The February 2021 newsletter - Text Version Updated 01-Feb-2021 ==== Copyright (c) 2021 Corvairs of New Mexico ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== February 2021 / VOLUME 47 / NUMBER 2 / ISSUE 545 ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== 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: February 6th at 10:00AM CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS THIS MONTH President's Letter: What's Up Dave .............. David Huntoon Dues Due Dates ........................... Membership Committee January Meetings Cancelled .............. Covid-19/Coronavirus J & R Vintage Auto Museum Tour 6-February-2010 ... Larry Yoffee Spot the 'Vair ....................... Netherlands Corvair Club Treasury Report ................................. Steve Gongora Birthdays & Anniversaries ................ Membership Committee Owned Since New? ................. Contributed by David Huntoon Corvair Misconceptions ....... Mike McGowan via Chicago AIRHORN GM's Electrovair ........ Michael Gauthier via WESTWIND of L.A. The Pandemic is Getting Worse (*) ........... Holly Chan of CNN Calendar of Coming Events .................. Board of Directors February Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago ... Club Historian COVER: Visit to J & R Vintage Auto Museum -- 6 February 2010 * We are deluged with news stories, warnings and pleas about the pandemic. Here is one more. Are you doing your part to defeat it? =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS President David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com Vice-President Tarmo Sutt 505-690-2046 tarmo @ juno.com Secretary Kay Sutt 505-471-1153 tarmo @ juno.com Treasurer Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora @ msn.com Membership Linda Soukup 763-226-0707 feathersandfur.ls @ gmail.com Car Council Tony Berbig 763-226-0707 studeboytony @ gmail.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 Greg Nelson 505-400-8670 fesedu @ comcast.net Past President Ray Trujillo 505-814-8373 rtrujilloabq505 @ gmail.com Past President Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com Past President Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin @ gmail.com MEETINGS: Regular Meeting for February CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS INTERNET: CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/ CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/ New Mexico Council of Car Clubs www.nmcarcouncil.com/ 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 DUES DUE DATES FEBRUARY 2021 DUE LAST MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE 2021.01 Fred & Brenda Edeskuty 25-FEB-2021 DUE THIS MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE 2021.02 Linda & Anthony Berbig 25-MAR-2021 DUE NEXT MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE 2021.03 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 25-APR-2021 2021.03 Kelli & Mark Morgan 25-APR-2021 2021.03 Sui-Fong & David Neale 25-APR-2021 2021.03 Emma & LeRoy Rogers 25-APR-2021 2021.03 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 25-APR-2021 DUE APRIL 2021 ================== INACTIVE DATE 2020.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 25-MAY-2021 2021.04 Terry Hall 25-MAY-2021 2021.04 Janet & Steve Johnson 25-MAY-2021 2021.04 Lesha Kitts 25-MAY-2021 INACTIVE ======================== INACTIVE DATE 2020.02 Larry Yoffee 25-MAR-2020 2020.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2020 2020.04 Conner Siddell 25-MAY-2020 2020.06 Art Gold 25-JUL-2020 2020.12 David Huntoon 25-JAN-2021 2020.12 Lee Reider 25-JAN-2021 Send your Dues to: CNM Treasurer -- Steve Gongora 8419 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque, NM 87111 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. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= PRESIDENT'S LETTER -- What's up Dave? Hope everyone is doing well. There is some good news out there. I know of several people who have received their vaccine shots already. That rollout should speed up as time passes. The Tri-State is back on the calendar for October this year. Good news there! I think our regular club meetings can happen again by April. Weather should be better and outdoor meetings should be possible even if indoor locations are not available by then. I am a little disappointed that few members have expressed interest in online club meetings. Board meetings will continue online to manage routine business events. Other than that things are pretty quiet for us and many other organizations. I.E. other clubs. Be ready to think about what you can do when the Tri-State occurs. We will need your help to make it successful. Stay safe and optimistic, David Huntoon =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= COVER STORY: we have been to the J & R Vintage Auto Museum several times. In February 2010 Larry Blair arranged for us to meet at The Range restaurant in Bernalillo for lunch before going to the Museum. It was a fine lunch. Then we drove across the river to the Museum in Rio Rancho for a great tour. The original report from the February 2010 issue of Enchanted Corvairs newsletter is on page 4. Here are a few more photos from that tour. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= J & R Vintage Auto Museum Tour Larry Yoffee -- 6 February 2010 On our agenda for Saturday, February 6 was a tour of the J & R Vintage Auto Museum in Rio Rancho. I had heard that it is a long-time tradition for Corvairs of New Mexico folks to have a "garage tour" every February and I was looking forward to seeing what they were like. Following a well attended lunch at the Range Cafe in Bernalillo (Larry Blair and I recommend the green chile chicken stew), the crew set out to Rio Rancho to find the museum. Personally, I thought I knew where it was and had actually gone there a few years ago only to find it closed, but Rio Rancho has grown tremendously since then and it was harder to find now. Fortunately, we did find it, and it was well worth the trip there. J & R features over 70 mostly pre-war vehicles of historic significance. Some of these classics have competed in the Great American Race, including the 1995 winner, a 1917 Marmon. This interested me personally because I thought Marmon produced only trucks, one of which my uncle owned several years ago. In addition to the pre-war vehicles, several post-war and 1960s era vehicles were displayed. One vehicle in particular that impressed me was a 1948 Ford convertible in wonderful condition. I don't recall having actually seen this body style as a convertible. It was also interesting to me to listen to other club members relate their particular knowledge, experience and memories of certain cars and what they meant to them. J & R also has a really nice selection of die cast models, books and automotive memorabilia. I usually give my little grandson at least one die cast model car a year, and now I have a new source to go to when I want to look for unusual and sometimes hard to find models. I would have liked to tour their restoration shop which seemed closed. Through the window we could see that they had at least six projects going all at various stages of completion. That didn't seem to be an option and no one was working that day in the shop. There's something about vintage (and aren't we all of a certain vintage) automobiles that has a certain appeal to all and a reminder of where we have come from: technologically, stylistically and as a reflection of our societal changes over time. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the building dedicated to the display and celebration of one of the most important cars ever produced -- The Chevrolet Corvair! Overall, I would recommend to other members who were unable to join us or have never been there to take the family and spend some time viewing and reading about the vehicles in this fine collection. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Photo from the Netherlands Corvair Club publication "Corvair Mail" of December 2020. The photo is from the movie Playtime, directed by Jacques Tati, 1967. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Happy Birthday Wishes to February CNM'ers: Bob Kitts Anthony Shortle Happy Anniversary Wishes to February CNM'ers: Rita & Steve Gongora Diane & Tony Lawyer =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= TREASURY REPORT FOR 12-14-2020 to 01-31-2021 DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,217.93 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= ========= 2021.01.03 2787 $ 20.00 Roadrunner Vickie & Pat Hall - Roadrunner $ 20.00 $7,237.93 2021.01.03 3183 $ 30.00 Roadrunner Steve & Rita Gongora Roadrunner $ 30.00 $7,267.93 2021.01.03 1961 $ 50.00 Roadrunner Curtis Shimp - Roadrunner $ 50.00 $7,317.93 2021.01.03 7657 $ 100.00 Roadrunner Tarmo & Kay Sutt - Roadrunner $ 100.00 $7,417.93 2021.01.03 6065 $ 50.00 Dues R.McBreen 26 m CNM $ 50.00 $7,467.93 2020.12.14 2396 -$ 200.00 ROADRUNNER FOOD BANK - Donation Check -$ 200.00 $7,267.93 2021.01.06 6099 $ 100.00 Roadrunner Heula & Jim Pittman Roadrunner $ 100.00 $7,367.93 2021.01.06 2397 -$ 100.00 ROADRUNNER FOOD BANK - Donation Check -$ 100.00 $7,267.93 2021.01.16 elec -$ 10.00 NM State Annual Corporation Report 2020 -$ 10.00 $7,257.93 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= ========= 2021.02.01 FEB NEWSLETTER ===================================================== $7,257.93 =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Fwd: VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 192, Issue 5 To: Jim Pittman (jimp@unm.edu) From: David Huntoon (corvair66@aol.com) Date: Mon 1/4/2021 9:57 AM Jim, Found this interesting. It's a thread about owners who have had their Corvairs since new. Check the Jim Davis message. -- Later, David From: David Marlatt via VirtualVairs To: (virtualvairs@corvair.org) Date: Thu, Dec 31, 2020 12:13 pm