Our 15th Anniversary Newsletter, March 1989.
Updated 18-Jan-2014 ==== Copyright (c) 2018 Corvairs of New Mexico
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ENCHANTED CORVAIRS SPECIAL 15TH ANNIVERSARY - MARCH 1989
CONTENTS:
Club Officers and Appointees .......... Members
A Little History ...................... Jim Pittman
Winter in the Land of Enchantment ..... Mark Morgan
Summer & Corvairs in the Rockies ...... Steve Gongora
What do ya mean, not a REAL Monza? .... Mark Morgan
Member of the Month Francis Boydston .. Mark Morgan
Clyde and the 500 ..................... Ike Meissner
Helmet Required ....................... Mark Morgan
Autocross! ............................ Steve Gongora
Cooling Considerations ................ Francis Boydston
I Can Fix Anything (Almost!) .......... Ike Meissner
Corvair Wins Again .................... Terry Gray
Learning The Hard Way ................. Glen Thompson
More on Brakes ........................ Bill Reider
Thermostat Adjustment ................. Marcus Rothmeyer
Birthday Party, Part 2 ................ Mark Morgan
Future of Corvair Clubs ............... Jim Pittman
The CNM Constitution .................. Joel Nash and CNM Members
COVER: 15th Anniversary Jacket Patch Design
EDITOR: Jim Pittman
MEETINGS: First Wednesday, Each Month, 7:30 PM ED BLACK's CHEVROLET
CLUB OFFICERS, VOLUNTEERS AND APPOINTEES, 1989:
President ...... Bill Hector Vice-President .... Tom Martin
Secretary ...... Chuck Vertrees Treasurer ......... Brian Zolna
Newsletter ..... Jim Pittman Newsletter ........ Sylvan Zuercher
Car Council .... Mike Stickler Car Council ....... Jerry Goffe
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
A LITTLE HISTORY
Jim Pittman
CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO is a chartered chapter of CORSA, the Corvair Society of
America, an international club founded in 1969 and dedicated to the enjoyment
and preservation of all Corvair vehicles. With some 6,000 members, CORSA is
said to be the largest single-marque automobile club in the world.
Corvairs, air-cooled, rear-engine "economy" cars, first appeared in Chevrolet
dealers' showrooms on Friday, September 25th, 1959. [ this date supplied by
CNM's Tom Martin - correct date is October 2, 1959 ] With the introduction of
the 1962 turbosupercharged Monza Spyder, Corvairs began to attract an
enthusiastic following of "sports car" oriented drivers. A number of Corvair
Clubs were organized around the country. By late 1965 Chevrolet had stopped
development of the Corvair, making only token changes during the next four
years. The last 6,000 Corvairs (of a total of 1,786,243 built) came off the
line in early 1969.
The founding of the first local Corvair club in New Mexico can be attributed
primarily to two people, Pete Colburn and Mark Morgan. In 1973, Mark began
leaving notes on the windshields of Corvairs, asking if the owners would like
to join CORSA or the nearest local club, ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORSA in Denver. In
early 1974, Pete obtained from CORSA the names and addresses of the ten CORSA
members in the state and wrote letters to each of them, asking if they were
interested in forming a New Mexico Corvair Club. Several people responded, and
a preliminary meeting took place at Carl Johnson's house on Sunday, March 17th,
1974.
The meeting at which "CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO" was organized and named was held
at Pete's parents' home on April 10, 1974. Those present were Francis Boydston,
Pete Colburn, Rick Grable, Dale Housley, Carl Johnson, Mark Morgan, Jim Pittman
and Duncan Puett. The next meeting was held at Duncan's shop (he built and
drove Corvair-powered race cars) in the south valley on April 23rd.
The first major activity of the new "Corvairs of New Mexico" club was an
October Corvairs-only car show in Albuquerque's Winrock shopping center. This
two-day event was an unqualified success. It featured several shiny Corvairs
and their proud owners, was well-received by the public, and attracted several
new members.
In December 1974, Mark Morgan published the first Corvairs of New Mexico
newsletter, dated January 1975. Later renamed "ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER,"
as of March 1989 the publication is still going strong at Volume 15, Number 3.
The purpose of this Special Edition of the CNM Newsletter is to reprint
selected articles from early newsletters in celebration of our fifteenth
birthday. Over the years we have had many articles and tech tips from our
talented members, and an annual Special Edition can feature the best of these.
We hope you enjoy them!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
THE ARTICLE REPRINTED BELOW WAS THE FIRST ONE TO APPEAR IN THE FIRST ISSUE OF
"CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO NEWSLETTER," WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MARK MORGAN. IT MORE
OR LESS SET THE TONE OF OUR NEWSLETTER FOR THE FIRST FEW YEARS.
T'IS THE SEASON...
Mark Morgan
Ah yes, Winter in all its glory has settled upon the Sandias and New Mexico,
and 'tis the season... for anti-freeze (at $5.00 +), snowtires, chains, engine
heaters, and those hundred pound sacks of dirt you keep out in the garage for
the trunk, right?
WRONG!
That is, wrong if you happen to run around in something like a Corvair. We all
know of the legendary ability of these cars to take just about anything that Ma
Nature can throw at us, but their good traits seem to be more obvious when the
snow hits the ground, especially in a town like Albuquerque where anything over
three inches in one night is almost enough to shut the town down!
The fateful morning comes, and over breakfast you hear on the radio of school
closings, mishaps on the freeway, and the like, but you aren't too worried. You
hop into your Monza, or whatever, clear the windshield, and drive off, to the
envy of all those neighbors out trying to attach the chains to their car's
tires or thaw out their engines.
Lack of traction? Impossible, with most of the car's weight over the rear
tires. The streets are littered with cars that have stalled or become imbedded
in snow drifts (do my eyes deceive or is that a new "Monza 2+2" stranded in
that drift over there??).
Soon, you arrive at your destination, whether it be work, school, or helping a
friend with a tow. Amazing little car, isn't it?
Admittedly, things aren't all that easy when it does snow here, but for some
reason having a Corvair does come in handy when the weather gets bad. And, it's
nice to be able to ignore the 6 o'clock news when they again mention the rising
price of anti-freeze! Besides, everyone knows that Santa Claus drives a Corvair
these days!
- Mark Morgan - January 1975 - Page 1
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY OUR SECRETARY-TREASURER, STEVE GONGORA. STEVE WAS A
HARD-WORKING ENERGY SOURCE TO THE CLUB IN THE EARLY YEARS, AND HE REMAINS ONE
OF OUR MORE ACTIVE AND ENTHUSIASTIC MEMBERS. THANKS, STEVE!
SUMMER & CORVAIRS IN THE ROCKIES
Steve Gongora
Think we're the only great Corvair Club in the area? Wrong! Guess what, there
are other Corvair Clubs! What I'm referring to is the Western Division
Mini-Convention, held in Denver, Colorado on August 22, 23 and 24 by the Rocky
Mountain Chapter of CORSA. The convention was a success, and all because of
this little club. Excuse me, I don't think 150 members makes a club little (and
they gained another 50 during the convention).
The convention started Friday night with registration and a party. We met
people from Nebraska, Utah, and of course the Denver area, and saw slides taken
at the CORSA National Convention held in Seattle last July. Three of the
members from the Rocky Mountain club made the trip. The party lasted until 9
pm, and in that time we found out how they operated. Comparing our club, we're
doing pretty good. We've had things in our newsletter that they've just now
begun putting in such as production charts, etc. (Editor's note --- then again,
they've been holding autocrosses, rallies and concours where we haven't. -MM)
When I saw this, it made me feel good; we're right up there! The next day was
the Corvair show downtown near the Colorado State Capitol Building. All those
Corvairs, CORVAIRMANIA!!
