Combining MARC, MAFFI & MAFCA

[nhusa]

Will - I understand your passion for a "Trailer Queen" and wish I had the time, skill and money to own one. I have learned to be satisfied with a close to original T that was restored in the 50's and an A that has never been restored. Both went into a barn in the 60's when my dad got sick and they only recently became mine.

When I go to a car show I amaze people by letting the kids sit in my T (closely supervised) and demonstrate the cranking –and sometimes free start - of a T. It has been to three shows and has won a third, second and first place trophy against some nicely restored pre 40’s vehicles including brass Model Ts and beautiful Model As.

My passion is to share the history of the T and the A while spending time with my family – I am in the perfect place when I can do both at the same time.


You have significantly more NASCAR experience than I do.

Richie Evans was a friend. I met him when I was working in Corning's Process Research Center in Painted Post NY and helping Roger Treichler with suggestions on his modified. At that time I was also doing some sports car racing at The Glen. Steve Smith's first chassis book had recently come out and we were all trying to figure out suspension geometry, roll centers, roll axis, and where the cg was. The Goodyear and Firestone short track tire fight was just beginning.

The best way I can explain Richie is that he was a magnet, a sponge, and a friend; a magnet because people were drawn to him, a sponge because he soaked up information, and a friend because he did not keep secrets from me. When I saw him at the track he always wanted to show me what he was doing and discuss the next idea. Once we were so deep into a discussion about keeping the “big tires” fully in contact with the pavement that he almost missed qualifying at Spencer Speedway.

When my job took me to Ohio, I didn’t get to see Richie but followed his success. In October of 1985 I was on RT 70 near Springfield OH when I heard about his death at Martinsville. It affected me so deeply that I didn’t go to a race track for about 10 years. When we moved to NH I could hear just barely hear the Super Modifieds warming up at the local track when I worked in the yard on Saturday afternoons and it agitated me. Finally my wife told me that if I didn’t go to the track she was going to do something horrible to me because it made me “hard to live with”.

The rest is history – after attending a few races at the two NASCAR tracks near our home I started by helping with pit tours and eventually ended up in the tower with the race director. I would spend a lot more time there but frequent trips to China make it impossible for me to do anything but help.


So we are pretty much on the same page but reading different lines!

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by modelAsteve

The Judging Standards are only a guide as to what the club wants. It has little to do with what came down the assembly line and very little to do with how much fun you will have driving your reliable Model A down the road. Just my opinion!

You are off a little, the restorations and judging standards are how the the Ford motor Company WANTED the cars to come off the assembly line. The book uses first the documentation from Ford, then actual survivors, then best guess of the committee. Knowing they are not perfect, the rules allow for exceptions if you can prove your case.

As for the fun part of of your statement, depends on what floats your boat. Some get great pride and good feelings knowing that their car is as close to what the best minds feel is how the car was expected to look as it left the factory. Some just want a 80+ year old car that runs and stops well and others could give a damn what it looks like or how it was to originally meant to run, but they too have fun.

Combining MARC, MAFFI & MAFCA, it's been brought up before and will be brought up again.

[spdway1]

Another reason to combine clubs is that both write about the same vehicle and both use it as a front/back cover vehicle. (not taking away from the owner)
For Example: MARC March/April 2012 and MAFCA Jan/Feb 2014

[cradlescyth]

as a member of only one club (can not afford two

[ctvpa]

Point of thought, there are 22 meets on the MAFCA 2014 schedule. 8 are in California, 1 is in Australia, 3 are anywhere near the East coast.

[cradlescyth]

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I agree with new-shirt. I can just about afford one club (MAFCA) let alone

two. While we are on costs why not make some of the events hear in the

East coast. We recently had a regional event is this area and it was a

great sucess, along with making some of us easterners feel like we belong.

I would be in favor of combining both clubs. I get the Restorer mag , but

wish it came every month. This is about all I get for my money.

Thanks for letting me vent and I do wish the BARN would have events

such as cruse nights for A.s

[ctvpa]

[QUOTE=forever4;815995]This thread brings up another related topic, and that is the immediate need to combine Vermont and New Hampshire into one state.


I have no idea how this has any relevance to the issue.

[steve s]

[QUOTE=ctvpa;816288]

Originally Posted by forever4

This thread brings up another related topic, and that is the immediate need to combine Vermont and New Hampshire into one state.


I have no idea how this has any relevance to the issue.

Sometimes a lame analogy can be so distractively compelling that it actually carries the day.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by forever4

This thread brings up another related topic, and that is the immediate need to combine Vermont and New Hampshire into one state.

It makes no sense to have these two 'smaller' states exist adjacent to each other as separate entities, with duplication of services and costs to their members.

I am declaring that it would be in everyone's best interests to combine these two states at once, before they diminishes in population or effectiveness.

