13 1st Quarter Newsletter
Transcript of 13 1st Quarter Newsletter
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Club Meetings
Club Meeting at
Gardner Westcott
January 27
February 24
March 24
Note March Date
Change due to Easter
Club Meetings are at 5 PM
Board Meetings are held at
3:30 PM prior to the Club
Meeting
(Except in the Summer)
www.motorstatestreetrods.org
Presidents Report By Bob Nash
Our hard working newsletter publishers request for an earlier deadline startled me at first. What can
I possibly write about in the middle of November? Then, as I settled down and thought for a
moment about the end of year activities we participated in, I realized, this won’t be too difficult.
There was Frankenmuth, Nats North, IDIDIT, The Gilmore, Fox Run, and more. All these events
were special and were over the top in the WOW factor. If you missed some of them, try and find
time next year. I know we can’t do it all but it’s nice to try. Now I’m looking forward to the
CHRISTMAS PARTY and the selection of MSSR RODDER of THE YEAR.
The October meeting featured nominations for officers for the next two years. Kurt, Jim and I were
each nominated for our current office and ran unopposed, therefore; no need for an election. Next
October we will have elections for Directors. Keep in mind our by-laws state, “to be eligible to hold
office, a candidate must be a current or former Board Member for at least a year”. Something to
think about – I’m just saying…
One of my resolutions for 2013 will be to become less of a garage hobbit!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
&
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Bob
Inside this Edition
New Club Members 2
New Club Member 3
Last 2012 Ohio Mile 3
Frankenmuth 4
Kalamazoo Nats 5
IDIDIT Open House 8
Fox Run Visit 9
Gilmore Museum 10
In the Garage 11
2012 in Review 12
Miles with MSSR 13
MSSR News Briefs 14
Weird Ideas 14
SEMA 15
Swap Meet 17
Birthdays 17
Anniversary’s 17
Ramblings 18
Coming Events 18
Officers 19
Featured Ride 19
Sponsors 20
Card Corner By JoAnn Nash
Get Well, Sympathy and Thank You Cards have been sent to the following:
Get Well
- Jim Sabo, Hand Surgery
- Dan Laskey, Repeat Knee Surgery
- Bill Ballard, Health Issues
- Jim Laird, Recovering from Stroke
Sympathy sent to: - To the family of an old MSSR Member in Florida, Art Krausman who passed away - To Audrey and Gary Lazette on the passing of Audrey’s Brother
Please, either call me (517) 223-4882 or email at [email protected] if you know of someone we
need to send a card to.
January – March 2013
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New Motor State Street Rod Members – Ben and Alice Suthers
Ben and Alice Suthers joined Motor State Street Rods in September after hanging out with other members at various cruise nights and
car events. Russ Demers sponsored this great couple or rather drove them crazy while explaining the advantages of being a MSSR
member as only Russ can do.
Ben and Alice were born in different parts of the country and believe it or not, a car brought them together. Alice arrived into this world
in Denver Colorado while Ben chose Taylor Michigan for his birthplace. Ben attended the Taylor School System while Alice started
school in Denver and then moved to Lincoln Park and then Taylor attending schools there. Ben has always had an interest in cars
starting at the age of 10 but it was one particular car that brought them together. You see, Alice was working as a car hop at the Daily
Drive in on Ecorse Road in Taylor when Ben pulled in driving a 1967 Ford Fairlane 390 GTA and the rest of the story is history. Ben
likes to think it was he who Alice noticed first but if you really ask Alice it was the car first and Ben second. Alice shares her love for
Ben by going anywhere he wants to go Street Rodding.
Ben and Alice have made their home in Taylor for many years raising two children and gaining three grandchildren. Son Ben Jr. can be
found with Ben and Alice at most cruise nights and car events tooling around in a great 1936 Chevy Sedan. Ben is a retiree from the
City of Taylor DPW and
Alice works at the United
States Postal Service
and is currently on a medical
leave recuperating from
some surgery.
Favorite activities revolve around
cruising and car shows, the favorites
being Frankenmuth, Woodward
Dream Cruise, Downriver Cruise,
Telegraph Cruise, Kalamazoo
Northern Nationals, and finish the
year off at the IDIDIT Open House.
We at MSSR welcome this great
Couple and will help in adding a lot
of other events to their list of favorites.
Ben, Alice and family welcome to Motor State Street Rods
1936 Chevy
Ben & Alice Suthers
Happy Holidays
The Motor State Street Rods Board of Directors want to thank one and all
for your support during 2012 and hope you enjoyed some of the events
that were available to the membership. If you have suggestions or ideas
for the Board please let us know, we are always open for your comments.
Stay tuned in 2013 for more great MSSR outings.
Merry Christmas and Have a Happy Healthy New Year
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There is almost no need to introduce this couple to the fellow members of Motor State Street Rods since they are well known to a lot of
us. Danny and Judy Murray have been at a lot of cruise nights and car shows over the years that Motor State has attended and are
well known to me in particular since they are my next door neighbors, the best of neighbors you could want as a matter of fact. In
addition, their son Michael has painted Danny and Karen’s Plymouth, Art and Sandy Socher’s Convertible, Jorayne and Bob Wyman’s
Sedan as well as Rich Pickens’ Coupe. In addition to Michael, they also have a daughter Michelle who lives in Livonia. Michael has
two daughters and Michelle has a son and daughter who keep their grandparents busy. This year they introduced the oldest
granddaughter to Woodward and the Dream Cruise and created a new hot rodder who will be attending in the years to come.
Danny and son Michael spent time together doing a total restoration of the 1968 Pontiac GTO that has been in the family since almost
day one. There is also a 1965 Pontiac GTO setting in the home garage waiting restoration as soon as Danny gets time. If they need a
car to tool around Hines Park they simply take son Mike’s GMC 454. A couple of car nuts, YES, with Judy having the lead foot of the
family and she enjoys the car scene as
much as Danny.
Danny and Judy met as teenagers
and have spent their married years In
Garden City raising the family.
Danny spent many years in the
family business, “Murray Brothers
Tire Service” and currently works
at BCI Collet, Inc. In Westland
Michigan.
Danny not only works in the collet
manufacturing process at BCI but
helps maintain a 100 car collection
of 40’ through 60’s automobiles that
the owner has collected over the
years.
Danny and Judy, welcome to Motor
State, we guarantee a great time.
New Motor State Street Rod Members – Danny and Judy Murray
1968 GTO
Danny & Judy Murray
Last Ohio Mile for 2012 By Rich Pickens
September 29th and 30
th were the last two
days of 2012 for the Ohio Mile in
Wilmington Ohio. This was the last chance
for the Motor State “Need for Speed’ duo of
Bob Carter and Al Piggott to run flat out
and accomplish their goals that they have
been working on for the last three runs at
this now famous event. Providing moral
support and a little cheerleading were Don
McKinnon, Phil Reilly and Rich Pickens
who drove down on a beautiful sunny
Saturday morning. When we arrived the
cars were already in line that went ½ mile
by two deep waiting there turn for a flat out
run. Cars of all variety of home garage
engineering for nothing but speed.
