This page contains material from the March 2007 newsletter

Updated 28-Feb-2007 -=- Copyright (c) 2007 Corvairs of New Mexico EDITOR: Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 7 March 2007 at 7:00 PM Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE THIS MONTH: Dues Due ..................................... Membership Chairman February Meeting Minutes .......................... Chuck Vertrees February Board Meeting ............................ Chuck Vertrees Mechanically Un-inclined ............................ Ray Trujillo Birthdays and Anniversaries ................... Sunshine Committee The Goodmans Celebrate Forty Years ................. Heula Pittman Wanted, For Sale or For Trade .......................... Everybody Calendar of Coming Events .............................. Everybody Corvair Calendars ................................ Brenda Stickler Clark's Catalogs ..................................... Bill Reider Tarmo's 1966 Corsa Tune Up ............................ Tarmo Sutt What goes on at a Garage Tour? ....................... Bill Reider What goes on at a TUNA? .............................. Bill Reider Seven Years Ago ....................................... the Editor Garage Rot .................................... William C. Kaufman The Domzalskis go TDY ..................... The Sunshine Committee Soapy water to install a padded dash .................. Elvis King The Boydston Award Nomination Form .......... The Awards Committee COVER: Tarmo and Wendell discuss restoration details for the 1966 turbo Corsa 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 jimp @ unm.edu PROPERTIES: Ruth Boydston 821-1506 CAR COUNCIL: Robert Gold 268-6878 beisbol30 @ msn.com DUES: CNM: 12 months $15.00 or 26 months $ 30.00 CORSA: 12 months $38.00 or 26 months $ 76.00 BOTH: 12 months $53.00 or 26 months $106.00 CORSA's home page: http://www.corvair.org CNM's newsletters: http://www.unm.edu/~jimp CNM's home page: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871 MEMBERSHIP AND DUES: EXPIRED, INACTIVE 25-MAR-2007: Cary Hubbard 2007-Feb Carl Johnson 2007-Feb Clay Keen 2007-Feb DUE THIS MONTH: Clint Collins 2007-Mar Geoffrey Johnson 2007-Mar COMING DUE NEXT MONTH: Jerry Chapman 2007-Apr John Dinsdale 2007-Apr Bill Hector 2007-Apr COMING DUE IN MAY: Mike Hacker 2007-May EXPIRED, NOW INACTIVE: Robert Moore 2006-Jun Lee Olsen 2006-Sep Dwight Simmons 2006-Sep Sally Williams 2006-Sep Joe Ashton 2006-Nov If your membership is due or has expired, please send your Dues to: Wendell Walker, CNM Treasurer, 301 Utah Meadow, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 Past due memberships will become inactive after a one-month grace period. Note that the Club will mail in your National Dues when you renew, provided that you send us the renewal form from your CORSA Communique! PHOTOS: (In 1970 my former Air Force boss, Bill Kaufman, came back from a year in England with a British sports car -- a Lotus Elan. Photo at left: in 1971 in Wisconsin. Photo at right: the same car in 2007 in Seattle. His article about the restoration of this car is on page 13 of this issue. The photo on page 13 shows Bill and his son Will at the races at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.) = 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 (jimp @ unm.edu) = or in ASCII TEXT format on Apple II, Macintosh or MS-DOS disk, or submit a = readable manuscript. I don't like MS Word documents (they are ten times as = big as the text they contain) but no problem, I can read them, thanks to = icWord 3.0. The same goes for RTF files. So, send what you have, I'll read = it! Photographs including digital JPGs are welcome too! = This newsletter was produced in a Microsoft-free environment using a 1989 = Apple IIgs with GS/OS 6.0.1, a 1998 Macintosh G3 with OS 9.2, a 2003 = Macintosh G4 PowerBook with OS-X and a 2003 iMac with OS-X. Software = includes Bernie To The Rescue 2.6, Addressed For Success, ShadowWrite 1.3.4, = Platinum Paint 2.0, Pointless and Harmonie for the Apple IIgs and AppleWorks = 6, Photoshop CS, GraphicConverter 5.8, BBEdit 8 and InDesign CS 3 on the = Macs. Printing is via HP LaserJet IIp and Apple LaserWriter Pro 630. Ask for = more technical details if you are 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. =CNM= FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES Chuck Vertrees The meeting was called to order at 19:00 at the Highland Senior Center on February 7th. There were 27 members present. The minutes of the last meeting were approved as printed in the Newsletter. Treasurer Wendell Walker was unable to attend, but sent in his report. CNM had $494.28 in the checking account and $2,534.78 in the GMAC account for a total worth of $3,029.06. David Huntoon reported that he did not have any new members, but that he had given out a few of our cards. Cary Hubbard reported that at the Car Council meeting they said they are working on a new web site with links to all of the car clubs that have web sites. The Super Nationals were pleased with the Car Council cooperation and the turnout. They will strongly consider having them here next year. There was one CNM entry, Larry Hickerson with his perfect Rampside. He got a First Place in the 1960s Truck Division. The upcoming late summer Car Council picnic will be arranged by The Rickshaw Club. Heula Pittman said that the Sunshine Committee has sent out a few birthday cards. There are a few members who have not given her their anniversary date or birthday date. Also, anyone who can come up with some door prizes for the CNM anniversary dinner in March, please let Heula know. Jim Pittman heard from past member Dennis Pleau and family in Colorado Springs. The Intel plant there will be closing and the work sent to Taiwan. The Intel plant here is not hiring so we don't know where Dennis and Debbie will be going. Bill Reider was taking orders for the new Clark's Catalogue. They will be printed next month and by ordering in a bulk lot we can get them for $4.00 each instead of $6.00. Ike Meissner award nominations were due in tonight, but members were given ten more days to complete their nomination forms and turn them in to VP John Wiker. The Award will be presented during our March anniversary dinner. There was a discussion of having a CNM calendar printed for 2008. If it was a single sheet as shown, the cost would be about $2 per calendar. A multi-page calendar with a separate page for each month would run more that $1.00 per page. To be discussed further. Bill