News from CORSA -- News from CORSA Chapters
Updated 21-Feb-2012 ==== Copyright (c) 2012 Corvairs of New Mexico
DEADLINE FOR CHAPTER REPORT
Subject: Chapter reports and administration services and benefits fees
From: Jamie Reinhart CORSA President < jtreinhart @ omnitelcom.com >
Date: 2012=Feb=18 09:03:12 MST
To: chapters @ corvair.org
Due Date for CORSA Chapter Reports and Administration and Benefits Fees
Postponed
A few months back CORSA Chapters and Special Interest Groups were notified
of a new fee for non-CORSA members. The fee and the companion chapter report
were to be due on March 1st, 2012. Because of unforeseen issues the program
to file chapter reports and collect the $3 fee has not been created yet.
Therefore the report and fees will be waived until the program is finished,
hopefully sometime in mid 2012. Thanks for your continued patience and
understanding.
Jamie Reinhart
CORSA President
*****************************************
2013 CORSA Convention
According to the November 2011 AIRHORN from Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts,
CORSA has awarded the 2013 CORSA Convention to WEST MICHIGAN CORVAIR CLUB of
Grand Rapids, Michigan. For anyone who doesn't know, Grand Rapids is west of
Flint, north of Kalamazoo, and just about halfway between Detroit and Chicago.
*****************************************
2012 CORSA Convention on the web
Friends, as part of the preparations for the 2012 CORSA Convention in
Sturbridge, Massachusetts, the NECC has launched a convention web site,
a convention blog, and a YouTube video.
Web site:
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/necc/convention/index.htm
Weblog:
http://corsa2012.blogspot.com
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH7LaQenIus
As time goes on we will be updating the web site as more convention
details get finalized, and we will be adding news and items of interest
to the blog regularly. Bookmark these pages -- link to them from your
own web pages -- promote them within your local clubs. Thank you!
/--Bob Marlow, with Al Lacki, for the NECC/
*****************************************
Registration Site for 2012 CORSA Convention
The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center is now accepting room
reservations for the 2012 CORSA Convention at Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Full details are posted at the new 2012 CORSA Convention website at:
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/necc/convention
Reminder: You need to be a CORSA member to participate in CORSA
convention events.
*****************************************
Latest CORSA Chapter Plan
Corvair Society of America
Operating Policy
Approved: 07/26/2011
Title: CORSA Chapter Plan
Section I. Purpose and Provisions
The CORSA Chapter Plan is the basis for coordination and mutual support between
CORSA and local and regional Corvair organizations. Corvair clubs, by becoming
Chartered Chapters through the provisions of the Plan, are given the benefits of
standards, service, cooperation and communication nationwide and
internationally, while retaining the independence and individuality necessary to
serve a local membership.
The provisions of the Chapter Plan define what the local organizations must do
to obtain and retain Chartered Chapter status, and what CORSA will provide for
Chapters so chartered. Organizations that are formed because of a common
interest in a feature or particular model of Corvairs shall be called Special
Interest Groups. These groups need not have a geographic base; their members can
span the world.
Section II. Qualifications for Granting New Chapter Status
To become a Chartered Chapter of CORSA, a local group of CORSA members must make
application for Chapter status to the CORSA Executive Secretary. This
application must include:
1. The names and addresses of all the members of the proposed Chapter. The
membership list must include at least ten CORSA members and the CORSA members
must account for at least half of the total members of the proposed chapter. In
Alaska, Hawaii, and foreign countries other than Canada, this minimum
requirement is three. Sparsely populated areas may use the minimum requirement
of three CORSA members with board approval.
2. The names of club officers for the proposed Chapter. A majority of the
proposed Chapter's executive officers (president, vice-president, et al.) must
be CORSA members.
3. A copy of a constitution, or articles of incorporation and by-laws for the
proposed Chapter.
4. A name for the proposed Chapter, which shall not duplicate that of any CORSA
Chapter listed in the most recent published list.
5. A sample newsletter of the proposed chapter, if one is published.
6. Time and location for regular meetings of the proposed Chapter.
The proposed meeting location shall be a minimum of 75 miles by the shortest
surface route from the meeting place of the nearest CORSA Chapter. If this
distance is shorter than 75 miles, written approval from the presidents of the
two nearest CORSA Chapters shall be included with the application. If these
approvals are not included, the four Directors in that Division and the Chairman
of the Chapter Plan Committee shall rule by majority vote of a quorum of three
or more. This requirement will not apply to Special Interest Groups.
Section III. Granting of Chapter Status
When an application for a new Chapter is received, the CORSA Executive Secretary
shall notify the Chapter Plan Chairman and the Directors in that Division and a
30-day comment period will commence. Should questions or objections be raised
within that 30-day period, such issues must be resolved to the satisfaction of
the above-named CORSA officers and representatives prior to Chapter status being
granted. When all qualifications for Chapter Status have been met and any
issues have been resolved, or when all qualifications for Chapter Status have
been met and the 30-day comment period has passed without unresolved questions
or objections, the CORSA Executive Secretary shall notify the new Chapter in a
timely manner via conventional mail that Chapter status has been granted, and
shall add the new Chapter's name to all Chapter listings.
