APRIL 2018 WINE PRESS VOLUME 39, ISSUE 4 WINE PRESS. Napa Valley A s. A Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America APRIL 2018

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1 WINE PRESS Napa Valley A s A Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America APRIL Officers President Sam Leach samleach@comcast.net Immediate Past President Chairpeople Howdy Rogers Vice President Richard Weklych cweklych@aol.com Secretary Jean Keyser napajeank@aol.com Treasurer Skip Keyser napakiwanian@aol.com Editor/Historian Jim Mounter Hospitality Jim Kanne Raffle Howdy Rogers Sunshine Barbara Fanucchi The Wine Press is a publication of the Napa Valley A s, a chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. Permission to reproduce items published in the Wine Press is granted; however please give credit to the Wine Press when appropriate. The Wine Press welcomes any articles or suggestions that are of general interest to the Model A hobbyist. Please submit all such material to the editor, jmounter@att.net, by the end of the month preceding publication. 1 A Look Back Napa Valley A s History for April April 25-27th, 2003: Randy and Lea Stegman led the way to the Lake County A s Spring Opener in Clearlake with Larry and Linda Dreyer along as passengers in the limo. John and Jackie Dickson drove up on Friday. Howard and Elsie Goines, Jerry and Paula Belden, and Joe, Virginia, and Ken Midile were there for the weekend. April 17, 2008: Napa Valley A s Ice Cream Social was held at Taylor s Refresher in the Oxbow Market Place. Restoration Humor Is that the same Model A you were driving last year? Yes, except for the body, chassis and wheels. A Look Forward April 18 th Ice Cream Social at In-N-Out Burger, South Napa Market Place, 5:30 pm April 22 nd Crusin North Car Club Swap Meet, 1357 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa, 6:00 am 12:00 pm April 26 th Napa Valley A s Meeting, Rabobank, 7:30 pm. April 29 th 25 th Annual Benicia Classic Car Show, First Street Green, st St., Benicia June th MAFCA National Convention at the Nugget Casino and Resort, Reno-Sparks, Nevada

2 Car Clinic Nine people attended the Car Clinic held at Midile s on March 31 st. We worked on Barbara Fanucchi s car, changing the oil and water and checking the other fluid levels while it was up on the rack. We also checked the pressure in the tires and oiled and adjusted the horn. After a lunch of pizza and drinks, we started Richard and Celeste Weklych s car, but discovered a warped carburetor that will have to be replaced. We enjoyed dessert of apple and lemon merangue pie before heading for home. Barbara s car Ralphie is now parade ready! More photos on Page 7. 2

3 Time For Birthdays Celeste Weklych April 16 John Davis April 30 Ken Midile May 3 The reason Mayberry was so peaceful and quiet was because nobody was married. Andy, Aunt Bea, Barney, Floyd, Howard, Goober, Gomer, Sam, Earnest T Bass, Helen, Thelma Lou, Clara and, of course, Opie were all single. The only married person was Otis, and he stayed drunk. Mell Gross would like to save all of you Model Aers from Northern California some money by buying his product through Bob Grady of the Diablo A s in Concord, CA. You will save shipping costs to and from Southern California. Model A Cast Iron Brake Drums Set of 4 drums and studs: $ Bonded and arced Brake Shoes Set of 8 shoes for 4 wheels With exchange: $ Bonded Emergency Bands, 1 pair Bonded with woven lining With exchange: $85.00 Contact Bob Grady at Check out our posts on Facebook. Just use the Facebook search engine and look for Napa Valley A s.

4 Henry Ford s Auto Race Henry Ford's one and only race on October 10, 1901, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan changed the world. Henry Ford was sure somebody would succeed in producing the mass-market car he envisioned. He wanted to be sure he was the one who did it. That's why Ford--with his mechanic, Ed "Spider" Huff and a few other helpers -- built the race car they called "Sweepstakes." That autumn Henry Ford, at age 38, was struggling to establish an auto manufacturing business. His first venture, the Detroit Automobile Company, which he and several partners had founded in 1899, had closed after a year and some 19 or 20 vehicles produced. In the aftermath of the Detroit Automobile Company, Ford was starting over. To get financial backing, he had to convince potential investors that his ideas were sound, and that his automobiles could be a commercial success. He needed to promote his name and build his reputation and racing was a high-profile way to do it. They entered Sweepstakes in a race event sponsored and promoted by the Detroit Driving Club, run on the afternoon of Thursday, October 10, on the club's one-mile dirt oval in Grosse Pointe, just east of Detroit. According to the published entry list, 13 cars were from Detroit, including one driven by Ransom E. Olds. Others were from as far away as Buffalo, Pittsburgh and New York, but the favorite by far was Alexander Winton, from Cleveland. He was an established, successful automobile builder and the most famous racer in the United States at the time. It was to be a 25-lap race. The winner's prize would be $1,000 and a cut-glass punch bowl. Some 8,000 spectators came out to watch, and many newspaper reporters were on hand to write about the event. However, preliminary races took longer to run than expected, and the feature was shortened to 10 laps. Various difficulties beset many of the machines, and by race time the entries had dwindled to three. One of those had a mechanical problem on the start line and withdrew. The race was between Henry Ford and Alexander Winton. It looked as though Winton would win easily. He pulled away at the start and opened up a lead of as much as a fifth of a mile. Ford's inexperience showed, letting off the gas into the turns, while Winton drove through the turns with the power on. But after five laps Ford slowly began closing the gap. Then, on lap seven, Winton's car slowed noticeably. It began to sputter and smoke. Ford passed him right in front of the grandstand and drove on to win by a big margin. He averaged about 45 miles per hour. It was that race, in which Mr. Ford upset Alexander Winton, the country's foremost racer, which allowed him to attract the publicity and investors to start the Ford Motor Company less than two years later in Ford Racing- 4

