Awards Event – January 13th

ISSUE 1VOLUME 55

Awards Event – January 13th

JANUARY 2019

Happy New Year!

JANUARY 2019

2019 Regional OfficersChairman Dr. Donald W. Wise Vice Chairperson Steve Power-FardyTreasurer Howard Green howbetgren@aol.com 10216 Wilmington Lane Apple Valley, CA 92308Secretary Carolyn Quadt 562 598-7028

Appointed PositionsChief Judge Ronny ShaverTechnical Chairperson Ronny Shaver Membership Chairperson Dr. Donald W. WiseAwards Chairperson Lou Oddo Newsletter Editor Dori OisenHospitality Chairperson Joan Hugron Cell: 949 439-0465Marketing/Advertising Gene TowIeEmail: upstreetnews@aol.com Home: 562 596-5049 Cell: 714 642-5001 Directory Editor Karen Perrault Webmaster Steve Power-Fardy Archivist Diane Cerveny Liaison to Dealerships Dr. Donald W. Wise

2019 Board of DirectorsJoel Cutler Harvey Moyses Bill Sundin John LevyStuart Olesker Steve ButlerJim Davidson Jeff DeeterJoan Hugron

Editorial StaffEditor: Dori Olsen

Cell Phone: (424) 644-5987 dorianolsen@earthlink.net

Please reference RROC in the subject line when sending an email to the editor. Do not send any material or photos that carry a copyright. It is our policy not to publish copyrighted material.

The Spirit of Ecstasy is published monthly, approximately two weeks after the meet. Articles and notices should be received no later than the 15th of the month prior. Please identify cars (with chassis numbers) and individuals in all photographs. Private party advertisements for Rolls-Royce/Bentley sales, wanted items, parts, lost and found will be published for members at no charge. For car sales, include chassis number and asking price. Photos will be published at a nominal charge. Non-member advertising will be accepted at published rates. Display advertising is accepted, at the discretion of the Editor, for business card, 1/4, 1/2, or full page insertions in increments of three, six or twelve months. Advertisements are published as a courtesy to the membership. The Southern California Region and its Editor(s) do not assume responsibility in the event of a claim of loss or damage resulting from publication. Members are responsible for investigating any advertising claims prior to entering into an agreement with an advertiser. Please contact the Advertising Chairman for information or published rates. Articles reflect the opinion of the authors and do not necessarily reflect national or regional policy. The Southern California Region and its Editor(s) seek to publish accurate material but neither assumes responsibility in the event of a claim of loss or damage resulting from publication. The organization is under the control of the National RROC.

January

Year-End Awards Event Our year-end awards event, hosted by Lou and Diana Oddo, will be on January 13th from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.at the Highway 39 Event Center near Angel Stadium. This museum has 35 cars, neon signs, gas pumps and Cushman scooters.

We will enjoy a sumptuous buffet, a museum-quality classic car collection and a celebration of our members who put so much time and effort into improving and restoring their PMCs. There will be lots of surprises, so you won’t want to miss this celebratory event. Join us and start the new year with a bang!

What: Year-End Awards Event at the Highway 39 Event Center Date: January 13, 2019 Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Hosts: Lou and Diana Oddo Where: Highway 39 Event Center 1563 S. State College Blvd,. Anaheim, CA 92806 (714) 699-2539

Cost: $45.00 Mail your check to: Howard Green, RROC So-Cal Treasurer 10216 Wilmington Lane Apple Valley, CA 92308 RSVP DEADLINE: MUST BE RECEIVED BY January 9, 2019. No refunds will be processed after the RSVP deadline. Payments will not be accepted the day of the event.

Directions:

Take the 5 Freeway to State College Blvd. Travel North on State College Blvd. until near railroad tracks. Go West on State College. There is a small street lot for the Highway 39 Event Center.

JANUARY 2019

Welcome to 2019!

It is with enthusiasm, passion and humility that I take on the stewardship of the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club – Southern California Region – for 2019.

