OFFICERS:
PRESIDENT
Jon Harris
(207) 650-0713 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
VICE-PRESIDENT David White This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SECRETARY
Sandy Harris This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
TREASURER
Gill Brown This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Valerie Ward (603)520-1913 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
MEMBER OF MODEL A RESTORERS CLUB
www.mainemodelafordclub.com
Volume 11, Issue 7 July 2020
THE PINE TREE CHATTER
From the Driver’s seat
Hi Model A fans. July is upon us warm days and sunny skies. Sandy and I hope everyone is healthy.
It has been four months since we have seen each other’s smiling faces and since the governor has lifted restrictions of large gatherings David and I thought it has
become safe enough for us to meet. David and Jody have offered their yard for our July meeting. We will be outside; we will be utiliz- ing social distancing, and everyone will have to wear a mask. Sandy and I have 50 masks that we will have available if you do not have one. Please come on the 18th of July at 9am to the Whites on Alewives Road, in Kenne- bunk. If you plan on coming please bring your own refreshments and a chair to sit in.
We will have a regular meeting which will represent our annual meeting. This does NOT include a cookout or auction. As reminder Dues are due for 2020 which will remain at $20.00 per household. This year has been chal- lenging for all of us please support the club by paying you dues.
Take Care everyone remembers to social distance and please wear your mask.
Meeting Place
Kennebunk Baptist Church
Route 1
Kennebunk, ME
No meeting scheduled because of COVID-19
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE
If anyone knows of someone who needs a pick-me-up please
contact Bev Wheeler (603) 332-6731
Bev can be reached via e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Welcome new members or guests:
Secretaries report: No meetings in March, April, May, and June.
Treasurers report: Gil Brown: Update of funds in the 2020 account:
Old business: Review changes to wording regarding guidance to the treasurer. Gil will read the chang- es.
New Business:
Youth restoration update: Adjourn:
July Monthly Meeting Agenda
The "Pine Tree Model A Club” accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements, the fairness of any prices, or the quality of any goods or services mentioned in the
“Pine Tree Model A Newsletter”.
Comments are welcomed and encouraged and should be addressed to Jonathan Harris, President
Pine Tree Model A's,
at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or (207) 650-0713


Hello Fellow Model A Friends,
The Pine Tree As have decided to cancel our 2020 New England meet. It has been moved to Sep- tember 10-12, 2021. It will be held at the same facility at Sunday River and we will visit the Bob Bahre collection on our Saturday tour.
This was a tough decision for us to make having prepared for it over the last year. Though the COVID19 deaths in Maine are considered low, our Governor is very cautious, and places of business that host groups of people are not allowed to open up for more than fifty people using masks and social distanc- ing of six feet. Currently, the Governor’s office has no plans after August of reducing these restrictions which makes it difficult for us to plan. Our financial risk would be considerable if we went forward.
I want to thank MARCOM and the Long Island Chapter for graciously moving their dates to 2022 and 2023 respectfully so we could move our meet to 2021. For them it was a matter of asking the hotels to move their events forward a year without losing their deposits. So many thanks to both chapters for their understanding!
We are planning on returning everyone’s registration money. Our meet treasurer started the refund today. Your room reservations at Sunday River will be carried over to 2021. If you do NOT want to keep your room reservation please contact Sunday River directly. We are now looking forward to celebrating 2021 in Maine. See you all then.
Thanks,
Jon Harris and David White, Co-Chairs, 2020 New England Meet
Bruce Marshall submitted this photo “Going out for ice cream” Enjoy your Model A!
DUES ARE DUE
2020/2021 dues are due in July. It seems we just ended up collecting dues for last year. The dues can be paid directly at the annul meeting in July or they can mail a check to MAFCA Pine Tree Chapter, c/o Gil Brown, 57 Main Street, Raymond, Maine 04071. A check is a preferred method of payment if there is a choice. Thanks, Gil
MAFFI Newsletter Minute July 2020
What’s New at the Museum?
A very unique Model A named, “America’s Sweetheart” has been donated to the Museum by Dean Weller of Kansas City, Kansas. Jim Spawn, former editor of “The Restorer” lives in Kansas City and has known Mr. Weller for many years. Jim was instrumental in facilitating the donation and has made ar- rangements for a local club member to transport the car to the museum as soon as possible. If you have a copy of the March/April 1998 Restorer Magazine, you can read the full ar- ticle on this amazing car.
