President's Note

Volume 26 Issue 3 April, 2018 Contents: President’s Note

• President’s Note Members of the Best Car Club Ever, I don’t want to jinx it, but as of now, the weather forecast for Sunday looks • Upcoming Meetings really good! The Spring Fling should have a plethora of cars. If you still need to register, a form is attached. I’m not sure if my car will be ready by Sunday, but • New Members I will be there anyhow. Unfortunately, warmer weather also means I get busier

with work and have less free time. Also, more of my free time is spent mowing • The Last Oldsmobile the lawn (my favorite). • Events Calendar Plans for the Wings ‘n’ Wheels show are coming along. We have all the per- mits filed with the appropriate government offices. Now that I understand • Rockets & Parts what is required, I will begin the permit process for next year’s show this fall. Thank you to Peggy Dykes for creating the artwork (shown below) for the • Spring Fling Regis- trophies and dash plaques. The trophies will look really sharp! You may notice tration Form the Casey’s logo at the bottom. I am happy to say Casey’s agreed to sponsor the

show! • Wings ‘n’ Wheels Flyer I have attached a worker schedule. Please take a look and consider helping out the day of the show. We will need help with setup, registration, parking • Wings ‘n’ Wheels show cars, ballot counting, and Registration clean up afterwards. Let me Form know what and when you would like to do and I will add you to • Wings ‘n’ Wheels the schedule. Thanks! I plan Worker Schedule to be at the airport by 7:00 am that day; that’s when the museum members will begin their morning setup. They will also be doing some prep work the Friday night before. The Wings ‘n’ Wheels flyer and registration form are attached to this newsletter. Please share the flyer with your car buddies and send your completed registration form to me. So far, Oldsmobiles far outnumber all other registered brands combined!

Love ya! Robert Stebbins 1 President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Robert Stebbins Gary Knutson Lori Mestad Lynn Clark 633 Greene Street 3847 54th Street 11540 Timberridge Lane NW 14693 Fame Avenue Slater, Iowa 50244 Des Moines, Iowa 50310 Grimes, Iowa 50111 Colfax, Iowa 50054 515-228-3631 515-253-0233 515-986-5293 641-363-4339 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Editor Website Manager Merchandise Manager Robert Stebbins Jeff Fleming Jeff Fleming 633 Greene Street 1217 NW Rolling Rock Road 1217 NW Rolling Rock Road Slater, Iowa 50244 Ankeny, Iowa 50023 Ankeny, Iowa 50023 515-228-3631 515-965-7883 515-965-7883 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The Rocket Capsule is a monthly newsletter of the Oldsmobile Club of Iowa, a chartered chapter of the Oldsmo- bile Club of America. Membership is open to all interested in the Oldsmobile marquee. Membership in the Oldsmobile Club of America is not required. Members are encouraged to submit stories, pictures, tech tips, and classified ads for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit all items for clarity and space.

@OldsClubofIowa @OldsmobileClubofIowa Upcoming Meetings April 29—Sunday at 11:00 am at the Iowa Street Rod and Custom Association 21st Annual Spring Fling, 1543 Fawcett Parkway, Nevada, Iowa. Registration is 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Cost is $10 if you pre-register and $15 the day of the event. Two meals are included with each registration, but please bring a salad to share. The meal will be held around noon inside the shelter house. The shelter is enclosed with heat, air conditioning, and clean restrooms. We will plan to hold an OCI meeting before lunch around 11:00 am. Open to all vehicles and clubs. Dash plaques for the first 100 registrants, NSRA safety inspections, and a 50/50 drawing. A registration form is included with this newsletter. Of course, you are welcome to attend the event and OCI meeting without registering a vehicle.

2 New Members

The following extra cool people recently joined or returned to the OCI. Welcome to the Club! Bryan & Marissa Bral – Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1956 88 Four Door Jim & Elizabeth Thoms – Iowa Falls, Iowa 1968 442 Convertible 1969 442 W30 Convertible Charles & Marylou Walker – Fort Dodge, Iowa 1962 Starfire Two Door Hardtop

The Last Oldsmobile

14 years ago this Sunday, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the production line at the Lansing Car Assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan. The honored car was a 2004 Oldsmobile Final 500 Alero. The underside of the hood, the trunk lid, and the spare tire cover were signed by every worker in the plant at the time. The Alero was first displayed at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing. A few months later, it was moved to the General Motors Heritage Center in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights. The General Motors Heritage Center decided to sell the last Oldsmobile at auction on December 15, 2017. The hammer price was $42,000; approximately twice the original sticker price. The same bidder also purchased the final Cutlass and Cierra models, which sold for $17,000 and $15,000, respectively. GM Financial has offered no explanation as to why these historic vehicles were put up for auction. Since the buyer has not come forward publicly, plans for the one-of-a-kind Alero are unknown. Hopefully, it will be properly preserved and eventually displayed to the public. This piece of history should be appreciated for what it is; the last offering of one of the greatest car companies in America.

