Safetyville, Corvettes, T-Birds, and Miniature Flint-- Part Two

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00:00:05 Arthur A. Busch

OK, we're here.

This is Radio Free Flint.

This is Arthur Bush hosting your podcast episode, and today we have a good one for you.

This is Lee Exline, who is from Jr Central, and he is an expert on cars that used to be driven at Safetyville-Flint

00:00:30 Len Exline

Oh, good evening, Sir.

00:00:32 Arthur A. Busch

Good evening. Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your time.

00:00:35 Arthur A. Busch

We're talking to.

A leave from Iowa just outside of.

00:00:42 Arthur A. Busch

Des Moines, IA.

00:00:44 Arthur A. Busch

And, uh, he has a website and tell us that the Facebook page, so people want if they're interested, they can go visit.

00:00:53 Len Exline

It the Facebook page is Powered Promotional cars.

00:00:57 Len Exline

Jr Central powered post promotional cars. I also have a regular web page, JuniorCentral.com.

00:01:05 Len Exline

Facebook page seems to be the most active.

It takes a lot less work for me to update it, so that's a good source for conversations regarding the vehicles. I deal with a lot more than just the cars used at Safetyville.

00:01:20 Arthur A. Busch

So Liu

00:01:22 Arthur A. Busch

You handle or specialize in these; you call in promotional cars so.

Most of us here in Flint that are of a certain age have had a lot of experience with those little cars because we went to safety bill located in Kearsley Park and was a.

00:01:46 Arthur A. Busch

Operated by the IMA, which was an adjunct at that very historical organization.

I don't know if you're aware they have left, but they go way back.

I think the 20s since General Motors was founded.

And they are a benevolent association.

So they ran this program for children to teach them Traffic Safety and such.

But tell us a bit about these cars and give us a little about their history.

00:02:16 Len Exline

OK, well-powered promotional cars.

I want to specify powered there because I deal primarily with those powered by motive force, either gasoline or electric powered.

They're often called pedal cars, but they don't have pedals other than the gas pedal and brake pedal.

One of the first ones put out was put out by Power Car Company of Mystic, Connecticut, in 1955. They had just after the war been producing pedal-powered.

00:02:47 Len Exline

Cars that really didn't look like cars. They had one that was kind of style like a car. Still, the true powered promotional cars that are styled after an actual vehicle available through the manufacturer were first out in 1955 with the Thunderbird Junior and the Thunderbird Junior.

00:03:07 Len Exline

Made by the power company in Mystic, Connecticut, they had a fiberglass body with an electric drive.

00:03:12 Len Exline

And come 1957. They also offered them with a gas-powered version.

00:03:18 Len Exline

The company produced cars up to 1967 and changed its models every year to match the full-size cars.

00:03:26 Len Exline

They coordinated with the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation 'cause they made a Plymouth Fury Junior for 1958. Fifty-nine and 60. But the ones that were.

00:03:38 Len Exline

Used at the Safetyville in Flint was a modified version of the nineteen 55-56 Thunderbird Junior. After the Thunderbirds came out in 57-58 and so forth, they took the old molds used for the Thunderbird, modified the front end a little, and modified the taillights.

00:04:01 Len Exline

And changed them around but used the front and rear of the same bumper as the old Thunderbird juniors used the same frame as those, and those were available.

To dealers or other companies, and if you had the cash, you could buy them too, but they were definitely not cheap toys.

00:04:18 Arthur A. Busch

So they put up what you're saying: they put a Ford car in the middle of General Motors Company town.

00:04:25 Len Exline

Yep, I am changing out the style. Running the rear end of.

00:04:30 Arthur A. Busch

They changed their rear end just so they wouldn't look like a Ford?

00:04:33 Len Exline

Yep, Yep, if you compare.

00:04:35 Arthur A. Busch

Oh my.

00:04:36 Len Exline

You look at the front end, and they squared off the headlights. They changed the taillights, but the full base is a nineteen 55-56 Thunderbird.

00:04:46 Arthur A. Busch

Now those cars that were found at Safetyville have limited speed, obviously.

How did they limit speed?

