DAF Club of America (DCA)

Two VERY Active Restoration Projects

2009-05-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

At this moment there are two very active DAF restorations projects going on within the DCA. One (a 1964 DAF 31 Daffodil) in Southern New York State and the other (a 1962 DAF 30 Daffodil) in Southern Vermont. To follow each of these projects check out the DCA forum.

If there are more projects going out there I will post them as they come in.

DAF CLUB of AMERICA 25 Years

2009-05-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

In June,2010 the DCA will be celebrating our 25th year as a car club. I have designed a commemorative license plate to celebrate the event and they will be available very soon. Anyone wishing one of these should contact me throught the forum site.
http://dafclubamerica.proboards45.com/index.cgi

The plates should cost $15.00 with shipping included.(a little extra for international shipping)

Other activities may be scheduled during the Summer of 2010 on the East coast as well as the West coast so check out the forum for all the latest details.

DAF TRUCKS COME TO USA....FINALLY

2008-02-28T03:11:00.001-08:00

I just leared that PACCAR (parent company of DAF Trucks in Holland) has finally began to import DAF trucks into this country. This is exciting and long overdue. PACCAR had purchased DAF back in 1996 but it took 11 years to conduct this experimental import to the USA.
The new truck will be sold through PETERBILT dealers as the PETERBILT 220 and is in actuality a DAF LF series. The DAF LF won International Truck of the Year in 2002 when it was first introduced because of it's innovative design and engineering qualty.
THANK YOU PACCAR!

DAF CLUB OF AMERICA FORUM SITE

2008-02-22T03:04:00.000-08:00

HELLO ALL YOU DAF NUTS OUT THERE.......
ON FEBRUARY 20TH THE DCA DIRECTOR LAUNCHED A NEW SITE FOR THE CLUB. THE DCA NOW HAS A FORUM WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN POST YOUR QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, PHOTOS, NEW INFORMATION, ETC., ETC. AND GENERALLY FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE DAF WORLD.
A LOT OF OUR DUTCH AND ENGLISH FRIENDS HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP SO THE FORUM SITE IS OFF TO A FLYING START. COME ON OVER, SIGN UP AND JOIN IN ON THE FUN.

http://dafclubamerica.proboards45.com/index.cgi

HERE IS THE LINK TO THAT FORUM SITE, HAVE FUN!

RARE DAF 46 FOUND IN USA

2008-02-10T03:56:00.000-08:00

Another rare DAF 46 has been found in the USA. Newest member Mark Redmond from Oregon literally stumbled on this car when the guy next door sold his house. The car, which had been brought over from Holland, had been sitting next to the barn for many years and was given to Mark. How the car got there is still a mystery.
This exciting find means that there is now one DAF 46 example for every year it was made;
1974 DAF 46 is owned by Kaz Wysocki in New Jersey
1975 DAF 46 is owned by Mark Redmond in Oregon
1976 DAF 46 is owned by John de Bruin in Vermont

HOW COOL IS THIS ??

2008-02-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

The Dutch Postal System (TNT) has issued special stamps to mark the 50th Anniversary of the DAF 600 car. The TNT unveiled the stamps at the DAF Museum in Eindhoven on the exact date the 600 was first introduced back in 1958. These stamps have already created a lot of excitement in the DAF world and it did not take long for people to list them for sale on e-Bay

DAKAR CANCELLED !!!!!!

2008-01-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

One day before the official start of the 2008 DAKAR Rally the sanctioning body cancelled the event on January 4th,2008. There had been rumors floating around about terrorist threats against the race and it's participants. The A.S.O. did not want to take any chances. Both Team: Jan de Rooy and Team: Hans Bekx had already passed through the tech inspection with flying colors...they were prepared to race the next day.
What a terrible disappointment for the entrants, as well as the fans, who had all prepared for this event for almost 1 year.
The A.S.O. condemmed the terrorist organizations but had no choice to cancel the event.

It is a tragedy that we have to alter our lives because of a bunch fanatics and lunatics, all in the name of Allah. Maybe if they would read their Koran a little closer there would be no terrorist threats in the world.There is no religious book in existance which tells you to blow things up and kill people in God's name.

