WILLS SAINTE CLAIRE AUTO MUSEUM OF CLASSIC AUTOS
Come View the Finest Automobiles Ever Made! Wills Sainte Claire
Current Edition of the Gray Goose News
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Wills St. Claire Auto Museum, Marysville, Michigan |
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"GRAY GOOSE NEWS" Wills St. Claire Museum Newsletter |
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Written by Terry Ernest, Museum Director PLEASE NOTE: This website issue of the newsletter does not contain photos or images. Please join as a member of the Museum to receive the award winning "Gray Goose News" with photographs: Newsletter # 25 - October 2009 - Page #1 Editor/Director: Terry Ernest
WILLS CLUB/MUSEUM CELEBRATES 50TH
ANNIVERSARY: Standing (l to R): Stephen Miller, Rick Mason, Ray Burgess, Fred Cleaver, Larry Williams, John Porter, Gary Minnie. Seated: Bill Mason, Mrs. Miller, Dorothy Burgess, Rosemary Cleaver, Fay Williams, Cindy Minnie Standing (L to R): Rudy Vernon, Bob Carlisle, Carl Moss, Jerry Saunders, Stan Mitchell, Don Herber, Terry Ernest. Seated: Sharon Vernon, Kay Carlisle, Trish Moss, Debra Wurmlinger, MaryAnn Herber, Rita Ernest. The Wills Club/Museum celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its founding in January 1959, when Club Founder Ken Caldwell sent out the very first newsletter. Ken’s opening statement in 1959 was: “The purpose of the Gray Goose News is to accumulate, organize and distribute all available Wills Sainte Claire news, which will assist the owners and restorers to complete, repair, or put into the operation their Wills and help those already enjoying their Wills.” Our speakers for the evening commemoration: Bill Mason, Terry Ernest, Sally Wills Achatz, & Fred Cleaver. Original member Bill Mason spoke about the club in the beginning and how they shared information with one another and hoped to eventually have a National Meet, which was finally accomplished in 1976. Terry Ernest moderated the event and discussed the Club history and how the Museum came about. A WSC stock certificate from 1926 was provided to the members by Karl Krouch. Fred Cleaver showed slides and talked about the first National Meet in 1976, and Sally Wills Achatz displayed tableware and mementos from her grandfather’s yacht the “Marold”. Tableware from the Yacht “Marold” and Wills family photos. (The name of the yacht comes from the combining of Mary and Harold Wills’ first names.) Bill Mason discusses the Club’s beginning in 1959 Fred Cleaver showing slides of the first National Meet in 1976 Special thanks to Sally and her husband Grant, for putting on a first class event in their restaurant. A “thanks” also goes to Nancy Wills for sharing her photos of this “trip down memory lane”. Sally Wills Achatz and mementos from the yacht “Marold” Wills family members present: Sally Wills Achatz, Elaine Trazasko, Nancy Wills, Elaine Hawes, David Trazasko. HERSHEY MEETING 2009: Karl Krouch once again hosted the Wills members to a morning devoted to Wills Sainte Claire. First row (L to R): Terry & Rita Ernest, Dorothy Burgess, Rosemary & Fred Cleaver, Mary Krouch, Gary Minnie. Back row: David Hausgen, Ed Hausgen, Ray Burgess, Stan Mitchell, John Porter, Peter Landsbergen, Karl Krouch. Here is Karl’s report: “After a week of sunny skies, cooler weather, and many miles walked throughout the Hershey Car Show, the Friday morning annual meeting convened at 9:00 AM under a cold drizzle. Karl and Mary Krouch hosted the event under the tent at their flea spaces. After greetings, Karl brought the meeting to order, starting with an update from Museum Director, Terry Ernest. The progress on the museum’s newest display, a 1920’s gas station, was described in greater detail. With its completion near, member Ed Hausgen was again thanked for his generous contribution of a vintage gas pump. Terry was able to find a glass globe for the top to complete its restoration. Fred Cleaver, former Museum Treasurer, assured us that the club was on good financial ground, but always looking for donations. Terry reminded members of the Wills club 50th anniversary dinner to be held Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the restaurant of Will’s granddaughter, Sally Achatz. There were no Will’s parts found to be shared at swap time. Karl had a unique find and had made copies which Mary passed out. They were of a Dec. 20, 1926 Will’s stock certificate of 10 shares, a value of $1,000.00. Karl had background information on the share holder, Llewelyn Sherman Adams, former governor of New Hampshire and chief of staff for Pres. Eisenhower. He had been involved in a scandal over a mink coat he received as a gift when chief of staff that resulted in his resignation. He left politics and opened a ski resort in New Hampshire that he operated until his death in 1986. He was a young man of 28 when he purchased the stock, only to have it be worth nothing a month later when Wills closed in Jan. 1927. Karl also noted that Wills was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was pointed out that it may have been done as a result of Wills reorganization in 1923 and financial backing of Northeast banking investors. The extra copies, as well as the information on the original owner, were donated to the museum. The meeting was concluded with the annual group picture. See y’all next year in August at the National Wills Meet in Marysville, Michigan!” (Submitted by Karl Krouch.) Karl has been kind enough to allow a copy of this Wills stock certificate to be enclosed with this newsletter (page 6). Thanks to Karl and Mary for hosting us at Hershey! “HAROLDS GARAGE” PROGESS: Now that we have a restored Frye gas pump (donated by Ed Hausgen and restored by Don Herber and his crew), we decided to create a facade of an early Marysville Gas Station. With the assistance of the Marysville Historical Society, we were able to obtain photos of a Standard Station operating in Marysville in the late 1920’s. With the groups input, Rita Ernest designed a facade which Jerry Saunders and his father constructed in the Museum. Jerry and his father are more than casual hobbyists and did a fantastic job on the construction. Now that the wood working is complete, paint comes next. I would also like to thank Jerry Taylor for his efforts on the pump restoration and in engineering and building the base. This great display (with two Wills cars parked at the pump) will be ready to be enjoyed by our guests next year during the annual meet. Harold’s Garage gas station display ready for paint and signage. NEW WILLS A-68 OWNER: We would like to welcome Gunnar Gudmundson as a new Wills car owner. Gunnar joined last year and told me he was interested in finding a Wills because of the superior engineering. This fabulous Wills was once in the Wm. Harrah and Wm. Ruger collections. Gunnar wrote in with some info: Chassis: 7550 Engine: 8541 Mileage 24,492 “It is incredibly original. Blue with black fenders. All black paint is original. The blue also is original with considerable cracking but has been touched up in a few places. All electrical components and wiring are original. The only nuts on the engine that look like they have ever been touched by a wrench are the valve adjust access covers. Engine compartment splash pans are still in place etc, etc.... Never had bumpers and the radiator shell was never plated. It is an absolutely original car except that the seat leather, top and running board linoleum have been replaced. It is really a good reference for how they were delivered.”(Submitted by Gunnar Gudmundson.) C. H. WILLS’ ELECTRIC CAR: Did you know that Mr. Wills owned an electric car? Galen Handy recently contacted the Museum about what we knew about the Detroit Electric car that Mr. Wills owned. Suffice to say, I had never heard of his owning an electric. So thanks to Mr. Handy, you will find attached to this newsletter an ad for the Detroit Electric Car Company from the April 2, 1914 issue of Motor World. Please note in the lower part of the first column, that Mr. Wills is noted in a “partial list of critical owners…” as: “C.H. Wills, Factory Mgr., Ford Motor Co.” In 1914, Mr. Wills was working for Ford Motor and had not yet struck out on his own. The Detroit Electric car was probably used by his wife. Mr. Handy adds: “The reference to CH Wills having a Detroit is from an ad in Motor World, April 2, 1914, which listed the people in engineering and manufacturing who owned Detroit Electrics. The ad featured H. Ford & T.A. Edison. Clara Ford drove Detroit Electrics from 1908 through WWI and Mrs. Wills was possibly a passenger. Wm Anderson (founder of the Detroit Electric Car Co.) was a Member of the Detroit Athletic Club. There is a wonderful photo of the preview for member’s wives, the day before the Clubhouse opened in 1915. Parked on the streets are perhaps 70 cars of which about 50 are electric. Anderson was clearly successful in selling his cars to the members for their wives. The list of gasoline car makers whose spouses drove electrics is rather long.” (See ad on page 7) WILLS CAR DONATED TO MUSEUM: Tom Lieb of California has donated another Wills car (V-8 Roadster) to the Museum. Four cars have been donated to the Museum to date, 3 of which were from Tom. The BOD thanks Tom for his donation and appreciates his thoughtfulness. If any members would like to donate cars or Wills parts, please contact Director, Terry Ernest. Early Wills V-8 Roadster donated by Tom Lieb. MUSEUM NEWS AND UPDATES: The literature organization continues at the Museum. Tom Adamich from Ohio continues to work his way through the material organizing it as he goes. We expect this project to take a couple years as Tom works on it periodically throughout the year. It is a very large project and we are happy to have Tom’s professional abilities to do the job properly. Two changes have been made to the Museum Board of Directors. Gary Wurmlinger has left the Board for a job assignment with the Military in Florida. We wish Gary well in his new job and we appreciate his service to the Museum over the past 