00:04:56 Len Exline

The electric, the early ones, the electric ones were 6 Volt motors that used a Ford starter motor, and they would run only 5 mph.

00:05:08 Arthur A. Busch

Yeah, and then and then they went to a gas-powered.

00:05:12 Len Exline

Uh, model? Then Yep, the Corvair Monza.

00:05:17 Len Exline

There was a prototype car that was put out that was made by the Rupp company and Rupp had a gas powered version, but the early ones were electric powered.

00:05:27 Len Exline

Do 5 miles an hour and it was all or nothing.

00:05:30 Len Exline

There was a.

00:05:31 Len Exline

And if you're old enough, you'll know trucks they used to have is a button on the floor.

00:05:35 Len Exline

You'd step on it and the.

00:05:36 Len Exline

Starter motor engage.

00:05:38 Len Exline

Well, this had the same thing on the floor of those cars you step on it and engage the starter motor and send.

00:05:43 Len Exline

The car running top speed 5 miles an hour and then when you let off.

00:05:47 Len Exline

Of it, and it went to nothing.

00:05:49 Arthur A. Busch

Right so the ones.

00:05:51 Len Exline

Handle brake on.

00:05:52 Arthur A. Busch

That so you know we most of us that were.

00:05:52 Len Exline

The left side.

00:05:56 Arthur A. Busch

What happened today just so we can fill in the rest of the crowd here, I posted a.

00:06:04 Arthur A. Busch

A page off of Facebook that was released.

00:06:09 Arthur A. Busch

Facebook page and and it got a rise out of the you know kids that I went to high school with and I even sent it to the kids.

00:06:19 Arthur A. Busch

I went to elementary school with.

00:06:23 Arthur A. Busch

And, uh, I didn't realize I'd get 500.

00:06:28 Arthur A. Busch

Messages on my phone.

00:06:29 Arthur A. Busch

Yeah, it kind of went viral so you know we don't remember.

00:06:35 Arthur A. Busch

At least I don't remember if it was electric or gas.

00:06:38 Arthur A. Busch

You probably could tell us that.

00:06:41 Len Exline

Oh yeah, the

00:06:42 Len Exline

I can look at some of the pictures from there and tell you exactly.

00:06:44 Len Exline

Let me pull up my folder on my computer here and look at any one of them and these L tale signs could be the trunk lid.

00:06:54 Len Exline

And if I pop that open and take a look, there are no holes in.

00:06:57 Len Exline

The trunk lid for the gas motor to breathe.

00:07:00 Arthur A. Busch

I see, so they're they're electric.

00:07:03 Len Exline

Those are electric, the early ones, and then of course when.

00:07:05 Len Exline

You got into the.

00:07:06 Len Exline

Yeah, the one that looks more.

00:07:09 Len Exline

Like a Corvette, the Corvair that Corvair is.

00:07:12 Arthur A. Busch

A gas powered unit so so the the.

00:07:18 Arthur A. Busch

The vehicles are produced and at that time they were produced for a demonstration of some kind.

00:07:24 Arthur A. Busch

I I don't understand why they.

00:07:26 Arthur A. Busch

Would produce it at all.

00:07:29 Len Exline

Well, the power the power company produced them for the manufacturers and they would also be used like chip companies Pepsi, Coca Cola.

00:07:37 Len Exline

Let me see number the cereal companies use them from promotions.

00:07:41 Len Exline

They were basically your mousetrap.

00:07:44 Len Exline

Any car dealer will tell you the worst part of selling a car.

00:07:48 Len Exline

Just getting people in the dealership and these work by getting the people in the dealership usually drug in by their kids.

00:07:57 Len Exline

Test drive.

00:07:57 Len Exline

In one well then, after they were done producing the 5556 and they moved on to the 57.

00:08:04 Len Exline

The old bodies body molds for the 5556 Thunderbird were no longer used, so they modified them slightly and produced a generic version. The generic versions were available as pace car.

00:08:17 Len Exline

Police car they had even and matter of fact. If you look at the tail lights of the ones that were used at safety bill, they're little fireman's helmets.

