PB 308 new page 14-18.indd - Plymouth Club

Founded 1957 

Twenty-time Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill Award winner 

May - June, 2011 308 Volume 52 Number 4 

Photo By aLLan FaLtus 

Fury ury Fifty-six ifty-six 

Allen Faltus’ 1956 Fury sport coupe

Plymouth ® Owners Club, Inc. 

®Plymouth is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC and is used by special permission. 

MEMBERSHIP 

The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is published bi-monthly by the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc., 

PO Box 416, Cavalier, North Dakota 58220. Periodicals postage paid at Grafton, ND. 

Membership is open to all persons genuinely interested in Plymouth or Fargo vehicles. 

Ownership of a club recognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for club membership. Club 

dues entitle members to receive all BULLETIN issues published within the 12 month period 

following establishment or renewal of membership. Membership in the Plymouth 

Owners Club is a prerequisite for membership in one of its regions. 

DUES 

Dues for first-time members are $32 per year payable in US funds. Renewals are $30 

per year payable in US funds. Payment can be made by VISA or MasterCard. No personal 

checks outside of USA please. Overseas members may get airmail delivery for $45 

per year. 

MEETS 

National meets are sponsored by the Plymouth Owners Club. Such meets are held on a 

rotating basis with location of the meets determined by local regions upon application to 

the Officers and Board of Directors. Notice of the dates and locations of such meets will 

be announced in the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. At least one meet will be held east of the 

Mississippi River and one meet west of the Mississippi with meets held in the Spring, 

Summer and/or Fall. On years ending in "8" a single Grand National Meet is held in the 

Detroit area in honor of Plymouth's 1928 beginning. 

AWARDS &TROPHIES 

MAYFLOWER AWARD is awarded to the highest scoring 4dr sedan not winning Best of 

Show at each national meet. 

EDITOR’S AWARDS are presented annually by the Editor for outstanding contributions by 

the members to the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN. 

JUDGING CLASSES Class 8 -- 1960-61 full size; 1965-77 C-body 

Class 1 -- 1928-1932 Class 9 -- 1964-1974 Barracuda 

Class 2 -- 1933-1939 Class 10 - Commercial (pickup, sdn del, stn wgn) 

Class 3 -- 1940-1948 Class 11 - 1976-80 F-, 78-89 M-, ‘80-81 R-bodies 

Class 4 -- 1949-1954 Class 12 - 1978-1989 Early FWD - L-, K-bodies 

Class 5 -- 1955-1959 Class 13 - 1987-2001 Late FWD - P-, PL-, AA-, JA-bodies 

Class 6 -- 1960-76 Val. Class 14 - 1971-1994 imports 

Class 7 -- 1962-78 B-body Class 15 -1997-2001 Prowler 

Senior -- Best of Show cars since1996 

JUDGING GROUPS: Group I: 1928-39 / Group II: 1940-59 / Group III:1960-89 RWD / 

Group IV:1971-2001 FWD & imports 

MEMBERSHIP ROSTER 

A complete listings of all current members along with their address and Plymouth and/or 

Fargo vehicles roster can be downloaded at any time via e-mail or member can obtain a 

disc with the information. Contact Membership Secretary Jim Benjaminson. 

ADDRESS CHANGES 

The PLYMOUTH BULLETIN is mailed by periodicals postage. The postal service WILL 

NOT FORWARD YOUR COPIES IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS. If you plan 

to move, use the postal address change form on the cover and send it to the Membership 

Secretary BEFORE you move. The Plymouth Owners Club WILL NOT replace issues 

not received because of an address change. 

NON-DELIVERY OF THE BULLETIN 

If you have any questions or problems, direct your inquiries to the Membership 

Secretary. 

BULLETIN DEADLINE DATES for ads, articles, photographs, etc. 

Jan-Feb -- Dec. 10 Jul-Aug -- Jun. 10 

Mar-Apr -- Feb. 10 Spt-Oct -- Aug. 10 

May-Jun -- Apr. 10 Nov-Dec -- Oct. 10 

Articles, etc., submitted to the BULLETIN CANNOT be returned to the author for review 

prior to publication. ALL submissions are subject to editing. 

RETURN OF PHOTOS AND ARTICLES 

All items sent to the BULLETIN will be returned if requested with a SASE (please DO 

NOT affix US stamps to the return envelope--as it will be mailed from Canada--but 

enclose within envelope). 

MAIL DATE 

The BULLETIN is to be mailed by the last week of the even numbered month of the cover 

date (i.e. the Jan-Feb issue is to be mailed in February, etc.). 

ADVERTISING POLICY 

Please refer to the complete advertising policy printed in the Marketplace section. 

TECHNICAL ADVICE 

Technical questions may be submitted to the individual advisor for each model. 

Technical questions should be brief and specific. A SASE should be included with your 

enquiry (please do not affix stamps if mailed out-of-country but enclose within envelope). 

TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS 

GROUP I 

Earl Buton, Jr. 

2366 Glasco Trnpk. 

Woodstock, NY 

12498-1013 

1928 Q 


(see address above) 

(845) 679-6185 

earlbuton@yahoo.com 

1929 U 

Jeff C. Buton 

275 Dutchtown Road 

Saugerties, NY 12477 

(845) 247-3158 

jbuton57@yahoo.com 

1930 30U - 1931 PA 

Robert McMulkin 

Box 40 

Lemon Springs, NC 28355 

rmcmulkin@aol.com 

1932 PB 

Bruce E. Buton 

2366 Glasco Tnpk. 

Woodstock, NY12498-1076 

(845) 657-6287 

bbuton@verizon.net 

1933 

Robert Davis 

1870 Eldon Rd, RR1 

Woodville, ON KOM 2T0 

CANADA (705) 374-5059 

bobpat@nexicom.net 

1934 

Edward R. Peterson 

32 Crane Road 

Walpole, MA 02081 

plymouth34@hotmail 

1935 - 1936 

Wayne Brandon 

5715 Forest Green Dr. 

Perry, MI 48872-9197 

(517) 675-5717 

plymdr@aol.com 

1937 

Robert L. Semichy 

18220 Daves Ave. 

Monte Sereno, CA 95030 

(408) 395-4968 

1938 

John Sbardella 

11 Heritage Path 

Millis, MA 02054 

misunstd@world.std.com 

1939 

Roy G. Kidwell; 

9 St. Andrews Garth; 

Severna Park, MD 21146 

(410) 987-6081 

patriciakidwell@msn.com 

1940 

Jim Benjaminson 

Box 345 

Walhalla, ND 58282-0345 

1941 

Larry W. Jenkins 

Rt. 1, Box 127 

Belleville, WV 26133-9728 

ljenkins@castinternet.net 

1942 

William Leonhardt 

10100 Fletcher Ave. 

Lincoln, NE 68527-9735 

(402) 467-2222 

1946-49 P15 

Frank J. Marescalco 

2610 D Street 

Omaha, NE 68107-1622 

(402) 733-3153fmsr@cox.net 

GROUP II 

Dave Geise 

417 Tennessee Tr. 

Browns Mills, NJ 

08015-5664 

1950 P19, P20 

David Pollock 

Box 196 

Shawnigan Lake, BC 

VOR 2W0 CANADA 

dnpollock@shaw.ca 

1951-53 

Neil Riddle 

20303 8th Ave NW, 

Shoreline,WA 98177-2107 

seaplym@hotmail.com 

1954 

Darrell Davis 

100 Tech Drive 

Sanford, FL 32771 

(407) 330-9100, 701-4493cell 

ddavis8839@aol.com 

1955 

Jason Rogers 

123 Carterwoods Drive 

Warner Robins, GA 31088 

(478) 953-4760 

jasonrogers@windstream.net 

1956 

Chris Suminski 

27090 Jean Rd 

Warren, MI 48093 

(586) 933-7404, cell 

cjsuminski@yahoo.com 

1956-58 Fury 

Tom VanBeek 

3006 Emerald Street 

WestBend, WI 53095 

(262) 338-8986 

tvanbeek@milwpc.com 

1957-58 

Wally Breer 

66 Stanway Bay 

Mitchell, MB R5G 1H5 

CANADA wbreer@mts.net 

1959 

Robert Hinds 

1292 Daventry Court 

Birmingham, AL 35243 

bobjanehinds@bellsouth.net 

1960 Sav/Belv/Fury 

Randy Wilson 

PO Box 647 

Maxwell, CA 95955 

(430) 438-2376 

1960-76 A-body 

Bruce Pine 

1458 Nunneley Road 

Paradise, CA 95969 

(530) 876-7463 

pinepp@sbcglobal.net 

1961 Sav/Belv/Fury 

John Thurman Wiggins 

677 Winklers Road 

Red Boiling Springs, TN 

37150 (615) 504-3746 

oldshaven@yahoo.com 

GROUP III 

Merrill Berkheimer 

36640 Hawk Rd. 

Hazard, NE 

68844 

TECHNICAL ADVISORS 

1962 B-Body 

Gerald Klinger 

1027 N.W. 1st 

Gresham, OR 97030 

(503) 665-8330 

austin54@comcast.net 

1963 B-Body 

Darrell Davis (see 1954) 

1964-65 B-Body 

Rob Elliott 

307 - 30 Ave. NE 

Calgary, AB T2E 2E2 

CANADA elliotro@telus.net 

GROUP IV 

Chris Suminski 

27090 Jean Rd 

Warren, MI 

48093 

1965-66 C-Body 

William D. Coble, Jr. 

331 N. Roosevelt St. 

Shawnee, OK 74801 

(405) 275-4004 

1966-67 B-Body 

Art Schlachter 

2056 Cardinal Dr. 

Danville, KY40422-9732 

(859) 236-9487 

aschlachter@roadrunner.com 

1967 C-Body 

Bill Gallop, Jr. 

201 Park St. 

New Bedford, MA 02740 

(508) 993-0619 

1968 C-Body 

Mark E. Olson 

707 4th Street 

Proctor, MN 55810-1722 

(218) 624-4482 

mark@turbinecar.com 

1968-70 B-Body 

Clif Nelson 

7038 117th Ave. NE 

Adams,ND 58210 

clifn01@gmail.com 

1969-71 C-Body 

Edwin C. Hill 

412 West Temple St. 

Lenox, IA 50851-1228 

edwinhill@webtv.net 

1971-01 4-cylinder; FWD 

Chris Suminski (see 1955-56) 

1971-72 B-Body 

Edward F. Weingart 

334 Creekview Dr 

Hampstead, NC 28443 

edweingart@att.net 

1974-77 C-body 

Wally Breer (see 1957-58) 

1975-78 B-body 

Ed Lanfer 

6201 Wade Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63139-3108 

Ed.Lanfer@federalmogul.com 

1976-80 F-body 

Wayne & Karen Fowler 

6902 Ruckles Road 

Mt. Airy, MD 21771 

(301) 831-7150 

wiffer@worldnet.att.net 

1978-89 M-body 

Michael Bonadonna 

455 North Cherry Pop Drive 

Inverness, FL 34453-7975 

(352) 341-1019 

mlb5355@hotmail.com 

1980-81 R-body 

Chris Suminski (see 1955-56) 

Plymouth Commercial 

Bob Manke 

6037 E. Canal Rd. 

Lockport NY 14094 

(716) 625-4048 

bobantqplys@aol.com 

Fargo Commercial 

Cam D. Clayton 

Box 725, Kaslo, BC 

V0G1M0 CANADA 

dook@netidea.com 

Advisors wanted: 1949; 1970-74 E-body; 1972-73 C-body; 1973-74 B-body

PPllyymmoouutthh ® 

PPllyymmoouutthh 

OOwwnneerrss CClluubb CClluubb 

Box 416 

Cavalier, ND 58220-0416 

Phone: (701) 549-3746 

Fax: (701) 549-3744 

e-mail: benji@utma.com 

plymouthbulletin.com 

FOUNDER-DIRECTOR 

Jay M. Fisher 

Acken Drive 4-B 

Clark, NJ 07066-2902 

(732) 388-6442 

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR 


2366 Glasco Turnpike 

Woodstock, NY 12498-1076 

(845) 679-6185 earlbuton@yahoo.com 

OFFICERS 2010-11 2010-1 

PRESIDENT 

Nick DeSimone 

1423 Pecan Grove Dr. 

Diamond Bar, CA91765-2536 (909) 861-4950 ndesimone@verizon.net 

VICE PRESIDENT 

Bobbi Berkheimer 

36640 Hawk Road 

Hazard, NE 68844 

(308) 452-3980 bobbib@nctc.net 

MEMBERSHIP 

SECRETARY-TREASURER 


Box 345 

Walhalla, ND 58282-0345 

(701) 549-3746 benji@utma.com 

CORRESPONDING SEC. 

Tom Nachand 

5215 NW Cavalier Ave. 

Lincoln City, OR 97367 

(541) 764-2011 33plym@centurytel.net 

BULLETIN EDITOR 

Lanny D. Knutson 

288 Strathmillan Road 

Winnipeg MB R3J 2V5 CANADA 

(204) 889-8008 plybul@mts.net 

DIRECTOR 2006-11 

Carl D. Wegner 

19600 Cardinal Drive 

Grand Rapids, MN 55744-6189 

(218) 326-5965 cwegner2@msn.com 

DIRECTOR 2008-13 (Judging) 

Joe Suminski 

68226 Winchester Court 

Washington, MI 48095-1244 

(586) 752-3140 jsuminski2@yahoo.com 

DIRECTOR 2010-15 

Robert S. Kerico 

4640 Boardwalk 

Smithton , IL 62285-3662 

(618) 444-6966 

Bobkool344@wmconnect.com 

TThhee PPllyymmoouutthh BBuulllleettiinn 

No. 308 May - June, 2011 

LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor (204) 889-8008 

288 Strathmillan Road, Winnipeg, MB R3J 2V5 CANADA 

editor@plymouthbulletin.com or plybul@mts.net 

1956-58 Fury Tech Advisor 

Tom Van Beek’s 

1956 Fury sport coupe 

-1- 


LANNY KNUTSON PHOTO

From the Editor 

Fury ury FF ifty-six 

The stick-shift Fury 

that got away 

Amailing mailing from New Brunswick 

arrived at my door. I first 

thought it might be a tourism 

packet enticing me to visit the 

Canadian Maritime province (which I 

would like to do someday). Instead, I 

pulled out photocopies of road test 

reports on the then-new 1956 Plymouth 

Fury. Interestingly, these 

reports had been published in 

1956 issues of Road & Track 

and Sports Car Illustrated 

(now Car and Driver), two 

magazines dedicated to the 

sports car set that seemed to 

naturally disdain “oversized” 

Detroit iron, even (especially?) 

those, like the Fury, that 

exhibited sporting pretensions. 

So, what did these 

sports car writers think of the 

new Fury? More positively 

than one might expect. 

The New Brunswick 

mailing came from member 

Jim Marr who lives in 

Moncton. Jim, who holds an 

interest in early sixties police 

and performance cars, now 

owns an unusual factory-original 

Dodge Polara four-door 

sedan powered by a 

Sonoramic engine (and no, it’s not a 

retired police car). He had found the 

Fury articles while sorting through 

some old magazines. I emailed him, 

saying that I was interested in reprinting 

the articles in the BULLETIN but 

would need the originals for scanning. 

In short order another New Brunswick 

envelope was in my mailbox and I was 

set, so I thought. 

Magazines now have independent 

brokers handling their copyrights, and 

the brokers may not be as ready to 

grant reprint permission to a club publication 

as did the magazines themselves 

in the past. After some time I 

was able to receive permission through 

Car and Driver’s brokers. Road & 

Track’s brokers wanted money, more 

than we should pay. They asked me if 

My ‘65 Suzuki almost became a ‘56 Fury. 

I wanted to make a deal. I made an 

offer but I didn’t hear back. You do 

have the Sports Car Illustrated road 

test to give you a flavor of sports car 

thinking when it came to the Fury. 

That led me to requesting stories 

from the club’s ‘56 Fury owners. The 

response was great, thanks in no small 

part to Jack Lewis, the Golden Fury 

unofficial “godfather” who started and 

maintains the Golden Fin Society website. 

-2- 

NOW, WHY THAT MOTORBIKE picture? 

Because, it almost became a ‘56 Fury. I 

had purchased the Suzuki 50cc bike in 

the spring of ‘65 after I was left without 

wheels when my ‘57 Dodge’s 325 

poly engine threw a rod. It was easier 

for a college student to get a loan to 

buy a new motorbike than borrow 

money to fix a used car. But I 

still had the car to fix, and 

after procuring a ‘58 325 with 

summer job money, I found an 

ad for a ‘56 Fury. I hopped on 

my bike to take a look and 

found a somewhat beat up 

Fury with a manual transmission. 

The asking price was 

$550 ($3700 in today’s 

money). Not much, but it was 

more than I had after buying 

the engine. But I did have the 

Suzuki for which I had paid 

$350 a couple of months earlier. 

I offered a trade even-up, 

telling the seller that it would 

be great for his young teenage 

son. He mulled it over for a 

couple of weeks but finally 

said no. 

It may have been just as well. 

I was having visions of putting 

a floor shifter in it, painting it 

red, radiusing the rear wheelwells… 

making a mess of it, in other words. 

Besides, with its “new” motor, the 

Dodge was in much better shape. And 

I still had my motorbike. Still… a 

stick-shift ‘56 Fury? It’s one that got 

away. – Lanny Knutson 

The Plymouth Bulletin 

No. 308 May-Jun 2011 

LANNY D. KNUTSON, editor 

LEEANN LUCAS, asst. editor 

THORSTEN LARSSON PHOTO

The 

Word has been received 

that the PLYMOUTH 

BULLETIN has received a 

Golden Quill Award for 2010 

from Old Cars Weekly, as 

announced in its May 12 

issue. This is the twentieth 

such award given to the 

Plymouth Owners Club’s 

official publication. 

Also repeating as a 

Golden Quill winner is the 

Mid-Atlantic Mayflower, 

Plymouth Press 

CLUB NEWS Plymouth Owners Club No. 308 

Golden Quill Number Twenty 

newsletter of the POC’s Mid- 

Atlantic Region. David 

Young is its long-serving editor. 

Receiving its first Golden 

Quill is La Luneta, edited by 

POC member Orlando 

Bongiaradino of Argentina. 

The Spanish language publication 

of Club Amigos de 

Automóviles Antiguos has 

recently offered articles translated 

into English. 

New Renewals, New Info 

When I had the new renewal envelopes printed, I had a box 

printed on them for “Yes, send me a new membership 

card” and a box for “No, don’t send me a new membership 

card.” (The idea was to save postage spent on sending membership 

cards to those who don’t want them.) The first mailing 

to get these new envelopes was the April 30, 2011, renewals. 