23 YEARS...& STILL GROWING

2008-01-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

THIS YEAR THE DAF CLUB OF AMERICA CELEBRATES ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY. THE CLUB, FOUNDED IN 1985, HAS NOW BEEN IN EXISTANCE FOR 23 GLORIOUS YEARS.
SINCE TAKING OVER AS DIRECTOR IN 2005 THE DCA HAS BEEN STEADILY GROWING AND HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN INTEREST, MEMBERSHIP AS WELL AS TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE MEMBERSHIP. OUR PLANS FOR 2008 ARE NOT CERTAIN YET BUT THE UPWARD TREND SEEMS TO BE CONTINUEING. AS YOU CAN SEE BY OUR NEWLY DESIGNED 23RD YEAR LOGO THE DCA ALSO INCLUDES TRUCKS AND MILITARY TRUCKS BEARING THE DAF BRAND. AS THE SAYING GOES..."A DAF IS A DAF IS A DAF".
WE NEED TO START MAKING PLANS NOW FOR OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY MEET IN 2010...THIS IS A BIG MILESTONE FOR THE DCA AND I FEEL IT SHOULD BE CELEBRATED IN STYLE. ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR A LOCATION & ACTIVITIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

HANS BEKX DAKAR AGAIN

2007-12-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

This year another of our favorite driver's, Hans Bekx and Team Sport, will be back for the DAKAR 2008 also. Hans and the team will be driving the tried & true DAF CF trucks from last year which won them a 3rd place in 2007. The trucks,with 800HP DAF engines with a 16 speed gearbox, will wear new colors this year. A big change from the bright yellow of last year.
We wish them all the best for DAKAR 2008 and we are pushing for a 1st place. Good Luck Hans.

IT'S DeROOY DAKAR RACING SEASON AGAIN

2007-12-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time of the year we all look forward to. No, I don't mean Christmas or New Years....I MEAN DAKAR TIME.
The 2008 Dakar Rally promises to be a heated affair bewteen the DAF/GINAF teams and the Russian KAMAZ delegation.
This year, one of our favorite players, Jan de Rooy and his team had to bite the bullet(so to speak) when DAF announced that they would no longer build or develop race engines for DAKAR. Jan had to search elsewhere for horsepower and he choose IVECO Motors for his DAF/GINAF trucks. The team also lost the major sponsor from last year so De Rooy Transport will be footing the bill for DAKAR this year and the trucks have been re-painted "De Rooy Orange". Jan himself will be driving truck #610 this year with son Gerard driving truck # 606.We all wish him the best of luck with DAKAR 2008.

SCREAMING DAF

2007-12-01T18:04:00.001-08:00

HOLY SMOKE....and I mean Smoke The Tires.
This amazing DAF 55 first appeared in 1973. What is so amazing about this DAF?
Under the hood lies a 5000cc Oldsmobile engine and Formula 2 suspension. Tony Hazelwood in England toured the race circuits with this smoking DAF starting in 1973.
The car and Tony have since retired but the car has now been 100% restored to original racing form.

FEEDBACK & PARTICIPATION

2007-11-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

HELLO ALL MEMBERS OF THE DAF CLUB OF AMERICA....

I KNOW YOU ARE OUT THERE AND HOPEFULLY READING THIS BLOG FORUM ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I AM BEGINNING TO THINK I AM OUT HERE ALONE.
WITH SO MANY MEMBERS SPREAD OUT ACROSS THIS GREAT LAND OF OURS I KNOW IT IS HARD TO ACTUALLY GET TOGETHER FOR MEETINGS OR CLUB ACTIVITIES. THE ONLY WAY WE STAY IN TOUCH IS THROUGH THE TWO WEBSITES (WHICH ARE UPDATED ALMOST EVERY MONTH),TELEPHONE AND THROUGH E-MAIL/G-MAIL. THE E-MAILS HAVE TRICKLED DOWN TO ALMOST NOTHING.

AS DIRECTOR OF THE DCA I HAVE AN EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL LIBRARY AS WELL AS YEARS OF WORKING KNOWLEDGE ON DAF AND ALL THE CONTACTS FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS, YET ONLY TWO MEMBERS HAVE ASKED FOR TECH INFORMATION SINCE 2005. DOES THIS MEAN THAT ALL THE CARS IN OUR CLUB ARE WORKING 100% AND THAT THE RESTORATION PROJECTS ARE ALL COMING ALONG WITHOUT A PROBLEM OR ARE FINISHED?

PERSONALLY I SUBSCRIBE TO THREE OTHER FORUMS (TWO IN HOLLAND AND ONE IN ENGLAND) JUST TO STAY ON TOP OF EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THE DAF WORLD...AND BELEIVE ME THERE IS A LOT GOING ON.
THE CARS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MADE FOR 31 YEARS NOW BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF ENTHUSIASTS AROUND THE WORLD STILL ENJOYING THE CARS.

