Rollin’ in (Pennz)oil article by Debra Reid of the Daiily Sparks Tribune:
Chuck Thomas, owner of a 1955 Chevy Sedan Delivery, is much more than another retired and wealthy car buff with too much time on his hands.
The 61-year-old, former electrician spends his retirement assisting fellow car enthusiasts and helping to raise money for local charities.
“A lot of guys need help with tools and (automotive) knowledge,” Thomas said. “I love to help people out with their cars.”
His work has paid off. Thomas has won a lifetime supply of Pennzoil platinum motor oil.
“I was honored,” Thomas said. “It was totally unexpected. I thought it was great.”
He received a plaque at the Grand Sierra Resort on Tuesday. He knows the supply of oil will be sent to his home but does not yet know when he will start receiving shipments.
Thomas equipped his Chevy with a state-of-the-art, V8 engine that has electronic fuel-injection plus an overdrive transmission. The modifications gave Thomas 22 or 23 mpg on the highway and about 18 mpg in town. The original “straight-six” carburated engine might have used 12 mpg at best, Thomas said.
Thomas said he has a concern for the environment and has spent thousands of dollars making sure his Hot August Nights ride is as clean and efficient as possible.
“This thing is so much cleaner than the original,” the Spanish Springs resident said as he cruised downtown Sparks on Friday night. “If the state wanted to smog it, this car would pass.”
The state of Nevada doesn’t require smog tests on cars built in the year 1967 or older.
“It’s only beneficial to me to have a motor that is emission-sensitive and saves me gas,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ investment of time and work into his car classifies his Chevy as a “custom” car as opposed to a “classic.” Classic cars are restored, as close as possible, to their original condition and maintain a higher resale value than modified cars, Thomas said.
“We have (classic) cars with the same (original) screws, tires, hubcaps, engines – exactly the way it was.”
Thomas, a member of the Classic Chevys Club of Reno, devoted hours and dollars to make his vehicle top-shelf among custom cars. The car enthusiast’s hobby has put him at an estimate of $75,000, $25,000 of which was originally put in five years ago in Tennessee. His rare “handyman panel” was a work truck for plumbers and electricians.
The total cost now includes his car’s new engine, transmission, paint, chrome and upholstery.
While he dedicates time for his own car, Thomas spends more time helping fellow car buffs with restoration and mechanical upgrades. Future projects await him in California where he’ll attend 25 to 28 other car shows this year.
“He is always available to help anyone with anything,” Thomas’ wife and cruise-mate, Sharon Thomas said.
For his helpfulness, fellow club members nominated Thomas for the Pennzoil Platinum Prize.
Now he’ll have all the Pennzoil motor oil his cars will ever need.
“I’ve used Pennzoil for years,” Thomas said. “It’s a good product. I’ll be happy to take it and use it.”
He believes the company will send him full synthetic oil, which he said would work better for his car than the conventional type.
The award appeals to Thomas’ ecologically conscience nature.
“We (the members of the Chevy car club) want our hobby to be (environmentally) sensitive,” said Thomas.
Thomas has done his share of car-watching at this week’s Hot August Nights event. He sees all car types at the event but more customs and hot rods than classics, he said. He explained as original, steel-bodied cars become harder to find, fiberglass kits are gaining ground allowing car buffs to build replicas of their dream cars from the ground up. A popular kit duplicates the Ford Mustang, said Thomas.
“Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,” joked Chevy-man Thomas.
He does most of his own automotive work except for some of the paint and interior details. He complimented Al’s Rod Shop of Sparks for their paint job on his car’s interior trim and dash.
“They did an excellent job,” he said.
This was the first year Thomas was eligible to register for Hot August Nights at a cost of $180. Thomas said there’s always a waiting list to register for the event. It takes at least a year or two to get in and be eligible for the controlled cruises, show ‘n’ shines, and other venues. Hot August Nights officials said 6,000 cars were registered with 3,000 more unregistered cars at this year’s event.
Oregon to prohibit sale of aftermarket auto parts (Write your congressman!)
Oregon Bill to Prohibit Sale of Aftermarket Parts to be Considered
by Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10
The Oregon House Environment and Water Committee will consider legislation (H.B. 2186) to prohibit the sale and distribution of aftermarket motor vehicle parts if alternatives are available that “decrease greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.” The bill is primarily focused on aftermarket tires and would authorize the Environmental Quality Commission to implement enforcement regulations, likely based on a rolling resistance calculation. The bill was introduced at the request of Governor Theodore Kulongoski.
We Urge You Contact All Members of the Environment and Water Committee (Contact Information Below) TODAY to Request Their Opposition to H.B. 2186
For those interested in attending the hearing to show your opposition, the committee will meet tomorrow, Tues., Feb.10, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.at the following address:
Oregon State Capitol
Hearing Room D, 900 Court St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
We Urge You to Contact the Members of the Environment and Water Committee (Contact Information Below) Immediately to Request Their Opposition to H.B. 2186
H.B. 2186 would regulate vehicle fuel economy, an authority reserved to the federal government.
