Spirit Magazine SPRING 2011 - Spirit of St Louis Region - CCCA

The Hendrix's collection of Jaguars is basedon Jaguar history. The years range from 1930 tocurrent day automobiles. Their collection beginswith one of the very first Jaguars :1. 1930 Austin 7 Swallow, 4 cylinder747cc. It is one of the first 500 vehicles built1/2 litre Saloon. These are Pre-War vehicles andcarry the SS designation. After the War or Post-War versions are designated only as Jaguar.Pre-War grill withSS designationPost-War grill withJaguar designation5. 1947 2 1/2 litre Sports Saloon(Our feature car)6. 1959 XK 150 S Roadster7. 1965 E Type OTS 4.2 litre.1930 Austin 7 Swallowby Sir William Lyons and William Walmsey.2. 1935 SS-1 Airline, the first time theJaguar name appeared on a vehicle by thecompany. There were 624 built of which only 12are known to still exist, one of which is ownedby the Hendrix's. It is currently undergoing aframe-off restoration. It's purchase is a story ofendurance. Jim found the car in Wales in 1993and it took him five years to convince the ownerthat he would be a proper caretaker of the carand to agree to sell it to Jim.The next series is the first steel bodied1938. Jim and Lisa have two copies of this version:3-4. 1938 SS Jaguar 6, 3 position DropHead. and the other is a 1938 SS Jaguar 6, 3Spring 20111938 SS Jaguar, 3 position drop head8. 1967 Daimler Sovereign 4.29. 1984 XJS 3.6 Coupe (one of 24 built)10. 1984 XJ- SC 5.3 V-12The history is completed with a modern 2007JaguarThe Hendrix'spurchased their 19472 1/2 litre SportsSaloon in 1991 andannually made smallimprovements, buthave never totallyrestored it, and it is1965 E Type & 1959 XK 150 (NC)Jaguar signthus an original automobile. The car has been invarious automobile shows and has received someimpressive honors: "Best of Show" at 2000,2004, and 2006 St. Louis All British Car Show;Jaguar Clubs of America (JCNA) competitionresulted in a North American Championshipplacing 2nd and 3rd in various years; ClassicCar Club of America (CCCA) Premier Division;various honors in local shows in the St. Louisarea. The Hendrix garage is a Jaguar showcase5

Front viewof 1947JaguarJaguar flagswith signage, flags, and the many awards wonby their various cars.Jim and Lisa have been very active in theJaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA) servingin various director posts over the years. Wewish them continued success in their Jaguarexperiences.References;"The Years 1932 to 1935", Jaguar Cars Ltd."The Years 1935 to 1938", Jaguar Cars Ltd."The Years 1938 to 1953", Jaguar Cars Ltd.The Jim Hendrix Library of InformationView ofleft sideof theengineView ofright sideof theengineShow awardsCCCA Annual Meeting at Palm Beach, Florida January 5-9, 2011By Wendell Smith Photos by Bill Albertin and Wendell SmithThis year’s annual meeting was billed as avenue with incredible weather, unparalleledactivities and events, that would transpire atone of the world’s finest resort hotels, TheBreakers, in Palm Beach Florida. A recordnumber of members from the Spirit of St. Louisregion (seventeen in all) were lured to themeeting and were in no way disappointed inwhat they experienced. Approximately twohundred CCCA members and guests fromthroughout the country participated in theannual meeting. The roster of automobilesshown at the meet included forty of the finestFull Classics® in the world. The judgingreflected seven 100 point cars (a record for anannual meeting); none of the cars in thecompetition received less than 93 points.SSRCCCA Members Attending the annual meeting:L to Rt.: Bob Abbott, Wendell Smith, Fred Guyton,Bill Albertin, Beverly Estes, Joe Krzan Sr., Cecelia andJim Conley, Gene Bossaller, and Barbara Knudsen.Not shown: Steve Brauer, Bobbiedine Rodda, Gene andSally Perkins, Shawn Dougan, Bill Davis, and John Porbeck.6 The Spirit

