NORTHWEST

STANDARD

PNWCLC

Apr-Jun 2018

Volume 41

Number 2

2018 PNW Cadillac & LaSalle Club and Lincoln

& Continental Owners Club Joint

Henry Leland “Birthday” Dinner

On an extremely cold day with a combination of wind, hail,

snow and sun, 46 of us ventured to dinner at Verrazano’s in

Des Moines to wish Henry Leland a 165th Happy Birthday.

This is our first venue of the year and ,once again, with the

pleasure of joining the Lincoln & Continental Club. After

Bob LeCoque’s gave a short talk about Leland’s life with

the automobile we had the opportunity to learn about

everyone’s car or cars. We were sorry that Ted Barber, our

local historian on Leland, was unable to make it. Not many

classic’s in the parking lot due to this insane weather alt-

hough many of us enjoy our newer GM automobiles. Joni

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OFFICERS:

President Robert A. LeCoque V.P. Joni Reis V.P. Activities Bob Sondheim Treasurer Jerry Leighton Secretary Position Open Membership Jerry Leighton National Rep. Don Miholovich Webmaster Jack Looney Editor Joni Reis BOARD: Ted Barber Jack Looney Bob Sondheim Scott Anderson Don Miholovich

STEERING COLUMN

OUR WEB SITE: www.clcpnwr.org

NATIONAL: www.cadillaclasalleclub.org/

We are also on Facebook

NORTHWEST STANDARD is published by the

Pacific Northwest Region of the Cadillac &

LaSalle Club. The purpose of this club is to

exchange information, encourage the

maintenance, preservation and restoration of

Cadillac and LaSalle Automobiles & to promote

social fellowship & fun among it’s members.

As I write this my buddy Dan and I are headed to the Portland Swap Meet or, as it will probably be this year, a “Swamp Meet” as it is sup-posed to be wet all weekend. Still, its fun to go ‘cause you just never know what you’ll find.

We had a great Leland Party where the Lincoln Club joined us in cele-brating our common founder’s birthday. Along that line, we are also inviting the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club to our annual cars show at the Triple XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah on June 24th.

Joni has put together a Whidbey Island tour for April 15th. The de-tails are in this issue, hope you can join us.

WE NEED ARTICLES FOR THE NORTHWEST STANDARD! Please help us out by writing an article about your Cadillac or LaSalle or a tech-nical topic. We are happy to help you in any way to get it into the NWS. Remember, this is your club, any articles or event suggestions are very welcome.

All for now, Bob.

Driving Tour!

April 15, 2018

Whidbey Island Driving Tour

Meet at Northgate Mall in front

of Nordstrom’s

Drive to Mukilteo

Board the Ferry to Whidbey

Car Tour to Meerkerk Gardens

Tour to Joni’s Beach House for

lunch

More information inside!

Local & National 2018 Events

April 15th: Whidbey Island Tour. Information inside.

May 6th: Garden Tour put on by the Robert and Sally Sondheim on Bainbridge

Island. Take the 9:35 Bainbridge ferry from Seattle and meet the West Siders at the

Town and country Market in Winslow. RSVP, Bob , rsondheim@hotmail.com or 206

653 7064. Flyer included inside!

June 5-9, 2018: 2018 CLC Grand National in Central Texas. More information and

registration forms in the Self Starter.

June 24th, 2018: The PNW Cadillac LaSalle Club and the Lincoln & Continental Club

join together for “The Cars of Leland Show at Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in, Is-

saquah. 9am-3pm No Charge

August 3-10, 2018: CLC 2018 Grand National Driving Tour in San Luis Obispo, CA.

More information and registration in upcoming Self Starter.

September 21, 22, 23: Bradly Huson, Kevin Berry and Jerry & Tina Leighton have

invited us to their homes in Oysterville & Ocean Park again this year! We will be

staying at the Chautaugua Lodge, Long Beach. The Mount Hood Region is invited

as well. More information will be forthcoming.

