The

Early

Bird

Fan

January 2016 Published monthly by the Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds Chapter 50 – Classic Thunderbird Club International

Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds P.O. Box 26103

San Jose, CA 95159

Next Meeting

Friday, Jan. 8th

7:30 PM

West Valley College

2

January 2016 – Vol. 44 No. 1

The Early Bird Fan is the monthly newsletter of the Santa Clara

Valley Thunderbirds, SCVT. SCVT is dedicated to the enjoyment of

the classic 1955, 1956, and 1957 Ford Thunderbirds.

Address Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds

P.O. Box 26103 San Jose, CA 95159

Web Site www.santaclaravalleytbirds.com

CTCI Site www.ctci.org

Meetings 7:30 p.m. meetings are held on the second Friday

of each month, except December, at West Valley College 14000

Fruitvale Ave. Saratoga, CA. in the college board room.

Events SCVT members participate in parades, displays,

homecomings, regional and national meets, local cars shows, and

driving events.

Membership Dues are $40.00 per year per family and are due by

January 31 of each year. SCVT is Chapter 50 of the Classic

Thunderbird Club International (CTCI). Membership in CTCI is

mandatory to participate in parades and displays sponsored by SCVT.

See www.ctci.org for CTCI membership requirements.

Newsletter Deadline Turn in articles, pictures and ideas by 25th of

each month. Send to:

KC Doughty, 2100 Ward Way, Woodside, CA 94062

e-mail kc.d@mindspring.com, phone (650) 368-2425

CAR-toon Corner

SCVT Officers 2016

President Charlie Affrunti 650-365-1672 Niners1it@comcast.net

Vice President Les Miller 408-448-7761 blmbook@aol.com

Secretary Diane Deutsch 408-371-4041 dianeldeutsch@gmail.com

Treasurer Diana Mann 650-595-3911 manns169@aol.com

Editor KC Doughty 650-368-2425 kc.d@mindspring.com

Activities Patrick Ford 650-369-6311 patrickford001@gmail.com

Homecomings Kathy Kelly 408-395-3333 Kelleys64@verizon.net

Parades/Displays Don Hamblin 650-348-0669 dhamblins@aol.com

Fundraising Laurie Reisinger Sandy Sieroty

650-917-1288 408-432-0824

ljreisinger931@gmail.com ssieroty@comcast.net

Historian Paul Lynch 408-777-8839 Janette-msn@hotmail.com

CTCI Rep Cliff Monroe 408-998-5880 cliffmm@aol.com

Webmaster Larry Maness 408-219-7716 lmanbird@comcast.net

Logo Sales Eddi Cox 408-528-1916 eddi_cox@yahoo.com

SCVT Items for Sale

3 piece luggage set $15.00

6 glass set $12.00

Antenna Flag $9.00

Baseball cotton cap $15.00

Baseball mesh cap $15.00

Car Wash Kit $20.00

Charm Bracelet $7.00

Charm Necklace $7.00

Earrings $12.00

Key Chain $7.00

Large patch $10.00

License plate frame $12.00

Logo polo shirt $15.00

Magnetic sign $5.00

Mirrors $6.50

Mugs $2.50

Name badge $10.50

Personalized tote $10.00

SCVT Cooler $35.00

Summer jacket $21.00

Visor $11.00

Winter jacket $39.50

Windshield Cover w/ club logo

$25.00

See web site for logo items. Contact Bernie Epolite brunina@garlic.com

Caravan Tips

Maintain your car. Gas up and check fluids/tires.

Know who your leader is and follow.

Turn CB to channel 22.

Gas up at scheduled pit stops.

Generic cars at the end of the caravan.

Relay info to rear cars.

Double up at stop lights.

Save a parking place for the “tail-gunner.”

Parts Boxes

Box 1 - Gene Cox

Box 2 - Gene Cox

Box 3 - Bill Mann

6 Volt - Mike Williams

Tents - Gene Cox

Banner - Don Reisinger

3

Hello everyone at SCVT. I hope you had a fantastic holiday season and a Happy New Year to all. Well,

when I joined this wonderful group of friends called a car club almost 14 years ago I never thought I would be writing the

"presidents message" but here we go.

First off I want to thank Ray, Judy, and all the others that helped with The Festivus again. Nobody does it better than

Ray. The venue, food, drink, entertainment, western theme, and all the people there made it a great time for all. Congrats

to our winning couple in costume, Heather Mann, off the set of Toy Story and Doc, 49er Gabby Hayes, Doctor. Also in

December we had Jill Schwab's Senior Bag Stuffing Day and the Toys for Tots Fly-by organized by Don Reisinger.

These are two events that give us a chance to help others and they have been planned by the same two people for many

years. Thanks to both of you.

