Newsletter
May 2012
A Chapter of Vintage
Thunderbird Club International,
Inc. (VTCI)
Celebrating Mid
Kansas Vintage Thunderbird
Club's 20th year!!
 Lessons
My Mother Taught Me
1. My
mother taught me TO
APPRECIATE A JOB
WELL DONE .
“If you’re going to
kill each other,
do it outside. I
just finished
cleaning.”
2. My
mother taught me
RELIGION.
“You better pray that
will come out of the
carpet.”
3. My
mother taught me about
TIME TRAVEL. “If
you don’t straighten
up, I’m going to
knock you into
the middle of next
week!”
4. My
mother taught me
LOGIC.
“ Because I said
so, that’s why.”
5. My
mother taught me MORE
LOGIC .
“If you fall out of
that swing and break
your neck, you’re not
going to the
store with me.”
6. My
mother taught me
FORESIGHT.
“Make sure you wear
clean underwear,
in case you’re in an
accident.”
7. My
mother taught me
IRONY.
“Keep crying, and I’ll
give you something to
cry about..”
8. My
mother taught me about
the principle of
OSMOSIS .
“Shut your mouth and
eat your
supper.”
9. My
mother taught me
about CONTORTIONISM.
“Will you look at that
dirt on the back of
your neck!”
10. My
mother taught me about
STAMINA ..
“You’ll sit there
until all that spinach
is gone.”
11.
My mother taught me
about WEATHER.
“This room of yours
looks as if a tornado
went through
it.”
12. My
mother taught me
about HYPOCRISY.
“If I told you once,
I’ve told you a
million times. Don’t
exaggerate!”
13. My
mother taught me the
CIRCLE OF LIFE.
“I brought you into
this world, and I can
take you out..”
14. My
mother taught me
about BEHAVIOR
MODIFICATION .
“Stop acting
like your father!”
15.
My mother taught
me about ENVY.
“There are millions of
less fortunate
children in this world
who don’t have
wonderful
parents like you
do.”
16.. My
mother taught me
about ANTICIPATION.
“Just wait until we
get home.”
17. My
mother taught me
about RECEIVING .
“You are going to get
it when you get
home!”
18. My
mother taught me
MEDICAL SCIENCE.
“If you don’t stop
crossing your eyes,
they are going to get
stuck that way.”
19. My
mother taught me ESP.
“Put your
sweater on; don’t you
think I know when you
are cold?”
20.
My mother taught
me HUMOR.
“When that lawn mower
cuts off your toes,
don’t come
running to me.”
21.
My mother taught
me HOW TO BECOME AN
ADULT .
“If you don’t
eat your vegetables,
you’ll never grow up.”
22. My
mother taught me
GENETICS.
“You’re just like your
father.”
23.. My
mother taught me about
my ROOTS.
“Shut that door behind
you. Do you
think you were
born in a barn?”
24. My
mother taught me
WISDOM.
“When you get to be my
age, you’ll
understand.”
25..
My mother taught me
about JUSTICE .
“One day you’ll have
kids, and I hope they
turn out just
like you !”
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A Night To
Remember:
April 14, 2012 was
the 100 year anniversary of the sinking
of the Titanic and the
Haysville Library
hosted a great
fund raising event on
that date, as brought to our
attention by Klyda Fall
and
advertised in our last Newsletter.
A good crowd was on hand
for the event, and even our own
members did not see
other members who
were there.
For one thing, it was
held on two floors;
First Class was
upstairs, and the
Steerage Section
downstairs.
Among those
dining in the two
sections and
participating in the mystery
theater portion of the
evening
were Vice Prez Mike and
Ann Mawhirter, and
Darryle and Kaye Barth.
Now…April 14, 2012 will
also be a night to remember as the
night 97 tornadoes
crossed South
Central Kansas and
Haysville was right in
the path.
Miraculously, the
tornadoes did not hamper or harm
the event, and the town
of Haysville was
narrowly missed by the damaging part
of the one or two
tornadoes that did pass
there.
Read on. |
 We Made
the Scene at the Dairy
Queen!:
Remember when it was common
practice to stop by the
Dairy Queen for a
thick shake after a hard day at work?
Remember those great
Sundaes, Floats, and
Cones?