Subject: Re: (VV) How many bought their Corvairs new and still have them? I guess I didn't buy my '61 Monza Coupe new either seeing as I wasn't born yet and technically it was given to me... My great uncle bought it new in San Francisco, later selling it to his brother-in-law, my grandfather, in Baker OR. My grandfather fixed it up a little bit and then gave it to me in '82 when I turned 16... The first thing I did with it was take a young lady on a date that night and the next day drove it 444 miles from Baker back home to Janesville, CA with my parents following in their '72 AMC Matador. Today it sits in my shop in Lakeside, CA patiently waiting for me to fix it up again... I'm gonna try to keep it in the family, I've got a few years though, my eldest grandson just turned one last month. Dave Marlatt -- Lakeside, CA -- '61 Monza Coupe, '63 Corvan, '63 Greenbrier, '64 Monza Convertible, '64 Monza Convertible (parts car) Byron LaMotte -- South Wind 4501 World Farm Rd. Oxford, Md. 21654 From: James Davis (hurricanehazel16@gmail.com) To: Byron LaMotte (bhlamotte@gmail.com) Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2021 20:03:44 -0600 Subject: Re: (VV) Have owned a Corvair from new until today (without interruption) Add my name to the list. I was driving my wife's 1962 Monza convertible, Feb 21,1965, when Sally Matty Doyl decided to turn left on US-87 just south of Plainview, TX. I shortened the car 18 inches. It soon became obvious that I needed a new car, as our other car was 1962 Fiat 600D. Back home in Albuquerque, I searched for a 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible. Three were available in the local area. Two were evening orchid turbos and one was a 140. The 140 was Danube blue with white top, 4-sp with light blue metallic interior, deluxe seat belts, push button AM radio, rear antenna and posi. No other options. The price was $3,050 including licence and tax. I was a 1LT over 2 making $410 including housing and subsistence, so it was a big purchase for me and my pregnant wife. Ms. Doyl's insurance company settled for $1,250, so the cost was $59 per month to Commercial Credit Corporation plus USAA charged me $30 semiannually for insurance. I took delivery of the car in the Gallis showroom on March 3, 1965. It was showing 13 miles on the odometer. The car currently has 318,000+ miles. The rust was removed (daily driver in northern Maine for 10 years) and repainted by Micheal LeVeque in 2011. It has been coast to coast 3 times towing one of my Fiats. It currently has its third top (both replacements installed by me 1974, 2008) and is on its third interior (last two installed by me 1986, 2019). It is still my biggest and most powerful car. Jim Davis From: Byron LaMotte via VirtualVairs To: (virtualvairs@corvair.org) Date: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 at 5:30 PM Subject: Re: (VV) Have owned a Corvair from new until today (without interruption) Paul, NJACE has their monthly Zoom meeting yesterday. We had a "Show and Tell" session in which all attendees were encouraged to display any Corvair-related item of interest. Items ranged from an original "Dinky" model to an aluminum ashtray from the Massena foundry. But our two original-owner members showed their original purchase invoices which they had saved for 55+ years! A total of 8 were reported... pretty small group. I'm sure there are more. If you hear of others, please let me know. Paul Siano From: Eric Taylor (corveric@me.com) To: (virtualvairs@corvair.org) Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 08:43:48 -0800 Subject: (VV) Owned a Corvair from new until today. Not precisely on topic, but related. This concept of owning a Corvair since new is a bit tough for us who were born the same year as our Corvair. It took me twenty years after getting my driver's license to find, appreciate and afford a toy car and get the old car bug. It took another eight years of going to car shows marvelling at peoples automotive gems before I found my defining vehicle - it turned out to be a Rampside. Something about working for a living and bringing up kids got in the way of toys. I have had many other toy cars, and they have all come and gone although I still have a '63 Lemans coupe and a '71 Triumph GT6 which play second and third trombone to my Rampside. I do appreciate that there are people so focussed as to purchase and keep a car for a long period of time. I manage to keep most of my cars for ten to fifteen years but then they get moved on for one reason or another. I can say that my Corvair is the first vehicle I have ever owned that I intend to keep to the end. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= REPRINTED FROM CHICAGO AIRHORN NOVEMBER 2020 McScellaneous Ramblings -- Mike McGowan Misconceptions Today's bedtime story is technical, but it is not useful to improve your Corvair nor aid in driving it. This is merely informative. Misconceptions and misinformation abound, regarding how the Corvair works or doesn't work. One of the most misunderstood areas is the swing-axle rear suspension on the early models. It is a compromise in design which even Ralph Nader, a lawyer with no driver's license, recognized to be problematic. I cannot help you to improve it, but the next time you argue with some troll at a car show or on the Internet, at least you will have a better understanding of how it works. Please don't misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with the Corvair suspension under normal driving conditions. The problem is that when people exceed reasonable speeds as well as their own driving skills, they try to blame the novel design of the Corvair. Following are three aspects of the swing-axle suspension that are misunderstood because they are unusual. Camber Compensators This device is a springy bar that installs transversely between the rear wheels, attached at a free pivot in the center and to both suspension arms. It is not a suspension spring that holds up the weight of the car, and you can tell this because when you install or remove it, the car's ride height does not change. It has no effect on body roll and so applies no force when one wheel goes down and the other goes up. When both wheels go up together (car squats down), it adds slightly to the spring rate which is the force resisting movement. When both wheels go down together the bar actually resists that movement, working against the suspension coil springs which push down. This fights the dreaded "axle jacking" when large suspension movements raise the rear of the car and move the swing axles into large camber angles. Camber compensators were an aftermarket solution to the nasty behavior of swing-axle suspensions at their limits. First made for Volkswagens and Porsches, there was a version for Corvairs made by EMPI (Or was it IECO? Or EELCO?). I had one on my old Spyder convertible. It was a bolt-on design, using brackets to attach the ends to shock absorber bolts. The center attachment was problematic since there was no fitting on the bottom of the differential. A convoluted bracket pressed against there with one loose pivot bolt through the leaf spring, then the bracket went back and over/around the exhaust pipe to attach to bellhousing bolts. Mine broke there, I imagine that most of them broke eventually. For 1964, Chevrolet devised a transverse leaf spring with a proper mount cast into the differential casing and end mounts built into the swing arms. This appears exactly like the camber compensator, but it is completely different. The distinction is in the spring rates. The Chevrolet leaf spring is much stronger and is preloaded (bent) to actually hold up 40% of the car's weight on the rear axle. The coil springs are much weaker, only 60% of the 1960-63 springs' rate. This reduces roll stiffness, which is the car's resistance to leaning sideways when you go around a corner fast. Some roll stiffness is a necessary feature, but it also reduces cornering traction for that axle. So decreasing rear roll stiffness actually improves traction at the rear which is a good thing on a Corvair. The 1964 cars all got an anti-roll bar on the front axle, which restores the roll stiffness and moves slightly more traction to the rear. That reduces oversteer which is an improvement. Axle Limiting Straps For the 1962 model year, Chevrolet was looking for expedient ways to remedy the Corvair's oversteering behavior. They finally offered a front anti-roll bar, which should have been standard from the beginning. Unfortunately it was not very stiff, and only optional at extra cost. The other gimmick they tacked on was a pair of sturdy straps that tied each rear swing arm to the body subframe. These were measured to limit the extent of downward movement by the axle. It was observed that in hard cornering, the Corvair would jack up at the rear and swing the suspension arm downward into large camber (tire leaning sideways) angles. So, the strap should restrict this, I suppose. But how? Newton's second law tells us that any force creates equal and opposite reactions, so the same force through the strap pulls the body down and the wheel up. When the body rolls and lifts, can the wheel hold it down? I don't think so, the wheel and suspension arm weigh a small fraction of the car, and the tire cannot pull upwards on the pavement for extra grip. When the strap pulls up on the axle, the tire just lifts off the ground. Maybe that tire wasn't providing much cornering grip, but that drops to zero when it's not touching the road. Besides, the shock absorbers were already designed to limit the axle drop. So if you have a 1962 Corvair with this wacky feature, keep it as a historical curiosity but don't expect it to help you stay on the road. Swiveling Wheel Bearings All 1960-64 Corvairs and FCs have a swing-axle rear suspension. The inner end of the axle pivots on a universal joint, and the