CHEVROLETTER September 2020

Vol 2020 Issue 9.0

Director’s Report September 2020

Another month has slipped away and there is not much new to report. I hope everyone is healthy and safe and making the best of a bad situation. Recently I was informed of the passing of John White, a New Jersey VCCA member. Those of you who have been to Hershey may or may not have met John. John was usually out searching for vintage car models and related paraphernalia. John Mahoney knew John for many years and they would bunk together for the long Hershey weekend. I met John 3 or 4 years ago and could see right away what a nice guy he was. Besides being a supreme model builder, he volunteered in many ways to help others and his community. Sometimes it takes a person dying to discover all the good they have done over the years. Not having Hershey this year almost seems like the event is grieving the loss of John, we will miss him. The car scene seems to be made up mostly of cruise event and no organized events sponsored by a car club or promoter. I am told there is a possible $10,000.00 fine for exceeding the limit of people at a given event. We have been going to a Sunday morning cruise in the parking lot of Miller’s Ale House in Commack. This was a nice event with around 50-70 cars getting there sometime after 8 am. Recently the entire “beach crowd” were kicked out of Robert Moses and decided to come to Miller’s. There are now 300+ cars, taking up all surrounding parking lots and getting there at the crack of dawn. We are assuming the cruise will not last long with the influx of people so if you are interested, you better go soon before it is closed down. I saw an ad for one show that required pre-registration up to a set limit and then was closed. By the time I saw the ad, the show was filled. At this point, the Long Island Street rod show and swap meet is not being held. There is a show on November 1st called the Monster Mash Car Show for those dying to get their cars out. I will get more information on this show as the time grows closer. We just renewed our website fees for the next three years, we share this site with 2 other VCCA clubs which allows us to pay only 1/3 of the expenses. Go to bing.com and enter Long Island VCCA and our listing should be the top one. We also have our Hemmings Motor New website and our club Facebook page.

Stay safe and see you all soon, Chris

1

September 3rd Club Breakfast at Eisenhower Park

Normally we have our club breakfast at On Parade Diner in Woodbury and they are open and complying with all regulations. Last month we planned to meet at Eisenhower Park for a picnic breakfast. Our plans were changed slightly when it started to rain once we were there so we all moved over to field one where there is a roofed pavilion. There is a bathroom adjacent to the pavilion and possibly an aerobics show for entertainment (you had to be there) On September 3rd, we will meet at Field 1 in Eisenhower Park at 9:30 am for our second picnic breakfast. Field 1 entrance is on Merrick Ave, north of Hempstead Turnpike. When you pull in, turn right and head down to the pavilion on your right. There are plenty of places on the turnpike to get breakfast food and all you need is a chair and possibly a table depending on the size of your breakfast. This actually sounds like something we might want to do in the warm months even after life has returned to “normal”. Since there is a roof over our heads, we are not so dependent upon good weather although I doubt we would go in a pouring rain. I will send updates if there is any question about cancelling the day. Have a mask with you just in case and bring some hand sanitizer and see you there. I will try to get there earlier and if you have any problems, you can call my cell at 631-988-4005. So bring your car and a comfy chair and let’s have some socially distanced interactions. Chris

September 14th Regular Club Meeting

So far nothing has changed since our last meeting, as of my last communication with the Town of Oyster Bay, our meeting hall is still unavailable. I just sent the Deputy Commissioner of General Services an email requesting an update so we will see what comes of it. As a contingent plan, we will be meeting in the community center parking lot on September 14th at 6:30 pm….not 8. I will get a jug of coffee and a dozen donuts and members should bring a chair. There is not much to talk about but it is always good to see some familiar faces again. Drive your vintage Chevy and see you in a few weeks. If there is any change in status I will send out an email and do not go if it is raining Chris

2

Calendar of Events coming up for 2020

September 3rd- Club breakfast, Field 1, Eisenhower Park 9:30. See article

September 14th- Regular Club meeting, 6:30 Oyster Bay Community Center Church street. See article

October 1st- Club Breakfast, location to be determined

October12th- Regular Club Meeting, Oyster Bay Community Center. Hopefully the building will be available to us by then.

Cruise Nights

Thursday Nights- Kings Park Key Food Parking Lot, Indian Head Road, just north of 25A. Meet from 5-8 pm. Pizza and ice cream stores close by.

Friday Nights- Bellmore Train Station- I have not been there this year.

