Potomac Chapter Studebaker Driver’s Club The Commander Volume 44 Issue 2 March-April 2012 President York Report, March 1– 3, 2012 Murray Welsh We invented Cool!! 24121 Ridge Raod In spite of declining vendor participation in recent years, York 2012 just seemed Germantown, MD 20876 301-253-3723 like a better meet than the last few years. Maybe decent weather had something to do [email protected] with it. Maybe the expanded activities and vendor product demonstrations were responsible. It seemed like the Friday crowd was large longer and there were a lot of shoppers on Saturday. Unlike Vice President previous years very few vendors left early. Maybe it was the drawing for $200 for vendors that stayed Ron Salen 14717 Lake Terrace until closing. Rockville, MD 20853 [email protected] Vendor product demonstrations included Jim Turner demonstrating installation of his disc brake con- 301-460-1970 version for most Studebakers. The Veit ’63 Cruiser was the demonstration car. Karl couldn’t be there, Treasurer but Bob Johnstone assisted with the very popular demonstration. Other demonstrations included in- Dave Farris stallation of an Avanti headliner by Myer’s Studebaker, plastic casting by the Shrock brothers, and 4313 Landgreen Street stainless trim restoration by Matthew Burdette (known for his Tailgating column in Turning Wheels). Rockville, MD 20853 301-460-4341 It was Matthew’s first visit to the York Meet. Ndfarris 1 @verizon.net A new activity this year was valve cover racing. This is sort of like the Cub Scout’s Pinewood Derby Secretary Stephen Walter where small racers run down an incline under gravity power. The difference is, the racers here are 7401 Westlake Terrace #1504 Studebaker engine valve covers with wheels. Bethesda, MD 20817 301-767-9416 [email protected] There were a number of interesting cars and trucks in the outside car corral and some really nice ones inside. Tickets for the 2012 Raffle Car, a black and white 1955 Speedster, had been sold out for a while. Activities Director The Keystone Chapter took advantage of the demand for tickets by early introduction of their 2013 Paul and Karen Johnson Raffle Car, a stunning red 1960 Hawk. This car last belonged to Potomac Chapter members Susan and 1122 Duncan Road Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 Dave Witmer. They sold the car at the Atlantic Zone Meet in Gettysburg last summer. The buyer was 304-876-3347 kept secret until Keystone introduced it on March 1. No Potomac Chapter member was lucky in the [email protected] raffle, however. The ’55 Speedster was won by a person in Wisconsin and the $2,000 cash prize went Membership to a woman in Illinois. Nadine & Mike Farris 4313 Landgreen Street Potomac Chapter was well represented. It is impossible to name everyone from the chapter because of Rockville, MD 20853 the crowds and the danger of leaving out someone. However, there was a large turnout for the mem- 301-460-4341 Ndfarris [email protected] bership meeting Friday afternoon at the Comfort Inn and there were 32 people at the chapter dinner Friday evening at Ruby Tuesday. The planned dinner location, Logan’s Roadhouse, decided they Historian weren’t going to accept large groups on Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings so your Activities Direc- Ed Lemanski 7875 Red Jacket Way tor, Paul Johnson, had to scramble at the last moment to find a new location. As it turned out, Ruby Jessup, MD 20794 Tuesday proved to be an excellent venue. 301-776-9893 [email protected] For the past two years the Potomac Chapter has rented the two spaces formerly belonging to Paul Web Master Johnson. Members have been welcome to sell their wares in the spaces. This year sellers included Bob Bob Johnstone Johnstone, Larry Merhaut, Bob Devore, and George Hamlin. Bill Morgan and Bob Devore donated 12161 Holly Knoll Circle several items to sell. Paul Johnson also brought a box of NORS (New Old Replacement Stock) Stu- Great Falls, VA 22066 703-450-0754 debaker parts that were given out to anyone who needed them or could use them. He called them his [email protected] “Karma parts” because a friend had given them to him and he didn’t feel right about selling a gift. Karma paid off for Paul, but that’s a separate story. Editor Lynda Welsh 24121 Ridge Raod Keep this chapter feature in mind for next year. It proved to be a good opportunity for our sellers to Germantown, MD 20876 clear out some unneeded items and gain back some space. 