The February 2009 Newsletter - Text Version
Updated 02-May-2009 ==== Copyright (c) 2009 Corvairs of New Mexico
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FEBRUARY 2009 / VOLUME 35 / NUMBER 2 / ISSUE #401
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EDITOR: Jim Pittman
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 4 February 2009 at 7:00 PM
Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
THIS MONTH:
Dues Due ................................ Membership Committee 02
January Meeting Minutes ........................ Chuck Vertrees 03
Birthdays and Anniversaries ................ Sunshine Committee 03
January Board Meeting Minutes .................. Chuck Vertrees 04
From the Vice President .............................. Pat Hall 05
Thank You Note .................................. UNM Hospitals 05
Stick to Vairs ........................ President Mike Stickler 06
Tremendous Taos Tri-State Team ................ Brenda Stickler 06
For Sale or Wanted ................................... Everyone 07
March 7th 35th Anniversary Luncheon ................ Kim Patten 08
Can You Identify This Member? ................... Heula Pittman 08
Calendar of Coming Events .............. CNM Board of Directors 09
Winter Tech Tips ................... Steve Goodman DENVAIR NEWS 10
New members .......................................... Pat Hall 11
Steering Box (Reprint from January 1996) .......... Bill Reider 12
Transmission/differential Swap (April 1996) .... Mark Domzalski 13
Speedometer Tech Tip (May 1996) ................ Mark Domzalski 13
Speedometer Tech Tip (May 1996) ................... Bill Reider 13
Seven, 14, 21, 28 Years Ago .................... Club Historian 14
COVER: Larry Hickerson's awesome Rampside at Sonic .. April 2005 01
=[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: 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
DUES DUE DATES FOR FEBRUARY 2009:
PAST DUE - INACTIVE AS OF 25-JAN-2009:
2008.12 Elizabeth & Mark Domzalski 1994.01
2008.12 Steve Johnson 2001.08
DUE LAST MONTH - INACTIVE AS OF 25-FEB-2009:
(none)
DUE THIS MONTH - INACTIVE AS OF 25-MAR-2009:
2009.02 Carl Johnson 1974.04
2009.02 Lee & Bill Reider 1974.09
2009.02 Brenda & Mike Stickler 1976.07
DUE SOON - INACTIVE AS OF 25-APR-2009:
2009.03 Robert McBreen 1989.11
2009.03 Sally Williams 2003.09
DUE SOON - INACTIVE AS OF 25-MAY-2009:
2009.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 2000.02
== DUE JUNE = INACTIVE 25-JUL-2009:
2009.06 Melba & Tommie J. Anderson 2008.06
2009.06 Fred Riggs 2008.06
2009.06 Curtis L. Shimp 2008.06
INACTIVE AS OF 25-DEC-2008:
2008.04 Florence & Bill Hector 2006.04
2008.10 Guadalupe & Jim Arellanes 2006.10
2008.10 Mary & Art Hurley 2007.10
2008.11 Leslie & Kevin Sullivan 2002.07
2008.11 Nancy & Bernard Urbassik 2004.08
Send your Dues to:
Robert Gold
CNM Treasurer
1301 Valencia NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Past due memberships will become inactive after a one-month grace period. The
Club will mail in your National Dues when you renew, if you send us the renewal
form from your CORSA Communique!
=[CNM]=
JANUARY MEETING NOTES
Chuck Vertrees
And "A Happy New Year to All" this month. The meeting was called to order at
19:05 on 1/7/09 at Highland Senior Center. There were 27 members present. The
minutes of the last meeting were accepted as printed in the newsletter.
Vice President Pat Hall reported that he had met a gentleman in Belen who has
five Corvairs. His name is Bill Darcy and he does plan on joining CNM. He is a
member of CORSA.
Treasurer Robert Gold reported that CNM had $718.65 in the checking account and
$2,792.87 in the GMAC account for a total worth of $3,511.52.
Secretary Chuck Vertrees said that he had received a card from Rafee Corvair in
Wister, Oklahoma. This is a new source of Corvair Parts. His web page is:
http://www.rafeecorvair.com/
and it looks very nice. Cary Hubbard said that he had dealt with Mr. Rafee when
he was in California before he moved to Oklahoma and that he was all right. You
might want to check his web site where the phone number listed is 918-753-2486.
Dave Huntoon said that he did not have any leads on new members at this time.
There was no Car Council report because they had not had their first meeting of
the year.
Heula Pittman said that the goodie bags for the Taos Tri-State are almost done.
We were reminded that we need Door Prizes for both the Tri-State and for our
35th Anniversary dinner on March 7th. It is not too soon to start on these.
Contact Brenda Stickler about what you may have for Tri-State door prizes.
There will not be a club breakfast in January but Pat Hall would like some
suggestions for possible places for February. Pat also said that Color Works in
Los Lunas cannot have a garage tour for us in February but would be available in
March or April. It was decided that Pat would try to set it up for the first or
second Saturday after our anniversary dinner. This would be either 3/14 or 3/21.
Stay tuned.
The Ike Meissner Award nomination form was in the January newsletter. Members
are encouraged to think of members who have made extraordinary contributions to
the club in recent months or years and nominate someone for the 2009 award. Your
nomination form MUST be turned in no later that the end of the February meeting.
March 7th is our anniversary dinner, a "lunch" this time. It has been arranged
by Kim Patten. It will be at the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center. See the last
issue of the newsletter or elsewhere in this issue for details.