So far I have processed 265 renewals and here are the results: 

• 103 specifically said “yes” to wanting a new card. Six sent 

renewals using a mailing label from the BULLETIN cover, so 

they will get a membership card to acknowledge payment; 

• 28 specifically said “no” to wanting a new card. 

The remainder did not mark either box, so they won’t get a 

new card, although 16 will be contacted again because they did 

not return the Great Roster Update card. 

I haven't kept track of the number of new pieces of information 

we’ve received, but it has been very substantial. 

– Jim Benjaminson 

Membership Secretary 

The Plymouth Bulletin (ISSN 0032-1737) is published bi-monthly. Subscription 

through annual dues: $32 new; $30 renewal. Published by the Plymouth 

Owners Club, PO Box 345, 603 Central Ave, Walhalla, ND 58282-0345. 

Periodical postage paid at Grafton, ND 58237. POSTMASTER: Send address 

-3- 

POC to advertise in other publications 

Plymouth Owners Club ads 

will be placed in three 

publications: Old Cars 

Weekly, Antique Automobile 

Club of America (AACA) 

magazine and Hemmings 

Motor News. 

The advertising initiative, 

a project of the club’s Board 

of Officers and Directors, is 

being spearheaded by Carl 

Wegner. The ads have been 

designed by Mike Bade of the 

Cascade Pacific Region. 

A reciprocal arrangement 

has been reached with the 

WPC Club in which it and 

the POC will place ads in the 

other’s publication with no 

cost to each. 

The ads have each been 

coded which enables the 

Member Born 

Membership Secretary to 

determine which publication’s 

ad influenced a new member 

to join. That information will 

help determine the publications 

in which the POC 

should continue to advertise. 

Ad designed for 

Old Cars Weekly 

Val (Cutshall) and Brad Koehler announce the birth of a daughter, 

Evelyn Judith Koehler on May 1, 2011. She weighed 7- 

1/2 pounds and was 21-1/2 inches long. She will be attending 

her first Prairie Region meeting, shortly. Dennis Cutshall is the 

proud grandpa. 

Members Remembered 

Paul E. Poitras, Denver, Colorado, died in late October 2010. 

An owner of a 1959 Sport Fury convertible, he had been a 

member since 1994. He is survived by his wife, Betty. 

Nancy R. Aylesworth, Galena, Illinois, died on April 15, 2011, 

at the age of 71. She is survived by Brad, her husband of 45 

years. Brad and Nancy, POC members since 1989, were founding 

members of the Dairyland Region. They owned a 1955 

Savoy sedan

˘¯

New Judging Classes for 2011 201 

Starting with the 2011 Summer National Meet, the 

Plymouth Owners Club, Inc., will accept all 

Plymouth vehicles for judging from 1928 through 

2001. 

We are also trying a new 400-point judging system rather 

than the 100-point system used in the past. This is an effort 

by the Board of Officers and Directors to enhance and improve 

our national meets. 

Class Revisions, 2011 

Group 1 – 1928-1939 

Class 1 – 1928-1932 

Class 2 – 1933-1939 

Group 2 – 1940-1959 

Class 3 – 1940-1948 

Class 4 – 1949-1954 

Class 5 – 1955-1959 

Group 3 – 1960-2001 Rear Wheel Drive 

Class 6 – 1960-1976 A-body 

Valiant 1960-1976 

Duster 1970-1976 

Scamp 1971-1976 

Class 7 – 1962-1978 B-body 

Savoy 1962-1964 

Belvedere 1962-1970 

Fury 1962-1964, 1975-1978 

Sport Fury 1962-1964 

Satellite 1965-1974 

GTX 1967-1971 

Road Runner 1968-1975 

Sebring 1972-1974 

Class 8 – Full Size 

1960-1961 

Savoy, Belvedere, Fury 

1965-1977 C-body 

Fury 1965-1974 

VIP 1966-1970 

Gran Fury 1975-1977 

Class 9 – 1964-1974 Barracuda 

Class 10 – Commercial 

Fargo trucks, sedan deliveries 1928-1930, 1936-1972 

Plymouth station wagons 1934-1988 

Plymouth sedan deliveries 1935-1941 

Plymouth pickups 1937-1941 

-5- 

Trail Duster 1974-1981 

Voyager RWD vans 1974-1983 

Arrow pickup 1979-1982 

Scamp pickup 1983 

Voyager FWD minivan 1984-2000 

Colt Vista minivan 1992-1994 

(Vehicles in Class 10 are judged together but compete for Best 

of Group trophies in the group related to their years of manufacture.) 

Class 11 – Rear Wheel Drive 

1976-1980 F-body 

Volare 1976-1980 

1978-1989 M-body 

Caravelle (Canada) 1978-1989 

Gran Fury (USA) 1982-1989 

1980-1981 R-body 

Gran Fury 1980-1981 

Class 15 – Prowler 1997-2001 

Group 4 – 1971-2001 Front Wheel Drive 

and Imports 

Class 12 – Early Front Wheel Drive 

Horizon 1978-1990 (L-body) 

TC3 1979-1982 (L-body) 

Reliant 1981-1989 (K-body) 

Turismo 1983-1987 (L-body) 

Caravelle 1985-1988 (K-body) 

Class 13 – Late Front Wheel Drive 

Sundance 1987-1994 (P-body) 

Acclaim 1989-1995 (AA-body) 

Neon 1995-2001 (PL-body) 

Breeze 1996-2000 (JA-body) 

Class 14 – Imports 

Cricket 1971-1975 (USA 1971-1973; Canada 1971-1975) 

Arrow fastback 1976-1980 

Sapporo 1978-1983 

Champ 1979-1982 

Colt 1983-1994 (Canada 1976-1994) 

Conquest 1984-1986 

Laser 1990-1994 

Senior Class 

All previous Best of Group (Show) winners 

-- Joe Suminski 

Judging Director

Letters 

From From 

Australia 

I AM MARK ANDERSON from 

Adelaide, South Australia. I 

have been put in contact with 

you by Trever Feehan in 

Darwin, Australia. I own a 

1929 Dodge truck that is the 

same as Trever’s (BULLETINs 

298, p. 54, and 300, p. 17). 

My inquiry is whether you 

might have any contacts for 

parts and literature (i.e., parts 

and workshop manuals) in 

Canada or any information 

on these trucks with the 

Plymouth four motor. 

Mark. Anderson 

Adelaide, South Australia 

markanderson8@bigpond.com 

I REFERRED Mark to the book 

Dodge Trucks (Crestline) by 

POC member Don Bunn. On 

pages 42-43 and 46-47, Don 

refers to the 1929 and 1930 

Merchants Express half-ton 

which was powered by the 175 

cubic inch, 45-horsepower 

Plymouth four-cylinder engine. 

The model was available in 

pickup, screen side, panel and 

chassis forms. Anyone who has 

further information is encouraged 

to contact Mark. --ed. 

From From 

Ireland Ireland 

COULD YOU HELP ME find 

an article in a past PLYMOUTH 

BULLETIN? It is the following 

reference: 150- 

Historical-Plymouth in 

Ireland. I am interested as I 

Road Runner 

FINALLY! A new Road 

Runner cartoon. This is the 

first one done with computer 

graphics. 

It’s only three minutes, 

but it's three minutes of 

fun! 

www.wimp.com/looneytoons 


Walhalla, North Dakota 

own an Irish-assembled 

right-hand-drive 1959 

Belvedere limousine. 

Kevin Herron 

Dublin, Ireland 

kevinherron@eircom.net 

-6- 

A PHOTOCOPY of the “Plymouths 

in Ireland” article was sent to 

Kevin by Nick DeSimone to 

whom Kevin’s email had been 

addressed. One copy of Issue 

150 (Jan-Feb. 1985) remains in 

P15 club coupe hits “speed limit” 

the club store inventory. Anyone 

with further information on, or 

interest in, the ‘59 Plymouth 

limo, please contact Kevin 

Herron. –ed. 

IN LIGHT OF Jim Benjamin’s “Speed Limits” column in BULLETIN 306 and Nicholas Essinger’s 

response in Issue 307, Norm Pennie of Vancouver, British Columbia, sent this picture of a P15 

wreck, dated February 1947. Its caption reads: 

COLLAPSED COUPE 

At midnight on Jan. 21 Eugene Freeman, a 39-year-old bartender at the Oak Tavern 

in London, Ohio, washed the last beer glass, finished work and started to drive to 

Springfield, 25 miles away. Less than a mile outside of town Freeman’s car hit a 

patch of ice on the highway and went into a skid. Out of control, it careened across 

the frozen shoulder of the road and finally came to a shuttering stop against a young 

walnut tree. Freeman, who broke several ribs and cut his legs and face, is recovering. 

But his Deluxe coupé never will. 

METHINKS that he (Eugene Freeman) did more than “slip a little bit” on the patch of ice and 

that he did contact more than a young sapling! And, if all he got were some broken ribs and 

cuts, he was a bit more than lucky! And, they say that he recovered? Well, most people 

would feel that there was nothing left to salvage, but I believe that I would take that wreck 

right now and be able to recover quite a few pieces… right? 

Nicholas Essinger 

Troy, Ohio

The Wayback Wayback 

Machine 

When out and about here in the Catskills of New York, 

over the course of the past year, in the “Wayback 

Machine,” as I like to call my ‘40 Plymouth, I have taken 

photos. 

Some of them I have antiqued to give the look of the ‘40s 

although I know I have incorrect wheels and tires. (Such is 

life, as these are the wheels I had, and four radial tires are 

much cheaper than the correct bias ones.) 

The hardware store building dates back to 

1869. It had been a hardware store continuously 

since that time until this past year. 

The stone house dates back to the 

1790s and the rest of the photos are of 

settings that I just like. 

My wife has said to me many 

times that you don’t give a man who 

is retired a digital camera, a computer, 

an old Plymouth and acess to the 

Internet but, by gosh, I sure do have 

fun with them and the Wayback 

Machine. 

Bob Drown 

Neversink, New York 

-7-

Asers 

know, I’ve 

BULLETIN read- 

Asmany 

spent a lot of time 

researching the story of 

Mrs. Ethel Miller, the 

Turlock, California, hotel 

operator who claimed to 

have owned the very first 

Plymouth car built. The 

car in question, a 1928 

Model Q sport coupe, was 

driven by Mrs. Miller to 

the Chicago World’s Fair 

in the fall of 1934, where 

she took possession of the 

one-millionth Plymouth. 

Two years later, she would 

make a second trip, this 

time to Detroit, to claim 

possession of the two-millionth 

Plymouth. Then, it seems, Mrs. Miller 

fell off the face of the earth. Where was 

she when the three-millionth Plymouth 

was built? We know she wasn’t there 

when the four-millionth was built, 

when it was child actor, Mickey 

Rooney, who was present to receive the 

milestone car. 

For thirteen years, I tried tracking 

down the “mysterious Mrs. Miller,” as I 

came to call her. With her having a 

common name like Miller, I knew it 

wasn’t going to be an easy task. I 

started my search with two assumptions. 

First, that she was probably 

deceased and second, she may have 

remarried. Thanks to the help of many 

people involved in the search, the mystery 

of Mrs. Miller was finally solved 

Benji's Page 

The Enduring Mystery: 

Ethel Miller, Miller, 

Harry Har y Mook 

and the First Plymouth 

(see BULLETIN 271, March-April 2005). 

I found I had been correct on both 

assumptions: she had passed away in 

1967 and she had remarried—several 

times! But with answers always come 

more questions. What really became of 

her car? 

During this entire time period, I 

was aware that Chrysler Corporation 

had possession of a ‘28 Plymouth 

Model Q sport coupe. There was a 

problem, however. The serial number 

of the car showed it had been built in 

the middle of the model run and was 

NOT the first Plymouth. I had personally 

examined and photographed the car 

so I could “prove” it wasn’t the first car. 

So the question arose: what became of 

the First Plymouth? And when and 

where did Chrysler acquire the car they 

owned? A recently discovered photo- 

-8- 

graph offered for sale on eBay may have 

solved that problem, but it raises even 

more questions. 

Thanks to club member Mark 

Olson, I was alerted to a photo being 

offered on eBay showing Chrysler vicepresident 

Harry G. Moock* and Jack 

Rose standing alongside a ‘28 Q sport 

coupe outside the Statler Hotel in 

Detroit. The photo, dated March 29, 

1949, was taken by a Detroit News 

photographer, identified only as 

“Martin,” to accompany a news story 

by a reporter identified only as “Watts.” 

Mr. Moock, who had 

been Plymouth’s General 

Sales Manager, was retiring 

from Chrysler and 

had arrived in the old car 

for breakfast at the 

Statler. Close examination 

of the photo reveals 

that the car was being 

driven by what appears 

to be a chauffeur—making 

one wonder how 

three grown men could 

fit into the small confines 

of the car. One of 

them, perhaps Mr. Rose 

(who has yet to be identified 

beyond his name) 

may have ridden in the 

Chrysler product car that 

can barely be seen behind 

the Plymouth. 

I remembered that years earlier, former 

BULLETIN editor Donald Wood, had 

written about Chrysler’s “first 

Plymouth” in an earlier issue. I pulled 

up the story he had written about the 

car in BULLETIN 110, May-June 1978. I 

also contacted him with several questions. 

Donald’s original story states 

that “the car was purchased in the early 

1930s (the exact date unknown) and has 

been used for numerous historical milestones 

in Plymouth history, publicity 

photos, parades and social events as 

symbolic Plymouth #1. It is, in fact, 

not the number one Plymouth by virtue 

of its serial number which places it near 

the middle of that model run.” 

I sent Donald a copy of the eBay 

photo and asked for his thoughts on the

car. This is his reply: 

Here is everything I know about the 

‘28 Q in question: I went to work for 

Chrysler in June of 1964 as a patent 

attorney in the Highland Park facility. 

Soon thereafter I took over as editor 

of the PLYMOUTH BULLETIN, became 

active in the Detroit Region of the club 

and began inquiring about any old 

cars that Chrysler might have saved. 

Cliff Lockwood was the Chrysler 

archivist at that time. Cliff took me to 

an old shed on Jefferson Avenue, 

across from the Jefferson Avenue 

Chrysler assembly plant. The shed 

was on the grounds of the old 

Chalmers plant and was near a showroom 

building on Jefferson. Club 

member John Robertson, who was 

working as a clerk in the Chrysler 

Patent Department, accompanied me 

on the trip to the shed. There we 

found the subject ‘28 Q and a yellow 

1929 DeSoto roadster. Both were 

covered in crud and were sitting on a 

dirt floor, although they were covered 

by the roof of the shed. I asked if I 

could take possession of the 

Plymouth and John asked if he could 

take possession of the DeSoto. Cliff 

readily agreed to both requests. 

The Q, with minor work, was driveable 

and I drove it some 25 miles to 

my home in Birmingham, Michigan. I 

cleaned up the car, did a minor cosmetic 

restoration, and kept the car in 

the detached garage 

behind my home. I am 

guessing I took possession 

of the car in late 1964 but 

it could have been later. I 

kept the car in this 

detached garage until 1967 

when we moved to a home 

in Birmingham with an 

attached garage where the 

car was kept until perhaps 

late 1967 when Chrysler requested 

that I return the car to the Road Test 

Garage in Highland Park for use in a 

parade. During the three years or 

so that I had the car, I used it occasionally 

for family outings, with my 

children riding in the rumble seat. 

The car is definitely the car that is 

now in the Chrysler Museum. I 

believe it has been repainted since. 

Of course, I knew it was not the first 

Plymouth, but I can attest that 

attempts were made at various times 

to pawn the car off as the “First 

Plymouth.” 

Unfortunately, I never asked where 

the car had come from. I am now 

guessing. Is it the car in the photo 

you sent me with “THE FIRST PLYMOUTH 

ON THE WAY TO THE WORLDS FAIR” 

painted on the side which is supposed 

to be the car that Ethel Miller traded 

for the one-millionth Plymouth? (I had 

sent Donald a cropped photo of the car, 

showing that lettering—the complete 

photo, which I have obtained from her 

family, has Mrs. Miller standing alongside 

the car. –JB) If so, it looks an awful lot 

like the car that I had. How many of 

these Q cabriolet “hardtops” were 

made in the Q model year? (There 

are no known production records for 

the Models Q and U Plymouths). I 

also guess that the car in the 1949 

photo taken upon the retirement of 

Harry Moock is the same car, which, 

as you surmise, also means that 

Ethel’s #1 Plymouth was a mid-1928 

model year Plymouth. Keep me posted! 

With Ethel Miller (Winzler) having 

passed away 44 years earlier—and with 

none of her children now living – there 

simply are no records available to accurately 

prove that she actually had the 

very first Plymouth. It’s a question I’ve 

asked myself many times – although a 

local Turlock history book claims it was 

-9- 

her local dealer, Frank Stierlien, who 

had discovered that she owned the first 

car, but how did this just happen to 

coincide with the soon-to-be-produced 

one-millionth Plymouth? And how did 

Walter Chrysler (who offered to fly her 

to Detroit to watch that car being built) 

find out she had the very first car, if, 

indeed, it truly was the first car? 

The only way to prove that she 

actually had the first car would be to go 

through the California motor vehicle 

department records, if they still exist. 

Tracing the license plate on the car 

could prove (or disprove) the claim. But 

knowing California, the records – if the 

they do exist – probably show the 

engine number rather than the serial 

number, a practice California followed 

for many years. 

Looking at the facts, I can come to 

only one conclusion: the ‘28 Plymouth 

in the Chrysler Museum collection is 

not the first Plymouth, but it almost 

certainly has to be Mrs. Miller’s 

Plymouth. As Donald Wood wrote in 

his 1978 article: “The car was purchased 

in the early 1930s.” Mrs. Miller “traded” 

her ‘28 coupe to Chrysler in 

September 1934 for the one-millionth 

Plymouth. Chrysler still owned that car 

when a publicity photo was taken of 

Mrs. Miller with her three “milestone 

cars” the first car, the millionth car and 

the two-millionth car, in December 

1936. The car in the 1949 photo 

proves Chrysler owned an identical car 

then—what are the chances that in the 

13-year period between December 1936 

and March 1949 they would have “lost” 

Mrs. Miller’s car and purchased another 

one like it? Although it’s all circumstantial 

evidence, I have to conclude the 

Mystery of Mrs. Miller’s (not quite) 

“First” Plymouth has been solved. 

