Classic Lines
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Classic Lines Volume XXXVI February 2012 A PUBLICATION OF THE CLASSIC CAR CLUB OF AMERICA® SOUTHERN FLORIDA REGION DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Somewhere in our home there is a giant globe of the world. I haven’t taken a real hard look at it in years. When the Classic Car Club of America® announced that its 2012 national annual meeting would be held at Grapevine, Texas, Southern Florida Region I searched high and low for the old orb. Debbie found it in a Classic Car Club of America® closet behind my golf clubs, a box of tools and old copies of Officers and Managers National Geographic. I pulled the bulbous sphere out and dusted it off. Soon I located Texas. That was easy. But find- Director.............................Dan Hanlon ing Grapevine was hard. 330-802-0201 Located in Assistant Director.............Mike Dodge the metropolitan 239-783-1864 area of Dallas- Secretary...........................Ed Miller Fort Worth, it is 239-597-8965 called home by Treasurer...........................Bob Rohrer over 45,000 resi- 239-774-1250 dents. The town is Committees n a m e d a f t e r Activities...........................Art Polacheck grapes that grow Membership/Directory......Lee Smallridge wild throughout Head Judge........................Dick Roach the area. After our Web Master.......................Mike Dodge hosting of the last Projects..............................Phil Rector national annual meeting, I assumed the worst. What could Historian/Archivist............Dave Salzman Grapevine, Texas offer that would be comparable to Palm Sunshine............................Caroline Haire Beach at the Breakers? The answer quickly became appar- Nominations......................Ed Miller ent. For a week, people who have an unusually heightened Regional Awards...............Denise Hatton appreciation for Full Classic® motor cars congregated in this CLASSIC LINES-Editor….Ed Miller land of grapes just as they did the year before in Palm Beach Editing Proofreader............Joe Malaney and had a great time. Photographers....................Lou Albenga, During our week long dose of Classic cars, Debbie Denny and Lee Smallridge and I were joined by Southern Florida Region members Jim Car Show………………....Dan Hanlon and Gail Cowin, Dick and Ellen Roach, Ray and Barbara Managers Giudice, John and Dianne Kernan, Joe Malaney, Gene Nau, Corrine Brandt, Mike Dodge, Ray Giudice, Dave Johnson, Jay Quail and I can’t remember who else. Dan Hanlon, Bob Hetzel, Paul Loree, Ed Mil- We toured car collections, a mansion, attended meetings and ler, Art Polacheck, Dick Roach, Phil Rector, banquets. However, no matter where we went we traveled Bob Rohrer and Lee Smallridge with friends of the old car hobby. More information at: If you missed this year’s national annual meeting, www.southernfloridaccca.com don’t despair, there is always next year. However, there is Continued on page 10 C 2 Director’s Message Front Cover: That’s right 90 MPH in a 1931 3 Everglades Nash and your editor is still here to write O 4 Feature Classic Car about it. Turn to page 4 for the ride of a life N 10 When They Were Almost New time. T 11 Tech Tip Back Cover: Frederic Stanley was born in E 12 Spotlight Vermont. He served in the armed force during N 13 Celebration Tour the Great War. His artist talents were natural. T 14 Editor’s Notes He had no formal training. Obviously he had a 14 Activities Calendar successful commercial art career. S 15 Advertisements Everglades, a Flawed Experience Photography by Mike Dodge Unfortunately, not all Southern Florida Region tours are perfect. For example, sometime around 1982, it is reported that a trace of rain fell for almost three minutes during a club tour soiling the beautifully waxed finishes on our motor cars.There also is the tale that a member’s Packard ran out of gas almost 30 feet from a gas station during a 1999 regional tour. The unfortunate member had to coast into the station to top up his empty gas tank. Imagine the indignity of his situation. These were low points in our club’s stellar record of al- most flawless touring experiences. Last January 14, will be inscribed in our region’s archives as another tour that was blemished by mishap. To begin the litany of disappointments, the weather did- n’t cooperate. It was chilly. Rather than short sleeve shirts and shorts, jackets and sweaters were the order of the day. Why tour coordinator Mike Dodge couldn’t pro- vide us with better weather is unknown. The next scan- dal occurred in the last hundred feet before reaching the one hundred year old Smallwood Trading Post on Chokoloskee Island. Rather Above: Car of the Day Award went to John and Dianne