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The 1950 356 motor is finished and on its way back to Ohio to be mated with 1950 Cabriolet # 5033. It was a fun project that was a challenge to find the correct early parts. As reported earlier we found the unnumbered aluminum engine block in Czechoslovakia. Other parts came from South America but most came from private 'stashes' here in the states. Without the internet and the 356 group it couldn't have been finished. It took two years....

The next unfinished project is Jim Perrin's 1960 Denzel engine. The parts for it are even more rare. It has been here since 2002. There were very few Denzel engines ever built, fewer have survived and even fewer parts available. Fortunately there are some dedicated and sharing owners that allow their parts to be copied. So far I have the long block built and some of the sheet metal fitted. I am waiting on the rest of the engine tin, the brackets, etc. so I can trial assemble and then take the tin back off to be powder coated.

I think my Model A Ford still has the record for longest time restoration. I think it took over 25 years...but who's counting when having fun?

Many of the KyPCA 'old timers' will remember Roy and Grace Gourley and his light blue 1961 356 Karman Coupe (notchback). After Roy died in 1994, the 356 was sold at the estate auction. It is still here in Louisville and had been in dry storage since 1994. Recently the owner contacted me to help get it back on the road. Last weekend we took the motor apart to undo many years of storage neglect. 'Bring 'em back, one at a time'....

Our plans are to make a road trip to the Tenn. Tubs BBQ (22 May) and in early June we will be driving to the Stoddard Swap meet. If any want to join us on the trip to Cleveland, contact me at e-mail below and I will give schedule, etc. We will be leaving Louisville Friday morning and returning Saturday evening. Hopefully we will arrive in Cleveland in time for me to visit the 'Christmas Story' house. The home that was in the movie is actually in Cleveland and has been restored to the way it was in the movie. The Christmas Story is always on in our house on Christmas day :-). Betty actually bought me a leg lamp one year for Christmas. Google 'Christmas Story' for details on the house etc.

As I write this, its primary election day and I will make a prediction. The 'pretty' candidates will win. Some folks will vote for the 'pretty' candidate (that is, the physically better looking one). Many voters aren't smart enough to independently investigate the candidates' policies and backgrounds. Many, if not most, will see the TV sound bites and see the mailings. Just what do the sound bites say... nothing. Their words and printed mailings speak in generalities and are worded so that the viewer will read into it what they (the voter) want to read into it. A great example is the 'Change' that was promised at the last election. Each person interpreted 'Change' in the way they wanted to understand it. I also think it was as much a vote against George Bush as a vote for Obama. I believe most politicians will say one thing to one audience and something else to another. Listen carefully to what they say and the delivery. Great orators can read the phone book and make it sound good. My suggestion (you will receive this too late for today's primary) is to carefully look into each candidate's history, voting record, and just who is supporting them. November is not that far off....That will tell a lot about how they will vote when in office. You can bet they will vote the way their biggest contributors 'tell' them to vote. Makes sense, follow the money...Other voters will vote for one party or another because their 'daddy' voted for that party and they blindly vote the 'party' without thinking and realizing that political parties evolve.

I sure miss Harry Truman. He was reviled for firing General MacArthur but was perfectly correct for doing so. Today many are second guessing HST's decision to use the bomb and end the war. It was the right decision that saved lives on both sides and brought an end to WWII. The more I read about President Truman, the more I respect him. Thought for congress...Proverbs 13:20 'He who walks with the wise, grows wise. But a companion of fools suffers harm' (...and in my opinion we have a lot of fools in congress). "The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC

Finally, a bartender is just a Pharmacist with a limited inventory.

Ken Daugherty