Updated 18-Feb-2020 = Copyright (c) 2020 Corvairs of New Mexico
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FEBRUARY 2020 / VOLUME 46 / SPECIAL ISSUE / REMEMBERING BILL REIDER
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ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER -- FEBRUARY 2020 SPECIAL ISSUE
REMEMBERING BILL REIDER
Jim Pittman
On Saturday January 25th Lee Reider phoned to say that Bill died at 2:30 PM.
Bill's health had been in decline for many months and he had been in
rehabilitation facilities since about July 2018.
The last time I visited Bill at a skilled nursing facility was May 7th last
year, but several of our members visited Bill at his home after the November
meeting to finish preparing the silver Corsa coupe for shipment to England.
Bill joined CNM in September 1974 and was a vital member of the club for many
years, serving as vice-president for one term and as president for three. He
provided dozens of articles for the newsletter as well as tech tips and
presentations at meetings. He was active in all club events including
Tri-States, CORSA conventions and activities with the Car Council and other car
clubs. His shop CAR TUNE was the location for the repair and modification of
many of our Corvairs.
His efforts on behalf of the club could hardly be overstated and his and his
family's friendship to us was immense. Much that is good about our club today is
directly and indirectly due to Bill's knowledge, talents, personality and
influence and he was a great friend.
As editor I am always interested in material for the newsletter. I thought a
tribute to Bill would be to reprint some of the articles that have appeared in
Enchanted Corvairs over the years.
CAPTIONS:
Page 2 Above: Bill and his silver Corsa at a meeting in May 2006.
Page 2 Below: Bill and CNM members at a club lunch in 1991.
Cover: Above: Our members help get Bill's Corsa ready to ship to England.
Cover: Below: Bill's 1965 "modernized" Monza sedan at a club lunch in 1991.
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I will start with a "La Ventana" portrait painted by Tom Martin for the
January 1990 issue. Tom did several "La Ventana" articles during the
1990s and this is Bill's.
LA VENTANA -- A MONTHLY FEATURE (JANUARY 1990)
Tom Martin
Seen in our window is a member who started life on October 17, 1928 at Chicago,
Illinois as the 15,000th baby born at the West Suburban Hospital. His mother was
awarded a silver cup in recognition of this momentous occasion. His father was a
house painter and the lad grew up in Chicago attending St. Mel's for grade,
junior and senior high school. High school at St. Mel's was for males only and
BILL REIDER enjoyed being the school photographer for social and sporting
events. He also found pleasure in the school Drama Club even though some of the
roles were those of girls. The classmates especially enjoyed the hilarity of boy
kissing boy dressed as girl.
Bill's first job was that of a soda jerk and you can still get his attention
with the mention of his favorite, a root beer shake! He graduated on February 1,
1946 and tried night classes at Northwestern University but it was not for him.
His love was the camera and after high school graduation he began a job as an
apprentice to a commercial photographer. Even though most of his work entailed
carrying gear and setting up lighting, it was a fun learning experience.
He applied for Air Cadets in 1948 but the tiniest hearing loss in one ear kept
him out. He married 5/27/1950 and the REIDERs eventually adopted 4 children and
now have 6 grandchildren. He was drafted into the Army, with his notice coming
on Christmas Eve 1951, and served 20 1/2 months. After basic training he was
given photographic and motion picture training but duty found him assigned in
Korea behind the lines in an Automatic Anti-Aircraft unit as a half-track
driver. This vehicle was never moved and served as a radio generator. He evolved
to be the unit's jack-of-all-trades (gofer) for Headquarters Company, 21st AAA,
25th Division. Here one project entailed taking photographs and with some
assistance he turned out 8,000 Christmas cards with the GI's photos inside. He
also did a brochure of the history of his outfit.
After service, he returned to Chicago and got his old job back as the key grip
to the commercial photographer and stayed here for about a year. Next was
opening his own photo studio and after a number of years he joined another
photographic studio and worked as a photographer in an art studio.
In 1974, he moved to Albuquerque because he liked the climate and the slower
pace of life. Bill took pride in being in the Boy Scouts for 18 years, becoming
a 3B Wood Badger, the PhD of scouting.
Ah yes, Corvairs. In 1962, the REIDERs bought a new 1962 convertible with
automatic from Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago and even attended several meetings of
a club at the GM Plant, Hinsdale, Illinois. He joined Corvairs of New Mexico
9/74 and has had 3 stints as President. He was also the club rep to the NM Car
Council for 4 years and served as President for 2 years.
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An early article Bill contributed was a letter addressed to a customer
who drove west from New York and broke down in Santa Rosa. What happened
to Anyton, I do not know.
AN OPEN LETTER TO ANYTON H. (FEBRUARY 1982)
Bill Reider
Dear Anyton,
Last summer when you were here to get a used engine I told you I'd write and
tell you what happened to your old one. Well, I guess your engine was really
proof of how good a Corvair engine can be, or maybe proof of how mistreated a
Corvair engine can be and still run!
I remember you said that after you left New York and got as far as Kentucky you
started to have oil pressure trouble and you started putting in 40 weight and
then 50 weight oil. You kept driving, though, and the engine finally quit near
Santa Rosa.
What did I find wrong with the engine when I got around to disassembling it?
