The April 2021 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 29-Mar-2021 ==== Copyright (c) 2021 Corvairs of New Mexico
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April 2021 / VOLUME 47 / NUMBER 4 / ISSUE 547
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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: April actual (non-virtual) meeting: April 3rd at 10:00 AM
The Gongoras: 8419 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque NM 87111 505-292-5570
THIS MONTH
President's Letter ................................ David Huntoon
Dues Due Dates ............................. Membership Committee
March Regular Meeting .................................. Kay Sutt
March Board Meeting .................................... Kay Sutt
Albuquerque "Route 66" Tri-State .................... Terry Price
Can You Believe What You Read in the News? .......... Jim Pittman
Rules of Life .......................... Submitted by Vickie Hall
Calendar of Coming Events .................... Board of Directors
Treasury Report ................................... Steve Gongora
Birthdays & Anniversaries .................. Membership Committee
April Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago ........ Club Historian
Special April 1st Section .............. Your Slightly Mad Editor
The Club's New Name: "Corsairs of New Mexico" ............ Editor
Secrets of the 1999 Board Meeting Revealed ............... Editor
Where Did the Rock-and-Roll Group Get their Name? .. The Internet
Fulla Gas "Mr Murphy" 2000 Enchanted Corvairs ........ Del Patten
Unsafe at Any Speed -- Book Review ................. Norm Helmkay
Rear Engine, Air-Cooled, 1916 ...................... The Internet
Ran When Parked ...................... Another Chapter Newsletter
COVER: Our March in-person meeting, supported by one Corvair
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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
MEETING: April actual (non-virtual) meeting: April 3rd at 10:00 AM
The Gongoras: 8419 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque NM 87111 505-292-5570
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 April 2021
DUE LAST 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 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 25-APR-2021
DUE THIS MONTH ====================== 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
DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2021.05 Lube Lubert 25-JUN-2021
DUE JUN 2021 ======================== INACTIVE DATE
2021.06 Janice & David Allin 25-JUL-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
2021.02 Linda & Anthony Berbig 25-MAR-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.
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WHAT'S UP DAVE?
DAVID HUNTOON
It was good to see some friendly faces at our first club meeting of this year.
Thanks to Steve and Rita for hosting that meeting. We will be doing the same
April 3rd @ 10am. Topics will be centered around the Tri-State event. An Econo
Run is on for May but exactly when is up for discussion. We had considered
having the club meeting and Econo Run together. I am not sure that would work
so......
I will bring some of the Bill Reider books/manuals to the meeting for anyone to
claim. Thanks to Lee Reider for making this happen. Hopefully our first Old
Route 66 cleanup will be completed by our next meeting. Weather permitting.
Right now I have about 10" of snow from our last storm. Should be ok in a few
days.
Just wanted to mention how nice it was to visit with Phil Finch at our last
meeting. It was a good reminder of how many great members we have had in our
club over the years. It also reminds us of how many we have lost. Phil now lives
in Tularosa and is beginning the task of sorting/organizing some of Richard's
things.
Happy Spring everyone, stay safe
See you at the next meeting, David
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CNM GENERAL MEETING
03/06/2021
KAY SUTT
The meeting was called to order at 1:15 P.M. in the back yard of Steve & Rita
Gongora. This is the first in-person meeting CNM has held since last October,
and members were cautious to observe Covid-19 protocols as they cheerfully
greeted old friends after the long lockdown. Fourteen members were present at
the meeting, including Phil Finch from Tularosa, who made it up for the day!
Phil has an UltraVan, and he indicated he would try to bring it up for the
Tri-State in October. Thanks, Phil, and it's great to have you join us in
person.
President's Report: David Huntoon indicated he has scheduled an EconoRun for CNM
for Saturday, May 1 following the meeting. He is preparing the route. After some
discussion about the meeting place for the run possibly being Roots in Tijeras,
the final decision was postponed until final details are worked out. So stay
tuned.
David reported Lee Reider has donated all of Bill's Corvair books and a few
remaining parts to CNM, and he brought them along for members to pick through.
Items not gleefully carried away by club members will become part of the CNM
library. Thank you, Lee for your kind remembrance of Bill. We miss you both, and
we would love to see you at a meeting soon!
David also reported our British member who owns Bill's car, David Neale, is now
home from hospital and doing better. Our best wishes go out to David for a
speedy and complete recovery.
