CHEVROLETTER December 2020

Vol 2020 Issue 12.0

Director’s Report November 2020

Meeting Highlights October 2020

Calendar Of Events November/December 2020 December 3rd- Club Breakfast? To be determined December 14th- Regular club meeting, Possible meeting at Mike Lincks’ building Cruise Nights

Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

Editor’s Note – I helped a friend wire up his garage and he had a wooden door from a car stamped JTCantrell – which I never heard of. So I did some research and hope you enjoy history on Long Island.

History of Automotive Design: J.T. Cantrell & Company Builders of wood-sided Suburban bodies By Walt Gosden from April 2020 issue of Hemmings Classic Car

The Cantrell factory in Huntington, New York, in the 1940s.

Station wagons, also known as depot wagons or depot hacks, give an accurate depiction of the body style and function of the vehicle they represent. -drawn wagons were used to deliver people to train stations and depots before the invention of the motor car. Almost immediately upon its invention, the automobile would see commercial application for businesses that needed to move products, goods, and people. Station wagons would shuttle people and their luggage primarily between hotels and train stations, but it was soon realized that they could also be useful to transport goods and larger families and their belongings much easier than a less spacious car. One of the most prolific builders of station wagon bodies was J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington, Long Island, New York. As a successful iron worker, carriage maker, and boat designer and builder, Joseph T. Cantrell adapted his business and skills to become a premier designer and "maker of Suburban bodies," which we now view as the wooden-bodied station wagon. In all the company's advertising up through the early 1930s, it never referred to its coachwork as a station wagon, but always as a suburban body. But, as other manufacturers came on the scene, Cantrell started to call its offerings "station wagons" by the late 1930s.

This photograph of Joseph Cantrell (left) and his brother Albert (far right) was taken outside the office at the Cantrell factory on Long Island.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

Cantrell, the man, was born on the north shore of Long Island in 1875, one of 13 children. When he was 13 years old, he relocated 10 miles west to Huntington to attend school and learn a trade. He then worked in carriage building factories close to , and one in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He used a sailboat to cross Long Island Sound to get to Connecticut, returning home to Huntington on weekends. In 1905, when he was 30 years old, he purchased Scudder's blacksmith shop and carriage stand at 250 Main Street in Huntington; a bank building is currently located there. In 1909, Cantrell moved that carriage business to nearby 16 Wall Street. By 1913, his younger brother Albert joined the business. Two years later, the company had transitioned from manufacturing horse-drawn carriage bodies to designing and constructing coachwork for cars, which became its primary business for the next 35-plus years. It was at this point the name was established as J.T. Cantrell & Company.

The field next to the Cantrell factory was full of rear body sections removed from Chevrolet two-door sedans. After the cars were shipped from the Chevrolet plant in Tarrytown, New York, Cantrell removed what was not needed. It was the most economical way to obtain what the manufacturer required, as well as have a driving, moveable platform.

Cantrell specialized in depot wagons made of wood. Truck chassis, at the time, were too large and more awkward to drive, thus a compromise to have a vehicle with a body to easily accommodate people was invented. Cantrell's first bodies were not station wagons, but cab and box type for the Primene Baking Powder Co. The main production of suburban bodies that Cantrell built were mounted on Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet chassis, as they were the most popular and easily available on Long Island. The Chevrolet chassis were driven down from Tarrytown, where the Chevrolet factory was. This was quite a trip in the early post-World War I era, as many of the bridges we have now did not exist. Ferry service across Long Island Sound was extensive, departing from numerous locations in Westchester County. Dodge chassis were shipped directly by rail from .

Albert Cantrell with one of the company's earliest efforts, several decades after it was designed and built.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

It would be nearly a decade later when a suburban/station wagon would find favor with wealthier clientele for use on their estates, thus more fashionable and expensive chassis would be ordered to have wood wagon bodies fitted. These automobile chassis were obtained directly from the factory or from local car dealerships. The customer would go to the local dealer, order a new car, then, upon delivery, drive the car to Cantrell. In the shop, the new factory body would be removed aft of the front door posts, yet Cantrell would try to use most of the original body, including the cowl, windshield, and sunvisor area; this practice continued up until WWII.

