Betty: she's baaack...

[Steve T]

Well, two gorgeous weekends in a row made the temptation too much to resist...yesterday afternoon I brought my Lark out of storage, a month and a half early. Betty seems to be picking up where she left off last October, running faultlessly. (The gent who owns the storage barn commented on how quiet the Lark is. Course he had just pulled out a colossal Pontiac Bonneville HT with an engine in the 400+CI range, after which the Lark would indeed have sounded like a hybrid!)

Here's a pic from yesterday. The Bonneville can be seen on the left and a very nice '61 Bug on the right (the latter is for sale).


After last year, getting the drop on spring like this is wonderful...

S.

[s2d63lark]

Hey Steve, looks good after hibernating. Don't know what the forecast is for Hamilton area but up here in Owen Sound they're calling for more snow on Thursday/Friday. Guess somebody is trying to prove Willy wrong.

Doug

6E40-195 1963 Canadian Lark VY-6

Chatsworth, Ontario, Canada

[Steve T]

Doug--

Supposed to get some rain tomorrow, and there are a couple days in the next two weeks where snow showers or rain showers are equally likely...rest of the time, mostly sunny and generally slightly above normal temps. All in all, not worth not gambling on...so out comes the Lark!

S.

[55s]

We seem to have a little more snow here too.

I just cleared away the ice from in front of the home barn, but the doors still wont open - they are dragging on the concrete. I'll have to make some door adjustments in the summer.

Paul

[STEWDI]

It's really great weather, but with it being so dry, the salt is still on the streets. Hope it only rains, or we have such soggy snow that the city doesn't re-salt. I'm not firing anything up until after I see a good rain around here!

Can't blame anybody for getting excited, though![]

Roger "153624" Hill

55 Champion
47 M-5
Izzer Buggy
Junior Wagon

[2R5]

Know what you mean , my Daytona is all over the garage floor , been procastinating too much this winter ...now the preasures on



[IMG]Home of the Fried Green Tomato
"IF YOU WANT THE SMILES YOU NEED TO DO THE MILES "

1960 Champ
1964 Daytona HT

[studebaker-R2-4-me]

Hey Bob,

That sounds like me over the Christmas break. I've just been busy with other things over the last few months. My Hawk has a new transmission and new torque converter installed and is all put back together again. I'm just waiting for a flapper valve to show up in the mail and then i will check out my vacuum problem. I still have/want to change out the rear ratio to a 3.54:1 but that will have to wait for the insurance to go back on it and drive it over to Cunningham Performance and have his mechanic do it. I would expect to have the Hawk back out in the next week or two,... rain permitting.

Steve - are you driving Betty to MAC? I'd love to park my Hawk beside you

Allen


1964 R2 GT Hawk

1963 Daytona Convertible
Oakville, Ontario.
Hamilton Chapter
See you in Cedar Rapids Summer 2009

[s2d63lark]

Boy is this thread ever a "Canadian Moment" like we did on Air Farce in the first season. Just us Canadians talking about the weather.

Doug

6E40-195 1963 Canadian Lark VY-6

Chatsworth, Ontario, Canada

[Steve T]

Doug--

Right you are...but it's nice to be talking rather than grousing about the weather for once! It didn't even rain today like it was supposed to. Drove Betty for a short while today before work. Also foamed the tires, polished the brightwork a bit, and played around test-fitting those blue carpets I bought almost a full year ago...and, as is my wont, took yet more photos...

Bob--

Before too very long I've got to arrange a convenient time for putting a Lark Shine on Betty out at your place...no hurry of course (after all, the Lark is out a month and a half early)! I have the two compounds, got them last fall.

Allen--

Nope, I don't drive to work...this time of year I cycle, in the winter I walk and/or bus. (Betty's plated Historic, so technically I can't drive her to work anyway, but I suppose a once-in-a-blue-moon sort of thing would probably be OK; and parked next to that gorgeous Hawk of yours she'd certainly look like she was at a legit event!)

S.

[STEWDI]

Hope to see a good turn-out at the Badenoch swap meet Apr. 25th. Maybe THIS year it won't be 5 degrees C and drizzling!! (It'll be NICER). (There goes a weather comment again - sorry Doug).
I wannna bring a Stude - Jeannie the M5 loaded with parts - and have a good time with good friends!!

Roger "153624" Hill

55 Champion
47 M-5
Izzer Buggy
Junior Wagon

[Steve T]

Roger--

Roger that!

