Sorry most of you could not be there. We had a great time at our car show on Friday at the Bobs Big Boy in Burbank, Ca. Despite cancellations by members and a few no shows, we managed to pull off 4 cars. In fact, we managed to cram the club members into one table in the overcrowded restaurant for our first club dinner and we talked about the club and our future. We also chatted about a whole bunch of other things. Here is how the weekend started:
On Friday afternoon, my boss and I headed down to Long Beach, California to pick up his 1964 Studebaker Cruiser 4dr Sedan. I got to drive the car 50 miles back on the dangerous I-405 freeway back up through the Los Angeles area. I had to really keep my distance as I did not want to slam on 60s drum brakes. The car shook at idle, but it was great fun. I went as fast as 70mph.
I ended up being late for the show at Bobs. I wanted to be there early at 4PM to grab parking. I wasn't able to get there until 4:40. By then, it was a zoo. Too many classic cars and no parking. Chaos ensued as we almost had an accident and one person may have been hit by a moving car as an ambulance arrived. Police were on site for crowd control and ticketing. Rick showed up from Huntington Beach, Ca. with his 86 Shelby LeBaron Conv. He had plowed through 50 miles of heavy traffic. The next two hours was a series of cars arriving, chaos, and grabbing a parking spot. We had to wait an hour to reserve a table at the 1947 Bobs Big Boy. About six, Mike made it in from Woodland Hills with his black 86 LeBaron Coupe. I was disappointed as certain people pulled a no show. I was hoping for that fourth car. Matt was able to make it from Pasadena with his 82 Aries Wagon from work. He had barely found the time to get over to Bobs and he had not had a chance to wash his car. I said that was okay and not to worry about it. It had been 9 months since I had seen Matt and his stock 82 Aries Wagon 2.6. So, in all we had 4 cars. We had a great dinner where my boss and parents attended and the club members were able to meet my brother Charles, are webmaster, my boss, and myself. We had a lot of fun. After dinner, before we left, we took a look at our cars and I actually got to take a short ride in all the K cars around the block. That really made my day. I got to experience a ride in a turbopowered Shelby, a coupe, and the wagon. Thanks everybody for the rides.
After the show, I drove 60 miles late at night to Los Alamitos JFTB in Orange County for my Saturday military drill. I am a 2nd Lieutenant in the California State Military Reserve. This military force is the state militia home guard that supports the National Guard. It is not a Federal force. The base is from WWII and is in need of major repairs. There is almost no money and thus a lot of old vehicles are sill used and buildings are in a bad state. My job at the moment is to assist the Center for Military History to write a book on the history of the base. I spent most of Saturday doing that. Also, something very unusual happened. Four 1980s Army K cars popped up in one place in the parking lot. The 87 New Yorker escaped before I could get a pic. I have pics of the other three cars I will send you. A multicolored rebuilt 85 Reliant 2.6 liter that the sergeant had rebuilt after totaling it, my car, and an 85 Aries 2.6. All four door sedans.
During this weekend, I saw more 1980s cars than I had seen in a very long time. At least 100. I saw everything in between and stuff back to the 30s. It depends where you go. I saw so many rare models and I lost count. I also rode in a 1953 Dodge Army Truck. It was a terrific weekend.
Pics to follow.