I remember a commercial years ago that fea-

tured two guys driving along a roadway; win-

dows down, arms resting on the doors enjoy-

ing the fresh country air and sunshine. The

commercial indicated that they were driving for

several hours before they pulled into a service

station. When they got out the car and met at the

back you saw that the driver was sunburned on

the left side of his face and left arm while the

passenger was sunburned on his right side. After

staring at each others strange tan lines, they

swapped seats and drove off.

As a teen, I often sported what was referred to in

the Midwest as a “farmer’s tan”. Perhaps you

were somewhat more sophisticated than I in

which case you may have called it a “golfer’s tan”

or ’tennis tan”. No matter, the look is all the

same; a tan line that ends where the sleeves and

collar of the shirt end.

I guess I could just go shirtless while washing the

car to even out the tan and ensure that it goes all

round but there are two reasons that won’t work.

First is that a car should never

ever be washed in direct sun-

light. And second is that no one

should be subjected to seeing

me wash a car without a shirt

on!

Owners of convertible Thunder-

bird don’t have to worry about

this. If they want to, they could

tan all over without difficulty.

No, this burden falls squarely

on us hardtop and landau own-

ers. It is just something we will

have to live with.

That, and having to have some-

one drive our cars at times, so,

you know, we can ride as a pas-

senger and get some sun light

on our right side.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Tom

Driver’s Tan

News from the Northwest Vintage Thunderbird Club

September 2019

Volume 36, Issue 9

Thunderbird Flyer

The Myth of “Numbers Match-

ing”

2

Why Are Japanese Renting Cars

But Not Driving Them

3

Oil Pressure Gauges

and how they work

4

NWVTC Summer Picnic

was a great success

6

Courtesy of Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota via johnnywander.com

During the winter months we will be holding clas-ses for members to obtain a judging certificate from VTCI.

This is a great way to get to know your Thunder-bird better or to find out more information on other model years.

Watch for dates and times in future newsletters.

Photos courtesy of VTCI

A : Ralph, thanks much for your very interesting letter. First and foremost, I was totally unaware of the issue you have brought forward con-cerning “numbers matching” Fords. So first

and foremost, thank you for your letter informing my readers of this and also for the link to the Vintage Thun-derbird Club that goes even deeper into the issue.

Although I certainly feel your pain, everything I’ve dug up since your letter pretty much comes down to the truthfulness of the owner. Now with this said, many collector car owners don’t know about this Ford reality either, as there is a segment of the hobby where so called “enthusiasts” buy and sell for profit more so than for the love of owning a classic or muscle car. I’ll admit most are true-blue car lovers, but I hear you loud and clear as to overuse of the words “numbers matching,” etc. when it comes to Ford vehicles, the televised auc-tions and car collector magazines. I thank you very much for your impressive input on this situation in our hobby.

I dug up some information from Barrett-Jackson TV, and have found that as you mention in your letter, they in-deed do employ certain classic car professionals to make sure the cars they put into their auctions are in-deed authentic as to what the owner says the car is. These “verification pros” personally inspect each car to make sure that the seller does not make exaggerated claims. To get further input, I contacted Mike Joy, he the lead race announcer for FOX TV’s NASCAR television coverage and also a highly respected host and lead analyst of the Barrett-Jackson televised auctions. Joy was quick to admit your letter raises several interesting points and he told me that Barrett-Jackson indeed em-ploys certain individuals who inspect Fords, Pontiacs, MOPARS, Corvettes, Camaros, and so on for authentic-ity. Additionally, both Barrett-Jackson and Mecum al-ways go with the information supplied on the owner-card and only make a change if one of the professional verifi-ers finds a conflict between what they find on the car and what the owner supplied on the information card. I then asked Joy what “numbers matching” means to him:

“To me, ‘numbers-matching’ is shorthand for ‘this car still has its original engine.’ The best way to prove such a claim is with factory or dealer paperwork tying this engine to this car or chassis. There are alternate ways, such as a verifiable unbroken chain of ownership, with statements from each owner that the engine was never replaced. A similar problem exists with claims of ‘actual miles.’ Here again, paperwork is the key to establishing provenance,” Joy explained.

In ending, thanks Ralph Mahtar and Mike Joy for your expert enlightenment on what is a very interesting sub-ject.

-- Greg Zyla writes weekly for More Content Now and other Gatehouse Media publications.

To read the unedited article, click on this link.

The Myth of “Numbers Matching”

Q : Hello Greg and I just read your column on clones, replicas, recreations, tributes, and fakes. I don’t disa-gree with any of your points regarding what consti-tutes a fake car.