I know 2016 will be a fun year. On Jan 23rd

the SCVT Award Dinner organized by your outgoing president Ray Delgado.

That's two terms for Ray and what a pres he was. Thanks so much Ray. In Feb the Forever Plaid Play organized by the

Parkers. In April we have Rick Deutsch leading us once again to Yosemite. In May The Reisinger's and Sandy Sieroty

are taking us to Morro Bay. In June Marty Gerbasi and Bev Handelman need to know if there is enough interest in going

to Sonora. Please let them know by Jan 15 (see the December Fan for details). We also have the CTCI International

Convention in Sept in beautiful San Diego and who would like to lead us? That's Jan, Feb, April, May, June, and Sept

with something going on. I'm sure there is more coming.

One more thing, please send or bring your check with the renewal form to the meeting for your annual dues and give it to

Les Miller. I told Les that VP was easy so let's help him out and get your dues in by Jan 31st.

That's about it for now. A Healthy and Happy New Year To All, and see you at the meeting January 8th.

Charlie

Meeting Snacks Beverages

Meeting Snacks Beverages

Jan. 8 Lawrence Peterson Jul. 8 Reisinger Dance

Feb. 12 Kay / Goldberg Miller Aug. 12 Spencer Moore

Mar. 11 Monroe Affrunti Sep. 9 Mann Epolite

Apr. 8 Cox Citti Oct. 14 Jump / Thomas Parker

May 13 Ford Lynch / Adair Nov. 11 Schwab

Jun. 10 Croxton Perry Dec. no meeting

See the May 2009 Early Bird Fan for Snack & Beverage Helpful Hints – see it at www.santaclaravalleytbirds.com

SCVT President’s Message – Charlie’s Chat

Displays, Parades and Homecomings

Nothing happening so far – too cold!

Snacks and Beverages S ignup - 2016

4

Saturday, February 6, 2016 (date change)

Due to the large group we have had to change the date for the "Forever Plaid"

play in February. We need to alert the whole club as some people may now

be able to attend and others may now face a conflict. The new date IS:

Saturday February 6, 2016 at 8PM, NOT February 13th as previously

scheduled.

The cost is still $31 each. Dinner will be at Harry's Hofbrau at 6:30 PM.

The final list of attendees will be done at the January meeting.

Only 2 people have paid to date so club members need to bring a check

to that meeting made out to SCVT so we can get seat assignments.

-- Rich and Roxanne Parker

Member Years Member Years

Jim & Lee Goodman 2 Rich & Laurie Terrell 10

Jim & Joan Sisneros 2 Don & Kate Hamblin 11

Dean & Lorraine Johnson 3 Dennis & Sandie Kay 23

Alan & Sandi Brown 5 Ted & Jackie Obniski 25

Jerry & Gloria Goldberg 5 Bill & Marsha Croxton 28

Billy & Heather Mann 8 Eric & Linda Jensen 35

Marie Cox 9 Mike & Dodi Rivera 42

Membership Anniversaries – January

Saturday, January 23, 2016

ALSO INCLUDING THE “BLUNDERBIRD” PRESENTATION

LOCATION: THE FLAMES RESTAURANT – 1547 MERIDIAN AVE SAN JOSE

TIMES: 5:00 PM to 6:PM No host drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Thanking the outgoing board and welcoming the new board. High-lights of the

year 2015 and then the gift handouts thanking everyone that worked a job or put on an event.

ALSO, the presentation of the winner of our annual Blunderbird will be one to remember for all times.

FOOD: a Banquet Buffet - Mediterranean beef in a cabernet wine reduction with mushrooms and green

onions, chicken and mushrooms with lemon butter garlic sauce. Includes fresh vegetable tray, mixed green

salad, vegetarian lasagna, and herb roasted potatoes.

ALL for only $40.00 per person.

Contact: Ray & Judy Delgado / RLDELGA@PACBELL.NET / 408-504-2486

5

Yosemite 2016 or Bust April 22-25, 2016

I have two openings for the SCVT trip to Yosemite. New members or those who have

changed their minds are welcome to sign up. We are staying 2 nights at the Yosemite

Lodge by-the-Falls at $293.93 per night. The convoy will depart on Friday, April 22 a.m.

and return home on Sunday, April 25. If you are considering this group trip, and want to

know more, contact me ASAP as it is first come-first served.

– Ranger Rick (not really a ranger)

Ricky.Deutsch@gmail.com

Date Event Host/Contact Information

Jan. 8 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Jan. 23 SCVT Awards Dinner SCVT See page 4.

Feb. 6 Forever Plaid Musical Parkers See page 4.

Feb. 12 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Mar. 11 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Apr. 8 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Apr. 22-25 Yosemite National Park Rick Deutsch See above.

