2014
Cincinnati, Ohio

Minutes

Toronado and Aurora Chapter Meeting

OCA National Meet, Cincinnati, Ohio – August 1, 2014

The annual Membership Meeting of the Toronado and Aurora Chapter convened shortly after 4:00 PM in the Rome Room of the Holiday Inn.  For the third year in a row, our meeting’s start was delayed by a locked meeting room; maybe this triple will finally break the “curse.”

We started with our usual self-introductions.  There were 16 Toronado/Aurora owners present, plus an additional 8-10 spouses, significant others, and in one case a daughter and grand-daughter.  This year’s owners represented almost as many Aurora owners as Toro owners.

Minutes of last year’s meeting were read with no additions or corrections. 

Last year’s Treasury balance was $1529.  This year’s current balance is $1699.  The forthcoming bill for the last issue of Toronado and Aurora Times will be in the $150 range, which will result in an adjusted balance similar to last year.  Our income is 99% membership fees, and the publication and mailing of the newsletter is virtually our only expense.  It is nice to see that we have a stable treasury with no need for any adjustments.

There was no Old Business to be discussed, and no official New Business.  It was pointed out that the 2015 host hotel is blocking out only 300 rooms, so early reservations might be a good idea.

We then moved on to open floor discussions.  The 3-generation group, representing a ’70 rose-colored Toro and with the daughter heading the restoration efforts, asked for explanations of OCA, the National meet, and the judging process.  Jamie Cox discussed the (Canadian) Vintage Car Tours, followed by some discussion of the annual (US) Great Race sponsored by Coker Tire.  This year’s Great Race went from Maine to Florida; I was able to view the Valley Forge overnight stop outside of Philadelphia.  Last year’s Race was along the Mississippi River from Minnesota to New Orleans, and the year before was around the Great Lakes.  To participate is probably a real blast, but it’s more realistic (and still fun) to observe if one comes through your neck of the woods.

We then discussed some maintenance issues with our pre-modern automobiles.  Their spark plugs do not last 100K miles, and they do have points that do not last forever.  We do need to take care of their respective preventative maintenance requirements in order to have the most reliable performance.  A test light was described as a very basic tool for trouble-shooting 12 volt circuit issues.  It was learned that a stuck check valve could be explanation for a transmission draining 8-9 quarts instead of the proper 4-5 quarts when just dropping the pan.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:15, after which 4 individuals came forward to join the Chapter.  Welcome to the new members.

Respectfully submitted,      Paul Andreas, Secretary-Treasurer