The September 2009 Newsletter - Text Version
Updated 24-Aug-2009 ==== Copyright (c) 2009 Corvairs of New Mexico
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SEPTEMBER 2009 / VOLUME 35 / NUMBER 9 / ISSUE #408
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EDITOR: Jim Pittman
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 2 September 2009 at 7:00 PM
Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
THIS MONTH:
Dues Due, September ..................... Membership Committee
Los Lunas Museum ........................... Pat & Vickie Hall
August Meeting Minutes ........................ Chuck Vertrees
Birthdays and Anniversaries ............... Sunshine Committee
Missing a Meeting ................................... Pat Hall
August Board Meeting Minutes ................ Charles Vertrees
Summer Vacation is Over .............. President Mike Stickler
Why No 50-MPG Cars? (review) ..................... Jim Pittman
Can You Identify This Member? .................. Heula Pittman
Calendar of Coming Events ................. Board of Directors
My Corvair Story ................................. Vickie Hall
State Fair Car Show Preview ...................... Robert Gold
Rocky Mountain to Host 2011 CORSA Convention ..... Eric Shakel
Pikes Peak President's Notes ................... Steve Goodman
Corvair Preservation Foundation Online Web Site .... News Item
Steering Box Rebuild TUNA ......................... Tarmo Sutt
Old Route 66 Cleanup ......................... Oliver Scheflow
Steering Box Update .............................. Bill Reider
Christmas Contributions ........................ Heula Pittman
For Sale, Trade or Wanted ........................... Everyone
Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago ............... Club Historian
COVER: A 1965 Monza, a near-by volcano, distant Sandia Mountain
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PRESIDENT: Mike Stickler 856-6993 sticorsa @ hotmail.com
VICE-PRES: Pat Hall 620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
SECRETARY: Charles Vertrees 299-0744 vertrees @ swcp.com
TREASURER: Robert Gold 268-6878 beisbol30 @ msn.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
EMERITUS: Sylvan Zuercher 299-7577 flat6 @ hubwest.com
EMERITUS: Wendell Walker 892-8471 defarge505 @ aol.com
NEWSLETTER: Jim Pittman 275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
DUES: CNM: 12 months $25.00 or 26 months $ 50.00
CORSA: 12 months $38.00 or 26 months $ 76.00
BOTH: 12 months $63.00 or 26 months $126.00
NOTE: CORSA DUES GO UP AUGUST 1st 2009! See your CORSA Communique.
CORSA's home page: http://www.corvair.org
Steve Gongora's page: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871
CNM's newsletters: http://www.unm.edu/~jimp
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DUES DUE DATES FOR SEPTEMBER 2009
== DUE LAST MONTH = INACTIVE 25-SEP-2009:
2009.08 Marci & Gary Calabrese 2008.08
2009.08 Russ McDuffie 2008.08
2009.08 Bob Philips 2007.07
== DUE NEXT MONTH = INACTIVE 25-OCT-2009:
2009.09 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 1976.07
== DUE OCTOBER = INACTIVE 25-NOV-2009:
2009.10 Debra & Jon Anderson 1992.10
2009.10 Mary Lou & Mark Martinek 1990.08
== DUE NOVEMBER = INACTIVE 25-DEC-2009:
2009.11 Linda & Dick Cochran 2006.09
2009.11 Pam & Charlie Mann 2008.11
== DUE DECEMBER = INACTIVE 25-JAN-2010:
2009.12 Kathy & Larry Blair 1985.11
2009.12 Diane & Robert Galli 2007.10
2009.12 David Huntoon 1994.11
2009.12 Walter Huntoon 1992.11
2009.12 Roger Pape 2002.12
== DUE FEB = INACTIVE 25-MAR-2010:
2010.02 Susanne & Larry Hickerson 2002.08
2010.02 Frank Stadler 1990.02
2010.02 Brenda & Mike Stickler 1976.07
2010.02 Julia & Chuck Vertrees 1983.05
2010.02 Wendell Walker 1989.01
== MEMBERSHIP EXPIRED = INACTIVE AS OF 25-AUG-2009:
2008.04 Florence & Bill Hector 2006.04
2008.10 Guadalupe & Jim Arellanes 2006.10
2008.10 Mary & Art Hurley 2007.10
2008.11 Nancy & Bernard Urbassik 2004.08
2009.02 Carl Johnson 1974.04
2009.03 Sally Williams 2003.09
2009.07 Jerry Goffe 1977.05
2009.07 Geoffrey Johnson 2002.03
If your membership is due or has expired, please 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,
provided that you send us the renewal form from your CORSA Communique!
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Los Lunas Museum
Pat & Vickie Hall
On August 15th, the Historical Society of Los Lunas celebrated Route 66 pre-1937
at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Art, open to the public at 2pm and on into
the evening.
There were guest speakers talking about the history of Route 66 and author
Richard Metzler was there for a book signing. The museum has quite a display of
art. Check it out if you get a chance.
Several pre-1937 cars were there. Pat and Chad Hunter were in our 1964 Spyder,
Mark Jones in our 1964 Monza and Vickie and sister Sharon in our 1964 4-door.
This was a small showing but very interesting. -- Vickie & Pat
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August Meeting Notes
Chuck Vertrees
Surprisingly, the meeting was called to order at 19:06 on 8/5/09 at the print
shop of Ray Trujillo. We need to thank Ray for making his facility available at
the last minute. We didn't find out until we arrived that the Highland Senior
Center where we usually meet was closed for cleaning. They just forgot to tell
us. Even so, there were 19 members who managed to find their way to Ray's shop.
President Mike Stickler mentioned the letter we had received from "Phoenix
Charlie" and it was made available to anyone who wanted to read it. Vice
President Pat Hall was not able to give his report at the start of the meeting
because he got a call from Sylvan Zuercher and Dan Palmer, whose "new" 1965
Corvair had broken down on the way to the meeting. Three members including Pat
went to help them. (Note: they got it running, the problem was a bad coil.
Sylvan and Dan met us at the Route 66 Diner after the meeting.)
Treasurer Robert Gold reported that CNM had $2,958.32 in the checking account
and $1,144.72 in the GMAC account for a total of $4,103.04. He said that he had
gotten the paperwork done at his credit union and had sent it to GMAC. He hoped
that we would finally get the signature situation settled.
Alan Gold was introduced. He was a member back in 1981 and has rejoined. I
didn't get the relationship between him, Robert Gold and Art Gold other than he
was another Gold. Perhaps he's Robert's brother?
Art Gold reported that the Car Council had nothing new to report. The all clubs
picnic is on August 9th and it will be the last time it will be held at
Villanueva State Park. The big thing discussed was the annual Swap Meet at Los
Lunas on September 25-26-27. CNM will volunteer to work the swap meet on
Saturday the 26th, since Sunday the 27th is the State Fair car show. Robert said
that since it is the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Corvair we will
have the first row at the State Fair. We need to have a great showing and we'd
like to have a Corvair from every year at the show.
Art said that the date for the Museum Car Show has not been set but assured us
that there'd be no conflict with the Tri-State, now scheduled for May 21-22-23.
He mentioned that the Car Council planned for the show's theme to be the
fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the American "compact" cars:
Corvairs, Falcons, Valiants by GM, Ford and Chrysler.
Jim Pittman, newsletter editor, mentioned that this is a short month so anything
for the newsletter must be in the weekend after the board meeting, and the
sooner the better. He also said that according to Rocky Mountain CORSA's August
newsletter THE DENVAIR NEWS, the Denver club will sponsor the CORSA
International Convention in 2011. Timothy Shortle of RMC went to the
Jacksonville convention to present RMC's case to the CORSA Board and it was
approved. The date has not been set yet. Because of the size of the Denver club
they will be asking the Colorado Springs club for help. We might consider
whether if possible some of us might be able to help in some way.
Another thing Jim brought up for speculation was the apparent popularity and
success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program and what it would actually do for
overall national fuel use, for the economy, or for the health of the auto
industry. By and large in the discussion, none of us had seen any information
about how much energy savings this program is supposed to accomplish. Some of us
wondered about the advantage of destroying well-working vehicles for a small
increase in gas mileage. I hear that all the engines are being destroyed by
pouring Sodium Silicate into them, but that body parts may be salvaged for reuse
if needed. My feeling is that the increase in gas mileage has very little to do
with it. The big thing is to help bail out the auto industry, which is now
largely owned by the government, meaning us as far as taxes go.
Heula Pittman said that she had checked with Lee Reider and Emma Rogers and that
the Christmas charity this year would be "Safe House." They can use almost
anything, but we should concentrate on items for children. We will hear more
about this. Heula again said she'd be glad to take shopping money from anyone
who did not want to do their own shopping.
Upcoming attractions are the Old Route 66 cleanup at 8:00 AM on September 5th
followed by a breakfast, probably at the Golden Corral on Central near Eubank.
Also in September on the 12th and 13th is the Experimental Aircraft fly-in at
the Moriarty airport. There is always a great collection of aircraft that are
not usually seen and as in past years, there will probably be an informal car
show as well. It is well worth going to see. Also in September is our big annual
event, the State Fair car show on Sunday the 27th.
It was suggested earlier that we might want to have an economy run in October.
As rallymaster, I have started planning a route, and if enough members seem
interested I will go ahead and get it ready. The economy run would last a couple
of hours, would be mostly in the city and would end with a late lunch. Think
about it. I will want to know if enough people are interested at the next
meeting.
We should thank Charlie and Pam Mann for their hospitality at their place in the
North Valley. It was great to sit in the shade on a sunny summer day and visit
after looking at their interesting collection of cars.
The meeting ended with a very interesting and complete presentation by Bill
Reider on rebuilding the Corvair steering box. Bill brought many parts for our
inspection and his talk elicited many questions. Bill pointed out that not only
do the steering parts wear, they can get contaminated with water and rust,
leading to either sloppy or hard steering. The talk served as a lead-up to the
TUNA on August 15th at Pat Hall's where we will rebuild a steering box. Members
were told they could bring their own steering box to rebuild if it was already
cleaned and ready to work on!
After the presentation, many of us went to join Dan and Sylvan at the Route 66
Diner where we found food and more visiting.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to:
Susanne Hickerson September 1
Jamie Anderson September 3
Gordon Johnson September 5
Janet Johnson September 7
Lori Nash September 8
Kevin Sullivan September 9
Curtis Shimp September 13
Connie McBreen September 15
Kelly Gold September 16
Dave Huntoon September 17
Julian Trujillo September 22
Josh McDuffie September 17
Four CNM couples celebrate wedding
anniversaries this month:
Brenda & Hurley Wilvert September 3
Emma & LeRoy Rogers September 4
Kathy & Larry Blair September 8
Kay & Tarmo Sutt September 24
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Missing a Meeting
Pat Hall
Well, I went to the August meeting, but I missed the meeting. If I need a good
excuse to miss a meeting, I have one. About ten minutes before the meeting
began, I received a phone call from Dan Palmer. Cell phones are useful at times!
Dan said he was driving his "new" 1965 Corvair Monza and had just picked up
Sylvan Zuercher. They were on their way to the meeting, Dan said, and the car
just suddenly spit-spat-sputtered and died.
So, Dan gave me a call. Off to the rescue went Mark Jones, Chad Hunter and I, in
Mark's brand-X vehicle. We found Dan and Sylvan right where they said they were,
but they had already diagnosed the problem as a defective coil. So, a bad coil
was the reason five people missed the August meeting.
Sylvan was pretty sure he knew from memory the part number for the correct coil,
and since he had his copy of "The Care and Feeding of Your Corvair" book with
him he was able to verify the number. As he said about his memory, "Trust, but
verify!" The car happened to quit only about three blocks away from an auto
parts store. Mark took Dan for a ride in his hot rod Dodge to go to the parts
store. When they returned with a new coil, we installed it and the car started
and ran with no further problem. We all drove to the meeting place. We could see
through the window that the meeting was over, and we didn't want to interrupt
Bill in the middle of his tech talk, so we just went on over to the 66 Diner.
Eventually some folks came from the meeting and joined us at the diner. We had a
lively discussion about this latest Corvair problem!
There is more to the story of Dan's "new" red 1965 Monza! You'll have to get him
to tell how he bid for it on e-bay, how he missed the bid but was offered the
car anyway, how he drove to San Diego with a trailer to pick up the car, how the
car and a slew of parts turned out to be too heavy for the trailer, and how Dan
decided to drive the Monza home.
You can ask Carolyn to tell how she unexpectedly found herself driving the
Toyota and trailer back to New Mexico, trying to keep up with Dan in the Monza!
They both survived the trip and only had to make a few unscheduled stops to get
parts for the Corvair. Dan has been doing a lot of work on this car and has more
to do. He wants to re-pack the rear wheel bearings and maybe he'll be installing
new wiring harnesses. Maybe he will tell us about some of this work. Here's a
thought: maybe we could get two or three club TUNAs out of this car! How about
it, Dan.
Now, for the rest of the story.
For those who don't know, when we arrived at our regular "Senior Center" meeting
place we couldn't get in! They were cleaning the place and none of us knew until
we got there. Fortunately, Ray Trujillo came to our rescue by inviting us to
meet at his place of business (where we have our board meetings) which is only a
few blocks away. We were able to get tables and chairs arranged at Ray's place
before 7 PM and that was when I got the fateful cell phone call from Dan.
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August Board Meeting
Chuck Vertrees
The meeting was called to order at 17:10 at Ray Trujillo's print shop on
8/19/09. Present were Robert Gold, Jim & Heula Pittman, Pat & Vickie Hall, Mike
& Brenda Stickler, Ray Trujillo, Dave Huntoon, and Chuck & Julia Vertrees.
Mike said that we should thank Pat for the TUNA on rebuilding steering boxes.
Bill Reider will probably have more information soon.
Robert said that he was not so interested in the mechanical work we do at TUNAs
but he had a great time just wandering around Pat and Vickie's, looking at all
of the cars they have. It was just a great place to hang out. All CNM members
note, you don't have to be specifically interested in a TUNA project to still
have a good time and fellowship.
Robert also said that his brother Alan, who is has joined CNM, used to work for
GM in a transmission plant and could give us a presentation on the Powerglide
transmission.
Robert presented the treasurer's report showing that CNM had $3,097.58 in the
checking account and $1,146.98 in the GMAC account for a total of $4,244.56. We
now have a new supply of name badges and they can be issued to new members,
spouses and family when needed.
Jim Pittman said he had received a request for advertising a Loadside, an Avanti
and some Mustang parts. The request was from Larry Lite who was the son of a
past member. The cars will be advertised in the newsletter. Pictures and
information were circulated. Jim also said that the coming newsletter will be a
big one. Anything to be included must be in his hands by Friday the 21st.
Dave said that he had not heard more on any possible new members. Pat said that
he had been talking to a gentleman who has a 1964 Spyder that he is trying to
get running. He has gotten some parts from Pat who has given him applications
for both CNM and CORSA. He seems really interested in joining the club.
There was no Car Council report but Dave said that he had gone to the Car
Council picnic. There were several other CNM members there. There were about 60
or 70 cars and about 100 to 120 people.
Heula said that she has talked to Lee Reider and that the charity which CNM will
sponsor this Christmas is "The Safe House." This is a place which maintains safe
houses an unknown locations to shelter people who are getting away from an
abusive situation. Most arrive with only the clothes on their backs. They need
clothing of all kinds, both for adults and children, men and women. Toys for
children are needed, but not any stuffed toys. They especially need underwear.
Heula said also that her committee has been sending out thank you notes to those
who have helped CNM in various projects.
Upcoming projects start with the need for nominations for candidates for office
for the coming year. These need to be determined by the September meeting so
that they may be voted on at the October meeting. It was stated that the
Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary have all agreed to stay on for another
year, should the membership agree. So, we'll need at least one candidate for
President. Mike implied that he'd run for a third term as President, but that
Brenda has vetoed the idea. Sylvan Zuercher says that he has some possible
candidates that he will contact. Also, your Treasurer and Secretary said that if
anyone would like to run against them that would be great.
Whether there will be a September 5th breakfast will be determined at the
September meeting. September 27th is the State Fair Car Show. We must have a
good showing. See Robert's article in the newsletter about when and where we
will meet. Answer: same time and place as last year. Dave will see that the club
banner will be present. Dave said that some announcement should be made of the
fact that October 2nd 1959 was the date of the first showing of the Corvair in
dealers' show rooms -- 50 years ago!
September the 26th is one of the dates for the Car Council Swap Meet and CNM
will provide about four workers for the meet. If you want to help, contact
Robert. There are many other events listed in the CNM newsletter and also on the
Car Council web page.
It had been suggested that CNM have an economy run in October. Your secretary
has a run in the planning stage. If there are enough people (five or more cars)
interested then I will go ahead and set it up. We will see at the September
meeting if there is interest.
It was brought up whether we wanted to have some kind of a fund raiser in
November as we have had in the past. That is still open if anyone has a
suggestion. Our pot luck / auctions have been popular. Do we want one this year?
Having another scrap recycling collection was brought up. This would not be
until spring and would be a one-time collection rather that a small dribble of
items over several meetings. Maybe people could take their scrap items to Pat's
place during a TUNA.
The International CORSA Convention will be sponsored by the Denver club in 2011.
CNM members should be thinking of ways we can assist them. Dave mentioned that
in 2011 it would be the turn of the Denver club to be responsible for the
Tri-State. Mike suggested that CNM could swap with them and take the Tri-State
out of turn. This has happened in the past.
Heula told us that it was about time for CNM to get our newsletter in the
running for "Best Newsletter" with CORSA again. This may entail a lot of work
and expense. It was voted and passed that Heula and anyone that she needed to
help will work on this and that CNM would cover any expense for color work. Jim
says we already send newsletters to CORSA every month so we should not need to
do anything more. But he was over-ruled because CORSA's rules say we should
"submit" newsletters between August 2009 and February 2010. We will do that.
The meeting was adjourned at 18:10.
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Summer Vacation Is Over
Mike Stickler
The kids are headed back to school and the first hint that Fall is coming was
confirmed when I spotted a small flock of geese flying overhead. This reminds me
of the years of Summer vacation as a youth. No matter how many things were done
during the Summer break, there was always a sense of regret that it wasn't
enough. As the first day of school loomed closer, a final flurry of activity
would be attempted to make the vacation seem worthwhile.
The Greenbrier rebuild is suffering the same fate. Engine parts are still
scattered around the shop and not enough has been done!!! The State Fair car
show is about one month away and I hope a final flurry of activity will complete
it in time.
Robert Gold has done a terrific job of directing the annual State Fair car show.
As you may know, this year is the 50th Anniversary of the Corvair's
introduction. To celebrate that event Robert would like to assemble a great
variety of Corvairs at the State Fair to include all years and models.
I do encourage all of us to work hard to help Robert reach that goal. Here's to
getting our collector Corvairs to the State Fair Show!
Happy Corvairing! -- Mike
P.S. -- Brenda says she does not need an "article" this month... but just a
blurb that the Tri-State Booklet is still in progress and she's waiting on a few
more write-ups from the Taos Tri-State Leadership Team. So, if you can do a
write-up, get it to her!
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Why No 50-MPG Cars?
Review by Jim Pittman
REFERENCE: http://www.newsweek.com/id/130439
At its web page Newsweek recently had an article titled "Miles to Go -- Why
automakers don't sell a car that gets 50 mpg." If we don't know where we are
with automobiles in this country in August 2009, this article tries to cast some
light.
Those of us in the Corvair Hobby either realize certain facts, or we choose to
ignore them, or we are able to work around them: Corvairs are definitely not
modern, safe, economical cars. Yes, compared to their sister full-size
Chevrolets from 1960-69 they were more fun, had better handling, were cheaper to
buy and were more economical, but time has marched on. Corvairs have about as
much similarity to modern cars as a Friden desktop calculator would have to a
sleek Sony Vaio laptop PC. A few of us are still able to own a Corvair as a
daily driver, but many more of us own, and still occasionally drive, a Corvair
for sentimental reasons, or for its own particular -- if illogical --
characteristics.
I bought my first Corvair in 1966, not on a whim, but after serious thought. I
wanted a reliable "sports car" that I could drive anywhere in the country and
that could survive at least four years in Alaska. A new 122 Volvo or a new 1966
Valiant would have suited. But I had several friends who loved their 1964
Spyders. No antifreeze! The American Porsche! I ordered a turbocharged Corsa
coupe.
When I picked up my new Corvair I felt my judgement was vindicated: the car rode
better, was quieter, handled well, got better gas mileage and had far more room
than my 1965 Austin-Healey 3000. As an American-made Chevrolet it should be much
more reliable and much easier to maintain than my British sports cars had been.
Six years later the Corsa and I were in Albuquerque and I wanted a "sporty"
second car. I went looking for a used MG or Triumph roadster but ended up buying
a 1965 Corsa convertible with 140. For several years I was content to keep my
original 1966 Corvair while buying and selling several other "second car"
Corvairs. I gave no thought to buying a new car. None made in the USA seemed
"better" than my Corvair, and any foreign sports cars would have cost far too
much.
It was not until late 1989 that I felt compelled to buy a more modern car to
supplement (not replace) my original Corvair. I still own that car, a 1990 Honda
Civic. It was better than my Corvair in that it was new, it had air
conditioning, a five-speed, disk brakes and fuel injection, and it ran like a
fine watch. It has proved remarkably economical and trouble-free. And it still
runs almost like new. Its gas mileage? A nineteen-year average of 34.7 MPG, with
occasional fill-ups in the 45-MPG range. My best Corvair fill-ups approached
30-MPG only when driven very carefully in economy runs.
Today my one remaining Corvair has all the features that attracted me to
Corvairs back in 1966, except for the turbocharged engine. It is simple,
reliable, has plenty of room, handles okay, has distinctive timeless styling and
goes fast enough for me. What it definitely does not have is electronic fuel
control, electronic braking control, electronic stability control, fuel vapor
recirculation, a quiet ride, air bags -- and good gas mileage.
But Newsweek's article is talking about "new" cars and why it is that as of July
2009 we can't buy an average, middle-of-the-road new car that gets better than
50 miles per gallon. They see three factors: Cost, Drive quality and Safety.
Newsweek says Ford recently did a computer simulation on how they could make a
Ford Focus that would get 50 MPG. Ford took out most of the steel and
substituted aluminum. The weight savings allowed the engine to be much smaller
while keeping the car's performance at the same level. Result: Yes, the car
would be as safe as, and would perform with, a regular Ford Focus. But your Ford
dealer would have to charge you $50,000 for it. All that aluminum and high-tech
engine wizardry are expensive.
Automakers say for better fuel economy they would like to reduce weight in their
cars. But doing so would conflict with our perceived need for more safety
features. In the 1980s, the Honda CRX-HF and the Geo Metro each got more than 50
MPG. But they didn't have airbags or steel beam crash protection in their doors.
These days, cars come with with six air bags, steel safety cages and electronic
stability control. Cars are much safer--but they are much heavier. If we make
cars as safe as possible, that requires extra weight that works against fuel
efficiency.
Can we get better fuel efficiency with alternate power plants? Fuel cells
quietly and efficiently convert hydrogen to electricity in experimental cars.
The problem: there's no infrastructure to produce, transport, store and dispense
hydrogen today. The gasoline/electric hybrid seems to be a mature technology and
Toyota would be happy to sell you a third generation Prius hybrid today.
Presumably it incorporates all the advances they learned about in the first two
generations. But the Prius is not exactly a high-performance car. It's not much
fun to drive. Its price is, shall we say, premium. And its EPA estimate hovers
around 50 MPG.
What about the brand-new Honda Insight hybrid? It costs slightly less than the
current Prius. It has a somewhat lower EPA mileage rating: 43 MPG. It's reported
to be sluggish and noisy to drive, not really much fun. A comparison with the
new Ford Fusion hybrid gave higher marks to the Fusion. But that's a $27,000
car, and it's still below the 50 MPG cutoff.
How about vehicles like the new "Smart" car? Well, it is fairly expensive but it
gets great gas mileage. But for most people the problem is that a Smart car is
tiny and it's a dog. "While it's certainly cute, its puny 70-horsepower engine
and slow-shifting transmissions made me feel like Fred Flintstone could outrun
me." Americans are used to bigger cars with greater performance and "Going zero
to 60 in 15 seconds doesn't fit the average American consumer's idea of mobility
today."
Maybe you are interested in the latest big headline from our own car company,
"Government Motors" and you would like to buy (or lease) a Chevrolet Volt. Maybe
you do. I don't think I'm ready. I'd have to pay $30,000 for a new Volt. I'd
have to LEASE the battery pack for maybe $200 per month. And this for a car that
will perform like a Camaro -- for forty miles. After the battery runs down at
forty miles out, the 1-litre engine will start up to recharge the battery so I
can limp home. And, I'll have to recharge it by plugging it in overnight,
sucking up electricity made by burning coal at a rate of ten cents per
kilowatt-hour. No thank you.
The more I read about the Volt, the less enthusiasm I have for it. But that's a
story for another day.
For years I have wondered when Corvairs were going to become like other
"classic" cars--you'd want to own one and restore it and take it to the car
shows, but you wouldn't really want to drive it. Well, as long as you can pay
for gasoline; as long as you like driving a car that you, not a computer,
control; as long as you think you can keep it running with Clark's parts and
your own low-tech tools and skill; well, maybe there are years to go yet.
Simplicity, mechanical knowledge, timeless styling and sentimental value will
take some of us Corvair enthusiasts a long way... even if 50 miles per gallon is
not something you'll ever see on a Corvair fill-up.
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Can You Identify This Member?
Heula Pittman
Here is the ninth entry in our series "Can You Identify This Member?" for you to
guess. As was the case in previous months, this photo was made long before the
person featured ever gave a second's thought to Corvairs.
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 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
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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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| September 2009 | October 2009 | November 2009 |
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Wed 2 Sep 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 2 Sep 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 5 Sep 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - to be arranged - suggestions?
Sat 12 Sep 6:00 PM Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starting at Bosque Farms
Sat 12 Sep early! EAA Fly-In (and old car display) Moriarty Airport
Sun 13 Sep early! EAA Fly-In (and old car display) Moriarty Airport
Mon 14 Sep ....... Ultra Van meet in Santa Fe -- more information later
Wed 16 Sep 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 25 Sep -- According to Tom Martin, 50 years ago today the first Corvairs
were displayed to the public at Galles-Grosbeck Chevrolet in Albuquerque.
See "DARK INTRIGUE" in the January 1988 newsletter, reprinted January 2000.
Fri 25 Sep 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Fri 25 Sep ....... NMCCC 31st Annual Swap Meet in Los Lunas
Sat 26 Sep ....... NMCCC 31st Annual Swap Meet in Los Lunas
Sun 27 Sep ....... NMCCC 31st Annual Swap Meet in Los Lunas
Sun 27 Sep 7:00 AM Meet for the State Fair Car Show
Fri 2 Oct 50th ANNIVERSARY OF INTRODUCTION OF CORVAIR AT CHEVROLET DEALERS
Sat 3 Oct through Sun 11 Oct -- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Sun 4 Oct 9:00 AM Festival of Wheels Car Show / Balloon Ascension
7:00 AM Are Corvairs going to meet and go in together?
Wed 7 Oct 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
This is election night to vote for our 2010 officers!
Wed 7 Oct 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 10 Oct 9:00 AM Our fourth "Old Route 66" cleanup of the year
Sat 10 Oct 9:30 AM CNM Breakfast - to be arranged - suggestions?
Sat 10 Oct 6:00 PM Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starting at Bosque Farms
Sat 17 Oct 8:00 AM Car Show at a Park on Rio Grande Blvd near Los Ranchos
Support Hydrocephalus Association. Contact Russ McDuffie
Wed 21 Oct 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Sat xx Oct ....... Economy Run or Sports Car Rally? -- Watch This Space
Fri 23 Oct 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Fri 23 Oct Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet - Palm Springs, California
Sat 24 Oct Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet - Palm Springs, California
Sun 25 Oct Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet - Palm Springs, California
Wed 4 Nov 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 4 Nov 8:30 PM (time approx.) after our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner
Wed 18 Nov 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 20 Nov 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
2010: March CNM's 36th Anniversary Party - IKE MEISSNER AWARD
2010: Spring Pat Hall will conduct another metal recycle project as a
fund raiser. Collect your scrap metal and save it for the collection.
2010: May 21-22-23 The 2010 Tri-State will be held in Canon City, Colorado.
Sponsored by Pikes Peak Corvair Club, Colorado Springs, CO.
More activities: New Mexico Council of Car Clubs: http://www.nmcarcouncil.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Corvair Story
Vickie Hall
Sitting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really in
the middle of nowhere but the feeling was there.
I was in one of our 1964 Monzas on my way to Belen, the town just south of Los
Lunas, when I felt the car's engine lunge. Then the generator/fan light came on.
I pulled off to the side of the road and started looking around for a business
that was open on Saturdays so that I could call Pat. I didn't have a cell phone
-- maybe I should rethink that situation! After walking across four lanes of
traffic, in the heat of the day, I found a phone.
Pat told me to check the fan belt and sure enough it was broken. Now Pat's at
home waiting for a Corvair customer, from out of town, to arrive so he tells me
that he will be there as soon as possible.
Not a major problem, I thought to myself, because we keep a spare fan belt in
the engine compartment of all of our driveable cars. I opened the trunk lid to
see what tools were there and I found NOTHING! Pat's in trouble now! Not that I
could have changed the fan belt, but maybe someone else could have if tools had
been available.
That is, if anyone had stopped during the forty-five minutes that I was sitting
on the side of the road. No, no one stopped.
Pat finally came to my rescue. He made the comment that maybe I should learn how
to fix it myself. I guess that isn't a bad idea, but in turn he had better make
sure that all the correct tools are in each and every one of our driveable cars!
-- Vickie
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State Fair Car Show
Join in the Birthday Celebration!
Robert Gold
It's hard to believe, but this year the Corvair is experiencing the 50th
anniversary of its introduction in 1959. The Corvair is truly a 1960s car,
spanning the model years 1960 to 1969. This year is therefore your chance to
join in the celebration of the birth of the Corvair. Let's begin the celebration
in grand style for all of New Mexico at this year's State Fair Car Show. The
12th annual State Fair Car Show will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2009.
That is last day of this year's fair.
Sylvan Zuercher suggested that in order to make the celebration truly grand we
ask CNMers to turn out and display a car for each year of Corvair production.
For those of you who, like me, are statistically challenged that would mean a
minimum of ten cars for this year's show. I know it will be hard to have each
year represented, but if we can do it, it would make for a display to remember.
To help me plan for the event I'm asking you to contact me early and let me know
what car you can enter. Together we can make this the most unique display of
cars ever by CNM. I know I can supply three of the years from my collection:
1961, 1962 and 1966. Let's see what you can do!
We'll meet at the former Furr's Cafeteria parking lot on the southwest corner of
Central and San Pedro SE at around 7:00 AM for group photos and we will leave
around 7:15 to enter the Fairgrounds through gate 3. This is the fartherest gate
to the south on San Pedro. We will be parking on Heritage Ave just south of the
Manuel Lujan Building.
Think of the show as a really convenient way to see this year's fair. You'll
have parking right in the middle of the fairgrounds and you won't have to pay to
get in!
Show times are from 8:00 AM to approximately 3:30 PM. Ribbons will be awarded
for three "best of" classes and seventeen novelty classes. This should assure
that you'll be getting at least one ribbon to display to the world. As in the
past I'll be asking those CNMers in attendance to do the judging. That way we'll
all share in the joy of awarding the ribbons. You'll get to display your awards
as soon as the judging is completed, which should be before lunch.
If you have any questions call Robert or Anne Mae Gold in the evenings at
268-6878 or send email to: beisbol30@msn.com.
We've had good support for this show in the past, so let's keep up the good work
this year!! Let's make this year's show the most unique one ever. See you there.
-- Robert Gold
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CORSA 2011: It's All Real!
Rocky Mountain Corsa Hosts 2011 Corsa Convention
By Eric Shakel
Reference: Denvair News, August 2009, Page 4
Our own Timothy Shortle stood in front of the CORSA Board of Directors, and
presented our case for hosting the 2011 International Convention right here on
the Front Range. Tim, as the only RMC member who made the trip, was obviously up
to the task as the Board accepted our offer.
With the official acceptance, we can start to lay out the groundwork for a solid
convention. The preferred hotel is the DoubleTree Denver Tech Center, and they
were kind enough to lower their rooms to the CORSA-desired $99.00 rate.
A former Hilton, the hotel was completely and extensively refurbished in late
2008. It's a first-class venue, only minutes from the RTD Light Rail Station.
The grounds have a grassy park area and there are many shade trees. There's even
a huge church complex next door with additional parking, much of it covered.
Come to the RMC Meeting at the DoubleTree.
You'll have a chance to check out the hotel very soon, as the DoubleTree staff
has graciously offered to host our Friday, September 4th RMC meeting, normally
held at Burt Chevrolet on South Broadway. We invite all interested RMC members
to attend this special "convention kick-off" opportunity. Although still quite a
way off, this will be the Club's first step toward a successful CORSA Convention
in 2011. Don't miss it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
President's Notes
By Steve Goodman
Reference: The DRIPLINE - Pikes Peak Corvair Club, August 2009, Page 4
Kermit Shields and Paul Campbell are hard at work for next years' TRI-STATE
CORVAIR MEET in Canon City. Their reports each month sound like it will be a fun
weekend. Thank you both for your hard work.
Meeting minutes report that the Tri-State hotel will be the Quality Inn where a
hot breakfast will be provided, and dining will be at the Abbey Event Center.
Tim Shortle, who lives in Durango, was the emissary from Rocky Mountain CORSA to
the national convention in Jacksonville, Florida this month. He presented the
bid for RMC to host the 2011 national convention in Denver. Sometime this year
Eric Schakel, who is the newsletter editor for RMC and also the chairman of the
2011 convention, will attend a PPCC meeting and present some of his ideas of how
PPCC can participate and help.
I would also like to suggest that since only a few have attended a national
convention, it might be a good idea to drive to Iowa for the 2010 CORSA
convention and see how a convention is planned and executed. Iowa is not a bad
drive from Colorado. I hope some of us can attend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Corvair Preservation Foundation (CPF) is online
with their "Corvair 50th Anniversary" website:
http://pr.corvair.org/index.html
The site will be continually updated throughout the 50th Anniversary
Celebration, and is being provided primarily as a courtesy for media promotions
and publication efforts associated with Corvair's 50th Anniversary. (Though, as
a Corvair enthusiast, I found it to be a most interesting site for anyone
interested in the car.)
