Go to the Picture Gallery to see photographs taken by Tom…
Once again the Village of Pawling came alive with the excitement of the old days with classic automobiles. On September 26, 2010, the Pawling Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Dutchess Cruiser Automobile Club, brought back the Pawling car show. The last time Pawling had this event was back in 1999. The event was attended by over 250 classic and antique automobiles. The registration fee to enter a car into the show was $15.00 with all the proceeds being donated to different charities, including the Pawling Community Resource Center.
As I walked through the Village, I admired the work, detail and time given to restore these great classics of the past. Restoring a classic car, which to most of us car enthusiasts is a labor of love, can take countless hours. Finding period-correct parts for restorations can be quite an adventure. Many parts can be found either by searching on e-Bay, Hemmings Motor News, Junk Yard Dog, or attending car shows and swap meets. There are also many companies that make reproduction parts for many car types.
Members of the Harlem Valley Car Club, of which I am a member, had over 20 members and cars in attendance.
Pictured below is a 1934 Dodge oil truck owned by Bottini Fuel Company. These old oil trucks had no on-board pumps to pump the oil into the house; the oil was gravity fed from the trucks tank into five-gallon cans and carried by the delivery driver to the house and poured into the heater or a gravity-fed pipe to a tank in the house’s basement. Every time the oil delivery driver would fill a five gallon can, he would pull a chain that would keep count of how many five-gallon cans were delivered. The price of fuel oil in 1934 was approximately eight cents per gallon. Here are some prices of some other automotive products in 1934: automobile tires, set of 4- $6.35, V-8, factory rebuilt engine $40, fan belts, Ford and Chevrolet 12 cents, gasoline (per gallon) 10 cents, one quart of motor oil 15 cents, all day parking nine cents. My favorite cars are the kinds that are referred to as barn finds – these are cars that are in original condition that have sat for many years either in a garage or a barn.
Pictured is a 1955 Desoto Fire Dome found by Tim Kramer. This car had been sitting in a garage in Wingdale N.Y. for many years when he found it. He changed the gas lines, installed a new battery, and the old Desoto roared back to life.
Pawling resident Peter Savino found this 1931 Ford coupe in 1984 in Danbury, CT. When Pete found this car, it had wooden running boards, and the 327 motor had a crack in the block. After complete disassembly, the top was chopped 2 1/2 inches and a new 350 cubic inch Chevrolet motor was added with a turbo 400 automatic transmission. The car was completely redone from headlights to tail lights.
Katie Meyer, Giana Johnson and her twin brothers, Tanner and Hunter, standing in front of a classic old fire truck, were also enjoying the classic cars. They told me they like street rods the best.
