Volume 8 Issue # 1 January 1, 2014

CTCI CHAPTER #116 OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

BOB WITT 865-693-8857 H 865-755-8010 C

BWITT@WITTBUILDING.COM

VICE-PRESIDENT

LOU PUMA 865-448-9425 H 865-771-9992 C

PUMASDENTOWNSEND @GMAIL.COM

SECRETARY

PARRIS PUMA 865-448-9425 H 865-771-9992 C

PUMASDENTOWNSEND @GMAIL.COM

TREASURER

BOB BLY 865-988-9344 H 865-680-2506 C

BLY_CAPTAIN@HOTMAIL.COM

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

RICK RAWE 865-539-6022 H 865-599-9350 C

RAWERC@COMCAST.NET

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

BOB GRIFFITTS 865-983-5641 H 865-898-8117 C

RLGRIFFITTS@AOL.COM

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

BILL LONG VOL-458-0426 H VOL-256-1116 C

TBIRDBILL@YAHOO.COM

Smoky Mountain Classic

Thunderbird Club

A CTCI GOLD MEDALLION and Multiple GOLD AWARDS Winning Newsletter

Look inside this issue for more stories/pictures

Sure was good to see Charlie

Nelson on the VW tour..

Our favorite cookie jar

on the Color Tour.

SMCTC’ers enjoying

Breakfast at UT Hospital.

A WWII Vet gets a ride in a Thunderbird!

2014

Page 2

President’s corner… by Bob witt, club president page 3

Meeting minutes… by parris puma page 4

VW plant tour & overnighter… by Donna navratil page 5

Fall color tour… by editor page 6

Veterans day - Knoxville parade… by editor page 7

Veterans day - ut hospital celebration.. By dino griffitts page 8

Christmas Party… by Janice Rawe page 9-10

Tech tip.. By editor page 11

Sponsors page 12-13

Classified ads page 14

Coming attractions page 15

SMCTC application page 16-17

CTCI application page 18-19

Chapter #116 Meeting Date

When? Thursday, January 16, 2014

Where? Silver Spoon Cafe; Lovell Road ‘tween I-75 and Kingston Pike

Time? 7pm meeting; come early for dinner

January Birthdays

January Anniversaries

None

t February Birthdays February Anniversaries None Wilma Greene 8

John Shearer 8

Houston Ratledge 23

Grace Phillips 5

Lee Mabry 8

Rick Rawe 16

Julie Krieg 19

Katie Holvey 24

Bill Long 24

Sahra Ratledge 26

Bob Witt 28

Clyde Barcus 31

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“The President’s Corner”

A big welcome to the following new members. Be sure to meet them at the next event!

** Tony Day

** Robert and Lin Helsel

To SMCTC Members:

I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as your president. I am excited about the future for our Club. You have elected a great group of officers and di-rectors, and the coming year should be full of interesting, fun events that we all can enjoy.

We will be hosting MockingBird Run VI in Oak Ridge, TN, and we will have an op-portunity to assist with the International Convention - “60 Years of Kicks, on Route 66” in July. In addition to these big events, we will be planning monthly events that you will not want to miss. Be thinking about what you would like to do this year.

I want to wish everyone a joyous Christmas season, and I am looking forward to seeing you at the January 16th meeting at the Silver Spoon Café on Lovell Road.

Bob Witt

Airport security

was a little

simpler in the

days of our

Birds!

Page 3

The Nov. 21, 2013 meeting of the SMCTC was called to order by President Bill Jurkonie at 7:00 PM. ATTENDEES: 34 Members and two guest speakers attended. A BIG WELCOME to our new member Mr. Bob Helsel. Bob currently has 2 Model A Fords and is waiting on delivery of a 57 T-Bird. Also Dr. Steven Pribanich has been a long time member but this was (to my knowledge) the first meeting he has attended. Nice to finally put a face to the name. WELCOME Dr. Pribanich. MINUTES: Parris Puma read an abbreviated version of the Sept. 22nd Secretary Report. TREASURER’S REPORT: Rick Rawe advised the current club balance was $7017.22. MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Sharon Jurkonie reported that current membership was at 42; 78 with significant others. NEWSLETTER: Bill Long requested that if you take pictures at an event, please send him a copy for inclusion with any article he will receive. Take a moment to look into this addition of the “Early Bird” for an interesting article regarding our club members Charles & Katherine Abernathy. SUNSHINE REPORT: Ann Bly reported no cards were sent out over the past 2 months. . OLD BUSINESS: MOCKINGBIRD RUN VI: Perry Anthony reported that registration for Mockingbird Run VI continues; with 23 registrations at the hotel and 11 paid registration fees CTCI REPORT: As current president of CTCI, Bill Long reported that Martha Lazdins was recently voted onto the CTCI Board. He also reported on the International Convention next year in Springfield, MO. He mentioned that the website (www.CTCI.org) has the registration forms. NEW BUSINESS: The following are your officers for 2014: President : Bob Witt Vice President: Lou Puma Treasurer: Bob Bly Secretary: Parris Puma Dir.-at-Large: Rick Rawe; Bob Griffitts UPCOMING ACTIVITIES: Frank Navratil recapped upcoming events: Currently Scheduled: Dec. 07,2013 Breakfast at Mimi’s, 9:00 AM.