The site contains the following information:
* CPF logo and Corvair 50th anniversary
* All 50th anniversary CPF Press Releases
* The complete series of 50th anniversary historical articles written by
historian Dave Newell. Provided in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats for
newsletter reformatting.
* Rare Corvair photographs and artwork, many not seen in decades
* A calendar listing of national Corvair club chapter events recognizing
Corvair's 50th Anniversary Celebration
* Hyperlinks to recommended Corvair information websites, and
* Interesting how-to's and chatter by the CorvairKid aka Kent Sullivan.
The coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Corvair
is also advertised on this site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steering Box Rebuild TUNA at Pat Hall's - Saturday August 15, 2009
Tarmo Sutt
At the August CNM meeting Bill Reider demonstrated the different combinations of
Corvair steering boxes and the parts for rebuilding them. This demo served as a
"Part one" introduction to the TUNA scheduled for the following weekend.
Part two of this topic was a TUNA held at Pat Hall's place in which Bill would
do a reassembly demonstration of a steering box. I planned to attend, and my
newly available option was to travel from Santa Fe to Los Lunas via the Rail
Runner.
Leaving Santa Fe on a train is a very new and different adventure, as formerly a
Saturday morning car trip to Albuquerque had been the norm. This was the second
time I traveled to our current Francis Boydston award winning CNM member's house
to attend a Corvair event in this way. Maybe they don't have all the bugs out of
the system yet, because on this trip the Rail Runner made an abrupt stop north
of Bernalillo. The lights went out, the A/C turned off and everyone on board
stopped talking, wondering what had happened. The crew did not tell us anything,
but after 15 minutes or so, repairs apparently were made and we were on our way
again. Overall we only arrived 30 minutes late.
The TUNA had already started. Brenda and Vicky came to the station to get me.
Thanks to them both!
In Pat's shop a large group of people had gathered in a semi-circle around Bill
Reider to watch his progress with the reassembly. Then, kind of like the train,
the assembly came to a stop -- because Bill could not get the ball bearings to
stay in place. The block seemed to have good wear surfaces but something about
it was just not right. Different people pitched in to help, but the ball
bearings would not stay in place. Pat had several other steering boxes on
display to show different types of wear, so Bill took another one. Those parts
had problems also. Finally all agreed there was no sense putting a box together
with bad parts. Further discussion about worn parts and assembly followed, and
Pat brought in more steering parts to show worn pitman arm bushings and other
causes of steering problems. There was a lot of interest from the group and
there were many questions and further mini-assembly demos.
As people were leaving Pat's house we discovered a flat tire on Russ's black
Corsa convertible. In replacing the flat with the spare we found a bad stud, so
it got replaced. Then Ray's 1964 sedan's starter was making funny noises and the
engine would not start. Of course Bill and Pat and I had to find out what was
wrong with it. Out came the starter motor and inspection revealed one of the
brushes had come out and scored the armature as it tried to spin around. So up
on Pat's lift went Ray's car, and the starter got changed out for a rebuilt
starter.
As a result of this day, many of us went home to take another look at the
steering boxes we had worked on or had fully rebuilt. I looked at mine. It
doesn't turn smoothly. I also noticed the turns from lock to lock is only about
3-3/4 turns. Thinking I had done something really wrong in reassembly, I looked
at the manuals again and was reminded the quick steering box makes about 3-3/4
turns instead of 5 turns. Could this be so? How could I not remember that this
was a rare factory "quick steering" box? I was sure I had reassembled it
correctly, but now I am intrigued!
There are lessons here. One is that we should all take another look at what we
have and never make assumptions.
Another is, when a group of Corvair enthusiasts gather for a TUNA, we all have
opportunities to learn not only the topic of the TUNA, but to fix things that
may be going wrong with our cars. These are the lessons I learned from this
TUNA. What a benefit to us all to be members of this club! -- Tarmo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Route 66 Clean-Up
Ollie Scheflow
The club held its third clean-up of 2009 on the 8th of August.
We had beautiful weather and a light load of debris. A record number of workers
allowed us to complete the task in an hour.
Afterwards everyone went to the Golden Corral and enjoyed breakfast and
conversation.
Among other topics, we discussed these unusual items that we found:
1. A new swamp cooler pump still in its original box. Ray Trujillo found the
pump and said that it had just a few scratches on the outside but otherwise it
looked great. He took it home, hooked it up and sure enough, it worked
perfectly! Yea!
2. A new one-dollar bill
3. A bra and G-String
No one reported on finding the owner of the last two items.
Those participating this month were: Robert & Javier Gold, Pat Hall, Chad
Hunter, Lube Lubert, Dan Palmer, Mark Jones, Ray Trujillo, Ollie Scheflow and
John Wiker.
Thanks to all who participated and I hope to see you on October 10th for our
last clean up of the year. Be sure to attend - You never know what "treasures"
you might find among the debris scattered along Old Route 66!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steering Box Update
Bill Reider
For those of you who were at the last meeting and at the TUNA, you are aware of
the problems that I ran into. My main problem was that I was trying to stand up
to do the demo and did not have good control over the worm gear shaft. When
putting the worm gear shaft into the ball nut, the teeth on the worm gear shaft
should rest on the ends of the ball nut. You will then be able to put the
bearings in with very little problem.
We have two pictures, one showing the correct way the shaft should be in the
ball nut and one that will cause you problems.
GM had two different ball nuts, one longer than the other. I think that the
longer one works better.
At the September meeting, we will have two setups where you can try your hand at
installing the bearings.
See you at the September meeting -- Bill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas Contributions 2009
Heula Pittman
For those of you who may not know ... We decided several years ago not to
exchange Christmas presents among our members. Instead we would choose a worthy
organization who was in need and contribute to it.