Special Interest Groups shall have the same requirements as Chapters to obtain
their charter. Additionally, their application must be approved by the CORSA
Board of Directors.
Section IV. Maintenance of Chapter Status
To indicate that Charter requirements continue to be met, a Chartered Chapter
shall file with the Executive Secretary, by March 1st of each calendar year, a
Chapter membership roster including CORSA and non-CORSA members, a list of
Chapter officers, name and address of the CORSA contact person, a current
website address, if applicable, and time and location of meetings. If there is
no response, CORSA would have to consider the chapter as inactive. A follow-up
will be done and the chapter removed from the chapter list if a chapter report
is not received. CORSA board directors will contact chapters if necessary.
A Chartered Chapter shall endeavor to maintain 100% of its membership as CORSA
members. All Chapters must maintain the CORSA membership requirements of Section
II, items 1 and 2.
CORSA Chapters shall be required to collect a $3.00 non CORSA affiliation fee
for each non-CORSA member and the chapter will be required to submit payment
of fees with the annual chapter report.
The fee will be waived for those Chapters that maintained 100% of their members
as CORSA members as reported on their annual Chapter Report.
A Chartered Chapter shall include the editor of the CORSA Communique on its
mailing list, and shall offer to maintain a newsletter exchange with neighboring
and other Chapters.
Chartered Chapters shall be active organizations that must meet at least
annually. To be considered an active organization, a Chartered Chapter must
satisfy at least one of the following conditions:
1. It must publish a newsletter for its members at least four times a year.
-or-
2. It must have at least four meetings annually of at least 25% of its members.
Chartered Special Interest Groups shall have the same requirements as Chapters
to maintain their status.
Section V. Benefits to Chapters
CORSA shall provide to its Chartered Chapters:
3. Channels for communication of Chapter information via the CORSA Communique.
4. Sanction and support for certain regional events sponsored by Chapters.
5. Liability insurance to United States Chapters.
6. Discounts on Chapter purchases of CORSA merchandise in quantity.
7. Availability of lists of CORSA members with contact information residing in
the Chapter's area, for membership recruitment and event announcement purposes,
only.
8. Administrative guidance information to help in the organization and running
of the Chapter.
9. Standards for conduct and judging of competitive events.
10. Encouragement to CORSA members to join Chapters in their area.
11. Chartered Special Interest Groups will get priority in scheduling meeting
space and time at CORSA's annual convention.
*****************************************
Highlights of CORSA Board Meeting - September 2011 CORSA Communique - Page 28
CORSA Motion 11-6: 2012 Chapter Reports will be due March 1, 2012.
The report needs to list chapter officers, newsletter, website if one exists,
CORSA contact and chapter member- ship. If no response, CORSA would have to
consider the chapter as inactive. A follow-up will be done and the chapter
removed from the chapter list if a chapter report is not received.
CORSA Directors will contact chapters if necessary.
Moved by Tim Mahler, seconded by Don Kellogg. Approved by all present.
CORSA Motion 11-7: CORSA chapters shall be required to collect a $3 non CORSA
affiliation fee for each non-CORSA member and chapter will be required to
submit payment of fees with the annual chapter report.
Moved by Mike Hall, seconded by Bruce Levitch. Approved by all present.
Election of CORSA officers:
Jamie Reinhart, President;
Jason Cesana, Vice President;
Frank Regal, Treasurer;
David Dykwell, Secretary.
Election of CPF offiers:
Don Kellogg, President;
Frank Regal, Treasurer;
David Dykwell, Secretary.
Shipping charge for CORSA Merchandise will be increased to 20%.
No bids were received for the 2013 or 2014 conventions.
Bidding for 2013 is now open to all Divisions, not just Central.
*****************************************
CORSA NEWS ITEMS
Recent "Chapter Messages" on CORSA Activities
The 2010 CORSA Convention -by- Greg Walthour
The 2008 CORSA Convention -by- Art Gold CNM
Rocky Mountain CORSA: 2011 CORSA Convention in Denver
Recent "Chapter Messages" on the 100% CORSA Rule
===========================================================
CORSA's Web Site: http://www.corvair.org
STOCK CORVAIRS GROUP: http://stock.corvair.org
===========================================================
RECENT EXCHANGE OF "CHAPTER MESSAGES" ON CLUB ACTIVITIES
Subject: CORSA Chapters NEW CORSA WEBSITE!!
