Conversations with NECOA's Earliest Members

[sandblaster]

I don't know if this can be confirmed .Original member at NECOA # 279 also ECC # 727 , I am registered on NECOA site page [ 26 ] last page. Have to say this is an excellent site and people . Also a happy 10 Year anniversary to El camino central and an Elcamino Owner also 10 Years this month ...

[HKDUP87]

Originally Posted by davem

I don't think people realize what a prize this organization is. I build and show different brands of cars/trucks and by far there is no other organization that has informed and participating members like this one. I have done lots of custom mods to my vehicles and wrote a lot of tech articles for other sites with no response. So to learn how this site became what it is and why the people are so involved is very interesting to me. The people on this site have helped me Unknowingly, immensely, and they don't care if i also have a brand x.

Couldn't have said it better.

[hotrodpc]

Originally Posted by acauth1

Here's a good start for you Ken, don't know how or why but it eventually got deleted from ecc, but here goes.

A blast from the past, a copy of the original website of the NECOA (was necoa.org)

http://autocool.com/necoa_org/index.htm

Originally Posted by DONE DEAL DONNY

Theres some neet reading in that link!!!
Regions covered a lot more miles then!
Donny

I agree with DDD. There's still some good info there in the side bar links. Last Updated in 03. So that's where it all started from huh???

[kenrogers1]

I want to assure all of our membership that there are absolutely NO MALICIOUS BUGS lurking anywhere in the old information posted by acauth1 (one of our Founders). The Bug caught by HKDUP87 came from a vendors connection - NOT from the ECC Forum software. This Thread is completely safe. I has been thoroughly checked by acauth1 and found fault-free. Sorry for any confusion and my delay in making this statement..........................Ken

[kenrogers1]

Originally Posted by 7d8ss

The early roster numbers were a real cluster at the merge. Hell it doesn't even show that I am a member here to this day. Belonged to NECOA before the merge & you had to prove that you owned an Elcamino to join. I seriously doubt that this new crowd gives a .... what went on 10 years ago. Most of it can be reviewed through the "search " function anyway.

I'm one of the "New Crowd", 7d8ss, and I'm very interested in the history of the Association. I would like very much for you to share any of your early stories about the Association with the members, because you're one of the pioneers who made this Club what it is today. If you can tell us how the numbers were messed up, maybe I or Robert can manage a fix - maybe. What led you to join up? Did you need information, or did you feel like you could help someone else? How did your intentions work out? What has changed the most in the last 10 years?......................Ken

[HKDUP87]

Originally Posted by kenrogers1

I want to assure all of our membership that there are absolutely NO MALICIOUS BUGS lurking anywhere in the old information posted by acauth1 (one of our Founders). The Bug caught by HKDUP87 came from a vendors connection - NOT from the ECC Forum software. This Thread is completely safe. I has been thoroughly checked by acauth1 and found fault-free. Sorry for any confusion and my delay in making this statement..........................Ken

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE NEXT GUY LOOKS AT THE SAME LINK I DID?
I liked the site nothing like looking back and seeing and reading peoples post but I sure would hate for someone else to hit the first thread like I did . I would copy it and post it but I don't have that option on this Google Logictech system.


There's a lot of good info on the site that's for sure and I like it.


CASE CLOSED HOPE NO ONE ELSE FINDS THAT PAGE I DID.

ROBERT

[John Harris]

Just for the fun of it, I re-visited the original NECOA.org website this morning and came across our first published Regional Directors listing (http://autocool.com/necoa_org/images...0Directors.pdf)

There were only 4 of us "pioneer" Regional Directors at that time who had been appointed by Founder Dan Smith of Tennessee: John Harris (MA) Region 2 New England; Bryan Shook (PA) Region 3; Peter O'Rourke (FL) Region 6; Harald Weldon (TX) Region 13. Bryan was the first one of us to join the old NECOA and I was the first Regional Director to be appointed. Harald served as Regional Director until the 2010 reorganization when he graciously stepped aside to let that "new kid" Ken Rogers become Regional Director for Texas. Harald is still quite active in our present-day club and Bryan still attends the Carlisle events in PA and visits with current members there.

Founder Dan Smith began to travel extensively for his consulting work after the merger and asked me then to step up as National Director. By that time, the new-fangled WWW or "Internet" started growing phenomenally and with the ability of members to actually make "postings" on the updated El Camino Central website, it became much easier for members to build online friendships and begin sharing technical information with others.

Our growth was very slow but steady over the following years and there were hardly any actual NECOA gatherings or events sponsored by the club. Robert More (Acauth1) single-handedly maintained the website until folks such as Rob Haggard (Poltergeist) in CA and Peter Brown of GA became moderators and site administrators to share the technical burden with Robert More in TX. The website kept growing and having more traffic that caused frequent crashes. In order to keep the fledgling site functioning, senior members contributed their own funds to help Robert replace and upgrade the servers several times and improve protection against hackers and others.