May 5-8 Morro Bay Car Show Reisingers/Sieroty See above.

May 13 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Jun. 3-5 Sierra Foothills Racing Gerbasi/Handelman See next page.

Jun. 10 SCVT monthly meeting SCVT 7:30 PM, West Valley College, Board Room

Date Event Host Information

Sep 13-16 CTCI International Convention Earlybirds of SoCal &

Classic T-Bird San Diego

Crown Plaza Hotel, San Diego

www.ctci.org/events

Thursday May 5, 2016 - Sunday May 8, 2016

Do You Know the Way to Morro Bay? How About San Luis Obispo?

The Reisinger’s and Sandy Sieroty are hosting a return to Morro Bay for the annual downtown car show that takes

place May 5 - 8, 2016. As always, great prizes to go along with a great time.

Additional details will be available at the upcoming meetings including maps and directions. For registration form,

see the August 2015 Early Bird Fan or go to www.morrobaycarshow.org.

Call me at 650-823-8577 or email at dreisinger@earthlink.net if you’re not going to be able to attend the meetings.

– Don Reisinger

- Don Reisinger

SCVT Activities

Other Events

6

Racing, Repertory and Revelry in the Sierra Foothills

June 3, 4, 5, 2016

Up for something new and a little bit different? Join Marty

Gerbasi and Beverly Handelman in the beautiful Sierra Foothills

on June 3, 4, 5, 2016.

Friday, June 3, 2016: Depart the Bay Area for drive to Sonora

(in transit activity TBD).

Saturday, June 4, 2016, 8:30 am: Join the world champion

Twain Harte Rotary Club for their third annual Crapper Derby.

Parade, Outhouse Races, Tot Pot Race, Games, Contests, Arts

and Crafts.

Saturday, June 4, 2016, 5:00 pm: Dinner (details yet to be

finalized)

Saturday, June 4, 2016, 7:00 pm: Sierra Repertory Theatre’s production of, Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike.

In Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, master of comedy, Christopher Durang,

takes characters and themes from Chekhov, pours them into a blender and mixes

them up. The utterly hilarious and occasionally touching result is his latest play.

Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home where they bicker and

complain about the circumstances of their lives, until suddenly, their movie-star

sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Also on the scene are sassy

maid Cassandra, who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress

named Nina.

Sunday, June 5, 2016: Return to Bay Area (in transit activity TBD).

Costs that are known at this time:

Hotel: Aladdin Inn, total price for two nights including tax is $217.80,

including discount coupons for breakfast (one per person per night).

Theatre tickets: ~$25.00 per person.

If you’re interested please notify Marty and Bev before January 15, 2016,

so they can get an idea if there is enough interest from the club to pursue

this event. If not enough people express interest by that date, the hotel and

theatre reservations that are being held will be cancelled.

-- E-mail: gerbman@hub3.net or phone 209-588-1589

The Jack Potty, another entry at one of the 2015 race events.

The Holy Roller entrant.

7

B u y

1960 T-Bird, Hard Top, driver in very good condition, pref. w/ AC – Ray Clark, Pres. VTCI South Texas club, for a

member, 210-674-5781

Interior chrome window trim for ’57 – Barry Kinney 415-647-7077 or 415-282-2789

S e l l

500+ beer bottle caps! FREE ( beer not included) – Jill Schwab

Collection of CTCI Early Bird magazines in good condition, from 1978 forward to present. Free

(4) 1999 T-Bird model show cars in original boxes, 1:18 scale, 3 models are special editions, 1 is a premier model,

asking $50 each -- Pick-up required in San Jose – Sandra Land 408-266-1922 (from Joe Ryan)

Buy and Sell

1960 T-bird V-8, rare manual trans w/ OD, orig. cond. needs restoration, runs good,

trans w/ new gears, replaced front end suspension, new exhaust, carb., ignition,

more. Car in Gilroy. $ Inquire, Daryl Abbott 408-640-7933

1957 T-Bird, frame up resto. CTCI gold medallion. No rust, CA car, white, 312,

3-speed/OD. Both tops. Fully equipped except for elect. seat and windows. Best of

Class at Hillsborough, Silverado Concours. Less than 500 miles since 2000

restoration. Ceiling hard top storage unit, top caddy and spare parts included. $65 K

or reasonable offer – Jim Arnold CTCI # 07638 650-604-5265

2006 Mustang GT, 25K miles, like new, $14K or make offer.

Russ Chinn 415-215-8180

2008 Acura TL, white with tan leather interior. Perfect condition, has everything, no

dings no dents, always garaged. V6, 3.2 Liter, FWD, 5-speed auto trans w/sport

shift, 18 MPG city 26 MPG hwy, stability/traction control, alloy wheels, power moon

roof, navigation, back up camera, AM/FM Stereo MP3 (multi disc) premium sound,

keyless entry, air conditioning. Power everything, windows, door locks, steering.