Reider pointed out that a club in Texas offered such calendars for sale for a few years, several years ago. Future activities mentioned were the garage tour on the 11th and the TUNA Saturday in the 17th. March 10th at 18:00 (6:00 PM) is our Anniversary Dinner at Papa Felipe's Restaurant on Menaul, just east of Eubank. The price will be $13.00 for adults and $7.00 for children. This gives the choice of several entrees and a non-alcoholic drink. Again, if you can donate a door prize, thanks. The Club will give a year's membership as one of the door prizes. The next cleanup of our mile of Old Route 66 is Saturday March 17th. It will start at 09:00 which will give it a chance to warm up a little, and Bill Reider can get up that early. (That's an in joke.) All members who have not joined in this gathering of Corvair enthusiasts should consider coming out to help us look for exotic discarded items -- we always seem to find a few items of interest. No CNM members showed up for the Bosque del Apache Tour set up by our tour guides Jerry Goffe and Mark Domzalski. They had a van and waited at the refuge headquarters for some forty or fifty minutes but no one showed up and no one called them. We need to thank them for their work. Maybe we also need to be more proactive in organizing future activities so we don't leave the organizers high and dry and disappointed. Mark and Elizabeth Domzalski will be going to Washington, DC for about three years. They are going to keep their house in Placitas and they will return to Albuquerque or Los Alamos from time to time, so we may possibly see them. They will be missed. The meeting was adjourned at 20:00 and then Tarmo Sutt, having brought in half a block and a head from his 1966 turbo convertible project, gave us a demonstration of the problems he had with replacing studs. He had one stud that went part way in and stuck, then would not come out nor go further in. How did Tarmo get the thing to budge? By drilling a small hole from the inside of the block (that stud was in a blind hole) so he could apply penetrating oil to the threads from both ends. Yes, it finally came free. -- Chuck =CNM= FEBRUARY BOARD MEETING Chuck Vertrees The board meeting was called to order at 17:09 on 2/21/07 at Business Printing Services. Present were Ray Trujillo, Robert Gold, John Wiker, Wendell Walker, Jim and Heula Pittman, and Chuck and Julia Vertrees. Ray noted that he had visited with our sponsor at Galles Chevrolet concerning their continued sponsorship and inviting him and a guest to our Anniversary dinner March 11th. Brenda Stickler will chair the calendar committee and will put a short article in the newsletter about the details. It was suggested that we contact other clubs in CORSA to see if they would be interested in a copy. This can be done by an ad in CORSA or by e-mail contacts with those clubs for which we have e-mail addresses. Bill Reider is heading the Clark's Catalogue ordering. They may be here in time for the March meeting. Bring your $4.00 to the March meeting. John said there is no breakfast scheduled for February. The last TUNA went well. There were quite a number of CNM members present and there were a lot of tools available and being handed to the person manning them. There were some who could not make it to the lunch before the TUNA because the address of the Little Anita's was not posted -- there are several Little Anita's restaurants in town. In the future we will try to always include a street address. Chuck said that he was trying to set up an e-mail list of all CNM members so that he could forward items he receives that might be of interest to CNM members. The most recent had to do with items before the legislature. Unfortunately, some of the e-mail address in the roster are not correct at present. Treasurer Wendell reported that CNM had $867.28 in the checking account and $2,547.36 in the GMAC fund for a total os $3,414.64. Heula reported that the Sunshine Committee had ordered a supply of "Happy Birthday" stamps and were just about out of money, with all that was spent on the Tri-State. The board moved, seconded and approved making available $150.00 to the committee so they can start working on the Anniversary Dinner. There was no report on membership. Robert reported that the Car Council discussed many things, one being that the Car Council now has a web site (www.nmcarcouncil.org) and some of us have had a look at it. The upcoming Albuquerque Museum Car Show was discussed. As often happens, the May date will conflict with our Tri-State. When Colorado clubs plan the Tri-State they do not seem to take into account that school is not out at the end of May, and that families cannot take their kids out of school because of finals for the older children. The Rickshaws Car Club discussed details of the All Clubs Picnic that will be held on Sunday, August 5, 2007. The picnic will be at Villanueva State Park. It was moved that the Car Council give the host club $350.00 to buy the supplies that they need. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served. More details will follow. An editorial comment: Villanueva State Park is a great place for a picnic -- let's all plan to go! Jim said that he had asked Dennis Pleau about getting his web page registered with CORSA, either instead of Steve's page or in addition to it. There was discussion of the slow pace of updating some of CORSA's sites and the difficulty in keeping a web site up-to-date. Robert will contact the last three recipients of the Meissner Award to select this year's recipient. There were three nominations, none of which came in after the original deadline had passed. Members are reminded of future events. Saturday March 10th will be the anniversary dinner at Papa Felipe's on Menaul just East of Eubank at 18:00 or 6:00 PM. Price will be $13 for adults and $7 for children. Help Wendell out and bring cash, not checks. This pays for everything except hooch. Please remember if you can donate a door prize, bring it to the March meeting or to the Dinner. Saturday March 17th is one of our "Old Route 66" cleanup days. We will start at 09:00 and when finished go someplace for breakfast, brunch or lunch. If you can't make the cleanup, come to the food anyway. John will have a place picked out in time to announce at the March meeting. Saturday April 21st will be the next TUNA. There has not been a definite location or time scheduled, but the suggested subject would be "springtime" carburetor adjustment and tuning. Expect to hear