On the first day of the event participantsboarded two large double decker busses totravel a short distance to lunch and see theworld renowned Flagler Museum. In an effort tomanage the number of participants half went tolunch first while the other half had a guided tourof the mansion.Henry Flagler was born in 1844. He lefthis home in Hopewell New York at age 14 topursue his career. After success in the grainindustry in Ohio he founded a salt miningcompany that supplied Union troops in the CivilWar. In 1867 he joined John D. Rockefeller andSamuel Andrews as a founding partner of theStandard Oil Company. In his fifties, Flagler`sinterests turned to the development of Florida.By 1912 Flagler`s Florida East Coast Railway,and luxury hotels, including the Breakers, linkedthe entire east coast of Florida from Jacksonvilleto Key West. In so doing Flagler establishedPalm Beach as one of the worlds great winterresorts.In 1902 Flagler built Whitehall, themuseum we toured. With more than 75 roomsWhitehall was a winter retreat and weddingpresent for his wife. The reception hall alone isover 5,000 sq. feet, the largest and grandest ofany room in a Gilded Age private home. One ofthe most amazing things about the home is thatit was built in approximately one year.In 1925 a hotel was built on the back ofthe home. In 1957 the hotel and home wereslated for demolition. Upon hearing of the fateof the home one of Flagler`s granddaughters,Jean Flagler Matthews, stepped in and boughtthe property. The high rise hotel portion wastorn down, the home was restored to its formergrandeur and given to the non-profit museumassociation and opened to public viewing theSpring 2011following year. Another amazing thing about thehome is it has most of its original furnishings.When the Flagler family initially sold the propertythey placed most of the furniture in storagewhere it had remained until the property wasset up as a museum. Incidentally, the Flaglerfamily is still prominent in the community andstill owns the Breakers Hotel where our annualmeeting was held.The next stop of the afternoon was theMunder Collection. This was an eclectic collectionfeaturing outstanding cars of all types, many ofwhich are imported racing and sports cars. Thecollection was well presented on a beautifulshow area including an impressive stainlesssteel floor. Adjacent to the show area on oneside was a wonderfully equipped shop with dustfree work areas. On the other side of thedisplay area was the owner’s corporate offices.A reception followedby dinner was held theevening of the first day.The reception was held ona beautiful ocean sideterrace area at the hotel.Dinner was a buffet whereone could choose eitheroutdoor or indoor seating.Evening temperatures were1931 Cadillac 370 A V12One-off roadster undergoingrestoration. Coachwork byHarley Earl includes radicaltailfins, teardrop fenders,and streamlined radiator/hood. This car was formerlyowned by cowboy moviestar Buck Jones.Believe it or not this is aModel T Ford racer (nc)7

Guyton, Estes,Porbeck, andAbbott enjoya drinkat the reception.new members the club is rolling out a five monthmembership drive. Details of this plan will be reportedat our regional meetings and in the Spark Plug.Those who successfully recruit members to join willhave their names entered in a drawing for threeThe evening dining venue.around 70 degrees with very little wind. We had abeautiful view It was a wonderful way to cap off thefirst day of the annual meeting.I do not want you to get the impression thatCCCA annual meetings are all fun and games. Onthe second day (Thursday morning) we had ournational membership meeting. Board membersand officers were selected and reports were givenby the chairs of each of the associations nationalcommittees. I would like to comment that nationalleadership roles reflect a significant commitmentby those agreeing to serve. Not onlydo board members have to travelto Chicago about every other monthfor meetings at their own expensethey spend considerable time on clubresponsibilities between the meetings.We are fortunate to have a dedicatedgroup of members that are willing toserve the club in leadership capacities.Our club is financially quitesolvent. We have over $500,000 inreserves. However, concern was againexpressed that the club continues tolose members. The Spirit Region isthe exception in that we continue togain members. In an effort to attractA stranger in paradiseExecutive Director Jay Quail (far left) addresses members.National board is seated at the table in front.significant prizes. This one time membership drivewill end on May 15, 2011.Following the business meeting many tookadvantage of a window of free time beforeafternoon tour departures to take a peek at the carsthat had already arrived for the Saturday show. Theconference registration booklet that everyonereceived upon check in listed forty Classics that hadbeen pre registered. We only had one car registeredfrom the St. Louis region. Steve Brauer brought hisbeautiful 16 Cylinder 1932 Cadillac convertiblecoupe that has a Fischer body. The staging area forcars arriving prior to the show was a long series oftents that were set up in a secure area of the hotelparking lot.On Thursday afternoon we touredJohn Staluppi`s Cars of Dreams Museum.The museum is located in a formerK-Mart store in the heart of Palm BeachCounty. It features beautifully restoredAmerican cars, primarily from the 1950`sand the 1960`s, including the largestknown collection of Chrysler 300convertibles. A number of Packards in thecollection impressed Bill Albertin andJoe Krzan Sr. Within the building, that islarger than a football field, is also areplica of a small town American village.In the center of the display area is amerry go round. Viewing this museumwas a wonderful experience for all.8 The Spirit

