I.  The Woodward Dream Cruise

 

    Thanks again to the efforts of Harold Sullivan, free parking will again be available to Club members at the Comerica Bank parking lot, located on the southbound (or west) side of Woodward Avenue, just north of 14 Mile Road.  North Oakland Mopar Muscle has again been given express permission by Comerica Bank for the exclusive use of this parking lot.  This branch will again be closed on Saturday and this will free up the parking spaces available in the rear of the lot and under the drive-through window area.  The Bank will again provide security guards on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. so that no unauthorized parking occurs that night or very early Saturday morning.  We will again have Porta-Johns on site for your convenience.

 

    The Club is going to grill this time with Big Mike Mietkowski handling most of the grilling and hopefully with the help of many others.  The catering and tent cost us a bundle last year, and I was not at all impressed for the money.   I will be assisting Big Mike back at the giant grill that we have rented for this event, and the main course will be lean ground Sirloin Burgers, sweet Italian Sausage and specially made “lean and mean” Hotdogs. The Club will provide the condiments and buns for the above meats, but the side dishes are up to you to bring!  As you know we are not going to have a picnic this year, so let’s turn this event into a picnic.  There is a separate article on this topic below from the organizers of the side dishes who have been so kind to step forward to handle this task.

 

    You must RSVP to our P.O. Box and let us know how many people will be in your party (Club members and family only).  Wrist bands will be passed out that morning only to those members who had the foresight to send in their RSVP.  Please note that no beverages will be provided so BYOB (bring your own beverages).  I may try to bring some emergency supplies for the needy (and for the corporate bank guests), but not for Club members because of the difficulty of purchasing and keeping cold enough pop to quench everyone’s thirst.  This task can be handled much easier on an individual basis as it is much easier for you to bring your favorite six pack of pop than for me to guess what everyone wants and then to lug it to the event (and keep it cold).

 

    Harold has again recommended that interested members arrive with their cars very early Saturday morning to ensure a good parking spot close to Woodward Avenue.  If you arrive after this time, there will most likely be room for your car, but in a less advantageous position.  Parking will be supplied to Club members only, on a first-come first-serve basis.  See Woody Wadsworth on your arrival and he will give you a band to put on your rear view mirror.  We are going to fill the side street just north of the Comerica parking lot before parking in the Bank's lot itself, and those members who are first to arrive will fill this street and place a lawn chair in the bank parking lot so that they get first pick of the bank spots.  Therefore, you will be rotated from the street to a sweet spot in the bank when we have enough members there in the morning.  Last year, we again had many extra parking spaces that were not filled by NOMM members, so please check the Comerica location first before you attempt to park somewhere else.  Please contact Woody Wadsworth for all other issues relating to the activities at Comerica Bank during the Woodward Cruise.

 

    Thanks again to the efforts of Mark Tuck and Mike Garnett we will have parking at the Cemetery which extends about one-half mile and is located on the west side of Woodward Avenue and runs between Twelve Mile and Webster.  Frank Vivio (Bam) will be handling the cooking duties at the Cemetery and you are also encouraged to bring a dish to pass.  Please RSVP to the P.O. Box and let us know how many will be in your party at the Cemetery so Frank knows how many to cook for that day.  You can contact me and let me know what dish you are bringing so we do not have too many duplicative dishes.  I learned how to put on things like this from Frank, so I am sure the food down there will knock your socks off.  For more information about the parking and other car type issues, contact Mark Tuck.

 

    Lastly, but not least, Joe Trotta is organizing the official DaimlerChrysler Corporate display at the Northwood Shopping Center parking lot located at 13 and Woodward.  The Silver Bullet will be present again along with some members who have already made arrangements to be present at this location.  If you have any questions about his location, or if you would like to participate in this location next year, please contact Joe Trotta.