Saturday Nights- Stop and Shop lot in Smithtown on Jericho (rt 25) just east of the bull on the left side. 4-8 pm. Bathrooms in Stop and Shop

Sunday Mornings- Miller Ale House Route 454, Veterans Highway, Commack. 8 am-12:00. There is a 7/11 and Dunkin Donuts just up the road on 454. Limited shade on a warm morning.

3

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting History Bill Thomas Cheetah

Bill Thomas Cheetah replica

An original 1964 Cheetah on track at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Bill Thomas Cheetah was an American designed and engineered entirely with American components, and built from 1963 to 1966 by Chevrolet performance tuner Bill Thomas. It was developed as a competitor to 's Cobra Bill Thomas William P. "Bill" Thomas was born on 28 May 1921 and lived in Anaheim, California. In 1956 Thomas commenced work tuning and modifying Chevrolet Corvettes for racing for C S Mead Motors Co. By 1960, Thomas had started his own company, Bill Thomas Race Cars. At that time approached him to undertake performance work on the new . He also prepared the 1962 409 Bel-Airs and Biscaynes for drag racing and another Chevrolet stock car for Louis Unser who won its division of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He was also contracted by GM to develop the Chevy II Bill Thomas died October 10, 2009.

4

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

Design and development

Prototype

In 1963 Thomas gained covert support from General Motors Performance Product Group head Vince Piggins to develop the Cheetah as a concept vehicle. It was designed by Thomas and Don Edmunds, his lead fabricator. Edmunds is credited with the bulk of the construction of the car. Financing for the project came from private investors, Thomas, and John Grow, a Rialto California Chevrolet dealer. Grow owned the prototype car. Using his racing connections, Thomas arranged for material assistance from Chevrolet for the major components - the Corvette 327 engine, Muncie transmission, and independent rear-end assemblies. Other components were stocked from the larger GM parts bin, such as Chevrolet passenger car spindles, and NASCAR spec Chevrolet drum brakes.

Design and Build

Following delivery of the drivetrain components, Edmunds laid them out on the shop floor and began taking measurements. Using chalk, Edmunds sketched the basic outline of the chassis. The original blueprints of the Cheetah by Edmunds consisted of a few simple drawings showing the major components in block form, with major dimensions marked. Edmunds' design methodology for the majority of cars he built during his career was to sketch what he thought a car ought to look like, and then build it. Only his last few Indy cars involved professional designers. Once the chassis shape was determined, Edmunds sketched the body. He showed his drawings to Thomas and after a few minor changes began construction. The Cheetah was designed to be a cruising machine or styling exercise, not a racing car. Thomas wanted a prototype to show General Motors the level of work his company could do with the intent to obtain additional contract work. After construction began Thomas decided the car would also compete on the racetrack to further promote the concept. The chassis had not been designed for this and therefore was not rigid enough for racing. This problem emerged once the car began to compete Once Edmunds had the lower half of a rolling chassis built, he constructed a plywood body form or "buck" on which fit on top of the chassis. The buck included removable metal frames which showed the outline of the windows. Once completed, the body buck and forms were sent to California Metal Shaping for an aluminium body and Aircraft Windshield Co for the windows. Once returned to Thomas', it was finished by Don Borth and Edmunds. A second car was also constructed with an aluminum body, but the remainder of the cars were fiberglass.

5

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

Production models

The production models used fiberglass bodies. The first were produced by two different companies - Contemporary Fiberglass and Fiberglass Trends. Contemporary Fiberglass was selected to produce the bodies following some problems with the Fiberglass Trends molds. Fiberglass Trends went on to produce their own version of the Cheetah under the name GTR, which was used for drag racing. The Cheetah's chassis was constructed of Drawn Over Mandrel (DOM) cro-moly tubing that was heliarc welded (more commonly referred to as TIG or tungsten inert gas welding) using a P&H Mining DAR-200 welder. The design of the car was unusual in that it was front engined, but with the engine sitting so far back in the chassis that the output yoke of the transmission connected directly to the input yoke on the differential, basically making the driveshaft only a universal joint linking the transmission with the differential. With the engine positioned in this manner, the driver's legs were beside the engine. The exhaust system headers passed over the top of the driver's and passenger's legs. The tops of the footboxes were curved to make room for Edmunds' handmade headers. This design takes the attributes of what is known as an FRM layout to an extreme. Consequently, this design gave a front/rear weight distribution roughly approximating a mid-engined vehicle without the cost of an expensive transaxle arrangement. This design style resulted in a hot driver's compartment - an issue that would impact the Cheetah's performance on the track]