And to top it off, Corvairs of New Mexico member Carl Johnson was also there,
with his blue and white bus. He even put it in the show, as the only Greenbrier
present. These guys take their cars seriously. Someone could have taken the
white glove test throughout the cars, engines and all. First place went to a
car that had placed 3rd in the national concours at Seattle. The highlight of
the mini-convention was that evening, with a cookout at the home of Chapter
President Leo Ford and presentation by guest speaker Doug Rowe of Phoenix,
Arizona. Doug talked about his racing career with the Corvair.
He has tried all forms of racing and prefers to do dirt tracks and hill climbs.
He has had pretty stiff competition, such as McLarens, which are pretty
expensive sports-racing cars, and here he was with this not-so-expensive
Corvair beating them! A memorable comment he made was that when he won it was
great, but when he didn't he never had to make an excuse. On the third day an
autocross was held, thus ending the mini-convention. Everything was well
planned, and it was a total success. Maybe we can work towards one here in the
near future?
-- Steve Gongora - October 1975 - Page 3
THE TRIP TO DENVER WAS SO MUCH FUN THAT CNM MEMBERS ORGANIZED AND PARTICIPATED
IN SEVERAL MORE TRIPS UP NORTH TO COLORADO. THESE BECAME KNOWN (TO CNM PEOPLE,
ANYWAY) AS "TRI-STATE MEETS" BECAUSE MEMBERS FROM NEW MEXICO, COLORADO, UTAH,
OKLAHOMA, ARIZONA, TEXAS --- WAIT A MINUTE! THAT'S MORE THAN THREE, ISN'T IT?
WELL, WHATEVER THEY ARE CALLED, THEY HAVE PROVED SO POPULAR THAT THIS YEAR WE
ARE PUTTING ONE ON ALMOST IN OUR BACK YARD... RED RIVER, NEW MEXICO, TO BE
EXACT. WITH PLENTY OF ADVERTISEMENT IN THE NATIONAL CORSA COMMUNIQUE, WE EXPECT
TO GET A GREAT TURNOUT, PROBABLY FROM A LOT MORE THAN THREE STATES!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
MARK MORGAN'S "...NOT A REAL MONZA..." CARTOON HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE
NEWSLETTER OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORVAIRS IN DENVER, NATIONAL CORSA COMMUNIQUE, THE
COVER OF THE CENTRAL COAST CHAPTER IN SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA, AND NOW ON THE
COVER OF CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO NEWSLETTER. WHAT A CIRCULATION!
-- Mark Morgan - January 1976 - Page 1
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
THE FEBRUARY 1976 ISSUE FEATURED A "CAR OF THE MONTH" AS WELL AS A "MEMBER OF
THE MONTH." THE CAR HAS GONE ON TO OTHER ENTHUSIASTS, BUT THE FEATURED MEMBER
REMAINED WITH CNM. FRANCIS WAS LATER DUBBED "SAINT FRANCIS OF CORVAIR."
MEMBER FRANCIS BOYDSTON
Mark Morgan
When you ask Francis Boydston how many Corvairs he's owned since first becoming
interested in the car, he'll tell you fifty-five to sixty! And naturally for a
man who first became interested in them in 1964, his favorite Corvair is an
example from that year. Anyone who attended the Winrock show almost two years
ago remembers Francis' blue 1964 Monza Coupe with four speed; easily the crowd
favorite, the Corvair with original paint and interior was featured on the
evening TV news. Now, sixteen months later, the car has only 18,000 miles on
it, and runs, looks, and even smells new. Francis has been a resident of
Albuquerque since 1946: "I received my first speeding ticket in 1947 just east
of San Pedro and Lomas on a dirt road; at the time we lived on Rhode Island at
Central on Star Route 1 in the county." He started with Corvairs by buying a
1960 four-door that needed rebuilding, a car that was eventually sold to the
current county planner. In the years that followed, the Boydstons went through
some four or five Corvairs yearly, including cars used by his two daughters
while attending college. At one time the family had five of them plus a
Rampside in their possession! Francis now owns a '61 four-door in the process
of being restored, a '64 Spyder convertible and a '69 Monza coupe with
special-order Corsa engine. He recently sold his immaculate '65 sedan with air
to son-in-law J. Terry Gray, and the two co-own a '66 Corsa. Of all these, he
lists the blue '64 as his favorite, and with some $2500 worth of early parts to
work with, plans to concentrate on the 1964 model year.
The Monza was acquired through an ad in the CORSA COMMUNIQUE listing a 1964
with only 12,500 miles on it. After a couple of phone calls and the owner's
revelation that he might not consider selling the car anyway, Francis flew to
West Franklin, Illinois with $1500 to look at the car. The 'Vair was in a
garage, stored in perfect condition complete with cobwebs underneath, and he
says "I admit I was as excited as a kid at a carnival!" Within thirty minutes
the deal had been made and the proud owner was on his way back to Albuquerque,
having an excellent drive that brought many stares and comments on the car's
"brand new" appearance. Francis says the car is much fun to drive, being one of
the best handling cars on the road (true of all Corvairs). However, he is now
worried about wearing it out, due to everyday driving. Anyone else out there
have a low mileage '64 running around?
Commenting on the advantages of the early Corvairs, Francis admits that the
engineering of the newer cars is superior, but they lack the smoothness,
tightness and quiet of the "classic" Corvairs, a point his wife concurs on.
"For the person who goes out shopping or someone like me who drives the car to
work every day, the car is excellent; and I defy anyone to roll a properly
maintained early model."
When asked about the Corvair Society of America and Corvairs of New Mexico, he
mentions becoming a member of CORSA two years ago, and remembers attending the
first few meetings of the local chapter with Pete Colburn, Carl Johnson, Duncan
Puett, Jim Pittman, Rick Grable and a few others. Francis also says he is not
disappointed in the least with the progress shown in the Club's two years of
existence, feeling that the chapter had to find a nucleus of people first
before going on to other things. Partly due to his many commitments, and partly
due to his 53rd birthday on January 12, he feels it is up to the younger
members to keep things going now. As a final comment on the Corvair, Francis
mentions that others have expressed interest in Corvairs, and when that happens
he always makes sure they realize that the car requires work and preventive
maintenance, especially with the carburetors and linkage. "It shouldn't be used
for transportation only." Happy birthday, Francis, and smooth driving with your
'64!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
FOR YEARS MEMBER IKE MEISSNER RARELY MISSED A MEETING, DRIVING TO ALBUQUERQUE
FROM LOS ALAMOS IN HIS HIGH-MILEAGE GREENBRIER. IKE WAS A GREAT STORYTELLER AND
SHARED MANY OF HIS CORVAIR ADVENTURES WITH US. THIS ONE IS A FAVORITE. IT
APPEARED IN THE DECEMBER 1976 ISSUE OF CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO NEWSLETTER.
CLYDE AND THE 500
Ike Meissner
There's this race driver, Clyde. His real name probably isn't Clyde, but I call
him Clyde. All race drivers like him should be called Clyde. He may be a
businessman, an artist, or a time-clock repairman, but behind the wheel of his
Detroit chariot he is Clyde. The sneer, the squinted eyes, the heavy foot, the
gnashing teeth, the hollow laugh you can see and feel -- but never hear -- when
he wins, would put the Red Baron himself to shame. And he does win. Regularly.