Well, cylinder #1 had both the intake and exhaust valve seats wallowed out, and
the combustion chamber was all carboned up. Cylinder #2 was okay. Cylinder #3
had a broken ring and a frozen connecting rod bearing, as well as a loose plug
wire. Number four had a frozen piston pin. Cylinder #5 was okay except for a
broken exhaust valve guide. Number six had a blown out (literally! it was no
longer there!) spark plug. In short, Anyton, you were driving in a two-cylinder
Corvair.
The basic cause of all these problems seems to be dirty oil. You told me you had
only about 3,000 miles on the engine but it had been two years since you changed
the oil. This engine had the blackest, dirtiest oil I've ever seen. When you
only make short runs, especially in the winter, you really build up acids that
will destroy the bearings. This is where your troubles started. Setting out to
go on a long trip just made matters worse.
You should have listened to what they say about oil changes on TV, "You can pay
me now or you can pay me later."
Corvairs Forever, -- Bill Reider
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When I met Bill his daily driver was a 1965 Monza sedan. He often talked
about mods he was making or thinking about. Here's the first of a
two-part story about this car.
MY 1965 CORVAIR (JULY 1982)
Bill Reider
When I had to scrap out my 1967 Corvair convertible, I decided I needed another
good Corvair, and not one from back East but one from this part of the country.
A friend of mine who worked at Dean's Wrecking out in Tijeras Canyon knew I
liked Corvairs. He came across a 1965 Monza with automatic transmission with a
very good body and interior. However, before he could tow the car to my house
his wrecker ran into the left front fender. Well, the price was right,
especially when he delivered it to my house, all for $60. While it would run,
the power was really bad, and it smoked like a Navy destroyer laying down a
smoke screen. I had to make up my mind what kind of car and accessories I
wanted. I figured, why not take advantage of some of the new things that are on
the later model cars. I'd re-make my 1965 into a "1982 Monza" and then I'd have
the best of both worlds.
Now to start with, the car had an early model BO-HP engine. I still had the
engine from my Convertible, a 110 with 97,000 miles on it that had never been
touched except for O-rings at 48,000 miles. But by now it was leaking like a
sieve again. So I figured this would be a good time for a complete overhaul.
The rods and main bearings went back in standard (note that I change oil and
filters at least four times a year, even with a leaking engine). I had heard
about "total Seal" rings so I thought I'd try a set. Also, you get a little
horsepower from boring, so I went to .060" overbore, giving me 170 cubic inches
instead of 164. I used TRW Clevite 77 bearings. I balanced the pistons and rods
for a smoother running engine and for longer life. I used Viton O-rings. I want
this one to last at least another 100,000 miles.
This took care of the mechanical parts of the engine, but what about the
electrical parts? Well, to start with, I used a high-energy coil for a better
spark. I gapped the plugs at .040" instead of .030" and I used an electronic
ignition system. The one I used not only has no points but also gives a broader
or longer duration spark. Now, to get all this energy from the coil to the plugs
you need good wires. I decided to go the same way that GM went and I used their
new 8 mm silicone-insulated wire. This is excellent wire, tough to break down,
and it will get the current to the plugs without grounding out to the sheet
metal. The wider plug gap would cause problems for ordinary insulation. I
recurved the distributor so I could get more power at a lower RPM. I wanted to
have all the advance in by 3,000 RPM, like the distributor in the 140 HP engine.
In the carburetors I used .47 jets. This still gives plenty of power, and the
electronic ignition helps to produce a better burn. To allow the engine to
breathe better I used dual exhausts with turbo mufflers. While the mufflers are
a little loud they sure sound great. All in all, a nice combination.
This took care of the engine. I also went through the transmission. It got new
parts: clutch disks and steels, rear and front pumps, vacuum modulator, and the
3-lobe front pump shaft drive hub. Just like new again. The differential was
also gone through, getting all new bearings and all adjustments reset. Rear
wheel bearings were repacked, something most late model Corvairs need. The car
got new shocks all around, new brake shoes, drums turned, cylinders rebuilt, and
new brake fluid.
For the front end, I replaced all the ball joints and bushings. I also repacked
the front bearings. Back in the rear, I replaced the four U-joints, and to top
everything off I installed four new Michelin tires.
This took care of the complete drive train and running gear. The next thing was
pay attention to lights, gauges, steering column, cruise control, and so on.
I'll tell you that story next month.
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And here is the second part of the article.
MY 1965 CORVAIR (AUGUST 1982)
Bill Reider
I promised last month to tell about the lights, gauges, steering column, cruise
control, and other additions and modifications to my 1965 Monza.
As I said before, I wanted to take advantage of the latest technology. For
lights, why not the best? The best lights are quartz halogen for both high and
low beams. They are a brighter light and take less current for the amount of
light produced.
I wanted side marker lights, and I wanted to have the parking lights on when the
headlights were turned on. This is accomplished by a relay which is activated by
turning on the headlights.
In the rear I tried something I read about in an old CORSA Communique. I
constructed two dual back-up light housings so I could combine turn signal and
back-up light functions in the two inboard units, leaving the outboard units for
running lights and stop lights. Each inboard unit has two bulbs: for backing up,
#1195 clear "cornering bulbs" are used, while for turn indicators #1157 amber
bulbs are used. The back-up lights are 50 candlepower (standard bulbs are 32
candlepower) and are quite bright. When turning, the rear turn signals are amber
like on newer cars, and both brake lights work together.