the entire room, which included approximatelyforty-five people representing all twenty-sixCCCA regions was very impressed with what wehave been doing. We were the only region thatwas asked to showcase our activities to ourcolleagues; I felt this was quite a compliment.On Friday, following the business meetingswe journeyed again on the busses to lunch andlater to the Milhous Museum. The area wetraveled was on the same road we had traveledto dinner on the yachts the previous evening. Itwas quite an experience seeing the homesduring the day. Our destination was approximatelytwenty miles south of our hotel. The bussestraveled on the road closest to the beach. Mostof the homes were in the four million dollar pricerange. We went by the home that Trump hadbuilt when he was married to Ivana, one of hisformer wives. We drove by the Post mansion. Itwas quite an experience seeing the mansionsthat people typically live in only a few months ofthe year.Lunch was at the Delray Beach Club. Wehad a wonderful view of the sandy beach of theAtlantic Ocean outside our dining area. Afterlunch we went to the Milhous Museum. This isthe facility I find most difficult to describe. Themuseum is owned by two brothers. One collectsorgans and large scale musical instruments thatwere typically found in saloons and similarvenues during the 1800s. The other brothercollects classic cars. The museum is very private.There are typically no private viewings, thereis no web site, and there wasn’t any brochureavailable to authenticate my report on the cars inViewfrom thesecond floordown to themerry-go-roundon thefirst floor.Steve Brauer(far right) takesin the musicbeing played onthe 187 rankorgan by themuseum’sorganist.No shortage of signs here!National President Al Kroemer with SSR members BillDavis and Beverly Estes.Marmon V16 All Weather Phaeton10 The Spirit

WendellandJim Conleyby the1909 RollsGene and hisfavorite car.A 19125 passengerOldsmobileLimited with43 inchwheels.of Show.The mightyWurlitzerat theMilhousMuseumHopefully the photos I have of this collection willserve to help you understand the fantasticcollection we saw at the Milhous Museum.Friday evening featured the regionalawards banquet. There are twenty-six regionsin CCCA. During the past few years the Spirit ofSt. Louis Region has been consistently recognizedas one of the top regions in the nation. Ourregion placed in the top ten among all nine ofthe recognition categories. We also receivedrecognition for twenty five years of history withthe association. We were recognized as the thirdbest region in the nation. I received recognitionas being the best regional director which wasquite an honor.Saturday was the car show day at themeeting. Over forty cars were registered forjudging, several additional Classics appearedon show day for display. It was a magnificentsight seeing the cars lined up on two rows alongeach side of a red carpet on the parking area infront of the hotel. The judging was held from9:30 until noon. The cars remained on displayuntil mid-afternoon.Steve Brauer`s 1932 Cadillac was theonly car in the show from the Spirit of St. LouisRegion. Most of the cars were from Florida orthe upper east coast area.the collection. All I can say is it was unbelievable!The collection was probably worth at least abillion dollars. The full time organist they haveon staff was accomplished to the point that itwas said he could play 6,000 tunes frommemory. The organist played about a dozen ofthe instruments while one of brothers narrated.Seeing this museum was in itself worth the tripto the annual meeting. This is one of theintangible benefits of being a member of theClassic Car Club of America® You are exposedto situations that are totally indescribable.Classics in front of The BreakersSpring 2011A table ofSSR membersat the regionalawardsbanquet.R to L:Guyton, Estes,C. Conley,J. Conley,Krzan, AlbertinAnother view of the show cars11