Details of the suburban bodies from the mid-1920s showing "exclusive features covered by U.S. Patents."

As Cantrell's business expanded, in 1925, a new plant was built and opened south of the village of Huntington on McCay Road, with the Long Island Railroad tracks along one side of the property. This was an enormous advantage to the business as the railroad siding allowed chassis, complete with cowl and fenders, to be delivered directly to the factory. By about 1930, Cantrell employed 35-40 people; in later years, the company employed nearly 150. Besides bodies, it also made all the iron brackets, braces, tire carriers, and other metal hardware required to assemble them. When Cantrell started to receive larger orders for its suburbans, many auto manufacturers had contracted with it to supply the station wagon bodies featured in the Cantrell sales literature.

The Dodge Brothers chassis circa 1926 used a touring-model cowl and windshield, as well as hood and fenders.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

According to customer orders, by the late 1920s, larger car chassis, such as Franklin, Buick, Cadillac, and Pierce- Arrow, were being used. These requests were generated by advertisements that Cantrell placed in society periodicals, including Country Life and National Sportsman. The ads stated: "Your satisfaction is assured by the good name of CANTRELL and our 20 years experience in designing and building distinctive SUBURBANS."

This decal was affixed to the interior door post on Cantrell Bodies to identify them once they were completed.

By 1937, Cantrell was regularly building bodies on Chrysler, De Soto, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Willys-Overland chassis; bodies on Fargo and De Soto chassis were exported to Europe as complete cars. Each body featured a metal tag: "J.T. Cantrell & Co. Body Builders, Huntington, N.Y." Cantrell also held design patents for many of the components it created, such as Patent No. 1417140 for its cast metal spare tire holder. Business thrived and, during its peak production years in the 1920s, Cantrell was producing 10 station wagons per day to meet demand. All bodies were built by hand with minimal or no assembly-line machinery to assist production. The body side panels were made of walnut and had a dark color in contrast to the wood used to frame the body, such as doors, tailgate (called a tail board by Cantrell), and roof. The body sills, frame, top rail, door posts, sub sills, and tail board were made of oak or ash. The tail board had special hooks to keep it in place, but many customers used chains to support the tailgate when lowered. A tool compartment was located under the front seat, "which makes it unnecessary to carry a toolbox on the running board," stated Cantrell. Floors were covered in linoleum and seats upholstered in a dark mottled blue water-resistant material. The curtains in the rear quarter panel window area were black waterproof material, as was the curtain above the tailgate; they were made of imitation Spanish leather. The curtains rolled up inside the top rail above the rear quarter windows and were enclosed in an envelope made of the same material. When not in use, this allowed them to be fully protected from the effects of the sun. The bottoms of the side curtains were wrapped to keep out all drafts, as well as water. In the 1920s, Cantrell provided a printed account of how this was done, to its perspective customers in sales brochures. "The curtains are held securely in place no matter how rough the weather may be." Cantrell promised that the passengers were accommodated with great care with seats made as comfortable as possible. "All seats were reinforced with springs and stuffed with real curled hair." The middle and rear seats were removable, and the rear seat could be moved to the center of the car between the rear doors to allow extra room at the back for packages, but also to "carry several dogs or, on the return from camp, a large quantity of game." They also noted that "stains will not harm a suburban body." By 1927, Cantrell was promoting its bodies mounted on Dodge Brothers chassis and issued promotional material specific to the Dodge: "The Cantrell Suburban Body for the Dodge Brothers chassis was designed not only for the work required of it, but also with an eye to its appearance." By 1938, Packard chassis in both Six and Eight series models started to be used. Cantrell announced that white maple with mahogany trim was used for the visual effect of contrasting woods, along with extra coats of "the best long wearing varnish," which made Cantrell's work stand out from ordinary station wagons. Safety glass was now being used for all windows. Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

The seat material was still a heavy-duty leatherette, now brown in color to better harmonize with the natural color of the wood. Rear and center seats continued to be interchangeable to accommodate larger loads as needed. Rubber matting for floor covering, maroon in color, replaced the linoleum of previous builds. Covered chains to support the tailgate were now standard equipment, and the spare tire for six-cylinder Packards was mounted through the floor, while the eight-cylinder Packard's spare was in the front fender. For the remainder of the late 1930s until World War II, Packard was promoted by Cantrell in its advertising folders, stating that the bodies had "truck space with car comfort" and that there was "no need to sacrifice smartness for utility."

