The April 2008 Newsletter - Text Version Updated 10-Sep-2008 ==== Copyright (c) 2008 Corvairs of New Mexico EDITOR: Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 2 April 2008 at 7:00 PM Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE THIS MONTH: Dues Due .................................. Membership Committee March Meeting Minutes ........................... Chuck Vertrees In Memoriam - Ben Benzel ............... Pikes Peak Corvair Club March Board Meeting Minutes ..................... Chuck Vertrees Birthdays and Anniversaries ................. Sunshine Committee Car Council Report, 27 Feb 2008 ................... Cary Hubbard Stick to Vairs! ........................ President Mike Stickler For Sale, Trade or Wanted ............................. Everyone Calendar of Coming Events ............... CNM Board of Directors Signs of the Failure of Civilization ............... Jim Pittman The Last Word on Corvair Cooling Fans ................. Bob Helt Carburetor Tech Session Follow-up .............. Sylvan Zuercher Cover Story: CNM's Airline ...................... Buzz Lightyear To The Newsletter ............................ Vickie & Pat Hall April 5th Rally Preview ......................... Chuck Vertrees Old Route 66 Cleanup ........................... Oliver Scheflow Pagosa Springs Tri-State Meet ... Steve Goodman & Laura Wilshire Check Battery Voltage - Charge Into 2008! ........ Steve Goodman April 19th TUNA Preview ............................... Pat Hall Seven, 14, 21, 28 Years Ago ..................... Club Historian COVER: Our New Airline Proudly Sprouts Its Wings.. Photo: Jimmothy Pitts =[CNM]= PRESIDENT: Mike Stickler 856-6993 sticorsa @ hotmail.com VICE-PRES: Pat Hall 865-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com SECRETARY: Charles Vertrees 299-0744 vertrees @ swcp.com TREASURER: Wendell Walker 892-8471 defarge505 @ aol.com PROPERTIES: Ruth Boydston 821-1506 sg730 @ comcast.net CAR COUNCIL: Cary Hubbard 350-0483 bus63kombi @ gmail.com CAR COUNCIL: Art Gold 620-7434 rollerart @ gmail.com MEMBERSHIP: David Huntoon 281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com NEWSLETTER: Jim Pittman 275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu 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 old home page: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871 =[CNM]= MEMBER LIST & DUES DATE = Ides of March 2008 A.D. Due last month, inactive as of 25-Apr-2008: 2008/03 Geoffrey Johnson Since_2002.03 2008/03 Tracey & John McMahan Since_1983.12 Due this month, inactive as of 25-May-2008: 2008/04 Deborah & John Dinsdale Since_2000.02 2008/04 Florence & Bill Hector Since_2006.04 Coming due later: 2008/06 Ruth Boydston Since_1974.04 2008/06 Mary Alice & Oliver Scheflow Since_1992.05 2008/07 Sylvia & Jerry Goffe Since_1977.05 2008/07 Anne Mae & Robert Gold Since_1982.08 2008/07 Brenda & Hurley Wilvert Since_1992.10 2008/08 Barbara & Gordon Johnson Since_2001.06 2008/08 Sylvia & Ray Trujillo Since_2003.08 2008/08 Opal & Sylvan Zuercher Since_1974.12 2008/09 Kay & Tarmo Sutt Since_1976.07 2008/10 Debra & Jon Anderson Since_1992.10 2008/10 Guadalupe Arellanes Since_2006.10 2008/10 Mary & Art Hurley Since_2007.10 2008/11 Linda & Dick Cochran Since_2006.09 2008/11 Wibke & Robert Garrecht Since_2005.09 2008/11 Leslie & Kevin Sullivan Since_2002.07 2008/11 Nancy & Bernard Urbassik Since_2004.08 2008/12 Elizabeth & Mark Domzalski Since_1994.01 2008/12 Gayle & Richard Finch Since_2000.06 2008/12 Kelly & Art Gold Since_2006.12 2008/12 Vickie & Pat Hall Since_2005.10 2008/12 David Huntoon Since_1994.11 2008/12 Walter Huntoon Since_1992.11 2008/12 Steve Johnson Since_2001.08 2008/12 Roger Pape Since_2002.12 2009/01 Rita & Steve Gongora Since_1974.12 2009/01 H. C. "Lube" Lubert Since_1987.10 2009/01 Carolyn & Dan Palmer Since_2006.01 2009/01 Emma & LeRoy Rogers Since_1975.07 2009/01 Anne & John Wiker Since_2001.01 2009/02 Cary Hubbard Since_2006.02 2009/02 Carl Johnson Since_1974.04 2009/02 Lee & Bill Reider Since_1974.09 2009/02 Frank Stadler Since_1990.02 2009/02 Brenda & Mike Stickler Since_1976.07 2009/03 Robert McBreen Since_1989.11 2009/03 Sally Williams Since_2003.09 2009/08 Bob Philips Since_2007.06 2009/10 Mary Lou & Mark Martinek Since_1990.08 2009/12 Diane & Robert Galli Since_2007.10 2009/12 Kathy & Larry Blair Since_1985.11 2010/01 Marilyn & Richard Foster Since_1999.07 2010/01 Kim & Del Patten Since_1980.07 2010/02 Susanne & Larry Hickerson Since_2002.08 2010/02 Julia & Chuck Vertrees Since_1983.05 2010/02 Wendell Walker Since_1989.01 2010/04 Heula & Jim Pittman Since_1974.04 2010/05 Jack Bryan Since_1982.02 2010/06 Joel Nash Since_1974.12 INACTIVE AS OF 25-MAR-2008: 2007/02 Clay Keen Since_2006.02 2007/03 Clint Collins Since_2006.03 2007/04 Sandra & Jerry Chapman Since_2006.04 2007/05 Mike Hacker Since_2002.03 2007/06 Terry Price Since_1992.01 2007/11 Kathy & Doug Gadomski Since_1999.11 2007/12 Mark L Morgan Since_1974.04 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. The Club will mail in your National Dues when you renew, provided that you send us the renewal form from your CORSA Communique! =[CNM]= MARCH MEETING NOTES Chuck Vertrees The meeting was called to order at 19:10 on March 5th, 2008 at Highland Senior Center. There were 31 members present including all officers. President Mike Stickler reminded members that the talking had been getting out of hand in past meetings and that some of the older members like your secretary was starting to have trouble hearing what should be in his notes. The minutes of the last meeting were accepted as printed in the newsletter. Treasurer Wendell Walker reported that he had transferred $500 from the GMAC account to the checking account, and as a result we had $924.82 in the checking account and $2,183.41 in the GMAC account for a total of $3,108.23. There were no new members or guests present although Dave Huntoon had invited a possible member, but he did not make it. Cary Hubbard attended the Car Council meeting and reported that the Super Nationals went well and they will be here again in the future. There was much talk about the upcoming Annual Museum Show with quite a bit of disagreement about how it should be run. There is quite a bit still up in the air. One suggestion was that there should be more than one entrance. One of the unsolved items was the method of payment. Heula Pittman circulated a sympathy card to be sent to the family of Ben Benzel. Ben died on February 20th after an extended period of declining health. He remarked at the Tri-State Meet last year that he was getting really tired of the dialysis procedures he had to endure several times a week. Ben was a long time active member of the Pikes Peak Corvair Club in Colorado and we all liked to see his original 1962 Corvair at Tri-State events. Ben received our seventh Boydston Award in May of 2004 at the Tri-State in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Jim Pittman asked everyone to think about the Boydston Award. This year it is to be presented at the Tri-State Meet in Pagosa Springs on May 17th. We have presented this award at the Tri-State each year since 1998 and we have considered members of CNM, Pikes Peak and Rocky Mountain to be eligible for the award. It has sometimes been difficult to get nominations from the Colorado clubs. Jim suggested that this should be discussed at the board meeting. Nomination forms were in the March newsletter, and the deadline for turning in nominations is our April 2nd meeting. Ruth Boydston