I’d like to add something, however, as in my opinion there is a much larger and more hobby damaging issue regarding the use of phrases like “numbers matching,” “factory installed,” “born with,” or “original” when describing Fords. The truth is that, ex-cept for the Mustang Boss 302′s, there is no such thing as a matching numbers Ford.

To explain, Ford did not stamp a number on any part that re-lates to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the car. They only had a date code cast into the part. So, the only thing that can be determined as true is if the engine has a casting date that is after the build date of the car, then for certain the engine could not be original to the car. If the date code is before the build date of the car, then it MIGHT be original.

But since there is no Ford documentation that exists to prove an engine, transmission, etc. is original to the car, any such claim is a false, misleading and fraudulent claim made by unscrupulous sellers to inflate the perceived value of the car they are trying to sell.

From repeated years of TV programs, both auction and restora-tion type shows, magazine articles, private listings on many websites like eBay, Hemmings and so forth, car folks have tak-en this myth as fact. I think that’s the definition of propaganda -- a statement that is repeated so often that it is accepted as fact without benefit of proof. See this link from the Vintage Thunder-bird Club of America for more on the Ford numbers matching issue.

This “matching numbers” dilemma damages the hobby because a beginning collector who has heard the hype for years on TV auction and collector car broadcasts as well as in print will be-lieve these falsehoods because of the assumption of the credi-bility of the source.

I am a seasoned collector, but my pursuits have been Chevro-lets. I bought a 1965 Thunderbird convertible at the Mecum auction in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2015. The car was not listed as a numbers matching car so I didn’t do any research on the subject before the purchase. It wasn’t until I got the car home and tried to find a number on the engine to see if the car I bought was numbers matching or not. When I could find no number I did the research only to discover there is no such thing as a matching numbers Ford. I, too, had believed the repeated reference to number status that I had heard and read so many times. A car can be advertised as “date code correct” or “period correct,” but not “numbers matching” or any of the other phrases conveying the same message. While I don’t dispute the idea that a car with its original drivetrain is probably worth more to a collector than a car with replacement parts, the idea that the various auction companies continue to accept consignments with these questionable quotes and possible lies (from the own-er of the cars) is disturbing.

Have a great day and thanks for helping get the word out about these matching numbers untruths.

-- Ralph Mahtar, Richmond, Virginia

“...I hear you

loud and clear as

to overuse of the

words “numbers

matching,” etc.

when it comes to

Ford

vehicles…”

Page 2 Thunderbird Flyer

This article was edited from an automotive Q/A column from 2018. It discusses a problem that I have heard repeated many

times concerning the phrase “numbers matching”. There are also references a VTCI article on the same subject. Editor

N ew directives from

the White House

order that 25% tar-

iffs already being

imposed on $250 billion worth

of Chinese goods be increased

to 30% on October 1. The sub-

ject goods have been divided

into three separate groups. The

so-called “List 1” and “List

2” goods are valued at $50

billion and include some miscel-

laneous metal and rubber parts

for auto equipment, machinery,

tools and measurement devic-

es. “List 3” imports cover about

$200 billion worth of goods

including most auto parts, from

engines and metal fasteners to

tires and brake pads.

List 4 imports are scheduled to

go into effect on September 1

and December 15 on an esti-

mated $112 billion and $160

billion worth of Chinese goods,

respectively. Originally targeted

as 10% tariffs, they will now be

15% tariffs when imposed. The

List 4 products cover a wide

range of finished consumer

products such as cell phones,

laptops, computer monitors,

video game consoles, and cer-

tain toys, footwear and cloth-

ing.

All the tariffs are being imposed

as an incentive for U.S. and

Chinese officials to negotiate

six separate trade documents

covering agriculture, services,

non-tariff barriers, currency,

intellectual property rights and

forced technology transfers and

cybersecurity. The most recent

trade talks have not yielded

significant results.

From the SEMA website

Not long after, other car-sharing

operators confirmed that the

same thing was happening with

its own services, prompting one

company, Times24 Co., to con-

duct a survey to find out how

people used its vehicles.

The results showed that, indeed,

some people were using the cars

for a whole range of purposes.

All without putting any miles on

the clock.

One respondent said they rented

a car “to eat a boxed meal that I

bought at a convenience store

because I couldn’t find anywhere

else to have lunch,” while anoth-

er said: “Usually the only place I

C ar-sharing services

are becoming increas-

ingly popular in Japan,

but it has emerged

that some people who rent the

vehicles don’t actually drive

them anywhere.

