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Bird Bits Sacramento Classic Thunderbird Club

Established 1966 Classic Thunderbird Club International

CTCI Chapter 14 July 2016

Message from the President Summer is in full bloom, so are the flowers, and the drought is gone. Or is it? Anyway, its still a great time to get your Tbird out of the garage shadows and get moving with the rest of your club! We’ve had fun-filled June, didn’t we? The month of June found several of us at the Music Festival in Old Sacramento, the Lincoln AirFest, the Whitney Oaks Hot Summer Nights display, our annual drive-in theater and dinner night and at Pat’s home for her annual birthday party. In addition to these, we had 12 of our wonderful ladies attend a fun luncheon at the High Hand Nursery in Loomis. During lunch, they participated in planning the ‘Christmas in July’ goodie bag project. At Pat’s they created about 100 goodie bags that will be dis-tributed to the Auburn Meals on Wheels. Thanks, ladies, for your energy, artistic ideas, and project planning efforts. Also, a big thank you to Mark and Sharon for preparing the main course for Pat’s party and to all the other cooks and chefs for their wonderful appe-tizers, salads, and desserts. This year, it was much cooler at our drive-in movie night (whew!). We had a fun even-ing (with jackets and blankets) but we still had one car overheating due to a small radia-tor leak. Thanks to Jim and Debra for planning this evening. And, we still missed a few other June events due to the high temperatures (Thunder Valley show, Mustang show, Great Race). If you didn’t have enough fun in June, that’s OK because things are happening in July, too! Upcoming are the California State Fair (music by the Pointer sisters) and our week-end trip to the Bear Valley Music festival (concert by a Journey tribute band). Continued on page 3

Presidents Message Page 1&3 New Activity Info Page 8-11

Meeting Minutes Page 2 Technical Articles Page 13-14

Birthdays & Calendar Page 3-4 Convention Prep Page 15-17

Activity Reports Page 5-7 Bulletin Board Page 18

In this issue of the Bird Bits...

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June Meeting Minutes Minutes of June 14, 2016 Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Jim Marquardt. The May minutes were approved as printed in the Bird Bits with the correction of Bonnie’s and Jim’s names- Bonnie Mar-quardt and Jim Field. (sorry, guys) The Treasurer’s report was given by J im Marquardt for Bonnie Marquardt. Committee Reports-Membership- Janie Felkins welcomed Steve O’Dell (white ’63 Landau with a blue interior), Gary Parlier (’55). Member, John Daniels, brought both his yellow ‘56 and his grandson, Eric. Any members who need a new nametag should contact Lani Korenko. The fancy-schmancy new ones have the magnetic backing and are $11.00 each. Activities- Thursday, June 16- Thunderbirds at the Drive-Inn. Meet at the Village Drive-In (13th Ave. and 60th St.) at 6:00 p.m. for din-ner and then caravan to the movie at Highway 50 and Bradshaw Road. Movie choices will take place at dinner. Bring your FM radio, chairs and snacks. This time it might be cool, so bring a jacket or blanket. Brand X cars are welcome. Contact Jim Field. Friday, June 17- Great Race. No information from the sponsors, so contact Jim M. if you want to wander down to Old Sac and look at cars. Saturday, June 25- Pat’s Steinhauer’s 3rd Annual 75th Birthday Party and Tech Session. Please RSVP by June 20th. Let her know if you are bringing an appetizer, main dish, or dessert. BYOB, or you will be able to buy wine for $5.00 a bottle. Tech session at 4, dinner at 5. Saturday, June 25- Christmas in July. While the tech session is going on, we will be making goodie bags for Meals on Wheels. Pat will deliver them to her area’s Meals on Wheels so they can be given out on the 4th of July with their deliveries. Budget for this charity project is expected to be about $150. Wednesday, July 20- Cal Expo car show. Meet at 9:00 a.m. to enter as a group. Meet at lot Z, Hurley and Ethan Way. Bring refreshments, shade, and chairs. Plan to stay until 5 or 6pm. Weekend of July 23-24- Bear Valley Music Festival. Evolution, Journey’s tribute band, is performing that weekend. Gerry Johnson has the tickets and you need to pay her. There was an additional $3.50 service fee, so please add that on to your ticket price when you pay Gerry. There has been some difficulty in reserving rooms, but Gerry can work the magic and make it happen for you. There will be lunch on Saturday at Suzie’s diner, a supper picnic under the trees, and the following morning breakfast at Bristol’s. You can wander Murphys, or visit nearby lakes near Bear Valley- Alpine & Mosquito. We will be caravanning, and the departure time will be decided at the next meeting. Jumping way ahead to September 13-18- CTCI Convention in San Diego. Make your hotel and convention reservations now. One group will be taking two weeks to drive California’s coast, led by the Korenkos. This group is leaving on Sept. 11th, and stopping in Pasadena to visit the Huntington Museum and Gardens on the way down. The return trip will include a drive up the coast to end up at Birds on the Wharf on Saturday, Sept. 24th. If you are interested in any part of that trip, con-tact Lydia Hastings or Chuck Korenko and they will send you the itinerary and lodging choices. Another group leaves Monday the 12th and will take a 2 day drive to the convention and back, led by the Fullers. Reminder: There will be no regular business meeting in September. Old Business- none at this meeting. New Business- Lydia Hastings and J im Marquardt will be accessing GoogleDocs in order to keep the By-Laws and changes up to date. CTCI roster is now online- you will need a password to access this. Go to the CTCI website to learn how to use this roster. ( Keep a copy of the SCTC roster and phone numbers handy!) Car-related Discussion- Jacky Rhea had a dead battery. This started a lively discussion of the pros/cons of gel batteries. She also had her dash lights repaired, cleaned up the distributor points, and had her timing adjusted. Roger Fuller readjusted his gas pedal and is much more comfortable now. Larry Storlie’s car is running after 13 years of sitting. He thanked Roger Fuller for all his help. Stan Pierce’s seat has been repaired, his brake lights adjusted, and his carburetor rebuilt. Jeff Coker asked about replacing the rear main seal in his ’56. He discovered that the original color of his ’56---- is Sunset Coral. Stephanie Kowerduck had the flex fuel line replaced on her ’56. Jim Field has had chronic overheating problems (we’ve all been there). He read up on Gil’s article about 11 things that could lead to overheating, and it turns out the head gasket was backwards. He changed it, and the problem seems to be solved. Tech Talk- Replacing the cork on the air cleaner was the subject of this meeting’s tech talk. Ross Woodman showed how to trim a new one and install it. Collectors’ Corner- Hallmark has a Thunderbird, Jr. Christmas ornament. The raffle was won by Chuck Bombola. The meeting was concluded at 8:20 p.m. Minutes submitted by Lydia Hastings, Secretary

