JANUARY 2001, Volume 4, Issue 1

General Meeting - January 15, 2001
The meeting was called to order by President, Ted Klein at 7:30pm. This was the first meeting of the new year, held at Reliable Pontiac in the Roseville Auto Mall. We would like to extend our thanks to Bruce Westrup for allowing us to use the upper room this year. November meeting minutes were not available. Irene gave a run down as to what is in the minutes for December. There was no actual business meeting in December. We had our Christmas dinner at Robbers Roost in Foresthill. The weather was good - no ice or snow and just a little touch of fog. Dinner was very good and plenty to eat. There was the game of getting the gifts out to people. Always a fun time. The most wanted was a remote model Trans Am car. Afterwards some went off to go dancing and the rest of us said good by and went home. Because of no TransScript in November or December the minutes will be published in the January issue.
Activities:
Activities Director:
Gary and Gayle have set some tentative activities and dates for this coming year. As it comes closer to each event there will be more discussion and information.
January 28th: Super Bowl party at Gary's and Gayle's. Gayle sent around a sign up sheet to let her know what you can bring to munch on.
February 18th: Valentines Day Brunch will be at The Point in Rio Vista. We've been there before and it is very nice.
March 17th: Progressive Dinner - four stops.
April 21st: Bush League Racing, (simulators) in Roseville.
May ??: Sunrise Mall Show.
June 17th: Great America
July : Trans A Rama
August??: Iron Stone Winery for the Civil War re-enactment.
Sept. 22/23rd: Mt Shasta Dinner Train (over night).
Oct. 13/14 :Hi Way 36, Eureka, etc. (over night).
Nov. ??: Cash Creek or Jackson Ranchorio.
Dec. ?? :Christmas dinner party at Beerman's in Lincoln.
There will also be some additional fun times - Drags - Auburn Show & Shine nights, etc. I'm still hoping for the Hershey Factory one of these years. Dave Gershon said he was talking to the guy at Grand Auto in Roseville. He is going to have car shows all summer. He said that if we wanted to go in as a Club he would give us a roped off area for parking. Will probably start in May. He also said he would be willing to give us raffle items for Trans A Rama.
Historian:
J.J. has photos of the November meeting with awards, Christmas Parade and Christmas party. Ted said he also had some pictures of the get together after the Christmas Parade if J.J. would like to add them to his picture albums.
Major Events:
Dave said we had most of the details pretty well nailed down for Trans A Rama. It is going to be July 13th, 14th and 15th. Starting with a cruise up to Auburn on Friday night. No charge. Saturday will be a car show and Awards Banquet with guest speaker. Only registered participants will be allowed to vote for People's Choice. The auto cross will be Sunday. SCCA will run the program. Last year Trans A Rama registration was $110. We're trying something different this year. For instance - those who choose not to auto cross will save the $25.00. Pricing right now is: $ 25.00 Trans A Rama registration, car show and goodie bag. $ 40.00 Awards banquet and speaker $ 25.00 Auto Cross (per person) $ 15.00 Insurance for auto cross $105.00
Trans Script Editor:
Ted Bechtel, our vice president, has also taken on the position of the Trans Script Editor. At the moment he does not have a computer but arrangements are being made through Kiel Embry to get him one. It seems Kiel is up to his knees in computers. Let's all get behind Ted in this endeavor. He has taken on quite a job and needs articles, on anything you might think is interesting. It doesn't have to be just about cars or parts there of. I understand he has some good ideas for the paper. His E-Mail address is - ThorendorII@webtv.net.
Membership Director:
C. C. said the trip to the Children's Receiving Home will be on May 5th at 10am. We'll be meeting at Del Paso Park at 9:30am which is just about ½ mile east of the receiving home. Tina will get back to C.C. for those things that are needed for the kids.
Web Site Director:
Jim Prinzivalli is also putting time in streamlining our web site. He said he has a listing of our events for the year, however, he needs the departure times and places. Also list of current officers. Jim is also working on art work for the Trans A Rama T-shirts.
The Club sent flowers for the funeral of Jerry Durrett. Jerry was a member of our Club for several years some time back. We had a call from John Durrett, Jerry's brother, who was also a member of our Club for a long time, thanking us for them.
Officers Reports: President:
Ted noticed that a couple of our sponsors have been left off of our web site listing and all our flyers. That's a big No No. They need to be put on that list no matter how small the contribution. One of these is Brookfield's Restaurant in Roseville and another is Denny's Restaurant in Cameron Park. Denny's is interested in us doing car shows at their place
Officer Reports:
Vice President: Ted Bechtel
- No report.
Secretary: Irene Raff
- No report.
Treasurer: J.O. Raff
- Listed in another section of this news letter. On the last road trip we had there was a discussion on the type of radios we were using. It seems the days of the old CB is out the window. The little hand held family type radio seems to be the thing now days. They have 14 channels and about a two mile range. They run from about $30 to $100, depending on the brand name and features you want on them. We all need to be on the same type of equipment Ted said that Gary, Dave and J.J. submitted pictures and sent an application to the Auto Rama. We have been accepted as a participant. With each entry comes two passes for the entire show. We can use those for the ones that want to work the show. We need to set up a table with all the information we have on our Club along with applications for membership. This is a very good audience for us. This is February 8th to 11th. Ted said he would like to see a new member's page in our TransScrpt. There will be a Trans A Rama meeting at Dave Gershon's house on January 27th at 3pm. Meeting adjourned at 8:42pm
Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff Irene Raff, Secretary

President's Message
I would like to welcome all the new members that have recently joined us, as well as the existing "old timers". I hope that your holidays were filled with much happiness and merryment! The new year will be bringing several exciting events our way! Activity Director(s) Gary (and Gayle!) Vollstedt have already completed this year's schedule of events. We will be kicking off 2001 starting with the Superbowl party in January (at Gary & Gayle's house). Then, in February, the Sacramento Autorama comes rolling into town. Only this year, a little twist has been added! Instead of just attending the show, we will have a club display with three T/A's in the show! Throw in an overnight trip to the coast, a visit to Great America, a train ride, a progressive dinner, and…..well, you get the picture!
The racing season has also begun, at least for the hard core members (see article elsewhere in this issue!) Even the car show season will be upon us beginning in April, for all the "wax on, wax off" members in the club. And don't forget the "mac daddy" of them all, Transarama! Yep, mark your calendars now. The date is July13-15. This years event will be held in Sacramento, in order to make it a little more accessible and affordable for all Firebird owners!
Take a quick glance at the Officers/Directors page and you will notice a few changes as well. You have elected Ted Bechtel as your Vice President this year, Gary Vollstedt as Activities Director, and incumbants J.O. and Irene Raff as Treasurer and Secretary respectively. As for the Directors, only three changes have been made. The Trans Script Editor duties will be handled by Ted "The Man" Bechtel. Frank and Connie Brown have accepted the "Members at large" positons, and Jim Prinzivalli has generously accepted to be the Web Site Director. This is an exceptional group of people, and I would like to personally thank them all for stepping up and offering their talents to the club!
In the "old days" if you wanted to lead, all you had to do was stand up on a soapbox in public and speak. Some people would follow you….. and some would throw rotten vegetables at you. I don't remember any one ever saying anything about how great the view was. From where I'm standing, with all my fellow Firebird enthusiasts around me, the view couldn't look any better!
Ted Klein

The Starting Line
I would like to start off by welcoming all of our returning members, and to wish all of those leaving us good luck! I personally had a good time last year getting to know all of you, and speaking for myself you all will be missed! I grew to think of all of you as friends, and I wish you all the best in your new endevaour!
Over the last few months I have been beating myself up with guilt over my part in what transpired with the secession of the Capital City Firebirds. I hope you all will bear with me while I make a few apologies. To begin with I would like to say I'm sorry to Troy Craythorn. Not so much for what I did, but in the way I went about it! Troy, I should have never given you my word that I would not say anything about your groups' break-off. Having been nominated for the office of Vice-President of the Trans-am Club it put me in a conflict of interest, and you were right, you found out where my loyalties lie…with the Trans-am Club! Just as they always will. I should have given you the chance to resolve the problem of no club meeting place before I went to our new President-elect!
To Ron and Dawn Ponders I owe the biggest apology! The two of you were the closest people to me in the club, and it is you that I will miss most! You always seemed to have faith in me, even when I doubted myself! I sincerely hope that you do not feel betrayed by my actions!
And finally to all the people that got caught in the middle, Frank and Pandy, John and Judy Campbell, John Gibson and Christy Corral, Dante and Rebbecca Higgins, and Shane Elting, I am very sorry for everything you have had to endure! I wish you all the best, and if you ever change your minds I would gladly welcome you back!
Now that I have finished with the negative, let's get to the positive! I would like to send out a big thank-you to all of the people that are trying very hard to make this club better than it was before! Better, Stronger, Faster, we can do it, we have the technology! Wait wrong show! I hope everyone will join me in thanking, Ted Klein, Dave Gershon, J.J. Apilado, C.C. Coppage, Gary and Gayle Vollstedt, and J.O. and Irene Raff. These wonderful people are giving up a lot of their time to make sure this club is fun for everyone! Please let them know that you appreciate their efforts! And finally I would like to thank Miren Klein, Paula Gershon, and the other spouses of our clubs officers, without whose patience and understanding would have made this time of transition much more difficult!
Finally I would like to ask everyone to come out and participate in our clubs events! Without you there is no Club!
Your Editor and V.P. Ted Bechtel

