OLDSMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA EASTERN MA. GMO CHAPTER ...

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an Oldsmobile Cutlass hot rod that was loud and jacked up in the rear. His favorite cars until the day he died were his. 442's. He was such a fanatic about his ...
OLDSMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA EASTERN MA. GMO CHAPTER ROCKET POWER NEWSLETTER!!

Issue #30 Ma

January 2008

GMO Member Tom Cochran Passes By Paul Iantosca

I was touched, the church was filled beyond capacity and some people could not even get into the church.

I just returned from Tom Cochran’s funeral in Dedham this morning. Following are a few notes on the service and the speeches given by various members of the family.

It was clear that he was very fortunate in that he had a very loving family and an abundance of caring friends - me amongst them, as I had knowledge of Tom’s sickness 5 years ago.

Tom was good little kid. He grew up in Dedham, MA. He and his friend would collect hubcaps that fell off cars in the winter at pot holes and sold them and on one weekend he made $2,000 reselling the cleaned up hubcaps. Since high school, he always loved cars and had an Oldsmobile Cutlass hot rod that was loud and jacked up in the rear. His favorite cars until the day he died were his 442’s. He was such a fanatic about his 442’s, so much so, that he had the number 442 in his phone #, license plate # & even his address. He would get phone calls from his friends @ 4:42 pm and during sports events when there was 4 min 42 seconds left in the game. Tom had a very rewarding position in a financial firm that required complex analysis and strict adherence to state and federal regulation at which he excelled. Tom used restoring 442s as a way of escaping the entire rat race of life, he lived for his cars. Sound familiar to you? He was a devoted father, husband, brother and friend, always there for the entire family.

I meet Tom at our August Cape Cod show in 2001. He was parked next to me and we would joke with him about how his raunchy ‘70 442 won best of Olds compared to our pristine cars. He seemed to glow from the status of beating us all. It was then that he mentioned that he had cancer. We stayed in touch and I would call him from time to time to see how he was doing. Some time thereafter he told me he needed a bone marrow transplant which could be performed with his brother Stephen’s bone marrow because it was a perfect match. We spoke while he was recuperating and he visited me to get some parts he needed last spring. He mentioned that it was going to be a surprise that he was restoring a 1972 red 442 convertible for his brother as a gift for giving him his life. When he explained this to me I just told him he could have the parts, as it was such a generous cause. The day after he gave the car to his brother, he was told that the blood cancer had returned. He fought courageously and was always optimistic I was told. In the end, he asked everyone to dry their tears and was thankful for everyone’s help. They played the song “Spirit in the Sky” as he requested. It was for certain that against all the odds, Tom was always optimistic, as cheery as he could be

and never complained no matter how much pain and suffering he endured. He was a very brave soul and one of his greatest joys was listening to the “Burble” of the dual exhausts on his 442’s. Tom, we will all miss you! Member Thomas Cochran, III Stock Trader – Car Enthusiast

By David Cochran – Tom’s Uncle During the week, Thomas C. Cochran, III was an institutional stock trader at Adams, Harkness & Hill (now known as Canaccord Adams) in Boston’s financial district, where he was a Senior Vice President. But on weekends, Tom transformed his refined and reflective demeanor and immersed himself amidst old fenders, rusty bumpers, worn auto seats and faded dashboards in passionate pursuit of his 30-year hobby of restoring vintage “muscle” cars. Tom’s interest in refurbishing classic highperformance cars began when he was a teenager in Dedham, when he and his close friend and neighbor, Nick Adams, began collecting hubcaps that were fatalities of the potholes on High Street where they grew up. To supplement their supply, they even ventured onto the median strip on nearby Route 128. Their passion was such that they once persuaded Nick’s father to get up at 4 a.m. on Easter Sunday to drive them to the median strip of what was then the pothole-ridden Southeast Expressway to collect all the lost hubcaps that had accumulated from the previous winter.

disassembly and reassembly of an automobile. Known as a frame-off restoration, the process could take years, and often had him traveling up and down the East Coast buying parts which he would inventory in his family’s garages and basements. His father recalls Tom’s inventory expanding from a corner of their basement in Dedham to absorbing their would-be wine cellar and, ultimately, virtually the entire basement, which Tom referred to as “the Parts Room”. Tom grew up with summers on Cape Cod, and it was there that he took his business to the next level, thanks to two long-time close friends who lived nearby. His initial “joint venture” was the transformation of Peter Healey’s first car, a 1972 Chevrolet Nova, given to him by his Grandmother. Peter recalls: “After spending weeks collecting parts for it, one morning I drove it over to Tommy’s garage and we transformed it with a jacked up suspension, Craiger chrome wheels, a hood scoop, and a glass-pack exhaust. It was so much fun; it got us started down the road of car enthusiasm”. Gus Riley, an avid car enthusiast from Cape Cod, worked for years with Tom on his cars, and became best friends. When Tom had chemotherapy in 2005, Gus shaved his head in support of his good friend. Tom was blessed to have incredibly loyal friends who regularly visited him in the hospital throughout his ordeal.