Cary Hubbard said that Corvair Underground will be closing because the owners
have health issues. Larry Blair said that he had just ordered a turn signal
switch and that he was given a 20% discount on the part. Possibly they are
trying to liquidate their inventory.
Tarmo Sutt discussed rebuilding an alternator for his 1966 turbo Corsa. Some
articles show numbers stamped on the diodes. He said his alternator's diodes do
not have any markings. However, the article was for Corvette alternators!
Possibly Corvette fans are a little more obsessive/compulsive than we are?
Tarmo also told us that in Santa Fe there is a beautiful 1928 Lincoln Roadster
that has been sitting for several years in a garage since the man who owned it
died. Before the owner died he would regularly drive it to shows in the area.
Some of us may have admired it on the Santa Fe Plaza. Tarmo said this is a rare
and remarkable automobile. The estate only wants about $110,00 for it. Anyone
interested?
Wendell Walker needs a top for a Protronic ignition. At a car wash the guy said,
Sorry, I got some water on the engine and it probably won't start, and before
Wendy could stop him he wiped the top with a rag and pulled all the wires off.
It really would not start then. Tarmo will check and see if he has one.
Jim Pittman said that every month he looks forward to getting the CORSA
Communique and he always is impressed by what a good publication it is,
especially for an organization our size. He particularly liked the recent
article on disassembling and rebuilding steering boxes. There were numerous
photos of excellent quality. This led to quite a discussion about rebuilding
steering boxes, the parts that might be needed, and the sources. No
authoritative reference for the proper lubricant could be cited, but our
consensus was that a mix of grease and motor oil might work. Joel Nash suggested
that, when there is an article in the Communique or in the newsletter that is
very good, our members should contact the author to tell them how much it was
appreciated.
Art Gold ran the 50/50 raffle and Julia Vertrees won. She always says she never
wins anything, Ha! Can't say that anymore.
The meeting was adjourned at 19:45 and many headed for our usual after-meeting
spot, the Route 66 Diner on Central for food, coffee, goodies, and more talk.
=[CNM]=
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
Sunshine Committee
HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS TO THREE CNMers:
Charles Mann February 3
Nancy McDuffie February 6
Wendell Walker February 9
HAPPY FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARY WISHES GO TO TWO COUPLES THIS MONTH:
Rita & Steve Gongora February 14
Sally & Nathan Williams February 18
=[CNM]=
JANUARY BOARD NOTES
Chuck Vertrees
The meeting was called to order at 17:10 on 1/21/09 at Ray Trujillo's shop.
Present were Robert Gold, Rita Gongora, Mike & Brenda Stickler, Jim & Heula
Pittman, Pat & Vickie Hall, Sylvan Zuercher, Ray Trujillo, Wendell Walker, Dan
Palmer, Ollie Scheflow, and Chuck & Julia Vertrees. A great turnout and time for
a reminder that all members are welcome at our board meetings.
Pat Hall presented a letter from the UNM Hospitals thanking us for the toys
donated from our Christmas dinner. Pat also presented the application of a new
member. He is Bill Darsey and he was joining CNM and CORSA. Pat says Bill has
five Corvairs. Also were shown some book markers put together by Bill Reider.
After they were approved, Heula Pittman will laminate them, punch a hole in them
and put a tassel on them. They will be for the goodie bags at the Taos
Tri-State.
Next was the discussion on T-shirts for the Tri-State. Most seemed to prefer the
golf shirt with a collar rather than the usual T-shirt with a round neck. There
were several possible logos shown and the full-color one from Bill Reider was
chosen. The large logo will be on the back with a small logo, probably of the
location and date, on the front breast. As has happened in the past, a list will
be sent to the probable participating clubs, asking them in advance to order the
shirts that they will want. This will be used as a basis for the probable number
needed. The logo can have 5 colors on the back. After looking at colors it was
decided that ash, a light gray, would probably be the base color, however a
light blue will be considered.
Jim said that this is a short month and he would need everything for the
newsletter by Friday. Heula said that she is working on the goodie bags for the
Tri-State.
In line with the Tri-State, Dan showed a letter he will be sending to Napa about
possibly getting some good door prized from them. He is sending them a short
note about the Tri-State history and CNM. He has a contact with NAPA. He also
will be contacting various Taos businesses to see if they would like to become
involved with the Tri-State. It was also mentioned that in the past Clark's had
donated gift certificates. This would be nice. In this line Dan mentioned that
Arizona Charlie had been evicted on very short notice and was looking for
another place. Also Corvair Underground will be closing because of health
problems. Dan said that he had talked with California Corvair Parts and they
seemed ready to do business.
In line with door prizes for Tri-State we also need door prizes for the
Anniversary luncheon on March 7th. This will be at the Indian Pueblo Cultural
Center at 14:00. More details are in the last newsletter. There has not been
established a date for the garage tour as yet. There will be a breakfast at
Jimmy's Cafe on Jefferson NE on Saturday February 7th at 09:30. These breakfasts
are always interesting. Try to come.
Brenda announced the various committees for the Tri-State. The car show will be
run by Pat, Tarmo Sutt and Bill Reider. Ray will contact the Taos newspaper to
get articles entered about the Tri-State. Brenda will be in charge of the
banquet. There were three choices offered. A Bar-B-Q by the pool with access
limited to CNM, an indoor buffet with New Mexican food, or an indoor served meal
with prime rib , chicken, etc. The latter won out in our vote so Prime Rib it
will be. The dinner will probably be about $20.00 a plate.
Ollie will handle Tri-State registration and he WILL need volunteers to assist
in this. Anyone who can get there a little early, please volunteer.