Superbowl Party
The day started off like always, I cleaned the house, polished the car and both trucks then remembered that it was Superbowl Sunday. So I woke my lovely wife Gayle, and I helped her get ready for all the yahoo's coming over. C.C. was the first to show up, she was early so I had her scrub the floors. Frank Brown came reluctantly since the Raiders were not in the big game, and Pat was taking Connies place as the big game winner, but I had different plans. Some new old members came over, Arlyn and Cindy brought cookies and veggies, Ray brought some great ribs, and Kiel brought the Colonel. Ted and Miren, and Dave and Paula all brought the entertainment. I had the kids running around outside chasing coyotes with rib bones in their hands, yelling you can't get me, well I thought it was entertaining. We also had the Riff-Raff show up with the Warden. And last or was it lost, Dante and Rebbecca were guided in on a wing and the cell phone. The game was on, but the betting was on the commercial, the running of the squirrels had my money. We did have a couple of different winners on the pools, that was because Connie and Lourdes were not here. So lets have the winners please! In the first quarter Ray and Frank, in the second quarter Cindy and Gayle, in the third quarter Dave and C.C., in the fourth quarter, again, Dave and C.C. I don't want to give the amounts in case the IRS gets a hold of this letter. It was a fun day having everyone over for the first event of the new year. Gayle and I have planned some good events this year, and hope everyone can attend them, and have a good time!
Respectfully, G.R.V. Commander

Can't We All Get Along?
The key to healing our Trans Am Club, and having it work, is each and everyone of you!! How you interact with the other person determines how that person will interact with you. How you act toward one another determines whether your relationship will be supportive or painful! Once you discover your role in the conflict, you can do something about it. Unfortunately, we seldom notice that we have anything to do with what is happening. All we can see is how the other person treats us. We then treat the other person accordingly. If we receive friendship and appreciation, we will give friendship and appreciation. If we receive criticism and resentment, we will give criticism and resentment. We treat the other person according to how that person treated us. The problem with this is that the other person is doing the same exact thing. That person treats you according to how you treat him or her! Can't we all get along? When you treat each other on how you get treated, there is no telling what will happen. It's like sailing with no one at the helm. When no one is in charge of the ship, you are likely to end up on the rocks. Usually it's just a matter of time until someone gets upset. That person then puts up his or her walls of protection and either resists, attacks or withdraws. Then the other person gets upset and does the same thing. Then the first person gets more upset and reacts more forcefully toward the other. Without knowing, you create a cycle of resisting, attacking and withdrawing from each other. This cycle of conflict then continues on and on without either person ever noticing his or her role in the problem. Sides get drawn and issues become something to fight over rather than something to resolve. Walls of protection get fortified and distance grows. The experience of friendship quickly fades away. We hurt each other over and over again, feeling fully justified for everything we do. Serious damage is done, and none of it is necessary. Can't we all just get along?
Two people are required in order to create and maintain this cycle of conflict, Only one is needed to end it! If you want to heal your friendship and be free of the suffering, you need to end this cycle. To do this, you need to interact in a way that puts water on the fire instead of more fuel. You need to put the focus on healing your relationship, not necessarily as Trans Am Club members, but as one human being to another! To the extent you are able to do this, you gain cooperation instead of resentment. Issues get resolved, and you become free inside and able to get on with your life. What you do today determines what will happen in your relationship tomorrow. Whether your relationship is painful or supportive is up to you! The choice is yours! Can't we all get along?
I would like to be the first to say Good Luck to the Capital City Firebirds Club! I hope your club survives as long as the Trans Am Club - Golden State Chapter has and will!
J.J Apilado

Team TACA at the Races
January 1st found Team TACA (Kiel and myself) at Sacramento Raceway for the first race of the New Year. I had planned for weeks to prepare for this race, but as usual, all I managed to do was push all the boxes off the Firebird, pour some gas in it and leave for the track. When I arrived, I was surprised to see such a huge turnout! There were over fifty entries in Pro ET (Kiel's class), about a thousand in Sportsman class, and over ninety cars in the Street class (my class). Fortunately, I drove the 'bird to the track instead of trailering it. This allowed me to pull directly into my staging lane for tech inspection, instead of getting into the mile long, hour wait trailered tech line! Within 20 minutes of arriving, I made my first qualifying pass, a 12.48 @ 108.1mph. On my second pass, I launched harder since the track was well prepared and ran a 12.41 @ 109mph. Hey Dave, does this count for Top Gun? Heh Heh! Kiel, running on the throttle stop, ran a pair of 10.77's at 127mph! Wow! After a two-hour break, it was time for the first round of eliminations.
Kiel was up first; he ran a 10.82 @ 126mph, on a 10.79 dial in. He only lost by .07 hundredths of a second, and thus ended his day. My first round turned into a buy (automatic win) when the Pinto I was going to race was disqualified for running slicks which are not allowed in street class. My second round paired me with a late model Mustang. I dialed a 12.41 to the Mustang's 14.7. The Mustang left first; I drove past him at ¾ track and never looked back. The third round found me up against an 86 T-bird with a 16.85-second dial in. I stayed with a 12.41 dial in. My reaction time was much better on the start, and I caught the T-bird at half-track, lifted off the gas, and coasted to the win! It was now after 7pm. The fog began to settle in on the track, bringing with it an end to the night's racing. The $500 Street class purse was split among the remaining twelve of us. I walked away with $40 cash and a free tech card ($30 value) for the next race. This puts me into a five-way tie for second place in the points standings. Not bad for a three round wonder. See you at the races!
Ted Klein

February 2001, Volume 4, Issue 2

General Meeting - February 12, 2001 The meeting was called to order by President, Ted Klein at 7:40 pm., at Reliable Pontiac Cadillac.
Nineteen members and four guests were in attendance.
The guests introduced themselves. Chris Jones has a 1970 blue TA, Mark Boyle has a 1970 TA, Troy Cardoso has a 1988 Black TA, and Rod Leach has a 1989 pace car. Although they are not guests, it has been quite some time since we have seen Christy and Mike Smith who have a 10th Anniversary TA and John Henry has a 1986 TA. Welcome to all of our guests.
The minutes were approved as printed in the TransScript.
Director’s Reports:
Activities:
Gary and Gayle Vollstedt announced the run for the Valentine’s Day brunch. Because of our participation in the Auto Rama at Cal Expo the brunch will be the week after Valentine’s Day. It will be at the Point Restaurant, over looking the delta in Rio Vista. Meet at the K-Mart on Sunrise by 8:15 am, we will leave at 8:30 am. After brunch there will be a return run through the delta to Sacramento.
Gary also went over the Progressive Dinner for St. Patrick’s Day. Hors d’oeuvre will be at Dave and Paula’s house in Roseville. Main course will be at the Raff’s, and desserts will be at Ted and Miren’s house in Elk Grove. Should be a fun day
.Historian:
J.J. Apilado already had the pictures of Auto Rama developed and into photo albums. Fast work J.J. He passed them around for viewing.
Major Events:
Dave Gershon gave us a run down on what will be happening at Trans A Rama this year. The dates are July 13^th - 15^th. The Holiday Inn, at Highway 80 and Madison , will be the hosting hotel. The car "show and shine" will be held at Reliable Pontiac Cadillac in the Roseville Automall. Auto crossing will be held at McClellan AFB.
Dave also gave us the dates for the drags at Sacramento Race Way. They are 3/14, 5/23, 7/4, and the Pontiac/Mopars will be 8/22. Drivers need to be there around 5:00 pm. If you just want to be a spectator 5:30 or 6 pm would be great.
TransScript Editor:
Theo Bechtel said he finally got his computer. It must be a very good one because the last TransScript was absolutely excellent. He has some good ideas for the future and will need some input from our membership.
Membership Director:
C. C. Coppage said she had not tagged too many cars this past month. She is working with the Childrens Receiving Home to find out what will be needed for the kids. The date for our visit there will be May 5, 2001.
Web Site Director:
Jim Prinzivalli said he has done quite a bit of updating and rearranging our web site but still has quite a bit to do. Be sure and visit our web site it really looks nice.
Because our meetings are running right up against the 9pm time that we are to be out of the meeting room at Reliable, a motion was made and seconded that we meet at 7pm instead of 7/30pm. This will give us time to put chairs away and straighten up anything we may have disturbed. Motioned carried. So don’t forget to be at Reliable no later than 7pm on March 12^th and park toward the back of the car lot.
Note: If I have left anything out of the minutes please let me know at the next meeting. The batteries in the recorder must have been going bad because everyone seemed to be talking rrreeeaalll sssllloooww with a very low voice and I couldn’t understand a word of it.
The Treasurer’s report will be printed in another section of this TransScript. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm.
Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff, Secretary.

