NorthTXVintageThunderbirds - Recently Updated Pages

Monthly Calendar

danielbi — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:22:34 CDT

North Texas Vintage Thunderbird Club
Proposed Meeting Schedule 2011

MONTH	DAY	TIME	EVENT
January	15	12 NOON	Yearly Planning Meeting Tachitos 3210 W Illinois ST Dallas map
February	19	12 NOON	Spring Creek BarbQue 270 North Central Expressway Richardson, TX Map
March	19	12 NOON	Bishop's Shop, 5850 Park Vista Cr, Keller TX map Dan & Pat Bishop, hosts
April	28-30		No Regular Meeting--Join us at the VTCI South Central TX Regional Convention in Fredericksburg, TX
May	21	12 NOON	Tom and Barbara Borton's Ranch, Cleburne, TX
June	18	5PM to 10PM	Christian Cruisers Car Show
July	17	1:30 PM	Uncle Buck's Restaurant, Grapevine Mills
Aug	6		TBA Yellow Rose & lunch (details TBA)
Sept	17		Cowtown Crusin for a Cure, Ft. Worth
Oct	15		Doug Neal's Shop Keller TX
Nov			No Meeting
Dec	TBA		Christmas Dinner at Humperdinks, Arlington, TX

Restoration and Maintenance Tips

danielbi — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:43:34 CDT

Ever wonder what grit sand paper to use. This chart from www.automotivetouchup.com is real helpful. They can match any color you may need by giving them the paint code from your data plate. Dan B

Sand Paper Selection Chart

40 is the roughest we carry, 1500 is the finest. The Sand Paper Assortment pack contains 180, 320, 600, 1000, and 1500 grit sandpaper sheets.

Grit	Description
File with holder	Shaping body filler/Bondo

40	very rough sanding/grinding before bodywork. (not waterproof)
80 grit	rough sanding before bodywork, and for sanding body filler.
180 grit	final sanding and feather edging body filler.
320 grit	optional final sanding before using primer and also for sanding spot putty.
400 grit	rough sanding primer or for fine sanding spot putty.
600 grit	final sanding primer, sand with 600 before using basecoat colors.
1000 grit	wet sanding a panel to be repainted.
1200 grit	wet sanding a panel to be repainted.
1500 grit	final sanding clearcoat to remove defects before polishing with rubbing compound. also can be used for sanding down a panel to be repainted instead of 1000 or 1200.

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Automatic transmission fluid: What’s happening

Reprinted with Permission from Old Cars Weekly

February 06, 2009
byWilliam C. "Bill" Anderson, PE
Several months ago, I wrote about the changes in engine oil formulation. While the hobby has now generally digested the change to GF-4 oils, the auto and lubricants industries are hard at work on more changes, namely GF-5, to come in a couple of years.

Changes in lubricant specifications are not limited to just engine oils — automatic transmission fluid (ATF) is also undergoing its own transformation. When automatic transmissions first entered the marketplace on a regular basis, a single ATF meeting the requirements of the American manufacturers was the norm. General Motors called its ATF Dexron II and Ford’s specified fluid was labeled Mercon.

There was no change from 1949 through the late 1980s except for Ford. It required Type F in its automatics between 1961 and ’81. The late 1980s saw the introduction of Dexron-III/Mercon that posed no concern for car collectors because the new-specification ATF was backward compatible.

During the last two decades, there have been significant changes in automatic transmission design — more speeds, computer controls and more. In the quest to improve efficiency and economy, even more changes are on the horizon. These goals and the changes in transmissions have required changes in ATF. No longer is one specification applicable to all, as each auto manufacturer is developing its own ATF specifications to fit the specific needs of its own transmission. As a result, the license granted to lubricant manufacturers to produce Dexron-III/Mercon was terminated in June 2007.

GM introduced Dexron-IV in 2005 for its 2006 models. Ford unveiled Mercon LV in 2007 and also has Mercon V for most pre-2008 models and Mercon SP for vehicles with six-speed transmissions. Chrysler has ATF+4 for its cars and the foreign manufacturers have theirs.