Congratulations to Ron Zahn for having his car on

the cover of the March Self Starter honoring the

50th anniversary of the 1968 Cadillac Model Year!

Great Photo by Phil Toy Photography,

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Sunday April 15, 2018

Whidbey Island Driving Tour

Meet at Northgate Mall at 8:30am west of Nordstrom’s upper parking lot. It is uncovered.

Leave at 9:00am sharp via I-5 and Hwy 525 for the Mukilteo Ferry

Board the 10:00am Ferry to Clinton on Whidbey Island

Ferry’s run every half hour

Pull over at the top of the hill in front of Cozy’s Roadhouse on the right, about 1/2 mile

Don and I will continue to lead the tour

Drive 15 miles to Meerkerk Gardens in Greenbank $5.00 fee

3531 Meerkerk Lane, Greenbank, WA 98253

meerkerk Gardens.org

Tour of the Gardens! Some of the Rhododendron's should be out! It’s a beautiful walk!

Proceed through Freeland to Joni’s Beach House on Bells Beach & enjoy lunch on the water.

I will have directions for your way home…. at your leisure.

Trip Through Langley

Langley to Ferry at Clinton

From the Ferry/ Mukilteo to I-5

RSVP: Joni Reis 206-755-4623, visuals10@msn.com

or Don Miholovich 206-551-0162, railroadman10@aol.com

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May 6th 2018 “ Garden Tour Driving Tour“

Bob and Sally Sondheim

are planning a driving tour to Bainbridge for the day.

We will take the 9:35 Ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge and

meet the rest of the club in the parking lot of the Town and

Country Market in Winslow.

Our driving tour will include the Bay Hay and Feed, the Bain-

bridge Library, which has a wonderful garden, a private gar-

den and then on to the Bainbridge Museum.

We will be having lunch along the way.

Please let Bob Sondheim know if you will be attending.

Bob: rsondheim@hotmail.com or 206 653 7064.

Joni Reis

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EVERY CAR HAS A STORY #2

1983 Eldorado Touring Coupe – Bob and Devree LeCoque

Back in 2013 my dad called me and said there is an Eldorado for sale around the corner from them so, I thought I would at least

look. At first glance it seemed unremarkable, 1983, bronze paint, fairly straight, in need of the plastic bumper fillers on all four cor-

ners and, an awful aftermarket – dealer installed fake convertible top. Strangely, though, it also had the optional turbine wheels.

My first thought is to pass as I just have had no real desire to own an HT4100 equipped car due to the chronic engine issues with

that era. My mother’s 1985 SDV intermingled its engine vital fluids at 45,000 miles which lead to the trading in of that car on the

1991 SDV but, that’s another story.

The fellow was selling the car for his father’s estate and explained that his father had purchased the car new in southern California

and used it as a Las Vegas runner. Ok, mostly road miles, it showed 60,000 on the odometer and the interior was too nice to be

160,000 plus. As nice as the interior was though, it was missing the entire headlining panel, not just the cloth. My guess was that

someone tried to remove the panel without removing the windshield and it broke.

Besides the turbine wheels, the Saddle colored interior was different than most Eldorados I had seen in that it had high back seats

and a center console. Some other unusual features were the black plastic lower trim, instead of stainless, and the painted headlight

bezels and wheel opening trim. It hit me that under the fake top was an Eldorado Touring Coupe. Also missing was the cloisonné

hood badge that would have identified the car as a Touring Coupe (it had the standard stand up crest ornament).

I offered him about half of the advertised price citing all the issues with the car, I really did not need this car, and he countered with

still more that I was willing to pay. We parted, and I wished him luck in selling it. About two weeks later he called and asked if my

offer still stood as his father’s house had sold and he needed the car out of there. I said yes, and we went and picked it up, added

some fuel and headed for home.

