This is the best month for car shows!

September is always packed with events and the weather is usually perfect!

However it is with mixed feelings that I view the arrival of September. The reasons I say that are rooted in memories that stem from decades of life.

As always, September signals the approaching end of summer. That in itself is melancholy since the summer season holds so many fond memories: Bar-B-Qs, swimming, baseball, cars, girls in skimpy clothing, balmy nights, playing outside, basking in the sun, picnics, camping, family outings and get-togethers…the list goes on and on!

And even though I graduated many years ago…it also signals the dreaded commencement of school! That is a psychological trauma that is so embedded in my sub-conscious mind that it sends out pangs of depression into my conscious life even to this day!

Yes, some parts of school life were enjoyable, but for a car, baseball, and beach loving kid like me - it was downright sadistic in its representation of finality for those aspects of life.

I did LOVE football and Halloween (It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown), Thanksgiving and Christmas, but still the onslaught of schoolwork, cold weather, and early darkness was so dreary every year. If it weren’t for those aforementioned holidays I would have gone bonkers!!

Why when the days are naturally shorter (duration of daylight that is…a day is always 24 hours), do they make it WORSE by setting the clocks back!!? December it gets dark at 4:30! My gosh, why don’t we just move to Alaska, become Dentists, and get it all over with!

Anyway, I am going out on a tangent again. Back to Classic Cars…

Enjoy the upcoming shows and cruise nights! Lobby the people who run them to extend them into December!!

Let’s keep it going and maybe the “doldrums” won’t come around ‘til much later than usual.

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Just a note on gas prices –

I wish! Now it is

Need I say more?

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Feedback

Lately I have been getting some feedback regarding cruise nights and why they hold them where they do. Many people make valid points that some of the locations aren’t the best for space, privacy from everyday cars, and ease of accessibility. One of the places I have received many complaints about is the OBI on Sunday mornings.

[Now let me reiterate: I do not hold, sponsor, nor run these events. I merely list them here on the site. Nor do I pass judgement on them. These are comments from the public at large]

The complaints regarding OBI are that it is difficult to get to, gets crowded early and then you are shut out, and that there are better locations very close by that can also be used.

Well, I think you have to realize that most cruise nights (or cruise mornings) start small at a location, take off, get bigger and more popular, and sometimes even outgrow their original location. The thing is, they are hard to relocate after they have been established for a while. That does not mean impossible to move, many cruise nights have indeed changed places. They have not only continued to flourish at these new locales, but have also gotten larger and more popular in the process!

To change a venue, try and find out who runs it – make a suggestion for what you think might make it better - and see what happens. I encourage communication and dialogue between everyone.

A few other locations have been hampered by size and the interspersion of everyday vehicles. Levittown cruise night on Hempstead Tpk is one, as are a few others. Sometimes these places are roped off when permission is given to hold the cruise night there. Other times when it is just a free public gathering you just take what you can get!

All in all, we are very fortunate to have each and every one of these places. I for one, wish I had more time so I could attend them all every week!

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Please take note of our new advertiser:

PYROCOOL TECHNOLOGIES.

Finally a fire control system you can trust to be safe on your classic or specialty car!! Harmless to paint and environmentally safe, this is the solution to underhood flare-ups! Pyrocool’s 13.5 ounce portable fire suppression system offers the same fire extinguishing technology used worldwide on industrial fires. Pyrocool is non-corrosive and non-toxic. Pyrocool rapidly extinguishes and cools a wide range of fires including gasoline fires. The simple push button action allows the can to be used in any position – even upside down. Pyrocool is the only firefighting product to receive the USEPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

{ You can find their ad in the PARTS section of the website }

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One of our readers who you may know; Bill Gonzo, runs a business you can find in the PARTS section of the website. It is called LONG ISLAND RACEWAY & HOBBY in Farmingdale, NY. Besides giving you a discount when you tell him LI Classic Cars.com sent you, Bill also helps organize and run the F.A.S.T races over at Englishtown in New Jersey!

Below, he tells us about this wonderful event that all of you should attend!