The primary difference between the new ATF lubricants and their predecessors is their viscosity. The new fluids are lower viscosity; their kinematic viscosity is typically on the order of 6 centiStoke (cSt) at 100 degrees C, while the older fluids are in the range of 7.0 to 7.5 cSt (heavier) at 100 degrees C. The lower viscosity helps improve low temperature performance and reduces friction for potential improvements in fuel economy. The additive mix in the newest fluids also offers improved oxidation stability, shear stability and friction durability to provide more consistent shift performance over the life of the fluid.

What does this mean for collector car owners?

The good news is that all the new ATF lubricants are backward compatible. That is, Dexron-IV can be used in all GM transmissions back to the beginning. The same is true for Chrysler’s ATF+4 for all prior Chrysler transmissions unless Dexron was specified, and Mercon V for Ford transmissions. The only exception is the 1961 to ’81 Ford transmissions that require Type F fluid.

Some lubricant companies, other than the car manufacturers, produce an ATF that meets multiple performance standards. Read the label carefully if you are using any of these fluids.
William C. “Bill” Anderson, P.E., has been involved with the automotive hobby for more than 30 years with experience ranging from hot rods, to sports cars, to sports car racing, and to restoration of vehicles from the 1930s through the `80s. He is an author, magazine editor, car show judge and professional engineer. A member of several car clubs and a leader in some, through Anderson Automotive Enterprises he restores and appraises cars.

____________________________________________

Death by Oil?
(Reprinted with permission from Old Cars Weekly June 23, 2009)

June 23, 2009
byWilliam C. “Bill” And erson, P.E.
In days long ago, there was little question about which oil to use in cars.

In the “good ol’ days,” hobbyists didn’t have a worry in the world
about motor oil. There were few choices when these Birds rolled off the assembly line.

Owners used lightweight oil in the winter and heavyweight oil in the summer. Then, detergents were added so another choice was introduced — detergent or non-detergent. After further development by oil chemists, multi-viscosity oils were offered, eliminating the need to change oil weights with the seasons. That situation remained the same into the late 1970s.

The late 1970s saw the introduction of synthetic oils, e.g. Mobil 1, based on Group IV polyalphaolefin or Group V ester, to improve oil longevity. Oil types thereafter remained unchanged for several years. Beginning in the early 1990s, many changes to engine oils have occurred as engine manufacturers and oil industry chemists worked to comply with environmental regulations and to increase fuel mileage. Most of the changes were “backward compatible,” i.e., oils developed for modern engines could be used with older engines for which they were not purposely designed. Some believe the advent of the latest type — with SM marked on the container — compromised backward compatibility.

A little about ZDP
ZDP (Zinc dithiophosphate) in the range of 0.03 percent was first added to engine oil more than 60 years ago to control bearing corrosion.

In the mid 1950s, Chrysler and Oldsmobile engaged in a horsepower race using high-lift camshafts, and both experienced camshaft scuffing and wear problems. These problems were overcome by better metallurgy for camshafts and lifters, phosphating the camshaft and increasing the level of ZDP to 0.08 percent. Another outcome of these problems was the development of a battery of industry-wide “Sequence” oil tests, including tests for valve train scuffing and wear. These tests have continued to evolve and improve ever since.

Some oil suppliers, believing if some ZDP was good, more would be better, added increased levels of ZDP. Unfortunately, we later learned that, with more than 0.14 percent ZDP, long-term wear increased, even though break-in wear was reduced. It was also discovered that at about 0.20 percent phosphorous, the ZDP started attacking the grain boundaries in the iron, resulting in camshaft spalling.

In the 1970s, the ZDP level was set at 0.10 percent phosphorous to take advantage of its antioxidant properties. Increased antioxidancy was needed to protect the oil in Cadillacs pulling big Airstream trailers from thickening to the point of not pumping.

Today, other ashless antioxidants that contain no phosphorous are used to address this problem. The aforementioned Sequence IIIG test is meant to simulate an OHV flat tappet engine in a truck pulling a loaded cattle trailer across the desert on a hot day.

Latest developments
The purpose of engine oil is to provide a physical barrier — an oil film — that separates moving parts to decrease wear and friction. It also serves as a cooling agent. More than 95 percent of the oil is the base oil with the remainder being a series of additives.

Detergents carry away wear particulates and other contaminants. They also assist in neutralizing acids formed by the breakdown of oil and combustion by-products.

