UPCOMING EVENTS Dec 6 - Christmas Party and Monthly Club Meeting, 5pm Mercado Juarez, south Arlington, Matlock Rd and IH 20 Dec 2 - Merry Christmas, Peace to All Jan 1 - Happy New Year, may this be your best year yet! 7740 N. E. LOOP 820 FORT WORTH, TX 76180 817-276-7700 Cowtown Mopars Performance Team PO Box 162413 Fort Worth, Texas 76161-2413 Place Postage Here Rush To:
Dec 2014 THE STARTING LINE Official Monthly Publication of Cowtown Mopars 2014-2015 BOARD MEMBERS President - Mike Bearce Secretary - Rich Lemmon Activity Director - Susan Brownell Membership Director - Ken Key Vice President - Phillip Taylor Treasurer - Dan Robinson Editor - Barry Hansen Appointed Positions Race Team - Mark Buchanan Website - Kirk Maisenbacher Show Team - Morris Counts/Ron Carroll Cowtown Cars and Coffee, every second Saturday, 8 am to 12 noon, between Montgomery Plaza and Target store, west 7th St, Ft Worth. FREE. Sponsored by AutoBahn Motorcars, usually free coffee and donuts. Best time 8 am to 10 am. Allen Samuels CDJR gives club member discounts on new vehicles and parts. Be sure to show your membership card to the cashier/salesman. Don t have a membership card? Just see our Membership Director. Employee Pricing when purchasing vehicles Cost +10% when buying parts
Wow! What a beautiful day to have a Toy Drive & Car Show. Just got back home from our Annual Toy Drive and Car Show after having to postpone the show and move it to Sunday due to a dreary, rainy day Saturday. It was a little windy but clear and sunny and great weather to see some beautiful cars. I d like to thank Allen Samuels for allowing us to have the show at the dealership again instead of in a lot next to Used Cars. This is where we are going to hold our future shows and it was nice to be back there. We had the best turnout we have had in years for the Toy Drive and we collected close to $250 in cash donations and came close to filling up a Caravan full of toys for the Salvation Army. We had several cars there that we have not seen before and it was great to see everyone and their cars. Our date for the April Car Show has been locked in. It will be on Sunday, April 19th and will be held in the service lanes and on the west side of the dealership. We are starting to push it now because we need everyone s help to build this show to a higher level than it has been for years. The dealer wants to see 125 plus cars this year and to do this we all need to participate and promote. We will have bigger and better awards than in the past and are looking to bring in a food vendor and maybe even a band if possible. We are in the planning stages now but you can look forward to a bigger show. If you have any ideas or suggestions, tell me or another board member and we will see what we can do. In January we will start nominations for Board Members for 2015 and I can already tell you that we have several positions that will need to be filled. I know we will need a new Events Coordinator Susan Brownell is stepping down after 5 years of service for us. Also Ken Key took the position of Membership Director over for the rest of this term but does not plan to run for election. There is one more position that is probably going to need to be filled but I have not received a definite answer on that one yet. I still have not heard from any others yet. This Club has been run by a handful of members for years but that cannot continue. We need new blood to start stepping in or this club will eventually stop existing. The same people cannot be expected to keep doing this every year. This club is for all of us and should be run by all of us at some time. None of the positions take a lot of time to take care of and I hope to see more of our members step up to help run this club. Please think about this and feel free to contact me if you have questions. These positions are elected positions and all are open to be contested if you desire to have that position. We had 2 families that lost loved ones in November. Annette Taylor (Phillip Taylor s wife) lost her father on November 15 th and Joann Robinson (Dan Robinson s wife) lost her father on November 16 th. We feel their loss and are here for them in their time of need. I hope to see everyone at our Christmas Party on Saturday, December 6 th, 5 pm, at Mercado Juarez South Arlington. Mike BY THE MINUTES Rich Lemmon CMPT Meeting November 16 2014 Start 1720 1. Cowtown is 13 time TMCCC champs. 2. CMPT spring car show news. A. Show back to Sunday. B. Back to service Drive and West side of the lot. C. Possible Chrysler money can be gotten to support the show. D. We need to get our car count up measurably. 3. Alan Samuels Meeting Notes. A. They would like to see us bring Fiat into the club and car show. B. Employee pricing on new cars is for active members only. C. Special pricing on used cars too. D. For both get a hold of Kevin Cooder direct. E. They would like to offer a free club membership to purchasers of new performance cars. 4. The Christmas Party will be at the same Mercado Juarez as last year. 5. The Toy Drive at ASD will be Sat, rain date Sun. 6. The AMC Club may be folding. We should make known they have a home here if they choose. End 1800