reminded us that she still needs Corvair or Chevrolet T-shirts for the quilt or quilts that she is going to make for the next time CNM hosts the Tri-State, that is, in 2009. Upcoming events that will be over by the time you receive the April newsletter include, on March 8th, this year's first cleanup of Old Route 66 and on March 15th, our annual Anniversary Dinner at the County Line Restaurant. There will be a road rally on Saturday April 5th put on by Chuck Vertrees. There are more details elsewhere in the newsletter. A prize will be given for the best finisher. Start time is 10:00 at the site where we always start our Old Route 66 cleanup, that is, about a mile east of Central & Tramway on NM 333 AKA Old Route 66. We'll end up at Cedar Point Grill for lunch. On Saturday April 19th there will be a TUNA at Pat Hall's in Los Lunas. It will start at 10:00 and there will be lunch afterwards at a nearby restaurant at about 12:30. Pat will show us how to take apart and how to put together a late model rear wheel bearing assembly. Saturday May 10th will be our second cleanup on Old Route 66, and Friday through Sunday, May 16th-18th are the dates for the Tri-State in Pagosa Springs. Ruth Boydston said when she called the headquarters motel she had trouble getting them to understand that she was making a reservation as part of a Corvair club event, but LeRoy Rogers said when he called five days ago he did not have any trouble getting a room he would like. John Wiker inquired whether members would like to caravan to Pagosa and some of our members answered positively. Pat Hall said he had talked to a Corvair owner in Las Cruces, Jim Miller, who is a CORSA member and he is trying to get him to join CNM. After the formal meeting Dave Huntoon showed us a short video he had made at the tour of the B-17 "Liberty Belle" and this was followed by a tech talk on carburetors, illustrated with handouts and many old and new, good and not-so-good parts, by Sylvan Zuercher. Sylvan is our club's master carburetor guy and several members gathered around to pay close attention to his words of wisdom. After all, we all want our carbs to work as well as possible, whether they be from "good" or "better" or "best" years. =[CNM]= MARCH BOARD MEETING Chuck Vertrees The meeting was called to order at 17:00 on 3/19/08 at Ray Trujillo's print shop. Present were Mike & Brenda Stickler, Wendell Walker, Heula & Jim Pittman, Cary Hubbard, Pat Hall and Chuck & Julia Vertrees. The first report was by V. P. Pat Hall. He has made arrangements at Sopa's Restaurant for lunch after the TUNA at his place on April 19th. It is in Bosque Farms on highway 47. Time is 12:30. There will be a map in the newsletter showing how to find Pat's place and how to find the restaurant. Chuck Vertrees said that everything was all set for the rally on April 5th. He only needs to know about how many will be there so he will know how many packets to prepare. If you plan to go to the rally, let Chuck know by the April 2nd meeting. Treasurer Wendell Walker reported that CNM had $455.33 in the checking account and $2,183.41 in the GMAC account for a total of $2,638.74. Cary Hubbard reported on the Car Council meeting. The main thing was the upcoming Albuquerque Museum show in May. It seems that everything was supposedly all worked out, and then some changes were made, or proposed, so things are still somewhat up in the air. Having the entrants pre-pay is now being re-thought! It is still proposed to have two entrances to help keep traffic from backing up on Mountain Road as cars try to get in to the show. The annual All Clubs Picnic is set for August 10th and it will be at Villaneuva State Park, the same location as last year. It went so well and the people at the park were so pleased with the picnic that the site has already been booked for August. We should all put this on our calendars. Heula Pittman said that we sent a card thanking Richard and Marilyn Foster. They won the 50-50 cash drawing, but then donated their share back to CNM's treasury. Also, Heula sent some of the Corvair refrigerator magnets to some of our members who are living way out of town and cannot make the events. Look through the roster and you will find out how many members we have who live far out of state at this time, but still keep up their membership. Brenda Stickler has been doing a lot of work on next year's Tri-State. We will be the host chapter and the Board has decided that it will be in Taos, New Mexico. She has talked with the people at the Kachina Lodge, which is one of the better ones in Taos. Although The Tri-State will be June 6-7 they will still give us a rate of $69.00. This will include a continental breakfast and wine or Margaritas at the banquet. The banquet will also be at the Kachina Lodge. The lodge has a swimming pool and hot tubs. Some have worried that having the Tri-State in Taos, as well as having it in June, will be too expensive. We are working to hold expenses down and the Taos Tourist Bureau is really helping us. They will arrange for space on the square for the car show. They will also have articles in the local paper and their newsletter for two months before we arrive. The board approved for Brenda to arrange for the Kachina Lodge set aside 50 rooms at that rate and they will hold them until two weeks before the Tri-State. (After the two week time the rates will be higher, going to summer rates.) The Tri-State is where the Annual Boydston Award is presented. The two Colorado clubs are included in this award but so far they have not sent nominations. Mike has called both clubs but with no response. Nominations are due by the April meeting! They will be considered by the last three recipients who are John Cole from Colorado, LeRoy Rogers, and Wendell Walker, along with the Vice-President. The board will discuss more in the future about the awards that CNM has. UPCOMING EVENTS: The Rally, mentioned earlier. This will be on April 5th and will start at 10:00 AM from the location where we park when we do the Old Route 66 cleanup. This is one mile East from Tramway and Central on NM route 33 (Old US 66). Also in April will be Sally William's Baby Shower at the Sticklers' on the 6th. For those who happen to be interested, this will be a chance to go to visit Kevin Sullivan's garage which I am told is only about a mile away. I don't know what he has in cars besides an Ultra Van, an MG-A and an MG Magnette, but am told it will be interesting. April, in addition to being just a little odd this year, is a full month. There will be a TUNA on the 19th at Pat and Vickie Hall's. I am told that the care and feeding of late model rear axle assemblies will be demonstrated, with lunch afterwards as mentioned earlier. The starting time will be 10:00, but call Pat to be sure. As mentioned there will be a map in this issue of the newsletter. May 10th is the next cleanup on Old Route 66. Usually as we get into hotter weather the start time is 8:00. The weekend after the cleanup is the Tri-State in Pagosa Springs on the 16-18th. For those not going to the Tri-State, the Albuquerque Museum show in on the 18th. As usual when the Colorado clubs set the Tri-State date, it conflicts with the museum show. Another problem with the May dates are that they conflict with parents who have graduating school children. The Anniversary Dinner was discussed. The consensus was that it was a great success. There were 58 people attending. It was suggested that we plan on going to the same place next year, only