The December 2010 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 29-May-2013 ==== Copyright (c) 2013 Corvairs of New Mexico
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DECEMBER 2010 / VOLUME 36 / NUMBER 12 / ISSUE #423
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Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, First Place, 2005
Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, Third Place, 2010
EDITOR: Jim Pittman
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday 1st December 2010, 6:00 to 6:55 PM
Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE, Albuquerque
THIS MONTH:
Dues Due.......................................Membership Committee
AIRTIME.....................................President David Huntoon
November Meeting Minutes...................................Art Gold
November Board Meeting Minutes.......................Chuck Vertrees
Please Get Car Parts Out of Oven....................Brenda Stickler
Bingo Night............................................Ray Trujillo
Birthdays and Anniversaries......................Sunshine Committee
Christmas Dinner Update................................Rita Gongora
May I Have Your Attention Please.......................Larry Yoffee
Calendar of Coming Events........................Board of Directors
Chevrolet Volt - Another Look...........................Jim Pittman
Thank You! Thank You!.................................Heula Pittman
Good and Bad Engine Overhauls....................Richard Finch, SEA
Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago......................Club Historian
Index to This Year's Newsletters.........................the Editor
COVER: Bill Reider & Jim Pittman at a CNM Rally Checkpoint, Aug 1988
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MEETING: First Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE, Albuquerque, NM
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President: David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Vice-Pres: Ray Trujillo 505-839-7436 ray @ bpsabq.com
Secretary: Art Gold 505-620-7434 rollerart @ gmail.com
Treasurer: Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 @ msn.com
Car Council: David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Merchandise: Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Membership: David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Sunshine: Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Newsletter: Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Past Pres: Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Correspondent: Charles Vertrees 505-299-0744 vertrees @ swcp.com
Membership: Sylvan Zuercher 505-299-7577 opal.zue @ gmail.com
Emeritus: Wendell Walker 505-892-8471 defarge505 @ gmail.com
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DUES: CNM: 12 months $25.00 -or- 26 months $ 50.00
CORSA: 12 months $45.00 -or- 26 months $ 90.00
CNM & CORSA: 12 months $70.00 -or- 26 months $140.00
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CORSA's home page: http://www.corvair.org
Steve Gongora's page: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871
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DUES DUE DATES FOR DECEMBER 2010
DUE LAST MONTH = INACTIVE 25-DEC-2010:
2010.11 Linda & Dick Cochran 2006.09
DUE THIS MONTH = INACTIVE 25-JAN-2011:
2010.12 David Huntoon 1994.11
2010.12 Roger Pape 2002.12
2010.12 Larry Yoffee 2009.12
DUE NEXT MONTH = INACTIVE 25-FEB-2011:
2011.01 Darlene & William Darcy 2009.01
2011.01 Wibke Garrecht 2005.09
2011.01 Carolyn & Dan Palmer 2006.01
== DUE FEB = INACTIVE 25-MAR-2011:
2011.02 Gayle & Richard Finch 2000.06
2011.02 Kelly & Art Gold 2006.12
2011.02 Vickie & Pat Hall 2005.10
2011.02 Frank Stadler 1990.02
2011.02 Brenda & Mike Stickler 1976.07
2011.02 Wendell Walker 1989.01
== MEMBERSHIP EXPIRED = INACTIVE AS OF 25-NOV-2010:
2010.01 Darlene & William Darcy 2009.01
2010.01 Kim & Del Patten 1980.07
2010.05 Jack Bryan 1982.02
2010.06 John Myers 2003.05
2010.10 Debra & Jon Anderson 1992.10
2010.10 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 2001.06
2010.10 Sylvia & Ray Trujillo 2003.08
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's newsletters: http://www.unm.edu/~jimp
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AIRTIME
David Huntoon
Greetings Corvair people! I hope everyone is well. It is the beginning of the
Holiday season when we all think even more than usual of family and friends.
What I can't believe is our pleasant weather. Usually by the third week of
October here in the East mountains we should have had several snow storms.
We actually have had two light snow showers mixed with rain. Maybe a total
of 30 minutes. When I travel into town it seems positively balmy.
I would like to mention that our Bingo Night at Steve & Rita's place was another
nice club event. We made over $300 for the club with the silent auction and the
hands of bingo. Plenty of food also. Thanks to everyone who contributed and
attended. Especially Ray and his family for organizing the whole thing. Next
time we need to give Ray a seventh inning stretch. He seems to be everywhere.
We need a volunteer to take his place for 30 minutes so he can relax and enjoy
himself.
Our next event is the Christmas Dinner, 12/4 at 5 pm at Roper's Restaurant on
Central SE. Please remember to bring some gifts for our sponsorship of the Safe
House. No large stuffed animals, no old toys. Needed are everyday items we all
use to make life comfortable. These people often had to leave their homes on
short notice. Think towels, soaps, toothbrushes, socks, slippers, hankies.
You get the idea. Hope to see all of you at the party and Happy Holidays!
Later, David
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NOVEMBER MEETING NOTES - 11-03-2010
Art Gold
President Dave Huntoon called meeting to order at 6:04pm. Stated that Pat Hall
has a guest, Hub Elmore, who is going to join the club. Dave said that he really
did not have much more to report.
Vice President Ray Trujillo stated that this weekend (Saturday) is the
Bingo/Potluck at 5:30pm at House of Covers. The bingo cards will go for two
dollars each, and half of each pot will go to the winner. There will be items
for silent auction provided by Rita Gongora. Ray is still looking for
suggestions for a one minute tech tip. After the formal meeting at 7:15pm
is the 66 Diner casual meeting.
Secretary Art Gold stated that he has nothing to state except that he is glad
his Chevelle is running well.
Treasurer Robert Gold stated that he is impressed by the number of FCs that are
in the club. Robert also stated that he had seen Steve Gongora's newly finished
Rampside and it's "spectacular." Geoff Johnson arrived in a historic Rampside
that many years ago belonged to one of the founders of the club, Pete Colburn.
Funds are: Cash Account $2,668.38; Ally Account $1,176.29 for a total of
$3,844.67.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership Dave Huntoon & Sylvan Zuercher stated that guest Hub Elmore is in
attendance.
NM Car Council Dave Huntoon asked Pat Hall to report on the meeting. The Car
Council treasurer said that the Council lost $1,000 this last year. The money
that was lost was due to the Museum Show and the Swap Meet. The cost for the
venue for the Swap Meet in Los Lunas is going to go up. Dave also stated that he
wants to retire from his duties of Council Representative, and is asking for
volunteers to take the position.
Editor Jim Pittman stated that the deadline for the newsletter is Friday
November 19th. He reminded us that the beginning of "real time" (Non daylight
saving time) is this Sunday. He asked for a show of hands for the members who
brought their Corvairs to the meeting; about 8 members raised their hands. Jim
should have reported talking to Wendell Walker who was back at home continuing
his recovery from his accident in his 1963 Cadillac several weeks ago. Jim
reported that Sylvan Zuercher fell and is recovering. Sylvan and John Wiker met
to make recommendations on the club's major award (the Meissner Award) which
will be revamped starting next year. This will be discussed and decided at the
next board meeting, and this year's Meissner Award will be awarded at the March
2011 anniversary party under existing rules.
Sunshine Heula Pittman stated that tonight we will vote for the logo design for
the 2011 Red River Tri-State. She said the meeting time for the dinner at
Roper's Restaurant on 12-04-2010 was changed from 5:30pm to 5:00pm. Heula also
stated that the Safe House needs donations (clothing, toiletries, toys). These
donations are to be brought to the Christmas dinner. Heula said the Sunshine
Committee will provide Christmas Stockings for CNM children at the Christmas
dinner.
Merchandise Vickie Hall stated that she received $5.00 for a Care and Feeding
book, and the money was given to Robert Gold.
Our 50/50 champ, Ollie Scheflow, donated the winning money to the Sunshine
Committee.
NEW OR OTHER BUSINESS
Vicki Hall stated that Amy Franco (new member) was in attendance with her
husband David Franco, and that they arrived in a Corvair.
Dave Huntoon stated that he was in attendance at the service for Chuck's wife
Julia Vertrees. The service was attended by hundreds. Dave said that the service
was very impressive in terms of the life Julia led with Chuck, including
children, grandchildren and friends. Chuck and Julia were faithful CNM members
for many years, attending and organizing or working at many events. She will be
missed. We appreciated David's moving report on the service which several CNM
members were able to attend.
ACTIVITIES
11/06/2010 - Bingo night at House of Covers - 5:30pm
11/30/2010 - Meissner Award nominations deadline for suggested changes.
Contact John Wiker with your comments.
12/04/2010 - Christmas Dinner at Roper's on Central - The starting time is
5:00pm, not 5:30pm.
OTHER
One Minute Tech Tip given by Robert Gold - discussed the bevel inside a brake
drum as an indicator of whether the drum had been "turned" too many times. He
learned this after seeing smoke coming from one of the wheels on one of his
Corvairs! There were several comments from our members about how to be sure you
don't have brake drums that have been "turned" too far for safety.
At Heula's suggestion the members went around the room briefly introducing
themselves for benefit of our guests and new members.
Meeting adjourned at 6:55pm and many went to the 66 Diner on Central.
-- Art Gold
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NOVEMBER BOARD NOTES
Chuck Vertrees
The meeting was called to order at 17:00 on 11/17/2010. Ray Trujillo reported
that the pot-luck, bingo, silent auction was a success. CNM made $145.50 on the
silent auction items and $130.00 on the Bingo. Dave Huntoon said that he had
some more money on the silent auction to turn in. It was suggested that the next
time, Ray should be given some assistance so he could have a little time off so
he could play a game or two.
Treasurer, Robert Gold, could not attend because he had to stay at home with a
sick son. He sent in the figures for the treasury as $2,827.03 in the checking
account and $1,176.29 in the Ally Demand account for a total of $4,003.32.
Dave Huntoon said that there had been no new member activity. Usually it is slow
in the winter because of the lack of car shows. Also there was no Car Council
report because they are on "vacation" right now and will meet again in January.
Jim Pittman said that the deadline for the newsletter was this Friday. This
issue will be a long newsletter since it will have the index of the year's
features. He was wondering about the effectiveness of his web page. Jim said
that he gets about 8 to 12 hits a day but he has no way to know who they are. He
rarely gets any feedback on his page. Some feedback has come in from other
club's newsletter editors. We used to get a lot of other club newsletters by
mail, but most are now only on line.
Jim often has his camera at CNM functions and will sometimes e-mail copies of
photos to members who are in the picture. This brought up the question of, "What
is the future of e-mail?" There are so many other things out there now such as
Facebook and Twitter. This discussion eventually brought up the question of
should we make CDs available that include back issues of our newsletter. These
could be offered for sale on CORSA' classified ad page. What about adding other
regional club newsletters on the same CD? This warrants further discussion.
Heula Pittman said that the Sunshine committee would be getting together next
week to prepare the Christmas stockings for CNM kids at the Christmas dinner.
This is for children 18 years old and younger. She said that the "Guess the
Number of Skittles in the Jar" netted only $3.75 for the Sunshine Committee.
Vickie Hall said she had no report on merchandise.
John Wiker said that he had talked to Sylvan Zuercher on Monday and that he was
still in quite a lot of pain. The healing is going slowly.
It was suggested that each committee try to figure what their annual budget
would probably be and that the treasurer could issue one check a year instead of
a lot of smaller ones. This is being worked on.
John Wiker also reported on the planning for the Meissner Award. The committee
has decided that the next award, to be presented in March, would be the last
under the Meissner name and the existing criteria. John had a list of the
suggested activities and points for setting up a system to award points for
participation during the year. The lists were passed around and everyone was
asked to make any suggestions and get them back to John as soon as possible. As
part of the scoring system, new sign-in sheets will be needed. Members will have
to help with the record keeping. Work on planning for the future of our award
has been going on, off and on, for months now, and time is running out.
Brenda Stickler was not able to make the meeting, but she called Dave and told
him that there were possibly three caterers that could handle the dinner at the
Red River Tri-State and she was contacting them.
There will be a board meeting in December because there are several things which
will still have to be decided.
Bill Reider contacted a couple of the board members and suggested that we should
check and see what kind of a meeting place we might be able to rent. It was also
suggested that we should check into other city facilities such as Fire Stations.
Restaurants were suggested, but past experience showed that unless everyone
ordered something it would not work.
Larry Yoffee attended the meeting to discuss his web site. He wanted to be sure
that we did not feel that it would conflict with the CNM web site. The board
said that there would not be any conflict. Larry wants to advertise cars for
sale and possibly have a gallery of CNM cars. The board said that it would be
great and would certainly help to bring more attention to Corvairs. You can find
his site by going to Corvair Center, chose center link, scroll down to
enthusiasts and scroll to Larry Yoffee. Or, just go directly to:
http://www.corsaturbo180usa.weebly.com/
You can contact Larry Yoffee at Corsa180@gmail.com.
The meeting was adjourned at 18:12.
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CARTOON CAPTION:
Brenda Stickler
Hon -- our guests will be here in an hour ... would
you please get the car parts out of the oven so I
can finish up my baking?
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BINGO NIGHT
Ray Trujillo
Hello everyone! Once again CNM had another successful silent auction/bingo and
potluck evening. We had a great turnout with lots of great food and fun. Thank
you to all who attended and also a big round of applause goes to everyone who
donated items for the silent auction. The silent auction brought in $145.50 and
the bingo made $130. So a nice grand total of $275.50 was contributed to CNM's
bank account. The silent auction had twenty-seven items to bid on and it seemed
like no one went home empty handed. Now as far as the bingo games went, we
played five games with six winning cards being paid out. The first game was won
by Javi Gold, the second game winnings were split by Barbara Gordon and Art
Gold. The third and forth games were won again by Barbara Gordon and the final
game was won by Dan Palmer. Congratulations to our big winner Barbara Gordon!
She won in three out of the five games played, what a lucky night for her! CNM
would also like to express its gratitude to Steve and Rita Gongora for hosting
yet another great evening at their House of Covers business. My family and I had
a great time and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Ray Trujillo
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Birthdates:
Dick Cochran December 5
Ruth Boydston December 7
Isaac Trujillo December 9
Lube Lubert December 21
Sara Gold December 30
Fred Riggs December 31
Anniversaries:
Elizabeth & Mark Domzalski December 11
Barbara & Gordon Johnson December 18
Lori & Joel Nash December 31
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CHRISTMAS DINNER UPDATE
Rita Gongora
Our Christmas Dinner party will be at Roper's Restaurant, 8810 Central Avenue SE
298-5143 (same place as last year) on Saturday December 4th at 5:00 PM. The meal
will be Italian and prices will be: Adults: $12.95, Children 6-12 $9.95,
everything included. Rita will bring dessert. Emma Rogers and Lee Reider will
collect your donated items for the Safe House. We will need a head count by
Thursday morning, December 2nd, so if you aren't at the December meeting to
raise your hand, and you plan to attend, please give Rita a call at
505-256-0551. We hope to see everyone there for a great end-of-year party!
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MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE
Larry Yoffee
Wow, can't believed that worked!
Actually what I can't believe is that it's been a year since I decided to join
CNM. I'm really glad I did because my association with other members and all
they have had to offer in the way of knowledge and good humor has really made
for a much more comprehensive experience now that I have decided to get back to
owning a Corvair.
Some of you might remember from back in the day when a guy would hang a plate
from his rear bumper in his dramatically raked Ford or Chevy commonly painted in
primer. Occasionally you might have seen one that said "Lone Wolf-No Club".
Well, that wasn't me. I even belonged to a very loosely put together Corvair
club made up of 3 guys. We even had a club stripe (sort of the reverse of a
Camaro stripe) and loved just cruising around and working on our cars.
Well, fast forward 42 years and here I am still playing around with Corvairs.
Lately, I've put a new twist on it just for fun. Not too long ago I decided to
develop a website dedicated to my interest in Corvairs. It has been a process
and I have learned some new computer skills. Now I would like to share what I
have done with you.
I would like to direct you to my website at:
http://www.CorsaTurbo180USA.weebly.com/
There are several pages to view. One page you won't find at this time is one
that features CNM cars and trucks. I would very much like to start a gallery of
members' car and would like to invite you to email me pictures of yours and
let's jumpstart this new page.
In addition to that, I have dedicated a page to advertising "cars for sale" and
"parts for sale". Since my website has links to a "national" audience of Corvair
folks, your ads have the potential to be seen by thousands. All ads are free of
charge. Just email pictures, text, your asking price and contact information.
Send this to me at: corsa180@gmail.com
Lastly, "welcome and thank you" for viewing my personal association with
Corvairs. I hope you'll let me know you were there by making a comment on the
guestbook page. - Larry
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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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| December 2010 | January 2011 | February 2011 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
| 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |
| 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 |
| 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 27 28 |
| | 30 31 | |
============================================================================
Wed 1 Dec 6:00 to 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 1 Dec After our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner, 1405 Central NE
Sat 4 Dec 5:00 PM Christmas Party - ROPER'S RESTAURANT - 8810 Central SE
Sat 11 Dec Second Saturdays: Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starts in Bosque Farms at the
Wells Fargo Bank. 1:00 PM in Winter, 6:00 PM during Daylight Time.
Wed 15 Dec 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Wed 15 Dec MEISSNER AWARD: Deadline for the board to decide on changes to rules.
Fri 24 Dec 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Fri 24 Dec MEISSNER AWARD: Nomination Form will be in the January newsletter.
============================================================================
2011:
Wed 5 Jan MEISSNER AWARD: Nomination Form is in the January newsletter.
Wed 5 Jan 6:00 to 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 5 Jan After our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner, 1405 Central NE
Sat 8 Jan Second Saturdays: Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starts in Bosque Farms at the
Wells Fargo Bank. 1:00 PM in Winter, 6:00 PM during Daylight Time.
Wed 19 Jan 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 21 Jan 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
============================================================================
2011:
Wed 2 Feb 6:00 to 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 2 Feb After our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner, 1405 Central NE
Wed 2 Feb MEISSNER AWARD: Nominations are due tonight before 7:00 PM.
Sat 12 Feb Second Saturdays: Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starts in Bosque Farms at the
Wells Fargo Bank. 1:00 PM in Winter, 6:00 PM during Daylight Time.
Wed 16 Feb 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Fri 18 Feb 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Fri 18 Feb BOYDSTON AWARD: Nomination Form will be in the March newsletter.
============================================================================
2011:
Wed 2 Mar BOYDSTON AWARD: Nomination Form is in the March newsletter.
Wed 2 Mar 6:00 to 7:00 PM Meeting: Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
Wed 2 Mar After our meeting, we go to the 66 Diner, 1405 Central NE
Sat 12 Mar Second Saturdays: Los Lunas "66 Cruise" starts in Bosque Farms at the
Wells Fargo Bank. 1:00 PM in Winter, 6:00 PM during Daylight Time.
Wed 16 Mar 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Business Printing Service - 4316 Silver SE
Sat xx Mar ....... CNM's 37th Anniversary Celebration
Sat xx Mar MEISSNER AWARD: Presentation at the Anniversary Celebration
Fri 18 Mar 9:00 PM Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
============================================================================
2011: 3-4-5-June - Tri-State Event - Red River, NM - Corvairs of New Mexico
============================================================================
2011: 20-23 July - CORSA Convention - Rocky Mountain CORSA - Denver,Colorado
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities:
===================== http://www.nmisso.com/nmccc1.htm =====================
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CHEVROLET VOLT - ANOTHER LOOK
Jim Pittman
After writing about the Chevrolet Volt in the CNM October 2009 issue, I kept
thinking about how GM could possibly continue to develop this car and how people
could possibly be convinced it is a viable product. Here are answers. Car and
Driver has an analysis in their December 2010 issue, and an article by Charles
Lane appears in the October 30 Washington Post.
First, think about how you drive your car. When do you need power? That's right,
you need power to accelerate and to go uphill. If you are just cruising along at
highway speeds and have good aerodynamics and low-drag tires, little power is
needed. If you are going downhill or decelerating to a stop, no power at all is
needed. (Indeed, using the brakes to control your speed is throwing away energy
you have already bought and paid for. Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver once said
that the way to get better fuel mileage in any car is to drive so as to never
use the brakes!)
In an internal-combustion engine car, the engine needs to be as big and powerful
as it is so you can accelerate and go uphill as fast as you need to. The rest of
the time the engine is just idling along and could be much smaller to adequately
power the car. (But, don't forget that your headlights, air conditioner and
high-dB sound system all require generous helpings of engine or battery power.)
In an electric car with an appropriate-sized motor and battery, you can have
excellent acceleration performance -- for a short time. This performance is not
needed all the time. In any kind of normal driving, cars don't accelerate
forever -- you soon get up to cruising speed and are back in low-power-required
mode.
So, you'd design your electric car with a large enough battery and motor to
provided the needed acceleration for enough of the time. You'd design the helper
gas engine with only enough power to keep the battery fully charged -- for
normal driving. As you drive the car there would come an optimum point in the
depletion of the battery charge where the gas engine should automatically start
up to charge the battery. Thus in normal driving the battery would always stay
near full charge, thereby remaining able to supply the energy needed for
occasional acceleration. Also, when you brake, some of the otherwise wasted
braking energy is fed back to the electric motor which then acts as a generator
and puts part of your deceleration energy back into the battery.
The Volt is designed this way. Assuming a fully charged battery, the Volt has
full performance from the battery to accelerate and go up hills. When the
battery gets depleted to a certain level (not anywhere near exhausted) the
gasoline engine kicks in to charge the battery back up. Thus for anything like
normal driving requirements there will always be plenty of battery power for
maximum performance. The Volt's range will be about 40 miles without the engine
starting up, and if you go farther so that the engine runs, the overall gasoline
required will provide something on the order of 35-40 miles per gallon. That is,
the system is designed to never let the battery charge get too low for good
acceleration.
If you are on a longer trip, the gas engine only needs to be powerful enough to
keep the car going at the desired cruising speed. The battery will take care of
unexpected acceleration and hill-climbing requirements. In a standard-size car
you'd be able to drive hundreds of miles with the fuel economy of of a 1.4-liter
gasoline engine, yet when you needed it you'd have equivalent acceleration power
to that of a 6-liter gasoline engine.
Compare the Volt to an all-electric car like the new Nissan Leaf. When you drive
the all-electric car far enough to deplete the battery, you are done. And it
takes many hours to charge up the battery at 120 volts house current. Using a
more efficient 240-volt charger, it still takes hours to fill up the battery.
The Volt won't leave you stranded - unless you run out of gasoline!
Charles Lane in the Washington Post quotes a J. D. Power report that claims that
electric vehicles cost too much to attract more than a handful of wealthy
buyers. He criticizes the Chevy Volt for high development and operation costs
compared to high-mileage vehicles available right now such as VW diesels and
hybrids such as the Toyota Prius. He accuses the administration of wasting
millions of dollars on development of a vehicle that won't save any carbon-based
fuel and that will incur large construction, maintenance and disposal costs.
As for me --- I am not yet ready to buy a Volt.
1) It's heavy because of that battery pack.
2) Disposing of the worn-out battery pack will be a problem.
3) Buying a new battery pack will be expensive.
4) A lighter-weight (but still large enough) car with a gasoline or diesel
engine can provide equivalent performance and provide the same or better
gasoline fuel economy at much lower cost.
5) I don't like the idea of sucking up 13 kilowatt-hours of electricity every
day when I know that electricity comes from coal-fired power plants.
6) There won't be a nation-wide network of 240-volt (nor 120-volt, either)
charging stations anytime soon.
7) $41,000 minus $7,500 federal tax credit = too expensive!
8) I can't help thinking that it would be morally wrong to have the
long-suffering American taxpayer subsidize my new Volt to the tune of $7,500!
REFERENCES:
[1] CAR AND DRIVER, December 2010 page 63
[2] Obama's electric-car cult -by- Charles Lane
Washington Post, Saturday, October 30, 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn
/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102905959.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Heula Pittman
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE CASH FROM THE 50/50
Ollie Scheflow won the 50/50 at our last membership meeting and promptly donated
the whole amount to the Sunshine Committee! The amount was $19.00 and is greatly
appreciated. Thanks to you, Ollie. We will see that it gets put to good use.
RED RIVER TRI-STATE LOGO
Brenda Stickler and I really appreciate all five of the logo suggestions for the
Red River Tri-State that were submitted. Thanks so much to Larry Yoffee, Art
Gold and Jim Pittman. We know that you guys spent a great deal of time working
on these nice creations. The club voted on Jim's entry as the winner, which you
will be seeing often in the next few weeks. Thank you, Jim.
TIME CHANGE FOR CHRISTMAS
Rita Gongora notified us that the Christmas Dinner will be held at 5:00 PM,
instead of 5:30, as previously announced. It will be at Roper's Restaurant at
8810 Central SE (298-5143) on Saturday, December 4th. This is the same place we
met last year.
"THE SAFE HOUSE"
Our club is sponsoring the "Safe House" again this year. We ask that everyone
please bring whatever contribution you can to the dinner. Let's inventory our
closets and cupboards for useful items we can donate.
The only things the Safe House will not accept is LARGE stuffed toys, and any
OLD toys. These toys must be new because of the danger of lead paint. There is a
need for clothing for all ages, male and female. Any kind of toiletries and
other bathroom supplies, bedding, kitchen supplies, such as pots and pans,
utensils, dishes and most any other items for a household will be appreciated.
Emma Rogers and Lee Reider are co-chairing this collection and will deliver the
items after the party on December 4th. We appreciate your donations!
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GOOD AND BAD ENGINE OVERHAULS
by Richard Finch, SEA
I first began overhauling farm tractor engines for my dad when I was a teenager
living on a Texas Panhandle farm in the late 1940's. Those overhauls were
completely successful and because of word-of-mouth, our farmer neighbors began
paying me to overhaul their farm tractors also. When I went off to college at
Abilene Christian College, Dad sold me the family farm pick-up truck which
needed a ring and valve job, so I got permission from my college dorm supervisor
to use the basement of my dorm to overhaul the Ford V-8 engine in that vehicle.
After the overhaul, I began drag racing the other college kids at ACC and got
the reputation for having the fastest pick-up or car in the college. That means
that my overhauls were very well done and therefore very dependable.
In about 1965, I began to get asked to overhaul Corvair engines for friends who
were members of a local sports car club. Here is a list of a few of the problems
I have encountered the past 40 years or so of doing Corvair overhauls:
EXCESSIVE USE OF SILICONE SEALER
Our 1969 Ultra Van had less than 17,000 miles on the odometer when we purchased
it in 1998, but it was on its third engine already! This engine had 95 hp heads
on it and it had a bad crankshaft knock that lasted for at least 5 seconds every
time I cranked it up. I was pretty sure that the knock was due to a very loose
set of main bearings and not due to the rod bearings. I elected to go ahead and
drive the Ultra Van 200 miles from Poway, California where we bought it, through
Malibu to our home in Santa Barbara, California. We got to Santa Barbara but as
I was backing the Ultra Van into my "clean" concrete driveway, the oil cooler
split open and dumped the engine's whole contents of dirty, black oil on to my
driveway.
Of course, I had already decided that I had to overhaul that engine. When I
started to tear-down the engine I found that someone had slathered the two sides
of the aluminum block with silicone sealer for some reason and that was the
cause of the knock when the engine was first started up. If you don't already
know this, there is no reason to seal the two sides of the engine block on a
Corvair engine. The top cover covers 99% of the top of the block, the oil pan
covers all of the bottom of the block, the rear accessory housing covers the
entire rear of the block and the bell housing covers the entire front of the
engine, making it totally unnecessary to put any kind of sealer on the two
halves of the block.
I also purchased another Ultra Van here in New Mexico that had been overhauled
in Southern California and it came with a spare 140 hp engine. When I did a
tear-down of the spare engine, I found white silicone sealer in every
conceivable joint, including the push rod tubes. This included the oil pan, the
rear accessory cover and the top cover. As you can imagine, this made for a very
gooey mess when I was disassembling the engine. The moral to this story is that
silicone sealer has no place in a Corvair engine because it tends to plug up
everything that it comes in contact with, especially when it comes in contact
with gasoline and engine oil. The Ford mechanics like blue silicone sealer, but
it swells up with contact with oil and gasoline too!
FITTING CYLINDER HEAD VALVE SEATS
On page 66 in the 8th edition of "How to Keep Your Corvair Alive" there is a
sketch of how to install new valve seats in aluminum Corvair heads. I developed
this method after experiencing dropped seats in several Corvair heads, including
95 hp heads as well as 110hp heads, and especially 140hp heads. The system works
perfectly and I have never had a seat come loose that was installed by using
this method. My youngest son bought a used 1965 Monza that had a 110 hp engine
and it had 3 loose valve seats when we bought it.
The 8th edition of the book, "How to Keep Your Corvair Alive" contains at least
35 pages about how to properly overhaul any Corvair engine. The book is
available from Clark's Corvair Parts Inc. as well as from many book stores or on
the internet. One of my friends told me that someone was selling a copy for over
$100.00 last month on E-bay. I hope there was something special about that book,
because Clark's sells new copies for only $19.95 plus shipping!
(There have been at least eight editions of Richard's book! Do you have them
all? I have four. The original book had several photos I made back in 1968-69
when we were rebuilding my new 140-HP engine. This was a very successful engine
rebuild. -- Jim)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YEARS AGO -- Jim Pittman
07 - DEC 2003 - VOL 29 - Nr. 12 - # 339
The cover showed Del Patten's "Purple Corsa" with David Huntoon reading a map.
Del reported on their trip to Palm Springs. In November 27 members met at Galles
Chevrolet, Mark Domzalski presiding. Guests included Al Jones and Paul Clifford.
Wendy reported $5731 in the bank. Plans were being made for our 30th anniversary
party in March. We planned a review of our bylaws and constitution. Sylvan was
setting up an awards committee. Editor Jim asked for stories for the newsletter
on the topic "Corvair Catastrophes" from our members. One reported catastrophe
was not being able to start a new automatic-equipped Corvair after years of
driving 4-speeds. Larry Blair gave us a slide show and talk on his tour in
Vietnam as a combat engineer.
Our next Corvair Breakfast was to be at the Owl Cafe. World travelers Chuck
Vertrees and Julia were going on a 24-day cruise from South Africa to Antarctica
and South America and would report on any Corvairs seen. A special edition of
the newsletter was planned for the 30th Anniversary. The pot luck/auction at
House of Covers was a success, thanks to Steve & Rita. Steve Goodman, the
Colorado tech article man, told us how to winterize our Corvairs. And finally,
we had an index to all our excellent 2003 articles.
14 - DEC 1996 - VOL 22 - Nr. 12 - # 255
Brenda Stickler inspired a cover cartoon about Corvair parts in the oven. Who
would do that? Treasurer Will reported $8360 in our accounts and said he had
written checks of $7831 to CORSA, $1000 to CPF, $250 to San Diego's Rescue-921
and $250 to the Michelle Goffe Foundation. Bill reported that NMCCC's swap meet
was a modest success. We planned an ethnic dinner for November and a Christmas
dinner at Bella Vista for December. Fifteen people went on the Embudo Station
Fall Tour and the lunch was great. Larry previewed a January carburetor rebuild
session. Members should order the parts they'd need. Mark said the Fan Belt Toss
in Palm Springs, California was great. Debbie said there were still plenty of
CORSA Cookbooks. Bill announced that the CORSA Technical Guide supplement was
now available and he was taking orders. Cartoon Otto Mechanic learned about the
Gold Rush. Mark thanked Jim for some 18 years of editing. Heula found a special
Holiday Puzzle Page for our playtime pleasure. The 1996 Newsletter Index closed
out our year.
21 - DEC 1989 - VOL 15 - Nr. 12 - # 171
Our cover depicted Santa's sleigh (actually, a commemorative postage stamp) and
twelve tiny reindeer. The treasurer reported $754 in our accounts. Members were
told of a Veterans' Day parade starting at the Classic Hotel. We planned our
Christmas Party for the County Line restaurant. Val Vaughn said he'd take over
publication of the newsletter to give Sylvan a break. Tom Martin's column LA
VENTANA profiled our founding member from Nebraska, Francis Boydston, who at
that time claimed to have owned over 250 running Corvairs and one Ultravan. A
technical article told us why 95s are not Corvairs - they were listed as
Chevrolet trucks. The issue concluded with the 1989 index.
28 - DEC - 1982 - VOL 08 - Nr. 12 - # 087
On the cover: Mark Morgan's fantasy race car THE SPIRIT OF CLAUNCH. Our meeting
was at Carrow's since Ed Black's meeting facility was locked. Rear axles were
the theme of our tech talk: George Morin described earlys and Bill Reider
described lates. A few members went on a tour to Roswell. We discussed asking
CORSA for the 1987 Convention for Albuquerque. LeRoy reported for the board that
we had plans for 11 events for next year. An article from the July 1982 CAR
EXCHANGE described a front-wheel-drive roadster powered by Corvair. Twenty years
earlier the designer, Bob Temple, tried to get General Motors interested,
without success. An article from Rocky Mountain Classic Chevy Club discussed
maintenance requirements from cars from the 30s, 40s and 50s.
35 - DEC 1975 - VOL 01 - Nr. 11 - # 011
On the cover: new president Sylvan Zuercher. Guests were Anna Gould and Loretta
Keller. Were these names misspelled? We discussed getting 100% CORSA membership
so we could be a chartered chapter. One benefit: insurance coverage for our
events. Bill Reider ran a clean air clinic and tested two Corvairs for
emissions. New CNM front license plates cost $2.50 each. Jack Sellers said he
used GE silicone to help seal O-rings. Jim's rally cartoon was published in the
October CORSA Communique. CNM and Rocky Mountain CORSA members discussed an
event to be held near Trinidad, Colorado or Raton, New Mexico. A questionnaire
to find out more about our membership was included.-- Richard Finch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INDEX TO 2010 NEWSLETTERS
EACH MONTH OR AS AVAILABLE:
Dues Due Membership.......Committee New Members............Membership Committee
Drive a Corvair! President Pat Hall Calendar of Coming Events.............Board
AIRTIME.....President David Huntoon For Sale, Trade or Wanted..........Everyone
Meeting Minutes............Art Gold Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago...Historian
Board Meeting Minutes......Art Gold Old Route 66 Cleanup.........Ollie Scheflow
Birthdays, Anniversaries...Sunshine Red River Tri-State Preview Brenda Stickler
COVER ILLUSTRATIONS:
We gather at Roper's Restaurant for a Christmas Party.............JAN
Jim's Corsa turbo on a lonely road in Alaska, winter of 1966......FEB
Larry Blair's Spyder, J & R Vintage Auto Museum...................MAR
CNM, Recycling Your Scrap Metal Since July 2008...................APR
Admiring 1960 & 1966 Corvair Coupes at April Meeting..............MAY
Bill Reider: Electrovair II, GM 1966 Electric Vehicle.............JUN
Former Library Van, Robert, David, Art Board Meeting..............JUL
Coupes: Jim's 1965 Monza, and Tarmo's Award-Winning 1965 Corsa....AUG
Our August Old Route 66 Clean-up Crew in Uniform..................SEP
At the 2010 New Mexico State Fair - Another Success!..............OCT
Waiting to Drive into the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta..............NOV
Bill Reider & Jim Pittman at a CNM Rally Checkpoint, Aug 1988.....DEC
CLUB EVENTS:
Christmas Dinner at Roper's............................Heula Pittman JAN
Garage Tour February 6th, with Map......................LeRoy Rogers FEB
J & R Vintage Auto Museum Tour..........................Larry Yoffee MAR
City Road Trip, May 8th...............................Chuck Vertrees APR
Map with locations of all 26 Tri-State Events.................Editor MAY
Canon City Tri-State Report..............................Jim & Heula JUN
Museum Car Show Report: The Gang's All Here..............Robert Gold JUN
Museum Car Show Report: The Rest of the Show.............Your Editor JUN
A Few Canon City Tri-State Photos.............PPCC & RMC Newsletters JUL
Father's Day Car Show In Edgewood, NM.....................Hal Rupert AUG
Kirtland AFB Summerbash Report............................John Wiker AUG
Magical Mystery Tour of Albuquerque......................Robert Gold AUG
Nambe Falls Picnic Map, August 15th............................NMCCC AUG
Can You Beat That? 2010 State Fair Car Show..............Robert Gold SEP
Nambe Falls Report.......................................Jim Pittman SEP
Nambe Falls: Photos.......................................John Wiker SEP
Kirtland AFB BX Car Show..................................John Wiker OCT
Red River Tri-State 2011 preview.......Brenda Stickler & Robert Gold OCT
Christmas Items For SAFE HOUSE Needed............Christmas Committee NOV
The Great 2010 Balloon Fiesta Car Show...................Jim & Heula NOV
Bingo Night.............................................Ray Trujillo DEC
GENERAL INTEREST ARTICLES:
CNM Member List 25 December 2009..........................the Editor JAN
Ike Meissner Award Nomination Form............CNM Board of Directors JAN