Betty and I will be at Badenoch all going well; at the very worst I'll show up with my "Wagonaire" ('05 Pontiac Vibe...but it does say "Wagonaire" on the tailgate)...last year's meet, drizzle or no, is a very fond memory for me, the first swap meet I ever attended in a "relevant" car. Got the aforementioned blue carpets at Badenoch, actually...and subsequently garnered the two Lark rear quarters that were on offer there too.

S.

[s2d63lark]

Hey Roger, I'll have to try to get down for that. Whereabouts will it be? I've not re-upped with the Ontario Chapter so am not getting any of those great Award Winning STUDEBANNERs. Everything seems to be out East. Guess I'll check out the Chapter website.

Doug

6E40-195 1963 Canadian Lark VY-6

Chatsworth, Ontario, Canada

[Steve T]

Doug--

Badenoch's a hamlet near Guelph, just off old Hwy#6 North. I think the swap meet is always at the same spot, the Badenoch Community Centre, which is a charming Victorian schoolhouse. As Roger notes, last year it was chilly and drizzled, but even so several people brought their Studes out, and the Acton fire department put in an appearance with their magnificent 1928 Studebaker-Bickle firetruck.

Drove my Lark again today (to CTC to get some touchup paint)...got several gratifying reactions...very animated thumbs-up from a young guy in a new dark blue VW, question at CTC whether Betty is a Hamilton car (she is) and was this the same Stude that had been for sale in east Hamilton a while back (nope...pink 55 Champion!), two ladies at CTC chatting about each other's first car in reaction to seeing the Lark (one had had a '67 Mustang, the other a slant-six Dodge Dart)...One of the ladies took a pic of me with the Lark which may end up as my sig pic.

I love this stuff! Welcome SPRING!

S.

[55s]

Just to clarify directions:

From Hwy 401 and Hwy 6 SOUTH (NOT Hwy 6 North or Hanlan Expressway)
Go south 1/2 mile into Morriston.
Turn Left (East) at light
Follow the road back over the 401.
Watch for the Badenoch sign.
The Schoolhouse is on a road to the right.

I have better directions on the Ontario Chapter website (www.ontariosdc.ca)

With respect to the comments about more events for the Ontario Chapter in the Kingston area:

Ontario is blessed with two excellent chapters, The Ontario Chapter and the Hamilton Chapter. The geographical territory that these two clubs cater to is huge - Ontario is much larger than Texas. If you have to drive from Thunder Bay in the west to Cornwall in the east, it could take you 21 hours. Fortunately, many of us are within five hours of each other.

I have been on the Ontario Chapter executive for many years and have acted as president for three. (and many of you have also done the same). In order to have a successful event in an area, you need to have a person to set up the event and especially you need how many people will show up. To allow for flexibility around events, we have found that it it often better to plan events around an existing excellent event. For example, the Classic Cars and Legendary Stars show in Brampton was an excellent FREE show, featuring excellent FREE entertainment.

In the Ontario Chapter, primary enthusiasm and attendance has shifted from the west Toronto hub to further east, often Picton or Kingston about 2-3 hours east. President Will Norton has done a incredible job and so far there doesn't seem to be anyone knocking at the door to replace him.

We are still running events west of Toronto (such as Badenoch and
Wallaceburg)(towards Detroit but on Canadian side), and we will continue to do so, especially if someone wants to coordinate an event or invite us to and event.

The excellent Hamilton Chapter is a little luckier in that the membership tends to be a little closer to each other. They also hold some excellent events. www.thehamiltonchaptersdc.ca

In any organization, the membership really should appreciate the volunteers who give up their time to be presidents, write newsletters, organize events, vend parts, and offer their help. I realize (again) that many of you have done this.

However, it boils down to this. If you want an event to be near you, you can rely on lady luck, or you can offer to plan an event. The experience can be quite rewarding.

Thank you Roger, Doug, Bob (and anyone else I missed) for all of the help in the past.

Paul

[Steve T]

Paul--

Thanks for the clarification...was going on memory (and of course basing my rough directions on a starting point in Hamilton; from here, "Hwy 6 South" makes for Lake Erie, while the route to Guelph is "6 North"...but that could indeed mislead someone coming from Owen Sound, couldn't it!)

Looking forward to Badenoch...and plenty else.

Cheers

S.

(Spot on, too, about how huge Ontario is. I was flat amazed at how interminable was the trip from Thunder Bay westward to the Manitoba border: one feels one is never going to arrive...)