more at the March meeting. On Saturday April 28th there will be a "Park in the Park Car Show" at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho. Pre-registration is required because of space requirements. It will be $25.00 to enter but with 18 categories just about everyone will get some kind of award. If you are interested, contact Richard Figved at 891-4737. The limitation is 200 entries and the cut off date is April 15th. On Sunday April 29th the "Old Car Club of Albuquerque" will have a get together at the Sonic Drive-In at 5000 San Mateo NE. It will be free to enter and dash plaques will go to the first 50 cars. The show will run from 11:00 to 15:00. Mark and Elizabeth Domzalski will be leaving soon for their three-year stay in Washington, D.C. We don't have time to have a get together with them before they leave. Hopefully we will find out when they might be making a flying visit back to Albuquerque, and we can get together with them. They will really be missed. The meeting was adjourned at 18:07. -- Chuck =CNM= MECHANICALLY UN-INCLINED Ray Trujillo Hello Everyone! Last month's activities schedule included a garage tour and a Tuna Saturday. The garage tour was held on Sunday February 11th at Jay Hertz's garage and if you weren't able to attend you really missed out on some of the most beautifully restored vehicles you'll ever see. Jay's collection was made up of some awesome 30s and 40s Chevys and Fords. I can't remember the models he owns but his shop and the work he does is truly outstanding. Jay treated us to approximately fifteen cars in his garage and more than half are meticulously completed while the other half are in various stages of being restored. Our visit with Jay lasted for a little more than an hour and after we thanked him for the tour we then headed down to the South Valley to see Cary Hubbard's garage. Now Cary's garage is large enough to hold around a dozen cars and on this particular day his garage was half full. Cary's collection of cars includes various VWs, a really neat looking French Citroen, a Mercury Cougar, a Chevy Blazer, a couple of other brand Xs and of course a good assortment of Corvairs. Not only was Cary's garage half full but his yard held at least another half dozen cars including a 1981 Pugeot. Wow, talk about a true car lover, not many people could compete with CNM's Cary "Boy Wonder" Hubbard. Thank you to Bill Reider for arranging these garage tours and special thanks to Jay and Cary for allowing CNM to come and enjoy their collections. Prior to the garage tours seven of us met at Fiesta's restaurant for lunch. The seven who attended lunch were LeRoy and Emma Rogers, Pat and Vickie Hall, Jim Pittman, Dave Huntoon and myself. While we waited for our meals we all had a nice visit and the topics weren't always about Corvairs. When the topic of Corvairs did come up, it was regarding how there's always something in need of fixing. We talked about some of the many quirks our favorite little car can have. As we talked my good buddy Pat Hall reasoned that the majority of all 40-year-old cars are in need of some kind of work just due to the simple fact of age. I agreed with Pat but I added that these miscellaneous quirks are what give a car its charm. Now I'm not talking about major problems but things like a door that doesn't always close right, or a hard to roll up window, or a seemingly untraceable roof leak, or a broken speedometer gauge, or a temperamental windshield wiper, or a set of backup lights that don't turn off, or a turn signal that works like a ten year old kid (you know, about two seconds and that's it), and my favorite, a horn that suddenly blares without you touching it. These are just some examples of charm, charm and more charm. I'm sure you can think of some of your own charms as well. Luckily for us charm usually can't harm a person, but too much charm can be downright annoying. So Pat is right about the effects of aging and to me people are a lot like cars. Just the other day one of my favorite uncles came into our shop after a doctor's visit. My Uncle Jimmy is 85 years old now and he said everything was all right but he told the doctor that a lot of little things were bothering him. So the doctor asked my uncle to tell him of all the items that were annoying him. After thinking about it a few seconds my Uncle Jimmy said "Instead of giving you long list of annoyances, how about just a short rundown of the things that still work right, it'll probably save both of us some time!" Anyway, be it car or man, a few small problems can be considered charming while the accumulation of a lot of little problems becomes annoying. My point is, if you have a Corvair with too many charming attributes a Tuna Saturday might be exactly what your car deserves and needs. Speaking of a Tuna Saturday, CNM held one on February 17th at "Boy Wonder" Hubbard's garage. We had a beautiful warm day, around fifteen members and four projects. Both Pat Hall and Tarmo Sutt brought their differentials to be worked on. Bill Reider and Sylvan Zuercher taught and oversaw the differential project. Dave Huntoon worked on replacing John Wiker's shorted out backup light switch. Dave had John's problem fixed in no time at all, I'd say about an hour total. While those two projects were going on, Geoff Johnson quickly diagnosed Gordon Johnson's turn signal problem to a bad flasher. Geoff replaced the flasher and within five minutes Gordon's problem was history. About two hours later both differentials were done and a very successful Tuna Saturday was complete. I think everyone who came and participated learned something new. Thank you to Bill, Sylvan, Dave and Geoff for teaching and thanks to a great turnout by the members. A special thanks goes to Cary Hubbard for allowing us to use his great garage. Good job everyone! Okay, let's move on to our up-coming events. On March 10th we'll have CNM's 33rd Anniversary party at Papa Felipe's Restaurant (9800 Menaul NE) at 6:00pm, The cost is $13/adult and $7/child. If you plan on attending please bring cash for your meal because it makes it much easier for our treasurer Wendell to pay the bill. Also, if you can donate a door prize for the evening it would be greatly appreciated. So make plans now to come and celebrate your club's birthday, it's always a lot of fun. On the following Saturday, March 17th our first "Old Route 66" clean-up for 2007 begins at 9:00 am. After the clean-up is done we'll go to brunch, and remember, you don't have to go to the clean-up