Speicher's 1964 Cutlass Celebrates 50 Years
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Speicher’s 1964 Cutlass Celebrates 50 years Also in this issue: Members Celebrate 50th Anniversary of 1964 Olds Route 66 Tour Update First Pictures from Homecoming 2014 Editor’s message……. 2014 R. E. Olds Chapter Board of Directors You can tell the weather has changed in Michigan, our Chapter members have been busy. The Walkinshaw Tribute was well attended as was the Memorial Day President event in Dimondale and at Hummer’s. It is always a “good time” when our Bruce Powelson Oldsmobile families get together. H 517-548-2793 Besides having fun when we are together other things happen. At our Memorial C 517-331-3560 Day picnic we were discussing the significance of the day and Eva Cooper [email protected] thought it would be a great idea if we thanked our Chapter members that are veterans. She suggested having our veterans send in a picture of themselves in Vice-President their uniform from when they served. Several people liked the idea, so………. Chris Heminger Here is your assignment: Are you a military veteran? Dig around in your old 517-655-3514 photos and find a picture of yourself in uniform. Send it to me with information [email protected] about what branch you served in, what were your years of service and any other information you want to include. I would like to include these in the November Secretary issue just in time for Veteran’s Day. Please send them either by email or snail Ed Shand mail (photos will be returned) and have them to me by October 1 at the latest. 517-655-4739 Rocket Review [email protected] Thank you for helping with this edition of and for all you did to preserve our freedom. Treasurer A complete report on Homecoming 2014 will be in the September issue. Until Jerry Garfield then, enjoy the photo layout provided by Wayne Mason on pages 6 and 7. Also 248-881-3619 be sure to check out “Oldsmobile Homecoming 2014” on YouTube. A fantastic [email protected] 5 minute video is posted that was taken from an overhead drone camera. Until we meet again……….keep those rockets rolling and stories coming, Membership Coordinator Don Cooper Judy Badgley 517-290-7455 [email protected] Send newsletter articles, classifieds, etc. to Judy Badgley at [email protected] or 4631 Doane Hwy., Potterville, MI 48876 OCA Representative Eva Cooper 517-290-8451 [email protected] President’s message….. Past President Hola, fellow Oldsmobilistas! Vicki May 616-250-1568 Our 2014 Oldsmobile Homecoming spectacular was a tremendous success and [email protected] is in the history books! If you were able to attend, you were welcomed by beautiful weather, well over By-Laws Coordinator 500 Oldsmobiles, and a record number of vendors. We received very positive Troy Collins reports and comments from visitors, entrants, and retailers on this incredible 517-646-0879 largest one-day display of Oldsmobiles. [email protected] If you did not attend, we hope you will be able to enjoy Homecoming 2015. Board members are elected for a one-year As always, our pro-active committee is wanting to hear of any suggestions that period of time at the Annual Banquet can help us improve our show. Meeting. Officers assume their office Thank yous go to all who were able to help with this fantastic setting of now beginning January 1st of the subsequent year vintage Oldsmobiles. in which they are elected. IMPORTANT: 1. In this newsletter is an insert for you to VOTE on the proposed bylaw change. General Club meetings are held on the 2. If your newsletter has on it stamped LAST ISSUE RENEW NOW, 1st Tuesday of the month at various locations, but usually at the R. E. Olds please take the time to renew your membership. Museum in Lansing. Contact Bruce Powelson at the number shown above Yours, the not clown president, Bruce for more information. CIAO! 2 NEWSWORTHY CHAPTER “STUFF” R. E. Olds Chapter Calendar of Events July- R. E. Olds Chapter Annual Picnic 12 Ledges Car Show Fitzgerald Park 9AM-4PM R. E. Olds Museum Grand Ledge, MI Sunday, August 10, 2014 1 PM 26 Car Capital Car Show R. E. Olds Museum fundraiser Members of the R. E. Olds Chapter will be hosting a potluck picnic at the R. E. Olds Downtown Lansing Museum (240 Museum Dr., Lansing, MI 48933). This is becoming an annual event to Details 517-372-0529 be enjoyed by all. We have also invited the members of the Motor City Rockets to enjoy the day with us. 30 OCA National Meet