Sylvan brought up that we would need a Master Of Ceremonies for both the
Anniversary Dinner and the Tri-State dinner. Everyone please think about who
this should be. Brenda said that there would be a P.A. system available in Taos
and probably at the anniversary luncheon. This brought up the suggestion that
possibly CNM should buy our own P.A. system. Wendell said that in the past he
had seen a nice little battery-powered system that was not too expensive. He
will follow up on this.
Ollie said that there is some conflict with some of the Route 66 cleanup dates
with some other functions. He suggested and we agreed on April 4th, June 6th,
August 8th and October 10th for the year's cleanup dates. The colder times,
April and October will start at 09:00, the warmer dates, June and August, will
start at 08:00. Ollie said that the Sunshine Committee had purchased a first
aid kit for the Route 66 cleanup crew and it had not been needed so far. He
said it was available for other activities and possibly it should be brought
along to the Tri-State. This was approved.
There will be a tech talk at the February meeting on mechanical fuel pumps with
particular emphasis on the Corvair fuel pump. Pat tells us the person making the
talk is an expert on these pumps.
Sylvan brought up our procedures for admitting new members. They are supposed to
automatically get a copy of the Care and Feeding booklet and a name badge. The
booklet is given at the first meeting and the name badge, which has to be
engraved, at the next meeting. Our procedure seems to be, "Here is your book and
name badge, Ho-Hum." We should make a little bigger moment of each of these. It
was suggested when a new member is introduced, all of the members present should
introduce themselves around the room. The new member may not remember most of
the names, but it should make him or her feel a little more a part of the group.
Also along this line, when they show their car, don't start talking about the
features of the car that should be better or that you think are not correct.
They are proud of their car or they would not have joined our club.
Sylvan also said that he thought we should have badges for all the CNM wives or
spouses or significant others at the Tri-State. Also for the children. He will
check into how many blanks we have left and what it would cost to get more made.
For the wives, they would be paid for by the club, but badges for the children
could be purchased. This suggestion was passed by the board.
Discussion continued on whether there should be a penalty for those not wearing
their badges at the meeting. Twenty-five cents to the treasurer if you don't
wear your name badge? Think about it.
The meeting was adjourned at 18:30.
=[CNM]=
FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT
Pat Hall
For the IKE MEISSNER AWARD: Please remember to give me your nomination forms no
later than the end of the next meeting, February 4th, 2009. Thanks -- Pat
For our next TECH TALK: At the February 4th, 2009 meeting we will have a tech
talk on fuel pumps by the man who used to design and build them, Rick Youmans.
For our CNM BREAKFAST: We are set up for a breakfast this month. It will be at
9:30 AM on Saturday February 7th, 2009 at Jimmy's Cafe, 7007 Jefferson NE.
=[CNM]=
THANK YOU CARD
from UNM Hospitals
01/08/2009
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for the toy donation
to UNM Children's Hospital. Your toys were distributed
to our many areas that treat children. These units
then hand out the toys to our needy patients. You
were so kind to think of us.
We wish you all a most prosperous New year!
Sincerely,
UNM Children's Hospital Development Office
=[CNM]=
STICK TO VAIRS
By Michael Stickler
This year's events have a great start with our annual club birthday dinner
(actually lunch) at the Indian Pueblo Culture Center in March. Many thanks go to
Kim Patten for organizing that event. Do you have a nice door prize to donate
for the anniversary lunch? Be sure to fill out your ballot to nominate the best
current Corvairologist for the Ike Meissner Award. This award is always
presented at our anniversary event.
We are at the home stretch for the Taos Tri-State in May. I do encourage you to
get your reservations in very soon. The Kachina Lodge is giving us an amazing
hotel discount and I don't want anyone to miss out on this special club event.
At the board meeting, Wendell Walker suggested that the club should purchase a
portable loudspeaker system. This sounds great to me, since Brenda did not get
me a Bull Horn for Christmas.
Sylvan has brought to our attention that in the last few years we have had some
wonderful new members come on board and that we should have a better, more
formal way to introduce them to the club.
Oliver stated that this would be a great time for us to repeat some of the old
tech sessions that haven't been demonstrated in many years. The vast knowledge
and talent among our CNM members is an awesome commodity we should share.
Please, call Vice President Pat Hall, if you have any suggestions or if you want
to offer to do a tech demo or want to help book a garage tour for the club.
Special thanks to all our board member and their dedication in keeping our club
running so smoothly. I don't know of another car club with a quality newsletter
like ours. Ray, thanks for the use of the office space for our board meetings
and Free Coffee!!! My gratitude goes to our unique Sunshine Committee which
keeps up with our Birthdays, Anniversaries, sends notes of cheer as well as
pitching in to support so many of our yearly events. This committee is surely
our club's "Heart Beat!!"
Here's to 2009, another year of Co-Corvairing together. -- Mike
=[CNM]=
TREMENDOUS TAOS TRI-STATE TEAM
By Brenda Stickler
The T-shirt team of Steve and Rita are doing a great job. We have selected
styles and the Tri-State Logo and now they are busy working on Pre-Sales forms
to get T-shirts reserved for this special event.
The Car Show committee is working on the car show forms and the award order.
Bill Reider did a fabulous job on the Tri-State logo. The club board is very
proud of it.
Dan Palmer is sending out letters for contacts in the auto industry for nice
door prizes. The Sunshine Committee is working on banquet stuff and the goody
bags. Ray Trujillo is composing the announcements for the newspapers in the
northern part of our state... especially highlighting our parade car show. Tarmo
is getting us on the CORSA Calendar of announced events.