Dispersants control contamination from low-temperature operation. Inhibitors control corrosion, rust and foaming. Viscosity index improvers control the viscosity of multi-grade oils. Pour point depressants improve cold temperature fluidity. Anti-wear additives make up the difference.

In the quest to improve car fuel mileage and avoid polluting the environment, engine designers have made a number of changes in recent years. The use of roller lifters instead of flat lifters in pushrod engines or overhead valves requiring springs of less pressure and improved bearings are among the more notable changes in the quest to reduce friction and enhance fuel economy.

Computer controls and better catalytic converters address the pollution problem. These changes in engine design have been accompanied by demands on oil suppliers to provide different engine oil.
Of primary concern to collector car owners has been the steady reduction in the anti-wear additive ZDDP (zinc diakyl dithiosphosphate) as oil types have evolved from SH to SJ to SL to the current SM. Both zinc and phosphate are key to preventing wear. Unfortunately, they also contaminate catalytic converters when emitted in the engine’s exhaust. The two changes work in combination; modern engine design with less opportunity for wear enables a reduction in the anti-wear additives that pollute.

Oil for collector cars should have 0.12 to 0.14 percent (also stated as 1,200 to 1,400 ppm) of each of the main anti-wear chemicals, zinc and phosphorous. This concentration of zinc and phosphorous was reported in the 1977 SAE technical paper titled, “Cam and Lifter Wear as Affected by Engine Oil ZDP Concentration and Type.” With the SM-specification oils, these anti-wear chemicals have been reduced to 0.06 to 0.08 percent, or reductions approaching 50 percent; the ultimate goal is their complete elimination.

The primary reason for concern among collectors about the ZDP level is the camshaft and lifters in overhead valve engines and finger followers in SOHC engines. Here, scuffing and wear, particularly during break-in, and chemical corrosion of the lifters are noted as potential problems by Olree and McMillan. As noted before, this problem has been addressed by engine manufacturers through improved metallurgy in the design and manufacture of camshafts and lifters and by phosphating the camshafts.

The rigorous quality control provided by the major engine manufacturers in the production of valve train components may not exist in the world of aftermarket parts and from providers of reconditioned parts.

Since collector car owners must often rely on these companies when rebuilding engines, poor quality in replacement parts could be a primary cause of excessive scuffing and wear that is encountered.

What’s a collector to do?
Regardless of what you believe after hearing the professionals, my recommendations are conservative and will produce no harm, even though SM-specification oil has successfully passed actual wear tests conducted with two different engine types.

The first test engine used to assess camshaft scuffing and wear, the Sequence IVA test, is a Nissan 2.4-liter single-overhead camshaft engine with slider finger followers.

The other test engine, a General Motors 3.8-liter overhead-valve engine with flat tappets, a design similar to that used by GM in the 1980s, is used to evaluate cam and lifter wear in the Sequence IIIG test.

Oil intended to help
Generally, it may no longer be good practice to use SM-marked oils in collector car engines. I will provide a brief overview of the information on engine oil intended to help collector car owners. Extensive information is available and links to that information on the Internet are included at the end of this article.

A couple of notes to begin. The information provided is for those who regularly drive their collector cars, not those who engage in competition events with their collector cars. Also, I have no preferences regarding synthetic oils, because their extended life benefits are of little consequence for most collector car use. It is interesting that today’s synthetic oils have generally not based on the Group IV polyalphaolefin or Group V ester (the original base) since the mid 1990s. Then, a court decision declared the term “synthetic” a marketing term. Thereafter, synthetic oils could be made by hydrotreating petroleum-base oils. Today, most synthetics are treated Group II or III petroleum-base oils with perhaps a small percentage of Group IV or Group V components.

Do not use SM-type oils if you regularly drive your car for a few thousand miles. The type of oil is found in the top half of the API (American Petroleum Institute) “donut” on each container.

Also avoid oils that read “Energy Conserving” in the donut. You can use SM-type oil by adding one-half ounce of General Motors’ EOS (Engine Oil Supplement) for each quart of SM-type oil installed to improve its anti-wear characteristics. Do not add more; more is not better. Other ZDDP additive options are listed later in this article.

Another alternative is CI-4 HD oil for diesel engines. These oils have more anti-wear additives. However, be sure to check the container as a new diesel oil, CJ-4, has been introduced to go along with the new (Jan. 1, 2007) low sulfur diesel fuel. Given the preponderance of pre-2007 diesel engines operating, the CI-4 oil should be available for quite some time.

