The April 2019 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 02-Apr-2019 ==== Copyright (c) 2019 Corvairs of New Mexico
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April 2019 / VOLUME 45 / NUMBER 4 / ISSUE 523
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First Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2005 & 2012
Third Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2010
EDITOR Jim Pittman
MEETING Regular Meeting: Saturday April 6th, 2019, 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE Albuquerque NM 87108
THIS MONTH
President's Letter ............................... Dave Allin
Dues Due Dates ......................... Membership Committee
March Regular Meeting .......................... Linda Soukup
March Board Meeting ........................... Steve Gongora
CNM's 45th Anniversary Celebration ............ Heula Pittman
Recipients of the Ike Meissner Award .............. Historian
Birthdays & Anniversaries .......................... Sunshine
Amelia Island Report ............................. Dave Allin
Admiration of Tucker ...... Vair Views - Show Me Corvair Club
Which Cars Do You Remember ....... Submitted by Steve Gongora
February in New Mexico ............. Submitted by Vickie Hall
Treasury Report ............................... Steve Gongora
Road Test: Ford GT: A Fable ... Breezy Pittman & Windy Walker
Calendar of Coming Events ................ Board of Directors
April: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 Years Ago ....... Club Historian
COVER Dave Allin's 1969 Monza leaves our February Board Meeting
Right: David Huntoon's 1963 Monza Convertible at a Meeting
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OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS
President Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin comcast.net
Vice President David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 aol.com
Co-secretary Linda Soukup 763-226-0707 studeboytony gmail.com
Co-secretary Kay Sutt 505-471-1153 tarmo juno.com
Treasurer Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora msn.com
Car Council Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin comcast.net
Membership David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 aol.com
Merchandise Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall q.com
Sunshine Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 heula q.com
Newsletter Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp unm.edu
Old Route 66 David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 aol.com
Past President John Wiker 505-239-3311 wikerj63 yahoo.com
Past President Ray Trujillo 505-814-8373 rtrujilloabq505 gmail.com
Past President Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall q.com
Past Vice-Pres Tarmo Sutt 505-690-2046 tarmo juno.com
MEETINGS: First Saturday of each Month at 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
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/
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SCHEDULE CNM: 12 months = $25.00 or 26 months = $ 50.00
OF CORSA: 12 months = $45.00 or 26 months = $ 90.00
DUES CNM & CORSA: 12 months = $70.00 or 26 months = $140.00
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DUES DUE DATES APRIL 2019
DUE LAST MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2019.03 Kelli & Mark Morgan 25-APR-2019
2019.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2019
2019.03 Brenda Wilvert 25-APR-2019
DUE THIS MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2019.04 Janice & David Allin 25-MAY-2019
2019.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 25-MAY-2019
DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2019.05 NONE 25-JUN-2019
DUE JUNE 2019 ======================= INACTIVE DATE
2019.06 Brenda Stickler 25-JUL-2019
INACTIVE ============================ INACTIVE DATE
2019.01 Connie & Floyde Adams 25-FEB-2019
2019.01 Carolyn & Dan Palmer 25-FEB-2019
2019.02 Mike Butler 25-MAR-2019
2019.02 Janet & Steve Johnson 25-MAR-2019
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer
Steve Gongora, House of Covers
115 Richmond NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
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 29-MAR-2018 we have 40 active family memberships.
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The 2018 and the 2008 survey results are now on my web page.
Click on: "CNM History" then click on: "RESULTS OF SURVEYS".
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President's Letter
Dave Allin
Spring is finally here, and the driving is easy. There is nothing I like better
than rolling down all the windows on my Monza and driving in the sunshine.
Let's all get out there and drive our cars the way they were meant to be driven,
and preach the gospel of the Corvair to the uninformed.
We had a great anniversary party at the Copper Canyon Cafe, and I want to
particularly thank Heula and Vickie for the decorations and the door prizes.
Everyone had a great time. A high point came when John Wiker proudly presented
the Ike Miessner Award to Terry Price, who gracefully accepted. Terry, you
genuinely deserve it!
There are many exciting events coming up, now that the weather is improving, so
plan to attend as many as you can. Don't forget that Saturday morning, April
13, we will be doing our highway cleanup on Old Route 66 just east of Tramway.
Meet at the I-40 / NM333 "triangle" at about 9:00 a.m. Two weeks later we will
be having a tech session down at Pat and Vickie's place in Los Lunas, 10 a.m.
Saturday April 27. This is your chance to get your Corvair up on a lift and
peer at the underside! And of course the Tri-State is coming up in May. It
looks like at least twelve of our members, including me, will be attending. Be
thinking about what we can do for our Tri-State next year. If you are not going
to the Tri-State, plan to attend the big Museum show here in Albuquerque that
weekend.