Vice President: Tarmo Sutt is working with the webmaster to complete the
Tri-State website. Outside the meeting he worked with Terry Price and Lupe
Arellanes on details needed to finish the update on www.tristatecorvairs.com.
Secretary: Kay Sutt had nothing to report.
Treasurer: Steve Gongora reported the balance in the account is $7,407.93.
Sunshine Committee: Vickie Hall was not present at the meeting, but President
David reports she has the registration bags for the Tri-State Meet pretty much
ready to go. Thanks, Vickie!
Newsletter Editor: Jim Pittman informed the president that the deadline for the
next newsletter is 9 P.M. on Friday, March 26.
Old Business:
Virtually all old business centered on the upcoming Albuquerque Tri-State Meet
scheduled for October 15-17, 2021.
Hotel cost: expected to be $109 per night, plus tax, and those rates are good
for three days before and three days after the meet.
Banquet: Details cannot be finalized at this time because the food service at
the hotel is still closed due to the pandemic. We do not know if we will be able
to keep the $40 per person price and menu we had scheduled before, but as soon
as the food and beverage service reopens we will finalize that detail.
Larry Blair has contacted Harrison Schmitt's agent to find out if he will still
be available as our keynote speaker, but he had not received an answer as of
meeting time.
Dave Allin plans to attend the Tri-State from his new Oklahoma home, and he has
indicated he will attempt to contact his ballooning friends in Albuquerque to
have the tethered balloon rides for Saturday morning of the Tri-State Meet.
The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce will offer assistance to promote
Albuquerque, including onsite assistance. Thank you, Albuquerque C of C!
Pre-Tri-State dinner: this is still planned for Thursday night at El Pinto
Restaurant. Rita Gongora indicated she has discussed this with the owners of the
restaurant and the plan is for up to 40 people, and they will be able to order
off El Pinto's huge menu.
Steve Gongora will receive the checks for the registration/meal.
Terry Price is working on a Brochure for the meet. He has access to a printer,
or we can use ABQGrafiX for a reasonable price.
Deadline: It was agreed the deadline for paying for meals would be September 15,
and reservations for the hotel are recommended as soon as possible. CNM has
guaranteed 40 rooms for the meet, but if we get more, the hotel has offered some
perks to make the meet more fun.
Collector car meet-up: The Saturday morning collector car meet normally held at
Hello Deli, a couple blocks west of the hotel, is still taking place, so this is
another activity participants in the meet can undertake.
Volunteers: Finally, we need volunteers for all the events, i.e., hospitality
suite, car show, raffle baskets, registration, etc. What makes all CNM's
Tri-State Meets successful is the generous and enthusiastic participation by our
members! We are counting on you again, as we re-connect with our friends from
around the area and around the country post-pandemic!
New Business:
The next Board meeting will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, March 17 at 7:00
P.M. If you would like to join the meeting, remember all members are welcome to
attend. Let Kay Sutt know so she can add your name to the invitation sent out
prior to the meeting (505-690-2056 or suttkay@gmail.com).
The next Club meeting will be an in-person meeting (with Covid guidelines
observed) in Steve & Rita Gongora's back yard at 8419 Palo Duro NE, on Saturday,
April 3 at 10 A.M., pending any changes in the State's meeting requirements
during the pandemic. Members are urged to bring your Corvairs. Any changes
necessitated by the State's Covid guidelines will be transmitted to club members
elsewhere in this newsletter.
The meeting was adjourned after about 2:00 P.M.
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CNM BOARD MEETING
03/17/2021
KAY SUTT
Once again, because of the pandemic our Board Meeting was held March 17 at 7:00
P.M. via Zoom. Present were President David Huntoon, Vice-president Tarmo Sutt,
Secretary Kay Sutt, Newsletter Editor Jim Pittman, Old Route 66 Cleanup Chair
Greg Nelson and Tri-State Committee Member Lupe Arellanes.
President David indicated he is scheduling the April General Meeting in person,
subject to the NM State Covid guidelines: masks, social distancing, etc. It will
be held Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 A.M., at Steve and Rita Gongora's house --
outside, or in their garage, depending on the weather.
Greg Nelson called the first Old Route 66 Cleanup meet-up for Saturday, March 27
at 9:00 A.M. at the usual location.
Jim Pittman, Newsletter Editor, has set Friday, March 26 at 9:00 P.M. as the
newsletter deadline for the April issue.