President's Message
As luck would have it, February has traditionally been a very good month for our club. This year has been no exception!
The month started with our club display at the Sacramento Autorama. Several members turned out to help with the setup, manning the display during the car show, and even to help with the take down afterwards. Gayle Vollstedt gets all the credit for the cool design of our display. The black carpets (roads) and the "Dangerous Curves Ahead" sign added just the right look! Despite a few minor problems (gate and parking pass transfers) the Autorama was a rousing success! Our members talked with dozens of Autorama attendees that were interested in our club!
Next up was our monthly membership meeting at Reliable Pontiac/Cadillac. The turnout was simply incredible! It was great to see a few familiar faces of past members, as well as so many new ones! The room was buzzing with excitement. Everyone wanted to contribute to the meeting, it was great! A discussion was started when Shane Elting introduced himself as the defending "TOP GUN" of 2000. An explanation ensued, and judging by the conversation that followed, the "TOP GUN" challenge will be hotly contested this year. This brings us to the first Firebird drag night at Sacramento Raceway. It will be on March 14^th (see calendar of events). Even if you don’t want to race, at least come out and cheer for your fellow club members!
As if all this wasn’t enough, the club finished out the month with its annual Valentines brunch run (see Gary’s article in this issue). Other than the tailpipe incident and losing one club member (temporarily) due to an unscheduled potty stop, the run was as always, a blast! There was an excellent turnout, and I learned that Pat Brown isn’t an only child. Her brother Leo (a past member) came on the run with his charming wife and two sons. Rumor has it that Frank and Connie Brown have seven to nine children depending on whose story you believe. Wow!
I’ll wrap up this month with a little gossip I heard through the grapevine. It seems that a certain member of our club has sold his beloved Trans Am. Yes, the very Trans Am he swore that he would be buried in when he grew old and died! And no, the T/A wasn’t sold because he lost his job, or because his wife made him sell it. Oh no, it was allegedly sold so that a certain black 1999 Firehawk with Ram Air and very low mileage could be purchased. Perhaps the person or persons whom perpetrated this act will step forward and reveal themselves at the March meeting! Better yet, maybe they will let me take it for a spin around the Automall!
All in all, February was an exciting month. But, it’s early in the year. Wait until you see what events are planned for March! Heh, heh. We’re just getting started!
Ted Klein,

The Starting Line
By the time this newsletter comes out we will be well into March. As you all have seen I have been making changes to the appearance and content. I sincerely hope you all like the facelift I have given the Trans Script, with the help of Ted Klein and Kiel Embery. I was looking for something that would catch people’s attention, and I thought the flaming eagle would be perfect for that. On the back page you will notice I have updated the clubs logo and changed the drawing to a picture of a 1970 Trans Am, as this is my favorite body style! I am thinking about changing this picture from time to time, or we can leave it up to the club! I am open to suggestions! This is everyone’s newsletter!
In the future I would like to have a "get to know your Officers" section, and a place for Birthdays and Anniversaries (the year is optional). I personally feel these are necessary, not only to improve communication and make the club more enjoyable, but also because I have been in the club for a year and a half and know very little about anyone! This is mostly my fault as I am not very good at making conversation and I know there are others with the same problem.
One thing I would like to make clear right now is, although this newsletter gives me the means to respond to remarks made about me I will no longer use it for this purpose! It’s time to let go and get on with our lives! However I would like to make an appeal to the Capital City Firebirds Club’s newsletter editors please refrain from using my name in any future publications (good or bad)!
With that said, I would like to close by wishing everybody good luck, and I look forward to giving you the best newsletter I can! We have a great club with good people, and the newsletter should represent them that way!
Your VP and Trans Script Editor,Ted "Theo" Bechtel

Valentines Brunch
Well it really wasn’t Valentines Day, but it would do. Sunday the 18^th, it was raining lightly. We all met at K-Mart on Sunrise Avenue. When Gayle and I got there, the Brown clan, (Frank, Connie, Pat and the newest, Leo, Susan, and their two boys met us. Theo and CC, were waiting. Then came J.O. and Irene, and J.J. and Lourdes. While we waited to leave and sign everyone in, Dante and Rebecca showed up, then Ray and Terry, and last, Dave and Paula with their kids. Frank and Leo made sure we left on time, well almost on time. Everyone was on the radio, so we left.
We ran down highway 50 to I-5. Ted and Miren breezed in at Elk Grove Blvd. We had a pleasurable drive down I-5 to the Rio Vista turn off (Just below Fresno). On Highway 12 Frank decided to customize his car and dropped off one of his tailpipes, so everyone pulled over, popped our hoods, kicked our tires, talked to a tree, and when Frank and Dante were finished welding the pipe back on, we continued on our way! Four or five bridges later we found Rio Vista (a little below Fresno). We made the right turn, cruised through town, windows and tops down were applicable. Upon arriving at The Point we were met by Jim and Kathy, and Charlene and her friend.
After a relaxing breakfast at The Point, right on the Delta, we went for a cruise with the yacht club that were dining in the same room. Brunch took about an hour, then the real drive started. The rain had stopped and everyone wanted to stretch his or her legs. We drove at a slow 60mph along the river road. Theo. had his new cop tires, cop shocks, and cop steering wheel and he used them well. Leo (Salsa) Brown and Dante just couldn’t stand being in the back, so they passed a few cars and me. That was the high point of the drive. Then it was just a normal highway drive the rest of the way home. A good time was had by all.CommanderGRV

MARCH 2001, Volume 4, Issue 3

General Meeting - March 12
The meeting was called to order by the President, Ted Klein, at 7:13 p.m.
For those new attendees, everyone introduced themselves with a little information about what their position in the Club is and how long they have been a member.
We had several new faces for this meeting. Guests were Grant Brummenmeyer and his girl friend Rachel. Now the really good part. New Members: (1) Tim Singleton. He owns a black l988 Formula V-8. (2) Christian Jones has a blue Trans Am, he failed to put down the year on his application but will find out at the next meeting. (3) Allen Gordon Tackitt has a 1976 white Trans Am. (4) Dave Karnes and wife Carol have a 1997 black Trans Am. Welcome to our guests and we hope you come back again. A big welcome to our new members.
J.O. said there was a correction in the February issue on the Treasurers report. The figures for the General Fund and the Trans A Rama fund were not for December but for the January report. He just forgot to change the month on his template. Also for the Progressive dinner - First stop will be at Dave and Paula's home not Gary's and Gayles. With the changes to the minutes and Treasurer's report the minutes were approved.
Old Business:
Dave Gershon had some good things to say about our participation in Auto Rama at Cal Expo this past month. We took the runner up for outstanding Club Group display. Along with that was a check for $100. We had a very nice display with Gary and Gayle's 1994 Bright Aqua Trans Am, J.J.'s 1972 white with blue stripes Trans Am, and Dave's 1989 Flame Red/GTA. Thanks goes out to all that participated in manning the booth. We received several pages of names, address and phone numbers from our visitors This gives us a good base for invitations to Trans A Rama this July. Ted sent in information, with pictures, to the Auto Rama committee and there was information in the program on our Club. A big THANKS goes to Ted Klein for putting an application in for a spot in Auto Rama. Although it was pushing the dead line we squeaked in and the results were great. A letter will be sent to Dan Cyr Enterprises, Inc., thanking him for allowing us the opportunity to show our Club and the $100.
Ted reminded the members that dues are now due and payable. Anyone not paying their dues by the 1st of April is dropped from our roster and will no longer receive the transcript. Those who joined the Club in October of 2000, or after, are automatically paid through the current year of 2001. There were some who joined our Club during a promotional at Trans A Rama in Reno last year. Those members are also paid through 2001.
Directors Reports:
Activities:
Gary and Gayle reported on the Progressive Dinner to be held on St. Patrick's Day. Meet in Levitz parking lot on Watt Avenue at 4:30pm. Leave at 5pm. He will have maps to each of the eating places. Hors d'oeuvres and salad will be at Dave and Paula's new home in Roseville. Main course will be at J.O. and Irene's (freshly painted and carpeted) home in Citrus Heights, and desert will be at Ted Klein and Miren's new home in Elk Grove. Good distance to Ted's place. Sounds like a fun run. J.J., our historian, will be out of town and asked someone to take pictures of this event.
Gary said he has some information on "Kool April Nights" in Redding and wanted to know if anyone would be interested in that run. This is a two-day event; however, we could make it a one-day run. He will send for information on this event.
Gayle was in contact with Doug Brauner at Channel 31. He wants us to send a list of our activities for the year. He definitely wants to cover our Trans A Rama this year. He may do some other things to plug Trans A Rama for us.
Gary asked if we wanted to do the Christmas Parade in Roseville again this year. There is also a Harvest Festival Parade in Elk Grove in May or June. These will be discussed in the next meeting.
Mopar drag night is coming up August 22nd. Our Club pays 1/ 2 the cost of the trophies and it's our time to buy them this year.
Historian:
J.J. thanked Mike and Christy Smith for taking pictures at the Hurst Castle Run.(In that area gasoline was $3.10 a gallon.) He also thanked C.C. for more photos from Trans A Rama last year and this years Auto Rama, also Ted for pictures of the Super Bowl party and of Auto Rama. He had the pictures from the Valentine's Brunch Run being passed around. He also has extra pictures of the Brunch. If you would like some see J.J.
Major Events:
Dave sent out 300 flyers for Trans A Rama. So far only six have been returned with bad addresses. Regarding the Auto Cross-to be held at McClellan. Because McClellan has been pretty much shut down the event has been moved. SCCA will still be doing the event for us but it will be at Mather Field. There will be a Trans A Rama meeting at Dave's house on March the 18th at 3pm. He needs volunteers to handle some things. Such as helping to get the cars at the car show in the proper areas, etc. Reg Harris of SLP is definitely going to be our guest speaker at the banquet.
TransScript Editor:
Theo asked if everyone received the last copy of the TransScript. He received a big round of applause for this one, it is really pretty. For those of you who have seen it you know what I mean. He would like to have everyone submit to him a ¾ view picture of their cars. He wants to have a Club Member's car picture to use on the Trans Script in place of the one that now appears there. He also wants a list of Club member's birthdays and anniversaries.
Membership:
C.C. said the Children's Receiving home would be on May the 5th. Things that are requested this year are bubbles, goggles and UA (theater) tickets.
C.C. also mentioned the three membership offers that we have. If a person just wants to be on our TransScript list only, the cost is $20. A regular membership is $40 dollars for one person and $50 for a couple.
If you want to get the specs on your car you can, years 1960 to current, this information is available. The name of the company is Pontiac Historical Society. Jim Matson has been a Pontiac employee practically forever. He has created this department because he is a real history buff. He has taken all the Pontiac files that would normally be discarded after 20 years and put them in order. If you send him your vin number from your car he can pull the original bill sheet for you and tell you what original equipment your car had, the day your car was built, which dealership it was shipped to and the day it was shipped to that dealer. Much much more.
Web Site:
Jim Prinzivalli was not in attendance this evening. Standing in for Jim was Dave Gershon. Jim lives in Antioch and he can't always make our meetings. Jim needs information on our individual cars, with pictures to scan, so they can be put on our Web Site. (You will get the pictures back). This will be on the new Web Site that Jim as constructed. Not the one you are seeing now. The new one should be out in about a month.
Officers Reports:
Vice President: Theo had raffle tickets. Prizes - three miniature Trans Ams. Sgt. At Arms: Dante' said he knew someone who is filling nitrous tanks for $2.67 a pound. You have to show your Club card. Secretary: There was correspondence from P.O.C.I. regarding car show Saturday, May 12th in Micke Grove. Hangtown is having a car show September 2nd.
President: Ted Klein.
We have discussed giving a free full year membership in our Club to anyone buying a Trans Am from Reliable. At the end of the year it would be up to the member to decide if he would like to continue his membership. At that time he would pay the regular fees. Reliable has done much for us and this would be a way of giving back something to them. As it is now, we give anyone paying dues after October 1st the membership through the next year. We only have a few months before we get to that point so we really won't be giving up anything. The cost of the newsletter would be minimal. If we can pick up even one new member for 2002 we will cover that cost. When a car is purchased we should mail them a current TransScript at that time. Frank Brown made the motion that we give a one year free membership to anyone buying a Trans Am, Firebird, Formula or Fire Hawk from Reliable. It was seconded buy J.J. Apilado and passed by the membership. Membership packets will be made up and left at Reliable.
The Treasurer's report will appear elsewhere in this TransScript.
With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 8:50pm.
Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff Secretary

