FEATURED AUGUST 2011 CAR
This month’s featured car belongs to Hollis and Mary Franks. Here is the story (as told by Hollis) of his beautiful 63 ½ R code, and how it took two to become one:
I got my first 63 1/2 Galaxie dual four barrel 427 in Dec '68 when I got back from Viet Nam. I got released from active duty at the Oakland Army Base and went a few miles, still in class A uniform, down East 14th Street in San Leandro to Bill Parker's 4 Speeds. Back then any car with a 4 speed was a muscle car. They wanted $1500 plus tax and license, but I pulled $1400 cash out of my pocket, all I had earned in a year in the war and they took it. It was one of the first R Codes because it was a white Galaxie 500 with a red bench seat interior.
It got rolled up and burned between two semis at the 580-680 interchange in April '88. A good friend had an R Code and had pulled out the 427 and 4 speed, and put in a 428 and automatic trans and gave it to his son. His son had thrashed it to death, so he made him sell it to me for $2000. I salvaged the engine/trans/rear from my wreck and reconstructed a correct R Code, my present black one.
When my wife divorced me in '89, I got custody of the kids and the Galaxie. It had always been a daily driver and was now my only car. The kids and I went to Disneyland many times and to British Columbia as well as many other places over the years.
Many years ago I retrofitted it with a Borg Warner T85 3 speed with overdrive which was a little known option for the 427 Galaxie. I also put a vacuum advance on the distributor. Between the two the mileage rose from mid 12s to mid 16s, if I keep it 65 or under.
Three years ago I was at Gene Batteaux Racing in San Leandro getting a 427 block prepped to be a spare engine. After we talked for a while he realized that my Galaxie had been his car 40 years earlier. He was the original owner, and I'm the third owner. It has appeared in two muscle car calendars, one in '09 and one in '10.
Photo Taken by David Gaudin, P.O. Box 298, Sandy, Oregon 97055 - See his website at www.davidgphotography.com
April 2011 Featured Car
In late 1960, early 1961, Bill Mitchell fell in love. No, not with his wife Jeanette, that came later. This love was for a large piece of black steel: mean, foreboding black steel. Produced by the Ford Motor Company of America, it was called a 1961 Ford Galaxie ; a 1961 Ford Galaxie Starliner to be precise. So in July 1961, Bill purchased this car from Ames Ford in San Rafael and still owns it today.
Not willing to leave well-enough alone, Bill first had the audacity to reupholster the car. Finding a young talented, but unknown upholsterer in '62, he took his chances and still has the original tuck and roll created by Jerry Sahagon, the NOW famous upholsterer, recognized nationwide for his artistry in upholstering.
From the original 390 engine, Bill went to a 427 and God knows what else there-after. It currently bears a 428 CJ (600 H.P.) with Jim Dove aluminum heads & manifold (815 cfm Demon carb) w/a comp cam...618 lift and roller rockers . Geared by a '64 4-sp. top-loader, complemented by a 4.11 rear end w/a pinion posi, this dude does get off the line! Take my word. I've had the pleasure of a short but sweet run riding shotgun! There are still only @25,000 original miles on this beauty. Painted a black lacquer in 1966, it looks as though it was done last month. And don't take my word. This automobile has won Best of Show (other than a Mustang) at the BIGGEST LITTLE CAR SHOW** in Suisun for the last 5 years. Bill is one of the prides of our club!
(And how do you like the picture? This gent has also shot Big Red, the Sheatsleys' '63 Galaxie convertible. He is available at the website listed below the picture and highly recommended by your e-board for an exquisite presentation of your Galaxie or Mercury. Give him a call.)
MAY 2011 FEATURED CAR
Jerry and I joined the Galaxie and Mercury’s club prior to owning a Ford. My husband, Jerry, is the “Chevy guy”. When we sent in the application I explained that I was in the process of looking for a Ford and asked if they would accept us as members since Jerry had a ’55 Chevy. For months we would go to events with the club and would take the ’55. We were usually the car at the very back of the pack. The club had their own reasons for putting us at the back but Jerry said it was so that he could push the Fords up hill! Everyone is entitled to their own fantasies!
I/we searched long and hard for the perfect Ford for me. We made numerous trips to look at various cars. Most of them did not turn out to be what they were advertised as and, in person, they were often many flaws/problems that did not show up in pictures. Jerry was a champ throughout this process and did not complain once during helping me with my car search.
After searching for several months, I located another car on Ebay. This car, it turned out, was familiar to several of our club members. So after discussing it with the club, Jerry and I made another long trek to
When I saw the car, I was in love! She was a beauty in my opinion. So, we test drove the car, checked her out as best we could based on where we were at. Discussed the car with the owner at length and made an offer. The next day we drove her home.
We were told that the car did not leak! We got up in the morning to find that the car was leaking fluids from one end to the other. Thus, we began the process of getting her fixed up. I could write volumes on what was done to the car but suffice it to say that we went through the entire car, one end to the other. Since not everything went as planned this process took a few months.
One of things that I learned about the club during the “fixing process” was how great they were in terms of help, advice, parts and references. I cannot thank all those club members that helped us with the car enough with a very special “thank you” to Hollis who put many hours of labor into the car, Claude and Carol for their help and hospitality and to Neil for some hard to find parts. After the initial fixing process we started with the detail process.
My car, Amber, has a 427, 4 on the floor with dual quads. She is named Amber partially because I liked the name and the color of her paint is Bright Amber which was a stock Ford color used on some pickups. When I bought her she had a bench seat and original upholstery.