This month I will arrange for the Earth Ship Homes tour when I get an idea from
the car show people what time on Saturday would be best for that event. (This
most probably will be in early afternoon on Saturday.) Ollie is going to start
getting his Tri-State registration volunteer list started at the February Club
Meeting.
Here is our new update on the Saturday Night banquet. The selection will be a
banquet style meal with a choice of Prime Rib, Mandarin Orange Chicken or
Vegetarian Grilled with Pasta. All adult plates will be $20.00 each. Children
and Youth 4 to 12 years old will be $10.00 a plate and Children 3 and under are
free.
We now have 45 rooms available out of the 65 we reserved and we urge you to get
your reservation in ASAP. At the end of April we will start cutting back
available rooms and by mid-May the rooms could end up full price. If we exceed
this number BEFORE the end of April then more rooms will be opened up for us.
We are looking forward to our in-state Tri-State. Hope we get the attendance
trophy this year!!
-- Thanks Brenda
=[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!
= = = = = = CNM ADS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS, $5.00 TO NON-MEMBERS = = = = = = = =
FOR SALE:
1960 Corvair Coupe. Red in color. Runs good. looks good.
$4000
1964 Corvair Convert. Silver. Runs good. Fair interior, very good top.
New tires. $4000
1965 Corvair Corsa Coupe. 140-HP. Black in color. Runs good, but needs TLC.
$3500
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
Rebuilt carburetors, various years & prices $ 50 and up! (with exchange)
Lots of other parts available for cars and vans.
Pat Hall - Los Lunas, NM 505-620-5574 (cell) or patandvickiehall @ q.com
FOR SALE: 1966 Corvair 500 4-door sedan. 3-speed, 95-HP. White, red interior.
Rebuilt engine and suspension. Runs well, good paint, fairly original.
Rust & damage free. $5,000. ............... Call Cary at 505-350-0483
FOR SALE: 1961 Corvair 700 Lakewood - no engine/tranny - nice clean car.
Factory red & white paint. Rust in front floor board from rubber mats.
$1,500 or best offer. Have title. ......... Call Cary at 505-350-0483
FOR SALE: Four new Firestone 185/80-R13 radial tires, whitewall, mounted and
balanced on good original late Corvair 5-bolt, 13-inch x 5.5-inch
rims. They'll work with early Corvairs too, but you'd have to remount
early wheels and re-balance. Speedometer error probably negligible.
New tires in this size are said to be difficult to find. $400.00 for
tires and rims or $200.00 for just the tires - you change the wheels.
I can deliver locally. Jim Pittman 275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
FOR SALE: 1962 Corvair Loadside pickup .......... $6,500.00 -or- Make Offer!
I have first title on this vehicle -- about 60,000 miles.
I rebuilt the engine about 2,000 miles ago -- excellent condition!
Call my cell phone .............. 505-385-3333 ....... Jerry Goffe
AVAILABLE: Wendell reports that he talked to the people at A B Tire, where he
has often bought tires, and they assured him that tires in the size
of 185/13 for Corvairs are still available. If they are not in stock
they will order them for you. If you need tires for your Corvair,
give them a call. I don't know the name brand or aspect ratio or
tread pattern of the tires, but Wendell says they are good.
AB Tire Co., 2848 Girard Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM - 505-884-0686
They are located between Candelaria and Menaul NE.
=[CNM]=
MARCH 7TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER
Kim Patten
Our 35th Anniversary Dinner plans are finalized! We will meet at the Indian
Pueblo Cultural Center (2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104) at 2:00 PM on
Saturday March 7th for lunch. There will be four menu items to choose from,
including a vegetarian selection. The price will be $17.00 per plate. We will be
able to bring in a birthday cake if we wish. We'll be in our own dining room and
will have a PA microphone for our convenience. The price of the lunch includes a
non-alcoholic beverage and there's a pay-as-you-go bar available. Brenda says we
will be collecting items for door prizes. So, be sure to bring your door prize
items to a meeting, or you can just bring them directly to the anniversary lunch
on Saturday.
We can anticipate an enjoyable time at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Learn
more at their web site:
http://www.indianpueblo.org/index.html
Make your plans now to join us for the club's birthday!
=[CNM]=
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS MEMBER?
Heula Pittman
Here is the second entry in our series "Can You Identify This Member?" for you
to guess. As was the case last month, this photo was made long before the person
featured ever gave a second's thought to Corvairs.
The rules for this series are:
* The newsletter will feature a different photo from an earlier life of one of
our members each month -- as long as the supply of photos lasts.
* Try to guess the name of the person in each photograph, keep your own list of
guesses and give me your list at the end of the series.
* I will announce the person with the most correct guesses at the end of the
contest and present a prize to the winner!
If everyone will give me a photograph from an "earlier life" then this contest
could go on for quite a while! For example, if I were to get thirteen photos in
all, we could end the contest and award the prize at our 36th anniversary
celebration in 2010. If I get more than thirteen photos then we could have a
second cycle of prizes.
So, give me your photos and keep your list up to date. You can e-mail digital
photos to me at ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or you can give me your photographs, I will
scan them and I will return them to you. Remember, this is a contest, so no fair
sharing guesses with others!
