Updated 30-Jan-2007 =-= Copyright (c) 2007 Corvairs of New Mexico. EDITOR: Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 7 December 2005 at 7:30 PM Galles Chevrolet, Lomas & University THIS MONTH: Why is This Man Laughing? Satire Why is This Woman not Laughing? Satire Dues Due Membership Chair November Meeting, Board Meeting Notes Chuck Vertrees Birthdays & Anniversaries Sunshine Committee Mechanically Un-inclined Ray Trujillo Auction & Pot Luck Dinner Report Heula Pittman Christmas Toy Collection Preview Heula Pittman CNM Calendar Everyone For Sale, Wanted, Free Everyone Car Council Year-End Report Robert Gold Seven Years Ago Club Historian A West Coast Trip in Our '64 Walter Huntoon Ultra Van Motor Home - A Trip Into the Past the Internet What a Corvair Owner does to Retire Richard Finch Thirty Years of Tri-State History Sylvan Zuercher Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter Index -- Volume 31 -- 2005 COVER: The House of Covers November Pot Luck and Auction MEETING TIME: First Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM LOCATION: Galles Chevrolet, 1601 Lomas Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 PRESIDENT: Ray Trujillo 839-7436 ray @ bpsabq.com VICE-PRES: John Wiker 899-3076 wiker @ aps.edu SECRETARY: Charles Vertrees 299-0744 vertrees @ swcp.com TREASURER: Wendell Walker 892-8471 defarge505 @ aol.com MEMBERSHIP: David Huntoon 281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com NEWSLETTER: Jim Pittman 275-2195 casa @ unm.edu PROPERTIES: Ruth Boydston 821-1506 CAR COUNCIL: Robert Gold 268-6878 beisbol30 @ aol.com DUES: CNM: 12 months $15.00 or 26 months $30.00 CORSA: 12 months $35.00 or 26 months $70.00 BOTH - required by our constitution: 12 months $50.00 or 26 months $100.00 =CNM= WHY IS THIS MAN LAUGHING? Exxon Mobil Posts New Record for Profit, Sales in Third Quarter; Revenue Hits $100.72B In a file photo Exxon Mobil Corp. Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond laughs during a news conference in Dallas, Wednesday, May 25, 2005. Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest publicly traded oil company in the world, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005, said third quarter profit surged, buoyed by higher crude-oil and natural-gas prices, even as the period's hurricanes hampered production. Revenue grew to $100.72 billion from $76.38 billion in the prior year period. In a related report, during the last two quarters, sales of the "Safety-First" Hummunger H5 were said to have increased by 73.8%. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam) WHY IS THIS WOMAN NOT LAUGHING? Texas Fuel Prices reach New Record with an Average Cost per Gallon of $3.759/10 in September 2005. In a file photo housewife Rayette Lee Brown of Fort Worth is not laughing during an expensive fillup in Dallas on Wednesday, September 28, 2005. Brown's Hummunger H5 V-12, the largest non-commercial private vehicle in Texas, gets four miles per gallon with a strong tailwind going downhill. Brown says her dealer told her she'd feel much safer driving the world's largest vehicle but never mentioned its abysmal gas mileage. Brown says she wouldn't be caught dead driving a foreign rice burner but is considering trading the Hummunger H5 in on a new Ford Explorer hybrid. (ABC Photo/Barbara McWalters) =CNM= DUES EXPIRED: Mark Morgan 2005-Jun Tom Bunter 2005-Aug Dan Clifford 2005-Aug J.Schlessinger 2005-Aug Doug Gadomski 2005-Sep Del Patten 2005-Nov DUE THIS MONTH: Willard Davis 2005-Dec David Huntoon 2005-Dec Roger Pape 2005-Dec Wendell Walker 2005-Dec COMING DUE SOON: Jack Bryan 2006-Jan Lube Lubert 2006-Jan John McMahan 2006-Jan LeRoy Rogers 2006-Jan John Wiker 2006-Jan Fred Edeskuty 2006-Feb Carl Johnson 2006-Feb Joel Nash 2006-Feb Frank Stadler 2006-Feb Mike Stickler 2006-Feb 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! =CNM= Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico, a chartered chapter of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Contents are copyrighted in the names of the authors and CNM. Articles may be reprinted in any CORSA publication as a service to CORSA members provided credit to the author and this Newsletter are clearly stated. All opinions are those of the author or the editor and do not necessarily reflect endorsement by CNM or CORSA. Material to be published should reach the editor by the 15th of each month. Submit material as ASCII TEXT via e-mail to ( casa @ unm.edu ) or in ASCII TEXT format on Apple II, Macintosh or MS-DOS disk, or submit a readable manuscript. If you must send MS Word documents I can read them thanks to icWord 3.0. RTF works as well. Photographs (prints or digital JPGs) are welcome too! Does anyone read this stuff? This newsletter was produced in a certified Microsoft-free environment using a 1998 Macintosh G3 with OS 9.2, AppleWorks 6, Bernie To The Rescue 2.6, Photoshop 6.0, Pagemaker 6.5; a 2003 Macintosh G4 PowerBook with OS-X 10.3.9; a 2003 iMac with OS-X 10.3.9, BBEdit 8 and InDesign 3; and a 1989 Apple IIgs with GS/OS 6.0.1 using Addressed For Success, ShadowWrite 1.3.4, Platinum Paint 2.0, Pointless and Harmonie. Printing via HP LaserJet IIp and Apple LaserWriter Pro 630. More technical details are available if anyone is interested. Transportation requirements provided by Albuquerque SunTran, 1965 Corvair Monza, 1990 Honda Civic, 1996 Mazda Miata and 2003 Honda Civic. And when I'm 64, I'll get by with a little help from my friends. 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 =CNM= NOVEMBER MEETING NOTES Chuck Vertrees THE MEETING WAS CALLED to order at 19:35 at Galles Chevrolet on November 2, 2005. All officers were present along with 23 members. New member Pat Hall was introduced. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. Treasurer Wendell Walker, we are glad to see, is back among us in good shape after his surgery. He reported that CNM had $368.30 in the checking account and $2,585.59 in the GMAC account for a total worth of 2,953.89. There was no Car Council report since they do not meet in November and December. However, Robert does have a general report elsewhere in the newsletter. The Sunshine Committee will want all members to bring a new unwrapped toy to the Christmas dinner on December 4th. These will be collected for charity. The Awards Committee announced that there will be applications in the next Newsletter for nominations for the Ike Meissner Award. [In fact, the month for application forms to be published is January. Nominations are due by the end of the February meeting and the award will be presented at our March birthday banquet -- Ed.] Upcoming CNM activities include the Annual Potluck and Auction at House of Covers on the 5th and the monthly breakfast on Saturday the 19th. It will be at the Breakfast Club on Coors. A signup sheet was circulated to find out who was planning to come to the Christmas Party. This is so some previous arrangements can be made for getting onto Kirtland Air Force Base to go to the Officers Club. To get on the base you will have to come in through the Wyoming gate, and stop at the guardhouse. You must have valid I.D. for each member in the party and Registration and Insurance on the vehicle that you will take onto the base. If you did not sign up at the meeting, please call Steve Gongora and tell him how many are coming. It is planned that the meeting will start at noon so that those who went to church will have adequate time. [This just in: the Christmas party will have to start at 11:30 because we will have to be out of the Officers' Club by 1:00 PM -- Ed.] Proposed activities for the coming year include but are not limited to the following. Any suggestions from the members are more than welcome. It was suggested that we continue with the monthly breakfasts and V-P John said he will help plan them. There was a letter passed around about the Corvette Association having reserved the Albuquerque Drag Strip in the past for private functions. They have been doing this about twice a year and would like to open it up to other car clubs if they are interested. Once a bracket time is established for a particular car you could run a Pinto against a Corvette without a problem since bracket time would be figured in. Geoffrey Johnson will get more information and bring it to the board. Here's a summary by month of suggested activities: January would be the Bosque tour. Jerry Goffe will help set it up and the 7th is suggested. February would be a garage or museum tour. March is our anniversary dinner. April possibly a Turquoise Trail Tour. May is the Museum Show. First weekend in June is the TriState meet. Maybe in June we could plan to go to an Isotopes game as a club. July has the National Convention, the July 4th show in Santa Fe and possibly a campout. August could be the NMCC Annual Picnic or a Summer BBQ at the Trujillo's? September is the State Fair Car Show, and the Santa Fe Car Club Tour. October is the Balloon Fiesta Show. Again, anyone with suggestions are welcome to turn them in. We need to thank Sylvan for seeing that last month's election procedures were all ready and that they went smoothly. We are going to lose Del Patten, at least for a year or two. He is leaving on the 3rd for a job in the Washington, D.C. area. He says he'll be back for events such as the Tri-State. The meeting was adjourned at 20:17. =CNM= NOVEMBER BOARD MEETING NOTES Chuck Vertrees THE BOARD MEETING WAS HELD at House of Covers on November 16th at 17:05. Present were Ray Trujillo, John Wiker, Steve Gongora, Sylvan Zuercher, Bill Reider, Joel Nash, Robert Gold, Wendell Walker and Chuck Vertrees. Wendell reported that CNM had $633.78 in the checking account and $2,604.48 in the GMAC account for a total worth of $ 3,238.26. He also had the year's accounting and this showed that in the last fiscal year we ended up $527.87 ahead of the start of the fiscal year, instead of the usual $1,000 less. We did not have as many big expenditures in the past year. A committee to work on the Meissner Award was chosen. It consists of Robert Gold, Larry Blair and Anne Mae Gold. Bill Reider had the Tri-State logo prepared. There were several choices. The original suggestion of having the four club logos in the four corners made the whole thing look too busy. It was decided to omit the club logos, put "Corvair" in the Bow Tie instead of 30th year, and put the "30th year" in the lower part of the circle. Sylvan reported that LeRoy Rogers is working on a dash plaque. The cost per plaque will run from 85 cents to $1.10 each. The minimum order is 100 plaques. The expenditure by LeRoy was approved. Steve said that the Christmas Dinner is all set except that the earlier announced starting time of 12:00 has had to be changed to 11:30. Lee Reider and Emma Rogers have been calling CNM members, asking them to bring an unwrapped toy to the Christmas Dinner. These will be donated to the Christmas party at the detention center for the children of the inmates. Wendell asked for suggestions for the Sunshine Committee birthday cards. He has been making them up, but would welcome some new ideas. It was suggested that the January check that the board authorizes each year for Jim Pittman's newsletter supplies be increased. No amount was decided on. Also it was discussed the great amount of work that Jim puts in on the newsletter. All CNM members need to write up articles for the newsletter. They DO NOT have to be about Corvairs. Many subjects would be of interest to CNM members. The article does not have to be polished. E-mail it to Jim and he can polish it up if needed. The potluck and auction went well. CNM made $300.22 from the auction. It was suggested that the starting price was too low on some items. NEW BUSINESS: Sylvan suggested that we invite the new Galles general manager and his wife to the Christmas party and this was approved. Ray will check with Dave Huntoon on this since Dave knows him. The activity schedule for the coming year was discussed in detail. The Bosque tour date was changed to Saturday 1/14/06. Jerry Goffe said that the original date was conflicting with a tour already set up. The February Garage Tour was changed to a trip to the Balloon Museum. A picture of a bunch of Corvairs lined up in front might make it into an issue of CORSA Communique. The March 2006 Anniversary dinner needs a committee to start planning now. Robert Gold will plan a June Isotopes baseball game. He will also help plan the NMCC Picnic for this year. This year we need to put a notice in the August newsletter asking for nominations for election of officers. The slate should be published in the September newsletter in time for the October election. It was discussed as to what we want to do about a raffle at the Tri-State. Everyone needs to see if we can get an item donated that is expensive enough to raffle. We could also have a 50/50 raffle. The meeting was adjourned at 18:34. =CNM= HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go to the following CNMers who celebrate in December: Ruth Boydston December 7 Isaac Trujillo December 9 Lube Lubert December 21 Bernadette Gongora December 22 Sara Gold December 30 Sally Williams December 