SPARKS, NV (Feb 28) —Sparks Cars & Coffee ended February with its second meet of the month. While there wasn’t a massive turn out it wasn’t too bad and the weather cooperated as well.
As usual the Corvette crowd was in attendance. One duo was a great looking Ducati motorcycle parked next to an immaculate black Corvette.
Sitting not far away was a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner owned by Paul Petersen. He’s new to the area after he and his wife moved here from Oregon.
Asked about the car he said, “It’s a 3D3, four-speed, Air Grabber with a 323 Posi in the rear and dual exhaust. Those are the performance options that came from the factory. It did come with the performance hood paint, tape stripe on the side and it’s an original vinyl top car too.”
That said there is a lot he’s done to the car both for its appearance and making it better to drive.
“These colors aren’t original,” he said. “I changed the colors but the options are all original to the car.”
There are also many upgrades and changes to the internals of the car.
“It had a 4-speed, I put Keisler 5-speed in it and it’s got the hydraulic clutch from Keisler as well,” he said. “The front disc brakes are from a ’75 Duster as well as the master cylinder. It’s got upgraded suspension on it from a company called Firm Feel Inc. based out of Vancouver, Washington.
“So the factory torsion bars were .89 and these are running .96. It’s got an upgraded front sway bar and it’s got a rear sway bar, which were not a factory option at the time. Firm Feel developed one and it’s frame hung for less unsprung weight, which is the same type of a sway bar they put on the ‘Cudas. It makes it handle pretty well.”
He’s also running a Carter AV2 carburetor and in the rear there is an electric fuel pump to prevent vapor lock. He added the cam has been upgraded and the compression ratio dropped to allow the car to run on regular fuel.
“I built it to drive around the world and the country so I could have fun with it,” he said. “I put a nice stereo in it, and I put air conditioning in it.
Another car on display was a red Pontiac. Pretty clean and good looking to say the least.
There was another vintage car at the meet as well. It was a 1952 Plymouth Cranbook owned Carlos Cardenas.
“It’s all stock except for the gas cap and the tires of course as they are radial. The paint is original and even has some small dents in the chrome,” he said. “Steering is hard but it does have power steering that has to be warmed up. Other than a couple of things it’s all stock including the inline 6-cylinder motor.”
Currently Cardenas is trying to sell the car. If one would be interested in a stock vintage vehicle, they can contact him through his Face Book page.
Sparks Cars & Coffee has been meeting in this parking area for over a year without a problem. Unfortunately this day ended on a negative note when a security guard came by and let everyone know they had to leave. He mentioned the property owner said it was an unsanctioned event.
So as everyone got ready to go the owner of Precision Auto Detailing started handing out his cards. He invited anyone interested to use the parking area by his shop. Several did just that and continued the meet in a different location.
So it would appear that Sparks Cars & Coffee might need to find a new meeting place and that just may have been offered. Have to see where the next meet is going to be located.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
• Tomorrow Virginia Grand Prix Pre-Registration opens and its going to be online again and has a discount. So if a rider wants to race, and have a good starting number it will be time do register.
• This weekend is when VORRA is running the Fallon 250 and tonight they’ll be drawing for positions. If you’re racing in the event be sure you’re registered.
For further information please check the website at, www.vorraracing.com.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• This Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. Reno Corvettes will hold its monthly meeting at the Bonanza Casino. The address is 4720 North Virginia Street in Reno.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on the air from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Nevada, it can be heard over the air at 1060 AM.
There is also a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm or it can be seen live on Face Book. The show is focused on all things automotive, trends, new developments and trivia.
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• One of our sponsors is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
The shop services older and new transmissions and now has a section for high performance units and those used in towing. Phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
• Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
• The next shop is Moto-Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus the showroom has about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
• Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno, is another sponsor. The shop does quality collision repair for cars and trucks.
Owner Brian Saul is a car enthusiast himself and is committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
• Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. Wednesday evenings, starting around 5 p.m. is Bike Night, good time to meet fellow riders and have a great dinner.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
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