We start the New Year with some bold goals for the mutual enjoyment of our fellow members who embrace the Rolls-Royce and Bentley marque. We face the same challenge that all of our car club comrades share – that of changing demographics – so let’s look at the plans and deltas for the New Year:• Our Concours D’Elegance may be moving to a new location

this year;• We are excited and honored to announce that an affiliation

has been formulated with the UK-based Bentley Drivers Club where the RROC will administer the North American membership operations. This is an exciting time for the RROC. Since our inception in 1951 we have always welcomed Bentley motor cars and their enthusiasts. This new affiliation intensifies this tradition and has full support of Bentley Motors. We envision future events with both RROC and BDC flags flying jointly to celebrate the two marques we cherish (see November 28, 2018 announcement from National);

• We have been experiencing approximately 50 plus cars a year at our annual Concours d’Elegance. We have a very proud history with the longest running Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club annual event in the United States – this is our 46th year;

• My stated goal as the new Chairman of the Board is to restore this event back to the approximately 100 cars per year on the field as it was when I entered my 1963 LHD Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III in the 1978 Derby Day Concours D’Elegance and in 1998 when I entered my 1965 LHD LWB non-division Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III in the Picnic with the Ponies Concours D’Elegance;

• We are aggressively recruiting new members and will continue creating bespoke fun monthly events that both our current and new membership will enjoy, talk about, and remember;

• Like everything else in life - the more special relationships that are created at really unique and interesting events - the closer and more active our group will become;

• Our mantra moving forward will be to deliver creative experiences at our monthly bespoke venues and create new experiences that our members would not otherwise experience – were they not a club member;

• We believe that in turn this will assist in driving better attendance at our Concours D’Elegance events;

• We have been in continuous dialogue with our Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club of San Diego colleagues and we are looking at possibly a shared venue for the Fox Hunt this year and a shared overnight event in La Jolla or Coronado with our colleagues to the south;

• We are working on having more support from the Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and other luxury car dealerships for our upcoming events; and

Chairman’s Corner

JanuaryTBD Sunday Yacht Club Brunch with the Chairman Organizer: Dr. Donald W. Wise No-Host5 Technical Meet Host: Ronny Shaver13 Annual Awards Event – Hwy 39 Event Center $45 Hosts: Lou and Diana Oddo19 Board of Directors Meeting

FebruaryTBD Sunday Yacht Club Brunch with the Chairman Organizer: Dr. Donald W. Wise No-Host

2 Technical Meet Host: Ronny Shaver

9 RROC National Technical Seminar Silver Cloud Transmission Overhauls Sign up through RROC National Host: Ronny Shaver

23 Bowers Museum and Lunch at the Winery Host: Dr. Donald W. Wise

MarchTBD Sunday Yacht Club Brunch with the Chairman Organizer: Dr. Donald W. Wise No-Host

TBD Tech Meet Host: Ronny Shaver

AprilTBD Sunday Yacht Club Brunch with the Chairman Organizer: Dr. Donald W. Wise No-HostTBD Tech Meet Host: Ronny Shaver13 Board of Directors Meeting

• We are instituting a new monthly venue in 2019 with up to eight to ten members (including husbands, wives and partners) a month invited to join Laurie and I at one of our local Newport Beach yacht clubs for an informal brunch (no host) to further the relationship building process.

In Closing:

We need enthusiastic hosts for novel and unique March, April, May, September, and November events this year. Thank you for your support and friendship.

Happy New Year!

Dr. Donald W. Wisedrdonaldwwise@gmail.com949.283.9706: Mobile

JANUARY 2019

Catalina Island Museum & Casino Tour

Hosted by Dr. Donald W. Wise

On Saturday November 17th we trekked “Twenty-six miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me, Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance, romance, romance…” Active Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club members Richard and Sukie Adams; Steven and son Blake Butler; Koire Drysdale; Paul and Johanna Krikorian; Lou and Dianna Odo; Gary Oakland; and Dr. Donald W. Wise and Laurie Veitch all met early at 8:00 a.m.

to catch the Catalina Express out of the San Pedro at Berth 95 for a very special and fun day to Santa Catalina Island. We arrived at the Avalon mole and were greeted by a member of the Board of Directors and a Trustee of the Catalina Island Museum, long time island resident since 1943, Roy Rose. Also greeting us was Rudy Alvarez, Director of Sales, for the Santa

Catalina Island Company that provided our air conditioned transportation for the day; the docent tour of the world famous Casino; and pu pues at the end of the day. Docent Roy Rose gave us a fabulous bespoke tour of the Catalina Island Museum, with additional color and history that could only come from a local who has lived on the island for 76 years! We then walked to the Avalon Grille at the base of the Green Pier where Executive Chef Roberto C. Hernandez and sous Chef Kapo Kealoha laid out a 100% custom feast created exclusively for our group.