Factory Stock & F.A.ST Racing Day at Englishtown a Huge Success!! Bringing approximately 70 + cars to the event on an 88 degree Saturday!!

www.stockappearingdrags.com

47 cars graced the show car field, including :

A documented 69 ZLI C.O.P.O Camaro! A documented 69' Yenko Chevelle driven from Canada!!

These guys got special trophies, and a lot of praise from the many spectators who attended the event as well.

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In F.A.S.T class

Mr. Consistent shows that he still has the magic touch, even when still sorting out his new combination.

Greg Gessler won the F.A.S.T class but he had to work very hard at it, because he faced a very game Ralph Barbagallo, who was very close to up-setting Greg. After it was over Greg and Ralph went at it for fun, and

Ralph cut a nice light on the Pro tree to get Greg. Finally!

Tom Cannon's beautiful small block T/A Challenger was just a bit off of the leaders, and easily wupped the rest of the F.A.S.T field. Running 119 mph consistently on a day where the air was like hot pea soup.

Lane Carey was next in his absolutely mint 70' 429 SCJ Torino. If you are a Ford fan, it is worth it to come out, just to see this car. I love this car. Lane was running easy 12.50's which was excellent considering the weather.

Gene Wilsey Brought out his spectacular 70 AAR Cuda again, and it ran very well, just a tenth or two off of Lane's times

Danny Doyle’s 71 Super Bee was a pleasure to see as well. This is a cool car. Thanks to Jeremy Benson for coming out on short notice and bringing his sweet 69 Pontiac Lemans, this car is very clean and Jeremy represented the PY forum in the F.A.S.T class for Pontiacs.

Mike Cannon, mean and nasty looking 69 Black Mustang Mach 1 was there also and got a lot of attention and comments.

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As far as the Factory Stock top leaders:

Steve Polimeni's always quick and under-estimated documented LS6 car turned in some pretty good times and was once again runner up in qualifying and in the Finals.

Bill Gonzo his 69 Pontiac Judge RAIV car out and once again faced Steve when all the qualifying was done. Gonzo got lucky in round 1 because Steve was too quick off the tree and red-lighted. Otherwise Gonzo would have been had. Round 2 Bill Gonzo cut a light and managed to hold Steve off to the end, winning on a slower ET! But a better .026 to .379 light for Steve. This was a great race and once again a great final match up.

Factory Stockers were out in force this day, and there were several cars never seen before at these events:

A white 69' Pontiac RAIII Judge 4spd in hardtop configuration. (Stephen Eymer)

Robert Klemann's picture perfect 66' dual quad 427 Fairlane!! A strong runner in the field, everyone was saying if Rob was able to hook this car up...it was game set match ...for the rest of the competitors. Rob ran in the 13's. Thanks for coming Rob, everyone loves that car of yours.

Bob Cassone brought his sweet 65 Chevy small block Malibu convertible and had a lot of fun. He did great. Very nice car.

Dom Scorziello's Matching Numbers! beautiful 72 Chevrolet 454 4 spd was here as well. This car got my vote for best appearing car at the event , but I was over-ruled. Sorry Dom.

Craig Neill's superb 71 Olds 442 convertible. This car is beyond nice looking. Its one of the cleanest 442's I have ever seen on or off the track. Thanks for bringing this car out Craig.

Although we had seen this car before, Glen's really sweet 71' firebird T/A was there. I actually met up with Glen as he was Driving his car over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the event!!

We do not have the score sheets back from Raceway Park yet, as there were lots of other entries as well, and I can't remember them right now......brain drain..........

Pictures will be posted soon at the Stock Appearing Home page and Forum

www.stockappearingdrags.com

Next race & car show November 12^th BE THERE!!!!

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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 September’s contest the entries are due by October 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 Vincent Ponz

"I was a little drunk last night, but I think I know where you bullet hub caps are."

Vincent wins a three pack of ArmorAll Extreme Tire Shine. This is the “no fuss-no muss” version in the large 15oz spray cans. Congrats Vincenzo!

OK. You all get the idea. Here is September’s picture…

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“EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!”

SEE NEW ITEMS BELOW!

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.

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!!

http://liclassiccars.com/cgi-bin/events.cgi?

Going to Oyster Bay?

HEY!! Here is one for all you cruise night attendees! (Print it out and take it with you!)

