May 1999
May 3
I received a communication from Roger Foehringer who lives in Elgin, Illinois. Earlier he had sent me photos of a group of Futurliners that he took when Joe Bortz had them stored in a field in the Chicago area. He recently wrote me that he would be sending me a inside door locking knob. One of ours is missing. This will save us the trouble of having one made. Roger went to the trouble of going to where these were stored to see if he could find any stray parts lying around.
Del and I will be trying to extract the engine and transmission tomorrow. In the meantime GM Powertrain is working on getting the spare engine and transmission shipped from California.
May 4
Bill, Del and I worked most of the day. With four of the pistons out were able to rotate the engine almost 150 degrees, enough to get all the torque converter bolts out. By disassembling my engine hoist and reassembling it inside the Futurliner, we were able to make a rigging that balanced the transmission and were able to drop it onto the floor onto a Jalopy Dolly and roll it out from under the Futurliner.
We continued to remove accessories from the engine to make it easy to remove. We did reassemble the lower end and put all the pistons back and attached them to the crank. The engine itself looks great. The piston walls are smooth, the crank looks good, and we found nothing wrong except #4 piston is stuck solid. There was no sludge in the engine and everything was clean (inside). Next week when we go at it we expect to get the engine out. Don
May 5
At our old car luncheon today Jim Baker brought copies of newspaper articles from the Grand Rapids Press when GM's Parade of Progress was in Grand Rapids. Because the copies came off of microfiche, the copies are too poor to fax or scan. I will summarize the articles:
7-13-1953 -- Announcing the Parade of Progress parade through downtown Grand Rapids and details about the parade including a photo.
7-14-1953 -- Picture showing Futurliner and article that Parade of Progress arrived. Setup of event to occur at John Ball Park.
7-15-1953 -- One half page ad announcing the Parade of Progress.
7-16-1953 -- Article discussing the previous evenings preview to community leaders along with a photo of the Fisher Body display in a Futurliner.
7-18-1953 -- Photo of Grand Rapids GM dealers greeting the Parade of Progress standing in front of a Futurliner.
Jim went on to tell me he will be researching the morning newspaper that existed in Grand Rapids during that time at the local library.
May 6
The man I talked to today was Larry Faloon from the GM Design Center. He stated that he wanted to talk to Kim about allowing us to put the American Crossroads exhibit into our Futurliner. As I mentioned this original exhibit that was built for the 1940 Parade of Progress is still at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I was there in April but it was not operating. They told me it was down for repairs. We will see if we can set up a meeting with Kim. That means we have to get our slide show put together. I will get a package put together as soon as possible.
May 7
Note from Stu Allen:
Kim Schroeder of GM Archives contacted me and suggested I call:
Douglas Dean
2933 Tulane Drive
Lansing MI 48912
517-372-4294
I talked to Doug tonight. He was a lecturer with Parade of Progress in the 50's. He rode in a Futurliner once but never drove it. He usually drove a Pontiac Convertible or Chevy wagon. He apparently was on the final tour when they parked the vehicles and closed the tour. He has a list of the participants in the show and would be interested in working on a reunion. He last saw a Futurliner when it was being towed towards Chicago but the tow truck driver didn't seem to know where it was going or the purpose.
He said one of the Futurliners was used as an office and folded out to make a sizeable office space. He asked if the tent still existed? He believes there were once two of the tent structures. They were very impressive and appeared huge when you were inside since they were free standing with no poles.
He wants to talk to Don and would love to see our project. We need to get him to sit down and tell us more. He says he has some pictures and info to show us also. I sent him a copy of the newsletter with a note and Don's phone and address.
May 14
To Bill Bicknelll:
Bill, both the engine and transmission are out of the Futurliner. I talked with GM Powertrain and they are working on getting the spare engine and transmission shipped out of California. It is not necessary for you to come north to pick up the engine until we get the one out of California. Perhaps we can then arrange to meet at the Powertrain plant near Ann Arbor where you can pick up both engines for restoration. We will work out the details later.
May 16
I want to mention John Wiltjer's name under partners and his contribution to the project. If you recall he has already supplied the plastic material for the large side door fluorescence fixtures.
GM Powertrain has been suggesting that with the extra engine and transmission that we are going to get restored that we put together a powertrain display. Del Carpenter not only wants to do it but he wants it to run. His vision is to have it mounted on a small trailer to be pulled by the Futurliner to a show. Since we already have a spare engine and transmission on there way we simply need to acquire the rest of the stuff. I called GM Powertrain back and they said they could support us with anything that needs machined.
I call the Canadians that have the restored "FIDO" Futurliner since they did not use the large transmission in the back (low, high and PTO) and they said we could have theirs. They would like both recognition and financial credit (not cash but donation credit) for giving it to us. I will ask John Martin Smith President of NATMUS for a letter for the donation value once we determine what that value is worth.
Del also said he could make a simulated flat dash of the Futurliner to mount on the trailer. GM Powertrain also said if we find a third transmission (hydramatic) the they would cut holes in it to mount on the trailer to show the inner workings. Anyone got a spare 50's military Hydramatic out there??? We'll find one. I will also have to have GM Powertrain make up a short drive shaft to connect the Hydramatic to the back transmission.
I think I have already communicated that the engine is now out. I will work out a schedule with Bill Bicknell when he can pick it up.
Friday Del showed up with another radiator that we can use for the spare display.