-- Thanks, Heula
=[CNM]=
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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
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| February | March | April |
| Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa |
| : : : : : : : | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | : : : 1 2 3 4 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 |
| 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 |
| 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 |
| 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 29 30 31 : : : : | 26 27 28 29 30 : : |
============================================================================
= MEISSNER AWARD: Turn in your nomination form by the end of TONIGHT's meeting
Wed 4 Feb 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 4 Feb After the meeting: Tech Talk on Corvair Fuel Pumps
Wed 4 Feb 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
at 1405 Central NE (between University Blvd and I-25)
Sat 7 Feb 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - Jimmy's Cafe - 7007 Jefferson NE
... .. Feb ........ Garage Tour - Nothing scheduled yet --- suggestions?
Wed 18 Feb 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 20 Feb 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
= BOYDSTON AWARD: The nomination form will be in the March newsletter.
Sat ? Mar 9:00 AM Our first Old Route 66 Clean-up of the year. Breakfast?
Wed 4 Mar 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 4 Mar 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
at 1405 Central NE (between University Blvd and I-25)
Sat 7 Mar 2:00 PM 35th Anniversary Lunch - Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
= MEISSNER AWARD: The award will be presented at the Anniversary Lunch
Sat .. Mar ........ Possibility of "garage tour" to THE COLOR WORKS, Los Lunas
Wed 18 Mar 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 20 Mar 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
= BOYDSTON AWARD: Turn in your nomination form by the end of TONIGHT's meeting
Wed 1 Apr 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 1 Apr 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
at 1405 Central NE (between University Blvd and I-25)
Sat 4 Apr 9:00 AM Our first "Old Route 66" cleanup of the year
Sat 4 Apr 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - to be arranged - suggestions?
Wed 15 Apr 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 24 Apr 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Wed 6 May 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 6 May 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
at 1405 Central NE (between University Blvd and I-25)
Sat 9 May 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - to be arranged - suggestions?
Wed 20 May 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 22 May 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Fri-Sat-Sun 29-30-31 May 2009 - Tri-State Meet - Taos, New Mexico
= BOYDSTON AWARD: The award will be presented at the Tri-State Banquet.
Fri-Sat-Sun -- 29-30-31 May 2009 -- Tri-State Meet -- Taos, New Mexico
Wed 3 Jun 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 3 Jun 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
at 1405 Central NE (between University Blvd and I-25)
Sat 6 Jun 8:00 AM Our second "Old Route 66" cleanup of the year
Sat 6 Jun 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - to be arranged - suggestions?
Wed 17 Jun 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 19 Jun 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Sat 8 Aug 8:00 AM Our third "Old Route 66" cleanup of the year
Sat 10 Oct 9:00 AM Our fourth "Old Route 66" cleanup of the year
=============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities:
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.org ========================
=[CNM]=
WINTER TECH TIPS
Steve Goodman
Those of us who still drive our Corvairs through the wintertime must watch our
cars carefully during the cold weather.
If you followed my tips from a couple of months ago and had lighter weight oil
and a good tuneup and battery then your car started on the morning when it was
-17 degrees. Since our Colorado temps fluctuate so much, with snow one day and
then 60 degrees in sunshine the next, our cars can do some odd things. Thus we
must have a constant vigil on the mechanical parts.
* Tire Pressure: Warm weather one day and tire pressures are correct, it gets
very cold that night and the air pressure decreases by a large amount. Obviously
the correct air pressure not only dictates tire wear but also fuel economy and
steering/braking. Monitoring tire pressures should be constant with special
attention after a temp change.
* Suspension Lube: If you drive through many puddles after a snow day you have
pushed a lot of the grease from the ball joints and tie rod ends. I am not
suggesting a grease job after every single snow/melt time but lubing the
suspension pieces through the winter time will ensure that everything is staying
lubed instead of drying out and even rusting. I also spray the rubber pieces in
front and rear with silicone (Amor-all or similar) to try and keep them
softened. Another place to pay attention is the e-brake cable that passes across
the rear of the car. It is shielded and can easily become dry and the cable
itself gets stuck in the housing. Spraying with a good penetrating lube is best
(remember that WD-40 is NOT a penetrating oil).
* Door Hinges: Every once in a while I will have a door hinge begin to squeek,
usually again after a very moist snow. I instantly spray lube it to keep wear to
a minimum. The late model door hinges (especially 65-66) are the worst for
failing, the 'hold open' spring feature will break easily if allowed to stay dry
(no lubrication).
* Other Squeeks: Once in a while the pedal bushings and cable pulleys will make
some noise too, again usually after some pretty moist conditions. Even inside
the tunnel moisture can make some problems for the cables and shift linkage. It
is important to attend to any of the issues immediately. Cable breakage or
bushing wear can be prevented if some attention is applied sooner instead of
later.
* Cleanliness: If you have climbed into the car with wet shoes for several days,
raise your floor mat and allow some air to circulate when the weather warms up.
Pay particular attention to this if you have a rubber floor mat, moisture will
remain between the rubber mat and the car floor for a long time allowing rust to
begin.
Also vacuum the carpet often, the grit and junk that is tracked into a car will
be ground into the carpet easily. The carpet will wear quickly from the abrasive
materials.
Try to clean the bottoms of your footwear before entering the car, even good
pedal pads will get slick from snow/icy feet and again the rubber will wear
quickly from the grit. Obviously cleaning both the inside and outside of your
glass will be needed often, especially when the inside frosts up or gets
condensation during damp times.
Another advantage of keeping the glass clean is the lack of reflection when
driving into the low sun in early morning/late afternoon.
* Safety: Try to check your tail lights/ turn signals and headlights once in a
while, dusk seems to last for a long time and visibility can be pretty poor
under snow or early evening times.