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July Birthdays

7/2 Bob Griggs

7/3 Stan Pierce

7/5 Peter Steinert

7/6 Beth Jackson

7/7 George Aboud

7/11 Lani Korenko

7/14 Jacquie Flaig

7/17 Elly Weiss

7/25 Bonnie Marquardt

7/26 Courtney Rhea

7/27 Phyllis Siebert

Club Anniversary

2002 Roger & Patty Fuller

2008 Jerre & Barbara Haynes

2009 Mike & Sherry Aceituno

2010 John & Barbara Webber

2012 Fred & Roberta Greenlaw

2015 Michael & Sharon Buehler

President’s Message continued from page 1 Also, please communicate and coordinate your San Diego convention travel plans with Lydia, Roger or myself. Hotel schedules, day trips, and tickets need to be planned and purchased. When was the last time you had tea served to you in a beautiful bo-tanical garden? There are a couple of different caravans planned, so make your thoughts known. Our schedule for the month of August is wide open, got any ideas? Maybe a picnic? Someone should plan it!! Please think about helping our club by becoming a club-officer. Or volunteer to help somewhere, such as event-planning, a car-show, or day-trip. Remember that we’re having fun at the same time. I'll see you at our next meet-ing! Please wear your name-tags! And, remember to check-out our Facebook page. (“Sacramento Classic Thunderbird Club”). See you down the road!

Jim

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Activities for 2016 Local Interest Show/Swap Club Calendar Activities

July

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Parade at Arden Arcade Auburn Friday Night Cruise 5-9 Free General Meeting at Future Ford Roseville Car Show, 8a-2p 916-803-1788 California State Fair Folsom Cruise of Dreams $25 916-988-6376 Bear Valley Concert and Overnight Sacramento Swap at Sleep Train 6a-4p

Neil Schild Pg 10 Pg 10 Jim Marquardt P14 Gerry Johnson P16

Aug 9 16-17

General Meeting at Future Ford Santa Rosa Drive and Overnight

Sep 13 13-18 24

General Meeting at Future Ford Canceled due to Conv CTCI International Convention in San Diego Birds on the Wharf

Chuck Korenko

Oct

2 11 14-16 22

Stocking Decorating at Pat Steinhauer's (new date) General Meeting at Future Ford International Car Show at Cal Expo River Road Tour

Pat S Ross Woodman J & L Strizek

Nov 8 12 27

General Meeting at Future Ford Roseville Museum Tour Tree Decorating at CAM

Chuck Korenko Lydia Strizek

Dec 3

Christmas Party TBD

Close, but not the same.