-- Jim Jim Benjaminson 

* Chrysler vice-president Harry G. Moock 

described a successful sales person as one 

“having the curiosity of a 

cat, tenacity of a bulldog, 

friendship of a child, diplomacy 

of a wayward husband, 

patience of a self-sacrificing 

wife, passion of a 

Sinatra fan, assurance of a 

Harvard grad, humor of a 

comedian, simplicity of a 

jackass and tireless energy 

of a bill collector.”

Regional Report 

Buckeye Region 

IT HAS BEEN A LONG, COLD and snowy 

winter here in Ohio. Thank goodness, 

spring has now arrived. On April 2, the 

Buckeye Region held a meeting at 

Hardin Motors in Mt. Victory, Ohio. 

Member Jerry Burrey is hosting the 9th 

Annual All Mopar show on June 18. 

The historical society is holding a 

pre-1950 car show in downtown 

Marion, Ohio, on June 25. At this event 

last year our Buckeye Region was 

founded with five members. Since then 

we have grown to 20 members and hope 

to have 30 members by fall. 

The Buckeye Region has also 

received a special invitation to participate 

in one of the premier events for 

BUCKEYE REGION 

Ron Thomann 

8001 Schott Rd. 

Westerville, OH 43081 (614) 895-2319 

airflow1@earthlink.net 

CAROLINA REGION 

Greg Errett 

PO Box 2511 

Winston-Salem, NC 27102 

(336) 747-6871 

GREGE@cityofws.org 

CASCADE PACIFIC REGION 

Mike Bade 

15149 SE Pebble Beach Drive 

Happy Valley, OR 97086 

(503) 206-4652 mdscbade@msn.com 

COLONIAL REGION 

Betty Kibbe 

456 Holyoke St. 

Ludlow, MA 01056 

(413) 589-9854 winmil456@charter.net 

DAIRYLAND REGION 

Tom Wagner 

4913 Foxwood Blvd. 

Lakeland, FL 33810 (Dec 1-May 1) 

(920) 285-2660, cell tgwkiw@yahoo.com 

DELAWARE VALLEY REGION 

Bill Tropia 

52 Breece Dr. 

Yardley, PA 19067-1513 

seehaas@snip.net 

DETROIT REGION 

Joseph B. Lewis, editor 

9145 Hazelton 

Redford, MI 48239 

Russ Nardi, pres: (586) 566-5838 

rpnardi@hotmail.com 

vintage car enthusiasts in central Ohio. 

Our host is setting aside a special area 

for the Buckeye Region and other 

Mopar owners. Our host opens his 11acre 

grounds annually for this special 

event. Last year 405 vehicles were on 

display. Our host has a fleet of his own, 

but does own one very special 1949 

Plymouth four-door sedan. With our 

host’s permission, we hope to have a 

separate article in the PLYMOUTH 

BULLETIN so everyone can see why his 

car is so special. 

Our Region is still in the process of 

establishing a website. More news will 

be forthcoming when we complete this 

project. 

Several members of the Buckeye 

Region are in the process of extensive 

FLORIDA SUNSHINE REGION 

Michael Bonadonna 

455 North Cherry Pop Drive 

Inverness, FL 34453-7975 

(352) 341-1019 

mlb5355@hotmail.com 

GOLDEN STATE REGION 

Kenneth Wilson 

312 Bagshaw Court 

San Jose, CA 95123 

(408) 227-1837 

jblken@pacbell.net 

GRAND CANYON REGION 

Tony Tricoci 

10206 South 43rd Court 

Phoenix, AZ 85044 (480) 893-8687 

tx12@cox.net 

HEART OF AMERICA REGION 

Mike Schaefer 

12221 NE 136th 

Kearney, MO 64060 

(816) 781-7117 schaeferfam@hotmail.com 

www.plymouthclub.com 

HOOSIER REGION 

Kevin Reeves, President 

5268 W. 500 S. 

Westpoint, IN 47992 / (765) 714-0255 

kevin.50plymouth@yahoo.com 

Jan Peel, Editor, JPeel83719@aol.com 

HUDSON VALLEY REGION 

Richard Wahrendorff 

1471 Rt. 213 

Ulster Park, NY 12487 

(845) 338-7871 rwwmds@hvc.rr.com 

LINCOLN LAND REGION 

Ed Lanfer 

6201 Wade Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63139 (314) 704-5608 

Ed.Lanfer@federalmogul.com 

-10- 

LONE STAR REGION 

Van Massirer 

124 Canaan Church Rd. 

Crawford, TX 76638 

(254) 486?2366 

vmassirer@yahoo.com 

LONG ISLAND REGION 

Peter Marks 

47 Flintlock Drive 

Shirley, NY 11967 

(631) 772-2270 liplymouths@aol.com 

MID-ATLANTIC REGION 

Dianne E. Taylor 

407 E. Nicodemus Rd. 

Westminster, MD 21157 

(410) 876-0702 detaylor@towson.edu 

MID-IOWA REGION 

Jim Dooley 

29341 US Hwy 69 

Huxley, IA 50124 

(515) 597-3244 

eeyore@huxcomm.net 

MISSOURI "Show Me” REGION 

Tommy G. Pike 

1602 East Dale 

Springfield, MO 65803 

furyon66@earthlink.net 

groshong@socket.net (Loyd Groshong) 

PA OIL VALLEY REGION 

Jim Stoudt 

1290 Bankson Rd. 

Oil City, PA 16301 (814) 676-6678 

bjjstoudt@zoominternet.net 

PRAIRIE REGION 

Frank Shemek 

11901 South 34th St. 

Bellevue, NE 68123 

(402) 291-4834 

f.e.shemek@cox.net 

restorations. Hopefully, the rides will 

be ready to enjoy the 2011 vintage car 

fun. 

The Buckeye Region would like to 

thank the national POC and other 

regions for their assistance, guidance, 

encouragement and cooperation in getting 

our region underway. 

– Ron Thomann, president 

Carolina Region 

NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT 

(responsible for regions) 

Bobbi Berkheimer 

(308) 452-3980 bobbib@nctc.net 

OUR MARCH MEETING was held at the 

Auto Barn in Concord, North Carolina. 

The Auto Barn is a classic and 

collector car storage and sales business. 

They can handle all the paper work, 

phone calls, emails and negotiations 

regarding buying, selling or storing your 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION 

Wayne Kreps 

8911 Ithaca Way 

Westminster, CO 80031 

(303) 427-5543 

drtyolcarnut@gmail.com 

TALL PINES REGION 

Richard Tetzlaff 

23383 Malanie Trail North 

Scandia, MN 55073-9745 

(612) 759 2103 ajorrj@aol.com 

Winter: R.Ramberg rar1082@gmail.com 

TULSA REGION 

Jerry Burch 

1111 South Florence Ave. 

Tulsa, OK 74104-4104 

jerryburch@cox.net 

UNITED KINGDOM REGION 

Barry Reece 

“The Meadows” Cookley Halesworth, 

Suffolk IP19 0LU, ENGLAND. 

tel/fax: 01986-784305 

jillnbarry@reecejill.orangehome.co.uk 

WESTERN CANADA 

Rob Elliot 

307 - 30th Avenue NE 

Calgary, AB T2E 2E2 CANADA 

(403) 277-1956 

elliott.r@telus.net

car or cars. They can also help in the 

financing of classic cars. This is a great 

place to have a meeting and we usually 

have one or two of our meetings there 

each year. 

John Jancic’s Best of Show ‘70 Road Runner 

THE CHARLOTTE AUTOFAIR, held April 

13-17, is the largest old car event in the 

Southeast. Our club had a great location 

for the car show on Saturday and 

Sunday. The weather was good both 

days with late evening storms that did 

not affect the show and a little coolness 

for Sunday. John Jancic won the Best 

of Show again this year with his beautiful 

1970 Road Runner. 

KEEP THOSE OLD PLYMOUTHS running 

and on the road. – Dean Yates 

Cascade Pacific Region 

OUR MARCH MEETING was called to 

order by vice-president Robin Will with 

46 members in attendance. Pat and 

Patty Brost provided refreshments. 

Topics for discussion included our 

2011 CPPC calendar, our April 

Mayflower tour to an artist’s studio, the 

2011 Portland Swap Meet, a tour to the 

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, group travel 

to the 2011 National Summer meet in 

California, our club website 

and a POC membership 

report by Tom Nachand. 

In the Tech Committee report, Gary 

Rusher announced that he thinks he has 

tracked down the rattle in the motor of 

his ‘30U. The culprit is apparently the 

clutch and pressure plate which are out 

of balance due to a previous rebuild. 

Gary also mentioned that an index he 

has compiled of all ‘28-39 Plymouth 

headlights will soon be available on our 

CPPC website. 

Following other announcements and 

our raffle draws, the meeting was 

adjourned. 

– Donna Bade 

Dairyland Region 

Member Remembered 

Nancy Aylesworth 

THE DAIRYLAND REGION has the sad 

duty to announce the passing of one 

of our founding members, Nancy 

Aylesworth. Brad and Nancy 

Aylesworth were instrumental in 

forming the club in the early 1990s 

leading to its charter in 1995. Nancy 

was, without a doubt, one of the most 

welcoming and friendly people in a 

club that is full of such people. 

Always making sure the members 

(especially new ones) were comfortable 

and engaged in conversation, she 

was continually looking for ways to 

help out or do whatever she could to 

make the club a success. As a past 

secretary, she was club officer when 

needed and a supporter all the time. 

Nancy is sorely missed. When health 

problems made a decision to leave 

Dairyland necessary, the loss of her 

presence was tangible. All the members 

of Dairyland who knew Nancy 

mourn her loss. – Jeff Tarwood 

Delaware Valley Region 

OUR MARCH MEETING was opened with 

13 members and one guest in attendance. 

Club business focused on our two 

upcoming shows: The Mt. Ephraim 

Dodge show on May 14 and the Jarrett 

15th Annual All Mopar Show on June 

26. 

Our annual banquet was the perfect 

opportunity to show our appreciation to 

Larry and Lorraine Nuesch. Their hospitality, 

generosity and good will 

towards all members is recognized by 

everyone in our club. In my opinion, 

they are very well deserving of the 

Betty Watson Trophy for 2011. 

– Hank DeMayo and Bill Tropia 

Detroit Region 

PRESIDENT RUSS NARDI called our April 

meeting to order at the John and 

Marguerite Rastall Pedal Car Museum 

with 16 members present. 

President Nardi reported on the 

request to host the summer 2014 meet 

-11- 

and the possibility of the Detroit Region 

hosting a one-day leg of the 2013 crosscountry 

tour. 

Lynn Miller and Joe Lewis reported 

on spring car shows and events. The 

membership voted to purchase a swap 

table at the North Oakland Swap Meet 

to promote the Plymouth Owners Club. 

Members may also use this area to sell 

parts. 

Anyone interested in one of Dave 

Cleavinger’s remaining five cars should 

call Mel or Sylvia at 517-882-5881. 

During Tech Time, Larry Borkowski 

asked for advice on the way to adjust 

the 1941 column shift linkage. He also 

asked for a source for a rebuilt master 

cylinder. – Paul Curtis 

WE HELD OUR APRIL MEETING at John 

and Marguerite Rastall’s Pedal Car 

Museum in Macomb Township., 

Michigan. Boy, what a collection of 

various pedal cars, some large, some 

small. I even saw one similar to the one 

I had as a five-year-old. For some 

strange reason we called them “Jeep 

Trucks.” 

They have a collection of old wagons. 

Pedal cars shaped like airplanes 

hang from the ceiling. There is also a 

collection of license plates which are 

placed on the pedal cars. Many of the 

pedal cars are based on actual cars such 

as Mercedes Benz and Chrysler vehicles. 

I was surprised that there were so 

many sizes of pedal cars made over the 

decades which basically started in the 

1920s and continued through the 1960s. 

– Joe Lewis 

Heart of America Region 

TWENTY-EIGHT MEMBERS and four 

guests were present on a beautiful warm 

and sunny day for our April meeting. 

After reports were given, our president, 

Mike Schaefer, displayed the new 

dark blue club jacket which Glenn

Means had donated to the club to sell 

with proceeds going to our treasury. 

Reports on tours and cruises were given, 

including a trip to Nebraska to see the 

Soukup Toy Museum as guests of the 

Prairie Region. 

Bill Krenzer gave a tip on keeping 

the necessary tools and provisions in 

your car while making a trip in your old 

car. 

Charter members, Jerry and Doris 

Elwood have taken on the new job of 

club historians. 

A WINDY AND CHILLY, very March-like 

day, found ten of us enjoying lunch at 

the Golden Corral in northern Kansas 

City. In spite of the lack of warm bodies, 

we had a lot of warm conversation 

and good food. Thanks go to Alan 

Monshausen and Sharon Haselhorst for 

hosting. – Vicki Schaefer 

Hoosier Region 

APRIL 30TH turned out to be a cool, dry 

and blustery day for our tour to the 

Monon Railroad Museum in Monon, 

Indiana. Twelve members and guests 

met to the no- closed Flo’s Roadside 

Diner. We peeked in the windows and 

concluded that Flo’s must have been 

quite a place in its “heyday.” We then 

drove to Monon, Indiana, and had lunch 

at the Whistle Stop Restaurant. 

While waiting for our food we were 

entertained by trains running on two 

overhead railroad tracks. The food was 

really good and with generous portions. 

It is part of the Monon Museum and 

both 

are delightful places to visit. 

Kevin Reeves held a very short 

meeting. We don’t have much coming 

up at the present time as May is filled 

with Mother’s Day and racing events. 

Harold Harvey, our tour guide at the 

Monon Museum, was well versed in all 

its collectibles from the 

Monon and other related railroads. 

China, bells, and other memorabilia too 

numerous to mention were dis- 

played. He put on a movie for us to 

view. We next moved outside where 

there are various railcars on display. It 

was so windy by then that it almost 

blew us away. 

We then drove to Delphi and the 

Wabash and Erie Canal. Most of the 

group walked on the walkway that is by 

the canal. By then it had been a full but 

fun day. Thanks to Kevin and Kristin 

for setting it up. – Jan Peel 

Hudson Valley Region 

ON THE WEEKEND of May 6-8 the annual 

Rhinebeck Car Show and Swap Meet 

was held. Sunday was the Antique and 

Classics show. There were seven entries 

in the Plymouth class at Rhinebeck this 

year, three of which belong members of 

the Hudson Valley Region. Although 

rain was in the forecast, it managed to 

hold off for most of the day on Saturday 

and Sunday. On the flea market side, 

there seemed to be more vendors this 

year than last year. 

OUR LAST MEETING was held February 

26th at the Olympic Diner in Kingston. 

Six members were present (Earl, Jeff, 

and Bruce Buton, Dan Kilpatrick, Ray 

Andreassen, and I). A spring tour was 

discussed. A visit to local wineries was 

agreed upon. Also a club presence for 

the annual Sawyer Motors Car Show in 

July was discussed. More information 

will follow. Since we incur no expenses, 

a motion made at the meeting to suspend 

further collection of dues was 

voted upon and passed. A twenty dollar 

initiation fee was accepted and passed. 

Our next meeting will be held in June. 

– Richard Wahrendorff 

Mid-Iowa Region 

Plymouths at the Rhinebeck Show in upstate New York 

OUR ANNUAL FEBRUARY VALENTINE 

dinner was held at the Hilltop 

Restaurant in Des Moines. Twenty club 

members enjoyed the good food and 

each others’ company. 

John Wright modeled one of our 

new club denim jackets with the club 

logo on the back. He is taking orders 

for the jacket and T-shirts. 

-12- 

IN MARCH, it was back to class as 16 

members and guests gathered in Bob 

Coburn’s garage for a seminar on 

brakes. Nancy Jones and Dave 

Wermager brought some baked goods to 

go with the coffee Bob had ready to 

wake us up. Cal Wiseman led the 

round-table question and answer session. 

There was lots of informative discussion. 

It was nice having Jim 

Klemm’s son join us as he is currently 

teaching auto mechanics at Northwest 

Iowa College. 

Next came hands-on training. 

Following Cal’s demonstration, some 

members tried using a double flaring 

tool to build the special flared ends used 

on brake lines. Jim Dooley manned the 

brake lathe and showed us how to use 

the machine to resurface brake drums 

and rotors. Bob Coburn took charge of 

converting Nancy Jones’ 1967 Sport 

Fury convertible to power brakes. 

Several people stepped up to help. Luke 

Wermager and Jim Dooley were the 

dynamic duo doing the back-breaking 

work under the dash. 

It wasn’t all work and no play. A 

time of fellowship was enjoyed by the 

men during lunch together at Montana’s 

Steakhouse. 

It proved to be a long day for those 

who could return after lunch. I (Nancy) 

want to say “Thank-you” to those who 

helped with my car, whether as handson 

mechanics or giving advice or moral 

support. It was all appreciated. 

Plymouth Club members are the greatest! 

– Nancy Jones 

Prairie Region 

OUR APRIL GET-TOGETHER on the 9th 

began with beautiful weather as we 

headed to the Soukup Toy Museum. We 

enjoyed a good lunch at Mac’s in 

Fremont, meeting and greeting our visitors 

from the Heart of America Region

and the WPC Club, 

before heading out 

for the tour of Harold 

and Leona Soukup’s 

Toy Museum in 

North Bend. 

Having over 

3,000 toy cars to 

view along with 

numerous other toys 

on display was too 

much to consume in 

one visit. I know 

that I will be going 

back for more. We 

then had opportunity 

to talk with Greg 

Soukup and view the 

automobiles that will 

be up for auction in 

July. 

No meeting was 

held, and our next 

meeting will be at 

our swap meet in 

Missouri Valley on 

May 15th. 

– Frank Shemek 

Rocky Mountain Region 

WE MET AT THE FORNEY MUSEUM in 

March to tour their Nash display. We 

had a relaxed, leisurely stroll through 

the museum as we looked at each car, 

read information on it and reminisced. 

Stanley Hicks has a picture of his parents, 

shortly after they were married, sitting 

in the front seat of a 1920 Nash just 

like one that was on display. 

After enjoying our time at the museum, 

we went to a Village In for a nice 

time of fellowship over lunch. 

APRIL’S EVENT was a joint activity with 

40 people in attendance. In one of the 

best events we’ve had, I must say, 

arranged by Jay Thomas, we went to 

Strausburg, Colorado, to the Urich 

Foundry located, appropriately, on 

Railroad Avenue. 

The Urichs divided us into two 

groups. While one group toured the 

Comanche Crossing Museum, the other 

half toured the foundry. The museum is 

not normally open this time of year but 

they opened it just for us. 

