GM Futurliner 2006 Progress Reports
GM Futurliner Restoration Project
National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States

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The following are Don Mayton's progress reports on the Futurliner. To read in chronological order, start from the bottom and read up the page.

2006 Progress/Work Reports
For previous "progress reports," click on the year below.
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003
Jan-Aug | 2003 Sep-Dec |
2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009

 
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

Dec. 21 Here are a few notes for the closing of 2006.

1. KDKA RADIO STATION -- Here is some feedback from the host of the KDKA radio program that aired. This is a link to their website. http://kdkaradio.com/pages/41351.php. "Don, we have a picture of your Futurliner on the “Gearhead Picture Album” link. There is also a link to your website on the “Car Radio Links” link. And lastly the interview is archived in the “Latest Audio” section titled “The Future is Now”. Thanks again. We’ve really gotten a lot of response from this."
2. 2007 SHOW SCHEDULE -- Our 2007 show schedule is posted on our web site.
3. 2008 SHOW SCHEDULE -- We are already working on our 2008 show schedule.
4. SPEED CHANNEL -- About six months ago we were contacted by the Speed Channel as they were putting together a program that covers the Futurliner. We sent them a lot of material. I just received a call that the program will air on Monday, January 15, 2007 at 9:00 PM EST. I have no idea of the program's content. So take a look.
5. FUTURLINER REPAIRS -- Al Scholten has completed the repairs on the gear boxes that open and close the side doors. He discovered on the right gear box, the one that was making the noise, that it had a broken bearing. He replaced all of the bearings in both the right and left gear boxes. We will be having a weeks work session in April to tackle a long list of repairs, none major except the installation of the two side door gear boxes.
6. NATMUS BOARD -- We previously mentioned that Ed DeVries has been elected to the NATMUS Museum Board. He has started attending the scheduled board meetings.
7. FUTURLINER PLANNING MEETING -- Our next Futurliner planning meeting will be Tuesday, January 9, 2007. We will be reviewing all future scheduled shows, the timing of our repair week as well as a specific list of items, forecasting future financial expenses, NATMUS plans of changes to their museum building house the Futurliner, volunteers for each of the coming shows for 07 and 08, and other items.
8. KALAMAZOO SWAP MEET -- The annual Kalamazoo, Michigan antique car swap meet, that is held at the Kalamazoo Fair Ground buildings, is Saturday and Sunday; February 3 & 4, 2007. The Futurliner volunteers will be present representing the Futurliner. We will look forward to seeing you there. It is a jump start on the old car activities for 2007. If you have never been there take the time to drive to Kalamazoo. It is located just 3 hours from either Detroit, Chicago, or Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

In closing out 2006, it has been a wonderful year showing the Futurliner and meeting all of you folks that have supported us during the past years. Although we struggled with the restoration our volunteers never gave up, you kept giving us words of encouragement, and also donations to keep the project rolling. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of you that have come to the shows when we were presenting the Futurliner. We hope to see more of you in 2007 as we again show the Futurliner. God has blessed this project. Now may He bless you this time of year at the celebration of Christ's birthday. May you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Don Mayton and all the volunteers.

Nov. 1 VOLUNTEERS: Mike Ball, Al Batts, Don Bratt, Del Carpenter, Conrad DeJong, Ed DeVries, Ryan DeVries, Jeff Dornbush, Ron Elzinga, Don Feutz, Wayne Jackson, Don Mayton, Art Miedema, Wes Myrick, Paul Prinzing, Dick Saddler, Al Scholten, Chuck Snow, Wally Snow and Howard Sullivan (doughnuts again, thanks) 
    This was our final planning meeting for 2006. Following are the items discussed. 
2007 SHOW SCHEDULE 
    The following is the tentative show schedule for the 2007 calendar year. We are almost booked for 2007. We still are in discussion with officers of three other shows. The shows listed below are fairly firm but still in the planning stages. Listed is the show, the event or event city, the date, and our volunteer that is in charge of the planning to present the Futurliner to that particular show. 
-- Vicksburg Old Car Festival - Vicksburg, Michigan.- Saturday, June 9; Dick Saddler 
-- Ault Concours - Ault Park - Cincinnati, Ohio - Sunday, June 10; Jerry Sigler (Yes, these shows are one day apart but Dick and Jerry are coordinating transportation and volunteers.) 
-- Mild to Wild - Holland, Michigan - Friday and Saturday, June 15 & 16; Al Scholten. 
Zeeland, Michigan - Saturday, July 14. Don Mayton 
-- Red Barns - Gilmore Museum - Richland, Michigan - Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5; Dick Saddler 
-- Salisbury House - Des Moines, Iowa - Friday, Saturday, Sunday, September 21, 22, 23; Ed DeVries. 
INTERNATIONAL SHOW 
    Wally made a detailed presentation on an international show. Originally the planning was for 2007 but we have moved that back to 2008. Wally's major obstacle is the transportation to get the Futurliner to the show and back. Ships are too slow (need 6 weeks on both ends of travel) and he can only find military planes large enough for the Futurliner to fit. In addition the only quote he has is for $500,000 there and back. We cannot sell that many videos, he is still looking at other options.If we don work out the transportation details the next obstacle will be how to finance the trip. 
FRENCH MODEL 
    Al Batts gave a report on the French model (oui - la -la). Of course this is a model of the Futurliner not what you are thinking. We understand the French company is now in production of a Futurliner model. We still do not have any other details than what I have mentioned in the past. We will let you know when we get prices and availability. Again, this is a venture by a private company and not through the Futurliner restoration project. 
NATMUS BOARD 
    Ed DeVries has been elected to the board of the NATMUS museum. We congratulate Ed on that position. We know one of his priorities will be to work with NATMUS to house the Futurliner at the museum when not on its show circuit. 
FUTURLINER WORK SESSION 
We plan to have a Futurliner work session tomorrow, Wednesday, November 1. Since the Futurliner is stored in an unheated ware house and there is some work we need to do the plan is to try to get that work done tomorrow before it really gets cold here in Michigan. 
NEXT PLANNING MEETING 
Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2007.
Oct. 11 HERSHEY
    Relying on memory I missed some of our volunteers who were present and worked at both the Futurliner and at the museum. Al and Carol Scholten were at the Hershey field as well as Stu Allen from Virginia. Wes Myrick as well as Toni Becker helped. Sorry, memory is going fast!