After graduating from college, Tom expanded his hubcap business and began to buy a broader array of old auto parts which he would use to rebuild his fixer-uppers. While Tom’s first car was a Pontiac Trans Am, he quickly gravitated to Oldsmobile 442's, which he specialized in right up to his death, at 47, from recurring leukemia on December 9. Left to Right Tom’s Dad, Tom, and his Brother Stephen

Tom’s approach to refurbishing cars was no ordinary hobby; it was a painstakingly detailed process requiring the sourcing of rare, discontinued parts, and sometimes the complete

Tommy’s latest labor of love, a 1972 Oldsmobile 442 was completed late this summer, after 4 long years. Unbeknownst to anyone, Tommy called up his brother Stephen, who had been his bone

marrow donor two years ago, and asked if he’d like to scope out another car with him. When they arrived, Tommy threw him the keys to the gleaming cherry red 442 convertible saying, “it’s yours”. A meticulous planner, it’s now apparent that Tommy, knowing the daunting challenges he faced with his third bout with cancer, wanted his brother to have a lasting memory of his labor of love.

That car was really fast. He put huge Pontiac honeycomb rims and tires on it and painted it black. That led to convertibles and the discovery of the 442. It all snowballed that from that point on. He slowly started accumulating cars, parts, contacts and knowledge. He had fenders, intakes, dual cut bumpers, ram air hoods, sport wheels, pedestal wing spoilers, rims, etc. all over the place.

Tommy never looked happier than in a memorable photograph of him driving his wife and daughters in the Osterville Historical Society Antique Car Parade. Tommy restored more than twenty 442's, and was a member of the Oldsmobile Club of America and the Eastern Massachusetts GMO Chapter.

I am a Saab enthusiast but he got me to appreciate the coolness of cutlass 442's. He got me thinking about things like the "tick tock tac", the "bugle" exhaust tips, the red plastic wheel wells and the solenoid flap air intake.

Tom is the son of Dr. Thomas C. Cochran, Jr. and the late Deborah R. Cochran, and stepson of Kathleen G. Cochran. He is survived by his wife, Scottie, and their two daughters, Page and Hilary; his brother Stephen and his wife Katie, and his sisters Christine and husband Jim, and Diana and husband Todd. Tom graduated from Dexter School, Tabor Academy, and Lake Forest College. He was a member of The Country Club, the Wianno Club, and The Beach Club. Funeral Services were held at St. Paul’s Church in Dedham at 10:00 a.m. on December 12. Donations in Tom’s memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in care of leukemia research. Remembering Tom By Peter Healy – Tom’s friend Tom Cochran got into Olds Cutlass's and 442's almost by accident. He in the early 80's he was looking for a muscle car to keep as a project car. He was driving a 1977 Trans Am with a 6.6 liter engine. He looked at a Riviera, and then a Cutlass coupe. The guy who sold it to him was an out of work air traffic controller, back when Regan fought the union. Tom recalled that it could have been any muscle car but it just happened to be an Olds.

Tom used to just break into advertisement slogans like, "Pick a letter, a quick letter like W". He used to over pronounce the "W" to emphasize its greatness. When we hung out and talked about cars, I felt like I was 16 again. He really had a fever for cars. Tom loved browsing the junk yards and talking with people about cars. One time we were in a junk yard and came across a Vista Cruiser wagon. Tom reached into the glove box and found the owner's name and number. He called him that night and asked him about the engine. The owner said it ran perfectly but the exhaust had rotted and they just wanted it out of the driveway. Tom had the motor pulled and delivered to his house where it was promptly installed into a waiting Cutlass Coupe. He added a hood and rear spoiler off the shelf from his parts room and another glorious muscle car graced the streets. Soon after this he started getting more serious and undertook frame off restorations. Just a couple of years ago he finished restoring a W-30 which was his crowning accomplishment. He used to lament that it was so perfect that he couldn't even drive it. I think Tom enjoyed his less than showroom perfect 442'2 more because he could cruise in them.

The Greatest 442 Fan Ever By Andrew (Oggie) Pesek

“Understand that when you bid and you win you PAY.”

It was a perfect summer day on Cape Cod the last time Tom Cochran and I talked cars. It was midmorning and the warm sea breeze was just starting to get organized, powered by the brilliant sunshine. Tom looked like a new man, tan, fit, with his welcoming smile and he was in great spirits. Round number two of his illness had been tough, however things were different now. The bone marrow transplant received from his best friend and brother, Steve, was a perfect match in every way. It had only been a few months but Tom had all he needed to put this illness behind him…

Throughout the auction there were lots of tire kickers and people tossing out low-ball bids. Tom told me that answering questions took equal amounts of effort whether the bidder was real or not, and the questions poured in. The bid price kept climbing as the auction end approached. As the auction closed there were two bidder that both were after the same prize; a sellers dream! Some bidders had traveled to check out the car, others had sent agents to inspect, however as luck would have it, not the winning bidder ….

