This page contains material from the May 2002 newsletter

EDITOR Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING: Wednesday May 1st, 7:30 PM Galles Chevrolet, Lomas & University THIS MONTH: Dues Due Sylvan Zuercher April Meeting Notes Chuck Vertrees Board Meeting Notes Chuck Vertrees Billiken Mark Morgan Driver's Seat Robert "Babe" Gold Seven Years Ago Jim Pittman For Sale Everybody Tri-State Hotels Laura Wilshire Visit with Andersons Jim Pittman CORSA Merchandise at Tri-State Dennis Pleau CNM Ladies Anne Mae Gold Calendar of Coming Events Everybody Worldwide Automotive Photos Your Editor Letter from Robin Robin DeVore Trip to St. George Mark Martinek Still Fulla Gas Del Patten Dummy Contest Chuck Sadek (VV) COVER: Mary Lou's Convertible Photo by Mark Martinek ELDERLY: While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my four-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!" SCHOOL: A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write - and they won't let me talk!" DRESS-UP: A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache next morning." BIBLE: A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found." the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!" [Did the Internet steal these jokes from the Reader's Digest?!] Dues Expired or Due or Approaching Due: Tarmo Sutt 2002-May Terry Price 2002-May Gordon Johnson 2002-Jun Mark Domzalski 2002-Jun Richard Finch 2002-Jun Mark Morgan 2002-Jun Joe Ashton 2002-Jul Anthony Couture 2002-Jul Rick Covington 2002-Jul Richard Foster 2002-Jul Robert Gold 2002-Jul Steve Gongora 2002-Jul John Mattern 2002-Jul If your membership is due or has expired, please send your dues to: Wendell Walker, CNM Treasurer 301 Utah Meadow Rio Rancho, NM 87124 Note: the Club will mail in your National dues when you renew, but only if you send us the renewal form from CORSA Communique! CORSA's home page: http://www.corvair.org CNM's home page: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871 CNM's newsletters: http://www.unm.edu/~casa APRIL MEETING NOTES by Chuck Vertrees President Robert Gold called the meeting to order at 19:35 at Galles Chevrolet on 4/3/02. All officers were present. No new members were introduced. However, Jim Matthews, a former member from some time back, was introduced. Jim is the original owner of a 1964 4-door with an automatic transmission. It has 29,000 actual miles on the odometer. Jim finds himself in a position where he would like to sell it, hopefully to someone who would take care of it. Get in touch with him if you are interested. The minutes of the last meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. Treasurer Wendell Walker announced that CNM has $243.19 in the checking account and $5,000 in the GMAC Demand Note account, for a total worth of $5,243.19. We have not yet received our first interest statement from the GMAC account. Mark Martinek gave the CAR COUNCIL report. The upcoming car show in Los Lunas was discussed. Volunteers are still needed to help park cars and at registration. If Club members wish to park together, they must arrive together. No spaces will be saved for late arrivals. There will be a space between clubs so they may set up exhibits or tables. FOR SALE signs and loud music are forbidden as usual. A DJ has been hired to produce the needed music. Clubs are requested to provide suitable items for door prizes. There will not be any trophies, but there will be 3" x 4" full color dash plaques for the first 400 registrants. There will not be a registration fee for members who are displaying their cars. There will be food and auto memorabilia vendors on the site. The "Old Route 66 Car Show" will be held in Albuquerque Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 26, 27 & 28. There is a $40.00 entrance fee to participate in the event. The Packard Club will again organize and conduct the "Neon Tour." There is no charge to participate in the tour. More in depth information on the Car Council may be found on line. Mark Domzalski reported that the Flagstaff International CORSA Convention is right on schedule. The CORSA board is considering having the 2005 convention in Portland, Oregon. They are reworking the Cole Award Class Rules. The Peoples' Choice event will become a sanctioned event with classes. They are trying to keep everything simple. Bill Reider has five extra Clarks Catalogs. They are $3.00 each. Jerry Goffe announced that the "Spring Fling" at Worldwide Automotive is Saturday April 13th and not April 6th as previously indicated. It is two blocks west of Carlisle on Claremont NE. Phone Jerry to reserve your time slot! Thanks to Dave Huntoon for taking over the Old Route 66 cleanup while Ollie and Mary Alice were away on their cruise. (Ask Ollie to tell you about their voyage, which included rounding Cape Horn going from Argentina to Chile.) The turnout was better than usual and as a result it took a lot less time than usual. Our 2003 Tri-State crew (Bill Reider, LeRoy Roger, and Hurley Wilvert) went to Raton to check out the situation. The Raton Chamber of Commerce was very cooperative and our crew found a hotel that is willing to work with us. The rate would be from $30 to $50 per night. They have banquet facilities that are large enough also. Cost for the meal would be around $11. With a little planning we can make this another great Tri-State event; if you can, volunteer to help! The meeting was adjourned at 20:00, after which Bill Reider gave some tips on rebuilding your carburetor. Some of his tips can be put to practical use at our Saturday April 27 Carburetor Tune-up Session at Del Norte High School. APRIL BOARD MEETING by Chuck Vertrees The board meeting was called to order at 17:15 on 4/17/02 at House of Covers. Present were Bob Gold, Sylvan Zuercher, Bill Reider, Mark Martinek, Jim Pittman, Steve Gongora, Wendell Walker and Chuck Vertrees. The minutes of the last meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. Wendell reported that CNM has $395.19 in the