We have suggested to the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs that we would be
willing to host a car show at the Cottonwood Mall for Collector Car Appreciation
Day July 13. The Mall manager has confirmed that we could do that, and they
would be more than willing to assist in the event. The Council is considering
that and will let us know their decision soon. We have had car displays at the
Cottonwood Mall before, years ago, and I am told they were successful. We may
even find a few new members!
Remember, Corvairs are fun, so let's all get out there and enjoy them.
David Allin
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Corvairs of New Mexico Minutes March 2, 2019
Linda Soukup
Meeting commenced at 10:10 AM at the Highland Senior Center. All officers
attending, less one secretary. First on the agenda were reports from club
officers.
Vice President Dave Huntoon announced that a decision regarding the location for
next year's Tri State, hosted by this club, is looming in the very near future.
Hoping for input and ideas.
Treasurer Steve Gongora reported that the club funds are currently $6,699.14
minus current expenses of $81.14 for postage and awards.
Today's Secretary, Linda, had nothing to report.
Merchandise Chair, Vickie Hall, reported that she still has various patches
available.
Editor Jim Pittman announced that the deadline for the April newsletter
contributions is Friday March 29th at 9:00 PM. The newsletter will be produced
on the first Monday of April. Jim also added that since he has limited room for
pictures in the newsletter, he posts the overflow photos on the website at the
end of the online newsletter.
Jim also had an update on member Bill Reider. He has had health problems in
recent months and is somewhat dependent on a wheelchair and is not walking well.
He would love to have visits from club members who know him. He is currently
living at 6809 Kentucky Court in Albuquerque. Bill Reider formerly ran Car-Tune
with Sylvan Zuercher for many years. He was also the creator of the club's "Care
and Feeding of Your Corvair" publication.
Also, a club offers a "Thank You" to Terry Price for his informative photo
postcards that he mails to club members to keep them up to date on upcoming club
events.
Next on the agenda was an update on the new Care and Feeding booklet. Larry
Blair sent new info and Tarmo Sutt is double checking part numbers for accuracy.
The new Care and Feeding book should be out soon.
Next, there was discussion about the ongoing dilemma of the Boydston and
Meissner Awards. The Boydston Award has been dropped by the organizers of the
2019 Tri-State. They have also dropped the attendance award. Should CNM drop the
Boydston Award? Should we drop or modify the Meissner Award? A decision is not
necessary at the moment, but there is some concern that the new Care and Feeding
booklet, that is due out soon, continues to list the history and past award
recipients and, possibly, will require updating when a decision about the Awards
has been reached. Decisions were postponed to a later meeting to give officers
and members a chance to study a list of possible criteria for the awards
prepared by Larry Blair.
Also under old business, President Allin suggested that members who are not
attending this year's Tri-State meet might attend the Albuquerque Museum car
show that is on the same weekend. Lube Lubert also wished to extend an apology
for having announced the wrong date for the train show in Denver. It was
actually this past weekend.
In New Business there was a fairly extensive discussion about the New Mexico
Council of Car Clubs upcoming events.
Firstly, President Dave Allin reported that the September Swap Meet has a new
location at the Isleta Casino. Numerous advantages to the new location include:
totally paved, premarked, Casino offering special $119.00 room rate,
approximately 8 restaurants, 24-hour security with two people assigned, lots of
parking and easy access.
Secondly, President Allin announced that the Car Council has requested that
Corvairs of New Mexico host this year's Collector Car Appreciation Day. The date
that the Council announced at the Car Club meeting that Dave attended was July
19th. Members discussed that the Mayor of Albuquerque could be approached to
include the Appreciation Day with the Summerfest Event that weekend and allow
the closure of streets around Nob Hill, including Central Avenue, to allow for
Collector Car parking and display.
Please note that after the meeting it was determined that the date for Collector
Car Appreciation day is actually July 13th. Since the plans that were discussed
at the meeting are no longer feasible more suggestions are necessary.
Thirdly, a reminder that the Car Council's picnic is scheduled for August 4th
this year. It is sponsored by the Rickshaw Car Club this year. The location is
Oak Flats which is south of Tijeras on State Route 337. In the past CNM has
donated water or paper plates. Member John Wiker assured that he would acquire
and deliver the necessary materials on behalf of CNM.
Fourth, President Allin informed us of the NSRA event scheduled to be held at
Expo New Mexico on August 23-25, 2019. There is an expected 1500 cars for the
event and $61,000 in prizes. Any car produced 1989 or older is eligible. There
is a $35 entry fee. There will be music and food vendors. Exhibitor must be a
member of the NSRA. All NSRA members will be eligible for a drawing in January
to win an LS Crate Motor. The Lujan Building will be offered to vendors.
Additionally, another reminder of the Car Council / Albuquerque Museum car show
on May 19, 2019. And a request that CNM members contact their state legislators
and oppose the proposed new legislation requiring front license plates on all
vehicles in New Mexico.
Next on the Agenda was a discussion regarding the next Old Route 66 cleanup.