AND…The Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce is presenting its Second Annual Car Show in conjunction with the Oyster Fest!! This is a 2-day show! (You can attend either one or both days…room for 200 cars)

This year the event will have its own private parking lot where you will not have to worry about other cars coming in or out, nor about other vendors set up near you! Sat/Sun Oct. 15^th and 16^th. 10AM-4PM (Be there by 9AM to avoid traffic!!)

There will be classes with 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd. Voting is by Popular Choice Ballot collected throughout the day.

See the events section of the website for more information.

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GUEST WRITER(S) COLUMN(S)

Tom Sebastian wears many hats; writer extraordinaire, avid car collector, government agent, and now as we see..race car driver! Hold on to your hats people as Tom takes us for another spin this month! Wow! What a life he leads! This looks like fun! NOTE: hey ladies, check him out, we get a shot of him this time! He’s quite a handsome guy!

“Rich’s Tech Tips” stops at nothing to give us the information we need to fix and maintain our vehicles. This month he deals with another subject close to his heart…brake fade!

In this month’s “My Car Story” we again have two features!

Mike Pinkham’s unbelievable Z06 Tribute Vette is just that….unbelievable. You have to see this car in person! The pictures here do not do it justice at all. Mike created it to pay homage to 9-11 and he succeeded brilliantly! Stunning is only half a word to describe it.

Next up is Steve Kelly’s 1970 Ford Torino. A rare and beautiful example of one of Ford’s best! This car had great lines and was very slick looking! A superb example to be sure! What a color too!

Enjoy…

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Tom Sebastian

"The Incredible Lightness of Being"

We owe it all to them really. -- Those Anglo engineers who came up with the Spitfire. And when Churchill uttered that immortal dictum, "Never has so much been owed by so many to so few," he had no idea that those very words could well be on the lips of the multitude of fans at any of the global Formula One competitions held every two weeks from March to November. In the end, the Battle of Britain was won by superior performance technology -- just when it was most needed most. The Spitfire could out-maneuver the Messerschmitt and the rest is history.

Now next to total war, an F1 race may well be a long way down the adrenaline-rush chart (-- like, way down), but the will to win during those dark years, and the rewards for doing so, could easily have been buried and forgotten in obtuse aeronautic journals but for a few of those gifted and easily bored Brits left standing on deserted runway at Silverstone (still used today for the British Grand Prix) and other such airfields and asking, 'Now what, mate?' And the answer they came up with led directly to the wild, multi-billion dollar explosion of color and automotive technology you can see on any odd Sunday at whatever exotic locale during the long, Formula One racing season. To their already vast repertoire of aeronautical physics they added gear-ratio mechanics, the chemistry of rubber compounds, the Bernoulli Lift principle adjusted for ground-effects, and automotive metallurgy. And Viola! The birth of big-time racing![1]

Left is a photo of the author’s first, tentative (Read: scared) steps into the world of Formula One.[2] The place is Monza, Italy, home of the Italian Grand Prix. The car is a Judd-powered rocket, built for March-Leyton House. Remember them? Most folks on this side of ‘The Pond’ have little reason to. But, anyway, each of the names in the preceding sentence is a story in itself.

Judd: John Judd. One of those remarkably talented Brits who think constructing racing engines is fun. (Only the Italians are bigger car nuts.) Can’t tell you what that is comparable to because there is no known parallel. Try building even a toy airplane motor from scratch – not from a kit. A nearly impossible enterprise. From forging the motor molds; melting the ingots and pouring the liquid iron; tempering, cutting and polishing whatever the steel components you use; mould, refine and precision test the pistons, etc. etc. This is not a backyard enterprise. Well, this dude, Senior Judd, came up with a 3.5 liter, 600+ HP racing engine that was just short of what the people with the real big money and thousands of trained personnel were producing -- on a ‘Boeing’ scale -- in the huge factories of Turin and Tokyo and Oxfordshire. Eventually, he got hold of engines from the bigger companies to work with. But without corporate-sized pocketbooks to back him up, the development of a great idea like the independent, Judd Engine, was always on hold – and always doomed to a second-tier position on race day. He could place but he could not win.[3]

March Enterprises: One of the great chassis builders of the F1 era. Could not keep up with the enormous costs of the sport. The Studebaker of the F1 World. Dead, gone and buried except for the classics still found among eccentric collectors with deep pockets (very deep…).