First up was Al Piggott who threw down a
very nice 121 mph run and then ran a 122
run later in the day putting a smile on Al
who now holds the class record.
Next, Bob Carter ran a 184 and repeated
in the 180 range on his second run.
Great job guys, we will be watching to
see what 2013 brings both of you.
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Frankenmuth Autofest By Rich Pickens
Crowds and Chicken, Must be
Frankenmuth
Friday is the day for a fun time at the
Frankenmuth Autofest as the cars arrive at
the show and begin to assemble in the
park. While the count is not full you can
avoid the crowds and get an up close and
personal with the cars.
Cars in the Park
After a lot of car viewing in the park, the
legs need some rest so the butt is planted
Getting some R & R
on the main drag of Frankenmuth to watch
Guys and Sheriffs
cruising for a bit, followed by what else,
chicken for lunch at one of the inns followed
by more on street car viewing as they are
being assembled for the 5 PM hour where the
street is closed and a filled with cars.
The MAD Rush to Fill the Street
Motor State was represented by Danny and
Karen Ploplan, Bob and JoAnn Nash, Don
and Gerri McKinnon and daughter Kim, along
with Kurt Kiser, Dennis Peters and his son,
Jim Stocke, Phil Reilly, Pat Ambroziak and
Rich Pickens as well as Bill Ballard and his
nice Cadillac Limo. And we must not forget
our newest member, Ben Suthers and wife
Alice and son Ben Jr. who had their car in the
park and have made Frankenmuth a yearly
tradition by camping in their motor home just
like Pat and Sharon Ambroziak.
Bill Ballard’s Cady is somewhere under
this pile of admiring people
There it is and so is Bill
This is really a great show and a great
venue but is totally out of control on cost
as the hotels require a three night stay
with $200 per night charges. This
coupled with fuel to get there and food
brings the cost at around One thousand
dollars for the weekend. Totally
outrageous and if it continues in this
direction will eventually bring it down. So
if you want to experience the event, do
like most MSSR members do and go up
and back on Friday where you can enjoy
the festivities and avoid bankruptcy at a
car show.
The Crowds at Frankenmuth
A guy drove his car onto a bridge, got out
and got ready to jump off. Another guy
saw him and yelled, Don’t Jump, Don’t
Jump. Let’s talk about your troubles.
After 3 hours of talking they both decided
to jump
Two guys went for a walk in the woods. A
bear approached them on the path. One
guy whispered to the other; “I think we
should run”, the other guys said “Are yu
crazy, we can’t out run a bear”. The first
guy said, “I’m only worried about our
running you.
A Tennessee Sheriff pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?" The same Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch. The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head?" "Yep," he replied. "That's why I'm dumpin' it here, 'cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage.' "
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Kalamazoo NSRA Northern Nationals plus By Jim and Judy Stocke
Kalamazoo
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This
Wow, wow, wow!!! What a great event!
Kudos to God for providing perfect weather
– cool crisp mornings, moderate sunshiny
afternoons and cool nights good for
sleeping. Kudos to the MSSR members
and friends in attendance. What a great
club! The headcount varied somewhat with
members coming and going but there were
about 50 folks and about 20 cars present
at our campsite most of the time. Kudos to
Residence Inn for being the best hotel on
the planet.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
We get in our precious rides for the short
drive to Kalamazoo. Some race up the
interstate while others, led by Phil, leisurely
traverse the beautiful back country roads
through delightful and charming little towns
like Olivet, the home of Olivet College.
Now this is really too Leisurely
We arrive at the host hotel amidst a great
hustle bustle of show cars coming and
going. This gets the car guys juices
flowing. Registration goes smoothly and
Registration parking lot full to the brim
we soon, after a looksee around the
parking lot, go off to our home for the
weekend.
Russ can be Leisurely too after his race
to KZoo on the Interstate
Whoa, Nellie. How could any hotel be that
great? Oh? How about a free dinner
Thursday night with salad, Golumpki (pigs
in a blanket to you non Polish out there),
Muscatcoli, garlic bread and soft drinks.
But, Residence did not count on dealing
with MSSR’s strongest skill – eating. So,
they ran out of Golumpki and Muscatcoli
early. So improvise. Cook up some
macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets
and when that runs out, order pizza.
Talk about eating them out of house
and home
Eventually everyone was fed and everyone
had a great time. This first day is very tiring
so shortly after the big gorf out, we drifted
off to bed.
Friday, September 14, 2013
It rained Thursday night but Friday dawned
with no rain but very cloudy looking like
rain. 7:30 was the jump off time, late by
street rodder standards, to arrive a little
before 8. Thankfully our usual corner
Our Corner of Heaven in KZOO
location was reserved by five pop up
skeletons spread out to guard our spot.
Some of the girls came later with Sheila
around 10. The weather was perfection.
Skies blue with puffy clouds and temps in
the mid 70s by afternoon. There was a lot
of shopping at women’s world and lots of
car looking, vendor looking and swap meet
looking too. Ahh, that warm fuzzy feeling
came over us as we went about our
various activities including just sitting and
commiserating with each other under our
four canopies lined up in the middle of our
spot.
It’s Flat Black Jim, no Polish Needed
And now: Lunch. Yea. Rich and Russ
come through again this year supplying hot
dogs all around to be cooked by the ever
able chef, Karen with help from the hot dog
queen of MSSR, Shirley.
Cook them Dogs Ladies
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There was a substantial crowd by this time
and they ate till fully satisfied with some past
being just satisfied. Lots of chips, pretzels,
party mix, cookies – egad, Karen makes
mean coconut macaroon cookies.
Ummmmm. After lunch, full and supremely
content, we scatter off in all directions again
to drink in all the things this great event has
to offer not the least of which is that great
stuff, Aloe Vera Cream. Got to have that
fabulous cream and here is where we get it,
Yea.
KZOO Has a Swap Meet, which way Jim
KZOO Has Vendors
And KZOO Has Cars
God smiles upon us with temps in the mid
70s, puffy clouds and a light breeze.
Michigan in September can really be
beautiful. Oh, oh, the late afternoon is upon
us and we again jump into our beautiful
machines to parade back to the Residence.
Okay, dinner is being planned to hone our
eating skills. Some decide on the Fieldstone,
a very nice place with really good food a
short country drive away. But, that was
not to be. Seems they already had two
parties of 20 each and could not
accommodate us. No matter, the iconic
Brewsters, a hop and a skip away gladly
welcomes us to dine at two separate
tables: the good folks and the bad folks.
Oh, which was which? I will not divulge
that controversial fact.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Saturdays at these weekend shows is the
biggest, busiest and most fun of all three
days. Rich and crew left at 7AM and
arrived in time to wait in line till the gates
open around 7:30 or so when the line got
too long. Hustle to our campsite, move the
pop up skeletons in a line, park our rides,
put the canopies in place, move the chairs
under cover, set up tables (Bob and
Joanne figured out how to set up their
little table by this time), pile on the snacks
and let’s have at another great day. Sun,
Set Up Each Morning
sun, sun; light breeze, 70s temps – ahh.