Is it just me or has any-one else ever noticed the typical Americana house in the back-ground? They are similar, but the one in back of the ‘57 photo seems to be a flipped floor plan of the one used for the ‘55’s. Check it out, even the arraignment of the bushes are similar. Look even closer, which car has a radio antenna?

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Sacramento Classic Thunderbird Club

Goes to the Drive-In

As seen on Facebook:

Despite earlier forecasts of rain, last night proved to be a perfect night to get out classic cars and go for a burger and movie. There were 6 cars and 12 people at our night at the drive-in. SCTC mem-bers were joined by friends Peter and Trish in their breathtaking Fi-at. Cloudy skies make for beautiful sunsets. By Jim Field

Pat Steinhauer Birthday Bash Pat hosted another great party. Her home in Auburn was a beautiful setting for chatting, eating and having a good time. Almost 30 members, friends and neighbors were on hand to enjoy the warmth of the day and the warmth of friendship, Thunderbird style!

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Recipes were shared

Mark and Sharron catered the meats.

The pot luck salads and desserts were good to

the last morsel.

Neighbors Ed and Bob even stopped by.

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We have a free day again this year at the California State Fair at Cal Expo on Wednesday July 20. Our group meets at 9am, outside the fairgrounds near Gate Z (in the cul-de-sac at the end of Ethan Way, corner of Hurley Way). The former meet-ing spot was at the old dome theaters on Ethan and Arden.

The theaters are gone now, and the area is under construction. Bring your T-Bird, your friends, kids and relatives (inside the car), chairs, food, cash and water. All cars will en-ter the fairgrounds together about 9:30am. We will spend the day under a large shade tent with all the fair-foods and rides at our disposal. Come to have fun! Bring sun-lotion, and prepare for a day of camaraderie, and car talk. There’s lots of great entertainment throughout the fair. This day, the Pointer Sisters will be on stage. Our car display area will be roped off from the public, located immediately in front of the horse racetrack. We get lots questions, stories from the public and selfies taken. We’ve even found a few ‘new members’ here, too. The cars need to remain in place until about 6pm. But indi-viduals are ok to leave the grounds and return before the end of the day. Just remember to get your hand stamped. Come join us for the day.

The old fairgrounds at Stockton Blvd

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The Bear Valley Music Festival starts July 22. The Journey Tribute group, Evolution,

plays on Saturday, the 23rd. Tickets

are $40.00 each.

We will drive to Bear Valley on Sat-

urday morning. Once arriving, our

cars will be displayed for all to see

while we have a picnic of fried

chicken. This lunch has been re-

quested by all who have gone on

other trips. We will stay the night in the

lodge right by the festival tent.

Sunday morning, we will drive down to

Arnold to eat at Bristols. They specialize

in biscuits, gravy and such. Then it’s off

to home. I am waiting for a call back on

the price of the rooms. Each time we

have made this trip, everyone has al-

ways enjoyed it.

Let Gerry know if you would like to go.

707-374-2347 ASAP!

jimd73@icloud.com

What’s in your Garage? Any extra parts for sale? Roger Fuller is selling a ‘56 non porthole top, fresh restoration, $3200. 916-790-4907

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See the June Halftime for the event application: or contact me for another copy Roger Fuller: fullerr5683@sbcglobal.net 916-790-4907

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Auburn Cruise Nite started 32 years ago in the Foster Freeze parking lot.

Auburn Cruise Nite is a FREE event that draws 300+ classic cars 1972 or older to Lincoln Way in Auburn from 4 to 9 p.m. on the second Fri-day of each month between May and Septem-

ber.

Free family friendly event that features music

and food vendors!

Get there early to get a spot if you plan on showing your car. No motorcycles. No pets.