From: Jamie & Tanya Reinhart jtreinhart@omnitelcom.com
Date: 2011=Aug=22 13:08:24 MDT
To: corsabod@corvair.org, chapters@corvair.org, virtualvairs@corvair.org,
All, It is with great pleasure and much excitement that I announce that the new
CORSA website has gone live!! It has taken many months and many dedicated people
to get to this point, but you will see it was well worth the wait! Thank you
very much to everyone that has had a part in this terrific project! Your hard
work is greatly appreciated! Please take some time and visit the new site at
www.corvair.org and check it out. All CORSA members that had a user name and
password for the old site will use the same user name and password for the new
site with one exception. When the data was transferred over all case sensitive
passwords were changed to lower case letters. (i.e. if you had a password like
CorVaiR , it would now be corvair.)
There are several layers to the site. If you are a non-CORSA member and are not
registered for the site you can get to certain areas only. If you register for
the site you can get to a few more areas. And if you are a CORSA member and have
a user name and password you can enjoy the full benefits of the site!
Besides the website committee, myself and Jason Cesana have had the most
experience navigating the new site, so if you have questions about the site
please feel free to e-mail us with them.
Thanks and have fun!!
Jamie Reinhart
CORSA President
========================
Subject: Re: CORSA Chapters [VV-talk] Air-Vair whitewall tires
From: airvair @ earthlink.net
Date: 2011=Jun=06 15:16:24 MDT
All,
My thoughts were of the long range (in reference to my letter in the latest
Communuque). I may be mistaken, but I think even Clark's was unsure how
long they were going to be able to offer them. Certainly eventually this is
what we are looking at, VERY high prices for 13" whitewall (for Concours)
tires, be they radial (from Diamond Back) or bias (from Coker) ply tires.
Heck, WIDE whitewall 13" tires (for '60 model 500 and 700 cars) are already
only available in the collector tire market, to my knowledge.
-Mark
Subject: Re: CORSA Chapters Air-Vair whitewall tires
From: hacoanews @ gmail.com
Date: 2011=Jun=06 14:50:27 MDT
Check the HACOA website, HACOA.org. Mike Dawson has several sets of
185/80/13 whitewalls for sale. I think they are cash and carry.
GaryM.
Subject: Re: CORSA Chapters Air-Vair whitewall tires
From: vairshop @ sbcglobal.net
Date: 2011=Jun=06 12:14:28 MDT
Mark and all-
Clarks has the 185/80 whitewall in stock for $95 ea.
As of today, they have about 25 of them.
lc
Subject: Re: CORSA Chapters Air-Vair whitewall tires
From: ronh @ owt.com
Date: 2011=Jun=06 11:00:49 MDT
Over $100 for adding a white ring looks a bit steep to me.
I'll stick with blackwalls.
RonH
Subject: CORSA Chapters whitewall tires
From: airvair @ earthlink.net
Date: 2011=Jun=06 10:26:26 MDT
All,
I wrote Diamond Back Tires about obtaining 185-80R13 tires and
they responded that they "add whitewalls to modern radial tires.
You can order a 135/80R13 with a 5/8" whitewall from us.
These are $172 each plus shipping." Their website is:
http://www.dbtires.com/
So it looks like we'll have to start ordering collector tires
from this vendor.
-Mark Corbin
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Subject: [ CORSA Chapters ] Club Activity Suggestions desired
From: whubbell @ verizon.net
Date: 2010=Dec=14 06:33:56 MST
To: chapters @ corvair.org
Reply-To: whubbell @ umich.edu
I have just been elected Activities Chairman for the Tidewater Corvair Club.
I thought it might be interesting to check with all the other clubs to see
what sort of interesting activities you have done. I am especially
interested in activities that get your members motivated to attend and to be
more active in the club.
Thanking you all in advance, and looking forward to the responses!
Bill Hubbell
===
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Club Activity Suggestions desired
From: AeroNed @ aol.com
Date: 2010=Dec=14 20:46:04 MST
To: chapters @ corvair.org
Bill,
We, MCCA, have several activities that are popular. The oldest one is a
huge all makes car show at a near by lake. That was an easy one.
We also have three "Tunas" per year, Cold Tuna in Feb, Juna Tuna in June
and Luna Tuna in Oct. These are tune up sessions at Terry Kalp's shop. We
have members that know enough to teach others or just get it done. We worked
on our club car so much, that we have to import jobs from nearby clubs
(nearby in Kansas is a couple hundred miles). Terry's hospitality and generosity
are what really make these events the great success they are. We also have
a spectacular spread for lunch, usually pot luck, that attract some people
too. My favorite side effect of these events are the guys that come just
to watch and learn (and jeer). These events have eliminated the excuse of
"It isn't running right" for why we don't get lots of cars at meetings.
Here in Wichita, there are several Friday night cruise ins around the city.
Some are special dates and others are every Friday. We have several
members that attend different events. These are not like concours show, more like
a bunch of car people hanging out in a parking lot, very informal and
friendly.
Finally, we go places in a group cruise. We've gone to local museums or
tourist attractions. Just something where the trip there is half the fun. Of
course there also has to be a good, unique place to eat.
