The August 2020 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 27-Jul-2020 ==== Copyright (c) 2020 Corvairs of New Mexico
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August 2020 / VOLUME 46 / NUMBER 8 / ISSUE 539
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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
NEXT MEETING Regular Meeting: August 1st at 10:00 AM
Mariposa Basin Park - Taylor Ranch Rd. at Kachina St.
THIS MONTH
President's Message ............................. David Huntoon
Dues Due Dates ........................... Membership Committee
July Regular Meeting ................................. Kay Sutt
July Board Meeting via Zoom .......................... Kay Sutt
Ran When Parked ........................ Mid-Continent Corvairs
Yellow Early Racer ..................... Mid-Continent Corvairs
Spot The 'Vair ............. Westwind, Los Angeles Corvair Club
Trip of a Lifetime with a 1964 Monza ............. Bill Lawless
Twenty-nine Years Ago: Trip to VLA ................ Jerry Goffe
Thirty-nine Years Ago: Trip to VLA ................ Jim Pittman
Acceleration - Keith Black ........... Submitted by Terry Price
Birthdays & Anniversaries ................ Membership Committee
Treasury Report ................................. Steve Gongora
Calendar of Coming Events .................. Board of Directors
August Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 Years Ago . Club Historian
COVER: Years Ago: Steve Gongora's 1966 Corsa Coupe at the VLA
COVER: Years Ago: Wayne Christgau's 1969 Monza Coupe at the VLA
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OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS
President David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Secretary Kay Sutt 505-471-1153 tarmo @ juno.com
Treasurer Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora @ msn.com
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 Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin @ gmail.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
Car Council VACANT xxx-xxx-xxxx xxxxxxxxx @ xxxxxx
MEETINGS: First Saturday of each Month at 10:00 AM
Mariposa Basin Park - Taylor Ranch Rd. at Kachina St.
INTERNET CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/
CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/
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 AUGUST 2020
DUE LAST MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.07 Maggie & Bob Kitts 25-AUG-2020
DUE THIS MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.08 NONE 25-JUN-2020
DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.09 Anne Wiker 25-JUL-2020
DUE OCT 2020 ======================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.10 Debra & Jon Anderson 25-NOV-2020
2020.10 Tony Lawler 25-NOV-2020
2020.10 Sylvia & Ray Trujillo 25-NOV-2020
INACTIVE ============================ INACTIVE DATE
2020.02 Larry Yoffee 25-MAR-2020
2020.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2020
2020.04 Conner Siddell 25-MAY-2020
2020.04 William Darcy 25-MAY-2020
2020.06 Art Gold 25-JUL-2020
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer -- Steve Gongora
c/o 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 25-Jul-2020 we have 39 active family memberships.
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PRESIDENT'S LETTER
What's Up Dave?
The short answer is not much! At our last club meeting the President's briefcase
and title were officially turned over to me. The move of Dave and Janice Allin
to Oklahoma is likely completed by now. All of us in the club are grateful to
Dave for serving as President and for all his help during the following months
when we needed it. I am sure we will keep in touch.
Our last club meeting was an early breakfast and meeting combination at Mariposa
Park on the west side. About a dozen people attended. Due to the COVID
restrictions I think we should continue our meetings at the park as weather
allows. Later in the year we will need to make other plans. For example, our
last board meeting was via ZOOM, an online meeting app. Kay was the host. She
has used ZOOM before and thanks to her everything went smoothly. Actually pretty
simple and it may be we'll use it to conduct meetings in the future, depending.
Who knows. It has been a strange year for sure!
Would like to mention that our next Old Route 66 cleanup will be Monday August
3rd at 8:30 AM. The last cleanup went well and took about an hour. Cleaning up
monthly means less time overall as things are keep relatively tidy. Picked
clean!
The next club meeting will be Saturday August 1st at 10:00 AM in Mariposa Park.
A map and directions are on the web site.
Stay safe and if anyone has ideas about future meetings and activities let us
know.
Thanks, David
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GENERAL MEETING, 07/04/2020
Kay Sutt
The meeting was called to order by President Dave Allin at 10:00 at the Mariposa
Basin Park, located on the corner of Taylor Ranch Road, NW and Kachina. Fourteen
members were present at the meeting, and the group was good at practicing social
distancing with their lawn chairs and masks. No guests were present at the
meeting.
Vice President's Report: David Huntoon reported the next highway cleanup is
scheduled for Monday, July 6 at 8:30 A.M. He recruited the 4-5 people at the
meeting he needs for about an hour to complete the task. Thanks to those who
volunteered! David anticipates having similar clean-up events in August,
September and October.