8 years. Pete Canjemi has accepted the position of Vice-President that Gary formerly held. Pete is a retired executive from a nursing home facility and brings many years of experience to the Board. Welcome Pete and thanks to Gary! The Board of Directors has been expanded from 4 to 7. John Porter, Fred Cleaver and Sally Achatz (C. Harold Wills’ granddaughter) join Terry Ernest, Pete Canjemi, Laurie Baker, and Carl Moss on the Board. A larger BOD allows for more input before important decisions are made. We expect this collaboration effort will increase the knowledge base of the Museum as we move forward. Your wife called, she wants her garage back! One of the ways the Museum pays it bills is by offering part of the building to winter car storage. This space is available to anyone who wants to store a car, whether they are a member or not. The car storage area is dry, secure, heated and protected by an alarm system and a low temperature sensor, making it an ideal way for you to get your favorite car out of the garage and out of your way for the winter. Space is available for $85.00 per month with a minimum of 5 months. Don’t need the space yourself? Help the Museum by recommending it to a friend. Member Malcolm David of Maitland, Florida wrote in to thank BOD member John Porter for taking him through the Museum. Malcolm writes: “Thank you very much for taking the time to show us the Museum. It was particularly important for my son to make the connection as he will inherit the car (Wills) from me. At that time title would have been transferred to 4 generations; my grandfather, father, myself and my son.” NATIONAL MEET IN AUGUST 2010: Hopefully you are already planning on following the geese home to Marysville Michigan for the National Meet August 13, 14, and 15. Because our members are spread across the U. S., Canada, Germany and Finland, we only have a Meet every 5 years. Sally Wills Achatz is putting together our itinerary that will include touring in the Marysville/Port Huron area with stops at auto collections, nautical museums and a car show on Sunday honoring Wills Sainte Claire autos. We are planning on a dinner Saturday evening at the Museum so that we may “dine among the cars”. Please make time in your schedule and plan on joining us in Marysville next year, and please bring your Wills car if you can. Further details will be forthcoming in the next newsletter. WILLS CLUB 50TH ANNIVERSARY WRAP UP On page 8 of this newsletter is the third original newsletter written by Bill Abbott of Alton, Illinois, and published by Bill Harrah of Reno. Mr. Abbott discusses where to purchase Wills parts then shows a roster of known Wills cars and their owners. At the end are some “for sale” ads including one for a 1926 Wills roadster in “running condition” for $475. Remember, this was written in May of 1959 and car prices have gone up some since then…. I hope you enjoyed reading this newsletter, my 25th since taking over some years ago. I also hope you can join us in August next year. We always have a great time when the Wills Gang gets together! Terry Ernest, Director Wills Sainte Claire Museum Board of Directors: Terry Ernest – Director Sally Achatz – Fundraising 3546 Conger Street 523 N 3RD St Port Huron, MI 48060 St Clair, MI 48079 (810) 987-2854 (810) 329-9520 Pete Canjemi – Vice President Fred Cleaver – Merchandising 6621 Trillium Trail 1001 N River Rd Jeddo, MI 48032 St. Clair, MI 48079 (810) 327-2327 (810) 329-6522 Laurie Baker – Treasurer John Porter– Facilities 3036 Beach Rd 511 Jay St Port Huron, MI 48060 St Clair, MI 48079 (810) 966-4806 (810) 329-3192 Carl Moss – Secretary 1617 Military Street Port Huron, MI 48060 (810) 982-4771 Goose Museum News Newsletter # 24 - June 2009 - Page 1 Editor/Director: Terry Ernest
2009 DUES:
If you have not paid your dues, they are now past due! Our very small Museum needs and deserves your support. If you have not sent your money in, would you please consider doing so today? And a big thank-you to those members who have paid their dues, it is greatly appreciated! KLEINSCHMIDT WILLS SEDAN AT SHOW: For more than 40 years, Oakbrook Center has had the tradition of hosting some of the most anticipated yearly events in DuPage County, and last year was no exception. Tom Kleinschmidt sent in a photo of his 1926 Wills T-6, 5-passenger sedan at the Oakbrook Shopping Center in Oakbrook, IL. Tom noted that the OHC engine draws a lot of attention along with the outside band hydraulic brakes. “HAROLD’S GARAGE” MUSEUM DISPLAY: The volunteers are as busy as ever at the Museum, this year adding a new display called “Harold’s Garage” named after, who else, C. Harold Wills. This narrow facade of a 1920’s gas station is being headed up by the very capable Gerald Saunders. As you may recall, Gerry is the same talented volunteer who assembled our rotating automobile turntable from ½ a pile of parts, and then had to fabricate the rest of the steel together. Last year, Wills Owner Edward Hausgen donated a rare 1920’s Fry brand gas pump. Don Herber is now heading up the restoration of this pump and when completed, the pump and gas station facade will become a museum attraction with a Wills car parked at the pump. Another benefit of the garage facade is that the garage doors will be functional, allowing cars to be moved between the Museum display area and the storage area. Conceptual rendering of gas station facade by Rita Ernest LITERATURE COLLECTION ORGANIZATION A few years ago the Wills Museum purchased the largest known collection of Wills Sainte Claire documents and artifacts from a local family who had been collecting Wills related literature for two generations. This vast archive of documents, owner manuals, parts lists, and company records is considered one of the Museum’s greatest treasures. But with the quantity of documents, and our lack of collective knowledge on the sorting of this information (remember the Museum is operated by 100% volunteer labor), it was imperative to get some professional advice. Because of the Museum’s affiliation with the National Association of Automobile Museums (NAAM), we were able to locate an expert in library classification and preservation. We have now contracted with Tom Adamich, Visiting Librarian Services to begin the process of cataloging and organizing the rich resources of the collection. We are anticipating this project to span the next two years as Tom will be doing this job on a part time basis. It is the Museum’s hope that in the future researchers and historians who write articles and books will enjoy a more organized retrieval of records from the Wills Sainte Claire era. On a related note, Sally Wills Achatz will be heading up a fund raiser for this very important project. In the next newsletter Sally will tell us how you can be a part of this and receive recognition for your participation. WILLS PHOTOS, BACK IN THE DAY: By having a website for the Museum (www.willsautomuseum.ORG) the public in general has an opportunity to locate and discover the Wills Auto Museum. Recently Ted Pietsch III, of Seattle, Washington, emailed about some vintage photos of an early Wills that his family owned. The photos are dated 1921, making this a 1921 A-68 Roadster. Ted notes that the photos were all taken on Wickford Road in Roland Park, Baltimore, Maryland. The first photo is of Ted’s uncle John Oliver Carroll Pietsch, age 8 at the wheel. 1921 A-68 Wills Roadster in 1921. Photos courtesy of Ted Pietsch III Ted W. Pietsch II and his younger brother, Robert with the Wills Pietsch family friend Nadeje Nolting sitting on the 1921 Wills Roadster Ted also wrote “My grandmother, Gertrude Zell, wife of the architect T.W. Pietsch I, lived in Baltimore during the teens and 1920’s, owned several Wills Sainte Claire autos. She is said to have been the first woman licensed to drive in Maryland. The family was quite wealthy (at least before 1929 when the stock market crash took nearly everything away) and traveled around town in big chauffeured Packards, but, she in addition, always owned something smaller and sportier for her own use. Not only did she drive, but she was an accomplished mechanic as well. I have several pictures of her “under the hood”. (Ed. Note:) Notice in the top photo the accessory spotlight attached to the windshield frame near the top, and the Motometer, of which Mr. Wills once said: “I would state that I am very much opposed to them as we do not need them. We have no boiling of water and they are unnecessary. We have the best cooling system there is of any motor car in this country and we do not need a register upon it. These motometers are inaccurate and are liable to disconcert the user.” (From a November 19, 1923 WSC Office memorandum.) Thanks to Ted for sending these period photos in for publication! It is great to see our Wills cars ‘back in the day’. If any of our members have any period photos, please send them to the Museum for inclusion in an upcoming newsletter. PEPPING UP WILLS Steve Rossi sent in an article from the publication Automobile Trade Journal, January 1933, with the above title. QUESTION: “I would be grateful for your professional opinion on points in connection with increasing the performance of an old Wills Ste. Claire overhead camshaft six. It is a rugged motor with its seven main bearing crankshaft. Have you any objections to changing the stock cast-iron pistons to aluminum? If a change is made, what is the best type to use? Have you any other suggestions, excluding a change in carburetor? The fact is, I am in the process of constructing a sort of semi-road-racing-sports car, which will have to be practical in a certain sense, yet have a better than average performance.