CLUB ELECTIONS

The term of office is expiring for our Club Officers as the end

of September. All current officers will continue until our

Election that will be held on October 22, 2016 at the Picnic

meeting at John Chestnut Park in East Lake.

The officer positions for re-election are Director, Vice Director,

Secretary and Treasurer. Anyone interested in running for these

positions, please contact Secretary Tom Burtch and inform him

that you are interested for a position. Deadline for submitting

for election will be October 12 and the proposed officer slate

provided to the members by October 17.

If there is an unopposed person for a position they can

reaffirmed by a majority vote of members at the October

meeting. Multiple persons for a single position will selected by

secret ballot by members present, after each person has a 5 to

10 minute period to state their qualifications and objectives.

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HORN BUTTONS FROM AUGUST

NEWSLETTER

Clockwise from top left

- 1957 to 1959 Chevrolet truck

- 1955 (late) and 1956 Chevrolet truck

- 1954 and 1955 (early) Chevrolet truck

- 1960 to 1966 Chevrolet truck

- 1947 to 1953 Chevrolet truck

NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCEMENT

Any items that you would like to see in the Newsletter,

tech articles, photos, etc. please send to me

pkroeger@tampabay.rr.com.

Any of our members that we only have a mailing address

for, please consider either giving us your email address or

acquiring an email address. Two reasons for doing so,

one your newsletter is delayed due to having to mail it and

secondly there are many website links that are attached in

the newsletter that you can access by having an electronic

version of the newsletter. Thanks.

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NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Gordon Marks – Valrico, Florida

Bill Soman – St. Augustine, Florida

Marty Kavanaugh – Hobe Sound, Florida

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NEXT MEETING DATE, TIME &

LOCATION

Our October monthly meeting will be on October 22nd

at John Chestnut County Park, Shelter 12 at 12:00 p.m.

More information will be emailed out at a later date.

VCCA GULF COAST REGION

www.gulfcoastvcca.com

September 2016

Volume 2 Issue 7

FLORIDA GULF COAST

VCCA NEWSLETTER

FLORIDA GULF COAST VCCA NEWSLETER PAGE 2

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TECH ARTICLE

Cars of the 40’s

Cars of the 50’s

Horn Buttons for Chevrolet Cars. --------- Identify the years

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Since we had a GMC COE car hauler last month, let’s continue on with a 1953 GMC conventional cab car

hauler.

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FOR SALE: Headlight lenses. Good used original lenses for all Chevrolet car and truck applications from

1929-1939. Get your spares for $12 each. Tom Burtch (727) 203-5179 or tomsoldcarhobby@yahoo.com

WANTED: Rust free floor pan for 1937 Chevrolet car. Consider body shell or project car if floor is solid.

Tom Burtch (727) 203-5179 or tomsoldcarhobby@yahoo.com

NOTE:

Items listed will run for two issues and then deleted. Any member is free to list items and we ask that price be

included. Send items to Patrick Kroeger at pkroeger@tampabay.rr.com.

FLORIDA GULF COAST VCCA NEWSLETER PAGE 4

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Since one of our newest member, Gordon Marks, owns one, I thought it would be entertaining to take a closer

look at these vehicles.

The Suburban wasn't just a significant model for Chevrolet, it was an important vehicle for the car industry

as a whole. Arguably it was the first Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV), a tough, no-nonsense load carrier featuring

a station wagon body on the chassis of a small truck. Actually christened the Suburban Carryall – for it could

pretty much carry anything – its origins could be traced back to 1933 and a wooden eight-seater body on half

ton truck frame, intended for National Guard and Civilian Conservation Corps units. When made available

to the public, it gained an all-metal body fitted with either rear panel doors or a tailgate. "They were doing a

crossover between a car and a truck," says Ed of the vehicle that gave birth to what is now the longest

continuous name to be used on a car. "And it's got a cool interior, too, a real neat one. One might consider it

the first crossover, and it's very much related to the Captiva."

Chevrolet introduced in 1936 the "Suburban", a vehicle that fundamentally changed the automobile market.

With a focus on functionality, the credo of the new concept was "to carry all". At long last, the whole family

was to find sufficient space in one car – and preferably the fishing equipment too. To build this automobile,

Knudsen's engineers used a conventional truck chassis, but instead of installing a loading floor, as in the case

of pick-ups, they had designed a generous passenger compartment in which up to 8 persons found sufficient

seating space on three rows of seats. A sound 90 horse- power engine provided the necessary power, and the

world's first station wagon was born. The "Suburban" had changed only very little by the time production

was stopped in World War II. After the war, the "Suburban" underwent continuous improvements.

FLORIDA GULF COAST VCCA NEWSLETER PAGE 5

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While Chevrolet introduced the Suburban in 1935, GMC didn’t offer its version until 1937. Like previous

years both makes utilized a great many parts shared by both.