The bench seat was a bit of an issue. Since I am “vertically challenged” as some might put it, I always drive with the seat pulled up as far as I can get it. This caused some people that rode with me to feel like their nose was pushed against the front windshield! So, since Amber was not stock, I/we decided to alter her some more.
We found, through the club (Claude and Neil), Jim Baker. Jim had an upholstery shop in
Jim, is also a Chevy guy and into flames. I told Jim “no flames” and that I wanted the upholstery in Amber to be “simple but elegant”. Meanwhile, unknown to me, Jerry was planning to have Amber repainted as well. While the paint color on the car was awesome, in my opinion, the previous owner had color sanded through the paint in some areas plus while I was having tires changed on it at a tire shop someone dropped a tool on her which made caused some serious damage to the paint on her rear side.
Jerry had a business trip in
About three weeks after taking her down, Amber was ready to be picked up. Jerry and I drove down to the upholstery shop. There she sat sprinkling and ready for me. When I walked into the upholstery shop I could not believe what Jim had done to her. My mouth hung open as I tried to take in every last detail of the work that had been done. I was in awe! Meanwhile, the guys, including Claude, are waiting for me to notice that she was painted. All I could see was the upholstery. There was one paint spot that was really bad by the Ford letters on the hood and the letter ‘O’ had fallen off. Claude told me told me to check out the letter and I did and said, “Great, you fixed the letter” and went back to looking at the upholstery. Claude said to Jerry, “She really is a blond, isn’t she!” Claude then told me to look at the side of the car where the tool had fallen on it and I said, “You fixed the scratches, wow”!! Claude said, “Mary, the whole car was painted!” Yes, it was painted and beautiful too! It was all too much to take in. Amber was awesome. The upholstery job was absolutely perfect and so much more than I had hoped for and the paint looked great. I was in love all over again!
Then began the saga of the Chevy. Jerry’s love was the ’55. We had the car for several years and the paint was getting old and the upholstery needed to be redone. We had already arranged for the painter that had done my car to do Jerry’s car so we took the Chevy to
The painter had been in business there for 20 years. We had checked out his work and were very happy with the work done to Amber. Meanwhile the painter started looking at property in
After a few weeks we went down to see the paint job on the ’55. The paint had numerous flaws in it and the flames were almost totally invisible! The painter told us he would fix all the issues. Long story short, the painter packed up and moved to
So, we found another painter to paint the car. This also turned out to be a disaster. The clear coat had containments in it and the flames were only visible between 10:00 and 11:00 AM when the car faced due north!
So, alas, after several months we were on to painter number 3! This guy did a great job on the flames and fixed the clear coat and repainted some areas where there were issues.
During the above process, Jim Baker started work on the upholstery. All the stereo equipment that we bought and took down for the upholstery job had to be changed. So we basically bought everything all over again. We also had the car rewired. The guys that did the rewiring initially did not do it correct. I think we had the car rewired three times.
I could go on and on and on and on with all the issues we faced but let me shorten the story by just saying the car was in
The goods news is that we got the ’55 back. There are still a few issues with the paint (that only we will probably notice) but the flames are awesome and Jim outdid himself on the upholstery job. I will also add that after this experience we will likely never have a car redone again!!!
The color of the ’55 is Hawaiian Orchid. It sports a 350 engine which sounds terrific. The ’55 and Amber very much compliment each other and as they say, “Opposites attract”!
Again, we cannot thank the club enough for all the help and support that was given for Amber and the ’55. There were several members (too numerous to name all) that went “above and beyond” to help with the cars. As a result of the help from the club we have had many, many hours of enjoyment with Amber and the ’55.
Featured Car
(The following as told by Paul)
It still had a full tank of Chevron Supreme 92 octane (original owner was very specific about that) and the property management guy added a new battery. I pumped the pedal twice turned the key and she started! Didn’t run all that great but she sounded great to me; so off I headed, remember I only need to go three blocks. It was interesting between the smoke and the screeching brakes but we made it. The first repair was a complete new brake job and bringing it back to everyday running condition. Three years later after trips all around the Bay area, LA and Bishop, my brother Bob and his wife Lorraine along with Barbara headed East in 2003 to Carlisle, PA for the 100 year celebration of Ford. I had one issue headed East, a fuel pump that went bad and no problems at all headed back West, I was a great trip, one that I would like to do again.
She has had some issues, as they all do, but I and Barb are very Happy with our 1965 Galaxie 500, happy motoring to all!
December 2010 Featured Car
This month’s featured car belongs to Bill and Stephanie Pratt of Bishop, CA. It is a 1962 Galaxie 500. They found it in Visalia, where it had been sitting outside for almost 30 years. It needed complete restoration, but had no rust or major body damage. It has been beautifully refinished in the correct “Oxford Blue” paint, and light and dark blue interior. It is number 1 of only a few thousand produced with the 405HP/406CI engine. It is a numbers matching car that has been meticulously restored, keeping the original ford drive train. The 405 horses are transferred to the pavement through the T-10 4 speed transmission and the 9” rear end with 4:11 gears. These cars were built by Ford for high performance use only. In 1962, this car sold new for $3,488.70. It came with a 90day/4000 mile warranty (how times have changed). This is a perfect example of Ford performance. Thank you, Bill and Stephanie, for sharing this beauty.
