hddennis Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 A question asked on here this morning brought sad news to our hobby: George Paul Bachleda, of Olcar Bearing Company passed away peacefully Sunday, May 26, 2019. George had an uncanny ability to find bearings for our cars others said were impossible to get. Several days ago I ran into an electrical problem and emailed my friend Chris who had gone above and beyond to help me and other restorers and asked nothing in return.So unlike Chris I got no reply and checked on the forum to find he hadn't visited in months. Google turned up why: Chris Wantuck, known as Friartuck on the forum passed away March 8, 2019. I'll miss the help from both but most of all I'll miss the great conversations we had discussing our passions for antique cars. Howard Dennis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Several of Chris' thorough technical articles appeared in our AACA region's newsletters in the past. Since he lived in New Jersey, I hadn't heard he had passed on. Thank you, Howard, for bringing this to our attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Sad news indeed. Chris was a good friend and we shared "how to " tips. He was relatively young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Boltendal Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Howard, this is the information I had wished not to read, but knew I possible would , how very sad . Thank you for taking the time and let me know. Johan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 So sorry to hear this. My most sincere condolences to his family and close friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregory Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) I knew Chris - Friartuck through the AACA . When you asked Chris a question he would go all out trying to help you out . I mentioned to Chris I was trying to duplicate a Reo Royale trunk and he gave me all sorts of pointers and even included a picture of the trunk in his publication the Second Chance Garage . http://www.secondchancegarage.com/how-to/trunk-pt-1-1.cfm I believe Chris had a Military background . Here is an example of Chris's work trying to help out my group of Reo Royale owners . He new all about computer scanning and the right people to have it made . Edited June 22, 2019 by Mark Gregory (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 A great guy. As others have said, Chris would always go the extra mile to help a fellow enthusiast. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 51 minutes ago, Penske PC-7 said: A great guy. As others have said, Chris would always go the extra mile to help a fellow enthusiast. RIP. So true. Chris had an insatiable appetite to learn about all sorts of processes and the only other person I ever knew who was very sincere about learning was past AACA President (deceased) Ron Barnett. Prior to retiring 2 years ago I spent 46 years in the sand casting and machining business. Chris and I met through this forum and one day he asked if I could get him some green sand (molding sand). Had some guys at our squeezer molding facility load about 200 pounds in a container that was still warm out of the muller. Went on a sales trip to S. Jersey. Met Chris at one of my industrial accounts parking lot in Wall, NJ. Backed up our pickups so the tailgates were quasi even figuring we would just manhandle the barrel by sliding it onto Chris' truck. What a carrying on that turned out to be. Some of the guys from my customer came out with a forklift. Chris wanted to experiment with the sand to cast some parts. That's when we spent a lot of time on the phone as did trial and error. Great memories with the guy. A true loss as many of you expressed. Peter J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 12 hours ago, Mark Gregory said: Here is an example of Chris's work trying to help out my group of Reo Royale owners We exchanged messages about that piece. I believe he drew it up in Inkscape; we discussed the process. I am very glad they came out well. He was fastidious. I wonder if he finished the Lincoln restoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broker-len Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 does anyone know if any one will picking up the business for the bearing company ????? or how to contact airs BR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 On 6/22/2019 at 2:56 PM, Mark Gregory said: I knew Chris - Friartuck through the AACA . When you asked Chris a question he would go all out trying to help you out . I mentioned to Chris I was trying to duplicate a Reo Royale trunk and he gave me all sorts of pointers and even included a picture of the trunk in his publication the Second Chance Garage . http://www.secondchancegarage.com/how-to/trunk-pt-1-1.cfm I believe Chris had a Military background . Here is an example of Chris's work trying to help out my group of Reo Royale owners . He new all about computer scanning and the right people to have it made . Chris' 1930 Lincoln.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorialynn2 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Sad. I recognize his username and am sure we’ve chatted on some threads. I am so sorry for his family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Thank you all for your thoughts. I only knew the name not the man but he has left AACA his beloved Lincoln and a very sizeable donation. One of the biggest ever to the club. Obviously he was a great supporter and will be missed by so many of you. Sad that after all these years of seeing his posts I only know now who he really was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Chris was a civilian employee of the military. For a while it looked like he was going to be transferred to a post near us at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. He was looking for land down here but when he realized the zoning would be a hassle he decided to stay in Jersey. I never heard even an inkling that he was ill. I believe he was 57 years old or thereabouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILIKECARS53 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 From members of the CCCA that I know, they say he had a heart attack and passed quickly. Very sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregory Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Chris Wantuck spent 29 years as an Electrical Engineer with the US Army's Communications Engineering Research Center, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. His formal education started with vocational courses in mechanical drawing and industrial electronics. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York and a Master's Degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. Spanning over a 30 year period, he has researched and used various antique automobile restoration methods and techniques. A self taught amateur machinist, small parts projects include radiator and gas caps, door strike enclosures, unique covers, and tail light lenses and brackets. Chris is a member of the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA), Metropolitan Region CCCA, the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), Gettysburg Region AACA, the Lincoln Owners Club (LOC), and the Antique Motoring Club of Monmouth County (AMCOMC). Chris served as the CCCA Technician for model L Lincolns from 2003 till 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akstraw Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Sad news about George. Over the past 25 years I never brought him anything easy, and he never failed to find what I was after. I could give him a ninety year old part number for a very odd bearing from an orphan car, and a week later a new one would magically appear in my mailbox with an invoice. He was a unique resource to our hobby. I will miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now