Leyton House: Wealthy clothier who wanted to play in the ultimate glamour game; fabricated one of the more aesthetically pleasing designs (and colors) for their race cars. But came up short for the long haul. Not in Benetton’s league financially, they ended up with their own drivers waging legal suits against them, a series of crooked owners at the top, and, by the time they showed up for their last race in 1993, they had $0 sponsorship money. (They actually begged the Bank of Montreal to pay for the fuel needed in the Canadian Grand Prix of that year. Embarrassing.) Needless to say, I still value my racing outfit. It’s a collectible in my own mind!

It's a bit difficult to explain to Americans exactly what the hullabaloo over Formula One racing is all about. It hasn't really been an 'American thing' since leaving Watkins Glen (Upstate NY) in the 1970's -- and the recent return to Indy hasn't really brought it back.

(-- And that last U.S. race with only 6 cars on the track might shut it down for good over here! Talk about embarrassing!)
And this is just fine for one, Michael Shumacher. This is probably the only country in the world where the highest salaried[4] athlete could walk about free and undetected. And that he does, vacationing here all the time. Rock climbing in Utah, I am told.

To measure the impact of this sport on the world (where viewership is comparable to the Olympics and World Cup soccer – except that F1 gets these numbers every two weeks) and, especially, its impact in Britain, you would have to take a trip across ‘The Pond’ to Oxfordshire, England. While the F1 industry is spread about that entire country, it is in Oxfordshire where the preponderance of the F1 racing enterprise reigns supreme. Think Silicon Valley plus Boeing plus Martin Marietta. It's that big a deal. It goes like this in term of race expenses: At the very top is Formula One; a distant second is Le Mans-type racing (sports prototypes and the like); third is CHAMP Car -- or what used to be called, CART and INDY racing before that -- and then comes IRL, or open-wheel, oval racing. But these last two are quickly being surpassed by NASCAR as American open-wheel racing keeps subdividing.

How much does a season in Formula One cost? This past season 10 teams passed the 1 billion dollar mark. That’s the price of 2 cars and their backups (approx. 15 million each) + all the global shipping, engineers, mechanics, chassis and engine R&D, driver salaries, etc. etc. At 1320 lbs (including driver) per unit -- about a third the weight of a NASCAR -- that’s the most expensive piece of man-made transportation on the planet. (A distant second is the F15 Fighter; number 4 is the Trident Submarine…!)

A billion wangers… For a fricking car race!? You might well be asking.
Fact is, they just look at the thing differently over there. As Eddie Cheever[5] -- a guy who has raced on both sides of the Atlantic – noted, “Over here it's primarily about entertainment. Over there it's about engineering.” So, no, you won't see the 25 or so meaningless passes you see on NASCAR oval tracks. But what you will be witness to is the highest-level of automotive technology that money can buy. And for some -- myself included -- that's worth the price of admission. In fact, since the end of the Cold War -- those terrible days when the only thing taxpayers received for their payout were great Olympic competitions and continuously improved jet fighters overhead -- the international racing circuit is now the only place where you can see that level of national prestige on the line every race -- 'Dog Fights', sort of, separating the best and the fastest from the rest of the pack. Can't see it at that level anywhere else. Well, OK, on the high seas, America Cup Yacht races are in that league and there are already signs that the next generation of space vehicles may display an international lineup. But, in the automotive realm, only Le Mans is right up there. But Le Mans is a once-a-year affair; F1 runs wild for 8 months. However, it is my duty to report that, along with the thrill of actually piloting these incredible machines, there were, alas, several, longer lasting--and totally unforeseen –side effects. [I am still in recovery.]
For example; now all but the wildest sports cars make me drift off to sleep at the wheel.

And, far more cumbersome a reality: I am not sure any longer of the answer to the following question:

Is sex really the greatest thrill of all?

Tune in next time as The Author attempts to answer that very difficult question!!