Secretary's Report: Kay Sutt had nothing to report.
Treasurer's Report: There was no treasury report.
Sunshine Committee Report: Vickie Hall had nothing to report.
Newsletter Committee: Jim Pittman was not present, but the deadline for the next
newsletter is 9:00 P.M. on Friday, July 24.
Old Business:
Since this was primarily a social gathering, old business was not discussed.
New Business:
The main item of new business was Dave Allin's resignation as president of CNM,
necessitated by his move back to Oklahoma. He has bought a house in northwest
Oklahoma City, and his house in Albuquerque went on the market July 3, with 15
showings already, and a couple offers anticipated by day's end on July 4.
Thank you, Dave, for your dedication and service to CNM! Our members will all
remember that Dave stepped up, as a relatively new club member, to fill the
presidency at a vital crossroads for CNM, and he has filled the post
magnificently. We will miss you, Dave, and we hope to see you again, maybe at
the 2021 Tri-State meet next May?
Dave Allin turned over all the president's duties and paperwork to David
Huntoon, who will step up from VP to President for the remainder of the club's
service year. Thank you, David, for your gracious acceptance of these increased
duties. David has asked for others to take over some of the duties he filled as
VP, but I will let David expound on those needs.
Tony Berbig asked about club license plates. Per Vickie Hall, there are none of
the last run of plates left, but Steve Gongora indicated he still has the design
on his computer from the last run, and David Huntoon has his original plates, so
the two said they would confer about how/where to get new plates printed.
Announcements:
Dave Allin brought his most recent model car build, a Monza GT. He said it isn't
entirely accurate, most notably the kit came with a V-8 engine. It is a
beautiful silver model, every bit as detailed as we have come to expect from
Dave's work, and he says he is happy to have it, since it is a fairly rare
1/20th scale model.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:50, after which folks spent quite a bit of time
catching up with one another and kicking tires in the parking lot. Notable in
the parking lot, Tarmo Sutt finally drove his red 1966 Corsa turbo convertible
down for the event, the first time it has been driven to a meeting, or to
Albuquerque.
Photos by Steve Gongora
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BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- 07/15/2020 -- CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM
Kay Sutt
The Board met July 15 at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom. Present were Dave Huntoon, Steve
Gongora, Jim Pittman and Kay Sutt.
There was little to discuss due to the Covid-19 shutdown. It was agreed that
the August meeting will be held in the same park and at the same time as our
regular meetings, 10:00 AM.
Since autumn is coming and there is little likelihood anything will change
in the near future, we discussed moving to the Zoom platform for club meetings.
The club would have to pay for a subscription, or, meetings are limited to 40
minutes. But since up to 300 people could attend, it would allow members far
away from Albuquerque and those who cannot come out safely due to the pandemic
to join the meeting, as long as they have a computer and access to WiFi.
More information on Zoom in the next newsletter!
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ITEMS FROM RECENT NEWSLETTERS FROM OTHER CHAPTERS
Mid-Continent Corvair Association, July 2020:
* Right: "Ran When Parked" photo.
* Below: "Ten Years Ago" racer.
The Los Angeles club "Westwind" has a regular feature "Spot The 'Vair" in which
photos from the 1960s or 1970s are provided. Can you spot the Corvair (or
Corvairs) in this photo?
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Subject: Re: CNM July Newsletter
From: Bill LAWLESS william.lawless @ aol.com
Date: 2020=Jun=30 11:21:14 MDT
To: Jim Pittman jimp @ unm.edu
Jim,
I just wanted to thank you for the quality newsletters that you have so
kindly sent me. I enjoy them immensely. They bring back wonderful memories of
the past and make me reminisce about my 1964 coupe which my father bought me off
the local Chevy showroom floor on my 18th birthday. For the next three years I
worked every day during the summers and after school (Fordham University) as a
teller at the First National City Bank to save up enough money for the trip of a
lifetime. Two of those summers were at the New York World's Fair where there was
a Bank branch. It was only three miles from my home in Flushing, NY. The job
came with free parking and a free pass to the Fair.
I have a good friend who I grew up with who also saved his earnings for those
three years so he could come with me on the trip. It was a cross country trip to
"See the USA in my Chevrolet" as Dinah Shore had been admonishing us for years
to do.
We packed the Monza to the gills. A J.C. Whitney roof rack was installed, the
back seat was folded down to accommodate the large ice chest cooler, and the
trunk was packed tight. And so on June sixth 1967 we set of on our trip of a
lifetime.
Our first leg was to Washington, DC. We set up camp in Fairfax, Virginia. We
took in all the attractions we could see in a few days. The Smithsonian, The
Aerospace Museum, Congress and all the Memorials. Then it was on to the Rockies.