Dec. 07, 2013, Club Christmas Party at the home of Rick & Janice Rawe. 6:00 PM Dec. 08, 2013, Townsend Christmas Parade. Line up at 1:30, parade starts at 2:30. Dinner will follow at the Smoky Mountain Brewery in Maryville.

GUEST SPEAKERS: Randall Anderson from Anderson Insurance was kind enough to speak to the membership regarding the difference between “Stated Value”, provided by most insurance companies, and “Agreed Value” which is offered by insurance companies provid-ing antique auto policies. Stated Value takes into consideration the age and condition of your car and may even depreciate over time. “Agreed Value” covers your car for an agreed upon dollar amount. Randall stressed for your peace of mind you need a good Antique Policy. You should have a fire extinguisher in your car and it’s most important to have a local agent. Also present was guest speaker Paul DeLude representing Life Safety Inspection (LSI). LSI represents the fire extinguisher safety needs for many well known organizations and business. Paul stressed the purpose of a fire extinguisher is really not to put out the fire but to give you time to escape the fire. Most extinguishers give you only 8 to 20 SECONDS of propellant to control the fire while you escape. OTHER: Sylvia Witt provided some samples of t-shirts, sweat shirts, denim jackets and fleece jackets which could be embellished with the club logo. If you are interested in purchasing one of these items please contact Sylvia at 693-8857 or 755-8010. BRAGS & RAGS: Frank & Donna traveled 1100 miles to Hilton Head to caravan with the Carolina T-Bird Club. The car ran great. Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM

Meeting Minutes Recorded by

Parris Puma

Page 5

T hirty-eight SMTC members and their friends enjoyed a day in Chattanooga on Thursday October 24. Meeting at the old Food City on Rte 72 in Loudon, our lengthy caravan trav-

eled south on Rte 11. No one missed a beat as we swung into the Wal-mart parking lot just out of Sweetwater to pick up the Abernathys. Just north of Athens we spotted Jane and Charlie Nelson poised at the side of the road at our designated rendezvous point. Once they fell into line, we headed directly to the VW plant. Gathering in one of the outlying parking lots we sorted out who was to go where. Day trippers headed directly to the plant to check in for the 11:30 am tour. Overnighters proceeded one exit south on 75 to the City Grill for lunch.

The City Grill is an east coast style diner open 24 hours in the Best Western hotel. Not much to look at on the outside, it serves up a great selection of almost anything. They serve breakfast all day and they are worth the trip down from Knoxville for their desserts alone ( At least Donna Navratil thinks so!). The staff there efficiently got our group of 18 fed within an hour so we could head back to VW for their 1:30 pm tour.

As we arrived back at the VW plant our early birds were just leaving, giving us just time for a group photo opportunity and a little chit chat :-)

All agreed that touring the VW plant was an enlightening experience! First of all, they took a brown munitions waste-land leftover from the war years, cleaned it up and turned the surrounding area into an ecosystem with native plants and wildlife. Second, they constructed a manufacturing facility that exceeded LEED green standards - an award win-ning "blue" building. Utilizing the most current technologi-cal advances, they recycle rain and waste water to keep utility costs to a minimum and also dispose of most manu-facturing wastes in an environmentally friendly man-ner. And their use of robots on the assembly line was just

plain awesome! The company's team approach to getting the job done was apparent throughout the building process - from the uni-forms of all the workers to the children's songs that play on the line when something goes amiss. It was efficiency from start to finish making more than one person to comment "maybe I'll think about a Passat for my next new car!"