301-253-3723 [email protected] Look forward to York 2013. A man is the whole encyclopedia of facts. Ralph Waldo Emerson (continued on pg. 6) Volume 44, Issue 2 Birthday Wishes TECH TIP By Ed Lemanski March Maintaining Your Studebaker Karen Barthlow 3/6 Kathy Hermann 3/7 Read up on everything you can find about your vehicle. A Jeff Bartlow 3/9 decade ago, you would have a hard time finding which Nancy Pfahler 3/12 parts would fit a 1959 Lark. But since we now have the ac- cess of the Internet, you can easily research which parts, Robert Winokur 3/16 accessories and options that your vintage Studebaker has Sidney Kertzel 3/22 or could have. Jan Rutledge 3/23 You can also look for restoration items in Turning Wheels, JoAnn Straatveit 3/23 Old Cars or Hemmings. There are several classic car blogs, Edwin Dashiell 3/25 tech exchanges, on-line forums, and sites that feature DIY repair and restoration work on Studebakers. Specific resto- Barb Sibert 3/31 ration techniques are indispensable, so take the time to learn from these first-hand from others who have already done so. Ask/post your questions, you will get an answer April from someone. Susan Eppig 4/1 Inspect your vehicle thoroughly. Parts which are heavily Linda Winokur 4/1 rusted need to be replaced, as well as worn-out, such as seat Pam Wallace 4/5 covers and carpet. Check everything under the hood. Look Kaye Kirby 4/7 for leaks, worn-out belts, and suspicious electrical connec- tions. Hal Hermann 4/8 Margaret Bjarnason 4/19 Another thing you should do for inspection is to make a list of everything that needs to be replaced, repaired, or simply Chester Bradfield 4/27 cleaned. By doing so, you will know what to buy and where Janice Butts 4/30 to buy them. Shop for non-mechanical parts like rear-view mirrors or Welcome New Members seats at junkshops, or look for parts cars in online car auc- tions. For all the other parts, like the engine, brakes, carbu- retor, piston, and even an A/C system; you need to find Tom Morith unused stock parts. If you don’t have a local shop that does 2946 Torrey Place have what you need, resort to online shops. Online car parts Alexandria, VA 22302 shops offer a wide variety, and would probably have, or could find, what you are looking for. Kaiser Braham Enjoy those Studebakers 9320 Pella Place Clinton, MD 20735 The Commander is the bi-monthly publication of the Potomac Chapter, Studebaker Drivers Club. Subscription is by membership to the Potomac Chapter at $15.00 yearly. Canada/Mexico $20.00, all other countries $25.00. Direct all membership correspondence to the Membership Director. Direct all correspondence relating to The Commander to the Editor, who retains the right to edit or modify any contribution. Deadline date is the 17th of the month for the following month’s issue. The Potomac Chapter is an officially chartered chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club, Inc.; its by-laws were approved, and charter granted by SDC in June 1967. Membership is recruited from the States of Maryland, West Virginia, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. And those from other areas wishing to join the chapter are welcome. 2 Volume 44, Issue 2 Potomac Chapter, SDC Activities 2012 Event Date Contact Apple Blossom Meet, Winchester, VA May 6 non-SDC Orphan Car Tour, Harpers Ferry, WV June 2 Paul Johnson Spring Picnic, Damascus Regional Park, MD June 3 Murray Welsh Sully Plantation, Chantilly, VA June 17 non-SDC Colonial Virginia Meet, Smithfield, VA June 30 Paul Johnson C & O Canal Fun Day, Great Falls, MD July 8 Paul Johnson Atlantic Zone Meet none scheduled due to South Bend International 2013 Meet will be held in New Jersey 48th SDC International Meet, South Bend, IN July 29-August 4 Paul Johnson DasAwkschtFesch, Macungie, PA Aug 3-5 non-SDC Rose Hill Manor car show, Frederick, MD Aug 19(?) non-SDC *International Drive Your Studebaker Day Sept 8 Paul Johnson Fall Picnic, Washington County Agricultural Center, Boonsboro, MD Sept 8 Paul Johnson Fall Tour, Johnstown, PA Sept 21-23 Merhauts Hershey Fall Meet, Hershey, PA Oct 10-13 AACA Bradfield Show, Bridgewater, VA Oct 14 Paul Johnson Antique and Classic Car Show, Rockville, MD (chapter is one sponsor) Oct 20 Murray Welsh Ron Salen Chapter Planning Meeting Nov 10 (tentative) Paul Johnson Reedsville Swap Meet, Reedsville, PA November 16-17 (tentative) **Chapter Holiday Party, The Inn at Charles Town, Charles Town, WV Dec 9 Paul Johnson * Firm date- will always be the second Saturday in September **Changed from previous listidue to member conflicts that cut attendance in 2011 3 Volume 44, Issue 2 HISTORIAN CORNER by Ed Lemanski Theodore W. Pietsch II Before Studebaker Mr. Theodore Pietsch II was employed by Raymond Loewy and Associates, assisting in the designs for Studebaker His Years with Studebaker-Packard (1955-1958) From WikiPedia Studebaker Sedan Photo It was mid-1955, Studebaker had fully merged with Packard, There are a lot of web sites reporting on the new and Loewy and his team of designers were gone-both moves Studebaker Motor Corp.