XMAS PARTY POSTPONEMENT WAS

A GOOD THING TO DO !!!

For the first time that I can remember, the decision amongst the Board to postpone the Christmas party from December 1st to the 8th was not easily made.  The calls and emails took about 2.5 hours, but I think it was the right decision.

When I was calling around when I called the Wersching's, Judy said if there was ice, they weren't going to come.  Jill Karg said she probably wasn't excited, but that Jim would put a plow on the front of the '66 Chevelle, but it was probably a good thing to do.

On Saturday the 8th, 45 NICC members came to the Christmas party.  We had several members make this their first NICC function.   The weather wasn't the best we've ever had, but it was better than the prior Saturday.

Keep watching this website for details on the January meeting.

Ya'll have a great Christmas and New Year's with family & friends !!

NICC AT MR. BEEF

It was a pretty good day for the second Saturday of November.  Temps weren’t too bad and there was no precipitation.  We had 11 NICC members at the Mr. Beef.  The October / November meetings are generally just the “come & relax” type.  That is, we are kinda taking a breather from the various summer car activities and talking about plans we have for the winter and what we might do next summer.

This month we also had the opportunity for the club to pay the tab for the drinks and the two large Mr. Beef pizzas, which were sausage, onion and green peppers I think.  I didn’t have many so I am unsure.

Let’s see if I remember all who attended, Mark Witczak, Bob Reichenbach, Jim & Judy Wersching,  Steve Husak, George Primm, Jim & Jill Karg.  Also there was Terry McManmon and his daughter Zoe, who I am guessing I haven’t seen since she was in Jr. Hi.  She’s a university graduate now (Princeton, Yale or Harvard; one of those).  You can see by Terry’s look while getting his pic taken, kinda reminds me of a lion thinking about just when to eliminate that annoying, yet tasty gazelle.  I took only this pic in addition to the ’07 Z-06.  Didn’t want to push it.

Oh yes, I successfully kept secret Terry’s most recent acquisition quiet.  In October he emailed me and let me know that if the weather was nice and the parking was good (which I said they have plenty of).  In January of this year he went to Harbor Chevrolet in Michigan City, MI.  Why there and not a local Illinois dealer, because dealers get allocations for Z-06’s based on their other Corvette sales and Terry knew he’d actually get him the car and not just take the deposit.  Nice. 

After the meeting Jim Wersching, George Primm & Mark Witczak went over to Jim Karg's house after the meeting at checked-out the 1964 Chevelle.

It was a very nice day; in the 70's during the day and got into the low 60's at night.  5 NICC cars took advantage of this weather and made the journey to Wes & Barb's home in Oswego.  We were to be there by 4pm so we could be in Oswego shortly thereafter.  Taking the back way from Frisch's house is only about 1.5 miles to town.  The big blocks weren't even warmed-up by the time we got there.

Last year the attendance in Oswego was overwhelming, there were cars everywhere, including adjacent parking lots.  This year there were not as many cars showing in town.  We didn't know if the cooler weather impacted the cruise and the show overall.  There were many beautiful cars of all types.  Since it is in honor of Oswego Dragstrip it was neat to see a display by a car that had trophies from the track in the and pics of the car the fella drag raced.  It was awesome for me to see the old trophies, time slips and newspaper articles with news of the weekend's winners.  Gotta love it.

We arrived around 4:30 and parked where we did last year; behind a house/business that was owned by a friend of Wes.  It was about 25 feet from the show cars and provided us with a very convenient place to park and walk.  The older we get the closer we want to be to the action.  As you can see by the picture, it was cool enough when we got there to wear our jackets.

We hit main street and enjoyed the cars.  As you can see, the crowds weren't as large as last year. 

We walked around and enjoyed the cars, then went to the same sandwich shop we did last year.  Last year it was packed, but this year when we got there only 3 tables were occupied.  We had our dinner and went back out.  From there we started leaving for home and looking forward to drag racing on Sunday, Sept. 30th at Byron Dragstrip.

Here are some pics from the night in Oswego:

The weekend before the weather was, well, how do I put it . . . MONSOON.  It started on Friday, August 17th and basically continued for the next 4 days.  Enough water to replenish the Grand Canyon (well, maybe).

Anyhow, we had BEAUTIFUL WEATHER.  It was in the 70's, sunny and a little breezy.  There were a total of 7 NICC cars on a night that saw the Dog n Suds turnout being very low.  There was room in the parking lot all night.  We met at Mark & Cheryl's home on Woody Way at 5:15pm and left from there.  It took a little longer because Mark had to take us a way where there weren't any flooded bridges.  Yep, the water was high but that didn't stop us.