Every morning like clockwork. And he is used to winning; or was -- up until the
time of the 500.
You see, Clyde does his racing on the highway. And every driver going his way
is his competition, whether they know it or not. But precious many of them are
aware of it, and this is where Clyde shines. Because only Clyde can be the
first and best.
I used to drive a Chevy. A '66 Bel-Air coupe with the big 250 inch engine and
Powerglide transmission. And I raced Clyde. Neither of us broke any laws. That
was part of the game. To take an idiot chance or break a law was an automatic
disqualification from the morning race. And there were always plenty of
contenders around who could signal their crushing decision by a mere toot of
the horn -- no possibility of being unobserved in a transgression. Clyde never
made any mistakes. The competition and referees alike always gave him a clean,
unblemished slate. He didn't have to cheat. He had POWER.
Clyde had over 400 cubes in his Pontiac LeMans. It was new, or nearly new. A
big, powerful expanse of metal and glass from which he could see and easily be
seen sneering and gloating as he passed the proletarian VW's and Ramblers. But
one day each week I dared to race Clyde. I lost as regularly as he won, but I
derived some satisfaction from the fact that my obviously inferior machine
could occasionally give him a close second.
That was because Clyde was an unsophisticated race driver. He was basically
honest, but he could only understand power. A little pressure on the correct
pedal and his competition would fade. I had honed my Chevy driving technique to
a fine edge. And after driving the same stretch of highway for 8 years, I knew
every bump in it.
The race began every Tuesday morning in Santa Fe at 7:40. Clyde would wait for
me at the parking lot next to the last traffic light on the way out of town. As
I passed, he would pull out. Our finish line was the Los Alamos county boundary
sign 36 miles west. We both worked in Los Alamos and were due there at 8:00. We
always left a little late, which eliminated many of the leisurely drivers and
sort of raised our stakes. The road was four-lane divided for the first
eighteen miles, two-lane for the next six miles and three-lane undivided (two
lanes uphill) for the last twelve miles. It started out at 7,000 feet in Santa
Fe and gradually dropped to 5,300 feet at the point where the two-lane ended
and it crossed the Rio Grande on a narrow bridge. From there it climbed to the
finish line at 7,300 feet, although most of the twisting climb was in the last
five miles.
That's where driving technique and knowledge of the road really paid off for
me. The whole race was kind of like a pin-ball machine with all the balls going
at once and me in control of only one. That last five mile section was posted
at 50 and 60 MPH, but the highway engineer who did the posting never saw that
stretch of road, much less drove it. I think his decision was made by looking
at a map and then figuring how many cows would likely wander across it. Anyway,
most drivers would do all of 45 with nobody else in sight. The center uphill
passing lane was almost never used.
The first part of the race was usually unexciting. Clyde and I were both bound
by the 75 MPH speed limit and except for minor jockying with slightly slower
vehicles, we didn't force each other's position on the four-lane. We just kept
each other in sight. The narrow two-lane part was through rolling country and
was posted 65 MPH. Clyde plainly had the advantage here and would easily put
distance between us with his passing power. When we crossed the Rio Grande the
fun began, because all his power wouldn't do a thing toward keeping him on a
road that was so winding and climbing. I would just floor it and pay attention
to steering, braking and the other traffic. The hill pretty well took care of
my speed problems. Usually I was very close when Clyde crossed the county line.
He always won -- but then, that was before the 500.
I have owned a Greenbrier since 1961 when they were first made. I wanted a
station-wagon vehicle at the time, and the roomiest one I could find was the VW
bus. Woefully underpowered. The Greenbrier was more of what I wanted, so I
bought it and it has served me well for over 250,000 miles. So when I drove
past that lemon lot and saw the Corvair coupe sitting there I said to myself,
"Why not? Maybe I'll like it as much as the Greenbrier."
It was a '65 3-speed coupe. Nothing special except maybe the 110 engine. The
faded blue paint was showing brown undercoat in a few places and the right door
was an off-color green, which told the story of a junkyard replacement. The
body was sound; no rust, no dings. The odometer had 73,000 miles showing, but
was broken. The salesman said $225, and then glanced at my Chevy and added that
the Corvair would get me 25 MPG. OK; so I drove it, and loved it, and offered
him $200 for it. And he took it. It was my 1965 Corvair 500 coupe, and at that
moment, although he didn't know it, Clyde had had it!
It was a Tuesday night that I had bought my 500. That gave me a full week
of fun getting used to it before my next encounter with Clyde. At the time I
thought seriously of leaving the Bel-Air barge with the car shark and then
thought about what the wife would say (it was her car) and kept it. However, it
wasn't long before she was begging me to sell it and get her a Corvair, which I
did. But that's another story.
As I said, I had a full week before the next contest to do all those things a
fellow does with a new car. I changed the oil. I changed the filters. I lubed
the chassis and transaxle. I fixed the speedometer. I ordered a '65 shop manual
from Helm. And although its appearance didn't change much, I even ran it
through the carwash. But most of all, I drove it. After you've been driving a
boat for years, you really appreciate a car that you "put on" instead of "get
into." And I appreciated it -- three tankfuls worth.
Next Tuesday morning I had a problem. Clyde didn't recognize me. I drove around
the block, pulled in beside him, honked, waved at him and then pointed toward
the highway. He made me extremely mad by getting out and laughing. Then with a
deep bow he motioned me toward the road. I was really going to enjoy winning
this one!
Clyde didn't waste any time getting as far ahead of me as he possibly could. By
the time I crossed the Rio Grande bridge and started uphill, I could only catch
an occasional glimpse of him on curves. No matter. I had almost caught up with
him many times before like this, and I was sure I could do it this time.
I did better. By the time we reached the turnoff to EspaNola I was chomping at
his heels. That was the first time I'd ever taken that stretch of road at the
60 MPH limit. But up ahead was a slow truck which was forcing every car into
the center lane to pass. Then away up the line I saw my break in the making. We
were on a curve and I could see that someone had overestimated the speed of the
truck, and approaching it too fast from the rear, had jammed on his brakes. The
ripple would pass on down the line, and Clyde, unless he was a better driver
than I thought, would hit his brakes too. I waited. My prediction was good.
Clyde panicked when the car in front of him slowed. He hit his brakes. I
didn't. I simply spun the 500's wheel to the left and passed him. I had been
checking to my left rear and knew it was clear. Clyde lumbered out and followed
me. I could tell he was fuming. I got to the truck and the fellow to my right,
seeing that I was already in passing form, held back and let me go on past the
truck. Clyde was right on my tail.
As I went on past, I gave a little too much room to the truck and Clyde ducked
in and passed me on the right. He was using his power to the hilt. But it was
the last time he could use it. The road ahead was clear and I could see what I
had been waiting for -- the steeply climbing "S"-curves leading up to the first
level of Los Alamos mesas.
Although the speed limit was officially 50, the yellow curve sign said "slow"
and suggested a much milder 25 for the curves. By using both lanes and
throttling back, Clyde rounded the first curve at 35, tires wailing. I stayed
in the outside lane and handily cleared the curve at a legal 50. By the time we
reached the second curve, Clyde couldn't swing out to use both lanes; I was
right beside him. I passed him on the curve and could see the look of
astonishment on his face -- being passed by a half-pint car in the outside lane
and whose tires didn't even complain!
From then on it was uphill curves and I got further and further ahead. I was so
gleeful when the county-line whished past and Clyde was 1/4-mile behind, that I
almost drove into the canyon.