outer end is held in the semi-trailing arm by a wheel bearing that has a slight amount of freedom to pivot. Many Corvair owners think, if they think about it at all, that this freedom is necessary so that the axle can pivot in the bearing as the suspension goes up and down. This is not true. The geometry of the suspension is well designed. The swing arm is so named because it swings at about a 45-degree angle to the direction the wheel rolls. It pivots on two bushings. The crucial feature is that if you draw a line through those two pivot points and extend that line, it goes right through the U-joint that is the inner pivot of the axle shaft. It is like the three hinges on the front door of your house: as long as they line up, the assembly will swing freely. You could weld that wheel bearing solid and the arm/axle assembly would still move up and down easily. The need for some freedom in the bearing alignment is for entirely different reasons. One is wheel alignment; there should be slight toe-in which angles the axle to the bearing. Actual alignment depends on shims locating the powertrain, which are sometimes mis-adjusted or just missing. Furthermore, the powertrain is rubber-mounted and the trailing arm bushings are rubber, so there is considerable tolerance for movement. In theory it might be possible to set things up so a non-swiveling bearing would work, and in fact that was tried long ago when the correct bearings were unobtainable. But that requires diligent adjustment, probably wrong wheel alignment, plus some luck. So just maintain your Corvair the way Chevrolet intended, and enjoy driving it. If you are like me, you enjoy it a little more for knowing how it works. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= REPRINTED FROM WESTWIND, CORSA WEST OF LOS ANGELES GM's Electrovair Is The Precursor To The Company's Electric Future BY MICHAEL GAUTHIER JULY 4, 2020 FROM Carscoops General Motors is embarking on an all-electric future, but the journey won't happen overnight. That isn't too surprising, but GM has been working on electric vehicles for more than a century. We told you about the XP 512E a few months ago, and now we'll take a look at the 1964 Electrovair. As the name suggests, the car was based on the Corvair, which itself was pretty interesting as it was rear engined and air-cooled. The Electrovair took things even further as the engine was replaced by a 90 hp (67 kW / 91) electric motor that was powered by 450-volt silver-zinc batteries. While those specifications aren't impressive these days, the car was developed to test the feasibility of electric vehicles and the capability of the batteries Two years later, GM followed up with the Electrovair II, which boasted a number of improvements. One of the biggest was a more powerful electric motor that developed 115 hp (85 kW / 117 PS). This was nearly a 28% improvement over the original motor and it helped the Electrovair II to hit a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h). That wasn't the only change, as the model featured more powerful 532 volt silver-zinc batteries that provided a range of 40-80 miles (64-129 km). A few years later, GM's electric vehicle technology was shown to the worid when the Lunar Roving Vehicle landed on the moon in 1971. GM partnered with Boeing on the project and it appears that event will be commemorated on the GMC Hummer EV, as previous reports have suggested the electric pickup will have a topographical map of the Sea of Tranquility, where Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. The Electrovair was never intended for production as the technology simply wasn't there yet, but it can be seen as paving the way for GM's modern EVs like the Chevrolet Bolt and the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/health/covid-19-pandemic-getting-worse/index.html Don't ignore this headline: The pandemic is getting worse. What happens next is up to you By Holly Yan, CNN -- 6:52 AM ET, Fri 15-Jan-2021 (CNN) Despite hopes of widespread vaccinations this year, experts warned the start of 2021 would be a very rough time in this pandemic. It turns out the first two weeks have been abysmal. The United States just shattered its all-time records for the most Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths reported in one day: * On January 2, a record-high 302,506 new infections were reported in one day, according to Johns Hopkins University. That's an average of 3.5 people getting infected every second. * On January 6, a record-high 132,447 patients were hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Many hospitals are now filled beyond capacity, meaning even those without Covid-19 -- say, car accident victims -- might not get immediate care. * On January 12, a record-high 4,462 Covid-19 deaths were reported in just one day, according to Johns Hopkins. A Boeing 747 can carry about 400 passengers. That means in one day, US deaths from Covid-19 were on