NEW INFORMATION - FUTURLINERS IN 1940

COMMERCIAL CAR JOURNAL
    No matter what show we have attended we always get new information from those that come to see the Futurliner. We received from Robert L. Smith of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania two items of interest. The first item was a copy of an article written in March, 1941 from the "Commercial Car Journal". The article was titled "The Body of the Month". The article was referring to a car body and not a human body. Although much of the information we had already discovered there was some new information contained in this article. Quoting from a paragraph on the first page of the article; "The Technical Exhibits and Styling sections of the corporation have designed in the Futur-liners many unusual, if not unique, features for this "worlds fair on wheels." Radical in streamlining, each Futur-liner, from the front end resembles a Flying Fortress. And the cab interior is finished like the pilot's compartment of a swank private airliner." Then on the next page, and again quoting; "The airline interior of the driver's compartment is done entirely in royal blue Bedford cord, gray leather, chromium, and satin-finished aluminum, with heat-insulated floor, covered with gray linoleum. The compartment, with a curved-domed turret, is heated and ventilated by forced draft. Leather-covered crash pads encircle the compartment directly below the turret."
    Note the hyphen used in the word Futurliner in the above article. As we know GM removed the turret and changed the upholstery to a vinyl green and yellow when they updated the Futurliners in 1952.
    The article continues to describe the technical aspects of the Futurliners. The last portion of the article describes the engines and again I will quote the article; "Eleven of the Futur-liners are powered by GM 4-71 two-cycle diesel engines. These engines are four-cylinder units developing 110-hp at 2,000 r.p.m.. The other Futur-liner has a GM truck gasoline engine of 451 cubic in. piston displacement."
    The new information here is that one Futurliner in 1941 had a different engine than the other 11 Futurliners.

YELLOW TRUCK AND COACH DOCUMENT
    The second piece of information is from the Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company dateed June 1941. This document lists all the GMC vehicles built at Yellow Coach in the year 1940. This lists the 12 Futurliners that were built with the type of engine installed. Here is listed 10 Futurliners built with the 4-71 engine. Another Futurliner is listed under "Ethyl Gasoline Corp. Parade of Progress" and its listed engine is the 451 cubic engine as contained in the above article. The 12th Futurliner is listed as built with a 6-71 engine, which would be another two cycle diesel but with 6 cylinders.
    Now we know that as the 1940 original Futurliners were built they had three types of engines; 10 Futurliners had the diesel two cycle 4-71 engines, one had a gasoline 451 engine and one had a diesel two cycle 6-71 engine. Does anyone know what type of engine was the 451? Our other information indicates that all these engines and transmissions were changed in 1952 by General Motors to the 302 inline OHV 6 cylinder gasoline engine coupled to the military Hydramatic transmission.
    We thank Robert Smith for this latest date. We would also like to obtain an original Commercial Car Journal magazine dated March, 1941.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006
    Wednesday, October 11, 2006 we had a mini work session to put the Futurliner in show condition for a local GM Plant show. The GM plant here in Grand Rapids, Michigan is celebrating their 70th anniversary on October 20, 2006. They have asked some of our local AACA club members to bring over their 1936 GM cars, the year the plant was opened for
production. This plant was built as a Fisher Body Metal Fabrication plant in 1936 producing the new turret roof that GM started putting on their vehicles. Although the division name has changed many times in those years the plant continues to stamp and assemble metal for GM cars and trucks.
    Cleanup was the number one job followed by some minor maintenance. Over the past two years we have what we thought were carburetor problems. At Dean's suggestion, Del removed the carburetor from our display engine which runs very well and took it to Hershey. At Hershey Del and Dean removed the Futurliner carburetor and installed the display engine carburetor. Driving the Futurliner from the Hershey field to the AACA museum we experienced the same problems. We concluded that the fuel pump was not delivering sufficient volume of fuel. On our work session Del changed the fuel pump and it appears we have now corrected the problem.

