A newly formed chapter, with a brand new event.

SOUTHEAST CHAPTER of the STEAM AUTOMOBILE CLUB of AMERICA, Inc.
www.steamautomobile.com
Roger Ulsky and Chuk Williams, Coordinators
 (941) 496-9290 (Chuk) SACA-SE@Charter.net (Roger and/or Chuk)

First Annual Florida Spring Steam Meet March 9-10, 2012

 Friday, March 9th                 
Kickoff dinner at D. Americo’s Pizzeria at 6:30 PM
812 62nd Street Circle East,   Bradenton, FL 34208
From Exit 220 on I75, go west 0.4 miles, make a U-turn, come back 0.2 miles. The restaurant is on your right next to Dunkin’ Donuts. 

Saturday, March 10^th
All events, except dinner, are at Bradenton Motorsports Park which is located 10 miles west of Exit 220 on I-75 on FL 64-E.
    ·        Gathering for coffee and donuts at 8:00 am
    ·        Technical sessions 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
    ·        Lunch 12:30 to 1:30 pm
    ·        Vehicle demonstrations 1:30 to 2:30 pm
    ·        Time trials 2:30 to 4:30 pm
    ·        Additional technical session 4:30-6:00 pm
    ·        Wrap-up dinner at TBD at 7:00 pm 

General:
This will be the first annual steam meet of the Southeast Chapter of SACA. We are fortunate to have a Florida steam enthusiast as host--Alan Chervitz, of Bradenton Motor Sports Park (http://www.bradentonmotorsports.com.) The venue includes a drag strip to hold the 1/8-mile time trials, a long runway to slow down as necessary, room to camp in motor homes on Friday and Saturday night, restrooms, a road for non-street legal vehicles, nice country drives with little traffic, no stoplights and few stop signs for street legal vehicles. The popular British car show, “Top Gear” recently filmed an episode at this strip.

Chuk is planning on bringing the Land Steam Record vehicle as well as his Model T based steam car. Roger is hoping to bring his street legal, full size replica of a 1903 Curved Dash Olds that he will convert to steam as well as his “Tragster”, a wood-fired steam trike. Hopefully some “real” steam cars such as Stanleys, Locos, Whites and etc. show up. For those desiring non-steam activities, the Bradenton-Sarasota area is home to many attractions, such as shopping, beaches, restaurants and art galleries.

Technical Talks:
If you would like to make a presentation, please contact us with your talk subject. Computer projection and a whiteboard are available.  We will be unable to post a program beforehand, but talks scheduled include:

    ·        The Attemperator by Roger Ulsky
    ·         The Land Steam Record vehicle by Chuk Williams
    ·        Comparative efficiencies of IC, electric and steam by Jerry Peoples
    ·        The T-model boiler and  controls by Chuk Williams
    ·        Topic to be determined by Tom Kimmel
    ·        New burner and Buggy modifications by Tony Grzyb
    ·        Additional talks TBD. Just show up with a talk, we will welcome you with open arms and fit you in!

The D-valves on Jerry People’s Stanley engine need adjustment. If a Stanley expert attends, Jerry will bring the engine and we can all learn how to adjust valves and test run the engine on an air tank, although the “Tragster” could readily supply 40 lbs/hr if that is enough to idle a Stanley 2.50 x 3.50 engine.

Meals:
Lunch will be provided on Saturday, as well as donuts and coffee in the morning. The self-pay dinners will be held at the TBD restaurants near Exit 220 on I-75, as itemized in the schedule.

Accomodations:
Camping is available at the Motorsports Park as well as at Lake Manatee State Park. There are many motels 9 miles west of the Motorsports Park at Exit 220 on I-75. They include: Motel 6--(941) 747-6005, Econo Lodge--(941) 745-1988, Comfort Inn--(941) 747-7500, Holiday Inn Express (941) 757-5556.

Airports:
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is the nearest airport with the Tampa airport being quite a bit further away.

Costs:
Alan Chervitz has most generously donated the use of his facility for our meet. We need to pay costs for an EMT when we use the strip, staff to time the trials and donuts, coffee, drinks and lunch as well as chairs, tables and AV equipment. We expect to have a good idea of the per-person cost by Saturday afternoon. We hope generosity at the donation box will cover Chuk and Roger’s expenses.

Displays and projects:
We encourage everyone to bring something for show and tell, these meets being ideal for cross-fertilization and inspiration. Even Tesla turbines <gasp> are welcome. 

Time Trials Participants: 
Whoever shows, gets to run, with whatever they bring.  There will be a technical inspection to check how much copper is in the fire, where it can melt, pressure vessel size, blow off valves arrangement and front wheel toe-in.  Sometimes the technical inspector is too busy to look closely.  So far nothing has wrecked or exploded. We will not have award money as they do in Berrien Springs—just the personal glory of participating.  Hope to see you there!

September 09, 2011. From the Berrien Springs meet. A few pictures...

Removing the top body shell.

The cockpit is really tight.

The 2011 Chicagoland Annual Meeting in Berrien Springs will be September 8-10 with the open Board Meeting on September 7.

The Steam Automobile Club of America is a Not For Profit Organization, founded in 1958, for the preservation and propagation of automotive steam technology, whether historic, modern ,or experimental. We offer club members technical information and help.Some local chapters have shows were you can display your steam automobile, swap ideas, attend demonstrations, and meet others who share your interest in steam automobiles. Become a member of The Steam Automobile Club of America and receive our newsletter "The Steam Automobile Bulletin" it contains informative articles, technical information, classifieds, chapter news, and more!

President - Tom Kimmel 
P.O. Box 8
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
PHONE. 269.471.7408