31 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY wishes go to: Elizabeth & Mark Domzalski December 11 Sylvia & Jerry Goffe December 27 Lori & Joel Nash December 31 The Sunshine Committee =CNM= MECHANICALLY UN-INCLINED Ray Trujillo FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE THAT everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. For me, fall is my favorite season of the year. The temperatures are cooler, the green chile is ready for roasting, the State Fair happenings, the exciting Lobo football games, the tradition of the World Series, the colorful Balloon Fiesta, the thrill of Thanksgiving dinner and of course, CNM's annual fun filled potluck and auction. Also, it's the perfect time of year to be driving our Corvairs on New Mexico's many scenic roadways. Whew! I need to catch my breath after all that. What a season! As usual, the potluck and auction was a lot of fun and everyone had a good time. We had plenty of tasty dishes, desserts and drinks. There were numerous items to auction and I ended up bringing home more items than what I brought to the auction. Sylvia, my wife, says I'm worse than a kid in a candy store. I guess she's right because I just can't help myself. Anyway, thank you to all who attended, donated and contributed to a very successful event. CNM raised approximately $340 and a big thank you goes to Steve and Rita Gongora for hosting a very enjoyable evening. They always do a great job of conducting the auction and making sure everyone is accommodated. Next, I would like to urge all of our members to attend our CNM Christmas party. It's going to be held on December 4, 2005 at 11:30 AM at Kirtland AFB Officers' Club. As a club we are going to collect toys to distribute to needy children in our community. So please, if you can, bring an unwrapped toy to the Christmas party. To get to the club, go through the Wyoming gate and have your driver's license, car registration and proof of insurance ready. Then, once you're cleared through the gate, take the first left and head to the Officers' Club. This is a really nice way to conclude our yearly events, so please plan on attending and we can all kick off the holiday season by enjoying each others' company. Well I guess that's enough said for now, see you at the Christmas party. Be safe and Happy Holidays to all! Ho-Ho-Ho! -- Ray Trujillo =CNM= CNM AUCTION - GREAT SUCCESS Heula Pittman RITA GONGORA REPORTS THAT the auction went well again this year. The Club made $300.22 for the treasury. We wish to thank all who participated by either contributing items to sell or who bid on and purchased items. She reports that Ulanda McCurdy really missed Del Patten this year. She was looking forward to "outbidding" him and making more money for the Club. Del and Kim, everyone else missed you too! You guys really know how to make the auction! =CNM= CHRISTMAS BRUNCH and TOY COLLECTION DECEMBER 4, 2005 at 11:30 AM! Heula Pittman DON'T FORGET OUR ANNUAL Christmas Brunch! We will meet at the Officer's Club at Kirtland AFB at 11:30 AM. This is a bit earlier than was first announced. The buffet will close at 1:00 PM so we will need to get out of there by then. Rita Gongora says that the prices for adults is $15.28 per person and the price for children ages 3-12 is $7.65. These prices include drinks, tax and gratuity. TO GET ON THE BASE you will have to come in through the Wyoming gate and stop at the guardhouse. You must have valid I.D. for each member in the party and Registration and Insurance on the vehicle that you will take onto the base. If you did not sign up at the meeting, please call Steve Gongora and tell him how many are coming. We've been meeting at the Officer's Club for several years now and we always have a great time together. The food on the buffet is excellent with more items offered than we could ever try in one meal. The room is spacious and the service terrific. Come on out and join the holiday fun. Spend some time getting to know new Members and renewing acquaintances with others. AND - don't forget to bring your UNWRAPPED toy! =CNM= ============================================================================ 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 ============================================================================ | | | | | December 2005 | January 2006 | February | | | | | | : : : : 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | : : : 1 2 3 4 | | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 29 30 31 : : : : | 26 27 28 : : : : | | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | ============================================================================ Sun 4 Dec 11:30 AM CNM Christmas Party at Kirtland AFB Officers' Club Wed 7 Dec 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Sat 10 Dec 1:00 PM CNM Ladies - TBA Wed 21 Dec 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Fri 23 Dec 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sat 24 Dec 8:30 AM CNM Breakfast - TBA 2006: Wed 4 Jan 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Sat 14 Jan 1:00 PM CNM Ladies - TBA Wed 18 Jan 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Fri 20 Jan 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sat 21 Jan 8:30 AM CNM Breakfast - TBA Sat 21 Jan 10:30 AM Car Project at Ray Trujillo's. H:839-7436 W:266-4011 Wed 1 Feb 7:30 PM Regular Meeting - GALLES CHEVROLET 1601 Lomas NE Sat 11 Feb 1:00 PM CNM Ladies - TBA Wed 15 Feb 5:00 PM Board Meeting - House of Covers Wed 17 Feb 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman - Early this month! Sat 18 Feb 8:30 AM CNM Breakfast - TBA Sat 18 Feb 10:30 AM Car Project at Ray Trujillo's. H:839-7436 W:266-4011 Fri-Sun June 2-3-4 2006 Tri-State Event - Montrose, Colorado =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=++=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= =CNM= = = = = = = = = = = = = = FOR SALE, TRADE OR WANTED = = = = = = = = = = = = = = NOTE: Please tell me if any of these are obsolete and should be removed! - Jim = = = = = = = = = = = = = FOR SALE, TRADE OR WANTED = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FOR SALE OR TRADE: 1964 stick shift differential and all parts to convert 1964 Powerglide car to stick shift. Includes flywheel, clutch, bell housing, all linkages, including nuts and bolts, or trade for same year Powerglide trans and diff. Richard Finch, Tularosa, NM 1-505-585-8035 I can deliver to Christmas Party. WANTED: Wire hubcap with prong spinner -- Bernie Urbassik -- 294-7751 FOR SALE: A pair of 1964 heads 110 hp $100 One 1966-1967 head 95 hp $ 40 One 