Ned
===
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Club Activity Suggestions desired
From: gswiatowy @ rochester.rr.com
Date: 2010=Dec=15 02:47:50 MST
To: chapters @ corvair.org
For the NFCC, we have our best attendance when we do things like a tech
session.
Best was when we restored the Canadair motor on behalf of the CPF to be
displayed in the Buffalo Transportation Museum.
But installing a front suspension, doing a clutch job, carb rebuilds work
also.
Meetings tied to cruise nights, where food is available also works.
When we can get a guest speaker, or some program going like watching a
Corvair related film, like the "This Old Corvair", or a video of an
autocross, or convention.
Gary Swiatowy
===
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Club Activity Suggestions desired
From: Bob.King @ purina.nestle.com
Date: 2010=Dec=15 06:57:25 MST
To: whubbell @ umich.edu, chapters @ corvair.org
Car Museums, we have a couple nice ones in our area, Fall foliage
cruises, Jim Thorpe is well know for this (again in our "area"), Cruise
to a historic railroad including a 1 hr ride on the train and museum
tour, trip to Longwood gardens a botanical attraction in West Chester
Pa.
That's a few I can think of off hand
Bob King President PCA... Chap 190
THE 2010 CORSA CONVENTION -BY- GREG WALTHOUR
Northern Virginia Corvairs - HOT AIR MAIL - August 2010
Convention Report - Special to the HAM
Associate Editor Greg Walthour
From June 17th to the 26th, I went on a 10-day journey in my 1963 Greenbrier
(which is actually RED!) to the Corvair Convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!
Although Virginia and the kids were invited to come along, without the benefits
of Air Conditioning, Air Bags, and a DVD Player, the ride was somewhat
primitive! I spent a few weeks preparing for the convention by working on the
following: installing a factory roof rack which used to reside on the roof of
Allen Bristow's Senior Division BlueBrier, installing a factory camper kit with
a new black and white check floor, installing a front air dam from a S-10 Chevy,
greasing the front end, checking the differential fluid, getting together some
spare parts and tools, and general cleaning and polishing.
I left after having lunch with my son, Mitchell, at his school midday on
Thursday and drove about four hours to my sister-in-law's mom and step-dad's
farm in Lake Lynn, Pennsylvania. It's about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh,
between Uniontown, PA, and Morgantown, West Virginia. Upon arrival there, it was
obvious I was having an oil leak, since the back of the van was covered with
fine droplets. I got up early the next morning, when it was cool in the
mountains, and discovered the issue was just that the oil filter was loose! An
easy fix! I also tightened up the fan belt a little while I was in there. It
took me longer to clean the back of the van than it did to make the repairs. I
had no other issues for the rest of the trip. From Lake Lynn I drove through
Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, on my way to join the "Caravan to the Convention," in
Indianapolis. Everyone driving his or her Corvairs from the East Coast was
invited to meet in Indy.
On Saturday I actually drove about an hour to see a Corvair for sale that I saw
on eBay. It was a pale yellow '65 Monza coupe with a white interior from
Arizona, i.e., NO RUST! The car looked great; however, it was not painted the
original "factory" color, as indicated underhood and I think that was why the
guy was having a hard time selling it. The A/C worked great; however, it
definitely needed some fine-tuning to the idle. From here I joined the Circle
City Corvair Club in their scheduled all day Corvair show which started as a
Corvair display/lunch/music at the Ray Skillman Museum. Hands- down the most
beautiful Corvair there was a '61 Corvan in dove gray which was absolutely
spectacular with its wide whitewalls! The undercarriage was just as beautiful as
the top. It was definitely a museum quality/trailer queen Corvair. Ray Skillman
has done very well for himself as a new car dealer across all makes in the Indy
area. He buys and sells cars at the televised auctions, particularly Mecum. His
museum includes at least 200+ high-end collector cars focusing mostly on Muscle
Cars. Unfortunately, there were no Corvairs on display in the museum; however, I
did spot one of the neon Corvair signs along one of the walls.
At about 3PM, we moved the show over to a local BBQ place which is owned and
operated by the local Old Car Club and is just opened on the weekends. Their
specialty was tenderloins and shakes. In the evening, remember it stays light
until 9:30PM at the western edge of the Eastern Time zone, I was invited over
the Jean Allen's home to see her '63 Rampside she was selling. I approached Jean
early in the day to say how much I have always admired her light green
Greenbrier, and that if she was ever interested in selling it I might be
interested. Well, she was not selling the GB; however, she was selling her
Rampside, which was the same color and still sported its original paint! I made
an offer, and she said she would consider it after trying to market the Rampside
at the convention. Jean's Rampside had two very big positives for me. First, it
was already a 4-speed manual, which I would like to convert mine to, and NVCC
Hot Air Mail 4 August 2010 second, it was already the color I will probably
paint mine some day! We did notice a very threadbare throttle cable after I
returned from a test drive. Jean purchased a new one from Clark's at the
convention. A guy from the Chicago area ended up buying it from Jean for her
full asking price. He is a lucky man!