We camped almost every night with occasional stays in cheap motels, as long as
they cost less than $5.00. We bought gas for as little as 29 cents a gallon and
ate full breakfasts for $1.00. I had my first A & W root beer -- still my
favorite. We cruised at 70 mph from dawn to dusk whenever we found a complete
section on the developing Interstate system.
We finally arrived in Estes Park just outside of Rocky Mountain Park where we
encountered a work crew on the road going into the town. A road crew hand came
up to my car window to tell us that Estes Park was the real "Sin City of the
West." We kept on going into our campsite in the Park and had such a good time
there that we never did find out what the deal was in Estes Park.
Next stop was the Grand Canyon via Monument Valley where we had to wait while
Navahos herded huge flocks of sheep across the road. The Canyon was Spectacular.
Fortunately, we had had the foresight to book the mule ride into the Canyon a
year in advance. That was a ride to remember. But as a couple of City Slickers
from New York who had never been on a horse even, our butts were so sore by the
end of the day that we skipped dinner and opted for some Seagram's and Seven-Up
-- aka Seven and Seven. It was actually my 21st birthday so I was able to buy
the booze. Unfortunately, I wasn't much of a drinker and my buddy Frank had to
help me out of our rustic cabin until we found a tree that I could relieve my
busting bladder on. Frank drove all the next day to Yuma while I nursed the
worst hangover I was ever to experience. Lesson learned the hard way.
Driving up out of the Mojave desert we encountered the one really predictable
problem specific to the air-cooled Corvair: overheating when the outside
temperature is over 110. When the warning buzzer sounded, we pulled over to the
side of the road right next to a totally useless barrel of water that was
specifically there for overheated vehicles.
We opened the driver's manual which informed us to turn on the heater full blast
and wait for the system to cool down. Needless to say, we got out of the car
while this happened to the relative coolness on the desert air. From then on, no
more car problems.
We drove up the California coast, saw Disneyland and San Francisco and the
Hippies in Haight Ashbury. Then on to Yosemite and Mount Rushmore. Finally we
turned due east and headed toward home. However, there was one final glitch.
While racing through Pennsylvania on a rain-slicked country road near Johnstown,
the Corvair crested a hill where the road also curved to the left somewhat
sharply. Suddenly, the rear end breaks loose and the car does a 360 degree spin
across the oncoming traffic lane, hits a high embankment, bounces off and
continues the spin back across the road coming to a stop on the right shoulder
just three feet from a 15 foot drop-off. All four tires had come off the rims.
Fortunately, we were both unhurt.
One week later, after a cracked transmission housing was replaced and a fender
pulled out to a drivable position, we finished our two month odyssey none the
worse for wear. I loved that Corvair.
Bill Lawless -- Sent from my Verizon Motorola Smartphone
From: Jim Pittman
Date: 2020=Jun=30 13:04:16
To: Bill LAWLESS
Hi Bill,
This is a story that deserves to be in the next issue of the newsletter!
I hope that will be okay with you.
The pandemic promises to destroy civilization unless we are much more careful
than we have been so far.
Certainly it has cramped the style of Corvairs of New Mexico!
- Jim
From: Bill LAWLESS
Date: 2020=Jun=30 12:24:56
To: Jim Pittman
Jim,
I would be honored for you to use my story in the newsletter. Those days
were the best days of my life. We were living the American dream. Now I feel
like we're living in a nightmare as the country is quickly destroying itself.
Who ever thought that we would be experiencing the Great Flu epidemic of 1919,
the Great Depression if the 1930s, and the Race Riots of the 1950s all at the
same time in the year 2020?
From: Jim Pittman
Date: 2020=Jun=30 15:29
To: Bill LAWLESS
Hi Bill,
At the risk of turning this correspondence into a Stone Soup fairy tale,
let me say that your article will fit perfectly in the August newsletter, but it
would taste much better if you could dig through your box of old snapshots and
find one or two or three color photos of your Monza and you and your friend with
scenic backgrounds from your trip to copy and send me.
It will work without the snapshots, though, if you can't find them. And the
honor will be mine to be able to include your story!
Thanks -- Jim
From: Bill LAWLESS
Date: 2020=Jun=30 15:48:52
To: Jim Pittman
Jim,
I would be happy to send any pictures I can find. They are pretty faded
after 53 years. Most of the pictures that included the Corvair were on the 8 mm
home movie film that Frank took.