00:08:27 Len Exline

The Fireman's helmets were the lights that went on the IT was a little fire truck basically on the back end of it there was a place where you'd mount one of those sprayers you used for spraying bugs and that was your water source to put out the fire. One kid would drive, another kid would stand on the back and there'd be a little ladder back.

00:08:47 Len Exline

Or you'd hold on.

00:08:48 Len Exline

And those are wood that they even came out with little helmets with.

00:08:53 Len Exline

But the tail lights look like a little fireman's helmet and they use that version. Those tail lights on these pace cars.

00:09:03 Len Exline

Uhm, for these programs.

00:09:07 Arthur A. Busch

So the the the cars themselves.

00:09:10 Arthur A. Busch

Now we also see those you know.

00:09:13 Arthur A. Busch

I used to be a politician so I got to be in a lot.

00:09:15 Arthur A. Busch

Of parades in my life, Albert.

00:09:18 Arthur A. Busch

25 years I've been in.

00:09:20 Arthur A. Busch

God knows how many parades, but the Shriners take these little cars and they do.

00:09:26 Arthur A. Busch

They do like all kinds of maneuvers out there.

00:09:28 Arthur A. Busch

They wonder how they don't get injured doing this, but are those the same?

00:09:32 Arthur A. Busch

The same kind of car that they're using?

00:09:36 Len Exline

They are the ones that were used as safety.

00:09:38 Len Exline

Running a little small so they won't fit adults, but later version made by that same company power car will fit adults.

00:09:45 Arthur A. Busch

What did one of those cars cost?

00:09:49 Len Exline

Oh well, let's see the 1965 Mustang junior. I have committed to my memory. The pedal car was $12.95.

00:09:58 Len Exline

The gas powered promotional car. Then the power of my power company was $537. That'll give you an idea of the cost on them. They were not cheap.

00:10:09 Arthur A. Busch

Well, God.

00:10:10 Len Exline

The original sales bulletins on the company, and I can tell you exactly what.

00:10:14 Len Exline

They paid for those.

00:10:15 Arthur A. Busch

Cars, so let's say you and I were going to go on business and we were.

00:10:19 Arthur A. Busch

Going to start safety.

00:10:20 Arthur A. Busch

Bill all over again.

00:10:21 Arthur A. Busch

What would it cost to get a fleet of those cars?

00:10:26 Arthur A. Busch

Now we wouldn't.

00:10:26 Len Exline

That's gonna be.

00:10:27 Arthur A. Busch

We probably wouldn't use gas, right?

00:10:30 Arthur A. Busch

We probably.

00:10:32 Len Exline

Nowadays, the the available electric motors are so much better.

00:10:36 Len Exline

It's definitely worth going.

00:10:39 Len Exline

That way you can control them.

00:10:41 Len Exline

You can cut down the speed on them, the old ones like they produce back then there were either feast or famine, full speed or nothing and they only went 5 miles an hour.

00:10:51 Len Exline

Well nowadays

00:10:53 Len Exline

You can get a lot better than that.

00:10:55 Len Exline

Matter of fact, two cars were produced for light ladies Pee Wee Herman Herman.

00:11:01 Len Exline

In the one was made for the Pee Wee himself and one was made for the stunt driver. Those were modern electric drivetrains and would do 45 miles an hour with your 6 inches off the ground.

00:11:14 Arthur A. Busch

Yeah, we don't want.

00:11:15 Arthur A. Busch

That for our safety bill, if we're.

00:11:16 Arthur A. Busch

Going to make a bunch of little kids.

00:11:20 Len Exline

But but there's.

00:11:21

Well, it was always.

00:11:22 Len Exline

Not a lot.

00:11:24 Arthur A. Busch

Go ahead, I'm sorry.

00:11:25 Len Exline

There's not a lot of these molds available to enable or reproduce them.

00:11:29 Len Exline

I do have some of the Mustang molds.

00:11:32 Len Exline

The original factory molds and Thunderbird molds, so I've got the 57 Thunderbird mold.

00:11:37 Len Exline

But I don't have the 5556.

00:11:39 Len Exline

So I have.

00:11:39 Speaker 1

I don't know.

00:11:40 Len Exline

The 5th.

00:11:40 Arthur A. Busch

Do you make these on a custom basis?