October 2010 Featured Car
This month's featured car belongs to Dick and Ann Tijerina. The following write up was provided by them, and seemed to tell the story so well, that it had to be put in as written:
We purchased this 1959 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria in late summer of 2004. It was the second year we saw it sitting on the lot at Red Bluff Ford when they had a summer car show. We admired it the first year, but didn't inquire as we thought it would be too expensive. The second year we investigated a little more. Per the salesperson, it was too expensive. Then the negotiations began. By the end of the week, it was no longer too expensive and we brought it home. It had been sitting on the lot for a long time, and definitely needed some TLC. We all know it starts with TLC, but it never ends. The start was a cracked block, so we found another 1959 big block and had a new engine built. It’s been 6 years and we are still doing things to make it better. We have been to many shows in California, Oregon and Nevada and have been lucky enough to win lots of awards. We feel the most exciting award was to be picked by the Board of Supervisors of Shasta County for a 2009 Kool April Nites trophy. Since this is a very large show and we live in Redding, within the county. it was very special. Like most classic car owners , we are never done. You keep thinking of new things you want to do to make your ride, better, cleaner, faster, etc. We will continue to improve until we sell the car. Then we will get another Ford and continue the routine.
MARCH - APRIL 2009 FEATURED CLUB CAR
The “Big Red” 1963 beauty featured in this edition of the Newsletter belongs to Bob and Lorraine Sheatsley. Big Red sports a 390 engine and is Ragoon Red.
Bob and
Bob and
They had the engine rebuilt at about 100K miles and have put about another 100K miles on it since then. The car was repainted in 1993 just before the Fab Fords show that year. The car is, as
On one trip to the Cannibal Cruise,
This car is a true beauty and lucky to be owned by Bob and Lorraine who have taken such great care of her and show such pride of ownership. Thank you, Bob and
FEATURED AUGUST 2008 FLYER CAR
The featured August 2008 Flyer Car belongs to Dan and Edna Morgan.
This wonderful car is a 1964 Galaxie 500. Dan purchased it about eleven years ago. He found it in a newspaper ad listed for $1500.00. Dan managed to get it for a $1000.00. He purchased it from a young man that was a mechanic in training. The guy was selling it because he thought it was going to cost him too much to fix it up. The only thing that appeared to be wrong with the car after Dan purchased it was the distributor and the carburetor. Dan fixed those and managed to put another 3000 miles on the car.
The car was originally white but has been painted silver. Dan replaced the 352 that came in the car with a 390 and replaced the four barrel with three deuces. He also added shorty headers that he found at a Pleasanton show. In addition, Dan replaced the wheels with 15 inch wheels from his Ranchero.
Dan bought the headers for $250.00. He left them at the booth while exploring other parts of the show. When he came back a guy had been sitting there waiting for him and was willing to buy the headers for $350.00. Dan said ‘no’!
The longest trip taken in the car was to Kentucky and then on to Springfield and then to Branson Missouri where Dan and Edna won a trophy for “Longest Drive”.
At the Branson show, Dan took the caps off the headers to show how it sounded. After they attended a raffle he decided he would put the caps back on at the hotel. When he got to the hotel he discovered that the left cap had fallen off somewhere along the way. He managed to get a parts house to make a new cover for him.
As those of us who have witnessed Dan race at Woodburn know that he does love to see what the car will do. His fastest time was at Sears Point where he turned 15.63 while the four barrel was still on the car. Thus the car’s name “Quick Silver”!
Thanks Dan and Edna for taking care of this fine car. We are honored to have her as one of the club cars.
Note from the Editor: Always remember to set your parking brake!
FEATURED JUNE 2008 FLYER CAR 
The Featured June 2008 Flyer Car belongs to Neil and Jeanne Nutter. As Flyer Editor I normally write the article for the Featured Car. Neil was kind enough to send me the information I requested and it was so great I opted to let it stand on its own.
How long owned? Not exactly sure, but it's pushing 40 years.
Purchased? From my boss when I worked temporarily for the Hayward Water Dept. He bought it off the showroom floor at Hayward Ford. When asked if he wanted to try it out, he said no because he had been driving them all day long at various dealerships & they were all the same. Sooo, he didn't realize it was a 4-speed until after he had signed the contract. Thought he could live with it. I told him when he tired of shifting, I wanted to buy it. Several years later, he did...and I did.
Done to Bubba? Originally called BB (Black Beauty) because of his originality. '64 Gal. 500XL w/390. Black on red w/under 80,000 mi. All stock, all pristine. Had had only 1 driver (owner's wife didn't drive.)...Driven as a daily driver & work car by Neil for 25 years plus a period of time by Jeanne when Neil was working down south. Became Bubba when Neil retired in '92. J said to restore this car after all the faithful service. First had the engine rebuilt (after 260,000 orig..miles). Removed trim from body: painted orig. black; interior painted back to original by Claude R.; upholstery redone back to original by Jim Baker, Claude's friend; and wheels & tires replaced the stock set-up by Claude R. Who is this Claude R.?...Added tri-power & shorty headers, 3/8ths gas line, 427 gas filter & Bob Plowman's addition of an electronic ignition.
Longest Trips? Tough one. I made so many trips down to Redondo Beach/Torrance in the '70's & '80's....1 trip to San Diego, 1 to Bishop & I think one to Las Vegas & 1 to Lake Tahoe.
Why Fords? My father was a test driver for Ford; my uncle was a designer for Ford; & the whole family worked for Ford in one way or another. My step-father's family owned nothing but Fords from the "T" on.
Proudest moment: (Forget awards! I hate them!) About 5 years ago, the Cougars had a Nor-Cal show at the Lincoln-Mercury Dealership in Concord...3 different clubs as I recall. I took Bubba over as I wanted to support their clubs. When I arrived, about 90% of the participants & observers came rushing over, surrounding Bubba & asking questions. I felt so good as Bubba had smiled at the Cougars & casually trumped them. He stood alone as a king amongst his dukes & duchesses.