PROJECT: DCA/USA (OUR CLUB COLLECTION PROJECT) HAS RECEIVED 0 RESPONSES AND I AM BEGINNING TO WONDER WHAT IS GOING ON.

CONTACT ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR CAR(S). LET ME KNOW THAT I AM NOT ALONE.

American DAFs in UK Magazine

2007-11-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

I just received the June,2007 issue of BELTING ALONG MAGAZINE (DAF Owner's Club-UK monthly club magazine)courtesy of Richard Butler the Editor.
One of the Feature articles in the magazine is about my "Project: AERO" (The 1966 DAF Daffodil Type 32 which is being made into a Cabriolet version).
Another feature article in this issue is on some of the American DAF cars from our DCA club.
It's nice to see another club so far away appreciate the work we are doing here in the USA.
The publicity is much appreciated Richard.

NEW DAF YA MILITARY TRUCKS FOUND

2007-11-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems I have opened up a can of worms....and loving every second of it.
When I posted the photo of a big DAF YA-328 earlier suddenly people who own or have just bought DAF Military Trucks are popping out of the woodwork.
I was under the impression that there were only one(1) or two(2) of the old DAF trucks here, but as it turns out there are a lot more than anyone could imagine.

I am asking ANY owner of ANY DAF Military Truck to contact and join our club. Hey, a DAF is a DAF...they all came out of Eindhoven,Holland and from the mind of Dr. Hub van Doorne.
If you own a DAF YA-66, DAF YA-126, DAF YA-328 or any other DAF Military Truck contact us with information.

NEW DAF BOOK OUT

2007-11-11T03:47:00.000-08:00

Finally our friend Leon Zijlmans in Holland has completed and published his book called "80 Years of DAF History-Captured on Postcards".It is 192 pages filled with DAF postcards Leon has been collecting for years.
The book is available through APRILIS Press at 29.95 Euros. Follow this link to order; http://www.aprilis.nl/titels/DAF-80.htm

DAF YA-328 Trucks in USA

2007-11-04T05:43:00.001-08:00

THE YEAR WAS 1993...Four Dutch ex-Military DAF YA-328 Trucks and three DAF cars participated in a Vintage Route 66 rally co-sponsored by CAAR-NL (Vintage Car Club) a group of Dutch car enthusiasts. The trucks along with 131 other cars were shipped to Baltimore,Maryland at the end of September and drove to Chicago to start the rally. Huntington Beach, California was the final destination which was reached on October 13th.
Two of the four trucks were left in the USA because of shipping costs and one had to be left in Pennsylvania(or Virginia) because of a blown motor...who has more information to share about this event? Share your information with us, we need details.

A SAD DCA ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-09-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

IT IS WITH GREAT SORROW AND AN EMPTY HEART THAT I HAVE TO MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. DCA MEMBER PAUL V. TRYON PASSED AWAY ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19,2007 AT THE AGE OF 78 OF HEART FAILURE. PAUL HAD BEEN ONE OF THE MORE ACTIVE DCA MEMBERS IN THE NORTHEAST DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND WILL SORELY MISSED. HIS OUTGOING, FRIENDLY NATURE AND ENJOYMENT OF LIFE COULD NOT BE MATCHED. I FOR ONE AM GOING TO MISS HIM VERY MUCH. WE HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF GOOD TIMES THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND SHARED A LOT OF LAUGHS TOGETHER.

A DAF POEM

2007-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Since the largest gathering of DAF cars & Trucks(450 in show) has just finished in Deurne, Holland (van Doorne's Glorie) I was inspired to write this little poem for your entertainment.

ODE TO THE DAF

The brothers van Doorne...
a promise they had sworn.
To build Trucks & Trailers for all...
from large to the very small.
Way back in Ninteen Fifty-Four...
they took on a massive chore.

To build a simple car...
that would take people oh so far.
A car without all the Manual hype...
Hub & Wim together thought Automatic type.
Michelotti & van der Brugghen were called in...
to make it all come true, to make it spin.

Four years of design & testing...
many sleepless nights, never resting.
The DAF car had to make a date...
at the Auto show in Fifty-Eight.
The people they came, and by the way...
bought hundreds that very same day.

Forward or back, just as fast...
they built the car that would last.
With a VARIOMATIC transmission...
it made for an easy transition.
A 2 cylinder motor was put in for power...
the car was later named for a flower.

Compact and Automatic...
the DAF was certainly dramatic.
With only a push of the lever...
the whole design was quite clever.
Room for 4 with plenty to spare...
takes them anywhere, without a care.