Leather heated seats, $14,850 OBO – Larry Johnston 408-316-4554

(it’s purple)

8

From the May-June 2006 CTCI Early Bird magazine and reprinted in the December 2015

Valley Classic Thunderbird Club newsletter.

by Gil Baumgartner

Why do the fender skirts rub on my tires?

The Thunderbird body was not designed to be mounted slightly off center. I will list common causes for fender skirt rub

which tends to favor the right side. High mileage Thunderbirds may have:

1-Weak springs. A 1957 model should measure approx. 27" from the ground to the center of the tail lamp lens. 1955/56

models are less likely to rub and usually have more severe problems if they rub.

2-Worn spring mount bolts and bushings.

3-Worn anti squeak pads.

4-Wrong wheels. Maximum width from inside bead to bead 5" for 1955/56/57.

5-Wrong wheels sometimes have the wrong offset, which moves the wheel closer to the fender skirts.

6-Wrong tire size. Should be 6:70 x15"for 1955/56, 7:50 x 14" for 1957) the old 70 series is usually too wide. Radials are

also slightly wider.

7-Wrong fender skirts. The 1957 skirts will work on 1955/56 models. The 1955/56 skirts have a shorter locking arm and

when installed on a 1957 model the end of the locking arm is closer to the side wall on 14" tires.

8-Body damage that has been repaired without regard to maintaining proper clearance is a common cause for fender skirt

rub.

9-Spring pads to axle perches worn and U-bolts loose allow the body to shift when making turns.

10-All models have approximately 1" clearance between the tire and the inner skirt edge at the bottom rear with radial

tires. The rear axle cannot be moved enough to effect clearance. The spring perches would have to be relocated, which is

not practical. The body can be moved ever so slightly on the frame if all body mounts are loose. The body will not usually

shift enough to effect clearance.

If, after considering this information and making proper repairs and the rub still exist, I suggest the following. A cheap fix

is coil springs installed around the rear shocks or air shocks. In most cases, rear sway bars properly installed will correct

the problem. If after all of this, and sway bars do not correct the problem it is more than likely previous damage that was

not properly repaired.

10 Reasons for Skirt Rub

Tech Corner

Tech corner

9

From Jill Schwab

Menlo Park, CA —Dec. 18, 2015 Christmas came a little early for recipients of PVI’s (Peninsula Volunteers)

Meals on Wheels as members of the Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds generously donated 250 gift bags to the

program.

“This is a real treat for Meals on Wheels clients,” says Marilyn Baker-Venturini, Director of the Meals on Wheels

program that delivers hot, nutritious meals to those in-need throughout South San Mateo County. “For many, this

is the only holiday gift they will receive.”

The contents of the gift bags, which are hand-decorated, include a book and other holiday treats. The car club

collects the items from its members during the course of the year and then distributes them to nonprofit

organizations in December. This is the fifth year the Santa Clara Valley Thunderbird Car Club has donated the

gift bags to PVI Meals on Wheels.

The Meals on Wheels program delivers 1500 meals each week to San Mateo residents who suffer from “food

insecurity”, which the USDA defines as “reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet, and/or disrupted eating

patterns and reduced food intake”. Meals on Wheels provides a nutritiously balanced, hot meal to combat the

symptoms of food insecurity. PVI relies on charitable donations, both in-kind and financial, to provide this critical

service to our aging adults in the community. (source http://www.penvol.org/)

“Wanted to let everyone know we made, loaded and delivered 1,334 gift bags this year. Many of these people would not

have had any kind of Christmas without our club's help. My special thanks to everyone who helped from collecting to

knitting to carrying to loading to bow making to bringing excellent food.” -- Jill

Thanks to Don Reisinger and his elves for another Fly-By delivery of Toys for Tots in San Jose.

Senior Gift Bag Stuffing

Toys for Tots “Fly-By”

Past Events

10

(Past events continued)

Here, in smaller format, is just a sample of many more great pictures to be seen in the Photo Album section of our

website, www.santaclaravalleytbirds.com.

Holiday Festivus

Don and Ray with a Toys for Tots Marine.

Some old ‘pokes.

Some of the Toys for Tots. Don Reisinger delivered the rest on his “Fly-By” event – see previous page.

The full Marine contingent with Ray and Don.

A couple of slick Willys if I ever saw some. They want to sell you a car.

Rather plain on the outside, the interior of The Great Highway is certainly not plain.

Western costume contest winners Doc “Gabby Hayes” Dockter and Heather Mann. Where’s the gold?

Free flowing fantastic Festivus food!

Hosts Judy and Ray Delgado cuttin’ the rug.

11

You Came Home Too Early …

12