Hill Country Street Rods

January, 2009

In this issue (click on one or scroll down):

President's Commentary

Activity Director's Commentary

Secretary's Report, "Meeting notes and Minutes"

Next Meeting

Upcoming Events

Special Notices

Featured Article

Officers

 

 

President's Commentary

Message from our brand new President, John Majalca

Bet you thought Fidel had infiltrated!!  Really ,I just wanted to take a moment from ya'll's busy schedule and wish everybody from the Hill Country Street Rod group a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Gloria and myself.

For those of you who chose not to join us for the Xmas party at the County Line ,you missed some great bar-b-que, if I may say so myself.  My thanks and everybody else's, of course to Jim and his committee for putting this event together.

We've made few Street Rodder friends along the year at various rod runs, hopefully we can get them to join our club.

I've never held a club position of any kind, so I'm open to suggestions on how to make our club a more interesting organization to belong to.

Coming up is our annual fund raiser event , "Show & Go", in May.  Again we'll need the various committees to pull together to make it a success as we have in the past.

Welcome to all the new or returning officers.  I'm running out of words, so with that I'll close while I'm ahead.  One last thing, January's club meeting will be at Buster's Bar-B-Que on 620.

Till we meet again!
John

 

 

Activity Director's Commentary

Message from our Activities Director, Dan Bowen

Our annual Christmas party is at the County Line Bar B-Que was well represented by 23 members and one guest.  Jim Huckabee planned a very nice party for us and also held the Annual Chinese Gift Exchange.  It was a lot of fun and we certainly had enough food for many more.  The ribs and beef were excellent.  Of course we had dessert but not until we played our gift exchange game.  We needed a break to let the food settle down.  Thanks Jim for setting this up and letting us have a great time.

Our new officers have taken over and are busy getting to work on the years activities.  We will try to have a monthly cruise to get our cars out not only to our meetings, but out to have fun with friends.  You make this club and without you we would be just car owners.  It is so nice to get together with all the members and enjoy a night out.

So if you can come up with a n idea for a cruise let me know and we will try to get it going.

 

Dan

 

Secretary's Report, "Meeting Minutes and Special Reports"

Message from our Secretary, Mary Morris

No Minutes from our Christmas Party except John and Dan's comment above.

Respectively submitted;

Mary Morris, Secretary

 

Our first 2009 monthly meeting

January 8th.
Dinner and Fellowship, 6:00 PM,
Meeting offically starts at 7:00 PM

Busters Bar B Que
on 620

 

Drive Your Rod!

Don't forget to wear your Club shirt, cap or jacket.  We are holding two drawings at meetings this year for members who drive their cars with a prize of $10.00 and one other drawing if Club clothing is worn to the meeting you can win $5.00.  Do both and win both . . . .

 

Regular Weekly Events

Don't forget . . . Meet and greet every Saturday night
-  Albertson's Parking Lot at The ' Y' in OakHill, 7:00pm
-  North Cruise.  last I heard they were meeting at IH35 and Hwy 79.

So, get your rod out and have some fun!

 

Scheduled Events

March 27       Vintage Air Annual Customer Appreciation Day,  Selma, TX

March 28th Hill Country WINE TOUR, Chevy Club invite, leave by 10.30am meet at the "Y" Poker run

April 17 Breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Buda next to Cabella's 9:00 am

April 17/18th Lone Star Round up, Expo Center then So. Congress Ave.

April 18 Smithville, Car Show, $5. 9 - 11am, awards at 11:30am Dennis, 512-784-1669

May 15-17 Fredericksburg, Texas LSSRA State Run (Recommended)

 

Special Notices

DUES for 2009 are Due.
Send them in now or pay at the next meeting.  If you have not paid your 2009 Dues please send them in or pay at the next meeting.  This might be your last newsletter if not received by April 1, 2009.

Featured Articles:

As I'm sure you recall, I (Dan Bowen) started a new idea on articles for the newsletter.  Some members have already got started and sent in articles for me to include in the newsletter for their month ahead of time.  This is good.  This way it is fresh on your mind and you won't forget.  Of course I will remind you a month in advance, but if you want to send some article now, please do so.