 V.  Car Show/Swap Meet Information by Joe Trotta.

 

    Well, another Car Show and Swap Meet has passed.  As you know, this was our alternative date as we got rained out in April this year.  First and foremost, on behalf of the entire board, I’d like to personally thank everyone who helped make this another great event.  Without all of your help, it would have never been possible. We grossed approximately $7,100.00.  The show cars and swap vendors were there in force, but our admissions gate (walk-ins) was a bit down most likely due to summer vacations and the early threat of rain that day.

 

    We will shoot for the last Sunday in April again next year, with a similar July rain-out date if necessary.  I still think it is a good idea to have the primary date in April as we have larger attendance for this early date than we do for the later July date.  Thanks again, Joe Trotta.

 

VI. Ted’s Tech Topic Tales Part II by Ted Mazurek

 

    Hey, did you see Dana’s “Rear End?”  No, I am not talking about a woman’s back side!  I am taking about the rear axle built by the Dana Corporation known as the model 60.  The Dana 60 has a 9 3/4 inch ring gear and is perhaps one of the most bullet proof axles ever built for Automobile applications. This axle was used in the 60's and 70's as standard equipment in many Muscular Mopar Machines that came equipped with the infamous 426 Hemi and the 440 HP with a 4 speed transmission.  It was also an option with models built with an automatic transmission.

 

    In standard trim, the Dana 60 came with a 3.54 to 1 gear ratio with a Sure Grip differential which is known as the Track Pak, option code A33.  In its optional trim the Dana come with a 4.10 to 1 gear ratio with a Sure Grip differential which is known as the Super Track Pak, option code A34 with a 4 Speed trans, and the Super Performance Axle Package, option code A32 with an automatic trans.  Also available were 4.56 to 1 and a 4.88 to 1 ratio gear sets that were used in some of the Super Stock built Mopars.  The Dana 60 axle housing, rear cover, cover bolts, and ratio tag were painted Gloss Black with about a 25% flattener added.  The rear cover had a circle with an X in it, drawn in white paint.  The filler plug had a white paint daub on it to show that lube was added.  The Sure Grip tag (which read “Use Limited Slip Differential Lube Only”) was natural (unpainted) and positioned at 5 O’clock with a daub of yellow paint on the head of the bolt.  The ratio tag was positioned at 7 O’clock and was painted black with the housing.  The part number label, a tape strip from a roll which had the part number printed repetitively in red, was wrapped around the left axle tube to the right of the inboard U-Bolt.

 

    The last three digits of the axle assembly part number were also stamped on in yellow paint with 7/8 inch high numbers, on the right axle tube next to the inboard U-Bolt.  The last detail found on the Dana, placed in the middle of the right axle tube, you’ll find numbers stamped in it, which will include the axle built date.  Until next time, happy Mopar Muscle motoring, drive careful and don’t get “rear ended!”  (Ha Ha)   Ted.

 

VII. Restoration Tips by David Holderied.

 

    I would like to pass along a little information that I recently received from Legendary Interiors.  I was told that if you are planning to replace the dash pad in your Mopar Chevy eater, one of the best places to purchase it is from “Just Dashes” because they use good material which can be dyed another color if your interior color is not available.  Some places that do dash restos use material that is just fine if you leave it the original color, but if you need to dye it, this material will not accept color dye the way Just Dash’s material does.

 

    If you are planning on replacing the carpeting in your car, it is a good idea to save the old carpet if possible, no matter how bad it is because it can be used as a pattern for cutting areas in the carpeting that go around the steering column, dimmer switch and accelerator.  The guy I talked to at Legendary told me that they have seen so many different patterns used for fitting the carpeting in these areas that you will have to cut your own carpet to fit your particular car and this is very tough if you do not have your old carpet for reference.

 

    It is also very important to put the rear carpet section in the car before doing any cutting to make sure that you do not pull the front section too far forward when cutting.  If you are not careful, you may end up with a gap between the two sections instead of the carpet pieces over-lapping as designed, with the front piece on top.

 

VIII. Rants from Dave

 

    I have no rants at this time other than see you at the Dream Cruise and at our Milan event.  I will schedule another meeting for sometime this fall.  Keep up the good work!!

 

Dave Smith