checking account and $5,000.00 in the GMAC account for a total worth of $5,395.19. A discussion started on whom would be gone during the regular meeting and board meetings during the coming year. Your secretary will miss meetings in June and October. Some other members will also be out of town but it seems that there will be enough officers to run the meetings. There was nothing special that the board needed to have Mark bring up at the next Car Council meeting. The Car Council show will be in Los Lunas on May 19th, not on the 5th as your secretary had in his book. This will conflict with the Tri-State meeting, so CNM will probably have a pretty small turnout at the show. Bill Reider has the new edition of "Care & Feeding" almost ready to go to the printer. Two copies were passed around for critique and review. The front and rear covers have been changed, and they look great. The question was discussed as to how many copies we should have printed. Nobody could remember what the price break on the printing was, based on the number of copies. We need some for Clarks and Wall, plus some for new members (who get a free copy when they join), also some to sell to old members who want an updated copy. Bill said that there are a respectable number of items in the old issue that are no longer available. Finally it was moved, seconded and passed that we order 200 copies. The next discussion was on setting up a caravan to go to Grand Junction for the Tri-State. It was decided that those who want to caravan would meet at the McDonald's in Bernalillo on Thursday around 9 or 10 AM and go to Durango to spend the night. Then the caravan would go on to Grand Junction on Friday. It is hoped that the carburetor tuning session at Del Norte High School gets a good turnout. The turnout at the Wideworld Automotive Garage was very poor. It was mentioned that a check was given to Jim Pittman to help cover some of his costs in producing our newsletter. Those of you who were on the garage tour a few years ago that ended up at the home of Jim and Heula may remember how much is involved in producing the newsletter each month. Compare ours with some others. The meeting was adjourned at 18:00. FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT Robert Gold It looks like spring has really arrived in New Mexico. To me that means I start pumping premium gas in several of my Corvairs that tend to diesel after the weather turns warm. Another manifestation of this time of year are those winds. You know, those winds that blow all that "enchantment" around? I got the bright idea that since things were so calm I'd start painting the trim on my house. Bad idea. Just as I was beginning the task we got one of those really rare events - a full day of rain! I guess that's my version of wash the car, make it rain. Anyway I guess we're all looking forward to all those outside activities that we've been putting off during the winter. I can't write the column this month without making a comment about my picture in April's newsletter. Jim posed me for the shot and yes it is true that is Babe Ruth with me. To those of you who don't know, my house has become an annex of the Baseball Hall of Fame. My long suffering wife, Anne Mae has been kind enough to go along with my mania. What isn.t true is the rumor that I talk to the Babe from time to time. Branch Rickey yes, Babe no! I was really impressed with the turnout at April's meeting. My headcount was 27 loyal CNM members. Not only was the turnout great, but we covered some mighty interesting topics. There was the continuing saga of the Car Council. Mark Martinek gave us the officially recorded version of the upcoming car show plans, then gave us the real version of how the show landed in Los Lunas on May 19. I hope I'm not the only Corvair attendee, but unfortunately most of the membership will be in Grand Junction at the Tri-State. Speaking of the Tri-State, Hurley Wilvert gave us a report on plans for the 2003 event. It looks like Raton will be the site and there will be plenty for us to do there. Many thanks to Hurley, Leroy and Bill for reconning the event for the club. Also, the club members were entertained by Ollie Scheflow's description of his cruise around the tip of South America. From what I remember of Ollie's talk there was some comment about the topless hula girls on shore being obscured by fog. Maybe I got that wrong! Anyway it must have been quite the adventure. Lastly, thanks to all of you who cast your votes for our former member Dennis Pleau who is running for CORSA office. I suppressed my urge to follow the old adage- "Vote early and often!" For those of you who don't know, I work at the IRS building in town. But be assured I don't work for the IRS so you can feel free to bash that agency in my presence. It is interesting to me that as the time nears to April 15 the center of the universe shifts squarely to my building on Montgomery, east of San Mateo. It makes me feel smug knowing I filed my taxes weeks ago and I have already spent my refund on my fleet of Corvairs. Lastly, moving back to talk of club matters and moving across the street from where I work - I encourage all of you to take the time to come out for the carburetor clinic to be held at Del Norte high school on Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 am, thanks to the sponsorship of John Wiker and the tutorship of Bill Reider. Oh yes, one more thing, my lovely wife just informed me that the Progressive Dinner for next year has already been organized. The CNM Ladies at their April meeting assigned the various tasks for the dinner. I'm already getting hungry. I just wish that all the activities of the club could run that smoothly! I guess that's it for now. See you at the next meeting, Wednesday, May 1. -- Robert Gold Seven Years Ago - May 1995 - Volume 21 - Number 5 Our cover had a simple drawing of a Lakewood. Larry Blair ran the meeting. Joe Ashton and Ted Yachik were visitors; both joined CNM. Several upcoming