The following week it was the same story, and the week after that. The
following weeks, Clyde didn't show up at our Santa Fe meeting place. I wondered
a lot about that during the following months. I engaged a few other Clyde-types
on the highway and won -- but the thrill was gone.
I spent the time improving my 500. I put on HD shocks, radial tires, dual
exhausts and carb venting modifications so I could take those curves even
faster. I spent a week cussing a '66 4-speed transaxle into the 500 even though
it was 1-1/2 inches longer and took a torch to make it fit. All these things
worked beautifully, but each time the thrill would fade and I was soon looking
for something else.
Then one Sunday morning I saw an ad in the paper about a '66 Corsa for sale.
The ad said it was sound and free of rust and the first offer over $400 could
take it. I grabbed my checkbook and left, muttering something to the wife about
testing a sticky lifter.
I drove to the listed address, but I could see I wasn't the first comer. Did I
have enough in the checking account to up the bid and get it anyway? There were
two people standing by the Corsa, obviously talking about it. The prospective
buyer's car was parked in front of it. I looked again. The car was a nearly new
Pontiac LeMans -- the buyer was Clyde!
I have a funny feeling that I'll see him again next Tuesday morning, and that
I'll be in trouble. I think I'll change his name. From now on, he'll be "The
Black Knight." I, of course, will be the "White" one. FOOTNOTE: Not all of the
above story is true. Just most of it. And out of consideration for Clyde I must
say that he is really a fine fellow. I got him to join CORSA.
-Ike
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
ANOTHER MARK MORGAN CARTOON INVOLVES RACING OF A DIFFERENT KIND: AUTOCROSSING.
OF COURSE A HELMET IS REQUIRED. OUR HERO HERE OBVIOUSLY SEES HIMSELF AS IKE'S
"WHITE KNIGHT." THIS CARTOON ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE JULY 1978 NEWSLETTER.
AUTOCROSSING
Steve Gongora
It seems more autocrosses are being held now, the last one being held by the
SCCA at Sandia on Sunday, September 7. I entered my Corvair into the novice
class because this was my first attempt at this kind of thing. Out of the three
runs I was allowed I could only finish one. The first time I went off the
course and got a DNF (Did Not Finish) and man, was I embarrassed!
The second time everything went smoothly and I got a time. I didn't make it
back for the third run because I found the transmission oil was low, and I
didn't want to run it until I had it full. But I didn't do too bad, with one
run of 82.392, placing me fourth behind a Spitfire, Jaguar and Porsche 911S.
Fastest time was set be a Mini-Cooper with a 66.151, and I finished faster than
a few other people.
If you'd like to enter one of these fun events, you'll get the chance this
month. The next autocross is scheduled for September 28, 1975 by the Z-Club of
Albuquerque, with the time and location to be announced later.
Don't do what I did, have a prepared car there. Check your car thoroughly
before you go, including spark plugs, transaxle fluid, proper tire pressure
(fill it to the maximum) and be sure your car is tip-top. Let's get a
cheering section going; it was kind of lonely with only one Corvair there!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
HERE'S STEVE GONGORA AGAIN, TELLING US ABOUT HIS AUTOCROSSING ADVENTURE.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CNM'S OCTOBER 1975 ISSUE.
AUTOCROSS!
Steve Gongora
It seems more autocrosses are being held now, the last one being held by the
SCCA at Sandia on Sunday, September 7th. I entered my Corvair into the novice
class because this was my first attempt at this kind of thing. Out of the three
runs I was allowed I could only finish one. The first time I went off the
course and got a DNF (Did Not Finish) and man, was I embarrassed!
The second time everything went smoothly and I got a time. I didn't make it
back for the third run because I found the transmission oil was low, and I
didn't want to run it until I had it full. But I didn't do too bad, with one
run of 82.392, placing me fourth behind a Spitfire, Jaguar and Porsche 911S.
Fastest time was set by a Mini-Cooper with a 66.151, and I finished faster than
a few other people.
If you'd like to enter one of these fun events, you'll get the chance this
month. The next autocross is scheduled for September 28, 1975 by the Z-Club of
Albuquerque, with the time and location to be announced later.
Don't do what I did, have a prepared car there. Check your car thoroughly
before you go, including spark plugs, transaxle fluid, proper tire pressure
(fill it to the maximum) and be sure your car is tip-top. Let's get a cheering
section going; it was kind of lonely with only one Corvair there!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
TECHNICAL TIPS ARE SOMETHING EVERY CORVAIR CLUB NEWSLETTER HAS, AND WE HAVE HAD
OUR SHARE OVER THE YEARS. HERE'S A TECHNICAL ARTICLE BY AN EXPERIENCED CORVAIR
FIXER, FRANCIS BOYDSTON. ORIGINALLY IT'S FROM THE AUGUST 1987 ISSUE.
COOLING CONSIDERATIONS
Francis Boydston
The Corvair engine's cooling system is one of the most neglected areas of
concern when rebuilding or when performing routine maintenance, yet it is of
vital importance to long engine life. I often find engines with improper spark
plug boots, missing parts on the top engine sheet metal, or missing air baffles
on the bottom of the cylinders; this leads me to believe that most Corvair
"mechanics" think all they have to do to keep the engine cool is to be sure the
fan turns. Neglect of the Corvair cooling system has led to premature failure
or destruction of many a rebuilt engine.
Proper plug wire boots which seal well in the top shroud are very important.
Some non-GM boots are too thin or too flexible to hold any air pressure, while
all too many engines are run without any boots at all. Often I find engines
without the oil cooler inspection plate (the small curved piece under the
generator or alternator) -- a nice way to increase your oil temperature! Then
there is the most commonly neglected area: the air outlet on the rear top
engine sheet metal, at the center or right side. The 3-inch hose on this
opening is frequently broken or often missing entirely. It is difficult to
replace and is not available new from GM. There are also quite a few places
where, if top shroud bolts are left out, air leaks will occur.
Remember that in normal operation the cooling fan forces air under pressure
through a limited area around the cylinders and the head, and this air will
naturally seek to escape through the path of least resistance. I'm sure you
could lose as much as 30 percent of your cooling with a combination of the
above problems.
The 3-inch hose on the air outlet can be obtained from Clark's Corvair Parts. I
like to have it installed as it keeps the car in original appearance, but I do
not see that it has any good functional value. For those who don't care about
the "looks" there is a simple solution. Take the outlet duct piece off, get a
tin can lid, cut to the outlet outside dimensions, punch holes for the screws,
and replace the outlet duct piece. Now it is sealed for good, whether the hose
is in place or not.
A related problem concerns the complaint of many Corvair owners that when using
the defroster, their windshields will fog after driving in the rain or through
puddles. I believe this is due to failure to adequately seal the underside of
the engine on reassembly. Water can be splashed into the cracks between sheet
metal and engine parts or may even be sucked in by a venturi effect.
When rebuilding an engine, obtain some inexpensive sponge rubber gasket
material and apply it to areas where the sheet metal shrouds meet the engine
block or heads. The idea is simply to stop up any cracks where air leaks can
occur. Not only will this eliminate your defroster fogging, but the engine will
get less dusty and the heater will be more efficient.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
MARK MORGAN GIVES US ANOTHER "MONZA" CARTOON. ORIGINALLY IT WAS THE COVER
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE NOVEMBER 1987 NEWSLETTER.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
MY FAVORITE IKE MEISSNER STORY IS THIS ONE. HOW MANY CARS LIKE THIS ONE HAVE
YOU SEEN? ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE JUNE 1978 NEWSLETTER.