than a perfectly Kernan’s 1936 Packard Super Eight Coupe Roadster. The smooth and Packard is new to the region, as are John and Dianne. They black topped have just moved into their new home on Marco Island. road, our band Attendees included: Bob Brown, Diane Brown, guest Jerry of old car fa- Gentner, guest Jean Gentner, guest Joe Platten, guest John Marceu, Ed Chesney, Mike Dodge, guest Roxane Menna, natics encoun- Jack Dunning, Nancy Dunning, Erich Haller, Pauline Hal- tered a hard ler, Dan Hanlon, Debbie Hanlon, Tom Kaiser, Jackie Kai- packed dirt ser, John Kernan, Dianne Kernan, Ray Kyle, Ed Miller, Kim road. To add Miller, Gene Nau, Ann Nau, Larry Norton, Phil Rector, Car- insult to injury olyn Rector, Bob Rorher, Marilyn Rorher, Ed Schoenthaler, Judy Schoenthaler, Tom Sutphen, Tamea Sutphen, Gene the Rod and Tareshawty, Ron Wertz, Don Wingard, Diana Wingard, Ned Gun Club din- Wright and Margie Wright ing room was Right: There were two other attendees whose names are a unheated. mystery as is the name of Tom and Tamea Sutphen’s curly N o n e - haired fierce attack doggie. theless our group of thirty-eight hardy Full Classic® motor car enthusiasts perse- vered. We found no fault with the local museum or ice cream parlor next door. For newcomers to our hobby and Region, it is the compa- Continued on page 10 Feature Classic Car: 1931 Nash Ambassador 897 Club Sedan Good gravy, ninety miles per hour and still accelerating! Some owners are proud of their Full Classic® motor cars, and then there is Dale Adams. He takes pride to another level. On the front cover, it’s Dale’s hand on the steering wheel as he deftly accelerates past 90 MPH on an Interstate highway somewhere in Ohio. As he accelerates, other more mundane vehicles pull out of the fast lane to give him room and Dale calmly ex- plains how his Classic was “Lesterized”. More on “Lesterization” later in the article. This was a very memora- ble ride in a Feature Classic car whose owner bursts with pride for his motor car. He unabashedly exudes the joy of ownership and self satisfaction for his craftsmanship during our little sedate tour along the Interstate. So let’s begin the tale of a 1931 Nash Ambassador 897 Club Sedan. The day began innocently enough, the sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm at Dale Adam’s work shop in Kent, Ohio. Dale has a well earned reputation as a machinist, fabricator and restorer. His shop is more akin to a small au- tomotive factory than a typical restoration shop. If any shop can merit the title of being complete, it is this shop. Here is everything required for a 100 point restoration and then some. Granted it’s not the prettiest engine but it certainly packs a potent punch. In 1930, only a handful of cars were rated in excess of the Nash 890’s 115 HP. The black cover on top of the engine is the valve cover. OHV engines require a valve cover or oil would be sprayed throughout the engine compartment. But his shop is not what we came to see. Rather, it is his 1931 Nash Ambassador 897 Club Sedan. Therefore, roll up your sleeves and lift the hood. Nash engines came in four sizes. The top of the line 890 series offered the prospective pur- chaser the largest and most expensive engine Charles W. Nash offered. It is an overhead valve (OHV) eight cylinder engine with a bore and 1 stroke of 3 /4" X 4½" which add up to a displace- ment of 298.65 cubic inches. In North America, only Buick, Cadillac, Franklin, Marmon and Nash were offering OHV engines. Buick was the only American automobile manufacturer offering OHVs exclusively and had always offered OHVs to its cus- tomers. Prior to Charlie Nash founding Nash Motors, he was President of General Motors until he resignation in 1916. Prior to that, he was head of Buick. Hence, there is no mystery why Nash offered OHVs. The go pedal is still kissing the floor as we hit 90 MPH. Your smile is gone, your face is flushed red and you’re sweating. The big question is: will we survive this road test? Nash used Nelson Bohnalite aluminum pistons. Developed by Adolph Lincoln Nelson and licensed to Bohn Aluminum, they offered an aluminum piston with a steel strut. These popular pistons provided the light weight of aluminum and the strength of steel. Included in the piston design is an Invar strut which obviates concerns regarding expansion and contraction at extreme temperatures. Each piston weighs 17½ ounces and every engine has a 5.25 to 1 compression ratio. Each 32½ ounce connecting rod is of aluminum composition. The con rod bearings are of babbitt ma- terial. Holding the crankshaft together are nine main bearings. A vibration dampener located at the front end of the crankshaft plus four counterweights help maintain a smooth and quiet engine.