Saturday evening was the final galaawards presentation where judging results wereannounced. A record seven cars received 100point recognition. The 100 point cars were a1934 Packard, 1938 Lincoln, 1941 Packard, 1928Packard, 1939 Cadillac, 1933 Chrysler, and a1940 Buick. The 1938 Lincoln received Best ofShow. This car was a 12, K, Convertible Sedan,LeBaron. The car is owned by Ralph Marano ofWestfield, NJ. Shawn Dougan and Bob Abbott admire a Pierce-ArrowChrysler Town & CountryFollowing the afternoon show there was atwo hour technical session that primarily focusedon car safety and preservation.1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom 111 DropheadCoupe LabourdetteA Better Method to Foil Vapor Lockby Richard QuickA second fuel line with a dedicatedelectric pump is deemed the best way tocure vapor lock situations. Typically, thisinvolves a tee fitting just behind themechanical pump and an expensive checkvalve. But if your mechanical pump has castinto it an extra blank or a plugged outlet,this is the perfect location for plumbing inthe line from the electric pump. No checkvalve is needed as the mechanical unit’svalve serves the same purpose, and theoriginal piping from the mechanical pumpto the carburetor remains untouched.Many original pumps like AC andaftermarket brands are easily adaptedin this fashion. Simply drill and tap into theblank outlet of the casting. If there isnone you can substitute a suitable topportion of your pump from a flea marketdonor as the top sections of many brandsare interchangeable. 12 The Spirit

Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey Auction October 7-8, 2010By Tom HoltgraveAllan Franz was in upstate New York onthe Adirondack CARavan so I was asked to coverthis event for him. The entire RM auction was noreserve and included cars from the estates ofClyde Engor, Sr., John O’Quinn and GeraldSichel. The total proceeds brought 8.8 milliondollars. According to RM auctions, in addition tothe bidders on the scene there were eighteenforeign countries represented as telephone andinternet bidders. Twenty-five percent of thebidders were new to them.As Full Classics® go in this lineup, a sleeperwas lot 351, a 1931 Lincoln Model K town sedan,The catalog placed a selling estimate of $75,000 to$100,000. It sold for $62,700. Likewise, a 1931Lincoln Model K 7-passenger touring had a sellingestimate of $125,000 to $150,000 and it brought$101,750. Most of the other cars sold quite a bitabove the catalog selling estimate.1903 Packard Model F rear entry TonneauRM PhotoI was impressed with the quality and thequantity of the brass era cars. Twenty of the1900-1910 cars were from one collection. The topselling brass era car was a 1903 Packard Model Frear-entry Tonneau which brought $374,000. Itwas a Pebble Beach winner. My favorite brass eracar was the 1909 Thomas Flyer 6 40 7-passengertouring sedan. It was the most conventionallooking and one of the fastest.1931 Lincoln Model K Town SedanRM PhotoThis was the fourth RM auction at theHershey Lodge which is an excellent venue for it.I like the dignified presentation of the auctioneervs. the constant babel heard at other auctions.There are also two huge TV screens with thevideo of the car, and the last bid in American andCanadian dollars as well as Euros. Incidentally,the selling prices mentioned include a tenpercent “buyers premium”. You may wish tovisit www.rm.com to learn of upcoming auctionsthat may be of interest to you. 1909 Thomas Flyer 7-passenger TouringDaren Schnabel Photo1931 Lincoln Model K 7-passenger TouringRM PhotoSpring 201115