For gauges I decided I wanted to know what was happening in the engine,
transmission, and the electrical system. First I installed a vacuum gauge,
mounted in the center dash opening where the clock goes. To the right of that I
mounted a 7,000 RPM tachometer. To the left under the headlight and wiper
switches I mounted a cylinder head temperature gauge. The fuel gauge was
installed under the ash tray in a six-gauge cluster that also included an
ammeter, a clock, a volt meter, an oil pressure gauge and an oil temperature
gauge. The oil temperature gauge has a toggle switch to allow me to read either
the engine oil or the transmission oil temperature, depending on the switch
position. All this lets me keep an eye on what's happening back there.
My next change was to install a steering column from a 1967 Corvair. This
features a collapsing column in case of accident and it also has a hazard switch
for warning lights. Because of my long legs I installed a smaller diameter
steering wheel. The steering wheel size has always bothered me in getting into
or out of Corvairs, and the smaller wheel fixes this problem for me.
I installed a cruise control in this car and it really makes a difference out on
the highway. You set your speed and forget it. I even have the control switch
installed in the turn signal stalk. About the only problem involved in hooking
this up on a Corvair is the need for four magnets instead of two on the drive
shaft. This is because the magnets are intended to be located on a standard
car's drive shaft which, for the same road speed, rotates twice as fast as the
half-shafts on a Corvair. Using twice as many magnets solves the problem. You
also need about 18 feet of vacuum hose to go from the engine to the brake pedal.
The unit works just like a factory model.
To top everything off I installed the AM/FM radio from my 1967 Corvair.
What's the result of all these changes? Well, although the car is seventeen
years old it operates like a new car. It has most of the useful features of new
cars but it still drives and handles like a Corvair -- only better than
original.
The car has cost me about $2,000 in money and a lot in labor, but for me it's
sure a lot better than a new car for some $8,000 plus and many months of car
payments.
I hope these ideas will be helpful to other Club members. Keep Those Corvairs
Running!
-- Bill Reider
CAPTION: Bill helped with many club activities including club rallies. In 1988
he designed and ran a rally -- I was his assistant. In this photo he is
explaining an instruction to a rally participant. It was actually a
great rally!
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For many months in the 1980s Bill contributed a monthly column to
Enchanted Corvairs. It was usually about technical topics, but sometimes
he told about attending events such as CORSA's International Convention
in 1986.
MONTHLY COLUMN (SEPTEMBER 1986)
Bill Reider
I just got back from the National Convention where Lee and I both had a good
time. We only had one problem on the way down. We were running low on gas and
decided on going into Emporia Kansas, where we filled up with gas. Then on the
way out of town we went over a bridge and made a left turn onto a road going to
the freeway. All of a sudden a squad was behind me and pulled me over. The
officer said I was going 46 in a 30 mile zone. It seems that the bridge had a 30
MPH sign which I didn't see. I know I was going over 30 but I don't think 46
mph. Of course that is a good figure because it is the next bracket on the fine
scale. How convenient, while the fine only went up another $10 they know that
they have you. As it was, it was a $45 fine and $12 court cost. A little stiff
if you ask me, but oh well, what can you do. If you are travelling east I would
advise you to stay out of Emporia, Kansas.
The rest of the trip went well. Traffic was moving between 60 and 65 on the
freeways (even in Kansas) although around Detroit traffic was moving about 70. I
even saw three squads sitting by the side of the road just watching traffic.
Well, so much for traffic.
Some of the news from the convention. Next year the convention will be in
Chicago, not Salt Lake City like it was originally planned. The Salt Lake City
Club didn't announce their not doing the convention until the Board Meeting,
although I suspect that the Chicago Club had a good idea that Salt Lake was
going to turn the convention down because they already had a hotel set up. After
all Larry Claypool is the CORSA national representative to the local convention
committee.
The new officers are, President Don Waddell, Vice-President Dave Palmer,
Treasurer Dick Spring, and Secretary Burnie Weddle.
On Wednesday we had the economy run and tour. It was a nice day with the sun in
and out. While we had instructions on where to go, they had us line up and go in
a convoy, which made it a little hard to hold your speed. You had to go with the
lead vehicle which stopped once in a while. Then we had people shutting off
their engines and coasting down hills and up part of the next. I finally went
around the group and cruised at my own speed. We then met up with the group at
the different stops. The first stop was at the Gilmour Old Car Museum. They must
have had 250 old great cars there, a little bit of everything, except Corvairs,
but it was a great museum anyway. They even had a Tucker there if any of you
remember that car. It had a horizontal opposed 6 cylinder engine mounted in the
rear. Of course it was water cooled, but a neat car anyway. Some cars were made
before the turn of the century and all were in excellent condition. They even
had a hood ornament collection.
Then we went to lunch and from there to a winery. From there we went back to
Grand Rapids to gas up. Everybody got to gas up their own car with nobody
watching. As a matter of fact I had to go chase down one of the officials to
give him my fuel consumption. However after all that I did come in third in the
automatics. I don't know the official actual mileage so I really don't know what
my actual mileage was but I figured about 28-3/4. We'll have to wait until it
comes out in CORSA in September, because it wasn't announced at the Awards
Dinner.
Thursday we had a rally which was very well done, even if we did get lost once
or twice. It was put on basically by one person with only one check point. There
was a mileage check at each check point, and you wrote down your own mileage and
continued on. In the evening we went on a tour to Grand Hayen, which was
interesting, but it was just sight seeing. The had a water and light display
that was set to music which was the highlight of the evening.