Here are a few more recommendations that have served me well over the years:
Unless an engine has been completely rebuilt and thoroughly cleaned in the process, do not switch to a synthetic if it hasn’t been used in the engine. Also, do not switch to a detergent-containing oil if only a non-detergent oil has been used. I regularly use 15W40 multi-viscosity oil as it imposes no limitation on starting down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit and provides good protection for hot weather driving.

Summary
I have just hit the essential points of this important issue for collector car owners. However, engine oil design and application is a complex issue. For those who want to know more, a couple of Internet links are suggested: www.lubricants.s5.com and www.Lnengineering.com/oil. The first site provides a good overview and the second is more detailed. Although the second focuses on Porsche engines, the information it contains and the associated references can be used for all collector cars.

Final thoughts
The consensus of expert opinion by those regularly engaged in developing engine oils based on objective tests is that modern engine oils, including the most recent category, SM, will provide satisfactory lubrication for collector cars. These oils are more than adequate for the typical collector car owners who drive relatively few miles under unstressed conditions. If for some reason you are uncomfortable with this preponderance of professional opinion, then use a ZDDP oil additive or an oil with ZDDP already in it, listed at the end of this article.

Rather than focus on the oil composition, it is much more important to focus on the quality of materials used if and when you rebuild your engine and the procedures used in its assembly and break-in.

Also, be sure to change your oil at least once each year.

South Central VTCI Regional

danielbi — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:30:42 CDT

See photo history of Convention under Photos and albums

Meetings

danielbi — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:25:17 CDT

President's Message

danielbi — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:24:00 CDT

NOT A MEMBER OF NTVT.
BE SURE TO VISIT OUR REGULAR WEB SITE AT
(click here) North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds
______________________________________________________________

Well things have settled down for NTVT now that the South Central Regioanl convention of VTCI is over. It was a great time and all the members of NTVT is to be congratulated and thanks go to them for pulling everything together for this event.

We have some exciting things for the remainder of the year so keep attending the meetings and lets enjoy these Birds together.

Dan

Newsletters

danielbi — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:25:12 CDT

Thanksfor looking at our members website. If you got here from our main web site www.ntvtbird.org great if not please visit that site also.

Below is some recent newsletters. We will try to keep the latest ones here for your review and if questions go to our main web site and send an email to the club president

Thanks for Visiting.

Mtg Minutes

ntvtBonnie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:06:52 CST

January, 2010: The New Year was kicked off with a meeting of the NTVT Club at Tachito’s Mexican Restaurant in Dallas on January 16, 2010. Club President Dan Bishop started the meeting with introductions of new members Phil Moore and wife Donna, Early Hancock and wife Laura (not present) and friend Jim. Visitors were Ron and Carol Seifert, active in ITC International Thunderbird Club. Following introductions of members present, Tom Ossario gave a Treasurer’s report of current funds of over $8,000. Much of this money is needed to support the June Southwestern Regional Conference in Fort Worth. Dan also reported receipt of over $2000 in promotional funds toward the Conference and expressed a desire to acquire another $800 from sponsors. Continuing to report on the Conference activities, Dan reported that electronic registration is operational with payment through PayPal and several members and guests have signed up. He noted that hotel reservations at the Marriott are limited to 40 reserved rooms on Friday and Saturday night but that the hotel was very limited for Thursday night and that there are no pre-reserved rooms. Following this, Dan went over a schedule of activities focusing on Judging, transportation and photo taking at TMS. Under judging, Judging Chairman John Garfield expressed a need for volunteers to judge and be trained. Also, those interested in being Concourse certified. 8 members expressed a desire for certification training. He also noted that Dan has developed a spread sheet to tally the scores which will make the process a lot easier. Dan noted that we have an experienced volunteer from Oklahoma City who will be responsible for the tally. Doug Neal reviewed the proposed plaque design which the club endorsed. Following this discussion, Dan went over the meeting schedule for the next year filling in events including the Yellow Rose Show in August, a wine tasting lunch in July and participation in the Fort Worth Classic Car Show for Prostate Cancer in September. It was expressed that the annual Ford V8 show in April was cancelled for this year due to other events. The group elected to meet at the Marriott on March 20th to discuss the Conference plans with members of other clubs who can help with the conference. This will also be the annual organizational and officer election meeting for the club. February meeting is scheduled for Saturday the 20th at Spring Creek BBQ in Plano. There being no other business, the Club adjourned at 2:00 P.M.

