The "CRUISER" Newsletter

OCTOBER 2026

AS THE WHEEL TURNS!

BY ROGER BEAUCHAMP, PRESIDENT

Zooom ….. and just like that, the summer of 2026 is in the books.

Hard to believe that we are moving into the end of 2026. Personally, there were a few less shows I attended; maybe the spring weather dampened

the event calendar and slowed down spring participation. With that said we forged through a couple wet Drive and Dines, some were better than others, but all if them were a good experience. 

Just so y’all don’t feel left out there are more exciting activities coming up in this fall season. Be sure to check into the web page (and this newsletter) to get a heads up on the next upcoming event. As I’m writing this I am looking forward to this coming Saturday’s Cars and Coffee with the gang at the local Burger King. 

There will be some car talk and car viewing and tasty breakfast. Just like last season we will continue through the cool season with the Drive and Dine and Cars & Coffee events.

A special welcome to Craig and his red coupe. You have to come out and see this machine, listen to that blower whistle and exhaust note… what

musical serenade! And a special congratulation to Fred and Lynn on their recent wedding.

Please log-in to the Ellijay Mountain Cruisers website, log-in, sign up, pay

your dues, and join us for future events.

Roger

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR OCT, 2026

This calendar is dedicated to car events OTP (Outside The Perimeter) covering the North Georgia area.  www.ellijaymountaincruisers.com

---RECURRING EVENTS---

(Some events may be seasonal; always check with the host group)

Sunday, 3rd - Caffeine and Octane Car Show. Town Center at Cobb - 9:00am  (Recurring event-first Sunday of the month)

Sunday, 3rd - WORSHIP Vintage and Classic Car Event - 1135 Woodstock Rd.,Roswell, GA. Vehicles must be 18 years old or older. 8:00am - 11:00am (Recurring event-first Sunday of the month)

Friday, 9th - Gilmer Street Rodders - Shane’s Rib Shack, 289 Highland Crossing, E. Ellijay, GA. 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. (Recurring event-second Friday of the month)

Tuesday, 13th - ELLIJAY MOUNTIAN CRUISERS CLUB SOCIAL DINNER at El Reys Azteca. El Rays Mexican Restaurant - 6:00 PM (Recurring event -Second Tuesday)

Sunday, 11th - Dahlonega Car Club Cruise-In. 140 S.Chestatee St, Dahlonega,GA. 9:00am - 12:00pm (Recurring event-second Sunday of the month)

Saturday, 17th - Po Boys Cruise-In, Riverstone Plaza, 1447 Riverstone Parkway, Canton, GA. 3:00pm - 6:00pm (Recurring event-third Saturday of the month)

Friday, 23rd - Georgia Mountain Classics DQ Cruise-In. 380 Progress Circle, Blue Ridge, GA. Blue Ridge Dairy Queen. 6:00pm - 8:00pm (Recurring event-fourth Friday of the month)

Saturday, 24th - Pickens Freedom Crusiers Crusie-In, 104 N. Main St., Jasper, GA., 4pm - 8pm (Recurring event-fourth Saturday of the month)

Tuesday, 22nd - ELLIJAY MOUNTAIN CRUISERS DRIVE & DINE - Ellijay, GA. Meet at the parking lot next to McDonalds-11:00am (Recurring Event - Third Thursday of the month)

Saturday, 31st - ELLIJAY MOUNTAIN CRUISERS CARS AND COFFEE  Ellijay, BURGER KING - 9:00 AM (Recurring event-Last Saturday of the month)

ADDITIONAL EVENTS FOR OCTOBER, 2026

Thursday 1st - Saturday 3rd - Memory Lane Classic Car Show, GA Mountain Fairground, 1311 Music Hall Rd., Hiawassee, GA. - 8am - 3pm

Saturday, 3rd - Corinth Baptist Church 27th Annual Car Show, Chattahoochee Tech, 100 Camous Dr., Jasper, GA. - 9am - 3pm

Saturday, 3rd - N. GA. Street Heaters Fall Meet, 464 Mechanicsville Rd., Dahlonega, GA. - 6pm - 9pm

Saturday, 3rd - Moose Lodge Cruise-In, 329 Prater Lake Rd., Calhoun, GA. - 5pm-8pm

Saturday, 3rd - New Canaan Baptist 3rd Annual Car Show, 1883 Joe Frank Harris Pkwy, Cartersville, GA. 9am - 3pm

Friday 9th - Saturday10th - Northeast GA. Swap Meet, 4235 Toccoa Hwy, Clarkesville, GA. - 7am - 12pm

Saturday, 10th - Elevate Autism Car Show & Bike Ride, 315 Etowah Dr., Cartersville, GA. - 9am - 3pm

Saturday, 10th - Wheels for Hope Car & Bie Show, 583 Grant St., Clarkesville, GA. - 10am - 3pm

Saturday, 10th - Victorious Warriors Car & Bike Show, 225 Reformation Pkwy, Canton, GA. 9am - 12pm

Saturday, 10th - Holly Springs PD Car Show & Food Drive, Holly Springs Walmart, Holly Springs, GA. - 3pm - 6pm

Saturday, 17th - Ridz by the River, 60 Etowah Springs Rd., Cartersville, GA. - 9am - 4pm

Saturday, 17th - Cars & Coffee, 222 Old Tennessee Hwy, White, GA. - 8am - 11am

Sunday, 18th - Cold Crank Canton Cruise-In, 205 W. Main St., Canton, GA. - 8am - 11am