1962-1963 Turbo head $ 60 Two 140 heads with a lifted valve seat $ 40 each Call Bill Reider 299-4597 or email: ( BREIDER @ GTE.NET ) FREE PARTS CAR: 1964 Corvair Monza Coupe. Fairly straight body, little rust. Has all windows. PG, has early crankcase in place, would need new engine. No title. Geoff Johnson. Pictures available. geoffj @ unm.edu - 505-720-1484 FOR SALE: 1962 Wagon 700 $1.500.00 OBO -- Terry Price 872-0100 1967 Monza 2-door coupe, 110-HP, automatic. $2,500.00 OBO Great interior, good condition. -- Terry Price 872-0100 FOR SALE: 1961 Monza coupe, '66 110-HP engine, Powerglide. New interior, needs paint and minor body work. Make offer - Hurley Wilvert 281-1732 - hurbrenwil @ peoplepc.com FOR SALE: 1968 Monza coupe, 110-HP rebuilt engine with 4 carbs, Powerglide. New paint, good interior. Make offer - Hurley Wilvert 281-1732 - hurbrenwil @ peoplepc.com = = = = = CNM ADS ARE FREE TO CNM MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-CNM MEMBERS = = = = = NOTE: Please tell me if any of these are obsolete and should be removed! - Jim = = = = = CNM ADS ARE FREE TO CNM MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-CNM MEMBERS = = = = = =CNM= http://www.trinityisp.com/~hartfamily/UltraVan.html ULTRA VAN MOTOR HOME - A TRIP INTO THE PAST PHOTO: 38 Year-Old Ultra Van Serial #294 at Gold Beach, Oregon Manufactured in 1967, this coach has served its multiple owners well. Purchased new by the Greens from Southern California, it safely transported them along the primitive Alaska Highway on its first serious journey. With coil spring front suspension and air ride rear, #294 provided a comfortable ride on what was then a crude and bumpy road. The on-board generator was used to power the roof-mount air conditoner while en-route across the United States on hot summer days. Of note, the original Ralph(R) brand 3.5kw Generator works well today, thanks to friends Bob Dixon and Wally Skyrman, who are super mechanics and fellow restoration buffs. The rooftop air conditioner continues to cool the coach nicely on summer days. One good reason the coach has a smile on its front is that it came stock with a Corvair 140 hp engine, which supplies plenty of power to move the coach along at normal highway speeds. Fuel efficiency is good for a motor home, at ~18 mpg, and that is reason for the owner to smile, especially when fuel prices are soaring. Designed by a retired aircraft engineer, #294 was assembled in an aircraft factory in Hutchinson, Kansas. The "monococque" aluminum and fiberglass body is made like an airplane, without the frame that a car or bus would have. When its fresh water, grey water and sewer tanks are empty, it weighs about the same as my Jeep Cherokee. Of the ~370 units manufactured from mid 60s until 1970, about 250 are still rolling down the road, some with 350,000 to well over 500,000 miles on them. The Ultra Van is a very useful form of transportation for a trail runner. Serving as transportation to beautiful places to run, it also serves as a great shower, dressing room and dining area for post-run recovery. Retrofitted with a bicycle rack, Bend, Oregon based #294 has transported bicycles to Century rides as far from home as Chico, California or closer, to the Southern Oregon Coast. As shown in the update below, this coach was used for treking up to an Oregon snowpark for a day of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, followed by return to the rig for a bowl of hot soup. A more typical use of Ultra Vans is for retires to travel from one plush RV park to the next. This Ultra Van has spent some time in such places, but for the real connection with nature, its present owner prefers to travel and camp away from the luxuries of civilization. People enjoy seeing a "retro" rig on the road these days, complete with the trademark smile on the front, but the real fans of my Ultra Van are my grandchildren who greatly enjoy having Grandpa make popcorn the old-fashioned way, with a cast iron skillet on the gas range. Now that's living! (web link from Richard Finch) =CNM= WHAT A CORVAIR OWNER DOES FOR RETIREMENT Richard Finch I ACTUALLY RETIRED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO (at age 60) on a Friday, but the next morning at 9:00 AM, a letter came in my mail box, wanting me to do a revision of "Welder's Handbook," and I have been working every day since. Then, in July 2005, I retired again (at age 70) for good this time, and now I have enough Corvair projects to keep me busy at home for at least the next 5 or 6 years. And if God is willing, I would like 5 or 6 more years to enjoy our restored and fabricated Corvairs. Gayle and I now have four Corvairs that need restoring and one that needs building from the ground up. During the past 10 years I have been collecting Corvairs and parts to restore them with. The parts have been carefully stored, waiting for me to find time put them in and on our cars, trucks and RV's. The projects are as follows: Our 1969 Corvair powered Ultra Van is always under restoration and improvement as most Ultra Van owners know. It now has 83,000 miles on the engine since I overhauled it in 1998. The 95 HP Cylinder heads were a regular source of problems including one dropped valve seat and several loose exhaust tubes. Another exhaust valve seat came loose and just floated around but stayed in, all the way to Oshkosh, WI and back home again. At cruising speeds the seat would seal and make power, but at idle and lower speeds that cylinder would not make power, causing us to have a very slow climb up to the 9,500' elevation campground just east of Cloudcroft a couple of years ago. Coming back down the mountain was really easy, but the trip up the mountain on five cylinders was slow to say the least! I then had Larry's Corvair in California build me a completely matched pair of 110 HP heads and the engine has made trips all across the USA and back with the new / rebuilt heads. We also have a 1961 Corvair Rampside that Gayle bought from our Ultra Van friends, Howard and Marsha Boso, and towed home behind our Ultra Van from Apache Junction, AZ about three years ago. This Corvair vehicle ran great until the starter finally chewed off most of the matching teeth on the torque converter and then broke the nose off the starter. This incident happened just as I had a full load of stuff from emptying our storage building to take back to our house. I hired a local guy to steer the Rampside while I towed it home behind our 1965 Corvair four-door. So, when the starter broke, I decided to really put the Rampside together as a fine daily