November Issue: ‘Enzo and the Boys – The F1 Saga Continues’

My Goal: “A Classic in Every Garage!” -- Are you still on the outside looking in? Contact me… Do I have the cure for you!!
tmoore3us@yahoo.com

Footnotes:

[1] England is really still the epicenter of racing technology. 'Tis better to hang out wherever the critical mass of expertise is
located than to go about it on your own. If you’re among the lucky few eligible to use it, it’s just too expensive not to share/rent those huge wind tunnels and the proprietary software that goes along with it. Ferrari, Mercedes... they all have a presence there.

All those damaged cars you see loading up after a CHAMP Car race? They are disassembled, packaged and shipped to England for repairs. Even Roger Penske – the only guy with depth enough to build his own chassis – still goes with the European builders. Ford's presence in Formula One, Cadillac's recent foray at Le Mans? Don't kid yourself... The Ford and Northstar engineers in Detroit would not even recognize their own engines after Cosworth and Walkinshaw Racing, respectively, rebuilt them 'over there' for the level of competition they only get 'over there'. That kind of technology, surprisingly, hardly exists here.

[2] I didn’t just ‘jump in’ this monster directly from my 180 HP Turbo Corvair and head down the straights. I spent some time in Formula Ford here in the States, then Formula Renault and Formula Three cars in France. But I still jumped the gun. I skipped the more powerful, Formula 3000 stage, which I shouldn’t have… The leap from F3 to F1 proved enormous.

[3] Judd did, eventually, find his niche one rung down on the speed chain. His engines power the leading contenders at Le Mans - and is expected to do even better next year when Audi finally retires their incomparable R 8, the dominant force there since the beginning of this millennium.

[4] And that includes M. Jordan during his heyday and Tiger Woods now. Tiger does outdraw Schummy only if you consider salary plus endorsements.

[5] An American who won the biggest prize of all over here, the Indy 500, but went nowhere with F1 before that.

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A LOW BRAKE PEDAL ... COULD BE METAL TO METAL

By Rich Fiore

Brake pedal travel is something that usually develops so gradually that we barely notice it. Sometimes it takes someone else to notice what we have taken for granted. I recently jumped into my brothers Trans Am and found what I considered to be excessive pedal travel and a spongy pedal for a power brake car. Not good when it comes to stopping that bad boy.

Hydraulic brakes have been around for a very long time. They are usually quite reliable but can have their problems too. A low pedal is usually caused by either air in the system or excessive movement between the shoes/pad and drums/rotors. The master cylinder is sometimes inadvertently blamed but usually not the culprit. If it fails it will usually sink while being depressed and sometimes activate the brake light. It can almost always be pumped back up, but will sink again. A quick way to isolate the master with a sinking pedal is to remove the lines and screw in brass or plastic plugs. Apply the brake and it should be high and hard. If the pedal sinks it is bypassing internally. That means fluid is blowing past the seals and must be replaced. If the master checks out ok, you can continue the process of elimination by clamping the rubber hoses to each wheel. A vise grip with a lot of tape around the jaws would work well. Release one at a time. If you find the problem wheel, the cause can be air, leakage ( might be a puddle on the ground ) or a shoe that's way out of adjustment. Its time to pull the wheel and look things over.

If you never use the parking brake on some cars, self adjustment of the brakes will not occur. It’s a good habit to get into. Be warned though if it hasn't been used in a while, it can freeze up due to corrosion and leave you stuck. Experiment on you driveway there Doctor.

Another cause of the lack of adjustment can be due to frozen brake self adjuster hardware. I have seen many brake self adjusters freeze up due to corrosion and brake dust. It’s always a good idea if you are there anyway, to remove the star adjuster, clean it, and put some anti-seize compound on it. Not a bad idea to put a sharp corner on the arm that spins the star wheel. Another thing overlooked when it comes to adjustment is that of backing up. It’s a good idea to pounce on the pedal every so often in reverse.