Even if you can't get into a car wash, remember to wash your
headlights/taillights; the easiest time is while fueling your car. The Corvair
has minimal brightness for tail/brake lights compared to new cars. If it is a
concern, investigate the tech tips about LED lights or even just buying new
lenses will work wonders for visibility.
When you are fueling the car also check your wiper blades and the amount of
washer fluid still in the reservoir. I am always amazed of the amount of washer
solvent that can be used during the day or two of warm weather after a snow.
Those slushy days are hardest on the wiper blade rubber too with all of the grit
hitting the front of the car.
Lastly, try to keep your car clean, although driving the car until dry can be
difficult during the cold months.
Those of us who are still driving our cars probably exercise most of the above
tips and it is still an enjoyable drive in my Corvair every day regardless of
the road/weather conditions.
REPRINTED FROM: Denvair News - January 2009 - Page 5
=[CNM]=
NEW MEMBERS
Pat Hall
Please welcome William C. Darcy and wife Darlene A. Darcy to our club. When I
met Bill I found him a very likable person who owns five Corvairs and drives a
Corvair to work every day. he works at Auto Zone in Belen.
Bill is very good at body work. He plans to come to our meetings -- unless, like
last month, he has to work overtime. We look forward to seeing Bill and Darlene
as members of our club.
PHOTOS:
Above, top: arriving early for the January board meeting.
Above: A club breakfast at Jimmy's Cafe in September 2008.
Left, top: Check out the price of gas in 1965 in Xenia, Ohio. That's Jim's
almost new 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MK. III.
Left: Kay Sutt in the garage dicated to the restoration of Tarmo's 1966
turbocharged Corsa convertible.
=[CNM]=
SEVEN YEARS AGO TECH TIPS
Tips from back issues of ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER
At the January 2009 board meeting, Ollie Scheflow suggested that we could
benefit from having discussions about tech tips at our meetings. He said he
often read the "Seven Years Ago" feature of the newsletter and often found
interesting tech tips but no details. How, he asked, could we reach back to get
these interesting old tech tips into our current meetings? It sounded like a
good idea to me so I went to my shelf of old newsletters to see what tech tips
might be worth reprinting. I started with 1996.
CARE & FEEDING OF YOUR CORVAIR: STEERING BOX
(Reprinted from January 1996)
Bill Reider
Since this is the start of a New Year I'd like to take this opportunity to wish
all of you people out there a Happy New Year. The 1960 Corvair is now 36 years
old and all years are now eligible for the Veterans Motors Car Club. Also, all
the Monzas, Spyders, and Corsas are eligible for The Milestone Car Society. The
Mustang and Camaro only have a few cars that meet the requirements for The
Milestone Car Society while over 60% of all the Corvairs produced are eligible.
Now that I filled you in on how great your Corvair is (as if you already didn't
know) I would like to talk about how to rebuild the steering box on your
Corvair. While there are many similarities among the Corvair boxes, there are a
few differences. The 1960 box has the most differences. For example, it has an
aluminum case, and it has fewer balls that run around the worm gear. The only
other difference is in the worm gear shaft in the box itself.
In the 1960-1963 vehicles the shaft in the box came out of the box about 1 inch
while in 1964 and 1965 there was a one piece shaft that went all the way to the
steering wheel. The 1964 and 1965 shafts were of different lengths and they can
not be interchanged. The 1966 shaft went to the firewall and then was connected
with a u-joint. For 1967 through 1969 they went back to a short stub again with
a u-joint connected to the stub.
This makes a total of five different shafts. If you are going to rebuild your
steering box and figure that you might need a few parts, you would be able to
use any box except the 1960 -- as long as you don't need the steering shaft. If
you do, you will have to get the box in the group that you are rebuilding.
I personally like the 1967 and later arrangement because it is a collapsible
steering column, and it has a built-in emergency flasher. However if you should
decide to install a 1967 or later column in a 1965 or 1966 you will have to put
a washer on one of the bolts where your steering box is mounted to the frame
rail. This is where the u-joint is positioned and you won't get the clearance
without this minor adjustment.
Before you start, you will need a few special tools, two seals and a little
silicon or gasket paper to make a gasket for the cover assembly, as well as
about a pound of chassis grease. You'll need a pitman arm remover. If you are
very careful sometimes you can use a gear puller. Be forewarned, though, a gear
puller has a tendency to pull off. You would probably be better off going to
your friendly parts store and renting a pitman arm puller.
You'll also need a 1-1/2 open end wrench or socket and an inch-pound torque
wrench, one that measures from 0 - 100 inch-lb. No higher than this as you are
going to be measuring at the low end of the scale. While you are at the parts
store you should get two seals. The seal for the steering gear shaft is GM part
number 5696537 and the seal for the pitman arm shaft is GM 5673120. Your
friendly parts house should be able to cross this number to the seals that they
stock. I would also have on hand a shop manual, either a 1961 or a 1965 as they
have the specs for adjusting the box after you have reassembled it.
The box comes off easily; you have three bolts holding it to the frame rail.
Depending on the model you can either disconnect it at the shaft, or pull the
steering wheel and pull out the whole steering shaft. The next part is easy if
you do it BEFORE you take those bolts out. Remove the locking nut that holds
the worm bearing adjuster in place; you can do this with a drift and hammer.
After you have the box on the bench you can take the side cover off and then
remove the worm bearing adjuster; that's the piece with the 1-1/2 nut on the
end. The ball nut block will then unscrew and come out.