Oct. 10 HERSHEY AACA MEET 
    Volunteers at Museum: Al and Carol Scholten Wayne and Lois Jackson Conrad and Judy DeJong John Wissink Howard Sullivan
   Volunteers at Hershey* and Planning Meeting, 10-10-06: Jim Baker, Mike Ball, Del and Sue Carpenter*, Jim Crame*, Jerry Sigler, Paul and Marjo Prinzing*, Dick Saddler, Don Bratt*, Don Feutz*, Howard Sullivan*, Al Batts, Wayne and Lois Jackson*, Wally Snow, Ryan and Lynda DeVries*, Ed and Dorothy DeVries*, Don Mayton*, Dean Tryon*, John Wissink*, Conrad and Judy DeJong*, Ron Elzinga* and  Dick Chambers.
    We had an outstanding time at the Hershey AACA meet. This meet yearly raps up the old car season for us living in the north. As I watched the weather forecast tonight on the TV they were predicting 1 to 2 feet, yes feet, of snow in northern Michigan. All of our cars will be put to bed shortly for the winter. 
    Weather at Hershey was great except for a few showers on Friday morning that ended by 10 AM. 
    We got to meet lots of folks from the world over. We met folks from many states that came to Hershey just to see the Futurliner. In addition we talked to people from Belgium and Norway that flew over just to see the Futurliner. We also saw lots of folks that never even heard of the Futurliner. The meet was a lot of fun and we enjoyed sharing a piece of history. Thanks to all of you that came up to see us at Hershey. 
STAR TRUCKING 
    Truck driver, Fred Hoffman, from Star volunteered his personal time along with his friend, Paul Harrigon, to drive the Futurliner to Hershey, return to Grand Rapids, Michigan and again repeat this trip again to return the Futurliner to its warehouse here in west Michigan. I must add that Star Trucking also charged us a minimum rental on the tractor that Fred used in transporting the Futurliner. Thanks to Star, Fred and Paul. 
AWARDS 
    Local radio show hosts interviewed Del about the Futurliner and then purchased a DVD. The next day they returned, further interviewed Del and presented him with an award called the "Ultimate Vehicle Award". This award came from a radio talk show called "The Search for the Ultimate Vehicle". Their show is on Sunday's; 12 noon, to 1 PM, 1060 AM. 
    The Futurliner was judged using the AACA 400 point process. We are proud to announce that at the awards, Ryan DeVries was there to accept our First AACA Junior. 
FUTURLINER WORK LIST - 10-10-06 
    As a result of our last two shows we have developed a work list to keep the Futurliner maintained to the highest standard. We want to present the Futurliner as it toured the country in the 1950's. Our volunteers stepped up to the plate to take on these repairs. Since the Futurliner is stored in a warehouse it cannot be repaired there except for minor items. In late April or early May of 2007 we plan to take the Futurliner out of the warehouse and transport it to our Futurliner restoration building (Mayton's) and spend a week on the following items. 
    1) Stand for display sign. (Ed and Ryan DeVries) 
    2) Weather proof items. Photo album (Al Batts) Display signs (Don Feutz) 
    3) Add e-mails to phone list. (Don Mayton and Al Batts) 
    4) Ross recognition. (Howard and Fred C.) 
    5) Book of procedures. (Paul and Wayne) 
    6) Badges for all volunteers. (Jerry Sigler) 
    7) Ream of paper with letter head. (Don Mayton and Al Batts) 
    8) FUTURLINER REPAIR LIST 
        a) Front axle has shifted. This shifting is caused by our tie downs to the trailer when transporting the Futurliner. 
         b) Add "D" rings to front of frame to keep from trailer tie downs from shifting front axle. This will also provide for a quicker setup when trailering the Futurliner. We installed "D" rings on the rear frame for this purpose. 
        c) Replace side door screws. 
        d) Grease all worm gears. Right door front and back. Left door front and back. Light bar. (Don Mayton) 
        e) Left basement door weather seal needs repaired. Check right side. (John W. and Connie) 
        f) Under carriage and frame. Dirt and rust. (Don M. and Del) 
        g) Engine rust. (Don M. and Del) h) Back door weather seal. (Jim Baker) 
        i) Tool box, added tools. (Del and Wayne) 
        j) Side door mechanical systems. Spare drive motor and gear box. (Ryan) 
        k) 12 volt and 110 volt lighting in control box area. 110 volt lighting in engine compartment. (Ron E. and Del) 
        l) License plate loose. (Jim Baker) m) Right door leaks. (Wally and Ryan) 
        n) Documentation of the 1940 Futurliner as built and 1953 Futurliner when GM changed all twelve of them. Engine-transmission, paint, trim, silver sides, cab, grill, air conditioning, power steering, etc, (Don M. and Mike Ball) 
        o) Cab detailing. (Dick Saddler) 
        p) Portable gas can. (Don Bratt) 
        q) Speed handle for doors. Weld up. (Howard Sullivan)
Sept. 25 HERSHEY -- FUTURLINER 
   Fred Hoffman, from Star Trucking, picked up the Futurliner in Canton, Ohio and has transported it to the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Fred, an employee of Star Trucking, took his personal vacation time and volunteered to transport the Futurliner both to and from Hershey. We will have to pay all fuel costs and turnpike fees. We appreciate Fred volunteering his time and also appreciate Star Trucking on the use of their tractor to transport the Futurliner. 
    Today volunteers Wayne Jackson and Howard Sullivan started showing off the Futurliner after they had it cleaned up. There happened to be an Oldsmobile Club meet at the museum and these folks were thrilled to see the Futurliner. The Futurliner will remain at the AACA Museum until Tuesday, October 4, 2006. It will then be driven to the swap meet area and reside in the north east corner of the Red Field. Here the volunteers will continue to show the vehicle. On Saturday, October 8, 2006 the Futurliner will be moved to the car show field. We hope to see all of you east coast people at Hershey. Look us up at the Futurliner.
Sept. 23 GLENMOOR GATHERING - Canton, Ohio
    The Futurliner showing at the Glenmoor Gatherilng was very successful. Standing at the rear of the Glenmoor Country Club looking over the field of show cars you could see the Futurliner at the opposite end of the greens. The field of show cars was outstanding with several domestic as well as foreign marques featured. Although the weather on show day started with a thick fog it soon burned off with a beautiful sunny day.
MURPHY'S VISIT