driver for Gayle. It already had a 110 HP van engine in it and a Powerglide, so I decided to keep that combination and just improve things a LOT! I bought and installed a Vintage Air air conditioner, we had Rita, Steve, Jake and the crew from "House of Covers" make us new custom door panels, carpet, dash cover and headliner for the interior. Then I bought -- my first ever in my life -- new set of 15", not 14", American Mags and Goodyear tires for it. And of course I bought all new suspension bushings and a set of Ken Hand's Mustang II front springs and air shocks. Gayle also bought a new Delta aluminum tool box for the bed so that she can put stuff there and lock it when she goes shopping. (The ramp still works with the tool box installed.) I also bought a new windshield from Clark's, including new weatherstrip for the doors and the windshield. $500! The paint and body are good and I just waxed it after I parked it in the garage last week. It has a few dings, but it is fine for a daily driver. It is so clean and rust-free that I actually washed the underside with a sponge so I could paint it. And of course, I bought a new CD player and radio to put just above its early model air conditioner outlet. And I bought a good used Spyder dash and glove box door, but put a full set of Auto Meter gauges in the dash. The fenders are in good shape, but I intend to spray the underneath with undercoat. We put air horns on it just before parking it two years ago. Our next project car is a 1964 Monza convertible that we bought from Dennis and Debbie Pleau about three years ago, just before they moved to Colorado. And again the House of Covers folks made us some great custom upholstery for this car. I bought an un-assembled set of seat upholstery from Clark's Corvair Parts and then had Jake, Steve and Rita sew it into covers for the front bucket seats out of Gayle's 1991 Cavalier Convertible. (Then we sold the seatless Cavalier convertible for $2 to a neighborhood teenager.) I have also been buying all new suspension bushings, shocks, brake hoses, weatherstrip and new chrome from Clark's. But alas, I discovered that this car was sold new in Syracuse, NY, (salt on the streets) and that all four fenders had been replaced a number of years ago due to each of them rusting off at the body!!! We have taken out the stick shift transmission and are replacing it with a Powerglide so that Gayle can drive this car too. That will make three Corvairs with auto-transmissions. We are getting lazy in our old age and can't shift a stick anymore. This car was originally yellow with black interior, but we have decided on Arctic White with red interior and likely a white or red top. This car is also converted to an air conditioner that is featured in the book that I wrote about converting Corvairs to Air Conditioning. I have made several improvements that will make for a more dependable unit -- such as moving the engine muffler to the left side, away from the A/C condenser to get better cooling. And then we will have power door locks, power windows, CD player, and cruise control. This car will also be Gayle's daily driver. THE NEXT CORVAIR that really deserves restoring is my faithful, daily driver, 1965 four-door that I converted to a CORSA in 1969. It now has somewhat over 400,000 actual miles on it and still has the original seat covers and door panels. The engine still has not had a major overhaul yet, still has the original pistons and rings and it does not smoke and starts every time. It is the car that takes us to the Chevy dealer to pick up our other late model cars when they need repair. I did have to replace one cylinder head in San Antonio, TX in 1983, and the other head in Titusville, FL in 1986. I waxed the second paint job about two weeks ago. I converted it to Factory Air in 1976. When all the other Corvairs have been properly restored, I will restore this one that I bought for $650 in Alamogordo, NM in 1968 from the local Chevy dealer there. There is no rust on this car, thankfully. It really has been a good car for me for nearly 40 years. It has never made me walk home, even when the two valve seats came loose. I just drove it home with clanging valves and pistons. I plan to write a couple of articles about the very interesting life this car has led so far. My final project, but one that will be started and finished in 2006, will be a Corvair powered kit plane. The Zenith 601-XL will be the subject of some articles for next year. Gayle and I plan to drive the Ultra Van to Mexico, MO, immediately after the CNM Christmas Party and pick up our new kit plane in December 2005. If you want to take the time to check it out, you can click on www.flycorvair.com which is William Wynne's website. William has built one of these planes and has a Corvair engine in it. I am just being a copycat, because I like what he has done to his plane. I will be building the plane in my garage, right beside our Rampside. MORE LATER -- Richard & Gayle Finch PHOTO: Richard is towing his SAAB race car past Holloman AFB just west of Alamogordo in October 1968. Jim is in his 1966 Corsa. PHOTO: Richard is driving the 1965 Monza sedan over the Organ Pass near Las Cruces. The 1965 Monza sedan made a great tow car. PHOTO: Richard's SAAB race car on its custom-made trailer in Alamogordo in October 1968 just before leaving to go to the races in Phoenix. =CNM= THE FINAL REPORT OF THE CAR COUNCIL (FOR 2005) COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 26, 2005 Robert Gold THE REASON I TITLED THIS COLUMN the "Final Report" is that the October meeting is the last Car Council meeting of the year. I guess there are two main reasons why we don't have meetings in November and December. The first is that the meeting dates are very close to Thanksgiving and Christmas making attendance a problem. The second is that the main council activities have been completed by this time so there isn't much to talk about. However, I imagine if there weren't any Council activities during the year the car reps would still be able to fill up the 1-1/2+ hour meeting time. Anyway, I have not come to bad rap the Council, rather to praise it. I feel that for the Corvairs of New Mexico this year has been a very good one in terms of the Car Council. We actively participated in all three of the Council's activities: the Museum Car Show, the Council Picnic, and the Swap Meet. Gone are the days when the Council reps would complain that the Corvair Club wasn't being supportive! I want to thank all the CNM'ers for your support. With that kind of backing I look forward to more fun