In 1938-'39, Packard Six (models 1600 and 1700) and Eight (models 1700 and 1701) chassis were fitted with Cantrell station wagon bodies. Promotional brochures were printed specific to that body style by Cantrell for 1938 and by Packard for 1939.

The Cantrell patented design of its station wagons continued with "a mahogany structure with fi nest white maple panels." The front seat was now adjustable by 4 inches to provide the most comfort for the assorted heights of the drivers. Special orders for wagon bodies built to meet the individual needs of a customer were still being accepted, and a small number of custom-equipped wagons were built as well. This was especially true of local customers from the nearby large estates on Long Island's wealthy North Shore. Just about anything could be designed to meet a customer's wishes, including special tailgates to allow hunting dogs to enter and exit and space for ammunition boxes; everything was taken into consideration and provided for by request. The personnel who worked for the estates did not have to travel any great distance to see that the specific requests were being built to precise instructions. After WWII, Cantrell continued in business, but most of the chassis that received its station wagon bodies were on Dodge "Job-Rated" ½-ton B-108 truck chassis and Studebaker truck chassis. For those who wanted their wagon built atop a Dodge chassis, they had to place an order with the Dodge Distribution Department for the B-108 cowl-windshield chassis "in the regular manner" with instructions to ship to Cantrell; at the same time, the order for the new wood body would have to be placed with Cantrell. The bodies, in 1948, were constructed of ash for the frame structure with panels of Marine-type mahogany plywood. Individual side panels were now being used to simplify replacement in case of damage. As with pre-WWII bodies, the exterior wood pieces exposed to the elements were joined with water-resistant glue and "every piece of wood was submerged in toxic wood primer as a precaution against dry rot, fungus and insect attack." Three double-coats of oven-baked spar varnish were used to coat the wood body. In 1950, Joseph Cantrell retired at age 75 and turned the business over to his brother and long- term partner Albert. By 1958, the firm ceased operations. All-metal station wagons had become very popular with the many new families that appeared on the scene after WWII. Metal wagons also gained popularity, because they didn't require any maintenance, unlike what the wood-bodied wagons needed. No one wanted to sand and re-varnish the wood body of their car every year if the car was in constant use all year round.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage – JTCantrell History on Long Island

Five different makes of chassis were readily available with no special effort having to be made in 1938; seen here is a De Soto. Cantrell had developed a good relationship with Chrysler Corporation, so its station wagons were easily ordered through Chrysler's network of dealerships.

In 1949, the Studebaker truck chassis also provided a platform to receive Cantrell station wagon bodies, which now featured an updated body design.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage Car of the month - 1961 Impala