Inspect this and the pitman shaft closely for wear. These are the two pieces
that come together to take up the slack in the steering box. By the way, both
of these parts are discontinued by GM, so you may need to find a used steering
box to get some good pieces. You can use any box except the 1960 for these, but
if you have a choice get the one from your year. Other things that wear are the
worm shaft, the worm shaft bearings and races, the ball bearings and sometimes
the bushings. If you look for a used box at your local salvage yard be sure
that the adjusting screw is setting up about a quarter inch or more. If you
don't, you'll find it's because the pitman shaft and block are worn and you
won't be any better off that you were before.
Now let's clean up and reassemble everything. Follow the instructions in the
shop manual. The only tricky part in putting the box back together is getting
the ball bearings into the ball nut block. You shouldn't have trouble if you
follow the manual. Don't forget while you're reassembling to put grease in the
ball nut block holes BEFORE you put the ball bearing in. Then pack the box with
grease BEFORE you put the ball nut block and shaft back in the box and install
the worm shaft bearing.
The ball nut block should be centered on the shaft before you install the
pitman arm shaft. You'll have to put a gasket or a little silicon on the side
cover, because you install the pitman arm shaft and side cover as a unit. After
it's all back together and back in the car you can make the final adjustments.
Before you put the pitman arm back adjust the steering box according to specs.
You'll find them on page 4-2 in the 1961 manual or page 9-2 in the 1965 manual.
That's it for this month, enjoy your easy and positive steering!
TRANSMISSION/DIFFERENTIAL SWAP
(Reprinted from April 1996)
Mark Domzalski
I am in the process of doing a transmission/differential swap out on the
Rampside. I have found two things of note to be aware of.
1. If you have your clutch relined locally, check the thickness when you pick it
up. I had Lewis Brake & Clutch reline mine, for about $25.50 per clutch disk,
and the finished thickness is right at .300 inches. If you have read your Care
and Feeding book, you should know that a correct rebuild for a Corvair is .290"
to .335" with .330" ideal. My interpretation is that .290 is a little on the
thin side. I drive 1000+ miles per week in my truck and want as long a life as
possible for my clutch. If you are installing the clutch in a vehicle that will
be driven a couple of thousand miles a year, this would be an acceptable value.
I ordered a clutch disk from Corvair Underground, $39.50, and it is right at the
max spec dimension. I will use that in my truck.
2. The throw out bearing matches the late model Chevrolet. Lewis Brake & Clutch
supplied a Federal Mogul/Bower/BCA bearing, CC1705C for $17.42. I checked the
CORSA Tech Guide and found the '84 Firebird/Camaro T.O.B. with a Hyatt p/n
908404. It is supposed to be a longer life bearing, but it crosses directly to
our CC1705C. If you can find the Hyatt bearing and try it, let me know if there
seems to be a significant improvement over the BCA bearing...
SPEEDOMETER TECH TIP
(Reprinted from May 1996)
Mark Domzalski
Well, I wasn't going to add a tech tip this month, but I decided that great
service deserves recognition. After my transmission/differential swap out last
month, I experienced the infamous speedometer error that most of us face on a
regular basis. As fate would have it, I didn't have the correct speedometer gear
to correct my odometer. On a tip from Bill Reider, I called Albuquerque
Speedometer Service and inquired about an adaptor. No problem, $45 plus time on
their rollers to determine the correction.
Being a serious commuter, I decided to collect my own data. Collecting mileage
to the nearest 1/100th (just like a photo rally) on the errant odometer over
four trips back and forth to Los Alamos, I determined, using data reduction
techniques (considering the errors in placement of mileage markers), that my
odometer and speedometer errors were +9.84%.
I supplied the raw data and reduced data to Albuquerque Speedometer and they
built the adaptor that connects between the differential and the speedo cable.
Four commuter trips later, my data reduction indicated that the error is -0.04%.
Speedometer error is undetectable. I can live with this... The adaptor used is
manufactured by Stewart-Warner.
My assessment is that Albuquerque Speedometer Service is a top drawer
organization that is well worth using. My $45 was well spent considering that I
could not have gotten as close with the proper speedo gear. Since many of us use
tires that are not the same as what was originally supplied and, also, GM
considered a couple of percent error for the speedo and odometer okay, the S-W
adaptor is a great way to get the accuracy you need to prevent costly speeding
fines and track the true mileage of your vehicle.
SPEEDOMETER TECH TIP
(Reprinted from May 1996)
Bill Reider
Since Mark is talking about speedometer accuracy, I'll point you to a source of
more information. On page 13 of the October 1983 CORSA Communique there's an
article about speedometer gears on the early models.
As you probably know, late Corvairs don't have a speedometer gear because the
drive cable comes off the left front wheel. It's easy to get the late Corvair
speedometer accurate: just find a tire that will turn exactly 825 revolutions
per mile. This translates to a circumference of about 76-3/4 inches and a good
size is 185x13/80. This size is good for a correct odometer reading within 1% or
so.
Early models (including FCs) have a speedometer drive gear in the differential.
Since several rear axle ratios were offered it's necessary to get exactly the
right gear for your axle ratio and tire size. However, only certain gears were
available, and not every gear will match your differential gear!
Read the article to understand what's involved, measure your favorite tire for
circumference and number of revs per mile, and use the formula:
(Rev/Mile) X (axle ratio) X (8/1001) to get the number of teeth in driven gear.
Then you'll see why Mark went to a speedometer service center to have a custom
adapter installed!