We started with two Seafood Towers of Shrimp Aguachile; Tuna Tartar; Scallop Ceviche; King Crab Legs; Kumamoto Oysters; Spicy Cocktail Sauce and Vodka Mignonette. We then munched heartily on Crispy Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Chorizo Fondue; Guacamole; and Salsas.

The main meal was then served with Cilantro Infused Basmati Rice; Chicken Mole; Cochinitia Pibil; Pork Belly Al Pastor; Fresh made Spanish Corn Tortillas; with Sour Cream; Pickled Onions; and then a finale of a Flan de Cajeta with fresh blackberries and boysenberries for desert. The meal was an unqualified success! We then proceeded by air conditioned bus to a VIP docent walking tour with “Frankie of Catalina” of the world famous Casino ballroom (upstairs) and movie theatre (downstairs) with a short film about the history of Santa Catalina Island; we then proceeded again by bus to a walking tour of the Descanso Beach Club; and then back by bus for a walking tour of the Island Spa. We had an extra thirty minutes before boarding our vessel back to our home port so several of our troupe stopped by the Pavilion Hotel with host Rudy Alvarez of the Santa Catalina Island Company for some cheese and a complimentary glass of wine. We arrived back In San Pedro and waved Aloha to our companions du jour ~ we had a really extraordinarily fun day!

JANUARY 2019 5

What They’re Saying… It is so enjoyable to go on a group trip that is well organized. Thanks to Dr. Wise and Laurie our Catalina trip was just that. We did not have a thing to worry about. The weather gods were with us and the ferry trip was smooth. The museum with major Catalina paintings was a delight, thanks to our excellent guide. The gorgeous Art Deco Casino was very impressive and the ladies in the group even got a chance to swing dance on a dance floor fit for a 1000 people: yes you are reading it correctly! Towards the end of the day we visited a day spa and then the Pavilion Hotel where we were treated to cheese and wine on the patio. Thank you Dr. Wise for making this a fun day for everyone.

Paul and Johanna Krikorian

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING EVENT REFUNDS At the board meeting on January 27, 2018 the Board of Directors voted to implement the following policy on refunds for event payments and defined what constitutes an event reservation:

• Arefundmaybeprocessediftherefundrequestismadeinwriting,byemailorbywrittencommunication,andRECEIVEDbytheTreasurerbytheRSVPdateoftheeventaspublishedinTheSpiritofEcstasy.

• RefundrequestsmaybesenttoHowardGreen,Treasurerbyemailathowbetgren@aol.comorbymailtoHowardGreen,RROC So-Cal Treasurer, 10216 Wilmington Lane, AppleValley,CA92308.

• The event article format in The Spirit of Ecstasy will beupdatedtoincludethefinaldateforrefund.

• A completed reservation requires that the money beRECEIVEDbytheTreasurerbytheRSVPdeadline.

• Payment for aneventwill not beaccepted thedayof theevent.

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RROC-SOCAL.COM6 JANUARY 2019

Upgrading to a Modern Bulb Isn’t Always the Brightest Idea.

By Steve Power-Fardy Recently I had the headliner replaced in my Silver Cloud. This seemingly straightforward undertaking went from an eye-opening revelation to a near full-blown disaster. When the upholstery replacement company took out my old headliner, they discovered that mice had chewed through the electric wiring for the dome and backseat vanity lights. They repaired the wires and the guys beamed almost as brightly as the new dome light bulb when I came to get the car. “Wow, the dome light is so bright”, I remarked. “That’s because we put in a new modern bulb,” one of the guys said. To me it was more like a new modern miracle. Every time I opened a door, my riders had to shield their eyes or turn away from my newly installed brilliance. No more old, dull, dim, yellowish 53-year-old bulb for me. I took the leap into the 21st century with both feet. For weeks afterward, I still couldn’t contain my giddiness and took on the next project on the car with unabashed exuberance – The installation of my just repaired original radio. So with the driver’s door wide open and my feet dangling over the pavement, I lay on my back working hour after hour under the dashboard connecting wires while basking in the bright glow being cast by my new and improved dome light bulb. As I was straining my neck, skinning my knuckles and bumping my head, I smelt an odd burning odor. I thought it was coming from the radio. Duh! But it wasn’t; it was coming from my new dome light! The plastic lens was melting right before my eyes. A big dollop of hot liquid plastic was about to drop onto my leather seat. I grabbed a shop rag and turned the scorching hot lens off its base and removed it. A major disaster was narrowly averted. My leather could have been burned and the whole headliner could have gone up in flames and I would have to buy another one. Wait a minute, you don’t think… naw… Anyway, I ordered a new dome light lens and the proper 1960s era tried-and-true old-style bulb. The total cost was about $25 including shipping. When I compared the two bulbs I could see why the modern one was so much brighter. It was so much bigger! I was able to fit the correct Roll-Royce-specified bulb into the bulb holder and it works just fine with the new lens. So now there is nothing bright in my car any more. Just two dim bulbs. The little one in the dome light. And the big one sitting behind the wheel.