Friday was the concours which was jam packed with cars. They had over a hundred
in the concours and quite a few in the people's choice award. One of the cars
that I particularly liked was a Greenbrier that was set up as a camper. It only
had 42,000 miles on it, because the owners quit driving it because it was
becoming so valuable. Only about ten were made with that option. Saturday they
had the autocross and had a good turn out. I ran but I'm not going to tell you
how bad I did. It was fun however. Saturday evening was the awards banquet, and
as there was no guest speaker, we got out at a halfway decent time.
That was the end of the convention but we did go to the Sloan Museum to see the
Corvair display which was quite interesting. Come to the next meeting and see
the pictures that both LeRoy and I took while we were at the convention. I think
that you will enjoy them.
See you at the September meeting. -- Bill
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THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR (NOVEMBER 1989)
Bill Reider
As many of you know by now, I'm a little bit of a gauge and gadget nut. Well my
latest is a Driving Control Computer, with cruise control.
This unit has many features in addition to the cruise control. It has a fuel
flow meter that tells you how much gas you have used, as well as what kind of
mileage you are getting when you're driving down the road. It also has several
other features that I think are pretty good such as an electronic digital
speedometer as well as electronic odometer. This coupled with a clock allows you
to be able to compute average MPH, as well as the elapsed time it will take to
get to your destination. This is done by taking your average speed and the
distance you have to go, and at your current average speed it will compute your
arrival time. It also does the same thing with gas usage.
Now you might not think that this could be very accurate, but here's how it
works. To calibrate your speedometer and odometer you pull up to a mileage
marker on the expressway and Set your distance to 0.00 miles. Then they suggest
that you go three miles and pull up to the mileage marker and check the
indicated distance. If your original calibration was set the same as your
Corvair speedometer you would have approximately 3.2 miles on your odometer if
your tires are 185 x 80 x 13. If you have other size tires you will get a
different reading. Now all you have to do so you will have a correct odometer as
well as correct speedometer, is to set your distance to 3.0 miles and calibrate
it. This is done by using a certain sequence on the control panel. I used a 10
mile calibration on mine so I could be a little more accurate.
The computer works the same way on fuel measurement. When you fill up, you zero
the fuel gauge, then when you fill up the next time you'll see how much gas you
have used. Of course for accuracy you have to be quite careful when you fill up
so as to get the same level of gas in the tank each time. I do this by filling
up the neck to the top of the pipe in the filler neck. Today we also have the
advantage of most gas pumps reading to hundredths and some even to thousandths
of a gallon. The computer only reads to hundredths but that is close enough for
me. The computer's speedometer also reads in hundredths. It's great if you're
doing rallies. The speedometer and fuel gauges can also be set to read in
kilometers and liters.
If anyone is interested in installing one of these, you can order it from J.C.
Whitney, part number 12-6286N. The cost is $153.86 plus shipping.
There are a few things that you should be aware of if you plan on installing one
of these. You will need to cut some of the wires and splice about 12 feet in
them so you can get from the sender units in the rear to the control unit in the
front of the car. (You know most cars still have their engines up front, and
they didn't supply long enough wires for a Corvair.) You will need approximately
12 wires in the tunnel. The easiest way to do this is to go to a radio store and
get a cable with 10 or 12 wires in it. Try and get number 18 wire if you can.
Most of the wires can be on the small size but the ones running from the
speedometer pickup should be heavier. The manufacturer used a lamp cord type
wire.
To mount the fuel flow meter you will have to put a rubber fuel hose into the
line from the fuel pump. I mounted my fuel flow meter on the vertical brace at
the center rear of the engine compartment. I ran the rubber hose from there back
to the Tee fitting that sends fuel to the two carburetors.
I had to make a special bracket to mount the speed pick-up unit onto the
differential as well as a bracket to mount the control panel on the left side of
the dash. I mounted the bracket under the dash so I wouldn't have to put a hole
in my Corsa's dash.
The service department is excellent as well. I had a problem with the cruise
control and when I called none of the technicians were available so I was told
they would call me back the next day. Well I said I wouldn't be in until 10:00
AM. You never know if you'll get a call back or not, but at 10:00 they called
back and after telling them what was wrong they offered a couple of possible
solutions. The suggestions didn't work, but when I called back they told me to
do a few more things and when those didn't work either, they sent me a new
cruise control unit.
If any one is interested in seeing the unit, I will have the car at the December
meeting.
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THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR (APRIL 1990)
Bill Reider
If your clutch pedal seems to be getting harder to push than it should be, I may
have an answer for you. I had a strange thing happen with the clutch on my 1965
Corsa. It started getting harder to push, and it felt just like the clutch cable
was stretching. When I checked out the cable it was okay. Of course, with the
late models there isn't much cable to stretch since three quarters of the
"cable" is actually a rod, so I had to look elsewhere for the problem.
Since the clutch was getting harder to push I figured that maybe the bushings in
the clutch pedal shaft under the dash were worn or missing. When I took the
clutch shaft down I found that the arm that goes to the cable end had started to
rip out. Now the same type of thing often happens on the early models, but this
is the first time that I have seen it on a late model car. On the early models
the whole pedal and shaft will fall off. Once it starts it gets tougher and
tougher to push in the clutch, and the harder it is the more you will rip the
shaft.