Funniest moment: After telling my boss I wanted Bubba, he told me he was buying a new Mercury & would sell me the car for what they said they would allow as a trade-in. And they all said: $500. At that time I didn't have $50 to my name.
That weekend, J & I went to Golden Gate Fields with friends. Guess what? J & I hit an exacta in the 5th race for $485; she turned to me & said:”You just bought yourself a car, baby!!” And the following week, we were driving a ‘64 Ford….& have been driving it ever since!!
Bubba, the car of my dreams!
The Editor only adds one comment, “It is a car of many people’s dreams.”
FEATURED APRIL 2008 FLYER CAR
The Featured April 2008 Flyer Car belongs to Sal and Lynda Orlando. The car is a 1959 Mercury Communter Wagon with great lines and lots of grace.
In 1959 the production number was 149,997. Out of that number only 1051 were two door hardtop wagons. The base price was $3,145. The engines varied from 312 with 210 HP to 430 with 345 HP.
As Sal puts it, this is a real “Little Old Lady Story.” His neighbor, Marie, was a school teacher working in China Lake, California, when she purchased the car new. When she moved back to San Jose, she thought the car was too big for her to drive in town. She told Sal that she drove the car into her garage one day and claimed that she would “never drive that car again.”
After twenty years of trying to purchase the car from her she finally sold it to Sal on July 22, 1995. The car had been stored for twenty-six years and had 34,346 miles on it. The car now has a little over 60,000 miles on it.
The car was built in Los Angeles on January 20, 1959. It has a 383 engine, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, and T&C radio. The exterior paint is Marble White and the interior is Rangoon Red.
The longest trip that Sal and Lynda took in the car was to Iola, Wisconsin, in 1999. The roundtrip was about 5800 miles and they traveled through twelve states. On that trip the car won a trophy for the longest distance driven. During the trip the highest price paid for gas was $1.779 and the lowest was $1.029.
Sal took Lynda on their first date in the car to his first car show. Sal said he won more raffle prizes at that show than any other show since, but his best prize, after a period of time, was Lynda.
Thank you, Sal and Lynda, for taking such wonderful care of this great treasure.
FEATURED FEBRUARY 2008 FLYER CAR
The featured February 2008 Flyer car belongs to Bill and Jeanette Mitchell. This one owner, big, beefy, “Bad Boy” ’61 Sunliner sports a ‘Dove” spl (Jim Dove Special) 428 Cobra Jet along with a 4:11 posi traction rear end and is putting out about 600 horses. I get chills just thinking about the power that runs this car! I am thinking maybe I can buddy up with Jeanette and when Bill is not home maybe I can take it out for a run just once! OK, I am digressing, but, oh, the fun it could be!!!
In 1961, at the ripe old age of 18, Bill had a little Chevy that was having some problems. He took it to the shop and there was a Ford dealership in San Raphael that was across the street. This car was there. Bill told the salesman he had about $800 and asked what he would need to do to buy the car. The salesman told him to go home and get his mom. His dad was not keen on him getting the car. Bill snuck his mom out of the house. She cosigned for the loan and Bill has had the car ever since.
The transmission is a top loader with a 4 speed. The car was painted in 1966 with about 30 coats of lacquer. The upholstery was done in 1962 by Jerry Sahagon. Jerry Sahagon went on to become a very reputable and well known upholster for custom interiors. In 1962 Jim paid $450 for the upholstery including having all the chrome on the inside done. He was so excited when he saw the finished product he tipped Jerry $50.00. Today a job like that would run in the thousands! The car looks just like it was painted and upholstered yesterday.
In the early 70’s Bill used to race the car. His best time was 11.64 at 118 mph.
At one point after Bill got the car. He put 4 friends in the trunk and went to the drive-in. The back end was weighted down but the guy at the booth did not say a word and charged him admittance for one. Bill pulled in, parked and opened the trunk and started letting everyone out. He looked over at the booth and the guy looked around the corner and waved to him!
Thank you, Bill and Jeanette, for taking such good care of this wonderful automobile and for sharing it with all of us at the various shows. The car is a high powered dream come true!
FEATURED OCTOBER 2007 FLYER CAR
The featured Flyer Car for October belongs to Paul and Barbara Sheatsley. This beauty is a 1965 Galaxie sporting a recently added 390 engine. The car originally came with a 352.
Paul was driving home from work approximately five years ago and was a couple blocks from his house when he saw a guy pushing the car out in the street with a For Sale sign on it. He stopped and looked at the car. He went home and took Barbara back to look at it and, well, the rest is history.
The car had been sitting for about five years and it still had a full tank of gas from the last drive five years earlier! The last time the car had been driven it had been taken on a fishing trip. Paul could barely get the wheel to turn due to the mud that had been caked and, probably, baked on, for a period of five years. The back seat was in perfect condition but the front seat was covered with cigarette burn holes. The car only had 39,000 original miles on it when Paul and Barbara rescued it. Paul said it was a good car to start with for a restoration project since basically everything was there and intact.
While the backseat was in perfect condition it had faded over time. Paul found replacement material for the front seat from a place in New Jersey and located the front seat materials in Oregon. The engine compartment was redone along with the exhaust and brakes. Basically everything except the frame was gone over, repaired or replaced. The car was painted with the gorgeous medium turquoise that you see today. Pearl was added to the paint instead of metallic. The car was technically restored to stock.
