This here is a biggie that is well worth reading from top to bottom and beginning to end!

(Therefore; I am putting a table of contents like I did several months back on a large issue.)

So get comfortable and enjoy this edition to the fullest!

1- Editor’s Introduction

2- Feedback

3- New advertiser

4- Picture Caption Cut-Up Contest

5- Cruise Night information

6- Guest Writer’s Columns:

Lou Refano

Kim de Bourbon

Steve Goldsmith

Rich’s Tech Tips

7- My Car Story

My Car Story

8- The Archive

9- Editor’s Closing

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OK, so October is here. No need to panic, we still have a couple of months left!

That is often the mood when fall comes around and people feel the car season in the northeast is nearing its end.

Well it doesn’t have to be! Let’s keep it going until December! Why not?!

I’m game if you are!

Hey, just cause there’s a little fall foliage starting to turn color around mid-month is NO reason to put your cars away and cease “hanging out!” Don’t piss me off now all you lightweights out there!!

Yeah, it gets dark early. So what! Cruise night locations have lighting and we have headlights that work!

Don’t you remember all those years of being out until midnight or later!? 9 or 10 PM pales compared to that!

I want to see cruise nights stay in full force through Thanksgiving!!!

Be there or else!

Glad I got that off my chest.

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Feedback

The comments are all appreciated, please keep sending them in!

Here are some of the latest ones I’d like to share with you.

Hey, when are you guys gonna start charging for attending shows? They should be paying you!

You guys do so much for free! It’s appreciated! And thanks!!

Doug Manelow

Do you guys do bikes? I have a motorcycle I want to sell. It would be nice to add a bike section!

F. Didrich

Pete,

Just a line to let you know this is a great site and is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

Well done articles this month! I enjoy every one of them! When is October’s coming out?

Do any of your writers do stories on people’s cars?

Tom McGuire

I just went to your site again last night to find all the weekend shows! Great job with the site!

Thanks for putting everything all together in one place. My husband and I love it!

Sarah

Thanks for the comments folks.

Tom, the writers usually only do stories of their own choosing. The “My Car Story” section is for people to write articles about their own vehicles. Send yours in if you like. We’d be glad to have it!

As far as motorcycles go; we are kicking around the idea. Several people at cruise nights and shows have asked about it.

We’ll keep you posted and make an announcement if we decide to add a bike section. Let’s get some more feedback on it.

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Please take note of our new advertiser:

AutoMat; Here is a business that has been around for decades. Since the late 1950’s! These people are consummate pros that do wonders with repairs and with custom jobs of all kinds.

See them for all of your interior’s needs: leather, suede, cloth, vinyl, carpet, headliner, door panels, dashes, and anything else you may have! They perform custom designs and modifications, as well as bone stock restorations. They also do weather-stripping, and mechanical/electrical work.

Tell them that Long Island Classic Cars.com sent you and get a discount on services!

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Long Island Classic Cars.Com’s

AUTOMOTIVE PICTURE CAPTION CONTEST

Submit your caption along with your name and e-mail address to: newsletter@liclassiccars.com

This contest is open to everyone! (LI Classic Cars.com paid personnel, regular column writers, and business advertisers are not eligible.)

Winners will be notified by e-mail and/or phone.

Please submit all entries by the 1^st of the next month. (ex: for October’s contest the entries are due by November 1^st)

No substitutions of prizes will be allowed.

In the event of prize choices, winner will be given the opportunity to select the one they want.

All decisions are final and are made by the paid personnel of Long Island Classic Cars.com

A few simple rules:

1) Be funny and creative!

2) Keep it somewhat clean!

Here is last months winning entry from John Vicari

"At $3.89 a gallon I deserved more than just gas"

John wins his choice from a selection of 1/18^th scale die cast cars. Congrats John!

OK – Here is this month’s picture for our “Caption Cut-Up Contest”!!

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“EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!”

2005 Cruise Night location updates:

TUESDAYS: McDonald's. Metropolitan Ave. & 69^th Road, Forest Hills, NY.

Sponsored by East Coast Car Association/Toys For Tots

TUESDAYS: Audrey Ave. Oyster Bay, NY

Sponsored by Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce

TUESDAYS: Bald Hill Cultural Center. North Ocean Ave. Farmingville, NY

Sponsored by the Farmingville Fire Department

TUESDAYS: Old K-Mart Plaza. Hempstead Tpk. Levittown, NY

Public gathering.

WEDNESDAYS: Long John Silver's/A&W. Union Blvd, South of Sunrise Hwy. West Islip, NY.

Public gathering CANCELLED

WEDNESDAYS: KFC. William Floyd Pkwy & Montauk Hwy. Shirley, NY

Sponsored by Bow Tie Boulevard Camaro Club

THURSDAYS: Wendy’s. LIE South Service Rd at Exit 62. Holtsville, NY.

Sponsored by The Fabulous 50’s & 60’s Car Club

THURSDAYS: Wendy’s Shopping Center. Montauk Hwy and Locust Ave, Oakdale, NY

Sponsored by Steve’s Collision.

SATURDAYS: Sonomax Station. 278 Greenpoint Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.

Sponsored by East Coast Car Association/Toys for Tots

SATURDAYS: Kohl’s. Corner Grand Blvd and Commack Rd. Deer Park, NY.

Public gathering.

SATURDAYS: King Kullen Shopping Center. William Floyd Pkwy. North of Montauk Hwy. Shirley, NY.

Sponsored by Bow Tie Boulevard Camaro Club

SUNDAYS: *AM Cruise* Ocean Pkwy, Captree Beach Parking Lot through May, then at OBI.

Public gathering.

More Cruise Night updates as they develop in the next Newsletter.

Be sure to check the EVENTS page daily!!

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GUEST WRITER(S) COLUMN(S)

Lou Refano shifts gears and writes about one of the biggies this time out. Chrysler Corporation. Lou does a top job of telling us about their re-birth a few decades ago - back into one of the world’s top innovative automakers. Viper, PT Cruiser, Prowler, LHS, Minivan, Ram, Jeeps, Crossfire, Hemi, etc, etc, etc!

David Deutsch, President of the National MG Club and a local Long Island guy - took a sojourn across the country and back with some of his fellow MG compatriots! Kim de Bourbon wrote this article about their trip! Talk about taking a cruise! These folks know how to do it and do it in style! So next time some guy says he isn’t going to a show because driving his car more than 15 minutes from his house is too far – tell him to read this!

Steve Goldsmith is a first time writer for the Newsletter. We welcome him aboard!

Steve writes about the art form of collecting Automobilia. You know all that really cool dealer stuff about muscle cars from way back when? Well today those promos and giveaway items can fetch pretty big bucks!

“Rich’s Tech Tips” is another well balanced article. This time he teaches us about….yup…wheel balancing. Check out his articulation and terminology! This guy is well versed!

In this month’s “My Car Story” Mike Maneri tells us a little about his gorgeous T-Bucket!

What a cool ride to be tooling around in! Wish I had one.

Another “My Car Story” article is from Lou Feis. Lou is the original owner of this immaculate and glorious Nova SS.

He has a great story to tell about it. Smart man with a great plan!

Enjoy…

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Due to technical difficulties, Lou’s article has been postponed this month.

Check back to see if it becomes available. Thank you.

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The following was originally published in:

Keystone Region MG Club

August 2005 MG Gazzette

Ring Around the Country

6,000 miles in a 1966 MGB

By Kim de Bourbon

Keystone Region MG Club

There’s nothing like driving 6,725 miles across the country and back in a vintage MGB to make you feel “one” with your car.

Our trip out to Olympia, Wash., for the North American MGB Register convention this July was the vacation of a lifetime.

RC03718 We left our home in Delaware Water Gap on Thursday, June 30, in the company of three MGB couples from Long Island: David and Eileen Deutsch of East Meadow in their 1975 MGB, Alan and Enid Patraka of Bayside, Queens, in their 1980 MGB, and George Carrasquillo and June Ladden of Hicksville in their 1976 MGB. Bill Cadden of Farmingdale had some technical issues with his 1977 MGB and got a late start, but caught up with our group in Wisconsin.

By the time we pulled into Olympia on Wednesday, July 6, our group was 14 MGs strong, with people joining our caravan from Virginia, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Michigan.

What a blast! The trip was organized by David Deutsch, chairman of the NAMGBR, who plotted the route and booked all the rooms along the way, getting us the best rates possible, with continental breakfasts included. My husband, Charles, as usual, drove the Subaru Search and Rescue Vehicle, so we had two large coolers at our disposal. This meant we could have picnic lunch stops along the way, greatly cutting down on expenses and adding a great deal to the level of fun.

With gas prices the way they are, it was best not to think about how much money was going into the tank at each fill-up. Just swipe that credit card and pump! (I still haven’t added up what it cost for all the gas there and back, but I put in 259 gallons on the trip, so you do the math!)

What most people want to know when hearing about our trip is (1) how was the driving and (2) were there any major breakdowns.

RC03545 The driving was just fantastic, especially once we got past Chicago and into the more interesting states. This was a driving vacation, for sure, with not a lot of time for touristing. We averaged 500 miles a day, driving roughly from 8 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m., with breaks about every two hours. We really did become “one” with our little cars. More than once, as our group got off the road to stand in a motel lobby waiting to check in, someone would comment that their body was still vibrating.

As for me, I just kept being amazed at how my little 1966 MGB just kept going and going and going, across farmland, prairies, deserts, steep mountain passes, great canyon switchbacks, all the way across the nation.

All in all, there were few regrets about not having much time to stop to see the tourist sights, since every day was a new series of fantastic scenery to be seen right from the seats of our MGBs. We all had two-way radios, which helped pass the time and communicate any problems or requests for stops.

RC01001

Car problems? We had a few, but nothing out of the ordinary, really. Every MG in our group was the focal point of a roadside “tech session” at one time or another. All told, we had two occurrences of loose alternator bracket bolts, two flat tires, one loose exhaust bracket, one oil filter with a hole in it, one stuck throttle cable, one cracked windshield, one loose lifter, two bad starters and one loose carb needle. Nothing that took more than 30 minutes to set right, though.

My car experienced the worst failure of the group, when the front mount of the driver’s side leaf spring started pulling loose from the underside of the car in Minnesota on the way back. I started experiencing a big rear-end shimmy-shake on acceleration, and when we pulled over at the next rest area, discovered the rear left wheel shifted back in the wheel well about an inch and a half, and the front mount of the spring hanging down, only partially attached.

David had an ingenious temporary fix: He jacked the car up to take the tension off the springs, and stuck the handle of a screwdriver under the rear spring mount. When the car was lowered, the screwdriver handle tightened up the leaf spring at the back, forcing the front mount back up flat under the car.

We had already scheduled a stop that day at World Wide Imports in Madison, WI. to tour their British shock rebuilding operation. The owner, Peter Caldwell, let me drive my car into the shop and loaned Dave a drill so he could secure the loose mount with a bolt through the floor board. The temporary fix worked great, and got me safely home for 1,500 more miles.

RC03738 Now, back to the driving . . . Heading west, we first got off the interstate in South Dakota, where we took a fantastic, surreal drive through Badlands National Park and then through the lonesome prairie to Mount Rushmore, where we had an excellent top down “drive by” of the famous monument. (We couldn’t stop because it was the day before July 4th, and the place was jammed with people waiting for a huge fireworks show. We lucked out, though, because the next week they put scaffolding up over the monument to start cleaning it.)

That night we had dinner in Deadwood City, in a historic gambling hotel right on the main avenue. Lots of colorful characters in Deadwood, and some of them were sporting six guns!

Heading to our motel that night, just before leaving South Dakota, the odometer on my B flipped over from 99,999 to 00,000! I had been anticipating the moment, and pulled over to let Charles ride in the passenger seat and record the numbers rolling over on videotape.

The next day really started the adventurous part of our drive, as we left the interstate behind and wound our way through the wild lands of Wyoming, past Devil’s Tower and through some of the most spectacular mountain passes and canyons. The outside temperature went from 56 degrees at the top of the mountain to 86 degrees at the bottom of the canyon floor. We found great picnic grounds in a sleepy little outpost called Ten Sleep, where our pack of cars drew lots of attention.

This drive across Wyoming on the Fourth of July was probably the best day of our westward trip, as we made it to Yellowstone National Park in the mid-afternoon. We had a wonderful run through the western side of park, saw wild buffalo and elk, and ended up at the Old Faithful geyser just in time to see it blast off.

RC03622 Our trip turned north from that point, heading to Bozeman, Montana, for the evening. The day was a little longer than expected, and the sky drew dark, but we were rewarded by seeing fireworks displays going off on both sides of the road for a good 10 miles on our way to the motel. It’s a scene I’ll always remember, a climax to the best Fourth of July I ever had.

We had planned to have a Fourth of July cookout and fireworks of our own that night, but didn’t get in until about 10 p.m., so we were all too tired for festivities. The next day’s drive was an easy one, though, so we celebrated the “Fifth of July” when we got to eastern Washington. We were booked at a great “vintage” motel with a central court, and the owner welcomed us to have an evening cookout. We had a great time having some beer and cooking cowboy hot dogs and buffalo burgers. Charles was dismayed to find we weren’t permitted to set off the fireworks he’d brought. Apparently what was OK to do on July 4 was forbidden on July 5!

RC03631 RC03702

The next day was a short drive to arrive triumphantly at our destination in Olympia, but not without some more spectacular scenery through canyons and mountain passes. At this point, we were simply filled with “wow!” from all that we had seen heading west.

We stayed put in Olympia for four days and nights, enjoying the events and tech sessions associated with MG 2005. Even though we’d already done more than our share of driving, we took part in one of the driving events, just to get to the Pacific Ocean and truly complete the transcontinental experience. One of the highlights of the convention was a salmon barbecue presented by the Squaxin Island Indian tribe at their reservation. Turns out this was a great place for Chas. to set off his fireworks, since they didn’t have any silly municipal ordinances about such things there!

Friday was the only real day of rain we had on the whole trip, but provided a good excuse to relax and chat with MG friends new and old. Saturday was show day, and the weather was outstanding, even if we did have to have the show in the hotel parking lot instead of on the lawn, due to the heavy rain the day before. The show itself was great, and how wonderful to see lots of cars we’d never seen before! (Although there were 19 cars in my Mark I class, and 11 of them were red.)

Sunday we headed out bright and early to start our trip back east. A different route was planned, which allowed us to continue the sense of adventure.

The absolute highlight of our whole 17-day trip was our drive through Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana that Monday. The experience was perhaps enhanced because none of us knew anything about the place, and so had no expectations. After a delightful picnic lunch near the shore of a lake, we continued on what we thought was just a pleasant drive through the park.

Soon, however, as we wound our way around the foot of a mountain, it became clear that the road ahead was climbing, and steeply. With our tops down, we were able to look way up and see cars moving along ledges a couple of thousand feet above our heads, and before we knew it, we were driving our MGBs on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. This two-lane scenic highway, completed in 1932, is an engineering marvel that has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This is 50 miles of jaw-dropping driving adventure, and it really has to be driven in a top-down sports car to be believed. (I’m still smiling thinking about this drive!)

The road climbed to 6,640 feet above sea level, well above the timberline and within easy view of glaciers. Snow pack in July ... Not something you see out East, that’s for sure. Topping it all off was the sighting of a grizzly bear. Far enough away not to be a danger to anyone (or their cars!), but close enough for a real good look, and we all were thrilled.

Those are just some of the highlights of our great adventure. There’s a lot more to tell -- and about 2,000 more photographs to show -- but space just doesn’t permit. Chas. will have a stupendous DVD production to show at our club’s annual banquet in January.

Here's a link to hundreds of other photos of the trip:

http://www.mgnetworks.bgastudios.com/Olympia%202005/Ring%202/index.htm

(Wow Kim! What an adventure! And to think most guys don’t drive more than a few minutes from their home! Or they say “The nights are too cool for cruise nights” or “It gets dark too early.” They should all be ashamed after reading this article!! More power to the MG guys and gals!) Pete

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COLLECTING AUTOMOTIVE MEMORABILIA (Automobilia)

By Steve Goldsmith

As a seven year old car kid, my interest in Tonka trucks and Matchbox cars turned to visiting local car dealerships. I collected brochures and any other give aways I could get my little hands on.

As I grew, so did my collection, which also included car magazines, books, models and slot cars. I grew up in West Hempstead, which at the time was the home of Aurora Model Motoring slot cars and the nearby Hempstead dealer row where many of my brochures originated.

As an adult that has saved all my car stuff, my collection has grown in many directions. Although I appreciate all cars, my main focus has been Chrysler products, primarily cars from the muscle car era.

Today I find it challenging to find brochures that I have never seen and always come across new and unusual pieces at car show swap meets. I find brochures from other countries fascinating because although the cars look like domestics, model names, features and engine options can be quite different.

I also try to collect anything Chrysler issued or endorsed such as slot car racing sets, promotional models, board games, puzzles, pins, jackets, matchbooks, post cards, posters, dealer displays and signs, stock reports, data books and color/upholstery selectors. Data and selector books are wonderful sources of information and most have actual color and upholstery samples. One of my favorites is the 1968 Dodge color selector which features a clear image of each car, as well as fold out cards of each color so a buyer can visualize each model in every color prior to placing an order.

Memorabilia collecting is an exciting and interesting hobby that can be enjoyed year round. A great time to enjoy collecting is during the cold winter months. Nobody likes to drive their classics in the snow but you can always take out an old slot car or drag race set and do a few blasts down your own miniature drag strip in the comfort of home.

A number of really cool electronic drag racing sets were distributed by Dodge and Plymouth dealers such as Scat City and Shutdown. Features such as working 4 speed shifters, racing sounds, starting lights and cars like Road Runners, GTX's and Challengers could be raced down your own miniature drag strip. These drag racing slot car sets are rare but can often be found at major Mopar swap meets. If purchasing, make sure both cars are complete and in good shape. Sets should have a clean original box with instructions, transformer, all track sections and start and finish sections. Expect to pay $300-$700 for a decent set. Unfortunately you will usually have to take the sellers word on the working condition so be careful and try to purchase from a reputable vendor.

Extremely low price sets have also been purchased by word of mouth or at garage sales so keep your eyes and ears open. I am sure quite a few of these truly fun pieces of Mopar history are collecting dust in basements and closets around the country.

(Thanks for article Steve. I like collecting these things too!) Pete

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GOOD VIBRATIONS .... ITS ONLY FOR THE BEACHBOYS !!!

By Rich Fiore

There is nothing worse than a cruisin down the highway and pickin’ up some vibrations... and I ain’t talkin’ the Beach Boys surfer dudes. Usually vibrations will be felt at certain speeds since everything has its frequency. Vibrations can be felt through the steering wheel, your seat or through the brake pedal when stopping. A vibration lets face it is not a good thingy and can eventually lead to damage somewhere along Route 66.

So what causes a vibration you ask ? Well I'm glad you’re so inquisitive. A vibration is caused by anything that is set into motion and is out of balance. That motion is usually circular around a central axis point. If that item is not true by weight or shape, it is not balanced. Typical items on a car would be a tire, wheel, bearing, rotor, or brake drum. The spindle would be the axis point. Other items would be pulleys, harmonic balancers, flywheels, clutches, torque converters, drive shafts, transmission and rear axle components. For this installment we will look at tire and wheel balance and save the other items for another glorious day.