to go to the brunch. The restaurant will be determined at the next membership meeting so stay tuned for that announcement. Wow, that last statement almost sounds like one of those obnoxious television commercial phrases, so I think it's time to finish up. I guess that's enough said for now and I hope to see you at the next club event, and remember to keep those Corvairs from becoming too charming. -- Ray =CNM= THE GOODMANS CELEBRATE FORTY YEARS Heula Pittman The Denvair News, Rocky Mountain CORSA's newsletter, featured an article telling of the 40th anniversary of Rear Engine Specialists, Inc. of Denver. As many of you know, this is the business of Steve and Ruth Goodman. It would be interesting to know just how many vehicles Steve has repaired over these 40 years, especially our beloved CORVAIRS! We recognize Steve and Ruth for all their many contributions to their clubs in Colorado and to our annual Tri-State events. They were the winners of the Boydston Award in 2001. We thank Steve for his many articles that we have "borrowed" for our newsletter over the years. We thank Ruth for all her many hand-made contributions for door prizes and for the lovely afghans she crochets as raffle gifts. Our sincere congratulations to Steve and Ruth and we wish them success for another forty years!! =CNM= = = = = = = FOR SALE, TRADE OR WANTED = = = = = = WANTED: a good hood for a 1963. Dick Cochran, Grants, NM - 505-287-8403 FOR SALE: 1968 Corvair Monza Convertible, 110 HP, 4-speed. New front seat upholstery, New carpet, 2-year old top. Sheet metal in floor has been replaced. Needs paint, has rust. Asking $3,000 John Arnold 505-281-5542 WANTED: 2 ea, Powerglide aluminum bell housings, any year. Richard Finch, cell # 505-430-1258 = = = = = = FOR SALE, TRADE OR WANTED = = = = = = FOR SALE: 1961 Monza coupe, '66 110-HP engine, Powerglide. New interior, needs paint, 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 = ADS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-MEMBERS = =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 ============================================================================ | | | | | March | April | May | | | | | | : : : : 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | : : 1 2 3 4 5 | | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 | | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 29 30 : : : : : | 27 28 29 30 31 : : | | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | ============================================================================ Wed 7 Mar 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Sat 10 Mar 6:00 PM CNM's Birthday Dinner at Papa Felipe's at Menaul & Eubank Cost for adults $13 - cost for children $7 - please bring cash! Items for door prizes gratefully accepted Sun 11 Mar 4:00 AM Daylight Saving Time Begins - set clocks ahead one hour Mon 12 Mar and for the next 2 weeks - expect disturbances in computer-controlled systems due to the change in the start of Daylight Saving Time from April to March. Computer-controlled functions such as calendars and scheduling may be off an hour unless the computer system has been patched. Sat 17 Mar 9:00 AM First Old Route 66 Clean-up of the year - Ollie Scheflow Sat 17 Mar ....... We'll go for lunch after the clean-up. Wed 21 Mar 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 23 Mar 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Wed 4 Apr 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Wed 18 Apr 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 20 Apr 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sat 21 Apr 8:30 AM CNM Breakfast -- TBA Sat 21 Apr 1:00 PM CNM TUNA -- carburetor tune-up? More information later Sat 28 Apr Rio Rancho car show at Haynes Park -- entry fee $25 / car Sun 29 Apr 11:00 AM Old Car Club car show at Sonic - 5000 San Mateo NE - free Wed 2 May 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Wed 16 May 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri-Sun May 18-20 Tri-State Meet - Monte Vista, Colorado - Pikes Peak club Sun 20 May ....... Albuquerque Museum / Car Council Car Show Fri 25 May 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sat 26 May 8:30 AM CNM breakfast -- TBA Sat-Sun Sep 8-9 Moriarty EAA Fly-in and Old Car Display =CNM= CORVAIR CALENDARS Brenda Stickler -- Chair Person There was a positive response to the idea of producing a 2008 CNM Calendar as a fund raiser this year. The club liked the idea of 11 x 17 Glossy Color one sided calendar as a club fund raiser. We need photos and drawing of Corvairs Submitted at the March through July meetings, and we plan on a vote of the best picture at the August Meeting. (Both Mike Stickler and Ray Trujillo will collect photos). We feel at a sale price of around $3.00 each we can give the car club a dollar for each Calendar sold. Our goal is to have the Calendars ready for you at the November Meeting for you to share with family at Thanksgiving and the month of December. Bill Reider will let us know how another club managed their calendar sales. We will have a minimum requirement of five calendars if they must be shipped out and we will be calculating a shipping fee by the August meeting. Thanks for your input in this project. -- Brenda Stickler 856-6993 =CNM= CLARK'S CATALOGS Bill Reider Just a reminder that we need a blurb in the newsletter about the Clark's Catalog order. Orders must be in by the end of the March 7th meeting. The cost will be $4 each. If you want a new Clark's Catalog, please bring your money to the March meeting. The catalogs should be available at the April or May meeting. -- Bill =CNM= STORY OF TARMO'S 1966 CORSA TUNE UP Tarmo Sutt Once upon a time a long, long time ago -- it was the summer of 1999 -- our first exchange student had just gone back home to Sweden. "So now what," I said to myself. Along came the July issue of the CORSA Communique, and looking through the classified ads I saw a 1966 Corsa turbo convertible... a good car, but stored inside for 20 years - it needs finish work to be correct, and NOS chrome package available, and so on, for lots of money.... I put the Communique down and went on to other things. A while later I picked up the Communique and read the ad again, then went in to tell Kay. We agreed I could call the guy and see what he said. Well, he seemed organized and purposeful about the sale of his very desirable turbo convertible -- approximately 580 total production for this model, only a few left, etc. He was keeping a list of the people contacting