About 30 Corvairs left Indy at 8AM Sunday morning for the all day drive through
Peoria and the Quad Cities to Cedar Rapids. We stopped a few times, including
the largest truck stop in the United States in Walcott, Iowa. Since we had so
many Corvairs traveling such a long distance, it was recommended we pair up and
stick together with our own team if anyone had any problems. My travelling
Corvair companions were a team of brothers, Ed and Bill Clapper from the
Pittsburgh area, driving Bill's black Corsa 140 coupe, and another friend,
Charles Hamlin, a police officer from Raleigh, North Carolina, driving his '65
RedBrier. This was Charles' second trip to Iowa in two weeks, since he just
finished the Hot Rod Power Tour with his '65 Impala convertible. We arrived in
Cedar Rapids about 5pm, and I was wondering how long it would take to find my
roommate for the week, NVCC member from afar, Curtis Shimp. Curt also
drove his '66 Corsa 140 coupe, with a newly rebuilt engine, from Silver City,
New Mexico, almost 3000 miles roundtrip! He arrived about five minutes
before me and was still unloading his Corvair under the portico of the Marriott.
Monday we had a free day for swap meet parts shopping, plus a pizza/welcome
party in the evening. They also hosted the valve cover races. I'm not too big on
these; however, they were well attended and the track was certainly impressive
with its Christmas Tree lights like a "real" dragstrip! Tuesday, was the Economy
Run and Rally. Please see the article below [See September 2010 HAM], which
should appear in an upcoming CORSA Communique. Early Thursday morning, Curt and
I hosted an impromptu NVCC meeting in the parking lot of the host hotel to work
on my CampBrier. The mission was two-fold, first, determine the slight drain on
the battery. I've known about since I bought the van; however, never took the
time out to see what was the cause. I just assumed it was the auxiliary in-line
fuel pump; however, it turned out to be the tachometer, which was attached to
one of the "always hot" fuses in the fuse block. Wow! That was easy! Now, on my
drive out I had to listen to my iPod, 350 songs was enough to get me to Iowa;
however, I would have had to listen to the same ones on the way home. I had time
to paint and install the correct FC radio box (lifted from the Rampside!) and
install a new Pioneer CD player; however, I just didn't have to time before I
left to hook up all the wiring to the four speakers, antennae, etc. Thanks a
million for your help on the Curtis! I'm sure I'll appreciate it more with all
the windows rolled up in the fall/winter/spring. Thursday was the Autocross at a
local racetrack, Hawkeye Downs. The best thing about the event was the covered
grandstand, which kept everyone out of the sun with an occasional breeze. There
were many well-prepared Corvairs at the track, and the view from the grandstands
made it easy to watch everyone's individual heat. Spinning out was the norm, and
definitely a crowd pleaser! Most spinouts happened right at the end of the
course.
I want to mention two young Corvair enthusiasts who need to be minted for
CORSA's future. First, as ladies are always first, Alice Bischof. Alice and her
Dad (I'm sorry, I don't recall his name) restored a now beautiful 1962 Monza
coupe in Nassau Blue, I believe a one year only color. The Corvair was given to
them for a very nominal cost, and Alice and her Dad made an agreement with each
other that the Dad would only help work on the Corvair when Alice was working on
the Corvair. What a great idea for a parent - son/daughter project! The before
and after photos were amazing! They even replaced the entire taillight panel! I
believe the Corvair did well enough to be elevated to Senior Division. The
second Corvair nut I would like to mention is Brett Starostki, who is the
president of the Show-Me Corvair Club from St. Louis, Missouri. Brett brought
along his fantastic LM 500 four door with factory air! He painted it himself in
a late model dark/burnt orange color, and the bodywork and paint were amazing!
His energy and interest in both the Corvair people and the Corvairs themselves
is tremendous!
I left for home early Friday morning with a 14-hour drive back to Lake Lynn that
night. I did miss the Car Display and live music; however, I did see most of the
Corvairs on display everyday in the parking lot. Hands down, the best part about
going to the convention was reconnecting with friends, making some new friends,
and just talking to everyone about their Corvairs!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE 2008 CORSA CONVENTION -BY- ART GOLD
Corvairs of New Mexico
June 23rd - June 28th 2008
Hello all. What you are about to read will most definitely make you laugh, cry
and sweat. All of these emotions will be attributed to an event that is near and
dear to our hearts, the Corvair International Convention. This tremendous event,
held in Ventura, California, was not only a stimulation for the mind, but also
the senses. So sit back, and enjoy the ride, through the eyes of an enthusiast
of the car that made all rear engine cars breathtaking, the Chevrolet Corvair.