times in 2006. I guess it now time for me to actually report on what went on at the meeting this month. This month the Corvairs of New Mexico had two representatives in attendance. In addition to me my son, Javi was there. He held up well through the meeting even though at 10 years old a lot of the discussion was a bit over his head. It was over my head many times too... One nice thing about missing two Council meetings in a row is that the cars at the Old Car Garage have completely changed. This month there were a pair of Buicks that caught my eye. One from the 30's and a 50's convertible. However, the star of the show was the early red convertible T-bird that I couldn't stop looking at. My wife, Anne Mae has always coveted that particular model and if the keys had been in the ignition... just joking. I just remembered that in an earlier column about the Car Council elections I promised to tell you who was elected once I figured it out for myself. Here is the current list of officers: President Bob Agnew of the Classic Car Club Vice President Tom Willers of the Southwest Packard Club Secretary Paul McLaughlin of the Mustang Owners Club Treasurer Ron Rymarz of the Old Car Club of Albuquerque Director Dennis Seibert of the Rickshaw Car Club Director John Doran of the Rio Grande Mustang Club Director Joyce Clements of the Tumbleweed V-8 Club Newsletter Editor Joyce Clements Political Action Committee Head John Doran Looking over the list of officers I'm quite impressed with the variety of car clubs represented. Albuquerque is really a center for the car culture. That's why going to car events here is so much fun. Speaking of car events, and the October council meeting, a report was given about next year's route 66 celebration. It will mark the 80th anniversary of the road and Albuquerque will be the center for the national celebration. The event is scheduled for the 3rd weekend in June and there is going to be a evening neon cruise as well as a number of other activities. Keep this event in mind it ought to be a fun time. There will be a need for volunteers to help with parking in the Old Town Sheraton. More about this later. Another topic that was discussed had to do with insurance for car events in town. A rep from the West Side Cruisers reported that his organization had scheduled several events in the past only to find out later that they were not covered by their high priced insurance policy. The West Side rep suggested having the Car Council look into having a unified insurance policy for the member clubs. This was followed by a lot of talk about insurance policies that I did not understand. Anyway, someone said they'd look into the issue. I'm wondering if CNM really had any interest in this anyway since we're supposed to be covered by a CORSA policy for our events. Someone needs to let me know if this is the case. A report was made on the swap meet. It was well supported by both the member clubs and the exhibitors. We even made money on it this year! Plans are for the Council to see about extending the contract for use of the Los Lunas facilities for another 5 years for a total of 8 years. It would be nice not to move this thing around as long as it is going so nicely. I have to say it was a lot of fun. If you didn't attend this year you should try to be there next year (or maybe 8 years). The only important thing left to mention is that Sylvan had asked me to bring up the suggestion that the Council look into having the Journal or the Tribune carry a car club announcement section in their papers. This has worked well in other towns and would give some nice publicity to car clubs in the area. I suggested this and one of the reps offered to check with the newspapers. Hopefully this will lead to contact info being listed in the papers on a regular basis. I'll let you know how that goes. I guess that's all for this year. I'll report to you again in 2006! -- Robert Gold =CNM= SEVEN YEARS AGO Jim Pittman Seven Years Ago - December 1998 Volume 24 - Number 12 Many little Corvairs were on our cover! At our meeting a guest was Larry Pleau, father of our president. We had $7007 to save or spend. There was lots of CORSA news from our Western Director, Mark. A Festival of the Cranes was coming up which included a tour to the Bosque. Jon Anderson reported on an excellent tour to Embudo Station where we had a great lunch on the banks of the Rio Grande. Dennis reported on the Fan belt Toss and said he saw Clayborne Souza and Richard Finch there. Dennis was appointed the new chair of Virtual Vairs, an active component of CORSA. Tech tips this issue from the VV group included: Finding TDC with a balloon attached to the No. 1 spark plug hole; Towing a Corvair the "flat towing" way; Keeping your engine cool without getting an aluminum oil pan; Finding good oil filters; Picking the best method for adjusting valves (probably method number 5,824); Looking for someone still using vapor injectors; Choosing tire sizes; Listing misinformation in Ralph's UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED book. At the board meeting we learned that Wendell had just bought a 1964 convertible. Someone suggested that, since Virtual Vairs was going so well with 632 registered participants, we should look into setting up a CNM home page. Finally, it took a page and a half to index all the material from the newsletter during 1998. Fourteen Years Ago - December 1991 - Volume 17 - Number 12 Our cover featured a multitude of Christmas trees and at least one toy Corvair gift. Two new members this month were Kevin Olley and Bob Beasley. Our Christmas dinner plans were discussed and we reviewed plans for our Tri-State Meet next May. Milton Sanchez announced that Ken Johns had taken over Ed Black's and renamed it Casa Chevrolet. Ken Johns was willing to continue to sponsor Corvairs of New Mexico and has expressed interest in continuing the "All Chevy Show." We discussed the need to raise our dues to cover expenses and voted to raise dues to $15.00 a year effective 1/1/92. President Steve Gongora praised Ed Black for sponsoring our Club for so many years. We had a comprehensive financial report from treasurer Wendell Walker. Tech tips told us how to get into a locked trunk without damage, how to change those thermostats and how to keep your rear end (i.e., transmission and differential housings) clean and new-looking. And finally, we had a comprehensive 1991 Index. Twenty-one Years Ago December 1984 - Volume 10 - Number 12 The 1984 cover was a do-it-yourself puzzle, somewhat like a stained-glass window. President Boydston ran