Well, on Sunday, April
15 a goodly number of
our ‘Birds dropped by
Richard’s Little Dairy Queen for the
Cars
Magazine/Richard’s
Little Dairy Queen
Cruise-in.
This all sounds
easy, but it was not.
Because on Saturday,
April 14, Kansas was treated to up
to 97 tornadoes moving
up from Oklahoma,
through Harper, Clearwater,
Haysville, and SE
Wichita
which kept most of us
glued to the TV and camped in the
basement until the late
hours.
The area over by
Richard’s Little Dairy Queen was
hit harder than most
areas.
The electricity was
still off, and the big traffic
light still out at
George Washington and
Lincoln when show goers began arriving
about
1:00PM on Sunday.
We were also told that some areas
of town were blocked off to
spectators.
Among
the first to
arrive at
Richard’s Little
Dairy Queen was
John Moler
(Rangoon red
’62) Prez and
Secretary Bev
(Thunderbird
Green ’56) Steve
and Susie
Hornbeck (Navy
Blue ’64) Allen
Hale (Dusk
Rose ’57), Carl
Marts, April
Weaver with Alec
and Austin.
Since
the show was
from 1 to 5,
others came and
went as the day
went on, and
this included VP
Mike Mawhirter,
Tedd Roe, and
Henry
Messerschmidt.
Richard’s
Little Dairy
Queen building
was locked up
tighter than a
drum.
Now…what
do you do with a
Dairy Queen with
no
electricity? For
one thing you do not
serve Ice Cream.
Daryl Standifer
wearing his Cars
Mag hat and with
his family
helping, stood
ready with a
bunch of
certificates for
belated free ice
cream
goodies.
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Richard’s
personnel had a great
outdoor grill cooking up
hamburgers, hot dogs, baked
(but cold) beans, bagged
chips and
soft drinks. (Free will offering.)
And although there were
no signs of further
tornado activity, the
winds were disgusting
and paper plates flying
like saucers was
not an uncommon sight.
We have to hand
it to Richard, and to
his chief helper Daryl
Standifer for making the best of a
bad situation and
continuing the old
tradition that “The Show
Must Go On!”
Tornado
SW of Wichita that
evening.(KSC
Enterprise)
on the Internet.
A few cards were
given out. But overall,
we would have to
conclude that due to circumstances
beyond anybody’s
control, the
turnout and the success
of the event was
disappointing.
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Mid-Kansas
Birds Participate in
Friday Night Informal
Free Car Show,
Central and West:
Yes, many
of us have dropped in at Central
and West on Friday
night when a great group
of street rodders,
customs, and classics drop
in, line up, and
stroll.
Well this time, at
Darryle Barth’s
suggestion, several of
us brought our
Thunderbirds the
evening of April 20, and
showed up in numbers
and showed off with the best
of them.
Arriving
shortly before 6:00, Larry
and Lynda (03) saved
several spots as the ‘Birds
of Rod and Bev Wake
(56), Mike and Ann
Mawhirter (63),
Darryle and Kaye Barth (02)
Walter K. Day, (97),
Steve Devore,
(05) and Curt
Rakestraw (57) dropped into
place.
Also visiting were
Carl Marts (Mustang),
April Weaver, Jeral Lipps, and
Joe Gross.
By this
time, it was
6:30 to 6:45
and with at
least three
restaurants
within a couple
hundred feet it
seemed only
appropriate to
patronize the
merchants, and eat!
Lynda
Fichter and
April Weaver
were seen heading
for the Mexican
restaurant,
while Larry
Fichter and Carl
Marts split off
and hit
the Wendy’s
line.
They were
followed by Darryle
and Kaye Barth,
Prez Rod,
Secretary Bev,
and VP Mike who
had a round
table discussion
(literally
and
figuratively)
at Wendy’s.
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A very
nice crowd
gathered
through the
evening.
After our
members had
walked the
lineup of
other cars the
sun was
setting behind
the bank of
buildings and
the
temperature
had
dropped quite
noticeably.
Newscasters
were even
predicting frost
warnings.
Thank goodness
for Lynda
Fichter’s
Thunderbird
quilt; it
saved
Secretary Bev
from freezing
to death at
the show and
it was
great to once
again
experience the
warmth of the
Thunderbird
heater on the
way home!