    Murphy always shows up. In our case we simply did not have enough power to raise the light bar. Al Scholten had installed a volt meter prior to us going to the show and when we hit the up button to the light bar the voltage dropped to 70 volts. Since this has been a continuing problem with several shows we have decided to bring along our own generating system to all future shows.
CANTON CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM
   
After cleaning up the Futurliner on Friday we had a few hours and we visited the Canton Classic Car Museum. This was a great little museum with many different antique cars along with lots of auto related memorabilia. If you are ever in the Canton, Ohio area do not pass up a visit to this museum. The museum is right off of I-77.
    Just a short three blocks down the street in the basement of the Canton Marriott McKinley, Grand Hotel is Motorcar Portfolio which is an antique auto sales outlet.
    While the men were tire kicking the women were off to Amish country and doing other shopping.
1936 BUICK ROADMASTER AND 1936 BOWLUS ROADCHIEF TRAILER
   
My vehicles listed above were also invited to this show. This past spring when preparing my Buick for the 200th Anniversary National Road Tour I had thought I had fixed an engine oil leak. Finally two weeks prior to leaving to drive to Glenmoor, Del Carpenter, showed me that the leak was coming from my front engine seal. He suggested to take lots of oil and when I returned make the oil leak repair a winter project.
    The drive from western Michigan to Canton and back was uneventful except for a solid day of rain going down and then coming back. My only repair was to tighten up one of the windshield wipers that got over worked on this trip. I won't tell how many quarts of oil I had to use. The Buick purred along at 55 - 60 mph pulling the travel trailer over 720 miles on this trip.
Sept. 12 FUTURLINER WORK SESSION
VOLUNTEERS: Jim Baker, Mike Ball (worked Saturday also), Don Batts, Del Carpenter, Fred Carpenter (worked at home also), Connie DeJong, Ed DeVries (worked Monday also), Ryan DeVries (worked Saturday and Monday also), Jeff Dornbush (worked Saturday and late Tuesday evening), Don Feutz, Wayne Jackson, Don Mayton, Art Miedema, Paul Prinzing, Dick Saddler, Al Scholten, Jerry Sigler, Howard Sullivan.
REPAIRS

     Yes, we had more repairs than we realized. And yes, the repairs took a lot longer than we expected. Rather than explain each repair I will just mention those were we improved the Futurliner so future repairs will not be necessary. We have had continuous electrical problems when we go to raise the light bar or open the doors if we do not have exactly 120 volts at 30 amperes. Jeff went through the wiring and increased the wiring to each of these components where necessary. In addition we purchased a 100' #10 wire extension cord. Even by doing this when we go to a show we still must have 120 volts @ 30 ampere. Al S. today installed a volt meter so we can measure the input from where we plug into.
    To avoid future conflicts of volunteers wrestling with manikins we anchored down our manikin. A new wide screen TV was purchased and Ryan built and mounted a roof hanger to install the TV. A new short version video is being made so folks do not have to stand for 50 minutes to watch our "MIRACLE AT BEAVERDAM" . We want folks to relax and enjoy our video in their homes.
    Most of the manpower was used re-polishing all the aluminum letters and trim. We have for a future project to clear coat all of this aluminum as it is a very big job to clean up the water spots. Upholstery was repaired.
GLENMOOR GATHERING