President's Message
Well, yet another month has passed; the rainy days appear to be all gone, and spring is upon us! As most of you begin the washing and waxing ritual that always begins this time of year, I find myself frantically trying to clear space in my garage, so that I can begin the stripping and refinishing of my somewhat gold '69 'bird. After all, Trans A Rama XIII is just around the corner (July 13 - 15)! I have been told that faded primer, peeling paint, rust, and ratty interiors were not offered from the factory and therefore should be removed before the show! Let's see now..... how's that 'old saying" go? "The barber is always in need of a haircut, the plumber's pipes are always leaking, and all six of the automotive paint store guy's cars need to be painted!" If you've always wanted to learn how to paint your own car, come to my house, you can practice on a few of mine......
We had a couple of exciting club events take place in March. After a three year hiatus, a progressive dinner was held, as well as the first of three Firebird club racing nights at Sacramento Raceway (see articles in this issue). The turnout for these events was nothing short of awesome! The look on my wife's face as the thirty eight plus club members stampeded into her new house was...uh, interesting to say the least! If an award were given to the club with the most participants at the drag night, we would have won that too!
Dave Gershon, our trans A Rama Event director has scheduled a meeting for Sunday, April 8th, at 3:00 p.m., at Dave's house. I would like to hold a Board of Directors meeting on the same day, at 2:00p.m., also at Dave's house. Anyone interested in attending, director or not, is welcome! Please try to at least make the Trans A Rama committee meeting, as we are rapodly approaching the event date and several details have yet to be worked out!
Last month I threw out a little peice of gossip in this column. It involved a 1999 black Firehawk and a "certain" club member. Little did I know how muchanticipation this stirred up! The club member reluctantly identified himself at the March meeting. it was none other than Dante. however, he informed us all that the "deal" had fallen through, and that he still had his "sleeper" 1994 T/A. So, since you seem to like hearing the latest...
This month's gossip is about a club member that has "allegedly" purchased a 1971 Formula 455. Rumor has it that the bird may indeed contain one of the legendary 455 HO engines under its fiberglass hood. It will reportedly squeal the right rear tire until you care to lift off the accelerator, due to the "peg leg" rear end (no posi. If you are this person, give me a call. While cleaning out my garage, I unearthed a complete 1971 date correct, 3.42 posi-traction rear end. It's in good shape and it's never been raced....honest.
By Ted Klein.

Progressive Dinner
This was a good event. If you weren't there then you missed out. I started at Levitz with some new faces. Dave and Carol, Ken and his son and Troy Cardoso. Ted Bechtel lead the group and Gayle and I brought up the rear. As we got on I-80 to Dave's house C.C. was trying to keep up with Ted's group, as we broke up right at the start. Leo, Dante and Rebecca and Gayle and myself were all trying to catch Ted. Well Ted fooled us, instead of turning on I-80, he went to Auburn Blvd. Instead and was watching us run alongI-80. I thought we were going fast, Ted's group must be flying. When we arrived at Dave's house, half of us were missing. This really surprised me, because I had given everyone this really neat map! But as C.C. pointed out, she could not drive and read the map at the same time. 10 minutes later Ted showed up with his group and two more, Chris and Tim showed up. Gordon was impressed how it all came together. Arlyn and Cindy were already at Dave's, and then finally Ted and Miren Klein arrived just as the food ran out.
Paula had a nice spread of hors dourves and salads, stuffed mushrooms, and baby crab legs. After a delicious light snack, we all headed for the Raff's. At the first left two cars made a right, so I sent Leo after them (Gordon and Ken). So now we are all together again having a slow cruise to J.O. and Irene's for the main course. Corned beef and cabbage with rolls (but only 1 ½ per person). After an hour or so, we were on the road to Ted and Miren's for a whole bunch of goodies. It was dark and when we got on the highway and all in a row we had a clean ride. We even drove the speed limit. And I thought I lived in the boonies, Ted and Miren live days away! However it was all worth the drive for the chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake, ice cream and some other round trouffley things. That stay was another hour or so. Then Dante suggested we all go to In N out Burger off of Sunrise. So off went four or five, then after a few minutes the rest went. Just like High School, we were all parked in a row, away from the Mustangs and Honda's, taking in the sights. it was late when the old man Arlyn, and his wife Cindy left. It was the latest Gayle and I have been up for a long time, since In Cahoots closed down. It was a real fun evening and the In N Out Burger stop was the Icing on the cake. I hope the new members who were there enjoyed the evening as much as I. For the month of April we have two fun events planned. A cruise to Redding for Kool April Nites on Saturday April 21st., and a day at the race track simulators on the 22nd. So come to the April meeting for departure times.
Respectfully, Commander Gary