our meeting and we had a tentative list of activities for the coming year. Jerry Goffe showed slides from his recent trip to the U.K. LeRoy Rogers reported on our flea market activity which raised some $75 for the Club. LeRoy also told us that our next meeting would include a video, "The Methodical Man," about a person deciding to buy a new Corvair. Jim Pittman provided an article purporting to tell exactly how to write an article for the Newsletter. Bill Reider's column was about ignition systems, how they work and how to keep them in tip-top shape. Finally, the issue wrapped up with our 1984 newsletter index. Twenty-eight Years Ago - December 1977 There was no newsletter for December 1977. =CNM= A WEST COAST TRIP IN OUR '64 Walter Huntoon OUR OLDEST SON WAS IN the Air Force stationed in California and was going to be shipped out soon, so we thought this would be a good time to take a trip out west! Driving on I-80 to Denver went good, but after leaving Denver we took the route through Rocky Mountain National Park. I guess four passengers, steep hills, sharp curves, and the thin air was to much for the powerglide. It began to get awfully hot, so we slowed down to first gear until we came to a Chevy garage in Steamboat Springs. The mechanics checked it out and couldn't find anything wrong. Off we went and never had any trouble with that again. By the time we got to Salt Lake City, the sedan was pretty dirty and dusty. Found a drive-through car wash to clean it up. It came out looking like a new car except the antenna was missing. Looked up another Chevy dealer for a new antenna. Our son was supposed to be at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. We drove up to the base only to find he had left the day before! Okay, here we are in California, might as well look around. Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, curvy streets and all the rest of San Francisco. Further down the coast to Los Angeles, San Diego and a stop at Disneyland. Made a side trip to Yosemite also. Started back east through the desert in Arizona on Route 66. Before we left home we had anticipated the desert heat and the car had no A/C, so we bought an evaporative cooler to hang out the front window for cooling. It didn't work very well so it soon went on the package shelf behind the back seat. We stopped to see the Grand Canyon and Petrified National Forest. CAME BACK THROUGH Albuquerque (my son lives there now) New Mexico. We stopped for the night at a motel somewhere in Oklahoma. My daughter was getting ready to go to bed and found a scorpion in the bed. Stopped in St. Louis for an oil change. The mechanic said the shock absorbers were shot and he wanted to replace all four. I looked at them and they looked okay to me, no leaks or drips, so I said no. We weren't that far from home, so take a chance. We made it without any trouble! It was a great trip. Got to see a lot of the U.S. and the Palomar Red Monza did a great job. Bought new in '64. -- Walter Huntoon [ I have to chime in here and explain my part in this trip. Basically I had no part, as I was the one who wasn't at McClellan when they got to California. I can't quite explain how we missed connections so badly and of course our memories are not quite as good as they used to be. Anyhow, it sounds like they had a pretty comprehensive trip. That powerglide episode in Colorado was probably pretty common for "flatlanders." Steep roads and thin air can make things difficult. This trip was in the summer of '67 and included my Mom and Dad and sister, Carol, and brother, Gary. Four people, luggage for two weeks or so, dark red car with black interior in the summer across the plains and desert, now we're talking fun! -- Dave ] =CNM= CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF TRI-STATE HISTORY Sylvan Zuercher (continued) A small correction to the November CNM newsletter: The $200 dollar price of the Coors Beer was actually $2.00 a can, I am sure that they were sold at that price. From my meeting notes July 7, 1977: Plans were made to meet in Montrose on August 5-6-7, 1977. Ron Nodquist was to be at the meet with his Chevrolet specially engineered Corvair engine. This was an engine with six individual heads with much increased CID and HP. This engine was featured in CORSA Communique some years ago. Jim Gould, who was later a member of CNM, went to Texas to buy a red 1961 Lakewood from Ron. Jim got to drive it. He mentioned to me that it was like nothing he had driven before. He said the sensation was, STEP ON THE GAS AND GET PRESSED WAY BACK IN THE SEAT with the acceleration. The engine was removed and replaced with a 110 HP engine as a condition for purchasing the Lakewood. Steve Gongora later bought the Lakewood from Jim and it won several First Place trophies over the years. It was eventually sold to a Junior in High School. We were to sponsor an activity and my notes indicate: Is anyone familiar with the Colorado Black Canyon of the Gunnison? Leo Ford proposed T-shirts with a logo, Corvairs in a Tri-State triangle for $3.00. There were awards to be given for People's and Ladies' Choice cars, a Hard Luck trophy and a possible slide show of Corvairs. Sadly, for some still unknown reason, this meet did not happen. My notes for the CNM meeting of 8/3/77 indicate a question: Shall we reschedule the Montrose meeting. My notes do not reflect the outcome. Fast forward to the 1985 Houston CORSA National Convention. Leroy Rogers, this year's Thirtieth Tri-State Chairman, approached Steve Goodman of the Denver club about reviving the Tri-State. It was suggested the we use the same plan as the Great Western Fan Belt Toss and Swap Meet, by rotating the responsibilities for hosting among the three clubs, and that it would remain very low key. Montrose was chosen for 1986 with LeRoy making all the arraignments well in advance. Continued next month when we start our trip back to Montrose. -- Sylvan PHOTO: The Golden Gate Corvair has nothing to do with the Tri-State Meets. Just a nice photo from 1967. - Jim =CNM= ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER INDEX - VOLUME 31 - 2005 EVERY MONTH, AS AVAILABLE: Dues Due.........................Membership Chair New Members......................Membership Chair General Meeting Minutes............Chuck Vertrees Board Meeting Minutes..............Chuck Vertrees Car Council Report....................Robert Gold President's Letter..................David Huntoon Birthdays, Anniversaries.......Sunshine Committee Route 66 Cleanup Report...........Oliver Scheflow Calendar of Coming Events...............Everybody