VW Plant Tour/ Overnighter

After the early tour group finished lunch at the City Grill, they all headed home. But 8 couples from the afternoon tour group opted to extend their Chattanooga adventure by caravanning down to the Bluff View Arts district of the city. This lovely area overlooking the river was the perfect spot to relax after a long day. Upon arrival we checked into the Bluff View Inn, a collection of 3 historic old houses that have been lovingly restored into a wonderful bed and breakfast experience. After a short rest and a little "happy hour" in the living room, we walked over to The Back Inn Cafe. The staff there provided a lovely private room for our evening dinner - a perfect ending to another SMCTC driving adventure!

Page 6

The morning was crisp, but clear; and four early classics (Jurkonie’s, Long’s, Puma’s and Terry’s) and two late

classics (Griffitt’s amd Piers’s) assembled for a full day of touring and eating. We were met enroute by the

Witts in their ‘56 as we exited the interstate and began our trek down the valley toward Soddy-Daisy. When

we reached Dayton, we had a restroom break at

the local Lowes. Everyone visited the facilities

while Bob Witt checked out the lumber prices!

The impromptu colorful parking lot show

stopped and delighted customers and passersby.

We continued down the valley and then crossed

over the plateau to the beautiful Sequatchie val-

ley and the town of Dunlap. We didn’t actually go downtown. Instead, went out into the country side and

found the Cookie Jar Café looking up at the ridge we

had just descended. The colors were near their peak

and our array of color blended right in. The Cookie

Jar is named for obvious reasons, and we had to look

at the dozens of them on display. I think our favorite

was right up front in the small display case. A bright red 1955!

After a delicious meal, we loaded back into our cars and began our trip back through

Crossville. We had barely left the restaurant when the drizzle and rain moved in and

made the trip back home less fun than the trip down.

All did make it home safely, so the trip was a success and

the colors were very nice.

Must have been the sugar in the desserts!

Page 7

VETERANS DAY Events

Knoxville Parade

The Knoxville Veterans Day Parade this year fea-

tured some bright, yet chilly weather. The colorful

Bird parade were two abreast as they moved along

Gay street in the largest parade in some years.

This parade marked the first time that club mem-

bers had veterans, other than our own, ride along

with them. We even had one from World War II.

The veterans were Donald Gardiner, Lieutenant

Commander; Lisa Jones, Master Sergeant; Mike

Haile, Sergeant and the WWII vet was Colonel Rob-

ert ’Jack’ Pursley. The Colonel is also a retired

professor from UT.

Page 8

The Veterans Day Breakfast at UT Hospital was delightful. We had 7 cars, 11 members; Perrys,Blys Grif-fitts Jurkonies, Witts, Pumas, and Rawes were represented for a total

of 11 people.

Congressman John Duncan spoke to the group. For entertainment, a

lady sang several solos, an Adult Choir and a children's choir of fifty children also performed and they were out-

standing.

After the breakfast and the program, there was a short program outside where the Fire Department displayed the largest flag I have seen on a Fire De-

partment ladder truck.

We then thanked Dr. Wilson for a wonderful program

and spoke with Congressman Duncan.

Member Rick Rawe, always on the look out for new members, allowed one of the by standers to get a thrill by posing in his car. Not sure if he got her

number or not!

VETERANS DAY Events

U T Hospital Celebration by Bob/Dino Griffitts

Page 9

On December 7th thirty five Thunderbird party goers gathered at the Rawes for the annual celebration of Christ-mas with merriment, food, tire kicking, fellowship, and the white elephant/gag gift exchange. Everyone enjoyed all the wonderful food brought by all the wives. We had a great selection with more than enough for all, and every dish was cookbook worthy. I thank all the contributors for their special addition.

I did not go on the car tour and tire-kicking, but I assume everyone enjoyed it and I am grateful that it happens every year because it forces Rick to clean up the garages (and Janice to clean up the bar). (con’t)

CHRISTMAS PARTY BY Janice Rawe

(Parenthetical Comments by Rick)

Page 10

CHRISTMAS PARTY Con’t. BY Janice Rawe

(Parenthetical Comments by Rick)

Without Rick running the white ele-phant/gag gift exchange; it went pretty smoothly with the rules spelled out plainly up front (a small contingent is lob-bying for a return to the old days when Rick made up the rules as we went). It was somewhat hard on some new mem-bers but all must realize that being a new member when someone wants one of the two signs that said “Thunderbird Parking Only” does not carry much weight.