—Phillip L. Taylor, 135 Main St, Williamstown, MA.” ANSWER: “There is a lot that can be done to improve the performance of a six-cylinder Wills Ste. Claire. And, in this connection, the installation of aluminum pistons would be a big factor in increasing the speed of the engine and also tend to reduce any vibration that may be present. While you state that you do not wish to change the carburetor, we have known of a number of these cars which have been fitted with two Ford Model A carburetors which gave a marked improvement in performance. In regard to the types of pistons, we believe that any of the standard makes would prove to equally satisfactory. Another change which would serve to increase the performance would be higher compression ratio. This can be obtained by either milling about 1/8 in. off the top of the block, or by the installation of pistons which have a greater distance from the center of the pin to the top of the piston head. Naturally, the latter change would be the easiest to make, provided you can obtain the pistons of the correct dimensions. But in either event, care must be exercised that the dimensions are not altered to such an extent that the pistons will strike the valves when the piston reaches top center. It would also be possible to increase the valve lift, but this would be rather an expensive proposition.” Ed. Note: Remember, the preceding article was written in 1933. The Wills Museum is not suggesting you try any of the above alterations. MISSING WILLS FOUND Andy Adler of Ohio had a wonderful collection of antique cars, including the earliest known (by serial number) Wills Sainte Claire. Upon his death, the collection was sold to a buyer in Europe. Unfortunately for Wills auto affionados, the car became “lost”, as we could not track down the new owner. But as luck would have it, the new owner discovered our website (www.willsautomuseum.org) and emailed the Museum. The A-68 roadster has become part of an impressive museum owned by Hannes Steim in Schramberg, Germany. Hannes reports that he plans a roadtrip with the Wills at least once per year. Welcome to the group, Hannes! WILLS OWNERSHIP LINEAGE CONTINUES Please welcome Eric Butler of Sloansville, NY, as the newest Wills auto owner. Eric’s 1925 W-6 5-Passenger sedan was previously owned by his mother, Jonnie Jo Rolfe and her late husband, Ron Rolfe. Eric says he is looking forward to enjoying this beautiful car. WILLS IN FAIRBANKS AUTO MUSEUM The new Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska will open on June 1, 2009. The Museum’s collection features over 60 historically significant American automobiles and showcases the interesting heritage of the automobile during Alaska’s post-Gold Rush era. The collection includes rare gems like the 1901 Rochester and 1917 Owen-Magnetic, plus a Wills Sainte Claire Model A-68 sedan. Several of the autos are the only examples of their marquee known to remain, including an 1898 Hay Hotchkiss, 1906 Compound and 1920 Argonne. Seventeen of the cars previously resided in the William Harrah and Parker Wickham collections. The antique automobile collection is located on the grounds of the Wedgewood Resort, just minutes from downtown Fairbanks. On most summer evenings, docents will drive one or two cars around the Resort. “To be able to see these rare cars is great,” says Willy Vinton, interim museum manager, “but to hear them run and see them is priceless.” For more information, call (907) 450-2100. Wills A-68 Sedan, at Wedgewood Resort, Fairbanks, Alaska WHERE THERE’S A WILLS, THERE’S A WAY (Article and photos by Wills Museum Secretary, Carl Moss) In early May, four intrepid Wills Museum members – John Porter, Gary Minnie, Carl Moss, and Paul Pawlosky – left from Marysville and journeyed to Temple Hill, Maryland to pick up a 1925 Wills Roadster which had been generously donated to the Museum by the family of Jack Thompson, a long time member of our organization. Having no photos of the vehicle, the four adventurers did not know what to expect when they arrived at the garage where (most of) the car was kept. When the garage door was opened, the Wills could not easily be seen – only the top of the windshield could be discerned. Mrs. Thompson commented that her husband collected and kept all kinds of things. As seen in the photo below, a multitude of items were packed under, in and on top of the vehicle. Wills saved in garage. Note cowl on left and rear of car on right. The four guys rolled up their sleeves and worked six hours straight without a break to remove the materials engulfing the car, drag the vehicle into an enclosed trailer, and return the hundreds of items back into the garage. The Wills was found to be very rusty and incomplete. The splash aprons were found in the basement of the house and the front axle, cylinder head, wheels, fenders, and other pieces were found in a second garage on the property. The exhausted foursome arrived back at Marysville after the three day trip and it was decided to unload the car until the following day. The car was soon safely secured in the Museum – another Wills returns home! While not in the best of condition, the 1925 Wills is still one of only 70 or 80 of our favorite vehicles in existence, and the third Wills donated to the Museum. The Museum Board of Directors and all of the members of our facility would like to express our thanks to the Thompson family for their generous gift of the Wills Roadster. John Porter (l), Carl Moss (kneeling), Gary Minnie, and Paul Pawlosky delivering the 1925 former Thompson Wills to the Museum. Special thanks to our four Museum members for their adventure in picking up the Wills roadster, and the Thompson family for their special gift! WILLS FAMILY VISITS MUSEUM C.H. Wills’ granddaughter, Elaine Hawes visited the Museum this past March. Joining her was her son George Hawes and his wife Ann. Elaine writes “It was a pleasure and delight to see all the Wills cars. I am looking forward to the reunion (National Meet 2010) and shall bring all my family members that want to come. We were all so impressed with all the work and effort everyone puts into the Museum.” George & Ann Hawes, and Elaine Hawes, C.H. Wills’ granddaughter DID YOU KNOW? The American-made Wills Sainte Claire was the first vehicle to employ an electric fuel pump. From Auto Almanac, WINDSOR STAR. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Tom Kleinschmidt writes in: “Do you know of anyone in the club or ensnare that can provide valuation of my ’26 Wills? I want to be sure insurance is adequate.” Good question Tom. The Museum is asked occasionally to provide car valuations, but because of our 501c3 status, we are unable to provide estimates of value. So how about it members, does anyone have any experience in having their Wills valued and could recommend a good auto appraiser? Drop me a line or email willsmuseum@sbcglobal.net with your answer. In a previous newsletter, Gray Smith asked about speedometer repair. Steve Rossi writes in: “I have had great success with Bills Speedometer Shop, 109 Twinbrook Pl. Sidney, Ohio 45365 (937) 492-7800. Most recently he did a Model T Ford speedo for me which I delivered to him at Hershey.” In Newsletter #22, an article appeared about the Wills Roadster at The Henry Ford Museum, of which the placard reads “Gift of Henry Ford”. Bill Mason wrote “This is probably the Wills car that Henry Ford bought for a niece. It is believed to have only 16,000 miles on it.” Thanks for the update, Bill. DIRECTORS COMMENTS For many members, this newsletter was sent by email. As postage and printing costs have continued to soar, it seems reasonable to try to reduce costs at the Museum wherever possible (and this from a non-profit entity that doesn’t even have any paid employees) to save money. One of the choices we can make is to increase dues, which have not been increased since the Museum opened 8 years ago, but in the current economy I don’t think this is a very good idea. One of the ways to save money is to email the newsletter to our members, which we will continue to do. If you are getting this newsletter by mail and would like to help the Museum save money, send me a note about having the newsletter sent to you by email. The other advantage of getting the newsletter by email is full color throughout. Even though the newsletter photos are typically color, when it is printed only the first two pages are color the rest is printed in black and white. So an advantage of the emailed newsletter is full color. If you have not had an opportunity to visit our Museum website, check it out. You can find it at: www.willsautomuseum.org Please note that this website address ends in .org not the more commonly used .com. There is a lot for you to do at the web site including a gift shop, guest sign in and a forum where we can discuss the wonderful world of C. Harold Wills and the Wills Sainte Claire Automobile. We also archive the previous newsletters, although without the photos, on the website. Take a look and make a comment on the forum at the website. It is hard to believe but the Wills Club/Museum is now celebrating our 50th anniversary! As printed in the last newsletter, Ken Caldwell began communicating with other Wills car owners in 1959 to: “…accumulate, organize and distribute all available Wills Sainte Claire News, which will assist the owners and restorers to complete, repair, or put into operation their Wills and help those already enjoying their Wills.” In the beginning of the Club, each newsletter was written by a different member. Ken Caldwell wrote the first one, Meryl Ewalt wrote the second one, Bill Harrah (of Harrah Casino fame) wrote the third one, etc. I am all for going back to that format, but even 50 years ago members taking turns writing the newsletter only lasted a few years, before Ken Caldwell continued to write the newsletter himself. In the spirit of celebrating our 50th anniversary, I am enclosing (at the end of this newsletter) Wills Club Newsletter #2 written by Meryl Ewalt in 1959. Worth noting is the interview with Wills factory head mechanic “Frenchie”. Hope you enjoy this glimpse into the past. While you are thinking about it, mark down on your calendar the next National Wills Sainte Claire Meet to be held the third week of August 2010. The specific dates are August 13, 14, 15 of 2010. Sally Wills Achatz is heading up this get together and I am sure it will be a lot of fun. A rough idea of the weekend will be tours on Friday and Saturday and car show on Sunday. The car show will be honoring the Wills Marque and those of you that bring a car will be parked in a special place of honor. Stay tuned, more details will be forthcoming…. And in closing, allow me to say Thank-you very much to all our volunteers! Terry Ernest, Director/Editor Long time member Bill Abbott sent in this article about Wills Cars from 1995. He notes two mistakes. Can you spot the errors? When you find them, let me know and we’ll publish your comments in the next newsletter. willsmuseum@sbcglobal.net Wills Sainte Claire Museum Board of Directors: Terry Ernest – President / Director Sally Achatz – Fundraising 3546 Conger Street 523 N 3RD St Port Huron, MI 48060 St Clair, MI 48079 (810) 987-2854 (810) 329-9520 Gary Wurmlinger – Vice President Harold Krul - Marketing 1313 Georgia 2028 N River Rd Marysville, MI 48040 St. Clair, MI 48079 (810) 364-3612 (810) 329-7901 Laurie Baker – Treasurer John Porter– Facilities 3036 Beach Rd 137 Brown St Port Huron, MI 48060 St Clair, MI 48079 (810) 966-4806 (810) 329-3192 Carl Moss – Secretary Fred Cleaver – Gift Shop 1617 Military Street 1001 N River Rd Port Huron, MI 48060 St. Clair, MI 48079 (810) 982-4771 (810) 329-6522