I CAN FIX ANYTHING (ALMOST!)
Ike Meissner
Because I've got quite a few Corvairs of my own (fifteen) I have, over the
years, developed a local reputation of knowing how to fix them and keep them
running. Therefore I was not surprised when one day I received a call from a
fellow Corvair owner some forty miles away asking me to fix his Corsa. What was
unusual was his story, which I will relate to you.
He had bought his Corsa used several years before with an unknown number of
miles on it. The speedometer cable had been broken "for a long time" according
to the previous owner. But the car had given him dependable service and seldom
failed him until now. It seems that he had lent his car to a friend to drive to
Santa Fe to get groceries. His friend was indeed a friendly fellow and because
the majority of New Mexico is wide open spaces and rides are few and far
between, he picked up a hitchhiking Indian as he drove through the neighboring
reservation. No harm in that -- except that it was many minutes and several
miles later before it became plain that the Indian really wanted to go the
other direction! Not wanting to immediately retrace his path and feeling
somewhat obligated to the Indian, he made it understood that he would take the
Indian where he wanted to go as soon as his shopping was done. The Indian
settled back into the seat with a disgruntled expression and was obviously not
happy with the idea.
On getting back toward the reservation, the Indian directed the car down a dirt
side road and told the driver to stop in front of one particularly large and
colorful hogan. He told the driver that this was the house of the tribal
medicine man and that he should wait there for a few minutes. Presently he
emerged from the hogan with the medicine man who waved a feathered staff at the
car and chanted something in the local dialect. The hitchhiker then told the
driver that because of his ineptness the medicine man had been told to put a
hex on the car. To make a long story short -- the Corsa never made it back to
the highway! And now I was being asked to fix it.
I've lived in New Mexico 22 years and I'm a lot less skeptical about such
things as Indian magic than I used to be. So, more out of curiosity than
anything else, I accepted the job.
I first went to look at the car. It had been a white 1965 Corsa. I say "had
been" because at one time it must actually have been white. Too many years of
being outdoors in the New Mexico sun and wind had taken a fierce toll of the
finish. It was pitted and almost sandblasted off in front. The glass on the
driver's side was permanently frosted. Some stuffing was leaking out of the
back of the rear seat and the dash looked like a misplaced asphalt plant. Oil
and dirt everywhere. Solid grunge.
While towing it on the way home I stopped at an auto store and bought two cans
of gunk and then washed the top layer off at a do-it-yourself carwash. By the
time I got down to where I could see the ignition wiring the dirt had plugged
up the drains in the stall. I tipped the attendant an extra quarter and towed
on home.
The interior of the engine was equally unbelievable. It had been torn down once
before and improperly reassembled. Broken piston rings, backwards pushrods,
etc. The spark plug wiring had cracked insulation. The plugs themselves were in
terrible shape -- with electrodes worn down to mere nubbins. The rubbing block
on the points was worn away and the secondary carburetor bowls were full of
some stuff that resembled old coffee grounds. The fuel filters looked as if
they'd been used to strain plum pudding. After going through that engine I'm
convinced that the medicine man's magic didn't have to be very strong -- it
only had to be strong enough to cancel out the prayer that had kept it running.
But a lot of elbow grease and about $100.00 worth of parts later, it ran just
fine. I drove it back to the owner who immediately embarked on a trip to
Florida with it. I'm glad he had such confidence in my work -- I would have
been a little jittery about the idea.
A month or so later he called me up to let me know that the car was still
running great and that he was having it painted and reupholstered. As an aside,
he asked me how I was able to get rid of the medicine man's hex. I told him I
used one of my very special tools for that -- a hex wrench.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
SOMETIMES WE GET ARTICLES FROM OTHER PUBLICATIONS. THE FOLLOWING APPEARED IN
OUR NEWSLETTER IN JANUARY 1976 AND WAS CONTRIBUTED BY TURBO EXPERT TERRY GRAY.
CORVAIR WINS AGAIN
Contributed by Terry Gray
We are pleased to find out that our Old Cars Price Guide was instrumental in
gaining an equitable settlement for a girl who had her '65 Corvair involved in
a major fender-bender. Seems her insurance company offered her book value for
her car, "book" probably being in the $100 range. So the young lady hired
herself a lawyer, the lawyer found himself an expert witness, R. Lee Miller of
Birmingham, Alabama, and off they went to smite the foe in court.
Prior to trial the attorneys for the plaintiff and the defendant conferred
without getting very far on the pre-trial settlement. Then Lee whipped the Old
Cars Price Guide for the Corvair on them. We'll let him tell what happened
next: "A funny thing happened. Their faces lost color, they began to clear
their throats and finally disappeared to make a phone call. They went to call
the insurance company! The Corvair had won, hands down..." They also agreed to
let the lady keep her Corvair. (Editor's note -- R. Lee Miller was the
president of the Vulcan Corvair Enthusiasts, the Alabama chapter of CORSA. His
article on this episode appeared in the Spring 1975 CORSA QUARTERLY on page 19.
-MM)
-- from Old_Cars, December 2, 1975
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
SOMETIMES WE HAVE A MEMBER WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO TELL US A GOOD STORY IN WHICH
THE AUTHOR MADE A MONUMENTAL GOOF. SUCH WAS THE CASE IN THIS YARN BY MEMBER
(AND NEWSLETTER EDITOR) GLEN THOMPSON. FROM THE JANUARY 1977 ISSUE.
LEARNING THE HARD WAY
Glen Thompson
Early Wednesday morning, the 15th of December, we pointed the pickup ('62
Corvair 95 Fleetside) east toward Oklahoma City beginning an exciting (?) and
eventful trip. We were going for the graduation of our son-in-law from Oklahoma
Christian College. No unusual happenings; good weather, excellent time until
about five miles west of the Watonga exit on I-40. A large cloud of blue smoke
and a terrible noise caused me to pull over briefly to determine it was not a
rod -- I wasn't sure what it was -- but it sounded deep and serious but was
still running fairly smoothly. I drove on to Watonga and pulled into a service
station where no one else was sure of the source of the noise but all agreed it
shouldn't be driven any farther.
Luckily, my daughter's in-laws were accompanying us, driving her 1965 Monza
110, so I hauled out the tow-strap and we towed the PU the remaining 40 miles
via old US 66. Went that way because we were told a tow-strap on I-40 would net
us a $150.00 fine. (I highly recommend a nylon tow-strap, it sure takes a lot
of the jerk out.) Anyway ---
Next morning at breakfast in a nearby restaurant, very disgusted with the
situation and with myself for not bringing my CORSA directory, I overheard some
guys at the next table discussing cars, so I asked if they knew any Corvair
nuts in the area. They said, no, but the gentleman at the table on the other
side may since he owned the local Chevrolet dealership. He didn't know any
"nuts" but promised full cooperation from his people in getting me back on the
road. At this point I still didn't know the real problem but did know I would
need gaskets so I went by, met the parts people, ordered crankcase cover
gaskets, and told him I would call ASAP. I didn't even have any tools with me
on this trip, but luckily Mike, my son-in-law, has a pretty good tool box, so
we started tearing down.
In just a few minutes we had the crankcase cover off and everything looked
great except for one piece of a ring about 1/4 inch long. When I installed the
engine last Spring Ike told me if I had trouble with the engine it would
probably be No. 1 cylinder. Pulled No 1 plug; oily but no other symptoms; No 3
the same, but No 5 was broken. At the last tune-up I had installed AC No 44FFS
plugs, which I believe prevented catastrophic damage. We turned the engine over
by hand and noticed that the piston top didn't move. So I went to the phone,
ordered a jug assembly and 1 set of upper gaskets.