America’s Sweetheart will be on display for Model A Day, September 18-19, 2020.
This “MAFFI Newsletter Minute” was sent to you as the editor of your club’s newsletter. It is for you to use at your discretion. If you are no longer the editor, please notify me at the email listed below with the name and email address of the new editor. If you no longer wish to receive this, please notify me as well.
Thank you,
Marsha Quesnel, MAFFI Trustee This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SERVICE AVAILABLE—Mike Brauch is available for any maintenance or repairs on your Model "A"s in Richmond Maine. Call him at 802-272-4502.
FOR SALE— Model "A" parts for sale. Lots of parts. Call Mike Brauch with your needs. 802 272 4502.
FOR SALE— 1- Ammco Model # 3500 Brake Drum Micrometer. This tool is neces- sary for inside measuring the inside of the brake drum so it can be properly arced the brake shoe. The tool is very good condition & works as it should.. The price is $85.00 plus shipping or picked @ sellers. Bob Wright (207) 850-1974 or
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ramblings from a Rumble Seat: an Occasional Column by John Brissette
Have you ever wondered about your Model A before you got it? I mean way back before it was a desira- ble collector car. I know the history or our two Model A’s back 60 years or so but not their early years when they were daily drivers, maybe somebody’s first new car or a second car for a more affluent family. I’ve often wondered who owned them and how they were used.
The first time I saw our early 1931 Tudor was in 1962 when my future brother-in-law drove it to our house and took me for a ride. I became instantly attached to it and was thrilled when he asked my dad if he could park it in our back yard because he didn’t have a safe place to keep it. I spent hours in and around it memorizing its features and figuring out how things worked. I spent my allowance on books about Model A’s and learned all that I could. I impressed my by then brother-in-law by showing him how to adjust the gas/air valve. He thought it was just the choke.
My dad was less impressed with the car. He was a kid when Model A’s were new and he thought that old Tudor had seen a rough life. It had been painted black with a brush (later I learned the original colors were Kewanee Green and Elkpoint Green). The left side of the car was banged up pretty badly with both front and rear fenders mangled and the running board replaced with a 2x6. The top had rotted and been sprayed with a heavy coat of undercoating. The driver’s door glass was cracked and the passenger win- dow completely missing. The speedometer gear cap was smashed and the cable removed. The odometer was at 50,320 miles (during restoration it was reset to 0). Most of the interior was gone and the side pan- els were covered in checked oil cloth, probably old table cloths. The front tires were worn out Goodyears with the cord showing in places. The rear tires were snow tires, knobbies my dad called them.
My brother-in-law bought the car in 1960 from a friend who was going in the Air Force. I don’t know how many owners the car had before that but my brother-in-law and his friend were from Hart, Michigan, which is a small town in the lower peninsula on the shores of Lake Michigan. Although it is possible the car was purchased in another part of the state or out of state, it is likely that the car was purchased and spent its early years in western Michigan.
Over the years clues to the car’s earlier “life” became evident. The engine number doesn’t match the title and since my brother-in-law didn’t change it, the original was replaced sometime before 1960—not unu- sual for a Model A. (When I took the car apart in 2012 I was able to confirm that the number on the title matches the number on the frame.) When I got the car the rear bumper cross brace was the tubular ver- sion, which was phased out in early 1930. Since the rear bumpers were the correct 1930-31 type, it is possible that Ford was simply using up stock when our car was built. However, being a full year after changing the part makes that explanation seem unlikely. There was no evidence that the rear bumper brackets had ever been removed and no significant damage to the rear of the body so I’ve been curious if, why, and when such a replacement would have been made. Perhaps the damage to the left side and smashed speedometer cap and rear bumper damage all happened at the same time.
Inside the car I found two relics of previous owners. Under the back seat was a scrap of old newspaper. What made it particularly interesting was it was in German. My dad told me it was common for people to subscribe to newspapers from the “old country” so that probably explains it. In the springs of the front passenger seat I found a small hat pin. It has two pins affixed to a small button-shaped metal ornament stamped with a flower. It does not appear to be an expensive item but finding it in the car makes a treas- ure to me.
Now that the car is restored, any other clues to previous owners or how it was used have been erased. But, sometimes I still wonder....
Take care and drive safely,
John Brissette