Paul and Barbara took the car to Carlisle Pennsylvania for the 100 year celebration a couple years ago and came back via Route 66. Paul said the trip on Route 66 was a “real hoot”. Paul and Barbara have also driven the car to many shows like the Dearborn show in Oregon, Fab Fords down south, Pismo and Bishop, just to name a few.
Paul and Barbara, congratulations on finding and restoring this gorgeous Gal. She is a treasure.
FEATURED AUGUST 2007 FLYER CAR
The awesome August Featured Flyer Car belongs to Tom Watkins. This beauty is a 1961 Starliner that was redone from ground up.
Tom purchased the car about six years ago for $1000.00. It had been sitting in a barn since 1977. Tom said mice had been living in it and the car really stunk.
In 2003 Tom was approached about using the car in a movie but the director wanted to use the car as it was, including the old bias tires that were about to go flat. Tom said it seemed pretty funny that the producer had a star sitting in the smelly old car. The director used the car in its former state along with four other cars that Tom owns. To enable the car to run for the movie Tom had to stick a motor and transmission in it.
As you can see from the pictures, a lot has been done since the movie! Tom spent three and one half years restoring the car. The body was taken off the frame. It was sand blasted and powder coated. Everything was taken off including the nuts and bolts, hoses, wiring, you name it, and rebuilt or replaced.
Today, the car proudly displays all the work that was done to it. The color of the car is in between turquoise and aqua and the interior is the same eye catching matching color.
The car sports a hi-performance 390 V-8 6V with about 401 horses. Among the many options on the car are the following:
- C6 transmission with gear vendors overdrive unit - power steering
- power steering - power brakes w/ front disc brakes
- heavy duty 70-amp battery - crankcase ventilation system
- tinted glass with banded windshield - heater and defroster
- am/fm radio w/ 10 disc CD changer (trunk mounted - hidden antenna (rear glass)
- rocker panel moldings - seat belts (front and rear)
- windshield washer - 2 speed electric windshield wiper
- Flo-master exhaust - tilt front seat
- front and rear bumper guards - deluxe mirrors
Tom will shortly be adding air conditioning.
Congratulations Tom on saving the car from the mice or worse and on doing such an outstanding job of making her into such a stunning automobile. She is a beauty to be proud of.
FEATURED JUNE 2007 FLYER CAR
The featured June 2007 Flyer car belongs to Ron and Sue Carmichael. This beauty is a 1963 ½ Galaxie 500 XL with a 390 stroked, bored and balanced to about a 401. The sleek lady has about 480 horses under the hood with, as Ron says, “incredible torque”.
Ron found the car in Pinehurst eighteen years ago through some club members at the time. The club members left the club a few months later. Ron didn’t say rather their departure had anything to do with the car or not!
Ron describes the work done on the car as eighteen years of renovation. There has been so much done to the car that I will not be able to do justice to the entire process in this article.
The car was, according to Ron, “A disaster and needed an awfully lot of work. It was really a project car.” Basically the car has been completely redone since Ron and Sue acquired it. The steering was gone through. Rubbers were replaced. A new front end was added. There was a new power ram put in. All the seals were changed. The drive train and drive shaft were redone and everything under the car was repaired or replaced. The engine was rebuilt twice. The interior was replaced. Roller rockers were added. The master cylinder was changed to a dual master cylinder. Mag wheels were added along with a stainless steel exhaust. New springs were put in and the car slightly lowered for stability.
The car was repainted about four years ago. The color is a gorgeous rose beige.
The rear end is currently a 300 3 -1 soon to be changed to a 3 ¼ to 1. The car is about to undergo redoing of the dash, the door panels and the seats. It will also soon have a C6.
The car has carried Ron and Sue to L.A. on several trips to Fab Fords. Ron and Sue took the car to Fab Fords shortly after it was acquired complete with bullet holes in the side. During this initial first long run, the antenna flew off hitting the side window so hard that it sounded like it broke. Then shortly after, on the same trip, the headliner came down and they had to ride with it on their heads all the way home. To make matters worse, our President’s (Neil) water pump went out on Gigi and Ron helped replace it along side the road. Some trip!
All I can say is, given the trials and tribulations that Ron and Sue must have went through with the car, it all had to be worth it, even if it took eighteen years to make it all happen. Today, she is truly a real treasure and beauty with a lot of power under the hood. Congratulations Ron and Sue for restoring and updating this classy classic lady.
FEATURED APRIL 2007 FLYER CAR
The featured April 2007 Flyer car belongs to Bob Plowman. The car is a 1960 Ford Starliner. This wonderful car currently has a 460 engine with a C6 transmission.
Bob purchased the car in 1968 for a grand total of $75.00. It was not running at the time and many of the parts were missing. Bob eventually found all the parts and drove the car for 6 months to a year before changing it.
When I asked Bob what he had done to the car his answer was, “What haven’t I done?” The car originally started out with a 352. Bob changed it to a 390, to a 427, to 429 Cobra Jet, to a 60 over 460 to make it a 472 to a 30 over to make a 466. The car also has had various transmissions and rear ends. It has also been various colors from primer, to gun metal, to burgundy to the now stock Monte Carlo red. I only wish I had Bob’s talents when it comes to be able to working on a car. He is a master of mechanics.
Bob owns several cars. The ’60 Starliner was his first Galaxie. He also has a ’66 Galaxie and a ’61 Galaxie in addition to a couple Fairlanes and others.
Bob used to drag race the car and ran 106 mph in 13:30. This time was made on the old polyglass street tires and with uncorked headers.
The car has been driven to Fab Fords about eight times, three or four times to Bishop, to Reno and to Route 66. Bob is not afraid to drive his cars and, as many of us who have followed him know, he is not afraid to make any drive in good time!