The parts man thought he would have everything ready by 5 pm, so I cleaned up
and got ready to attend the graduation after all. At 5 pm I learned there was
not a jug assembly in all of Oklahoma City, but one was located in Ft. Worth,
Texas and should be in by 9 am Friday by bus. That evening we relaxed at Smoky
Hollow on Northeast 50th St. Your choice was either steak or chicken. The steak
was excellent.
Next morning at 9, ready to go, I picked up the jug, went to a nearby machine
shop to have the rod installed and tried to borrow or rent a 3/8-drive torque
wrench. This led me to a small shop at the edge of Edmond where I finally found
the local Corvair expert. He had pistons (the cylinder was not damaged in any
way -- the piston had separated in the oil ring groove). Anyway after chatting
a bit about our favorite subject and promising to send him info on CORSA, he
loaned me the necessary tool and away I went. The kids were to be checked out
of their apartment at noon and the truck still had to be loaded. Did a quick
plastigage check with the new rod bearings, threw it all together and at about
3 pm I hit the starter. It went unh -- and locked.
Back into the crankcase where I discovered another piece of ring that somehow
was overlooked before, removed it without much difficulty, but the engine still
would not turn over. It would turn about 75 degrees. That piston was the wrong
piston. At 4 pm I called Harley Sharpe to ask what pistons he had. He didn't
know but reminded me that he closed at 6 as did the machine shop.
To make a long story short, I walked out of the machine shop at 5:30 with the
correct piston in the new jug with rod assembled. I had experience. (Everything
was then delayed while locating and purchasing drop light and 75 feet of
extension cord. This overhaul took place in the apartment parking lot.)
Everything was finally buttoned up and the truck loaded by 9:30. We made a fast
trip to the college dorm for a shower and to Long John's for something to eat.
They quit serving at 10:30 and we got there at 10:20. We left about 11 and
drove to the south side of Oklahoma City before finding an open service
station.
About 10 minutes after leaving Long John's, the truck started missing and would
ping terribly and lose power. No 3 plug wire had blown out, which caused most
of the missing but we didn't have time for carb synchronization, checking
timing and all that necessary stuff. The truck would run beautifully at road
speed but didn't want to idle at all. We were headed for Weatherford, Texas
(near Fort Worth) where Mike has a job. We had all their belongings on our PU,
Susan's car, Mike's car and his brother's VW bus.
Now we all had to be in Albuquerque by Sunday evening, so we drove on, arriving
at Weatherford at 4 am Saturday. Got their belongings into their new home, then
went back out to my wife's brother's home to do some refining to the tune-up of
the previous night, while my wife went to Arlington to pick up several boxes of
stuff for the craft shop where she teaches painting. Went through the valves
again, reset timing and synchronized the carbs. The truck now ran much better
but still didn't idle too well. Pinging had gone away; I attributed the ping to
some sharp edges I had left in the head after some very careful machine work I
had done with a cold chisel.
We had a very enjoyable dinner and left for Albuquerque via Amarillo at 4 pm,
drove all night switching drivers between the PU and the VW bus; Mike and Susan
left both their cars in Weatherford and planned to drive a U-Haul from
Albuquerque back to Weatherford. Goodie, goodie, I'll finally get the other
stall of my garage back.
Two things are now certain: (1) my CORSA directory is now permanently located
in the PU, and (2) I'll never button-up another engine without rotating the
crank a full 360 degrees at least once. The engine still doesn't want to idle
properly all the time. I believe at least one valve must have been bent very
slightly and when it is rotated just right it idles fine, otherwise it doesn't.
It sure was a lot of fun though, to have somebody come up at nearly every stop,
wanting to buy that pickup.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
AN ARTICLE ON BRAKES THAT WE REPRINTED FROM ANOTHER NEWSLETTER PROVOKED A
COMMENT BY BILL REIDER. THE COMMENT BY ITSELF IS A PRETTY GOOD TECH TIP. THE
ORIGINAL APPEARED IN THE AUGUST 1978 ISSUE; BILL'S REPLY IN NOVEMBER.
COMMENT ON BRAKE SHOES ARTICLE
Bill Reider
Gary Jarvis mentioned that riveted shoes are cheaper than bonded. This is not
true. Riveted shoes cost more because they are made of harder material. In
theory, they should stand up better. The biggest problem with them is that they
collect dust: fine particles of asbestos worn from the shoes. Most people think
the rivets wear the drums when the shoes wear down far enough. This isn't true;
you won't find a brass rivet that can wear an iron brake drum. In fact wear is
caused by the abrasive action of the dust that collects in the rivet holes. If
you have riveted shoes you should take the drums off every 5 to 10 thousand
miles and clean out the dust; this will help reduce the wear problem. A better
way is to do what GM is now doing with riveted brake shoes: drill small holes
in the center of each rivet so the dust can escape.
All new brake shoes have a code on the side to give a specification for wear
qualities and stopping ability. The best shoes I have seen have the code FF;
the poorest shoes would have the code AA. Check this code when you buy brake
shoes. Bonded shoes are as good as the friction material and the glue that is
used.
Brake drums should definitely be turned when you install new shoes if you want
a good job. Used drums wear to a bellmouthed or tapered cross-section, and if
you simply install new shoes, the result may be braking efficiency of 50
percent or less until the drums and shoes wear in to match each other. And by
the time they wear in, they will have lost a great deal of their life
expectancy. So get your drums turned to match the shoes right from the
beginning.
DRUM WEAR PATTERNS: BELLMOUTH - TAPERED
Do not cut your drums more than .060 inches oversize. The iron drum has to
resist expansion or deformation and has to dissipate a lot of heat; if it is
too thin it can't do either job very well. In extreme cases drums can actually
break and come apart. If this happens you instantly lose your brakes and you
could easily lose your Corvair... or more.
Drums that have gotten too hot can develop "hot spots" or hard spots. These
are local areas where heat has turned the iron into steel. These hard areas
resist the normal cutting process when drums are turned and probably will
require grinding to be removed.
Today's shoes don't have to be worn in as they are pre-arced by the
manufacturer... at least, the better quality shoes are. This gives you good
brakes right from the start. If you use un-arced shoes you'll get uneven
stopping performance as well as brake squeal until they are worn in.
I agree with Gary's last paragraph. A good brake job on a late model Corvair
should last 60 to 70 thousand miles. A cheap job may last less than 30
thousand. Good parts to begin with are really the only way to go. It is also
good economy and insurance to flush your system with new brake fluid at least
once every couple of years. This greatly cuts down on corrosion.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
MARKUS ROTHMEYER WAS A STUDENT FROM WEST GERMANY WHO WAS WORKING ON A GRADUATE
DEGREE IN PHYSICS AT UNM. HE HAD A VW VAN WITH CORVAIR ENGINE AND TRANSAXLE AND
WAS A MEMBER OF OUR CLUB FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. HIS TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE AND
HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR CORVAIRS LED TO SEVERAL CNM TECHNICAL ARTICLES AND TECH
TIPS, INCLUDING THIS SHORT ONE WHICH ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN DECEMBER 1978.
THERMOSTAT ADJUSTMENTS MADE EASIER
Markus Rothmeyer
Adjusting the thermostats on the engine air exhaust doors is important for
proper cooling as well as fast warm-up, but it is usually quite difficult since
the adjusting swivel is inside the lower sheet metal shroud and hard to get to.