00:11:43 Arthur A. Busch

Do you?

00:11:43 Arthur A. Busch

You're using fiberglass, I assume.

00:11:46 Len Exline

There's some using fiberglass.

00:11:46 Speaker 1

Right?

00:11:47 Len Exline

I've got a gentleman that makes the fiberglass parts for me.

00:11:51 Len Exline

I make all the little pieces and parts, the windshields, the hubcaps, the steering wheels, and all those other little pieces.

00:11:58 Len Exline

I don't remake them as a whole I, I'm just too busy with what I'm doing.

00:12:05 Len Exline

But I have.

00:12:06 Len Exline

Where people could put one together.

00:12:08 Arthur A. Busch

So you didn't answer my question.

00:12:09 Arthur A. Busch

How much, if we're going to go on business, how much would it cost us to get a fleet of cars for safety bill?

00:12:16 Len Exline

The get a running operating car is going to be about four grand.

00:12:21 Arthur A. Busch

A piece.

00:12:22 Len Exline

Per car yeah oh nine yeah, they're not.

00:12:26 Len Exline

They're they're highly detailed.

00:12:29 Len Exline

Unlike a lot of other cars.

00:12:31 Len Exline

So it takes along the handling in the fiberglass.

00:12:34 Len Exline

Plus all the other parts and I know what they paid for.

00:12:36 Len Exline

Peewee cars and those are parts.

00:12:39 Len Exline

I provided a company in California.

00:12:41 Len Exline

Put them together.

00:12:42 Arthur A. Busch

So, so you do provide for the for the entertainment industry or the movie industry where they need some help.

00:12:51 Len Exline

I've done that. I've provided a Pizza Hut, their first ever television commercial was 1965, called Putt Putt to Pizza Hut and they used a 65 Mustang junior and Pizza Hut Corporation. Recently purchased enough to build 3 cars one.

00:13:09 Len Exline

For their corporate office and two for executives.

00:13:12 Len Exline

Uh, my grandparents are my biggest customers.

00:13:15 Len Exline

You know they like buying them with the excuse of their for the grandkids.

00:13:18 Len Exline

Well, the grandfather confirmed too.

00:13:22 Len Exline

If you're skinny enough, my.

00:13:22

You know?

00:13:23 Arthur A. Busch

We had a kite.

00:13:24 Arthur A. Busch

With a guy in Flint and he bought a bunch of them for his backyard and created a.

00:13:28 Arthur A. Busch

Track back in.

00:13:29 Arthur A. Busch

His backyard and all the kids from near and far, and Flushing.

00:13:32 Arthur A. Busch

Fred Salem.

00:13:33 Arthur A. Busch

Uh made this track and he had it all set up just like see it was like a safety bill.

00:13:38 Arthur A. Busch

I was amazed.

00:13:41 Len Exline

I have pictures of kids standing in line waiting for a chance to drive in one.

00:13:47 Len Exline

When we got one of those they working cheese in the.

00:13:53 Len Exline

They ran the roost.

00:13:53 Speaker 1

How did?

00:13:53

You get it.

00:13:54

Used how did.

00:13:55 Arthur A. Busch

You get interested in this business.

00:13:57 Arthur A. Busch

It's it's a.

00:13:58 Arthur A. Busch

It's an interesting sidelight here.

00:14:01 Len Exline

Well, I'm a DeSoto collector and years ago I had a 1957 DeSoto adventurer convertible.

00:14:08 Len Exline

And I was looking for the junior version of that. They didn't make one in 57, but they made one in 58 called the DeSoto Fire. Might it ran A3 horse Briggs and Stratton Motor and it was seven feet long and they are very rare and it took me 20 years to find one well and trying to find one of those I started.

00:14:28 Len Exline

Researching junior cars in general and I found in Detroit, actually a 1967 Mustang junior gas powered car.

00:14:37 Len Exline

And I decided by it.

00:14:39 Len Exline

And when I bought it, I found out that nobody made restoration parts nobody.

00:14:43 Len Exline

So I taught myself to make the parts that I needed.

00:14:47 Len Exline

I needed a windshield.

00:14:49 Len Exline

I taught myself how to make those.