Bob said that other than some separated tires the car has never let him down.
Bob said he has experienced many “thumbs up” when driving the car including people in exotic cars. One was a guy in a Nissan NSX and other a guy in a Ferrari. At a gas station once, a guy pulled up in a beautiful ’32 Ford Vicky and came running over to talk about the Starliner.
Congratulations Bob on owning and maintaining this remarkable Starliner along with your other fine vehicles.
FEATURED DECEMBER 2006 FLYER CAR
The beautiful featured Flyer car for December belongs to Jim Daniels.
This wonderful car is a 1964 Galaxie complete with almost every option that I am aware of that was available. It has a 390 engine. Among the options on the car are:
Jim purchased the car in Santa Cruz. It had been sitting for about 18 years when he bought it. After he purchased it everything went downhill. The engine blew. The brakes went out. As one part was replaced the next one failed and consequently everything was rebuilt from front to back.
The car is not a matching numbers car but all parts are stock. Jim wanted to keep the car stock but have it be unique. Jim continually does things to make the car “more fun.” The first transmission was a C4 which Jim replaced with a C6. The C6 was replaced with a 4 speed all in the interest of making the car “more fun.”
Jim has driven the car to Los Angeles and has taken it to Hot August Nights every year for the last 15 years.
A few years ago Jim found and purchased a 1964 parts car. When he brought it home his wife told him he had gone too far this time and that the parts car “had to go.” Jim quickly took as many parts off the car as he could in a short amount of time and got rid of the parts car.
One time Jim was working on the car in the dead of winter with his son. Jim commented to his son that it could be worse, at least it wasn’t raining and about that time the sky opened up and rain came pouring down!
Jim said he only drives the car in nice weather. In about October it is put to bed for a few months. He also said he has never redone the top for the simple reason that he might then be tempted to drive it in the winter!!!
Jim said he is going to change the engine. The car has to be faster than his son’s ’65 Chevy Malibu! He is also going to redo the interior, dash and paint. I can’t wait to see it when it is done again since it is already gorgeous. Congratulations Jim on owning such a great car.
As an aside, the drip pan under the car is not there because the car leaks. The picture was taken at Hot August Nights in Sparks where they require drip pans under all the cars.
FEATURED OCTOBER 2006 FLYER CAR
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The featured Flyer car for October belongs to Craig (Mongo) Hopkins and what a nice ride it is.
The car is a 1967 Ford Fairlane GTA. For those of you that don’t know and I must admit that I didn’t the ‘A’ in GTA stands for automatic. This car won first place in its class in the Fairlane Nationals a few months ago and I certainly understand why. It is a beauty.
Mongo purchased the car about ten years ago. Up to a couple years ago it was a daily driver. In fact, Mongo lent it to his neighbor for a couple months as driver while the neighbor’s car was down. About two years ago Mongo had full body and paint work completed on the car. Mongo, along with his neighbor, gutted the interior, greased, lubed, and refitted all the parts and put the new interior in. The bodywork was done by a guy that has since moved to Wisconsin and was so good Mongo may consider taking his Ranchero to him to work on. Lafayette Auto Body did the paint and matched the color to original. The car was kept stock and for those hard to find items like emblems that were in bad shape almost were all replaced with parts from Dearborn Classics.
The Fairlane GTA has a 390 with a four barrel and factory front disc brakes. One option that was on the car new but is no longer present was the under dash 8 trac player. As Mongo said he didn’t think many people were into 8 tracs these days. The car was originally a California car and included the Sun-X factory tinted glass.
Mongo found the car via an ad he saw. The car was purchased from a man in Sunol. Apparently Mongo was the only person that drove down the long and twisting road to see the car. As Mongo said, “From all appearances it could have been a scene out of Deliverance!” When he got to the house he found the car in a field where it might have been for a good ten years with wood shavings up to the wheel wells. The car was parked next to where the man chopped wood. The man apparently bought the car as a parts car. He threw all the parts from the one he was working on in this car.
Mongo went through the engine about ten years ago and it has about 55,000 miles on the engine. He says he is going to go through the engine again this winter. Mongo said he likes working on Fords more than driving them. He really likes putting them together. Mongo also has a 1967 Fairlane Station Wagon, a 1967 Fairlane Ranchero and a 1971 Ford Pinto.
The quote I treasured most when I was talking to Mongo was, “Before this car was a daily driver junker and now it is a rare Classic!” I certainly agree this car is a rare classic and salute Mongo for the outstanding job he has done on restoring it. Mongo, you have done the car proud! Congratulations on a great job and a great car.
FEATURED AUGUST 2006 FLYER CAR
The featured Flyer car for August belongs to Rodger and Carol Mueller. What a beauty! She took my breath away!
The car is a 1967 XR7 Mercury Cougar. Rodger and Carol have owned the car since 1970 when they bought it as a second commute car. The car was a daily commute car up to 2003. The car has approximately 318,000 miles on it. The car is fully loaded with air, tilt wheel, posi-traction with an automatic in the console. It has a 289 stock engine and almost all the parts on/in it are OEM. Rodger had the foresight in the 70’s, knowing that the parts would become rare, to purchase a number of replacement parts.
The car was originally black on white. In 2003 Rodger took the car down to bare metal and took everything out including the wiring. He rebuilt the car from ground up including repairing any rust spots. Carol picked the gorgeous color which is copper metallic brown or some people refer to it as root beer. The new paint coat is so slick you just want to pet her.
