2015
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Minutes

Toronado and Aurora Chapter Annual Meeting

The annual Membership Meeting of the Toronado and Aurora Chapter convened shortly after 4:00 PM in Wisconsin Rooms 3 and 4 of the Sheraton Milwaukee Hotel. It seems like an annual tradition, this being the 4^th year in a row to be locked out of our meeting room – fortunately, hotel security was quick to help us out. Certainly not to be unexpected with a record number of Toronados and Auroras on the show field (32 and 13 automobiles, respectively), our meeting attendance was also a record high of 32, a combination of members and non-members, owners and spouses, significant others, etc.

Per past practice, we started with all attendees introducing themselves. Minutes of last year’s meeting were read with no additions or corrections. The Treasury’s current balance is reported at $1769; this is an increase of approximately $200 over a year ago, but this at least partially due to a fair number of multi-year renewals over the past year. There was no Old Business to be discussed, and no official New Business, so we moved on to open floor discussions.

There was discussion of several future meets, especially inclusive of the 50^th Anniversary of Toronado. Next year’s Oldsmobile HomeComing Car Show and Swap Meet in Lansing will feature the Toronado, and will occur June 18. And next year’s 2016 Olds Nationals in Kingsport, TN, will co-feature the Toronado and the Olds 4-4-2; dates are July 19 to 24. The Meadowview Marriott apparently is already sold out, but there is a wait list, and there are several alternate hotels that are less than a half mile away – shuttle service will be available, but that’s a nice walking distance to help keep you in shape. Someone asked about 50^th anniversary plans by the Chapter, and I responded that we are still in the formulation process, including working with the meet’s hosting chapters.

Jim Schultz solicited participants in the Route 66 Fun Run, from Seligman, AZ, to Kingman, to Golden Shores. This will be occurring the first weekend in May, May 7 to 8, and looks like it would be a real “blast into the past,” including some amazing scenery and photo ops along the way.

There were a couple technical discussions. On the subject of (Toronado) engine swaps, as in putting an older, more powerful engine into a newer, less powered Toro, it was pointed out that there basically were 3 transmissions over time, and they evolved into weaker versions along the way. So, I guess one should proceed with caution unless you’re also doing a tranny swap. A query about getting an A/C system fixed revealed the owner was talking about a Comfortron system – the general agreement was that this A/C system is very hard to diagnose, as a first step. Repairs require knowledge and persistence, and per one individual, maybe the use of a “witch doctor” – good luck.

A non-member asked about the benefits of membership in the Chapter. I responded that the largest benefit of the very reasonable $15 annual fee is the Toronado and Aurora Times newsletter, including shared info and classified ads; it is black-and- white copied, but the recent reduced cost of color copying has allowed us to include color pictures from the Olds National meet. There were 3 new members who joined on the spot, plus a couple membership applications were taken for later submission.

The meeting closed at approximately 5:15 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Paul Andreas, Secretary-Treasurer