00:14:50 Len Exline

I needed a steering wheel.

00:14:51 Len Exline

I taught myself how to do molds and make the make the steering wheels, tail light lenses, headlight lenses, hubcaps.

00:14:57 Len Exline

And basically, as I needed parts for my car, other people would say well, can you make one for?

00:15:03 Len Exline

My car and.

00:15:04 Arthur A. Busch

Do you have a a track in your backyard?

00:15:10 Len Exline

Matter of fact I can't.

00:15:11 Len Exline

Even fit in any of these.

00:15:14 Len Exline

6 foot seven and.

00:15:18 Speaker 1

Oh my.

00:15:19 Len Exline

I'm a big.

00:15:20 Len Exline

Yeah 6-7 and over 400 pounds I can fit in.

00:15:23 Arthur A. Busch

So you.

00:15:24 Arthur A. Busch

Have Jaguars.

00:15:25 Arthur A. Busch

But how long is grand killed kids at right?

00:15:25 Len Exline

That's it.

00:15:30 Len Exline

Stiroh grandkids.

00:15:32 Len Exline

Well have a good time taking him to car shows.

00:15:36 Arthur A. Busch

I bet well.

00:15:37 Arthur A. Busch

Let's switch subject here for just a second.

00:15:40 Arthur A. Busch

Now, the vehicles that you had pictures of, though some of those I assume not.

00:15:45 Arthur A. Busch

Probably not all, but some of them were from safety bill and yeah.

00:15:50 Arthur A. Busch

And at that time safety, the concept of safety bill was not unique, it was.

00:15:55 Arthur A. Busch

Flint wasn't the only place in the nation that.

00:15:58 Arthur A. Busch

Had such a thing.

00:15:59 Len Exline

No, there was a ramp pretty much exactly the same in Illinois and Danville, IL.

00:16:00 Arthur A. Busch

Is that right?

00:16:07 Len Exline

There was another one in Tampa and I think there was another one in Louisiana.

00:16:14 Len Exline

I've got just a little bit of information on a lot of these things.

00:16:19 Len Exline

There's there's not a lot of information.

00:16:20 Len Exline

On junior cars in general, and these safety programs that just seems that they hit, they happen and then there.

00:16:28 Len Exline

Gone the Flint ones been extremely.

00:16:31 Arthur A. Busch

It's what?

00:16:33 Len Exline

The Flint Flint ones have been very active on Facebook.

00:16:37 Len Exline

A lot of participation from people that were there and remember it, but other locations they didn't last as long.

00:16:43 Arthur A. Busch

Right now on that subject.

00:16:45 Arthur A. Busch

Uh, we you you said in your post there that you were looking for pictures of safety Ville.

00:16:54 Arthur A. Busch

And particularly, you're interested in the cars.

00:16:58 Arthur A. Busch

That's your, that's your interest.

00:17:00 Arthur A. Busch

A lot of people who responded by the way we had.

00:17:03 Arthur A. Busch

You know several 1000 cut at least a couple 1000 people looked at this stuff.

00:17:09 Arthur A. Busch

I'm amazed at what happens in the Internet.

00:17:13 Arthur A. Busch

And as a consequence they a bunch of them said, oh, I got my drivers. They saved their driver's license.

00:17:21 Arthur A. Busch

So I'm trying.

00:17:22 Len Exline

To get some people, I've had some people actually donate their image.

00:17:27 Len Exline

All I basically want is damage and I share this information on my Facebook page and on the website in order to try to educate people.

00:17:35 Len Exline

'cause so often people say oh, it's a pedal car.

00:17:38 Len Exline

No, it's not a pedal car and I.

00:17:41 Len Exline

I'd like to educate people about this part of automotive collecting.

00:17:44 Len Exline

That's kind of been forgot.

00:17:47 Len Exline

It's it's, it's lost and there's not a lot of information out.

00:17:51 Arthur A. Busch

There on them, yeah?

00:17:52 Arthur A. Busch

Well, they don't call this a vehicle city for nothing where we live.

00:17:55 Arthur A. Busch

So the people here who are interested in cars.

00:17:58 Arthur A. Busch

And know a lot.