So now you ask what about air in the system Uncle Rich. Well I thought you'd never ask. For all intent and purposes brake fluid is incompressible. Air on the other hand can be mushed down ( a highly technical term ) into a smaller volume. Hence the spongy Bob pedal. Obviously it must be cast out like a demon from hell. Say Amen brother !!. Air can also promote internal corrosion. One of the biggest problems when it comes to air is the failure to bleed the new master cylinder. It should be bench bled. This consists of grabbing the master by the ear ( ouch ) using a bench vise, screwing the threaded adapters into the outlet ports, and placing the tubes into the reservoirs. Fill the reservoirs with fresh brake fluid ( so fresh that it talks back to you ) since the old stuff sitting on your shelf can go bad with age and moisture. I have actually had a master cylinder cap seal swell severely due to contaminated fluid. Now slooowly push the piston in and out while keeping the tubes immersed in the new brake fluid. Wait about 15 seconds between strokes until Mr. Bubbles refuses to show his face again.

Bleeding each wheel cylinder or caliper on older cars is usually pretty straight forward. Always start with the wheel which is furthest away from the master and work your way forward. That would be R/R, L/R, R/F and L/F. On some of the newer diagonal systems it would be R/R, L/F, L/R and R/F. ( Just saving a few key strokes). Newer ABS systems may have their own procedures to follow like leaving the ignition on. Check the shop manual on those. When it comes to opening the bleeders, most people (like yours truly ), just crack the valve and let her rip. Not really a good idea to get brake fluid on your paint or in your eye. The better way is to place a hose on the bleeder and place the other end in a container of brake fluid. There are also one man bleeder systems with a check valve to prevent air from working its way back into the system. Either way always wear eyeball protection.

So, overall the reasons behind a low pedal are not too tough to understand. It’s usually the brakes out of adjustment or air in the system. Worst case a master that's on its way out. Keeping an eye on that pedal and using that emergency brake from time to time can keep you … ( now sing along with Rich ) ...rolling down the highway.

Quick and Dirty:

When was the last time you flushed out that moisture ridden brake fluid and checked all of the rubber brake hoses?

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My Car Story Mike Pinkham: 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Miss Liberty is a head turner. Not only is she an award winning beauty, but she also embodies a patriotism that many cannot help but marvel at with a sense of awe and American pride. Customized and airbrushed with murals on every side in homage to those who lost their lives during terrorist attacks in 2001, Miss Liberty is my own “rolling tribute” to September 11th and America.

My wife AnnMarie and I planned on painting and customizing the car, but did not decide on a theme until after 9-11. We had always thought about doing an American theme on the car and after the tragedy of Sept. 11^th, we decided to pay tribute to the victims of that horrific event. It’s very meaningful to both of us. I work as an Information Systems Security Consultant for the Military Health Systems TRICARE DITSCAP Program in Washington, D.C., and the message was doubly important to me as an American and a government employee.

We thought about it for about a year after 9-11 occurred and I really wanted to do something that would help people remember the heartbreak of the survivors as well as honor the workers, police officers and firemen of New York and the Pentagon. Each side of the Corvette, as well as the hood, interior, and trunk interior was airbrushed by Andy Crooks at Knights Auto Body Shop of Lexington.

Crooks, who works full time for the Water Department of the City of Columbia, put in a little over 350 man-hours into the task, which he said took approximately three months in 2003. I had photographed and supplied him with scenes from New York after visiting Ground Zero.

When Andy finished the car, the folded American flag was painted on the interior of the trunk and on the exterior were three murals that captured scenes from New York and reflected American pride. There are three puzzle shaped murals on the exterior of the car. The hood’s exterior features a painting of firemen raising an American flag to stand atop the rubble at ground zero. The right and left sides of the car have nighttime depictions on both, with each representing New York on the first anniversary of 9-11. The mural that the Miss Liberty was named after lines the interior of the hood. The Statue of Liberty raises her torch in front of a well-lit Brooklyn Bridge and the city, whose lights illuminate the night sky with twin anniversary beacons where the Twin Towers once stood.

I would also like to credit Jeffery Knight - who owns Knights Auto Body Shop and helped customize the Z06 - with the success of Miss Liberty’s appearance. Designing the car was a joint effort between Andy and Jeff. I have won dozens of awards as a result of Andy Crooks’ and Jeff Knight’s work. I take Miss Liberty to car shows all along the East Coast and have won quite a few awards. Some of those awards include “Best Paint”, “Best Graphics”, “Best of Class”, “Best of Show”, “Best Corvette” and the “People’s Choice Awards. I drive the Corvette occasionally on weekends, but it’s no longer a daily driver. Most weekends are spent showing the car at shows and benefit events. Upcoming shows include Corvettes at Carlisle, the Charlotte Auto Fair, SuperChevy, and a 9-11 Memorial Corvette Show this September in New York.

