Schelley Brown's News From The Road

1937 BUICK SPECIAL “OLIVIA”
Named after the Mother on the Walton's TV show.
OWNED BY SCHELLEY BROWN MINDEN, LOUISIANA
BUICK EIGHT SERIES-40
FIRST DAY OF UNVEILING 10/24/36 PRICE: $765.00
SPECIFICATIONS WHEELBASE: 122” LENGTH: 199-11/16
HORSEPOWER: 100 @ 3200 R.P.M. FIRING ORDER: 1-6-2-5-8-3-7-4
TANK CAPACITY 18 Gal.
FINAL PRODUCTION NUMBER DOMESTIC 82,440 / EXPORT 2,755
SERIES 40 4-DOOR 1937 TRUNK-BACK SEDAN











For all of you that don’t know me let me introduce myself.
I’m Schelley Brown and I love old cars.
I have a special attraction to the ones with the paint falling off and cotton coming out of the seats. I was the 2004 Vice President and 2005-2006 President of the Ark-La-Tex Antique and Classic Car Association in Shreveport. I currently serve (2008) as Jr. Vice President of MOTTA. I am a member of several other National Car Clubs and a few more local clubs.
I have loved old cars since I was a kid. My first car in 1975 was a 51 Pontiac Chieftain, bought from Mr. Wayne Chance. It didn’t always run, but that wasn’t the most important thing, because where I was going was only two blocks from home. The local hang-out back in the 70’s in Minden was the Dixie Cream (now Cotton’s Chicken) and the Dairy Queen. I could usually get the car to the Dixie Cream, even if I had to push it or coast out of the driveway. I would just sit in it, till I could get a ride, with someone else with a more dependable set of wheels. This worked out pretty good on the weekends, for awhile. I would just abandon it at the Dixie Cream parking lot for Friday & Saturday night, until Sunday when Mr. Joe Guthrie would tell me to drag it home. This arrangement also worked out for others that didn’t have a car. The Chief was like the covered seating area at the bus station. You just sat in it till someone came along and picked you up to make the loop through town. You could even use the horn to stop someone if you didn’t run the battery down. A sure way to keep this from happening was to slide a match book cover under the voltage regulator. In the summer it would vapor-lock so you carried milk jugs of water and ran clothes pins up and down the fuel line. It works every time!
Today kids have it made. I don’t see many kids out pulling their car home anymore. Now that I’m older I’ve figured out why my Daddy bought me the ‘51 as my first car, other than the fact that I wanted it. Number one was that it was only $200.00, 2nd it was made out of solid iron you could beat it with a baseball bat and it wouldn’t dent, 3rd it would only go about 40 miles an hour, 4th you wouldn’t dare try to go out of town in it (or would you). I put 10,000 miles in one year on that old car just making loops from the Dixie Cream to the Dairy Queen. It was cheap transportation. I still have the keys to the old Chief and maybe even the log-chain that was standard equipment with it! That old car started a life-long love of antiques and anything old and in need of repair.
I now have a twelve year old niece that I have passed the love of old things to. She likes old cars, old houses and antiques.