The Eldorado Touring Coupe was introduced in 1982 as more youthful, sporty version of the base Eldorado. Equipped with the

touring suspension package along with the turbine wheels, lower black cladding, painted trim, and wider black wall tires. The gray

leather interior was unique with high back manually reclining bucket seats and a center console. Exterior colors were limited to

black and silver. For 1983, the color choices were Sable Black and Sonora Saddle Firemist with a Saddle leather interior. Production

for 1983 was 1197 Touring Coupes.

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Removal of the fake top revealed about 150 pop rivet holes in the roof perimeter and 2 right through the quarter window trim on

both sides. This situation prompted the body and paint work prior to any mechanical work. With Ebay, my 24/7 swap meet, I gar-

nered most of the missing and deteriorated items that needed replacement including NOS hood and quarter cloisonné “Eldorado

Touring Coupe” medallions.

At the 2015 Fall Festival at the CLCMRC in Hickory Corners, Lars Kneller,

who had recently acquired a very nice 1984 Eldorado Convertible, and I

started the process of our HT4100 education by talking to others who

were knowledgeable with this engine. Our most enlightening conversa-

tion was with CLC Past President Alan Haas who had been with Cadillac

Publications, during this en-

gine’s time, where all the tech-

nical publications and service

bulletins were produced. Al

said that besides the cooling

system maintenance, including

the use of the GM cooling sys-

tem tablets, a very important

upgrade was the installation of

longer intake manifold bolts

with the addition of “Belleville” spring washers under the bolt heads. I could see these

washers on our 91 Eldorado but could not define the washer dimensions. Ebay to the rescue again, where I found a factory set of

1988 4.5L manifold bolts still in the bag. These included the washers so, I was able to get the washer measurements and make my

own bolt/washer set. (The 1988 bolt lengths are different that the 1983 4100)With the new bolt / washer combination installed, I

have now been driving the car regularly to see how well this works. Fortunately, the engine did not show any signs of the typical

manifold gasket failure, so I am hoping the bolt upgrade prevents the situation.

So far it has been a very pleasant, and fun, car to drive. It is however, a significant contrast to my 1970 Eldorado with its 8.2 litre

(500 cu. in.) and 400 hp. A sign of the times though, half the displacement but double the miles per gallon.

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After Don’s Navy Reunion in Auburn Alabama and on our way to see my friend in Birmingham we stopped

at Talladega Speedway and Museum. We started with the track tour weaving in and out all areas includ-

ing the race track, but kept shy of the 33 degree bank on the corners. In order to stay up on the 33 de-

gree grade you have to be driving at least 80 mph.

There are only two major NASCAR races each year, but each last a week. People have motorhomes and

tents in the center of the track and on the perimeters. As you go through town towards the track it is

lined with motels, camping and motorhome parking. On our visit the police were using part of a lower

track to train the officers how to drive while on the job and another area was being used secrerately by

BMW to test their prototype’s and a work crew was adding additional motorhome hook-ups. Ther was a

lot of activity. Below is a quote from their Induction Ceremony.

The Museum and International Motorsports Hall of Fame contain several buildings and a carport area

which houses a Newell Coach previously owned by Dale Earnhardt along with several pace cars of various

eras. From here you have the choice of several museum building. Where to start? We really enjoyed this!

Talladega Superspeedway

“The International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama is the Canton, Ohio of motorsports. The men and women enshrined in this facility are not only the best of the best in motorsports, they are an important part of our world. They are the drivers, riders and pilots that took us along as mankind continued its quest to break through new limits. They are the designers, engineers, and builders that shaped the motorsports world. They are the great leaders like Henry Ford, Enzo Ferrari and Ferdinand Porsche that built empires that still achieve at the highest level today. We seek to honor their achievements and celebrate their lives and their accomplishments. We proudly presents the Members of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. “

Dale Earnhardt 1994

Newell Motorhome was

his home on the road as

he traveled from race

track to race track. This

coach is in it’s original

condition and only has

74,000miles on it.