00:17:59 Arthur A. Busch

About them and we have some of the top experts in the world here that archive.

00:18:04 Arthur A. Busch

This information as well.

00:18:06 Arthur A. Busch

Lee, So what you're really looking for is that maybe somebody in that bunch had taken pictures at a birthday party or whatever, and if they have some just to the cars you'd be interested in looking at.

00:18:18 Len Exline

You bet I know a lot of people.

00:18:20 Len Exline

Grandmothers took him down there to take a ride.

00:18:23 Len Exline

I love to have more pictures to document the history on any junior cars.

00:18:29 Len Exline

Even I've got old videos hosted on that website that are shot from parades for many years ago and.

00:18:38 Len Exline

Anything you got with junior cars share it.

00:18:40 Len Exline

I put it out there.

00:18:41 Len Exline

I don't make any money off of it.

00:18:43 Len Exline

It's all out there to share and get the conversation going between people that are well interested in this subject.

00:18:49 Arthur A. Busch

Right when you became interested in these cars with safety, but Bill still in Operation, No.

00:18:57 Len Exline

Doing these cars for probably 25 years.

00:19:00 Len Exline

In the 60s was gone by.

00:19:00

I see.

00:19:02 Arthur A. Busch

Then, and since I since I live in Tampa Bay area, a good part of the year, whereabouts was that?

00:19:09 Arthur A. Busch

Whereabouts was that?

00:19:12 Arthur A. Busch

That village of traffic seat.

00:19:16 Len Exline

Safety village in Tampa.

00:19:18 Len Exline

Let me see if I can come up with.

00:19:20 Len Exline

They use the Scotty special.

00:19:21 Len Exline

Let me see if I can.

00:19:22 Len Exline

Find an address for you.

00:19:25 Arthur A. Busch

We'll exchange that after our shows over here.

00:19:29 Arthur A. Busch

Well, I appreciate your time.

00:19:32 Arthur A. Busch

How safe are those cars?

00:19:34 Arthur A. Busch

'cause you know my little sister rammed me in the back of many times with that safety bill and she wasn't supposed to do that.

00:19:40 Len Exline

You know well they are there.

00:19:43 Len Exline

They got some weight behind them, so if they hit.

00:19:45 Len Exline

They're going to give you a thunk.

00:19:47 Len Exline

As a matter of fact, the De Soto's one of the gentlemen here in Iowa, I tracked down photos of him in this photo fire eight years ago, and I finally got to talk to him, and he sent me pictures of the car, and I asked.

00:20:01 Len Exline

Him, whatever happened to that thing?

00:20:03 Len Exline

While he was gone to school, his dad.

00:20:05 Len Exline

Gave it away at the.

00:20:06 Len Exline

Day after, his sister ran over the neighborhood.

00:20:12 Len Exline

A lot of them suffered that fate.

00:20:14 Len Exline

I've had many people tell me I had to help Dad pick it up and throw it in the dumpster 'cause he got it tired of it being in the way.

00:20:20

Right?

00:20:22 Len Exline

Yes, well, that is rare when they're new.

00:20:25 Len Exline

They're even rarer now.

00:20:27 Arthur A. Busch

So do you see a revival of these for purposes of teaching young?

00:20:33 Arthur A. Busch

People how to.

00:20:34 Arthur A. Busch

You know how to drive and you know 'cause.

00:20:38 Arthur A. Busch

One of the ladies today was on one of these websites, talking back about this picture, this series of pictures you.

00:20:45 Arthur A. Busch

Had said stop, look and listen.

00:20:48 Arthur A. Busch

That was what she remembered from the safety bill, and that's a pretty good lesson when you're crossing the road.

00:20:52 Speaker 1

Do you know?

00:20:54 Arthur A. Busch

Do you see any way this might be revived in some form or fashion?

00:20:59 Arthur A. Busch

With all the liabilities?

00:21:01 Len Exline

And you, with a legal background, would understand there's so much with people wanting to sue that I find it very difficult to see a community doing that, and it would be a rather large investment as it was when it first came out.

00:21:15 Len Exline

Our car first started pushing the idea of these safety bill-type periods in 1958.