2009 DUES: 2008 SPIRIT OF C. H. WILLS AWARDS: C. Harold Wills was a man of amazing vision and foresight. Since his early days of working with Henry Ford, he envisioned an automobile of high quality built by a contented workforce who lived in modern homes in a true community. The Spirit of C.H. Wills award is given by the Museums’ Board of Directors in tribute to this spirit. This year’s National member is Tom Lieb. Tom has helped the Museum in many ways including actively showing his award winning Cabriolet Roadster in national events (thereby creating more interest in the Wills Sainte Claire marque) and in his donation of two Wills cars to the Museum, the first Wills autos owned by the Museum. Tom also willingly shares his vast knowledge of the Wills cars mechanical minutia and details. This year’s Local member is Stan Mitchell. Stan has been invaluable as a local member. Stan’s ability to procure the majority of advertisers for the annual car show program booklet is extremely important to the success of the show. He has, and continues to be, an active participant in nearly all of the Museums’ functions and activities. Tom and Stan have “the right stuff”. The Museum and members greatly appreciate what they have done to help! (top photo) Tom Lieb’s award. (bottom photo) Stan Mitchell (L) receives his “Spirit of C.H. Wills” award from Museum Director Terry Ernest AACA-BWR DONATION: Once again the local chapter of the AACA-Blue Water Region has put on a successful car show benefitting the Museum. President Paul Pawlosky and his team attracted a fabulous group of cars this past August to the Marysville City Park. The net earnings from the car show in the amount of $8,400 was donated to the Museum. THANKS TO ALL THE GREAT MEMBERS OF THE AACA-BWR! Museum Treasurer Laurie Baker accepts donation from AACA-BWR Treasurer John Porter at the Museum HERSHEY 2008: This year at the annual Hershey swap meet, the Museum set up a display on the chocolate field thanks to space provided by Fred Cleaver. Our volunteers passed out hundreds of Brochures about the Museum and Wills Sainte Claires. Special thanks to Fred Cleaver, John Porter, Carl Moss and Gary Minnie for transporting the tables, tents and displays and manning the booth. And a very special thanks to Rosemary Cleaver and Dorothy Burgess for working the booth. These ladies presence made the whole display look better! Rosemary Cleaver (L) & Dorothy Burgess working the booth at Hershey WILLS AUTO DISPLAY IN FLINT: Gary and Debbie Wurmlinger displayed their 1926 T-6 7-passenger sedan at the Golden Memories car show this past September. As you can see in the photo below, the Wills was given a premium location! Wurmlinger’s Wills and Museum display at Flint Cultural Center WILLS AUTO DISPLAY IN YPSILANTI: Terry & Rita Ernest displayed their 1926 T-6 Roadster at the Orphan Car Show earlier in the year. Our goal of showing the Wills’ cars is to help bring exposure to the Museum and build interest in all things Wills Sainte Claire. Ernest’s Wills & Museum display at Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show EARLY V-8 WILLS SOLD: Keith Kruse has sold his 1922 A-68 roadster (below) to Robert Pass, former owner of Passport Transport. It has been reported that the car will go on display at the ACD Museum in Auburn IN, where Mr. Pass is a Board member. If you have shown your Wills Sainte Claire car or taken it on tour this past year, drop the editor a line and we will publish your story! GAS PUMP DONATION: The Museum would like to thank Wills car owner Edward Hausgen of Elsberry, MO for his donation of a period Fry brand gas pump. We would also like to thank Gary Minnie and John Porter for traveling to Missouri to pick it up. The Museum intends to restore the pump and use it as part of an upcoming display that will include a Wills auto and a 1920’s gas station facade. If you have any related items that would help us complete this display, please contact Terry Ernest. 1920’s FRY gas pump pre-restoration EARLY WILLS-LEE ARTICLE: C. Harold Wills and John Lee (who worked together at Ford Motor) were thought to be the principles of the new auto factory in Marysville in 1920. Bill Mason of Michigan sent in a couple of articles from the publication THE AUTOMOBILE. The first dated July 1, 1920: MARYSVILLE LAND GRAB HALTED BY COMMISSION. (Detroit, June 25) “Two Detroit realty firms have had their licenses suspended and two others have been reprimanded by the State Board as the result of the efforts of real estate men to sell land at Marysville, in the vicinity of the new Wills-Lee automobile plant. Misrepresentation is charged. Complaints against several firms were filed by the executives of the Wills-Lee company, alleging these firms were representing the property for sale as being within the corporate limits of Marysville, when, as a matter of fact, the land sold was outside the limits and far removed from the factory site. After Wills-Lee platted the town of Marysville, land in the town was being sold through a syndicate under the auspices of the Wills-Lee organization chiefly to prospective employees. The town site began to boom immediately after announcement of the location of the Wills-Lee plant, and real estate dealers platted sub-divisions. Lots were being sold rapidly when complaint was filed and efforts of the realty men were stopped by the securities commission.” The second article from the September 9, 1920 issue of THE AUTOMOBILE: Detroit, Sept 2. “General offices of the Wills-Lee Co. in the Book Building here closed today and practically all of the officials will in the future be housed in a portion of the new plant in Marysville. A few officials will remain in Detroit and will have headquarters at the plant of the DePalma Mfg. Co. on Woodbridge Street, pending the closing of some local business. The purchasing department has been moved to the DePalma offices. A shipment of the machinery and equipment of the DePalma plant was sent to Marysville a week ago and has been installed in the Wills-Lee factory. The machinery and plant of the DePalma Co. had been used by C. Harold Wills for the conduct of experimental tests. With the opening of offices in Marysville the company expects immediately to begin production on the new car, a description of which is promised shortly.” It appears to your editor, from reading the two previous articles, that C. Harold Wills did not let much information leak out about his new car project (which would eventually be called the C. H. Wills Co. not the Wills-Lee Co.) which is why the press guessed wrong for the name of the new auto manufacturer. John Lee was Head of the Sociological Department for Ford Motor Co. who left Ford to go with Wills to Marysville to help plan the new community. The second article mentions the DePalma Mfg. Co. which during this period of time Wills owned, perhaps to do testing and work out design criteria for his new car while still working at Ford. Thanks to Bill Mason for sending the articles to my attention. HENRY FORD & C. HAROLD WILLS HOMES: When Henry Ford’s cars became popular, Henry’s monetary fortune and those of his closest constituents began to rise dramatically. Both Ford and Wills had homes in the upscale Boston-Edison district of Detroit where many of the auto barons lived. In 1908, the same year he launched the Model “T”, Henry Ford, wife Clara and teenage son Edsel moved into their brick and limestone 7,500 square-foot "Italian Renaissance Revival Eclectic” home on the corner of Edison and Second. Edsel had a workshop over the garage, where Mrs. Ford kept her Detroit Electric car. The Ford’s spent $483,253 to build the home and the family lived there until 1915, when they moved to their newly constructed mansion known as Fair Lane in Dearborn. His B-E home still exists today, and it’s current owner is the Director of the Piquette “T-Plex” museum, birthplace of the Model “T”. C. Harold Wills was planning an elaborate home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but in 1909, Wright sold his business. Wills unfinished drawings were completed by Marion Mahony, a protégé of Wright. The plans were finished in late 1909, but perhaps because of the estimated cost to construct the house, Wills never built it. However, Wills did find a way into the Boston-Edison neighborhood of his boss Henry Ford. Henry Ford’s house in Boston-Edison district of Detroit (current photo) Wills purchased his home in Boston-Edison from John W. Drake, who was one of the founders of Hupp Motor Co. Drake built his new home in 1911 at 650 W. Boston. With the money that was now flowing to Wills’ bank account from his profits at Ford Motor, he could afford to live in a very nice house, and with 9500 sq. ft., he had plenty of room! As I was doing research for this article, I noticed that the house is currently for sale. It is listed for $675,000 and is