Those in attendance were Mark and Cheryl in their beautiful Evening Orchard '65 SS, Floyd Drinkwine in his '65 El Camino, Jim and Jill Karg in their '66 big block SS, Joe and Carol Wirth in their '66 Chevelle, Marty Leibrock in his '72 SS Chevelle Convertible, Steve Husak's  and Ralph Weidenbach was waiting for us at the Dog n Suds with his '67 SS big block (highly modified).  The procession there was nice, and I was riding shotgun with my Brother-in-law Marty Leibrock, so I could take pics and video of the drive. 

Ralph's car draws attention wherever it goes; and that's before the highly modified big block even starts.  The father of these boys made sure these boys moved away from the car when Ralph started it so they wouldn't get sucked through the engine and spit out the back.  Good move.

Joe Wirth enjoying the exhaust smell of high octane.  The NICC members parked across the street in the railroad station so that we could leave when we wanted.  We assumed it would be its usual packed parking, but it wasn't.  While it was beautiful, the wet weather of the prior days either discouraged people or they were home cleaning their basements.

Mark & Cheryl's 65 is on the left.  It is a beautiful sight to behold and drew many looks.  It's a runner too.

This is Joe & Carol's '66.  It's a sleeper.  You wouldn't know by looking at it that it's a low 13 second runner.  Looks like a "nice old car".  Steve Husak's '70 "SS" wagon is behind Joe's.

Steve Husak's '70 "SS" wagon, Jim Kark's '66, Floyd's '65 El and Marty's '72 SS Chevelle convertible.  NICE.

A very beautiful Yenko Camaro.  Paperwork included. 

Remember this Butternut Yellow '67 SS from the NICC and several National Chevelle Owner's Association Conventions?  A national winner and Paul, the owner, has moved from Chicago to a house just 1 mile from Dog n Suds.

Video  Driving on the way to Dog n Suds.  Turning onto Rt. 12 south of Lake Zurich.

Video 2  On the way to Route 12.

IT WAS A GREAT DAY AT BOB JASS CHEVROLET

It was an absolutely PERFECT day.  Yep, I've never been to San Diego but I heard the comparison because of the temps in the 70's, no humidity and a nice breeze.  If we were able to custom order to weather, this would have been what was chosen.

The cars totaled around 25 throughout the day.  Several members emailed me to let me know they wish they could be there, but family things were in the way.  For instance, Keith Malek let me know he'd like to be there, but his daughter was getting married; not a tough choice.  I am guessing that after the wedding he'll be able to have some extra $$$ to spend on his car!!!

As always, there were some new friends that we met and two long time members who we haven't seen in 10 years.  For new members, Mark Freid, whose registration we received on Thursday, July 19th, was there with his significant other Charlotte.  He is currently finishing a project car that someone else started but didn't finish.  It's a 1972 Chevelle that has a 350 engine and is Lt. Blue with black interior.  He has been buying parts from the Parts Place in Elburn, but they were not offering him a discount, so I told him that Tamraz will give him a 10% discount.

Then, we saw a sighting that usually sends us running, well at least at home.  It was My Skunk, whom we haven't see in 10 years.  Jose Hinjosa and his son Dan brought their black 1970 with white stripes.  Nice to see the car and the Hinjosa's after all these years.  The paint is "deep", very nice.

Bob Jass and his son-in-law, Ryan, did a very nice job of welcoming us to their dealership.  They cleared out the front of the South lot for us.  This is a beautiful site right next to Rt. 47 and under large shade trees.  They also provided a lunch of brats and hamburgers, cookies, pop, water and chips.  It was a very nice thing for them to do and we appreciate it very much.  I spent some time talking with Ryan and learned that he is a retired Army pilot whose service included the first Gulf war.  NICC member Rick Montalto, who organized the cruise, shows off some of the great tasting food that was available to us.  You should've been there; great day, great cars and fine food!!!

Wes Frisch brought out his 1966 Chevelle, but you'd have to look twice if you saw the plate but were expecting a black car.  It has been painted a Honda pick-up sea-blue.  Very similar to the 2007 Chevrolet pick-up.  Very sharp and looks great.  If you look at the picture here, you'll see Scott Olisar's Gran Prix, Andy Marchiando's '66, Wes' freshly painted '66 and Rick Montalto's '67.  Double click on the pic and you'll notice that Wes' car is picking up the blue of Andy's, but it shows what tone it is.  Very nice.