For Sale, Wanted or Free................Everybody Seven Years Ago.......................Jim Pittman ARTICLES OF GENERAL INTEREST: December CNM Breakfast......................Jim Pittman JAN Christmas Party Report 2004...............Heula Pittman JAN Hector Gongora Update.....................Steve Gongora JAN Letter from Vancouver.....................Mark Martinek JAN You Won't Believe This....................Steve Goodman JAN Tri-State 2005 in Ouray...................Steve Goodman JAN Fan Belt Toss 2004...........................Del Patten JAN Member List December 2004..............Membership Chair JAN Anniversary Dinner Plans..................Heula Pittman FEB Tri-State 2005 in Ouray...................Steve Goodman FEB Saving the Convertibles.....................Robert Gold FEB Where do you Live?.......................Wendell Walker FEB Ike Meissner Award.................Nominating Committee FEB Door Prizes!.........................Sunshine Committee MAR How it all Started.......................Walter Huntoon MAR Anniversary Dinner Plans..................Heula Pittman MAR Tri-State 2005 in Ouray...................Steve Goodman MAR Tour: Travertine Marble Works...............Jim Pittman MAR Boydston Award Nomination Form............the Committee MAR Mount St Helens...........................Mark Martinek APR Tri-State 2005 in Ouray...................Steve Goodman APR Last Chance for Tri-State.................Steve Goodman MAY St Francis of Corvair Award.................Jim Pittman MAY Letter to Robert Gold........................The Editor MAY CNM 31st Anniversary Party................Heula Pittman MAY Sonic Car Show........................CNM Newshound Jim MAY Old Car Garage Car Of The Month.............Robert Gold JUN New Mexico Highways.......................John Dinsdale JUN Newsletter Questions........................David Brown JUN Tri-State Summary...........................Bill Reider JUN Still Fulla Gas? Ouray, CO...................Del Patten JUN Breakfast at Milly's......................Heula Pittman JUL Information on Picnic at El Morro...........Robert Gold JUL Tri-State Report - Ouray, CO...............Dennis Pleau JUL Letter from the Martineks...............Mary Lou & Mark JUL July 28 Isotopes Game....................Sally Williams JUL Car Council Picnic at El Morro..............Robert Gold AUG Dear God Letters.......................Rowland Croucher AUG Breakfast at Mimi's.......................Heula Pittman AUG Letter from Domzalskis........................Elizabeth AUG Letter from Finches.............................Richard AUG New Element Discovered..................William Kaufman AUG Cover Story: North to Alaska................Jim Pittman AUG Breakfast at Milly's......................Heula Pittman SEP Car Council Picnic Report...................Robert Gold SEP State Fair Preview..........................Robert Gold SEP CORSA Convention Report...................Mark Martinek SEP Trip to El Morro........................Oliver Scheflow SEP Gilman Tunnel Tour Preview...............Wendell Walker SEP Gilman Tunnel Tour Report................Wendell Walker OCT Auction & Pot Luck Dinner Preview.........Heula Pittman OCT Thirty Years of Tri-State History.......Sylvan Zuercher OCT Anniversary Thanks.........................Paul Hopkins OCT One Hundred Percent..................Tomkanpa @ aol.com OCT The Joy of Lex..........................Gyles Brandreth NOV Report to the Board..................Sunshine Committee NOV Mechanically Un-inclined...................Ray Trujillo NOV New Officer Portraits........................the Editor NOV Auction & Pot Luck Dinner Preview.........Heula Pittman NOV Christmas Toy Collection Preview..........Heula Pittman NOV State Fair Report...........................Robert Gold NOV Balloon Fiesta Car Show Report...........Kevin Sullivan NOV Ultra Van Cross-country Trip Report.......Richard Finch NOV Thirty Years of Tri-State History.......Sylvan Zuercher NOV Ultra Van Motor Home - A Trip Into the Past....Internet DEC What a Corvair Owner does for Retirement..Richard Finch DEC Thirty Years of Tri-State History.......Sylvan Zuercher DEC ARTICLES OF TECHNICAL INTEREST: Heater Motor Fans.........................Steve Goodman FEB Curious Oil Leaks.........................Steve Goodman MAY Tail Light Sockets........................Steve Goodman MAY Old Corvair Oil Leaks.....................Steve Goodman JUL Door Latch Failures.......................Steve Goodman JUL Replace FC Front Springs, Shocks............Robert Gold OCT Replace FC Front Springs, Shocks..........Geoff Johnson OCT Differential Adjust............Bill Wells (NORTH TEXAS) NOV Front End Align...............Ray & Mary Collins (IOWA) NOV COVER ART: Richard & Gayle Finch & Ultravan at the Christmas Party JAN Speedometer Cable just before breaking..................FEB The Save-a-Convertible Crew after Expedition............FEB Our Vice-President Got Married! Sunday 13-Feb-2005......MAR Mark Martinek's photo of Mount St Helens eruption.......APR Ready to go out after that trash on Old Route 66........APR A graph of our treasury balance at monthly intervals....MAY Ruth & Tarmo walk from their cars to the April meeting..MAY Ruth says this car is for sale!.........................JUN Bernard, Sylvan & Joel at the June Meeting..............JUL Graph of the CNM Treasury in recent years...............AUG Driving to Alaska - Thirty-Nine Years Ago...............AUG The Martinek's Spyder at the CORSA Convention...........SEP Two 1965 Monzas at a recent meeting at Galles Chevrolet SEP Why are we always standing around our engine bays?......OCT Cleanin' up that trash on Old Route 66..................NOV Posing by Ultravan before the State Fair................NOV The House of Covers Pot Luck and Auction in Progress....DEC =CNM= Thus ends another CNM year. What did we learn this year? Well, on Saturday July 30 I learned via e-mail from Mark Martinek that Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter was judged Number One Newsletter at the 2005 International Corvair Convention in Portland, Oregon. We all learned that it was still possible to have great NMCC picnics. We learned that there are still great Corvairs to be seen at the Albuquerque Museum and the State Fair car shows. We learned that our club still has active and enthusiastic members enough to get our mile of Route 66 cleaned up, to put on a great birthday party, to have a great auction and pot luck fund raiser, and to keep sending in those terrific newsletter articles! All in all, it's been a very nice year. Thanks to you all. - Jim =CNM=