To start things off, a little information concerning Ventura, California is
necessary. Ventura began its history in 1782 as Mission San Buenaventura,
founded by Father Juni'pero Serra. After the Civil War, settlers came to the
area, buying land from the Mexicans, or simply as squatters. Vast holdings were
later acquired by Easterners, including the railroad magnate, Thomas Scott. He
was impressed by one of the young employees, Thomas R. Bard, who had been in
charge of train supplies to Union troops, and Bard was sent west to handle
Scott's property. By 1914, Bard and the Union Oil Company brought jobs and a
thriving economy to the area. With the strong economy, roads and highways were
being built to and from Ventura. From then on, Ventura has become a popular
tourist destination, retirement community, and of course, home to the 2008
Corvair International Convention.
What you are about to read is a real depiction of the day-by-day events of the
Corvair International Convention and the transit between, as experienced by
Geoff Johnson, Sally Williams, Baby Mara (2 months old) and yours truly, Art
Gold.
June 23rd 2008
We were on our way. The Dodge Magnum (courtesy of Hertz) was all gassed up.
Geoff, Sally, baby Mara, and myself were all strapped in, and were dizzy with
excitement to begin our 900-mile pilgrimage to the convention. We decided to
stop over in Flagstaff, Arizona on the way. Tired and weary from the late start,
we picked a hotel for the night, recommended by Geoff. After paying an
outlandish fee for the room, we had to check out the room. To use the word
quaint for the place would be putting it mildly. There was barely enough room
for one person to stay there, but three adults, one baby, luggage, and a
wheelchair was just plum ridiculous. So after some rearranging of the furniture
and a few repairs to the toilet, we knocked off and got a sound night of sleep,
to the harmonious sounds of train horns outside our window.
June 24th 2008
We awake, rested but tired. We strap baby Mara in and we depart our deluxe
accommodations, en route to the breakfast of the gods, Jack in the Box. After a
fuel of both stomach and tank, we head out to complete our quest, Ventura.
During the journey, we stop in Needles, California for a pit stop and lunch
(again Jack in the Box). First thing we notice is the gas prices at the local
economy gas station of $5.39 for regular. I guess the gas in Needles must be of
the champagne quality. We trudge on, finally making it to Ventura that
afternoon. We then find our hotel, nap, eat some dinner with Geoff's uncle, and
sack out once again, with dreams of a new day of the convention ahead of us. By
the way, Baby Mara was great!
June 25th 2008
We awake, have some more breakfast of the gods at the ole' Jack in the Box, and
joyfully travel to the convention, seeing many cool 'Vairs along the way. Upon
entering the convention, we see a really cool 1960 for sale. We drooled and
moved on. The day was quite eventful, with registration, ogling parts we desired
and needed, talking to various patrons of interiors and paint, interesting
collectors, and best of all, conversing with big wigs of CORSA. We even go to
see the rarest Corvair of them all, a 1969 coupe, test car. A thing of beauty it
was. We rounded out the day with a nice small dinner at In and Out Burger and
hit the hay.
This was also the day of parts, parts, and more parts. Geoff and I made a few
purchases at Clark's, Larry's and Lon's. We pretty much bought everything we
deemed necessary for our cars. We also made some purchases that were just plain
splendid, such as posters, key chains, decals, manuals, mugs, T-shirts, and a
pacemaker (for when we saw the credit card bill). Sally really enjoyed viewing a
turquoise 1962 coupe, which could be described with one simple word, perfect.
June 26th 2008
This was the day of the autocross. Having spent our wad, we were lucky to have
the opportunity to catch the annual convention autocross. The event was
separated into three classes (open, modified, and just plain cool). As the cars
were traversing the course, we were waiting with bated breath for the stars of
the show to make their run, the Greenbriers and the Lakewoods. When they did let
them go, they did not disappoint. A 1962 Greenbrier actually got on two wheels
through a tight turn. Now that is a sight, and possibility one of the greatest
moments of the entire convention.
June 27th 2008
As is the case with all good things, they must come to an end. We had to get
back to the Burque once again and begin arduously writing articles, wading
through all the pictures and building storage areas for the various parts and
trinkets we purchased. It did seem like smooth sailing at first upon departing
Ventura, until we got to Payson, Arizona. I decided that I would drive us home,
but the hand controls that were installed by Hertz, decided to fail. Luckily, we
were not in motion at the time of discovery. Geoff graciously offered to finish
up the drive home, and hence a complaint to the wondrous powers of the Hertz
Corporation was expressed. They did refund the rental, and both sides walked
away content, well, except for me, and you should know why by now.
Well that concludes our little excursion of the ages to the Corvair
International Convention. Hopefully, you were inspired, or at the least
entertained. See you next from Jacksonville, Florida!
Art Gold reporting
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORSA HOSTS 2011 CORSA CONVENTION IN DENVER
Dates were July 26-30, 2011.
Eric Schakel and Rocky Mountain CORSA presented a world-class
CORSA Convention according to all reports.
