Volume 15 Issue 1 Spring 2003 Letter from the Director Upcoming Events Stories Tech. Tips Club News Director: Michael McCaffrey Asst. Director: Rick Kinworthy Secretary Morgan Farrington Treasurer: Morgan Farrington Show / Race Director: David Newton Assistant Show Director: Robert Davison MCCC Rep: Frank Llano Newsletter: Carl Brimer Photography By: Charlotte Llano Tim Winn From left: Frank Llano, George Jackson and Jack Laswell Club Members Win Big at the AutoRama! The LSPBC was beautifully represented during the 2003 AutoRama held at Dallas Market Center. Frank and Charlotte Llano s 87 Grand National, Jack and Jean Laswell s 86 Grand National and D aun McCaffrey s Chevrolet Z28 were each awarded 1st in class designations. George Jackson s 71 4-speed GSX was also awarded the 2nd place slot in class competition. Scoring was conducted by a panel of 3 judges whose points were combined to determine placement. Frank Llano commented that they even had hand held mirrors to reach under the car and look for dirt on top of the transmission. The contestants had to clean every inch of the vehicles to help realize as many points as possible. Entrants left their vehicles at the showroom for four days under tight security awaiting the final decisions and answering questions from the spectators. Congratulations to the winners for being awarded among the best of the best and promoting the LSBPC! Quick Times is the official publication of the Lone Star Performance Buick Club (Chapter of the GS Club of America). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or manner without the express consent of the Lone Star Buick Chapter GSCA, unless this publication is listed as the source. Club dues are $25 per year and are payable every January 1st. Dues entitle the member to a one year subscription to Quick Times along with other benefits accordingly. The Buick name and all other related Buick model names are registered trademarks of the General Motors Corporation. And are used with permission by the Lone Star Performance Buick Chapter GSCA through it s association with the Buick GS Club of America.
First, let me say hello to all of our new club members! We are gearing up for a great season and so far the weather is cooperating. The first big show of the season was a success for some of our club members. Congratulations to all of our AutoRama winners! That is a great accomplishment when you have professional judging. I also heard about the good turn-out and trophies at the Awards Depot show. I am sorry I missed it. I would like to thank all of the volunteers that are working so hard to make this a great club. Rick Kinworthy is working hard and accomplishing a difficult task (finding new members). David Newton is at every car show, even if there is more than one on the same day. He is there passing out flyers and promoting our shows. Daniel Oviedo has the best website that I have seen. What a great job! Morgan Farrington is keeping our finances in order and we actually have some money. The Show Team at the AutoRama. I hope to see all of you at our first show April 19th, and at our second meeting of the year on May 10th. Here s to a great racing season and money making car shows! Michael McCaffrey LSPBC Director Going Fast With Lots of Class The girls and Tim contributed at the show. Several members came out to look around and show their support.
LSPBC group purchase for Denso Oxygen Sensors - Club member Mitch Smith has arranged a group purchase price for these sensors through Monarch products. For those not familiar with the Denso O2 sensor, it has a great advantage over the GM one wire version because: 1. It has a lead filter which allows use of leaded race fuel. 2. It has been reported to last up to 5 times longer. 3. It is a direct replacement for the GM P/N AFS-20 sensor. 4. It is $10.00 cheaper with shipping. The current price is $16.39 + $6.00 S&H to the Arlington area. Multiple people could coordinate a simultaneous purchase to effectively reduce the S&H cost to each person! To order, call 1-888-800-9629 and give the sales staff the following information: Jack Laswell and David Newton present their trophies. 1. P/N 234-1001 (1-wire sensor) 2. Group purchase Acct# 12876 (LSPBC) 3. Credit Card# 4. Shipping Address Thanks Mitch! LSPBC members honored were as follows: Jack Laswell 1st Place in the 80 s class Jack Laswell Best over-all Buick Tina Newton 2nd Place in the 70 s class David Newton 3rd Place in the 80 s class Tina Newton s award winning Buick GS clone Other members in attendance included Cody Copeland, Frank Martinez, Frank Llano, D aun McCaffrey, Ray Arnold, Daniel Oviedo and Tim Winn. I apologize if I have left anyone out here. Congratulations! Frank Martinez is on the road again!