5 For Sale 1931 Tudor. Hydraulic brakes, 12 volt electrical system, new clutch, pressurized radiator, luggage rack with trunk, stone guard, halogen lights, and seat belts. Runs great. $17,500 (negotiable). Jerry Lakos, Marin A s Bumper Brackets If measured along the curve of the bracket as shown in the second photo, the bracket measures approximately 24 inches. The corresponding measurement for the brackets is approximately 19 ¾ inches. Original brackets will have a square end where the bumper clamp attaches. The brackets have a very slight offset near the end where the bracket attaches to the frame to clear the fender. The bracket shown in these photos is not bent except as it was designed to be. For Sale It turns out that my bumper brackets are the correct ones, just bent. In the process of investigating this problem, I have found out how to tell the different styles apart. The brackets measure approximately 18 inches on the diagonal as shown in the above photo. The corresponding measurement for the brackets is approximately 16 inches. 5 6 volt positive ground alternator made by Wagner. Bought for Model A, but never installed. $225. Call Ron Stevens at if interested.

6 Napa Valley A s General Meeting March 22, 2018 The meeting was called to order by President Sam Leach at 7:40 PM. There were nine members and two guests present. The guests were Olga Weklych and Nate Rogers. Treasurer: The reports were passed around. Vice President: Seven people attended the March social at Applebees and they had a nice time. The March Car Clinic was postponed to Saturday March 31 st at 10:00 AM. Please call the Midiles to let them know you are coming. The April Social will be at In and Out Burger on Imola Ave.; ice cream will be at Baskin Robbins in the same South Napa Marketplace. The date is April 18 th at 5:30 PM. The tentative April tour will be at Etude Winery on April 21 st. Celeste Weklych will let us know the details. A possible May tour will be to Yountville to try the new hamburger/ice cream restaurant there. Correspondence: Modesto A s are coordinating the raffle for the Reno convention. We also received a request for a raffle item from NCRG. It was confusing as to who wanted raffle items and when. Celeste Weklych said she would figure it out and provide the raffle items. We also received a catalogue for Model A parts which was passed around. Editor: Jim Mounter requested a list from the treasurer of current members for the year so he can make up the roster. Sunshine: The Midiles have had colds and Linda and Larry Dreyer have not been feeling well. Hospitality: April refreshments will be provided by Howdy and Gerri Rogers. Jim Kanne said there are still a couple of months that need hosts. He is not able to come to the April meeting and asked that someone take over making the coffee and that he uses six measures for the coffee. Old Business: MAFCA Convention in June in Sparks, NV -- Celeste Weklych said she will provide the raffle prize that was requested. New Business: N/A Auction and Refreshments: We had an auction instead of the raffle and made $ We had prosseco (sparkling wine) and delicious flavored sweet breads brought by the Weklychs. Shop talk: Jim Mounter needs a 28/29 bumper bracket. He wants it to be 19 inches diagonally. Skip Keyser may have one; he will let Jim know. Just Talk: Gerri Rogers went to Disneyland with her two daughters and they had fun. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Jean Keyser, Secretary 6

7 APRIL 2018 WINE PRESS VOLUME 39, ISSUE More photos from the Car Clinic. Ice Cream Social We also greased the spring shackles, loosened the tail pipe clamp, and checked the front end for looseness. Thanks to Ken, Joe, Virginia and everyone who helped with the cars and the food. Special thanks to Barbara for some of the photos on this event. 7 This month the Ice Cream Social will be at In-N-Out Burger on Imola Avenue on April 18 th at 5:30. Ice cream will be nearby at Baskin Robbins in the South Napa Marketplace. Meeting Date The next meeting will be the fourth Thursday, April 26 at Rabobank, 700 Trancas St. in Napa at 7:30 pm. Howdy and Gerri Rogers will bring refreshments.

8 Napa Valley A s 2018 Membership Application ***** Membership Application/2018 Annual Dues Renewal***** NOTE: Annual dues for 2018 are $25.00 per family Make check payable to Napa Valley A s and mail to: PO Box 2656, Napa, CA (Mail your annual Model A Ford Club of America dues directly to: MAFCA, 250 S. Cypress St, La Habra, CA ) Name: Birthday: Name: Birthday: MAFCA Member? Y N MAFCA Membership Number: Phone: Cell Phone: Anniversary: Address: City: State: Zip: Model A Year(s): Model(s) Restored? Y N Need Help? Y N Wine Press P.O. Box 2656 Napa, CA DATED MATERIAL REMINDER: The Wine Press and other newsletters from clubs belonging to the NCRG can be read online at