So lets start with tire balance and the different types of balance used to keep those skins smoothly cruisin down the road. The two types of balance used are static ( bubble ) and dynamic. Before we even go there lets take a look at where a heavy spot on a tire could be and how it will cause a vibration. If a heavy spot in the rubber is on lets say the sidewall, its going to " push " its way towards the centerline of the tire. Its like taking that rope and spinning it over your head fast enough to where it is perpendicular to your body there cowboy. Its the same with a tire in motion and the faster the speed the more critical the balance. So if this heavy spot is on the outer sidewall at the Twelve O'clock position, it is going to push inward towards the car and create a vibration. Now this is where the dynamic balance comes in. If this heavy spot at that position were found to be 1/2 ounce, a counter weight of 1/2 ounce would be put on the inside of the tire at the same 12 O’clock position. Another option ( with the same outcome ) would be to put that 1/2 ounce weight on the same side but 180 degrees from the heavy spot. In this case it would be at the 6 O'clock position. For most like myself, I would prefer to hide the weights.

So now lets say that the heavy spot is right smack dab in the middle of the tire tread. Right down the center line. This would not show up on a dynamic balancer. But what would happen is every time that heavy spot would contact the road it would " thump " and bring on vibration. This is where a bubble balance is used. The tire/wheel is placed on a calibrated ( leveled ) bubble balancer. The bubble balancer is cone shaped and the wheel self centers as it is placed on the level. If the tire/wheel is not in balance ( bubble is out of center circle ), 2 weights of equal size are placed at the outer edge of the rim until the bubble centered. These weights are then hammered to each side of the rim at that exact location. The reason for this is simple. By doing this you will not offset the dynamic balance by placing equal weights on opposite sides of the tire. They essentially cancel one another out. To properly balance a tire the dynamic balance should be done first then the bubble balance done second.

Other items that should be checked when it comes to tire/wheel rotation is that of runout. There are two types , radial and lateral runout. A fixed object should be placed adjacent to the tire sidewall, rim and the tire tread area. A cement block usually works well. A drill bit can be used to measure the runout. All should fall within the manufacturer's specs. If the rim is found to be out of tolerance move it to another hub. If is it also found to be out then its time to replace the rim. If its ok on the second hub then measure the runout of the first hub. If it is out make sure bearings are ok. If good then its time for a new hub.

So that's basically it when it comes to balance relative to the tire/ wheel assemblies. It is not all that confusing when you understand where a heavy spot might turn up and its potential for front end vibration.

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Quick and Dirty : When was the last time you checked your tire pressures ( including the spare ), rotated, and balanced your tires.

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My Car Story Mike Maneri: 1923 Ford T-Bucket

I bought the 2 ½ years ago from a guy in Brooklyn, it was a basket case in some respects, but a nice car to start with in others. I took the entire car apart, it was repainted and I changed the springs and other suspension parts. It was rewired and had all new gauges put in. A new top and great yellow color were added. The car also received directionals as an add-on. Jag style headlights are on it as well. The car has 39 Ford style taillights but they are LEDs, and there is also an LED third light for a touch of the modern. This is a fiberglass body car.

The transmission is a TH350 with a new shifter unit. It has a Jaguar rear with 3.73:1 gears. The engine is a 350 Chevy unit that was torn down and rebuilt. A bigger cam was added, as was a tunnel ram with dual Carter 4 barrels, and it was topped of with a set of velocity stacks! The exhaust consists of a set of Jet-Hot coated headers and Speedway extension pipes.

Tons of chrome work is on the car. Everything is either stainless steel, chrome, or polished aluminum. Even the firewall is chrome! The chassis is painted as well, and the underside is detailed.

The interior has new carpeting, however the seats were done before I got it. A new shifter was added as was a new stereo system. The new cloth top was done by RP interiors in Glen Head, and the paint was done by Elite Coachworks of Glen Cove. It sports chrome spoke wheels and a set of large monster tires out back with bike sized wheels in the front. 4 wheel disc brakes bring it to a stop.

New brake lines, fuel and tranny lines. All are stainless steel. Every single bolt has been changed to stainless steel as well.

I wanted quality as much as I wanted good looks. The car runs great and is very reliable. Incredible fun to drive and turns head always. I plan on keeping it for many years and may in the future add a higher horsepower engine to the mix!