Car Council-related events were mentioned. Dennis Pleau said we were trying to get copies of the budgets from recent conventions to guide our convention plans. We needed a "convention handbook" but had to write our own! CNM belt buckles, rebuilt harmonic balancers and new Clark's catalogs were being ordered. Our tech talk was about early turn signal repair; thanks, Larry! At the meeting we planned a tour of the Travertine Marble plant near Belen. A report on the tour described the snowy April weather and the amazing marble saws and other equipment we saw. We had lots of tech tips: use TWO steering wheel covers to make a nice, fat, easy-to-grip wheel; replace your old cracked shifter boot with a new one from J.C. Whitney; beware over-filling your Powerglide; add a bushing to make your late shifter work like an early one. And, Otto Mechanic visited a shrink to help him deal with his obsession with automobiles. The visit was a success, but not the way Mrs. Mechanic intended! Fourteen Years Ago - May 1988 - Volume 14 - Number 5 Our cover showed an Austin-Healey 3000, your editor's first sports car in 1964. He sold it in 1966 to buy a new turbocharged Corsa coupe! We had $684. The Tri-State in Colorado and the Museum Car Show were the same weekend this year. Bruce Phillips (Professional Paint Supply) gave us an excellent talk on painting your car. Bill Reider answered the question, "What is a tune-up?" and provided an extensive check list. A good reference. Twenty-one Years Ago - May 1981 - Volume 7 Number 5 The cover drawing represented a 1960 sedan. We worried about insurance costs and the state of our treasury and schemed ways to make money. We discussed participating in a slalom or Fun-Khana in Los Alamos in July. Jack Bryan put on our April econo-run. Richard Twilley and his 1963 coupe were far ahead of the pack with 38.37 MPG; Pittman's 1965 Corsa convertible 140 and Lawrence's 1966 Monza coupe 110 tied for second place at 32.41 MPG. The best automatic was Reider's 1965 coupe 110 at 30.32 MPG. Boy, those were the days. A tech tip: Dick Hartje (San Diego) told how an apparently good scissors jack let a car crash down with no warning! Dick said, never get under a jacked-up car until it is blocked with sturdy jack stands. Twenty-eight Years Ago - May 1974 (no newsletter yet) The new club met at Duncan Puett's shop in the south valley this month. Duncan showed us his Corvair-powered dirt track race cars. Do I remember correctly that they had home-grown fuel injection? * * * * * * * * * * * * FOR SALE, TRADE OR WANTED * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FOR SALE: Two tire chains for 13" wheels. Best offer. Larry Blair 821-1386 FOR SALE: 1964 Monza 4-door sedan, white, automatic. 29,000 original miles. Wife says łSELL.˛ Jim Matthews 797-7474 FOR SALE: 1960 Monza coupe. Needs ground up restoration. Automatic, Radio, gas heater. Powder coated engine shrouding. Full set of š60 Monza wheel covers. Extra front & rear suspension, less than 27000 miles. Assembly & Shop Manuals for the š60 Corvair. Extra gas heater parts. $650 Black Clarkšs carpet for late coupe $100 Padded dash Clarks 65-66 installed on metal support, black $150 Black headliner Clarks late model coupe $60 Late model 3.55 automatic differential $75 One complete set of Corvair Underground late model fuzzies $50 RB block with freshly ground crank .010, .010 with distributor gear, eccentric for fuel pump, spacer, and slinger. Clevite 77 bearings rod & main .010, .010. Will install bell housing with new seal for either automatic or standard. $400 Six cylinder jugs bored to .030, one new TRW forged piston and five used TRW forged piston mounded on rods. All pistons are .030 oversize, one set of .030 chrome rings. $300 Used Clarks aluminum oil pan five quart. In good shape and will include new oil pan gasket. $50 Two 110 heads with valve job. Heads have been ccšed. Come with copper head gaskets. $400 One Dale rebuilt Harmonic Balancer $100 Buy it all for $1100 Call Bill Reider at 299-4597 * * * * * CNM ADS ARE FREE TO CNM MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-CNM MEMBERS * * * * * Jon and Debra Anderson and children were in Albuquerque. Several of us met at Sadie's Restaurant on Friday evening, March 29th for a nice visit with them and enjoyed talking about Corvair activities past, present and future. The Andersons claim to enjoy living in Colorado Springs but we believe they still feel strong ties to New Mexico and CNM. It was good visit with them again. The photo above was made at Del & Kim's. - Jim Pittman TRI-STATE MEET - May 17-19, 2002 Laura Wilshire ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORSA All Corvair enthusiasts come join us for our annual event held this year in Grand Junction, Colorado. On-site registration Friday, Saturday people's choice car show, driving tour of scenic Colorado National Monument, awards banquet and more. Nowhere in the West will you find so much diversity of natural wonders, outdoor activities and fascinating history. There is an adventure in every direction such as Grand Mesa, Colorado National Monument, wineries, Dinosaur Journey and many more. The host hotel is the Country Inns of America, 800-990-1143; mention Tri-State or Corvair show for $50-$55 rate. Contact: Laura Wilshire 303 530-3215 E-mail: sir_lancealot@msn.com. 4782 Valhalla Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301 Future updates will be posted on our web site: http://www.coloradocorvair.org ============================================================================ C O R V A I R S o f N E W M E X I C O C O M I N G E V E N T S ============================================================================ | | | | | M a y | J u n e | J u l y | | | | | | : : : 1 2 3 4 | : : : : : : 1 | : 1 2 3 4 5 6 | | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | | 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | | 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | | 26 27 28 29 30 31 : | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 28 29 30 31 : : : | | : : : : : : : | 30 : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | ============================================================================ Wed 1st May 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Wed 1st May 7:30 PM Tech talk: Octopus Car Wash Sun 5th May ...?... Albuquerque Museum Car Show Cancelled! Sat 11th May 1:00-4:00 CNM Ladies Kay Sutt 2504 Calle de Ricon Bonita, Santa Fe Wed 15th May 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Thu 16th May 9:00 AM Caravan to Durango on the way to the Tri-State (TBA) Fri-Sat-Sun 17-18-19 May Tri-State Meet - Grand Junction, Colorado Sun 19th May ....... New Mexico Car Council Car Show - Los Lunas Fri 24th May 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Wed 5th Jun 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Sat-Sun 8-9 June Campout - Ruth's Cabin in the Pecos and CNM Ladies Wed 19th Jun 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Fri 21st Jun 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Tue-Sat 25-29 Jun 2002 CORSA International Convention - Flagstaff, Arizona Wed 3rd Jul 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Thu 4th July early! Santa Fe Plaza - breakfast, car show, parade, etc. Sat 6th July 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Cleanup - date tentative - see Ollie Sat 13th Jul 1:00-4:00 CNM Ladies - the Golds' - Albuquerque Wed 17th Jul 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Fri 26th Apr 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sun 4th Aug ........ NMCCC All-Club Picnic - Elks Lodge Sat 10th Aug 1:00-4:00 CNM Ladies - the Domzalskis' - Placitas =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=++=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Subject: CORSA Merchandise Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 16:48:09 -0500 From: Dennis & Debbie Pleau (dpleau@efortress.com) To: virtualvairs@corvair.org, ppcc-list@corvair.org We will be able to bring a limited amount of CORSA merchandise (we're driving the coupe) to the Tri-State meet put on by Rocky Mountain CORSA in Grand Junction, CO. May 17-19. If you want something particular, let us know and we'll try to bring it. You will save the shipping charges (usually 15%). Let us know, Dennis CNM Ladies -by- Anne Mae Gold My thanks to Jim Pittman who updated the last Ladies spot. I have been remiss. We had a nice April get together at the Wilvert home. Brenda, Ruth and I carpooled up there in Ruth's truck. You should have heard Brenda and me argue over who would ride in the cute little back seat! Being the adults that we are, we each took a turn sitting back there. It'll be my turn to drive for May. On the 11th of May we will be gathering at Kay and Tarmo Sutt's home. We'll be leaving Albuquerque right about noon. Anyone wanting to carpool can meet at the Gold home about 11:30. You can give me a call and give me a heads up at 268-6878 if you'd like to ride with me. I hope all of you can make it! June 8th we will have the annual CNM campout up in the Pecos Wilderness, where Ruth Boydston hosts us on her property. Bring your shovels and you can help me dig an outhouse since I'm one of her new neighbors! In July we will gather at my home...that'll be on July 13. On August 10 we will caravan out to Placitas and be the guests of Elizabeth Domzalski. Addresses and directions will be published in upcoming newsletters. I want to thank all of you again for welcoming us into your homes. I really look forward to seeing you at these gatherings, you have all become very dear to my heart and I know that that feeling is shared by many of the women that attend. Hasta la Pasta! - Anne Mae Christmas Corvair Brunch -by- Rita Gongora We are getting ready early this year: the Christmas Corvair Brunch is on track! It will be on Sunday December 1, 2002 at 11:00 AM at the Kirtland AFB Officers' Club, the same location as last year. It will be okay if you need to arrive after 12:00 noon. When you go to the Wyoming gate to KAFB be sure to have your driver's license, proof of vehicle insurance and the vehicle registration. For more information, call Rita at 292-5570 or 256-0551. Subject: Activities - Ventura County Corvairs Newsletter Editor: Please include these two events in your next newsletter. Flyers and our 2002 Activities Calendar will be mailed soon. We are always happy to promote any of your planned events. Thanks, Jack Pinard Corvair Chronicle Editor, Ventura County Corvairs jackpinard@cs.com, 805 984-2692 Sunday May 5 or 12, Ventura County Corvairs again sponsors Corvair Autocross Day at Camarillo Airport. Special opportunity for novice and seasoned drivers to test skills in their favorite fun car. This is the only Corvair Club sponsored autocross in California, and only autocross in Ventura County. Limited entrants. Corvair bodied or powered cars have priority. Great fun for participants and spectators. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Will repeat on September 1 or 8. Entry form: Autocross, Box 6032, Ventura CA 93006 or jackpinard@cs.com. Brian Shaneman, 805 794-7913. Saturday April 13: Larry Blair and Jim Pittman were at Worldwide Automotive with a 1964 Corvair convertible and a 1965 Corvair coupe for the mechanics to admire and to remind bystanders of stories of Corvairs in other times and other places. Did anyone else show up? Note to new members: Robin DeVore was an active CNM member for several years and was vice president for two terms. He used to give wonderful tech talks. I especially remember one on repairing the Powerglide transmission. I recently got this e-mail from him - Ed. Subject: GšDay Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 15:27:22 -0700 From: Robin K. De Vore (rkd@lanl.gov) To: casa unm edu Jim, This morning I got to wondering how things were going with one of my favorite cars - the Corvair, of course. I did a Google search on Corvair Society and quickly found my way to the CNM web. WOW, the