Though August 2 More People + More Oldsmobiles = More Fun! Cincinnati, OH The Chapter will provide pulled pork barbecue, beverages (lemonade, iced tea and Details oldsmobileclub.org water) and tableware. We ask you to bring a side dish to share. Recommended August- categories are: 5 NO TUESDAY MEETING Last name A-H Dessert 10 CHAPTER PICNIC R. E. Olds Museum Last name I-Q Salad or Vegetable See information at right Last name R-Z Family favorite / Chefs Choice 23 28th Street Cruise Also, please bring your own lawn chairs. Grand Rapids, MI See information at right Last year we held a “white elephant” auction with all monies taken in going to the R. E. September- Olds Museum. This was a lot of fun and went to a good cause. A white elephant item is 2 Chapter Meeting 7 PM something in your house or garage that you don’t want anymore. It can be an Olds item, R. E. Olds Museum a car item or nearly anything. We ask that it be wrapped or bagged so that bidders can’t October see what they are bidding on (this makes it more fun, especially when they see what 7 Board meeting 6 PM they won). Chapter Meeting 7 PM This will be a relaxing afternoon of sharing Oldsmobile and Chapter stories with R. E. Olds Museum friends. If you have any old photos of Chapter events, this will be a great item to share. November 4 NO TUESDAY MEETING So we can purchase the correct amount of food, we ask that you let us know if you will be attending by August 1. Contact Eva Cooper at: 15 CHAPTER ANNUAL 517-290-8451 or [email protected] BANQUET/ELECTIONS 2013 28th St. 10th Annual Metro Cruise Grand Rapids, Michigan Saturday August 23, 2014 Hello R. E. Olds Chapter Members: We will gather at McDonald’s Restaurant on M-100 just off I-96, north of Grand Ledge at 8:00 a.m. There will be time for breakfast or coffee before we leave so come join us. We will leave McDonalds at 8:50 a.m. and motorcade to Harvey Cadillac on 28th St. We need to arrive at the dealership no later than 10:00 AM. We are provided front row parking for our Oldsmobiles, with a great view of the cruising. You can pack a lunch, eat at one of the food vendors on site or eat at one of the many nearby restaurants. This will be another great outing for our “Rockets”! Save this date on your calendar, mark it FUN! If you have a relative or friend that has a GM vehicle, other than an Oldsmobile, they may come with us. However, they will be parked in another area at Harvey Cadillac. Contact Mike Ross at 517-676-5630 or email: [email protected] if you are going to attend. Mike needs to give Mr. Leese, our host, a car count by Wednesday August 20st. 3 MY 1964 CUTLASS by Jack Speicher, member #346 I have to give a little background with sold the black this story as I came to Lansing in convertible with a February 1963 as a GMI student co- tan interior and top, oping with Oldsmobile. My dad had putting the other been a lifelong GM driver and I grew interior into up as part of the GM family. In my storage. 55+ years of driving, I have owned 58 Then I started on vehicles and 26 of them have been separating the body Oldsmobiles. My first Olds was a new and frame on my 1964 Cutlass Hardtop purchased in yellow 1964. The Dec. 1963 and I have now owned doors, hood, deck seven 1964 Cutlass cars over the years lid, and frame were including the hardtop, a wagon, and 5 all chemically convertibles. stripped to bare Now for the actual history of the red metal in Chester, convertible that I currently own. It was MI, but since his a car I found in Atlanta, GA through tank was only 16 At this point, I was able to find a Hemming’s magazine in 1981. It was feet long and my body was longer than 1972 Cutlass wagon that was being in pretty rough (but solid) shape when I that I had the body stripped at Redi- scrapped that had the front disc brake towed it home and was manufactured Strip in Lansing (25 foot long tank). brackets that I wanted but I ended up as yellow car with a tan interior. I My next door neighbor (Dave using the entire front suspension. knew I wanted a red convertible with a Stanaway) helped me a lot with this Everything was purchased new from black interior, but I had enough project over the 5 years of work that NAPA for the brakes and suspension ambition and energy to not be deterred followed. The first problem was we (including the control arm bushings) by this misfit. did not have a rotisserie to rotate the and the steel parts were stripped and body to paint the painted.