with more bar-b-que brisket and less chicken. Some suggestions were made about improving the way to handle door prizes. We had enough that practically everyone got something. It was suggested that CNM members should try to make the Spring Thaw on April 12th at Worldwide Automotive, 3211 Claremont NE, phone 881-2722. It is probably too late to get you car in, but it is well worth the time to go, just to see the cars that will be there and up on the rack. The meeting was adjourned at 18:00. Any member is welcome to attend any board meeting. They are always on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 17:00. -- Chuck =[CNM]= APRIL BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: Buzz Lightyear April 1 Mike Stickler April 2 Nicholas Wilvert April 2 Cary Hubbard April 5 Mark Martinek April 5 Robert McBreen April 7 Elizabeth Domzalski April 9 Ray Trujillo April 9 Ollie Scheflow April 25 Emma Rogers April 28 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WISHES TO: Connie & Robert McBreen April 1 Lupe & Jim Arellanes April 10 Opal & Sylvan Zuercher April 21 Wanda & Buzz Lightyear April 31 =[CNM]= CAR COUNCIL REPORT - 27 FEB 2008 Cary Hubbard The meeting started as it does every month: having fun talking about cars and what somebody has acquired or would like to get. Bob called the meeting to order and we talked about old business. The Supernational car show went well. There were seventeen cars there. The turn out went so well that the Council is invited again for next year. This next year they would like to see one car from each of seventeen different clubs there to well represent the spread of the different clubs. A few of the members did mention that they did get a few memberships to their clubs from this show. The Muscle Car Show is April 4-6 and should be a great turn out. There will be some very special rare cars there. Such as the real "Hemi Under Glass" will be there. For the new business we talked about the upcoming Spring Thaw which will be held April 12 at Worldwide Automotive (the Old Car Garage) at 3211 Claremont NE. It is by appointment to get your car checked out. But even if you don't bring a car everybody is more then welcome to show up. It is very interesting to see what cars show up and to check out underneath. There will be lunch served and you can make a donation to the charity that Bob has chosen. Everybody that I have talked to says this is a very nice gathering to go to. April 19 is going to be the Cancer Driveout Rally and show. Several of the higher up car clubs will be taking a tour and ending up at the Four Hills Country club for the show. We discussed and got to see the small ad that was written up in the Albuquerque Journal in January about the car council. And the best part of the whole meeting was the heated argument about the Albuquerque Museum car show. There was already a committee set up to work on the planning and rules. The agreement was to NOT have pre-paid entry this year like we did last year, with all the problems that go with it. Well, Bob mentioned that he would like to re-think this idea. That didn't go over very well with the present committee as they have pretty much already set everything up. So we will see what comes of the next meeting to see what it has progressed to. I will give a report on this subject at the next CNM meeting. And one more thing that was brought up: the All Clubs Picnic has been set to go to the Villanueva State Park again. It is scheduled for August 10th. Since last year there was such a wonderful turn out and such good reports on the event, the general consensus was very positive for going to this location again. Looks like that is all I have from the meeting. -- Cary =[CNM]= STICK TO VAIRS! Michael Stickler Spring is in the air and it's a time that we can start to really enjoy driving our Corvairs, especially our convertibles. The first driving event this year is the Road Rally on Saturday April 5th, that Chuck Vertrees has organized. I hope everyone can participate and enjoy our beautiful Southwest Scenery as the weather warms up. Be sure to tune up your "'Vair" for maximum gas mileage. After all, that is the reason the Corvair was produced in the first place. With rising gas prices, it makes the 'Vair the right choice in collector cars. Be sure to drive out to Pat Hall's house in Los Lunas on April 19th for a Tuna session on late-model rear wheel bearing repair. I haven't had a chance to see his place yet and I'm anxious to check it out. It would be a good idea to hurry up and make reservations for the host hotel in Pagosa Springs for the May Tri-State. I would like to encourage members to think about their various talents and ideas that they may have that would lend themselves to interesting articles for the newsletter or to help lead a technical demonstration after the meetings. It was disappointing that so few members responded to Jim's recent survey about our club activities. I hope that reflects a certain overall ease and satisfaction with the club and not apathy as it might seem at first. It would be a good idea to break-out of our usual "comfort zone" and come up with new activities to fill out the rest of this year's calendar. Happy Corvairing!!!! -- Mike =[CNM]= = = = = = = = = FOR SALE, TO TRADE, OR WANTED = = = = = = = = Without your $5.00 payment, your ad won't be in the newsletter. Tell me if any of these are obsolete! - Jim = = = CNM ADS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-MEMBERS = = = FOR SALE: 1962 Corvair Loadside pickup ........................ Make Offer! I have first title on this vehicle -- about 60,000 miles I rebuilt the engine about 2,000 miles ago - excellent condition! 1 FC rear end, 4-speed ...................................... $40 1 4-speed tranny ............................................ $15 1 Set of 2 drive-up ramps off lift -- heavy -- you haul it Call my cell phone .......... 505-385-3333 .......... Jerry Goffe FOR SALE: 1963 Greenbrier -- runs, drives. Complete original truck. 80-HP with four-speed. Body OK. Call Cary at 505-350-0483 $1,500 FOR SALE: Rebuilt bolted flywheels $200 with exchange Rebuilt differentials starting at $250 with exchange Rebuilt late rear axles - 1965 $100 with exchange Rebuilt late rear axles - 1966-1969 $100 with exchange Lots of other parts available for cars and vans. Pat Hall - Los Lunas, NM 505-620-5574 (cell) or patandvickiehall@q.com I have no time for restoration projects, etc. so these babies are FOR SALE: Note, for each unit sold I will give to the Corvair club $150 if a Corvair member buys the vehicle, or $100 to the Corvair club if a buyer is referred by a club member. 1. 1964 Corvair Spyder coupe .................................... $3,200 2. 1999 body, custom Mustang Cobra driveline, featured Magazine "fony pony" 2001 Bullitt clone. 12 k miles .... $15,500 3. 1990 Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th special edition, loaded .... $2,750 4. 1985 Thunderbird (hot rodded son's folly, vortex, etc.) ...... $8,500 5. 1976 Early Bronco, uncut, 5.0 motor, auto, 119 k orig miles $13,500 6. 1973 VW Thing, solid, nice ................................... $7,500 7. 1970 Ford Ranger XLT F100 .................................... $2,500 8. 