him and if people called back he would possibly move them to the top of his list. I thought that this was more car, and more effort, than I really needed. I consulted Mark Domzalski to ask him if he had seen Fred Bybee's ad in the Communique. Mark said he had not, but he was out of town on business and his business happened to be in Kansas City, where Fred lives. Mark asked, would I like for him to go see Fred and the car, as he knew him? Of course, my answer was, Yes. I am thinking, okay, Fred, I am sending the "CORSA President" as my personal representative to inspect this "desirable car" so let's see now if my name goes to the top of the "may be a buyer" list. I called Fred back the next day. He said that he did receive a call from Mark, and they had set up a time to go and inspect the car, which had been stored in an old warehouse for many years. As I valued Mark's opinion, Fred and I would not need to send further pictures and descriptions back and forth. Well, after talking to Mark about his impressions, Fred and I talked several more times on the phone and we made a deal for my purchase of this car. At some point it just seemed that this was meant to be. I mean, the car was far away in Kansas City and the best person I knew to evaluate the car was right there in Kansas City! On the last day of July, 1999, three of us headed east with a trailer to get this "very desirable car with the NOS trim parts." On our way out of Kansas City, Fred thanked me, and assured me that if I had not left with this car, no problem, he had a waiting list of people he could call. I soon came to realize this really was a "very desirable" car. Whenever I'd talk about it, especially at Corvair events, people would come back later to ask if I might be willing to sell it. Forward to fall/winter 1999. I had the car back home in Santa Fe and I needed to make a decision about what to do with it. I would drive it around the neighborhood, and it felt strong enough. Kay drove it around, and it felt good to her also. "How much work, and money, do we put in this car?" Just new paint, new convertible top, new interior and some mechanical rework, new tires and a tune up? New brakes and fuel lines? This car was 35 years old by now, with the last 20 years in storage. OK, where to draw the line -- because it could probably use everything. I considered how much I might anticipate driving the car. What about showing it? What about all that NOS trim? Should we have a good paint job to stage all that? After all, this is a "desirable car." If we had a top quality paint job to go with the NOS trim, then the bottom and suspension should look better also. How to do that? The power train was kind of oily and greasy. So were the suspension components.... Well, you know, the whole bottom of the car, suspension and power train could use reconditioning, to match the proposed quality of the paint to match the NOS trim. I got lots of advice from lots of people. "You need to strip it all down." "No, just finish sanding it, and paint it." "Don't waste more time." On and on. So I decided I would start taking the car apart to "see how it goes." I took pictures of sub-components (how they were placed on the body), put all the small parts, screws, bolts and fasters in baggies and labeled them, to keep track of everything, and I noted its condition. This turned out to be a big job in itself. After a while there was "junk" everywhere. A lot of the nuts and bolts had to be cut off. Wendell instructed me to get bigger hammers and larger cut off wheels, to try to take this Kansas car apart. Finally, one day everything was off of the body, and just a shell was left sitting in my garage. To make a long story shorter, I was able to sandblast the bottom of the body, the engine compartment, the front compartment and all the suspension parts and many miscellaneous parts in my driveway. I would sweep up the used sand and use it again. I brush painted everything I'd sandblasted with a product called POR 15. Then, finally in December 2005, I found a shop in Santa Fe to prep the body and paint it. That took six months. I put just enough suspension back on the body so it would roll and steer.... Oh, also a working emergency brake. During the time the shell was out of the garage, I took the power train apart, and found that the transmission needed a new main shaft. The differential needed a new Positraction housing. The engine needed everything, including new top row cylinder studs -- this is another story. The speedometer showed 54 thousand miles. I am currently assembling the engine, all the turbo stuff and the exhaust piping. I plan on running the power train out of the body to make sure everything is put together properly and not leaking. I remember once being told to save some energy and patience for the end of a project like this, because that is when one get tired and runs out of patience for putting on the parts everyone sees... like getting the chrome on correct and straight. Few people will see the fuel lines you carefully put on the cleaned and sealed bottom back when you were still excited about everything. Currently, I have many components put together to install on the body, along with everything else, like the suspension, fuel lines, brake lines, power train, dashboard components, power top, and all of that new NOS trim. I continue to do a lot of research on correct finishes for everything and try to acquire more correct and NOS parts. I just feel a need to understand everything. And we need to keep up with our daily busy lives. I try to keep everything cleared out of the garage, so only the parts currently needed are in place, ready to put on. I know how easy it would be to just stop, and to be "getting around to it" for the rest of my life. I hope this article will inspire others to keep inching along with their Corvairs. Go out and see them, do something towards getting them in shape for warmer weather, then drive them around and remember the simpler times. I hope my 1966 Corsa Turbo project will become a worthy addition to the CNM "fleet" of Corvairs. I want to thank all the CNM members who have helped me so far. Their knowledge and advice are priceless. But we are not done yet! Let's look forward to the celebration when this "desirable car" is, once again, roadworthy and a credit to the Corvair name. -- Tarmo =CNM= SEVEN YEARS AGO Jim Pittman Seven Years Ago - March 2000 - Volume 26 - Number 3 - Issue 294 Our cover showed editor Jim hard at work (a cup of Louisiana coffee