In the past Tom and I had lamented the fact that dollars, often big dollars, were having a profound impact on our 442 addictions. We both had cars we were too nervous to drive and frankly it was a taking some of the fun out of the hobby. Being blessed with great business sense Tom was taking advantage of a market spike to clear some of the cars that had become too precious to drive carefree. My greatest weakness in this hobby is, and will always be, the art of the deal. Not so for Tom who had timing the Swiss would envy always coming out ahead on every transaction. Not only would he negotiate the deal he was looking for, he would make a friend for life during the sale, trade or purchase. Tom’s unavoidable charm would lead him to that special parts stash or unique car that would make me green with envy. I had never heard of a U-code 1972 Cutlass Supreme convertible until Tom flung back the cover of a pristine original condition car he had just scored. Just days before, there on Cape Cod, Tom had sold a 1970 W-30 442 convertible on E-Bay. The selling price was nearly six figures (!) and he had a tale to tell. He had done all the things your supposed to do to sell on E-Bay… There were lots of pictures, complete and detailed descriptions, firm ground rules for Q&A, and most importantly the absolute obligation to purchase by the qualified high bidder at the end of auction. “Do your homework.” “Inspect if you need to.”

The rules were clear, at least on the auction web page, and a meeting was scheduled to “do the deal” in the kitchen at Tom’s house about ¼ mile from where the care was stored. The buyer showed up with his wife after a long journey from the mid-west. Tom offered them a cool drink and prepared to do the deal. He had the title in hand ready to exchange for the bank check… “How about we go take a look at this car before I hand over the check?” were not the words Tom wanted to hear. The deal was done and the money got the title and the title got the car… Anxiously they loaded into two cars and drove to the garage where the car was stored. The door was opened and the car rolled out into the light of day with the check still deep in the buyers pocket. We’re all in this hobby for “fun” but Tom said this situation was anything but. What now? The tension was palpable he said. I knew this car and it was nearly perfect. However, no matter how long any of us works on our cars, regardless of who does the work; we know were each and every flaw lies, and there are often more than we care to admit… Tom stared me in the eye and said this was without a doubt the most stressful, scary, tense moment of his life! He went on to say “….never have a buyer you don’t know meet you in your house…”, “don’t let them do their “due diligence” after the deal is supposedly done”… and other kernel of wisdom as he reflected on the deal. I thought to myself: here is this incredible guy, a guy who has just fought this arduous battle, a guy with a beautiful wife and two kids, and this was THE low point! Selling a car on e-bay? – Yikes!

After an over/under/in and out inspections the buyer stepped back, paused, and pulled out the check. No cash difference to use to barter with, no hesitations, just the check, a smile, and then a hand-shake to seal the deal and it was done. Once again Tom’s charm had won the day. He never disappointed, never made promises he could keep, and always delivered with a smile while making a friend for life. With a passion for this hobby of our second to none and a genuine heart of gold we all miss you Tom. Our thought and prayers are with his family & kids. Ransom Notes Ransom notes is a GMO member profile in honor of Ransom Eli Olds who founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company on August 21, 1897. Ransom Notes is authored By GMO member David Consoli. I was sitting on my couch one Sunday Morning watching TV. NECN was the channel of choice that morning. It just so happened that I ended up watching the Phantom Gourmet. The show reviewed several Boston area restaurants and had a segment call the Hidden Jewel. The Hidden Jewel was featured as an eatery that may not be well known by the public but exceeded the Phantoms dining expectations. I thought to myself what a great concept. I should use this theme in an upcoming Ransom Notes feature.

The search for a hidden jewel within the GMO led me to David Pion. David is the owner of Cutting Edge Automotive in East Providence, R.I. He

specializes in restoration and service on classic Oldsmobile’s. His resume is impressive. David’s father Russell worked at Lloyd Long Oldsmobile in East Providence for 41 years as a mechanic. David recalls at the age of 15 he told his dad that he would like to buy a 1969 Camaro. Russell’s response was NO WAY!! He may have feared that David wasn’t ready for a muscle car but David suspects that his dad was an Olds guy and wanted him to drive a quality car that was safe. Good Man!! He bought a 1972 cutlass triple white powered by a 350 cu in 2 barrel carb. He drove the 72 cutlass all through high school. “That car did great one wheel peels,” David recalled. After High school David entered the work force. He sold the 72 cutlass and bought a 1968, 442 with a 4-speed transmission. This was his first attempt at an Oldsmobile restoration. He continued to tinker on the 442 while he tried his hand at different trades. His lucky break came at the age of 20 when a friend who worked at Tasca Lincoln Mercury told him about a mechanics position that had become available. In the 17 years he was employed there, David worked his way up from a lube and filter guy to Senior Ford and ASE Master Technician.