See you at the Glenmoor Gathering this weekend.
Sept. 1 MEETING
    We now schedule a monthly meeting to cover planning for showing the Futurliner, repairs that need done, improvements, and feed back reviews on previous shows.
REPAIRS
    A repair day of very minor items will occur next Tuesday to keep the Futurliner maintained in the highest possible standard. We will be doing some cleaning, polishing, repairing some upholstery, the license plate bracket needs fixed, minor paint touch up, and one brake
light is not working. Some electrical work will also be done.
VOLUNTEER WRESTLES WITH MANIKIN AND LOSES
    In our feedback session one story told was as follows. Ed DeVries at the Auburn show was in the process of taking the manikins out of their storage boxes and setting them in place on the stage. In the process the manikin lost an arm, then the torso twisted and as Ed attempted to straighten out the torso the manikins pants fell down. By this time quite an audience had formed watching the wrestling match.
FUTURE PROJECTS
     One of our future projects is to mount the manikins on a permanent stand so that we do not have any more defeated volunteers. In addition we are going to purchase a larger TV and mount it permanently so that setup time will be reduced.
FUTURE MUSEUM PROJECTS
    We have accumulated some materials to start a more extensive display at NATMUS. We are starting to accumulate funds for NATMUS to make the necessary changes to the museum so that when the Futurliner is not on tour it can be on display in the museum.
2006 SHOWS
    The remaining shows for the Futurliner in 2006 is the Glenmoor Gathering in Canton, Ohio next weekend, show day is on Sunday. Following that show the Futurliner will be at Hershey the last week of September and the first week of October.
August  FUTURLINER REPAIR WORK
  
  While the Futurliner was at IOLA we had a small accident that required some paint repairs. During the time folks were entering the cap someone twisted the knob that operates the single center windshield wiper. When the vehicle was later started to load on the trailer to head home, one the air pressure built up the single wiper was working so fast it ended up sweeping an area below the windshield and scratching through to the primer. This was really our fault as we should have had the air pressure line to the wiper turned off. Of course knobs are going to be turned.
    Yesterday, in one of our hottest days of the summer for Michigan; Art, Connie, Don M. and Ed DeVries worked to make the necessary repairs. When we went to get the Target red paint we found that we only had an 1/8" in the bottom of the gallon can. Wyrick Products again came through using the Montana paint and quickly mixed us up another quart. The repair was complete by the end of the day except for final buffing.
2006 FUTURLINER SHOWS
We reviewed as a team the remaining shows that the Futurliner will be attending for 2006. We had 18 volunteers turn up for this planning meeting. As we need plenty of volunteers for hosting the Futurliner we have to make sure we have enough folks and have the truck transportation all lined up. Here are the remaining shows.
   Auburn, Indiana; September 1, 2, 3, 2006 - Futurliner will be in the parade.
   Canton, Ohio; Glenmoor Gathering; September 17, 2006
   Hershey, Pennsylvania; AACA Museum (Futurliner will be at the museum the week prior to the   Hershey show.
   Hershey, Pennsylvania; AACA October 2 - 7, 2006 meet.
2007 SHOW SCHEDULE

    Yes, we are now started working on the 07 show schedule. We already have seven firm invitations for the 07 season. One invitation is west of the Mississippi River. We have started the discussions for the 07 season. As we firm up dates, and agree on the requirements we will keep you informed.
2008 SHOW SCHEDULE