A simple modification allows the adjustment to be made from outside.
Drill out the spot welds to free the thermostat housing from the sheet metal.
Cut two slots about an inch long where the welds were. Weld or braze two nuts
on the top side of the thermostat housing. Attach the thermostat rods to the
damper doors, then attach the thermostat housing to the engine sheet metal by
using two bolts threaded into the welded nuts. Now the thermostats can be
adjusted by moving the thermostat housings closer to or farther from the damper
doors before tightening the bolts.
Another advantage to this modification is that if the lower engine shrouds need
to be removed you can just remove the bolts, then remove the sheet metal,
leaving the thermostats attached to the damper doors.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
I COULDN'T RESIST REPRINTING MARK MORGAN'S EDITORIAL ABOUT THE CLUB'S FIRST
ANNIVERSARY PLANS: A TRIP TO BOSQUE DEL APACHE. FROM THE APRIL 1975 ISSUE.
BIRTHDAY PARTY, PART TWO...
Mark Morgan
According to Murphy's Law, if something can possibly go wrong, it will. And, in
the case of the Club trip to Bosque del Apache set for Saturday, March the
fifteenth, something happened.
Friday the fourteenth was a beautiful day in Albuquerque, and Sunday was a
pretty nice day. But, at approximately six AM on the morning of the day, it
started to snow. Not lightly, mind you, but the kind that comes down pretty
heavy and sticks. So much for a day in the outdoors.
Not giving up, five members showed up at the appointed spot, one rather loudly
decrying the lack of spirit and courage shown by those who chose to remain in
bed that morning!
Those who did come, mostly to see what would actually happen, ended up in
something of an impromptu snowball fight, followed by a reduced field trip to a
destination nearer than the Bosque. Actually, a pancake house a couple of miles
up Central where the participants enjoyed a hot breakfast and spent an hour
talking Corvairs.
So much for the birthday party. At the next meeting we'll bring up another
attempt at a field trip sometime later this year, and consider moving the Club
birthday to a more convenient month, like June or July!
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
WHEN I STARTED EDITING THE CNM NEWSLETTER IN 1978 I WROTE AN EDITORIAL ON THE
PRESENT AND FUTURE OF CORVAIR OWNERSHIP. MAYBE THE IDEAS IN THAT EDITORIAL ARE
STILL RELEVANT TODAY, ELEVEN YEARS LATER. FROM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1978.
INCIDENTALLY, SOME OF MY FACTS WERE IN ERROR, AND SOME OF MY PREDICTIONS WERE
ALL WET. I FORGOT ABOUT THE FRONT-WHEEL-DRIVE OLDSMOBILE TORONADO AND THE
CADILLAC ELDORADO, AND IN 1989 (GIVEN ENOUGH MONEY) YOU CAN STILL BUY A NEW
PORSCHE 911 WITH REAR-MOUNTED, AIR-COOLED ENGINE. WELL, SO MUCH FOR PROPHESY.
THE FUTURE OF CORVAIR CLUBS
Jim Pittman
Okay, friends, here it is already late January 1978, almost too late for New
Year's resolutions, but maybe not too late to look over the last year and to
anticipate the present one. It could be a good time for us Corvair owners to
stop and think about what the future holds for our favorite car.
Eighteen years ago the original Corvair was just getting its start as a new and
revolutionary kind of American automobile. There was speculation in the
automotive press that we were seeing the wave of the future: a small car with
efficient design, unique good looks, compact rear engine and drive train, light
weight for good gas mileage, a sophisticated suspension for both good ride and
good handling.
We now know where these dreams went. The Corvair as a compact car was replaced
by the cheaper-to-build Falcon copy, the Chevy II. The Corvair as a sporty car
was replaced by the Mustang copy, the V-8 Camaro. The Corvair as a real sports
car (read "Spyder") was dropped altogether, leaving the rather overweight and
somewhat non-functional Corvette to carry Chevrolet's banner alone. The Corvair
as a marvelously original styling achievement was replaced by the look-alike GM
family pattern. What happened to the engineering excellence? Compact
rear-mounted drive train and independent rear suspension were forgotten without
a trace; every new American car design to date has the traditional from
engine-rear drive setup. Engineering talent was switched to the design of
5-mph-bumpers, catalytic converters, and inconvenient shoulder seat belt
systems.
We are even losing our very best vindicating example: for years Corvair freaks
could reply to any criticisms, "Yes, but look at one of the most respected
high-performance cars in the world; it has an air-cooled rear engine and
transaxle just like the Corvair!" Now we see the days of the great (if greatly
overpriced) Porsche 911 are coming to an end and it is being replaced by a
front-engine, rear-drive, water-cooled, rather ordinary-looking Porsche 924.
We must face reality: the wave of the future is not rear-engine, air-cooled
Corvairs and Porsches and Volkswagens, but rather is front-engine,
liquid-cooled, front-wheel-drive Rabbits and Hondas and Fiestas.
The factory quit turning out Corvairs in 1969, but many of us wouldn't accept
that fact. We refused to sell our "unsafe" cars in order to buy a new
Chevrolet. We began to pay attention to maintenance items we had neglected
before. We found that we could do a lot of tune-up work ourselves rather than
search far and wide for that rare mechanic both competent and willing to work
on our misunderstood cars. We bought radial tires and heavy-duty shocks and
fast steering arms and oil temperature gauges and two spare fan belts and a few
select tools to carry in the car. We got used to the incredulous stares of
strangers when they learned we owned and actually drove "one of those." We
developed automatic replies to questions beginning, "Yes, but didn't Ralph
Nader say that..." and we quit trying to explain to non-believers just why an
independent rear suspension allows better handling than sports cars and better
ride than sedans. We found other Corvair owners who felt the same way we did,
and in the hallowed American tradition we started thinking about forming a
Corvair club. We soon learned that someone had started a Corvair club in 1969..
We joined.
Incredible! We were not alone in the world! There were actually lots of people
out there who loved their Corvairs, really loved them, people who wouldn't
settle for a bumper sticker to apologize for not yet having traded for a new
Floatmaster Automatic or Belchfire V-12.
We formed a local club, and worried for months about whether we'd ever get
enough members to do anything. We ordered back issues of the Quarterly and the
Communique. We learned of dedicated people who were going into business to sell
unavailable genuine GM parts for Corvairs. We bought a lot of them.
Pretty soon things settled into a static condition. We looked for used Corvairs
for sale cheap, and sometimes found them. We read all the tech tips in our
newsletters. We went to meetings and talked about schemes to raise money or
attract new members. We heard about junk yards crushing rust-free Corvair
bodies for lack of storage space.
We began to perceive dissention among club members. Everybody didn't want the
same thing after all. Some thought slaloms were a waste of time and caused too
much wear and tear on cars. Some thought that early models (or late models, or
vans, or four-doors, or three-speeds, or whatever) were not "real" Corvairs and
that their owners therefore weren't really good CORSA members. Some thought
tearing up a '65 Monza to install a V-8 in it was sacrilege. Some thought that
keeping a Corvair in the same lackluster condition it had when new on the
showroom floor was missing out on the potential of the underlying fine
engineering design. We began to separate into cliques: Early model types, Late
model types, Van types, V-8 types, Racer types, Restorer types.
I think the start of this New Year is a good time to think of our organization
and where it has come from and where it is going. One of these days our cars
will be too old or too scarce or too valuable or too expensive to drive
regularly on the street. One of these days the 1973 fuel shortage will return,
for real this time, and we will be driving Hondas or taking the bus to work.