So what’s going on?

It turns out that for some folks,

the cars, which can be found

around cities and rented by the

minute via a smartphone app,

provide an ideal private space

for napping, working, charging

tech devices, listening to music,

watching movies, storing bags,

and chatting with friends,

among other activities.

The unexpected behavior was

first spotted last year by car-

sharing operator Orix Auto Corp.

After examining its rental data,

it noticed that some of its

230,000 registered users were

paying for the cars but not go-

ing anywhere.

can take a nap while visiting

my clients is a cyber cafe in

front of the station, but renting

a car to sleep in is just a few

hundred yen [several dollars],

almost the same as staying in

the cyber cafe.”

NTT Docomo, which in addition

to its telecoms business also

finds time for a car-sharing

service, said that some people

use its vehicles “to watch TV in,

get dressed up for Halloween,

practice singing, rapping and

English conversation, and even

do facial stretches said to re-

duce the size of their face.”

That last one comes as some-

thing of a surprise, but presum-

ably the vehicle’s rear view

mirror comes in handy for such

endeavors.

In Japan, car-sharing services

similar

to Car2go and Maven cost

around $3.60 for 30 minutes.

Further Tariff Increases Coming For Auto Parts

Why Are Japanese Renting Cars But Not Driving Them

Page 3 Volume 36, Issue 9

With most city folks taking the

train or bike to downtown areas,

escaping to your own car simply

isn’t an option. Therefore, if

you’re suddenly overcome with

the need for a nap, or want to

eat your lunch in your own pri-

vate space — or even stretch

your face for half an hour — then

a comfy seat courtesy of a car-

sharing service seems like a

good idea.

Of course, the overwhelming

majority of people in Japan still

use such services for getting

from A to B … instead of just

napping in A. One operator said

around 15% of it members use

its car-sharing service for activi-

ties other than driving, with the

trend continuing to grow.

By Trevor Mogg via Digital

Trends website

L ooking at the array of instruments that Ford

placed on the Thunderbird, the oil pressure

gauge has to be the most important one. The

gauge provides an indicator of the engine's

health so you or your mechanic can look for problems

before a breakdown happens.

Although Thunderbirds throughout the years came with

a variety of engines, they share an electrically powered

oil pressure gauge. This gauge indicates the oil pres-

sure in the engine.

A threaded hole is created in an oil passage which al-

lows a sensor to be screwed into it. The threaded end of

the sensor is hollow where oil under pressure can enter

the sensor. The oil pushes against a diaphragm which

slides an arm (or wiper) along a metal blade creating a

variable resistor. One end of the blade connects to a

pole on the outside of the sensor which is wired to the

gauge on the in-

strument panel.

With the sensor

and gauge con-

nect to the cars

ground, electricity

flows through this

loop and the vari-

able resistance

inside the sensor

affects the read-

ing on the oil

pressure gauge.

More oil pressure

decreases the

resistance in the

sensor causing

the oil pressure

gauge to read

higher; decreas-

ing oil pressure

produces higher

resistance and

lower indications

on the gauge.

The current pass-

es through a wire-wound coil mounted around the

needle's pivot and produces a magnetic field that moves

the needle across the calibrated scale of the gauge.

How far across the scale the needle goes - what reading

it gives - depends on how much current flows through

the gauge.

Sometimes, a modified Thunderbird will have an oil

pressure gauge mounted directly on the engine where

the sensor just described would be. These are

mechanical gauges which operate differently. Oil

under pressure still flows into the gauge but ra-

ther than pushing on a diaphragm, it goes into a

small, curved metal tube. The tube is mechanical-

ly attached to the needle showing on the face of

the gauge. As oil pressure increases, the tube

tries to straighten and moves the needle to high-

er pressure indications. When oil pressure de-

creases, the tube returns to its preformed curve,

moving the needle to a lower reading.

A common problem that occurs with an electric

oil indicating system is sensor failure. Since the

internal workings of the sensor are mechanical, it

can wear out over time. Another problem is that

the electrical contact pole at the top of the sensor

may become contaminated with engine fluids or

the wiring may just become brittle and crack with

age causing

intermittent

electrical prob-

lems. Cleaning

the contact or

replacing wiring

should solve

these prob-

lems.

If you have a

gauge that is

not indicating

at all, it may be

gauge itself.

The indicator

needle is

moved by a very

delicate coil

and contami-

nants entering

the gauge may

affect operation

over time. In

any case, it is

important to

take care of oil

pressure indicating problems sooner rather than

later. Oil is the lifeblood of your Thunderbirds

engine. Without a way to know if you have it, you

are taking a big chance of harming the engine.