By Ken Michaels

It was early spring 2020 when received Covid and I sold my 1964 Corvair Monza. I always try to obtain a third car to flip and once I put the word out the Corvair sold instantly. I usually don't make too much money doing this but it gives me the experience of owning and rescuing old Chevys. Before the Corvair's tail lights rounded the corner I was on the hunt for another car. Craig's list showed a 1961 Impala 4 door in Massapequa. The car looked good in the pictures but something was wrong. Some fool had put chrome exhaust resonators from the back of the rear wheels to the bumper. The rest of the car was quite pretty. I went to take a look. All I could think about was cutting of those stupid pipes. I looked the car over very carefully as I always do and could find nothing seriously wrong. Everything important was new or almost new including a 350 c.i. Crate motor. I would have preferred the original 283 but as I would learn later, it was long gone . I bought the car and brought her home. The chrome zoomie resonators were gone in less than a minute. I registered and insured the car and drove it. I didn't even to change the oil or wiper blades. I called my friend and former V.C.C. A. member (and 61 Chevy guru) Russ Heim. It was then that I learned that this was Russ's car several years earlier. Russ was able to give me some history on the car but no one knew what happened to the 283. No matter this 350 ran excellent, I would say it's grandpa's car with an attitude. I love driving this car but some things needed attention. I had to change the heater control valve and the cables. I rebuilt the rear window regulators and sent out the front door panels for repair. I got rid of the aftermarket temperature gauge and got the original working. This car had a paint job done at some point but all they did was mask off everything. I am in the process of stripping all the trim and getting her paint ready along with some minor body work. She will be painted in the spring. I will also be reupholstering the front seat and installing a new carpet. This is one of the best riding cars I have owned. She cruises at 75 and handles well. This makes me wonder why I don't see more old cars in day to day use. My wife even likes this car. There is however a problem. I was going to hold on to this car car but I prematurely bumped into something else I needed a door latch. Old reliable , John Mahony found me one . When I drove into Brooklyn to pick it up I discovered that the seller had a 1962 impala wagon for sale with 38k miles. Long story short ,the wagon was free but it cost me $9,020 for a door latch.

Long Island Region VCCA Garage - One Century, 100 Great Chevys

Editor’s Note – this article was published in 2011 to celebrate 100 years of Chevrolet – we feel it was a fun list to go over and discuss – we will be sharing this over the next issues of VCCA Garage!

That means we did not restrict this list to production vehicles. Instead the list includes racecars — both those based on production Chevys and those only powered by Chevrolet racing engines — show cars, concept cars, prototypes and even movie cars. Is your favorite on the list?

50. 1956 Bel Air Nomad: The two-door sport wagon in its most beautiful form. Perfectly proportioned, elegantly detailed and absolutely gorgeous. 49. 1982 Reher-Morrison Pro Stock Camaro: Between 1981 and '84, this team with Lee Shepherd driving won four straight NHRA Pro Stock championships in Camaros. It's the '82, third-generation Camaro that remains the most iconic. 48. 1963 Chaparral 2A: America's most innovative race engineer, Jim Hall, hits full stride with this car featuring advanced aerodynamics and fiberglass structural elements. It was the dominant car in the Road Racing Championship in 1964 and '65. 47. 1963 Corvette Grand Sport: Born to be Zora Arkus-Duntov's ultimate Corvette, the Grand Sport was tube framed and powered by 377-cubic-inch small-block V8. Only five were built before GM killed the program — three roadsters and two coupes. 46. 1969 "Big Red" Camaro: Trend-setting Camaro built by Dan and R.J. Gottlieb in 1989 for open road time trials. It's a tube-frame stock car and a 540-cubic-inch V8 under a '69 Camaro body. At the Silver State Classic, Big Red averaged 197.99 mph over 94 miles. 45. Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins 1972 Vega Pro Stock: Jenkins' tube-frame Vega took the stock out of Pro Stock. He won six of the eight Nationals events that year. Drag racing has never recovered. 44. Grave Digger: Although it is a tube chassis, the coolest monster truck of all time is big-block-Chevy- powered and dressed like a 1950 Chevy Panel Van. 43. 1957 Corvette Fuel Injection: Zora Arkus-Duntov's nurturing pays off as the Rochester fuel-injected 283 small-block V8 makes 283 hp. It's the first Corvette that's truly high performance. 42. 1969 Camaro Z/28: An icon on and off the for its performance and its style. It's the Camaro that defines Camaro-ness. 41. 1969 K5 Blazer: A short pickup with a fiberglass shell, the K5 Blazer becomes an instant off-road legend. It's because of the Blazer that there is "sport" in sport-utility vehicles. 40. 1996 Tahoe: The full-size Blazer evolves into the Tahoe and, with the addition of two more doors, becomes a family transportation staple. Shorter than a Suburban, it turns out to be just what a lot of buyers want. 39. 1968 Penske Camaro Z/28 Trans Am Racer: The Z/28 was built to win the SCCA Trans Am championship, and in 1968 it did so in spectacular fashion. Driver Mark Donohue won 10 of 13 races in his Roger Penske-prepped racer. 38. 1984 Corvette C4: With its aluminum suspension pieces and space-age digital dash, the C4 made Corvette relevant again. Sure it rode like a rock, but it outhandled any Porsche, Ferrari or Lotus at the time. 37. 1957 "Black Widow" 150 Two-Door Sedan: A plain, base, 150 two-door equipped with the powerful fuel-injected 283-cubic-inch V8. The first car banned by NASCAR. It won a stunning 59 races during the 1957 NASCAR racing season. 36. 1956 Corvette SR-2: Using chassis components proven at Sebring, this "Special Racing" was Zora Arkus-Duntov's first aero-aware Corvette. It didn't win much, but set the stage for all the specialized Corvettes to come. 35. 1974 Camaro IROC Racer: Production Camaros fortified for racing replaced Porsche for the second International Race of Champions. Big fender flares, bright colors and a glint of hope when cars were at their worst. 34. 1957 Corvette SS: The first Super Sport was the 1957 Corvette SS concept car that never saw production. A magnesium body kept weight down, but trapped heat in. Power came from a small-block V8 rated at 307 hp. Long Island Region VCCA Garage - One Century, 100 Great Chevys