October 2009: October 17, 2009 NTVT Meeting Minutes Dan Bishop, president, called the meeting to order after our lunch. He introduced two new members (Bill and Edee Hall); Dan reported that we have had about 7 new members join this year. He also welcomed our members Wendell and Celina Fennell, as well as our guests, Dickie and Donna Randolff, the four of whom travelled from Abilene to be with us. Tom Ossorio presented the treasurer’s report, letting us know that the club is financially secure. Details of that report will be emailed to the members. Dan reported that a PayPal account has been created for the club so that online registrations for the upcoming regional convention can be processed through that service as well as by check. He also showed us a logo for the convention based on ideas from Glenda and Monty Standifer. Pat worked it up and came up with a terrific logo that will be used on signage and t-shirts. Dan Sublette moved and Mike Rabjohns seconded the approval of the logo, which the membership voted to accept. The committee will pursue getting the shirts made. Dan presented the letter about the Convention that will go into the January issue of the VTCI Scoop. He also presented a mock-up of the online registration form for the convention. There was a discussion of the charges for the various activities of the Regional Convention; members made several suggestions including keeping the banquet cost to participants at $45, and charging $5 for those wishing transportation to Grapevine/Southlake for shopping on Saturday. Dan presented a projected budget showing expected revenues vs expenses. He said that Al Richmond, VTCI Regional Director, has indicated that he received a positive response to the announcement of the 2010 South Central Regional Convention at the recent International Convention in Ohio. Al anticipates a good turnout for the 2010 SC Regional. Dan also reported that he has acquired 3 corporate sponsorships so far; one is for $900.00 and the other two for $500 each. We discussed the fact that since we accepted the large sponsorship from a T-Bird parts vendor, we would not use the bags that Larry’s Thunderbirds provides, as that would be a conflict with the endorsement agreement. In return for their donations, these “endorsed sponsors” will receive advertising in the form of signs and banners at the event and a year of spotlighting/links on our website. Pat Bishop suggested that members consider donating baskets to be auctioned off at the silent auction and encouraged everyone to be on the lookout for items to include in those baskets or independently in the auction. Members also asked Dan to draft and distribute a letter on letterhead that could be used to solicit donations for the silent auction. Dan also handed out a timeline with proposed deadlines for the various committees preparing for the convention. He reported that new member Jerry Davis will handle security and will be getting volunteers to help. Monty reported that several members of the Early Bird club are planning to come run laps with the convention participants at the TMS on the Friday of the convention. Dan also reported that it has been cleared with Paul Prokop, who is the VTCI Concours Director, for early judging of the undercarriages of any senior or primary cars whose owners would like to participate in driving laps on the raceway. That way, they will not have to worry about jeopardizing the judging on that portion of their cars; this may allow some of those drivers to participate who otherwise would not. The last item of business was for the club to decide on a date for the Christmas Party. It will be on December 12, 2009, at 4:00 p.m. Dan recognized the work Mike and Carolyn Smith have done on the Christmas party in the past. Since Mike and Carolyn were not at the meeting, Mike Rabjohns will get in touch with them and explore the possibilities of restaurants where we could hold our party. Dan expressed an interest in finding a location that would be central, perhaps near I30 and 360 in Arlington. That way, most members would have an equal distance to drive for this meeting.