Words by Tom Przedwojewski Graphic courtesy of How A Car

Works website.

Oil Pressure Gauges

How far across

the scale the

needle goes - what

reading it gives -

depends on how

much current

flows through the

gauge.

Page 4 Thunderbird Flyer

The variable resistor inside the sensor is moved as oil pressure varies

in the engine. Inset photo is sensor for 1964-1966 Thunderbirds.

178 lighting modules each

house 36 LEDs. Lighting chang-

es are affected by the

Willamette River’s speed,

depth and temperature.

The base color is deter-

mined by the water's

temperature. The tim-

ing and intensity of the

base color's changes,

moving the light across

the bridge, are deter-

mined by the river's

speed. A secondary

color pattern is deter-

mined by the river's depth,

that changes on the two tow-

ers and the suspension ca-

bles.

Old Portland Tilikum Bridge

T his installment of Old

Portland continues

with Portland bridg-

es. The Tilikum

Bridge, albeit one of Port-

land’s bridges, is a unique

bridge for this series.

First unique item is that the

bridge is only four years old.

Opened in 2015, it doesn’t

really fit the model of “old” for

Portland.

The second unique item is

how the bridge is lit at night.

Page 5 Volume 36, Issue 9

T-Bird Talk

Meeting Minutes and

Club Information

Lastly, the bridge was de-

signed for an extension of

MAX’s Orange Line. Portland

Trolley, busses and emergency

vehicles as well as pedestrians

and bikes use the bridge.

What about driving your Thun-

derbird over it you ask? Not

possible, Tilikum Bridge is not

open to private vehicles!

So, keeping with Portland’s

inclusive spirit, Tilikum Bridge

lands a spot in our Old

Portland series!

Attendance: Tom, Diane and Danielle Przedwojewski, Eric Johansson, Vicky, Steve and Anna Wimsatt, Mark and Debbie Ha-

worth, Matt and Tammy Truax, Griff and Karen Truax, Bob and Fran Peters, Mike and Nancy Hinsch, Bruce and Terri Barton,

Blake and Stephanie Boyles, Dave and Barbara Coles, Carol Garnett, Dennis Tokstad, Kim Thanh, Joe and Pauline Engert,

John and Judy Calkin, Mike and Yan Connor, Ron and Julie Escano, Lindy Anderson and Wayne, Joe Tanous, John and Noel

Ingram, Al and Esther Menashe.

A meeting was conducted during the Summer Picnic that occurred September 1st, 2019. New club member Joe Tanous was

able to drop by for a little while but had to leave early. Lindy Anderson and her friend Wayne were also present to check out

the club and the members.

Old Business: Tom recapped the completion of another successful Sizzlin’ Summer Car Show. A contribution to Make-A-Wish

Oregon was also made which put the club in the category of Wish Grantor. The club will be recognized with a

plaque.

Club members enjoyed the Spring Cruise and are anticipating the Fall Cruise. Look for details in group emails

and/or the newsletter.

New Business: The VTCI 2020 International planning committee has finalized the schedule of events for the event that will

happen from August 11-16, 2020. Club members will be asked to assist in the day to day activities as we get

closer to the event.

Vicky reported the finances for the club. Several deposits were made to secure dates and venues for the upcoming 2020 In-

ternational. Be aware that the club’s balance will be dropping quite a bit in the upcoming months as further

deposits are made for the various events and functions for the International.

Next meeting is Thursday September 19th, 2019 at Bird Nest.

T he club’s Summer Picnic was hosted at Matt

and Tammy Truax’s house on September 1st,

2019. This is the third time they have enter-

tained the club and I don’t think that anyone

was disappointed.

Twenty families responded to the invitation for the pic-

nic. While the club provided the BBQ, everyone brought

items to pass and, as usual, there was plenty to go

around. Some-

day I will try to

get a picture of

the spread laid

out for the

group rather

than filling my

plate! If you

haven’t been

able to attend

one of these

picnics in the

past, you must

try to make it

next time!

Members

brought out

fifteen of their

Thunderbirds

and, even

though I have

seen them

before, I am

always im-

pressed when

we can group

them together

like this. I am

grateful to be a

part of NWVTC

and that the

members enjoy

the opportuni-

ties that the

club makes to get these wonderful automobiles

out into the public.

An abbreviated meeting was held and the short

comments from that meeting can be found under

T-Bird Talk on page 5.