par with 11 jumbo jets crashing, killing everyone on board. Why is this happening? People are letting their guard down due to pandemic fatigue. And many of those who are sick of taking precautions are getting sick. Now that the weather is colder, more people are socializing indoors. And the coronavirus primarily spreads during close contact with others through respiratory droplets -- produced when someone talks, coughs, sings or even breathes. Sometimes, viral particles can "linger in the air for minutes to hours," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space," the CDC said. Socializing indoors with anyone outside your bubble -- even just one friend -- is risky. Gathering with multiple friends indoors can be dangerous. "If you go to a party with five or more people, almost certainly there's going to be somebody with Covid-19 at that party," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. One reason why the coronavirus spreads so easily is because people can be contagious without knowing they're infected -- and can pass along the virus without looking or feeling sick. The CDC estimates more than 50% of all infections are transmitted from people who aren't showing symptoms. "This means at least half of new infections come from people likely unaware they are infectious to others," the agency said. What's the difference between asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread? And just like doctors predicted, holiday travel and gatherings have triggered new waves of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Fallout from the holidays could still ripple across the United States for weeks to come. "It takes two to three weeks for patients to get sick enough to need the hospital after they've gotten the virus," said Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Even though Christmas was less than three weeks ago, "we're already full." "We don't have any more ICU capacity," Mahajan said. "All of the hospitals in the region are putting ICU patients in unusual places in the hospital just to find room for them." Some patients have been put in hospital break rooms, parking garages and gift shops. Then there are newly identified variants New for 2021: The United States has confirmed at least 76 cases of a highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in the United Kingdom. Those US cases were found in 12 states: California, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and Georgia, according to CDC data posted Wednesday. But the real numbers could be much higher because the United States lags behind dozens of other countries in the proportion of Covid-19 cases that are analyzed through genetic sequencing. And the United States ranks 61st in how quickly virus samples are collected from patients, analyzed and then posted to an international database to find new variants. Earlier this month, a CDC official said the agency plans to double the number of samples it sequences by mid-January -- with a target of 6,500 per week. Understanding the genetic makeup of a virus and how it changes is critical to ensuring vaccines remain effective. All viruses mutate over time, and new variants are common. But scientists advising the UK government have estimated that the variant could be up to 70% more effective at spreading than others. While it may be more transmissible, there's no evidence this variant first detected in the UK is deadlier or causes more severe disease. But the strain first detected in the United Kingdom isn't the only one causing concern. A variant first detected in South Africa has been shown it might be able to escape some of the antibodies produced by a Covid-19 vaccine. That strain was first spotted two months ago in South Africa and has been found in 12 countries. As of Thursday, it has not been detected in the United States. Why can't we all get vaccinated soon? The vaccine rollout is happening more slowly than expected. The Trump administration initially said it aimed to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2020. That didn't happen. Not even close. As of Thursday morning, about 10.2 million vaccine doses had been administered, out of roughly 29.3 million doses that have been distributed across the United States. And the two vaccines distributed in the United States right now -- from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna -- require two doses for each person. The federal government recently said it will stop holding back doses kept in reserve -- intended to help guarantee second doses -- so more people can get their first dose faster. When can you get vaccinated? It depends on your health, job and where you live. In the coming weeks and months, the US Food and Drug Administration might grant emergency use authorization to other vaccines -- such as those from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. But either way, millions of Americans will have to wait months before getting a