memories that your wonderful site brought back. I've read through most of the old newsletters and enjoyed seeing that the club is going strong. The articles brought back memories of familiar names and activities. My greeting on the subject line reflects some of the changes that are taking place in my life. My wife who's an Australia citizen and I have bought a farm in South Australia and are getting ready to retire there soon. My daughters have grown up. Little Amy who attended Corvair meeting with me at Ed Black's is living in Washington state and recently made me a grandfather. My youngest daughter who was just an infant at the Denver convention is graduating from the University of Puget Sound next month. Reading the details of CNM's past activities in the recent newsletters reminded me of how involved my daughters had been with me in Corvairs. I'm glad to see that the club is going strong. As they say in Australia "Good on ya." Regards, Robin De Vore PS - I know I've still got a few Corvair parts and tools around here. I'll try and box them up and send via Fred Edeskuty. Note: Last month Mark Martinek told us about his adventures getting Mary Lou's convertible ready for the trip to St. George, Utah. This month he tells us the rest of the story. We are printing the whole story here for your reading pleasure. - Ed. CORVAIR GATHERING, ST GEORGE, UTAH, 2002 Mark Martinek Chapter 1: Preparation time, 2 Weeks Before Departure Day Mary Lou and I have already made reservations and registered for the Bonneville UT Corvair Club's Corvair Gathering to be held in St George, Utah 22-24 March 2002. As Saturday 9 March was such a nice day I decided to get the Corvair out of the garage and clean it up for the trip. If you have ever seen the Corvair in our garage you will know this was no small undertaking. When in the garage there are minimal distances (6 inches front, 2 inches rear, 8 inches right and left side) between the car and the walls. In order to enter or exit, the driver's window must be rolled down so one can semi climb through it. Also, it is covered with a car cover and becomes a storage platform. Over time it becomes buried in boxes, sacks, tools, and anything else that we happen need to put in the garage but can not get by the car to put away properly. It took almost an hour to remove all the excess baggage and clear the garage for exit. Happy that it took only an hour to prepare for exit, I jumped(?) in the car, inserted the key and prepared to start it. Turning the key to the start position I was greeted by a medley of clickings. The battery was almost completely discharged. Not to be worried as I had the trusty battery charger handy. Hooked it up and proceeded to recharge the battery. After 4 hours of charging with a few intermediate attempts to start the car I realized it would need to recharge for a longer period of time. Undaunted I left the charger hooked up for the night. Sunday morning after returning from Mass and eating a hearty home cooked breakfast I went out to start the car. Once again I heard the Dead Battery Song, consisting of a rapid series of clicks. Giving up on recharging the battery I proceeded to Wal-Mart on Eubank where I purchased a 56-5 series battery, 630 cranking amps at 32 degrees, 530 cold cranking amps, that appeared would fit nicely in the Corvair. $29.99 plus tax with a 3 year warranty, 1 year direct exchange then 2 years prorated. On the way home for the heck of it I stopped at NAPA on Eubank to see if they had a series 53 battery. After scratching his head and looking through several catalogs the clerk found a part number. Entering said part number into the computer he told me the battery was obsolete, but he had one in stock. He went and got it and lo and behold it was a group 53 battery, commercial rated with a 3 year warranty, 6 months exchange 2 1/2 years prorated. I inquired of him the purchase price which turned out to be $89.99 plus tax. However, he informed me that seeing as how the battery was obsolete and batteries could not be returned to the warehouse, he felt that the manager would not be upset if he sold it to me at cost, $60.00 plus tax. Weighing $60.00 vs $30.00 I told him I would think about it. Needless to say it is still at the Eubank NAPA store if anyone is interested in buying it. After arriving at home I installed the group 56-5 battery in the car. It fits very nicely. It is a little wider, 1/2 inch, than the group 53 and is only about 1/2 the length. The battery posts are just opposite of the group 53 battery, so they are on the inside edge. This makes it much easier to connect the cables. It is the same height as the group 53 and with the posts on the inside edge they pose no hazard to shorting out with the deck support arm. Once again I got in the car and inserted the key. Turning it to the start position resulted in the rapid turn over and eventual starting of the engine. I was then greeted by the loud clanking of a stuck valve lifter. Attempting to back out of the garage I soon realized (after three failed attempts) that I would have to move the RV and tow dolly out of the driveway. Cutting the ignition on the Corvair I moved my driving skills to the RV, backing it out of the drive and relocating it on the street. After leveling the RV I had to hand maneuver the tow dolly out of the driveway and connect it to the RV. I decided to ensure that the RV and dolly were prepared for the trip so I delayed any farther adventure with the Corvair until after I had checked all the tire pressures (8 ea) and the fluids in the RV engine and transmission. After asserting that the RV and dolly were ready, I again turned my attention to the Corvair. After starting it up and in time with the clanking I moved it out of the garage onto the driveway. Leaving it to idle and quiet down I went into the house to rest up. After about 15 minutes of idling the clacking disappeared so I decided to go purchase some brake fluid for the RV and a case of oil from Checkers on Juan