33. 1965 Corvette Mako Shark II: Concept car foreshowed the revolutionary 1968 Corvette and the body style that would remain in production until 1982. 32. 1959 Stingray Prototype: The Stingray was officially neither a Chevrolet nor a Corvette to circumvent the GM racing ban. Dick Thompson drove it to an SCCA national title in 1961. And it led directly to the 1963 Corvette (two words) Sting Ray. 31. 1959 CERV-1: A midengine Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle that led to 50 years of speculation that a midengine Corvette was about to appear. Powered by a lightweight 283 V8, total weight was only 1,600 pounds. 30. 1995 NASCAR Monte Carlo: For the five years it competed in NASCAR, it won the Winston Cup four times. Dale Earnhardt's only Daytona 500 win in 1998 came in this style Monte. 29. 1988 Penske PC-17 Indy Car: Ilmor Engineering's brilliant Chevy Indy V8 pushed this car to Chevy's first Indianapolis 500 win in 1988. Three Penske PC-17s led 192 of the 200 laps that year, with Rick Mears winning. 28. 1965 Chevelle SS Z16: Only 201 of the Z16 Chevelles were built. Each had a 425-hp 396 big-block V8 and 160 mph speedometer. It was the start of big-block, midsize Chevy muscle. 27. Two-Lane Blacktop '55: The Mechanic and The Driver race a GTO across the Southwest in their primered, 454 four-speed '55 Gasser with a tilt front end. How fast is it? That depends on who's around. 26. American Graffiti '55: Bob Falfa's badass and black street racer defines nastiness in 1962. Yes, it's the same car used in Two-Lane Blacktop, but a totally different character.

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

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

Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

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

Parts Wanted for 1967 Chevelle

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].

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 Long Island Region VCCA - CLASSIFIED AD

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

Reproduction Fiberglas Mullins Style . This is a replica of a popular travel trailer from the 30's. This is reproduced in fiberglass with a hinged lid held open by gas struts. The interior is fully carpeted. The exterior shows flawless preparation for a gorgeous Ford Lazer Red paint job. The trailer has high end Weld Wheels with 60 series Radial GT tires. The trailer has fewer than 2000 miles since new. The license plate and taillights are recessed into the rear pan and used a standard trailer wiring plug, there is a stand on the tongue of trailer for easy storage. Trailer comes with a soft Car Cover

$2,500.00

Contact: Chris Gieger at 631-757-5021 or [email protected]

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”

Long Island Region VCCA - Next Meeting – ******************** ************************************************

 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]

One Last Thing! We all need a little merriment!