Emma Rogers and Lee Reider have once again agreed to co-chair our Christmas
contributions committee. They decided on the Safe House which houses women
(sometimes men) and their children who are escaping domestic violence.
This organization is in need of just about anything one would want to
contribute. The one exception is stuffed toys. They DO NOT want any of these!
They would like clothing for all ages of children and adults. They also need
toiletries, school supplies, toys, books and games.
Please start collecting these items and plan to take them to our Christmas party
which will be held in December. Rita Gongora will give details such as location,
date and time of the party as soon as they become available.
If any member would like for me to shop for him or her, I will be glad to. I try
to stretch our $$ dollars $$ as much as possible and purchase items that I think
this group needs most.
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NOTE: Please let me know if any of these ads are obsolete and should be removed!
NOTE: Newsletter Advertisements are FREE to CNM members & $5.00 to non-members.
NOTE: Without your $5.00 payment, your ad won't be in the published newsletter.
================================================================================
FOR SALE: 1962 Corvair Loadside Pickup 110/ automatic. White, red interior.
Owned for many years by Joe Lite of Rio Rancho.
Asking $1,000.00 or best offer.
Contact: Larry Lite in Albuquerque - 505-268-2557
FOR SALE: 1963 Studebaker Avanti 2-door Coupe. Gold with gold or tan interior.
Eight cylinder, 289 HP. 97,533 miles. Owned by Joe Lite of Rio Rancho.
Asking $5,200 or negotiable.
Contact: Larry Lite in Albuquerque - 505-268-2557
FOR SALE: Many mid-1960s Mustang parts are available. Owned by Joe Lite, Rio
Rancho. Need to sell all. Prices negotiable.
Contact: Larry Lite in Albuquerque - 505-268-2557
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SEVEN YEARS AGO -- Jim Pittman
Seven Years Ago - September 2002 - Volume 28 - Number 9 - Issue 324
On the cover: a 1966 Corsa with two Hella driving lights, and a snapshot of
Robert Gold and Hurley Wilvert at the Elk's Refuge picnic. New members were
Larry & Susanne Hickerson and Jacob Schlessinger. At our August meeting Wendell
reported a treasury balance of $5,144. Reports were made on a July Cruize on
Central and a fun Car Council picnic. Plans were in progress for a Tri-State at
Raton. Steve told us he had learned that Ed Black, our former sponsor, had died.
Oliver showed slides made on his recent voyage around South America. Anne Mae
reported on recent activities by the Corvair Ladies group.
Mark Domzalski reported on his drive in the "P-F-Flyer" 1966 Corsa to Flagstaff
for the CORSA convention. Part of his time there was replacing the fan bearing,
an exciting task under the circumstances. Mark described the chore, as well as
peripheral problems that made themselves known and had to be fixed, in an
interesting story. Bet you never thought of all the problems that could arise
when the bearing shaft (and bearing, and fan) works its way upward at highway
speed?
Fourteen Years Ago - September 1995 - Volume 21 - Number 9 - Issue 240
Our cover showed a Beechcraft automobile? Mark Morgan explained. Sylvan welcomed
new member Erik Myhren who had just obtained a 1964 convertible. Guests were Don
Smith and grandson Chris. Sylvan reminded us of next month's election and the
need for volunteers. We had $940 to spend, $328 of which was ear-marked for
convention expenses. The convention planning group was meeting monthly, the
Monday after the club meeting. Bill Reider was working on a revision to his Care
& Feeding booklet which has been selling well. The State Fair and the Car
Council Swap Meet were on the same weekend and we weren't sure what to do about
that. Sylvan said our annual report to CORSA steted we had 55 CNM members, eight
of whom did not belong to CORSA; we needed to improve.
Karen Souza reported on our third annual campout at Villanueva State Park.
Families attending included Souza, Pleau, Vertrees, Scheflow, Reider, Domzalski
and Jackson. There were also children and relatives and friends. Only one
Corvair made the trip: a Rampside. Climbing to the top of the ridge, floating
down the rust-colored Pecos, sitting around a campfire, eating good food, and
much Corvair talk were some of the relaxing events. Everybody agreed we should
do it again next year!
Larry said we'd be having a talk on carburetors and one on tuning up your gas
heater. Tech tips included dealing with early model door rust, the pros and cons
of silicone brake fluid, watching out for flood-damaged new or used cars, how
your hot-air heater works and some comments on what often happens to stolen
cars.
Twenty-one Years Ago September 1988 - Volume 14 - Number 9 - Issue 156
The cover picture of a pueblo reminded us of our tour to Salinas National
Monument last month, organized by Dale Housley. We had five Corvairs and one
Brand-X and we brought picnic lunches to Quarai and visited Gran Quivera. Our
treasury held $675. Sylvan organized a group to go to Moriarty to escort the
Dare Vair as part of its around-the-country tour. Bill Reider told of using
50 quarts of oil to get back from the CORSA convention in North Carolina. Tom
Martin, in PTOM's PTEK PTIPS told some of the do's and dont's he learned during
his years of adventures with Corvairs. We planned a future economy run to Las
Vegas.
Twenty-eight Years Ago - September 1981 - Volume 7 - Number 9 - Issue 72
The friendly CNM dragon hitched a ride to Denver for the CORSA convention, one
of the best ever. We sold CNM license plates for $2.75. Bill Reider proposed
that CNM should be incorporated. We saw films comparing the 1965 Mustang and the
1966 Corvette to the Corvair. LeRoy Rogers and Sylvan Zuercher contributed
articles on CORSA's Denver convention. Our recent econo-run to the Very Large
Array near Magdalena was a big success. Richard Twilley's 1963 Monza got 39.8
MPG and Jim Pittman's 1966 Corsa got 33.7 MPG.
Thirty-five Years Ago - Sep 1974 -- Events at our 6th meeting, in August, have
faded into legend.
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=END=