00:21:22 Arthur A. Busch

So so basically, the idea that people the people of Genesee County, Greater Flint area or Detroit want, you know, even with all their rich history.

00:21:34 Arthur A. Busch

They probably wouldn't be able to do that again unless the mods or somebody who the foundation, maybe Ford Foundation, or somebody bestowed a lot of money to do it.

00:21:45

It would take.

00:21:45 Arthur A. Busch

Who's that?

00:21:46 Len Exline

It sounds practical.

00:21:49 Len Exline

It takes a significant amount of money.

00:21:51 Len Exline

The land to do it.

00:21:52 Len Exline

The people demand it.

00:21:54 Len Exline

They had a heck of a program there in Flint where they had the police working with kids, and it did a heck of a good thing for the community in teaching the kids safety.

00:22:06 Len Exline

Road safety and the people I've seen discussing the topic from Flint said that that's where they learned.

00:22:14 Len Exline

How to drive?

00:22:15 Arthur A. Busch

Yes, well, we learn the rules to stop anyway.

00:22:20 Arthur A. Busch

Having been the prosecutor, not stopping is usually one of the causes.

00:22:23 Arthur A. Busch

The biggest causes of fatalities on that speed, but anyway.

00:22:29 Arthur A. Busch

I'm running out of questions, so I wanted to you have tried all over the country to make connections with places that have had these little safety villages.

00:22:40 Arthur A. Busch

I'm just using that term, and you said Flint was the most active in terms of its love and affection for safety.

00:22:49 Len Exline

Bill, the time frame that it operated, it looked like it operated for a long time, and how interactive the community was with it.

00:22:57 Len Exline

They seemed to be the biggest I found so far.

00:23:01 Len Exline

The closest was Danville, IL. Danville, IL, also did the program and also had the police officers involved.

00:23:08 Len Exline

And they used the mini Mustangs, but they didn't do it for as many years as Flint.

00:23:14 Arthur A. Busch

Oh yeah, well, we thank you a million I promised I wouldn't keep you up.

00:23:18 Arthur A. Busch

All night, I know.

00:23:20 Arthur A. Busch

Uh, it's getting late, and I wish you the best.

00:23:24 Arthur A. Busch

I appreciate your time.

00:23:26 Arthur A. Busch

I can't emphasize that enough, and I hope as you keep going, we can get you connected to some people here in Flint, archivists, and so forth, because I'm pretty sure that.

00:23:39 Arthur A. Busch

Someplace out there, they have.

00:23:41 Arthur A. Busch

Have the photographs.

00:23:44 Arthur A. Busch

We'll put you in touch.

00:23:46 Arthur A. Busch

With some of those individuals.

00:23:50 Len Exline

Love to find information and share it.

00:23:52 Len Exline

Sharing is something that people can learn and remember.

00:23:55 Arthur A. Busch

Yes, we have a Sloan Museum.

00:23:57 Arthur A. Busch

As I was mentioning to you earlier, which is an automotive and History Museum in our city, and I know they have some stuff there, and then we have Kettering, which has.

00:24:06 Arthur A. Busch

An automobile archive.

00:24:09 Arthur A. Busch

Which is, I think, one of the largest in the world of its kind.

00:24:13 Arthur A. Busch

So, in any event, thank you, Lee.

00:24:15 Arthur A. Busch

And now that.

00:24:17 Arthur A. Busch

We're all still locked up.

00:24:21 Arthur A. Busch

It just it just.

00:24:22 Arthur A. Busch

For a little while longer, we.

00:24:24 Arthur A. Busch

Can just be patient and stay home and then, and then we'll be out there ready to rock when the sun comes out, and it's a little warmer.

00:24:35 Len Exline

Right sounds good.

00:24:36 Len Exline

Sounds good, thank you, Sir.

00:24:38 Len Exline

Have a good evening.

00:24:38 Arthur A. Busch

And have a good night.

00:24:40 Arthur A. Busch

This is Radio Free Flint Arthur Busch, and we are signing off.

00:24:43 Arthur A. Busch

00:00:30 Len Exline

Oh, good evening, Sir.

Over and out, take care bye-bye.