One PostScript to the story:
One year after the trip I gave the Corvair to my sister who needed a car. I was
on my way to the Peace Corps for the next two and a half years but hoped to have
the Corvair when I returned. Unfortunately, my sister sold the car and bought a
new Dodge Dart. When I got back I used the $75.00 a month stipend they gave us
to buy a new Ford Pinto which was only $1950.00 at the time . I later regretted
that when the doors started to rust through after just a few years. I now wish I
had simply bought a used late model Corsa Coupe with that money. -- Bill
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TWENTY-NINE YEARS AGO -- April 1991
For the June 1991 issue Jerry Goffe contributed this report on a club tour that
he organized to the VLA Radio Telescope near Socorro, NM.
It was a cool clear morning, that of Sunday April 7, 1991. Approximately 30
CORVAIR enthusiasts and friends met at Goodies restaurant near the Albuquerque
Airport for breakfast. Leaving the facility at 9:30, with 14 or so cars, we
proceeded south on I-25 with LeRoy Rogers in the lead. A few more cars caught up
with us before we got to Socorro and by the time we arrived at the VLA (Very
Large Array) site it was slightly after noon and we were 40-some strong. We
pulled into the visitors' center parking lot with 16 or so Corvairs and a few
non-Corvairs.
There we were greeted by Kelly Gatlin, our guide, and taken into the visitors'
center, out of the wind. We watched an audio/visual slide presentation that had
some wonderful photographs in it by ME. After looking at the different exhibits,
Kelly informed us that he had arranged for the cafeteria building to be opened,
allowing us to eat out of the wind and sand. We were asked to enter through the
bacteria -- rear door to a cafeteria. We were soon joined by a group from the
Early V8 FORD (Fix Or Repair Daily) club. Yes we asked them to join our
prearranged tour since they had failed to prearrange their own tour.
After lunch, we went into the control building. The first area visited was where
the signals enter the building from the dishes (antennas), then to the control
equipment room and then into the actual control room where real people actually
sit and observe and control. The computer room was next on the list where a few
adults got a bit concerned about a few kids and their "hands on" attitude, but
all was okay... congratulations! It was clear at this point that our guide,
Kelly, had the patience of Job and a vast amount of knowledge to be shared with
us about this VLA.
The next area of our tour took us back to the parking lot, into our cars and
over to the assembly building. In this building, routine maintenance and repairs
are performed on the antennas on a continual basis -- it's just like painting
the Golden Gate bridge. The building is said to be ten and one-half stories
high. It houses one of the twenty-eight, 94 foot high by 235 ton telescopes for
a six week service period and then the telescope is rotated out and another one
brought in. We were fortunate that Kelly had planned ahead and brought hard hats
for us to wear, since that area was designated a hard hat area. Then we were
allowed to climb up to the top of the dish and look down and around. The
locomotive that lifts these dishes and moves them over the 13-mile length of
each arm was another point of interest. It places the telescope on the pedestal
with precision of better than 1/4 inch.
After all the climbing and walking, our tour was over except for a few staged
photos (thanks Bill for your help) and back home to Albuquerque we proceeded.
This time we had a tail wind. Chuck Vertrees brought up the rear.
Not only could we not have asked for a more interesting location to tour and
visit, but we could not have asked for a better guide than Kelly Gatlin. With
his knowledge, ability to talk with us within our limited vocabulary, abundance
of patience and enthusiasm, Kelly proved to be one of the best parts about our
tour of the Very Large Array on this Sunday.
Jerry Goffe -- Tour Host
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THIRTY-NINE YEARS AGO -- 23 August 1981
A LITTLE TRIP TO SEE THE RADIO TELESCOPE
Jim Pittman
Corvairs of several kinds met at the Exxon station near I-25 on a beautiful
Sunday morning. While filling up tanks with gas everyone looked around to see
who was present. A good turnout. Driver's meeting. A map to show where to go.
There's nearly two hours to get to Socorro where we are to be met by an engineer
from the VLA facility who will accompany us and give us a guided tour. We set
out, get on the freeway, heading south. Well, get ready for several hours of
boredom, going 40 miles an hour. But somehow it's not so boring. There's FM
music from Albuquerque practically all the way. The scenery's pretty, with lots
of flowers nearby and marvelous mountains in the distance. The car feels fine.
How fast to run? Well, 45 to 50 seem okay, but 40 seems too slow. A few downhill
stretches tempt one above 60 but this is an economy run after all; slow it down
a bit. Where did all the Corvairs ahead of us go to? There's a few up ahead. We
pass them. Guess they are trying to win or something. What's this? Someone in a
Corvair passing us? Right behind a big land yacht doing about 65? Trying to save
gasoline by "drafting" and get there twice as fast into the bargain. Good luck.