on a professionally landscaped 1 acre lot with its own 7000 gallon koi pond. 8 bedrooms, 5.5 baths and 3 car garage, which would be a great place to park your Wills Sainte Claire auto and maybe a Model “T” or two. C. Harold Wills’ home at 650 W. Boston in Detroit (recent photo) BODY REFERENCE RECORD: Member Richard Coulombe has sent along a copy of the “Body Reference Record” for the A-68, B-68, C-68, D-68, W-6 and T-6 Wills autos. Mr. Wills did not manufacture bodies for his cars, instead preferring to concentrate on the mechanicals of the car, much of which he produced in his own factory. Bodies were purchased under contract from many different body builders who were prevalent at the time. The body reference shows some of the many body builders who made contract car bodies for Wills, which included: Budd, Fisher, Babcock, Baker, Witham, Willoughby, Erdman-Guider, Gotfredson, and American. Richard also sent along a sheet on accessory manufacturers, what parts they made and who produced it for our Wills’ cars. I have reproduced the “body” sheet on page 7, and the “accessory” sheet on page 8 of this newsletter. (Thanks to Richard for sending this in!) EMPLOYEE BADGE AND LAPEL PIN: Because the Museum has a website (www.willsautomuseum.ORG), we get interested parties contacting us about various Wills related items. Recently, Mark Wetherbee contacted me about two employee badges and a lapel pin that he has in his collection. Although I have seen employee badges before, I had never seen one with a star next to the number. I also noted that the number was small (20) as compared to the larger numbered ones I had seen before. Mark speculated, and I would tend to agree, that the employee who was issued *20 must have been an executive or officer of the company. Perhaps Mr. Wills had badge *1! Mark found the *20 employee badge at a small flea market in Pennsylvania about 20 years ago. Mark also sent a lapel pin which he said is typical of service pins provided to service or sales employees by dealerships for performance quotas that have been met or exceeded. Note that the service pin is quite small at about 9/16” and uses a screw-back pin to hold it onto a lapel. Wills Factory executive or officers badge Service Lapel pin with screw back and dime to show size reference LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Wills auto owner, Gray Smith of Maine, wrote in to bring up a topic regarding his problems in having his speedometer repaired. Gray sent his Waltham speedometer to a company in Florida who has taken more than 5 years to work on his speedo. This is a frustrating ordeal for anyone to have to go through, yet many of us do in the process of restoring our beloved Wills. Let’s create a discussion about the successes you have had in getting your delicate Wills parts restored correctly and in a reasonable amount of time. Write your editor with your recommendations and I will publish the stories as they come in. We all can benefit from your experience! If you have further questions about the particular vender mentioned above, contact Gray directly at: 207-596-6676. MR. WILLS PERSONAL NOTEBOOK: When the Museum purchased a large literature collection from a local family 8 years ago, we discovered some very interesting items. One such item is the personal notebook of C. Harold Wills. The notebook contains about 100 or so pages of formulas, data, recipes and information that was important to Mr. Wills. Most of the data is typed, but there are some drawings and copies of articles. Each entry is alphabetized and indexed for easy reference. Some have dates. The most recent of which was 1932. For instance, page A-2 “Heat treatment of Aluminum Pistons” (Lincoln Motor Car Company): Aluminum 88.63 Copper 8.86 Silicon .66 Iron 1.66 Zinc .19 Raise temperature to 975 degrees F, taking one-half hour to do so, then hold for one-half hour at 975 degrees F. Quench in boiling water one hour. Transfer to furnace at 400 degrees F and hold four hours. Cool in air. A seasoning at room temperature tends to increase the hardness. It is possible by the above heat treatment to obtain a Brinell hardness of 165. Another example from page A-4: “For Acid Stomach: 8 or 9 drops of a ten percent solution of Muriatic Acid (HCL) in one half glass of water – To be taken three times a day.” Page B-4 is a recipe for making the liqueur Benedictine. (The main ingredient consists of 90% grain alcohol and goes on in detail.) Page H-1 is the Method of figuring the price of a second hand car by Mr. Halsey: “For a car less than one year old an allowance of 58% of the present sales price. For a car less than two years old an allowance of 40% of the present sales price….” Page H-2 is Mrs. Wills recipe: “How to Cook a Missouri Ham” “Soak ham for 48 hours in cold water. Be sure it is covered well with water. Remove from water and scrape well (as the ham is very mouldy). Boil in cider 4 hours. Take ham out of cider, remove skin, sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and bake in very slow oven for one hour.” The notebook goes on to describe zinc and iron plating baths, special insulating paint compounds and even a recipe for mouthwash. We can only speculate that this notebook contained what Mr. Wills must have considered very valuable (and easily referenced) information. Please note: I would not necessarily recommend the recipe for Acid Stomach! But if you want to heat treat aluminum pistons, that should be OK. COMMENTS FROM THE DIRECTOR: Here in the Midwest in January, the weather is cold and snowy. Allow me to thank Scott Shepley for donating the plowing of the Museums parking lot and shoveling the sidewalk. I also want to thank Paul Pawlosky for taking care of the Museum’s lawn every year. And while I am at it, allow me to thank the Board of Directors and all the local members who work so hard to keep our Museum project going day in and day out! In January of 1959, Ken Caldwell wrote the first “Gray Goose News” effectively beginning the Wills Club (which eventually morphed into the Wills Sainte Claire Auto Museum). So raise a toast as we celebrate our 50th anniversary! I’ve included a copy of Ken’s first newsletter for you to reminisce over. As a side note, this particular newsletter was sent to Sheldon Lowenthal, who is still a member today! And finally, if you would like to advertise in our humble publication (with superb demographics), contact me. A printed flyer inserted into the “Gray Goose” would only be $100. This would help offset our postage and printing costs. Perhaps an ad for a tire distributer or…. See you down the road. Terry Ernest Editor/Director willsmuseum@sbcglobal.net
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Newsletter # 20- November 2007 - Page #1
WANTED – AN AUTOMOBILE
The lead page of this newsletter is an ad for an advertising agency from Fortune Magazine in 1936. They were able to make nearly anyone who read the prose want to own, or at least drive, a Wills Sainte Claire automobile. Of course the advertising is for the ad agency itself, as Wills had been out of business for some 10 years. This ad had been previously published in the Newsletter about 30 years ago, but I thought it deserved to be re-run.
“It was lithe and low and fast as light. You could turn it on a dime. To drive that car was sheer adventure….”
HERSHEY MEET 2007:
Wills owner Karl Krouch Sr. graciously hosted the Hershey Wills Meet at his vending spaces on Friday morning. 20 members from as far away as Canada and California were in attendance. Allow me to have Karl tell the story: The Hershey Wills Meeting took place at 9AM Friday. This year, unlike the last 3, we were blessed with NO RAIN. Owners from all over the US and Canada made the trip again to join in the fun. After introductions, Fred Cleaver gave the treasurer’s report for the Museum. He also informed the group gathered that he was once again a Wills owner. Karl Krouch next shared two of the Wills accessory items from the tool kit: a sample bottle of Noble’s polish and a Locktite patch can. (Note the polish bottles cardboard tube should say Wills, not Dodge) These items are shown in the 1925 and up tool lists. (Photo on page 1). Richard Coulomb discussed the ease of adding an oil filter to a Wills using readily available pieces. Tom Leib continued by giving an update on the Wills he is donating to the museum. He shared photos of the progress being made with the chassis and body. Terry Ernest, shared some additional information about the matching donation campaign which should reach its’ goal of ten thousand dollars. Swap time found no one having space locations for parts still unsold. A look at the Saturday show program had no Wills cars on display. When are we going to make a row of Wills on the show field? See you all next year! (Ed. note: Thanks to Karl for hosting us at his swap meet space. He didn’t mention in his article that he found a complete Wills’ dashboard with gauges at a swap meet booth! Not pictured is one of my favorite writers, Wills member, Bobbiedine Rodda of CA, who was also present at the meeting.)
WILLS SAINTE CLAIRE – MY HOBBY:
(Article by Fred Cleaver, WSC Museum Treasurer)
My first involvement with Wills started back in the early 1970’s. I had been trying to find a Havers car, built in Port Huron, Michigan. There was one for sale on the east coast by the Tunick Brothers who specialized in antique cars. After much back and forth “wheeling and dealing”, a price was agreed upon for a 1911 Havers, which they had. A friend and co-worker, Carl, said he would take some time off and we would go and pick up the car. Upon arrival, we asked to see the Havers. Mr. Tunick said lets get the paper work over with first and then look at the car. It was in an unlit warehouse and we couldn’t see it. We asked them to turn on the lights and they replied there weren’t any lights. “Pay for the car and then they would get it out.” No way! Out near the big door was another car that I recognized. It was a 1925 Wills Sainte Claire sedan. Well, thoughts changed and the Wills was loaded and off for Michigan we headed.
