“We held this event for years at Peffley Ford in Dayton, but when they closed, we were lucky to be able to move up here,” club secretary Ken Smith said. “Club member Tim Staker is the service manager here at Boose, and we have to thank Boose owner Bruce Bloom. They give us the whole place,” Smith said. “They clear out the showroom, service department and the lot so we can set up, and it’s all because they love cars.”
“Our goal is to preserve the heritage of these old cars, and we’re also getting some younger people involved,” Worley said. “We have a father and son here today in their Model A,” he said as he introduced Bruce Klepinger from Bradford with his 13-year-old son Ted.
“Ted is already building his first car,” Klepinger said. Bruce Klepinger had no chance to avoid the car hobby, as his father owned 23 cars.
“I have all of them, and I’ve acquired a few more of my own, because we’ve got 46 now,” he said.
The oldest is a 1902 Curved Dash Oldsmobile and the newest is a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado.
“We’re not strictly into Model A’s, we have a little bit of everything,” Klepinger said.
On this sunny but cold Sunday, the Klepingers arrived in a 1930 Model A.
“About the only thing stock on it is the timing cover,” Bruce Klepinger said. “It’s a Brookville roadster body on an original chassis, but we wanted just a little more performance than the original 40 horsepower. The engine has special pistons, an aluminum head, 6-to-1 compression, a balanced crank and a Model B carbs, so it will cruise right along at 65 mph all day.
“But you do have to draw the line on these cars: Make it too fast, then you can’t stop it, or you have to modify the suspension, so we just gave it a little more pep,” Klepinger added. “It still has a pretty stock appearance; it’s not a hot rod.”
Son Ted is building a 1912 Model T speedster. “I just like the way it looks, a neat two-seater,” he said. “Cars, they’re all I’ve ever known, and they’re fun to work on. Dad gives me good advice, and this summer he taught me how to spray paint.”
To learn more about the Dayton Buckeye Model A Ford Club, go online to www.buckeye-model-a.org. The club’s meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Englewood Government Center.
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