March 2009: The March meeting was held one week later on March 28, 2009 at Red Lobster in Duncanville at 1:00 P.M. The principle purpose of the meeting was to elect new officers for the 2009-10 year. Current President Dan Sublette was not able to attend and David Silva, Vice President presided. David announced that the Board had agreed to not create a committee to appoint a slate but to open the elections to floor nominations. There followed discussion and recommendations for officers. Dan Bishop volunteered to be President subject to David retaining his role as Vice President in charge of meetings. John Garfield also volunteered to continue as Secretary. The only contested position was Treasurer between the incumbant Bill Strickland and new member Tom Ossario. Since this was the only contested position, all others were elected by acclamation and Tom Ossario by majority vote of the members present. Bill Strickland expressed his pleasure at being able to serve his many years as Treasurer and looked forward to helping Tom in the transition. Following elections, new President Dan Bishop discussed the role of the club as hosts for the 2010 Regional Conference to be held in the DFW metroplex. Dan has previously made suggestions regarding hotel location, visits to local sites including Texas Motor Speedway (he included an update on use of the Speedway Club and track tour), banquet and Friday night BBQ. Dan expressed the strong need for club member help and participation in this event noting that we have much to offer and could potentially make this one of the best regional conferences. He encouraged members to attend the upcoming Regional in Oklahoma CIty this June to learn from them how they planned and organized the Conference this year. Dan also suggested that we discuss participation by the "little birds" as there are two groups in the Dallas area who might be interested in attending and working with us. David Silva, Vice President discussed the upcoming event for April at Sandy Lake Park and encouraged all to attend the All Ford Show starting at 10:00 A.M. This event is on April 11th, one week earlier than the normal monthly meeting date. There being no other business, the Club adjourned at about 2:30 P.M.

SEMA updates

danielbi — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:15:21 CDT

April 14, 2009
Cash for Clunkers – Facts/Fiction
Research Refutes Environmental Claims
SEMA Promotes Better Solutions For Selling Cars & Cleaning the Environment
Position: SEMA supports the concept of providing cash incentives so that consumers can purchase fuel-efficient new vehicles. This will spur car sales for the automakers and dealerships. SEMA strongly opposes tying these vouchers to vehicle scrappage programs, known as “cash for clunkers.”
Issue: Scrappage programs accelerate the demise of older vehicles, which are then typically crushed into blocks of metal. Program supporters focus on a car's age or fuel efficiency rating rather than its actual emissions or how much it is driven. SEMA has consistently warned against wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on a program that may produce an artificial spike in sales but will not reduce emissions or increase fuel efficiency.
Problems
Environmental Claims Refuted

Low Voucher Value: SEMA conducted a comprehensive study on the blue book value of cars being targeted under the legislation. Given the low cash value of the vouchers to be offered consumers (generally ranging from $2,000 to $5,000), the facts demonstrate:

→ Program Based on Fuel Economy: Under a program targeting cars that have low fuel economy ratings (18 mpg or less), the trade-in vehicles would be late model SUVs and pickup trucks that have been damaged in accidents or have mechanical problems. These cars are not being driven much in their current condition and have minimal impact on the environment.

→ Program Based on Emissions: With emissions being the focus, cars turned-in because they are older than 8 years would be the rarely driven second or third cars that sit in the driveway or garage.

→ Example: Under the first program, the owner of a fuel-efficient car from the 1980s or 1990s could not get a voucher to trade-up to a new car. That same car would be destroyed under the other program.

→ Conclusion: The cars targeted under both programs are not being driven much, therefore it can not be claimed that the air will be cleaner or the U.S. will be less dependent on foreign oil.

Not Eco-Friendly: While supporters tout a similar German program as evidence of success, the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, (the pan-European federation of environmental groups), along with European Commission staff have urged Germany and other countries to abandon scrappage subsidies because they do more environmental harm than good by artificially accelerating the car life cycle (producing, dismantling, recycling, etc.).

Carbon Footprint: Scrappage programs do not calculate CO2 emissions expended to manufacture a new car. Approximately 15-20% of a car's emissions may be produced during its manufacture. For example, a CNW Research study estimated that it took the energy equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gasoline to make the fuel-efficient Toyota Prius.

Unverified Claims: Scrappage supporters make optimistic claims about fuel savings and environmental protections that will not be subject to real-world verification or enforcement. For example, how many miles was the trade-in driven in the past year?

Economic Claims Refuted

Denies Vouchers to Most New Car Buyers: Millions of consumers who may be eager and able to purchase a new car will be denied a voucher since they don’t have an eligible trade-in car. Statistics confirm that a majority of consumers no longer trade in a car at the dealership when buying a new car. In 2007, only 38% offered a trade-in, which meant that 62% percent of new car buyers would have been ineligible to participate in a voucher program. Moreover, the vast majority of trade-in cars were just a few years old. The facts demonstrate that people who are the most likely candidates to buy a new car would not qualify for a voucher or would have an artificial incentive to bring in a qualifying car that would not otherwise appear at the dealership.