1979 Ford F250 workhorse ..................................... $1,350 Robert Philips, Corrales, New Mexico, 505-898-1255 Shown by appointment... of course! WANTED: Working Powerglide Transmission -- Geoffrey Johnson - 505-730-6601 =[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 ============================================================================ | | | | | April | May | June | | | | | | : : 1 2 3 4 5 | : : : : 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | | 27 28 29 30 : : : | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 29 30 : : : : : | | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : | ============================================================================ === BOYDSTON AWARD: Nomination forms are due at tonight's meeting. Wed 2 Apr 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Sat 5 Apr 10:00 AM Road Rally - Chuck Vertrees - see information elsewhere. Sun 6 Apr 2:00 PM Baby Shower at the Sticklers' for Sally Williams Sat 12 Apr 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM - 14th Annual SPRING THAW - Worldwide Automotive Wed 16 Apr 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Sat 19 Apr 10:00 AM TUNA - late rear wheel bearings - Pat Hall - Los Lunas Sat 19 Apr 12:30 PM After the TUNA lunch will be available nearby. Los Lunas Fri 25 Apr 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Wed 7 May 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Sat 10 May 8:00 AM Our second "Old Route 66" cleanup for 2008. Lunch? Fri 16 May ....... Tri-State Meet - Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Registration Sat 17 May ....... Tri-State Meet - Car Show - Banquet === BOYDSTON AWARD Sun 18 May ....... Tri-State Meet - Finish Up Sun 18 May ....... Albuquerque Museum / NMCCC Car Show - Old Town Wed 21 May 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 23 May 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Wed 4 Jun 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Wed 18 Jun 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 20 Jun 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Sat 21 Jun ....... Moriarty EAA Chapter 179 Young Eagles Rally Sun 22 Jun ....... Corvair Time Trials - Willow Springs Raceway Sixty drivers, stock or modified, $150. Deposit now $50. Contact: Jack Pinard, 116 E Garden Green, Port Hueneme, CA 93041 805-984-2692 -- 805-340-6533 -- corvairjack @ verizon.net Mon-Fri 23-27 June - CORSA International Convention - Ventura, California Wed 2 Jul 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Fri 4 Jul early! Fourth of July on the Plaza in Santa Fe Sat 12 Jul 8:00 AM Our third "Old Route 66" cleanup of 2008. Lunch anyone? Wed 16 Jul 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 25 Jul 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Wed 6 Aug 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Wed 20 Aug 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE Fri 22 Aug 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman Fri 12 Sep ....... Moriarty EAA Chapter 179 Fly-in and Old Car Display Sat 4 Oct 8:00 AM Our last "Old Route 66" cleanup for the year. Lunch? Sat 15 Nov ....... KAEG Double Eagle II Airport - EAA Young Eagles Rally NEXT YEAR: Fri-Sat-Sun 5-6-7 June 2009 - Tri-State Meet - Taos, New Mexico ============================================================================ =[CNM]= SIGNS OF THE FAILURE OF CIVILIZATION Jim Pittman Not long ago we were driving somewhat aimlessly around the city and found ourselves on Indian School Road east of Tramway, on the way up to a parking area provided by the city for convenient access to hiking trails into the foothills. We found the drive punctuated by a series of speed bumps -- ten of them in the space of 3/4 mile. There are many irritating things about driving in the city, and speed bumps are one of the more irritating. I remarked, "Here is yet another example of the failure of civilization." Think about it. Why are there speed bumps? Here's a nice, smooth, paved, peaceful street, not unlike thousands of other streets in the city, and the residents along this street are so annoyed by speeding vehicles that they build dams across their street to make the speeders slow down, or more likely, to make them do their street racing elsewhere. But not only the speeders are irritated. Everyone else is too. Wouldn't the drivers in a civilized society have enough respect for their fellow citizens that they wouldn't speed down their streets? Wouldn't a civilized society provide safe race tracks, at a convenient distance from quiet neighborhoods, for the use of those drivers who wanted to see how fast their vehicles could go? But our society apparently has found no way to slow down speeders without slowing down and irritating everyone. It's Saturday, March 8th, 9:15 AM. Several Corvair Club members are out on Old Route 66, picking up trash. I have done this chore many times before. I always think about why I am here instead of somewhere else where I'd really rather be. Actually, there are things about picking up trash on Old Route 66 that I enjoy. I'm out in Mother Nature's world, I'm working by myself, there's no TV or radio noise, I can admire the flowers and weeds and bushes of the season. Maybe I'll see a few birds or bumblebees. Maybe I'll feel that we are really making the roadside look better than it did. But the whole concept of picking up litter is an example of the failure of civilization. Maybe one roadside eyesore in a thousand is innocent trash, blown by the wind from some bent garbage can. The rest is casually thrown out by some person who can't be bothered to take bottles or cans or styrofoam boxes home to put in the garbage. These items are deliberately thrown out! They are intentionally tossed onto our carefully engineered roads that we all use to drive easily from point A to point B as civilized people should be able to do. My parents did not bring me up to throw litter on the roadway. In fact, they brought me up to believe that if I became educated and had respect for my fellow citizens, I could "make something of myself" and become "a better person" and by extension, if everyone did it, our civilization would trend ever upward, away from barbarism and toward a better world. I used to actually believe that my family and teachers and friends and fellow Americans were all civilized and that our civilization was indeed trending ever upward. It's harder and harder to believe. Everywhere I see people who reject education, who don't think of the consequences of foolish behavior, who care nothing for cooperation, who think the world is pretty much theirs to exploit as they can. It's not that they are evil -- they just don't care. They don't have respect for others. They don't have respect for themselves. Why else would they deliberately toss trash on the highway? No, all this litter is just more and more examples of the failure of civilization. But wait! On this Saturday morning there are six or seven members of our Corvair Club, interrupting our weekend to pick up and bag trash from the roadside. And we'll be out here in a couple of months, doing it again. And across the state and country, every mile or two, there are blue signs: "ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY - LITTER CONTROL" and below on another sign: "Corvairs of New Mexico" or "New Mexico Men's Wellness" or "Roswell High School" or "Socorro Volleyball Players" or "New Mexico Christian Coalition" and on and on and on. Maybe these signs indicate that civilization is chipping away at the mountain of barbarism after all. Let's all try really hard to believe it! PHOTO: Getting ready to clean our mile of Old Route 66 -- March 6, 2004 =[CNM]= THE LAST WORD ON CORVAIR COOLING FANS Bob Helt Reprinted from: VEGAS VAIRS VISION December 