3 Events Calendar

April 29, 2018—Iowa Street Rod and Custom Association 21st Annual Spring Fling Show and Shine, sports park located at 1543 Fawcett Parkway, Nevada, Iowa. Registration from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon. You may pre-register for $10, or $15 the day of the event. Each registration includes two free meals; you are only asked to bring a salad to share. Meal to be served around noon. Dash plaques for first 100. NSRA safety inspections and 50/50 drawing. For more information see the attached flyer or contact John Vetter at 515- 231-3031 or [email protected]. May 19, 2018—Wings ‘n’ Wheels Antique Aircraft Fly-In & Car Show, Ankeny Regional Airport, 3704 SE Conven- ience Boulevard, Ankeny, Iowa. Hosted by the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum and the Oldsmobile Club of Iowa. 10:00 am to 3:00 pm with trophy presentation at 2:30 pm. Trophies for top 15 vehicles. All makes and models welcome! Noon meal available for a free will donation. Door prizes, antique aircraft, and museum tours. Registration $10 until May 18th, $15 the day of show. Dash plaques to the first 100 cars. All pro- ceeds will support operation of the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum. June 8, 2018—Downtown Friday Night Car & Truck Show, 1st Avenue (front of city hall), Dyersville, Iowa. 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Lineup by Goodwill (4th Street SE) at 5:30 pm. Live Music by “PlugNickel”. Fun for the whole family, food, cold beverages, FREE bounce house, train rides, and face painting. For more information call 563-875-2748. August 9, 2018—Hot August Night, Jefferson Bell Tower Square, Jefferson, Iowa. Hosted by the Dyersville Area Chamber of Commerce. 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Free registration! Pick up registrations between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm. People’s choice awards for best auto, truck, motorcycle, and tractor, and a spirit award. $200 prize for the largest car club. Meal available for a small fee. Free watermelon! Register by July 12th for a free T-shirt! Rain Date August 10, 2018. Register at www.jeffersoniacarshows.info or call 515-386-2155.

Rockets & Parts

FOR SALE—1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Con- vertible. This is an exceptional car which has always been in southern Cali- fornia. We have a complete list of all things done on this car should you have an interest. Restoration completed in 2017. Make an offer. Contact James Pike at 310-326-3615. (01/18) FOR SALE—1954 Olds 324 complete motor with all accessories and hydromatic transmission. Contact Bill at 309-582-7840 or [email protected]. (01/18)

03/2018 4 FOR SALE—1966 Oldsmobile Toronado in white standard model. My father passed away and I am the middle son and have the responsibility of finding the right home for his Toronado. The car is a California car and has no rust. We are the 2nd owner. Car comes with all of the spare parts which include spare doors, hood, fenders, wiring harness, dash, gauges, steering, engine spare parts, wheels, rubber, bumpers, and many more items. The car will need to be restored and has never been crashed. The price for everything is $5,000 firm. I am located in San Diego, California. It is really important to find the proper new owner for this car. It will be running when sold. Contact Greg Smith at 619-602-6956 or [email protected]. (01/18) FOR SALE—1976(?) Cutlass. T-tops. Car runs pretty good. Comes with a spare 455 and T400, along with many other parts. Asking $2,700. Call Paul at 515-708-6030. (10/17) FOR SALE—I have a couple of Oldsmobile 98 diesel sedans that I would like to go to an Olds person with interest in making one show and shine vehicle from the pair. I hate to send them to heaven. Contact Bob Watts at 515-989-0935, 515-822-3038 (cell), or [email protected]. (07/17) WANTED—1961 Oldsmobile Cutlass F-85 2- door body in fixable condition. I do not need an engine or transmission, and the interior is not that important as I have an interior shop. Just a body to start with. Please contact John Vetter at 515-231-3031 or [email protected]. (07/17) FOR SALE—1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible. Yellow in color. Asking $16,000. For more information contact AJ Johnson at [email protected]. (07/17) WANTED— A friend has just purchased a 1970 Cutlass convertible barn find that has been a one owner and in unbelievable shape. He would like to get a Holmes Oldsmobile script for the trunk lid. If anybody out there has such, please contact me, Dennis Ruffridge at [email protected]. (07/17) WANTED—1935 Olds Sport Coupe. Please contact Merle Shawd at 515-438-2000 or [email protected]. (02/17)

5 6 7 8

Robert StebbinsRobert

3:00 pm until Done until pm 3:00

Robert StebbinsRobert

2:00 pm to 2:30 pm 2:30 to pm 2:00

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm 3:00 to pm 1:00

Robert StebbinsRobert

12:00 noon to 2:00 pm 2:00 to noon 12:00

11:00 am to 1:00 pm 1:00 to am 11:00

Robert StebbinsRobert

10:00 am to 12:00 noon 12:00 to am 10:00

9:00 am to 11:00 am 11:00 to am 9:00

Robert StebbinsRobert

8:00 am to 10:00 am 10:00 to am 8:00

Clean UpClean

Ballot Counting Ballot

Parking Show Cars Show Parking

Registration/Information

Setup Setup 9