The March 2018 newsletter - Text Version Updated 26-Feb-2018 ==== Copyright (c) 2018 Corvairs of New Mexico ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== MARCH 2018 / VOLUME 44 / NUMBER 3 / ISSUE #510 ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, First Place, 2005 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, Third Place, 2010 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, First Place, 2012 EDITOR: Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING Regular Meeting: March 7th, 2018 at 7:00 PM North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE THIS MONTH Dues Due Dates ........................ Membership Committee February Regular Meeting ..................... Anne Mae Gold February Board Meeting ....................... Anne Mae Gold Photos from a Memorable Picnic .................. The Editor The Second Time Around ......................... Robert Gold Birthdays & Anniversaries ............. Membership Committee Map to 44th Anniversary Party .................... Bing Maps Help Wanted .................................. David Huntoon Photo from the Breakfast with VMCCA .......... Bill Sullivan Bring Balance to your Vacuum ........ (DETROIT) Pete Koehler Treasury Report ................................ Robert Gold Ruth's Corvair Goes to France .................. Sherry Gray First Drive to Colorado ........................ Jim Pittman Calendar of Coming Events ............... Board of Directors March Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago ... Club Historian COVER Corvairs and Brand-Xs brought us to the Board meeting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS President Lube Lubert 505-256-9331 dirtlube gmail.com Vice President Art Gold 505-620-7434 rollerart gmail.com Secretary Anne Mae Gold 505-268-6878 annemae.528 gmail.com Treasurer Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 msn.com Car Council Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 msn.com Membership David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 aol.com Merchandise Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall q.com Sunshine Heula Pittman 505-865-5574 heula q.com Newsletter Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp unm.edu Old Route 66 Lube Lubert 505-256-9331 dirtlube2 gmail.com Past President Ray Trujillo 505-814-8373 ray bpsabq.com Past President Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall q.com Past President John Wiker 505-239-3311 wikerj63 yahoo.com MEETINGS First Wednesday of each Month at 7:00 PM North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE INTERNET CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/ CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/ Steve Gongora's page www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871/ Larry Yoffee's home page www.corsaturbo180usa.com/ New Mexico Council of Car Clubs www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== DUES DUE DATES MARCH 2018 DUE LAST MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE 2018.02 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 25-MAR-2018 2018.02 Lilian & Timothy Shortle 25-MAR-2018 DUE THIS MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE 2018.03 Anne Mae & Robert Gold 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Carl Johnson 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Kelli & Mark Morgan 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Emma & LeRoy Rogers 25-APR-2018 DUE NEXT MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE 2018.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 25-MAY-2018 2018.04 Art Gold 25-MAY-2018 DUE MAY 2018 ================== INACTIVE DATE 2018.05 === none === INACTIVE ======================== INACTIVE DATE 2017.01 Nancy & Russ McDuffie 25-FEB-2017 2017.02 Victor Sanchez 25-MAR-2017 2017.08 Kathryn & Douglas Gadomski 25-SEP-2017 2017.10 Carl Clasmeyer 25-NOV-2017 2017.10 Mary Lou & Mark Martinek 25-NOV-2017 2018.01 Connie & Floyde Adams 25-FEB-2018 2018.01 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 25-FEB-2018 Send your Dues to: CNM Treasurer c/o Robert Gold 1301 Valencia NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Past due memberships become inactive after a one-month grace period. The Club will mail in your National Dues if you send us the renewal form from your Communique. As of 25-FEB-2018 we have 44 active family memberships. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Lube Lubert ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== FEBRUARY MEETING -- 2018.02.07 Anne Mae Gold Called to order at 7:03 PM. Present: John Wiker, Gordon Johnson, Steve Johnson, David Huntoon, Kevin Sullivan, Pat Hall, Larry Blair, Lube Lubert, Art Gold, Anne Mae Gold, LeRoy Rogers, Vickie Hall, Jim Pittman Officer Reports President - Lube Lubert - Upon John's resignation Lube is President. He nominated Art for the now-vacant position of VP. Anne Mae seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations and no dissensions. Tonight the Meissner Award nominations are due. VP - Art Gold - Thanked the membership for allowing him to hold this position. Treasurer - Robert Gold - The current balance is $7,312.27 Secretary - Anne Mae Gold - Returns to this position Committee Chair Reports Editor - Jim Pittman - the Newsletter deadline is Friday February at 9:00 PM. Jim shared the current results of the newsletter survey. We have 46 members who have paid their dues. Four of these do not have an email address. Of the 42 members with email, 20 replied that they will get the newsletter online while 26 want to continue getting the mailed paper version. Jim notifies over 100 people by email each month when the newsletter is available online. Only four paper copies of the newsletter are mailed to people outside of the club. Membership - Dave Huntoon - He has no leads on new members. He has taken over the Facebook Page that Russ McDuffie set up for Corvairs. He will be posting club events there. Look for "Corvairs of New Mexico" on Facebook. Merchandise - Vickie Hall - No new merchandise has been sold. She is asking the membership to bring in some nice items to use for door prizes at the March 10th Anniversary Dinner. Please bring it in at the March meeting. She read an article about the new Weather Lab out at the Balloon Museum. It is a hands-on experience. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 to 5 year round. She asks that a member call and see if we can set up a time for the club to go out. Phone 505-768-6020 or visit www.cabq.gov/balloon. Car Council - Robert Gold - Not in attendance and did not send an update. News Items - John Wiker said that the Soaring Museum in Moriarty is only open Tuesdays and Thursdays in the winter but will be open on weekends starting in May. We should plan to go. John gave Larry Blair his Gas Miser Award from the October Econorun. John updated us on the sale of the Greenbrier that belonged to Jerry Goffe, then Mike Stickler. Brenda told us it was sold to Farris Motors on Fourth Street where it stayed for one day. Then it moved to National Motors for one day. Then it went to G & B Motors on Second Street. It was sold on February 6th. The buyer's father owned a similar van. She wants to restore it and join the Corvair Club. She paid cash for the van. We'll be happy to have her as a member. John also brought in a flier from The Grill (3300 San Mateo Blvd. NE 87110 872-9772) which has good barbecue style food. Prices are reasonable. Larry Blair told us that his new pickup was broken into back in November at our North Domingo Baca meeting place. It cost him $600 to get the damage repaired which included a new door handle. One result is, Larry is not very pleased with the security at NDB. Vickie Hall shared a little something she put together from the Sunshine Committee for Valentine's day. Up-coming Events * Nominations for the Ike Meissner Award due tonight * The Club's Anniversary dinner will be at 6:30 PM at Golden Corral on San Mateo NE, near McCloud NE on March 10. * Florence Merchants Car Show will be on May 20, 2018 from 9 to 3. This is in Florence, Colorado, southeast of Canon City. If you have trouble sending your application on the web, call 1-719-671-8168 or 1-719-659-2053. Website is info@florencecoloradocarshow.com and Pike's Peak Corvair Club is asking for Corvairs to come up. * The 2018 Tri-State is called "Rocky Mountain Corsa Tri-State Rally" with headquarters at Grand Lodge, Crested Butte, CO 1-888-443-6715 booking code 10249. June 8-10, 2018. Gordon and Steve Johnson are thinking of selling two of their Corvairs a 1965 Monza and a 1966 Corsa. With their recent move from Corrales, there is no place to park them. There was no 50/50 tonight. Meeting adjourned at 7:51 PM ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== FEBRUARY BOARD MEETING 2018.02.21 Anne Mae Gold Present: Lube Lubert, Jim Pittman, Anne Mae Gold, Robert Gold, Art Gold Called to order at 5:01 PM Officer Reports President: Lube shared the winner of the Meissner Award. April 7th will be the next Old Route 66 Cleanup. April 21 is the Spring Thaw to get your car tuned up at Old Car Garage. April 22 is the Cruise and Shmooze at the Sonic on San Mateo. VP: Art has nothing to report Secretary: Anne Mae has nothing to report Treasurer: Robert reports that the current balance is $7,302.27 Committee Reports Editor: Jim states that the newsletter deadline is Friday February 23. Items from the internet: Brian Blackwell had suggested that all Corvair newsletters be shared. Jim is now receiving multiple email copies of these club newsletters. He wants to know if anyone else is receiving these emails. Car Council: Robert reports that the Car Council newsletter was mailed out today. The Swap Meet will be held this year. The Museum Car Show is coming up in May. The focus this year will be imported cars. Let Robert know if you want to show your imported car. Merchandise: Jim reported for Vickie. No merchandise was sold this month. She and Heula are working on door prizes for the Anniversary dinner. Membership: Dave Huntoon was not in attendance. Upcoming Events * March 10 -- 44th Anniversary Dinner. Golden Corral on San Mateo NE, just south of Osuna. Arrive between 6:00 and 6:15 PM, not earlier. Robert will double check that this information is correct and send out a reminder to membership. * April 18 -- Old Route 66 Cleanup at the I-40 / NM 333 Triangle. Start at 9:00 AM. If the weather is rainy or snowy, do not come out. * April 21 -- Spring Thaw at the Old Car Garage. Call them for an appointment. * April 22 -- Cruise and Schmooze meet at the San Mateo Sonic (10 AM to 3 PM) * May 20 -- Florence Merchants' Car Show 9am-3pm in Florence, Colorado. Southeast of Canon City, CO. If you have trouble applying on the web page, call 1-719-671-8168 or 1-719-659-2053. Their website: info@florencecoloradocarshow.com * June 8-10 -- Rocky Mountain CORSA Tri-State. Grand Lodge in Crested Butte, CO 1-888-443-6715 use booking code 10249 Robert shared stories about reacquiring his first Corvair. Robert is still working on the Corvair Care and Feeding Book. He has finished rewriting the text and needs to work on the formatting. Adjourned at 5:27 PM ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== THE SECOND TIME AROUND Robert Gold Like a number of you CNM'ers I like to watch the broadcasts of auto auctions. January is a wonderful time of year since within a week or so I can see both the Barrett-Jackson and Mecum auctions on cable TV. This year was particularly noteworthy because one of the announcers for Barrett-Jackson was Alain de Cadenet, a former race car driver. Seeing him jogged my memory about a series he hosted in the late 90's called Victory By Design. I know that at several CNM meetings over the years we have been treated to descriptions of exotic automobiles seen by club members. Tarmo Sutt, notably, seems to love to hang out where such cars are exhibited and I've really enjoyed his stories. I have to plead ignorance when it comes to such cars, but I feel that I can now be one of those car aficionados because of that TV series. So let me describe this very special show. During the hour or so of the show, Alain de Cadenet describes the history of a particularly special car, such as the Aston- Martin. His descriptions of the cars centers around their racing history. What is mind blowing is that Alain not only talks about the cars, he actually shows and drives them. I can still see him strapping on a leather helmet and driving some priceless 1920's race car down a country road. He isn't simply out for a spin, the guy really puts his foot in it. As the NY Times puts it, it's "car pornography"! The cars are displayed in chronological order. I still can't believe they talked the owners into letting Alain do that. Once I recalled Victory by Design, I went to my "go to" source for old videos, YouTube to see if I could find the show. Happily, those shows can be seen again simply by typing Victory by Design into the YouTube search box. I've just finished watching the Jaguar and Aston-Martin shows. On these cold winter days it's nice to know I can again spend my time reliving racing history with Alain. I really suggest you take some time and watch the series. It may be "pornographic", but that's the fun of it all! -- Robert Gold ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Photos: Our October 2011 picnic at Elena Gallegos ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Happy Birthday Wishes to March CNM'ers: Anthony Berbig Linda Cochran Art Gold Vickie Hall Barbara Johnson John McMahan Brenda Stickler Hurley Wilvert Joel Yelich March Anniversaries: Anne Mae & Robert Gold ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== SATURDAY 10 MARCH Arrive between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM, not earlier for the Club's 44th Anniversary Party. Location: The Golden Corral on San Mateo near McCloud NE. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== HELP WANTED - 23 FEBRUARY 2018 Jim, Something for the newsletter...... From a local Corvair owner via the CNM Facebook page. Looking for some help with a rebuild of a motor or obtaining a good running motor. To my thinking a good diagnose of the existing motor would be the first thing. Might be several simple things to get back in running order. Any Volunteers? The contact is Steve at 480 570 2449 or leave me a message. Thanks, David Huntoon [ corvair66 @ aol.com ] ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Another photo from the January 13th club breakfast with the VMCCA. Thanks to Bill Sullivan. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Get the latest information on the CORSA Convention here: http://www.corvairpittsburgh.com Get the latest information on the Crested Butte Tri-State here: http://www.rockymountaincorsa.org/2018-tri-state-ralley-promo/ ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== REPRINTED FROM "THE AIRCOOLER" DETROIT AREA CORVAIR CLUB -- FEBRUARY 2018 BRINGING BALANCE TO YOUR VACUUM Caveman Pete Koehler More correctly to your Corvair engine's vacuum. Engine balance is important in any car. Our Corvairs benefit in this area due to their "boxer" engine design. That means that the cylinders are laid out in a manor with the pistons' movements opposed to each other on a level plane. That results in a smooth operation with little or no imbalance. As long as everything on both sides of the crankshaft centerline remain equal. If even one cylinder isn't up to par it can effect the balance of the entire engine. Unequal vacuum can also cause engine imbalance. To assure both cylinder banks enjoy equal amounts of vacuum your Corvair engine comes equipped with an equalizing metal tube that attaches to each cylinder head at the base of the carburetor. Sorry, Turbo guys, you don't get one since you only have one carb! If the little rubber hose comes loose at either carb the result will be increased idle speed and a rough running of your flat-6. Keep the hose attached and you and your 'Vair are vacuum balanced. Did you know that the design of this balance tube had three iterations? The very first design as installed on the original 140 engine - the 1960 version was a bit more than 1/2" inside diameter. If one of the hoses came loose from its attachment point the resulting vacuum leak was more than the engine could overcome at an idle. In other words the engine would die. To correct this a change was made partway through the 1960 model year to add a couple of welded straps to the balance tube. Then the tube was actually bolted down to the top engine shroud to prevent any unwanted disconnects resulting in any unwanted engine stalls. The next year a change was made to the diameter of the balance tube. Now it was about 1/4" inside. If the tube came loose it shouldn't result in an immediate problem - just poor idle and a super lean condition on half of your engine. At least you could drive the car to a repair location. Here is an example of what could happen back in the day; This story comes from a friend in the Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts club. A white 1960 500 sedan was up for sale because it wasn't running very well. My friend went to look the car over and make an offer on it. Sitting at the curb the engine would spark and fire and run. Then it would immediately shut down. The seller couldn't figure out what was wrong. Checking the engine compartment revealed the solution - balance tubitis. A deal was struck and money changed hands ($75!). Then the errant balance tube was re-attached and the car driven away. Far out! Why did this happen? Here is where the plot thickens. This was a very early production 1960 Corvair. In fact at the time it was the oldest known surviving Corvair in the World! Serial number W100327. Yes, a horn-slot car. It had the first design vacuum balance tube and it experienced the first design balance tube problem. And now you know everything you need to know about Corvair Vacuum Balance Tubes. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Tarmo delivers a Santa Fe Corvair to Ruth Boydston, November 2010. See story on Page 9. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== RUTH BOYDSTON'S CORVAIR GOES TO FRANCE Jim Pittman Ruth used to drive her beautiful white early model Monza to meetings and we all admired it. A few years ago she told me she wanted to fix up a Corvair convertible for her granddaughter Amanda. After some inquiries she found a car for sale in Santa Fe. She arranged with Tarmo Sutt to deliver the car to Albuquerque. I got photos of the delivery but I don't remember what happened with that car. Later Ruth told me she was thinking of selling the white Monza. She only drove it to meetings and in between the battery would go dead so someone would have to help her get it started. Corvairs should be driven, not stored, and she finally decided to give it to Amanda who now had moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Ruth asked me for the names of CORSA members in the Las Vegas area. I think Amanda was able to find someone to keep the car running and she joined a Corvair club in Las Vegas. Years later I heard more of the story from Sherry Gray, Ruth's daughter and Amanda's mother. Let Sherry tell the story: Sherry sent me an email in October last year: Jim, I have a wonderful story for you. Amanda called the contact you gave us in Las Vegas to do some work on her Corvair. They made arrangements for the work and, in the meantime, he called and said a collector was looking for a white Corvair in the year range of their car. The collector was from a museum in France. The gentleman from the Corvair Club in LV brokered the deal for them and they actually got more than the $5000 they would have asked for. They were paid and the car was shipped to France. What a wonderful home for her car. They have asked for the name of the museum but we don't have it yet. In January Sherry sent another email message: Regarding the Corvair that went to France, here's what we've come up with: It started when my daughter was getting married. She met an old high school friend, Ian, on Facebook and they reconnected. Ian felt Amanda was the love of his life who got away. He had many fond memories of Amanda driving him home from high school in her Corvair. Ian was an air force officer who lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. My mother offered her Corvair as their 'getaway car' after the wedding and they thought that was a wonderful idea. My mother stopped driving and she thought it would be nice to give it to Amanda. It was shipped to Las Vegas. Amanda and Ian would take the car out on the weekend and take a drive enjoying the high school memories that brought up. In 2014, Amanda asked me for a name of someone in Las Vegas who could work on the Corvair. I believe you gave her several names and the link to the local club. In 2017, they had problems starting the Corvair. Amanda made contact with Marty Katz and had the car towed to his location to work on it. While Marty had the car, he was contacted by Le Musee a company in France that located items for museums. They were looking for a white Corvair in the age range of Amanda's car. A car museum in France wanted it and they were willing to pay for all of the shipping. Marty called Amanda and asked if she was interested in selling. They had considered selling earlier that year and decide this would be a wonderful ending story for mother and their car. Marty 'brokered' the deal for them and they received a good price for the car. The car was shipped from his location. Unfortunately we don't know which car museum it went to. I looked online and found: http://www.le-musee.fr/2874-chevrolet-corvair.html It looked like Ruth's Corvair to me! But, turns out the museum photo shows a 1962 Corvair while Ruth's was a 1963. So, the fate of Ruth's Corvair remains a mystery at this time. The web site is in French. Amanda provided a translation and said the description was inaccurate. You can look at the web site and decide for yourself. Those who do not read French could try reading the text with Google Translate which works fairly well. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= TREASURY REPORT FOR 01-25-2018 to 02-24-2018 Robert Gold DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,192.27 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= 2018.02.06 +$ 120.00 Dues D.Palmer 12 m CNM & CORSA $ 70.00 2018.02.05 +$ Dues A.Berbig 12 m CNM $ 25.00 2018.02.05 +$ Dues K.Sullivan 12 m CNM $ 25.00 2018.02.07 2309 -$ 10.00 Corporations Commission Nonprofit Fee 2017 -$ 10.00 2018.02.22 2311 -$ 46.83 H.Pittman Newsletter Printing FEB 2018 -$ 26.53 2018.02.22 -$ H.Pittman Newsletter Postage 29 x $0.70 -$ 20.30 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= 2018.03.01 MAR NEWSLETTER ========================================== $7,255.44 ================================================================================ ====== If you have any concerns or questions about this report please ===== ====== contact Robert Gold at 505-268-6878 or email: beisbol30 msn.com ===== ================================================================================ FIRST DRIVE TO COLORADO Jim Pittman In the fall of 1965 I attended an Air Force school in Montgomery, Alabama. Two of my fellow students were Lieutenants "Tito" Ross and "Duck" Waddle whom I remember because of their cars. I owned an Austin-Healey 3000 and felt like a true sports car owner, having joined an SCCA chapter and entered several sports car rallies. I wanted to master high-performance driving and was interested in any unusual or high-performance vehicle. Several of my friends in Ohio owned Corvairs, and some did well in rallies. Tito Ross got my attention because he owned an early model Corvair, a yellow 1964 Spyder convertible. Tito had a story about being stopped by a cop for drag racing. He approached an intersection too fast and his tires squealed as he braked. The cop heard the tire noise and flagged him down, accusing him of doing a jack-rabbit start. Tito tried to convince him the noise was from stopping, not dragging. He said no way the rear-engine Corvair had enough low-speed torque to spin the tires on starting up. Duck Waddle owned a SAAB sedan, a rare car in those days. It had a three-cylinder two-stroke engine, front-wheel drive, a free-wheeling transmission and a teardrop shape, you know, like a SAAB fighter plane. He was not shy about talking up its sports-car-level handling. In the middle of the course my boss back in Dayton called to say there was an opening for a four-year tour at the Arctic lab in Alaska and I was qualified. He asked if I'd like to apply and said it would advance my career. I had joined the Air Force to see the world but so far had only been to Texas, Ohio and Alabama. Alaska would be just the ticket, so I applied and was accepted. Now I had to prepare for a move from Dayton to Fairbanks. It seemed a good opportunity to drive through the scenic West to Seattle, take the ferry to Skagway, then drive up the mostly unpaved Alaska Highway. I did not think my tempermental English sports car would survive the drive, much less four years of Arctic winters. But what kind of car to replace it with? I thought of bad roads, extreme cold, long distances in the wilderness and no foreign sports car dealerships. Back in Dayton I consulted Major Veghte who had spent four years at the Arctic lab. He was happy to give advice. His Alaska car was a 1959 Rambler station wagon. "Get a car like mine," he said. "Get a simple American car with a manual transmission and no frills. It will survive the winters and if anything goes wrong you can get it repaired anywhere." Sound advice! But, as a young lieutenant with a British sports car I wanted something a little more dashing than a Rambler. Chrysler made a suitable car: a Valiant sedan with a V-8 and 4-speed. Or, maybe I could afford a Swedish car such as a SAAB or a Volvo 122S or a Volvo 1800S. I remembered all my friends with Corvair Spyders. Corvairs had a rear engine -- just like a Porsche! They were air-cooled -- no antifreeze! A turbocharger -- the ultimate in high-tech cool! I ordered a 1966 Corvair Corsa coupe with turbo, four-speed and heavy-duty everything. I ordered a set of Michelin radial tires. Colonel Quashnok had spent a tour as lab commander in Fairbanks and gave his tips for the Alaska Highway. He advised installing plastic headlight bubbles and warned that "The highway will tear up those tires" and that I could expect a damaged windshield from flying rocks. "When you see a truck, stay to the right and slow down," he said, "Those big rig guys don't slow down for anything." When we left the Alabama school in December some of us exchanged addresses, and on the map it looked like Colorado was half way from Dayton to Seattle. So I called up Duck Waddle who was stationed at the Air Force Academy to see if I could stop on my way and visit. Sure, he said. My new Corvair was delivered on 20 May 1966 and there was time for a couple of Ohio rallies before heading out west. I liked its easy and secure handling as compared to the Healey's brute-force roughness. I left Dayton on 12 June 1966 and spent the night in Columbia, Missouri. I drove across the endless plains of Kansas and into Colorado. The plains continued, apparently just as endlessly. Finally I saw the line of snow-covered Rocky Mountains on the horizon and drove toward them as they increased in size ever so slowly. At the outskirts of Colorado Springs I phoned Duck Waddle and he drove his SAAB to where I was and escorted me over gravel roads to his back-country home. He was fascinated by the Corvair's turbocharged air-cooled engine. I complained about gasoline fumes from the leaking crossover tube. I had already had to stop and tighten up the clamps on the fabric connector to the chrome crossover. Duck grabbed a little wrench to tighten the clamps some more. The wrench slipped, and "ping" there were musical notes as the wrench ricocheted through the fan blades and disappeared inside the engine! Duck was embarrassed and grabbed a shop light and mirror to try to retrieve the wrench. We spent minutes peering into the fan opening but could see nothing. Probing with a magnet brought no result. We did not want to remove the top sheet metal to get to that wrench! I started the engine. There were no unpleasant noises so we hoped the wrench had come to rest where it would not cause any damage. Two years later when Richard Finch and I pulled the engine to replace it with the blueprinted 140-HP engine, there was the wrench, lying between two cylinders, none the worse for its 52,000-mile ride. Duck took me for a tour of the Air Force Academy and a few other tourist spots in Colorado Springs. On Tuesday afternoon I left for Wyoming and Idaho on the next leg of my drive to Alaska. The next time I would drive my Corvair into Colorado would be from Albuquerque in January of 1971. But that's a story for another day. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== ============================================================================ | March 2018 | April 2018 | May 2018 | | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 1 2 3 4 5 | | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 | | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 29 30 | 27 28 29 30 31 | ============================================================================ WED 07 MAR 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER, at Wyoming & Carmel, north of Wyoming & Paseo del Norte NE. After the meeting, we may go to "JASON'S DELI" at 5920 Holly Ave. NE. SAT 10 MAR 6:00 PM Our 44th Anniversary Party. IKE MEISSNER AWARD. SAT 10 MAR 6:00 PM Golden Corral on San Mateo near McCloud NE. Please arrive between 6:00 and 6:30 PM, not earlier! SUN 11 MAR 2:00 AM --- Set your clocks ahead an hour because the government is stealing an hour out of your life. Don't worry, you'll get it back in November, only slightly degraded. Why is it that EVERYONE you ask thinks that changing into and out of daylight time is a BAD IDEA, but year after year WE KEEP ON DOING IT?! WED 21 MAR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 23 MAR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for April 2018 newsletter WED 28 MAR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE ============================================================================ SUGGESTION: A visit to the Soaring Museum in Moriarty? WED 04 APR 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. SAT 7 APR 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Cleanup. Meet at the I-40 triangle. If the weather is either rainy or snowy, do not come out. WED 18 APR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 20 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for May 2018 newsletter WED 25 APR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE ============================================================================ WED 02 MAY 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. WED 16 MAY 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE SUN 20 MAY 10:00 AM NMCCC / Albuquerque Museum Car Show SUN 20 MAY 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM -- Florence, Colorado -- 17th Annual Car Show WED 23 MAY 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE FRI 25 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for June 2018 newsletter ============================================================================ WED 06 JUN 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. JUNE 8-10 Tri-State at Crested Butte, Colorado -- Rocky Mountain CORSA http://www.rockymountaincorsa.org/2018-tri-state-ralley-promo/ WED 20 JUN 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 22 JUN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for July 2018 newsletter WED 27 JUN 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE JUNE 8-10 Tri-State at Crested Butte, Colorado -- Rocky Mountain CORSA http://www.rockymountaincorsa.org/2018-tri-state-ralley-promo/ SUGGESTION: Let's do another east mountains Econo-Run or Road Rally. ============================================================================ See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities ======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ====================== ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== SEVEN YEARS AGO [ MARCH 2018 VOL 44 Nr 3 ISSUE 510 ] Jim Pittman 2011 Vol 37 Nr 3 # 426 Cover: limestone mine and cement factory in Tijeras. We had a club breakfast in Los Lunas and visited with Pat & Vickie Hall. Twenty-seven CNM members met for a service in memory of Sylvan Zuercher at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Many of Sylvan's friends and relatives joined for remembrance. We published the obituary for Steve's father Hector Gongora who passed away at age 81. A few of us old-timers remember Hector from the very early days of the club when we'd meet at House of Covers on Central. We planned a third metal recycling session. New members Wesley Heiss & Angela Fraleigh resided in Roswell. Larry Yoffee told about a photo shoot with Steve Gongora's spectacular red Rampside. Jim announced a CD with back issues of the newsletter with full-color PDFs of eleven years of CNM newsletters. The project died and was never revived. "Winter Storm 2011" described the coldest, snowiest days of the year when we absolutely had to drive somewhere every day. The 1965 Monza braved the driving hazards to take us there and bring us safely home. As in 2018, the news was full of reports of horrible blizzard conditions throughout the northeastern parts of the country. Brenda Stickler provided reviews and progress on the Red River Tri-State. Identifying the "grade" of bolts for your Corvair. Finally, there was the nomination form for the Boydston Award. 2004 Vol 30 Nr 1 #342 This was our special 30th Anniversary newsletter. We met at Galles Chevrolet. Some did not attend due to snow and ice. Wendell reported $5,562. No August picnic was planned: the Elks asked us not to come back. March would see the first cleanup of our mile of "Old Route 66" and in April we were invited to the Domzalskis' for a cookout. The April breakfast would be at Kokopelli's. We planned to get "Old Route 66 cleanup" safety jackets with our club patch on the back. We had a special seal (like a notary seal) but it was missing. The Hospitality & Care Committee was renamed the "Sunshine Committee" and Heula Pittman, Kim Patten, Elizabeth Domzalski and Anne Mae Gold met at Wendell's. The board voted to give them $200.00. Sylvan reported on a snowy garage tour to see Dan Palmer's Corvair-powered aircraft. Tri-State information about hotels in Cripple Creek was provided. 1997 Vol 23 Nr 1 #258 Cover: a 1907 Brush at the J & R Vintage Auto Museum. Other cars were Rickenbacker, Brush, Flanders, Chandler, Bantam, Stewart, Wills Sainte Claire, Marmon and Fords and Chevys. Mark Morgan's Billiken praised the smoothness of Ohio roads. Chuck was in New Zealand; Jim took notes. A new member was Christopher Burke. Wendell reported $7,564. President Mark said CORSA was raising its dues from $27 to $35. Dennis said that was a great bargain. The Tri-State was to be in Gunnison. We said farewell to Will Davis and his family as they left for Florida. Sylvan gave Will the "Golden Needle" plaque; you had to be there. Our Board meeting was held at AMAFCA where the freeway featured an automobile mural: an early Corvair. VP Jon was looking for tech speakers. We were still working toward the mythical 100% CORSA membership. We agreed to put up either $300 each year to help the club president attend CORSA conventions. Mark provided a tech tip on flushing brake fluid. Should we replace DOT-3 with DOT-4 or DOT-5? Mark did not advise silicon-based DOT-5 since residual fluid would absorb water and lead to a corrosion. Mark recommended DOT-4, basically a heavy-duty version of DOT-3. 1990 Vol 16 Nr 1 #174 Cover: a 1965 convertible. We planned a tour of Sandia Shadows winery. LeRoy published a list of items for the March auction. Our guest speaker, Darwin Doll, told us about plans for "Albuquerque Raceway" to be located near Jemez Dam. President Dale Housley thanked those who were chairing events. We sent a letter to Galles/Kraco thanking them for our tour of their racing center. Sylvan provided a report on the tour. Bill Reider previewed the Durango Tri-State. Tom Martin explored the life and times of our Santa Fe member, Tarmo Sutt. His first Corvair was a $100 1965 turbo Corsa. Tech: How to add a power valve to a 1964 carb to upgrade it to 1965 specs. A careful rebuild will give better performance for less time and effort. A newspaper reprint claimed that tuning all cars would do more to reduce pollution and improve driveability than oxygenated fuels. 1983 Vol 9 Nr 1 # 90 Cover: future archaeologists dug up an early model Corvair and found astounding 20th century technology. We planned a March garage tour, an April rally and a June car show at Les's Auto Parts. An article by Tony Hossain of Rochester, NY, outlined the history of the late-model Corvairs. Bill Reider told the tech-minded how to get those push rod tubes out without scarring and scrunching them. It's easy with the right tool and a little patience. 1976 Vol 2 Nr 1 # 14 Mark Morgan's cover drawing illustrated controversy between "restorer" and "racer" Corvair owners. In this issue Mark provided an article on the reasons we should modify (and maybe race) our Corvairs. The treasury held the princely sum of $72. Our guest speaker, John Linn, told us the advantages of re-curving a distributor: better low-end response and better overall gas mileage. We were exploring the possibility of a meeting with Colorado and Utah clubs in Pagosa Springs. And a notice was posted that after next month we'd need a new newsletter editor as Mark was going on active duty with the Navy. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico, chartered Chapter #871 of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Copyright by the Authors and by Corvairs of New Mexico. Articles may be reprinted in any CORSA publication as a service to CORSA members, provided credit to the Author and this Newsletter is clearly stated. All opinions are those of the Author or Editor and are not necessarily endorsed by Corvairs of New Mexico or CORSA. Material for publication should reach the Editor by the 15th of the month. Send material via e-mail ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or submit a readable manuscript. I prefer ASCII TEXT, but MS Word or RTF are fine. Photographs are welcome. I still print mailing labels with a 1989 Apple IIgs on a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIIp. The newsletter is composed using Apple computers. Software includes OSX, AppleWorks, Photoshop CS, GraphicConverter, BBEdit and InDesign CS. If you care, ask for more details. When I'm 64, I'll get by with a little help from my friends. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== =END=