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Chapter Newsletter

January/ February 2010

Chapter News

Cape Fear Chapter
By Bob Plassman

Our club’s Christmas Party (our gift to ourselves) was held on December 17th, and 50 members and two guests had a rousing celebration with much laughter interspersed with a delicious repast.  Officers for the next year were announced, and they are:
            Gary Henderson, President
            Bob Lancaster, Vice President
            Brian Nunn, Treasurer
            Bob Plassman, Secretary
Outgoing officers were recognized for their years of dedicated service, as was our web master, Adam Oaks. Our chief judge, Dick Steinkopf, is stepping down after ten years, and letting Matt Hinson fill his very large shoes.  Dick will still be very active in judging, and all of us new to the world of collector car judging look forward to being taught by two of the best!
Neil and Nancy Sullivan were the winners of the Tommy Jordan award for 2009; they were recognized for participation all year long in a number of activities that promote the old car hobby and the Cape Fear Chapter.  Congratulations to all!

After the holiday rush of six parades, the Wrightsville Beach Flotilla Car Show (our judges Dick Steinkopf and Matt Hinson did the honors there, too), our members settled in for some well deserved hibernation.  However, there was business to attend to, so Gary Henderson, Matt Hinson, Ed McCormick, Tom Getz and Jeff Oaks attended the annual regional meeting in Burlington on January 15-16. All who attended reported that the time was very well spent and “jam packed” with information on our hobby. We have to congratulate our own Jeff Oaks for being elected Vice President for the NC Region for 2010!  I’m sure all of you will appreciate his talents as we have for many years.

Club member Bob Lancaster hosted our first “Cars and Coffee” at his shop (Lancaster Electric of Wilmington) on January 30th.  While the rest of the state was suffering through a wintry weekend, we gathered on Saturday morning for a delicious breakfast in a spacious, clean, warm, and well lit shop for a good dose of camaraderie (25 members and six guests) and three very informative workshops.  Frank Nye, a friend of Bob Lancaster, demonstrated how to apply wood graining to metal surfaces, and shared his secrets of making corners look very realistic.  The process appears to be easy, but the skill to make realistic application takes practice, practice, practice!  Then Bob Lancaster demonstrated the art of powder coating.  He took actual parts from his 1931 Model A roadster, cleaned them, applied powder, and 20 minutes later produced the finished product from his oven; an oil return tube and a lower radiator pipe taken from his car appeared brand new and ready to install.  Member Tom Forrester then brought out his antique speedometer tester, and demonstrated on an actual Model A speedometer the technique used to test indicated speed against actual speed, and how to make the adjustments to the magnetic drive within the speedometer.  The session ended with a brief discussion of fuel additives and preservatives, noting especially the effects of ethanol laced gasoline on antique engine fuel delivery systems.  The discussion evolved to also mention the lack of zinc in modern motor oils, which may be detrimental to bearing surfaces in older engines, and gear faces and bearings in transmissions, differentials, and the like.  All who attended agreed that the three hour workshop was very beneficial and recognized the need for further “hands on” sessions.

Our club’s “Dash to Calabash” comes this year on February 21st.  We are invited by our friends from the Chicora Region in South Carolina to join them for a mid winter feast and to tell others in attendance of our club’s plans for the year; other nearby clubs are also invited to do the same.  We meet and eat at the Dockside Restaurant, right on the waterway; the restaurant opens ONLY for us on this special day at 1:30.  There is nothing quite like “Calabash Style Seafood”, so come join us!

One final note: our 38th Annual Spring Car Show will be held again this year at Independence Mall in Wilmington, on April 24th.  Last year we had over 140 vehicles, and expect more this year.  Plan to come see us the last Saturday in April…and bring your special collector car or truck!  Gates are open at 8:30AM, with awards presented starting at 3PM.  Watch for details and entry blank in the NC Region News. 

 

 

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Cape Fear Chapter Newsletter Decemeber 2009