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Don’t
Forget to Check Out last
month's Website:
Connie
has treated us to a
video as part of our
Newsletter, entitled
the chronology of the
Thunderbird.
But
the star of the show
is a little addition
at the end of it which
is
fabulous film footage
of the Wixom assembly
line in 1963!
You won’t want to
miss this one, as it
shows some great shots
of the ’63 Bird being
assembled, and
you will also see in
the assembly line
shots that Lincolns
were being built right
in
line with the
Thunderbirds.
A great nostalgia
piece and man, did
those spankin’
new ‘63’s look great!
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My Sentiments
Exactly:
(Subtitle, “Wish I
Would Have
Said That!" )
How many times have you
seen something in print
which is
exactly what
you have thought, but
somebody else put it
into words?
A recent example of that
occurred when Jim Richardson
wrote an article
entitled, “Going Out in Style”
for the April 2012 issue
of Hemmings
Classic Car.
The article starts out with
Richardson telling of
taking a drive in his
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
and relating some
of the compliments he
receives from strangers.
(We have all been there)
He then goes into a
history of the evolution
of automotive styling
through the decades.
The article
concludes with, “...Today
we have high,
narrow,
funny-looking little
sedans with wheels
that are too small.
Now cars are
designed by a
committee made up of
accountants, marketing
wonks and
bean-counters,
and maybe one
designer, where
everyone has a say,
and there
are no stupid
questions.
Well, I
believe there
are stupid
questions—and stupid
answers.
They occur when people
don’t know what they
are talking about.
And people
who don’t know what
they are talking
about.. dominate
modern design.
My 1955
Chevrolet was a
mundane car, but it’s
better looking and
roomier than anything
being offered today.
Maybe those
committees should
attend classic car
shows.
They would see what
good design looks
like.”
(Jim
Richardson, Hemmings
Classic Car,
April 2012, Volume
8, Issue 7, #91,
page 96)
Wish I’d have said
that, Jim, because it is
my sentiments exactly!
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Real Dark
Teal:
Yes,
after showing his
Thunderbird Convertible in
white
and primer for a number of
years, long time Vintage
Club member and
professional mechanic
David Dannels is making
some big changes.
David took advantage of a
several week convalescing
period while was off work
recovering from a Rotator
Cuff surgery.
During this time, David
made arrangements for a
professional metal
preparation and paint job
to be performed on
his 1965 Thunderbird
Convertible, and he and
son Paul trailered it to
the fix it man in
February.
David plans to finally
realize his dream of
putting the ’65 back to
its original splendor in
the beautiful Midnight
Turquoise it wore the day
it left the assembly line
at Wixom!
David hopes to have the
luxurious top-down beauty
with
its two tone tonneau cover
done in time to
exhibit it with us
at Lake Afton.
Let’s all keep our fingers
crossed for David!
David’s next project is to
further improve his other
conversation piece, his
trailer made from the back
40%
of a ’66 Thunderbird and
eventually make it match
the
Convertible.
There will be no stopping
David in the attention
department once that is
completed.
Good luck with
your rebuilt shoulder,
David, and keep us
informed about
the rebuilt ’65
Convertible.
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Mid
Kan$a$ Due$ are
Due $ee!
We
need every single
membership to continue if we
are to maintain our club in
the manner to which we
have become
accustomed. Many paid their
membership dues at the meeting
on
April 19. If you have
not paid already, really hope
you renew within the next few
days. If you cannot
renew, then this will have to
be your last newsletter.
Those
who have not
paid yet, please
do so as soon as
possible by remitting
the $25.00
payable to:
Mid-Kansas Vintage
Thunderbirds, to
treasurer Lynda
Fichter
Speaking of
Dues and Memberships and
Numbers:
Folks, the aforementioned car
show, and certainly the upcoming
Lake Afton show
are places where we often find
new prospects. We picked up
three new members
in the 2011 club year simply
from our business cards and
flyers. For those who
are “about town” frequently we
need to have the new member
windshield flyer or
at least our business cards on
hand at all times to use for
recruiting.
There is no
more helpless feeling that to
meet a prospect, or find a
Thunderbird parked
somewhere that does not belong
to our club, and then realize
that we do not have
recruiting materials available.