Finally we reach Socorro and find Hobo Joe's and park next to several earlier
club members. A few minutes break from the grueling competition of an Econo-Run.
Not too long before other Corvairs come in. Meet our guide. Decode to go to the
VLA cafeteria, not to the picnic area. Our guide says we'll have some grades to
pull and will be digging for lower gears. We set out. Don't get lost in Socorro.
Oops, someone has stopped and has their engine lid up. Someone else is stopping
to help out. There's the turn to Magdalena. Heading west now. Sure is pretty
here; last time we came this way it was a lot more drab, but now there are
flowers everywhere.
Couldn't have picked a day with better weather. Guess these are the hills he
mentioned. Have to watch the oil temperature going uphill in fourth gear. Try to
stay in fourth as much as possible, but have to go to third a couple of times.
There's Magdalena. See up there in the mountains where the mines used to be. The
town of Kelly is up there, not really enough left now to call it a ghost town,
just a cemetery and some abandoned mining equipment. Magdalena isn't too big or
too busy; can we get through without stopping? Yes, and we don't even get out of
fourth gear. Now it should be downhill for a while. When will we see the first
radio telescope antenna? Finally, there's one, past those trees. There's
another. Now we can see lots of them. Spotted across the plain, at a distance
they look almost like a field of mushrooms. Here's the turnoff. Boy, there are a
lot of flowers here. Turn right toward the buildings. Stop here with everybody
else for photos. Now we have to go into the parking area. Who's trying to coast
down to the parking area? Can't quite make it. Want a push? Nah, we'll squander
some gas and drive down.
Lunch time. We take over the cafeteria. A few VLA people are there. They must
think the barbarian hordes have descended on them. Divide our attention between
sandwiches and the field of antennas outside the windows. Hey, look, they're
moving! Not quite fast enough to see the movement, but glance into your ice
chest to find another coke and look back out the window and you can tell they
are looking in a different direction. And they all look the same way! How eerie.
I always thought they were aimed at something and then looked at it for hours,
turning to match the rotation speed of the earth. But today they are looking
every which way, almost like a super big, super slow-motion field of daisies.
Our guide gives a lecture on the purpose and the function of the Very Large
Array. Astronomers from all over the world come to use it. The movements of all
the antennas are controlled by computer. We leave for tours of the buildings.
Certainly impressive hardware they have here. Time to go over to the assembly
building; it's half a mile. Hey, look at all the guys walking! Saving gas, no
doubt. We'll drive. Quite a building, big enough to hold an antenna. There's one
in it now. It sure seems to fill up the building. The owners, two gigantic owls,
peer at us from their perch on the steel rafters. We stare back through
binoculars. Guess they think we are barbarian hordes too.
Finally we've had our fill of anecdotes about the VLA and we head back east to
the rendezvous point to fill up and see who won. Beyond Magdalena the hill is
now down instead of up. Naturally we will try turning off the engine and
coasting. Wow, you can build up quite a velocity this way! Hate to put on the
brakes but we can't run over those cars up ahead. Darn, what's wrong with the
transmission, won't go into fourth. The shift linkage must be loose. Hate to
think of having to go the rest of the way to Socorro in third. Try again. Nope,
just grinds. Wait a minute, if it's loose, maybe I can get it into third and hit
it a few times to take up some of the slack, then it will go into fourth. Try
it. Okay, there it goes. Glad we didn't run into anybody during all this
maneuvering with the shifter. Okay, here's the turn. Hope the stop lights don't
get us. There's the gas station. Fill 'er up, with president Bill watching
eagle-eyed for any hanky-panky. Wait until all the cars are in and filled up.
Chairman Sylvan goes away to calculate. Finally it's time for the prizes. Guess
who got first place, again. Guess who got second-best gas mileage, again. Not
bad for an old car with 77,000 on the engine. What did we guess the EPA highway
mileage for Corvairs would be? Maybe we'll have to revise that figure upward. We
had no fewer than seven Corvairs in today's group with 30 MPG or better.
Well, it was a nice day. Head north for home. Hope the pictures come out all
right. You know, this club puts on some pretty good events. We'll be eager for
the October Aspencade. Will this year's Aspencade be an economy run? It should
be.
AUG23 Econo-Run to radio telescope.
1966 Corvair Corsa coupe, 140-HP engine. Trophy: 33.75 mpg.
.............................................................................
This article was originally published in January of 2006. Today I think the
figures would be even more impressive. Submitted by Terry Price
ACCELERATION Defined
(Per the Keith Black Website)
Gear heads,
One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the
first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane
per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% LESS
energy being produced.
A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's
supercharger. With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on
overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before
ignition.
Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle. At the
stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology by which quantities of reactants and
products in chemical reactions are determined) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro
methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F.
Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at
night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated for from atmospheric water vapor by
the searing exhaust gasses.
Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc
welder in each cylinder. Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a
pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of
exhaust valves at 1,400 deg F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the
fuel flow.
If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the
affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder
heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average
of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch
acceleration approaches 8 G's.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this
sentence. Top fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to
light! Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under
load.
The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm. Assuming all the equipment is
paid off, the crew worked for free and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run cost
an estimate $1,000 per second.
The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the
quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher), (Today, 11/4/2019, 3.659 seconds at
338 mph, Britany Force).
Putting all this into perspective, picture this scenario: You are driving the
average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up
the road, a top fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile
strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette
hard through the gears and blast across the starting line and pass the dragster
at an honest 200 mph. The "tree" goes green for both of you at the last moment.
The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but
you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3
seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a
quarter mile away from where you just passed him.
Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and
not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a
mere 1,320 foot long race course.
... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!
.............................................................................
============================================================================
| August 2020 | September 2020 | October 2020 |
| Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa |
| 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 |
| 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
| 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 |
| 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 |
| 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 27 28 29 30 | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
| 30 31 | | |
============================================================================
SAT 01 AUG 10:00 AM = MEETING IN THE PARK = MARIPOSA PARK, TAYLOR RANCH
Location: Taylor Ranch, 4900 Kachina Street NW **** WEAR MASKS ****
WED 19 AUG 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
SUN 23 AUG ........ Albuquerque Museum Car Show === CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
SUN xx AUG ........ NMCCC All Clubs Picnic ======== CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
WED 26 AUG 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
FRI 28 AUG 9:00 PM Deadline for items for September 2020 newsletter
MON 31 AUG >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 05 SEP 10:00 AM Meeting: ============================ TO BE DETERMINED
WED 16 SEP 5:00 PM Board Meeting: ====================== TO BE DETERMINED
WED 23 SEP 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: ===== TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 25 SEP 9:00 PM Deadline for items for October 2020 newsletter
MON 28 SEP >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING OCTOBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 03 OCT 10:00 AM Meeting: ============================ TO BE DETERMINED
WED 21 OCT 5:00 PM Board Meeting: ====================== TO BE DETERMINED
WED 28 OCT 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: ===== TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 30 OCT 9:00 PM Deadline for items for November 2020 newsletter
MON 02 NOV >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SUN 01 NOV 2:00 AM - Set your clocks back an hour.
SAT 07 NOV 10:00 AM Meeting: ============================ TO BE DETERMINED
WED 18 NOV 5:00 PM Board Meeting: ====================== TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 27 NOV 9:00 PM Deadline for items for December 2020 newsletter
MON 30 NOV >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING DECEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
WED 00 NOV [ NO CAR COUNCIL MEETING THIS MONTH ]
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======================
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: Activities with other clubs such as VMCCA.
============================================================================
.............................................................................
TREASURY REPORT FOR 06-28-2020 to 07-15-2020
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $6,762.93
========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= =========
2020.05.06 2391 -$ 40.00 Replacement B.Stickler (Replacement Check) -$ 40.00 $6,722.93
2020.06.10 2385 +$ 40.00 Voided B.Stickler (Voided Check) $ 40.00 $6,762.93
2020.07.04 6096 +$ 25.00 Dues L.Piatt 12 m CNM $ 25.00 $6,787.93
2020.07.14 $ 25.00 Dues T.Price 12 m CNM $ 25.00 $6,812.93
2020.07.14 $ 45.00 Dues T.Price 12 m CORSA $ 45.00 $6,857.93
2020.07.14 $ 1.00 Donation T.Price - CORSA Donation $ 1.00 $6,858.93
2020.07.14 $ 1.00 Donation T.Price - Corvair Preservation $ 1.00 $6,859.93
2020.07.14 2392 -$ 47.00 CORSA T.Price - CORSA Dues, Donation -$ 47.00 $6,812.93
========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= =========
2020.08.01 AUG NEWSLETTER ===================================================== $6,812.93
.............................................................................
Happy August Birthday Wishes to:
Geoffrey Johnson
Steve Johnson
Mark L Morgan
Sarah Price
Lee Reider
Happy August Anniversary Wishes to:
Anne & Geoffrey Johnson
Sylvia & Ray Trujillo
.............................................................................