A Guide to Fulfillment of a Dreamby Allan FranzAt some point in the life of a car nut is theburning desire to own a collector car. Perhaps asa youth there is an automotive experience thatmakes an indelible impression on you. It is filedaway in your brain to emerge at a later date. Inthis article I will guide you on your path to afulfillment of that dream.The first step in your quest is to join themarque club that holds your interest. You willgain valuable knowledge and gain helpful advicefrom the members. Then, depending on your ageand abilities the choice will be to restore the caror buy a complete turnkey restoration.Let us review the pros and cons of buyinga car to restore;PROS FOR RESTORATION1. You know what goes into the job andthat it is done correctly and authentically. (theclub you joined has probably published anauthenticity manual that you should follow)2. If you have the talent to do all or partof the restoration, you have the satisfaction of ajob well done which gives you pride and boostsyour self esteem.3. Searching for the essential hard-tofindparts and finding them is a rewardingexperience. Sometimes fellow club members cangive you sources that make your search easier.Also, you might make new friends along the way.CONS AGAINST RESTORATION1. The timeline for completion is usuallystretched, sometimes double the original estimate.2. The cost is ALWAYS more than theoriginal estimate. (many unforeseen issues ariseto add to the cost)3. There is no assurance that the peopleyou employ will be honest. It would be prudentto ask for references and to check them out.Failure to do this has resulted in some sad talesof woe. One was told by a gentleman our carclub visited last year. In his collection was a1957 Ford Thunderbird (nc). He paid therestorer periodically as requested but did notget details of what the money went toward.Eventually, he had paid enough for a completerestoration but the car was not nearly complete.He ended up removing the car to a secondrestorer for completion. A second tale of woewas told to me by a man from Ohio at a Lincolnevent in Iowa. I admired his 1940 LincolnZephyr Continental Cabriolet. He proceeded totell me his sad story. He saw a Lincoln he reallyliked at a show. He talked to the owner whogave him the name of the person who did therestoration. He took his car to this restorer andhe checked periodically on its progress. He tookparts for the restoration, but the car wassidelined while other cars were worked on. (thiswas a one man shop) After ten years and stillno completion, he removed the car to a secondrestorer who completed the car. Both thesemen were businessmen who should have hadthe intelligence to get references and checkthem out.4. If you are going to do the restorationyourself, there is a good possibility that you mayenthusiastically take the car apart at which timeyou lose interest as you realize it is beyond yourabilities. It then sits in your garage for manyyears while your modern car sits outside. We allknow people who have done this. Then you try tosell your project and you find it is a rare soul thatis interested in solving your jigsaw puzzle.CHECK LIST FOR BUYING A RESTORED CARYou don’t have to wait to enjoy it forentering shows or touring. To make this possibleyou must do your due diligence to avoid thepitfalls of a hasty decision. Part of this processwould be to request that a competent mechanicbe allowed to inspect the car. If the sellerdeclines, you should lose interest in that car andmove on to the next one. It is also a good ideato have your own written appraisal made andcompare it to the sellers appraisal. There aremany car auctions now, and they assemble alarge selection of cars which saves a lot of time.The disadvantage is that you can’t drive them orhave them inspected or appraised. If you readthe contract the seller enters with the auctioncompany you find that the auction companydoes not warrant anything and merely relayswhatever the seller says about the car. A rareexception to the normal auction was the JerryCapizzi Collection November 2006 ( See theSpirit Spring 2007 for details) This man had astaff of two full time restoration specialists andtwo part time maintenance personnel. His16 The Spirit

facility was perfection. Most of the cars were lowmileage cars that were restored to make panelsfit perfectly and given a perfect paint job.However, you could not drive them and they allsold above the auction company’s estimate. Inthis situation you probably would get a car thatneeds nothing.Lastly, if you buy a car from another stateit has to be inspected to determine the titlenumber and the vehicle number match. In St.Charles County they send a sheriffs deputy toyour house and after checking it out he givesyou a form you take when you apply for a title.This would apply to both restored andunrestored cars. Check with your county to seehow they do it.In summary, if you follow these guidelinesyou will increase the odds in your favor ofselecting a car you will enjoy for years to come.But remember to be tolerant as all these carswere designed to live shorter lives and betraded in. Just remember that when somethingfails, don’t blame the seller. Happy Searching!Membership Kick Off Meeting at Hyman LTD.by Allan Franzus a computer print out ofall the Arizona auctionscomparing this year withlast. All the auctions didwell. The exception wasMotoexotica which wasnew this year so nocomparison was made.On February 5 th , 60members and guests gatheredfor another start of whatpromises to be a year ofexciting activities under ournew activity team led byChairman Tom Roberson.Shawn Dougan, John Porbeck,and Wendell Smith make upthe balance of the team.Other features of ourgeneral meeting conducted by our new director,Don Hoelscher were; 1. Mark Hyman gave a reviewof the current market for collector cars. He andShawn Dougan had been in Arizona in Januarywhere several auctions are heldeach year, the biggest of which isBarrett- Jackson who celebratedtheir 40 th anniversary this year.Mark told us that the 50 to 250thousand dollar price group is stilla bit weak; however, cars aboveand below are strong. Shawn readSpring 20112. Wendell Smithand Barb Knudson talkedabout the successfulnational annual meetingat Palm Beach in January.Details are in this issuein Wendell’s article onCCCA Annual Meeting.3. Barb Knudsengave a progress reporton member’s delinquentrenewals, which is a perennial problem. Nextyear, national will collect regional dues togetherwith national dues which may solve the issue oflate renewals. She handed out 2011 rosterswhich featured an attractive art deco appearancecreated by Shannon Olson. Nice work, Shannon!17