The swap meet beckons, women’s world
beckons, beautiful street rods beckon,
chairs to relax in beckon, naps beckon,
walks beckon, lunches from the
cholesterol heaven places beckon,
conversations, gum flapping, meet and
gum flap with the new members Ben, Ben
and Alice and our Canadian friends,
Sterling and Pam – did I cover it all?
Yeah, it doesn’t get any better.
We do games every year so, at 10:30 the
Bill Carner our Game Coordinator gets
us in position
gang mosies over to the game area: Giant
Basketball Throw, Stack the Nuts, Bowling,
Craps (Roll a big die to a Hula Hoop) and
the ever popular Tattoo booth.
Basketball Slam Dunk MSSR Style
Fun with Kids
NSRA Photographer gets his yearly
tattoo from the MSSR Ladies
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The tattoo girls even talked some of the guys
into one. The crowd count was down a little
this year but we still had a great time. Rumor
has it that games will be moved to a more
central location next year. A more central
location should increase attendance. Good
move if the weather holds.
Lunch was casual today. There was a variety
of snacks if that was your fancy. Of course,
the usual food vendors were available with
heart smart items as Philly Cheese Steak
sandwich or how about a large container of
French fries. Then there were deep fried
vegetables, ice cream and the ever popular
greasy cheeseburgers. Good for the body.
The afternoon was pleasantly passed with
conversation, car looking, women’s world
shopping, swap meet shopping and meeting
the new members and new friends. Wander
over to women’s world to “check out” shirts,
jewelry, food, and a myriad of other choices.
Some of us left early to watch the UM football
game only to find out that Residence does not
carry the Big 10 channel. But, not to worry,
things looked way up in the Residence lobby
a little later where all of us congregated for the
traditional Saturday night pizza and beer. Now
that is worth looking forward to. Dennis
supplied us with lots of Labatt’s Blue and the
pizza, orchestrated by Rich and Karen, was
paid for by a generous donation from Phil
Reilly and some leftover Hines money. Free
tastes better don’t you think? All told we
consumed 13 pizzas, an accomplishment of
Yep 13 empty pizza boxes
which we can be proud. After gorfing the pizza
and beer, some stayed to imbibe in fine wine
and stimulating conversation and some drifted
to the campfire behind the main building while
others went to watch football games in their
rooms.
Afterglow of the Pizza Party
But what would a weekend car show be
without laughable incidents? Okay, here
goes: Seems Danny Plopan fell asleep in
his room and he had both keycards.
Before anyone knew Danny was in the
room, Karen and everyone were looking
for him – panicsville! Oh well, everything
came out okay when Danny was
discovered. How about Dan Laskey going
into what he thought was his room and
finding wine on the counter. Hey, Dan
thinks, Residence is really thoughtful and
generous. Dan was deflated when he
found out he was in Plopans room and the
wine was from the Syracuse trip. And then
there was Nina who decided to lose her
wallet and phone. She wisely cancels her
credit cards. But, duh, she later finds her
wallet that she hid in her car. The Devil’s
hand first then God at work to rescue it.
And now Saturday is over.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
What? Another beautiful day? God is sure
smiling on us this weekend. Sunday is a
little slower and more relaxing. No need to
Relaxing at the Zoo
get there early, 8:30 or later works really
well. Again, let’s get in some more
shopping and car looking and
conversation. Okay, the big event today
We live for Awards
is awards and, guess what? Bill Ballard
won the Luxury Lane award with his
fabulous ’48 Cadillac limousine.
Bill Ballard’s Wonderful Caddy
Great Job Bill
Yea. And, one of our group, Don
McKinnon, won a gift – a Haywire
harness worth $266 and a $200 Lokar
gift certificate - cool. But, alas, no one
else won anything. Oh well, better luck
next year. Everyone peels out right after
the awards to enjoy a beautiful ride
home on a beautiful day in Michigan.
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IDIDIT Open House By Rich Pickens
Darn, it can be downright cold in October
and this October 6th was a reminder for
those of us in denial that winter is coming.
Cold weather did not stop a group of
diehard Motor State Street Rodders from
attending another outstanding IDIDIT Open
House. There are not too many companies
these days that you can truly say Made in
America but this is one that is 100% red
blooded American. And if this is not
enough, 100% owned by some of the nicest
people you will ever meet. When they
announced at the open house a number of
new jobs and employees that the company
has, no one wonders why they are
successful; you just know it by dealing with
Ken, Jane and the entire IDIDIT family.
This company and the people are the
reason why so many cars showed up on
the really cold day. Cars filled the street in
front of IDIDIT, the fields behind the facility,
the yards of surrounding companies and in
the vacant Tecumseh Products company.
Plates from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and
even a few from Illinois were present with
the long distance winner from Alpena
Michigan.
Cars Everywhere
Registration Line, Long but Fast
We started the day with an all you can eat
pancake breakfast for 6 bucks with endless
Breakfast Club at IDIDIT
coffee and finished the day just prior to the
awards with a Hamburger, chips and pop for
5 bucks.
Lunch Bunch
Dynamic Duo Bundled Up
In between the food, we spent the time
looking at cars and there was one special
displayed vehicle, the old Seagraves Fire
Truck that is now totally restored and will be
uses as a hearse for any fallen Michigan
Firefighter.
Amazing vehicle with an amazing cause
behind it – Segraves Fire Truck
A look around the grounds revealed
some really nice iron. And if that was not
enough, there were NSRA Safety
Inspections going on and a lot of guest
builder picks for some of the nicest
trophies you will ever see which are hand
made by the crew at IDIDIT and both
Jane and Ken said more hours are spent
on these masterpieces than on the
steering columns. Low and behold, a
MSSR Member by the name of Jim
Stocke took home one of these trophies
although he was not present at the time
they were handed out, seems Jim said
the cold was getting to him and he had
headed home. Jim said he was returning
to gain his place in history. Nice job Jim.
Proud Owner of a Nice IDIDIT Award
All in all, a great show and the weather
did not hold us from going, MSSR was
well represented.
Also Seen at the Show
A Nice Ford Fat Fender Conv’t
Electric Blue Duece
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MSSR “Pays it Forward” at the Fox Run Senior Center By Rich Pickens
My 3 year old granddaughter likes to sing a
song from Sponge Bob called the “Best Day
Ever” when she is having a good time and
calls it the bestest day ever. Motor State
experienced a bestest day on October 17
when a sizable contingent of members
ventured to the Fox Run Rehabilitation
Center in Novi Michigan to bring some smiles
to the residences who are working to
overcome their ailments and health issues. It
was truly a day of “Paying it Forward” and the
weather could not have been better on this
70 degree day with total sunshine in what
has been a cool fall.