We have had one contact for the 08 show schedule.
May 5 FUTURLINER TIRES - BREAKING NEWS
    We have recently have a person that is willing to have the original Futurliner tire re-produced at his expense. He is working with Coker Tire to make this happen. He will then supply, as a donation, tires for our Futurliner #10. We appreciate this as in the past we could not have it done because of the high cost. Our part in the project is to get the original tire to Coker Tire.
ORIGINAL TIRE
    As many of you recall the original tires were 10:00 X 20 with whitewalls. This we had made at Ginman's Tire Co.in Muskegon, Michigan. Also the original tires had in the whitewall portion raised letters consisting of: "GENERAL MOTORS, PARADE OF PROGRESS, US ROYAL, and FLEETWAY". This portion of the tire we could not get anyone to re-produce. However, Ross Gates of Select Engineering in Muskegon made molds and after spending over $2,000 trying out different materials could not come up with a material that would bond to the tire using Ginman's process.
    We are thrilled that we now have a way to completely finish the Futurliner restoration project with the original type tires being reproduced.
    Following is the work we had to get done to ship the tire to Coker Tire in Chattanooga, TN.
    Tuesday, May 2, 2006- The volunteers made a cardboard doughnut to protect the face of the tire and then wrapped the original Futurliner tire with duct tape preparing it to ship to Coker Tire. After several of us picked up the tire we estimated the weight to be around 80#. At that weight UPS could handle it. Their limit is 100#'s.
    Wednesday, May 3, 2006 I loaded the tire into my pickup and headed to Gemmens Hardware to have it shipped via UPS. It took two of us to get it up on the scale at Gemmens. The tire weighs 112# making it too heavy for UPS. After a conversation with the store owner and him making several calls it was decided to take it to Yellow Truck in Grand Rapids.
    Arriving at Yellow Truck I told the dispatcher what I needed to ship and where and he stated they could ship it but I would not like the $$$ charge. I then explained to him the entire project and simply asked; "How about then shipping it for nothing, as a donation to the project!" He gave me one of those looks and then said; " I will let you talk to the manager."
    He called the manager, Kirk, and after he came in from the truck yard I again explained the Futurliner restoration project and we needed to get this tire to Coker as we now have a person that is willing to foot the bill to have the original tires reproduced as well as a company, Coker, willing to make the tires. He finally stated he could not do it for nothing but would cut us a good deal?
    However, he stated that the tire had to be crated. After a little conversation about the type of crate, he jumped on a fork truck and went a got a new pallet. We skidded the tire onto the pallet and then loaded it back into my pickup.
    On the way home I tried to think of someone that likes to work in wood that I could call today and help construct the crate. As soon as I got home I called Jerry Sigler and he stated he would be right over. Instead of him helping me it was me helping him. He brought along his air power nailer and within two hours we managed to get the crate made. We had to make it while the tire rested on the pallet on the tailgate of the truck due to the fact that tire and crate would be too heavy for Jerry and I to lift back into the pickup.
    Thursday, May 4, 2006. Picked up Al Batts and we drove to Grand Rapids and Yellow Truck. There the crated tire was unloaded from my pickup, weighed (185#), and set on the Yellow Truck loading dock. All the paper work was filled out and the Yellow Truck manager managed to reduce the price of shipping the tire. A real savings and we thank Kirt, the Yellow Truck manager. The tire should arrive in Chattanooga, TN next Monday or Tuesday.
    Al Batts took photos at the truck terminal and these will go on the web site later.
Apr. 7 VOLUNTEERS PRESENT: Jim Baker, Mike Ball, Al Batts, Stan Bowers, Don Bratt, Del Carpenter, Fred Carpenter, Connie DeJong, Ed DeVries, Ryan DeVries, Ron Elzinga, George Ferris, Don Feutz, Don Mayton, Art Meidema, Wes Myrick, Paul Prinzing, Dick Saddler, Al Scholten.
AMELIA ISLAND
    Al S. gave a presentation of the events leading up to this show, the show itself, and getting the Futurliner back to Michigan. Although there was a lot of work involved we had good volunteer participation and everything planned went well. The show itself was great with a crowd around the Futurliner all day long.
SHOWS REMAINING FOR 2006
    A general discussion of the plans for each of the up coming 2006 shows was made by that person in charge.
- May 13 - Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan. (Al Scholten in charge.)
- June 14 - AACA Millennium show in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Ed DeVries in charge.)
- July 6, 7, 8 + 9. Iola, Wisconsin. (Fred Carpenter in charge.) Al S. has secured passage on the Lake Michigan ferry; Badger, from Michigan to Wisconsin and back.
- August 6, 2006 - Meadow Brook, Michigan. (Wes Myrick in charge.) 
- September 1, 2, 3. - Auburn, Indiana. (Dick Saddler in charge.)
- September 17. - Canton, Ohio. Glenmoor Gathering. (Don Mayton in charge.)
- October 2 - 6, & 7. - Hershey, Pennsylvania. AACA Hershey. (Wayne Jackson in charge.) Note: Futurliner will be at the AACA Museum the prior week.
    Those that have been following this project we hope to see you at one of the shows. Come up and introduce yourself and take a look at the Futurliner.
2007 & 2008 SHOWS
    Yes, we are already looking at shows for 2007 and 2008 based on inquiries as well as invitations. Decisions will be made on these shows at a later date.
FUTURLINER REPAIRS
    Our trailer transportation worked out great to and from Florida. We do have a few paint dings to repair as a result of the trip and discovered with the Futurliner traveling backwards on the trailer through a down pour our back doors leak. We are planning to schedule a repair session. Del had changed the timing prior to leaving for Amelia and that corrected our overheating problem.
FUTURLINER DRIVER'S TRAINING
    Del and Ed will be conducting our first Futurliners driver's training Wednesday, April 12, 2006. We have lots of volunteers that have asked to be trained to drive the Futurliner.
NEEDS
    We are looking for several mannequin's that can be donated to make another display. We need a children's mannequin that would be toddler size and a lady's mannequin. We have acquired a 50's vintage stroller that is an exact duplicate of the one shown in our poster of a Parade of Progress event. If you have this poster, look at the lower left corner and there you will see this stroller with child and mother.
FUTURLINER MODEL
    RETRO 1-2-3 is fast selling out of the model of the Futurliner. Once they run out no more will be produced.
FINANCES
    Our memorabilia continues to sell including hats, polo shirts, tee shirts, "Miracle at Beaverdam" videos, and poster. This helps to pay off our debt of financing the trailer purchase. Thanks. Contact the museum if you would like some of this material.
WEB SITE
    Although the web site hits have decreased since the January auction of the Canadian Futurliner we still have a lot of folks looking at the web site. Thanks again to Jim Crame for constantly updating this site.
Mar. 29 AMELIA ISLAND SHOW
    We have some photos of the show on our web site. It was an excellent show and we had a wonderful time.
MEDIA
    A lot of publications have covered the Barrett-Jackson auction of the $4,000,000 Futurliner. The most comprehensive article that I have seen and gives credit to us for providing valuable information is in the April 2006 issue of Car Collector magazine. The article is by Rick Carey.
2006 FUTURLINER SHOW SCHEDULE
    Check our web site for the dates and places of the 2006 shows. We would like to meet you at at future show. We are booked for 2006 and are booking for both 2007 and 2008.
Feb. 14 FUTURLINER DISPLAY
    Volunteers Fred and Marge Carpenter, Ryan DeVries, and Don Feitz have been spending time at their homes completing the Futurliner display. Last week the display was installed into the Futurliner and today Fred, Marge, Ryan and Don did some more work on it locating it into position.
    Del Carpenter, Ron Elzinga, and Al Scholten worked at some minor repairs on the Futurliner which is in storage. Del started the engine and reset the timing. He also aired up the trailer tires for the Futurliner's trip to Florida.
FUTURLINER MODEL
   