Saturday, 24th - BCIDD Halloween Car Show & Festival, Southern Devil Harley-Davidson, 2281 US 411, Cartersville, GA. - 8am - 3pm

Saturday, 24th - 6th Annual OctoberFast Trunk or Treat Classic Car & Truck Show, 2865 Mars Hill Rd., Acworth, GA. - 9am - 3pm

7 Underrated Modifications Your Classic Might Need

By Kyle Smith

(Reprinted by permission of Hagerty Media)

Leaving a car bone stock is impossible for some of us. It’s not about being smarter than the engineers who designed a car or the workers who assembled it; instead, the goal is often to take a one-of-many car and make changes that tune it closer to exactly what we want as the end product. Sometimes we improve things; other times we change things just to change things.

That in and of itself is not a bad thing. Personalization shouldn’t be looked down on when done in a safe manner, but we can all agree there are a few automotive modifications that might be more popular than their function warrants. We are going to talk about the other end of the spectrum today and look at a handful of overlooked or minimized tweaks that can be done to most vintage cars.

Tires

They’re the only four parts of your car that actually touch the road, so small changes can make a world of difference here. The only problem is that tires, more often than not, are unsexy. Doing the research to pick tires can be confusing, and ensuring the end product will achieve the desired change can be daunting. Used tires can be annoying to sell, and being stuck with a rough ride or more road noise than desired until those tires age or wear out results in nothing but a constant reminder of a mistake.

Get tires right, though, and it can transform a car. OE-fit rubber is a game of compromise between brands that we, as the end user, are not forced to stick to. Finding the right tire for your usage can add a surprising level of enjoyment. This isn’t all about performance either. I put highway treads on my 2015 Chevy Express because its main purpose is highway miles. That modification made my long days looking through the windshield a lot easier, and my fuel mileage improved to boot.

Driving School

For most of the people reading this, the most driving instruction you’ve received is a handful of lessons many years ago and maybe a 10-question test administered by a sleepy government employee. That’s a start, but it shouldn’t be the end.

Driver training is not always solely focused on extracting every bit of performance from a chassis. Oftentimes, it is more about better understanding what we are asking of the car while driving and how small changes on our end can make every drive safer. Track training might be warranted if you built or own a performance car, but be sure to understand the line between good track driving and good street driving.

Suspension bushings

There are many parts of a car that are easily visible and therefore get a lot of attention when it comes to getting fiddled with by do-it-yourselfers. Suspension bushings are not one of those. Buried beneath the car and often held in place by crusty hardware, suspension bushings are underappreciated by most drivers.

Even if it is an involved DIY project, replacing suspension bushings with fresh OE units can totally revive the feel of an aging car, while “upgrading” to stiffer or more exotic bushing materials can further enhance or alter the ride. Regardless of what you install, be sure to follow the installation instructions and properly lubricate the parts. The squeaks and creaks that come from dried bushings can be maddening.

Headlights

We’re not talking about a four-foot LED light bar in a truck grille here. Instead, think about taking the time to clean or polish the plastic lenses on aging lights or swapping out tired sealed beams for halogen or other updated bulbs. This isn’t only about seeing at night, either. Having headlights on during the day has been shown to reduce crashes, so having effective lights and having them on is a good idea. Just remember they don’t automatically go off on older cars. Coming back to a dead battery is never fun.

Sound deadening

Most old cars are loud. Some are loud due to the exhaust. Some portion of that is even on purpose. While some seek out a borderline uncomfortable experience behind the wheel, that is not everyone’s cup of tea. Arriving at your destination with your hearing still intact can take a lot of work if you enjoy cars more than two decades old. Luckily, there is often a lot of low-hanging fruit if you want to make the cabin friendlier. Ensuring the doors and windows seal makes a huge difference and doesn’t require pulling the interior to add sound deadening—though you may want to do that too.

Fresh touch points

Similar to how the only four points that touch the road can change the impression of how a car drives, refreshing the steering wheel, shift knob, or seat can dramatically alter how one feels while driving. The experience of having a car that feels tailored to you is not something that has to be reserved for those special ordering from luxury brands. Even just fresh seat foam in a ’60s bucket seat can make driving a better time. New steering wheels and shift knobs are often easy to reverse if you end up not liking the change, and if a steering wheel puller is needed, they can often be rented for free from auto parts stores.

Basic maintenance done on time

Keeping your car from getting to the point where it needs radical transformation is often the best bet. Oftentimes it’s a worn part that spurs folks on to chase modification. Why replace with OE-spec when it’s possible to upgrade? Well, that’s a slippery slope. More often than not, what we really want is the car to drive like it did when it was new, but too much time has passed for us to remember what that was. If fancy aftermarket parts exist, surely I need them, right? Self-restraint is a virtue, and for most of us, just keeping a car in well-tuned condition is more of an upgrade than we would care to admit.

OUR CLUB SPONSORS

Local companies and club Sponsors offer discounts

to Ellijay Mountain Cruisers members for car parts,

service specials and automotive events.

Being a REGULAR member of Ellijay Mountain Cruisers

allows members access to special group discounts for club related events and shows

and other discounts offered by vendors and sponsors!

Visit: www.ellijaymountaincruisers.com

and click CLUB SPONSORS for more details about each sponsor.

link to sponsors