Sandy Kiser had arranged this outing through
a discussion with the center management
after noticing that most of the activities where
centered on the women and not much to do
for the men who are there. We had all
believed that we were going to spend a
couple of hours at the center letting some of
the gentlemen view the cars and relive some
memories in a low key event. As we arrived
at the appointed time for the event we all
went WOW, there was a live band on a stage
in the parking lot, a whole bunch of residents
lining the area, both men and women,
anxiously waiting for the cars to be parked so
they could come out and view the cars and
get a center stage seat for the band.
As soon as the cars were parked we were
greeted by the personal at the center offering
drinks, snacks and hot dogs as we too took
some time to listen to the band which was
very good playing Sinatra era music. We
spent time talking to many of the residents
about the time they had a car like this one or
about a 50 Olds that was the fastest on the
street in its day or about a lady who drove a
car just like the one Russ has to school as a
teen and even an ex-GM designer who had
worked on some of the original Corvettes.
Some of the men and a couple of ladies were
offered rides in the cars and since the
complex is sizable, it offered a chance to take
them on a 10 minute ride without going out
on the main roads. It was nice to see
someone in a wheelchair hop out of it and
into a coupe without much assistance. I
know I violated the 15 mile per hour speed
limit when the gentleman asked how fast it
would go. He told me that was the best part
of the ride when we returned.
Cannot say enough about the team at the
center and the welcome they provided telling
us that this was a highlight and would
be the center of conversation for time to
come. All in all, we became the real
winners; we made some really nice
people happy on the October day
thanks to Sandy and Kurt. Thanks for
setting this event up, we too had smiles
as we left, well all but one, Lori had to
get treatment for a bee sting.
When Karen’s Mom is Happy
Everybody is Happy
The Ladies Gather Around the Band,
just like they did in the 50’s
Enjoying the Cars and Weather
Enjoying the Music
Miles of Smiles with Phil
Thank you Lord for the Great Weather
I had one just like that!
Hey Kurt, let’s go Fast
Nice Nice Nice
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Road Trip to the Gilmore Museum By Rich Pickens
In an effort to prolong the car hobby
season before the snow flies, several
members of Motor State took a run to the
Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners
Michigan on October 10th. Since it seems
the cold weather is moving in as fast as the
hot weather did this spring, we decided to
meet at Stockbridge Michigan for a nice
slow back road trip to Hickory Corners and
the Gilmore Museum. Forget the GPS, we
have Phil Reilly leading us on his well know
path to this area and the excitement
ahead. The trip was at the right time of the
year with nice color on the trees along the
way as fall is setting in here in Lower
Michigan.
Michigan Colors
We arrived and checked in at the welcome
center and headed to a short video
presentation in an onsite theater showing
the highlights and layout of the buildings on
the grounds.
Cold Outside, Warm Inside
For those of you that missed this trip, all I
have to say is you just missed arguably the
nicest collection of cars around the mid-
west. Just to prove my point, entry into the
main building and a whole lot of Duesy’s,
Packard’s, Cadillac’s and Roll’s greet you.
This is a Museum of very high end cars,
many one off’s and if not a one of one,
then a one of nine or nineteen or the only
survivor. Everywhere you look, something
to drool over, this complex has seven
current open buildings with more on the way.
I want one
There are multiple collections: Franklin,
Pierce-Arrow, Steam Cars, Motorcycles,
Cadillac, even a Tucker just to name a few.
There are modern 60’s cars, Pedal Cars, and
a Movie Set from Disney and if that is not
enough, you could spend hours just looking at
the vast collection of hood ordainments.
Pedal Cars Everywhere
We do not want to forget; there is a full gas
station where gas still shows 19 cents a
gallon and a Diner where we all had lunch.
With the tanks now full, we are off to see the
Cadillac collection, then the Motorcycles, the
Disney Movies Set and a Classic Car Club of
America Museum. Franklins are up next and
then into the cars of the 30’s and 40’s where
Fill it up with that cheap gas
Fill the stomach up at the Diner
Burgers and Drinks for All
a Tucker is located along with a
recreation of Preston Tucker’s office.
Motorcycles
This car was buried during WW2 for
60 years before being restored
And my favorite a 1906 Finch
Limited, overhead cam, valves in 06
We all headed home with sensory
overload and to let you know two more
buildings are planned for a Lincoln and
Caddy Museum, take a trip you will love
it and enjoy the automobile as art rather
than transportation, an era that will
never come back.
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 11111111
Darn it, did not have the camera at the
October Motor State Club Meeting as Art
Socher drove his beater truck to the
meeting, well it was a former beater truck
as Art went through it and it now spots a
great two tone paint job and a wood bed
out back that is to die for. Art as we all
know is one great wood worker and the
bed shows it. This goes along with the
recently acquired former Art Socher built
and owned Plymouth Convertible which
now makes for two shiny vehicles in the
garage that will keep the Mother’s Polish in
short supply this winter as Art removes the
drool from his vehicles left over from a
summer of cruising
Across town, John Schumont is busy at
work taking another beater rat rod in the
form of a truck into another great build as
he adds new suspension, new fenders, a
whole lot of body work that John is known
for and also some flat paint, another
Schumont trademark to this soon to be
old/new rolling masterpiece.
A short hop from John’s at the Keeney
homestead, Ron is busy tweaking the 34
Coupe into another great Street Rod that
we expect to be rolling to cruise nights
around town. Ron intents to keep this
vehicle traditional with a flathead for power
but with updated trans and driveline.
Cannot wait to see this one on the road
since Ron started with a great vehicle but is
making it even better.
Ok, over to the crazy house to see what
weird ideas are rolling out of Al Piggott’s
mind. Say it isn’t so, building a car with a
normal gasoline powered motor, yes but
that is where the madness begins, gas
power yes, but full race NASCAR spec
motor and an old NASCAR roundy round
car made to go straight line racing for one
mile at a time in a very fast way. This one
is Al’s build to go as fast as he can at the
Ohio Mile in 2013 and will in theory go to
the 200 mph mark in short order. Guess
the 122 mph in a slant six propane car was
just not enough and the faster the better.
We will be waiting to see this one.
Back to the west we see Jim Stocke still in
the garage putting bolt A into hold D for
what could well be the 400th time as he is in
the assembly process of the Factory Five
Hot Rod that he started in 2012 after well
over a year of research and attending a
build school on this particular car. Several of
us have helped Jim move the body back and
forth but we just got jealous on each visit
and tried to take the car home. Jim as you
know has done a few builds before and it
appears that he has not learned that it is
easier to buy than build but that is what
makes the world go round. So come on Jim,
we cannot wait another year; we want to see
this one rolling in 2013.
Bob Nash, you too need to kick it up a notch,
we have all been waiting to see the Willys
truck rolling along. JoAnn is getting tired of
lifting the fenders and truck bed on and off.
Yes we know that perfection takes time and
with the time we are expecting another great
vehicle to come rolling down the road this
summer. So far we are seeing three new
trucks coming out of MSSR garages so we
can now haul a lot of stuff to our rod runs.
Trouble is these trucks including Bob’s are
too nice to haul anything except the smiling
MSSR crew. Ok Bob, we are waiting.
Now, let’s turn our attention to another Bob,
who for what seems like most of my life has
been promising to get the 40 Ford Custom
redone for Autorama, will this be the year
Mr. Houchins or are you going to make us
wait longer. The old saying of good stuff
happens to people that wait sure applies
well to this case; this has got to be one
outstanding car because the wait is killing
us. Bob, in case you don’t know, we are not
cats, we don’t have nine lives to wait on
seeing this car. Ok Bob, this is the year, that
is the motto. See you on the road.
Ok, while I am in my mood, here is another
one that is taking way too long. Sharon,
please let Pat spend more time in the
garage this winter, the world needs another
Mopar on the road and Pat need to be
putting Bolt A into Hole D just like Jim
Stocke. The new paint will be weathered
thin before this one gets done at the present
pace. Someone call Chip Foose and see if
he needs another Overhauling project, if
he does not like Pat’s maybe we can get
him to take Bob Houchins over or better
yet give him a couple to work on.
Not sure what is going on Up North,
communication in the winter is a little slow
with this bunch, must be out snowmobiling
or shoveling I guess but I am sure that
after they all get healthy again there will be
activity in the Ballard and Laskey Garages
while Bob Wyman puts another can on the
shelf or mounts another sign on the wall.
Don’t have to get ugly with this group to
get the cars built; what the hell else have
they got to do with 10 feet of snow on the
ground.
One more on my get moving – tired of
waiting list is Dennis Peters, now we all
know that Dennis is a perfectionist and his
attention to detail is close to Ridler anal
but seriously, I need to see a blown Willys
at some car events in 2013. Every time I
see this car it is outstanding and each and
every part that Dennis fabricates and puts
on the car is show quality to the point
where you now have to spend some time
looking just to see it all. Dennis, we are
waiting!!!!!!!!
Cannot yell at Kurt Kiser, his repaint and
rebuild of the 40 is done and he like Art
Socher has only to polish all winter on a
job well done. Car made some nice long
distant trips right out of the box. Thank
God we have some members who actually
do get it done and drive them.
Then there is the rest of us doing a few
things here and there, like Russ Demers
looking for that elusive rattle in the back of
the car and spending time between
snowmobiling to find it. Don McKinnon
has reconfigured his coupe to get a
vibration out of it and now has a smile on
his face because he is sure he has got it
done. Me, I put a heater in the Model A
truck because it gets a little chilly in there
at times and working on replacing the bed
wood especially after seeing Art Socher’s
beautiful job although I am not going to
add shinny paint. And I am sure that a
bunch of you that I did not mention will be
spending time getting them ready for
cruising in 2013, well maybe not all since
some are basking in the sun in the south
or west. Ya all stay healthy and let’s roll
some miles when the snow melts.
What’s Up in the Garages this Winter By Rich Pickens
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 12121212
2012 in Review - A Whole Lot of Fun with Friends
What a year 2012 was for a car nut.
Summer started early and permitted
everyone to get the motor running and
start the wheels rolling sooner than any
year in memory. Sure, we had our typical
events that the club participates in like the
Woodward Cruise and Back to the Bricks,
the famous Summer Meeting at the
Reilly’s, the Kalamazoo Northern
Nationals, Columbus Goodguys and
others, but added a whole lot of new ones
like the Indiana Tour, the New York Tour
and Syracuse Show, and the non-
traditional Summer Meetings with the Up
North Chapter and at the Hines Park
Cruise and don’t forget the great Salem
Flag Day. In addition we attended in force
the South Lyon Cruise Night for the first
time and kept the burgers grilling at our
favorite cruise nights like the Tuesday
night cruise at the VFW, Mondays at Flat
Rock and Farmington, Wednesdays at
Plymouth and Redford as well as the all
time favorite, Sunday at Bakers.
Reminisce and enjoy the pictures of 2012
cruisin’ with MSSR.
Back to the Bricks
Columbus Goodguys
New York Tour
Syracuse Nationals
Up North Meeting
Reilly Summer Meeting
Meeting at Hines Park Cruise
South Lyon Cruise Night
Indiana Tour
Burger School Bebefit
Plus, Cruise Nights at Bellicino’s in Farmington, VFW in Redford, VFW in Plymouth, St. Roberts in Redford,
Big Boys in Flat Rock, Blue Sky Dinner in Romulus, Depot Town in Ypsi, Multi Lakes in Commerce
Township, Bakers in Milford on Sunday
More 2012 Fun on Next page
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 13131313
How many miles would I have travelled in 2012 if I was a MSSR Event freak?
Well ask no more, here is your answer (from Dearborn MI):
Ohio Mile
Street Rodder Tour at Bakers
Kalamazoo Northern Nationals
Gilmore Museum
Louisville
Woodward
Salem Flag Day
Garage Crawls
Frankenmuth
Traveling with MSSR in 2012
- Attended just one Ohio Mile, Wilmington OH = 500 Miles
- Attended NSRA Southern Nationals, Knoxville TN = 1,200 Miles
- Attended the Southern Indiana Road Trip and Tour = 1,000 Miles
- Attended all three Summer Meetings = 500 Miles plus untold cruising in Hines
- Attended Columbus OH Goodguys Nationals = 500 Miles
- Attended Syracuse NY Nationals and Road Trip = 1,300 Miles
- Attended NSRA Nationals in Louisville KY = 800 Miles
- Attended Back to the Bricks in Flint MI = 130 Miles
- Attended Frankenmuth Autofest = 180 Miles
- Attended NSRA Northern National in Kalamazoo MI = 280 Miles
- Attended IDIDIT Open House = 130 Miles
- Attended at least 20 Local Cruise Nights = 500 Miles
- Attended South Lyon Cruise Night = 80 Miles
Total Miles 7,100 Happy Miles
Total Gallons of Gas @ 15 miles per gallon 473 Gallons
Total Cost of Fuel @ $4/gallon $1,800 of Fun with Cars, Family and
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 14141414
MSSR News Briefs
Salem Flag Day 2013
The Board has agreed to support Gardner
Westcott by attending the Salem Flag Day in
2013 and ask for your support at this fun
event. We have been guaranteed Ice Cream
for being there and we know you like Ice
Cream.
Hines Park Cruise 2013
The Board has submitted the paperwork for
the Hines Park Cruise and we will be in the
same spot as last year so hope you all attend.
This was a highlight event of 2012 and looks
to be even better in 2013.
Garage Crawls and Meeting Speakers
As always, MSSR is looking for winter
activities in the form of garage crawls and car
related activities. Anyone with any ideas
please let a board member know.
If anyone knows of someone that would make
an interesting guest speaker at one of our
Membership Meetings let a Board Member
know.