Also, several members were taking advantage of the convenient location of a Chevrolet dealership.  This past April Rick had purchased his 2007 4.3L pick-up and is loving it.  Mike Hogan has been looking to replace his 1999 Suburban and last year heard that they 6-speed auto trans was coming out; it's out.  So Mike went looking and with a sticker price of $42M he was thinking twice. Then the salesman mentioned that they are 1 of 10 dealers to get the exec driven cars and Mike can save about $14M for buying one fully loaded exec driven that has between 5K-15K on them.  Looks like Mike is going to pull the trigger and get to know the Suburban prior to his January trip to AZ.  The pic here is of Mike walking with the salesman to check out the stock.  Scott Olisar has gotten his money out of his S-10 pick-up (200,000 miles) and was quoted a very good price on a 2007 pick-up that was on the lot.

The fun was just sitting and relaxing in the beautiful weather.  Wish you would have had the excuse to just come and relax?  We did.  Here Rick and Andy enjoy the shade, cars and friendship.  Oh ya.

Also, because Joel was not here, his "new" 1978 Malibu Classic Station Wagon took his place.  In honor of this, Joel's long-time friends and mentors from the NICC gathered around his car to let him know they were thinking of him.  Very much appreciated.

Marty Leibrock and his boys came in the 1972 convertible.  Debbie was in Decatur that day to help with some family issues and attend a wedding shower for her nephew.  I hope the boys appreciate "the ride" they have!!!  Marty, before you know it they'll be counting the days until they get their license and asking for the keys to the Chevelle.  Then the grey hair really starts !!

This is a good shot of Wes Frisch's freshly painted car.  It was beautiful black and it looks great here also.  Hopefully the lighter color helps cool the car.  The fella looking at the car is Correy Clayton, owner of Clayton Racing Engines in Elburn.  His NHRA drag car was the first to break into the 5's in the early 70's and his expertise continues.  There have been 3 Revell models of his cars.  He wasn't the driver, but the mechanic and get this, he was a commercial airline pilot.  A mechanically gifted guy.  Looks like we are going to have a winter meeting at

While talking with Rick Montalto about his pleasant car purchase at Bob Jass Chevrolet, he mentioned that the only thing about his new truck that bothered him was the "clunk" he would have during initial acceleration.  The factory told the dealership that it was because the driveshaft was changed to aluminum from steel and it conducted the sound of the yoke shifting when the trans turned from a dead stop.  They said there was "no" fix.  Well, the mechanic there fixed it in 15 minutes.  He dropped the driveshaft and placed a small "SUPER BALL" in the trans shaft and put the driveshaft fixed.  Guess what?  It worked.  They have a drawer full of superballs to fix this problem and when Rick asked what if the Superball wears out, he was told to come back in and they'd fix it in 15 minutes again.  American ingenuity !!!

We wish you had been there, but please make it a point to come out to the next function in August.

For your enjoyment, here are a couple of video clips:

TALES FROM THE ROAD:

REPORTS FROM NICC MEMBERS ON THE POWER TOUR.

On the road.  Hey, that Camaro sure looks familiar.  That was with us on the 2005 Power Tour.

The route we are on puts us in small towns.  Man, we feel like Rock Stars with the welcome we get going through these towns.  Oh ya.

That's Jim's car on the left, Scott Olisar's in the middle and Andy's on the right.  Looks like Andy is watching that cooling tower; is he trying to figure out a way to harness the power there?  Let's wait and see.

These are the NICC Chevelle Studs

(right to left, Jim Karg, Wes Frisch & Andy Marchiando)

Also on the Scott Olisar and his son are on the first part of the Tour also.

A NOTE FROM THE TOUR FROM FRED:  Sunday, 6-3-07; 9:15pm

Hello Everyone.  We started our day around 3am on Saturday.  I pulled into Jim Karg's driveway around 4am.  Jim and I headed to meet Wes and Andy at the oasis on 80/294 by Halsted.  Once the boys landed we were off.  The two 66 Chevelles (1automatic/1 manual) both have overdrives and Big Blocks.  They are both running tight and averaging in the area of 20mpg.  The routes the Power Tour has chosen have been really cool and all the smaller towns have been lined up on the sides of the roads waving to us, we feel like "Rock Stars".   I have been having a blast both of the cars really turn a lot of heads.

Once at the venues there are so many things to see your head feels like its on a swivel.  You can really get alot of ideas from all the different venders and my partners in crime, my car may take another couple of years at this rate. .Hmm air conditioning, serpentine belt, etc.  The weather was super hot in Cleveland ending in rain.  Michigan has been somewhat wet but comfortable.  I will try to send more before dropping off on Monday night.

Here are a few pics of the action for you enjoyment.

Fred Aguayo

The 2008 Camaro Convertible.  Sign me up !!!

Jay Leno's "E Car"

Hot Rod's twin turbo charged Nova.