(Gorgeous car Mike! Sweeeet ride!) Pete

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My Car Story Lou Feis: 1966 Chevrolet Nova SS

I bought this car brand new in 1966 from Booth Chevrolet in West Islip. My payments were a whopping $36.31 cents per month for 36 months! I traded in my 1964 Chevy II for it and they gave me $800. The Chevy II was a 4 door Aqua Blue car which my wife hated. The sticker on my Nova was $3,226. My wife and I met when I had the Chevy II. Her comments led me to getting the Nova.

After only about a year of owning the car, I got drafted and went to Vietnam. After 1 ½ years of service I came home. During my time away, my brother used the Nova, and he complained to me saying “What’s wrong with this car?! All it does is go sideways!”

He went through two clutches in only 13 months! I thought he was gonna baby this car while I was gone. I guess I was wrong.

I had this car as a daily driver for about 8 years. Then I put it aside because gas got too expensive. It had gone over 50 cents a gallon!! It cost me $5 to fill it up! That was too much back then. I didn’t want to get rid of it, so I just bought a little econobox and used that for a while. I had a few other cars over the years as well. From time to time I took the Nova out for fun. From the mid 70’s to about 5 years ago I just enjoyed the car without doing much to it. Then about 4 years ago I had the car restored from the ground up! It had a body refreshening and the original color Regal Red paint applied. I had a lot of foresight back then and knew I wanted to keep this car forever. So decades ago (in the 60’s) I started buying parts and stocking them up for “some day”. I kept them all these years down in my basement!

When restoration time came, everything the car needed I had NOS in my basement. So during the resto, all that was redone was done with original 1960’s GM parts! No replacement stuff or aftermarket. This car is either original or NOS. The interior was redone with an entire interior that I had for 30 years. That included the headliner, carpet, door panels, and seats. All the chrome trim was redone as well. Engine and tranny were gone through and put back in the car. Obviously this vehicle is an all numbers matching drivetrain.

The car has a 327 engine with 275HP and it weighs only 2740 lbs. so it is VERY quick. It has a 3.08:1 posi-rear with a Muncie 4 speed. No power otions at all. The only “extra” items were an AM radio and a signal flasher!

Since the restoration I enjoy the car a lot. I go cruising in it and take it to car shows. I get tons of attention and “head turning”. People are always asking me who did the paint job. I drive the car for fun and my wife thinks it is great and she is glad I kept it all these years. To top it all off – the car still has only 39,000 miles on it!

(Lou, you definitely had great foresight! What a wonderful story!) Pete

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Here is where you can access previous editions of the Long Island Classic Cars Online Newsletter.

October 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Oct03.html

November 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Nov03.html

December 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Dec03.html

January 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jan04.html

February 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Feb04.html

March 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Mar04.html

April 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Apr04.html

May 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/May04.html

June 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jun04.html

July 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jul04.html

August 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Aug04.html

September 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Sep04.html

October 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Oct04.html

November 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Nov04.html

January 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jan05.html

February 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Feb05.html

March 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Mar05.html

April 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Apr05.html

May 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/May05.html

June 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jun05.html

July 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jul05.html

August 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Aug05.html

September 2005 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Sep05.html

You can also access the previous Newsletters through a link on the main page of the website.

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Thanks to our guest writers and regular columnists. Remember, all guest writers are welcome! The subject is always of your own choosing. Contact us if you are interested. The more the merrier!

We are planning a “Mustang Themed” November Newsletter. We have a couple of entries already for the “My Car Story” feature, but we would like to have a guest columnist write about the history of Mustang! Any of you Ford or Mustang club guys out there wanna be the man?!

Let us know ASAP.

Don’t forget your entry for the “Caption Cut-Up Contest” !

Remember, the winner gets a prize as well as seeing their comment posted in next months Newsletter!

Submit your caption along with your name and e-mail address to: newsletter@liclassiccars.com

Pete Giordano

Long Island Classic Cars.com