During the tour of the foundry, we 

saw equipment of all sizes that filled 

four buildings. We watched brass mold- 

Free Membership! 

Membership! 

Sign 5 

Sign up five NEW members in 2011 

and your membership will be paid for one year. 

Sign up ten NEW members in 2011 

and your membership will be paid for two years. 

Be sure to have your new members mention your name 

to Membership Secretary Jim Benjaminson when they sign up. 

Membership forms are on the white dust cover of each BULLETIN 

or may be printed from the plymouthbulletin.com website 

ings being poured. Again, the workers 

came in just to do the demonstrations 

for us. 

The foundry specializes in miniature 

trains. There were two passenger cars 

in the assembly building that were going 

to a private 2000-acre estate where the 

engine had already been delivered. The 

cost of each car was approximately 

$40,000. The foundry also builds part 

for and helps restore old locomotives. 

Questions were welcome and 

answered with enthusiasm. “Do you 

love your job?” Marlin Urich does! 

After our tour, we went to the 

Urichs’ private theater for a marvelous 

lunch prepared from scratch by the 

Urich women. It was delicious! 

We weren’t done yet! Bring on the 

movies! A movie that was produced 

around 1920 to promote automobile/ 

pedestrian safety was a good reminder 

that stoplights and road rules are not a 

bad thing. Also shown was a very early 

episode of Our Gang. Oh, did I mention 

that we were served popcorn during the 

movie? 

Out on the track, we went for a ride 

on a miniature train built by the Urichs. 

The best part was the tunnel. 

They also have quite a collection of 

old trucks. – Sandra Hicks 

-13- 

Tall Pines Region 

APRIL’S MEETING was held at the home 

of Don and Marlys Rohweder in New 

Brighton, Minnesota. The weather had 

warmed up a little and nine members 

came in five old Plymouths. Ten others 

came in modern vehicles. Our hosts, 

Don & Marlys Rohweder, had their 

beautiful ‘52 Plymouth convertible and 

a ‘63 Chev hardtop on display. 

Although it was reasonably warm, it 

was still cool enough to keep most 

activities indoors. Our returning 

President, Rich Tetzlaff, conducted our 

business meeting, most of which was 

discussion and decisions regarding our 

Fall Touring Meet, which is not too far 

away. 

We also discussed a tentative date 

and place for our June 40th anniversary 

meeting. 

After the meeting, we went outside 

for a while to check out the old cars, 

since it had warmed up some. We then 

had more time to visit before being 

called to our potluck dinner. Thanks to 

Don & Marlys for opening their home 

to us. 

– Happy Plymouthing, 

Rog & Jean Ramberg

2011 2011 

National Summer Meet 

hosted by the Golden State Region 

Pacific Grove, California - July 13 through July 16, 2011 

Pacific Grove, offering an 

unparalleled quality of life, shares its 

borders with the Monterey Bay, the 

City of Monterey, the Pacific Ocean 

and the Del Monte Forest 

with breathtaking views. 

The host hotel is the Sea Breeze Inn & Lodge, 1100 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA. 93950 

(800) 575-1805 / Fax: (831) 643-0235 

Arrival Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 Departure Date: Sunday, July 17, 2011 

Room Block: Variety of 1 & 2 beds – modifying counts is contingent upon specific guest bookings. 

20 rooms for Wednesday 7/13; 25 rooms for Thursday 7/14; 40 rooms for Friday & Saturday 7/15 & 7/16 

Rates: Standard 1- Queen Room = $89.95 + tax 7/13&14 and $109.95 + Tax 7/15&16 

Standard 2- Queen Room = $95.95 + Tax 7/13&14 and $119.95 + Tax 7/15&16 

Reservation Procedure : Guests to call individually to reserve, mention the Plymouth Owners Club for preferred rates and availability. 

B i l l i n g : On own, all charges. Cancellation Policy: Guests will be held to a 30-day cancellation policy and a 2-night minimum. 

Cut-off Dates: Guests will be able to reserve at preferred rates until April 20, 2011; afterwards standard hotel rates will apply. 

Inclusive: AM Coffee & Muffin Social, use of onsite amenities, wireless Internet, local calling. 

The Pacific Grove/Monterey area is very popular in July. 

Please call the Seabreeze Inn and book your room as soon as possible. 

SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES Tour information, signup sheets and maps will be available in the Hospitality Room 

Thursday, July 14th: Driving tour to Big Sur – Tour Guide Tod Fitch. Depart the meet hotel at 10:30 AM for an hour long 

36 mile drive along scenic California Hwy 1 over to the Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. www.nepenthebigsur.com Along the 

way we will stop for photographs at the famous and photogenic Bixby Creek Bridge. The restaurant has fabulous views down 

the rugged coastline. After lunch we will return along the same route. The group size limit is 40 guests so make your decision 

as soon as possible. 

Friday, July 15th: Driving tour to several wineries – Tour Guide Tod Fitch. There is a $12 fee per person to cover the winery 

tour. Depart the meet hotel at 10:00 AM for a short drive to the Chateau Julien Winery where we will tour the facilities with 

an explanation of the wine making process and an opportunity to taste some of the vineyard’s wines. Then we will continue on 

to the village of Carmel Valley for lunch and visit several wine tasting rooms or, for those who prefer, visit some shops and 

galleries. The return route to the meet hotel will show off some quintessential California landscape. We should be back at the 

meet hotel by 3:00 PM. (Note: This tour was changed from an all-day trip to San Juan Bautista Mission to allow time for participants 

to wash and prepare their cars for Saturday’s judged show.) 

Saturday, July 16th: Ladies/spouse bus tour for lunch and shopping in Carmel – Tour Guides, Leslie Fitch and Kim Hunt. 

SELF-GUIDED TOURS At your leisure, these tours are available every day. 

Wine Tro l l e y Tours of Montere y – $59 per Pepson (Includes 5-hour guided tour & wine tasting at one venue). A box lunch ($15.00) 

and additional wine tasting ($7.50 each) can be purchase while enroute. A Plymouth Owners Club special $89.00 per person, 

includes the box lunch and wine tasting at all 6 wineries.To make reservations/purchase tickets, please call 831-624-1700. 

Experience an unforgettable journey wine tasting in the aesthetic beauty of Carmel Valley aboard “Hattie the Magnificent Trolley.” For 

more details: www.toursmonterey.com 

Monterey Movie Tour – Daily boarding near Fisherman's Wharf (Monterey, CA) at 1:00 PM. Cost $55 per person, seniors $50, children 

15 years and under $35. To make reservation/purchase tickets, please call 800-343-6437. Winding through Monterey, Pacific 

Grove and Carmel, this scenic tour also stops along the stunning 17-MILE DRIVE® in Pebble Beach. The three-hour adventure takes 

place aboard the multimedia Theater-On-Wheels®, a customized luxury motor coach with high-back seats, overhead video screens and 

personal headsets. As you glide past sites made famous on the big screen, you’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood glamour. 

For more details: www.montereymovietours.com/index.htm 

Summer and Fall Whale Watch: Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, Dolphins, Killer Whales Reservations can be made by calling 

(831) 375-4658 with a credit card to hold your spot. Departure is from Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center located on Fisherman’s Wharf. 

For more details: www.montereybaywhalewatch.com/trips.htm Morning trips: 4 to 5-hour trips every day, departing at 9:00 AM and 

returning between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. Cost for morning trips: Adults $45, children 12 and under $35, children 3 and under free 

Afternoon trips: 3 to 4-hour afternoon trips every day Trips depart at 2:00 PM and return between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Cost for afternoon 

trips: Adults $36, children 12 and under $25, children 3 and under free 

Monterey Bay Aquarium, located in Monterey at the west end of historic Cannery Row. Tickets can be ordered by phone (866) 963- 

9645 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Mon. through Fri. Tickets prices: Adults, $29.95, Child (3 thru 12) $19.95, Student $27.95, Seniors 

(65+) $27.95. For more details: www.montereybayaquarium.org/ 

John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove - Driving Tour: This is a self-guided driving tour of John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove. It features 

local sites relating to the lives and work of John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts. There are 20 places to visit on the tour. For more 

details: www.93950.com/steinbeck/ 

-14- 

-20-

July 13-16, 

2011 201 

Pacific Grove, Grove, 

California 

REGISTRATION: $ 1 5 per person or $ 2 5 per couple by June 1st; After June 1st $ 2 0 per person or $ 3 0 per couple 

(Includes: name tags, meet program, goody bag, hospitality room, Thursday complimentary dinner) $______________ 

Participant’s Name _________________________________ Spouse/Passenger _____________________________________ 

Address __________________________________________City _______________________________Zip ______________ 

Phone (h) ________________________ (c) ________________________ Email __________________________________ 

I’ll be a Judge ___________ Which Category or Class or Year _____________ 

VEHICLE REGISTRATION: POC Region______________________________ 

Car to be Judged: ______ number of cars @ $ 25.00 by June 1st or @ $ 30.00 after June 1st $______________ 

Year _______ Model __________________ Body Style ________________________ 

Car, Non-judged: ______ number of cars @ $ 25.00 by June 1st or @ $ 30.00 after June 1st $______________ 

Year ________ Model _____________________ Body Style _________________________ 

SELF-GUIDED TOURS Available all days – Pay as you go Wine Trolley Tours of Monterey; Monterey Movie Tour; 

Monterey Summer and Fall Whale Watch; Monterey Bay Aquarium; John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove - Driving Tour 

SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES (See Activity Descriptions on accompanying page) 

Thursday , July 14: Guided tour down the Big Sur coastline to a lunch at Nepenthe Restaurant. Tour Guide Tod Fitch. 

Note: Limited to 40 people so register early. Number ______ Pay as you go 

Friday, July 15: Guided tour to several wineries; lunch at Carmel Valley Tour Guide Tod Fitch 

Number ______ Pay as you go 

Saturday, July 16: GSR POC Ladies Lunch & Shopping in Carmel – Transportation provided 

Tour Guides, Leslie Fitch and Kim Hunt Number ______ Pay as you go 

6:00 PM Awards Banquet & Awards Program Buffet Menu make your selection 

Grilled Chicken Alfredo_____ / Grilled Carmel Style Tri-Tip_____ / Carved Ham_____ / Vegetarian Pasta Dish _____ 

Total Banquet Number ________ @ $ 40.00 $______________ 

T-Shirt Order: S____ / M____ / L____ / XL____ @ $15 / XXL____@ $17 / XXXL____ @ $18 Total $______________ 

Make checks payable to: Golden State Region, POC 2011 National Meet MEET TOTAL $______________ 

Mail completed registration to: 2 0 11Summer National Meet, c/o Nick DeSimone, 1423 Pecan Grove 

Drive, Diamond Bar, C A 91765-2536 

For additional Meet Information, call or email: home phone (909) 861-4950 or cell phone (714) 864-0658 

Email: ndesimone@verizon.net 

-15- 

-21-

Tour our with the Tall Tall 

Pines 

Plymouth Owners Club Inc. 

2011 2011 

National Fall Touring ouring Meet 

August 31, September 1-3, Rochester, Rochester , Minnesota 

Tall Pines Region, hosts 

Tour Overview 

Beginning on Wednesday, August 31, there will be organized daily driving tours throughout beautiful Southeastern Minnesota’s bluff 

country and the Mississippi River, Lake Pepin area, from the host hotel: LaQuinta Inn and Suites, 1625 So. Broadway, Rochester MN. 

55902. Special room rates of $75 can be reserved by calling 507-281-2211 and asking for the Plymouth Owners Club rate which ends 

August 10th, 2011. Includes free hot breakfast buffet, wireless internet, indoor pool, onsite restaurant, fridge and microwave. All tours 

leaving Rochester will be approximately 120 miles round-trip, and because of limited parking we will be offering a bus tour on Friday. 

We strongly encourage the use of GPS devices, cell phones and handheld walkie talkies so people can complete the tours with minimal 

confusion. We will be providing complete addresses and phone numbers for each tour stop. We are urging early registration as some tour 

and events are limited. We will attempt to tour on rural, less-traveled roads where possible. 

Wednesday, August 31: 

The plan for Wednesday is to tour to Harmony, Minnesota, where participants will board smaller vans and begin an Old Order Amish 

tour. Guides will explain Amish culture and history stopping at 5 - 6 working farms. Most stops offer retail opportunities to purchase 

Amish quilts and crafts. Driving back toward Rochester, we will visit Historic Lanesboro, the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota. 

Lunch is on your own and a tour of Lanesboro will provide viewing of the beautifully restored homes and mansions or visits of the many 

unique shops. This is a fun town, especially for the ladies. 

Thursday, September 1 s t : 

Thursday will be a driving tour to the National Eagle Center located on the banks of the Mississippi River. 

The center has many exhibits providing insight into the life of the eagle. We hope to be participants in an 

interactive program where we can see eagles feeding and bathing and learn about the eagles’ significance in 

the environment and their importance in Native American culture. Hopefully, we will 

be able to view wild birds from the observation deck, and learn about injured eagles and how they can be returned 

into the environment. Lunch is on your own, but we have arranged for box lunches to be available at Nelson’s 

Cheese Factory, Nelson,Wisconsin. Nelson’s is known for their super ice cream cones. Following lunch we will be 

visiting one of the largest private Franklin automobile collections in existence, and it has a Plymouth also. 

Heading back to Rochester, we will stop and visit Lark Toys. Lark Toys is one of the largest independent toy stores 

in the United States. It has a huge hand carved wooden carousel and for a buck you get a ride. There’s an old time toy 

museum and toy exhibits. If you need a souvenir of the trip for the grandkids this is the place to get it. The evening 

begins with a Tall Pines Region build-it-yourself Burger Buffet at the hotel. Be sure to check this on the registration 

form. If you’re still not tired, drive to downtown Rochester for the Street Fair with shopping and music. 

Friday, September 2nd: 

On Friday we will offer a bus tour. We will tour into Western Wisconsin and visit Elmer’s Auto and Toy 

Museum. The museum includes antique, classic and muscle cars along with motorcycles, 

bicycles, over 200 pedal tractors and over 600 pedal cars on display. In 

addition there are 1000s of auto-related toys. This is a fascinating museum and 

includes one of the most beautiful views of the Mississippi River valley. Also we 

will visit The Pickwick Mill. Built in the 1850s, it is one of the oldest waterpowered 

gristmills in Southeastern Minn. It was built with locally quarried limestone 

with a timber frame that was so closely fit that nails were not used. This 

will be an extremely educational and interesting stop. 

Saturday September 3rd: 

Saturday will be a day for touring around the Rochester area. We will be visiting the Mayowood Mansion. 

The Mayowood estate was created between 1910 and 1938 by Dr. Charles Mayo, co-founder of the internationally 

known Mayo Clinic. The centerpiece of the 3000-acre estate is the 38-room Mayowood 

Mansion and gardens. The Olmstead County Historical Center is another interesting stop with numerous 

exhibits including five historic buildings on the grounds. Following lunch on your own, we recommend 

a tour to Assisi Heights and home of the Sisters of Saint Francis. There will be a one-hour tour of the 

buildings and grounds. The view of Rochester is very picturesque from Assisi Heights. On the way back 

Elmer lmer’s 

Mayowood 

to the hotel we will stop at the Plummer House, the former residence of Dr. Henry Plummer, a Mayo Clinic partner and founder. The 

Plummer House is located on Pill Hill as it became known because of all the doctors’ residences located there. Again there will be spectacular 

views of Rochester. The day will conclude with the banquet, membership meeting and awards at the host hotel. 

Sunday, September 4 t h : breakfast and farewells Contact: Carl Wegner cwegner2@msn.com 

-16- 

-22-

Tour our with the Tall Tall 

Pines 

Plymouth Owners Club Inc. 

2011 2011 

National Fall Touring ouring Meet 

August 31, September 1-3, Rochester, Rochester , Minnesota 

Tall Pines Region, hosts 

Member’s name__________________________________ Spouse / Passenger_____________________ 

Address_____________________________________ City_____________________ Zip____________ 

Phones (home)_____________________(cell)___________________ Email_______________________ 

Vehicle ehicle Registration: Year _________ Model_____________________ Body style__________________ 

(We strongly recommend the use of GPS tools, cell phones and walkie talkies for all tours) 

---- Registration desk opens, beginning Tuesday August 30th, at 5:00 PM ----- 

Registration: $20.00 per vehicle/member before August 10th –– $25.00 after August 10th $_____________ 

Activity Registration ( See descriptions of activities on the accompanying page.) 

Wednesday August 31, 2011 Driving tour to Harmony, MN. There, experience Old Order Amish culture, with a 2 hr. 

guided van tour, visiting working farms. (Limit 70) Number @ $25_____ $______________ 

Visit Historic Lanesboro, lunch on your own and shop before returning to Rochester. 

Thursday, September 1st, 2011 Driving tour to the National Eagle Center, Wabasha MN. (Admission) 

Box lunch available at Nelson’s Cheese factory. Nelson WI. (Lunch on your own) Visit one of the largest collections of 

Franklin automobiles in the country, then on to Lark Toys. 

Thursday evening, Special “Burger Buffet” dinner. Number @ $ 11_____ $______________ 

Evening Street fair, Downtown Rochester, food, shopping and music. 

Friday, September 2nd, 2011 Because of limited parking, today we offer an all day bus tour. We will be visiting the historic 

Pickwick Mill, Pickwick, MN, and Elmer‘s Auto and Toy Museum, Alma, WI. Cost will include the Bus ride and all 

admissions. Lunch on your own. Number @ $ 25_____ $______________ 

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011 Participation pictures. Visit the Olmstead County Historical Center 

and Mayowood Mansion. Number @ $ 10_____ $______________ 

Tour to Assisi Heights, Sisters of St. Francis and historic Plummer House. (Admission) 

Evening dinner buffet, membership meeting and awards. Number @ $24_____ $______________ 

T Shirt Order: S_____ M_____ L_____ XL_____ XXL_____ XXXL_____ 

(All T shirts have pockets) Total T Shirts @ $15.00 ea. ______ $______________ 

Registration Total Make checks payable to: Tall Pines Region POC 

Grand Total $______________ 

Mail completed registration to: Don Rohweder, 261 1st Ave SE, New Brighton, MN 5511 2 

Fall Meet Information: Richard Tetzlaff 651-433-2707 or cell 612-759-2103, ajorrj@aol.com / Carl Wegner 218-326-5965 

cwegner2@msn.com / Don Rohweder 651-636-2506,cell 612-817-6135 don.rohweder@gmail.com 

Meet Hotel: LaQuinta Inns and Suites, 1625 S. Broadway, Rochester, MN 55902 507-281-2211 

Information on alternative self-guided tours for people with other interests available at the registration desk. 