SEVEN YEARS AGO [ AUGUST 2020 VOL 46 Nr 8 ISSUE 539 ]
Jim Pittman
2013 V.39 Nr 8 #455
COVER: Corvairs at the TA Truck Stop breakfast. John Wiker reported on a Fourth
of July show at the Balloon Fiesta park. Pat Hall and Bill Darcy planned a TUNA
on carburetors. Brenda Stickler called a logo contest for the 2014 Chama
Tri-State. Robert Gold told us that Governor Martinez appreciated the old car
hobby. Robert also extolled the joy of being on the Plaza in Santa Fe on the
Fourth of July.
2006 V.32 Nr 8 #371
COVER: a Corvair looks out over the city from high on the road to La Luz Trail.
At the July meeting Wendell reported $2,935 in the treasury. Jim reported that,
since CNM sponsored the Montrose, colorado Tri-State last month, we mailed a
copy of the July newsletter to everyone who registered. Five CNM members (with
three Corvairs) were at the Fourth of July car show on the plaza in Santa Fe.
President Ray told the story of how he came to buy his Corsa convertible in
Phoenix back in 2003. Naturally, Ray soon met Sylvan Zuercher and soon joined
CNM. Robert reported on the Car Council meeting and described seeing a beautiful
1956 Lincoln Mark II at the Old Car Garage. Maybe he went to the meetings just
to see the exotic old cars? An article by our long-time member Del Patten
described his life in Virginia, at least the parts where he attended Corvair
club events. Wrapping up this issue was a brochure forecasting the NMCCC picnic
at Jemez Falls camp grounds on August 6.
1999 V.25 Nr 8 #287
COVER: Steve, Dave and Ollie posing next to filled trash bags on an Old Route 66
cleanup excursion. The weather was cool but windy, making it hard to fill those
flimsy plastic bags. New members were Wayne Uhl of Cloudcroft and Richard Foster
of White Rock. Dennis conducted our meeting at Casa Chevrolet. Wendell e-mailed
that our finances stood at $6,329. Mark Domzalski had been elected CORSA
president for another term. Our Tri-State was at Salida, Colorado and we were
happy that Kay and Tarmo received the Boydston Award. The Tri-State for 2000 was
to be in Albuquerque in conjunction with the Museum Car Show. Several Corvairs
were in Santa Fe for the July 4th plaza show, but English cars got all the
awards. At the board meeting we had a report on the car show at Cottonwood Mall,
away west in Rio Rancho. We planned a camping trip to Jack's Creek in the Pecos
and a map with directions was provided. An article from Virtual Vairs by Norm
Helmkay discussed keeping a Powerglide automatic transmission alive in an
Ultravan. Yes, heat is the big killer, and driving a heavy Ultravan up and down
hills or into the wind in the summer may be the worst case! Norm told how he
added an oil temperature gauge to keep an eye on the fluid temperature, and he
suggested installing an oil cooler (perhaps an early Corvair 12-plate) to help
keep the Dextron ATF below 170 degrees at all times. Norm added a tip for
looking at a drop of the fluid to see it it has been overheated. Finally, four
letters to the editor discussing a recent article on the Corvair's unsafe image
were borrowed from the Wall Street Journal.
1992 V.18 Nr 8 #203
COVER: Wayne Christgau's 1969 Monza at the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.
We met at the Lincoln-Mercury dealership, not Casa Chevrolet. Sylvan introduced
new member Ollie Scheflow. Wendy reported $1,043. Milton reported that 21 CNM
members helped move new Chevrolets from Ed Black's to the new Casa dealership.
Casa Chevrolet offered to pick up the postage for "Enchanted Corvairs
Newsletter" for which we are all grateful. Steve reported that we sponsored two
cars in The Great American Car Race. He also reported on our trip to the Santa
Fe Fourth of July show and our tour of Tinkertown. Previews included an Arts in
the Park Tour by Sylvan; the State Fair Car Show by LeRoy; an Orange Barrel
Funkhana by Chuck; and the Christmas Dinner by the Sticklers. Larry provided a
photo of a 1960 Corvair floating through the flooded intersection of Second and
Indian School several years ago. Tech tips told us how to fasten those early
model air cleaner clips without chipping the paint, and the use of pieces of
plastic water pipe and glue to repair old cracked Corvair body parts. We had "A
Poem Four Bill" about the hazards of trusting your computer's spell checker.
1985 V.11 Nr 8 #119
COVER: another Mark Morgan Corvair-derived race car. Our meeting was in Santa Fe
at Molly's Kitchen. Bill McClellan's "Gas Welding" concluded with part four.
Mark Morgan told us about how he started drawing modified Corvairs after a
comment by Sylvan. Bill Reider's tech column was on fixing floating valves and
changing oil.