Super-Cheetah project

Former employees believe that the #001 aluminum car sold to Chevrolet for evaluation and later repurchased by Thomas formed the base model for the Super Cheetah project. This proto-type Super Cheetah was intended to become the new 1965 improved street Cheetah, which was also rumored that it was going to be raced at Le Mans. Work started on the Super Cheetah early in 1964, roughly within the same timeframe as Carroll Shelby's "Ferrari-focused" racing coupe. A 4130 chrome moly steel space frame was produced for the Super Cheetah, incorporating changes suggested by Chevrolet during its evaluations at Riverside with input from Bob Bondurant, Jerry Titus, and others from June 1963 to 1964. The redesign also incorporated learnings from racing the original Cheetahs The interior was widened for driver comfort with 2 more inches either side of the foot pedal, the steering rack-and- pinion moved to rear steer position of the front spindles (unlike Bill's 1st design front steer position on the 1964 model), the front frame section had 7°caster built into it, the front shock tower area had new diagonal tubing installed to limit chassis flex, the front upper and lower a-arms had ball joints and the rear chassis area was enlarged to allow for more fuel capacity. The project was never finished by Thomas because of Chevrolet's decision to withdraw its support.

6

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

Racing history

Races, drivers, and owners

Originally, the car was designed with Dave MacDonald in mind as the driver; Thomas and MacDonald had established a long-standing racing relationship in Corvettes. Carroll Shelby offered MacDonald the opportunity to drive the Cobra, which MacDonald accepted. However, MacDonald died on May 30, 1964 driving at Indianapolis. The Cheetah was to debut at the 1963 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix but crashed in practice two days before with Don Horvath at the wheel. Its aluminum body was replaced by a fibreglass one. Its first event was at the Cal-Club, Riverside International Raceway event on February 1, 1964. It crashed at the end of the first lap with Jerry Titus at the wheel. A water hose had come off, spraying water under the rear wheels causing the car to skid off the track at the turn. Titus raced the car throughout the 1964 season. He was a vocal advocate of the Cheetah as a contributing journalist for Sports Car Graphic magazine. In 1965, Jerry Entin became the car's owner (race car number 58) and he raced it with some success. This car was used in the Elvis Presley movie Spinout The third car, the first fiberglass bodied, was sold to Ralph Salyer in 1964 and converted to a roadster. He raced it in 1964 Challenge Cup at Daytona. It was the most successful racing Cheetah, winning 11 minor events between 1964 and 1965. Salyer's car (race car number 25) was known as the Cro-Sal Cheetah, named after its mechanic Gene Crowe as well as Salyer. Crowe converted it to a roadster to keep Salyer from suffering heat exhaustion due to the problem of heat buildup in the driver's compartment from the exhaust pipes Bud Clusserath purchased the fourth car (race car number 46) for the same race. Allan Green brought the fifth car (race car number 17) for Jerry Grant to race in the Challenge Cup, but he crashed in practice. The sixth car was also ordered by Alan Green Chevrolet of Burien/Seattle, Washington, and was built to racing specifications. It raced in the USRRC race series (race car number 15). Its outstanding documented racing record includes 10 Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) events in 1964-65. In 2009, this Cheetah received a FIA-issued Historic Technical Passport (HTP). The HTP makes this Cheetah eligible for any FIA-sanctioned vintage event in the world. This is the only Bill Thomas Cheetah to have a HTP. Alan Green Chevrolet took delivery of this Cheetah in March, 1964. It was raced extensively during the 1964 and 1965 seasons, usually under the Alan Green Chevrolet banner. Its maiden race, a California Sports Car Club event, took place at Pomona, CA, on March 22, 1964. Although, it was delivered in red, it was repainted Alan Green “green,” in approximately June, 1964. Allen Green Car #7 for sale in 2015 The seventh cars was also acquired by Allan Green, for his wife for normal road use.

7

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

The eighth car was not raced until more recently at vintage events by Skip Gunnell. Jack Goodman purchased ninth car the Dixon Cadillac (race car number 33) and after it was sold to James Phillips was modified, winning the 1968 A/SR championship for the Southern Pacific Region of the SCCA in 1968. Don Grieb drag raced the tenth car.