One of these days new, packaged GM parts for Corvairs will be completely
unavailable or unrealistically expensive.
I think it is a good time for CORSA members to exercise a judicious blend of
conservatism and radicalism.
Conservatism: We must save the Corvairs we have now, for there will never be
any more. Some parts may be reproduced, while others may be replaced by
available parts modified to fit. But basically, the Corvairs now alive are the
only ones there will ever be, and attrition will slowly (or not so slowly) eat
them up. If we don't conserve our cars, they will rust, wear out, fall apart...
sooner or later.
Radicalism: We must do things with our cars, do them proud, do them first
class. We must do a professional job on that V-8 conversion. We must do a
perfect job on that four-door restoration. We must understand and point out the
advantageous weight distribution, power-to-weight ratio, the performance, the
easy handling, the gasoline mileage. We must learn how to shift precisely and
how to go around corners smoothly. We must support Stinger racing, and be able
to explain to whoever is interested just where the Stinger came from: an
initial batch of identical white '66 Corsa coupes, modified by Don Yenko into
racing cars that were able to compete wheel-to-wheel with legitimate
race-prepared sports cars.
We must support car shows. We must clean up our cars and enter them in the
shows, and work at the shows, telling people what we think of our cars. We must
support slaloms and rallies and hillclimbs. If we can't enter our own cars we
must attend and encourage our friends who do. We must open up our engine lids
and show off our unique engines.
Here is a pet peeve: we must stop our harassment of Ralph. C'mon, folks, face
the facts: we wouldn't even have any '67 or '68 or '69 Corvairs without him!
Ralph's publicity prevented GM's dropping the Corvair after 1966 as they wanted
to do. For us that means an extra three years of parts availability. Our
rantings against Ralph, however justified, are perceived by the public as just
that: rantings against a great public crusader. We can never hope to expose
Ralph as a power-mad demagogue, so let's quit arguing about it. I would be
pleased if no CORSA publication ever published another word about him, good or
bad. Failing that, maybe we should make him an honorary member of CORSA.
Some of us may find that 1978 is a good year to find out what we really think
of Corvairs, and a good year to begin to plan ahead for the years when there
will be fewer and fewer Corvairs for sale at higher and higher prices, when
restoring or modifying or maintaining or driving Corvairs will present ever
more formidable problems. CORSA is less than nine years old. What changes do
you want to see in the next nine years? Part of the answer to that question is
up to you.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO, LIKE MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, HAS A CONSTITUTION. WE
PAY SOME ATTENTION TO IT MOST OF THE TIME, AND NOW AND THEN WE THINK IT NEEDS
TO BE MODIFIED. ON THE FOLLOWING TWO PAGES WE ARE REPRINTING THE CNM
CONSTITUTION AND ITS AMENDMENTS. HAVE YOU EVER READ IT? HERE'S YOUR CHANCE.
THE ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION WAS PUBLISHED IN THE MARCH 1976 ISSUE, AND THE
CONSTITUTION AND AMENDMENTS WERE PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 1981.
THE CONSTITUTION OF CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO
I. NAME AND PURPOSE
1. The name of this Club shall be "Corvairs of New Mexico", with the monogram
"CNM", and it shall hold its charter from the Corvair Society of America.
2. The purpose of this Club shall be the preservation and enjoyment of all
Corvair cars, trucks, and related vehicles. Communication shall be by means of
a monthly bulletin or any other means the Club shall deem advisable.
3. The Club shall be empowered to acquire and sell real and personal property.
4. The name of the Club shall not be associated with any commercial enterprise
or business.
II. MEMBERS AND DUES
1. Any person of good character who has applied for membership shall become a
member upon payment of the appropriate dues.
2. The dues for membership shall be fixed by a vote of the membership.
3. The privileges of membership shall cease automatically if a member's dues
become delinquent.
4. All members shall concurrently hold membership in the Corvair Society of
America.
5. Active members shall be entitled to vote and to hold office.
6. Families of members shall be invited to attend Club activities, but may not
vote or hold office, and will not receive separate copies of publications.
7. Dues shall be charged for the calendar year beginning with the month of
payment, and shall expire in the same month of the following year.
8. General membership meetings shall be held on a regular basis, at a time and
place to be determined by the membership.
9. All elections shall be decided by a majority vote of those present. Proxy
votes are not allowed.
III. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
1. The Club shall be governed by a Board of Directors to be composed of the
officers and other members to be designated by the Club.
2. Officers shall be the President, the Vice-President and Planning Officer,
and the Secretary-Treasurer, to be elected annually by the membership.
3. All officers and directors shall serve without remuneration.
4. The President shall preside at all meetings. He shall appoint all committee
chairmen and other committee members as he may deem appropriate.
5. The Vice-President and Planning Officer shall perform the duties of the
President in his absence, and shall assist in planning policy and activities.
6. The Secretary-Treasurer shall take minutes of the meetings. He shall be the
recipient of membership applications and dues, and shall keep an up-to-date
membership list. He shall collect and disburse the funds of the Club, and shall
render an annual financial report to the membership, and at other times at the
request of the Board of Directors.
7. The Board of Directors shall have general management authority over the
affairs and property of the Club, and shall perform all duties not otherwise
designated by the Constitution. At any meeting, a majority of the directors
shall constitute a quorum, and decisions shall be made by a majority vote of
those present.
8. Vacancies on the Board and in elected offices shall be filled by the
President until the next election.
IV. AMENDMENTS
1. Proposed amendments to this Constitution shall be submitted to the Board of
Directors, and if approved by a majority vote, will be ratified by a vote of
the membership.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO
I. Article III.6 shall be changed to read:
6. The Secretary shall take minutes of the meetings, shall keep an up-to-date
membership list and shall be responsible for the newsletter mailing.
The Treasurer shall collect and disburse the funds of the Club and shall render
an annual financial report to the membership and at other times at the request
of the Board of Directors. He shall be the recipient of membership dues. The
Club shall furnish a bond for the Treasurer.
II. Article II.3 shall be changed to read:
3. All privileges of membership shall cease automatically if a member's
national CORSA and/or CNM dues become delinquent. Lacking national membership,
individuals with remaining CNM dues paid shall automatically become
"subscribers" to the CNM newsletter with no other membership privileges.
III. Article II.5 shall be changed to read:
5. Active members shall be entitled to vote, to hold office, and to
participate in Club events.
IV. Article II.6 shall be changed to read:
6. Families of members shall be invited to attend Club activities, but may not
vote or hold office unless they are Associate (family) members, and will not
receive separate copies of publications.
V. Insert the following as Article II.7 and renumber II.7, II.8, and II.9 to
II.8, II.9, and II.10:
7. Associate member: family members residing with an active CNM Club member
may obtain voting privileges by paying an annual "associate membership" fee.
All family members residing with a CNM member are otherwise entitled to attend
meetings and participate in all Club activities.
=CNM=15th=ANNIVERSARY=
THAT'S IT FOR THE 1989 CNM SPECIAL EDITION NEWSLETTER! IF THERE IS ENOUGH
INTEREST, WE MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS AN ANNUAL PUBLICATION. IF YOU LIKE THE
IDEA OF AN ANNUAL "SPECIAL EDITION" THAT RE-PRINTS OUTSTANDING MATERIAL FROM
PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS, LET THE EDITOR OR A CLUB OFFICER KNOW. THANK YOU!
==end==