Tarmo Sutt's red 1966 turbo Corsa convertible was a big player
in the concours.
cnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnmcnm
RECENT EXCHANGE OF "CHAPTER MESSAGES" ON THE 100% CORSA RULE
From: "Louis Armer" < carmerjr @ mindspring.com >
To: < virtualvairs @ corvair.org >
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 5:30 PM
Subject: < VV > Naysayers
I am surprised at the number of NAYSAYERS regarding 100% CORSA
membership. Many who have responded are usually positive individuals
who I have known personally for years. The stale old argument that
clubs would withdraw from CORSA and small chapters would fold and
disappear just is not a valid argument to present. It is the same
negative slant that encourages NO action and uses negativity as a
crutch. "I am going to take my ball and go home" has been an ageless
threat since we were all children and now we have
adults in CORSA using the same old threat. Grow up and see the
problems of unenforceable rules / bylaws for what they are and will
always be. Let's put a bylaw in CORSA that allows each indidvidual
member the right to an International referendum vote on 100%
CORSA membership as a requirement of belonging to CORSA. No straw
vote, no current / former CORSA Presidents or Directors, representing
the members BUT each individual member burdened with the single
responsibility to vote on CORSA's future.
Chuck Armer
CORSA Member
Corvanatics Member
Corvair Atlanta Director
1965 Corsa Coupe
1964 Greenbrier
http://darthvair.com
SECC Member
1965 Corsa Autocross car 1/2 owner
http://www.wtbrt.com/
=-=-=-=-=
On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 6:47 PM, J R Read < hmlinc @ sbcglobal.net > wrote:
Chuck,
I guess you have me included in there somewhere. I will remain a CORSA
member whether my local stays or goes. Some of our local members have been
with the local for 40 years, so they were there when the original rules
were set up and may indeed have had a say in what those rules were to be.
Personally, I'm a late comer to Vairs as I did not arrive on the scene
until 1978. I think I joined CORSA in '80 - maybe earlier, not sure. I had
nothing to do with the original constitution, but several in our local did.
Some of the proposed ideas on these issues have been discussed at local
meetings - with a show of hands on various proposals. My take on those
straw votes was that the charge to cover insurance expenses would have the
best chance with the most people.
If the issue gets forced to the point of the local choosing between
allowing (nearly) life long friends to participate with the local club or not
because of a change to the CORSA rules, I'm not real sure what the outcome would
be. I know that it would not be pretty - which ever way it goes.
Later, JR
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: 65crownv8 @ gmail.com
Date: 2010-Sep-08 17:44:54 MDT
To: virtualvairs @ corvair.org
Cc: chapters @ corvair.org, corsabod @ corvair.org
It would be very easy for the chapters to take the decision out of CORSA's
hand by instituting a by-law to require all future chapter members become
CORSA members as well. The old timers can keep their "lone wolf" status for
as long as they continue to maintain their local club membership in good
standing. If they let their membership lapse, then in order to rejoin their
local club they would have to become CORSA members as well. This would not
impact our current membership at all, if you[re currently a CORSA member,
you're likely to remain a CORSA member. If you're not, you can remain free
of CORSA, but don't let you chapter membership lapse and expect to get back
into the chapter without becoming a CORSA member.
I've proposed this to the BoD twice and it's fell on deaf ears, so I guess I
have to push from the ground up.
George Jones
--------------------------------
Eastern Division Director,
Corvair Society of America (CORSA)
Performance Corvair Group
Central Florida Corvair Club (Since 2009)
Tidewater Corvair Club (since 1987)
Central Virginia Corvair Club (since 2006)
CORSA (since 1987)
'65 Monza Crown V8 Convertible
'66 Monza Coupe Custom
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: Re: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: dpleau @ wavecable.com
Date: 2010-Sep-08 18:45:17 MDT
To: virtualvairs @ corvair.org
Cc: chapters @ corvair.org, corsabod @ corvair.org
I'm not sure it has fell on as many deaf years as you think.
I was a member of Corvairs of New Mexico and before I joined in 1990 all
their non CORSA members were grandfathered in. Join CNM or renew after
letting your CNM membership lapse and you had to be a member of CORSA to
join/renew. It created an ugly seen at a club Anniversary party as one of
the club founders had lapsed and wanted to rejoin CNM and attend the party.
He went ballistic when he was told he had to join CORSA also... They must
be getting close to 100% if they are still enforcing their bylaws.
When I moved to Elbert, CO, I joined Pikes Peak Corvair Club and Rocky
Mountain CORSA. RMC is easy, it's one of the two 100% CORSA chapters.
Don't belong to CORSA, can't join RMC.
PPCC was about a 68% club. I always felt bad about that as I was on the
CORSA BoD, Debbie was the PPCC president and CORSA Merchandise Chair. I
never had a good feeling about the percentage. I'm guessing they will be an
almost 100% chapter next summer as it is required to attend/work at the
convention in Denver.
