CLUB TORQUE
All American Car Club of Cairns Newsletter
Inside this edition:
President’s report
Coming events
Contributors: Bruce Nancarrow, James Fullerton, Marj Nix, Mike Bowman.
All American Car Club Of Cairns(Inc.)
PO Box 13N
North Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: 0431 704 929
Issue # 5 May 2015
http://www.americancarclubcairns.com
Please address correspondence to:
Objects of the Club
To promote ownership and appreciation of American motor vehicles.
To promote and provide owners and admirers with car shows, car rally’s and social events.
The Secretary
All American Car Club of Cairns (Inc.)
PO Box 13N
North Cairns. QLD 4870
Club meetings are held at Yorkeys
Knob Community Hall, Wattle
Street, on the last Sunday of every
month, commencing at 10.00am.
Membership Fees: $45.00
Members who attended the Kurrimine Beach Hop had a great weekend despite the
weather. In my opinion it was the best yet. Those who got down there on Friday
enjoyed the night markets and the evening session at the King Reef. Saturday saw
the poker run down to Tully Heads via Mission Beach and it had the most
participants I can remember.
The Saturday night function looked a bit doubtful as the booked entertainer fell ill
and could not make it but publican Bruce stepped in with his DJ machine and
provided excellent entertainment (despite the tractor sounds) in conjunction with
Liberty with her party games. Best dressed awards for the couple went to our new
members Lance and Lorraine, Lance was best dressed male and Vicki Disson was
best dressed female in her Texas flag dress.
(due each September)
President
Bruce Nancarrow
0431 704 929
[email protected]
Vice President
James Fullerton
0417 451 676
Secretary
Mike Bowman
0409 502 754
[email protected]
Treasurer
Paula Partington
4055 3152 / 0417 730 878
[email protected]
Events Co-ordinator
James Fullerton
0417 451 676
[email protected]
Property Officer
Bob Aller
Newsletter Editor
Kristie Partington
[email protected]
There was a big turnout for the Show’ n’ Shine on Sunday morning where Lance
picked up a trophy for his Thunderbird. I like Kurrimine as we are able to catch up
with, and spend time with members and friends that we do not see that often .
Facebook members were able to meet up with Robert and Lyn Busato and family
from Dimbulah who had their 55 Chev on what I think was its first event. Over the
years there has been a few dollars raised and donated to charity, this year over
$800-00 was raised for the Starlight Foundation. The event was very well attended
by our club members and enjoyed by all .
Talking about Facebook It looks like it has taken over what the Website forum used
to do and we may need to discuss its future at our next meeting.
I sent out an email about the End Credits Film club screening of Thelma and Louise
on 3/6 at the Botanical Gardens and the request for cars for a display before the
film starts. Had some response but a few more cars would be good. It is a charity
event to raise money for victims of the Nepal earthquake. Please let me know if
you are interested in participating.
Also had a request from the organisers of the “Festival of The Knob” for cars to be
displayed at the festival on Saturday June 13th 10am to 5pm- come and go as you
please. Cars to be displayed in the car park we use at our meetings. Should be a
good day so let me know if you are interested.
The swap meet is coming around pretty fast and most things are in place but as I
will be away I am looking for someone to coordinate the car show. You would need
to be able to oversee the registration, judging and trophy presentation. If you are
interested in helping with this please let me know by 5/6. We also need volunteers
to man the gate from 6am until 8am.
Do not forget that the June meeting will be annual sports day at Goomboora Park,
BBQue Breakfast followed by the meeting followed by the sports day with the
other participating clubs.
Helen and myself, and John and Paula will be away from early June until early
September with the remaining committee looking after things while we are away.
Please offer any assistance you can.
Safe cruising and see you at the meeting on Sunday 31st May.
Bruce
Webmaster
Rob Healey
[email protected]
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All American Car Club of Cairns – Meeting Minutes 26 April 2015
Meeting Opened:
10:15 am
Attendees:
Per attendance register
Apologies:
Rob Healey, Bruce & Helen, John & Paula, Anne Power, Rob & Chris Koch.