Notice the cake this was my 16th birthday cake!
“Daddy Let Me Drive”
Do you remember the car that your learned how to drive in? Times have changed! I can remember my daddy letting me drive to Brownies in his old work car, a ’62 Plymouth named Ms. Pretty (she didn’t live up to her name). I don’t remember the model, but, I do remember that it was pale blue with push-button shift on the dash and not much on take off. Daddy would sit in the middle and I would drive to Lakeview Methodist where we had Brownie meetings. I was the only 2nd grader that got to drive to Brownies! I was also the only Girl Scout that drove to the Scout Hut at Victory Park. I don’t think you can get away with that these days. I’m sure the “Chief” (Police Chief T.C. Bloxom) would have something to say about it now. I wonder what the statute of limitations is on driving without a license? I guess driving came natural to me, until I drove my first car with power-steering and power-brakes. My Aunt Bobbie had a Plymouth Furry III. I told her I was a good driver and she believed me!! Her first mistake was that she did believe me. We were in her driveway and she said, “Are you sure you can drive this car?” The whole time I was nodding my head “yes” and telling her I could. I put it in reverse and shot across the road into the neighbor’s driveway. She screamed, “STOP, STOP!!” I hit those power-brakes and she hit the dash. That wasn’t enough for her; she still let me drive to Sander’s Gulf Station on the Lewisville Road. I almost hit the gas pump when we turned in, not being used to a car with power-steering.
She gave me some money and let me walk next door and get an ICEE. We only had one ICEE machine in town back then. It was the hot spot in town, especially during the summer. That store was in the building where they keep the voting machines now. That was the end of driving her car. Until I was a legal driver anyway!
I graduated on to an old 60’s Ford truck with “three on the tree” as they used to say. I didn’t know how to drive a standard the day my Daddy told me I could drive his truck. That didn’t stop me. It had wheels, gas and it was Friday night. I got in it and we jumped all the way to the end of the street to the Dixie Cream. For the first few days that was as far as I would go. I didn’t want to risk catching a light, especially the red light by the library or the one coming back the other direction by the Chamber Office. I didn’t do hills very well, especially if a car was right behind me. I could only take off if I had someone else with me, to hold their foot on the brake while I let off on the clutch. I sat through more than a few red lights and made quite a few people mad while I just sat there frozen with fear. I’m glad I finally learned how to drive a standard. Sports cars wouldn’t be as much fun if they all came with automatic transmissions.
Today you would be surprised at how many people can’t drive a vehicle with a standard transmission. Nobody wants to learn. I’m glad I did because I have a lot of funny memories about trying. Going to the Sonic was a challenge in itself. Senior Day at Minden High I got a Chevy Vega stuck at the Sonic because I couldn’t get it in reverse! But I still remember how funny it was and how everyone left me because they couldn’t drive a standard either!
Alan Jackson’s song “Drive” reminds me of how much driving means to you; especially when you are too young to be driving! So the next time your kids ask you to let them drive, remember they got’ ta learn sometime. Make it fun and with someone they care about. It may be something they’ll write about later! It’s something you always remember no matter how old you are or how bad or good a driver you think you are. Make a memory and a smile!!
email me at iluvoldcars@yahoo.com.
Tell your mama-n-em I said hello and ya’ll come see me real soon!
Cars, Car Clubs and most of all life-long friends!
I have loved cars since before I was able to drive them. My first car was a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain. I later would be fortunate enough to be able to purchase a 1937 Buick Special, 1958 Cadillac and a 1928 Ford Model A Roadster. All of these are great cars but one of the added bonuses that came with most of these cars is the people that I met or became acquainted with because of them.
As with most antique and classic car owners we eventually join a car club. This again acquaints all of us with a unique group of people with one common interest the love of old iron. The first club I joined was the Mid-America Old Time Automobile Association (MOTAA) this national car club’s headquarters is located at the Museum of Automobiles on the top of Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas. I wanted to join this club because when I was a kid my parents had taken me to the car museum and this was where the first spark was ignited that later would turn into a full-fledged fire in my heart for old cars and antiques. I was honored in 2005 to be elected to the board of directors of MOTAA! I was amazed and overwhelmed when I was elected to become Jr. Vice President for the 2006 term! Here I now sit on a board with all men that know a whole lot more than I ever hope to know about antique cars. I guess they realized that I do have a true love and appreciation for the history and preservation of the antique automobile even if I can’t change my own oil! I have met some great people and friends through the MOTAA organization. I look forward to all that the next year will hold.
The second club I joined was the Ark-La-Tex Antique and Classic Car Association in Shreveport, La. When I joined this club I had just purchased my 1937 Buick and just wanted to meet a few people and have some fun. Boy was I in for a treat and not only did I meet members of this club I meet hundreds of people from the Ark-La-Tex to boot.
I think when folks join a club they think, ok I’ll go to some meetings drive my car some and that will be about it. It can turn in to a way of life and life-long friends. The first folks I meet and became close to are my friends Ray and Linda Shaw the proud owners of an Model A Ford. Ray and Linda took me under their wing and Ray made sure that I had a trailer and anything else I needed to get to my first car show on Petit Jean Mountain. Ray later helped me purchase a 1928 Ford Roadster that he worked on and got it running and ready all for no charge. Ray is a Model A whiz and the greatest when it comes to wanting to help. He is what being in a car club is all about. People helping people and sharing their knowledge on a particular car with others is why most folks want to join a club.
Going to that first car show was a thrill for me. As I drove thru the judging stand with the Buick I had such an overwhelming feeling of finally making it! To top it off I had a group of friends from the AACCA cheering me on. I also had Mr. Wayne Chance the man that sold me my first car the 1951 Pontiac when I was in high school watching.
The 37 would later go to Senior Car status which I was so proud of. The man that I bought her from Mr. John R. Young from Eunice, Louisiana said he felt like a proud Grandpa. This man has become another friend. He owns 1937 and 1938 Buicks and introduced me to the 1937-1938 Buick Club of America. I would later be honored by this California based club when I was asked if they could publish a story that I had written about my Buick. That meant Olivia and I would be internationally known. This club has many members world-wide and is growing everyday.
Then in 2003 I was asked to serve as vice-president and later stepped into the presidency position of the AACCA until 2006. These last three years I have met so many folks and been involved in so many things from watching a one of a kind car the Bour-Davis come close to completion to creating my own car show the Minden Cruisin’ For a Cure for St. Jude car show in Minden, La.
From car shows to overnight trips and weekend getaways all of these car folks have banded together to form a tight knit family of sorts. We care about each other and when one of us is sick or our car is sick we care. We try to help and sometimes all we can do is just be there for someone. But the important thing is that we all have a common love and that gives us a little bit of happiness. I believe all car club members would agree nothing gives you a since of belonging than when you are going down the road and ahead of you is maybe a 1963 red Corvette with a good friend behind the wheel and when you look in your rearview mirror you see a 1957 Chevy Nomad with two more of your good friends waving at you. When you see a long caravan of antique cars going over a hill in front of you, you just have to smile and thank God for letting you know all of the great folks behind the wheels and in the passenger seats.
If you aren’t a member of a car club look on the internet for a club close to you are give me a call or contact me at iluvoldcars@yahoo.com I’ll try to help you out on the right club for you. You will be making a life changing decision when you join a club! It can turn into a lot more than just a Sunday meeting and a drive or two! Until next time be safe and keep it between the ditches.