Let Prez know what supplies you
need in your
arsenal.
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Beginning
with this Newsletter,
the Car College is
offering a course
(non-credit) to increase
our knowledge of that
well known invention,
the Automobile
This month’s
lesson:
Coupe:
Pronounced “Koo Pay” if
you want to be fancy and
correct, but pronounced
“Coop” if you want to fit
in with 99% of the
population. The word
“coupe” is often
erroneously applied to
certain models of our
Thunderbirds. Here is the
correct definition.
A Coupe is a two door
closed roof car that
generally seats two or
three passengers in a
single row of seats.
Coupes may have a smaller
rear seat or an external
rumble seat. A coupe has a
window within a door frame
which fits securely into
the body when closed.
All the two door
Thunderbirds from 1958
through 1982 are Hard Top
Convertibles, not coupes,
although they are often
erroneously referred to in
ads, articles, etc., as
coupes. From 1983 through
the 1997 model,
Ford correctly referred to
Thunderbirds as coupes.
Hard Top
Convertibles are the
subject of next month’s
lesson. Have your
pencils and note books
ready
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The President’s
Message
By Rod Wake,
Mid-Kansas President
Dear
Thunderbirders,
Fran Landesman
wrote it in 1955, June Christy
sang it, Chris Connors sang
it,
and through the years
almost everybody sang it. Now our
club can also sing it,
“Spring
Can Really Hang You Up The Most.”
I am
speaking of course, of the
springtime events which have been
severely hampered by the
threat of
bad weather, the predictions of bad
weather, and the
consequences of bad weather.
From the “Night with the Titanic” presentation at
the Haysville Library amid
tornado threats and alarms, to
the
real
thing later in the evening and the
actual tornado--more than one of
them--which struck our town on the
night of April 14. We really lucked
out that there was no
loss of life, but Richard’s Little
Dairy Queen car
show, not to mention the
Highlander Reunion, were all
severely curtailed by spring weather.
Of course our club’s inconveniences
were trite compared to the plight of those who
lost their homes,
businesses , workplaces and income.
Once
again most of our club came out
smelling like a rose and for those
folks who sustained
damage and
loss we extend our sympathy.
The one
May event we had planned to attend
in numbers, has been cancelled; but we still
have one
major event ahead of us; The Lake
Afton All Wheels Car Show, coming on
June 10!
Added responsibility and nail biting
this year will be due to our
Mid-Kansas Vintage Thunderbirds,
and
the Wichita Classic Thunderbirds
joint sponsorship of the show and
our ‘Birds will be featured
there.
Banners, brochures, business cards
and smiles will be prevalent at the show which will
again be a
“rain or shine” event!
We all know there have been plenty of
Lake Afton rain outs, and can only
hope 2012 is not one of them.
Sincerely,
| Prez |
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Don’t Forget our
Parent Club:
If you have not yet
joined VTCI, please take this
opportunity to do so.
To those of you who
have not yet joined, you can
get your application from www.vintagethunderbirdclub.org
or ask Prez for an
application.
We simply cannot
afford to lose our
affiliation with VTCI!
Don't forget who
helps make all our
activities possible;
the
Vintage
Thunderbird Club
International, Inc.
If you do not
belong to VTCI, join
today!
And Now, a
Word From Our VTCI Regional
Director:
Our
club is in the North Central
VTCI Region, and Ed Elzinga,
from Holland,Michigan our VTCI
North Central Regional
Director.
Ed
is a great guy who owns a few
Thunderbirds including an ultra
rare ’58 Convertible!
Ed
recently wrote to all club
presidents in our Region:
To all Chapter
Presidents,
Presidents, please
pass the following email
and attachment along to
your newsletter
editors. We
need to promote
the VTCI. If you
have club members who are
not yet VTCI
members please
encourage them to
join. The VTCI is a
family oriented club and
we need to bring the
younger
families into the
club to keep it going.
One of the
benefits of being a member
of the VTCI is meeting new
people and finding new
friends
from across the
country and the
world. My wife,
Sandy, and I have found
some lasting friendships
that we would have
never had if it wasn’t for
the VTCI.
Another benefit is
receiving the award
winning “Thunderbird
Scoop” which comes out
bi-monthly.