vaccine. What all this means for you If you want to get life closer to normal (and more quickly), it's time to double down on safety measures: * Wear a mask in public and every time you're around someone who doesn't live with you. If there's a chance for infection within your home, wear a mask at home, too. * Don't count on a negative test result as a way to "safely" see friends or relatives. You can test negative but still be infected and contagious. * Keep social distancing. Wash your hands frequently. And don't think you're invincible -- even if you're young and healthy. Covid-19 can be a prolonged illness, even for young adults. "We see severe illness among healthy, young adults with no apparent underlying causes," Hotez said. "Whether that's due to ... a higher dose of the virus, whether they have genetic alterations they don't know about -- we just don't understand," he said. "So, we can't reliably predict who's going to handle this virus well, and who doesn't." CNN's Elizabeth Cohen, Maggie Fox, Michael Nedelman and Amanda Watts contributed to this report. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= ============================================================================ | February 2021 | March 2021 | April 2021 | | 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 5 6 | 1 2 3 | | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | | 28 | 28 29 30 31 | 25 26 27 28 29 30 | ============================================================================ SAT 06 FEB 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 17 FEB 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 24 FEB 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED FRI 26 FEB 9:00 PM Deadline for items for January 2021 newsletter MON 01 MAR >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING MARCH NEWSLETTER << ============================================================================ SAT 06 MAR 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED SUN 14 MAR 2:00 AM Set your clocks ahead an hour. No worries, we will get the hour back after tolerating a one-hour jet lag experience in November. xxx xx MAR xx:xx xx 47th Anniversary Party: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 17 MAR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 24 MAR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED FRI 26 MAR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for January 2021 newsletter MON 29 MAR >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING APRIL NEWSLETTER << ============================================================================ SAT 03 APR 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 21 APR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 28 APR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED FRI 23 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for January 2021 newsletter MON 26 APR >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING MAY NEWSLETTER << ============================================================================ >>>>>>> 36TH ANNUAL TRI-STATE CORVAIR MEET - POSTPONED DUE TO PANDEMIC <<<<< SAT 01 MAY 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 19 MAY 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED WED 26 MAY 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED FRI 28 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for January 2021 newsletter MON 31 MAY >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING JUNE NEWSLETTER << ============================================================================ See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities ======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ====================== =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= SEVEN YEARS AGO [ FEBRUARY 2021 VOL 47 Nr 2 ISSUE 545 ] Jim Pittman 2014 Vol 40 Nr 2 #461 COVER: We are at Henrietta's Restaurant, Los Lunas for a great breakfast. David Huntoon showed a 1964 photo of his family and their maroon Corvair. Making plans for the Chama Tri-State. Robert Gold told about dead batteries and a totaled 1998 Mitsubishi. Wendell Walker invited us to his 95th birthday party. TECH: an article from Minnesota's LEEKY SEAL told about the hazards of ethanol in gasoline in our older cars. This month's Burma Shave takeoff: YOUR CORVAIR'S NOT A MODERN TOY TO MOST OF US THAT IS A JOY Corvair Power! 2007 V.33 N.2 #377 COVER: Thirty years' worth of February covers. Ice and snow kept our January attendance down. Several activities were previewed: a Bosque tour, a breakfast, a garage tour and a TUNA. We met Del Patten at the Owl Cafe. Sylvan Zuercher gave a talk on early model Corvair turn signals. Ray Trujillo reserved a room at Papa Felipe's for our anniversary. The Sticklers invited us to watch Fourth of July fireworks. Ray told us he found two AM radio stations with 40s-70s music: 1550 K-JOY and 1600 Oldies. Perfect for Corvair radios! The Car Council web page was up. Jim mentioned the Newsletter CD. Steve Goodman previewed the Mesa Vista Tri-State. An article on the Corvair thermostat. 