With that said, Here (below) is the first article written by Duke Tarlton.

 

Featured Article

1954 - EBU - FORD
Presented by Duke Tarlton

It doesn't mean much if you never had one.  It only happens on 1954, OHV, V8, 239 engines.  The engine came with a 2-door sedan attached, from "Don't Walk - See Hawk!" on 1st Street and Waller Creek.

During the summer of 1964 I became a mechanic, not smart but a mechanic.  The evolution of the EBU (239) was 272? 292 and 312 engines.  So I go out to Dependable Salvage and procured heads, intake and 4bbl carb and duel exhaust pipes from a 272.  Now it gets fun!

I went on home and pulled off my intake, heads and exhaust.  My big valved heads and 4bbl intake/carb don't fit.  Nobody thought to tell me that 1954 EBU was a one-year only block and head casting.  Back to Dependable Salvage went my heart, heads and intake.  I was able to use the duel exhaust system with the help of a Fenton adapter from JC Whitney.  Now no chance of hot rodding the engine so I moved to customizing.  Off came the grill and running boards and bumper.  OH BOY!  OH BOY!  We're something else, now!  Seems that a 55 or 56 Buick Tail-light Bullet fit perfectly into my 54 Ford taillight lens.  Somehow or another my interior and exterior colors matched, white on blue.  The ugly part was the package tray so I went back out to Dependable Salvage and cut some white vinyl from the back of a front seat, went home and borrowed Mom's sewing machine and stitched up a pleated package tray -- OOOH!

Now I'm getting good.  Soon I find a Roger 100 "Custom" floor shifter.  Some how I managed to install its arms upside down or backwards.

Shifted like a 4-speed -- only upside down and backwards!

Now with a 4-speed, you need a console.  So I turned the oil pan upside down on the hump and mounted an oil and amp gage in the rise.  Paint it blue.

Now with a shifter and console you need a custom steering wheel.  A 10" metallic blue Grant Wheel with 6" recess comes next.  CHEAP!  CHEAP!  CHEAP!  The Grant adapter was $12.00 so I hack sawed the arms off my old steering wheel and bolted it on.  Have you ever had your steering wheel come loose and spin in your hands?  It happens!  Now this 10" w/6" recessed wheel mounted properly hits your chin.  Ok, invert it.  Now the horn button sticks out and you steer reaching over the column 6"!  I now carried a wrench to tighten the wheel every now and then.  It's a thrill.

The last of my customizing came with a tube radio and antenna.  The radio worked (AM only) and the antenna now held my Austin High Spirit Ribbons.  The new rave in radio at the time was the reverberatorrrrrrrrrr.  Boom boxes didn't have nothing on me!

This is actually two 1954 Fords.  The first died in two weeks.

Cole Teague drove his Renault Dolphine through the stop sign on 17th and West Avenue and I had the right-of-way.  I know I saw the west side of the street go by twice while kneeling on the roof.  I guess I was going counter-clockwise.  Dad found another '54 Ford to change things out to.

My mechanic juices got to flow for about 6 years with this car.  I learned heads and intakes, how to change and rebuild transmissions (3 speed Ford) and upholstery is neat!

I sold it for $100 to Larry Harrison. For a while I occasionally saw it.  I finally lost track of the Ford and Larry.

Thanks Duke . . . . .

 

Just a friendly reminder . . . . . . .
The following people are responsible for an article in the designated month.

Jan.Duke Tarlton   JulyGraham Phares
Feb.Don Sevall  Aug.John Roberts
Mar.Randy Fletcher  Sept.Don White
Apr.Dan Bowen  Oct.Janie Saucedo
MayNiki Huckabee  Nov.Jim Huckabee
JuneGloria Majalca  Dec.Lynda Olander

 

 

 

Officers

President:  Don Sevall
Vice President:  Zack Graham
Treasurer & Secretary:  Kay Bowen
Activities Planner:  Dan Bowen

 

 

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