-17- 

-23-

Plymouth Owners Club sponsors ... 

1st Western New York (Niagara) Tour 

1928 - 1932 4 Cylinder Plymouths 

September 15 - 17 2011 

Thursday, September 15th: Registration 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm 

Holiday Inn Lockport , 515 Transit Rd. (Rt 78), Lockport, NY 14904 

For reservations call 716-434-6151 or 1-800-HOLIDAY or www.holidayinn.com 

Room rate is $91.00 plus tax (mention Plymouth Owners Club) 

Reservations must be made before August 15, 2011. Includes Continental Breakfast 

Trailer and motor home parking on premises 

• 5:30 pm There will be a short tour and stop for dinner (pay on your own) 

Friday, September 16th: Tour 8:30 am 

• To the Historic Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Boat Cruise 

Includes 2 hour cruise on the Erie Canal through 2 locks cost: $13.00 each 

• After a stop for lunch we will tour to the Niagara Power Project to see how 

water is turned into electricity (free of charge) 

• Then we will tour to the Herschel Carousel Factory and Museum and 

enjoy a ride on a restored carousel (cost: $3.00 each) 

• Return to hotel 

Saturday, September 17th: Tour 8:30 am 

• Buffalo Waterfront, Naval and Servicemen’s Park (cost: $5.00 each) 

• Pierce Arrow Car Museum (cost $7.00 each) 

• Then lunch at the Anchor Bar, Original Home of the Buffalo Chicken Wing 

• Return to hotel 

• 6:30 pm Banquet at Holiday Inn 

Registration 

If you are interested in seeing Niagara Falls, come a day early. 

I will arrange a tour on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. Call for details. 

Name __________________________________________ Spouse/Guests _______________________ 

Address __________________________________________ City ______________________________ 

State/Province_______________ ZIP/Code _________ Phone ________________________ 

Your Plymouth Year __________ Model _________________ 

Registration $18.00 per car ________ 

Dinner $25.00 x _______ ________ 

Total ________ 

Mail to: Robert Manke, 6037 E Canal Rd, Lockport, NY 14094 

Phone: 716-925-4048 e-mail: bobantqpyls@aol.com 

Dash Plaques Running Board Flea Market Tour 50 - 70 miles per day 

-18- 

- -

Survivors 

1967 Fury Fury 

IIIs 

by John Reddie 

Cohasset, Massachusetts 

Ihave had my 1967 

Plymouth Fury III 

convertible since 

July, 1973. Up until 

June 2000, it was the 

only car that I used daily. 

At that time, the body 

had so succumbed to the 

many New England winters 

that I had to stop 

using it for two years 

while I repaired the body 

(see BULLETIN 271). 

After the body repair was 

completed, I used it until 

August of 2005 when I 

had a tragic fire that 

destroyed the entire interior (BULLETIN 290). I was fortunate 

enough to bring it back and get it roadworthy and it is now 

used all the time except in bad weather. 

I am pleased to say that in May 2010, the car turned over 

600,000 miles. When I purchased it, it had just over 72,000 

miles. Is it a survivor? Well, that depends on how one interprets 

the term “survivor.” 

If it means that the car 

has all of the original 

pieces that it had when 

new, than it is not. 

With that said, though, I 

will say this: It has survived 

almost 44 years of 

use plus a devastating 

fire. It has had three 

engines, the present one 

being a 1976 Plymouth 

318. Other than that, all 

of the parts that I have 

replaced are for a ‘67 

Fury. I am so glad that I 

am still able to use this 

car. I am retired now, 

and there is nothing like 

lowering the top and taking 

a cruise on a nice 

warm summer day. 

My other driver car 

is a 1967 Plymouth 

Fury III four-door hard- 

600,000 miles 

-19- 

top. It is pretty much original with the points ignition. This 

car has over 200,000 miles and so far runs fine. 

It is great to receive a new PLYMOUTH BULLETIN in the 

mail. Thanks, and enjoy those old Plymouths. 

PB

The Oddball 

Tech ech 

Service The Plymouth mechanics – not 

that they were oddballs – had 

information that was less than 

great to keep our wonderful toys on the 

highways and byways. Stay with me on 

this one, because we are going to cover, 

on the run, seventy-odd (did I just say 

that?) years of various stuff. 

Nineteen thirty-four was the first 

year that a customer/dealer repair or 

service manual was printed by Chrysler 

Corporation. Prior to that, the owner’s 

manual was it, except for service bulletins, 

etc., and the mechanic’s basic 

common sense. Some help did come in 

the form of bulletins that were included 

in items sent out for Chrysler and 

Dodge dealers. The early years found 

these bulletins mostly printed on orange 

sheets although a few on blue paper 

were put out by Dodge. The first 

Plymouth-only version started in 1933, 

Service Awards 

Year No. Award 

1949 *** Lucite Tech Guy paper weight 

? ? Zippo lighter 

1954 6 Knife w/5 accessories and leather case 

1955 7 Sterling silver belt buckle 

1955 7L Brass/leather pad holder * Leadership 

1957 10th Member ring 

1960 12 K-D 5-piece tool kit w/leather case 

1962 1st Combination box/open-end wrench set 

1963 2nd TW-1 (ft-lb torque wrench) 

1964 3rd TW-2 (in-lb torque wrench) 

1965 4th T-3 Loc-Rite wrench set 

1966 5th T-4 1/4" Bonney socket set 

1967 6th T-5 Utica pliers set 

1968 7th T-6 Aja punch set 

1969 8th T-7 Central one-inch micrometer 

1970 9th T-8 Central two-inch micrometer 

1971 10th T-9 Bonney 3/8" socket set 

1972 11th T-10 3/8" spark plug socket set 

1973 12th Jacket 

1974 13th Deep-socket wrenches 

1975 14th 1/2"-drive socket set 

1976 15th 1/2"-drive ratchet 

1977 16th Analog voltmeter 

1978 17th Metric sockets 

wards 

with #1 and ended somewhere around 

1951. Some of what was out there is 

the 1936 Chrysler Corporation Service 

Reporter, the post-war (1946) Product 

Information News, MoPar Parts 

Progress, Reporter and Topics, the 1949 

General Service Letters, 1951 Shop 

Talk, Progressive Repairman, the 1954 

Service Siren and Parts & Service 

Facts. 

From there on Chrysler Corporation 

began flooding the field with titles like 

Spark Lines, Customer Care Topics, 

Plymouth Technical Product 

Information, Service & Parts Scene, 

Important Service Information, etc. 

About 1958, Chrysler Corporation started 

with Chrysler-Plymouth Information 

Bulletins that were set up as 1958-1, 2, 

3; 1959-1, 2, 3; and so on, right on up to 

the end. The later years’ bulletins were 

sent throughout the year as loose leaf 

-20- 

pages and then offered as bound editions. 

My first service record and filmstrip 

is from1936 and is entitled A Good 

Steer. Again, after the war, Master 

Technician Service was started with 

records and filmstrips and reel-to-reel 

tapes which progressed from there on to 

Beta and VHS tapes and, I believe, a 

laser format. 

This is where I digress. In order to 

entice the mechanic to improve skills, 

Chrysler Corporation went into the 

Tech Service Awards, a program in 

which they would school mechanics on 

various subjects each month. The 

mechanics would be tested, and at the 

end of the year, if a passing grade were 

maintained, they would get that year’s 

award. The Tech Service Awards were 

different for the mechanic and for the 

dealership. I will list and picture what I 

have for the early years as well as the 

Gold Tool Award program which was 

started in 1963. The awards were excellent 

quality tools that were often used 

by the members. 

So, ‘til we meet again, keep looking for 

the “Oddball.” 

– Andy Weimann 

weimann@snet.net 

1979 18th Ratcheting metric box wrench set 

1980 19th Channel-lock pliers set 

1981 20th 5-piece metric wrench set 

1982 21st Audible circuit tracer 

1983 22nd Vice Grip pliers set 

1984 23rd 10-piece nut driver set 

1985 24th 8-piece screwdriver set 

1986 25th Digital volt/ohm meter (DVOM) 

1986-C 25th Canada screwdriver set 

1987 26th Cordless screwdriver and bit set 

1987-C 26th Canada manual ratchet/5 sockets 

1988 27th Soldering gun set 

1989 28th Stubby shop light and flashlight 

1990 29th Stubby ratchet and socket set 

1991 30th 5-piece metric flex-socket set 

1992 31st 12-piece Torx bit set 

1993 32nd Audiotech probe Model AT100 

1994 33rd Buck-type knife w/wood box 

1995 34th Bernz-O-Matic TS 2000 torch head 

1996 35th Snap-On 3-piece comb wrench Set 

1997 36th Multifunction tool w/case 

1998 37th Snap On mini tool box w/screwdriver 

1999 38th Wristwatch 

2000 39th 7-piece electronic screwdriver set 

2001 40th Digital meter 

2001 40th Plymouth production stopped

l 

-21-

Pine ine Wood ood 

(Plymouth Wood) 

Derby erby – The Sequel 

by Lee Lape 

Papillion, Nebraska 

When I last wrote, I mentioned that I was going to 

build another Pinewood 

Derby car with my grandson 

David (we have six grandkids; five boys 

and one girl). I was thinking of trying 

to make this one look like my ‘41 

Plymouth coupe. The family brought 

the kit over a few weeks ago, but at 

that time, a date hadn’t been set for the 

race, so there was no hurry. I took a 

pencil and kind of drew a pattern for the 

coupe on the block of wood, and set it aside, 

When the Scout pack set the date, David and I planned on 

making a trip to the shop the next Saturday and cut the pattern 

out on the band saw. He came over on the appointed day, 

and I asked him if he had anything particular in mind for the 

design of the car. He said, “Can we make it like my daddy’s 

car?” (a 1965 Barracuda). I said that was an excellent idea, and 

handed him a pencil and told him to erase my lines. 

I pulled out my copy of the Plymouth DeSoto Story and 

a couple of pictures of David’s dad Wesley’s Barracuda, and we 

traced out a new pattern. We jumped in the car and drove over 

to the shop and cut out the block. We then went to the 

Hobby Lobby store, where we found a turquoise paint in the 

model car section that was almost the same color as his dad’s 

car. 

While in the model section, we discovered a whole 

Pinewood Derby section, with accessories and even blocks 

already pre-cut in different patterns. In addition to selling 

weights that could be added to a car, they sold an aluminum 

chassis which weighs 2.5 ounces and looks like a car frame 

with dual exhaust, the bottom of the engine, radiator, drive 

shaft and rear end. There are sections of the “chassis” you can 

The “chassis” 

-22- 

Dad Wes es Lape’s Lape’ s ‘65 Barracuda 

break off to get to get the correct weight of 

5 ounces. So we picked up one of those, as 

well. 

David and I went through the same steps 

that Logan and I did to complete Logan’s 

car. He (we) sanded, varnished, painted and 

“polished” the axles (nails). And we added 

chrome windows and bumpers. When we 

were done, I attached the wheels and we 

applied liberal amounts of graphite. We set 

the car on the scale and it weighed in at 3.7 

ounces. We broke off the extra weight pieces from the “chassis,” 

screwed them to the bottom, set the car on the scale, and 

it was right at 5 ounces. I cut the top out of a tissue box and 

added some foam padding, and we placed the car in it until 

race day. 

The big race was on Saturday, 

April 9th. Unfortunately, that was the 

day of our POC club meeting, so I was 

unable to attend. We were meeting with 

the local WPC chapter, and members of 

the Heart of America Region to tour 

Harold and Leona Soukup’s Toyland 

Museum in North Bend. I helped set up 

the meeting place for lunch in Fremont, 

Nebraska, and felt I should attend, but I hated missing the 

race. 

The first cell phone call came right after we ordered lunch. 

David’s mother said the car had been checked in and it passed 

the initial inspection. Wes had driven his Barracuda to the 

pack meeting, and everyone was impressed with his car, and 

how well David’s Pinewood Derby replica turned out. The 

second call came while I was standing in the parking lot waiting 

for the others to finish lunch before touring to North

Bend. 

This time it was David, and he said, “Grandpa, I won first 

place!” I thought, “Alright, they both placed,” and I assumed 

he was first among the Tiger Cubs. He then asked if I could 

come on the 30th. I asked him what he meant, and he said 

excitedly, “I’m going to Districts! I had the fastest car!” I 

congratulated him and then said he was going to have to put 

it up and not 

play with it 

until after the 

district races. 

Logan had actually 

slept with 

his car after his 

races, but David 

informed me, 

“They kept the 

car.” I guess 

they keep the 

top cars so they 

will remain 

unchanged until 

the district races. 

Sanding the car So, next 

year I will have the 

potential of building 

three cars, as David’s 

younger brother Dylan 

will be eligible to 

join Scouts. Our son 

Lonnie (who is in the 

Army and stationed in 

Colorado Springs, 

Colorado) helped his 

two boys build cars 

for their Pinewood 

Derby. We talked to 

my daughter-in-law 

over the weekend, and 

she said Lander’s car 

came in dead last, and 

Kalen’s car came in 

next-to-last. They 

said next year they 

wanted to fly Grandpa 

out to help them with 

building their cars! 

So I might get to 

build that ‘41 coupe 

yet. It’s just that now 

I’ve set the bar pretty 

high. 

Update: 

Putting on the varnish 

Spraying the paint 

THE HE WAGON AGON WHEEL HEEL D ISTRICT Pine Wood derby races 

were held April 30 in Bellevue, Nebraska. David, his dad and 

I checked in his car and found it was .02 ounces over the five- 

-23- 

Sanding the axles (nails) with Grandpa 

ounce limit. We 

took the “frame” 

off, and cut out the 

“drive shaft” with 

some side cutters, 

and it weighed in 

at exactly five 

ounces. Finding 

that he raced at 

1:30, we went 

home and had 

lunch. 

When we 

returned, we learned 

there were 17 cars 

in the Bear class. 

David was in the 

middle of the races. 

His car was second 

on the first race 

(only because another car jumped the track and hit his). He 

was first in the next three races. They raced each car four 

times, once on each lane, and then average 

the four times. When the 

results were announced, David 

was ninth out of 17 cars, but 

he was happy to have, at 

least, made it to districts. 

They announced there was 

only about a tenth of a 

second difference in times 

for the first ten cars. 

PB 

Car, Car, 

badge and Grandpa! 

The Winner! inner! David [LEFT] watches his Barracuda [LANE 1] come in 

first


REPRINTED FROM SPORTS CAR ILLUSTRATED, MAY 1956, WITH PERMISSION FROM CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE. 

-24-

SUBMITTED BY MEMBER JIM MARR, MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA 

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-28- -28-

y Jack Lewis 

Riverton, Utah 

Hooked on the ‘56 Plymouth Plymouth 

Fury 

Ihave been a 

Plymouth fan since 

my annual treks to 

the showroom with my 

dad during the fifties. In 

1954, when I was 13, 

this trip became especially 

exciting; it was the 

debut of the all-new 

‘55s! All Dad and I did 

after viewing the debut 

of the Forward Look 

was talk about the new 

Plymouths. Unfortunately, 

he could not afford one and 

continued driving his ‘48 Plymouth for another year. 

Then the ‘56 came out and I couldn’t believe a Plymouth 

could look better! And my father was happy as well, as 

someone traded their ‘55 Plymouth Savoy four-door sedan V8 

for a new ‘56. The dealer called Dad, and his dream car ‘55 

was to be his! 

But I was hooked on the ‘56. There was something about 

those fins and the crisper look of the Sportone styling on the 

Belvedere two-door hardtop. When I was fifteen-and-a-half 

(old enough to get a learner’s permit in California), my father 

bought me a 1950 Plymouth coupe that would take me 

through high school and into my freshman year of college. 

The second semester was to start just before my 18th 

birthday in February 1960. I had come home for my birthday 

weekend and when I arrived home that Friday afternoon, my 

dad was waiting and said he was thinking about buying a 

“cream puff” car he saw up at the dealer’s and wondered if I 

would go to look at it with him. When I saw it, I couldn’t 

believe my eyes: a 1956 Belvedere two-door hardtop, red and 

black in color, with the Power Pack 277 engine. It even had 

dual exhausts! The dealer took us for a ride and then asked 

Dad if he wanted to drive it. Dad said, “No, but my son 

does.” And I did! When we got back to the dealership, the 

dealer threw the keys back at me and said, “Happy 

Birthday!” 

The Plymouth hardtop would become the love of my 

life. Cruising the drive-in restaurants (which included the 

famous “Mel’s” of the movie American Graffiti fame, as I 

grew up in San Francisco), street racing and going to the 

Sunday drags at Half Moon Bay or Cotati airstrips, were 

all the things to do with young car nuts. My ‘56 Belvedere 

would be a trophy-winner at the drags and acquitted itself 

quite well on the street (a 74.7% win rate!). Other than 

dyno tune-ups at the local speedshop, it remained bone 

stock and ran a best of 17.32 seconds through the quarter 

mile at 83 MPH with a Powerflite transmission and street 

tires. Further, its reliability was enormous: never a drivetrain 

failure in 65,000 miles. One type of car haunted me 

though; it was naturally another ‘56 Plymouth – three different 

Plymouth Furys! Each of those three smoked my 


-29- 

Belvedere with ease. The ‘56 Fury would become a lifelong 

obsession of mine. 

I would finish college and then go on to Air Force Officer 

Training School. Our Training Officer told us that upon graduation, 

to get a great start on your Air Force career, don’t go 

home on your first leave and get married, and don’t go into 

debt by buying a new car. I took his advice on the first item 

but failed on the second. My Belvedere, by then, had over 

100,000 miles and would be required to put many more miles 

on to satisfy my Air Force tour, and coincidentally, Plymouth 

had just came out with a ‘64 model that was the most exciting 

thing I had seen since the ‘56-58 Plymouth Furys. So before 

arrival at my next USAF assignment, I would be traveling 

there in a gorgeous and fast Sport Fury! 

By the mid 1970s, the Air Force was long behind me. I 

was married to a beautiful woman (now a 42-year affair), had 

two wonderful children, an enjoyable and challenging career, 

and had bought and sold some cars and pickup trucks. There 

was also something else I kept thinking about, my old love 

affair with my ‘56 Plymouth, and how I could reignite that, 

but this time with a 1956 Fury? 

I began looking for one, but none showed up in want ads, 

car lots, etc. In the mid-1980s a friend introduced me to 

I found my Fury!

Hemmings magazine. He said if a Fury would ever go up for 

sale, Hemmings would be the best source for finding it. 

Finally in December 1987 a person listed three ‘56 Furys for 

sale. I bought the best one. Six months later I found that the 

seller was not the rightful owner (and he didn’t know it). I 

got all my money back. 

In 1989 another Hemmings ad appeared, advertising a 

Fury with “minimal rust in the usual spots.” I called, put a 

deposit down, bought a trailer and drove two-thirds of the 

way across the country only to find that this Fury needed a 

total body replacement save the roof! The trailer came back 

empty. 

At the end of 1991, I found my Fury and it was right in 

my own back yard of Salt Lake City, Utah. (My career moved 

us to Utah in 1986). It was painted red, had rust in the “usual 

places” (this time for real), was missing just a few items and 

the price of $1500 seemed right. 

Les Streitmatter’s Streitmatter s Fury 

at the 1991 National Spring Meet 

While looking for my Fury, I got hooked up with Les 

Streitmatter, an Illinois ‘56 Fury owner. He was willing to 

share his knowledge, copies of his Fury literature, including 

magazine articles and a registry of some 50 or so ‘56 Fury 

owners that had been originally started by a fellow 

named Paul Oxley and later maintained by another 

Fury owner, Loyd Groshong of Missouri. Les also 

paved the way for a correspondence/telephone relationship 

with the Plymouth Owners Club ‘56-58 Fury 

Tech Advisor, Tom Van Beek of Wisconsin, also a 

‘56 Fury owner. Tom’s help was invaluable and selflessly 

given! 

I began work on my Fury right away, but my 

progress was slow. And with every bit of progress 

came discovery of new requirements for restoring my 

Fury properly. I also found that obtaining parts, 

especially unique Fury parts, was nearly impossible! 

The years 1992 through 1997 proved very frustrating. 

I did have some experience with the Chrysler 

300 Club as an owner of a ‘79 Chrysler 300, and was 

amazed at the networking the club had that was especially 

helpful to owners of the “Classic” 300 letter 

cars of ‘55 through ‘65. I wondered if such a network 

was possible for “Classic & Golden” Fury owners? I 

decided to try to develop such a group. At the end of 

1997, with the encouragement of two ‘56 Fury own- 

-30- 

ers, John 

Teske and 

Ed Dea, and 

‘57 Fury 

owner John 

Paxos, I 

placed ads in 

Hemmings, 

the WPC 

Club and 

Plymouth 

Owners Club 

magazines. 

The response was swift and gratifying! 

What to call the group? I don’t know how or why, but the 

name “Golden Fin Society” popped into my brain and that’s 

what it would be called. I initially provided four then soon six 

newsletters a year, continued to maintain the ‘56 Fury registry 

and added new 1957 and 1958 Fury registries, and with the 

help of Hemmings magazine, developed a website hosted by 

them: http://clubs.hemmings.com/goldenfin/ Since then, the 

club has grown to over 250 members or associates who have 

contributed to a networking of friendship and interest in each 

others cars! The ‘56 registry is now up to 227, the ‘57 grew 

from 0 to 96 and the ‘58 to 119! The late Tom Mitchell suggested 

an annual National Gathering and he hosted the first in 

1999 in Missouri. We are having our Tenth GFS Gathering in 

Utah, in June 2011. Through these gatherings I have met over 

fifty percent of our group face-to-face – a fantastic group of 

people. 

My Fury? It is progressing, as all bodywork has been 

completed to include paint, the motor is rebuilt, the car has 

been rewired. Remaining is plating and polishing, fabrication 

of the interior, and final reassembly. I can’t wait to turn the 

key. I am still hooked on the ‘56 Fury! 

PB 

Jack with with his Fury 

at the 2008 Utah Concours d'Elegance

y John Teske 

Ashburn, Virginia 

Before I purchased my 1956 Fury in 1996, it had spent 

its life in Arizona. In May 1956 it left the assembly 

line in Evansville, Indiana, and was shipped to 

Weaver Motors in Galesburg, Illinois, where on 

April 21, 1956, the first owner purchased 

it. 

I came into possession of the Fury 

through a Phoenix dealer and am the 

second owner. It was in need of 

total restoration which is what I was 

looking for as a retirement project. 

It was running, and the body, protected 

with a primer coat, was in 

good condition. Everything else needed 

total refurbishing. All wiring and 

interior items were totally dried and crumbling 

from the hot, dry Arizona weather. It 

also had unknown mileage since the non-functioning 

odometer showed about 5,000 miles. The original owner 

apparently enjoyed the Fury. 

The car was totally disassembled 

and everything was 

renewed. During the ten-yearrestoration 

an effort was made 

to restore the car to a factoryoriginal 

condition. This 

required original manuals and 

an unending parts search. 

When I found something, it 

went into what was becoming 

a substantial spare parts 

inventory. Salvage yards and 

the internet were the main 

FF ury FF ifty-six 

My 1956 Fury 

-31- 

sources of parts. 

The chassis and drivetrain were 

blasted and powder-coated black. 

New main springs were placed on 

the rear and new coils on the front. 

Brake and fuel lines are now stainless, 

as is the exhaust system. The 

gas tank was restored and lined by a 

commercial tank repair company. 

The engine, Powerflite and rear differential 

were rebuilt by professional 

shops. The differential and transmission 

had many new parts and 

bearings installed. The engine was 

full of sludge, but scraping and a 

hot-tank dipping took care of that 

problem. It was then magnafluxed, 

line-bored, balanced and torqued to 

manufacturer’s specifications with 

oversize bearings. It was bored 0.40 

oversize and new pistons were manufactured 

from the originals. 

Master and wheel cylinders were 

brass-lined, and new brake parts were installed along with a 

rebuilt power booster. All salvageable original, as well as 

new, fasteners were replated with zinc chromate, which is in 

keeping with the gold theme of the Fury. The fasteners now 

have a nice gold appearance in addition to being corrosion 

resistant. 

The body was stripped and repainted with 

original colors as they were found during 

stripping. Very little sheet metal repair 

was needed since the car spent its life 

in an almost rust-free environment. 

New reproduction wiring and interior 

were installed, and a new steering 

wheel was cast from modern plastic. 

All chrome on the car was 

replated and the stainless trim was 

polished. Anodizing was used on 

those aluminum parts that originally had 

it except for the hood ornament which was 

gold plated. 

The Fury is a pleasure to see and drive. At the 

Carlisle National Chrysler Products show in 2008-2010, I 

was quite surprised to receive two Celebrity Pick Awards and 

two first-in-class awards. It has been an enjoyable restoration 

which is thoroughly documented. The car, now driven to 

shows and on nice days, has about 3,000 miles on it. PB

Progress Progress 

of a restoration 

Arrival from Arizona 

Special Fury trim… 

The floor, too, is solid 

Ready for the chrome shop 

Opened engine reveals sludge 

Unloaded… in its primered “splendor” 

hides one of few spots of rust Wheelwell lips are solid 

Inside the glove box door 

is a special sticker for heater-equipped cars 

Fury wheel covers 

attach to the clips seen on the wheel above 

Grease-encrusted engine is revealed Newly painted wheels; wrapped wide whites 

Engine number found under the grease Engine and transmission leave the chassis 

Loaded for more work The body and chassis part ways The bare chassis ready for clean-up 

-23- -32-

The chassis cleaned and painted Front suspension detail The engine, rebuilt, painted and ready 

The transmission ready and waiting 

The body stripped and prepped… 

Wires 

Engine, transmission and chassis reunited 

for Fury Eggshell White paint 

Two fours ready for the engine 

Body and chassis reunited 

Clips New and renewed parts 

The dash, before and after A door panel, before and after Under the hood and in the trunk 

-33-

JACK LEWIS PHOTO 

by Duane Esarey 

Yoder, Colorado 

All-time Favorite 

Extolling the virtues of the ‘56 Plymouth 

Myinterested 

in cars. The 1955 model had 

introduction to the 1956 Plymouth was 

at age 13 when I was really beginning to get 

Myfirst 

already caught my attention. Then the slightly revised version 

came out late in 1955, Plymouth for 1956. 

Then, in January, “what to my wondering eyes should 

appear” but the Fury! I remember, with my dad, drooling 

over pictures of that new big-horsepowered and sleek-looking 

one-of-a-kind automobile. 

At that time I determined that I’d love to own one of 

those cars. But that was not to happen for many years, 

because a lot of other cars got in the way and the 1956 fury 

Duane and LuEllen Esarey at Tulsarama, 2007 


-34- 

was quite rare right 

from the start. 

In 1962, while in 

college, I was able to 

get a ‘56 Savoy fourdoor 

sedan with the 

270 V8 and threespeed 

manual transmission 

with overdrive. 

It was no 

slouch, leaving several 

‘55 and ‘56 Chevys 

and Fords in its dust. 

I handed it down to 

my younger brother 

and sister to try wearing 

it out. Though 

they did not succeed, 

it was sold, and I lost 

track of the car. 

Years went by as 

I spent some thirty 

years as a teacher, but 

I always kept an eye 

out for a ‘56 Fury. I 

subscribed to more 

and more car magazines. I finally saw one advertised, located 

in Rittman, Ohio. Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2001, my 

wife and I went to see the car. We bought it on the spot, 

thanks to Cheryl Hummel. 

Needless to say, the years since have been sweet due in 

part to the fact that right out of the garage is that long-soughtafter 

and waited-for 1956 Plymouth Fury. 

We’ve had some work done on it. The only major work 

was a transmission overhaul. The car is a driver, as we have 

taken it on several cruises and to many shows. We now have 

other vintage cars in our collection; but, as you might guess, 

that white ‘56 Fury with its golden side rim and healthysounding 

engine is our all-time favorite. 

REPRINTED FROM PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 281

DAVID ESLICK PHOTO 

My Second Fury 

by Tommy Pike 

Springfield, Missouri 

FF ury Fifty-six ifty-six 

Ihad been looking for my second 1956 Fury for 20 years. 

I had owned my first one from January, 1961, to January, 

1964. Glenda and I were married in April, 1962, and 

drove the Fury to Colorado on our honeymoon. 

When the Fury begin to need some repairs, we decided to 

Some specifications of the 1956 

Plymouth Fury 

Engine: Overhead valve Fury V8 

Displacement: 303 CID 

Horsepower: 240 at 4,800 RPM 

Transmission: Three-speed manual with optional 

overdrive or automatic push-button Powerflite. 

Compression ratio: 9.25 to 1 

Body style: Two-door coupe 

Number of seats: Six 

Weight: 3,650 pounds 

Wheelbase: 115 inches. 

Overall length: 204.8 inches. 

Base cost: $2,807.00 

It also has the following options: 

Automatic push-button transmission 

Search-tune radio with rear seat speaker 

Highway Hi-Fi record player 

Power brakes 

A number of the items on the car are 

standard equipment: 

Heater 

Tinted glass 

Interior light package 

Factory tachometer. 

-35- 

trade it off. As soon as I had 

traded it, I realized I had 

made a huge mistake and 

tried to buy it back, with no 

luck. I then started looking 

for another one. At this time, 

my other car was a 1936 

Plymouth coupe. This was 

my very first car, bought 

when I was 15 years old. I 

still have it 53 years later. 

I finally found another 

Fury and bought it in 

August1984. The restoration 

had already been started by 

the previous owner (a single 

lady) and the car was apart. 

The body had been repainted 

and the windows were out of 

the car. I took the car home 

on a trailer and in a lot of 

boxes. After many years and 

innumerable phone calls to 

locate various missing pieces 

and parts, the car was finished 

in the spring of 1993. The previous owner had became 

very ill and I was not able to get all the missing pieces from 

her. 

The production of the 1956 Furys was not very high. 

Only 4,485 were built. 

My ‘56 has been featured in many books, magazines and on 

calendars. 

These cars were almost as fast as their big brother, the 

1956 Chrysler 300B. They are fun to drive, and they handle 

great for a full-size sedan without power steering. I had my 

original Fury up to high speed of around 110 to 120 miles per 

hour but have never had nerve to take this one over a 100. I 

was much younger then. 

JACK LEWIS, GOLD FIN SOCIETY, PHOTO

GLENDA PIKE PHOTO DAVID ESLICK PHOTO 

by Tonya Jo Pike 

Dad’s ‘56 Fury 

A daughter’s point of view 

Myowner, 

that, in and of itself, is not strange. But 

is full of car-related stories. As the daughter 

and only child of a lifelong Plymouth 

Mylife 

there are two stories that have been part of my life longer than 

all the others, literally since birth or before. 

The first is somewhat typical of the other birth, marriage, 

death car stories you hear in nearly every car-crazy family. 

I’ve been told ever since I can remember that I cost my dad 

an Avanti. Seems he wanted to buy a new Avanti and my 

Mom wanted to have a baby. Mom won, and I am the baby 

that resulted. Thanks Mom! 

The second story started before I was born. My earliest 

memories are of hearing about this mythical white car with 

gold trim and tailfins. A car faster than the wind that my parents 

owned when they first married, before I was born. But it 

was an unusual car, quite advanced for its time. As such, it 

was both hard and costly to work on. Being newlyweds on a 

budget, my folks eventually had to trade this car off because it 

Father, Daughter, Fury: Tommy and Tonya Jo Pike with that’s been part of their lives 

-36- 

went thru points and condensers faster 

than they got paychecks to repair it. 

My dad realized the night they 

signed papers on a new blue ‘63 

Plymouth Fury that he’d made a mistake 

trading this beautiful white and 

gold car. He went back the next day to 

the dealership and tried to buy the 

white and gold car back. But alas, it 

had sold shortly after they’d left the 

dealership the day before. 

And thus began the legend of the 

‘56 Plymouth Fury in the Pike family 

of Springfield, Missouri; a legend I’ve 

lived with all my life. 

My childhood is full of memories 

of the pursuit of another one of these 

mythical cars. How many times did 

my dad catch a glimmer of white and 

gold in traffic and he’d make a wild uturn 

and chase that glimmer until he 

knew it wasn’t what he was looking 

for? It happened often enough that I 

knew how to brace myself with my 

feet in the back seat for the crazy turn he’d make. How many 

times did we spend a lazy weekend day, driving miles and 

miles, to check out a report of a ‘56 Fury hiding in a barn or 

field somewhere only to have Dad come walking back from 

the hike frowning and shaking his head no? It was often 

enough that Mom kept a bag packed with books and snacks to 

keep me entertained while we sat in the car and waited 

patiently on Dad. 

Friends of mine are always amazed that I can distinguish 

‘50s model Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Plymouths, Chryslers, 

Buicks and Pontiacs as easily as I do – cars built 15 years or 

more before I was born. Let me tell you, the third time your 

dad yells at you because you’ve sent him to look at a ‘58 

Ford, you quickly learn to distinguish the right from the 

wrong! Except then you come to realize you are looking for 

something that is very rare and you aren’t going to see it in 

normal traffic… and then you kind of quit looking for it. 

When I was in junior high, I spotted a man at our local 

annual regional swap meet wearing a t-shirt with … lo and 

behold … a ‘56 Fury on it! That man in the 

shirt turned out to be Loyd Groshong of Troy, 

Missouri. And thus Dad and Mom would 

begin a long friendship with Loyd and his late 

wife Marion – all because of the mythical 

white and gold car that Loyd owned and Dad 

didn’t. At least I got to go to Troy and see a 

real one, and finally know what Dad was really 

looking for. 

A few years after Dad met Loyd, he got a 

true lead on a ‘56 Fury for sale in Illinois. It 

was owned by a female school administrator 

named Kitty. She was an accomplished car 

restorer, having redone a number of rare 

MGs, several DeSoto Adventurers, and a cou- 

ple of other ‘56 Furys. She had a special

place in her heart for ‘56 

Furys because her grandparents 

had given her one 

to drive when she turned 

16. She had started a 

ground-up restoration of 

the one she was offering to 

sell Dad. She had been 

thinking she’d keep it herself 

when it was done. 

However, she said a lot of 

things had changed and 

she gave us a number of 

semi-valid reasons for 

wanting to rid herself of it 

in mid-restoration. She 

was too busy with school, 

she had another MG to do. 

But Kitty was very concerned, 

as I remember, to know WHO was willing to buy this 

project of hers. 

So, we made a family trip my senior year of high school 

to Illinois to see this car. I remember going to Kitty’s house 

but I don’t remember actually going out into the garage to see 

the car. This was all very different, because we actually took 

a weekend family trip and stayed two nights in a motel to see 

this car. We met Kitty and she was eager to know even Mom 

and me. What we didn’t know at the time was that Kitty was 

terminally ill. I think it was important to her that this car go 

to a FAMILY, not a COLLECTION, where it would be finished 

and loved, yes, LOVED. I know the car meant an 

awful lot to her, more than all the others she had done. 

So a deal was struck between Kitty and Dad, and some 

weeks later Dad and a friend of his, Ronnie Estes, went after 

the mythical white car. This was before cell phones, and I 

remember waiting anxiously with Mom for them to call to say 

that it was loaded and, then again, when they reached a motel 

partway back home. As I remember, they carried all the parts 

into the motel room for the night, not wanting to risk someone 

mistaking the gold anodized parts for gold plating and 

stealing them. 

Then the next day, it arrived. But alas … it was NOT the 

mythical white and gold goddess of my childhood dreams or 

what I had seen sitting in Loyd’s garage! Oh she was 

eggshell white alright, but she was in boxes. Boxes and what 

seemed to be millions of boxes! Parts everywhere! My 

teenage brain had not contemplated what ground-up restoration 

meant at all! 

Since my dad had not taken the car apart, it took him several 

years to put the car back together… years filled with 

innumerable phone calls to Loyd and Kitty, until she died, 

plus hours of looking at parts manuals and car literature. 

Plus, there were another few thousand phone calls to locate 

odd pieces like trim clips, trim corners, and wheel cap clips… 

and more phone calls and panic when there was a major issue 

getting the upholstery done. We got calls regarding something 

about this car for what seemed like every night literally 

for years. I got very good at asking very pointed questions of 

the callers if Dad was gone. I didn’t want him wasting time 

Tulsarama, 2007: Three of us drove together, Tommy Pike in his ‘56 Fury, John Mitchum in his ‘55 Belvedere 

and Loyd Groshong in his ‘56 “Fury” convertible. I drove the late-model Chrysler so we would have a way to 

get around. -- Glenda Pike 

-37- 

on calls that weren’t going to be a help in getting this Fury 

finished. 

Now, let me interject this: Southwest Missouri is not a hot 

bed of Chrysler owners. Ford and Chevys reign supreme 

around here. I am the black sheep of the family because my 

dream car was a ‘68 Mercury Cougar which sits in my parent’s 

driveway to this day – but that’s another story entirely! 