APRIL 2001, Volume 4, Issue4

General Meeting - April 9, 2001
The meeting was called to order by President Ted Klein at 7:20pm.
Guests:
David Karnesson of member Dave Karnes. Sue Murphywho also became a the Club this evening. Welcome guest and new member. Minutes were approved as printed in Trans Script.
Old Business:
Last month we discussed how to get information on your car. have two. Options. The first is Pontiac Historical Services for cars 1989and older. $35 you will receive copies of original invoiceall equipment car came with a press release picture thatmodel(Trans Am, Firebird or Formula) copy dealer order sheet. There are about 20 pages history breaks down by yearmaketransmissionengine other information. club such as ours well worth expense. This based on your car by its vin number. Ted has the cover letters and form for anyone who might want to check out the history of their car. This information can be obtained on all Pontiac’s. You need to send a cashier’s check or money order in with your request. If you send a personal check they will not run it through for a month. You can fax the request in with a credit card number and they will get right on it for you.
For cars 1990 or newer you can get the same basic information from Pontiac through their Customer Service Assistance Program. Phone number = 1-800-762-2737. Ted understands that this is free!! Dont hear very often.
Gary gave us a run down on the St. Patricks Day Progressive Dinner. group left Levitz parking lot their way to Dave &Paula house for salad stuffed mushrooms and munchies then off J.O. Irene corn beef cabbagered potatoescarrots rolls Elk Grove Ted Miren dessert. Lots of good stuff. Especially bunt cake with kahlua she hadsome great big strawberries dipped in chocolate. After this get together night owls went overOut Burger joint. (What? Not enough atIrenes?
Firebird Drag Night at Sacramento Race Way.
There were 15 Firebirds and Ams on line. Our Club best turn out with six members present. was one young man from P.O.C.I. Club. (Pontiac Oakland International). He is a member of local chapter. KleinPresidentwon event. I understand it because two up against jumped light. next May 23 rd. We need more Club members there with their cars. You don’t have to race but Ted said when they look down from the tower and see all the Trans Ams, Firebirds, Formulas, and Fire Hawks they take notice. The more we have showing up during the current year determines how many race nights we can have the following year.
Dave Gershon hands out a "Top Gun" award each year for the drags. If you want to compete for this award, be sure to get to the track. This is for the quickest E.T. at any Club night. Be sure to turn your times in to Dave. There are four regular nights this year. Three Firebird nights and one night Mopar vs. Pontiac night. We won this event the first year and they have won the last two years so our drivers are very determined to win this year.
Last month we discussed the possibility of giving buyers of a Trans Am, Firebird, Formula or Fire Hawk from Reliable Pontiac a free membership to our Club. We felt this would be a good tool to bring new members. Bruce Westrup has given us permission to do so. We also discussed this at our board meeting and felt it would be worth the try. Dave and C.C. are going to put together packets for new buyers. There will be a current TransScript, application to the Club, Trans A Rama flyer and any other pertinent information regarding the Club There will be a cover letter to let them know they have a free one year membership. We don’t know exactly how we will deliver them as yet. Ideas were to put them in the glove compartment, have, or maybe handing it to them with their documents in the finance department. Dave will get together with Bruce to see exactly how he wants it handled.
Directors Reports:
Activities:
Gary had a sign up sheet for Cool April Days up in Redding. However there has been rumor that Cool April Days has been canceled. Gary will check into it. This one of our runs for the month of April.
April 22:
Busch League Racing in Roseville. Gary needs a sign up sheet because he has to make reservations. It’s $20 per adult for three races. It’s $22 if you want hotdogs etc., to go along with the race. These are stationary auto like machines that you set it and from what I’ve seen it’s just like being on a track. Rocks and rolls, bumps, skids, crashes. Need to meet there at 1:30 PM. Address – 1021 Junction Blvd., by the Roseville Fair Grounds
May 5 th:
Children’s Receiving Home. Meet at Del Paso Park and caravan to the home. C.C. is asking for donations of bubbles, goggles for the pool, U.A. theater tickets or money so that he can purchase items.
May 18th:
Car shows at Kragen in Roseville at Harding and Douglas Blvd. Time is 6pm to 9pm every Friday of each month. Gary said he would call and let them know that we do want to show some cars. More at the next Club Meeting.
December 8th:
Christmas Party will be at Dinges McGee’s in Colfax. Food options, Chicken, fish or prime rib. Deposit has been put in. They have agreed that if there is snow on the ground the party is cancelled and we receive our deposit back. Be there at 6:30pm and dinner at 7pm. We may caravan up but we can decide that at a later date.
Trans A Rama XIII:
July 13, 14, & 15. Dave said he has five registrations and has had several out of town calls asking about the event. Jim Prinzivalli has been working on the design for the T-shirts. Looks nice. Shirts will have a 1968 Firebird convertible head on shot and 2000 WS6 above that. There will be smoke from burning rubber’ behind the ’68. The next meeting for Trans A Rama will be at Dave’s house at 3pm on May 6. If you are not involved as yet you are more than welcome to come and get involved. Main thing right now is sponsors. Everyone has been asked to see if they can find at least one sponsor. Raffle items or cash donation. They will have a spot in the TransScript, on our web site as a sponsor and recognized at the event. Dante Higgins is in charge of the sponsor list so if you come up with one please call him and let him know, who and what you have. You need to pick up a business card so we can keep track of the sponsors. Dinner at the Holiday in for Trans A Rama will be $35 and kids at $17.50.
WebSite:
Jim has put together a new web site for the Club. It is up and running!! He has cleaned it up and added a new members section. He is finished with phase one and is beginning work on phase two. Any member that wants pictures of his car on the web site turn them into Ted or Dave. Jim has taken a new job and it will be hard for him to make all of our meetings. He lives in Antioch and that’s quite a drive to make a 7pm meeting. Gonna be the best.
Ted and Dave will be on a radio talk show on April 28th. It will be at 7:30am 950 on the dial. It is out of Auburn and reaches as far as Elk Grove. The host’s name is Butch Carter and it’s all about cars. Ted and Dave will be talking about our Club and Trans A Rama. The GTO Club was on his show and they suggested that he call our Club. Be sure to listen in to the
"Ted & Dave" Show:
Ted received some mail from Krause Publications. They are coming out with a new book titled "75 Years of Pontiac Official History". It will be a history of Pontiac’s growth from 1926 to 2001. It normally sells for $29.95. If the Club sends in an order for 12 or more books we can get a 20% discount.
Dante’ said every Friday and Saturday night there is a get together at the In & Out Burger at Coloma and Sunrise. It is across the street from Mac Donald’s, beside the service station. You make a turn as though you are going into that trailer park and swing around behind the station and there you are. He said quite a few Trans Ams show up there every night. Last week there were six of them. Sounds like a nice place for recruiting. They usually get together around 8 to 9pm.
Dante’ said that all the Clubs want to get together and have a big Bar B-Q some time this summer, either at Land Park or Miller Park. Also - Les Schwab has a new location on Bradshaw and for their grand opening, they would like to have a car show. If our Club is interested Dante’ will work on it.
J.O. gave the treasurer’s report. It can be found in another section of the TransScript.
With no further business Dante’ Higgins made the motion to close the meeting and Frank Brown seconded. Meeting closed at 8:37.
Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff, Secretary

Presidents Message
This month I’ve added a new achievement to my list of accomplishments as a member of TACA-GSC. I’ve recently done a live radio talk show. Actually, fellow member Dave Gershon and I drove up to the fine town of Auburn, California, where we were interviewed by Butch Gardner on KHII radio 950 AM. The name of the show is Cruisin News Talk Radio. The program is on 7:30am to 9am every Saturday. Butch is a big supporter of all car clubs. He has interviewed members of many northern California car clubs on his show. It was an honor to be asked to speak on behalf of our club! Dave of course handled himself quite well. I, on the other hand, struggled a bit. The studio that the three of us were in was about the size of a closet. It was quite cozy! Butch told us to forget about the microphone and just talk. Yeah, right! I can’t believe that I forgot the dates for the three Firebird nights at Sacramento Raceway! After all, I had them right in front of me, on a club event sheet! Dave even went so far as to kindly point them out for me. They say "dead" air on the radio is a producer’s worst nightmare. I gave Jerry (the producer) at least twenty seconds worth! Butch took it all in stride, and the interview continued. We talked about the history of our club, participating in Autorama, the drag nights at Sacramento Raceway, including the Pontiacs vs. Mopars night, our upcoming Trans a Rama event, and all things Trans Am related. Dave and I talked about taping the show so those that missed it could hear it at a later time. We forgot to ask until after the show, when it was too late. Butch did invite us (our club) back to talk again, and to give an update on the Pontiacs vs. Mopars outcome. Any club members want to take a shot at their own fifteen minutes of fame? Just remember to bring a cassette tape to put in the recorder before the show!
The next Trans Am/ Firebird night is just around the corner. It’s on Wednesday, May 23rd, at 5:30pm to 10pm at Sacramento Raceway. Yeah, I know it’s on a week night, and I know that not everyone in the club is as big a "gear head" as I am, but it would be nice to see a big turnout from our club.
Trans a Rama is just around the corner as well. You have all sent in your registration forms haven’t you? Hmmm? If not, please do so soon. If you would like to help out, the next Trans a Rama committee meeting is Saturday, June 9th, at 4pm, at Dave Gershon’s house. It is the desire of the committee that every club member finds one sponsor for the event. The sponsorship can be in the form of a raffle prize or even a monetary donation. Size is not important! Every little bit helps! I know… It doesn’t have to be like when you were a kid, having to go door to door, selling cookies or candy bars. Most of us are adults now. Hit on people you know! Like your buddy that has his own business, or the mechanics shop or parts house that you frequent. Reminding them how much you spend with them each year usually helps.
I’ll wrap up this month, with congratulations to Dante and Rebecca Higgins, who have welcomed a new Trans Am into their garage. It’s a 1996 WS6 Harley Davidson Edition T/A, in black. It is reportedly #3 of ten such T/A’s built for a special giveaway contest by Harley and Pontiac. When asked if it had any modifications yet, Dante, as usual, just smiled.
By Ted Klein