1982 Pontiac Trans

AM pace car for Busch

Clash at Daytona In-

ternational speedway

1940 Mercury Eight driven by Sam Packard.

With the creation of NASCAR, and even during its

formative years, drivers did not compete in aerody-

namically advanced modern vehicles, but in large,

heavy stock cars with minor modifications such as this

Mercury. Established by Ford in 1939, Mercury filled

the price gap between the expensive Lincoln and mod-

erately-priced Ford and was often promoted as a per-

formance car. Pioneering driver Sam Packard worked

with Bill France to turn stock car racing into a national

sport and even participated in the first NASCAR-

sanctioned race on February 15,1948 at the new Day-

tona beach-road course.

Don Miholovich trying out one of the

race cars.

Joni Reis

1980 Trans Am

Indy 500 Pace

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Talladega Page 2

Don Miholovich

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Talladega Page 3

GM GOODRENCH CHEVROLET

MONTE CARLO, RCR Chassis #44

This is the car that Richard Childress

presented to the International Mo-

torsports Hall of Fame on April 27,

2006, the night Dale Earnhardt was

inducted into the Hall of Fame. The

car was the first that Childress has

released after recalling all of the black

#3’s that he owned after Earnhardt

was killed in 2001.

It’s final time on the track was an

ARCA race in October of 1999 at

Lowe’s Motor Speedway where Kevin

Harvick qualified seventh and finished

second.

Don

Miholo-

vich

checking

out race

car.

Look

closely!

1993 Chevy Lumina

Neil Bonnett, who was just getting

back into racing after earlier injuries,

survived the crash of this car in Tal-

ladega in 1993. Neil went into the

broadcast booth after being checked

for injuries and provided color com-

mentary for the rest of the race that

afternoon.

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Since 1983, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame has been the home to some of the most historical artifacts in all of motorsports. And, beginning in 1990, the legends of motorsports who used many of those artifacts began to take their place in the prestigious venue.

On July 25th of that year, 20 of the greatest legends of the global motorsports community were enshrined in a ceremony befitting their accomplishments. In a formal affair hosted by the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, they, their families and the world learned the true meaning of the Hall's creation.

The following day, July 26, the inductees joined officials and dignitaries from the motorsports community in cutting the ribbon on a new 15,000-square-foot building designed to highlight their place in history.

The induction of the first class into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the ribbon cutting for the building which became its home represented the fruits of a seed which was planted more than 25 years ago. To fully appreciate the events, one must be familiar with the people who planted that seed and who nurtured its growth.

In the late 1960s, the man who had the vision for the IMHOF and museum had just finished construction of an earlier dream in an area known as "Dry Valley" near Talladega, Alabama. Originally named Alabama International Motor Speed-way, it was the realization of NASCAR founder William H.G. "Bill" France Sr.'s desire to build the fastest, and largest, su-perspeedway in the world.

In early 1970, France had hired a successful short track racing promoter by the name of Don Naman to manage the facili-ty. In his first conversations with his new manager, France shared the dream we now know as the IMHOF. As Naman re-calls, France talked of the need for a "museum and hall of fame to preserve the history of motorsports and honor those who had contributed to its growth."

As France shared his dream for such a facility, a number of local and state elected officials and civic leaders in Alabama and around the nation lent support to the idea. Talladega, Alabama businessmen Billy McGehee, Travis McCaig and the late Jean Brandli of Pell City, were chief among those early supporters.

In 1975, the first major step was realized when then-Governor George C. Wallace appointed an 18-member commission to oversee the effort to create the IMHOF museum. Brandli served as its first chairman.

During her tenure an unsuccessful attempt was made to secure passage of a state bond issue to finance construction of the first phase of the facility. When the issue did not pass, France decided to underwrite the project himself. Part of that effort was the donation of 35 acres of land adjacent to what is now Talladega Superspeedway which served as the site of the project.

All in all, the museum has something for everyone. Located just off Interstate 20, south of Talladega, it is open daily from 9-5 p.m. Now thanks to the vision of a few and the efforts of many, the IMHOF realizes its true mission, the enshrine-ment of the greats of motorsports.