Tabo and Menaul and I would then proceed to Samšs Club to gas up the Corvair. The Corvair purred like a kitten and ran good up to Checkers. After purchasing a case of oil (I forgot about the need of brake fluid) I headed south on Juan Tabo for Lomas. Accelerating from the stop light just north of the Big 5 Sports store I heard a loud crack as I depressed the clutch pedal to shift into second. Feeling around with my left foot I was shocked to find NO CLUTCH pedal. Luckily I was able to cruise in first gear into the Big 5 parking lot were I found that the clutch pedal was not attached to anything, it was just laying on the floor on the right side of the car. After pondering my options: Call a wrecker; Walk to a friend's house and have him tow me home; Walk home and get Mary Lou to tow me home; or, Just abandon the car, I decided to put it in first gear and see if I could start it and make it home with no clutch. Thanks to the newly purchased, high cold cranking battery I was able to start the car in gear. Dodging all traffic I departed the Big 5 lot and headed south on Juan Tabo. I took the first right turn and running all stop signs I was able to make it to the intersection with Morris were I had to kill the engine to wait for traffic to clear. Once again the new battery was able to start the car in gear on the fly. I proceeded north on Morris to Menaul where I once again had to kill the engine to wait for a green light. On green the battery once again started the car in gear and I continued North on Morris to the second street to the left. From that point I only had to run two stop signs before I made it home safely to my driveway. Upon examination of the clutch pedal and related parts and after perusing the repair manual I determined that the clutch pedal support assembly had broken. Removing the assembly from the bracket I discovered that the weld holding the tubular support to the triangular bracket had broken. After thumbing through Clark's and the Underground catalogs I determined this part was not available from either. Like any good Corvair person when in need of a hard-to-find part I called Sylvan. He thinks he has a spare one, just can not think of where it is. He said he would check tomorrow and see if he could find one. If he can not I will have to have the old one re-welded, which I may do anyway in order to have a spare. Chapter 2: The Gathering I got a good clutch bracket from Sylvanšs treasure house of Corvair goodies and after messing around for an hour trying to reinstall a bracket bolt that fell out I finally got the pedal installed and the cable adjusted. I drove around town for a couple days with no problems. I loaded the Corvair on the tow dolly Thursday night and we departed for St. George early Friday morning. Once again we went by I-40 to Flagstaff and then north on US 89. We took US-89A across the Navajo Bridge, through Marble Canyon, along the Vermilion Cliffs, across the northern heights, through Jacob Lake to Fredonia. This year there was hardly any snow along US-89A north of the Grand Canyon. There was just enough to tell it had snowed once upon a time. From Fredonia we traveled through Colorado City, down the steep switch backs at Hurricane, Utah and down I-15 to George. The weather was great for traveling and traffic was light. Gas prices were not too bad, Flagstaff and all points between there and St George were the highest. Winslow, Arizona and St George had the lowest prices after leaving New Mexico. The Corvair did act up a little while towing. At 65 and above it tended to weave a little. All in all it was a good trip up. Registration was held Friday evening at Snow Park. A light snack and cold drinks were provided. Having preregistered everything was in the packet awaiting our arrival. Early Saturday morning, 7:00 AM, I took the Corvair to a drive-through car wash for the preshow cleanup. The cars started to assemble in Snow Park at 9:00 AM. There ended up being over 30 Corvairs in the park although only 28 were registered. There was one race car for sale in dire need of work. All models of Corvairs were on display. They came from South Dakota, Oregon (Lon Wall & wife), California, Arizona, New Mexico (Mary Lou & myself), Nevada, Colorado, and all over Utah. The winds started to blow and clouds moved in before the close of the show. Because of the winds we decided not to participate in the Zion National Park tour and as it turned out most participants did the same. Sunday morning the weather was much better and we were looking forward to the tour of Snow Canyon State Park. The poorly attended group started for Snow Canyon at about 9:30 AM. We convoyed from Snow Park through St George on Bluff Street headed to Santa Clara, the last town before Snow Canyon. Just as we entered Santa Clara I stepped on the clutch and heard a TWANG! Lost the clutch! Assumed the cable had broken. I was able to pull into a large parking lot where we waited to see if we would be missed. After waiting 10 minutes I decided to try making it back to the RV park where we were staying. I started the car in first gear and we proceeded back. After a few miles I realized that there was still some clutch, just not enough to shift into low gear with the engine running. Once back at the Park I loaded the car back on to the tow dolly. After talking it over we decided to leave immediately and go back through Las Vegas and spend Sunday night at the Riverside RV Park in Laughlin, Nevada. The trip from St George through Las Vegas (without speeding) to Laughlin was uneventful although fairly slow. Because of the RV, truck, and other non-passenger vehicle restrictions across Hoover Dam the traffic was slow and heavy. Once settled in to our parking space we journeyed over to the Riverside Casino. As we entered we noted the billboard for the Mel Tellis show that night. We decided to attend. When we went to purchase the tickets we were informed that they had a Prime Rib-Show special. Saved $7.00 by buying the combined