Confession from the BCA Office

[Guest imported_BCAOffice]

After reading the thread concerning the Bugle magazine, and seeing the part about Norb Burwell's article not being received by Bob Snowden, I went on a "search & destroy" mission here in the BCA Office. You see, I asked Norb to send me that article and assured him that I would forward it to Bob for publication. I was absolutely sure that I had mailed that to Bob, but much to my chagrin, I found it still in the envelope addressed to Bob behind the office copy machine!!!!! It apparently fell out of sight when I was loading up the bag I use to transport the mail to and from the post office each day. I will be calling Norb Burwell and Bob Snowden in the morning to apologize to each.

Mike Book

[Matt Harwood]

Hi Mike,

In the spirit of bringing things up to an even keel with the Bugle discussion, I'd like to renew my offer to produce a monthly column of some sort for the Bugle. I personally think that readers might like a summary of each month's progress on my Century similar to the log entries on my web site, but in a more compact form with fewer pictures. If I could have 2 pages of space each month, I could really do a lot with it and I think many members might enjoy seeing the real-world progress of an amateur restorer doing most of the work at home. I'd be happy to share my successes and failures, share any tips I learn, information on products, etc. just as I do on the web page. I can remove any commercial content (I like to plug the companies that treat me right, but that probably isn't appropriate for the Bugle). I'll provide all print-quality photos and text, ready for publication in whatever format the printers prefer. Maybe it would inspire some members to tackle projects they wouldn't have ordinarily.

And for those of you concerned about my lengthy rants on the state of the domestic auto industry, I'll leave those out completely and concentrate on the restoration. I promise!

A little about me: I'm a professional writer, with degrees in English and journalism. I'm currently the director of marketing for an automotive testing equipment company. I've had numerous articles published in magazines like <span style="font-style: italic">Machine Design, InDesign, Automotive Engineering International</span> and<span style="font-style: italic"> Control.</span> I'm also shopping my second novel for publication (a mystery based on the Cleveland Torso Murders of the 1930s called <span style="font-style: italic">The Soul Collector</span>). I've built and raced a lot of cars in my past, including a series of tuner Corvette C5s called the Mallett 435 and Mallett 396 (see www.mallettcars.com for more of that and see if you can spot me in the photos). I worked with Dave Polson (a name familiar to BCA members) when I was a kid restoring some pretty nice cars. My home shop is pretty well equipped, including a <span style="font-style: italic">very</span> understanding wife.

Interested? Let me know. Drop me a line at toolman8@sbcglobal.net.

[BigFella]

I think Matt's idea is a great one...

[NTX5467]

One thing about it Matt, your understanding wife knows where you're supposed to be if you're not with her.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Guest Dynaflo2]

So what was your first novel? Title and plot??

[Guest Andynator]

It certainly had to be better than King's gawd-awful stinker "From a Buick Eight"!

Andy

[Barney Eaton]

Mike, I know the feeling of misplacing things. My desk and workshop looks like the old Sanford & Sons TV show. I have suggested to Nancy that we move into a one room house, at least we will know where to look.

We need more people like Matt willing to contribute to the Bugle. My graph in last months Bugle was intended to show members what the distribution was for the 100 years of Buick. By shear numbers, the majority of BCA members own cars from about 1949 to 1972, that group probably accounts for 3/4 of the cars but only covers 1/4 of the time Buicks were produced.

While Matt's cars is in this popular group, I think we would start hearing complaints about dedicating so much space to one car (year wise), Robert Snowden and the members could probably live with a one page summary every 4 months on this car.

[Matt Harwood]

Hi Barney, thanks for the feedback. It's good to know the board is watching what goes on here.

However, I was hoping that any column I write would be more directed at restoring a car, <span style="font-style: italic">any car</span>, rather than about the peculiarities of restoring a '41 Buick Century sedanette. I have found inspiration and knowledge in a variety of sites similar to mine, including one about a '64 Ferrari, a '54 Chevy Truck, a '33 Ford hi-boy hot-rod, a 1959 Cadillac and a 1963 Jaguar XKE. My point wasn't to advertise my particular car or tell people about how great the '41s are (though they are), but rather to help other members who might be thinking about tackling a restoration themselves but aren't sure if they can do it. Based on the feedback I get at my website (on the order of 20-25 E-mails a day!), people are watching and they're <span style="font-style: italic">very</span> interested. I think the fact that my skills and resources are no greater than anyone else's could be very beneficial to the people who don't think they can build an award-winning car without spending $100,000 with a professional restorer.

Personally, I think it would be a mistake at this point to turn away any content to a club publication that needs it desperately, just out of fear of alienating members who don't happen to own that particular year of Buick. I think my restoration techniques are pretty universal--I'm replacing rusty floors, straightening body panels, rebuilding an OHV engine, learning about chrome plating, upholstery and paint, etc. My questions are every amateur restorer's questions, and I'm willing to donate a considerable amount of my time to helping those people. I don't want money or exposure or plugs for anything I do, I just want to get involved and help my hobby.