Two big belts of rubber...
drove the car as no other.
Forward and Reverse is all there is...
those damn 4 gears you won't miss.
Turn the key, step on the pedal...
for no shifting you'll just have to settle.

IT CAN HAPPEN TO THE BEST OF US

2007-09-03T17:26:00.001-07:00

Well, it finally happened! After being around DAF cars since around 1966 my first ever Variomatic blowout happened in September,2007. I was on my way up to Lake Placid, NY with Paul Tryon for a car show and while navigating a twisty 4 mile hill the Variomatic belt on my DAF 46 exploded in a hail of rubber bits & pieces. It sounded as if someone had pulled the pin on a hand grenade when the belt went. If you are driving a model 46,which I was,the car is disabled. Any other DAF would have kept right on going on the second belt. After having to tow the car back to Vermont to replace the belt was not the original plan for that weekend. The morale of this story is- If your Vario Belt(s) have more than 40,000 miles on them change them immediatly if they are the old style(the new steel re-enforced ones will last up to 80,000 miles without worry. This is another chapter I can write about having actually experienced a Variomatic Belt blowout first hand.

WHY IS THIS GUY SMILING

2007-07-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

WHY IS THERE SUCH A BIG SMILE ON THIS MAN'S FACE AND WHAT IS HE HOLDING ?

FIND OUT SOON AT http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/daf/

A Whole Flock of DAFs

2007-07-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

How many times does this ever happen? The last time there were more than two DAFs together at a public function was in 1991 at the DCA Technical Workshop in California.Four (4) DAFs managed to get together at the "2007 Mountain Micro / Mini Madness" car show in Manchester, Vermont on July 7th.
In the photo (left to right)is a 1962 DAF Daffodil, a 1976 DAF 46, a 1962 DAF 750 Pick-Up and a 1960 DAF 600.This was a true rare event but we hope it will not be the last such gathering.

DAF 46 Makes A Big Splash At Show

2007-06-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

A FRESHLY RESTORED 1967 DAF 46 SUPER LUXE SEDAN WAS SHOWN PUBLICALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME ON JUNE 9TH,2007 AT THE MANCHESTER, VT. CAR SHOW. THE CAR MADE QUITE SPLASH WITH THE SPECTATORS WHO,FOR THE MOST PART, HAD NEVER HEARD OF A DAF BEFORE. I DID RUN INTO A FEW PEOPLE WHO WERE ON VACATION FROM EUROPE WHO WERE SHOCKED TO SEE A DAF IN AMERICA AND EVEN MORE SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT THERE WAS A CLUB FOR THEM HERE. ALL IN ALL IT WAS A VERY ENJOYABLE DAY ANSWERING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS AND SHOWING OFF THE CAR. IT MADE ME VERY GOOD THAT PEOPLE WERE TRUELY INTERESTED.

DAF IN THE SPOTLIGHT

2007-05-26T02:25:00.001-07:00

Upstate New York DCA member Paul Tryon and his recently restored 1962 DAF 750 Pick-Up attended their first car show together in Lake Placid, NY.
It was amazing to see the reactions of spectators, as well as car owners, when they viewed the truck, engine and Variomatic....needless to say no one had ever seen anything like this before. Paul was in his glory as he explained to people which came first, the Chicken or the Egg (or in this case the DAF Variomatic or the Snowmobile drive). The 1962 DAF Pick-Up is only 1 of 2 known survivors in the USA and the only running 1962 to date and was lovingly restored in 11 months.
It was great to see Paul and the truck receive their first show trophy. Not too bad for a first time show...congratulations to Paul & "DUCKY".

DCA DAF CLUB PARKING SIGNS

2007-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update for all the DCA members.....
These new and unique 12" x 9" aluminum all weather parking signs are available through the club for $16.00 plus shipping. All profits will go into the club treasury.

PROJECT: DCA-USA

2007-01-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

This is to let everyone know that the big DAF project I have been talking about in the Newsletters is now underway in earnest.
"PROJECT: DCA-USA" is asking all club members,as well as anyone, to contribute to the establishment of this massive DAF collection here in the USA.
Hundreds of pieces of Literature, Service/Parts Manuals, photographs, parts, memorabilia as well as cars have already been cataloged and gathered for this project.
Any and all donations of DAF related materials (Cars & Trucks) will be accepted for the collection for the use & enjoyment of everyone. Remember that the DAF Club of America is a non-profit tax exempt organization so any donations should be tax deductible.
Please contact the Director for the latest news on the project.