Kalamazoo Northern Nats Rooms 2013
Sheila Sabo has knocked it out of the park
again for 2013 and obtained a 20 room
block at the Residence Inn Kalamazoo East
for Thursday Sept 12 and 28 rooms for
Friday and Saturday Sept 13 and 14. All
rooms are Studio Suites and include the
Russ Demers approved hot breakfast. Only
6 rooms are ground floor so use these only
if the stairs are a problem for you. Sheila
got a rate so good that I cannot publish it in
this newsletter due to outside circulation but
you will be pleased. To make a reservation
call: 800-331-3131. Please do not call the
Residence Inn directly. When you make
your reservation you must tell them that you
want a room from the Motor State Street
Rods block. Make sure you document your
reservation with date, name, rate,
confirmation number and any other details
of your reservations. After you have made
your reservations, please give Sheila a call
or send email to let her know the nights
you'll be there and if you need a ground
Why do
......drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
.....people order double cheeseburgers,
large fries, and a diet coke.
.....banks leave vault doors open and then
chain the pens to the counters..
......we leave cars worth thousands of dollars
in the driveway and put our useless junk
in the garage
......we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and
buns in packages of eight..
.....they have drive-up ATM machines with
Braille lettering.
…..they sterilize the needle for lethal
injections?
Why is it
…..that “Abbreviated' such a long word?
…..that Doctors call what they do 'practice'?
… that lemon juice made with artificial
flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with
real lemons?
……that the man who Invests all your
money is called a broker?
……that the time of day with the slowest
traffic is called rush hour?
And Why
……Didn’t Moses swat the two mosquitoes
……If flying is so safe, why do they call the
airport the terminal?
And Ladies
…...The Mars rover proved men are not
from Mars, they found no signs of
beer, ESPN or Porn.
……Remember if he says he will fix it, he
will, there is no need to remind him
every 6 months or so
……And remember men have feelings too,
for example, we feel hungry.
……And judging by the frying pan that just
flew by my head I can assume I did
something wrong, can’t wait to find out
what it was.
Well this explains it all
Ever walk into a room with some purpose in mind, only to completely forget what that
purpose was? Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses.
Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what's known as an event boundary in the mind, separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next. Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.
We're not getting too old to remember stuff after all; it's those damn doors. I agree with George on this one
Three friends from the local congregation were asked, "When you're in your casket, and friends and congregation members are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?"
Artie said, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man."
Eugene commented, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people's lives.."
George said, "I'd like them to say, 'Look, he's moving!'"
floor room. You must make your
reservations before August 22nd
, 2013.
The cancellation policy is 6 PM the day
of arrival. If you are not going to be able
to keep your room reservation, please
contact Sheila first, in case we have a
waiting list for a room. If you need to
cancel, please don't wait until the last
minute to do so. These folks have been
very good to us and we need to treat
them right. We need to make sure all
our members that want rooms get them
first, before inviting our friends, so
during the last week of our block check
with Sheila for availability for friends. If
you have any questions or need further
information, please give her a call. 248
685 2268
Election of Officers
Bob Nash (President), Jim Stocke (Vice
President), and Kurt Kiser (Treasurer)
were all elected to another term on the
Board of Directors
Weird Stuff in My Head
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 15151515
SEMA By Jim Stocke
SEMA 2012, Las Vegas, NV
October 30 to November 2, 2012
2100 Vendors spread out over three
buildings to be poured over by over
110,000 people! Ha, and you thought
Louisville was big with its 300 vendors.
That kind of statistic hollers loud and clear
that the car hobby is alive and well.
The Las Vegas Convention Center is the
venue for this show. Compared to the
absolutely fabulous, flashy and elegant
hotels and casinos along the famous Las
Vegas strip, the Convention Center is
rather modest and even downright dowdy
looking. But, no matter, the overriding
feature of this venue is its humungous
size. There are three main buildings: North
Hall, Center Hall and, guess what, South
Hall. Well, even though I am equipped with
superior walking skills, it is impossible to
see everything especially since the strip
and all the associated glitz, glamour and
gambling is strongly beckoning. There are
literally millions of square feet of floor
space for the myriad of products to make
your personal ride more fun or even bring
it to life from scratch.
And now, Tuesday, October 30 is upon us
and to the shuttle parked in front of the
golden Trump Tower we go to be shuttled
to the Convention Center. Oh man, a car
lover’s dream comes true. I am greeted by
hundreds of magnificent cars parked in
front of the Center forming a great, unique
car show. These cars are built and owned
by the various participating companies to
showcase their prowess and products. The
cars are knockouts as the engineers and
technicians put their all into building them.
Alas, there were not too many street rods
around but, enough to make their presence
in the hobby known. One notable feature:
You could spend the better part of the day
just drinking in all this fabulous metal but,
the vendors are waiting so off to the
Central Hall which houses Hot Rod Alley,
Racing and Performance and Restoration
Marketplace we go. By far, for me anyway,
this hall was the most interesting.
Hit Hot Rod Alley first of course, but to get
there you have to go through the elevated,
long, skinny Ford exhibit. Hey, they show
some really impressive performance and
racing cars as well as a few of their regular
production cars like the new, knockout
Fusion. Let’s give equal time to the
Chevrolet (Not GM) exhibit. This one was a
large square more or less in the middle of
the hall. Several of their cars were set up
as race cars with all the requisite roll bars,
modified engines, greatly reworked
suspensions and very flashy paint jobs.
Competition for the Fusion: the new Impala
is also a knockout; very, very nice. Seems
every car that comes out today is
absolutely fabulous. Is the automotive
industry competitive? Move on, move on.
Hot Rod Ally is just ahead. Woo, hoo here
we are in hot rod heaven. Let say hello to
Marty, Scott and Ken at the Ididit booth
first. Then go over to the all important
Factory Five booth where they are
showing, for the first time, their new kit. It is
Ferrari-ish looking and gorgeous Dave
Continued Next Page
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 16161616
Smith, the president, was not there as he
could not get a flight due to the notorious
storm, Sandy. (He came later, though. Lots
of folks associated with the show were
stuck because of the storm.) All the usual
vendors we see at NSRA shows were here
plus a whole raft of products you do not
see at our usual show circuit.
Hot Rod Alley takes up a relatively small
area in the Central Hall. But, there are
many other interesting things to see in the
Racing and Performance area and the
Restoration Marketplace. By far, the largest
area in this Hall was the Racing and
Performance vendors. That fact speaks as
to what the hottest segment in the car
hobby market. There were many, many
modified racing engines to see and, an
outstanding new one the new Corvette
LT1. Also do you want a racing chassis and
all accessories and parts to make a car go
fast? Great fun to walk up and down to see
all this stuff. I was happy to see that there
were very few Chinese vendors – yea for
us.
Walk, walk, walk and walk some more to
see all these products devoted to a hobby
and not a necessity. The recession was not
alive and well here judging by the great
number of viable manufacturers that
support a hobby. There is a strong feeling
that the American spirit was demonstrated
to be alive and well. Creativity, engineering,
showmanship and just plain hard work
brings this show into existence.