What is happening is that the shaft is binding because the arm is no longer at a
right angle and this puts a bind on the pulleys and bearings, making everything
work harder. To fix the problem you need to remove the clutch shaft and weld it
back together, and the tricky part is getting it back into the original position
before you weld it. It would be better to put in a good used clutch shaft if you
can find one.
I hope none of you have this problem, but if your clutch starts getting hard to
push, the arm under the dash is something to check out.
Let's keep those Corvairs running. See you next month, Bill
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CAPTION: At a meeting in May 2006 Bill talks about distributor problems
and how to fix them.
REPORT ON THE ALL-CHEVY SHOW, MAY 6, 1990 (JUNE 1990)
Bill Reider
If you were at the All Chevrolet Show you know what a success it was. The sun
was out all day and while the band did get a little loud in the afternoon it was
a great day.
We had a good turn out from the Corvair Club although I did expect a few more
cars. The club turned out 19 cars and received 7 awards. The winners of the
concourse were Larry Blair with his 1964 Spyder Convertible in first place. Then
came LeRoy Rogers with his 1960 Monza Coupe in second place followed by Norm
Brand with his 1962 Monza Convertible. In the Show and Shine, first place was
won by Johnny Silva with his 1963 Monza Convertible, then Steve Gongora with his
1961 Lakewood, followed by Wendell Walker with his 1963 Monza Convertible. In
the Late Truck category third place was won by Jeff Newman with his 1961
Rampside. Congratulations to all you winners.
While I don't have an exact count there were approximately 170 cars at the show.
I think we should all give Ed Black, Milton Sanchez, and Merlin Coffee a big
"Thank You" for being the main sponsor of such a great show.
I'd also like to thank all the people who helped at the membership table and
with the counting of the ballots. The ballot counters were Norm Brand, Bill
Hector, Chuck Vertrees and Wendell Walker. Manning the Membership table were
Larry Blair, Wayne Christgau, John Folkerts, Steve Gongora, Dale Housley, Jeff
Newman, Jim Pittman, LeRoy Rogers, Chuck Vertrees and Wendell Walker. They
talked to quite a few people that were interested in Corvairs and we could see a
few new members because of their work.
With the help of the people above the club made a very good showing. Again, I
would like to give the above people a big "Three Cheers." Thanks again for
making my job so easy.
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In this tech article Bill discusses things that often get overlooked.
THE CARE & FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR (DECEMBER 1995)
Bill Reider
This month let's talk about some of the less well-known items of preventive
maintenance. We all know about changing oil, filter, and lube, but there are
other things that should be done to our Corvairs. The information is readily
available in the shop manual, but we tend to forget the not-so-glamorous items
and only do something about them when the car quits or gives us trouble.
For example, when was the last time you cleaned your oil cooler? This should be
done every 12,000 miles on the 1964-1969 models, but every 5,000 miles on the
1960-1963 models. What's the difference in the oil coolers? The early cars have
the folded fin cooler, while the late ones have more of a honeycomb appearance.
The late type doesn't plug up with dirt quite as easily, because the passages
are much larger. So, especially on early models, clean out the dust and leaves.
Most of us check our air cleaner occasionally, but how many of us check the PVC
system on our cars? There are two types on Corvairs. The PVC system started in
1963 and is one of the few pollution control devices that actually gives us
better gas mileage. It does this because it burns the oil fumes as well as the
gasoline. The 1963 cars (and some '64 and '65 cars) had a PVC valve similar to
the one that we would find on most cars. It was located on top of the air
cleaner cross-over. The biggest problem with this system was that the little
spring inside the PVC can get weak and allow a vacuum leak when the car is at
idle. This can cause a lot of trouble with your car and you won't know why. If
you replace your PVC valve be sure to get an AC valve. The Fram and other PVC
valves do not have the spring in them and will give you problems.
Late model Corvairs have a fixed orifice PVC, which should be cleaned at every
oil change. On the 1965 models the orifice size is .089 and on the 1966 and
later the size is .062. You can clean this with a numbered drill. When was the
last time you cleaned yours?
How about your parking brake pulleys and cable? There's a pulley inside the
tunnel that needs occasional lubricant. If you have a standard transmission you
should lube the gearshift lever ball and socket while you're in the tunnel.
When was the last time you checked the lube in your steering box or your clutch
cross shaft? Have you ever greased your rear wheel bearings? If not, you should
think about it. True, it's not easy, but how long do you plan to keep that
classic Corvair? If you take care of it, it will run as long as you need it.
Hope this gives you some food for thought, see you later -- Bill
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CAPTION: Bill visits, May 2015.
Partly due to his background as a photographer, Bill had a flair for publishing.
He also had an affinity for computers. I remember when I bought an Apple ][
computer and used it primarily for putting together the newsletter and
formatting and printing mailing labels. Bill asked me about a home computer to
get and, contrary to my advice, bought an Apple ///. Despite the "lemon"
features of this computer, Bill mastered it and found all sorts of uses for it.
We both graduated to Mac computers and Bill became an expert with that computer
as well. He was often called on by friends to help solve computer problems.
It was Bill who suggested better ways to produce the newsletter and encouraged
me to set up my web page so as to feature full-color versions of the newsletter
so members could download them from the internet. Many of the features of the
newsletter and web page of recent years are due to suggestions by Bill Reider.