The Long Drive
The morning started off at 8 am. There was a bright-eyed group waiting for Gayle and I when we arrived at the Levitz parking lot. Ken and his two kids were the first there at 7:00 am, which was way to early for me, then Sue Murphy, JJ and Lourdes, Dante and Rebecca. That made up a nice round number for a long fast drive. So off we started, up I-5 with the flow of traffic, which was anywhere from 75 to 85. Our first stop was the big town of Williams for gas and Food. The drive was pretty uneventful, just driving and looking at the pretty scenery.
When we arrived in Redding the road we wanted to turn on was blocked off, so on to plan 2 (HELP!!!). Follow the other cars and see where it leads us. Well to the next exit of course. So we all pull into a parking lot and do the natural male thing- ask directions, (this works). After getting directions, we started walking with the other hundreds of people going to the show, so it wasn’t hard to find our way. We decided the first place to stop after paying to get in was the Les Schwab free prize wheel, where we all struck it rich(cups, T-shirts, bags, pins, and tons of other things). There were so many cars that the plan to find as many Firebirds as possible and meet back at the starting point at 3:00pm. So we all started off and it didn’t take long for all of us to get split up.
There was supposed to be 500 cars, but it seemed more like a thousand. We looked at the old cars, then the trucks, then some more old cars on our way to the newer old cars. We then stumbled on the Camaro’s and Firebirds. There was about a dozen or so Firebirds, out of all the cars, and Dante made sure to give a flyer to each one of them.
Our plan was a good one, but Sue had gone back to the cars early, however, she did manage to get her car to the main gate and try to take us back one by one, to the cars. We decided to wait as planned, then the cars in the show began to leave, so we decided to change our plans. Off we went to our cars, Dante tagging cars along the way. When we got back to our cars, there was Sue waiting for us, and telling us of her plan to pick us up. Dante and Rebecca, Ken and his kids, wanted to cruise the main drag with the other car show participants, and then get home. Ken had been up most of the night before so a little while longer wasn’t going to make a difference. The rest of us had to get back to Sacramento, so off we went. All in all the entire show was very impressive, just a ton of cars (all different types).
The drive up was about three hours with stops, four hours at the car show, and two and a half hours to get home, a good days drive!
Respectfully Commander GRV

Firebird Night at Sacramento Raceway
Fifteen Firebirds, Formulas, Firehawks, and Trans Ams came out to Sacramento Raceway March 14^th, for the first of three Firebird nights this year. Ralph Gobel, owner of Hot Rod Heaven, and President of the Nor-Cal LS-1 club, brought out five members’ cars. Only two came out from The Capital City Firebirds Club, two from the Sacramento POCI club, a stray 1973 T/A, and six from our club! JJ Apilado, along with Dante and Rebecca Higgins, came to take pictures and provide support. I think Dante just wanted to check out the competition!
The quickest elapsed time of the night went to Ralph’s son in a killer 2000 silver T/A running an 11.82 second @ 117 mph. nothing but motor and slicks, no nitrous! For those of you keeping track of the Top Gun competition, bring your time slips to the next meeting for verification by Dave Gershon.
During qualifying (practice), Ted Bechtel ran a 16.1 a new personal best, in his ’79 T/A! Mark Boyle struggled with fuel delivery problems all night, and only managed a 15.45 ET. in his ’70 T/A look-alike. Once this 455-powered beast is sorted out, it should easily run in the 12’s. Troy Cardoso and Grant Brendamere both ran 15.60’s with their ’88 T/A’s. Ray Howe, in his 25^th Anniversary T/A clicked off a 14.50 second ET. My ’69 bird ran slower than usual…. Then it was time to dial in and begin the racing!
I was all set to race Tim in his ’73 T/A, but my; car wouldn’t start! I waved everyone around me, jumped out and popped the hood. Ah ha! The coil wire had come loose! A few moments later, I pulled to the front of the staging lane just as they were closing it. Pulling up to the starting line, I looked over to see that I was now running against Mark Boyle. He had a better reaction time on the start, but couldn’t run his number (dial-in). Ted Bechtel and Grant also lost their races. The good news was that three club members survived to run in the second round.
Troy Cardoso raced and beat a 4th Gen. T/A from the LS-1 club, and Ray raced me. I caught Ray sleeping at the starting line: his reaction time I believe, was a new club record. A perfect reaction time is .500 seconds…Ray’s was more than double that, at 1.22 seconds! Mine wasn’t much better, but it was good enough for me to win. Only 2 T/A’s and one Firebird remained going into the semi-final round.
Tim, in his red ’73 T/A won the coin toss and received the buy, automatically advancing him into the final round. I was forced to race yet another club member. But at least one club member would make it to the final! Troy got a little anxious on the start, earning him a new nickname, along with his "red-light" disqualification.
In the final round, it was over before it had begun. Tim, trying to cut a perfect light, also left a little early, lighting up the big "red eye" on the Christmas Tree. We both ran hard anyway. When we came around Tim was understandingly "bummed" at losing. He said he "red-lighted" against club member Kiel last year in the final round, and now, the same thing this year against me. It was pointed out to him that he had just won two trophies this night, "Best Appearing Firebird" and second place. This brought a smile to his face, then we asked him when he was going to join our club…heh, heh!
By Ted Klein

Busch League Racing
Trans Am Club turns out big for Nascar Series. The racing started at aproximately 1:45 pm. We broke into two racing groups, the big boys in one group and the little kids in another. Oh, and Gayle and Cindy got stuck with the little kids. On the first race Cindy, Gayle, Brooke, and Vince were running neck and neck. They were about lap some other cars, and those driven by Mathew, Natalie, and Taylor who were wild and crazy and all over the track. This made the faster cars spin wildly out of control. However they were able to regain control of their cars, and make good times.
The next race was run with Lourdes, Gary, Dave, Theo, Arlyn, and Ted. What a wild race this was! Arlyn was out in frontuntil the last lap when he lost it in turn three. With the tires fading, the cars got harder to control and more easily drifted into the wall, which Gary hit several times, and so did Dave. Ted Klein came up from behind and won the first race.
The second race was on an oval track, and was just as traumatic for Gayle, Cindy, and the kids. Gayle thought she had it until those darn spoiler kids got in her way again! Vince was the winner of that race. The second race for the big kids was as eventful as the first race was with all the bumping and grinding (of metal!!!) and all of the complaints of the cars not being fast enough. At the close of the race Arlyn had taken it. Dante and Rebecca strolled in, claiming they could not find it due to Gary’s bad directions. Dante started off with some outsiders, and then joined up in the third race, with the big kids. This race was a road course, instead of an oval, what a comedy that was to see. None of the big boys could keep their cars on the track. We all had a blast, and it was great being able to get the kids involved. Now we where we will be doing birthday parties!
Respectfully, Commander GRV