meal and show. After enjoying a great prime rib and chicken cordon-bleau dinner we proceeded to the slot machines to recoup our expenses. Needless to say we did not, but we did do our part to help keep Nevada residents from having to pay state income taxes. We shared a choice table with two Snow Bird couples from Canada. They had wintered in Yuma, Arizona and had to return to Canada before their 182 day limit expired. The show was very entertaining and enjoyable. Because they were only accepting cash for the CDs etc we escaped without spending any more. We retired for the night, planning to have a leisurely, uneventful trip home to Albuquerque. HA, HA!!!!! Chapter 3: Going Home (or "What Else Can Happen?") Monday morning we awakened refreshed and eager to get home. I checked the Corvair to make sure it was out of gear and securely attached to the tow dolly. We headed to the nearest gas station and fueled up on some nice inexpensive $1.159 a gallon gas. After refueling we headed down I-15 towards Las Vegas, but I noticed that it was hard to get up to speed. Looking in the review mirror I saw smoke pouring out of the Corvair engine compartment. Pulling off to the side of the road I checked the compartment only to find the fan belt off and excess oil on the engine. Once again checking the gear shift I found the shifter in 4th gear. Once again shifting into neutral and figuring that not much had happened we continued on our way. After this I figured nothing else could go wrong and we would have an uneventful trip home. That was true until shortly after passing Holbrook, Arizona. As I had noted earlier, if I went too fast the Corvair would sway a little. Shortly before reaching the Painted Desert area I sped up to pass a truck. There was a little swaying but not much. Immediately after pulling back into the right hand lane I noticed an Arizona Highway Patrol vehicle pulling in behind me. As soon as she (it was a she) pulled into the right hand lane the bubble lights began to flash. I pulled over and awaited the officer, T.S. Middleton. After providing her my drivers license, registration, and insurance card I was asked to step out of the vehicle and go with her to the patrol car. She then proceeded to question me about drinking. Had I had anything to drink today, did I drink heavily last night was I drinking & driving. After administering a field sobriety test and asking me to blow on her so she could smell my breath (!) she stated that she smelled alcohol in the RV. This is probably true as Mary Lou and I had a glass wine and had not bothered to wash the glasses. After passing the sobriety test Officer T. S. Middleton proceeded to explain that she could write me a ticket but would give me a warning instead. I finally heard why I was stopped and it was because the Corvair was weaving while I passed the truck. I was given a warning for "Driving at Speed that Caused Trailer to Sway." Once again we were on our way, slower for sure. The remainder of the trip home was uneventful. Nothing else could happen now, right?????? Chapter 4: The End (or, "Do You Want to Buy a Corvair?") Tuesday was spent getting the RV and Corvair ready for the Tri-State trip. After getting the oil changed, chassis greased and tires rotated on the RV I turned to the Corvair to prepare it. Opening the engine compartment I started to replace the fan belt. While doing this I turned the blower fan by hand and heard a clicking noise. I proceeded to remove the top shroud to find out what was clicking. After removing the shroud I found the cause. Want to buy a 1963 Corvair Monza 900 convertible, Azure Aqua with tan top and a ruined engine? Towing the Corvair in gear resulted in a thrown rod, broken rod & piston and block. I don't know if there is anything wrong with the transaxle. I wonder if the antique car insurance or my motor home insurance will provide any assistance. Stay Tuned. Mary Lou & Mark Martinek mjmartinek@juno.com (505) 275-3271 Still Fulla Gas Howdy folks, Bet you guys have missed me!! Well, I have missed you too!! I think I had writer's block but I feel better now!! Last I heard, Richard Finch was going to volunteer to admit some folly of his own just so he could be President of the DoMC. I don't think he was going to offer up the folly of having to have his Ultravan towed by a British car to get to Ruth's campout last year but it probably was something equally entertaining... he probably wanted us to forget about getting his Ultravan towed by a British car so let's all forget about him having to have his Ultravan towed to Ruth's by a British car at last year's campout!! There, I have forgotten all about his Ultravan getting towed by a British car to Ruth's last summer and I bet you have too! Anyway, I don't remember that urge for "public" office reaching the "hands up" stage but I might have missed it! And I am pretty sure that Larry Blair would be glad to give up his seat to one more worthy so if you missed his handwaving around too, be sure to encourage him with all your campaign contributions. On the other hand, Larry is currently in retirement from his thriving pot hole repair business (I think the asphalt fumes got to him) and he might be really looking forward to working through all the steps necessary to get DoMC recognized as an official chapter of CORSA!! Yes, it's true folks, Larry has long been an advocate for the little guy and he is convinced that this is our chance to show the world how truly daring we DoMC members can be when faced with an overwhelming repair task. Now that would be a banner day if we were to be introduced as the latest new chapter of CORSA at the big convention in Flagstaff!! We would have to have a parade or something to celebrate that event! Whatever the case, I am sure he and Richard can work out the issues to the benefit of us all so be sure to encourage them in their latest efforts! Heck, I have been rattling around a concept for a patch that we stalwart charter members of DoMC can proudly display in