Our trip home was going very nicely, when a tire blew on the trailer and it started to sway back and forth. On the third swing the trailer was sideways of the road. I said to myself “it’s gone”, but then I hit the trailer brakes only and it straightened out and I got stopped. My friend looked over at me and said he did everything but wet his pants! The tires were replaced, the speed reduced and we made it safely home. Later, after a couple of years, I sold the Wills so I could buy and restore a 1932 Pierce-Arrow Club Brougham, which I still own.
A couple of years went by and I just had to have another Wills. Ken Caldwell, founder of the Wills Club, kept in touch with me and he said he had convinced another Wills collector to part with a 1921 Roadster that was in parts. I purchased it from Bill Abbott who was from the St. Louis area, who told me the only reason he had for selling the car to me was to get Ken Caldwell off his back!
Another article will follow with pictures of the above mentioned purchase. Have fun and show your Wills cars.
INTERESTING PHOTOS:
I found this photo (below) while doing research at the Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library, automotive section. Any thoughts about what it is from some of our long time members? Did Wills go racing? Is this a test sled that the factory used to see how new innovations would stack up? That straight pipe sure looks interesting, and the driver and copilot sure look to be quite happy.
The only note on the picture says: “Wills Ste Claire 1922”.
If you have any ideas, please let your editor know.
Another photo that I came upon recently is from a display at the Piquette Museum in Detroit. This is the birthplace of the Model “T” Ford, and we all know that C. Harold Wills had a lot to do with that car. The photo shows (L to R) Harvey Firestone, C. Harold Wills and Henry Ford having a “fireside” discussion.
The sign describing the photo says: “A brilliant designer and metallurgist, C. Harold Wills was Chief Engineer and had much to do with the successful, lightweight design of the Model T. Wills was indispensable to Henry Ford, as he could decipher Ford’s crude pencil sketches and turn them into polished mechanical drawings. In the summer of 1907, Henry Ford and Wills heard about a new European development called vanadium steel. It was stronger, lighter and more flexible than ordinary steel and thus ideal for use in automotive parts. Wills set up a laboratory at Piquette Avenue to specifically develop vanadium steel and study its potential use in the Model T. Vanadium steel was used extensively on Model T parts and was one of the innovations that contributed to the car’s reliability.”
WILLS CARS FOR SALE:
I am aware of two Wills that are for sale. The first is a 1922 A-68 roadster V-8 owned by Keith Kruse of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Contact Keith at: 260-450-1858.
The second is 1925 W-6 roadster owned by Phil Roelof of South Haven, Michigan. Contact Phil at: 269-639-7748
NEW OWNER FOR A-68 WILLS:
Merton “Mick” Bascom has sold his 1922 A-68 4-passenger coupe to Fred Cleaver. This is the only 4-passenger coupe known to exist, making it a very rare car indeed. Mick has been an avid supporter of the Museum for many years, making the pilgrimage to Marysville every two years to bring his car to our local car show. Mick has often left his beautifully restored car at the Museum for the public to admire. We are thrilled that Fred now has a Wills again after so many years. Fred will also have it on display at the Museum for enthusiasts to drool over. Congratulations to both of you!
PARTS WANTED:
Bruce Frumveller of Sunnyvale California is looking for early Wills V-8 parts, “anything and everything”, and for the 6 cylinder he is looking for W-6/T-6 connecting rods. If you can help Bruce out, contact him at: 408-732-3244.
WHEN THEY WERE NEW/USED PHOTO:
Former Wills owner Fred Meiners made his first visit to the Museum this past week. Fred told me how impressed with the Museum that he is. Fred as you may recall, stepped up to become the Director in 1980 after the passing of the Wills Club founder, Ken Caldwell. Fred made a donation of some literature, a sign and this photo.
The photo depicts a wonderful Gray Goose Traveller in front of the Catellier Wills Dealership. Though difficult to see in the photo, they advertise “high grade used cars, all makes” and “sales and service”. This photo begs the question; where was this dealership located? Who are the men in the photo (all wearing very stylish hats)? When you figure it out, please let your editor know.
THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU:
I would like to thank Debbie Wurmlinger for organizing an advertiser’s party at the Museum. One of the museum’s largest fundraisers is a local car show that the AACA-Blue Water Region puts on with proceeds benefiting the Museum. The largest part of the car show income is generated from the show program/advertising book. With the support of over 100 area businesses, the booklet earns over $7,000 of revenue for the show. Debbie suggested, and organized, a day of appreciation for our advertisers. Thank-you Debbie!
Another project that was completed over the summer was the purchase of 4 more showcases that match the six that we already have in the Museum. We hope that in the future we will be expanding our display area and we will need more showcases. We were given our original 6 by the Henry Ford museum. These showcases were made in the 1930’s from Mahogany and are beautiful in their own right. The Piquette Museum received the rest and we were able to purchase 4 more that match the 6 we already have. Thanks to Greg Cleaver, Stan Mitchell, Carl Moss, and Bob Carlisle for their assistance and special thanks to Fred Cleaver and Gary Wurmlinger for driving and allowing us to use their car trailers. Thank-you gentlemen!
Another project that is being completed at this time is a new janitor’s closet in the Museum. Pete Canjemi and John Porter are building this new enclosure to hide our mop sink and bucket area from the public.
A hardy thanks to you as well!
Edward Hausgen read in a past newsletter that we were looking for a 1920’s era gas pump. Lo and behold, Ed found one in his garage! At our next opportunity, volunteers will be picking up the pump in Missouri and bringing back to the Museum. Once we complete the restoration, we will be putting it on display. Thanks Ed!
And last, but certainly not least, Tom Lieb of California will be donating an 80% completed Phillips bodied Cabriolet and a non-complete T-6 roadster. We at the museum are thrilled to say the least! We hope to work with the local trade school in the restoration of these cars. These will be the first cars that the Museum will own outright as the other 9 cars on display are courtesy of their owners. We will have more details in the next newsletter. From the entire Board of Directors, Thank-you Tom!
PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN:
As we get toward the end of the year, we begin wrapping up the Preservation Campaign. Our Treasurer, Fred Cleaver says that we have exceeded $9,000 and are nearing our goal of $10,000. If we can meet or exceed this, we will be given a $10,000 match. Won’t you please help in making this generous matching donation a reality for the Museum?
WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW AS WE COME DOWN TO THE WIRE!
Thanks to Sally Wills Achatz for heading up this project and to the following members who have made a contribution to the Preservation Campaign:
Robert Anderson Mick Bascom
Ray Burgess Pete Canjemi
Bill Carlisle Bob Carlisle
Gilles Caudal Fred Cleaver
Jock Finley Georg Von Pfaler
Ervin Graber Ray Gularte
James Holzhaur Virginia & Bernard Janicki
Joe & Sylvia Jung Tom Kleinschmidt
Keith Kruse Peter Landsbergen
Stan Lucas William Mason
Randy Mason William Mason
Gloria McKeand Fred Meiners
Robert Nester Paul Pawlosky
John Porter Nancy Porter
Bobbiedine Rodda Philip Roelof
Steve Rossi Don Schiemann
Peter Seward Gary Sharrow
Robert Tansky Jack Teetor
Rudy Vernon James Wheeler
Nancy Wills
And a very special thank-you to John McMullen!
FROM SHARP EYED STEVE ROSSI:
Wills owner, Steve Rossi sent this article in about the famous Ford Script that C. Harold Wills created for Henry Ford. This info is from the Ford Model “T” book “Tin Lizzie” published in 1955.
(Thanks for sending this in Steve!)
WSC MUSEUM DIRECTORS COMMENTS:
As we wind down 2007 and look forward to 2008, I would like to let all of our members know how things are progressing at the Museum. The Board of Directors and I agreed to set a goal of raising money for the Preservation Fund for 2007. C. Harold Wills’ granddaughter, Sally Wills Achatz ably ran this campaign, and we are grateful for her help and assistance. I will report in the next newsletter on our level of success based on our members’ contributions through the end of this year. The Board has already developed our goals for 2008. They will be to increase membership in the Museum and to professionally organize the Museum’s collection of literature, factory correspondence and all related artifacts.
For the first goal, I need your help. Would you consider sponsoring a membership? Perhaps you could purchase one for each of your children or a friend or neighbor who enjoys antiques cars. What better way to get them enthused about the very hobby that you enjoy so much? For the second part, we will hire a person with experience in the categorizing and proper archival methods of preserving the Museum’s documents and artifacts. Our goal is a computer searchable database that researchers can use to find information on Wills related data.
