—9:00 pm

• Thurs., April 13 - Monthly Meeting at Shilo Inn (restaurant now has new owners and a new name but its the same place where the club has been meeting on Franklin) in Nampa, Idaho—dinner 5:30-7 pm meeting 7-8 pm

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April Showers Bring May FlowersApril Showers Bring May FlowersApril Showers Bring May FlowersApril Showers Bring May Flowers

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2017 Four Banger Four Hundred Update From Bob Mather

The 2017 Four Banger Four Hundred is scheduled for June 9th and 10th and will begin at 9:00 Friday morning from the Best Western parking lot in Baker City. The first day’s route will take us to Half Way, Oregon and on to Joseph, Wallowa, Elgin and ending in La Grande for a total of 197 miles.

The second day’s journey will begin in La Grande with the first stop in Ukiah, Oregon. We will then travel back to Baker City by way of John Day. There is another route through Granite and Sumpter which I will check out in late May to make sure it’s clear. In any case the distance will be just over 200 miles.

I’ve checked with local hotels in both Baker City and La Grande and have found some of them totally booked. If you are planning on arriving in Baker on the 8th you should reserve a room soon. There is current availability at the Rodeway in Baker (541 523-2242). La Grande has rooms at the Super 8 on the 9th (541 963-8080)

I will be getting back to those wishing to participate with more details regarding the route and points of interest. In the meantime please email me at bmather3003@gmail.com for reservation forms. You can also call me at 208 891-7186 or mail at 3003 W. Hill Road, Boise, Idaho 83703.

Happy Trails, Bob

P.S. The plan is to leave Baker City at 9:30 AM Pacific Time. By leaving Baker a little late will allow those who wish to drive up on Friday AM time as 9:30 is really 10:30 Boise time. In addition I am going to make arrangements with Doug Linscott to open his Model A & T wrecking yard Thursday evening. Doug's pace is just north of Baker.

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Tues., March 28 - Lady A's lunch and “talkie” movie. Lady A's will meet in the lobby of the Village Cinema in Meridian at 11 a.m. to purchase their tickets for the 12:10 p.m. show of Beauty and the Beast. Lunch will be upstairs at the Backstage Bistro followed by the movie. Any questions, please contact Elaine Hightower at 208.466.2011

Sat., April 15 - Meet at noon at Camille Beckman, 175 S Rosebud Lane, Eagle, ID 83616 (off of State Street) for lunch and a tour. For more information or any questions, please contact Wilda Clayton

Tues., May 16 - Lunch at Fran Carr's home at 2731 Orchard Lane, Emmett (phone 208.365.6077) - more details to follow.

LADY A’s

Ad provided by Maureen McClung

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These are a series of postcards of Ford Plant circa 1917 received from Elvin Hightower and Maureen McClung

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Visit us on the web at: http://www.tvmaclub.com/ Or E-Mail us at: tvmodelaclub@gmail.com

T R E A S U R E V A L L E Y M O D E L A F O R D C L U B O F A M E R I C A

Interested in becoming a MAFCA member?

Go to: http://www.mafca.com/

The Treasure Valley A's is a Model A Ford automobile club located in the Boise area of Idaho. We are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Model A Fords from 1928 through 1931 by the Ford Motor Company. Membership is not limited to owners and is open to anyone interested in preserving the memory of our past and the great impact that Henry Ford made upon the world with his Model A. The Treasure Valley A’s have had a long history in the city of trees. Many of the club’s members have spent most of their lives here in the area. The club was formed around 1963 and its membership consisted of only eight couples and a few cars. Since then the club has grown to well over a hundred and thirty and is one of the most active antique car clubs in the state. We would love to hear from you or even better, stop by our next event.