Since the Barrett-Jackson auction there has been very brisk sales of the Futurliner model that RETRO 1-2-3 has made available. There is a limited run of this model being sold so if you have considered purchasing it in the past I would suggest you contact Retro to order one. Once the run has been completed there will not be any more produced. As of this date there is no other Futurliner model available from any other company.
SHOW SCHEDULE
We are anxiously awaiting the "06" show schedule which includes:
Amelia Island..................Florida...................March 12
Holland Tulip Time...........Michigan................May 12, (Car show and not the parade.)
Iola................................Wisconsin..............July 7 - 9
Auburn, .........................Indiana...................September 2
Glenmoore Gathering......Ohio.......................September 17
AACA Meet @ Hershey...Pennsylvania..........October 6 - 7
Feb. 6 VOLUNTEERS: Jim Baker, Mike Ball, Al Batts, Del Carpenter, Fred Carpenter, Marge Carpenter, Conrad DeJong, Ryan DeVries, Ron Elzinga, Don Feitz, Don Mayton, Art Meidema, Paul Prinzing, Dick Saddler and Wally Snow.
KALAMAZOO SWAP MEET
    The Kalamazoo Antique Restorer's Club host an annual antique car swap meet. As in the past they donated a table for our use and we thank them for this.
    Mike traveled to Kalamazoo Friday and did the setup with help from Fred and Marge Carpenter. The next two days with help from Don Feitz, Don Mayton, Del Carpenter, Fred Carpenter, Wally Snow, Conrad DeJong, and Paul and Margo Prinzing we managed to put another $545 into the bank.
AMELIA ISLAND SHOW
    Plans are coming along for the Amelia Island show in Florida in March. For those of you that have followed the Futurliner project all these years that live in this area we hope to see you at the show.
    Other shows plans also look good. We will keep everyone up to date on the shows.
FUTURLINER DISPLAY
    Fred and Marge Carpenter, and Ryan DeVries have been working hard to complete the interior display for the Futurliner. Tomorrow the rest of us get a sneak preview of their work.
Feb. 1 BARRETT - JACKSON
    Since the selling of the Canadian (FIDO) Futurliner I have received numerous phone calls, e-mails, and letters. Most of these were questions if the Futurliner sold was the NATMUS Futurliner. Our Futurliner is safely stored until our next show in March located on Amelia Island, Florida.
MEDIA
    I have received letters packed full of articles from Arizona about the auction. I want to thank those that copied the articles on the e-mail submissions as well as the letters from Bob Messinger, Henry Rom, John VanderHeide, and Lloyd Ver Hage.
    John Zink also sent a group of four photographs taken in 1955 of his father, George Zink, hosting the Parade of Progress arrival in Bedford, Indiana. George Zink was the General Manager of the Fabricast Division, GM's aluminum foundry at that time. 
FUTURLINER WORK
    Yes, there is still some needed work being finished up on the Futurliner. Carrier Company has volunteered to get the air conditioner functioning in the cab of the Futurliner. They completed the job on January 30, 2006. Now when we are in a parade with the Futurliner the driver will not be a roasted volunteer.
LOST FUTURLINERS
    From past updates we have informed you that we have found 9 Futurliners. We also know that one was lost in an accident in a southern state. Friday I received a call from a person who lives in Ohio. He stated he worked for a company when they had three of the Futurliners. Included in the three was the one that was wrecked in Georgia and ultimately scrapped. However, he did know know where the other two Futurliners ended up. He promised to call some of his old work buddies to see if they could sort out what happened to the remaining Futurliners.
FUTURLINER WORK
    Today Del and Paul went over to the Futurliner and installed a new choke cable. Al Scholten also ran another 120 volt line up to the battery storage area in install a trickle charger. At the end of the day Ed DeVries met Fred Hoffman (Fred brought a Star Rental semi trucks) and they hooked up the Futurliner trailer with the Futurliner on it and trucked it across town to Ed's storage building. On the way at a red light someone from an adjacent car wanted to know if that was the $4,000,000 Futurliner.
1957 BUICK
    The donated 1957 Buick Special has been sold.
DISPLAY TRAILER
    Del has just about completed the display trailer. There are some minor details but the bulk of the work is done.
FUTURLINER INSIDE DISPLAY
    Fred and Marge have completed each of the three separate display layouts in their home. Ryan has now completed the motor/transmission/pulley arrangement to turn the 48" display at a revolution of one turn/minute. Their next job is to mount everything onto the turn table and try it out.
    The display will really enhance the presentation at shows in the future.
ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA - AACA
    We have been officially invited to attend the national AACA meeting in Philadelphia in February, 2006. Ed DeVries was selected to do the honors. He will be making a presentation at this meeting.
Jan. 25     A Futurliner selling for $4 million dollars. Who would have believed this one week ago. How about 1998 when we started our restoration.
    I gave this some thought since the Barrett-Jackson auction on Saturday. Yes, this is a unique vehicle created for a unique program, the Parade of Progress, at a time when our country needed an emotional lift. This auction guaranteed that more Americans are now aware of some history that they never knew about. If they take the time to look up our web site they will be even more amazed of this history. So who are the real winners in this auction?
    First there is Joe Bortz, who started collecting Futurliners as he saw unique vehicles that needed preserved. Later he donated one to NATMUS.
    Then there is NATMUS, John Martin Smith, that knew that this vehicle needed saving.
    There are the owners of the sold Futurliner; Daniel, Richard, and Mario. They took a risk back in the 90's to sink money into a project that they hoped would some day pay off. It did handsomely. They also donated parts and shared their experiences with the NATMUS volunteers in their restoration.
    There are the volunteers that took on the job of restoring the NATMUS Futurliner, and many a folk, said it could not be done. Not only were they dedicated to the project but they never lost their zeal. They are still working on the project. Although I would like to name each volunteer and their contribution and skills, the list is too long.
    During the restoration we ran into other owners of Futurliners; Brad Boyajian and Peter Pan, that contributed in supplying spare parts.
    There are the Paraders, whose experiences added spice to all that we were learning about the Parade of Progress and the Streamliners and Futurliners. They in turn created our outstanding archives.
    Our communication folks; Dean Tryon, Mike Ball, Al Batts, Jim Crame, Don Bratt, Bruce Berghoff, and George Ferris did an outstanding job of communicating to the nation and the world the events around the Futurliners and the Parade of Progress. The communication process suddenly accelerated in the past few days.
    All the suppliers and organizations that supplied us with materials, services, and finances to do this project. This help came from the sand blaster next door, to across the nation.
    The individuals that contributed financially.
    All the media publications that continued the job of educating the people about a time in history past.
    Then, each of YOU, that expressed an interest in the project, that continue to support us through your words of support and encouragement, a big thank you!
    Its been a great trip, we have enjoyed it, however it is not over, so stay tuned for the future. I thank each of you.
Jan. 3 VOLUNTEERS: Mike Ball, Al Batts, Del Carpenter, Fred Carpenter, Ed DeVries, Ron Elzinga, Wayne Jackson, Don Mayton, Art Meidema, Paul Prinzing, Martin Reed, Dick Saddler, Al Scholten, Jerry Sigler