Performance issues

Besides heat impact on the driver, the engine was also prone to overheating, due in no small part to the failure to account for vents to draw hot air out of the engine compartment. Eventually, the overheating problems were solved by using a larger Pontiac NASCAR radiator, by cutting various configurations of holes in the hood and full-length belly pan and lastly by adding spoilers to draw the hot air out from underneath the hood (the first hood spoiler was actually a rope that ran across the hood from fender to fender.) Another major problem was due to the aforementioned mid- stream change in purpose for the vehicle; because the car was originally designed as a proof-of-concept, the chassis lacked the rigidity necessary for road racing (little triangulation was incorporated into the original design). Under changing loads such as those experienced on a twisting road course, the vehicle's suspension geometry continually changed and proved difficult to handle, even for experienced drivers such as Jerry Titus. Adding power only aggravated the problem; under hard acceleration, the trailing arms could bow outwards, allowing the rear wheels to toe in. Owners of the car were able to improve handling by adding gussets and triangulation to the chassis, modified (or completely re-engineered) trailing arms and disc brakes.[5] Despite some adverse handling tendencies on road courses, few cars could catch it in a straight line due to its Thomas-built 377 cu in (6.2 L) displacement, dual air-meter, fuel- injected Chevy small-block V8 based engine. At the dragstrip, the car reportedly posted faster numbers than the 427 Cobra

Demise

In 1964, race car rules changed from 100 cars needed for homologation to 1000 cars. This prompted Chevrolet to advise Thomas that they would no longer support the Cheetah project. Another major factor ending the project was the rapidly evolving race car design and true mid-engined configurations represented the wave of the future. For instance Shelby Daytona coupes were rendered obsolete by the Ford GT40. Thomas, faced with these negative factors as well as a fire that destroyed his factory on 9 September 1965, made the business decision to end production of the Cheetah and move on to other projects, including collaboration on the Nickey Chevrolet Camaros. The last documented Bill Thomas produced Cheetah was ordered in the fall of 1965 and delivered in April 1966

8

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

Collectables and Anniversary

Given their providence, high performance potential coupled with some race successes, and popularity with slot car fans for their unique shape, the remaining original cars have appreciated in value and are largely considered collector item A unique gathering of Cheetahs was held at in 2014 to celebrate the cars 50th anniversary. Members of Bill Thomas' family attended

Cars

No official records are known to exist documenting the exact number of cars produced, but best estimates indicate as many as 23 cars were built to varying degrees of completion and configuration. This estimate is based on the number of fiberglass bodies produced by the chosen manufacturer selected by Thomas and by the documented production number of the last known original Cheetah Bob Auxier of BTM Race Cars places the number at 19 chassis and 33 bodies.

Replicas and reproductions

Racing Cheetah

After Bill Thomas stopped making the Cheetah Fibreglass Trends made a replica of the Cheetah called the GTR from 1965 till at least 1989. Their version was primarily aimed at drag racers. It had an A pillar from the roof to the base of the windshield, something Bill Thomas' original Cheetah race car design did not have. According to some sources Dean Morrison bought the rights to make replica Cheetahs. He sold these in 1983 to Buford Everett.

9

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - Spotlighting Chevrolet History Bill Thomas Cheetah- continued

In 1996 Bob Auxier built his first Cheetah and through of BTM Race Cars built continuation Cheetahs with Thomas' agreement from 2001 until at least 2013 About 46 cars were built by BTM. Sometime in the 2000s, there appears to have been a possible dispute or disagreement between Auxier and the Thomas family. Legal action filed by BTM against the Thomas family on March 18, 2014 in the California Central District Court resulted in judgement against BTM on September 1, 2015 holding that the authorization by William Thomas II for BTM to make continuation Cheetahs had ceased on his death on October 10, 2009. BTM ceased making continuation Cheetahs on August 20, 2015 according to their website. However, more recent updates to the website indicate an ongoing dispute over the trademarks. Allied Fiberglass also offered replica bodies for sale for a time. Since about 2010 Ruth Engineering and Racing Inc of Grafton Ohio have made an updated version called the RER Cheetah Evolution which uses contemporary running gear. Shell Valley Classic Wheels of Nebraska also currently make a kitcar version.

Trade Mark

On September 12, 2013, William P Thomas III applied for and was granted the USPTO Bill Thomas Cheetah trademark SN 86063410. The federal status of the trademark filing as at April 28, 2015 was Notice of Allowance issued. The trademark categories covered are vehicles and products for locomotion by land, air, or water; clothing products; construction and repair services. The description provided to the USPTO for Bill Thomas Cheetah is race cars, and parts for race cars - namely, structural parts, trims, and badges. C Justin O'Rourke had applied for the trademark on March 10, 2011 but did not proceed with it. According to BTM's website in 2016 BTM and some of the Thomas family are involved in a dispute before the Trademark Appeals Board over the ownership of Cheetah trademarks. BTM asserts that Bill Thomas transferred trademarks to BTM in 2006 under an agreement between Bill Thomas and Robert Auxier.