The scoop keeps
you up to date on all of
the activities through the
year, gives you tech
articles
about your
Thunderbird, lets you know
where you can find parts
to restore that
Thunderbird and
sell Thunderbird
parts and memorabilia, and
shows what other chapters
are doing.
If you have
questions or comments
please let me know.
Ed Elzinga VTIC
North Central Regional
Director
616-399-6568
E-mail sqtbird@att.net
Mailing
address: 17040
Ransom Street, Holland ,
MI 49424
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It’s a sign
of the times:
On April 23, the old Editor stopped
at the Quick Trip for gas at 21st
and Maize. The male attendant, about
25 years of age came out and looked
over the ’04
Retro Thunderbird without saying a
word. Inside at the register he
asked, “What company
made that car?” 
Heard It
Through The Grapevine:
In this case, the “grapevine” was
the Newsletter put out by our
friend Cliff Lieske of the VTCI
Thunderbird
Midwest Chapter at Minneapolis/St.
Paul. For all that old Vodka you
have
setting around that you don’t know
what to do with,here are some good
uses for
it:
1.
Erase Window streaks…as an
alternative to using chemical
cleaners,
spray diluted vodka on the
windows and then
wipe them down with a lint-free
cloth.
2. Shine chrome…soak a
soft cloth in vodka and then
wipe it on your shiny car
parts. Try this on your
Thunderbird.
3. Deodorize
laundry…spritz undiluted on
clothes to help
remove musty smells.
4. Remove rust from
screws...leave a weathered screw
in
vodka for just a few hours, then
wipe to get rid of rust.
5. Preserve cut
flowers…save your bouquet by
mixing a few
drops of vodka with a teaspoon
of sugar to inhibit the
production of ethylene, which
makes flowers wilt.
6. Remove stains from
upholstery…dip a clean cloth in
vodka and rub it on fabric to
help take out stubborn stains
caused by ink, grass, and some
foods.
7. Kill weeds…Mix 1 oz. of
vodka, a few drops of liquid
dish soap, and 2
cups of water in a spray bottle.
Apply on a sunny
day to broad leaf weeds
that grow in direct sunlight.
The vodka will help remove
the leaves’
waxy
coating, causing them to dry
out.
8. Clean mold and
mildew…rid tile and caulk of
dark spots by spraying
them with vodka. Let sit for up
to 30 minutes and
scrub with a grout
brush or old toothbrush, and
rinse.
9. Soothe aching
muscles…treat sore muscles with
a pack made by
pouring equal parts of vodka and
water into a
resealable bag and freezing it
to create a super-cold slushy
mix. Whether you treat
yourself to a
cocktail afterwards is up to
you.
10. Stop odors…Boots
smelling ripe? Spritz the inside
with diluted vodka; let
dry. No more odor.
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Unique In All
The World:
The Newsletter continues its
series picturing Thunderbirds seen
around the VTCI Regional and
International Circuit as well as
local club
events.
With each Thunderbird
featured, you should see why the
Vintage Ford Thunderbird is
considered to be “Unique
In All The World!”
This
month’s feature is right here in
our own chapter:
Understated
elegance…that would be a good
description for this
Corinthian white 1962 Thunderbird
Convertible with tonneau cover.
This prize winner was on display
at the 2011 North Central
Regional
Convention at Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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Regional and
International Conventions:
In less than two months
the North Central Regional
Convention takes place in Des
Moines, Iowa.
Cliff and Pat Lieske of
Thunderbirds Midwest, and Tim
and Laura Pundt of the Kansas
City Vintage Thunderbirds have
been instrumental in assisting
the Mid-America
T-Birds of Iowa in
hosting this convention.Other
North Central clubs—including
ours—have assisted monetarily
and in other ways to make this
a
successful Regional
Convention.
So far, Prez and
Secretary are booked into the
convention, Larry and Lynda
are participating as well and
hope some of the rest of you
can join us!
This features a tour of
the historic and scenic old
Iowa State Capitol Building,
setting atop a mound of
glacial till that has only
been there a few million
years.
The Iowans are
celebrating their rural
history with a self-guided
tour of the Living History
Farms which is open and your
ticket will allow you to come
and go at
your convenience. The
fabulous Machine Shed
Restaurant is next door to the
convention hotel.