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"CARE & FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR" BOOK
In 1991 Bill presented to the club the idea for a "Care and Feeding of Your
Corvair" book that would put much useful information into a small handbook that
could be provided to all our members. Initially using his Apple /// computer he
edited, formatted, printed and published the book, and over the years the bright
yellow CARE & FEEDING book has become a familiar favorite to our members. It has
been updated as needed and is now in its tenth printing. As an example of the
effort Bill put into this book, here is a short article telling of just one
update to a new edition to the book.
Subject: News Letter November Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 22:34:02
From: Bill Reider [breider @ gte.net] To: Jim Pittman [casa @ unm.edu]
Update on the Care & Feeding book
Since Sundance Automotive has gone out of business we have had to find other
sources for our machine work. Your Board of Directors have been hard at work and
came up with the following places. If you mention that you are a Corvairs of NM
member they will give you jobber prices.
The reason we have selected two different places is that Ray's Automotive
Machine Shop grinds cranks and cleans sheet metal, while Mechanical Services
bores cylinders. They both do valve jobs. The quality at both places seems to be
excellent. It might be a good idea to have your CORSA membership card with you
when you go down to have your machine work done. This shows that you are a
member of CNM.
Machine Work Local: Ray's Automotive Machine Shop 505-243-1818 505-842-0880
1909 4th NW Albuquerque, NM 87102
Mechanical Services 505-345-6959
5111 Edith NE Albuquerque, NM 87107
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In March 2004 we published a special 30th Anniversary issue of the
newsletter. Several members told about their First Corvair. Here's
Bill's story as he wrote it in 2004.
MY FIRST CORVAIR (MARCH 2004)
Bill Reider
I bought my first Corvair in August of 1962. It was a Monza convertible, white
with red interior and a black top. I'll bet you're wondering why I bought this
car. The family and I had been on a trip to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and I had
seen a number of ads for the new Corvair convertible on the trip and I though
that one would be a neat second car. I had always wanted a convertible and this
looked like a great way to go. At the time we had a 1959 Chevy Station Wagon. It
was great for hauling the kids around, going on location at the studio, etc. We
also had a 1953 Chevy Bel Aire coupe, which was a nice car but was getting a
little tired.
Every day I drove to the near north side of Chicago (20 miles one way) so we
really needed another reliable car. I would take the Corvair if I weren't going
on location. I drove the Corvair about eighty percent of the time. I purchased
this car from Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago. They had sponsored a few racing teams
and had quite a high-performance department. While the car had a Powerglide
transmission, it did have some high-performance options. It had heavy-duty
suspension, metallic brakes and a 110 hp engine. I really enjoyed driving this
car, it was fun to drive and handled like a champ.
After a about a year I figured that I would like to make it go a little faster.
My first endeavor was to put a 4-barrel on the car. I purchased a manifold from
JC Whitney and got a Carter 4 barrel carburetor from my local parts store. After
installation I worked on it for about 6 months and finally figured out that this
was not the way to go. The carburetor is just too far from the heads. Then after
doing a lot of research I got a four-carb kit from JC Whitney. It was the John
Fitch setup. While there was the EELCO setup as well, I liked the Fitch design
better because you could leave the carb linkage in the stock configuration. I
had to change the linkage for the 4-barrel setup and it was a pain. I traded in
my 4-barrel carb and purchased four Corvair primary carbs. This configuration
worked great. I could get off the line quicker, got better gas mileage and
increased my top speed from 90 MPH to a little over 100 MPH. This was true miles
per hour.
Once I was in upper Michigan on location after I had installed the new setup and
thought I would give it a try. In upper Michigan you could go miles and miles
without seeing anyone. I was cruising along on a two-lane highway at about 75
and thought this would be a good place to see how fast the car would go. I
pushed down on the gas petal and let it go. The speedometer went up past 100 and
was buried, but the tach showed 5,000 plus RPM. This would indicate that we were
going at least 100-plus MPH. After a few miles I cut it back to 75 and continued
down the road. This was on bias ply tires, and needless to say a Corvair can get
a little squirrely on those tires. Most people today don't realize what an
improvement radial tires can make. After driving on radials I would never drive
on anything else, at least for general driving. I got my first set of radials on
my 1967 Corvair convertible, but that's another story.
After working on this car and learning a great deal about Corvairs I became
really hooked on the Corvair. Over the years I tried a lot of different things
and had a lot of fun working on it.
I kept this car with the 4-barrel setup until I traded the car in on a 1967
Corvair convertible. Another great car, another great story.
- Bill Reider
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THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR (AUGUST 1987)
Bill Reider
CARB JETS: I had a rather interesting experience last week and would like to
pass it on to you. I was rebuilding a couple of carburetors and because the
tail pipe was so black I decided to drop the jet size to lean out the mixture.
The jets were .049 and since it was a four speed with air conditioning I figured
I'd only go down one jet size.
When I got the jets out I held them up to the light to compare them with the new
.048 jets I was going to put in. There seemed to be a lot of difference! I
measured the old jets, and even though they were marked .049 jets they measured
out to be .055. Somebody had drilled them out! I then decided to put in real
.049 jets. When I finished I could hardly wait to see how the car would run.
Well, it seems to have more power, and I'm sure it will get much better gas
mileage.