For more information, or if you’d like to be-come a Volunteer, please contact Bob Kenne-

dy at 530-878-7936 or bob.kennedy@hotcold.com

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Larry’s Brakes

While I was taking a look at Larry Storlie’s car, I pulled the cap off the master cylinder of the brakes. There was no more fluid in the reservoir, just a pile of rust and something that looked like varnish. The vacuum booster had been bypassed, but was still standing by itself on the fender wall. I pulled both front and rear wheels so I could look at the wheel cylinders. Pulling back the rubber boots that protect the wheel cylinders, I noticed rust in all the wheel cylinders. So, an entire redo of the brake system was called for. The following is not a good statement: “ Nothing is wrong with my brakes, I haven’t changed the fluid in years!” Even though the cap has a gasket and is securely tightened, the cap is vented. There is a small hole in the side of the cap that lets air in as fluid is

pushed downstream. It also lets air back out of the reservoir when you let off the brakes and the fluid flows back to the master cylinder. DOT 3 fluid is susceptible to soaking up moisture from the air. Even if the car has been in a garage for 13 years, the fluid can go bad. It can evaporate to varnish, and any moisture that has soaked into the fluid will cause rust in the cylinders. I decided to see what was in the master cylinder, so I re-moved the clip, ram and plungers. Something that looked like rusty frog eggs spilled out of the

cylinder. Yuck! After wiping the cylinder clean, I peered into it. The ridge seen next to the inlet hole is not supposed to be there. Like the pis-ton cylinder walls, it is supposed to be clean and smooth. A slightly pitted or ridged bore might be able to be honed and re-used. This one might have been a good candidate for honing had it not been for the bad condition of the reservoir above it.

The lesson here is to change the fluid on a regular basis. Don’t wait until the brakes fail. Your life could depend on it. Thankfully, our cars are equipped with an emergency brake handle. In Larry’s case, this too was frozen. Please consider using the e-brake when you park in the garage. It keeps the system in use and allows you to feel any changes that might signal system failure. by Roger Fuller

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One Step Forward… Larry Storlie is continuing to make progress on his ‘55. After storing it in his garage for 13 years, its time had come to get back on the road again. Over the last two months, most of the mechanical work has been completed, and he has moved to the interior. Below, Larry is cleaning the floor be-fore setting a heatshield mat. These are available from Thunderbird restoration suppliers. They get glued down with spray adhesive. The material is shipped as one long roll that is 3’ wide. We decid-ed to install it as 2 pieces, side by side. After cutting each half to length, we had to trim the pieces around corners. We pulled back about a foot of material and glued it down without totally removing the insulation from the car. That way, all the cuts would be in the correct places when completed. Larry also purchased a new carpet. The Ford factory used to nail these in place with twisted tack nails. Oops, we forgot the nails. So Larry and Roger Fuller moved back to finish a few small details in the engine bay.

Debra Field was kind enough to repaint the bird on Larry’s aluminum valve covers. Attempting to reinstall them showed that the mounting studs would only accommodate the stand-

ard metal covers. We attempted to change out the mounting studs, but had to take two steps back. One of the studs had been welded in place to the head. Not knowing this, the stud broke off as we attempted to remove it. So, the carpet job is half done and the engine had to get taken apart again to repair the head (welding in a longer stud). As long as the engine was apart, Larry will replace all gaskets on both heads. By Roger Fuller

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Bulletin Board

Current SCTC Board & Committee Members: President Jim Marquardt jmarquardt2001@yahoo.com Vice President Ross Woodman rosslw@juno.com Treasurer Bonnie Glantz bglantz49@surewest.net Secretary Lydia Hastings lyonstrings@yahoo.com CTCI Rep Roger Fuller fullerr5683@sbcglobal.net Newsletter Editor Roger Fuller fullerr5683@sbcglobal.net Membership Janie Felkins jfelkins@surewest.net Historian Stephanie Kowerduck 56birdette@gmail.com Activities vacant Sunshine Committee Dianna Rhoads stardancer1996@yahoo.com

Photo by Ross Woodman. Taken at Incredible John’s

Restaurant in Roseville An arcade game with a yellow

‘55 and a dusk rose ‘57.

SCTC Club Jackets (or any other garment) Bring your jacket to:

American Logowear 1603 Douglas Blvd. Roseville

(916) 791-5550 (located on the corner of Doug-las and Sunrise.) Tell them you are with Sacramento Classic Thunderbirds and would like the official club logo embroidered on the back of your jacket. You can use a denim jacket or a golf style jacket.