Vice President Dave Huntoon has scheduled it for 9:00 AM on Saturday April 13,
2019. Hoping to have at least six people attend and help. Parking is available
in the "triangle" lot at the east end of the bridge over I-40. The stretch of
highway subject to cleanup is along Old Route 66 (New Mexico 333) just east of
Albuquerque where it crosses over I-40.
Nearing the bottom of the agenda, the upcoming CNM club events were discussed.
The CNM club Anniversary Party is scheduled for Saturday March 16th, 2019 at the
Copper Canyon Cafe located at 5455 Gibson Blvd. SE. Event begins at 1:00 PM and
will end at restaurant closing which is 3:00 PM.
Also, a reminder of the upcoming Tri-State meet in Alamosa, Colorado. A show of
hands indicated a fair number of members will be making the trip.
Newly added to the Upcoming Events is a TUNA Tune-Up session at Pat and Vickie
Hall's home in Los Lunas. It is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Saturday April 27th,
2019. President Dave Allin's car and member John Wiker's car are volunteered as
subjects. All members are invited to bring a car that they need some advice on.
The Hall's address is 58 Avenida Valencia in Los Lunas, NM. Located just off of
NM 47 and Valencia.
And, finally, Steve Gongora announced that he would be taking orders for new
club embroidered
T-shirts and jackets after the meeting adjourned. He will be placing his order
after the Anniversary dinner on March 16th. T-shirts with pockets are available
in Tan, Light Blue, Gray and Royal Blue. They will be embroidered with the club
logo and your first name. Price ranges from $25-$30 depending on size. The
jackets are $40-$50 dollars and will have your name embroidered on the front and
the club logo on the back. They are of a cotton twill windbreaker type.
Meeting Adjourned 11:20 AM.
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Board Meeting - March 20, 2019
Steve Gongora
A sparsely attended meeting with President David Allin, Jim Pittman, and Steve
Gongora.
We brought a few items of discussion with some provoking thoughts about our
plans with the Car Council, Tri-State and our Anniversary Dinners.
1. Our first order of business was the ideas for CNM to contribute to the
Collector Car Appreciation Day on July 13, 2019. President Dave has pursued a
possible event with Cottonwood Mall. The management has agreed to host the
participation of Car Council member clubs to display their cars on the Northeast
side of the mall, on the entrance side of the cinema, for a 15% percent take of
the entry fees. The entry fees would be from $10 to $15. The Cottonwood Mall
would provide porta-potties and food trucks. The question would be, who would
provide insurance for the event?
2. Jim Pittman reminded us of Tarmo's comment that successful Tri-State events
have all had a certain formula. Parts may be modified, but the basic components
of the formula have always been present. Some of these components have been:
a. Registration and welcoming at Friday Check-in.
b. Car Show on Saturday Morning until lunch.
c. Optional activities for Saturday Afternoon.
d. A banquet Saturday evening featuring awards.
Vital to a successful event is a key person who organizes and plans this
undertaking. We have always had opportunities for things to see and do near the
Tri-State location. Some of us feel that each year the expectations seem to
grow. Should Tri-State organizers try to keep up with or exceed the year before,
or should we try to scale it down to be closer to the original goals of just a
relaxed weekend with many Corvair enthusiasts coming together to share ideas,
stories, and good times?
3. Heula wrote an article for CNM's Anniversary Dinner at Copper Canyon Cafe.
Heula Pittman and Vickie Hall have been the background force for organizing,
decorating, and general morale for our dinner gatherings. They are amazing and
deserve a round of support. Any other contributions to this undertaking is
appreciated. Please share your ideas either through articles of personal time
and effort.
4. Terry Price has been sending postcards of upcoming events which we think has
helped participation.
Reminders of Upcoming Events:
MEETING - Saturday April 6, 2019, Highland Senior Center, 601 Monroe NE.
TUNA - Saturday April 27, 2019.
Location: Pat & Vickie Hall's, Los Lunas.
TRI-STATE - May 17, 18, and 19th - Alamosa, Colorado.
CAR SHOW - Sunday May 19th, Albuquerque Museum, Old Town.
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CNM's 45th Anniversary Celebration
Heula Pittman
Eleven ladies and fourteen guys met at the Copper Canyon Cafe on Saturday March
16th, celebrating the 45th anniversary of Corvairs of New Mexico. Several
Corvairs were able to bring their owners to the party in the perfect weather. We
all enjoyed good food and the pleasant company of our fellow members.
Our tables were decorated with hand designed table runners featuring the
different models of Corvairs. There were also little sparkles adorning the
tables where we sat along with little toy cars. All our ladies were given a
decorative hand-painted dish towel and the guys were given little wooden pencil
boxes containing CORVAIR pencils. Vickie and I obtained and provided these
giveaways. We also did similar things for our Christmas celebration in December.
Vickie and I also provided home baked cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. We honored
two club members who celebrate their birthdays on March 17th. We sang "Happy
Birthday" to Vickie Hall and to our newest member, Lesha Kitts and presented
them with special birthday cakes.
On a more formal note, John Wiker called our attention to one of the reasons we
were all together at this time. John gave us a bit of history of the Ike
Meissner Award which was started back in December 1987 in memory of John "Ike"
Meissner of Los Alamos who was a faithful CNM member for several years. John
then presented the 2019 award plaque to Terry Price. As we all remember, Terry
was the chairperson for the Tri-State in Taos in 2017 and did an excellent job
of organizing and coordinating all that went in to making it one of our best
Tri-State events. He spent countless hours, phone calls and trips, and all at
his own expense.
Terry, we appreciate you and Sarah and all that you do to make our club a
success. Congratulations!
RECIPIENTS OF THE IKE MEISSNER AWARD
1. 1987 Bill Hector
2. 1988 Jerry Goffe
3. 1989 LeRoy Rogers
4. 1990 Jim Pittman
5. 1991 Sylvan Zuercher
6. 1992 Bill Reider
7. 1993 Steve Gongora
8. 1994 Michael Stickler
9. 1995 Charles Vertrees
10. 1996 Debbie Pleau
11. 1997 Mark Domzalski
12. 1998 Wendell Walker
13. 1999 Dennis Pleau
14. 2000 Rita Gongora
15. 2001 Oliver Scheflow
2002 (No award this year)
16. 2003 Anne Mae Gold
17. 2004 Larry Blair
18. 2005 Robert Gold
19. 2006 Tarmo Sutt
20. 2007 Dave Huntoon
21. 2008 Heula Pittman
22. 2009 Ray Trujillo
23. 2010 Ruth Boydston
24. 2011 Brenda Stickler
2012 (No award this year)
2013 (No award this year)
2014 (No award this year)
25. 2015 Larry Yoffee
26. 2016 Vickie Hall
27. 2017 Pat Hall
28. 2018 John Wiker
29. 2019 Terry Price
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Happy Birthday Wishes to April CNM'ers:
Elizabeth Domzalski
Kate Johnson
Alex Johnson
Robert McBreen
Emma Rogers
Ray Trujillo
Happy April Anniversaries to:
Connie Adams & Floyde Adams
Connie McBreen & Robert McBreen
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Amelia Island
Dave Allin
The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is the second most prestigious car show in
the country, outclassed only by the one at Pebble Beach. I was able to attend
this year, as I did three years ago, thanks to my friend Mike Hemsley, who many
of you met last year when he photographed some of your cars. Mike writes and
photographs for Vintage Road and Race Car magazine, and he managed to get press
credentials for me as his "photographer's assistant." The media credentials got
us in to all the events and auctions for free, along with preferred parking.
Amelia Island is on the east coast of Florida, very near the Georgia state line,
and isn't really an island. The Concours is held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and
golf course, and the smell of money permeates the atmosphere. The public
restrooms in the hotel have marble walls floor to ceiling and full-time
uniformed attendants. The Media Room in the hotel has gourmet snacks available
all day (free, of course, to the media), and the hotel halls are lined with
vendors selling very expensive merchandise. If you need a diamond tennis
bracelet for your trophy wife, or high-end automotive art, this is where you go.
The Sotheby auction is held in the hotel, and the cars to be auctioned were
displayed on the lawn down by the beach. In front of the hotel were new
McLarens, Porsches, Jaguars, and Ferraris that you could test drive if you could
prove your net worth.
Mike and I, not being landed gentry, stayed at a La Quinta in Kingsland,
Georgia, a 30-minute drive away. Friday we got our media passes, photographed
the Sotheby auction cars, ate lunch at the media room, and shopped at the
vendors. Mike waited in line for an hour to have famous racing driver Jackie
Ickx autograph a model car. That evening we went to a reception held by the Alfa
Romeo Owners Club, of which Mike is a long-time member. Having not studied the
schedule, it wasn't until the next day that we realized we had missed the other
auctions (Russo and Steele, Bonhams, and Gooding).
Saturday Amelia Island hosted a "Cars and Coffee" on the show field, where local
collector car owners were offered a chance to show their cars. I'm not sure how
the owners were selected, but it clearly wasn't open to just anybody with an old
car. There were lots of Corvettes and Porsches, plus a variety of other
interesting cars, including two Corvairs. One was a 1966 Corsa, and I spoke to
the young (30's) owner, who had bought it only a few months ago. The original
turbo motor had been swapped out for a 110, but he had a line on a turbo engine
he could put in it. The back seat had been removed, ala Stinger, and he had put
BMW wheels on it, which he said were a simple bolt-on replacement.
The other Corvair was a 1964 Spyder convertible with a wire-mesh screen over the
entire front of the car, and a dressed-up 140 engine. They were parked with
other GM cars like Firebirds and GTOs. There were nearly 300 very nice cars, and
now the owners can truthfully say they have shown their cars at Amelia.
In the afternoon we met with Olivier and Susan Cerf, who run the Tampa Bay Auto
Museum. If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area, you should go there. The museum
features cars with innovative engineering, and includes a Corvair. The owners
are French, so there are a lot of Panhards, Citroens, and other French oddities.
They also have several rear-engined Tatras, front-drive Cords and a Ruxton, and
the only factory-built four-wheel-drive '65 Mustang.
When we caught up with Olivier and Susan, they had just purchased a car at the
Sotheby's auction, a bright yellow pre-war Rolls Royce doctor's car. For the
Concours on Sunday they had brought a 1937 Audi touring car they had just
finished restoring.
Sunday morning we arrived before dawn, since media has early access to the show
field. Owners were busy wiping off the dew and polishing the chrome, while
hordes of photographers and hangers-on crowded around, blocking my shots. This
year the show featured several dragsters, Indy cars, cars driven by Jackie Ickx,
Porsche 962 race cars, special-bodied Volkswagens, Mercedes Benz 500-540Ks, and
circa-1900 high-wheeler motor buggies. There was also a section of cars
associated with rock stars, including Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche and a
911 painted like Eddie Van Halen's guitar. There was also an assortment of other
rare cars, including Rolls Royces, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Isotta-Fraschinis,
Lancias, original Ford GTs, and a Tucker. The announced list of cars to be shown
included the original Corvair -- the 1954 GM fastback show car based on the
early Corvette (Corvette plus Bel Air equals Corvair)--but it was a no-show.
They did have the first Stingray concept car, which appeared in a 1959 Elvis
Presley movie.
Because we had a long drive ahead of us, and the crowds prevented any further
effective photographing, Mike and I left before noon. The two show winners, we
found out later, were a black Mercedes 540K coupe and a red (of course) Ferrari
Testa Rossa. We had a great time, and all it cost me was the airfare and the
motel, so I can't complain. And this August I am going to Pebble Beach, for the
first time since 1987. There is just so much to do at these events, however,
that you just can't take them all in.
Photos by Dave Allin
One Photo by Ron Karl
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Which Cars Do You Remember?
1. A famous Indian chief - _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. A kind of rock used for striking fire - _ _ _ _ _
3. The crossing of a stream - _ _ _ _
4. An intoxicated maker of bread - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. A city in Texas - _ _ _ _ _ _
6. A French general - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7. A gentle breeze - _ _ _ _ _ _
8. A Spanish explorer - _ _ _ _ _ _
9. A French explorer - _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10. Ancient + a letter + city in Alabama - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
11. Male deer plus one letter - _ _ _ _ _
12. A rock famous in American History - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
13. To grind the teeth in anger - _ _ _ _
14. A river in New York - _ _ _ _ _ _
15. Honest U.S. President - _ _ _ _ _ _ _
16. A river in the Holy Land - _ _ _ _ _ _
17. Across country - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
18. A satellite - _ _ _ _
19. A kind of cracker - _ _ _ _ _ _
20. Rip an airplane - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
21. A high ecclesiastic - _ _ _ _
22. A heavenly body - _ _ _ _
23. Michigan city - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
24. A French racing driver - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
25. A planet - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ or _ _ _ _ _ _
26. A jungle cat - _ _ _ _ _ _ or _ _ _ _ _ _
27. A brand of coffee - _ _ _ _ _ _ _
28. If really tired, you're all - _ _ _ _ _ _ - ed out
29. Former title of German ruler - _ _ _ _ _ _
30. Kite-flying diplomat - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
31. Half of a famous electronics company - _ _ _ _ _ _ _
AUSTIN BUICK CADILLAC CHEVROLET COUGAR DESOTO FLINT FORD FRANKLIN GRAHAM
HUDSON JAGUAR JORDAN KAISER LAFAYETTE LASALLE LINCOLN MAXWELL MERCURY MOON
NASH OLDSMOBILE OVERLAND PACKARD PLYMOUTH PONTIAC POPE SATURN STAR
STUDEBAKER TERRAPLANE ZEPHYR
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February in New Mexico
Contributed by Vickie Hall
Weather Report
To judge from the entrance the dawn was making, it promised to be a very iffy
day - that is, blasts of angry sunlight one minute, fits of freezing rain the
next and snow falling on snow, all of it seasoned with sudden gusts of wind.
Unknown Author
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 02-22-2018 to 03-21-2019
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $6,699.14 $6,699.14
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2019.03.02 2342 -$ 81.14 J.Pittman Newsletter Printing MAR 2019 -$ 23.13 $6,676.01
2019.03.02 -$ J.Pittman Newsletter Postage 32 x $0.71 -$ 22.72 $6,653.29
2019.03.02 -$ J.Pittman Meissner Award Plaque 2019 -$ 35.29 $6,618.00
2019.03.02 2343 -$ 35.00 T.Price Postcard expenses -$ 35.00 $6,583.00
2019.03.13 +$ 50.00 Dues L.Lubert 26 m CNM $ 50.00 $6,633.00
2019.03.13 +$ 10.00 Deposit 50/50 for March "Raffle" $ 10.00 $6,643.00
2019.03.13 +$ 25.00 Dues Gordon Johnson 12 m CNM $ 25.00 $6,668.00
2019.03.13 +$ 10.00 Deposit Raffle at CNM Anniversary Party $ 17.00 $6,685.00
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2019.04.01 APR NEWSLETTER ========================================== $6,685.00 $6,685.00
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======= If you have any concerns or questions about this report please contact =======
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(This story originally appeared in ENCHANTED CORVAIRS,
April 2007, and is reprinted here for your pleasure.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.)
ROAD TEST: FORD GT: A FABLE
"Breezy" Pittman & "Windy" Walker
It was a gusty March evening when Windy called up Breezy with the news that his
wealthy friend from Scottsdale, Scirocco Jones, had e-mailed that she was
planning a secret comparison test centered on the Ford GT. Since the Ford GT was
Windy's favorite car in the whole world, he vowed to go and see the test. All he
needed was a co-driver to make the trip to Scottsdale.
So, long before daylight the next morning Breezy and Windy left Rio Rancho to
head west in the little Mazda sports car. Along about Unser and I-40 they began
to have second thoughts. "We need a more comfortable car," Windy said, and
Breezy agreed, so they went back and got the 1963 Cadillac. Fortunately Breezy
had just come into a bundle of cash playing the slots at Sandia Casino, so it
was no worry to cruise along the freeway to Arizona getting eleven miles per
gallon on three-dollar CostCo gas.
Four or five hours later they were approaching Scottsdale. It was Breezy's turn
at the wheel and Windy was consulting the secret map that Scirocco had sent him
and watching his GPS unit for the right road to turn onto. "There it is!" he
shouted, pointing to a narrow dirt track heading into the desert. The Cadillac
bounced over the ruts and corduroy until they were out of sight of the highway
and there the road became wide and smooth, curving through the pine trees.
Presently they emerged from a juniper thicket to behold the beautiful vista of a
wide, green valley. As the road descended into the valley they saw a flat area
with a huge asphalt oval, a road-racing course with lots of curves, a group of
hangar-like buildings, a big ranch house, a bevy of sports cars, and a crew of
mechanics.
As the Cadillac rolled to a stop next to a 1965 Jaguar E-Type, a tall,
spectacular blonde approached them and greeted Windy with a big hug. "Hello,
Scirocco," Windy said, "This is my friend Breezy who wants to see your Ford GT
run as much as I do." "Well, honey, you've come to the right place," Scirocco
said with a Pepsodent grin and another big hug. "Just make yourself at home
while we put the finishing touches on the replacement engine control computer
chip."
Soon introductions had been made all around and everyone gathered near the
immaculate Ford GT. Long, low, wide and sleek, its silver paint and black trim
exuded power and speed. "I bought this baby to drive, not to look at," said
Scirocco. "I've already checked it out driving down here from Sedona and she's
choice. I thought we'd give everyone here a chance to drive it, and to drive the
other car as well. Then the two drivers with the fastest times will drive in the
final elimination race and we'll know for sure who has the better car, me or my
buddy from Albuquerque."
"Where is this other car," Windy wanted to know. But before anyone could answer,
an approaching car was seen nosing into the valley from the grove of Junipers.
All eyes were on the streamlined coupe as it drove up to the crowd. "Holy
smoke!" exclaimed Breezy while Windy just stared, speechless. For the new car
was none other than an immaculate white-and-blue Yenko Stinger and the driver
who emerged was none other than the famed former president of CNM, "Hurricane"
Gold. "I almost got lost," said the Hurricane to Scirocco as he was getting his
hug, "but your note about that dry gulch landmark saved me and I doubled back
and got here in time. I think I may have lost my pit crew back on that last
turn, though."
But just then a Greenbrier came through the juniper grove and headed down toward
the group. As two eager CNM members jumped out of the yellow van, the Hurricane
introduced them to Scirocco. "Meet Typhoon Huntoon and Mistral Trujillo," he
said. "They have brought our tools and spare parts and they want to do some
driving, too."
"Y'all are right on time," said Scirocco, glancing up at the sun. "Everybody
gets a drive! If we're all ready to do some racing, let's go over and fill up
the cars with my secret ethanol blend and start the first lap."
Drawing straws, two of Scirocco's California friends, "Tornado" Norm and
"Cyclone" Vance, got the first drives. While they buckled up and started the
engines, everyone else adjourned to the shade of the patio at the side of the
ranch house to drink Gatorade and watch the cars heading out to the oval. "We
had a hunch we'd see you here," said Windy to the Hurricane. "Scirocco told me
the competing car was from Albuquerque and had just been purchased by our club's
most affluent member. So it could only be you."
"Yep, when this one came along I just couldn't pass it up," replied the
Hurricane. "It's had a transmission overhaul by "Tornado" Hall, the carbs have
been gone through meticulously by "Zephyr" Zuercher and the ignition has been
tuned up to perfection by "Chicago" Reider. And to think that "Typhoon" Huntoon
delivered it to my door just in time to for me to drive it over for this
competition!"
The first two drivers soon came in from their first lap, arguing over whether it
was legal to pass on a sharp left-hand turn uphill section of the track. Breezy
got the next chance at a drive and picked the Stinger. It was a terrific ride
and the car handled perfectly, but he wasn't quite able to keep up with the big
Ford. More laps added up while the stopwatch-equipped lap timers filled up a
laptop with lap time data. Typhoon and Mistral each had a turn in each car and
both swore it would be hard to choose which car they'd most like to take home,
although each remarked that there was a lot to like about the cars they already
owned.
Windy's turn finally came around in the straw drawing and of course he picked
the GT. "I have already driven plenty of modified Corvairs," he said, "and I
once had a great ride in a Ford GT, but I have not had the pleasure of piloting
one till today!" He snapped into the competition seat belt and then headed out
to the oval.
The Hurricane jumped in his new Stinger and pulled onto the track ahead of the
GT. The race was on! The Stinger held the lead as the cars disappeared around
the first turn. Soon they could be seen, neck-and-neck on curves of the back
stretches of the track, and then on that last sharply curving uphill section
Windy blasted past the Stinger.
Both cars took a victory lap around the big oval and then came back to the
cheering crowd. "Wow, this is the greatest Corvair ever," exclaimed the
Hurricane. "To think that I almost kept up with you on that hill. Man, I'm gonna
enjoy taking my Stinger to the Museum car show this year. I hope Typhoon got
some good shots with his video camera."
"Shucks, I was just cruising around," bragged Windy. "I didn't want to show off
too much. But you need to realize I never got that GT out of third gear. It's
got three more gears, you know! I believe I'll go down to Rich Ford and order
one of these tomorrow -- unless of course Scirocco wants to sell hers." But
Scirocco pretended not to hear this offer so Windy reluctantly climbed out of
the GT with a sigh.
After more bragging and many photos and a terrific lunch, Breezy checked his
watch. "Let's head on back, Windy," he said. "You know we promised we'd get back
before dark, and as it is we'll have to drive your Cadillac over a hundred all
the way on I-40 if we want to get home while it's still April First."
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| April 2019 | May 2019 | June 2019 |
| Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 |
| 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
| 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 |
| 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 |
| 28 29 30 | 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 |
| | | 30 |
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SAT 06 APR 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
SAT 13 APR 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Cleanup
WED 17 APR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 24 APR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 26 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for May 2019 newsletter
SAT 27 APR 10:00 AM TUNA Tech Session, Pat Hall, 58 Avenida Valencia, Los Lunas
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SAT 04 MAY 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 15 MAY 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
FRI 17 MAY ........ Tri-State - hosted by PIKES PEAK CORVAIR CLUB
SAT 18 MAY ........ Tri-State - Best Western in Alamosa, Colorado
SUN 19 MAY ........ Tri-State - https://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter809/
SUN 19 MAY ........ Albuquerque Museum / New Mexico Car Council Car Show
WED 22 MAY 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 24 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for June 2019 newsletter
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SAT 01 JUN 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 19 JUN 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 26 JUN 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 28 JUN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for July 2019 newsletter
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SAT 06 JUL 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
FRI-SAT 12-13 JULY -- Collector Car Appreciation Day
WED 17 JUL 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 24 JUL 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 26 JUL 9:00 PM Deadline for items for August 2019 newsletter
SUN 04 AUG ........ ALL-CLUBS PICNIC - Oak Flat Picnic Area south of Tijeras
FRI-SAT-SUN 27-28-29 SEP == NMCCC 41st ANNUAL SWAP MEET == Isleta Resort Casino
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See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======================
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SUGGESTION: A visit to the Telephone Museum on Fourth Street
SUGGESTION: A visit to the new WEATHER LAB at the Balloon Museum
SUGGESTION: A visit to the Soaring Museum in Moriarty
SUGGESTION: A visit to the National Atomic Museum at Eubank and Southern SE
SUGGESTION: Activities with other clubs such as VMCCA.
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Countdown: 801 days
660 to go
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ APRIL 2019 VOL 45 Nr 4 ISSUE 523 ]
Jim Pittman
2012 V.38 Nr 4 # 439
COVER: Robert Gold, John Wiker, LeRoy Rogers and a couple of flags battle winds
before the March meeting. John Wiker said the anniversary lunch was a great
success; kudos to the Tomato Cafe! From the Las Vegas (Nevada) newsletter, Bob
Helt told in great detail about the development of the Corvair plastic cooling
fan. The plastic fan emitted poisonous fumes into the heater and was soon
replaced by a fan made of magnesium. An April Fool page showed strangely
modified Corvairs. Wait, is that an army tank with air-cooled engine by Ed Cole?
2005 V.31 Nr 4 # 355
COVER: an Old Route 66 clean-up worker in orange vest. A view of a Mount Saint
Helens eruption, thanks to Mark Martinek. Mark & Mary Lou live pretty close to
the mountain! We learned that CNM will run the August Car Council picnic. We
prepared for our anniversary lunch and our first Old Route 66 clean-up of the
year. President David told about getting the "Library Van" running then taking
it to his place with Del's help. He also mentioned 30 inches of snow in two days
at his place. Steve Goodman provided contact information for the Ouray Tri-State
coming in May. Robert recommended the April "Spring Thaw" session at Old Car
Garage where you can get your old car lubricated and generally updated for the
summer.
1998 V.24 Nr 4 # 271
COVER: a sharp 1960 coupe. David Patten rejoined CNM. A new member was Joel
Craig. President Dennis ran our meeting and a guest was Dave Newman of
Sacramento. Dennis showed us how to repair a Corvair tachometer using Radio
Shack parts. Much of our Board Meeting was devoted to plans for the Lake City
Tri-State. Sad news was that member Bud Knapp had died. Bud was a gentleman of
the old school and among his many vehicles were a 1901 Cadillac, an old Indian
motorcycle and a 1965 Monza coupe that he often drove to meetings. We reprinted
a newspaper excerpt from Dave Barry's "Complete Guide to Guys" in which he
described the Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts' game of sucking gasoline into an
old vacuum cleaner until it exploded. Barry allowed that this was really cool.
Wives of club members said "insane" instead of cool. Apparently a number of
Chicago Corvair fans agreed with Dave Barry. Two pages were devoted to stupid
rules of thumb from Bubba's Garage. Finally, a mini-book-review: we heard about
"Highways to Heaven" by Christopher Finch whose book covered the golden years of
the automobile in America.
1991 V.17 Nr 4 # 187
COVER: an electric motor powering a Corvair van in Phoenix. We had $777 in the
bank. Jim Gould and Frederico Garza were visitors; a new member was Bill Davis.
Meeting minutes reported on a lot of activities. President Steve Gongora
complained that his Lakewood was in too good condition and he couldn't use it as
a daily driver. Steve, we all deeply sympathize with your problem. Steve
provided a tech tip with drawings and dimensions for a rear seat speaker
enclosure.
Mark Morgan's new location in Vicksburg, Mississippi was featured in the
Billiken strip. Mark also reported that his Nissan pickup was totaled; he was
wearing his seat belts and had minor bruises. Jerry Goffe invited us to tour the
VLA Radio Telescope. Bill Reider reported on our New Member Packet. Steve
Goodman's tech tip was on being sure your engine ground straps are present and
tight so the starter current does not go back to the battery via the clutch
cable with disastrous results.
1984 V.10 Nr 4 # 103
COVER: a 24-piece puzzle that could be cut up and re-assembled into a late
coupe. We had $259 to spend. President LeRoy remarked on a sudden decrease in
CORSA ads. Steve Gongora gave a tech talk on upholstery and restoration. Mark
Morgan's "Shortfinal" reviewed his reasons for staying interested in Corvairs
all these years; a major reason was the CNM people. Thanks, Mark!
LeRoy reported on the Club's Tenth Anniversary Party. Bill Reider's technical
column discussed re-curving your distributor. Jim Pittman provided a "map rally"
as practice for the real road rally coming up later in the month.
1977 V.3 Nr 3 # 024
Sylvan ran our meeting and we discussed (1) a Mystery Poker Run (2) a
Progressive Dinner (3) an August Winrock car show (4) a State Fair car display
(5) a Slalom or Autocross (6) having two meetings a month. We planned to go to
Bella Vista next month for dinner. Bill Reider had total seal moly rings for
your engine.
Several tech tips were reprinted and commented on by Ike Meissner: pros and cons
of removing the fan belt for a 1/4-mile drag; wrapping your turbo exhaust pipes
with asbestos cloth to spin the turbine faster; pros and cons of keeping your
oil a little too low instead of a little too full; why you should never install
a solid pulley in place of the harmonic balancer. A short biography of William
L. Mitchell, the speaker at the 1977 Convention, was followed by an article
previewing the rear-engine DeLorean. Was this the next Corvair? Well, perhaps
not really.
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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. The newsletter
is composed using Apple computers. Software includes Mac OS-X, 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.
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