January of 2009 will also be a milestone in the history of the Wills Sainte Claire Museum/Club, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary! It was in January of 1959 that Ken Caldwell of Kissimmee Florida founded the club by publishing the first newsletter. Ken wrote in the first newsletter that “the purpose of the Gray Goose News is to accumulate, organize and distribute all available Wills Sainte Claire News, which will assist the owners and restorers to complete, repair, or put into operation their Wills and help those already enjoying their Wills.” In the early days, each member took their turn at writing the newsletter. Ken did the first one, Meryl Ewalt of Detroit wrote the second, William Harrah of Reno wrote the third, Dan Bihler of W. VA wrote the fourth and William Abbott of IL wrote the fifth, and so on. In the first newsletter, only 27 Wills cars were known to exist. We are now aware of around 80. How many more will we uncover or find out about in the next 50 years?
Summer of 2010 is now only about 2 ½ years away. Is it too early for you to start planning for the next National Wills Sainte Claire Meet in Marysville? We are already starting to plan for it, and we hope that you will mark it on your calendar too. As soon as we get the dates established we will let you know. Start planning now to “follow the geese home” and bring your Wills to Marysville.
Email is an ever more important way of communicating as time goes on. On your membership renewal card, I have included a line for you to include your email. Because of constraints from my “full time paying job”, I was not able to print up and mail information about the Hershey Wills Meet this year. By having your email, I can let you know, in a timely fashion, information that is important to you as a Wills member.
DUES ARE DUE:
Enclosed with this newsletter are you dues notice. Because our membership is very small, your prompt payment of your dues is very important. This year, please consider a membership (or two or three) for another antique car buff, or family member. We hope to grow the Museums’ membership and we absolutely need your help in doing this. Your dues include unlimited admission to the Museum, access to our archives of Wills material and this award winning newsletter. In addition to giving you the satisfaction that you are helping to preserve the Wills Sainte Claire legacy for future generations, your gift could improve your financial and tax situation as well. Tax incentives make it easier to support the Museum. Most people can reduce their income taxes by making gifts to eligible charitable organizations. Of course, we don’t encourage charitable gifts just to save on taxes. The Wills Museum was founded for the specific purpose of preserving the history of C. Harold Wills and the Wills Sainte Claire automobile – making it available for the public now and into the future. Cars, books, sales literature, promotional items, advertisements and memorabilia are important to us. They can greatly enhance the Wills Museum. Please consider giving some of your automotive treasures to the Wills Museum whenever the time is right, either during your lifetime or in your will. The Wills Museum has become the major repository for all memorabilia related to the Wills Sainte Claire Automobile Company. Literature donated will either be displayed or placed in the library for research.
SPECIAL 2007 TAX INCENTIVE FOR IRA’S:
A special 2007 (only) tax incentive can help some IRA account holders support the Wills Sainte Claire Museum. Do you have an IRA account? Are you at least 70 ½ years old? Do you have to make mandatory minimum withdrawals from your IRA? If so, you should be aware of this special way to help the Wills Museum and other charitable organizations this year. Congress created a limited time provision (2006 and 2007) for a significant tax incentive that permits such owners of IRA accounts to make charitable gifts directly from their IRA accounts without causing the distribution to be included in taxable income. This opportunity applies only to IRA owners who are least 70½ years old when the gift is made. It permits transfers of up to $100,000 in the 2007 tax year. But importantly, such gifts will go toward satisfying the required minimum distribution requirements that typically apply to IRA account holders over the age of 70 ½. Instead of being forced to withdraw funds from your IRA and include the amount in your taxable income, you can make a direct donation to the Museum (or any eligible charity) up to the $100,000 limit and avoid tax on the amount of the gift while meeting your mandatory minimum withdraw requirement. Enclosed with this newsletter is a form to make such a transfer.
THE GRAY GOOSE, OCTOBER 12, 1921:
Attached to this newsletter is a reprint from the original Gray Goose, the newsletter of the C.H. Wills & Company. The company newsletter was used to inform dealers, distributors and employees of what was going on at the factory plus disseminate information that the factory thought was important for them to know. Such as a “go-getter” salesman, Wills auto owners testimonials and Service bulletins. On page 2, third column, you will see under the header, Notes From The Editor, the story about what Mr. Wills regarded as some of the most important advice he was ever given: “…aim high and you’ll never shoot low.” This was the quote that Sally Wills Achatz used in our Preservation Campaign.
MUSEUM ITEMS FOR SALE:
The Museum has a small quantity of the “wings down” goose hood ornament available. These are available for $75 + $8 shipping. This resin replica is made from one the rarest Wills accessory hood ornaments which were only available for a short time from the factory.
NEXT ISSUE OF THE GRAY GOOSE NEWS:
C. Harold Wills knew his way around fast boats along with fabulous cars. Jack Teetor has sent info on a special racing engine that Mr. Wills developed for Chris-Craft boats. More in the next issue.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of the Gray Goose News. As always, I appreciate hearing from you and am quite happy to publish information that you would like to share with the rest of the club. If you have a technical solution or are restoring a car and would like to share special situations that you have encountered, in the spirit of helping other owners, please drop me a note.
Terry Ernest Editor/Director
Email: willsmuseum@sbcglobal.net
WILLS MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Terry Ernest – Director Sally Achatz – Fundraising
3546 Conger Street 523 N 3RD St
Port Huron, MI 48060 St Clair, MI 48079
(810) 987-2854 (810) 329-9520
Gary Wurmlinger – Vice President Harold Krul - Marketing
1313 Georgia 2028 N River Rd
Marysville, MI 48040 St. Clair, MI 48079
(810) 364-3612 329-7901
J. Fred Cleaver – Treasurer John Porter– Facilities
1001 N River Road 511 Jay St
St. Clair, MI 48079 St Clair, MI 48079
(810) 329-6522 (810) 329-3192
Carl Moss – Secretary
1617 Military Street
Port Huron, MI 48060
(810) 982-4771
OUR PREVIOUS NEWLETTER:
2007 DUES ARE NOW DUE:
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t is now time to send in your 2007 dues. Enclosed with this newsletter is a form to fill out and send in your dues. Your dues include this newsletter, unlimited admission to the Museum and support for the Museum to continue its mission of “Preserving the History of C. Harold Wills and the Wills Sainte Claire Automobile.” Your prompt payment is greatly appreciated!
If your dues are current, with this newsletter, you will be receiving an updated list of Wills’ cars and owners. PLEASE REVIEW THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY! If there are any changes please make a note on the back of the dues invoice. Check all the info that is listed for you. Ownership of cars, zip codes and area codes occasionally change, not to mention keyboard slipups when the data is entered. You may also call me at: (810) 987-2854 or e-mail: willsmuseum@sbcglobal.net
MUSEUM SIGN COMPLETE
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n the last newsletter we reported that we had finished the sign on the corner of Wills and Busha. The City of Marysville has graciously landscaped the sign area and the results are fabulous. Now the Museum’s location is not “cleverly hidden” in the Industrial Park. Special thanks to City Manager Jack Schumacher and his crew!
WILLS AT CHRYSLER PLANT ANNIVERSARY
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hree Wills cars from the Museum were displayed at the Marysville Daimler-Chrysler plant’s 70th anniversary on Sept. 17, 2006. Walter Chrysler purchased the former Wills Sainte Claire factory in the early 1930’s from C. Harold Wills. Museum member Gary Minnie, a 40+year Chrysler employee, convinced management that a display of Wills cars (which were made on the same grounds as the current D-C facility) should be on display. D-C donated $300 to the Museum for our efforts. Thanks to Gary & Cindy Minnie, Gary and Debbie Wurmlinger, Fred & Rosemary Cleaver and Terry & Rita Ernest for displaying cars.
HERSHEY MEET 2006
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he Wills Meeting Hershey 2006, by KRK Sr. on Friday mornings at 9am proved to be the "perfect(?)" timing for the Wills Meeting at Hershey. After 3 days of sunshine, the weather turned to a constant drizzle by dawn Friday, bringing back memories of the 4 inches of rain that greeted the meeting last year. Our meeting was well attended with owners from all over the US and Canada. After introductions, Fred Cleaver gave the treasurer’s report for the Museum. John Porter had an update of the projects completed and ongoing at the museum, including the turntable, new sign at the highway, and additional display cases donated by the Ford Museum. Restoration updates and photos were shown of Carl Moss’s only remaining 1924 Towncar. Richard Coulombe discussed the cause of a noise in his engine and the final fix which required the re-shimming of the front cam drive gears.
Tom Leib continued to discuss the W-6/T-6 engine, touching on the common problems with gear lash and oil leaks at the head to cam tower gaskets. He gave the proper specs for the gasket material and thickness of .092 inches. Tom then told the members that a Wills “cutaway car” (a 1926 T-6 Cabriolet) needs to be assembled and will be soon donated to the Museum.
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wap time; only a set of extra manifold gaskets had been found by Tom Lieb during the previous three days of hunting. Contact him if you need them. All members and guests that attended were presented with a Wills logo coffee cup. The museum was also given one for the collection. After a group photo, many of the members lingered for the next hour discussing the Molybdenum car. The rain stopped, and the group continued on for another year.