Prior to the restoration there was one year they drove the car without a working heater and there was a hole in the floor which, I am sure, must have been very uncomfortable in the winter months. At another point Carol took the car to a parking lot and turned off the key but the car kept on running!!
The Mueller’s have taken the car practically all over the United States. The longest trips were to the Hill Country in Texas and to Arkansas.
The car recently took 1st place at the All Cougar Show. It also won other awards including first place in its class in Bishop.
Rodger said that now that the car has been restored he is surprised at how many thumbs up he get. He said he always looks twice at the finger to make sure it is a thumb!!
The Mueller’s also own two other 1967 XR7’s including one that Rodger purchased new. That one has a 4 speed from the factory. The 4 speed is currently undergoing the same process as the August Featured Flyer car. I can’t wait to see it when it is done.
Congratulations on owning and restoring this wonderful car. In my opinion she is no Stray Cat. She has a terrific home with fantastic owners.
FEATURED JUNE 2006 FLYER CAR
The featured Flyer car for the June 2006 edition is a beautiful 1963 Galaxie 500 convertible owned by Terry and Michelle Myer. This wonderful car features a 347 Stroker Crate Motor with a three speed on the column.
This car is essentially a one-owner car. The car originally belonged to Terry’s step dad. The car was the “apple of his eye.” When he passed he left the car to Terry who loves the car. According to Terry the car will remain in the family forever. The car will pass down to the kids when the time comes.
Terry and Michelle have owned the car since 1987. The kids used to make fun of the car and call it the BatMobile. That was until it came time for the prom. Things suddenly changed then and all of a sudden they wanted to use the car to go the prom!! Terry said, “No, no, you don’t want to take the BatMobile to the prom!” Rather he let them or not I do not know!!
The car has under a 100,000 original miles on it. Terry and Michelle took the car to the Dearborn Show in Woodburn in 2004. That trip was right after the new 347 Stroker was put in so it was the trial run for the new motor.
The car has the original rear end and chrome. The car was repainted in factory original color about twelve years ago and the upholstery was redone a year ago.
Congratulations Terry and Michelle for owning and maintaining such a beautiful automobile. The car is indeed a true treasure.
FEATURED APRIL 2006 FLYER CAR
The beautiful April 2006 featured flyer car belongs to Jerry and Caroline Diaz. It is a 1964 Galaxie with a 289, 3 speed on the column.
Jerry and Caroline will have owned the car 20 years this coming August. The previous owner and his wife had purchased the car new. The man’s wife had passed away 5 years prior to Jerry inquiring about the car. When Jerry called him about the car the man asked why he wanted it and Jerry said he had a XL in high school and Jerry thought the man was going to hang up on him. He then told Jerry that if he was going to race the car or make into a low rider then he would just have the car crushed. Finally, Jerry convinced the man to meet with him after stating that he was going to restore the car to stock. When he met with the man they agreed on a price (a whooping $700.00) then the man told him that he would go with Jerry to take the car for a ride. If he liked the way Jerry drove the car it was his. If he didn’t like the way he drove it he would give him back the money and have the car crushed!! Jerry said he felt like he was taking a test for his driver’s license but he felt just like a kid again. Obviously, the man had some attachment to the car and Jerry managed to pass the test and we are glad that he did!!
About 3 years ago Jerry ran into problems with the car on his way home from Bishop. He was about a block and a half from his house when the car died. A man driving a Hearse with skinny tires stopped and fixed the car. It turned out to be a simple fix and Jerry has never seen the man again. Jerry and his wife both thought it was a little eerie.
Since Jerry has had the car he has redone everything except the transmission and the suspension. The engine has 3500 miles on a rebuild. The car was originally white. The car was taken down to bare metal and then painted. The car is painted turquoise with a white pearl top. The interior was replaced to stock except for the color which is white pearl to match the top. Everything on the car has been restored to stock except for the colors.
If you pay special attention to the paint that is around the chrome strips on the side of the car, a portion of the white pearl enhances the presence of the front side chrome piece.
Congratulations to Jerry and Caroline on rescuing the car from the crusher and for owning and maintaining such a terrific automobile.
FEATURED DECEMBER 2005 FLYER CAR
The featured car for December 2005 belongs to Claude and Carol Reimche. This outstanding beauty is a 1961 convertible Galaxie with a 428CJ that is “race ready.” This car was the 352nd car off the line in September 1960 for the opening of the 1961 car season.
The modifications include, but are not limited to: 4 wheel disc brakes, Lentech AOD transmission, Currie 370-1 31 tooth axle, Detroit Locker rear end, Vintage Air, Gear Heads power steering, 605 steering box, hydro boost brake system, 16 inch torque thrust wheels and, of course, custom interior by Advanced Concepts in Calimesa, California. The paint color is Infinity’s Ivory Quartz.
The car was purchased in 1996 from a lady who had stored the car in her garage. The lady fed walnuts and peanuts to the Russian Squirrels on her property. The squirrels found their way into the garage and made the car into a storage shed for their nuts. When Claude purchased the car it was full of nuts. Over the years as things have been replaced and taken apart Claude says he has been able to rid the car of all the nuts except for a few shells that remain in the frame.
The beautiful interior features flames on the boot cover and door panels. Arm rests have been added to the stock front seats. The trunk prominently features the Ford logo. Unfortunately, the pictures do not do the car justice. The interior, and for that matter, the engine and exterior are all awesome.
When asked what some of the funnier moments with car were, Claude replied that every time he goes somewhere he ends up fixing something that he thought was already fixed. For instance, the headlights stopped working at Bishop, the tire tread separated at Redding, the fan shorted out at Fun Ford Sunday and the list goes on.