A few notable members between 2004 to 2008 became technical gurus and helped increase the quantity and quality of the information-sharing about El Camino repairs, as well as posting technical reference material like VIN-decoding and similar data from GM. Ernie Guglielmo of RI (87ElCamino) was probably the premier expert on our site, along with Robin Cook of HI (Mrapii) and Peter Engstrom TX (Elky Pete), plus a few others who names I will add here later.

Looking back to the 2003 membership roster, you can see the names of many familiar members who are still very active with us and form the backbone of the present club in addition to the many newer members now in leadership roles. One name that stands out is Maikel Joosten of The Netherlands, who was our first registered member outside North American, and our first Regional Director for Region 24 Europe, and still one of our most active leaders today. In those early days, we did not use a site nickname, but registered under our real name.

Here's part of that roster of earliest members in the sequence in which they joinedan Smith TN; Pete Engstrom TX; Nick Landin OK; Tommy Robinson NC; Ben Rambow WA; Rick and Sue Harrington CA; Bryan Shook PA; John Christiansen IL; Lionel Burnette NC; John Harris MA; Betty and Doug Lamothe AL; Robert More TX; Peter Brown GA; Harald Weldon TX; James Stedman NJ (now FL); Karen Chernish B.C. Canada; Danny Hernandez CA. There may be others from those days who are still active on the new website, but are now using a different nickname to identify themselves. We will update this listing if and when we find out there are others to be listed.

During those first few years, Robert More's El Camino Central website was attracting its own members who were not initially members of Dan Smith's NECOA: You'll recognize quite a few of these "Old Hands" from their present site nicknames: NJLuke; theelcaminofactory; elky72ss454; Hastalavista; darbysan; Elky 83; Sandblaster; archerm3; Camino80; 60ElCam; 83Elky; Elky77; Elcaminonyc; LINY; ElCaminoGuy2; Pro Street Garry; 79Elky; greywolf; Lemmy; gr8ridejester; elcam84; Hansmanbo; ElCafreak; Bobby85; 85elcamino; and dozens of others still active on our website.

[TexasElCamino]

I find all of this VERY interesting. As one of the "newbies", it's really great to see how it all started, and I'm proud to be a part of this organization.

I hope to be able to look back 10 years from now, and be able to say I was a part of the continued success of the NECOA and ECC.

Thanks to all of the founders, and early members who have made this THE place to come to learn, share, and keep our El Camino dreams alive.

[69 SS396]

This thread is a really cool read.

Some of the names I recognize and others I dont.

And some surprise me, like James Stedman(LOCKJAW) being such an early member.

I knew he was into Elkies for a long time but didnt know he was one of the originals.

[kenrogers1]

Thanks very much, John. Your insight into the early years in very valuable for explaining how the site developed and the membership grew. Please add any additional information that you feel would add to the discussion. I think we may find this Thread to be one of the most interesting, aside from mechanical magic Threads, of any to be developed. I know I've always been interested and am fascinated by what I've been able to learn..........................Ken

[johncgg]

Wow...... It has been a long time. Went by quick though. I joined NECOA and have the number 042. I wanted to fix the Elky up rather than sell it and get something else. That's where the insanity started. I put it away in the winter now, although it has suffered in the rust belt. Here is the link to the web site I started about 1998 when I was buying parts from Rick at EC Parts, and wanted to show him the progress. Over the years, I have tried to document just about everything. Front and rear bushings, third brake light, to the latest serpentine conversion, adding the marine block 350, conversion to fuel injection to pass emissions..... 16 years of garage projects on there. I remember when the change happend, and although confusing, there was a LOT of work put in to it. I am sorry I haven't contributed very much over the years. I log in just enough to check things out, but devote more time to keeping my web site up to date.

There should be a link in my signature too. I Still have my sticker on the window from NECOA, and a couple T-shirts. Time for some new ones.

CONGRATULATIONS and Thanks for being here for all of us Elky Owners.
JC

[83choochoo]

im stiil around and i still have my 83 choo choo i don't post much been to busy, but i always check out whats new,i wish we still had the old site with our original picture gallery my car is still on the site but its hard to find my pics, not like the old site i use to check the comments all the time, my number was neoa #183 its still good to be here all these years. i also still have my original neoa tee shirts, Todd Pye

[ElkySS]

It was great to see the old NECOA.org pages, Robert.
Thanks for posting.
Ken-thanks for touching on the early history of the NECOA and ElCaminoCentral
-dan smith

[ElkySS]

John,
Thanks for the compressed history of the two sites.
Also, thanks to those members who assisted the growth.
Lastly, thanks to all members for your interest and posts.
Dan Smith
Chattanooga
(currently doing Corvettes, but would love to have another '59 Elky and another Choo Choo Customs SS. Heck, throw in a Royal Knight, also.)

[John Harris]

Here are a couple of Status Reports that were published in our early days after the merger. You will see lots of familiar names and how we were outgrowing our own servers because of the increased traffic from new members.

Back then, some of our key members donated their own money to help Robert More buy bigger servers. You will see a Server Contributor badge in their site profiles when they post messages. These reports also include some of our initial thoughts on growth of the club that have now actually been accomplished: