The February 2012 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 21-May-2013 ==== Copyright (c) 2013 Corvairs of New Mexico
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FEBRUARY 2012 / VOLUME 38 / NUMBER 2 / ISSUE #437
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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, February 1st, 2012 at 7:00 PM
North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE
THIS MONTH:
Dues Due Membership Committee
From the President: Highland Center Opening John Wiker
January Meeting Minutes Heula Pittman
January Board Meeting Minutes Heula Pittman
Treasury Report to 12-27-2011 Robert Gold
Jackets Are In Ruth Boydston
Highland Senior Center Re-opening Staff
Board Meeting Location Change Ray Trujillo
Breakfast at Henrietta's Pat & Vickie Hall
Birthdays & Anniversaries Sunshine Committe
Classic Motorsports Article Mark Morgan
Preview: Tri-State in Salida, Colorado Steve Goodman
Distributor Tech Talk Preview Bill Reider
Thank You / Ruth Goodman Letters Steve Goodman
Born in Albuquerque (1962 Corvair) Paul Campbell
Calendar of Coming Events Board of Directors
Seven, 14, 21, 28, Years Ago Club Historian
COVER: Corvairs and CNM members at Breakfast in Los Lunas.
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MEETING: First Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM
North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE
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President: John Wiker 505-899-3076 wikerj63 @ yahoo.com
Vice-Pres: Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Secretary: Art Gold 505-620-7434 rollerart @ gmail.com
Treasurer: Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 @ msn.com
Board: Car Council: Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 @ msn.com
Board: Merchandise: Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Board: Membership: Larry Yoffee 505-321-5909 corsa180 @ gmail.com
Board: Sunshine: Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Board: Newsletter: Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Board: Past Pres: Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Board: Past Pres: Mike Stickler 505-856-6993 sticorsa @ hotmail.com
Board: Past Pres: David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Board: Past Pres: Ray Trujillo 505-839-7436 ray @ bpsabq.com
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
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
Larry Yoffee home page: http://www.corsaturbo180usa.weebly.com
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DUES DUE DATES FOR FEBRUARY 2012
== DUE JAN = INACTIVE 25-FEB-2012:
2012.01 Darlene & William Darcy
== DUE FEB = INACTIVE 25-MAR-2012:
2012.02 Kathy & Larry Blair
2012.02 Kelly & Art Gold
2012.02 Frank Stadler
2012.02 Brenda & Mike Stickler
== DUE MAR = INACTIVE 25-APR-2012:
2012.03 Carl B Johnson
2012.03 Emma & LeRoy Rogers
2012.03 Anne & John Wiker
== EXPIRED = INACTIVE AS OF 25-JAN-2010:
2011.07 Anne & Geoffrey Johnson
2011.08 Janet & Steve Johnson
2011.11 Connie & Hubbard Elmore
2011.11 Amy & David Franco
2011.12 Kim Patten
2011.12 Diane & A. John Pattison
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer
c/o Robert Gold
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!
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President's Message
John Wiker
Well, how did your Friday the 13th turn out this month? Mine started out with a
bang!
That was the noise of the garage door shutting prematurely onto the roof of my
Corvair as I backed out on the way to the Highland Senior Center. I don't learn
too quickly, as I tried three times more before I finally did the manual
disconnect. So for now I have a manual garage door.
I want to thank the nine sets of people who brought their Corvairs to the
Center's grand reopening. We heard lots of positive comments from all the people
old enough to have owned a Corvair or had a relative who owned one. There were
plenty of negative comments about someone called Ralph who, most agreed, ruined
a good thing. The TV stations covered the event. We had the Mayor in pictures
with our cars and some people were interviewed by the Journal and TV stations. I
watched every news program Friday night to catch these interviews, but
unfortunately our stuff must have been left on the news room floor, cut from
production. Saturday's paper had one picture of the Mayor during his
presentation in the center and that was all I saw.
So, for you who could not make it, here's the agenda. To quote LeRoy, "I never
thought this was going to be as big a deal as it turned out to be." A couple
hundred "young folks" showed up. It was a continuous stream of people from about
10:00 until most of us left at 1:00 PM. All the food was free all day long. For
breakfast I had orange juice, muffins, and chocolate chip cookies. For those of
us patient enough to wait in surrounding rooms, we were served hamburgers or
cheeseburgers, fries and various sodas for lunch. Then came the desert. Root
beer floats. By the time you stood in line and got yours, you could finish it
while in line again for seconds. I think that Pat Hall and I were the only ones
to figure this out. In the main hall, there was continuous music, dancing and
performing groups. They even brought in Bobby Box from my favorite radio
station, 98.5 Oldies, to run a sock hop that included a hula hoop contest as
well as the limbo. I could not believe how great a time these Senior Citizens
were having!
That's enough for now. Remember to clear your calendar for our next major event,
our 38th Anniversary Dinner, on Saturday March 17th, and the first award of the
new CNM Activity Award for 2011. Hope to see all of you there.
-- John
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Meeting Minutes
4 January, 2012
Heula Pittman
President John Wiker called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM with a tap of the
gavel.
The December minutes were approved as printed in the newsletter. John told us
that he had spent the majority of his Christmas holidays adding up the points
for our new annual "CNM Activity Award." He reminded us that this award would be
presented at the anniversary luncheon on March 17th.
John read an article from the newspaper about a Corvair for sale. He had spoken
with the owner who stated that the car was in excellent condition and he was
asking $3,600 but that his price was negotiable.
V-President Pat Hall reported that REZLON with zinc was the correct oil additive
to use in Corvairs and that one-half quart was enough to use. He also said that
O'Reiley's was the only place in town to purchase it.
Ruth Boydston reported that her daughter had done some research on the internet,
finding white nylon jackets with liner and hoods for sale. These sell for $15.09
to $19.89, depending on the desired size and on how many are ordered. They would
be suitable for club members to purchase and sew on their own jacket patches. A
sign-up sheet was circulated for interested members.
Ray Trujillo contacted Pat Hall and asked that he report that Highland Senior
Center was available for our future board meetings, starting this month. The
room will be available from 5:00 to 6:30 PM each third Wednesday of the month.
Pat also reported that he had made arrangements with Henrietta's Restaurant in
Los Lunas for our club breakfast this Saturday, January 7th, at 10:00 AM. He
said that Vickie had a map to the restaurant for our perusal. Pat encouraged as
many of us to attend as possible. Someone suggested that we try to park our
Corvairs together in one spot in the parking lot. Pat said he would try to
organize that.
Treasurer Art Gold reported that there was $5,292.66 in CNM's treasury. He also
said that he had sold his "white Corvair" to his little sister -- we assume he
means "Sara", whom he didn't name! His dad is to have extensive overhaul work
done on the car, including a new paint job, with Morning Star Collision. Then
when Sara gets her license, she will be the proud owner of a Corvair, making all
four Golds in the Robert-Anne Mae household Corvair owners and drivers!
Pres Wiker called our attention to an article in the Communique written by Steve
Goodman giving the information for our upcoming Tri-State to be held in Salida,
Colorado. The host hotel is the Gateway Inn - phone number 719-539-2895. And we
need to remember to state that we are with "Corvairs" to get the discounted
rate.
John also called our attention to the Communique obituary for Chuck Vertrees. He
also showed a blow-up of the gorgeous photo of Steve Gongora's red and white
Rampside featured on the cover of the Communique. After some discussion about
who sent the photo in for publication, no one would acknowledge who was
responsible. Nevertheless, we congratulate Steve! Also, he encouraged all of us
to turn in photos of our Corvairs for publication, as we never know when we
might have our car featured. Other CNM vehicles have been featured on the cover
in years past.
Membership chairman, Larry Yoffee reminded us that he will photograph any CNM
member's Corvair to be used on his web site. He also told us that he had heard
from Natasha Montoya concerning the grand re-opening of the Highland Senior
Center. This is to be held on Friday, January 13th and she asked that we drive
our Corvairs there to be featured starting at 10:30 AM.
Larry also reported that he intended to post an article in the Communique
concerning inviting other Corvair clubs around the country to participate in the
car show at the October Balloon Fiesta. He will include the fact that anyone
showing a Corvair can get in free with us and that the show is conducted the
first Sunday of the fiesta each year. The possibility of CNM sponsoring an event
after the show was discussed - maybe a pot luck dinner or something similar
would be appropriate. He said he will start putting out the word, including at
the Tri-State in May.
Pres Wiker asked, again, for a volunteer to take over the job of secretary. No
one responded, until Art Gold said, "I'd go back to being secretary if I weren't
treasurer." Several members promptly "volunteered" him for a joint appointment
as both secretary and treasurer! Art agreed to do it, starting next month. No
provision was made for taking notes at Board meetings, however.
Editor Jim Pittman showed us a cover photo of the November 17th issue of the New
Yorker magazine. It featured a picture made by Bruce McCall featuring a
Greenbrier and other "older" cars. Jim also stated that this is a short month so
the newsletter deadline is Friday January 22nd, at 9:00 PM. He also told us more
about getting his Corvair aligned at the Miata Specialists shop.
Larry Blair reported on a good mechanic at Chet's Wheel Alignment at Menaul and
Texas. He highly recommended him.
Jim remarked on the cover photo of our current newsletter sent in by Mark
Morgan. This featured the raffle car from the CORSA National Convention we
hosted in Albuquerque in 1996. The couple, Bob & Rose Bauer, still own the
Corvair and love it. LeRoy Rogers reminded us that he owned the car originally
and donated it to the club to be used for the raffle. He said that Emma had
driven it for several years. Wendell Walker did the majority of the restoration
work on the car which turned out to be beautiful. Thanks again to LeRoy, Emma
and Wendell!
Bill Reider remarked that he felt that our club didn't do enough to support the
Sunshine Committee. He remarked that this group did excellent work in keeping up
with members and their needs, mailing out birthday cards each month, promoting
the Tri-State events with their contributions and so much more. He felt that the
club should contribute a certain amount of money each year to the expenses of
the committee and this should be budgeted into the treasury expenses EVERY year.
He felt that the 50/50 contributions each month did not come near to the actual
expenses and that the committee shouldn't have to rely on that as their only
source of income. President Wiker asked me (chair of the Sunshine Committee) to
come up with a dollar figure estimate of what we spend per year of our expenses.
He also asked me to have that ready by next board meeting so that a decision
could be made in this regard.
Merchandise chairperson, Vickie Hall reported that she had not sold anything
lately - maybe it's because of the Christmas season just ending and we're all
broke! She also reported that she had only nine (9) license plates left and if
anyone wanted one they should act quickly! Bob Philips pointed out that the
Communique cover photo indicated that Steve needed one!
Our president asked if anyone wanted to comment on highlights of 2011 events
that were memorable to them and why. Someone said they thought the "Corvairs
Only Car Show" was a great one and was looking forward to the next one. Someone
else said they enjoyed the picnic and hoped we would make that an annual affair.
Another said they especially enjoyed the Tri-State. And Pat Hall stated that he
and Vickie especially enjoyed the National Convention.
Larry Blair suggested a tour of the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial. Larry has
spent numerous hours volunteering his time and talents for this cause for many
years now and said that he would be glad to conduct the tour. We agreed to
schedule this event for Saturday, April 14th from about 11:00 to 12:00 PM. Ruth
Boydston said she would set up a breakfast to start at 9:00 AM and then we could
all drive our Corvairs to the Veteran's Memorial for the tour.
LeRoy Rogers said that the garage tour he was planning would be held in JUNE,
not JULY, but a definite date was not set.
Bill Reider reminded us that he will do a tech talk on distributors for our
February meeting. He encouraged everyone to be in attendance to both learn and
contribute information to be shared on the subject.
Plans are still in the works for the upcoming 38th anniversary celebration
luncheon. As I volunteered to set this event up, I reported that I would have
something to report at the next board meeting.
Vickie Hall encouraged anyone who hadn't yet purchased one of Jim's newsletter
CDs to do so. She praised him on the excellent job he did. She said there was so
much useful information on it that EVERYONE should own one!
The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 PM.
-- temporary secretary Heula
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January Board Meeting Minutes
Heula Pittman
Our select group of board members found our new meeting room on Wednesday
January 18th. At exactly 5:00 PM President John Wiker tapped the gavel and
called the meeting to order. Present were John Wiker, Vickie & Pat Hall, Robert
Gold, Ray Trujillo, Dave Huntoon, Jim & Heula Pittman and Lube Lubert. John
began by thanking Ray and Pat for their efforts in obtaining the Highland Senior
Center for our Board meetings.
President Wiker told us that we will be meeting at the Highland facility on
March 7th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. This is because the Domingo Baca facility will
be closed for cleaning that week. Also John picked up a request form to change
our meeting date at the Domingo Baca center from July 4th, which is a holiday,
to the following week, July 11th.
John explained how he calculated and kept the points for the CNM Activity Award.
The Board discussed the award. John showed the certificate that he and Sylvia
Trujillo of Business Printing Services designed, asking members to make any
alterations that they deemed appropriate. He also told us that he had ordered
new business cards with our new meeting place, location and times. Business
Printing Services will be making these.
Vice President Pat Hall then asked for the estimated dollar amount that both the
newsletter editor and the Sunshine committee chair spent annually for expenses.
After some discussion (the editor did not want to accept it) the Board agreed to
provide $270.00 to Editor Jim Pittman to help with his expenses. Heula Pittman
reported that during the years that CNM hosted the Tri-State the committee spent
about $325.00, whereas during other years, $220.00 were spent. Funds will be
added to the Sunshine Committee as needed. Accordingly, checks were written by
Treasurer Robert Gold. The Board decided to give the proceeds of the 50/50
drawings each month to the CNM's treasury instead of to the Sunshine Committee.