Awards
presentation will be in the
Barn.
Yes, we are serious, in
the barn!
This one will not be as
costly as some we have
attended; Des Moines is not
that far away; and looks to be
a relaxing weekend with
Thunderbird friends.
The fabulous sounding
2012 International Convention
will be at Charleston, S. C.,
and Prez and Secretary are
booked into that one and Larry
and Lynda plan to
drive their Retro
there.
Upcoming
Events
We plan
to
Support….a
definite maybe:
At the
February meeting we
reviewed upcoming events
listed by the Wichita
Area Car Club Council
and chose those which
the majority
wished our club to
support with a good
presence. This list also
includes events which
may have cropped up
since that
meeting.
The events are:
May 19:
Salvation Army
Benefit Car Show,
Camp Hiawatha. (?)
CANCELLED
June 10: Lake Afton
All Wheels Rally
sponsored by the
Mid-Kansas
Vintage
Thunderbird Club and
the Wichita Classic
Thunderbirds.
In other
words…US!
Nuff said, Be there!
June 17: Father’s Day
at the Zoo.
Participate individually
if you can work it into your
Father’s Day plans
June 21-23: “Fly Away to
Io-way" North Central
VTCI Convention at Des Moines.
The Registration
and details about
the weekend are in the
latest issue of The
Thunderbird Scoop,
and/or ask Prez for a
copy.
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Retro Bird
Watchers Alert!
Did you
see this one?
 On
Sunday, April 29, Davis Moore’s Ad
showed as follows:
02 Ford Thunderbird,
only 18K
miles. Whisper white with
Torch red interior and a
Whisper white
removable hardtop. Well
equipped in dual
power leather seats,
6-disc in dash CD, Traction
control,
and much more. This
one has the storage cart for
the top,
and the original
window sticker in the glove
box. Was
$40,245 new, now
only $24,922
Carl
Marts reports that Hambelton
LaGreca has two Retro
Birds in inventory; a
Merlot and a Torch Red
one.
$18,000
for one and not
certain about the other one.
A yellow 2002
Thunderbird became available
at a dealer in
Goddard, but was gone
by the time Darryle Barth
could get
there to check
it out.
That is the main
reason the Newsletter
has almost
quit listing them
altogether…they are usually
gone
before the Newsletter comes out!
Big Bird Bazaar:
Cars, Parts and
Services
Ads or sources
of service for our Birds
are free to club
members, but business
card size ads run $60
per year.
That’s less
than $5 per issue ‘cause
we usually run 14
editions per
year. What
have you to sell?
| Autos
For Sale: |
Wanted: |
Parts
& Misc For Sale: |
1962
Thunderbird
HT.
Corinthian
White, Pearl
Beige interior
Correctly
detailed
engine
compartment,
drives
great.
$10,000.00
Lee and
Rosemary Hufford
(316)
267-0008
|
.
|
Kool
Rides
802 E.
Madison
Arkansas
City, KS
620-442-8500
Local
supplier for Smithy’s
Mufflers
and similar
street rod
accessories..
|
Carl
Marts spotted a
1964 Thunderbird HT:
Runs, needs
brakes, carburetor
rebuild.
(316) 518-2729 |
...0.0000.............................................................. |
.
|
2002
Thunderbird.
Located in Lee’s Summit,
Missouri. Evening Black,
both tops, chrome wheels,
49,000 miles.
Drivers seat worn a
bit.
Carfax shows a salvage
title because of an
accident at 326
miles—right front fender
replaced, but owner
says no problems with
the car.
Asking $12,000.00.
Jerry,
(816) 868-9140
|
.
|
.
|
2003
Thunderbird!
Evening Black (Gads,
that sounds sexy!) with
special upgrade sand
interior. Both tops.
14,000 miles and factory
fresh all over. $29,500 call
Chris Cushman 316-648-2444.
Now folks, you won’t find
a nicer black Retro ‘Bird.
In a later correspondence,
Chris told Pres, “…it is
for sale and I want to be
fair on the price to the
new owner and myself.” |
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CLICK ON AD TO GO
TO VTCI WEBSITE
|
 May
Meeting:
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