Rick tried to get rid of Joppa Sally (she is certainly special!), a new piece of art which is a large pottery fish with big red lips and a bow on her head, during the exchange, but it did not work. Although Sally did disappear at the end of the evening, I do not know who was responsible for that (I know!). It was special to spend the evening during this season with all of you (agree).

Will I have to think to

play this game?

Will I have to think

to play this game?

The one-of-a-kind JOPPA SALLY!

DISCLAIMER: This and all other Tech Tips are merely reports of another person’s experience in at-

tempting to make improvements to their situation. They are in no way responsible for the outcome which

you may get. The Bird Word, it’s editor or SMCTC are in no way responsible for your outcome; and you

should use these tips at your own risk.

R ecently, while cleaning my windshield after a trip in the rain, I observed a scratch

along the upper left corner of my windshield. Having spent my working career in

the glass business, I immediately determined this was not a good thing! I suspected that the

wiper blade had been placed on the left wiper shaft too far from the engine when in the

“Park” position after converting to electric wipers. In doing so, the blade extends past the

curve on the windshield when fully extended; and the metal tab that holds the rubber blade

insert onto the blade frame rubs against the glass on the return. The following is the tech-

nique I used to readjust the attachment of the blade to the shaft.

First, I would encourage you to be very careful when removing,

attaching and working with the blades. Always, ALWAYS, put some kind of pad, towel or something

beneath the blade arm while pulling it away from the windshield. The arm can easily slip and hit

against the windshield , potentially chipping or even cracking it.

After removing the blades, I used a plastic straw (heavy milkshake type) from my favorite hamburger

joint, and slipped it over the end of the arm. I then folded it back under

itself to create a 3-layer thickness between the arm tip and the wind-

shield. I then taped the straw to the arm to prevent it from moving. Now, I had a barrier between

the arm tip and the glass but the arm could move freely.

Next, I disconnected the battery and then turned the wipers on. After turning on the key, I could

nudge the wipers by quickly touching the battery post with a cable. I could slowly position it at the

extreme location; and by turning off the switch, I could move them to the

“Park” position. In doing so, I found that the blades were too far away

from the engine compartment at “Park”; and therefore were too far to the side when in its widest

position.

I then removed the arms from the shaft, using a pad beneath them as mentioned before, and reat-

tached after making a slight rotation from the initial position. Removing the wiper from the shaft is

difficult at best, be careful. This may take more than one attempt as it is hard to be sure where the

arm will sit when it is released against the glass. I found that a fairly low position of the arm is

needed. When in use the blades with will encounter resistance from the glass when returning to the “Park” position and will

end up higher than where the arm alone might indicate. Be careful not to have the blades hit the chrome at the bottom of the

windshield. I reattached both wipers.

Finally, you can test the new blades position by spraying soapy water on the windshield and cycling the blades.

Adjustment of the blades with the original vacuum wiper motor presents some different issues, related to movement of the

arms; but I believe you can do some of the movement manually to make the adjustments.

Scratch

Adjusting Wiper Blades to Prevent Scratches with Electric Wipers

TECH TIPSTECH TIPSTECH TIPS Page 11

Page 12 “And now a word from our Sponsors…”

Support Our Sponsors! Support Our Sponsors

Support Our Sponsors! Support Our Sponsors

We have a new sponsor for 2014! It is Southeast

Trailers and they have the best selection of Feath-

erlite trailers for any of your hauling needs. Visit

them to see the range of models available. And, if

you do, thank them for supporting SMCTC.

This sponsor made a presentation at our Novem-

ber meeting. You can read about the recap of his

program in the Minutes from the last meeting.

Page 13 “And now a word from our Sponsors…”

This sponsor had the Club’s cars on display for each of it’s

location’s Special Sales. Look in the next issue to read more

about them.

This year’s Townsend Parade had to be

postponed due to nasty weather. I guess

we should have not bragged so much

about how nice it was last year! Thanks

to the Terry’s for coordinating and for all

who volunteered to attend. Read all

about it in the next issue.

“No Meeting” BREAKFAST December 2013

Breakfast morning at Mimi’s on the first of each

month has been a “GREAT” success this year. Will we

repeat it?? Make your feelings known. And if you

haven’t hosted one already, raise that hand!!