April 12-13th Swap meet at the Ball Park in Arlington April 18th April 19th April 24-27th Pate swap meet at Texas Motor Speedway. http:///www.pateswapmeet.com April 26th Muscle Club Car Challenge at Hallsville Raceway, Hallsville, Texas. May 2-4th Buick Race Day at Norwalk Ohio http:///buickperformancegroup.com/events.htm May 3rd Elvis Fun Run Car Show put on by the North Texas Chapter of the BCA. For additional information call 1-903-961-2034. http:///www.buickclub.org May 9th May 10th LSPBC Meeting Location: Buck and Loons Address: 3417 South Cooper, Arlington, TX 76015 (about 1 mile North of I-20 on the east side of Cooper St.) Time: 3:00 pm for officers, 4:00 pm for all members Menu: American and other various favorites. May 13-17th GS Nationals at Bowling Green http:///buickgsca.com May 17th May 30th The 9th annual Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour sponsored by Chevrolet and co-sponsored by Flowmaster exhaust, will kick off an eight day run across the great American south in Nashville, Tennessee. It will conclude on Friday June 6th in the DFW, Texas area. http:///www.hotrod.com June 1st Muscle Club Car Challenge at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Oklahoma. June 6th Conclusion of the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour Long Haulers Presentation in Fort Worth, Texas http:///www.hotrod.com June 7th Ewing Buick & GMC car show hosted by the Lone Star Performance Buick Club. Registration: 10:00 am 12:00 noon Awards: 3:30 pm Entry Fee: $10.00 Same classes as our regular car shows Featuring KLUV 98.7 FM Disc Jockies Door Prizes and a 50 / 50 pot to be awarded Address: 4464 W. Plano Pkwy in Plano, Texas More Information: Morgan Farrington @ 972-239-0223 June 8th Muscle Car Club Challenge at Redline Raceway in Caddo Mills, Texas. June 13th June 21st June 28-29th Swap meet at the Ball Park in Arlington July 11th
July 19th July 23-27th Buick s 100th Birthday Centennial Celebration Location: Flint Michigan http:///www.buickclub.org/buick_centennial_2003.htm August 8th August 16th September 12th October 18th October 25th Buick vs. Ford Shootout at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Oklahoma. http:///www.okbuicks.com October 26th Muscle Car Club Challenge at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. November 2nd Muscle Car Club Challenge at Redline Raceway in Caddo Mills, Texas November 14th November 15th Muscle Car Club Challenge awards banquet in Addison, Texas. http:///www.home.att.net/~racerx88/tmccc.htm September 14th Muscle Car Club Challenge at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas September 20th October 9-12th 18th annual NHRA O Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at the Texas Motorplex October 10th
It s Buick s 100th year don t let the celebration pass you by! Thank you to everyone that has supported the club in the past, however; this year we need you more than ever to make it the best year yet! If I remember correctly, this is our 4th year putting on the Cruise Night with Chuck s All American Food and Fun. It is one of the best cruise nights in the country and you made it that way! Give yourself a hand! Volunteers are always needed. If you would like to help out, let me know. Remember, these shows pay for the events you want and like! The drag race program is new for the club this year. Instead of maybe one or two events with trophies, we have decided to have an eight event payout series at Redline Raceway. Payouts will be $125.00 from LSPBC and $100.00 from the racetrack to the winner! The runner-up payout is $75.00 and $50.00 to each semi-finalist from LSPBC! It will cost you an $5.00 per car to enter the bracket race in addition to your fun and grudge entry fee. At this time they need a minimum of 13 cars from us entered at each event to be eligible for this program. This is not set in stone, however; the owner of the track would like this minimum to make it worth their while. Other club racing rules are as follows: 1. You must be a CURRENT club member 2. Any vehicle is allowed, but we encourage you to bring your Buick! 3. All IHRA rules and regulations are applicable Also, don t forget the Muscle Car Challenge Series. This is a nice event that travels around the area to various racetracks. If you need more info on this series, Frank Llano is our club contact. Reminder Cruise Night Rules: 1. $10.00 entry fee 2. All members with Buicks must enter the Buick classes 3. Members other vehicles may enter any class with no restrictions. 4. You may only win 1st place in the Buick Club class once per year. 5. You may win 2nd place in the Buick Club class as many times as you can. 6. Club members can not vote for other club members in the club classes. Again, I want to welcome our new members and welcome back our members from previous years! May the bird of happiness stay away from your Buick! (hehehe) See you at the other end! David Newton LSPBC Show / Race Director
Our next club meeting will be held at Buck n Loons on May 10, 2003. The officers will meet at 3:00 pm and all members will meet together at 4:00 pm. Although the menu is mostly American, they also include other various popular selections. Is that overflow bottle under the hood slimy, nasty and discolored? Try this cheap and unconventional cleaning method: 1. Remove radiator overflow bottle from vehicle 2. Insert kitty litter or other absorbent abrasive equivalent 3. Cap open ends with your hands and shake vigorously! 4. Empty contents and rinse thoroughly with water 5. Repeat as necessary Your overflow bottle should now have an improved appearance as a result of removing the internal film that causes most discoloration. Source: Rick Kinworthy For those of you who like to chrome your engine compartment, and; you are on a tight budget like myself, you may want to try Economy Plating in Balch Springs, TX. These guys do nice work at a reasonable price. I ve had all my chrome work done there as well as a few of my fellow members in the club. The phone number there is 972-285-5112 for any questions that you may have. They are located at 11224 Limestone Drive. Happy Motoring, David Newton Members brave the cold and flocking birds at the first meeting of 2003. Groups also gather to see what s new with the toys on hand. If you are anything like myself, you most likely cannot wash your vehicle without applying some sort of tire shine to complete the job. For years I used foamy sprays to achieve this task. Recently I stumbled upon a product that was new to me from Meguiar s. They produce a product that dispenses as a liquid gel and is applied with a curved sponge. This purple liquid applies evenly and does not run down your freshly dried wheels. Especially beneficial is the fact that it does not brown my tires and reversed this effect caused by other brands. It also has a much longer lasting result (a couple of weeks not days!) It may seem a little more expensive by the bottle, but; you will use much less per application. I continue to buy the spray versions to renew the underside of the plastic fender guards and the front air deflector on my vehicles. Shine On! Carl Brimer New member Denise Hosack proudly displays her Buick along side of Mitch Smith s T-Type while meeting her fellow enthusiasts.