A King Midget Or Two or Three By Sam Thomas

As a boy, I was an avid reader of the various mechanics magazines, and every month I would see ads for a neat small car that could be mail ordered. It seemed so perfect for a thirteen year old, and I wanted one terribly. My parents advised me that I was fortunate to have a Cushman scooter, and when the time came for an automobile, it would be a “real” car.
In 1952 my great aunt gave me her beloved 1938 standard 4-door Chevrolet sedan. I grew to love this old car, but I vowed that someday I would own a King Midget. After college, Graudate School, and a 30+ year career, I finally acquired that King Midget. I now own three, and have learned a lot about their history. Two are restored and have achieved Grand National status in the Antique Automobile Club of America. The third is yet to be a done project.
The King Midget was built in Athens, Ohio form 1946 through 1969. The first model was a single passenger car that resembled a midget racer. It was available as a kit from 1946 to 1951. The car was powered by a six horsepower single cylinder Wisconsin engine.
The second model was available from 1951 to 1956. It was a two passenger convertible, also with a single cylinder Wisconsin engine, this time with a 9 horsepower. This time the model could be purchased either as a kit or a factory built auto.
The third and final model, built from 1957 to 1969, was also a convertible, with a single cylinder Wisconsin nine horsepower. This engine was later upgraded to a twelve horsepower Kohler. Improvements were made with the most significant being the development of an electric starter.
The founders of the King Midget Company, Claud Dry and Dale Orcutt, wanted to build a small, lightweight economy car. Although they accomplished this, they did not seem interested in becoming a large company and continued the sale of cars by mail order. One ad stated that if you were careful in the uncrating process, the box could be used as a garage.
In 1966 the company was sold. The new owners experienced insurmountable difficulties, and subsequently the company changed ownership three times. Eventually production ceased as other manufactures embraced the small car market and created a much more sophisticated product.
Although the Midget had a loyal following, admittedly its appearance never progressed beyond a plain, amateurish “homemade” look. While the car had distinctive features such as hydraulic brakes, independent suspension, and automatic transmission, there were only minimal mechanical changes and improvements, while other companies were making significant advances in their products.
In 1970 a prototype that was to be a better auto was created, but it was destroyed by fire before it could be produced. At this point the company simply folded.
It has been reported that during the last year of production (1969) only fifty cars were made. The total production of the company during its durations seems to be lost, with estimates ranging from three thousand to nine thousand for the entire run.
My first restoration began about six years ago, with a wrecked 1969. At that time parts were available from Midget Motor Supply In Waverly, Ohio. The second restoration is a 1962, and was begun about three years ago. Parts were and I think are still available from Midget Motors in Norwalk, Ohio. Many parts can be purchased from the local hardware store, and because of the crude simplicity, fenders, hoods, floor pan, etc. can be crafted by any good sheet metal shop. An important feature is that the Midget can be worked on alone. Larger restorations require more hand to lift, pull of push. Because it is so simple and basic, the King Midget is an excellent starter car for a neophyte restorer. By Sam Thomas owner of 3 King Midgets

