V8 Views – Pittsburgh Edition

GREATER PITTSBURGH REGIONAL GROUP #48                                                            April 2022

 V8 – Views

Outings, picnics and car shows, it’s time to get that flathead shined up, tuned up and ready for some summer driving fun.   In this month’s newsletter we have more information about the club’s picnic activity and the return of the Collette’s picnic in July.

We already had our first successful outing to the Spread Eagle Tavern in Hanoverton, OH. There were 30 members and quests and a caravan of 15 cars. There were no breakdowns and no one got lost.

Maybe there were no breakdowns because owners prepped their cars as outlined below in the V8’s N’AT section of this newsletter. Check it out, It could help you have a better driving season.

Les Kotouch has reminded us several times that the Greater Pittsburgh Regional Group #48 is celebrating its 50th Birthday. That’s a significant accomplishment for any club, and Les points out in the article below that it is really significant for a car club. With the help of our charter member, Jon Anderson, Les is planning to provide more background information about the early days of the club.

Member comments: Always great to read the Newsletter articles. Nice to learn about women and their various important positions in the automotive industry. Thank you all for your labors.  Duane Cramer

 President’s Message

Spring is finally here. We had a nice road trip to the Spread Eagle Tavern and were blessed with some very nice spring weather. It was great to get behind the wheel of the 1946 again.

Looking ahead to the May outing – we are having a catered picnic at Ellwood City’s Ewing Park (shelter 8) on Saturday, May 14th. (See seperate article). Please come to relax and enjoy the companionship of fellow V8 club members. Our friend from the Portersville BBQ will provide the catering. Don’t forget to send your money ($10) to Dan Taylor by May 9th so we can add you to the list.

We’re starting to get ready for the national Ford meet in Nashville. Hope to see some of you there.

Dave Collette  collettesr@aol.com 724-368-8226 (H)   724-822-5815 (cell for text)

TIS THE SEASON FOR A PICNIC

Since we were not able to have the GPRG Christmas party, we are having…. –

A CATERED PICNIC

SATURDAY, MAY 14 (NOON – EATING @ 1 PM)

EWING PARK IN ELLWOOD CITY, – SHELTER 8 (See Picture)

COST: – $10 per person (open to members and immediate family or significant other). The total cost per person is $20; the club is picking up the other $10.

PAYMENT: – Please send your check (made out to GPRG#48) to Dan Taylor, 5719 Meridian Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044.   He MUST receive the check by Monday, May 9 so we can give a total to the caterer.

SHELTER 8: – Our shelter is large and the picnic will be held rain or shine. Shelter location is great for parking old Fords for photo ops. (To see more about it, Google Ewing Park or check out link below).

https://foursquare.com/v/ewing-park/4bfbe37d95a4a593e05eab70

Questions? Email or call. Hope you can come. There will also be a short business meeting to discuss future activities. If you are interested in a celebration of our 50th year, that can also be discussed at the meeting.

You’re All Invited … COLLETTE CAR PICNIC SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2022

1 p.m. (we eat at 2 p.m.)

844 Mountville Road, Portersville, PA 16051

 What to bring –

• antique or collector vehicle (if you have one)
• dish to share (meats, casseroles, salads, chips, pop, )
• folding chair
• table service

Family friendly event! (Please – no pets; no alcohol)

Questions – call Dave or Nancy at 724-368-8226 or email collettesr@aol.com

GPRG #48 Celebrating 50 Years

History Part 1: Car Clubs

The GPRG was “born” on April 23, 1972. Actually, that was the day the charter with the Early Ford V8 Club was signed. Greater Pittsburgh was the 48th Regional Group to be chartered. Our Regional Group is celebrating 50 years in existence.   That’s old for a car club.   Most car clubs last for a few years and then fold. In the early ’50’s there were hundreds of car clubs in Southern California alone. Most of them are long gone. Maybe its because they were formed around speed and racing. Greater Pitt is a restoration group. Maybe, young men out-grow the speed thing, but nostalgia and practicing restoration skills seem to keep their interest longer.   I also think some enthusiastic members and leaders have kept this Group “purring on eight cylinders” for a half century. For some reason I don’t understand, the Ford flathead engine takes hold of one’s imagination and makes them “Flathead Lovers” for life

For the next couple of newsletters, we are going to delve into the history of the GP Regional Group. In Part 2, we will explore the beginnings of our Group. Beginnings can be a bit murky, but we’re lucky in that we have a charter member, Jon Anderson who will part the vale and give us an insight in how the Group was started.

Recognizing that our Group has a history is important. It’s important to save the values and ideals of members that have come before us. We must preserve meaningful documents and images so our future members have a foundation on which to know, maintain, and “drive” our Group into its next 50 years!

Next Month: The Group’s Beginnings with Jon Anderson.

V8’s N’AT – Getting The Classic Ready For Another Season On The Road

Dave has been reminding us that spring has sprung and that it’s time to get the flathead cranked up and that classic Ford on the road again. Before you do that, it might be better to take some time and make sure that your first road trip doesn’t end on a tow truck.

Hopefully you have been able to store you classic in a safe, warm and dry place. That’s not always the case, and even if it is it may be worth going over the car to look for rodent damage. Mice and insects can create all types of issues with wiring, exhaust, etc. This is also a good time to look for damage and wear to components that you may not have noticed before.

We all know the old saying, if a flathead stops leaking it’s because it’s out of oil. Now is a good time to check the oil (you did change it last fall didn’t you) and the other fluids. Start by looking under the car for stains on the floor. Check around the bottom of the chassis and pay particular attention to areas like the gas tank, wheel cylinders, brake lines, etc.

Actually checking levels in places that the fluids are contained may require a little more work. Now is the best time to do that and look for any seepage or slow leaks.

What would be better than a spring ride in a fleshly cleaned car; you know they ride better. Things will get dirty in the best of storage conditions.    Get out the rags, vacuum and cleaning products and go over the car in detail. Getting the outside all clean and shiny will make your ride look good, but spend some time on the interior that’s where you’ll be spending most of your time.

Getting ready to go? Not so fast, better make sure you can stop when you want too. You’ve already checked the fluid level in the master cylinder and looked for leaks around the wheel cylinders, now check the operation of the brake pedal. Start by pushing down and hold the pedal as if stopping normally. The pedal should feel solid with no fading. Do the same with pressure as in a panic stop and hold the pedal as before with no fading.

We’re getting close, time to crank it up. If you want to be extra cautious you can disconnect the coil and crank the engine over until you get oil pressure. Once the engine is started let it warm up while you listen for strange noises and look for leaks. For those cars that are still operating solely with a mechanical fuel pump it may be better to manually fill the float bowls than to use starting fluids.

Now that the car is warmed up, cleaned up and ready to roll, make the first trip a short one. How does the car handle? How does the steering feel? Is there a difference from what you felt last fall? After a short ride go back over the car looking for any new leaks or signs of a problem.

Once everything is checked out you should be on the road to a safe and relaxing season, but just in case keep the tool box and spare parts in the trunk.

GPRG #48 Officers and Support Personnel

President: Dave Collette                             Vice President: Les Kotouch    Secretary: Nancy Collette                                     Treasurer: Dan Taylor                                 Email News & Announcement Editor: Les Kotouch                          Membership Roster Editor: Nancy Collette (open for new volunteer)    Webmaster: Dale Wimer                      Newsletter Editor: Tom Franks   tjf192141@gmail.com           724-504-0685 (cell)