Flagstaff!! Speaking of Flagstaff, I hope those of you who can will do their best to get there. If you haven't been to one of these in the past, do try to go because it is a lot of fun!! You put a nice low limit on the wife's credit card and send her off shopping with the other wives (hopefully also on low limits or we all get in big trouble!) and get your card pre-approved for lots more and go have a ball...you might even get a couple more cards if you are one of those impulse buyers like Tarmo and Steve!! Let's face it, for the normal guy, having fun is buying more parts or more tools whether or not you have an immediate need!! Why I hear that Tarmo has parts tucked under every bed in his house. He's already got old jugs and pistons stashed up in the box springs. And he is considering hollowing out the underside of Kay's couch to have room for a few more goodies he will without a doubt find in Flagstaff! No wonder those exchange students leave after just one year; they get tired of sleeping on beds that feel lumpy, kinda like old jugs and pistons. But you have to give them credit, they never complain about having to go to sleep to the smell of 30 weight oil! The rumor is he gives them a piston (not a good one of course) to remember him by when they get home! Giving them a bad piston makes sense if you think about it...more room for a good one he might find later! Well, it looks like I need to hang up now before the whole club is after me... but one last parting shot...did you guys notice that Mark Martinek is selling one of those Ford things of his?? Did he finally come to his senses and is planning on getting a Corvair of his own?? And why would he try to sell a Ford in a Corvair newsletter?? Or did Mary Lou tell him to get those gas guzzling, oil dripping, smelly old things out of her driveway? Stay tuned to this reporter and maybe you'll find out the answers to these penetrating questions and more (like does Ruth Boydston leave her chewing gum on the bed post overnight or does Robert Gold really play baseball when he is not playing geologist or is Jerry Goffe's mustache real?) Harmoniously yours, Any Old Mouse Subject: FW: Goofs! Contest & VIR RR 21-22 JUL 02 (VV) Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 15:57:51 -0700 From: Patten Del R Civ AFRL/PKP (Del.Patten@kirtland.af.mil) To: 'Jim Pittman' (casa unm edu) Jim, in case you need some filler! - Del -----Original Message----- From: Patten Del R Civ AFRL/PKP Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 4:55 PM To: 'Sadek Charles H DLVA' Subject: RE: (VV) Goofs! Contest & VIR RR 21-22 JUL 02 I have several goofs to admit to Chuck, and I am not even currently President of the Abq chapter of the DoMC (Dummy of the Month Club)!! I am membership chair though (actually, Richard Finch is the current Pres but none of us know why... I think he just wanted to be the smartest guy in somebody's club...that doesn't say much in the DoMC but we aren't telling him that!!)! Our chapter has become sort of a cult thing lately with lots of guys in NM trying to get in! We are thinking about a patch for our jackets! My personal favorite is that I am the only two time dummy IN THE SAME DAY, that forgot about putting the fan on before the turkey roaster and carbs... only figured it out because it wasn't there when I went to hook up the fanbelt! I am sort of proud to say that I haven't done it since although I have had several other brushes with stardom! But it is sort of embarrassing so could you keep it between you and the rest of the selection committee. And remember, it takes a real BOHUNK to admit his mistakes!!! I take an XX and since I already have the latest, could I have one of the old ones?? Del Patten ... CNM -----Original Message----- From: Sadek Charles H DLVA [mailto:SadekCH@NSWC.NAVY.MIL] Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 4:01 PM To: virtualvairs@corvair.org; 'fastvair@yahoogroups.com' Cc: 'levair@aol.com'; 'dfgiannotti@webtv.net' Subject: (VV) Goofs! Contest & VIR RR 21-22 JUL 02 Well Folks, I have to confess. I put a very high performance engine together and left out a pushrod tube o-ring! Leaked a little in the trailer and on the garage floor! On the same engine, I left out a oil dipstick tube. Thrashing, etc. didn't feel really well when I built it. Luckily I caught THOSE mistakes. CONTEST! If you are not afraid to come clean about your worst Corvair mistake, on the VV or FV forum, and tell us what you did wrong and how you fixed it, etc. you can enter. The Geezers of the Competition Committee will pick a winner (A real Loser?). Contest starts now, all of us are eligible. It is not sanctioned by anybody! Best Goof gets a BoHunkBrosRacing T shirt in their size. Why a BBR T shirt? Well, we BBR Team members have been known to do foolish things.... BoHunkBrosRacing will bring two Corvairs to VIR this year for the NECC Time Trials - Racer's Reunion. Remember, this event, including the Sunday show at the HJ in Danville VA by the Roanoake Valley Corvair Club, is for everyone, not just high performance folks. On Sunday, an in-car video (sort of a car, a BMW M3) driven by a Driving Instr, will be shown in the Piedmont Room at the Ho Jos. We will have both the North course which we will be using, and the entire course, which we won't. But you can see how to drive them. This guy is smooth and quick! Like other racing videos, from the car, the car seems slower than it is. But the times are quick! Don't forget to enter our "Contest"! Chuck Sadek BBR YS73 ****************************** This message was sent by the Corvair list, all copyrights are the property of the writer, please attribute properly. To unsubscribe, mailto: majordomo@corvair.org with "unsubscribe virtualvairs" (without the quotes) as the first line of the message. To post, mailto: virtualvairs@corvair.org. For help, mailto: vv-help@corvair.org. This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America, http://www.corvair.org/ ****************************** =end=