The melted dome light lens becauseof the hotter brighter bulb.

The correct smaller bulb next to the larger wrong bulb.

The correct bulb in place. No melting light lens.

The Bowers Museum and The Winery Restaurant &

Wine BarHost: Dr. Donald W. Wise

We have our first field trip of the year to the world famous Bowers Museum on Saturday February 23, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The Bowers Museum is an art museum located in Orange County. The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 100,000 objects, and features notable strengths in the areas of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Native American art, the art of Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and California plein-air painting. We will have a bespoke docent tour of the entire facility and then once again return to The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar in Tustin for a wonderful three-course epicurean lunch. We have been to The Winery Restaurant twice before after the Marconi Auto Museum tour and the Crevier Classic Cars collection and each time it was an absolute hit.

The new replacement lens.

7JANUARY 2019

CLASSIC CAR SALES & CONSIGNMENTS • CLASSIC CAR STORAGE

EVENT VENUE • CREVIER SALES & LEASING (OF ALL MAKES & MODELS)

365 Clinton St. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | 714.426.0238crevierclassiccars.com | events@crevierclassiccars.com

Quarterly Breakfast Meet in Claremont By Steve Power-Fardy

On a recent Saturday morning in December, 11½ members of the RROC So-Cal got caught up in the holiday spirit at Walter’s Restaurant in Claremont. Several of the members came all the way up from Orange County to get in on the fun. The occasion, in addition to simply enjoying the merriment of the season, was that this gathering was our last quarterly breakfast meet for 2018.

Club Treasurer, Howard Green, made the reservations at Walter’s, which is one of the fun local meeting spots in the Claremont Village area. A great time, and a hearty breakfast was enjoyed by all. And the little guy, who presided over the event from the head of the table, made sure no one got a word in edgewise about our cars as he deftly steered the conversation only towards his never-ending Christmas list and the upcoming visit by a certain big guy in a red suit.

If you would like to put on a breakfast event at your favorite breakfast hangout, let Vice Chairman Steve Power-Fardy know and he can put it on the club calendar and make announcements via email, the club website and the newsletter. Don’t worry that you have to provide your own little guy to sit at the head of the table to pick up the check. All attendees are responsible for their own breakfast. Just tell us when and where and make the reservation. You’ll soon be amazed at how far our members will travel just for an excuse to eat some bacon.

RROC-SOCAL.COM8 JANUARY 2019

JOIN US APRIL 28TH THROUGH MAY 4TH, 2019VIRGINIA IN THE SPRING IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE, ESPECIALLY IN TIDEWATER. CREATE SOME MEMORIES ON OUR FIVE-DAY TOUR BASED IN WILLIAMSBURG!

Spring in Tidewater, VirginiaVisit places ancient and modern, from the Pamunkey Indian Reservation Museum to the Virginia Air and Space Center... there is something for everyone here.

Tour Fort Monroe and take in firsthand, the beauty and restoration of one of our nation's most treasured historical landmarks.

See great colonial houses – Smith’s Fort Plantation, Bacon’s Castle, Shirley and Elsing Green.

Visit perhaps the world’s greatest 20th century Russian realist art museum, Lazare Gallery.

Drive the Dominion Raceway road course and visit a fascinating car collection.

Arrive early or stay over to tour Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown on your own. This year will be the 400th Anniversary of the establishment of representative government in America at Jamestown, along with the first arrival of African-Americans and the first boatload of women!

Spring in Virginia is truly lovely, and we’ll see it from back roads (unless you wish to blow out the cobwebs in your Bentley). You won’t want to miss this very relaxed tour, so contact Club Headquarters to register now!