I'd just like a chance. If there are complaints, then we'll change the format. But I bet there won't be any. I'll do my part to keep it lively and entertaining as well as factually correct and responsible. All I'm asking for is the opportunity to share what I have with other hobbyists.

[Patrick W. Brooks]

Hello Matt and All: The BCA would certainly be pleased to receive material from anyone about Buick restoration, including a series of articles. They would be published in series form but not necessarily each month. Noone needs to be invited to submit articles, including in series form. Start writing tomorrow and send the first article as soon as possible. Some could be written in the form of a "Technical Tip" while others in more lengthy form. I submit many articles and sometimes several months pass between articles so that others can have their material printed. There is room for everyone and the more who participate the better. Roll your sleeves up and get us the first submission ASAP. Post your acceptance of this invitation on this website and let me know if you have questions. You can email me at Brooker50158

@hotmail.com Thanks for asking and it sounds as though your subject will be very interesting. Patrick W. Brooks, President, BCA

[jscheib]

I just wanted to add a few comments about Matt's work, both the car and writing. I think a series of articles on restoration overall would be good. Unfortunately, it would probably mean he would not be able to simply transfer some material from his wrting on his website (meaning more work for him), but the website would surely serve as a reference for all of the computer literate BCA members.

I found the web site most interesting and I could sit here and probably stay up all night reading, but I know now how to get to the site and will be reading more later. I look forward to reading the articles in the Bugle and it would certainly stmulate some responses if others have comments about certain suppliers and techniques.

I had someone else do much of the work on my '32 so I can appreciate the work gone into this restoration (stuff I had been hesitant to try, but might now, as I am eager to start another project)yet alone taking the time to organize the photos and write the text. And for Matt, it looks like the '41 may not be done for Plano, but I certainly hope we see it in Batavia in 2005.

John D. Scheib

Assistant Director - Yankee Chapter

'32 57S

and as of Sunday '68 Riv

[Matt Harwood]

I'll get started right away. What kind of formatting for the photos does the print office prefer for digital submissions? Also, can I expect this to be a recurring opportunity or a one-time shot? The reason I ask is that it will determine how I write the article and the subject matter. If there will be an opportunity to do a regular article (monthly, quarterly, yearly, whatever), then I'd like to use this first one to introduce the project and talk about some goals and some general restoration advice. In future articles, I'd talk about the process.

Either way, I'm excited to be a part of this and look forward to getting this done!

[Guest my3buicks]

Matt, is this going to be on your restoration of your 41, or will it be an article/column on restoration in general?

[Matt Harwood]

Well, since I'm not technically an <span style="font-style: italic">expert</span> on all facets of auto restoration, I was planning on the article being a "digest" of the log entries on my web site. My goal is to show other enthusiasts that they can tackle many projects themselves and that they don't need a big pile of money to have a very nice old Buick. I would be happy to do technical articles on aspects of restoration on which I feel I <span style="font-style: italic">am</span> an expert (engine building, for instance), but I feel that my experiences as an amateur restorer will be far more valuable and interesting to the general readership of the <span style="font-style: italic">Bugle</span>.

So, I guess to answer your question, it will be <span style="font-style: italic">based</span> on my own restoration efforts on the Century, but I will certainly direct it more towards the members as a "general" restoration series. For example, "Here's how I replaced my floor pans" and "Rebuilding a motor" or "Body work and paint prep" could be possible topics. But again, since I'm not an expert, I want to shy away from saying, <span style="font-style: italic">"This is how it is done,"</span> and instead focus on <span style="font-style: italic">"Here's how I'm doing it, and I'll share all my experiences and lessons (both good and bad) with you."</span> I know how much I enjoy learning from others' experiences, so I wanted to share mine.

[Patrick W. Brooks]

Good Morning Matt and All: My face was all teeth when I read your last two postings. Thanks for responding and taking on the writing of articles on your restoration. I am sure four to six articles a year would be fine. Since I write a monthly column as BCA President, and many other articles, I know it can take alot of time. Photos are very important and a retired dentist, who is also a photographer, does my photos. He has alot of special equipment for close ups. Write the articles and "Part I and II" or whatever you think will work best. Send them to Bob Snowden at the Bugle. To control typos and other problems it is best to email them to him or send a disk. He then only has to move them into the format and it is done without mistakes. Otherwise, he has to retype them completly. Almost always the mistakes we see in the Bugle are on the disks and emails he receives. He catches many of them but not all. Things are much better than they were some years ago but we have yet to achieve perfection. There is a sixty day time lag in publishing. Thanks for the offer and let me know if I can help or offer other suggestions. Patrick W. Brooks, President, BCA