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ete Seward has written in looking for some assistance on the restoration of his 1922 Roadster. Pete writes: “I’m looking for information on correct upholstery and patterns for our 1922 roadster. Also it would be helpful to have paint info especially related to wheel colors and combinations. I’m progressing fairly well with the restoration. Still lots of small time consuming stuff to do, but I am aiming for completion in late 2007. The seats and front seat bolsters have been re-covered with what appears to be a leather “kit”. The original leather is still there on all items, but new leather, with under padding, has been sewn on top with string. This does not appear to be a factory change, but the re-covering pattern in the leather matches exactly the door trim pads, which appear to factory original. This seems odd, thus my above question.”
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y parents purchased the Wills in 1933, and although they repainted it, I don’t believe they did anything with the upholstery. Through this restoration project, I’ve determined that the car was repainted 5 times in the 10 years prior to their ownership. So it would not be surprising to find that, in those 10 years, a previous owner had recovered perfectly usable upholstery.”
Ed. Note: So can anyone give Pete a hand with his questions? The Museum is still sorting the collection of literature materials that it has and finding the answers could take some time. If you can help Pete, contact him at (250) 592-7710 or email: peteseward@shaw.ca
C. HAROLD WILLS PHOTO
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ou can never imagine where the next Wills artifact will come from. A visitor at the Museum, Jerry Falardeau, was kind enough to send us a photo from his collection that we had never seen before. The back of the photo was marked: “C H Wills”, and appears to show Mr. Wills in a Michigan winter scene in one of his early cars. He appears to be wearing the same animal coat (Fox, Sable, Mink?) that we have seen him wear in other winter photos.
C. HAROLD WILLS PERSONNEL FILE
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hile doing research at the Benson Ford research library at The Henry Ford museum, I was able to review Mr. Wills’ personnel file from his early days at the Ford Motor Company. I was excited as I opened the folder hoping to find a treasure trove of information. Unfortunately, there was very little information contained in the folder. In fact, only two items. The first was an excerpt from a WSC advertisement from the New York Times dated January 29, 1922, titled: “Why I designed the Wills Sainte Claire” by C. Harold Wills.
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or years I wanted to design an ideal and practical motor car, one that would be light, easy to drive (especially for women) durable, low hung, with extraordinary road clearances, simple and attractive in design. With this in view and backed by my knowledge of metallurgy, efficiency in production, manufacture and inspection, I designed the Wills Sainte Claire. In its construction we have used Mo-lyb-den-um steel and all other materials of the highest quality. We started with the conviction that weight and wheel base have nothing whatever to do with the performance of a motor car. We know that perfection of balance and weight distribution determines that. We developed a new type of motor tremendously powerful, eight cylinders, V-type, set at 60 degree angle, with overhead camshafts and valves, eliminating belts and chains by the use of perfected silent gears.”
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he second document I found in the file was relating to the lawsuit by the Ford Motor Company shareholders against Henry Ford. The Dodge Brothers (John and Horace) were large shareholders in the Ford Motor Company, when Henry wanted to get rid of all the shareholders. During the trial, John F. Dodge stated in testimony (excerpt): “As a shareholder, I have no objection to the salary paid Wills. Mr. Wills is a very valuable man. I have always considered him the brains of the company.” High praise indeed.
WILLS MENTIONED IN MODEL T MANUAL
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harp eyed Wills owner, Steve Rossi, send a copy of the “Sales and Service Data Manual for the Model T Ford, a Powerful Sales Data Book”. This manual was originally published in 1926 to assist Ford dealers and salesman to sell Model T Cars. Page 17 discusses the Model T thermo-syphon cooling mentioning that “Thermo-Syphoning Cooling….Used on such quality cars as the American Wills-Ste. Claire, the French Aris, and the English Crosby.”
FOLLOWUP ON THE “KETTERING BUG”
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ack Teetor of Algonac sent in some follow-up information and a photo about the guided missile that C. Harold Wills had worked on in secret during WWI (Newsletter #16, June 2006). Jack writes: “I have recently found a photo showing the guided missile developed during WWI. I believe in the information I sent to you, I included a report written by Macy Teetor.
AMOS NORTHRUP, AUTO DESIGNER
Bill Mason sent in an article written by Karl S. Zahm about auto designer Amos E. Northrup. “Appearance and comfort are the two main factors that determine the sale of a motorcar. Appearance induces a motorist to inspect the car in the showroom; Comfort fuels his desire to own it. Each is of equal importance. The body designer must effect a perfect combination of these two major characteristics.” The author of these words was Amos Northrup, chief designer for the Murray Corporation of America, a major manufacturer of automobile bodies. Northrup’s opinion is that cars of the 1920’s were not particularly attractive. With few exceptions, most automobiles lacked much in the way of beauty, symmetry or charm. The article states: “…Whatever redeeming features were possessed by the Saxon, Ford, Essex or Durant was rendered moot by their all-to-dreary and unattractive sameness. There were a few notable exceptions, including the Daniels, Richelieu, Ogren and Kissel.” The Wills Sainte Claire, arguably one of that decades better looking automobiles, was redesigned by Amos Northrup in 1924 to become one of the most attractive.
THANK-YOU VOLUNTEERS!
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would like to take this opportunity to thank a few of the many volunteers that make the Museum operate smoothly. Thanks to Debbie Pawlosky of Flint for making velvet ropes that attach to stanchions around the new turntable display. Deb owns Schultz & Son Upholstery where quite a few of our members are now utilizing to have their antique car interiors and tops done. I would also like to thank Don Herber of Herber’s Collision.
NEW MUSEUM BOARD MEMBER
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here is always a laundry list of items that the Museum needs to continue pursuing its intended purpose. On the short list is a fiberglass 8’ foot step ladder. We estimate the cost to be approximately $100. If you have one to donate or are able to contribute the money for one, it would be appreciated!
We desperately need a photograph of the New York Auto Salon of 1925, particularly the display by custom bodybuilder Willoughby. The Auto Salon was the display for custom auto bodybuilders. Our best chance to find this photograph is if anyone has a copy of the publication “MoToR”. “MoToR” was a sold to dealers within the automotive selling trade, and nearly all auto manufacturers and suppliers had an advertisement in it.
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ur facilities coordinator, John Porter, writes this update of Museum projects:
Museum Notes: Plenty of activity and lots of projects at our museum this past summer and fall. Completed projects are: Re-building the sign at Wills and Busha, re-furbish the south eaves trough, have a new 6" eaves trough installed on the north end of the building. A major project underway is installing a new track lighting system to better show off our fine cars and other displays.
The biggest single improvement this summer was our turntable project. We were going to purchase one at an approximate cost of four to five thousand dollars, but one member found a mechanism at a local junkyard. The cost $200.00 and we were on our way. Another member designed the needed supporting structure. A third person got the necessary steel donated that we needed. And last but not least, we had a member with the skills to fabricate this piece of machinery. A team then installed it, and it works like a dream! The directors’ roadster is now going around in circles. Savings-$4000.00. Turntable - Priceless.
(Written by Museum Secretary Carl Moss.)
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his issue of the Gray Goose News will focus on a “local” automobile in our ongoing effort to highlight existing Wills cars. The vehicle is a 1922 A-68 4-door; 7-passenger sedan owned by this writer (Carl Moss) and is currently on display at our museum in Marysville.
Car Number: 3186
Engine number: 4351
Wheelbase: 121 inches
Weight: 3600 pounds
Original Cost: $3475
Color: Liberty Green
Stroke: 4 inches; Bore: 3 ¼ inches
Horsepower: 67
Body: Fisher (aluminum)
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he early history of the car is unclear, although it apparently was on the west coast for many years. By 1980, the vehicle was owned by Jim Brucker of Buena Park, California. A letter from him dated October 1984 indicated he bought the Wills from Jack Passy Jr. of San Jose, who had got it from a Mr. H.B. Probert. Mr. Brucker was the proprietor of Movieworld “Cars of the Stars”, a business which furnished cars to television and movie productions. In August of 1985, the collection (which included this car) was sold at auction. The purchaser of this car was Bill McKeand of Port Huron, Michigan.
Again, please remember car owners, to forward whatever information you have regarding your Wills to the Museum. This information will provide grist for a future article such as this, but more importantly preserve valuable data for research and give future owners background on the history of their Wills Sainte Claire automobile.
Carl Moss c/o Wills Museum
2408 Wills St
Marysville, MI 48040
WILLS MEMORABILIA FOR SALE
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s noted on the dues form, there are many different Wills memorabilia that is now available for purchase from the Museum. There are hats, a DVD, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. You may also consider purchasing a membership for someone else and share you interest in Wills Sainte Claire. By the way, all of these items would make for great Christmas gifts!
I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. The volunteers continue to work diligently on the museum project on your behalf. Remember to contact me with any changes on the roster. Be sure to check all the info; phone numbers, zip codes, etc.
Terry Ernest, Director