Dad is pretty much known around here as “that Chrysler (or 

Plymouth) guy.” That’s why everyone knows him; he owns 

the odd car out, always. Your buddy winds up with grandma’s 

‘60s model New Yorker to sell? Have him call Tommy 

Pike; he’s your guy to talk to about it. 

But finally the day arrived and our ‘56 Fury was back in 

one piece! And Dad drove it to the first car show; then the 

first cruise-in. 

And now, more than 20 years later, the story remains the 

same. You pull in. You park. Talk stops. People stare. 

Uneducated car people go, “What is that?” Idiotic less-thanknow-it-alls 

very mistakenly whisper “Christine, a damn 

Christine!” True car people step back and look on in awe or 

at least deep appreciation. It’s nice to know those Ford and 

Chevy guys can appreciate class when they see it! 

Not long after Dad finished this ‘56 Fury, professional car 

photographer Michael Mueller came through and photographed 

our car. It has been featured in countless books 

and magazines since. There is a very unbelievable sense of 

pleasure to walk into a bookstore and pick up a book and find 

our car in it. It’s an even greater pleasure for me to find that 

new book with the Fury in it, before Dad does, and be able to 

surprise him with it! 

My dad is the second owner of both a ‘36 P2 coupe and a 

‘37 Plymouth truck, and the third owner of a ‘41 Deluxe 

sedan. All these vehicles have stories of family legend equal 

to the ‘56. I have often said they will pry the keys to these 

cars out of my cold dead hand when I die; that I will never 

sell them after my Dad is gone. But the hardest one for me to 

let go will be the ‘56 Fury … such a pretty white and gold 

car, faster than the wind, tailfins to die for, and so very tied up 

in my childhood memories of afternoons spent trying to find 

either the car or parts, and then putting it back together and 

back into our lives! PB 

JACK LEWIS, GOLD FIN SOCIETY, PHOTO

y Byron Parsons 

Everest, Washington 

Our ‘56 Fury Fur 


Having worked for Dependable Motors, a Dodge- 

Plymouth dealership in Mount Vernon, Washington, 

in 1955 and 1956, I remember liking the ‘55 

Plymouths but really liking the ‘56 Furys and the Dodge 

D500s. I have both now. At age 22 in ‘56, I couldn’t afford 

anything like them. I was also about to be drafted into the 

Army, which happened in January, 1957. 

Through the years, I always wanted a ‘56 Fury. I saw 

one for sale at the Portland Swap Meet in the early ‘70s. It 

had been an automatic car but had been converted to a stick 

shift. I did not buy that one. 

I found another that was being driven in our town of 

Everett in about 1977. I talked to the owner for a couple of 

years but he would not sell, so I let it go. About a year later, 

after the Fury’s reverse had gone out, he called and asked if I 

was still interested in the car. That was 1980 and that was 

when we got our Fury. 

The seller’s grandparents had bought the car new in 

Denver, Colorado. It had just over 60,000 miles when we got 

it. It now has 131,422 miles and we are its third owners. 

The car is more original than it is restored. The motor, 

transmission, brakes, exhaust, seats, door panels, carpet and 

Portland pair: With Allen Faltus’ Fury [LEFT] at the 2010 Summer 

Meet 

bumpers have all been redone. The 

tires are new. The glass, grille, chrome 

(except the bumpers), headliner, suspension, 

trunk mast, trunk weatherstrip 

and cardboard panels are original. The 

body has been straightened and painted. 

Some rust repair has been done. 

The car originally had a Powerflite 

transmission and heater as its options. 

It now has power steering, power 

brakes, a search radio, a dash clock 

and after-market air conditioning. An 

after-market continental kit has been 

added and over the years it has also 

had fender skirts and cruiser skirts. 

It took about 13 years for me to get 

the car back on the road. I was working 

in those days, so sometimes the car 

sat quite a while between work periods. 

We went to Hot August Nights in 

Mississippi River: 1999 

Reno, Nevada, for three years, driving 

our ‘59 Crown Imperial two-door hardtop. 

We registered again for 1994. I had just gotten the Fury 

going yet had not really checked it out. Still, we decided to 

take it in place of the Imperial. It is about a 1800-mile trip 

for us. 

We did make the complete trip but, as I said, we had not 

had time to check the car out and we gad a lot of car trouble 

on that first trip. I had not had the gas tank cleaned, and 

-38- 

Route 66 in Missouri 

every 50 to 100 miles, it seemed, we had to stop and clean out 

the sediment bowl. The car was also hard-starting during the 

entire trip. At 200 miles, we stopped to put in a new ballast 

convertor but it didn’t seem to help. When we got home and 

checked it out, we found we had wrongly wired the ballast 

resister which resulted in never getting full voltage during the 

starting cycle, 

On the way home, driving through Portland, Oregon, at 

about 1600 miles into the trip with another 200 to go, we 

thought the rear end was going out. It was making a noise 

and seemed to be jerky, especially when making turns to the 

right or the left. We had it checked out at a shop. The 

mechanic said, “Yes, the rear end is going out but if you take 

it easy and drive a lot slower than you have been doing, you

should make it home. We took off easily 

and slowly, and we made it home. 

I found it was another thing I hadn’t 

checked out. The problem turned out to 

be the trunion U-joint that had gone dry 

and frozen up. It turned out to be the 

trunion U-Joint that had gone dry and 

froze up. I had a new driveline made with 

cross-shaft U-joints that can be easily 

greased. 

That was 18 years and 60,000 miles 

ago. The Fury has made further trips to 

Hot August Nights in Reno with no trouble. 

We went to Hot August Nights for six 

years in a row, three times in our Crown 

Imperial and three times in our Fury. Of 

the thousands of cars there, the only ‘56 

was our Fury. 

In those six years, we were always in 

the parade of cars on the last day of the 

show. One year, while watching the local 

evening news, Irene yelled out, “There’s 

our car!” She tried then, and after, to get that clip from the 

news station. They said we could have any tape from the 

news except that which had anything to do with Hot August 

Nights events. The promoters had all rights to them. 

Twenty years ago, I found some new old stock seat and 

trim panel upholstery. The fabric didn’t wear well when new 

and it still doesn’t. We redid the seats a few years ago and 

they need to be done again. Luckily, I bought enough materi- 

Blackhawk Museum in California: The Golden Furys of Byron Parsons 

(‘56), Mark Hash (‘57) and Paul Schmaltz (‘58) 

al at that time and I can redo them once again. 

Other than normal maintenance throughout the years and 

sixty-plus thousand miles, the Fury has been mostly troublefree. 

We’re on its third set of tires. The first were bias-ply, 

the rest have been radials which are much better. 

On our way home from the first GFS (Golden Fin 

Society) gathering in Missouri, we went on to Auburn, 

Indiana, for the annual ACD (Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg) 

reunion on Labor Day weekend (a 6000-mile trip). Coming 

home through Minnesota, traveling at 70-75 MPH, the car 

made some kind of noise and shook while smoke came out of 

the hood edges. Then it seemed okay. We slowed down, 

pulled over and checked under the hood. It seemed okay. I 

knew something had happened and kept looking and checking. 

Finally, I put my hand on the generator. It felt rough. 

-39- 

WPC Boyhood Home in Ellis, Kansas 

The front bearing must have frozen up, causing the belt to slip 

on the stopped generator pulley, causing the smoke. Then he 

bearing must have broken loose, leaving the generator turning 

sloppily and feeling loose. We found an auto repair shop and 

the mechanic dropped everything to put in a new bearing. We 

were on our way in a couple of hours. 

Sometimes when the temperature got to a 100+ degrees, 

the car would vapor lock. I installed an inline electric fuel 

pump which seemed to help in such times. Also, when 

I turn it once after the car has sat for a length of time, 

it starts easier. 

Through the years, we have been to many car shows, 

picked up quite a few second- and third-place trophies 

and one first (we must not have had much competition). 

The car is not a show car; it’s a driver. 

We have been on a lot of trips from a few hundred 

miles to a six-thousand-mile trip. We have been to 

Canada and 15-plus states, some of them several 

times. We are looking forward to more trips in the 

future, including to Riverton, Utah, this June (2011) 

for the GFS tenth annual national gathering of ‘56, ‘57 

and ‘58 Plymouth Furys. Then, it will be on to 

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in July for the 

2011 WPC Club regional meet. PB 

At a local show: The ‘56 Dodge is like our D500 but with the 

green colors reversed and a white top.

PHOTO BY FRANK M. CHELLEMI 

by Eddie Sachs 

Farmingville, New York 

How I got my Fury 

When stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1955, 

I went into town and saw my first 1956 

Plymouth Fury. It was beautiful, fast and 

expensive. At that time $3600 was way too much for me. 

My 1955 Plymouth Savoy with a V8 engine and a 

Powerflite automatic transmission had cost $2100. 

Fast-forward to 1959. I was working in Hempstead, 

Long Island, and one day I drove past a dealer on 

Hempstead Turnpike. Sticking out on the lot was a white 

car with the gold on the fender. I made a quick U-turn and, 

sure enough, it was a 1956 Fury. It looked good, 

ran fine and was only $1350. On May 28, 1959, it 

was mine. 

That was 47 years ago and the car will always 

be mine. It has been to Massachusetts and 

Pennsylvania about 20 times and to Delaware, 

upstate New York, and Dearborn, Michigan. It is 

the only 1956 Fury on Long Island. The car has 

more than 285,000 miles on it and has had its 303 

CID dual 4BBL V8 engine rebuilt twice. It still runs 

well and will continue to do so as long as I run 

well. 

My advice to all Plymouth owners: do not to 

let them sit. Run them. That is what Plymouths 

were made for. Good luck to all club members. 

RUSTED BOLTS AND BUSTED KNUCKLES, 

NEWSLETTER OF THE LONG ISLAND REGION, JANUARY 2006, 

AS REPRINTED IN PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 281 

Ed and Rose Sachs with Jack Lewis [CENTER] and their ‘56 Fury at the 2004 

Golden Fin Society National Gathering held in conjunction with the All Chrysler 

Nationals at Carlisle in 2004. Ed and Rose's ‘56 went over the 300,000- mile mark 

in 2010! 

-40- 


PHOTO BY LARRY NUESCH 

PHOTO BY RON SWARTLEY

Still 

Original 

by James Cloer 

Tulsa, Oklahoma 

Igrew up in northwestern Arkansas where, in the late ‘50s, 

I would see a ‘56 Fury being driven around town quite 

often. Then, I would see a ‘57 Fury and a ‘58 Fury at 

times. That made me want all three and now I have all three. 

It would only be right to mention a friend, Bill Sossaman, 

who was instrumental in the acquisition of my ‘56 Fury. I 

was finishing school at the University of Arkansas, after a 

four-year interruption in the Navy, when I noticed that a ‘58 

Fury had appeared on campus. I left a note on the car, and it 

led to a good friendship with Bill, the original owner of this 

Fury. I helped him locate parts, since I had just purchased a 

‘58 Fury of my own and had extra parts. 

I graduated and went to North Carolina after a job offer. 

Bill , who had gone on to pharmacy school in Norman, 

Oklahoma, called me later that year to tell me that a ‘56 Fury 

was in Norman and that the lady who owned it was going to 

trade it for a newer car. 

This Fury had 63,000 miles on it and Bill said he could 

drive it to northwestern Arkansas on his way home for 

Christmas. I sent the money and when I arrived home for the 

holidays, there the Fury was, at my father’s house. 

This was only the second ‘56 

Fury I had ever seen. It still had the 

plastic seat covers but was missing 

one hubcap and the tach sending unit. 

I drove it around home for a few days 

and then put it in storage at my 

father’s home. 

Back in North Carolina, while 

taking a short trip to Level Cross to 

see the Petty shop, I spotted a salvage 

yard which had hupcaps hanging over 

the parts counter. Stopping there on 

my return trip, I found a beautiful set 

of ‘56 Fury wheelcovers. No one 

seemed to know what they fit, so I 

got a super deal on the set. 

-41- 


The tachometer sender came from Canada and, upon 

installing it, I found the tach worked like a charm. The rest of 

the car is original, having a single four-barrel carburetor 

topped by a gold air cleaner. 

Before leaving North Carolina and ending up in Tulsa, I 

had gone to the Sanford, N. C., Chrysler dealership and was 

given permission to look through their attic for parts. There, I 

found a gold mine of ‘56, ‘57, ‘58 and ‘59 Plymouth parts, 

among them all kinds of Fury gold and other trim pieces 

which I bought. 

My three Furys and ‘59 Sport Fury convertible have been 

put on hold in storage for years, waiting to be put back on the 

road. The ‘56 is still original and I love looking at it. 

My collection of Six Pack and 426 Hemi cars has taken 

priority over some of my earlier ones, but I will always love 

these early muscle cars that were built during the prime of my 

life. 

PB

Des Moines, Moines, 

1989 

Iola, ola, 2005 

Loyd oyd’s s Furys urys 


On the way toTulsa, toTulsa, 

2005 

Tommy ommy Pike, Pike ‘56 Fury, Fury, 

John Mitchum, ‘55 Belvedere, Belvedere, 

Loyd Groshong, Groshong ‘56 Fury 

-42- 

Tulsa, ulsa, 2007 

Loyd Groshong 

Troy, Missouri 

Loyd and his ‘56 “Fury” convertible 

are well-known at national meets. 

Peoria/Morton, eoria/Morton, 2005 

The car was created from a Belvedere 

convertible and Fury trim and engine. 

Loyd also has a factory-original 

‘56 Fury coupe that, likewise, has been 

registered at national and other meets. 

PB

Cover 

Cars 

FF ury Fifty-six ifty-six 

Allen Faltus, Ellensburg, Washington ashington 

The engine in Allen’s Fury has the optional 2x4 setup which 

raises the 303-cubic-inch motor’s horsepower from 240 to 

270. The motor has the correct air cleaners, which are the same as used 

on ‘56 Corvettes. This was a dealer-installed option. There was a factoryinstalled 

setup, as well, on what is popularly known as the Grand National option. 

This latter option used an aluminum intake, and both four-barrel carburetors were covered with 

one huge air cleaner with paper element. The factory option is extremely rare and went predominantly 

to the NASCAR drivers. -- Jack Lewis 

Larry Gammon, Calgary, Calgary, 

Alberta 

Larry Gammon finished his ‘56 in late 2005 and early 2006. Many of our 

restorers leave the Turbine Cap wheel covers behind and go to copies of 

the Chrysler wires that were used on ‘56 300B and Imperials. They are not 

factory-original but sure could have been ordered from a dealer at the time. 

Larry's air cleaner for the single four-barrel is correct, but the lettering is not 

“factory” for a Fury air cleaner (factory-correct for the Belvedere/Savoy 277 

power pack option is white on red air cleaners). Larry's interior is gorgeous, 

though inserts are SMS-supplied fabric which is close but not correct. SMS, as 

of about two years ago, is now reproducing the correct fabric. No one could get it 

before then. -- Jack Lewis 

-43- Editor’s note: The third segment of the Hall family ‘54 Plymouth 

story will appear in the next issue.

Plymouth Miniatures 

Hunting the Plymouth taxi 

Regular readers of my column 

well know that I enjoy writing 

about miniatures and other segments 

of Plymouth memorabilia, especially 

that which I think folks may not 

have seen or have had an opportunity to 

view up close. Hopefully, they will take 

delight in just knowing that these 

Plymouth items are out there, somewhere 

in this vast world of ours. And 

who knows? I may also inspire some 

readers to get out and search for similar 

Plymouth items. There is fun 

to be had in the hunt, and the 

trophy, to my way of thinking, 

is every bit as exciting to 

have, mount and brag about. I 

guess bragging about what I 

track down in the realm of 

Plymouth “animals” is what I 

like best in doing these articles. 

Talking about our old car 

hobby is, well, about as good 

as gets. 

Hunting down rare and 

exotic species from nature can 

get a person in a whole lot of 

trouble in the real world – as 

it certainly should – or it can 

take up lot more time than it 

is worth. Sometimes that is 

even the case for inveterate 

(and retired!) trackers like me. 

Occasionally it is safer, easier 

and just as pleasurable to go 

out looking for a Plymouth 

item, in this case a miniature 

that is readily available in an 

accessible location and will 

not cost you much when you 

are able to net it. 

Our easily seen prey this 

time is a 1967 Plymouth Fury taxi, 

made by Johnny Lightning, a maker of 

1/64-scale diecast vehicles familiar to 

many of us. I am sure you have spotted 

it by now in the pictures accompanying 

this article. I wouldn’t say it’s as common 

as the squirrels in your local park or 

that sparrow insisting on building a nest 

in the eaves of your garage, but if you 

get out once in awhile for a little shopping 

at the big box stores and stroll 

through the die-cast toy aisles, you are 

likely to catch a glimpse of this red and 

white Plymouth taxi. It’s guaranteed to 

bring a smile to any harried, weary bargain 

hunter hoping to get back soon to 

his or her garage to polish up the vintage 

Plymouth for an upcoming cruise. 

What’s more – and while we all ooh and 

ahh over the Plymouth muscle cars, 

sporty ragtops and racy hardtops – I, for 

one, like to recall the days when our 

favorite car earned its way in the world of 

automobiles as a sturdy and reliable taxi 

in big cities and small towns. Can you 

remember your last ride in a Plymouth 

taxi? I can. 

The heyday of Johnny Lightning 

production was about five or so years 

ago when the Johnny Lightnings (along 

with Hot Wheels, of course) practically 

dominated the die-cast section of the toy 

and big department stores. Like me, you 

may recall going into the toy shop in the 

-44- 

mall and coming out with three JL vehicles 

for only $5.00 plus tax. The asking 

price was so low, and the cars so downright 

nice, that the purchase became irresistible 

– and more than likely you were 

able to pick up a Plymouth or two in 

your batch of three. Not bad, especially 

if you hadn’t wanted to be in the mall in 

the first place. From that five-year 

“moment” of Johnny Lightning joy, the 

road has been downhill for 

the brand. Johnny Lightning 

vehicles became fewer and 

fewer to the point, which I 

recall in the summer of 2009 

at my local Wal-Mart, when I 

did not see a single one on 

the shelves. I was able to 

locate a few at flea markets 

during this period but the discussion 

among toy collectors 

and car folks was on the mystery 

of what happened to JL? 

The company did change 

hands at some point, and 

maybe the brain trust ran out 

of ideas for new vehicle production. 

Raw materials needed 

to make die-cast cars 

jumped in price about this 

time, and the collector market 

for toy vehicles changed. All 

of these factors may have 

contributed to the demise of 

JL in one way or another. 