MAY 2001, Volume 4, Issue5

General Meeting - May 9th
    The President was introduced by Sgt. At Arms, Dante' hihhins and the meeting was called to order by President Ted lkein at 7:10 PM.
    Guests included Shalimar Anderson who owns a 1991 white TA. Brian Mains attented the meeting with Shalimar. Eric Johnson drives a 1979 black Firebird, special edition. With Eric was Troy Johnson. Steve Serio has a blue and silver 1989 TA. Wayne and Jared Montoya were also visiting. Jared has a red 1989 TA. Welcome to all of you, we're glad to have you.
    Ted, our TransScript editor had some problems with getting the news letter out this mont. Although it was late it did arrive in the mail today. The April minutes were high lighted by Irene with all the pertinent information regarding priior events and up coming events, such as drag night at Sacramento Raceway. Jim Prinzivalli discussed our new web site, and Ted abd Dave will be on a radio talk show from Auburn. Ted also received a new book entitled "75 Years of Pontiac Official History" that can be ordered for $29.95.Dante' said every Friday and Satarday there is a get together at the In and Out Burger on Sunrise Bvld., in Rancho Cordova, across from MacDonald's at Zinfandel and Sunrise. Dante' also let us know that Les Schwab is opening a new location on Bradshaw and for their grand opening they would like to have a car show. If we are interested he will get all the info for us for the next meeting. Gary made the motion to except the minutes, Frank seconded the motion - motuion carried.
Past Events:
Cool April nights in Redding: Gary gave a report on the run to Redding. Seems everyone had dressed for cool weather and it was preetty warm. "Hot" was the word Gary used. Most left about 4PM but Dante' and Rebecca stayed and cruised around for three hours before starting home.
Bush League racing in Roseville had a very good turn out and it sounds as though it went over very well. The kids had a great time. The fastest speed for the kids was: Kris with 172, Taylor 162, mathew 158, Natalie 133, and Brook with a 173. Gayle with the fastest speed for the women, had 180, Gary 170, Cindy 173, Ted K. 178, Lourdes 157, Arlyn 176, Jay 161, Ted B. 162, and Dante' with 166.
Sacramento receiving Home: C.C. said the kids enjoyed having our cars back again. ten cars met at Del Paso Park and drove to the Receiving home. Pictures were taken of the kids in the cars and given to the individuals.
Trans A Rama: dave brougght us up to speed on how things are going. Jim Prinzivalli had the T-shirt designs for the event and they are very striking. Jim also had the artwork for the last event.
Reg Harris who works for SLP, ( Street Legal Performance,) is definitely on for our speaker. Reg has arranged for his company to give us a set of Firestone Firehawk tires for our raffle.
Dave asked, "How many of you remember Trans Am Territory?" Many years ago Pontiac sponsored this event for us at Sears Point race Way just above the forst turn. Big tents, tables and chairs. Our club was heavily involved in that venture. We organized the parking of cars and feeding the crowd with drinks, beans, chips, hamburgers and hot dogs. Dave was in contact with a gentlemanin Pleasanton who was involved with Pontiac at the time. he is going to search around and see if he can find the original sign that read "Trans Am Territory". If it can be found we can use it for the car show at Trans A Rama.
Dave also gave an overview of the Trans A Rama for those new members and guests. Friday night will be a run to Auburn for the Auburn Cruise Night. Satarday will be a car show at Reliable Pontiac at the Auto Mall in Roseville. Bruce Westrup, owner, will have all the car inventory moved to the back of the lot so we can have the front area to show off our cars.
Satarday night will be dinner and presentation of trophies. Raffle tickets will be available through out the day and the raffle will be held after dinner. Sunday will be auto cross day at Mather Field in Rancho Cordova.
The next meeting for the Trans A Rama committee will be June 9th at Dave's house at 4:00 PM.
Radio Time:
"The Ted & Dave Show", on KAHI, 950 on your radio dial, out of Auburn. The host of this show is Bruce Carter and the show is geared toward cars. Bruce talked to Ted and Dave for almost 45 minutes. Bruce was very interested in the 1st and 2nd generation of our cars. Also about the Pontiac / Mopar race nights at the Drags. They talked about Trans A Rama. (Smart pair). Dave said he felt he was doing all the talking and at one point a question came up about the 1st generation cars and Dave turned to Ted and says "How about that Ted?" Duh! Caught Ted off guard and it took him a few seconds to pull himself together.
New Business:
J.J. and Lourdes have a new addition to their family and are now first time Grand Parents. Deborah Marie was born on April 13th, Good Friday. Five pounds, 14 ounces, 18 inches long. Tiny and petite.
In April last year Dave Gershon contacted J.J. and told him that Tom Montgomery was looking for a 1972 Trans Am. Erth Muscle Cars wanted to make 1/18th scale model of that particular model of a Trans Am. J. J. contacted Tom Montgomery. Tom is a photographer and had been looking for a '72 in good condition for about four months. He finally found our Club on the internet and J.J. was put in touch with Dale Peacock. Dale was Ertl Muscle Cars project manager for this project. In May 2000 J.J. had an appointment with Tom. The car was put on a lift and pictures were taken of the under carriage and then inside and out. When the project was completed the first two cars were sent to J.J. along with all photos and negatives. UPS delivered the package to the wrong address about two streets over from J.J.'s The package was insured but left on the porch with out getting a signature. The residence of the house say they never saw the package. J.J. did finally receive a car numbered 77 of 7,499. We tried to use it as one of the raffle prizes but J.J. said "NO". Kill joy.
J.J. was also stopped by the CHP for having plastic over his rear license plate. That's a no no. He took it off and was still charged $10.
Gary reminded us of the Great America run on June 16, and he passed around a sign-up sheet. It has been years since we made a run there.
With no further business Frank Brown made a motion to close the meeting. Seconded and passed. Meeting was closed at 8:35pm.
Respectfully submitted, Irene Raff, Secretary

The Starting Line
Wow! It's hard to believe six months have gone by already! I hope you all have been enjoying the newsletter and the changes I have made to it! I have really come to learn a lot in the time that I have been doing this! I would like to send a special thanks out to Ted Klein and Kiel for the help they gave me in getting started with this. I would also like to thank Gary and Gayle Vollstedt for always getting the events articles to me, and to J.J. our historian for supplying the pictures that help dress the newsletter up! You guys are great; I don't know what I would do without you! I also want to thank our President (Ted Klein), and our Secretary and Treasurer (Irene and J.O. Raff), for the articles they contribute each month! You all make my job much easier! I don't have any more changes planned for the newsletter other than trying to get a list of Birthdays and Anniversaries, and I would like to apologize to anyone who's special day I have missed! I would like to remind everyone that the Trans-A-Rama is just over a month away. This will be my second year of attending this event, and let me tell you, it is a lot of fun! Dave Gershon and several of the club members go to a lot of trouble to ensure that everyone has a good time! If you have never been to this event I believe you will have a great time! Please everyone start to get your registrations in. Gary and Gayle need to get an Idea of how many people will be attending the awards banquet. In my opinion this is the highlight of the weekend, especially since we have Reg Harris lined up as a guest speaker! I am looking forward to seeing all of you there, and please feel free to give me any input you might have for the newsletter! Before the Trans-A-Rama though, we have a Kragens car show this Friday, June 15th and then Saturday June 16th is the trip to Paramount's Great America. I am really looking forward to this run, as I have not been to Great America since I was in eighth grade, almost 25 years ago! It really looks like it has changed a lot since the Days of the Turn of the Century ride and the Tidal Wave! Please think about coming along on this run. My understanding is that although this is a club function most people will not be driving their Firebirds as they are to small to transport the entire family in. Don't feel you can't come along on this run because you wouldn't be able to bring your family! Okay, I've babbled on long enough! Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing all of you at Trans-A-Rama.
Written by Theo Bechtel

Kragen Auto Show
The car show was held at Kragen Auto on Harding Blvd. In Roseville on May 18th , 2001. We arrived at 5:00pm to find Arlyn & Taylor waiting for us. David Michael was there just before Gary & Vince, and Gayle and Brooke. Jim Prinzivalli rolled in with his son Giovanni. Theo parked outside the car show and we made him bring his car into the show after a quick trip to the car wash. Then came J.J., and then C.C. After a bit Dave Gershon came with his 20th anniversary T.A., with another 20th anniversary owner hot on his tail. Dante finally showed up with his Special Edition Harley Davidson (Trans Am that is). Lorne Sachs was right behind him. The final count of 12 cars in a row was pretty impressive. As far as car shows go, I give it an "8". They had a 50/50 raffle, a free raffle ticket with each registered car and music. J.J. won a 2-ton jack, Gary won an oil drop cloth, and the kids that helped in the drawing, got prizes too. The car show was over at 9:00, we all gathered for a moment to gawk at the very impressive drawing that Jim P. had done for the Trans-A-Rama T-shirt design and to discuss the T-shirts. We all had fun, hope more of you can make it to the next one on June 15th. The next one after that will be July 20th.
TTFN, Commander GRV

The Making of The Bird
by Jeff Denison
The 1970 Pontiac Trans Am was one of the most aggressive looking cars ever to roll out of Detroit. It was also virtually an all-new car carrying over only the drive train from the previous year. There was a very important new Trans Am design cue conceived for the 1970 Trans Am; the famous hood bird graphic. Recently, I sat down with Bill Porter, the Chief Designer of the 1970 Firebird (he's now a Chief Designer at Buick), and Ted Schroeder, the designer who put the Trans Am package together for 1970, (now a Chief designer for Chevrolet). We discussed how the design for the giant hood bird, often referred to today as the "Screaming Chicken," came about. Bill Porter talked about two 1970 Trans Am show cars that were being built: a bright white one at Design Staff, and a racing blue one at Pontiac's prototype facility at Pontiac Engineering. Both of these cars were to receive the hood bird graphic -- a white one on the blue car and a blue one on the white car -- traditional racing colors without the traditional racing stripes. No one is sure who came up with the idea for the huge bird decal, but Ted remembers drawing it up and sending it to Design Staff's graphic department, where a graphic designer named Norm Inouye (pronounced In-o-way) laid out the actual artwork before sending it to 3M Corp. to produce the prototype decals. Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President and head of Design Staff, always kept up-to-date with current projects. While walking through the paint department one day, he noticed the finished Trans Am with the hood bird. He "hated" it and immediately called Porter on the phone, yelling that the car had "an Indian blanket on the hood," that it looked "like a Macy's truck" (a rolling billboard), and to "get the damned thing off immediately!" Bill Mitchell had a way with words and the authority to back them up, so there was no turning back. The hood bird graphic was a dead issue for the time being; a bold single blue or white stripe would run the length of the 1970 Trans Am, with a small bird at the edge of the bumper. In 1971, Bill Porter moved on to another studio, and John Schinella became Chief Designer responsible for the Firebird. The racing colors of blue and white would run through the 1972 model year on the Trans Am. The new colors for 1973 were Buccaneer Red and Brewster Green -- Cameo White would remain in the color selection, and Lucerne Blue was dropped. John took one of the prototype decals 3M had made, changed the color, and put it on a red prototype 1973 Trans Am. He literally took it to the streets, driving it up and down Woodward Avenue, talking to the "car guys" at each stop. Everyone overwhelmingly liked the hood bird. Now came the tough part. Schinella knew the hood bird graphic was a winner but he had to sell it to management. At first, Pontiac General Manager James McDonald wasn't impressed with the hood bird presentation, but he agreed to go along with the Design Staff proposal if Mitchell was behind it. John knew that Bill Mitchell liked the black-and-gold John Player Special paint scheme, so he had a black prototype 1973 Trans Am made up with a gold foil hood bird graphic and gold pinstripes. No one can remember if this particular Trans Am had a Super Duty 455 or not, but if Bill Mitchell used it as his regular car, it probably did. Bill already had some of his motorcycles painted in a similar fashion. By pitching the hood bird to Mitchell in a color combination he already liked, Schinella sold him on the idea and the hood bird was finally born. The hood bird would go on to become an icon, one that would identify the Trans Am for the rest of the second generation's production run. When the 1982 Trans Ams arrived at the dealerships in late 1981, the legendary hood bird and shaker scoop went into the history books -- gone but certainly not forgotten. The author wishes to thank Bill Porter, Tom Peloguin, Ted Schroeder and John Schinella of GM Design Center.