close at hand) preparing a cover photo to go on the March 26th Anniversary newsletter. We recognized Deborah & John Dinsdale of Aurora, Colorado as new members. Fran & Steve Lesher bought a 1966 Monza that was just the ticket to get them to join CNM. Hurley presided at our meeting, and looked forward to snow-less top-down spring weather. Wendell reported $6206 in the treasury. A garage tour and a progressive dinner were being planned. A myriad of events were reported from the Car Council. Anne Mae reported on quilting sessions that were a lot of fun for the Ladies. Jim reported in some detail how he puts the newsletter together each month, as big a mystery then as now. So far the newsletter has rarely starred Slim Pickins and we actually won an award at a CORSA convention, so something must be going well. Sylvan gave us a history lesson in the form of a Dummy of the Month article and pointed out that possibly new members could someday be added to this rather exclusive club-within-a-club. All you had to do was admit to installing a clutch backwards, cross-wiring your distributor leads or gasketing and torquing an engine top cover BEFORE installing the fan. Finally, Will Davis was in town for a few days and told us about the hot and humid weather in Florida where he works for NASA. Fourteen Years Ago - March 1993 - Volume 19 - Number 3 - Issue 210 The cover showed a 1965 sedan: what's wrong with this picture? Can you tell? President Del ran the meeting. Treasurer Will reported $1370 in the bank. We planned car shows, garage tours, a 3-R Museum meeting, a dinner meeting, and orders for golf shirts and jackets. Sylvan was reported to be much improved after heart surgery. The latest issue of Road & Track had an article on oxygenated fuels; it did not address water pollution issues. Steve Gongora told us how he got started with Corvairs: his cousin Richie had one. Then his Dad bought a '61 Corvair for Steve and his sister to go to school in. Steve has owned many Corvairs since then, including specially equipped Corvans for use in his business, House of Covers! Tech tips gleaned from other publications told about the various kinds of smoke from an engine and what they meant, that little 1/8th inch gas line from the fuel filter on turbos and how it could be a fire hazard, and how a combination of air bag and seat belt can enhance your safety -- when you are riding in a more modern car than a Corvair, that is. Twenty-one Years Ago - March 1986 - Volume 12 - Number 3 - Issue 126 The cover showed the GM Electrovair, an experimental battery-filled electric car. It never got to market, but maybe it provided some research data. President Clayborne presided and LeRoy counted up to $590 in the bank. Bill Reider wanted to know how many "daily drivers" we had in the Club so he could write an article for CORSA, with photos. Bill still thinks CNM had an unusually high percentage of "daily drivers" in our Club. Bill Hector and LeRoy Rogers were preparing to set up a Club library. As a ploy to get articles for the Newsletter, a questionnaire on "My First Corvair" was prepared by Karen Souza. Our garage tour was a success thanks to LeRoy Rogers, Doug Malecki and Phil Maloof. It was snowy but we got to see a demonstration of painting techniques and a large number of fifties Cadillacs. Kim and Vickie Owen drove up from Alamogordo for the occasion. Mark Morgan continued his report on "Driving in Westpac" by telling us what it was like to drive in Japan and describing the (mostly tiny) cars, vans and trucks we don't see over here. Carl Johnson told us what to do with old head nuts: put 'em on the studs on top of the new head nuts to keep the rust and dirt off! A tech tip on late model rear wheel bearing end play finished up this issue. Twenty-eight Years Ago - March 1979 - Volume 5 - Number 3 - Issue 42 The cover showed a relatively tame Mark Morgan drawing of a Corvan. Vice President Norm Brand ran the meeting and we had $404 to spend. Bill Reider gave a talk on ignition cables and their importance. We planned a birthday party for May 13. We finally voted on a new name and "Enchanted Corvairs" became the official name of our Club Newsletter. Jim suggested a number of topics and asked people to write articles for the Newsletter. We had several tech tips: hard starting due to a too-short rotor, looking for vacuum leaks in carburetors, cleaning out fuel lines, making your flashers click louder so you wouldn't drive along mindlessly flashing, and diagnosing that mid-sixties-Chevrolet bugaboo, a poor tail light ground. Finally, we had a letter from a Spyder owner from Brazil who enjoyed reading our articles in CORSA Communique. =CNM= WHAT GOES ON AT A GARAGE TOUR? WHAT GOES ON AT A TUNA? Bill Reider Well, it's all about cars -- maybe some of the cars are Corvairs. In case you missed these two events, here are a few photos. We visited Jay's shop where he restores '30s Chevrolets and Cary's place where we looked at a variety of cars, some German, some French, some Corvairs. For the TUNA we had mostly differentials to assemble and adjust, and a few other projects to work on too. It was a great learning experience! =CNM= GARAGE ROT William C. Kaufman (c) 2007 We brought a delightful little sports roadster along when we returned from our year in England, a Lotus Elan. It was the best of its sort; very fast, nimble - a real eye catcher - and the sound of its exhaust was a delicious grumble. It also had all of the well-known English irritants. But it was a delight - a real automotive toy. It served well for twenty years with nothing more than routine maintenance - well, almost nothing. And the irritants were well outweighed by its performance. I had joined the faculty of a small college in a town with a population of about 100,000. I drove the car to the campus every day. The route was not through the main business district and traffic was not a problem. It was a nice drive of about four miles. With retirement and a move to a new location, a much larger city where traffic was something of a problem and became a greater problem, except for an occasional run "out in the country," driving the little car was no longer fun. And so the toy remained in the garage protected from the elements and driven only seldom and eventually not at all. It was started about once a month and sometimes that was forgotten. Regularly when I entered the garage I would look at the toy and think, "I've got to do something about that." The car had about sixty thousand miles on it and