2006 SHOWS
Tentatively the Futurliner will be featured at the following shows for 2006:
Amelia Island, March
Iola, Wisconsin - July
Labor Day Parade in Auburn, Indiana - September
Glenmoor Gathering near Akron, Ohio - September
AACA Hershey, Pennsylvania - October
    Status reports for these shows were presented by each person in charge. More shows could be added as we move forward.
FUTURLINER DISPLAY
    Fred has been working at home and with a friend that has volunteered his services to construct the turn table. This person is a professional carpenter and has done an outstanding job on the turn table. Fred has pulled together most of the display items. He is assembling most of the items in his house. Ryan is also helping with the mechanism to turn the table. The first time that this display will be shown will probably be at the Iola show. It will be an outstanding addition to the Futurliner when it is at a show as it will recreate in miniature form some of the displays featured in the Futurliners of the 1950's. In addition we will have a larger TV screen to view a portion of our video; "MIRACLE AT BEAVERDAM".
DISPLAY TRAILER
    Our next newsletter will feature a few photos of our progress on the display trailer. In spite of the holidays Del and his crew have worked about 6 different full days with our electrician volunteers. Last Friday they fired up the system and managed to produce real electricity at the 240 volts running the Futurliner engine at the proper RPM. There is still a lot of work and today after our meeting his crew of Ron, Al S., and Al B. (photos) and Paul worked on more details. One of the big jobs was cleaning 1930-1940's vintage copper contacts on these old electrical controllers.
1957 BUICK
    Also some additional work was done on the 1957 Buick. Del replaced the broken window over the Holidays and it is almost ready to sell (sold). This car would make a neat 1950's California Patrol Car as it is a stick shift (rare for a Buick), four door special. We are starting to take offers.
MEDIA
    Douglas Keister will be releasing his latest book shortly; "MOBILE MANSIONS". Quoting the introduction to his book: "MOBILE MANSIONS takes you on a captivating exploration of homes on wheels -- everything from early diminutive camp cars to modern-day diesel-belching, lumbering leviathans complete with saunas, balconies, and gourmet kitchens." The book will have a page devoted to our restored Futurliner. The book itself without the Futurliner is worth the purchase. (Note: We do not get a royalty. It will be simply a great purchase to add to your library.)
    "Overdrive" December 2006 magazine on the front page is the picture taken from our poster of a Parade of Progress event. This magazine is the voice of the American Trucker. The acticle starts on page 27 and is called "Back to the Future" and shows and discusses a lot of past futuristic trucks. Then on page 31 through 33 it talks about the Parade of Progress, the Futurliners with interviews taken of some of our volunteers and Paraders when we were at the truck show this past summer. A great and accurate article.
    "Car Collector" January 2006 magazine issue has an article on the up and coming Barrett- Jackson auction. It has photos of the Futurliner that will be auctioned in January. THIS IS NOT OUR FUTURLINER. I keep getting e-mails asking that question.

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