10

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale

1955 Chevrolet Belair

 TWO DOOR HARDTOP - SHORELINE BEIGE AND GYPSY RED

 RESTORED TO ORIGINAL STOCK CONDITION

 VCCA SENIOR AND SENIOR RESTORATION AWARDS

THE CAR HAS THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION  CORRECT POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES.  SEEK AND SCAN RADIO (IN WORKING ORDER)  ROCKER PANEL AND DOOR FENDERS AND GAS TANK WITH SHIELDS  ORIGINAL FACTORY REAR SPEAKER AND FADE SWITCH ON DASH BOARD  REAR BUMPER ACCESSORY GUARDS AND FRONT ACCESSORY BUMPER GUARDS INCLUDING WHEEL GUARD.  POWER PACK ENGINE DUAL ALUMINIZED EXHAUST.  CHEVROLET RARE WIRE WHEEL COVERS.  TINTED GLASS  ORIGINAL GM WINDSHIELD WASHERS IN PERFECT CONDITION  CIADELLA INTERIOR AND CARPET....ORIGINAL REPLACEMENT.

CAR COMES WITH TWO SETS OF TIRES:

 ON THE CAR NOW ORIGINAL FOUR PLY WIDE WHITE WALLS  SECOND SET OF WHEELS WITH COCA WIDE WHITE WALL RADIALS.

$42,500 - CAR IS IN PRESTINE CONDITION. Contact: Robert Mcdonough ([email protected]) 516-554-7046

11

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale

1940 Chevrolet Sedan Delux – 4 Door Sedan

THE CAR HAS THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

 6 CYLINDER, 37,000 ORIGINAL MILES  ALWAYS GARAGED  ORIGINAL OWNERS BILL OF SALE

Contact: Anthony Contrino 516-902-8887

12

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted

Parts Wanted for 1967 Chevelle

Delco 986854 1967 (shown) Delco 986853 1967 (shown)

Wanted 1967 Chevelle - AM/FM Radio. NOS or excellent used Delco part 986854 or AM radio, part number 986853.

Column shift lever knob in gold/fawn (see picture)

Also, any key chain or memorabilia from Dan Cotton Chevrolet in Beresford, SD.

Contact: Andy Mrakovcic, VCCA #55128 205 Bette Rd., East Meadow, NY. PH: 917-543-9477 [email protected].

13

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted – Wanted

Part Needed - left front fender for a 1935 Chevrolet - Master

If you have one or know of one please contact :

Steve Jones [email protected] or call1-609-970-9131

14

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale - ForSale

1954 Chevy Rims 2 – 15” Rims in good shape - $20

TH350 Chrome Flywheel Cover Brand new Chrome flywheel cover - $30

Contact: Pat Iannone 516-458-4547

To Our Members –

We have this space for our classified section – if there is something you need or have to make room for – maybe a member has it or could use it !!!

Each month we are looking for readers input on “How To” and “Garage Hacks” & “Quick Tips”

15

Long Island Region VCCA - Next Meeting – September 14th at 6:30 pm….not 8pm at the Oyster Bay Community Center

 Here are the directions to the Oyster Bay Community Center:

 Route 106 North to Oyster Bay. 106 Becomes Pine Hollow Road and then becomes South Street. Make a right on East Main Street at the traffic light.

 After the stop sign, make a right into Church Street. Meetings are in the community center straight ahead.

The Chevroletter is published by the Long Island Region of the VCCA,

 Send your photos, stories, or calendar items that you’ would like to contribute to the newsletter. For those that wish to have an article published but don’t have the time to polish it up, the editors of Chevroletter would be happy to help you out.

 If anyone sees a car that is interesting and wish to share with the members email your photos and a description - send to the editors to be included in the next publication

 All contributions are welcome and will help make the revived Chevroletter worth reading. Please contact the following with your story, interesting find, or your comments:

o Ken Michaels, Editor-In-Chief, please contact Ken at [email protected]

o Pat Iannone, Editor, Publisher, please contact Pat at [email protected]

16