Okay, exhausted, I hobble back to the hotel
to rest, have dinner and take in a great
Cirque du Soleil show at the New York,
New York casino. Wow, was that a beautiful
(and racy) show! Come bedtime, this puppy
is really tired. But, no SEMA tomorrow
though, Have to see the strip up close
including the shopping center at Caesar’s
Palace and then walk all the way to the
Bellagio ogling the sights along the way, a
distance of at least 175 miles, or so if felt
like it. Let’s go see The Jersey Boys stage
show about Frankie Valli and The Four
Seasons at the Paris. The songs really
brought back memories: “Sherrrrri, Sheri
baaaby, won’t you come out tonight” sung
in a falsetto voice. You get the idea.
Thursday and back to SEMA. It is a little
anticlimactic but still great fun. Hit the South
Hall second floor where the Trucks, SUVs
an Off Road vendors hang out. There sure
are a lot of parts, accessories, sub
assemblies and, especially suspension
components, available to conquer the rough
terrain of our great country. Sadly though,
there were lots of Chinese vendors. Poo.
Somehow, I would not feel right buying a
Chinese winch or rear cross member or
fog lamps or anything else for that matter.
Better get used to it. We will probably see
more of this in the future.
Again, drag myself back to the hotel to
rest, recuperate and no, not gamble. Not
me, not ever. I digress. All in all this
SEMA trip was a great experience. But,
the show is not open to the public. You
have to apply and prove that you are part
of the automotive industry to attend. That
hurdle is surmountable however, as
friends and friends of friends could
probably get you in. It is a chance to go
the great fantasy land of the west and get
your car fix too.
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 17171717
Congratulations to all and
God’s Blessing for many,
many more birthdays and
anniversaries to come
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Swap Meet
Hot Wheel Collection - 600 cars make offer
Bob Nash 517-223-4882
46 Ford right and left front fenders, 2 hoods,
dash panel
4-OEM 4 Lug 13” Mag Wheel/Mustang II or
Pinto $100 Firm
4-13” Wire Hub Caps OEM Mustang II/Pinto
$80 Firm
– Call Dan Plopan 248-477-6221
Various SUN Tachs, Al Piggott, 248-981-
7532
Golf Clubs, $100 Call Jack Miller 313-383-
4703
For Sale License Plate Collection, Pete
Deptula 734-259-0691
Newly rebuilt 1975 - 350 c.i. Police
Interceptor engine w/Tri-Power polished
alum. intake & 3-new Rochester carbs.
w/progressive linkage & fuel block. Plus a
new Phoenix transmission & chrome valve
covers. Asking $3,500. Contact Phil Lyon
734-578-6223
Set of 4 18:x8” Boyd Codington 5 Spoke
Wheels with new 60 Series Tires, $1400.
Pete Ballinger 313-534-0331
7;00x16 Firestones, 500x15 Ribbed
Firestones, Rat Rod Headers, Rat Rod Grill ,
Big Headlights, 1-15” Moon Disc’s, Baby
Moons, 46 Ford Trim John Schumont 734-
377-4522
10” Steel Lathe complete, $800, Pete
Deptula
CARS FOR SALE
ENGINES FOR SALE
GARAGE EQUIP FOR SALE
PARTS FOR SALE
MISCELLANOUS FOR SALE
Like new 33/34 Ford Fender Bra $60 Rich
Pickens 734 425 6676
4 grey leather bucket seats, both fronts are
power and they came out of a Windstar LS.
Looking for $200.00 Call for pictures Tim
Messer 248-446-1906
WANTED
454 engine rebuilt
396 engine needs rebuilding
Call Bob Nash
HEI 65K Distributor for Chevy V6, 3.8 or 4.3
New in Box, $60 -Edelbrock Intake 2114
for Chevy 4.3 Vortex Head Motor new with
gaskets $180 -Small block Chevy Water
Pump new, $35 -Ford 351 W Ford Racing
Flywheel, New $200 Rich Pickens
Crew members to help Bob Carter at the
Ohio Mile Events in 2013
1936 Pickup Truck, Hot Rod Project Call for
more information and a list of what’s included
(too much to mention). Priced to sell,
$5,000.00. Call Jim Sabo, Highland, Mi.,
248-685-2268. Email any time
1978 T-Bird, Dove Gray with Red Pinstripes,
400 CID, Automatic Trans, Like New, $7500.
See Jack Miller 313-383-4703
1976 Lincoln 2 dr. 81k actual miles; one
owner $8,000. Original everything. Tim
Keenon is the original owner, 313-563-9235
49 Ford Club Coupe
Stock Flat Head V8, Stick Shift, Overdrive,
New Radial Tires, New Radiator and Wiring,
A Great Driver - $19,000 Vic 248-373-4356
Jim Laird's 1941 Ford Pickup (Old Blue)
The truck has a stock body with no rust (real solid straight metal)/Straight axle / Small block Chevy w/ auto trans/NSRA Safety inspection Priced at $14000 – 313-506-2439 Call Jim's son Rob for details or to view truck.
LOST AND NOW FOUND
At Kalamazoo = A Person, “Danny Plopan”,
described as a guy about this high by the
search party headed by Claudia Williams,
Last seen at the Pizza Party, Karen did not
offer a reward but did say finder, keeper,
loser is a happy camper
At Kalamazoo = JoAnn Nash’s Cell Phone,
thought lost at Bruesters Restaurant or in
Jack Millers Back Seat. Someone please
call Jack’s back seat to see if it rings
At Kalamazoo = Nina Deptula’s Wallet, last
seen hidden in her secret hiding spot but
cannot now remember the hiding spot
location, if anyone knows where the secret
hiding spot is, let Nina know
January
Dan Laskey January 8
Lee Schlagel January 24
JoAnn Nash January 26
February
Bob Wyman February 17
Bob Paull February 17
Jim Sabo February 19
March
Sharon Ambroziak March 1
John Gavasso March 2
Donald Prine March 14
Pete Ballinger March 16
Jim Stocke March 17
Karen Popan March 17
Danny Murray March 20
Rose Jelkin March 26
January
Tom and JoAnn Mann January 27
Gary and Laurie Jefferson January 28
February
Bob Steinhaus and
Rochelle Jaffee February 14
Kurt and Sandy Kiser February 23
March
Dwight and Millie Fackender March 5
Pat and Sharon Ambroziak March 9
Ford OEM 15 inch wheels, Call Russ Demers
313-561-5579
4-235x45 17” Pirelli Winter Tires $75
96 -98 Mustang Bumper Cover No Tears $20
Call Doug Smith 734-529-5166, Dundee MI
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 18181818
Cruisin and Other Ramblings By the Editor
I cannot watch anymore TV shows that
show idiots buying cars, putting some
lipstick on a pig and then flip them at an
auction or pawn them off to a knucklehead
buyer. Gas Monkey Garage, Fast N’ Loud,
Texas Car Wars, and a few others really
give the car hobby a bad name when
someone sees them take a rusty hulk and
throw paint on it, get a motor to turn over
that has not moved for years and then
make a few grand at resale. Seriously, if
you were not a car person, you would think
this is a norm since the TV told me so.