cosmetically it was fine. I knew that it needed a new water pump because of the clatter that could easily be heard when it was started. One day last summer I decided to "do something about that." A member of the Lotus Club has a restoration business. He owns two of the cars and they are in excellent condition even though more than twenty years old. His shop is immaculate and his work is well known in the club. Arrangements were made to replace the water pump and whatever else was found to be required. I said, "Let's try to keep it under X dollars." My son said, "You'll be lucky to keep it under 2X." So the project was begun. An inspection, an estimate, and the actual work was started. Surprise! The diagnosis was, "Garage Rot." The car had not been driven regularly for twenty years. During that time, we found as we moved farther into the job, that insulation on the wiring had hardened and cracked as had almost every part that was not metal. Washers, bushings, valves needed to be replaced. Rust had attacked all the exposed metal parts. For this reason part of the frame would have to be replaced. We rapidly approached 2X. And since we have the engine out it would be well to overhaul it. Partial parts and materials list: Pump bearing, seals, impeller, insert, crank pulley, freeze plug, stud, cam cap & cam cover, valve guides, gaskets. And the list goes on. On that page, twenty items. Back to the running gear - the shock absorbers were stuck. Ball joints had seized. There were monthly lists and along with labor we rapidly approached 3X. It has been six months and the engine has been started and the car driven. It is about to be tuned. We find that one of the important gauges is inaccurate. There are no replacements available. However, there is a shop in Albuquerque that can rebuild it. Time has flown for six months, the X has gone to 3X, and I still do not have the car to drive. The original price was X, restoration has been 3X, and the present day price of a comparative model (originally rumored to be a copy of the Elan) is more than 6X. So we have, first, an antique, and second, an outstanding sports roadster in mint condition, a "collectible" - for only half the price! Nevertheless, a word of caution is in order. If you have the desire, even the compulsion, to own an antique, sports car or otherwise, have a care, especially if it is not being driven. An acquaintance in the Midwest, a Jaguar specialist and restorer, has an entire storage area filled with parked "Lovelies." They are the cars that have been wanted for years and finally have been found somewhere. The owners of these much wanted and sought after "heaps," when queried, usually respond with, "The check's in the mail." As to the Elan, we have done a complete restoration. The car will be "as good as new." Perhaps better; many of the replacement parts are better than the originals. And when one drives down a country road, or to a show, the pleasure will still be there. But with antique, or even only "old" automobiles, have a care. With those that have been in storage, "always garaged," be very careful. If you don't use it, you lose it. Garage Rot! =CNM= THE DOMZALSKIS GO TDY The Sunshine Committee We knew that Mark and Elizabeth would be going to Washington DC for about three years. We just learned that their schedule has jelled and their plan is to head "back east" on the first day of March. We'll greatly miss this couple as the two of them have contributed so much to CNM and to CORSA. Mark was our president for three terms and was president of CORSA for two terms. He received the club's Ike Meissner award in 1997. His enthusiasm, ideas and energy made for lasting improvements to the national organization and helped put New Mexico on the national map. And our editor greatly appreciates all the articles and "president's letters" Mark provided for the newsletter. Elizabeth has been an active member of the Sunshine Committee since it was organized in the spring of 2003. She has always been ready to assist in any way when called upon. The two of them were pivotal in getting the 1996 National Convention to Albuquerque and they have been major players in organizing and enhancing our Tri-State events. We hope to see Mark & Elizabeth when they have occasion to return to New Mexico, and, who knows, those of us who are not travel-averse may go to visit them in the Nation's Capital! Let's wish them a good journey to DC and a safe return in three years. =CNM= TRY SOAPY WATER WHEN INSTALLING A CORVAIR PADDED DASH Elvis King Elvis suggests the following technique for installing a padded dash cover as an example as how Corvair enthusiasts can help one another by sharing knowledge and experience. A few years ago I acquired a 1962 Monza Spyder convertible that is still going through its second restoration. The original black vinyl padded dash was cracked in many places. So, I purchased Clark's replacement pad, secure in the knowledge that surely I would have the car ready for the pad to be replaced long before the "install before date" would be reached. Well, three years later, when I was ready to install the dash, the supplied contact glue had long since spoiled. I think the suggested install time limit has more to do with the shelf life of the glue, rather than any change in the condition of the pad itself. To replace the original glue, I bought Weldwood contact cement at The Home Depot - the same kind that I had used when helping my dad install Formica counter tops many times. This cement works great, but it is still contact cement. For the Spyder dash installation, I did not want to remove the windshield for all the known reasons, but I was able remove the dash moldings and radio grille, brow trim, etc, and to prepare the metal dash and fit the new pad, by following Clark's step-by-step instructions. Having worked with contact cement before, I recall thinking there is no way I'm going to get this pad in place where I want it, before the glue sets, especially since the windshield is still in the car. I discussed this matter with Joe Espejo, fellow ACC member and a long-time service manager for a local RV dealership. His solution, based on work experience, was the quick reply - use soapy water. While I always put great stock in Joe's advice, I had to make sure myself. I took four good-sized pieces of the old dash pad and glued them to a bare dash in one of my parts cars. The first piece I applied using the Weldwood procedure of coating both surfaces, letting them dry to the touch, and