To view more photos of Miss Liberty, visit www.hotrodgraphix.com.

To find out more about The Capitol City Corvette Club and how to become a member visit www.capitolcitycorvetteclub.com.

(Mike, simply an awesome car! Just awesome! Thanks for creating it for all of us to behold) Pete

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My Car Story Steven Kelly: 1970 Ford Torino Cobra

This car came equipped with the J code Ram Air 429CJ engine rated at 370 HP from the factory. It was underrated for insurance reasons. It was an early build engine so it came with the adjustable solid lifter heads even though the CJ engines were hydraulic lifters. (A few months into the run off CJ engines Ford made all the blocks of CJ cars with the hydraulic lifters - unless you ordered a drag pack optioned Cobra which gave you the solid lifter engine). All the SCJ engines were solid lifters from the factory.

The car has a four speed Toploader transmission, it came from the factory with the 3.00 rear gear and I installed 3.50:1 gears when I rebuilt it. It is a 9” Traction-Lok unit.

The car has buckets, console, p/s, p/b, and tach. All the hard to find pieces are now in the car including the rev limiter, dual point/dual vacuum distributor, heat shield, fan shroud, and correct Rochester Quadrajet Carburetor. This is the only Ford engine to get a GM carburetor! Ford originally had a Holley on this engine but could not get it to pass emissions. They contracted with Rochester to make this one. Meanwhile the SCJ engine wouldn’t pass either, but Ford figured the SCJ would be a limited run and stuck with Holley, they added the thermactor air pump and hardware to make it work better.

The car is all numbers matching and correct. I can’t take all the credit for rebuilding the car; some people who helped me a lot were Paul and Mike from P&G Motors, and my good friend Marty Ambrosini who spent many late nights on the car with me through two winters. The only non-factory items are the Magnum Rims and the Rear Window Louvers. Ford built 3488 of these Cobras with the Ram Air 429 CJ engine. Of those 2131 came with the four speed like mine. Only 130 were painted Grabber Green!

I bought the car 5 years ago after many years of searching for this combination. I removed the entire drivetrain, suspension, and body from the firewall forward. All of that was rebuilt down to the last bolt. It took me three years to get all the parts that were missing, but it was worth the effort! I have the build sheet, window sticker, and Deluxe Marti Report on the car. I also have a ’71 J-Code, 4-speed Torino Cobra with A/C that I would like to restore, but that would mean selling this one which would be hard to do. I have always loved the look and lines of this model. I continue to be surprised that these cars are not that popular or even known to a lot of “car guys”. Most people don’t know what it is and have never seen one before! Especially the color! That is one thing I really like about it; the chances of seeing another one at a cruise night or elsewhere are pretty slim!

Here are some factory specs:

Engine – 370HP @ 5400 rpm 450ftlbs of torque @ 3400rpm 11.3:1 compression ratio.

Suspension – Hvy duty with staggered rear shocks on manual cars

Rear End – 31 spline Ford 9inch Traction Lok

(Steve, great car! I too am surprised by the lack of popularity for this model!) 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

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

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S E P T E M B E R

Make it a month to remember. 9-11-01

Remember those who have fallen, and honor those who have given so much for us in service.

Support our country and lets all work together towards a better life in all its facets for every citizen of this great land.

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Enjoy this glorious month for being outside! Enjoy the shows and cruises! Stop by and say hi if you see us there!

Hey, don’t forget, let’s see who comes up with the best caption this month 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

Thanks and see you out there!

Pete Giordano

Long Island Classic Cars.com

www.liclassiccars.com

Enjoy this glorious month for being outside! Enjoy the shows and cruises! Stop by and say hi if you see us there!

Hey, don’t forget, let’s see who comes up with the best caption this month for the “Caption Cut-Up Contest” !

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