2007 There have been three different cooling fans used on production Corvairs along with another fan that was slated for production but pulled at the last moment. Generally speaking, Chevrolet never gave reasons for changing fan designs, and similarly, released rather vague data concerning those fans it finally put into production. Airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm) and can be thought of as a desk or table-top home fan blowing into free air (space). Airflow will be maximum then. But if you place a restriction of some kind either on the intake side of the fan or at the exit and airflow will be reduced. The greater the restriction, the less air will flow thru the fan. This is what happens on the Corvair engine. The fan dumps all the air exiting the fan into the chamber (or plenum) created by the top engine cover and the engine itself. To exit this plenum, the air must pass over the cylinder heads and cylinders. The more openings and air passages there are in the heads and cylinders, the greater the airflow up to the maximum that might exist when the fan is blowing into free air. The restrictions will reduce the airflow and the fan must create a pressure internal to the plenum to force the air past these restrictions. These pressures are measured as inches of water (in.-H2O) with 13.55 in.-H2O = 1 inch of mercury (in.-Hg). Fewer restrictions means more airflow and that requires greater horsepower to turn the fan and move the air. So now we must separate our fan knowledge into two different situations: a fan blowing into free air and also a fan blowing over an engine having either an inlet restriction or an exit restriction. It is important to understand both of these considerations. THE FAN BLOWING INTO SPACE The following rules are true for any given fan design and construction. Different fans will also follow these rules but remember that it is the fan's design that sets the amount of airflow, pressure, and horsepower at any speed. The faster the fan turns, the greater will be the air flow in a direct proportion with a practical limit based on the fan burst strength. CFM2 = (rpm2/rpm1) x CFM1 The fan pressure (FP) that a fan develops at the output will be equal to the speed increase squared. That is, if the fan speed is doubled the pressure will increase four times. FP2 = (rpm2/rpm1)2 x FP1. The power required to turn the fan will vary as the cube of the speed. That is, if the fan speed is doubled (and thus the airflow is also doubled), the horsepower required to turn the fan will be eight times greater. HP2 = (rpm2/rpm1)3 x HP1 or HP2 = (cfm2/cfm1)3 x HP1 Thus we can conclude that a fan will not cavitate or stall in its delivery of air, but will continue to deliver air with pressure and power required as described right up to the burst strength of the fan or when the blades reach the speed of sound (unlikely). THE FAN BLOWING INTO A RESTRICTION This describes the real world condition of a fan mounted over an engine and blowing into a sealed chamber (a plenum) that collects the air leaving the fan and directs it over the engine and thru the passageways. Air flow thru the engine will now be related to both the fan's cfm capabilities and the pressure the fan develops to force the air thru the restricted passageways. Thus, to force more cooling air thru the engine, greater pressures will be required. Horsepower required to turn the fan will be related to actual airflow over the engine as the cube of the cfm increase. If you open the engine passageways reducing the restrictions, more air will flow for a given fan speed and pressure, and this will require more power. Eliminating all restrictions will allow the fan to blow the same as the Into Space description. Blocking all air flow over the engine will reduce the horsepower to near zero. So while there is no such thing as fan cavitation (being a liquid phenomenon), we can now define a situation we will call "fan stall" or fan stalling. What happens is either one, or both, of two conditions occurring. The first condition is that of the fan reaching a speed where the pressure increase is insufficient to force proportionally more air over the engine. In other words, the pressure required to force an increasing amount of air over the engine is greater than the fan can supply. Thus, even though the pressure increases as the square of the speed, the increase in airflow is limited by the restrictions. The second condition is similar to the first, only here the horsepower required to move the air over the engine (remember HP increases as the cube of the speed) exceeds the power transmitting capability of the fan belt and pulley system. When this happens, the belt will slip and any increase in engine speed will not result in a corresponding fan speed increase (or there will be less of a fan speed increase than for the engine). This will also appear to be a fan stall but is a result of fan belt limitations. The results of the fan stalling will be to limit any increase in the airflow despite an increase in engine speed. 1960-61 PRODUCTION Released for initial 1960 production and continued for most of the 1961 model year was the 11 inch diameter, 24 vane, stamped sheet-metal fan rated at either 1850 or 1800 cfm air flow at an engine speed of 4000 rpm. It was the SAE 140C report that rated this fan at 1850 cfm while the 1960 and 1961 Shop Manuals stated an 1800 cfm rating. But the unknown factor is whether these ratings were for the fan blowing into free air, or whether these ratings represented actual airflow over a typical engine with heads and shrouding installed. Probably it was airflow into free air. More about this later. For the 1960 Corvairs, there was a thermostatically controlled inlet damper ring that controlled the amount of air that was allowed to enter the fan. When the engine was cold, the damper ring effectively blocked air from entering the fan while the engine was warming up. Since no air was moving, the fan consumed near zero horsepower. Once the engine was up to temperature, the damper ring raised up, allowing air to enter the fan. For 1961, with the introduction of the Direct Air Heater System, all models continued to use this same fan, but without the inlet damper ring. Instead, the air exiting the flow over the engine was controlled by dual thermostatically controlled damper doors. With a cold engine, the doors were closed, preventing any air from exiting the engine, which effectively prevented any cooling air from flowing over the engine. Once again, when the engine was up to temperature, the exit doors opened and cooling air was allowed to flow over the engine. It is thought, that the relocation of the air controls from inlet to exit was to allow the fan to force air into the heater system for defroster operation whether the engine was up to temperature or not. Thus, activating the heater allowed air from the fan to flow into the heater system independent of engine temperature. There is no data to support, and no reason to believe, that the inlet damper caused either an airflow restriction (when open) or a fan stall at high engine speeds. Thus the change from inlet to exit controls must have been based on the heater needs only. The problem is, that there is no high-speed-flow data for this fan, so we don't know for sure its high-speed-flow characteristics. Bill Fisher, in his book, How to Hot Rod Corvair Engines, states that this fan had "poor air-delivery characteristics at high rpm." This is logically probable, but there is no known data available to support this claim. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. As we shall later show, subsequent fan types apparently were affected by "stalling" at high engine speeds, while the 24-vane fan was not. Data that we do have for 1961 engines shows cooling airflows increasing linearly up to 4000 rpm, and could be logically extrapolated linearly to 4800 rpm. Thus, they don't show any poor high-speed delivery characteristics. Also, with the fan installed over an operating engine, the airflow for a 1961 engine was tested to be 1400 cfm at an engine speed of 4000 rpm. We can't understand there being so much difference between 1960 and 1961 engines that the airflow would be reduced from a reported 1850 cfm in 1960 to 1400 actual cfm for 1961. Thus, we must conclude that the 1850/1800 rating MUST have been airflow into free air (i.e., fan capacity) and not flow over an engine. But with the release of the 98 and 102 hp high-performance engines, along with the planned new (and high-rpm) turbo engine, apparently, somehow, the 24-vane fan was deemed to be deficient and needed to be replaced. The one known major drawback to continuing production with this 24-vane fan was its weight, resulting in considerable inertia affecting the fan belt when the engine was forced to rapidly change speeds such as might occur during spirited driving with the new high-performance engines. [ We plan to continue the second part of Bob Helt's article next month. ] Reprinted from: VEGAS VAIRS VISION December 2007 =[CNM]= CARBURETOR TECH SESSION FOLLOW-UP Sylvan Zuercher There was a lot of interest in the carburetor rebuild tech session at the last meeting and I noticed several members taking notes. There were several good questions, both general and specific, about rebuilding carbs. The handout I brought to the meeting provided a lot of information. If anybody has further questions or if anything was left unclear, I'll be happy to answer. See me at a meeting or give me a call. -- Sylvan =[CNM]= COVER STORY: CNM'S AIRLINE Buzz Lightyear Now it can be told: a secret and controversial project has been brought to completion: CNM now has its own airliner. The Boeing 737-300 was purchased from Southwestern Airlines last year in a three-way agreement among Southwestern, our sponsor Gallis Chevrolet and CNM deal-makers Roberto Golden and Arturo Highroller. Vladimir Pavlovich von Kucinich, a former employee of Gallis who is now the vice-president of Money-To-Spare Inc. of San Antonio, said that an agreement was reached to purchase one of the metal-fatigue-plagued 737s from Southwestern Airlines with the understanding that a newly developed paint would be used to ensure its complete safety far into the unforeseeable future. The paint, based on an exotic chemical formula discovered by CNM's Hurlit Wilbur while he was researching scratch-resistant motorcycle paint in a top-secret lab jointly owned by Gallis Racing and Exxxon Chemical, is called Enron-green. Its primary characteristic is its ability to bond to aluminum so strongly that all fatigue cracks are "welded" together and as a result the skin of the aircraft is 27.6% stronger than it was when the aircraft was new. (Inability of the new paint to bond to steel is thought to be of minor importance as there are few steel parts on the exterior of the 737.) Other characteristics of the paint are extremely high surface tension, high elasticity and molecular-level glassy smoothness. It is completely inert to ultraviolet radiation and acid or salt corrosion. Another advantage of Enron-green is that, while it takes 55 gallons of paint instead of 50 gallons of ordinary paint to cover a 737, the dry weight of the paint is only 97 pounds instead of the 250 pounds conventional paint would weigh. When the idea was proposed, Roberto and Arturo jumped on it, working closely with CNM board members and the financial officer of Gallis to put together the deal. President Mileshigh Sticktovairs and Secretary Charles Vertigo assured Treasurer Winndixie Wankel that the $3,042.87 we would have to borrow from the CNM treasury would be restored by the end of the fiscal year after the club had flown fifteen sorties between Dallas and Phoenix, taking passengers bumped from regular airlines. A further source of income was assured when Gallis and Exxxon contracted to lease the Enron-green paint franchise to Body Aviation of Albuquerque for 15 million dollars per year. It is expected that most of the aircraft in New Mexico will be painted with Enron-green during the next decade and CNM's royalty of 2.3% will do wonders for our GMAC account. Enron-green, by the way, can be tinted to any color, not just green. It looks especially sharp in "CORSA White" and "CNM Blue" as you can see from the photos. As the deal was in its final stages of negotiation, Stephan Johnstown offered the use of a hangar at Double Eaglet Airport, Inc. (the B-17 had just left, so the vast space was available) to house the 737-300 while the old paint was removed and the Enron-green coating was applied. Dilbert Putton supervised the painting, Vice president Paddy Hallway refurbished wheel bearings, brakes and control surfaces; Billy Reedy tuned up the electrical and covert surveillance systems; Carryall Hebert modified the navigation system and all radio, radar, closed-circuit TV and cellular phone units; while Sylvian Zueckert rebuilt the fuel pumps and carburetors, or was that the fuel management and injection systems. Jimmothy Pitts documented all the work with his trusty Nikon D500000 SLR with 23 Megapixel ISO 3000 sensor and f/1.2 28-600 anti-shake, high-dispersion, low-reflection ultra-zoom macro/wideangle lens. As the work was being completed, arrangements were underway for CNMers Ricardo Finchbird, Dan-El Palmprint and Davey Huntatune to be certified as pilots for the 737-300. Ricardo and Dan-El had already qualified to fly any Corvair-powered aircraft and Davey obtained his Class-A glider pilot's license at Moriarty last year, so the certification was a snap. They reported that on the first test flight after painting the aircraft, it "flew like a double eaglet" due to the exceptional elastic characteristics of the paint as well as its extreme smoothness. Terry Golf made possible a tremendous increase in fuel economy when he negotiated to buy four surplus PW612F-2007-TFZX Mk III turbofan engines from Solar Eclipse Avionics Inc. of Rio Rancho. These engines are so small that Terry, with technical assistance from Larry Bright, Targo Sutters and Jeffrey Jonnesson were able to install two in each 737 engine nacelle with room to spare, and they are so fuel-efficient that the refurbished 737 easily eclipsed Virgin Airlines' best recorded miles-per-ton fuel economy record. The first scheduled flight of the CNM 737 (it has been named "Enchanted Spyder") will be from Albuquerque to Ventura, California on June 21st, returning on June 29th. For those not planning to attend the CORSA International Convention, a side trip to Catalina Island is planned. First-class seating will be at the special rate of $150 for adults, $90 for children under 12. To reserve your seat on these flights, call our toll-free number 1-800-277-3005 or (1-800-APR-F00L). Have a good trip! =[CNM]= TO: THE NEWSLETTER Vickie & Pat Hall We would like to add our two-cents about the Anniversary Dinner. It was GREAT! The food was good and there certainly was plenty of it. We thank Heula Pittman and Ruth Boydston for providing cakes as dessert for everyone. Ruth