Carol has also been known to enjoy the finer aspects of the car as well. One Saturday she took the car for a spin. On the freeway where it went from three to four lanes she pushed the pedal to the metal (sort of speak) and buried the speedometer and then realized she was passing everyone! I understand that she got quite a rush from this experience and is more cautious now when pushing the accelerator.
Congratulations Claude and Carol for giving this fast, sleek, powerful, gorgeous lady a new life. She definitely deserved more than the squirrels were offering. It also gives a new meaning to “being nuts over a car!”
FEATURED OCTOBER 2005 FLYER CAR
The featured car this month belongs to Doug and Sharon Saint. It is a wonderful car that I just adore. I have seen it at many car shows and am just awestruck every time I look at it.
The car is a 1959 Skyliner retractable with a 390 engine. The car has been owned by Doug and Sharon for fourteen years and they have put over 100,000 miles on it. The engine and transmission were replaced along the way. The car has been restored just short of a frame off restoration including disassembling, painting and upholstery.
The ’59 Skyliner retractable has seven motors, 910 feet of wiring, ten relays and eleven multi function switches to make the top operate. Ford produced the retractable in 1957, 1958 and 1959. In ’57 there were 20,766 produced. In ’58 another 14,713 were manufactured and in ’59 there were only 12,915 rolled off the production line. While there were several thousand produced over the three year period I doubt that many survived since the car was known to have difficulties such as if the car was not on level ground the top might not operate. Despite some of the problems encountered with operating the top, considering when it was built and, that appliances like televisions, had not been out that long, it was, and is, in my opinion, a mechanical marvel.
Doug found the car at Hot August Nights in 1991 in front of the court house. Doug says that it took him another five or six weeks to convince Sharon that he needed it!
Doug and Sharon have driven the car to Washington twice, to Colorado twice, to Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma City and on Route 66 coming back from Canada twice. The car also makes an annual trip to Hot August Nights.
Among humorous stories about the car, on one trip to Fab Fords the switch box that bypasses all the switches was left plugged in and on the floor. Doug and Sharon’s granddaughter accidentally stepped on the switch box and the top tried to open while they were driving down the road (Doug didn’t say at what speed) which resulted in considerable damage. The car had to be shown at Fab Fords that year with the top up.
Congratulations Doug and Sharon for owning such a fantastic automobile and for the love and attention that the car obviously enjoys.
FEATURED AUGUST 2005 FLYER CAR
The featured car for the August Flyer edition is Gary Vanier’s great 1967 Ford Country Squire 9 passenger wagon. The car has a 390cc engine and has been owned by him for over 30 years. This terrific car began life as a modern day “depot hack” in the Bay Area of northern California. It was ordered with what Ford called the “taxi” package which included oversized brakes, cooling system and heavy duty suspension. Being a 9 passenger wagon this car had the “Magic Doorgate” and the extra side mount seats and lockable storage compartment.
This car was a 1967 model built in late 1966. It was leased to a Burlingame travel agency to drive passengers from the agency to the San Francisco Airport in 1967. The car was kept at the travel agency and Gary was told never taken home or used for other purposes by the owners of the agency. It was turned in at the end of the year which was when Gary purchased it from the lease company, Engs Motor Trucks of San Francisco. As a result of not being used often this car had very low miles on it when Gary purchased it.
Over the years this car has been in all of the United States and Canada. It has pulled a 30 foot Airstream and 18 foot speed boat all its life. Now, it pulls a wooden matching teardrop camp trailer, which was pulled on a 45 day trip during the summer of 2000 to and around Alaska. This car is mostly original although the engine has been rebuilt.
In the 1970’s this wagon went on one trip, during a six week period, covering over 10,000 miles throughout the North Western U.S. and Western Canada pulling an Airstream trailer the entire distance with no trouble.
This terrific car is still used and enjoyed by Gary’s family in the “Gold Country” of Northern California. It has been in Hot August Nights and many other car shows and celebrations over the years.
This editor knows first hand that the car has also been invited to be in a movie or two. The car was also featured in an article, “From Travel Agent to Tractor” in “Station Wagon – A Tribute to Americas Workaholics on Wheels” in 1998.
AND, by the way, congratulations to Gary on his trophy at the Bethal Island Car Show and for owning such a fabulous automobile.
FEATURED JUNE 2005 FLYER CAR
In each of the upcoming Flyers I hope to feature a car belonging to one of the club members. I hope that everyone will find it interesting to learn about the other member’s cars.
The featured car for the June 2005 Flyer belongs to Jim Veatch and his lovely wife Sheila. Their beautiful car is a 1966 convertible Mercury S55. Jim and Sheila ordered the car new from the factory 39 years ago. It was their first new car and Jim and Sheila use to cruise main in it. The car also had the honor of taking Sheila to the hospital to deliver Jim and Sheila’s first newborn.
The car features a powerful 428 engine with a C6 transmission. 1966 was the first year that the 428 and the C6 were offered. The convertible top is complete with a glass back window which was offered as a new feature in 1966. Only 669 convertibles in this model were produced.
The car has been registered in seven states. Jim and Sheila grew up and lived in states (Idaho, Colorado, Utah) that where heavy with game but it was not until their first trip to San Luis Obispo in the Mercury that they hit a deer!
The Mercury has about 155,000 actual miles on it. The motor and transmission were rebuilt in 1994. The interior is all original except for the driver’s seat. It is clear that the car has been loved, well taken care of and enjoyed. This beautiful car demonstrates pride of ownership.