Well everybody has to eat! Might as well

be at Mimi’s Café!

Page 14

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE

2 Sets Jack Stands(4 per set) -- $6 per set * Grille Mouldings (new) -- $40

Misc. Used Door Handles Trim -- $1 each * Chrome Hood Scoop - Used - Good -- $3

Older, Dry Fuel Pumps -- $5 * Good 6v Starter Motor -- $75

Used Water Pump - (Good) -- $45 * “L” Trim - Interior - New --$5

‘57 Trunk Handle - (New) -- $10 * Hard Top Glass (Minor Scratch) -- $25

Rear Gas Shocks - Good (‘57) -- $10 * “55 Fuel Sending Unit - (New) -- $10

‘55-’56 Plastic Wheel Medallions - New --$40

‘56-’57 Dry Air Cleaner Top and Bottom - (Used) -- $15

Also Available -

White Soft Top Cover (About 15 Years old, but never used) Fair Back Window $50 to SMCTC members only

2014 Special ---- First $100 takes it all!!! If you don’t want it all, You can peddle the rest on E-Bay!! Perry -- 865-458-9149

Might want to get a second quote! A young blonde girl in her late teens, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a handy wom-an and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do. "Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint the porch," he said. "How much will you charge me? Delighted, the girl quickly responded, "How about $50?" The man agreed and told her that the paint, brushes, and everything else she would need were in the garage. The man's wife, hearing the conversation, said to her husband, "Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?" "That's a bit cynical, isn't it?" he responded. The wife replied, "You are right. I guess I'm starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes." A few hours later the blonde came to the door to collect her money. "You're finished already . . . ?" the startled husband asked. "Yes," the young blonde replied, "and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats." Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50 and handed it to her along with a $10 tip. "Thank you," the blonde said. "And, by the way, it's not a Porch; it's an Audi."

Your Dues are due! Don’t miss the next issue. It will have valuable information from the Fire

Extinguisher Training, photos from the Matlock Open Houses and the complete 2014 calendar.

Page 15

Coming attractions January 16, meeting: Bring your calendar and your ideas for the events that you would like to repeat and any

new idea that you would like to host for this year. New location is Silver Spoon Café on Lovell Road in West Knoxville.

See who is the big winner of the prestigious Gib Giberson Award. See ya there.

May 2-4, 2014 MockingBird Run VI PSST It’s a Secret! Get in on the secret!! Contact Parris Puma (865-448-9425)

for more details and forms to register.

The Classic Thunderbird International Club is host-

ing the 2014 International Convention in Spring-

field, Missouri, on July 1-6, 2014. The University

Plaza Hotel and Convention Center on Route 66 will

be our home for the convention. INDOOR CON-

COURS will be held in the Expo Center across the

street from the hotel. Rain or shine you will be in air

conditioned comfort.

Tours include a Thursday night cruise on the Bran-

son Showboat Belle in Branson, MO. Hop on the

bus and enjoy the ride to Branson and the show.

Ladies, a shopping trip to Branson Landing on Fri-

day with 100+ shops, restaurants, water fountain

spectacular every hour on the hour beginning at

noon. Our bus will take you to the shops. Friday

night will be the “Cruise In” to Crusin’ USA. We will

join other car clubs in the parking lot for food, fun

and tire kicking. Fantastic caverns, a ride through

a cavern in a Jeep drawn tram, no walking on une-

ven ground and 60 degrees year round. This is the

Saturday morning driving tour for 10 extra points for

the Touring Class T-Birds. A bus ride will also be

available.

Go to “www.CTCI.org” for all the details and forms.

Page 16

Club meetings are held the 3rd Thurs-

day of every other month beginning in

January (the odd months). Meeting

location is the Silver Spoon Café on

Lovell Rd. in west Knoxville. It’s off the

Lovell Road exit between the interstate

and Kingston Pike. Come early for din-

ner on your own and meeting starts at 7

pm.

Bob Witt, President

Lou Puma, Vice President

Parris Puma, Secretary

Bob Bly, Treasurer

Sharon Jurkonie, Membership

865-932-0470

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Smoky Mountain Thunderbird Club (SMCTC) Bob Bly; 620 Oak Chase Blvd.; Lenoir City, TN 37772 865-988-9344

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If no other name, use Bill Long