Visitors:
Sam Musso, Bruce Stabies
Acceptance of Minutes from previous meeting: Moved by Trevor
Seconded by Rob
Business arising from last meeting:
discussion.
Quotes for shirts to be reviewed and brought back to future meeting for

Incoming correspondence: Bank statements; flyer for stadium seating; flyer from Slydogz for music
events; promo for Charters Towers Motor Show & Swap Meet; promo for Cairns Swap Meet.

Outgoing Correspondence: Nil
Treasurers Report:
 Monies Incoming: As per Kristie's Report – new subscriptions & raffle
 Monies Outgoing: Cost of raffle prizes
Newsletter Editors Report: Road rules; Kristie asked for contributions (jokes or articles) from members.
Events Co-ordinators Report: Sausage sizzle today following the meeting;
Townsville All Holden & GM Day 2 to 3 May;
Cars & Coffee 10 May (join the club and get 2 for 1 deal);
Kurrimine Beach Hop 15 to 17 May;
Ingham Show & Shine & Swap 24 May;
AACCC Monthly Meeting 31 May;
Mareeba All Ford Day 25 July;
Centralian Run in Alice Springs in September – refer Marj Nix.
Kurrimine Beach – Texas theme; Kel offered opportunity to visit his shed following the meeting.
Cairns Swap Meet August – major sponsor required as well as gate attendees and a judge – please see James if
you are in a position to assist. New categories have been included this year.
Acceptance of Reports: Mover: Bruce
Seconder: Bob
General Business:
Shirts – it was asked if a pocket could be included on the shirt; New members Dean Thomas, Lance & Lorraine
Knowles, Sam & Naomi Russo; Centralian Run in September is to be included in Events; Easter Raffle.
Next Meeting: 31 May 2015
Lotto
T-Shirts & Caps: See above.
Raffle: $45 voucher
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Okay, so this is a reboot from last month, and I’ve remembered to put the answer at the bottom of
the page.
Brain Strain….
You have two lengths of rope and a lighter. It takes exactly 60 minutes to burn a rope from one end to the other
end. But it doesn't have to burn at a uniform rate. In other words, half the rope may burn in the first five minutes,
and then the other half would take 55 minutes.
You are asked to find a way to measure out exactly 45 minutes, how will you do it?
Answer: See bottom of this page.
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The Most Affordable Classic Muscle Cars in the US
It’s mind-boggling. You sit there for hours, watching middle-aged guys in Hawaiian shirts and big watches bid
stupid money on muscle cars on the myriad cable channels that broadcast collector-car auctions these days.
Crappy models that were being swapped among migrant farm workers a decade ago for tens of dollars go for high
five figures now. And the good stuff is all over $100,000. The great stuff? That’s in the millions: A 1967 L88
Corvette went for $3.5 million at Barrett-Jackson—before all the fees that make founder Craig Jackson wealthy.
So it’s safe to say that you probably can’t afford the classic muscle car of your dreams. (What are you going to do
with a $3.5 million Corvette anyway? Drive it?)
Here’s what we say: Change your dreams. Aim quirky, and expand your horizon beyond 1972. Here are 8 solid,
drivable, interesting cars that, more rather than less, qualify as muscle cars. More important, they’re cars you
might be able to afford—you probably won’t even have to ask the kids to skip college.
Note: All prices come from the NADA Classic Car Guide. The lower number is what you can expect to pay for an
example in average condition, the higher number is the top-end value for a well-maintained used car. As with any
car, pristine, fully preserved, and unicornesque examples would go for more.
You probably won't even have to ask the kids to skip college…
1. 1970/71 Ford Torino GT & Mercury Cyclone GT
Ford redesigned its mid-size cars for 1970, and
America instantly fell out of love with them. Maybe
it’s because Ford kept campaigning the long-nose
1969 Ford Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone
Spoiler in NASCAR.
Built on the same mid-size chassis as those of
previous Torinos and Cyclones, the ’70 and ’71
models are gracefully drawn with better interiors.
Most 1970 Torino GTs and Cyclone GTs came with
the 250-hp, 351-cubic-inch (5.8 liter) V-8. Torino GT
Cobra and Cyclone GT Spoiler models were often
powered by the Super Cobra Jet 429 (7.0 liter) V-8
rated at 360 horsepower.
Values: Torino GT, $11,950/$15,900; Cyclone GT, $12,350/$18,400
(Continued on next page…)
Brain Strain Answer: Light both ends of rope A and one end of rope B. After 30 minutes, rope A will be
completely burned up and there will be 30 minutes of rope B left. Light the other end of rope B; it will burn up
in 15 minutes. Total time elapsed since starting the ropes on fire: 45 minutes.
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2. 1973 Pontiac GTO and 1973-75 Potiac Grand Am
GM’s mid-size A-cars all got larger and heavier
“colonnade” style bodies for ’73. But with the GTO
nearly a spent force by then, Pontiac put little effort
into it. Yet it was the last traditional, mid-size GTO.
Most of the 4806 built had a 230-hp, 400-cubic-inch
(6.6 liter) V-8; a 250-hp 455 (7.5 liter) was optional.
More interesting, and more popular, was the squishy
nosed Grand Am available as a coupe or sedan. Using
the same body as the GTO, many were built with the
400 and the 250-horse 455.
Values: GTO, $12,150/$20,800; Grand Am,
$11,350/$16,600
3. 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360
AMC built only 784 of these muscled-up versions of
the humble Hornet compact. Power comes from a
360-cubic-inch (5.9 liter) version of the familiar AMC
V-8, with a two-barrel Motorcraft carb rated at 245
gross horsepower or a four-barrel at 285
horsepower. The two-barrel is more rare, but the
four-barrel is more cherished. Normally, the largest
engine in the Hornet was AMC’s 304 (5.0 liter) V-8.
So this one is truly special.
The earlier SC/Rambler and Rebel Machine are more
prominent among collectors, and the various Javelins
and AMXs are more flamboyant, but this might be
the rarest AMC muscle of them all.
Values: $22,800/$31,400
4. 1971–75 Ford Maverick Grabber
Not so much a muscle car as a car that looks like one,
the Grabber could be had powered by a 210-grosshorsepower, two-barrel 302-cubic-inch (4.9 liter) V-8.
That dropped to 140 horsepower when Ford adopted
net ratings in ’72 and 129 horsepower when
emissions strangled output in ’75. Still, the Grabber
was good-looking and simple to work on, and the
Brazilians swear by their version.
Values: $6275/$10,200
5. 1974–76 Dodge Dart Sport 360
American performance was near its nadir in 1976.
But amid those doldrums, Car and Driver organized a
top-speed test of four cars and a truck. In second,
behind the Corvette and ahead of the Trans Am, was
the ordinary Dodge Dart Sport 360. “America's
fastest sedan is also one of its most innocuous; it
blends into traffic like a lane divider,” a young Don
Sherman concluded about the Dart.
With 200 net horsepower from a 360-cubic-inch (5.9
liter) V-8 under its hood and no catalyst clogging its
dual exhaust system, the Dart freight-trained to
121.8 mph for C/D.
Values: $5200/$8500
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6. 1979 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 WS6
Late-’70s Trans Am prices have been inflated by a
generation of Bandit wannabes, but the less flashy
Formula is lagging. And it was only during the 1979
model year that the Formula was available with the
220-hp true Pontiac 400 (6.6 liter) V-8 and the WS6
handling package that brought four-wheel disc
brakes and the glorious “snowflake” alloy wheels
along with it. There were only 24,851 Formulas made
during ’79. How many of those had the 400 and
WS6? Not many.
Values: $11,200/$16,600
7. 1985–90 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The generation that grew up worshiping these icons
of 1980s T-top-havin’ New Jersey cool is now
entering the collector-car market, so the objects of
their teenage lust remain relatively affordable.
The third F-body didn't hit its stride until the 215-hp,
tuned-and-port-injected 5.0-liter V-8 and gorgeous
IROC-Z arrived for ’85. The 225-horse, 5.7-liter TPI V8 was phased in during ’86 and ’87. There are dozens
of variations of the IROC and Trans Am available, and
most are dirt cheap.
Values: IROC-Z, $4500/$9050; Firebird Trans Am,
$5475/$8650
8. 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am
Here’s the section that matters in Car and Driver’s
test of the 20th Anniversary Trans Am: “Our test car
scorched the drag strip with a 0-to-60-mph blast of
4.6 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 13.4 seconds
at 101 mph. That means, as we go to press, that the
turbocharged Trans Am is the quickest 0-to-60
sprinter available in any U.S. production-car
showroom—at any price.” Top speed: 153 mph.
The 20th Anniversary Trans Am is special because
only 1500 were built and because they were all
powered by Buick’s turbocharged 250-hp, 3.8-liter V6 that had been used in that division’s storied Grand
National.
Values: $19,600/$23,800
Kurramine Beach Show & Shine –
In Pictures
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EVENTS CALENDAR
Upcoming Events:
SUN MAY 31ST MONTHLY MEETING TO BE HELD AT COMMUNITY HALL YORKEYS KNOB, CNR WATTLE &
CUNNINGHAM ST AT 10:00am. AFTER MEETING RUN TO STRATFORD DELI FOR SMOKO.
THU TO MON JUN 4TH TO 8TH QUEENS BIRTHDAY WEEKEND CHARTERS TOWERS CAR SHOW & SWAP
MEET.
SAT JUN 13TH CAR & BIKE SWAP MEET & SHOW. ATHERTON HIGH SCHOOL.
SUN JUN 14TH CARS & COFFEE, CAFFEINE & GASOLINE AT DFO COFFEE CLUB.
SAT JUN 20TH MAREEBA DRIVE INN NIGHT. MOVIE WILL BE MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. FIRST MOVIE STARTS
AT 7:30PM.GATES AND CAFE OPEN AT 6:30 PM. EFTPOS ON SITE. ADULT $14 CHILD $8FREE CAMPING
(NO SHOWERS ON SITE).
SUN JUN 21ST LUNCH RUN TO MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL. MEET AT RAVIZZA PARK EDMONTON AT 11.15am
TO LEAVE AT 11.30am.
SUN JUN 28TH MONTHLY MEETING TO BE HELD AT GOOMBARRA PARK.COME ALONG EARLY AT 8.00am
FOR BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY CLUB FOR FINANCIAL MEMBERS ONLY.MEETING STARTS AT AROUND
9.15am. FOLLOWED BY ANNUAL COMBINED CLUBS SPORTS DAY
DATE CLAIMERS
MARCH 15TH 2015– PADDY POWER MEMORIAL CRUISE
EASTER 2015 - NQ QHMC RALLY-HOSTED BY CAIRNS & DISTRICT HISTORIC CLUB. BASED AT CAIRNS
SHOWGROUNDS.
MAY 2ND & 3RD 2015 – TOWNSVILLE ALL HOLDEN AND GM SHOW & SHINE AND SWAP MEET @
TOWNSVILLE SHOWGROUNDS.
MAY 16TH & 17th 2015 (?) - KURRIMINE BCH WEEKEND WITH TOWNSVILLE
MAY 24TH – BENT RODS CAR SHOW AT INGHAM
JUNE 6, 7 & 8th - CHARTERS TOWERS CAR SHOW AND SWAP MEET
JUNE 13TH (?) – CAR & BIKE SWAP MEET & SHOW. ATHERTON HIGH SCHOOL
JUNE SPORTS DAY – LASTSUNDAY IN JUNE TO BE CONFIRMED.
JULY 4th- AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY CRUISE
AUGUST 9th - CAIRNS CAR SHOW AND SWAP MEET
AUGUST 29th (?) – ROCK N RODZ TOWNSVILLE
AUGUST 22nd – 23rd – CAIRNS AUTO SPECTACULAR
AT ANY STAGE ON THE DAY OF A RUN IF THE WEATHER LOOKS DOUBTFUL PLEASE CONTACT EITHER
JAMES ON 0417451676 OR AMAMDA ON 0409349103 BEFORE HEADING OUT OF TOWN.
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2014 Gleam Machine: John & Paula Partington 1965 Wildcat & 1966 Mustang.
If undeliverable please return to PO BOX 13N Nth Cairns.
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