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As health problems forced Brandli to reduce her level of involve-ment, State Senator Gerald Dial assumed the helm of the commis-sion. Through continued diligence and support of many prominent business and civic leaders, they were able to bring about creation of the museum building.

Ground breaking ceremonies for the first phase of the facility were held on the site on March 27, 1981. Serving as members of the Commission at that time, in addition to Brandli, Dial, McCaig and McGehee, were Mark Bowen, Benny J. Camp, Ralph Collins, Hank Fannin, Sunny King, Winston Legge, William Moss, Fred Sington, Phil Smith, Bobby Davis, Charles Osborne, Tom Wright, Governor Wallace; Doctors Kenneth L. Harris and James L. Hardwick; Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson and Judges Walker Hobbie and Kyser Leonard. Andy Allred served as first Executive Director.

In the spring of 1983, ribbon cutting for the $2 million facility was held. The first phase included opening of the rotunda; wel-coming area and gift shop; museum offices; offices for the International Speedway Corporation; ticket office; and the first two exhibit halls. They were promptly named the "Daytona Room," for racing memorabilia centering around racing on the beach in Daytona, Florida; and the International Room, which contained a large and varied collection of racing memorabilia.

Today, the IMHOF is the home to countless historic vehicles from various worlds of racing that include: stock cars, open wheel, NHRA, road racing, modified, motorcycle and much more.

In addition to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the facility also houses other Halls of Fame. These include the Au-tomobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Hall of Fame; the Quarter Midgets of America Hall of Fame; the Alabama Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame and the Alabama Sports Writer's Hall of Fame. The prestigious Henry T. McLemore Motorsports Jour-nalism Award is also a part of the IMHOF.

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I am selling my beloved 1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible. I live in the City and due to my expanding spacial needs it only makes sense for me to send it on its way to a new home. I also am not driving it as much as I was once able to, so that is another reason for this not so easy decision.

I purchased this car in May of 2004 after several months of searching for this exact model(first year of the 472 motor and last year of the stacked headlights). The purchase required me to take a trip down to Los Angeles and have the car AT’d back up to Seattle. When I purchased the car, the motor had been recently rebuilt and a new white top had been installed. Since then, I have put new 16” Dayton Wire wheels(spokes match interior color) and new Coker 2” white walls(now with 2,300 total miles on them). The tire and wheel size selected matches stock specifications. I have also put in a new(professionally installed) sound system. In the front stock speaker placement there is a set of Pioneer 4” mids with 1.125” tweeters, and another set of the same speakers in the rear stock speaker placement (all hidden). The head unit is Kenwood and was installed in the ash tray. When the ash tray is closed everything looks stock and when it is open you have full control of the deck that is ready for a CD, external drive or Bluetooth. In the trunk there is a Rockford Fos-gate subwoofer and a Memphis Amplifier.

When I bought the car in 2004, the odometer showed approx. 87,000 miles (could have been 187K as there is no digit for 100K). The odometer is now at 90,883. I have consistently put right around 300 miles per year on the car since I have owned it, all summer/sun miles. In the thirteen years I have owned the car it has always been garaged. Over the years this car has given me very little trouble. I have replaced the driver side power window mechanism, as well as a switch for the power top. Other than that, the car has been solid and relatively hassle-free. It is a driver and has a few ‘character points’ but overall is a beautiful specimen of a ’68 Cadillac DeVille Convertible.

Asking $18,500 OBO

Serious buyers only please…. email, text or call Mark

Email: mortgagemark9@gmail.com

Text/call: 206.849.8219

For Sale!

1968 DeVille

Convertible

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1937 LaSalle on it’s way to it’s NEW Home! Submitted by former owner / member Richard Roullard.

DUES ARE DUE!

WATCH FOR A SEPARATE EMAIL WITH

THE RENEWAL FORM.

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07/31/2018 04731/2018

NORTHWEST STANDARD

CLC PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION

PO BOX 3025

RENTON, WA 98056

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