H.B. 2186 could ban tires that may have improved performance, handling or appearance features, based solely on a rolling resistance rating. In addition, this program could easily distract consumers from focusing on more important safety issues such as tire inflation and overloading of vehicles.
H.B. 2186 would force consumers to purchase only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tires because the program essentially exempts OEM-selected tires and unfairly implies that they are superior to aftermarket products.
H.B. 2186 could prohibit aftermarket parts designed to either personalize or optimize specific vehicle performance attributes including handling, towing, suspension, fuel economy, etc.
H.B. 2186 provides broad authority to government regulators and could limit a range of aftermarket parts currently available to consumers based on the subjective determination of government regulators.
DON’T DELAY! Please contact the House Environment and Water Committee immediately to urge their opposition to H.B. 2186.
It is time to get your classic or street rod ready for the beautiful ride to Reno for the annual Classics In Paradise Car Show, to be held June 21. If you haven’t attended this show before, it is definitely worth the trip. If coming from California, coming over on Highway 88 early in the morning is a beautiful cruise. If coming on I-80, it is still a nice drive through the mountains enjoying the Sierras. This show is from 3;00 p.m. to 9;00 p.m. so coming Saturday morning works well for a nice cruise. You can enjoy participating in the show and then relax for the rest of the evening. Then on Sunday, cruise home after a late-morning breakfast and enjoy your hot rod and the scenery.
The Classic Chevy Club of Reno is hard at work planning for this annual car show, which is again being held at The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno. The management from The Atlantis is working closely with us to make sure everyone has a pleasurable experience at this event. They are holding 30 rooms until May21 just for car show participants. Also, guests staying the night can rest easy knowing their security staff is closely watching the cars. The Atlantis is also planning on having their new addition to the facility open for everyone to see and use, including the beautiful new spa.
Some of the show highlights include; great raffles, including a 55 Chevy pedal car, many items donated by local merchants and club members, and more special prizes are being added daily. Every participant will receive this handsome tapestry tote bag with route 66 theme and pockets for cell phone and water bottle. Also, there will be Carolina BBQ, Johnny Starr, the DJthat works with H.A.N. events, Champion Chevrolet will display new vehicles, and we may also have a surprise that everyone will enjoy, (even most club members don’t know about this yet).
This show is open to ALL makes of vehicles up to 1979,including rat rods and under-construction. The judging for this year will be by peer-judging, except for the “Best of” awards. Again, club members’ cars will be parked separately from the entrants and are not part of the show. We have approximately 24 classes so bring out that classic, muscle car or street rod for everyone to see. Awards start at 8;00 p.m. We are limiting the number of entries to 300 and pre-entries are entered in 2 special drawings that are $50 each. Use this trip as a warm-up to H.A.N.
We hope to see you there. It’s never been easier to register. Just Click Here for our online registration form. and fill it out. For any questions, go to our website (which is very interesting and informative) www.classicchevyclubreno.com or call Randy at 775-636-2941 or 775-424-6824. See you in June, we ordered good weather for the event.
March Club Event
Breakfast & Classic Car Photo Shoot Submitted by Robin
We were very lucky to have great spring weather for our classic car photo shoot on March 22. Twenty one club members came out for an early breakfast at the Black Bear Diner in Reno. After breakfast we all cruised down to Washoe Valley for a photo shoot at Bowers Mansion Park. What a beautiful sight to see all those classics cruising down 395!
A big “Thanks” goes to Ben Milander for being our primary photographer. (Check out the club website to see the slide show of the event!) Other club members taking additional photos were Barbara Perry, Alice Milander, Sharon Thomas and Lloyd Hargett. Ben did a great job posing each car for photos of the car with and without the owner(s). After all of the individual pictures we arranged the cars for a group picture.
Members and cars that attended: Our newest club member, Hamford Schroeder with his 1957 Chevy Cameo; Ben & Alice Milander with their 1960 Corvette; Dick Pattinson driving a 1966 Dodge Charger; Barbara Bain in a 1965 Mustang Convertible (did you know all of Dick & Barbara’s cars are RED!!??); our Prez Rich Lembi and Ruth Lembi in their 1934 Chevy Coupe; Rich & Barbara Perry in their 1955 Bel Air; Gene & Judy Fox in their 1956 Bel Air; Jon Lemos and his soon-to-be wife Carrie Pierce in their 1965 Chevelle SS; Randy & Marie Becker drove their 1937 Chevy Sedan; Chuck & Sharon Thomas weren’t able to drive their classic (under construction & almost done!) but came along to enjoy the event (that’s the spirit!!!); Lloyd Hargett driving a 1967 Cadillac convertible (with the top down) and Robin Hargett driving a 1967 Camaro RS convertible. Butch & Donna Chaffer came for breakfast but disappeared with their Corvette before we left on the cruise. We missed you two!
We had a great time and we’ll plan on repeating this event before the summer is over in the hopes of getting more pictures of club cars.