This past Wednesday we had a group of old car people at the house and Berry Palmer loaded the jack shaft assembly into his pickup to restore. This jack shaft assembly consists of a 2' plate that has mounted on it a shaft of about the same length set in pillow blocks and with a double set of pulleys at each end. Belts from the engine drive one end and at the other end, the belts run the air conditioner compressor and the power steering pump.
Although I have not had time to inventory all the stuff that I picked up from the Canadians last fall, there was a spare air conditioned unit with compressor. Our Futurliner did not have the compressor. I want to make sure we are giving credit to all the partners that are working on this project that is why I am detailing so much.
Note from Dean Tryon:
Arnie showed me that latest model drawing. He's going to send me a reduced copy of it and I'll see if we can use it in the newsletter, either at the top or maybe in phantom across the page (saw that capability when I was playing with imported pictures the other day). Have you considered making it more than the 3.5 pages as the first one was? I know you want to keep it brief so people will read it but the work (mostly on Phil’s part) to print and distribute is a big job. I'll work on it next week, my Buick group newsletter is done and I'll get it out next week.
May 17
We recently received information that at the Ford Museum in Dearborn that they have a short video showing a young boy 11 or 12 years old rushing home excited about the circus coming to town with these big locomotive looking trucks. In the video, he convinces his parents to go and it is the Parade of Progress. We are arranging to get the video. The video is $38. The question is, do museums exchange info like this on a free basis? If so, we'll save the $38. If not I will go ahead and order it.
May 25
A Futurliner work team showed up consisting of six plus myself.
Del Carpenter-retired from Michigan State Road Commission. Has 20 plus antique cars, trucks, and tractors. Has been giving up one day a week to work on the Futurliner project. Belongs to AACA and BCA.
Ed DeVries-is a self employed mason. Took a day out of his busy work schedule to work on the Futurliner. Has several old cars including two rare Minerva's and has been invited to both Pebble Beech and Meadow Brook this year. He is a regular Glidden tour participant. AACA and BCA.
Jim Baker-likes to do old car research. He has already found Grand Rapids Press articles of when the Parade of Progress was in Grand Rapids Michigan.
Bruce Beimers-is retired from being a school system administrator. He has a beautiful restored Cord and his wife is chairperson of the 2001 Glidden Tour here in Michigan.
Wayne Jackson-retired from the General Motors Fisher Body plant in Grand Rapids. Has several old cars and belongs to the Chevy club and the AACA.
Dick Modzeleski- is a retired electrician from the General Motors Fisher Body plant in Grand Rapids. He willingly is helping out because we needed an industrial electrician to try to sort out the wiring before we started disassembly.
Managed to get lots done. Ed brought his 12,000 # fork truck, which really helped. Jim and Dick started marking and separating wiring and making a wiring diagram. Wayne and Bruce removed the two rear doors and them went to the front and removed the front doors. The balance of the crew worked on removing the bottom access doors on each side. Then every one worked together to remove the large side doors on the left side of the vehicle. These doors are 16' long by about 5'. They are very heavy and took all of us plus the fork truck. Before these could be even removed, the large 16' fold out lighting panels that are attached to the top of the overhead doors had to be removed.
We started at 9AM and except for a lunch break finished up at 4:45PM. Every body was tired but we got a lot done. Next comes the right large 16' doors and the top lighting bar. Due to the extensive rust most bolts had to be removed be cutting off with DeVries hot wrench (torch), hand chisels, air chisels, breaking with a wrench or drilling them out. We did find extensive structural rust damage in the ceiling. Most of the roof structure will have to be replaced. With safety in mind, we had a perfect day with not even a scratch. However, if I can speak for everyone else I am very sore today.
In all the literature that I have it always refers to the top lighting bar as the "fin". Even the electrical panels refer to it as the "fin". So as I communicate when I refer to the "fin" it is the top 16' lighting bar that extends above the Futurliner 7'.
May 26
Conrad (Connie) Vaughan
6l6 N. Wilson,
Royal Oak, Mi. 48067
Hi Don,
Got your letter the other day and have been wondering how I might best serve this project. I was with the Parade for the final 18 months of its tour and was involved in the "final solution". i.e. the tear-down of all the equipment. It took place in a warehouse in Hamtramck and during the final days of this activity there was a rumor that the Futurliners were to be scrapped. It seemed a shame to lose these beasts of burden having spent many an hour pushing one (no. 9 usually) down the highway. Then there was the time I was "chosen" to shepherd a Futurliner with a new motor from San Antonio to El Paso-on New Years day no less. Forty mph or less.
Anyway it was a bit of a love affair with a pretty interesting bit of history so when the rumors started flying about scrapping -- to make a long story short -- I liberated an extra wheel cover. Its quite beautiful to this day, stainless steel, and I cant think of no better place for it than to be a part of your project. If you have anyone in the Royal Oak area who will be traveling to Auburn have them give me a call. If not I can always devise some way to mail it to you. Will await your contacting me.
Reply:
Connie, got your message. You need to think of all those interesting stories about the Parade of Progress and the events. We would like to capture them. Also would appreciate the liberated hubcap. We will work out a way to get it to Auburn. What we could do is set up a display at Auburn with the hubcap, an original picture of you and the Parade of Progress, a current picture of you with the hubcap and a credit of your donation of the hubcap to the restoration project. Our Futurliner has no hubcaps. Anything you can think of just give us an e-mail. Don