Most cars need an air/fuel ratio between 12/1 and 12.5/1 for the best power,
while the best economy is somewhere between 14.2/1 and 15/1. Both of these
figures depend about a lot of variables, such as the condition of the engine,
condition of carburetor, timing, temperature, altitude and grade of fuel being
used. One of the advantages of the 1965 and later carbs is the power valve that
helps make the mixture richer under acceleration. This gives you the best of
both worlds: leaned out for economy while cruising and richer for power while
accelerating.
You never know what may have been done to an engine by a previous mechanic. Any
changes to the engine should be documented -- but you can't count on it! It will
pay to be suspicious and check everything for yourself, including carb jets.
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TRI-STATE SUMMARY (JUNE 2005)
Bill Reider
The Tri-State in Ouray was another fun weekend that should not have been missed.
Friday was mostly sign in and see old friends, see new cars. A group of about 13
of us when to dinner and had a great time. Saturday it was off to the Sport Park
for our Show and Shine. They had a parade down to the park and lined up the cars
on the Lawn. We had about 22 cars and two Forward Controls, no Station Wagons
this year. After lunch some of us went to see some of the waterfalls that are in
Ouray. The first one that we visited was the Cascade Falls which was just a few
blocks off Main Street. After you drive up and park you do have to walk about
another block, unfortunately it’s all up hill. After you get there it makes it
all worth while. The falls that you see are just the last in a series of seven
falls. This one must be a good couple of hundred feet high. Quiet a sight to
see. From there we went to Box Canon Park. The falls there are even better than
Cascade Falls. When you get to the bottom of the falls the water is coming down
so fast and hard that there is a mist in the air and it is 20 degrees cooler
because of this.
Saturday evening we had the Awards Banquet. We had a great meal with both
Chicken and Steak. I know no one should have gone hungry. Steve Goodman was
presented with a plaque from Rocky Mountain CORSA for his many years of service.
Congratulations, Steve. The Saint Francis of Corvair Award was presented to
Wendell Walker. Congratulations, Wendell. The Traveling Trophy went to Rocky
Mountain CORSA with 39 members; next was Pikes Peak Corvair Club with 33
members, followed by Corvairs of New Mexico with only 18 members. You guys
missed a great weekend. Who was there: Larry Blair, Ruth Boydston, Steve and
Rita Gongora, with Bernadette and friend, Dell and Kim Patten, Bill and Lee
Reider with grandson Jonathan, LeRoy and Emma Rogers, Ollie and Mary Alice
Scheflow, Mike and Brenda Stickler, Tarmo Sutt with his exchange student Matt,
and last but not least Wendell Walker. We had 102 people at the Banquet. Next
year will be at Montrose, probably the 2 & 3 of June.
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THANKS FOR BEING A GREAT CLUB (MARCH 1999)
Bill Reider
Having been a member of this Club for the past twenty-four-and-a-half years I'd
like to make a few comments about the Club that we all belong to. I don't know
of any other club in New Mexico that works together so well and doesn't have
anyone who tries to take all the credit for anything that we do. It's been a
real pleasure to work on many of the events that we have. People work together
to get the job done, and if things don't happen to work out right, no one starts
blaming one another. I've been in other clubs and organizations where you get a
few people who want to run everything their way and then if things don't go
right they blame everyone but themselves.
We have had a great Club for the past twenty-five years and I hope it keeps
going as well for the next twenty-five. We have a unique automobile that brought
us all together and it seems to have attracted some very interesting and
talented people. I think we can all congratulate ourselves for belonging to such
a great Club.
Three Cheers for CNM! -- Bill
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I asked several CNM members and friends for paragraphs telling their
view of contributions Bill made to CNM and to CORSA. Here are several
responses. Thanks to those who contributed.
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2020=Feb=09 09:31:28 MST
STEVE GOODMAN: Bill Reider was a great influence to CNM due to his tireless
efforts to keep your local Corvairs running and being used and shown on the
streets around Albuquerque and your area. Bill also needs to be recognized for
his tech articles written for ENCHANTED CORVAIRS often plus actively hosting and
contributing to 'hands on' tech sessions. My personal view is that I always
looked forward to visiting with Bill at the many Tri-State Corvair Meets he and
Lee attended. I will never forget Bill.
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2020=Feb=09 12:12:11 MST
KAY & TARMO SUTT: Bill Reider was always a gentleman. I remember meeting Bill
and Lee at the first CNM event I ever attended with Tarmo, a picnic in the
Sandias in 1978. Bill and Lee made a special attempt to make me feel welcome.
Bill always made time to greet people, and he shared his hospitality freely. He
was not loud or boisterous in meetings, but he was always there, willing to
answer questions or give advice if it was requested... he never pushed it onto
others.
Bill was one of the leaders during CNM's national convention in Albuquerque,
working with Debbie Pleau and others to make sure the event went smoothly. They
didn't always agree on the way the event should progress, but Bill didn't vent
anger or leave in frustration. He worked through the issues, sought a compromise
if possible, and finished the project, whether he agreed with everything, or
not.
Bill was responsible for several of the T-shirt designs for the Tri-state meets
we hosted. His photography and design knowledge were invaluable in presenting
wonderful remembrances of the events for everyone who bought a shirt. Bill's
professional knowledge, of both photography/design and Corvairs, was a priceless
asset for CNM for many years. Bill gave freely of his knowledge and help while
Tarmo was rebuilding his Corvairs. Those cars still run today with fly wheels,
etc. that Bill rebuilt or refurbished. Those, along with his forthrightness and
generosity, are his legacy to CNM.
