Safety Check, Photo Opportunity, Vehicle Appraisals

By Ken Bounds

On a brisk but sunny Saturday, April 30, we held a little get-together for all Early V-8s at Roundhead’s of Lombard.  This multi-purpose event was intended to get as many V-8s as possible out of the garages and ready for the driving/touring season.  We had really hoped to entice members to bring out vehicles that we don’t normally see at our club events; this effort was not successful.  The beautiful examples of Early V-8s that participated were those that typically come out for many club events.  The one newcomer was Joe Serritella’s recently acquired ’41 Coupe.

Members had the opportunity to have their vehicles safety-checked to help ensure they are ready for touring.  There was also a photo opportunity so members could have a nice picture of their car or for the club’s use on the website and future rosters or calendars.  Finally, Frank Koeder generously offered to provide a professional vehicle appraisal at a substantial club discount for anyone who needed one for insurance or other purposes.

Those who brought out Early V-8s included: Ron Blum, ’40 Fordor; Ken Bounds, ’50 Convertible; Tom Buscaglia, ’51 Tudor; John Emmering, ’51 Fordor; John Judge, ’50 Convertible and ’51 Victoria (driven by Dennis Bohannon); Joe Kozmic, ’53 Mercury; Dan Pudelek, ’53 Victoria; Joe Serritella, ’41 Coupe; and Stan Stack, ’53 Tudor.  Other participants were Frank Koeder, Frank Madrigali, Neil McManus, Joe Novak, and John Scheve.   John Emmering’s dad stopped by for a while.

While Ken Bounds took a series of photos of each car using the Roundhead’s building as a scenic backdrop, Tom Buscaglia was resplendent in his Ford shop coat completing the safety check forms as he barked out instructions to his support team of Joe Kozmic, Dan Pudelek, Neil McManus, and others.  Being from Chicago, Tom seemed adept at accepting any gratuities that may have helped smooth the process.  To our knowledge, every car presented passed the safety check.

While all this was going on, Frank Koeder went about his business evaluating six vehicles presented for appraisal.

At 11:00 am we all proceeded to Roundhead’s for a nice lunch and possibly a refreshing beverage.  Afterwards, we retired to the parking lot for some more tire kicking.  We also answered a lot of questions from people passing by who stopped to check out the cars.  The afternoon wrapped up with more tire kicking and storytelling at Joe Kozmic’s nearby garage.  All-in-all a great time was had by all and we thank everyone who participated and brought cars out.