and Heula also provided the Corvair-theme refrigerator magnets for everyone. We drove our 1960, red-and-white Monza 2-door and received a prize for driving the oldest Corvair. We were also lucky enough to win two door prizes. We enjoyed visiting with everyone we could and it was especially nice talking with Richard Foster from White Rock. Richard won the 50-50 cash drawing and then returned it to the CNM fund. Heula, congratulations on receiving the Meissner Award - well deserved! -- Vickie & Pat =[CNM]= APRIL 5TH RALLY INFORMATION Chuck Vertrees Start where we start Old Route 66 highway cleanup, that is, the parking area on the south side of the highway, about a mile east of Central & Tramway NE. The rally distance will be a little over 40 miles. We will end up at Cedar Point Grill for lunch. If you drove in the rally when we did the CORSA International Convention in 1998, you will find that some of the roads are the same, but there are some new ones. At the start of the rally you will get detailed route instructions and a set of questions. You should not have any trouble about following the route. Speed limits on the rally range from 25 mph to 55 mph. One of the scoring items will be how close you come to to the time that I drove it in. Count seconds! The other scoring item will be your answers to the questions provided. I will have some kind of award for the car with the best score. In the event of a tie, a coin toss will count but I do not expect to have to use it. I will need to know about how many people will participate, so let me know by the April 2nd meeting. -- Chuck =[CNM]= OLD ROUTE 66 REPORT Ollie Scheflow The club held its first collection of 2008 on March 8th. Corvairs showed up: a 1965 coupe, a 1965 convertible, a 1962 Lakewood, and the yellow "library van" Greenbrier, along with a few Brand-X's. The weather was chilly and windy to start, but the wind dropped and then the sun popped out and it was very comfortable by the time we finished. We found the pick up to be a little heavier than usual due to winter accumulation. The vines had frozen, uncovering a lot of containers. Some of us found an abundance of items that the "grabbers" or the "sticks-with-nails" had a hard time picking up, so we were glad we brought work gloves. There seemed to be a lot more paper or Kleenex material than usual. One of our group found a huge piece of black aluminum that may make it to our next meeting as a "show-and-tell" artifact. Participants were: Jim Arellanes; Robert Gold & Javier; Cary Hubbard; Dave Huntoon; Jim Pittman; Geoff Johnson; Matt Hall, visitor from Oregon, friend of Geoff Johnson; Ollie Scheflow & daughter Tibi Scheflow; Mike Stickler; Ray Trujillo. Actually, we had a 4 to 1 ratio of walk-ons to sign ups. Thanks to all the participants and I hope to see all of you for our second 2008 clean-up. The next collection will be on Saturday May 10th. -- Ollie =[CNM]= DON'T MISS THE TRI-STATE MEET! Steve Goodman Wanna have fun with your Corvair instead of letting it sit in the garage? If so, make your reservations for the TRI-STATE CORVAIR MEET in Pagosa Springs for May 16-18. You can meet fellow Corvair owners from Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, possibly Salt Lake City and every once in a while a surprise guest or two from Oklahoma or even Washington state attends. Do you want to take your Corvair on a spirited drive on mountain roads and see some of the most spectacular scenery in the world? Drive your Corvair to Pagosa Springs. The typical directions from Denver take you over Kenosha Pass and through South Park (where all of the snow is accumulating right now) and on over Poncha Pass (where more snow is being shoveled) and finally on south and over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs (which is also being inundated with the white stuff right now). Does being on a "time table" bother you? Since most of our jobs entail tight schedules, this is a weekend where being "close" to the right time is good enough, there simply isn't much pressure being placed on the attendees to be exactly punctual. Think "relaxation." Does listening to Pagosa Springs locals tell their "Corvair stories" to you while admiring your car interest you? It certainly should, every town we've visited has people with "Corvair stories" just waiting to be told, and the praise they heap upon us and our shiny cars is tremendous. Just the feeling that is derived from having a line of 25-40 Corvairs in all of the colors of the rainbow driving down the road and into the show area is exhilarating and people line the streets when they see the cars coming towards them. Let's all plan on attending this year. RMC is the host club, we want to support our local club don't we? We can also show support, and just maybe get our cars working a little better by attending the Tri-State Tune-Up at Eric's home near Sedalia on April 20. Reprinted from: THE DENVAIR NEWS, Rocky Mountain Corsa, March, 2008 Vol. 34, Issue 5 =[CNM]= TRI-STATE MEET - PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO - MAY 16-18, 2008 Rocky Mountain Corsa Come to Pagosa Springs, nestled in the valley of the San Juan Mountains. Registration Friday. On Saturday, People's choice car show and banquet. Near to hot springs pool, Chimney Rock formation tour, wildlife park, hiking trails, art museums and so much more! Host is Oak Ridge Lodge, 1-866-4-PAGOSA Mention "Corvair Club" and reserve by April 1 for $65-$71 group rate. Contact: Laura Wilshire, 303-828-4203, ( lwredvair @ comcast.net ) =[CNM]= CHECK YOUR BATTERY VOLTAGE - CHARGING INTO 2008! Steve Goodman Some of our Corvairs tend to sit for a while, which is rough on batteries. Using a digital voltmeter, you can easily check the condition of your battery and also the charging system. Let's start with the battery. It may surprise you to know that a 12 volt battery is not a healthy working piece if it shows only 11 volts. Look at the table below and see how quickly a battery goes from a full charge and 100% working condition to 'discharged' and unable to turn your starter. VOLT READING % of battery charge 12.70 volts 100% 12.58 volts 90% 12.40 volts 75% 12.20 volts 50% 12.08 volts 35% 12.00 volts 25% 11.94 volts 10% 11.90 volts discharged Sometimes a battery showing in the low 12 volt range will have the energy to run lights, honk the horn, and play the radio, but not enough energy to make the starter work. The starter requires maximum voltage and amperage because the load placed upon the starter that is required to turn the engine over is very high - it's the single biggest challenge your battery faces. Recognizing the load the starter places on the electrical system, it only makes sense to have every connection clean and tight. The place to start of course is the battery terminal clamps. Past that, the ground connections to the frame and engine and the connections at the solenoid are all things to check. Now a quick check for your alternator: With the engine off, read the voltage of your battery. Start the engine and check the voltage again. Typically, voltage running will be around 13.3 volts, while the static reading will be in the 12+ range. That indicates the charging system is working. Incidentally, if you don't have a voltmeter handy and still want to check your alternator, just hold a small screwdriver blade or similar to the armature shaft bearing on the end frame opposite the pulley. If the blade is magnetized and drawn to the bearing case then the alternator is at least putting