Daniel Oviedo has performed exceptional work to update the LSPBC website after a long stint of stagnation. The site has really taken on a new sense of pride and distinguishment. Thanks for all your efforts! Thanks to Charlotte Llano and Tim Winn whose photos have helped make this newsletter more thorough and entertaining. Thanks to Morgan Farrington for maintaining the LSBPC treasury and our membership requirements. Especially since it is income tax season! Thanks to all those not mentioned here at this time who have selflessly dedicated time to the improvement of this organization! Full Spool Ahead, Carl Brimer LSPBC Newsletter / Editor Recently, the question was posed concerning what exactly is required by NHRA and IHRA in the matter surrounding roll bars. For simplicity, I will refer to the NHRA 2003 Rulebook. Generally, If your vehicle meets the requirements of NHRA, it will also meet the requirements of IHRA. This technical area is one that more frequently prevents the faster Buicks from completing a pass without repercussions. The guidelines for determining if your vehicle is required to have a roll bar is as follows: Section 1A:4 Roll Bar Roll bar mandatory in all cars running 11.00 (*7.00) to 11.99 (*7.49), in convertibles running 11.00 (*7.00) to 13.99 (*8.59), and in all dune-buggy-type vehicles running 12.00 (*7.50) seconds and slower. Permitted in all cars. See General Regulations 4:10, 10:6 Roll Cage Roll cage mandatory in cars running 10.99 (*6.99) or quicker or any car exceeding 135 mph. In full-bodied cars, with unaltered firewall, floor, and body (from firewall rearward, wheeltubs permitted), running between 10.00 (*6.40) and 10.99 (*6.99), roll bar permitted in place of roll cage. In convertibles running 10.99 or quicker or exceeding 135 mph, roll cage mandatory. Cars running between 7.50 (*4.50) and 9.99 (*6.39) must have chassis inspected every three years by NHRA and have a serialized sticker affixed to cage before participation. Plating of chassis prohibited for all cars manufactured after 1/1/2003. Effective 1/1/2003, rearengine dragsters must conform to SFI Spec 2.7A; vehicles exceeding 170 mph must meet appropriate SFI Spec for body used. All others must conform to specs for body style used, as listed in General Regulations 4:11, 10:6 * = 1/8th mile designations Tell your friends that late model Buicks are welcome! You must refer to General Regulations 4:11 & 10:6 for complete requirements. These regulations discuss material wall thickness, placement and other critical installation requirements that affect your safety! Continued next page... Typical Roll Bar
Technically Speaking Continued. As I am sure that you are aware, this article in no way is attempting to cover all the safety requirements or the application thereof to your vehicle. This is solely for the purpose of aiding your decision based upon the performance of your vehicle. In addition to keeping yourself legal to operate at these speeds, there are other benefits to installing a roll bar such as: 1. Greatly reduced unibody flex that would otherwise cause stress cracks to form. 2. Reduction of a portion of your applied power lost to chassis flex. 3. Improved weight transfer to plant the rear tires 4. Even if you are attempting to preserve the factory appearance, a properly installed roll bar presents a higher degree of safety and a nice aggressive appearance. I know that you could just take a chance, and that you would not have this regulation imposed at every track. However, the risk of personal safety and the law of physics are against you. I personally would not dream of competing at the level that I do without one. D aun McCaffrey s award winning Chevrolet Z28 Be Safe! Carl Brimer Newsletter / Editor NHRA C/FIA 4238 IHRA E/SA 4238 Mitch Smith heating the hides at the Texas Motorplex