putting it in place. Perfect. Next time I did the same thing except I sprayed a solution of mildly soapy water (dishwashing detergent) onto the adhesive on the metal dash surface. I was able to move the pad slightly for a short time, but then it stuck with all the cling of the previous procedure. At this point I must caution against applying too much of the contact cement. A few years ago, someone on the VirtualVairs list confessed as to how he ruined two new dash pads by saturating the foam underlayer with the cement until it soaked through to the dash pad's outer cover. With my practice behind me, I was ready for the real installation. So, one Sunday afternoon, with the convertible top down, JB (my wife), Lewis (my son), and I practiced our moves a few times, and the pad went down perfectly. I have spoken to Cal Clark twice about this technique and he said he would have his guys look into it. The only pitfall I can foresee is that one might get the impression that, with the soapy water, they might have more time for the slight adjustments than is really available. By using the soapy water, you only gain extra seconds to make small adjustments in the pad's position. However, at least some movement is available, whereas with the straight contact cement bonding, not even a hundredth of an inch movement is possible. I recommend that, before attempting this method, you make sure that it will work for you, just as I did. Reprinted from: On the Air - Newsletter of the Arkansas Corvair Club - CORSA Chapter 722 - Feb 2007 Vol 20, Issue 2 =CNM= THE FRANCIS BOYDSTON AWARD the Awards Committee The Francis Boydston Award is presented annually to a Tri-State CORSA Chapter member(s), in good standing who best exemplifies the influence, support, ideals, and values that Francis embodied. This may be jointly awarded to members and spouses or jointly to separate members if approved by the reviewing authority as detailed below. To commemorate the occasion, the recipient shall be awarded a plaque suitable for prominent display. The award shall read: St. Francis of Corvair Francis Boydston Service Award For Outstanding Service and Contributions to Corvairs of New Mexico And Perpetuation of the Corvair AWARD RECIPIENT NAME DATE This award is bestowed in memory of Francis Boydston, a CNM founder and friend. In addition to the individual plaque, there shall be a traveling plaque that has tags for the addition and date of each annual recipient(s). The cost of the award and engraving shall be borne by CNM. Two months prior to the next Tri-State meet, the CNM Vice President or an alternate appointed and designated by the CNM President shall make arrangements and retrieve the traveling plaque to be in CNM custody no less than five weeks prior to the next award presentation. The selection committee for the awards shall be comprised of three Tri-State Chapter members appointed by the CNM President who will work with and report to the CNM Vice President or the alternate appointed and designated by the CNM President. Members appointed to serve from non-CNM Tri-State Chapters shall be jointly appointed by that Chapter President and the CNM President. It is recommended that at least two of the three members be immediate past award recipients. It is preferable for the last three immediate recipients to serve on the selection committee. The CNM Vice-President, or designated alternate, shall achieve approval of the award by concurrence with a quorum of the officers of CNM and Presidents of the represented Tri-State Chapters. Guidelines for consideration for the Francis Boydston Award shall, in no particular priority, be: 1. Attend meetings and plan, coordinate or organize individual Tri-State Chapter and/or Tri-State Meet activities or events 2. Share Corvair knowledge and expertise. 3. Encourage owners to preserve, maintain and share in the lore of the Corvair. The presentation of the Francis Boydston Award shall be made at the annual Tri-State Meet Banquet or at a time and place designated by a majority of the Tri-State Chapter Presidents. The presentation shall be made by a CNM official, approved by a majority of the Tri-State Chapter Presidents, and supported by a representative of the recipient's Chapter. The content of the oral award presentation shall be scripted in advance and have achieved concurrence of the Francis Boydston Award Committee and the represented Tri-State Chapter Presidents or alternates designated by the CNM President. The oral award presentation and engraved plaque shall be prepared no later than one month prior to the annual Tri-State Meet Banquet or the otherwise designated time and place. Francis Boydston Award Nomination This award is presented annually to a Tri-State CORSA Chapter member, in good standing who best exemplifies the influence, support, ideals and values exhibited by Francis Boydston with Tri-State Chapter members and other Corvair enthusiasts. This form is confidential. To avoid disappointment, do not divulge to or otherwise advise the nominee of this action. This form shall be submitted to the CNM Vice President or an alternate appointed and designated by the CNM President. This form will be distributed in the March issue of the Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter and at the March Membership Meeting. Copies of the criteria and this form will be mailed and/or e-mailed to the other Tri-State Newsletter Editors and Presidents for publication and distribution to those chapters. The DEADLINE for submission of this completed nomination form shall be NO LATER THAN adjournment of the CNM April Membership Meeting. Any exceptions to this deadline shall be made by agreement between the CNM Vice President or the appointed alternate and the CNM President. To the Francis Boydston Award Committee: It is a pleasure to submit the following Tri-State CORSA Chapter member(s) to be considered for the Francis Boydston Award. Name(s): _____________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________ City, State and Zip: _________________________________________________ Has been a Chapter member since: _______ Has been a CORSA member since: _______ Has served as a Chapter official, chair or leader: Y__ N__ Approximate years: __ Has promoted the Corvair and Corvair hobby: Y__ N__ Has helped other people: Y__ N__ Briefly describe the merits of this member and nomination: ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Date of this nomination: _____________ Author of this nomination: ______________ =END=