Galles Chevrolet Sponsorship............................Ray Trujillo JAN
New Member Tech Talk in January......................Sylvan Zuercher JAN
Twas the Night Before the Run..............................Ron Kelly JAN
Two Thousand Miles, Many Billboards......................Jim Pittman JAN
Where Goeth CORSA.................Eric Schakel, Rocky Mountain CORSA JAN
Photos of Things You May Not See -- Except at a Club Breakfast.......FEB
The Ike Meissner Award..................................Ray Trujillo FEB
Treasury Balance Graph, 2004-2010.....................Club Historian FEB
Unprecedented Opportunity (Our B-17).....................Jim Pittman FEB
CNM to Host 2011 Tri-State.............................Heula Pittman MAR
Is This Elvis Presley's Corvair?.........................Vickie Hall MAR
It's Anniversary Luncheon Time!...............Anne Mae & Robert Gold MAR
We Must Expect Posterity...............Piet Hein (from the Internet) MAR
Alternate Universe Cover.........................Resident CNM Artist APR
CNM Den Mother: Ruth Boydston..........................Heula Pittman APR
Encounter in 1964 (Jim & Ralph)...................Al "Alabama" Smitt APR
Rocky Mountain CORSA............................CNM's 2011 Tri-State APR
Who's Missing From This Picture?.........................Robert Gold APR
Yesterday's News Today's News...............................Pat Hall APR
CORSA Corner - May 2010......................Director Jamie Reinhart MAY
Late-breaking News on Canon City Tri-State.............Paul Campbell MAY
Route 66 Clean Up: My Years on the Road..................Javier Gold MAY
Talking During Meetings................................Heula Pittman MAY
Cover Story: Electrovair II photo from 1986..............Bill Reider JUN
Lost-in-the-Glare Log............................Resident Curmudgeon JUN
Our Prize Winners: Museum Car Show.......................Vickie Hall JUN
Chevrolet or Chevy.................................Pat & Vickie Hall JUL
Corvair heritage Day.................................October 2, 2010 JUL
The Corvair Rumor Mill "Sobriquet".....................A-nonny-moose JUL
Two Car Shows, Two States, One Week!....................Wendy Walker JUL
Contest to Design Red River Logo......................Brenda & Heula AUG
Corsa Corner for July.....................................Tim Mahler AUG
From the Director (AIRHORN)............................Bill Stricker AUG
Door Prizes for Red River Tri-State....................Heula Pittman AUG
Little Larry..............................................(WESTWIND) AUG
Remarkable Visit to Washington, DC.......................Robert Gold AUG
A Unique Piece of Trash..................................Robert Gold SEP
My 2010 CORSA Convention Trip.............................Curt Shimp SEP
Letters to the Editor...............................(Old Car Brakes) OCT
More Chairpersons Needed...............................Heula Pittman OCT
Name Tag Etiquette.......................................Vickie Hall OCT
ODE to a Fellow CNM Member (Geoff Johnson)...............Robert Gold OCT
State Fair Car Show......................................Robert Gold OCT
We Won Again! Congratulations on Newsletter............Heula Pittman OCT
A Case of Mistaken Identity..............................Vickie Hall NOV
Bingo Night.............................................Ray Trujillo NOV
Obituaries: Robert Garrecht, Julia Vertrees.......Sunshine Committee NOV
Rescue of Chile Miners: Video Stills.....................Jim Pittman NOV
Time to Park...................................Ex-President Pat Hall NOV
Please Get Car Parts Out of Oven.....................Brenda Stickler DEC
May I Have Your Attention Please (New Web Page).........Larry Yoffee DEC
Chevrolet Volt - Another Look............................Jim Pittman DEC
Thank You! Thank You!..................................Heula Pittman DEC
Index to This Year's Newsletters..........................the Editor DEC
TECHNICAL:
Check Battery Voltage..................Steve Goodman, Rocky Mountain JAN
Battery Voltage..........................................Jim Pittman JAN
Oil Cloth on Work Bench................................Heula Pittman JAN
Voltmeter or Ammeter?....................................Jim Pittman JAN
Alternator or Battery?..................DENVAIR NEWS - Steve Goodman FEB
Thermostat Fixes...........................Matt Nall, CORVAIR CENTER FEB
Adjust Late Shifter.........................Tech Talk by Jim Pittman MAR
Batteries And Alternators...............Steve Goodman (DENVAIR NEWS) MAR
Install Clark's Air Conditioner...................Richard Finch, SAE MAR
Late Shifter Tube Alignment.................(THE REAR VIEW Feb 1985) MAR
Unnecessary Unsafety.....................................Jim Pittman MAR
Gauges and Wiring......................................Steve Goodman APR
Penetrating Oil Test......................Vulcan Corvair Enthusiasts APR
Rear Tail Light Sockets..............Heart of America Corvair Owners APR
Installing Clark's A/C in 1963 Coupe Part 2............Richard Finch MAY
Powerglide TUNA Report....................................Dan Palmer MAY
Grease Fittings in 1965-1969 Rear Axles................Richard Finch JUN
Installing Velvetouch(tm) Brakes.......................Richard Finch OCT
How to Build an Engine Removal Cart...............Richard Finch, SAE NOV
Steering Adjustments........................Bob Hall - Group Corvair NOV
Good and Bad Engine Overhauls.....................Richard Finch, SEA DEC
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