In the back pages of the roster, you will find alist of activities which will keep all of us busy.After the meeting, we were free to roamand dream about acquiring something fromMark’s wonderful collection. It is never static,as they sell anaverage of twentyfive cars a month.Mark keeps 125 carsin stock, however,the hardest part ofhis job is findinggood cars that aredesirable. They havetheir own shop to do anyneeded mechanicalrepairs. Any body workas well as upholsterywork is outsourced.When you purchase acar from them youget a list of what hasbeen done to the car as well as any items that areelective in their opinion.Thank You, Mark for your hospitality whichmade us feel welcome and right at home. 2011 Annual Meeting Technical SessionBy Jim ConleyThe Technical Session was an informal giveand take interaction session. This was presentedby a moderator and a panel of speakers (namesunknown). All the topics were covered on aninformal basis without the use of paper orelectronic presentation media. I recall three of thetopics: Fuel; Gearbox/Rear-end; and the Four Ss’.1. FuelSince up to 10% Ethanol is now authorized /required (?) in our gasoline supply strange thingsare happening to our vintage automobiles. Onehorror story was the “new” mixture was dissolvingthe plastic liner a previous owner had installedinside the gas tank. This goop was causing thebutterfly valve of his carburetor to freeze upafter driving his car and letting it set. Fortunatelyhe was able to detect it before it reached insideand froze up his valves.It was suggested to fill the gas tank witheither aviation fuel or racing fuel prior to storingthe automobile. A source for aviation fuel is yourlocal small airport that services private aircraft. Isearched the web for racing fuel, but wasunable to locate any near here.Keep in mind the Ethanol issue will only getworse. There is legislation being proposedto increase the Ethanol content up to 15%. This isnot good news for vintage automobiles. (Accordingto an AP newswire the EPA has approved the 15%limit for cars and light trucks manufactured since2007, if the retailer wants to sell it) editor note2. Gearbox/Rear-endThis presentation was given by a gentlemanthat is in the business of repairing/restoringtransmissions, gearboxes, and rear-ends. His mainpoint was to check the lubricant level in theseoften neglected components. He made thecomment that in almost every failure he hasencountered was due to lack of attention to thelubrication of the drive system.3. Four Ss’I found this topic fascinating. The presenterstated that the majority of break-downs on a tourcould be avoided if the Four Ss’ were to befollowed before a tour and or after removing yourClassic from storage; Safety, Starting, Stopping,and Service.A. Safety. How long has it been since you performeda basic safety check? Have you checked the following for properoperation, deterioration, and overallcondition? Seat belts; Lamps; Bulbs; Glass; Mirrors;Spare; Tires, are they excessively worn? Cracked?Aged? Jack, do you have one? Are all the piecesthere and operational? Do you know how to change a flat tireon your car?B. StartingWarning, before probing around thestarter motor, be sure to disconnect thebattery. This is a direct connection to thebattery and can cause serious injury andor damage if ignored. How old is the battery? Battery connections, are they clean?How about the ground connection? Charging system: Is the generator/18 The Spirit