From The Veep s Desk Hello again Auto-philes, Will not have much to say, been busy with family illness that ended up resulting in my father-in-law s passing away while in the hospital (may he rest in peace). I noticed that Chevrolet announced the Colorado ZR-2, with 395 ft lb torque, 2.8 liter Duramax engine. They say the ZR2 is a concept, but the diesel will be available in 2015 in the Colorado as an option. Meanwhile Chrysler is pimping up the 300, adding an S version (for Sport) and a Platinum Edition C. Going to offer all wheel drive, with the front axles being disconnected when not needed. Seems cool, kind of like the old days when you got out and locked/unlocked the hubs on the earlier 4x4 s. I did manage to watch Ken Block s video of his all-wheel drive 1965 Mustang. Pretty sweet, pretty expensive, I am sure. Did appear to run good with 845 hp. On the Jeep end, AEV ( American Expedition Vehicles) has taken a Brute (a Wrangler X with a cab and pickup bed body), stuffed a 6.4 Liter, 470 hp Hemi in it and added a Filson package. Really looks good for a measly 130K. Hmm, just saw that Bob Lutz is intending to build a Fiskar Karma body using the same chassis minus 1000 lbs, then planting a Corvette ZR1 with a LS9 630 hp drivetrain, intending to be faster than the Hellcat Charger. Good luck Bob, LOL. Phil In The Works Upcoming Club Activities by Susan Brownell December 6 Christmas Party at Mercado Juarez in the Arlington Highlands, I-20 and Matlock, 5pm. Same as last year it will be buffet fajitas and a gift exchange.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Ken Key, Membership Director Renew your membership for 2015 Club dues for 2015 are due. You do not have to fill out a new registration form if your contact and vehicle information are the same. Remember...upon renewal your Membership Card will allow you to get genuine Mopar Performance and replacement parts from Allen Samuels CDJR for 10% over cost and buy a new car or truck for Employee Pricing. That is serious cash. Join or Renew by mail or at one of our events Single membership New $25 / Renewal $15 Family membership New $35 / Renewal $25 Hey current members! If you have a change of contact information, vehicle or other, please remember to send in those changes. Just got home from the Christmas Toy Drive & Car Show. Wow! What a great afternoon for a show. Turnout was good, considering we had to re-schedule due to the rain on Saturday. Believe we had 26 registered cars, and another five or six came for a while, but had to leave early. Many thanks to the guys from the AMC and Fiat clubs who came on out. It was all for a good purpose, and we pretty well filled a van with toys that will no doubt find an appreciative home. I have not held a board position for a couple years, but volunteered to fill the remainder of Rick Brownell's term. Will be helping out through the elections in March, so see me regarding anything having to do with your membership. 2015 is right around the corner, so make yourself a note to get your dues in as soon as possible. I plan on being at the club's Christmas party and can get you set up for the new year then. Ken Got a hot tip, event, article, update, correction, comment? Cowtown Mopars newsletter now has its own email address: moparnewslettereditor@cowtownmopars.com
Off The Wing by Barry Hansen My apologies for no column last month. At editing/publishing time caught a severe cold and burst both my eardrums. I swore I was at death's door (move towards the light), the wife said just suck it up you big baby. I am a terrible patient. Interesting experience not being able to hear anything except the little voices inside my head for two weeks. Enjoyed the sneak preview of the Hellcat Charger and Challenger that Dodge put on before the State Fair. Inquiring minds want to know, how does Hellcat relate to Chrysler? A little too close for me to Wildcat that goes back to Buick. I think Dodge missed a real opportunity to honor someone that for years has been almost as patriotic and loyal to Dodge as me. Call it... SwampRat. Couldn t you just see a little logo with Swampy's head on the fender. On way back from wife s birthday lunch in Granbury saw my first new Gulf station. Had read they were coming back. Same logo as the 70's and 80's. Good prices too. Bought a lot of No Knox back in the day. VP Racing Fuels has a pump island at couple of local Arlington mini marts. Also good prices. One fill-up so far, can't tell any difference but fun just the same buying VP Racing Fuel. Received a copy of Hotrod Hardware Christmas catalog in the mail. Some cool stuff. If you have new child or grandchild could not go wrong with one of the two official Simpson Safety Child Seats. Big red 5 way harness with huge SIMPSON logos on the belts. Mopar spotting. Picked up a movie (BlueRay no less) for $3, V I Warshaski. Kathleen Turner, Chicago private eye, drives around in a beat up green with white top Plymouth Duster. Backfires every time she turns it off. Speaking of Dusters, what is the deal with one of my personal heroes, Al Bundy from Married With Children? He constantly refers to the Dodge when you can tell from a mile away it is a Duster. One of life's little mysteries I guess. Dec issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines reads like a special Mopar issue. Muscle Machine of the Year is 1970 AMC Rebel Machine. Great picture and text layout of Sox and Martin Racing Shop back in the day and 1964 Belvedere 426 Max Wedge owned by Tom Hoover Jr and wrenched by his dad (that's right, you know him, you love him, Tom Hoover (Mr HEMI) Sr). Short teaser articles on the Hellcat Challenger and the 2015 Viper. Fun fact, Hemmings points out a 1992 Viper was $50,700, $86,130 adjusted in today's dollars. The 2015 Viper is $84,995. With airbags, ABS, traction control and 50% more horsepower cheaper then it was 23 years ago. Of course the Hellcat with 62 more HP is $25,000 less than that. Final NHRA report...toyota Nats, Las Vegas, Spencer Massey, winner T/F, Jeg Coughlin, HEMI Dart, runner up Pro Stock. NHRA Finals, Pomona, Tony Schumacher runner up T/F, Matt Hagan, Charger, winner F/C. 2014 World Champions: Tony Schumacher T/F, Spencer Massey 3rd. Matt Hagan, F/C, Tommy Johnson 3rd. Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin 5th, Allen Johnson 6th. All in all this year Mopars started out like a lion, went out like a lamb. Need to take a page from the TMCCC way of doing business. In my opinion...rampant commercialism and capitalism has all but robbed us of the real meaning of Christmas. My wish is that we all pause to remember and celebrate the reason for the season: Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards All. You don't have to drive a MOPAR, But you'd be Cooler if you did (from a T-Shirt in HotRod Hardware catalog)
The Go Fast(er) Department Mark Buchanan - Race Team Coordinator THIRTEEN TIME TMCCC CHAMPIONS! HEY 13 TIME TMCCC CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!! Wow that has a dominating sound to it! I guess I have become a little more mellow as we have accumulated more and more championships. Not that long ago I would set a goal for us for the coming year like "next year Cowtown Mopars will go for 1000 points" or "we will win every race". For years now it's not a surprise that we win, it's expected. What will be a surprise is if we ever lose. I don't see that happening in the near future but you never know. Come join us as we go for another championship. I would like to say a special thanks to my friend Ken Angyal. Ken is always at the races and always prepared for breakfast, lunch and drinks for all our racers and their families. Thanks Ken!!!!!!! We had the 2014 TMCCC banquet last weekend and I would like to recognize the winners from the banquet. CONGRATULATIONS TO: Bill Boon 1st place in electronics and big dog E winner for the 2nd year in a row Vic Corlett 2nd place pro muscle Ken Ward 4th place pro muscle Mark Buchanan outstanding performer in pro muscle Gary Kemble outstanding performer in pro muscle Grady Hentz 1st place king muscle Jason Pipkin 2nd place king muscle Stan Allan 4th place king muscle Mike Moriarty 6th place king muscle David Huffman outstanding performer super muscle Pete Phelps outstanding performer super muscle Mike Bearce 5th place street muscle Don Deering 4th place stock muscle Rick Brownell 5th place stock muscle It was another great year not only for Cowtown Mopars but the TMCCC as well. We set some records again this year as the challenge continues to grow. Stay tuned Mark Don t forget we re online: www.cowtownmopars.com and Cowtown Mopars on Facebook!!!
Calling All Show Cars! Ron Carroll, Show Team Co-Chairman, says...need 4 or 6 cars for Dallas AutoRama (Feb 13-15, 2015, Dallas Market Hall). If interested contact Ron by first week of Jan. ITEMS FOR SALE / ITEMS WANTED (Items posted for 3 months unless requested otherwise) WANTED: 68-70 b body front bench seat MARK BUCHANAN, 214-727-4324, markbuch64@hotmail.com (dec) FOR SALE: Mopar A-body 2800 lb rear super stock leaf springs with a set of F&R Drag shocks, never raced, 300 miles of street driving, $150. Also have A-body small bolt axles, backing plates, drums, and 741 pig, $150.00 Call MARK at 214-458-4418 or email mskuzia@yahoo.com (dec) FOR SALE: fr om DAYNA CALDWELL, dkaycaldwell@yahoo.com or 817680-7345. Many many parts including rebuilt 72 340, McLeod twin clutch kit 23 spline, 10.5 w/flywheel, tool boxes, jacks, lift, Viper parts, too numerous to list. Call or email for details and complete list. (dec) FOR SALE: 1986 Dodge Ramcharger, 78K, white, blue interior, P/S, P/B, A/C, ATM, 2WD, 318 CID, converted from lean burn to carb. Needs tires, back bumper. Needs to be driven, sat for a while, intake valves trying to stick under throttle. Contact PHILLIP TAYLOR, 817-536-5029 or email phlop46@yahoo.com (dec) FOR SALE: 1951 Dodge Saratoga, Gasser, street legal, 2 dr, original interior, gray primer body, Chevy 350, tunnel ram, 700 ATM, straight front axle, Camaro rear end, new Mickey Thompson rubber all around, Moon tank, multi-trophy winner. 1951 New Yorker, 4 dr, excellent body, has all chrome, all original, needs interior, some glass, roller, no engine, no trans. -$7500 takes both cars Original cast iron exhaust manifolds, pair, for 1951, 331 HEMI, $100 (dec) Contact RICKY WILSON, 817-726-9296 1951 Dodge Saratoga Gasser
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Toy Drive /Car Show 2014 A great day, a great turnout, from Tommy s Charger on one end......to Morris Cuda (and some beat up old Ramcharger) on the other end. From some of American Motors best......to our new cousins, two hot Fiat 500s. Our membership chair asks Santa for everyone to renew early. A great and generous haul for the kids.
Good Members, Good Products DEAN ALLEN 972-801-7587 Dean is offering up his years of knowledge to help members with their automotive questions.