Joining us were long time members Dennis and

Kim that most of us haven’t seen for awhile were

there as well as new (and potentially new) mem-

bers

Joe,

Lindy

and

Wayne.

Hopeful-

ly we

will see

them

and all

the

other

mem-

bers

that

could not

attend at

other

club

events in

the fu-

ture.

Words by

Tom Przed-

wojewski

Photos by

Ron

Escano

NWVTC Summer Picnic

Page 6 Thunderbird Flyer

Thunderbird Trivia answer on back page

The Thunderbird and Corvette started out as competing models in the 1950’s.

Comparisons between the two soon disappeared as the models aged but

Thunderbirds surpassed the Corvette in this specific comparison from 1981

to 2011. What was the area that Thunderbird’s exceeded Corvettes?

Top: The Truax Homestead

Bottom: NWVTC cars staged at the pic-

nic

Top: 15 Thunderbirds and one lone

Galaxy viewed from the deck

Bottom: NWVTC members having fun!

Page 7 Volume 36, Issue 9

Taking Wing

Things to do and places

to go with your T-bird

Club Activities September 1st (Sun) Summer Picnic and Regular Club meeting, Truax Residence 12p-3p

September 19th (Thu) Regular Club meeting, Bird Nest, 1091 Willamette Falls Dr. West Linn, OR

October 17th (Thu) Regular Club Meeting, Bird Nest, 1091 Willamette Falls Dr, West Linn, OR

VTCI Regionals and International

May 2020 South Central Regional, New Orleans, LA

August 12th-17th, 2020 VTCI International, Portland, OR

Further information at www.vintagethunderbirdclub.net

Local Activities

September 6th (Fri) Silverton Flywheels First Friday Crusie-In, Silverton, OR

Further information at (503) 302-3471

September 14th (Sat) Columbia City Celebration 7th Annual Show & Shine, Columbia City, OR

Further information at (503) 396-5658

September 20th-21st (Fri-Sat) Harvest Swap Meet, Chehalis, WA

Further information at ccvac.com

September 29th (Sun) October Canby Swap Meet, Canby, OR

Further information at fords50s.com

The ideal length for an automotive radio antenna is a related to a proportion (1/4)

of the length of the frequency of the signal that the antenna is trying to receive.

Automotive antennas are a compromise to work for both AM and FM reception.

Let's say you are trying to tune in a station transmitting on 680 kHz on the AM

band. This means that the frequency is 680,000 hertz or cycles per second. Trav-

elling at a speed of 186,000 miles per second the math (below) works out to an

antenna length of just over 361 feet! That just won’t work for a car so manufac-

turers put the longest antenna they could on the cars to receive AM stations. Or

just relied on the local station to have a strong enough signal to receive.

The ad for the COILTENNA (right) attempts to give an antenna the ability to act

as a much longer antenna, allowing you the chance to tune in stations that were

farther away.

Here is the math if you are interested: 1/680,000 cycles per second = 0.00000147

seconds. One quarter of that is 0.0000003675 seconds. Radio waves travel at

186,000 miles per second so 186,000 x .0000003675 seconds = .0684 miles or

about 361 feet.

Email: administrator@nwtbirds.org

Find us on the web at

www.nwtbirds.org

The announcement for the 2020 International will be appear-

ing in the VTCI SCOOP in the Sept/Oct edition and con-

tinue till the event date in August. Registration forms are

available there and will be on the club website soon.

A form letter introducing the event and how to become involved

with it is finished. All club members can be involved in finding

interested people, businesses and organizations that would con-

sider joining us during the International. Email Tom or Bob

(bob@cafent.com) for the letter.

Northwest Vintage

Thunderbird Club

Officers

Passing Lane Fun stuff from along the

road

Tom Przedwojewski 360-513-6923 cl

President 64skibird@gmail.com

Eric Johansson ericlj66@gmail.com

Vice President

Mark Haworth madhaworth@comcast.net

Secretary

Vicky Wimsatt wvwimsatt@gmail.com

Treasurer

Club Gear

We have contracted with Stitch ’n Embroi-

dery in Oregon City for

club members to have

most anything they

could use to have the

club logo embroidered

on it; shirts, sweats,

hoodies and jackets or backpacks. Check

out their site and then call to see if it can

be produced!

It was the amount of vehicles stolen! According to the National Insur-

ance Crime Bureau, during the 30-year period from 1981-2011, a total

of 179,625 Ford Thunderbirds were reported stolen in the U.S. and

Puerto Rico compared to 90,427 Corvettes. The model year Thunderbird

most often stolen: 1978.

Thunderbird Trivia Answer