Treasurer Robert Gold reported that the present CNM treasury balance was
$5,162.66. Robert will be taking the treasurer's job and Art Gold will take the
secretary's job but he will not be able to be at Board meetings until June.
Until then Jim and Heula have volunteered to take notes.
Membership Chair Larry Yoffee was not in attendance but sent an e-mail that
stated that his web site offered details of the 2012 Balloon Fiesta activities.
He also put an ad in the CORSA Communique outlining this event. Larry was
praised by all in attendance for all he is doing to create interest in our club
and increase membership.
Robert Gold reported that the next car council meeting will be held January 25th
and that the council made $4,000 on swap meet proceeds. He will continue as Car
Council representative. Some thought Mike Stickler had volunteered as backup.
Editor Jim Pittman reported that, this being a "short" month, Friday was the
deadline for submissions. He reported that in an e-mail, member Richard Foster
from Los Alamos told us that he had donated his previously-for-sale 1965 Monza
convertible to KNME and in fact that day COPART Auto Salvage had picked up the
car from his home. They told him it would be auctioned in Albuquerque, probably
in 4 to 8 weeks. It is a very nice car in good running condition and Richard
hopes that someone from CNM will get it. Apparently no one contacted Richard to
see if he'd reduce his asking price.
Jim also reported that there is still no word from CORSA about the requirements
for the chapter report due March 1st.
Merchandise Chair Vickie Hall reported that nothing was sold this month.
Ruth Boydston sent word that the white jackets are in. She will have them at the
next meeting. The cost per jacket is $18.30 and those who ordered jackets should
pay by cash or by check made out to Ruth Boydston since she has already paid for
the jackets. Thanks, Ruth!
Sunshine committee chair Heula Pittman reported that after many phone calls and
visits to local restaurants, the Tomato Cafe just north of Paseo del Norte near
I-25 gave her promising information as a possible venue for our 38th anniversary
luncheon in March. We learned that we could have the entire restaurant between
2:45 and 4:45 PM on March 17th with no charge for the room. The restaurant has a
serve-yourself-buffet featuring many delicious selections to choose from. The
cost per person is:
Adults $10.69 Plus tax 7% and gratuity 15%
Seniors (65+) $ 9.69 Plus tax 7% and gratuity 15%
Plus cost of beverage of choice.
The charges for children at different ages are available, so ask Heula if you
need to know. We must have 40 people in attendance to have this venue. We
encourage everyone to attend. Heula must report to the manager of the restaurant
by Friday, March 9th the exact number of folks planning to be there. She will
provide a sign-up sheet at the next meeting. A map will be provided.
LeRoy Rogers will conduct a garage tour in JUNE, not July as first announced.
Details to follow. If you want to help, contact LeRoy.
Remember that Bill Reider is planning a tech session for the February meeting.
This will be an interesting and informative presentation. Bill is a long-time
Corvair mechanic and ignition and tune-ups are his specialty.
6:08 PM: meeting adjourned.
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TREASURY REPORT: 12-05-2011 to 12-27-2011
Start Balance = $5,138.13
DATE CHECK NO. AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION
12/05/11 2109 - $466.20 Roper's Xmas Party
12/05/11 2108 - $ 90.00 Corsa Dues, R. Cochran, R. McDuffie
12/05/11 2102 - $ 90.00 Corsa Dues, J. Anderson
12/06/11 + $666.35 Deposit Xmas Party, Raffle
12/13/11 + $260.00 Deposit Dues, M. Morgan, L. Yoffee,
R. Pape, A. Gold, W. Darcy
12/27/11 2111 - $125.62 Abq.Grafix November & December Newsletters
Ending Balance = $5,292.66
Concerns or questions? Please contact Robert Gold at 505-268-6878 or email:
beisbol30 @ msn.com
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JACKETS ARE IN
The club jackets are in. They will be available at the February meeting. We
saved some money because they are $18.30 each instead of the quoted price.
Please bring cash, or a check made out to RUTH BOYDSTON. Ruth paid for them by
credit card so she needs to get her money back.
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HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER GRAND RE-OPENING
Nine Corvairs came to the Highland event. We met the mayor and others. Some were
able to score popcorn and hamburgers and drinks. A good time was had discussing
the finer points of Corvairs with various passers-by.
Corvairs and owners:
* 1965 Corsa Coupe turbo ..... Yoffee
* 1963 Monza Coupe ......... Boydston
* 1966 Monza Coupe ............ Wiker
* 1960 Monza Coupe ........... Rogers
* 1965 Monza Coupe .......... Pittman
* 1963 Rampside ................ Hall
* 1963 Eight-door Corvan .... Huntoon
* 1966 Corsa Coupe .......... Gongora
* 1964 Spyder Conv 140 ........ Blair
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BOARD MEETING LOCATION CHANGE
Board Members will want to know:
Ray Trujillo stopped by our old meeting place, HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER, and
learned that they have finished their renovation and are open again.
He reserved a room for our Board meetings the third Wednesday of each month,
5:00 to 6:30 PM, starting 18-Jan-2012.
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CLUB BREAKFAST AT HENRIETTA'S IN LOS LUNAS
We arrived at the restaurant at 10:00 AM on January 7th, 2012 and after about
thirty minutes of talking about this and that and some Corvair talk, breakfast
was served. Everyone seemed to enjoy my choice of a place to have breakfast and
the wait staff did a very good job of taking care of everyone.
Two members from Los Lunas, one from Belen, five from Albuquerque, one from
Cedar Crest, two from Rio Rancho and one from Bosque Farms, a total of twelve,
enjoyed each others company. There were five Corvairs in the parking lot.
After everyone had their fill of good food all but one CNM'er came to our house
for what some called "a garage tour." Everyone seemed to enjoy looking around
and talking for about an hour and a half. The three women enjoyed the comfort of
the house and talked about anything they wanted to.
For all to know, we really enjoyed the time we spent with our Corvair friends
and some day we hope to do this again.
Pat and Vickie Hall
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SO WHO ATTENDED?
Vickie & Pat Hall 1961 Rampside
Larry Yoffee, Russ McDuffie 1965 Corsa Coupe
Bill Darcy 1965 Corsa Coupe
Heula & Jim Pittman 1965 Monza coupe
David Huntoon Brand X
Roger Pape Brand X
Brenda & Mike Stickler Brand X
Bill Reider Brand X
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CLASSIC MOTORSPORTS ARTICLE
Subject: 'Vairs in Print
From: Mark Morgan
rangermk @ sbcglobal.net
Date: 2011=Dec=18 17:27:42 MST
Just got my Dec 12 issue of Classic Motorsports, according to the magazine
the next issue (Jan-Feb) will have an article comparing the Corvair to the
Porsche 356.
The 'Vair in the photo looks like a 1964 Spyder, should be interesting.
-- MK
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Four CNMers celebrate this month! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Alan Gold February 2
Nancy McDuffie February 6
Wendell Walker February 9, 1919!
Melba J. Anderson February 14
One Special couple celebrate this month.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Rita & Steve Gongora February 14
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TRI-STATE 2012
Steve Goodman
The 2012 edition of the Tri-State Corvair meet will be held on May 18-20 in
Salida, Colo. The host motel is the Gateway Inn and Suites and the reservation
phone number is: 1.719.539.2895. Room rates are in the low $60 range with tax
etc.
The plan for the weekend is a simple, low-key and no pressure event to allow all
of us Corvair owners to gather, visit with each other as well as the local
townsfolk and have a good time. The show'n'shine will be Saturday morning in the
motel parking lot and the banquet on Saturday evening will also be on the motel
grounds. This should be helpful for all of us who don't like to lose parking
spots or walk a few blocks.
This event was first originated in 1976 by members of CNM and RMC and the
Bonneville club in SLC as a means of having a gathering without going clear to
Philadelphia for the national convention. Remember, 1976 was the bi-centennial
of our country and traffic/prices/temperatures were promising to not be very
nice in July.
Among the most staunch supporters of this 1976 meet were in CNM, Francis
Boydston and Sylvan Zuercher and Bill Reider and a couple others. In addition
there were several of us in RMC who felt the same way. It was intended to be a
'one time' event and even CORSA wrote letters discouraging the three clubs from
the undertaking. It did happen, however, in Montrose, Colorado and was well
attended. The month of May worked well for the event too, before the tourist
season everyone in the town welcomed us and our money.
Now if we fast forward to 1985, CNM members LeRoy Rogers and the above mentioned
names from CNM decided to revive the meet and rotate host duties similar to the
Great Western Fan Belt Toss and Swap Meet in Palm Springs. LeRoy contacted this
writer during the national convention in Houston in 1985 and when I brought the
news back to Denver everyone thought it was a great idea. CNM made plans again
for Montrose for May of 1986. Note the use of Montrose again because every year
since that has ended in a six (6) is an anniversary and goes back to Montrose.
Getting back to 1986, SLC showed no interest in participating but PPCC in
C/Springs was in attendance. The next year (1987) was hosted by RMC in Ouray and
then PPCC took a turn and that is how the rotation has gone since.
One of the biggest attractions to getting some interest outside our area has
been the scenery of the Rocky Mountains, whether in Montrose or in Red River,
NM. The draw of nice days and cool nights with fresh air has attracted Corvair
owners from Washington state, California, Oklahoma, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas and
Arizona and maybe others I have forgotten. Another point of interest is that
typically the meet has always been held in May, particularly when in Colorado.
As pointed out above, the small mountain towns in Colorado have a tremendous
amount of tourists after Memorial Day but hardly anything before that. This
benefits us because the motels and restaurants in town have lowered prices
before everyone starts showing up in June.
I understand the date I picked for this year has a conflict with a local show in
Albuquerque. I am sorry that happened but frankly any weekend picked will have
conflict with someone. I realize that some CNM members feel the need to attend
your local show and I understand that. In fact years ago CNM actually used this
car show weekend to host the Tri-State right in Albuquerque. It was well
attended by RMC and PPCC members too, a good time. I remember the Friday evening
BBQ in a park, great time.
I hope that many CNM members will feel compelled to honor the tradition set by
previous (and in the case of a couple of names 'late') CNM members as well as
many of us in RMC and PPCC who have put much of themselves into making the
Tri-State a continued success. Remember the St. Francis of Corvair award
originated because of Francis' total dedication to the event, please don't let
him down. See you in Salida.
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Distributor Tech Talk
Bill Reider
At the February meeting we will be discussing the Corvair distributor. Chevrolet
made 33 different distributors for the Corvair. Seven of them were for the
1960-1961 cars. The early ones are different because the weights are on the top
of the distributor. Chevrolet had been doing this for years because they wanted
the weights lubed, when the car was tuned up. This should still be done, but
because the weights are now below the point plate it is often overlooked. Later
models have 27 different distributors. While some are quite similar they do have
small differences.
The Corvair distributor is well built and if properly taken care of will outlast
two or three engines. Many times distributors end up in different cars and this
is not always a good thing. They work, but not as well as they should. We'll
talk about what should, and what should not be in your engine.
Over the years I have seen many different parts in them. When I had my parts
store I had ordered up a rebuilt distributor for a 110 engine. All the Corvair
distributors that they listed were the same. The insides were mix and match,
they would work but not too well. Come and get the information on what should be
in your engine's distributor. See you there, Bill
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Thank You
Steve Goodman
Hello CNM friends: I would like to say 'THANK YOU' for all of the cards/notes
and emails I received after Ruth passed away. Every word meant something special
to me and the feelings that I got while reading each is more than I can
describe. I also appreciate the letter that Heula wrote about her friend. It was
published in both PPCC and RMC newsletters. She put into words her feelings in a
way I could never have done, thank you Heula. Ruth and Heula had a very special
bond, something that doesn't happen all that often. Thank you all again.
-- Steve Goodman
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Born in Albuquerque
Paul Campbell
My wife and I bought our first Corvair, a 1965 Monza Coupe, in early 1996 when
we lived in Albuquerque, NM. As I knew nothing about Corvairs, I was delighted
to find a "Corvairs of New Mexico" club booklet in the trunk. My first step was
to contact Bill Reider, one of the officers of CNM, to learn about joining the
club. Smart move. I'm indebted to Bill and the members of that club for much of
what I do know about Corvairs today. We enjoyed the Monza for three years and
received a lot of compliments about its appearance. We made a number of great
friends in that club, but we sold the '65 and moved to Tulsa in 1999.
We moved to Colorado Springs, CO at the end of 2000 and were "Corvairless" for
five years. In April 2005, I was surfing the 'net and happened to come across
the CNM website. Out of curiosity, I opened a copy of their monthly newsletter
and saw that CNM member LeRoy Rogers (owner of several Corvairs) was offering to
sell his 1962 Corvair Monza sedan with 19,700 original miles on it. He had
purchased it in 1990 from the original owner with about 17,000 miles on it.
I called LeRoy and we made a deal on the phone: If LeRoy would agree to drive
the car 200 miles north, my wife and I would drive 200 miles south to meet him
for lunch in Raton, NM. I told him if the '62 made it to Raton, I would buy it
on the spot. On the other hand, if the car broke down and didn't make it to
Raton, we would turn around and drive back home without it. My tongue was firmly
planted in my cheek.
LeRoy had been passionate about keeping the car original right down to the faded
paint, cracked windshield, and rain-soaked interior door panels. I did not share
his passion for "all original" cars. But, because the car had been in the New
Mexico sun for 44 years there wasn't a spot of rust on it and LeRoy had taken
great care of it.
After lunch, the Monza struggled mightily to make it north over Raton Pass due
to the state of its tune, but we finally made it and the odometer turned 20,000
miles on the trip back to Colorado Springs. When I got home, I took it in for
emissions testing; it failed the test miserably. So, I immediately gave it a
complete tune up including new plug wires, a new pitman arm (the car was all
over the road on the trip home) and a front end alignment. That, and new shocks
were all the car needed to be a dependable driver. And, it's been pretty much
trouble free in the 7 years we've owned it.
It's important to mention that when LeRoy owned the car he had purchased the
remains of an entire roll of cloth fabric upholstery from Clark's to replace
damaged driver's side front seat upholstery: he put the leftover upholstery in
the back seat. As we learned many years later, there was enough left over to do
the entire interior.
As soon as we got the Corvair back to Colorado, I looked up the Pikes Peak
Corvair Club and found the President was Dennis Pleau. Dennis was a member of
Corvairs of New Mexico when we lived there. Another of the PPCC members is Jon
Anderson who was also a member of CNM in the late 90's. I've been a member of
that club for seven years and am editor of "Dripline," the club's monthly
newsletter.
Trivia:
1962 was the year my wife and I graduated from high school.
On May 5, 1962, exactly one year to the day after my wife and I met, Alie Beatty
traded in his 1957 Ford Fairlane sedan (he got a $714 trade in allowance) for a
new 1962 Corvair Monza 4 door sedan with an 80 hp engine and 3 speed
transmission. The only options were a manually tuned Delco radio and a spare
tire lock. Bill of sale and dealer thank you letter enclosed.
Serial #209690135548
Paint #920
Trim #759A
Here's a list of some of the work that's been done since we purchased it seven
years ago:
2006:
* Speedometer head rebuilt.
* My wife reupholstered the door panels, and did a great job.
* Chris Klapp, one of the members of Pikes Peak Corvair Club, prepped the
car for a complete exterior paint. He and I removed all the chrome, but Chris
did all the priming. Following this, the car was trailered to a paint shop for a
complete repaint. The object was to get as close to factory color as possible
while doing a clear coat paint job.
* Replaced windshield.
* Replaced all weatherstripping.
* Replaced original speaker that had turned to dust from the dry climate
in New Mexico.
* Replaced heater and vent cables.
2007: New 175/80x13 radials
2010:
* "Factory" upholstery professionally installed
* My wife and I installed new "factory" carpet
* New brakes, with a lot of help from Jon Anderson and Kermit Shields,
Pikes Peak Corvair Club members.
As of this writing, the car still has less than 34,000 miles on it. Fuel
consumption is in the high teens in town and the high 20's on the road. Only
breakdown on the road was in 2010 when the fan belt broke. I always carry a
spare so it was a 10 minute fix.
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Wed 1 Feb 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER,
at the corner of Wyoming & Carmel. That is just north of
Wyoming and Paseo del Norte.
Wed 1 Feb Tech Session on Distributors -- Bill Reider
Wed 1 Feb After our meeting, we will go to the IHOP at 8100 Wyoming NE
Sat 11 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 15 Feb 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE
Fri 24 Feb 9:00 PM March Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Wed 29 Feb Yes, 2012 is a leap year.
============================================================================
NOTE: Our meeting place had to be changed for March because the North Domingo
Baca Center will be closed for cleaning. We will meet at HIGHLANDS, and
the meeting will start early, and it will be short!
Wed 7 Mar 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE
Wed 7 Mar After our meeting, ......................
Sat 10 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.
Sun 11 Mar 2:00 AM Daylight Saving Time begins -- set clocks AHEAD an hour
Mon 12 Mar ........ Cope with the loss of an hour as best we can...........
Sat 17 Mar 2:45 to 4:45 PM 38th ANNIVERSARY PARTY at the TOMATO CAFE!
Sat 17 Mar Location: 5920 Holly Ave NE - 505-821-9300
Sat 17 Mar North of Paseo del Norte, east of I-25
Sat 17 Mar Club Activities Award to be Presented at 38th Anniversary Party!
Wed 21 Mar 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE
Fri 23 Mar 9:00 PM April Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
============================================================================
Wed 4 Apr 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER,
at the corner of Wyoming & Carmel. That is just north of
Wyoming and Paseo del Norte.
Wed 4 Apr After our meeting, we will go to the IHOP at 8100 Wyoming NE
Sat 7 Apr 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Clean-up -- Meet at the I-25 "triangle"
Sat 14 Apr 9:00 AM Club Breakfast / Tour of Veterans' Memorial - Larry Blair
Sat 14 Apr 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 18 Apr 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE
Fri 20 Apr 9:00 PM May Newsletter Deadline - Jim Pittman
Sun 22 Apr 12:00 to 3:00 PM Corvairs Only Show TARGET at 1-25 & Paseo del Norte
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Tarmo Sutt suggested a tour to Glorietta (east of Santa Fe) to see a collection
of old guns, some as recent as The Great War of 1914-18. Is there any interest?
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2012: May 18-19-20 Tri-State Meet - Salida, Colorado - ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORSA
============================================================================
2012: Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat 25-26-27-28 JULY -- 2012 CORSA CONVENTION!
The Northeast Corvair Council (NECC) has been awarded the 2012 International
Convention for the Corvair Society of America (CORSA), to take place in
Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Plan on coming to colonial Sturbridge, Massachusetts!
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities:
===================== http://www.nmisso.com/nmccc1.htm =====================
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YEARS AGO IN FEBRUARY --- Jim Pittman
2005 - VOL 31
Nr.2 - # 353
Cover photo: an intrepid crew of CNM mechanics rescue an early convertible from
the woods. Robert Gold's article told us all about it. Another photo showed a
broken (late) speedometer cable.
Minutes (reported by VP Sally) were terse, with no treasurer's report. We had
breakfast at Milly's. We planned a trip to Bosque del Apache. We worried about
newsletters being mangled in the mail and what to do about it. David told us
about a race driver, George Huntoon, who drove for Briggs Cunningham in 1951 at
LeMans. The Sunshine Committee reported on a meeting at Wendell's place where
major decisions were made about future activities. There were some good photos
of the group. Our 31st Anniversary party was previewed.
Steve Goodman reviewed details of the Tri-State, coming up in Ouray in May.
Steve also reminisced about the first "New Year's Day Drive" in 1972 and how it
became a tradition in the Rocky Mountain CORSA group.
From the internet, a (possibly true) report on where you live and your approach
to cars.
1998 - VOL 24 - Nr. 2 - # 269
The cover showed a 1966 Monza coupe that was to be raffled off at the CORSA
convention in St. Louis. President Dennis ran our meeting while Chuck took notes
and Wendy reported $7426 in the bank. We planned to design and order a new club
banner. We discussed which flag pole to get for the Boydston cabin. Planning was
already underway for the 1998 Christmas party. After our meeting Sylvan showed
shifter parts, pointing out all the usual wear points and how to deal with them.
Upcoming events included a tour to the AT&T Museum downtown and our Lake City,
Colorado Tri-State - or was that going to be the Lakewood Tri-State? Dennis
passed along two Virtual Vairs articles. First, Seth Emerson described sway bars
and handling with respect to Corvairs and second, and Patrick (AKA
AngryP@aol.com) gave us several ideas for Corvair brake improvements.
Celebrating his twentieth anniversary as newsletter editor, Jim wrote about how
the newsletter got started, how it nearly faded away and how he took it over to
develop it into its present form. It has been a lot of work, but since the
little guy in the back of his head does most of it, Jim has managed to stay
relatively sane as we sail into our fourth decade as a club and his
twenty-eighth year as editor.
1991 - VOL 17 - Nr. 2 - # 185
The cover showed what looked like a rocket-propelled Corvair, but actually it
was a Corvair being tested under controlled cross-wind conditions. Our bank
account stood at $813. New aluminum license plates were on order and we worked
on "new member" packets. President Steve Gongora outlined plans for the year's
events. Other previews included: a garage tour, the Tri-State meet, a speaker on
windshield repair, another on the Corvette Restoration Society, a tour to the
VLA and an econo-run. Francis Boydston gave us a tech tip on removing a stuck
power enrichment valve. There was also a useful tip on disposing of used motor
oil.
1984 - VOL 10 - Nr. 2 - # 101
The cover showed not one but three Corvairs driving through the snow. George
Morin demonstrated seals and an alternator conversion for early models. Jim
Pittman's analysis of the new Pontiac Fiero concluded by pointing out all the
ways a Corvair is better. Once again, the bottom line was, don't spend
x-thousand dollars for a new car when you can spend a third of that on restoring
your old faithful Corvair. Bill Reider's tech tip told us the best way to torque
Corvair heads. George Morin told us how to rebuild those old worn-out sloppy
carb linkages. And a tech tip from the SAE told us not to neglect those old
cracked fuel lines but to replace them before they start a fire.
February/March 1977 - Volume 3 - Number 2
This issue featured an excellent article by Ike Meissner on autocrossing your
Corvair. Also, a tip on torquing Corvair heads by Richard Finch. An article by
C. Nicol of South Coast CORSA on Corvair clutch modification. But, Ike noted
that this modification wouldn't work on late models unless the crank bolts are
ground down 1/8 inch.
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== END ==