out something! Reprinted from: THE DENVAIR NEWS, Rocky Mountain Corsa March, 2008 Vol. 34, Issue 5 =[CNM]= SATURDAY APRIL 19TH TUNA Pat Hall The TUNA starts at 10:00 and I will show how to disassemble and re-assemble a late model rear wheel carrier to lubricate or replace the wheel bearings. These units are well designed, but they have no provision for periodic lubrication. After some forty-three-plus years, many late model owners will consider it wise to check them out before they start having problems out on the road. The map at left shows how to get to my place from Isleta Casino which is at 11000 Broadway SE. Take Exit 215 from the I-25 freeway (no, don't stop at Isleta casino) and head south on NM 47. It is 9 traffic lights and about nine miles to Valencia Road where you'll turn left, then maybe a half mile to where you'll turn right onto Avenida Valencia Road. I have arranged for lunch at 12:30 at Sopa's restaurant in Bosque Farms. The inset map shows where the restaurant is, a couple of miles north of our house, on NM 47. I hope to see you all at the TUNA! -- Pat =[CNM]= SEVEN YEARS AGO Jim Pittman Seven Years Ago - April 2001 - Volume 27 - Number 4 - Issue 307 Our cover photos previewed the detailed, illustrated report on pages 8-10 on our tour of the Big-I highway construction project. This remains in my memory as one of the most educational club tours we have had. Thanks, Larry Blair! At our March meeting, after the clueless guard finally unlocked the door for us, Wendell reported we had $6007.19 in the bank. According to the Car Council, the future of car shows at the Albuquerque Museum was bleak -- no money from the city. We heard from our Iowa member, Wayne Christgau, who wanted to keep getting the newsletter. We heard from a local member, Bill McClellan, who couldn't attend meetings because of those pesky stairs. We heard from our southern member, Richard Finch, about an Ultra Van rally in Tularosa -- we were invited. At the board meeting we learned that Ilva Walker had a stroke and was in the ICU at Presbyterian. We formed a committee to decide how to manage our club awards in the future so they wouldn't die for lack of interest. Tech tips included suggestions for keeping your car from rolling out of the driveway if the parking brake was inoperable, an amazing adventure of having a new windshield shipped, a tip from Dennis Pleau on fixing the infamous Powerglide cable leak, and a Virtual Vairs article telling absolutely all you'd ever need to know about 1964 Corvair rear springs. I'm sure all of us know why 1964 rear coil springs are unique among all Corvair springs? If you know, tell me at the next meeting. Fourteen Years Ago - April 1994 - Volume 20 - Number 4 - Issue 223 Corvairs were again taking over the world, at least on our cover. President Del ran our meeting and we had just over a thousand bucks in the bank. There were many events to plan for: a March CNM anniversary dinner party, the upcoming tenth anniversary Albuquerque Museum-NMCCC car show, a "photo rally" put on by Chuck and Dennis, and the Tri-State in Pagosa Springs. A tech session on Heim Joints, a Fourth of July car show in Santa Fe, the State Fair, a Funkhana, an Aspencade, a trip to Acoma Pueblo and our Christmas dinner were some more of the many events we looked forward to in 1994. Wayne Christgau wrote to us from Iowa and told how he came to be a Corvair owner. While watching Bonanza on TV he saw Hoss, his favorite Cartwright character, driving a 1967 Corvair over the Ponderosa range in a Chevy commercial. Wayne decided he had to own that car. The very next morning Wayne appeared at the Chevrolet dealer in Austin, Minnesota where an identical 1967 Monza coupe was in the showroom, with "000007" indicated on the odometer and a $2200 price tag on the window. In no time at all Wayne was driving his new Corvair away from the dealership and into history. Twenty-six years and innumerable adventures later, the Monza's odometer turned 500,000 miles, having faithfully carried Wayne all over the U.S.A. as well as to Greece, England, Scotland and Wales. (The car's trips across large bodies of water were courtesy of the U. S. Air Force.) Tech tips this month included a fix for oil leaking from the axle top cover vent and how a dirt-dauber wasp nixed the fix, words of wisdom about cotter pins (always use a new one; bend both legs), and an observation by Ann Landers that "for men, cars are their true loves" which we can all believe. Twenty-one Years Ago - April 1987 - Volume 13 - Number 4 - Issue 139 Our cover was another Mark Morgan Mad Mod: no less than a Boattail Monza. President Clayborne ran the meeting. LeRoy reported $688 in the bank. Brian Zolna (1966 500) and Bill Finke (1963 Spyder) were potential new members. We planned a tour to Madrid and an econo-run to Carrizozo. It was time for a NMCCC car show and an Ouray, Colorado Tri-State. Steve Goodman provided facts, figures and motel phone numbers for the Ouray event. Bill Reider showed us a finned, cast aluminum oil pan from Clark's. Clayborne suggested that while a couple of bags of sand in the trunk might help keep your Corvair stable as you drive through dust devils, an S-10 spoiler would work better, wouldn't add weight and would look great. Bill Hector reported that a few CNM members drove their rear-engine snow vehicles (i.e., Corvairs) up the back side of the Sandias to the bottom of the ski area and played in the snow awhile. It was not exactly a ski trip, but was fun anyway. LeRoy reported that CNM's first auction netted $75.25 for the Club an a lot of fun for the bidders. Bill Reider reprinted an essay written by Kristen Romer for her English class on the rise and fall of the Corvair. Her point of view was interesting. Tech tip: where to get new interlocks for a 1961-1965 transmission. We printed a dozen tips for saving energy, but don't bother digging out your old newsletters to look for them. Examples: Put oversize tires on your rear wheels so you are always driving downhill and gravity will help you save gas. Turn your air conditioner around in the winter so it will blow hot air into your house. Shorten the electric cords on your household appliances to save unnecessary electrical loads. Say, maybe these were an April Fool prank? Twenty-eight Years Ago - April 1980 - Volume 6 - Number 4 - Issue 55 Our cover illustration was a nice drawing of an early convertible. We voted to keep our local dues at $7 despite CORSA's dues going up to $14. We made plans to participate in the State Fair car show. Markus Rothmeyer told us he would soon be finishing his UNM engineering courses and moving back to Bavaria, the land of Autobahns and Porsches and BMWs. New members were Bill McClellan, Vince Wayland and David Langlois. An excellent article by Danny Simpson described cutting and welding together the front and the back halves of two "wreckers" to make one good serviceable vehicle. Danny had resurrected several Corvairs this way, including a late sedan that was his personal transportation. George Morin provided two tech tips: How to install a grease fitting to lubricate late rear wheel bearings, How to destroy your kitchen (and your marriage) by heating up cans of spray undercoating in the oven. Yes, the cans exploded and the results were spectacular. Other less exciting tips addressed emergency brake cylinder bleeding, splicing a piece of neoprene hose into a bad fuel line and a list of the myriad ills that could befall batteries and how to cope with them. =[CNM]= =END=