Johnny Lightning did 

attempt a weak comeback in 

late ‘09/early ‘10, and it was 

possible to find a few them, 

plus some factory leftovers, 

on store shelves. However, as 

serious die-cast hunters now know, the 

company is only a shadow of its former 

self. The variety of new models is currently 

very limited and the packaging is 

smaller (that’s fine from an ecological 

and storage point of view), and it looks a 

bit on the “el cheapo” side when compared 

to previous JL offerings from the 

golden days. This last gasp from JL 

continued on page 46…

I’mPlymouths, 

the ‘67 

again with more on 

the “neglected” 

I’mback 

through ‘73 Furys. Yeah, I know everybody 

loves the Dusters, Road Runners, 

GTXs and, last but not least, the 

Barracudas, especially the ‘70-74 models 

more commonly called ‘Cudas by 

their followers and lovers. But there are 

many lovers of these bigger cars too, 

including me. 

We will expound on the ‘70-71 

Fury line this time around. They were 

very nice-looking big cars for the times, 

at least to one who is as partial to 

Plymouths and Dodges as I. Maybe you 

are too. These cars are hard to find 

nowadays. 

These big C-bodies even had a 

muscle car in the ‘70 and ‘71 model 

years. In 1970 it was called the Sport 

Fury GT and a bit lesser model named 

the S/23 was introduced later in the 

year. In 1971, only the Sport Fury GT 

returned. 

Following the 1969 models, which 

left something lacking stylewise, in my 

opinion, the ‘70 models bore mostly 

new styling with new front end treatments 

with loop bumpers. Hidden 

headlights were available on the 1970 

Sport Fury GT and Sport Suburban 

wagons. There was the new-for-‘70 

steering column ignition switch and 

lock with a buzzer. Also available was 

a new wider rear track on sedans, hardtops 

and convertibles. Fiberglass belted 

tires were the new option. The ‘70-71s 

were about the same basic size as the 

‘69s but much improved in appearance, 

in my book. 

Back again (and called “new”) was 

the Sport Fury model, returning after a 

Clif’s Clif s Notes 

“Neglected” 

Plymouths 

few year’s absence from the scene. 

This model came in six configurations, 

from a lowly basic two-door hardtop to 

a fancy four-door hardtop sedan. There 

is no mention of convertibles in the 

1970 Sport Fury line (the convertibles 

appear to have only been available as 

Fury III models). It was available in 18 

exterior colors and 18 colors of trim for 

the interior too (seems like a lot, doesn’t 

it?). Sport Furys could also be had with 

a Brougham interior (a pretty fancy 

word for what started out in the ‘20s as 

a lowly basic transportation car, don’t 

you think?) 

New for 1970 in the Sport Fury 

lineup was the S/23 model. The S/23 

was available with anything from the 

318 on up to the 383 big block for 

power. Muscle looks came with this 

S/23, but not the raw power of the GT 

model which was available with the 

440-4 barrel or the 440-6 pak. I remember 

looking at both models at one time 

in the Plymouth dealership in Grand 

Forks, North Dakota. They were used 

cars at the time. Not realizing how rare 

they were back then, I’ve now learned 

-45- 

that only 689 of the S/23s and 666 GTs 

were built by Plymouth. I imagine that 

those who wanted muscle in a six-passenger 

car went for the very popular 

Road Runners. 

Only two of the many high-impact 

color paints available could be ordered 

in the Fury series: Lemon Twist (code 

FY1) and Tor-Red (code EV2). This is 

too bad, as a lot of very neat high - 

impact colors were available then. I 

have personally seen these muscle car 

Furys only in black or white, but that 

does not mean much, as I have only 

seen a few of these cars in my lifetime. 

Production figures for 1970 are as 

follows: 

Fury I: two-door sedan–2,353; fourdoor 

sedan–14,813; total–17,166 

Fury II: two-door sedan–21,316; fourdoor 

sedan–27,694; total–49,010 

Fury III: two-door hardtop–21,373; 

convertible–1,952; formal hardtop– 

12,367; four–door sedan–50,876; fourdoor 

hardtop sedan–47,879; 

total–134,447 

1971 Sport Fury GT: Art Modl, Mondovi, Wisconsin 

Sport Fury: two-door hardtop–6,663; 

S/23 coupe–689; GT coupe–666; formal 

hardtop coupe–5,688; four-door sedan- 

–5,135; total–25,695 (Gran Coupe total 

is unknown but the cars were rare) 

Station wagons: all six models–total–36,813 

Total 1970 production of these beautiful 

C-body cars was 265,955. 

Maybe I am a bit prejudiced, having 

owned both ‘70 Fury III and ‘71 Fury 

III two-door hardtops, one back in the 

‘70s and, just a few years ago, a ‘71 

which was equipped with a then-new- 

LANNY KNUTSON PHOTO

LANNY KNUTSON PHOTO 

for-Plymouth 360 cubic inch 

motor–very peppy for a two-barrel car. 

Pretty much the only change for 

1971 in the Plymouth C-body is found 

in the grille and taillights. By 1971 over 

80% of the Furys had air conditioning, 

and 98% were automatic transmissionequipped–no 

wonder there. 

How many Cbodies 

have 

you known to 

have fourspeedtransmissions 

after 

maybe 1966 

or even a 

three-speedon-the-column 

as did my ‘70 

Fury III. 

Likewise 98% 

had power steering and 75% came with 

power disc brakes, while 74% were getting 

tinted glass all around and 60% got 

vinyl roofs. Things were getting fancier 

for the C-body crowd. 

I owned the very nice ‘71 Fury III 

two-door hardtop back in 2008 for about 

six months until I sold it on my sister’s 

classic car auction sale. It had come to 

Minnesota from San Diego, California, 

and was a rust-free car. The nice young 

man who brought it back from 

California had installed 15-inch allchrome 

(no trim rings) Plymouth-type 

Road Wheels with 275/60 tires on the 

back and smaller tires up front to give it 

a proper “rake from the ol’ days.” It 

was fun to drive with its power steering, 

power disc brakes and air conditioner on 

top of 360 engine with a two-barrel carburetor. 

I loved it but sold it and two 

other collector cars in order to buy a 

new Dodge Challenger R/T, which I 

drive to this day. 

Speaking of these ‘70 C-body 

Plymouths, my cousin Dennis bought a 

new Gran Coupe in March of 1970 

when they came out. It had the 383 

cubic inch, 290 horse engine as did my 

70 Fury III. My brother Al bought this 

car from him when it had become a 

$1200 used car. 

I’d best quit my musing by letting 

you know that 375 Sport Fury GTs were 

built in 1971. That was the last year for 

them. I will talk more about these cars 

down the line. 

Please do not forget about my collector 

car auction on June 11th at 

Adams, North Dakota, by VanDerBrink 

Auctions. Look it up and you’ll find 

that my buddy Terry’s ‘69 HEMI Road 

Runner – totally restored – has now 

been added to the sale. Come over, it 

1970 Sport Fury GT: Kjell Egil Mandelid, Voss, Norway 

will be fun. Call 701-331-9092 to ask 

me about it or visit vanderbrinkauctions.com 

for video, pictures and inventory. 

THANKS. 

-- CLIF NELSON 

clifn01@gmail.com 

-46- 

LANNY KNUTSON PHOTO 

Plymouth Miniatures 

continued from page 44… 

includes our ‘67 Fury taxi and a couple 

other MOPARs but no other 

Plymouths. On looking over our 

Plymouth, my conclusion is that JL 

did a satisfactory job in casting our 

little taxi and optioning it with an 

opening hood. While I have not yet 

found a “loose” version – only packaged 

ones – I assume that the V8 

engine under that hood is detailed. 

The interior is tan, which quite likely 

resembles the original color of vinylcovered 

taxi seating. Other details 

include a factory-painted grille, front 

and rear photo-etched FURY II badges 

on the lower front fenders, windshield 

wipers, a taxi topper with RED & 

WHITE in small letters and full-wheel 

chrome hubcaps with blackwall tires. 

Needless to say, this is a Red & 

White Cab Co, Inc-owned vehicle, as 

viewed on the rear doors. A phone 

number – DL-4-8400 – appears on the 

front fenders. I do not recall any Red 

& White cabs or the phone prefix letters 

from any of my travels, but 

maybe some of our readers do. If so, 

please let us know. My suspicion is 

that Johnny Lightning fashioned this 

cab after a real one somewhere, someplace; 

and, as always, my curiosity is 

biting at me. Help me out, if you 

can, with my taxi quest. 

The price of cab fare at Wal-Mart 

where I found mine was about $2.97, 

not bad when you consider all that 

you are getting, including some serious 

Plymouth diversion. The JL 

taxis can also still be found on eBay 

for the same price, but you will also 

have to pay shipping charges. If you 

want to really save some cash, you 

may want to check out a flea market 

and I’ll “betcha” you just might get 

lucky and find your Fury II cab for 

about $1.00, a pretty cheap rate for a 

taxi ride, “you gotta admit.” I guess 

what I’ve been hammering on here is 

that our little Plymouth Fury II Taxi 

can be found in many places without 

much of a hunt and, most of all, you 

will have a lot of fun bagging it and 

bringing it home to rest in your 

Plymouth trophy case. 

-- Bill Brisbane 

williamb@helicon.net

-47-

PLYMOUTH BULLETIN back issues 

102 - Jan/Feb '77 Spotlight Sketches, 1928-35 

111 - Jul/Aug '78 50th Anniversary Plymouth Meet 

113 - Nov/Dec '78 1978 Fall Meet 

116 - May/Jun '79 Old Cars Price Guide; 1953-54 ads 

117 - Jul/Aug '79 Retail sales bulletins 

119 - Nov/Dec '79 1979 Fall Meet 

142 - Sep/Oct ‘83 Life of Walter P. Chrysler 

146 - May/Jun '84 Plymouth in Australia 

147 -Jul/Aug ‘84 Fargo commercial vehicles 

149 - Nov/Dec '84 Plymouth in Norway, Sweden, Denmark 

151 - Mar/Apr '85 Plymouth-bodied Dodges, DeSotos 

158 - Mar/Apr ‘86 Turbine cars 

163 - Mar/Apr '87 1962 Plymouths; Chrysler Engineering Bldg. 

187 - Mar/Apr ‘91 1958 Plymouth 

192 - Jan/Feb '92 1960 Plymouth 

194 - May/Jun '92 1938 Plymouth 

195 - Jul/Aug '92 1932 PB Plymouth; '92 Denver Spring Meet 

196 - Sep/Oct '92 1967 Plymouths; '92 Indy Summer Meet 

197 - Nov/Dec '92 1942 Plymouth; Richard Petty tribute 

201 - Jul/Aug '93 1961 Plymouth; '93 Kansas City Spring Meet 

202 - Sep/Oct '93 1968 Plym.; '93 Plymouth (MA) Summer Meet 

204 - Jan/Feb '94 1928-30 Plymouth Models Q & U 

205 - Mar/Apr '94 Plymouth miscellany 

207 - Jul/Aug '94 Maxwell history; Ellis (KS) meet 

208 - Sep/Oct '94 1930-31 30U Plym.; '94 Faribault Spring Meet 

209 - Nov/Dec '94 1994 Newark (DE) Fall Meet 

210 - Jan/Feb '95 1969 Plymouths 

211 - Mar/Apr ‘95 1949 Plymouths 

212 - May/Jun '95 Mayflower mascots; Petty '49 

214 - Sep/Oct '95 1955 Plymouth; '95 Frederick (MD) Summer Mt. 

215 - Nov/Dec'95 1995 Nebr. City Fall Meet 

216 - Jan/Feb '96 WWII Plymouths 

217 - Mar/Apr '96 Plymouth dealerships 

218 - May/Jun '96 Plymouth miscellany 

219 - Jul/Aug ‘96 1954 Plymouth 

220 - Sep/Oct '96 Des Moines Spring Meet; '54 Plymouth 

221- Nov/Dec '96 Newark Fall Meet; '54 accessories 

222 - Jan/Feb '97 1970-71-72 Plymouths 

223 - Mar/Apr '97 1957-63 Australian Chrysler Royals 

224 - May/Jun '97 1970 Superbird 

225 - Jul/Aug '97 1997 Kansas City Spring Meet 

226 - Sep/Oct '97 1997 Annapolis Fall Meet 

227- Nov/Dec '97 40th Anniversary issue 

229 - Mar/Apr ‘98 First Valiants; Mayflower winners 

231 - Jul/Aug '98 1973 Plymouths 

232 - Sep/Oct '98 1998 Grand National Meet 

233 - Nov/Dec '98 1998 Great Race ‘32 PB; GN Meet revisited 

234 - Jan/Feb ‘99 1946-49 P15 50th Anniversary 

235 - Mar/Apr ‘99 1960-74 Plymouth A-, B-, C-bodies 

236 - May/Jun ‘99 1974 Plymouths 

237 - Jul/Aug ‘99 1999 Springfield (IL) Spring Meet 

238 - Sep/Oct ‘99 1999 Hancock (MA) Summer Meet 

239 - Nov/Dec ‘99 1949 P17/18 50th Anniversary 

241 - Mar/Apr ‘00 1999 Doylestown (PA) Fall Meet 

242 - May/Jun ‘00 1966 Valiants; 74-81 Trail Duster 

243 - Jul/Aug ‘00 1956 Plymouths 

244 - Sep/Oct ‘00 2000 Rapid City (SD) Spring Meet, ‘56 Ply, cont 

245 - Nov/Dec ‘00 1950 P19/20 50th Anniversary 

247 - Mar/Apr ‘01 Plymouth at races; ‘75 Ply; ‘74-83 Voyager 

248 - May/Jun ‘01 Ply Down Under, ‘56 Miniatures, ‘32 PB sequels 

249 - Jul/Aug ‘01 2001 Reedsburg (WI) Spring Meet 

252 - Jan/Feb ‘02 2001 Newark (DE) Fall Meet 

253 - Mar/Apr ‘02 Plymouth voyages; Arrow pickup; ‘51 sequels 

254 - May/Jun ‘02 1960-61 Plymouths; Stretched Plymouths 

255 - Jul/Aug‘02 1976-77 Plymouths (Volaré) 

256 - Sep/Oct‘02 2002 Hollywood (MD) Spring Meet 

257 - Nov/Dec 02 2002 Grand Rapids (MN) Summer Meet;‘52 50th 

258 - Jan/Feb 03 Touring with Plymouths; ‘83 Scamp pickup 

259 - Mar/Apr‘03 1928-29: Plymouth’s first years 

262 - Sept/Oct ‘03 1953 Plymouth 50th Anniversary 

264 - Jan/Feb ‘04 Most Significant Plymouths 

266 - May/Jun ‘04 1954 Plymouth 50th Anniversary 

267 - Jul/Aug ‘04 1964-74 Barracuda Anniversary; Ont. 4cyl. meet 

268 - Sept/Oct ‘04 Plymouths at Iola ‘04; Maxwell Centennial Tour 

269 - Nov/Dec ‘04 2004 Battle Creek Summer Meet; ME 4 cyl meet 

270 - Jan/Feb ‘05 Plymouth Travels with P10 cnv; P15 wgn 

271- Mar/Apr ‘05 Finding Mrs. Miller, ower of milestone Plys. 

272- May/Jun ‘05 Valiant history; Yellow Rose ‘40; Swedish ‘49 

273 - Jul/Aug ‘05 ‘55 Plymouth 50th Anniversary 

274 - Sep/Oct ‘05 2005 Peoria Spring Meet; Woodies 

275 - Nov/Dec ‘05 2005 Vermont Summer Meet; 4cyl, Ont/Ohio 

276 - Jan/Feb ‘06 Plymouths in Alaska, Hawaii; Fargo tanker 

277 - Mar/Apr ‘06 Plymouth Belmont; Valiant convertibles 

280-Sep/Oct ‘06 2006 Indy Spring Meeet; Ont. 4cyl Meet 

282-Jan/Feb ‘07 Club history-1; ‘29-31 Fargo trucks 

283-Mar/Apr ‘07 Club history-2; Fargo at Work, northern roads 

286-Sep/Oct ‘07 Club history-5; ‘07 Tulsarama; ‘57 Plymouths 

287-Nov/Dec ‘07 Club history-6; ‘07 Carolina Nat Fall Meet 

288-Jan/Feb ‘08 Ply deuces:‘32,‘42,‘52,‘62,‘72; Econ Run Plys 

289-Mar-Apr ‘08 Ply Memories: long-term owners; Econ Run Plys 

290- May/Jun ‘08 Ply Memories: Petty; Aust. utes; Econ Run Plys 

291-Jul-Aug ‘08 ‘57 Again; Ont 4cyl meet; Dempster Hwy 

294-Jan/Feb ‘09 50th of the ‘58s 

295-Mar/Apr ‘09 Plymouths of the Southern Hemisphere 

296-May/Jun ‘09 Plymouth Things, Movies; ‘36, ‘50, ‘63 Plys 

297-Jul/Aug ‘09 ‘59 50th Anniv; Ont. 4cyl tour 

298 - Sep/Oct ‘09 2009 Wisconsin Summer Meet; ‘66 Sport Fury 

299 - Nov/Dec ‘09 2009 Maryland Fall Meet 

300 - Jan/Feb ‘10 Reprise: Tüscher; Plainsman; Berkheimer 

301 - Mar/Apr ‘10 Memorials; Italian ‘28-9; ‘71 police Fury 

302 - May/Jun ‘10 Ply weddings; ‘31 PA travels; NZ Plys 

303 - Jul/Aug ‘10 ‘60 Plymouth 50th anniversary 

304 - Sep/Oct ‘10 2010 Portland Summer Meet; oldest Ply 

305 - Nov/Dec ‘10 4 cyl tour Vermont; Tüscher PJ; driving P15s 

306 - Jan/Feb ‘11 Peking to Paris ‘32; ‘31, ‘54, ‘60 Plys 

307 - Mar/Apr ‘11 ‘49 Plymouth convertibles 

All back issues: $3 ea. Postage: to USA,1 BULLETIN $2; 2-3 $4.95; 4 or more 

$8; to Canada: $2.50/BULLETIN; Overseas: $4/BULLETIN Please make all 

checks payable to the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. Payment may be made by 

VISA or Master Card. Please list second choices as many issues are in short 

supply. 

Plymouth Club Store is in the process of being reorganized; 

please await annoucement of reopening.

Larry Gammon’s 1956 Fury sport coupe 


Larry Gammon Photo 

Founded 1957

PB 308 new page 14-18.indd - Plymouth Club

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