Thank god, we are serious about what we
do and in most cases do it well and inspect
our cars to ensure they are safe and will
survive a trip. And don’t get me started on
the motorcycle shows; most of their
creations are not something you would
want to ride. I feel better now.
Where did 2012 go, Fast is the answer,
seems like we cannot live an endless
summer of street rodding and have to
endure winter some just to have fun again
in a car. So all you Florida and Arizona
travelers, have one on us and report back
all the neat things you saw and did while
we shoveled the snow for ya, and ya all
come back ya hear.
MSSR made the papers, well the Rose
City MI paper at least. On the Up North
Trip this year, we were photographed by
the local newspaper and we got the photo
to prove it, although we were called the
Rods and Relics, we don’t look that old
that we are relics do we.
I do not remember how it goes exactly but
the saying about a great lady behind every
man is really true in MSSR. Just think
back on 2012 and you will find it in the
planning and execution at every event we
did like the Up North Cruise with the work
of Joyrane Wyman, Kay Laskey, Audrey
Lazette, Lee Schlagel, and Janet Ballard.
The Indiana Trip Plan and Kalamazoo
room negotiations by Sheila Sabo. The
New York trip events planned by JoAnn
Nash and Karen Plopan. The lunch plan at
Hines Park by the duo of JoAnn Nash and
Karen Plopan. The KZoo cooking and
pizza party coordinated by Karen Plopan.
Last, but not least, the Christmas Party
planning and arrangements by Karen
Plopan. Thank you all we appreciate you
keeping us straight and well fed.
I ask this question each year just to make
sure so here goes, is there anyone out
there who would like to try their hand at
doing the newsletter because after four
years I could use a rest and I am sure that
a new face could bring some new
excitement to this paper. We are also
looking for any help that someone is willing
to give out in the form of a column, articles
or anything of interest. We have had some
help in the past, for example, Jim and Judy
Stocke are a go to for many of the articles
and Bill Carner contributes art work but we
can use all the help we can get. If you
think you cannot do this, just remember, I
was raised in the south where English was
not the first language and if I can do this,
you would really be good at it. Just let us
know.
We had two new members join when the
last issue of Rod Connection was being
printed so we missed the introduction by a
few months but we hope by now a lot of
you had the chance to meet and greet
these two new families introduced on the
first pages of this newsletter.
THINK SPRING
January Events
January 5, Garage Crawl, Miliken Ypsi
January 12, Traction Bar Lunch Noon
January 23, Aurburn Museum Crawl
January 27, MSSR Board Meeting-3:30
January 27, MSSR Club Meeting at 5
February Events
February 9, Traction Bar Lunch
February 24 MSSR Board Meeting-3:30
February 24, MSSR Club Meeting at 5
March Events
March 8, 9. 10 Autorama
Note Date Changes due to Easter
March 24, MSSR Board Meeting-3:30
Note Date Changes due to Easter
March 24, MSSR Club Meeting at 5
Mark Your 2013 Calendars
NSRA Nats South May 3, 4, 5
Salem Flag Day June 8
Goodguys Columbus July 12, 13. 14
NSRA Nationals – August 1, 2, 3. 4
3rd
Summer Meeting – August 25
at the Hines Park Cruise
NSRA Nats North - Sept 13. 14, 15
Stay tuned for announcements on the
June and July Summer Meetings plus
a lot of other events in 2013
Coming Events
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 19191919
President Bob Nash
Vice President Jim Stocke
Treasurer Kurt Kiser
Director Dennis Peters
Director Don McKinnon
Director Rich Pickens
Photographer Jim Stocke
Clothing Mgr’s Vic Hollingshead
Jan Quill
Card Lady JoAnn Nash
Web Master Gary Jefferson
Rod Connection
Editor Rich Pickens
Chief Reporter Jim Stocke
Womens World Help Wanted
Art Bill Carner
Historical Help All the old people
Others Welcome to Send in Articles and Reports
Send any comments/articles/swap meet
items/events/or general nonsense to
Deadline for next edition March 1, 2013
The opinions and articles expressed in the MSSR Rod
Connection do not necessarily reflect the views and
opinions of the board of directors.
Officers and Staff
Rod Connection
Featured Ride Motor State Street Rods
PO Box 2471
Dearborn Michigan 48123
www.motorstatestreetrods.org
Cruising since 1976
FUN WITH CARS, FAMILY and FRIENDS
The Motor State Street Rod Car Club was founded in 1976
as a social club to promote safe, family enjoyment of
modified vehicles.
The club is a non-profit benevolent organization
established to promote the enjoyment of older vehicles
and protect the specialized interests of its members.
In addition, the club lives up to its motto of "Fun with Cars,
Family and Friends" with less structured activities that may
include casual cruising, picnics, dances, dinners, swap
meets, car shows, rod runs, cruise-ins, and monthly
meetings. Funds raised every year are donated to various
needy causes.
Jim Laird’s 1941 Ford Pickup
“OLD BLUE”
Note: Truck is For Sale
Improved engineering and handsome styling made the 1940-1941 Ford half-ton pickup a popular choice among truck buyers in the 1940s.
Ford's chief designer E.T. "Bob" Gregorie gave the all-new 1940 light-duty trucks the crisp, clean "prow front" styling of the 1939-1940 passenger cars, and this carried over to the 1941 Ford truck line.
As fresh and distinctive as on the cars, that look has stood the test of time beautifully.
Behind the new face of the for the 1940-1941 Ford half-ton pickup was a host of mechanical improvements. Cabs were sturdier and wider, and windshields were fixed with cowl-mounted wipers (but crank-open windshields were available).
Sealed-beam headlamps were new, and mattress-type springs offered extra passenger comfort. The smart rectangular instrument cluster also resembled that of Ford cars.
Underneath, light-duty trucks retained what amounted to a Ford car frame: a double-drop design with X-member bracing, stamped from heavier 10-gauge steel instead of 11-gauge. Suspension was still by transverse leaf springs front and rear, which dated from Ford Model T days, plus lever shocks and, on some models, a front stabilizer bar.
The handsome new styling of the 1940 Ford half-ton pickup was a big asset against rival Chevy's carryover fleet in 1940, but Chevrolet's redesigned AK-series for 1941 was more formidable. Ford countered with minor trim changes, deciding there was no reason for wholesale revision of Gregorie's excellent design.
Standard engine in 1941 was Ford's 221-cid flathead V-8 with 90 bhp, though a Mercury 239 with 95 bhp and the small Ford V-8/60 were optional. In mid-season, the V-8/60 was replaced by a 120-cid four-cylinder engine from the Ford 9N tractor-a curious choice, and not very popular. Even rarer was the passenger car's inline six, a late-season no-cost option
The handsome trucks pictured with this article are painted a solid color, though it was possible to two-tone in 1941 by paying extra for black-painted fenders. Bodyside pinstriping was optional.
V o l u m e 3 7 , I s s u e 1 P a g e P a g e P a g e P a g e 20202020
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