Getting Ready for the Summer Seasonby Dave StuckelWith the spring around the corner and thesummer just behind we need to start thinkingabout getting ready for the show and cruiseseason. Whether you have a trailer queen, a niceshow only piece or a good old summer driverthey all need some attention before they go outto brave a new season of fun.Let’s look back and reflect on our lastdrive or show just before we stored thatbeauty for the long cold winter.How old is the battery and has it beencharged recently?Charging alone is not enough. Checkthe water level and invest in a goodhydrometer. This inexpensive little device is alot like the coolant specific gravity tester weall used to use. You know the one with thefloating balls.This will allow you to check the water levelin the battery and also you can check each individualcell in the battery to get a realistic view of thebattery condition. A charger may show a goodcharge and even a load test on a battery willindicate fair to good but if each cell is down oreven one this can accelerate the deterioration ofthe battery. This will also ease the load on theold generator or that new fancy device called an“alternator” for you newfangled drivers. Both agenerator and an alternator get their initialfield energized by that battery and then they areable to return a charge. If that battery ismarginal it will hit it with a high amp chargeright at start up.Start the car and check that thelight has gone out or the gauge respondsaccordingly. You may need to raise the engineidle a little to get the generator excitedenough to produce a good field charge.Most importantly make sure thatall the battery connections are tight andclean. Corrosion is the enemy and can rob thatpower Needed. Especially in a 6 volt application.Remember paint does not conduct electricity. Somake sure that those ground cables are attachedto good bare metal! Not Paint!Take these steps and you should be wellcharged for the summer season. "Mrs. Busch's Birthday"by Don GuttingYou may know that my 1940 Packard carriesthe sobriquet of "Mrs. Busch" as its originalowner was Mrs. August A. Busch, better knownas the mother of "Gussie", the St. Louis Cardinal'sone-time owner. The car was delivered by BerryMotor Car Co. of St. Louis on October 28, 1939.I had hoped to observe it's 70th birthday butweather and other factors did not cooperate. ButOctober 28, 2010 was a much superior day andI drove the car down to what is now PackardLofts and what is the same building from whichthe car was delivered.After a brief photo session there we headedup Locust St., turned left onto Jefferson, southon Jefferson, west on Gravois and some elevenmiles later were at the entrance to Grant’sFarm. Of course it was closed, but as this wasthe sight of the Packard's "home" for somethirteen years I finished another brief photosession there. While Berry's has changed morethan a little bit, Grant’s Farm hasn't. No strongreason for doing this; just a bit of nostalgia.Needless to say the car performed flawlessly allthe way. 20 The Spirit

OO Battery Cable Installationby Don GuttingI had been advised, and rightly so, thatinstalling a heavier battery cable for a 6 volt systemthat is used only occasionally is a good idea. It isalso not quite so easy as it sounds.This cable is noticeably thicker than theoriginal #1 and as such neither twists nor bendsas readily as the original. With my battery underthe driver's seat and the ground connection veryclose to the terminal the materials were not verycooperative. The ground cable needed to be a littlelonger than the original in order to compensate forthe wider arc of the necessary bend.The same was true for the starter cable andit was necessary to route it a bit differently in orderThe Vaughn Monroe Cadillacby Fred SummersMost of us of a certain age remember VaughnMonroe. He was an American baritone singer,trumpeter, big band leader and actor, mostpopular in the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s. His two 2stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were forrecordings and radio. Monroe was born in AkronOhio in 1911. In 1929 he graduated from highschool in Jeannette, Pennsylvania where he wassenior class president, and voted “most likely tosucceed.” His father was an industrial engineerwho moved from job site to job site with hisfamily where they would live from 3 to 5 yearsuntil a project was completed. After high schoolVaughn attended Carnegie Institute of Technology,where he was an active member of the Sigma NuFraternity. However, he did not earn his degree.He quit at the end of his junior year. The reasoncould be traced back to his introduction to thetrumpet when he was an eleven year old. Aneighbor gave him an old trumpet to play with,thus launching Monroe’s musical interest. By theage of 12 he played in the school band. Thismusical interest carried on during his high schoolyears where he refined his trumpet work, and sang inthe high school band. Before entering college, hewon the state-wide trumpet contest in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. While in college he blew and sang at nightin various professional dance bands. During hisjunior year, Austin Wylie, a band leader in Cleveland,Ohio, offered him a job paying more money than hisfather earned as a major project engineer. He decidedhis future was music, not engineering.He moved on to the Larry Funk OrchestraSpring 2011to get it through all passages. You might want toroute the cable first without terminals to determinethe necessary path. Bear in mind that if there is aconduit it may not fit. I found it helpful to attachthe battery terminal temporarily and put same onthe battery to hold it in position, bring the cable tothe starter, hang the starter terminal to coincidewith the cable (it did NOT want to go at the sameangle as the original) and then insert the cable intothe terminal. Staab Battery Co. was very helpful incutting the cable for me and in final attachment ofthe terminals. There are in a most inconvenientlocation off Pershall Road at 7201 Polson Lane(near I-270 and Lindbergh): phone: 522-6288.Generations Photographyas a vocalist and trumpet player for even moremoney. In 1936 he signed up with society bandleader Jacques Marshard who played in the NewEngland areas, which put Monroe in Boston oftenenough to continue his studies at the New EnglandConservatory of Music. In 1937 Marshard askedMonroe to be a bandleader in one of his groups.Then in 1938 Monroe commenced construction ofhis own high-end night club and restaurant. Itwas named The Meadows, and opened in 1940 inFramingham, Massachusetts just west of Boston.Starting in 1941, he hosted the national radioprogram the Camel Caravan. The program was aninstant success. Monroe was tall and handsome;this helped him both as a band leader and singeras well as in Hollywood. There he made 4movies: MEET THE PEOPLE, CARNEGIE HALL,SINGING GUNS, and THE TOUGHEST MAN INARIZONA. Although all of his films made money,Monroe, for what ever reason, never pursued anacting career. He recorded extensively for RCAVictor; with well over a million copies sold, his21