2000 V.26 N.2 #293 COVER: Our board members. President Hurley ran the January meeting, at the top of the long flight of stairs at Galles Chevrolet. We had $6,128.18 in the treasury. Dennis told us about the new CNM web site. A "women's auxiliary" was getting organized. LeRoy planned a March garage tour. Coming: a progressive dinner; a trip to Santa Theresa to see an aircraft museum; the State Fair car show; new CNM license plates; the Tri-State; a Bar-B-Q; a camping trip; a potluck & auction; a summer film festival; an auction in Scottsdale, Arizona; the latest word on "Horseless Carriage" license plates; the disposition of the club library and the library van. Billiken's Corvair was Y2K-compliant but had software bugs. An article by Del reported on the latest mechanical snafus and a wet camping trip. We reprinted a classic article from January 1988 called "Dark Intrigue" in which Tom Martin told about getting New Mexico's very first Corvair shipment at Galles-Grosbeek Chevrolet, September 25, 1959. A Virtual Vairs tech tip on "Flippin' belts" told us how to make our fan belts live long and prosper. 1993 V.19 N.2 #209 COVER: Last month's sad wreck was all fixed up. President Del presided. New members were Bruce Heim and Frank Stadler. Will Davis reported $1,137. Sylvan had heart surgery at Lovelace. Bill Reider received the 1992 Ike Meissner Award. We planned a February garage tour and a March dinner meeting. We took orders for club golf shirts. Jerry showed a video from a recent trip to the Northwest Territories. LeRoy previewed the special March meeting at the Tool Museum. Our feature article this month was "My First Corvair" by Bill Reider who told about the 1962 Monza convertible he bought at Nicky Chevrolet in Chicago. Not content with what GM put on the car, he soon had it equipped with four carbs, trombone exhausts, Mallory dual-point distributor and a fan belt tensioner. Tech tips included closing body seams with "High Tech Leak Check Seam Sealer"; painting the bottom of your car with "Hammerite Rust Stop Metal Finish Paint"; building a handy holder for cans of spray paint; removing tie rods; removing tie rod ends; removing steering knuckles and front springs. We also had several Otto Mechanic cartoons and a political article passed along by Francis on American jobs going overseas. 1986 V.12 N.2 #125 COVER: A map of Guam with Corvair by Mark Morgan. President Clayborne ran the meeting. A new member was Brad Bobotis. LeRoy reported $556 in the bank. We planned a garage tour, a "snow trip" and a caravan to a Phoenix mini-convention. There were new Clark's catalogs. George Morin described electro-chemical nickel-plating techniques and passed around several samples. Clayborne asked what the meaning of "economical" was to the original GM engineers who designed the Corvair. Did they mean a low coefficient of drag? Good fuel economy? Or did they mean an inexpensive car to buy and maintain? Mark Morgan, touring the world with the Navy, sent us an article he called "Driving in WESTPAC, Part 1: Guam" and it included some notes on Hawaii. Apparently there's a lot of automotive fun to be had on a small island with a speed limit of 35 MPH. Bill Reider's column on Corvair repair discussed brakes and how to maintain them. First, get good quality shoes. Another tech tip was an illustrated article on towing the 1965 Corvair. 1979 V.5 N.2 #41 COVER: George Morin and his award-winning 1964 Monza. We raffled a set of NGK spark plugs. We had $396 in the bank. A new member was Stan Johnson. We planned a birthday party in March, a Winrock car show in April, a State Fair car show in September and an Aspencade-Econorun in October. The Club's new posts of Treasurer and Membership chairman were filled by Francis Boydston and Ike Meissner respectively. We discussed a Club purchase of bulk items such as spark plugs, oil and air filters and wheel bearings. We still had no official name for the Newsletter. Jim listed eight functions of the Newsletter and asked for suggestions for improving it. In an article entitled "These are the Good Old Days" Jim argued that we were at a fortunate point in the life of the Corvair: our cars are still new enough that we can afford to drive them every day, and still numerous enough that parts and repairs are available. Ike Meissner provided an article on adjusting timing for driving at high altitude with regular gasoline. Tech tips: Using a rocker panel from a 1969 Camaro on a 1965 Corvair; checking the inner front wheel bearing for fit BEFORE installing; adjusting the front wheel bearings; and using a short piece of 7/32" hose over the end of a new spark plug to avoid cross-threading. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== 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. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== =END=