FLORIDA GULF COAST VCCA NEWSLETER PAGE 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minutes of VCCA Gulf Coast Region monthly meeting September 15, 2016

Attendance:

1. Bob Young

2. Hal Bruce

3. Paul Green

4. Bob Bernstel

5. Jim Blanton

6. Roy McGreevy

7. Tom Burtch

8. Dave Cardinal

9. Gordon King

10. Patrick Kroeger

Meeting Location: 21969 US Hwy 19N, Clearwater, FL.

The meeting was called to order by Patrick Kroeger at 7:17 PM.

Minutes of 8/18/16 meeting were accepted with one correction noted – the Sylvan Abby car show will be on

November 12, 2016.

President’s comments:

Patrick reported that three new members have joined recently. The new members are:

Gordon Marks from Valrico who has a 1933 Eagle, a 1936 Suburban, and a 1964 Biscayne

Bill Soman from St Augustine who has a two Corvettes – a 1954 and a 1961

Marty Kavanaugh from Hobe Sound who has a 1932 Confederate 3 window sport coupe.

These new members registered by mail and could not make this meeting but are very keen to support and be

involved with the Gulf Coast region even if not able to attend many events. We welcome them as members

and look forward to meeting and hearing more from them.

Treasurer’s Report and Membership Update:

Patrick presented the Treasurer’s report since Al Robinson could not make the meeting this month. Our bank

balance was $605.02 as of September 9. This does not include the dues from the three new members as they

were received after the bank cut-off date. We have 24 members including the three who joined this month.

Membership Renewal Forms

Patrick distributed new membership forms which can be used by new members or current members renewing

for the 2017 calendar year. Note that new members can join for $10 for the first year only and the regular

membership dues for renewing current members is $20. The membership renewals are payable by December

31, 2016 to cover the period through December 31, 2017. One notable addition to the form is a check off

section to indicate willingness to share contact information with other Gulf Coast region members. Please be

sure to complete this section so we can improve communication among members for those who participate.

Contact with Florida VCCA members:

Tom Burtch reported that he sent email messages to 105 current members listed in the VCCA roster who we

have not contacted previously. The message reminded everyone of our presence as the only current VCCA

region in Florida and invited them to check our website and get in touch if interested. The three new members

were among this group contacted and several others responded that they appreciated the update and wished

FLORIDA GULF COAST VCCA NEWSLETER PAGE 7

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they were closer to the Tampa Bay area. All replies were positive and this should help to increase our

recognition and consideration among Florida Chevrolet/GMC owners.

Survey Update:

Tom Burtch reported that 9 surveys (first handed out at the August meeting) have been received. Several

more were completed during the meeting. This survey of activities preferred by members will help to direct

our planning efforts. Tom will report the results at the next meeting.

Club activities and fund raising ideas:

PICNIC - There will be no Thursday evening meeting in October. Our next activity will be a picnic at the

John Chestnut Park at 2200 East Lake Road in Palm Harbor. This is set for Saturday October 22 at noon and

will be at shelter #12 (the same location as our March picnic). If the weather is suitable it would be a great

chance to bring the old car or truck out for a drive. Patrick will send out more information before the picnic.

Website / Newsletter Input:

Remember to get your newsletter to Debbie Kroeger (pkroeger@tampabay.rr.com).

Patrick reminded us that the For Sale / Wanted listing runs for two issues in the newsletter. It is a good way

to let everyone know what you need or want to sell and it is free. Dave Cardinal indicated he plans to list his

1926 Chevrolet touring car this month so be sure to have a look!

Officer Elections:

Annual election of officers will be held at the membership meeting on October 22 (at the picnic). Patrick will

send a separate message on the election details.

Car shows:

The following car shows were mentioned:

Oct 1 - St Pete Elks Car Show - 2675 66th Street North, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33710

Oct 8 - American Classics American Heroes Car Show – Downtown Dunedin

Oct 8 – BACC Corvette and Chevy Show – Dimmitt Chevrolet in Clearwater

Oct 27-30 – Zephyrhills car show and swap meet. Tom Burtch will have a swap space (row 3, #15) with

VCCA banner and Gulf Coast region information. Please stop by if you are at the show.

Nov 12 – Sylvan Abby Car Show – Sylvan Abbey United Methodist Church, 2817 Sunset Point Rd,

Clearwater

Next Meeting:

The October business meeting will be held at John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor (shelter #12) immediately

after the picnic on Saturday, October 22.

50/50 Draw:

The 50/50 continues to be a popular feature at our monthly meetings. Bob Bernstel was the winner this time

with $21.00 going to our treasury.

Meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM

Minutes prepared by: Tom Burtch, Secretary - VCCA Gulf Coast Region

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