signature tune was “Racing with the moon.” Dozensof others, too numerous to mention, approachedhalf a million copies each. An astute business manMonroe invested heavily in RCA stock in the 1930’swhen it was cheap. By the early 1950’s he had morenet worth than some of the guests at the galasociety balls where he provided the entertainment.As far as television was concerned, he hosted theVaughn Monroe show in 1950-51, and then again in1954-55 on CBS. He was also a regular guest onBonanza, the Mike Douglas Show, Ed SullivanShow, Texaco Star Theatre, Jackie Gleason Show,The Tonight Show, and American Bandstand.The year 1940 was very important to VaughnMonroe. He married Marion Baughman on 4/02/40,and their daughter Candace was born 12/13/41.The Meadows restaurant and night club had itsGrand Opening, and the 1940 Cadillac series 75ConceptCarz.comtown car was delivered. It is easy to understandwhy he ordered such a car; He lived in a whirl oflavish limousines, town cars, and landaulet bothAmerican and European. These cars were managedby uniformed chauffeurs and often footman aswell. There is no indication that Vaughn Monroewas a car guy, this purchase probably fell intothe category of a business expense. JacquesMarshard introduced Monroe to the crème de lacrème of east coast society and Monroe was notslow to take advantage of that opportunity.The Cadillac was a helpful tool to reinforcehis image. The Cadillac has been the object of arecent careful restoration. The venue was the2010 Concours d’ Elegance in New Britain CT. Ihad never seen the car before and was unawareof its existence. The car is a mixed metaphor ofdesign that gives the impression it was designedby a committee, or somehow George Barris andJohn Judkins had collaborated on the car, anunlikely event. My best guess was Los Angelesbased Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilders whocatered to the Show-Biz crowd. They were willingto mix the outrageous with the conservative.Signage proved me wrong. The chassis wascommissioned by Vaughn Monroe in early 1940 tothe venerable firm of J.S. Inskip Inc. of New YorkCity, a House strongly associated with Rolls-Royce,Brewster, and Springfield. These four traditionalcoachbuilders were so intertwined it would take abook to unravel their complex dealings with eachother. Why did John Inskip accept the commission?Well, it was 1940. The classic era was coming to anend, and business was business. Why did Monroechoose Inskip? Who really knows, for starters hecould afford the best. It was convenient, he livedin Massachusetts, and Inskip was highly regarded.The car was built on a 1940 Cadillac 141 in. WBchassis. The only factory Cadillac signage on thecar was the hub cap Cadillac crests. The onlystock items on the car were the exterior lightingsystems, all fenders, the running board assemblies,and the previously mentioned hub caps. Is the caran 8 cyl? Model 75 or a 16 cyl? At this time we donot know, the hood was closed and the owner wasunavailable. The car was delivered in late June of1940. The car was used by Monroe for 15 to 20years depending on the source. Yes, he did employa uniformed chauffeur, so he must have beenpleased with his 1940 Cadillac 75 Inskip Towne Car.The history of the Inskip Cadillac after about 1960is unknown. But it did survive, and someone caredenough about it to restore it, and we are all richer forthat. In 1973 Vaughn Monroe died at the MartinCountry Memorial Hospital in Stuart, Florida afterundergoing stomach surgery. Like other celebritieswhose lives have been cut short, his full potentialwill never be known. Getty Images22 The Spirit

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