TOURMASTERSSue and Phil Brooks,

ROLLS-ROYCE OWNERS' CLUB

9JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 RROC-SOCAL.COM10

Can’t We Just Remove the Warning Light Bulb?

By Ronny Shaver, Technical Chairman

I recently was contacted by a proud new owner of a 1999 Bentley Arnage who complained of a few warnings on the driver’s information panel, along with a buzzer that went off when the car went over 50mph. The two warnings displayed were “spare tire fitted” and “active ride fault.” His question was whether the warning lights could be turned off and where was the buzzer so he could disconnect it. I am sure that it would be very annoying to see these warning messages and to have to drive the car below 50mph; nearly impossible for a leadfoot like me!

Let’s tackle these items one by one. First the buzzer: this is a programmable feature for certain markets and can usually be turned off by using the odometer set and cancel buttons to access the instrument module settings. It is similar to resetting the service reminder message, usually pressing both the trip and cancel buttons

Second, the spare tire fitted warning message will indicate that one or more of the wheels are a different size than the rest. This is activated by the wheel speed sensors determining that the wheels are turning at different rates due to diameter differences. The fix would be to inspect all the road tires and make sure they are all the same size. Sometimes even one, very worn, tire will cause the warning message.

Lastly, the active ride fault message indicates a fault in the electronic ride control system. The faults are usually, but not limited to, one or more faults in the shock controls or wiring. The most common fault is in the front shocks. The fault must be fixed to turn off the warning message.

Many-times a customer will ask if we can just remove the warning light bulb. Since the panel displays multiple messages and is controlled by an electronic module, the answer is no. I have seen many “really good deal” cars come with multiple electronic problems that cost thousands of dollars to repair. So the “really good deal”, or attractive pricing, is not so after all. There is an old term I love for this kind of situation and it is “kick the can.” In other words, pass the problems on to the next owner.

I have worked on many PMCs over the years and seen countless variations of “kick the can” problems. The Silver Shadow/Bentley T models through Silver Spirit/Bentley variations up to the models with the DIP (driver’s information panel) all have a pretty neat way to test all of the warning light bulbs.

The early cars, up to around 1974, have a test button on the dash. It is a small black button which, when depressed with the ignition turned on, will light up all the warning lamps for the hydraulic system pressures, low coolant warning level and also the low fuel warning light. With the later cars, the warning lights should come on when cranking the car to start. You can also test them while driving, or when the car is running, by turning the ignition key to start while

in gear. Do not try this with the car in park or neutral since the starter will engage and could cause significant damage. But remember, these procedures will only test the bulb operation, not necessarily the warning lamp circuits. I have replaced missing bulbs in the past, only to find that the warning lights stay on when not being tested. Hmmm.

A very common way I have seen to pass the bulb test function, but still bypass warning systems, are disconnected sensors, especially brake accumulator pressure switches. After all, who wants to see brake warning lights when driving? Sometimes the switches will malfunction causing a pressure warning light to come on with no obvious difference in brake pedal feel, but the consequences of having the brakes fail on one of these cars can be dire. Brake fluid level sensors are also quite often disconnected because they short out or a float fails, but what if a system loses all of its fluid without any warning? Bottom line is that the warning systems are installed for a reason and should never be disabled for any reason, especially to hide faults from a prospective new owner. When it comes to safety-related problems like airbags and brakes, it is a “no-brainer”. In my opinion, we are morally obligated to disclose known problems during a car sale. This may cost us more money as sellers, but it is the right thing to do.

One last thing; be sure to have any potential PMC purchase inspected by a professional with experience with these cars. The money spent could be significant money saved in the long run by preventing a bad purchase.

Thank you for the questions and keep them coming. Please send your questions to Ronny at ronnyshaver@ronnysgarage.com.

Happy Motoring!Ronny

Fred AndersonSanta Ana

R. Allen BaylisHuntington Beach

Kip FinchCovington, LA

Steven ScottHenderson, NV

John Hertzler / Marc McClellanPalm Springs

11JANUARY 2019

12 JANUARY 2019

Service Repair Restoration

All Year Models Rolls-Royce & Bentley Quality Experience Integrity Family Owned Business Since 1979 1111 W. 1st St, Santa Ana, CA 92703 714-953-0896

Ronny Shaver - Owner

ronnyshaver@ronnysgarage.com

Blake Butler - Service Advisor

blakebutler@ronnysgarage.com