-- See you next month. Bill
=[CNM]=
SEVEN YEARS AGO
Jim Pittman
Seven Years Ago - February 2002 - Volume 28 - Number 2 - Issue 317
The cover was an early coupe encountered on the street. In a Mark Morgan
cartoon, Billiken was job hunting and finding it hard due to the collapse of
Boeing and the dot-com bubble. Was this the start of our current recession? Our
January meeting was held at Galles Chevrolet with all officers present. Wendell
reported a total of $5658 in our accounts. We were investigating a better
investment than our money market account. Bill recommended GMAC. Corvair Ladies
planned meetings in the new year, as well as the ever-popular progressive
dinner. We planned a garage tour to the Doll Museum and Dave Langlois' shop and
a tour to Bosque del Apache. Jerry recommended the April tune-up opportunity at
Old Car Garage. The Board heard a report by the Awards Committee. Among other
recommendations, the committee said we should have three elected board members.
Did we ever act on this? I think not. The award committee's report to the board
was covered in detail in the newsletter.
President Robert Gold reported on an enjoyable tour to Bosque del Apache,
including a ride in a big white school bus. Five screen shots showed a
Greenbrier van seen in a recent Hollywood movie. Mark Martinek reported on the
January Car Council meeting where many events were being planned for the new
year. A preview of the 2002 Tri-State Event told us about tourist opportunities
near Grand Junction, Colorado in the middle of May.
Finally, Jim reported on the state of CNM's web presence: Steve posted many
photos, club history and recent news on the club's "official" CORSA web site,
while Jim posted current and back issues of the CNM newsletter on his
University-hosted web site. In Jim's opinion there was not much interest in the
web sites because few of our members had internet access and many who did were
limited to telephone modem speeds, i.e., S--L--O--W.
Fourteen Years Ago - February 1995 - Volume 21 - Number 2 - Issue 233
Our cover featured a side and top view of a 1965 8/10 Cord. The replica car
from Tulsa was front-wheel-drive, powered by a Corvair engine, with a body of
Expanded Royalite plastic. According to Road & Track, only 30 were ever sold,
making the 8/10 Cord a rare Corvair-powered vehicle indeed. The "8/10" name of
the replica car comes from its size: eight tenths scale compared to the original
1936 Cord 810, which was also front-wheel-drive and was powered by a Lycoming
aircraft V-8 engine. Other innovative features included a lack of chrome trim, a
lower body and seating position than other cars of the day, no running boards,
and disappearing headlights. The 1929 Cord L-29 was the first front-wheel-drive
car sold in America.
President Larry ran our meeting; we had no new members or guests at this meeting
and our treasurer reported $1475 in the bank.
Planning continued for our Tri-State "Red River Rendezvous II" and our 1996
CORSA Convention in Albuquerque. At our board meeting we asked for more tech
tips for the newsletter and set dollar rates for "For Sale" ads by non-members.
We discussed programs for meetings and proposed to set up registries for tool
loans, patterns, free parts and advice. We hoped these registries would pump new
life into the under-used CNM Library Van. A third edition of the "Care and
Feeding" booklet was under way. Bill Reider contributed an article on rebuilding
a differential, and drawings of special tools were included.
Chuck Vertrees reported on the use of Milk of Magnesia to treat bolts that would
be exposed to high temperatures. Finally, a tech tip liberated from another
newsletter told us all we needed to know about installing a 1963 padded dash.
Twenty-one Years Ago - February 1988 - Vol. 14 - Number 2 - Issue 149
Mark Morgan's cover drawing showed a rear-engine Renault with 180-hp. A modern
Corvair? At our meeting we learned we had $464 to spend. Dale Housley reported
on a source of club jackets at $30 each. Our guest speaker was from MADD and
reported on that organization's efforts to curb drinking while driving. At the
board meeting we proposed a dues increase (postage rates were going up) and
LeRoy listed items to be auctioned in February.
We planned a garage tour to see the facilities of LeRoy Rogers, Butch Uher and
Bob Philips. Your editor reviewed THE RECKONING by David Halberstam and highly
recommended it to car buffs. It was a study of Ford and Nissan as car companies
with very different philosophies, failures and successes.
Twenty-eight Years Ago - February 1981 - Vol. 7 - Number 2 - Issue 65
The cover featured the now-familiar CNM dragon and his friends jumping into
Noah's Ark - but the ark looked like a Rampside. George Morin brought in two
pressure plates to let us see why one was acceptable and the other was not.
Robin DeVore brought in samples of carpets, one by Clark's and one by American
Corvair. Bill Reider showed us how to rebuild starters. A tech tip discussed the
effects of dirt in the carburetor float bowl and how to deal with it.
=[CNM]=
===============================================================================
Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico,
a chartered chapter of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Contents are
copyrighted by the Authors and by Corvairs of New Mexico. 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 are not necessarily endorsed by Corvairs of New
Mexico or by CORSA. Submissions for publication should reach the Editor by the
15th of the month. Send material as ASCII TEXT via e-mail ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or
in ASCII TEXT format on computer disk, or submit a readable manuscript. I don't
like MS Word documents or RTF files, but no problem, I can read them, so send
whatever you have! Photographs as digital JPGs are welcome. Please, don't
photoshop your digital JPGs -- send the originals. This ecologically green
newsletter is produced in a Microsoft-free environment. I still print mailing
labels with a 1989 Apple IIgs, Bernie To The Rescue, Addressed For Success and
a LaserJet IIp. The newsletter is composed using a 2003 Macintosh G4 PowerBook
and a 2004 Macintosh G5. Software includes OS-X, AppleWorks, Photoshop CS,
GraphicConverter, BBEdit and InDesign CS. If you care, ask for more details.
Transportation: 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.
===============================================================================
=END=