Creates A New Government Bureaucracy: The government will have to set up a program to issue vouchers, issue fees to dismantlers/recyclers, issue vouchers to transit operators, process certification filings that a vehicle has been destroyed, compile and track the data. This is an unnecessary expenditure of tax dollars on a system ripe for fraud and abuse.

Solutions

Provide Vouchers for All: Vehicle scrappage programs restrict car sales since the consumer must own an older car to participate. This is not a good business model for selling cars. Solution: SEMA supports Congressional proposals to provide cash incentives to any person who wants to buy a new fuel-efficient car.

Include Used Cars: Most dealerships sell used cars as well as new cars. Meanwhile, many consumers want to upgrade their vehicles but are unable to afford a new car. Solution: Provide a voucher to anyone who wants to buy a newer and more fuel-efficient used car.

Resume Auto Financing: Vehicle sales have fallen because of low consumer confidence, fear of job loss and lack of financing, even for people ready to buy. Scrappage programs do not solve these root problems. Solution: SEMA supports ongoing initiatives to restore new-car consumer and business financing.

Provide Tax Deduction for Interest Payments: The economic stimulus bill included a sales-tax deduction estimated to produce 100,000 additional sales this year. Solution: Congress should now pass a law to allow consumers to deduct car loan interest payments on their federal taxes, which should produce another 300,000 or more sales.

Repair/Retrofit: A number of commercially available products and technologies exist that will substantially lower the emission rates of older vehicles while also offering the owner added performance, drivability and fuel mileage. These innovative solutions drive product sales, produce American jobs and secure tax revenues for the government. Solution: provide tax incentives to encourage owners to upgrade, repair or maintain their used vehicles. It is less expensive to retrofit an existing car with emissions/fuel economy equipment rather than destroying it.

For More Information: Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org or 202/783-6007, ext. 30.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) represents the $38.1 billion specialty automotive industry. Founded in 1963, it’s 7,358 member companies produce products for nearly every vehicle in the marketplace – from new cars to classic vehicles – products that enhance the performance, appearance and utility of those vehicles. Most of the products that reduce air pollution or increase fuel efficiency were first produced by specialty equipment manufacturers, including turbochargers and high performance exhausts.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

June 2009

SEMA'S WORK PAYS OFF (THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO JOIN. GO TO WWW.SEMA.ORG)

Some Good news on the Clunker Law No “Clunker” over over 25 years old: Bill shortened to four month lifespan Good news for car collectors - Your pride and joy may not be a clunker, thanks to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). What was originally supposed to be a one-year program has now been shortened by Congress to only four months SEMA has managed to inject an addition to the clunker law wending its way through Congress which will limit clunker vouchers, ranging in value from $3,500 to $4,500 and given to owners turning-in older cars and trucks for new, cleaner and higher-mileage models, to cars and trucks of 1984 and newer vintage. Vehicles older than 25 years will be exempt from the program. This is a godsend to the car-collecting community.
President Obama has backed the clunker plan and passage in the Senate is expected soon. Proponents claim that the so-called "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act (CARS)" may spur an estimated 625,000 vehicle sales. The program will last for one year (but that was the plan for the original federal income tax, too). The vehicle scrappage legislation was passed by the US House of Representatives by a 298-119 vote last week. SEMA is a professional/lobbying group representing many of the world's car-makers and especially thousands of "aftermarket" companies, those outfits which dream-up, design, build and sell performance and appearance products for cars and trucks. It's a huge, near-$30 billion annual business in the US alone and thousands of Americans depend on the automotive aftermarket for their livelihoods. Steve Parker Automotive Industry Journalist June 16, 2009

North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds

ntvtBonnie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:10:58 CDT

Welcome to the interactive website of the North Texas Vintage Thunderbirds, Inc.

Here you will find messages from our officers, details of upcoming meetings, minutes of past meetings, info on the upcoming South Central VTCI Regional. Just check out the links to the left of this message.

If you use the dark blue navigation bar above this message, you can also see discussions and photos, or explore the other parts of this website. If you are a registered user (all NTVT club members are eligible to join and become a registered user) you can leave comments on the discussion threads or about the photos. If you have photos you'd like to have posted, please email them to me.

So start exploring, and enjoy the opportunities for communicating with other t-bird lovers.

Happy T-birding!
Bonnie