Bill, you were a gentle man, and your quiet friendliness and sly jokes will be
missed.
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2020=Feb=09 14:40:16 MST
STEVE & RITA GONGORA: Bill and Lee Reider moved to Albuquerque along with
their family in 1974. Bill soon joined the Corvairs of New Mexico. He started a
parts business on Juan Tabo with his son Tom, called Car-Tune where he sold auto
parts and such. His experience with cars was great and he contributed much to
the club with his knowledge and experience. After he closed his parts store, he
continued to pursue his interest in cars by teaming up with Sylvan Zuercher and
opened a garage on the 10000 block of Trumbull for many years. He and Sylvan
shared space helping people with their cars, specializing in the Corvairs. Many
of CNM members benefited with their help in keeping their cars strong and
efficient. I am one of those who benefited from Bill's labor. My 1966 Corsa had
a rebuilt transmission rebuilt by Bill and it served me well. It was so smooth.
The car took me through more than 30 years of comfort and enjoyment.
Bill's last Corvair was a 1965 Corsa coupe that I owned back in 1975. It was
such a clean car when I purchased it. When I attended the first Tri-State in
1976 in Montrose Colorado, I drove that same 1965 Corsa and it got 32 miles per
gallon. I had two passengers with me, Andy Ciupryk and Jack Sellers. A member
from Pueblo, Colorado brought his Corvair and his car influenced me so much that
I located a pair of 2002 BMW bucket seats and upholstered them and installed
them in the car. The car was shown at our second car show at Winrock. I sold the
Corsa and it finally ended up in Bill's possession where it belonged. He kept
the car in excellent shape. His wife Lee put the car up for sale after Bill's
health declined and several CNM members stepped up to the plate to prepare it
for the journey to England for a new master. You'll find David Neale's letter in
last month's newsletter thanking everyone who helped getting the car ready for
the trip.
Every Corvair that Bill owned was outfitted with new technology to help maintain
and make them run better. He won many awards for the best MPG's on our
Econo-Runs. We will miss you Bill.
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2020=Feb=10 11:16:29 MST
HEULA PITTMAN: It was October 1990 when I became a part of CNM. Two couples
instantly reached out to me and became my friends. Lee and Bill Reider
immediately took me in and made me feel welcome. Bill's happy smile and
disposition were contagious and his efforts to help me with Sunshine Committee
projects were invaluable over the years. If he didn't know the answer to my
question, he would happily do the research and help me come up with a solution.
I will miss his smile, his dedication and his willingness to help.
Oh, the other couple? Rita and Steve Gongora, of course!
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2020=Feb=12 21:23:06 MST
LARRY BLAIR: I learned so many lessons from Bill. I will tell about just three.
Lesson No 1. Shortly after I got a 1961 Corvair in 1978 and started to fix it
up, I learned about Car-Tune and went to visit the shop. Bill and Sylvan
Zuercher welcomed me, and Bill gave me a tour. I stopped by a tray of needle
bearings and reached for one, when Bill yelled at me "DON'T TOUCH! These parts
are ready to go back in a car, and they are as clean as a hospital operating
room." He said "If you want to do something, go over in the corner and wire
brush and clean those nuts and bolts." Thus started my training by Bill and
Sylvan; the first lesson being to get everything clean before putting it back on
the car. Also, Bill explained that doing so allows flaws to be exposed that
might otherwise be covered in grime.
Lesson No 2. Kathy and I rode with Bill and Lee to Flagstaff in the back seat of
their silver 1965 coupe. Halfway there we smelled gas, and stopped to discover
leaking fuel lines at the carburetors. No sweat. Bill got out his parts/tool
kit, found two plugs and stopped the leaks. We continued to Flagstaff on the
other two carbs. I am confident that Bill's role as a leader in Boy Scouts of
America [he had received the prestigious Silver Beaver Award] had taught him to
always "Be Prepared", especially on long Corvair trips. Not only did I learn to
carry some fuel line plugs, but when we convoyed, I always tried to have Bill
behind me, in case of trouble.
Lesson No. 3. Bill taught enough about photography that I was able to get my
yellow Spyder on the cover of CORSA magazine.
Bill was a man of many talents, as evidenced by the number of Tech Tips he
published and taught us, especially on distributors. Bill helped me in so many
ways as I restored a 1961 coupe; a 1964 Spyder; my green 1964 convertible; and a
1966 coupe now in progress. And so, every time I go for a drive, I have the
feeling that Bill Reider is riding along with me.
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CAPTION: Some of the cover pages of Enchanted Corvairs that featured Bill in one
form or another.
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Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico,
chartered Chapter 871 of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Copyright (c)
by the Authors and by Corvairs of New Mexico. Articles may be reprinted in any
CORSA publication as a service to CORSA members, provided credit to the Author
and this Newsletter is clearly stated. All opinions are those of the Author or
Editor and are not necessarily endorsed by Corvairs of New Mexico or CORSA.
Material for publication should reach the Editor by the 15th of the month.
Send material via e-mail ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or submit a readable manuscript.
I prefer ASCII TEXT, but MS Word or RTF are fine. Photographs are welcome.
When I'm 64, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
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