In 2003, “After being a mechanic for 17 years I came up with this crazy idea that I wanted my own shop,” David said. Leaving a well paying secure job would not be an easy decision. David presented the idea to his wife Kristen. Her response was GO FOR IT!! David credits her for being incredibly supportive with the idea even though they both knew initially they would have a reduction in income. He readily admits he would not be where he is today if not for his wife. NOTE TO ALL SINGLE MEN: This is the type

of woman you should marry. If you are dating someone like this now RUN, don’t walk to the nearest jewelry store and buy an engagement ring! Today, the Pion’s are now looking for a larger facility to operate Cutting Edge Automotive. David said the demand for restoration services is strong, and he needs a larger building to work on more cars and minimize using outside vendors. Doing so would give him better control of all in house services to his clients. “We are ready to expand” David said. David would like to get into the largest facility that he can handle. His goal for the company is to get out of general repair work. He would like to focus on entry level all the way up to concourse classic car restoration with Oldsmobile being Cutting Edge’s primary market. Expansion after four years is impressive. What I found remarkable is that Cutting Edge Automotive does not advertise. All of their business is word of mouth. David says that every time he goes to a show he always ends up picking up a small job. He freely admits that he has not gone to as many shows over the past couple years due to the birth of his daughter Olivia in 2005. “Family absolutely comes first, I believe as she gets older we will attend more GMO events,” David said. Olivia loves to sit in the Oldsmobile’s in dad’s shop. Smart girl!! I asked David how did you hear about the GMO? His response was “very easy, Everett Horton”. Everett is well known in the area for Oldsmobile parts. “There is always a guy in the hobby who makes things fun. I told Everett that he makes Oldsmobiling fun,” David said. I could relate to

that. I feel the same way about my GMO buddy Pete Agris. I enjoyed my time with this month’s Hidden Jewel, David Pion. I found him extremely knowledgeable about all facets of restoration and Oldsmobile’s in general. David is a rare breed. I have not met many restoration people who are this smart, display as much integrity, are extremely humble, and most importantly, grounded. However, I do have two regrets. First, I wish David and his business were not a two hour drive from my house, and second, I wish I were related to this guy!! I guess I will have to settle for a few road trips from Methuen, and a fellow brother in my extended GMO family. Cutting Edge Automotive - Oldsmobile Greatness - Phantom Approved !! 2008 GMO Membership Dues Well it’s that time again, time to pay your GMO dues so we can make 2008 as successful as 2007. Great things are already in the planning including our 4th consecutive Spring Dust-Off Show. Memberships run on the calendar year and expire on December 31, 2007. We do need your help so please send in your dues now. There is an application / renewal form in this newsletter for your convenience. If we don’t receive your dues by February 1, 2008, we will be forced to remove you from the active list (no more emails or newsletters).

EASTERN MASS GMO CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION  New

 Renewal

Name: ___________________________________________ Spouse’s name: ____________________________________ Street: ___________________________________________ City: ___________________ State: ____ Zip: ___________ Phone (home): ____________________________________ Phone (cell): ______________________________________ Email address: _____________________________________ GMO # (if existing member): _________________________ Newsletters will be posted in electronic format online in Adobe Acrobat format allowing easy viewing, downloading and printing in full color. This saves us thousands of dollars per year. If you can not use this method, please check here.  Oldsmobile Club of America (OCA) membership is mandatory. If you are not a member, you can join at http://www.oldsclub.org/images/OCA_ApplicationV3.0.PDF Non Compliance with this requirement can result in forfeiture of GMO dues. OCA membership #: ________________________________ Expiration Date: ___________________________________ Oldsmobiles owned: ________________________________________________

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Signature________________________________________ Date: ___________________________________________ Annual dues are $20.00. Dues expire 12/31. Please make personal check payable to: GMO Chapter. Mail completed form and check to: GMO Chapter of the OCA 114 West St Medway, MA 02053-2226

Eastern Massachusetts GMO Chapter 114 West Street Medway, MA 02053-2226

First Class Mail

GMO Officers President Paul Iantosca – 617-543-0777 [email protected]

Events Coordinator David Consoli – 978-807-7350 [email protected]

Vice President Rich Santucci – 617-899-9109 [email protected]

New Member Recruiter Karen Santucci – 617-899-9109 [email protected]

Secretary / Treasurer Ted Loranz – 508-561-7613 [email protected]

Club Representative Everett Horton – 401-435-7139 [email protected]

GMO Chapter Website – http://clubs.hemmings.com/olds-gmo