It is clear to me that the members of Vermont and New Hampshire should have identical interests, and their inevitable consolidation is only being stalled by political infighting of the two state governments trying to preserve their historical power and influence over the other, at a great disservice to their respective members.

Though I am not a 'member' of either state myself, and have never visited or participated in their activities for their member, I have every right as a member of the Michigan state to have a strong opinion on the workings of the Vermont and New Hampshire states, and to clamor for their consolidation to serve their members better, according to me!

I am sure member NHUSA will agree with me on all points.

BRILLIANT analogy!!

[steve s]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

BRILLIANT analogy!!

I guess it would be even more brilliant if NH and VT--and why not all of the other states--were disassembled into their constituent counties. Surely, they each have their own interests.

Reasoning by analogy--no matter how superficially compelling--can not logically prove anything; A can be "like" B in some respects, but, since it is not B, A must also be unlike B in other, perhaps crucial, respects.

Can summer possibly come soon enough?

[fiddlybits]

Originally Posted by newshirt

It's already done. Fordbarn has become the new "national club." MAFCA and MARC are just lingering until their members age out.

FB dispenses ten times the information that MAFCA and MARC could ever dream of. It has the youth, enthusiasm, and momentum........

I'm sorry, I fell out of my chair laughing at this one....

You were kidding, right? .... but I suspect you were not.

I need not type anything more than to ask anyone with a differing opinion to re-read this very thread.

If not convince, pick any other thread with over 10 replies.
You will certainly find an abundance of old timers "sitting on their porches", yelling for you to get off their lawns and expounding on how they know the right way to do everything and not to listen to any of those answers with actual facts in them.

It's a constant stream of one-upsmanship and "whether I'm correct or not is not the issue....it's that my opinion is right and theirs is wrong".

I have spent a lot of time searching this site for information and I find my self always getting tired of having to filter through all of the posturing, opinions and threadjacking. (not to mention the flat out bullying and sophomoric diatribe witnessed on a few occasions, one of them personally.)

Until this group can interact in a civil, encouraging and enjoyable way this will not be the club of the future.

Frankly, in its present "state", FB sucks the fun out of having a Model A. If it were not for valuable information buried within all the fertilizer I wouldn't come around and, although I have lots of questions, I will not ask them as I have experienced that once already.

[Jim/GA]

Originally Posted by fiddlybits

<snip>

Frankly, in its present "state", FB sucks the fun out of having a Model A. If it were not for valuable information buried within all the fertilizer I wouldn't come around and, although I have lots of questions, I will not ask them as I have experienced that once already.

I suspect that if you called the national office of either MARC or MAFCA and asked for the phone number or email address of their technical assistance volunteers, that you could ask you questions and get helpful answers fairly quickly. Perhaps not as fast as on FB, but with a good bit less fertilizer.

[RockHillWill]

My thoughts are in line with Jim. There are technical guru's at either club that are willing to dispense expert technical advice and every two months do so in writing, providing details to back up their 'opinions'.

As always, this is merely my opinion.

[brum1]

"It is clear to me that the members of Vermont and New Hampshire should have identical interests"

Your analogy falls apart here, unlike MARC & MAFCA were all members do have a common interest in the Model A as both clubs mission statement outlines

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

Love that first statement! Applies to car clubs across the nation.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by brum1

"It is clear to me that the members of Vermont and New Hampshire should have identical interests"

Your analogy falls apart here, unlike MARC & MAFCA were all members do have a common interest in the Model A as both clubs mission statement outlines

Let's see;

New Hampshire motto "Live Free or Die"
Vermont motto "Freedom and Unity"

Looks like they both want freedom, seems like a common interest to me, and look Vermont even wants unity maybe unity with New Hampshire.

And we forget the added benefit of what the two join we will have room on the flag for Puerto Rico and save money by not having to remake all those flags out there.

Lets recap joining states with common interests as declared bt there mottos. One wants to join, allowing more room for additional "members" and no additional costs in flags and text books as we will still have 50 states.

Sounds like a win win win to me.

[nhusa]

Originally Posted by forever4

This thread brings up another related topic, and that is the immediate need to combine Vermont and New Hampshire into one state.

I am sure member NHUSA will agree with me on all points.

I think that is a great idea! Ultra liberal VT and conservative NH would make a great state. The liberals would always have to be right even if they are left so we could call the new state North Massachusetts.

[Jeff/Illinois]

How about you guys out in N.Hampshire and Vemont, while your combining, we send you Chicago? We've been wanting to cut them off for years! A new state 'ChiVerShire'?

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Jeff/Illinois

How about you guys out in N.Hampshire and Vemont, while your combining, we send you Chicago? We've been wanting to cut them off for years! A new state 'ChiVerShire'?

Who is "we"? I live in Chicago, not the 'burbs' or downstate and could say plenty of nasty things about you, but this is not a political forum.

[jm29henry]

Simply. I like it as it is I love both magazines ,I like reading both tech section ,and I like collecting both magazines and reading all the stories about the different cars and people .