I'm a member of CORSA, but I'm not currently a member of any chapter. It
has to do more with being unemployed than anything else. I can afford the
$25 dues for my local club, but the meetings are really boring and the only
redeeming thing about them is they are in a restaurant. I can't afford the
$40 it takes to feed myself and kids every month. They actually have some
fun activities. I'll rejoin when I find a job.
I'm not sure what CCRC CORSA policy is, they never asked me about my CORSA
status when I was a member.
Dennis
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: Re: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: jimp @ unm.edu
Date: 2010-Sep-09 06:10:18 MDT
To: dpleau @ wavecable.com
On 2010-Sep-08, at 18:45 , Dennis Pleau wrote:
> I was a member of Corvairs of New Mexico and before I joined in
> 1990 all their non CORSA members were grandfathered in.
Right now we only have one member we consider "grandfathered"
and that's Ruth Boydston. Actually, Francis Boydston was a CORSA
member, but when he died, apparently Ruth did not pay dues, so I
am not sure what CORSA thinks of her membership.
> It created an ugly seen at a club Anniversary party as one of the
> club founders had lapsed and wanted to rejoin CNM and attend the
> party. He went ballistic when he was told he had to join CORSA also...
I'd sure like to know who this was! I don't think I attended
that anniversary party. The only one I recall "going ballistic"
was at a regular meeting -- it was Joe Lite of Rio Rancho. Sylvan
stuck to his guns and would not accept his CNM dues without CORSA
dues. Joe yelled about it, no one at the meeting spoke up for him
and he stomped out never to be seen again. (He just recently died
after a few years of memory loss, according to his son who sold
off all his cars and parts.)
> They must
> be getting close to 100% if they are still enforcing their bylaws,
We have three members who are still current with CNM who have
let their CORSA membership dues go unpaid. I'm not sure what
we will do when/if they want to renew CNM. The board has talked
about this and resolved to enforce our constitution's 100% rule.
We'll see if we actually do it. We all say we believe in the 100%
rule, but those who accept dues money seem to be reluctant to
have a confrontation to actually enforce it.
- Jim
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: Re: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: 66corsa @ cox.net
Date: 2010-Sep-08 18:27:39 MDT
To: 65crownv8 @ gmail.com
Cc: virtualvairs @ corvair.org, chapters @ corvair.org, corsabod @ corvair.org
Heart of Georgia Corvair club highly encourages CORSA membership for our chapter
members. We even have some within the club who would require CORSA membership to
be a member of our club. We have put it to a vote several times and each time
the final outcome is that while we do what we can to promote CORSA, we still
value freedom of choice.
Still, we are aware that CORSA membership is on the decline, and the national
organization faces solvency issues. About eight months ago, we voted on a
program to help promote CORSA. Our club will pay for the first year CORSA
membership for every new member that joins Heart of Georgia. We get the new
member to fill out a CORSA application, and we mail it in with one year's worth
of dues. This introduces new members to CORSA without requiring them to spend
any of their own money.
In under a year, we have sent CORSA four or five members. It is up to CORSA to
show its value to them so they renew after year one.
V/R
David Clamp
Newsletter editor, Heart of Georgia Corvair Club
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: Re: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: rearengine.steve @ att.net
Date: 2010-Sep-08 20:36:34 MDT
To: dpleau @ wavecable.com, virtualvairs @ corvair.org
Cc: chapters @ corvair.org, corsabod @ corvair.org
Hello all: You know the most discouraging part of this is that in about
1979 there was a movement to do 100% because of K&K insurance rules. Just
about the time that most of the clubs had fallen into line with the rule
PRESTO, the insurance changed and the forces to be (or the forces at that
time anyway) took away the 100% rule. Of course many clubs and individuals
immediately fell out of the CORSA rolls. If CORSA had left the original
rule in force we wouldn't be arguing about it again.
To state local club postions:
RMC adopted the rule in 1979 and has remained a mandatory CORSA and local
membership. RMC gets NO flak from any new member.
PPCC has a rule as George Jones states: any existing member is exempt from
CORSA, new members or lapse and rejoining means joining CORSA at the same
time. Again, there has NO ill comments from a new member over this.
Steve Goodman
Pres PPCC
member RMC
=-=-=-=-=
Subject: Re: < CORSA Chapters > < VV > Naysayers
From: AeroNed @ aol.com
Date: 2010-Sep-08 21:37:58 MDT
To: virtualvairs @ corvair.org
Cc: chapters @ corvair.org, corsabod @ corvair.org
I tried to get that done in my chapter and it was shot down handily, by 90%
of the membership. Obviously that 90% included existing CORSA members.
They just don't like being told what to do. If this rule was forced on us, my
chapter would drop out of CORSA or even fold. Chuck, this is not a childish
threat, but real hard facts. When I was on the BoD, other chapter said the
same thing. I can't attest for the factuality of their chapter reactions.
All of this goes with out my understanding.
Ned
=END=