Mike Deeter's "The Old Chevy"

1940 Chevrolet Special Deluxe “The Old Chevy” (Driven over 410,000 Miles)
This car was sold new, in Corpus Christi, Texas. When the lady that owned the car, became unable to drive, she gave the car to her grandson. He immediately threw a rod out through the oil pan and parked the car. I bought the car from the grandson in Beeville, Texas for $75 and bought an engine for parts for it out of a friends’ wrecked Chevrolet for $15.
Since 1964, I have put over 340,000 miles on “The Old Chevy” as the car has come to be known. I drove the car regularly to work from 1964 until the mid 1990’s. During my career in the Navy, the car was driven across country numerous times. At one time, just after I retired from the Navy, and was working in Los Angeles I was commuting 120 miles daily in the car. During a four year period from 1981 to 1985 I pout over 130,000 miles on “The Old Chevy” when she was over 40 years old. She got a grease job and oil change very other weekend in those days. In addition, the car also survived the loving care of my daughter and son while they were teenagers.
“The Old Chevy” is a national traveler and has been driven in many different areas. The following is a chronological list of the places she has performed service- Corpus Christi, TX., Beeville, TX., Sanford, FL., Lemoore, CA., San Francisco, CA., Jacksonville, FL., Memphis, Tenn., Pendleton, IN., Monterey, CA., Pensacola, FL., El Centro, CA., Mexicali, Mexico, Lemoore, CA., Fallon, NV., San Diego, CA., Tijuana, Mexico, Mission Viejo, CA., and Shreveport, LA.
“The Old Chevy” was maintained instead of restored. She has been repainted twice, upholstered twice, transmission rebuilt twice, and the engine rebuilt four times. “The Old Chevy” still runs with the original rear end and on the original wheel bearings. All of the sheet metal is original and selected items have been re-chromed over the years.
This is currently painted the original color 1940 Chevrolet “Gulf Blue” and the upholstery kit provided by Hampton Coach was fabricated using 1940 Chevrolet original patterns and materials. “The Old Chevy” is in well-earned semi-retirement now and is driven infrequently and to car shows.
By Mike Deeter owner and operator of “The Old Chevy”

1967 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe By Mark & Yvonne Bandy

This car as many of you know was the first front wheel drive car since the Cord 810 and 812 of the elate 1930's. The first year of production was 1966. Ours was the 1967 model year and was offered with front disc brakes and radial tires. There were only 20,020 of the Deluxe models made that year with the total production including the standard model only reaching 21,790. The car is powered by a 425 cubic inch 385hp super rocket V-8 engine. It features power windows, power front bench seat, remote trunk release, tilt/telescopic steering, a "no hump" floorboard, rear door handles for opening the "two-door" car from the backseat and a barrel speedometer. My fifth grade teacher bought this car new while I was in her class and I thought it was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen. She owned it for over 20 years and traded it in at the Springhill Motor Company in Springhill, Louisiana where she originally purchased it. The owners (The Colvin's) kept the car for several years and eventually sold it to a man in Springhill who was the president of Springhill Bank and Trust Company. He owned if for a few years and said he had many good drives in the car. Eventually he sold the car to someone else who started a restoration but never completed it. We purchases the car from him a little over 10 years ago and it has been a love/hate relationship ever since. Love the car but hate to try and find parts for it. That really became evident in April of 2004 when it caught fire on the way to the Red River Street Rod Show. Luckily there were some out of town firemen at a local fast food restaurant in town for a competition and they came and had the fire out before the local unit got there. It has really been an uphill battle since that time but I believe (after having to recently buy a donor car for the motor---Thanks Dick and Doug--- that wasn't repaired properly after the fire) and having it rebuilt I think we're on our way to the sunny side once again. We haven't had the car in our possession for more that a couple of months since the fire of 2004. They say this Toronado is one of the last big sleepers of that generation and will soon come to be a valuable classic and achieve collector status. We sure hope so because we think is deserves to be recognized as the icon and pioneering automobile that it is.