Children's Receiving Home Run
May 5th 2001 was a sunny Saturday morning. At 9:30am a group of different and colorful Firebirds (all types) gathered at Del Paso Park on Auburn Blvd. In Sacramento, Just off of Interstate 80. My friends that participated in this event were Pat Brown ('86 Burgundy T.A.), J.J. Apilado ('72 White 455 H/0 T.A.), Theo Bechtel ('79 Blue T.A.), Lorne Sachs ('00 Black T.A.), myself (C.C.) in the Green Machine ('92 Firebird), and 2 guests, Bill and Mary (25th Anniversary White Convertible). After photos were taken by our club historian (J.J.) of all the cars, it was time to head off to the Children's Receiving Home which was about a mile down the road on Auburn Blvd. After parking our fine machines, the Assistant to the Activities Director met with us to pick up our donations for the children. I was ready to take pictures of the children next to their favorite car in the parking lot. Dave Gershon ('89 White 20th Anniversary), Dante Higgins ('94 Black T.A.), Ted Klien ('69 Gold Firebird) and another guest, David Amick (Dark Green T.A.), showed up late but were a welcome addition to our event. We all had a good time and the children were delighted to see such a wide representation of the Firebird. I talked to Tina (Activities Director of the Children's Receiving Home) and she really appreciates us taking the time to come out and show our cars to the children on top of donating the gifts. I want to thank my Firebird friends on taking time to show their fine cars and donating gifts, it really means a lot to me and also the children at the Receiving Home.
Written by C.C. Coppage, Membership Director of TACA

JUNE 2001, Volume 4, Issue 6

General Meeting - June 11, 2001
Sgt. At Arms, Dante' Higgins, introduced the President, Ted Klein, who called the meeting to order at 7:10pm. Lindsy Duffy was our guest for the evening. Tim O'Neill was with us for the first time and became a new member. Tim has a 20th Anniversary turbo TA. Welcome to our guest and to our new member. Corrections to last months minutes. The host on the radio show on KHAI from Auburn was not Bruce Carter. The correct name is Butch Gardner. Frank motioned the minutes be approved as amended and Gary seconded.
Old Business:
Past Events Kragen Car Show:
Gary gave us a good run down on this. They will be having a show on the 3rd Friday of each month. The June date will be on the 15th. For those who plan on attending please have your cars there by 5pm. When you sign in you receive one free ticket and can purchase additional tickets. Gary said he won some Jack Cheese and $50 dollars off on a tattoo. He traded them for an oil pan for his tractor and a window screen. J.J. won a 2 ½ ton jack with the free ticket. There was also a 50/50 raffle, four pots of $50 each. Dante' washing and waxing his new TA was quite a draw.
The Fulton Avenue - Car Fest:
We had 12 cars entered in this event. Entrants had very nice 5 X 7 participation plaques on their dash at the close of the day. J.J. won the people's choice. It was never said which car J.J. had but it was probably his white with a blue stripe 1972 Trans Am. Hamburgers, hot dogs, sodas and water were available:
Drags at the Sacramento Race Way:
Sixteen Trans Ams and Firebirds turned out. Some of our cars managed to get to the quarter finals but none in the finals. Hey! What's with you guys? Our new member had the best time of our bunch at 13.9. July the 11th will be the next drag night. That is just before Trans A Rama. The last night for the Mopar races will be August 23rd.
Treasurer's Report:
Monies on hand in both the General and Trans A Rama fund is $2,913.78. Agrees with the bank statement.
New Business:
Upcoming Events Kragen Car Show:
Friday, June 15th is the car show at Kragen's on Harding at Douglas Blvd. Please be there by 5pm.
Great America:
Saturday, June 16th. Cost is $27 for adults. Meet at Levitz parking lot on Watt Avenue. We will leave at 7:30am. THE GREAT EVENT OF THE YEAR!! You know the old saying, "Be there or be square!" Don't miss this one.
Trans A Rama:
It's just around the corner. The T-Shirts are coming along very well. Reliable is picking up the tab for all the trophies for Saturday and Sunday. We give a big thanks to Bruce for doing that for us. Bruce has been a big supporter of our Club from day one and he is greatly appreciated. A fact from the past - It was Reliable's leasing agent, in 1979, who started working on Trans Am buyers to form a club. He was our first president elected on a Yosemite run in October 1979. We still have four of the original members in our Club. We are doing pretty well with sponsorships. Most of the big things are covered. We have tires coming from S. L. Hughes and BF Goodrich. Goodie Bags have been provided. What we need is raffle items. If anyone can come up with anything for the raffle let Dante' or Dave know. We will be having the raffle every hour or so at the car show at Reliable on Saturday. We will finish up at dinner at the Holiday Inn Saturday evening. Along with tires will be an autographed picture of Dale Ernhart. There will be some really nice stuff. Dave stated that all of our Club members have not signed up as yet for this event. For those who have not, but plan to attend Trans A Rama, please get signed up and let us know about your T-Shirt order. How many and what sizes. Shirts are $15 and as Dave says, "They are going to be dynamite". If you do not choose to attend the banquet, have a nice dinner and hear Reg Harris speak, the doors will be open around 9pm for the trophy presentation and raffle. Auto crossing at Mather Field on Sunday will be $25. There will be a safety check before you can race. After this event there will be a trip to a pizza parlor. There you can try to figure out just what you did to lose by a bumper length. The next meeting for the Trans A Rama committee will be on June 21st at Dave's house at 7pm. The next meeting will be held on July 8th, at 3pm. This will be the last meeting before the event. We will stuff the goodie bags. If you have any raffle items please bring them to this meeting. With no further business it was moved and seconded that we adjourn.
Respectfully submitted Irene Raff, Secretary

President's Message
Trans A Rama! Trans A Rama! Yes, it's that time of year again for three days of car shows, cruises, and autocross racing! What is it that makes Trans A Rama so exciting? Is it the all preparation required to put on an event of this magnitude? Uhh, no. Is it for the small amount of money we hope to make? OK, maybe a little. Actually, I think it's the experience of getting together with other Firebird owners and having a great time! Did I mention there is going to be racing? As most of you know, my 69 Firebird is primarily set up for drag racing. However, being the "gearhead" that I am, don't be to surprised if I bolt on a set of wide front tires and re-attach the sway bar and show up to do battle on the autocross course! 450 straight-line horsepower and all! I know I've got a set of 16" GTA wheels out in the shed somewhere! Hey Dave! How much you want for those slightly used Kuomo road race tires again? Heh, Heh! If you missed our club run over to Paramount's Great America June 16th, too bad, because it was a blast! (see article in this issue) It was hot. The log ride and the roaring rapids rides were wet. The water was really cold! J.O. Raff even showed us young bucks how to properly scalp the extra ticket we seemed to have acquired! The new FRS (Family Radio Service) radios we've been using on our runs this year worked double duty on this trip. They not only provided us with a means of communication on the road; they also worked great for keeping in touch inside the amusement park! I'm sad to say that we've lost a member of our club this month. I'm speaking of Kiel Embrey. No, he's not dead, although if he were, I would get first "dibs" on his 1970 Trans Am racecar! He left Sacramento and moved up to Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada to live with his parents. He plans to help build their new home. He thinks that he will eventually end up in the Vancouver, BC area. Kiel edited our club newsletter for two years (not an easy feat!) and was my partner in all of our bench racing sessions. He was like a member of my family, being a regular at my dinner table virtually every Saturday night. I learned a lot about how to build a drag racing Firebird, practicing on Kiel's car. Now I know which mistakes to avoid when working on my own bird! I only hope he can find a set of studded drag slicks for racing on the snow up there in the "Great White North", and will come and visit often! Finally, mark your calendars on July 11th, as it will be our third and last Firebird drag night at Sacramento Raceway. As always, it's six bucks to watch, twelve to race. Practice is from 5pm til 7pm; racing is from 7pm until 10pm. Through the grapevine, I've heard that Troy "boom boom" Cardoso had a little incident with the engine in his 88 T/A. Without Troy, it's going to be tough pulling off another club victory! So come out and join us! I know it's only two days before Trans A Rama, but having a little rubber on your quarter panels at the car show ranks right up there with the original assembly line paint markings and the numbers matching drivetrain!
By Ted Klein

The Starting Line
Welcome my friends to the show that never ends. Come inside, Come inside…Oh wait you are inside. Well it's July now and since you have already read Ted's article, let me just say I look forward to seeing all of you at Trans-A-Rama, It should