1978 V.4 Nr 7 #35
COVER: A rare Loadside. At a board meeting we said our diversity was a strength
but also a weakness: it was hard to find activities that everyone would
participate in. Jim contributed technical articles on turbocharging. The first
one asserted that it was not a good idea on Corvairs. Bob Helt had an article on
spark plugs, Francis Boydston wrote about cooling considerations and Gary Jarvis
wrote about Corvair brakes.
.............................................................................
PANDEMIC TIMELINE - https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html
0 DEC 31 Wuhan, China: Treating dozens of cases of a new virus disease
11 JAN 11 China: First known death from an illness caused by the virus
20 JAN 20 Japan, South Korea, Thailand: First cases outside China
21 JAN 21 Washington State: First confirmed case in the United States
23 JAN 23 Wuhan, China: City is cut off from all travel
30 JAN 30 World Health Organization: Declares a global health emergency
31 JAN 31 USA: Restrictions on travel from China
33 FEB 02 Philippines: First Coronavirus death outside China
36 FEB 05 Japan: Thousands are quarantined on cruise ship
38 FEB 07 China: Doctor who tried to raise the alarm died of coronavirus
42 FEB 11 World Health Organization: The disease is named "Covid-19"
45 FEB 14 France: First death in Europe
50 FEB 19 Japan: Hundreds leave the quarantined cruise ship
52 FEB 21 South Korea: Shincheonji Church is linked to surge of infections
54 FEB 23 Italy: Major surge in number of cases
55 FEB 24 Iran: A second major focus of cases
57 FEB 26 Brazil: First Latin American case reported
59 FEB 28 Nigeria: First African sub-saharan case reported
60 FEB 29 Seattle: First U.S. death reported
63 MAR 03 USA: All federal restrictions on testing are lifted
67 MAR 07 CNM: At anniversary party many are worried about the coronavirus
71 MAR 11 New Mexico: Four cases of Covid-19 are confirmed
71 MAR 11 New Mexico: Governor evokes the Public Health Emergency Act
71 MAR 11 USA: Blocks most travel from Europe
73 MAR 13 USA: Declaration of a national emergency
75 MAR 15 USA: The C.D.C. recommends no gatherings of 50 or more people
77 MAR 17 France: The government imposes a national lockdown
83 MAR 23 New Mexico: Governor issues a statewide stay-at-home order
83 MAR 23 Britain: The government announces a national lockdown
84 MAR 24 Japan: The Tokyo Olympics are postponed until 2021
84 MAR 24 India: The government imposes a 24-day lockdown
86 MAR 26 USA: Now leads the world with 81,321 confirmed cases
87 MAR 27 USA: A stimulus bill of $2 trillion is signed
88 MAR 28 USA: The C.D.C. imposes a travel advisory for New York
93 APR 02 World: Cases are now over a million with at least 51,000 dead
95 APR 04 CNM: Cancel regular meeting due to Covid-19 pandemic
99 APR 08 World: At least 24 companies announce vaccine programs
101 APR 10 Russia: Reports 12,000 cases, two-thirds in Moscow
105 APR 14 International Monetary Fund predicts another Great Depression
108 APR 17 USA: President encourages protests against state restrictions
115 APR 24 European Union: Tones down criticism against China
115 APR 24 Makers of Lysol and Clorox warn against ingesting their products
123 MAY 02 CNM: We cancel our regular meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic
136 MAY 15 New Mexico: Easing of restrictions, some openings at 25% capacity
138 MAY 17 Japan and Germany officialy declare economic recessions
140 MAY 19 Britain: Cambridge University moves all student lectures online
148 MAY 27 USA: Covid-19 deaths now over 100,000 in the United States
150 MAY 29 USA: President says USA will leave the World Health Organization
152 MAY 31 USA: Protests in 75 cities drive concerns about new infections
156 JUN 04 World: Number of known cases increasing by 100,000 new cases per day
158 JUN 06 CNM: First meeting since March, at a park, with "social distancing"
168 JUN 16 Britain: Scientists say dexamethasone reduces Covid-19 deaths by 30%
172 JUN 20 USA: Southern U.S. states see sharp rise in cases.
186 JUL 04 CNM: We hold our second "social distancing" meeting at a park
188 JUL 06 USA: deaths surpass 130,000 - Dr Fauci asks citizens to avoid crowds
189 JUL 07 Brazil: President of Brazil tests positive for Covid-19
192 JUL 10 Hong Kong: shuts down schools amid a third wave
195 JUL 13 USA: More than five million Americans lose health insurance
197 JUL 15 CNM: We have our first trial meeting via Zoom
214 AUG 01 CNM: We plan our third meeting at a park
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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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