The remainder of the discussion was about the
Tri-State meet, which CNM is hosting October 15-17 in Albuquerque. With Terry
Price unable to attend the meeting, details were short, but important.
President David has submitted the ad for the CORSA Communique, so we should see
more activity soon after its initial publication in the next issue of the CORSA
Communique.
Larry Blair reported to President David he has had no response yet regarding the
availability of Harrison Schmitt as the keynote speaker at the Tri-State Meet.
President David has posted notice of the Tri-State to his Facebook page and
indicated he would also post it on the Corvair Owners' Group site.
Lupe Arellanes indicated she has sent the Tri-State Registration to Terry Price
for final approval, at which time it can be sent along to the website webmaster
for publication on the www.tristatecorvairs.com website.
The meeting was adjourned within the Zoom 40-minute limit.
Members are reminded you are welcome at all Board meetings. If you wish to
attend a Zoom meeting of the board, email Kay Sutt at suttkay@gmail.com to
request an invitation to join the discussion.
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MARCH REPORT - ROUTE 66 TRI-STATE
TERRY PRICE
Plans are well underway for the upcoming Route 66 Tri-State which is to take
place this coming October 15 - 17. Dave Allin and committee had done such an
excellent job at setting up the event for 2020 that it is my intention to keep
as many plans the same that have already been established.
Rita Gongora is setting up reservations for us at El Pinto's Restaurant for
those coming in early on Thursday. This will be a BYO dinner and we will be
ordering from the normal menu. Thank you Rita for setting that up for us. Rita
also has plans to assemble center pieces for the dinner tables, at the banquet,
which will be auctioned off in the silent auction.
Yes, we have plans for a silent auction and that will require some donated items
from the membership. The last Tri-State we held had a number of Corvair
specialty parts, like special valve covers, oil pans, and oil filters. Some
people donated jewelry, large photos, tools and so on. We will also have a
beautiful "Corvair Quilt." Kay Sutt will make another beautiful quilt for us and
it will be up for auction. Start looking around for things that you could donate
for the silent auction. You can bring those items to the meeting and give them
to Terry Price.
Friday is registration day and we will need people to help register the
participants. Lupe Arellanes has designed a registration form which we hope to
send out on the internet. It is planned to be able to fill it out and send it in
on the internet but we are still working on that. If things work as planned we
will be able to generate the registration forms, dinner orders and car show
cards from the info on the internet. Of course payment will need to be by check
or cash ahead of time and, our treasurer, Steve Gongora, will accept payment.
Another event that Dave Allin is working on is the "Balloon Ride", which would
be held on Saturday morning. Dave is in Oklahoma but still has connections in
Albuquerque. The event is planned Saturday morning and would be at a lot just a
few blocks from the Marriott.
Of course we will have the show and shine and a people's choice car show on
Saturday, which will start late morning and go into early afternoon. After the
car show there will be a caravan to Tinker Town in Tijeras Canyon, led by Rita
Gongora. We will need volunteers to count votes for the car show. Larry Blair
has volunteered to supervise the car wash for those who want to clean their car
before the show. Thanks Larry.
The banquet will be Saturday evening and we will have a guest speaker. The plan
is to have Harrison Schmitt speak but that has not been confirmed at this time.
Also the Marriott has not opened their banquet facilities yet, due to Covid
restrictions, so we do not know what the menu will be at this time.
Information has already been sent in by both David Huntoon and by me to the
"CORSA Communique" but it was not printed in the periodical for March. I
contacted the editor and he told me we did not send it in soon enough but that
it would be included in the April issue. It should be included for the next
three issues. We will also be sending in a display ad which will be about a
quarter page. Post cards will go out to a number of clubs across the US.
So, as you can see, a lot has been done but there is a lot more to go. We will
need people to take tickets at the banquet, people for the hospitality suite,
people to help during the car show, and I expect other things which I have not
mentioned in this article. It is still about seven months before the event and
we are still dealing with the Pandemic, so some things cannot be solidified at
this time, but we will continue to put things together for a great "Route 66
Tri-State" event!
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CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ?
JIM PITTMAN
Today in the Albuquerque Journal there was an update to the story of how a giant
container ship was still stuck in the Suez Canal. There was a satellite photo
showing the desert, farmlands, the canal and the ship stuck diagonally across
the canal.
The story stated how long the ship was (1,312 feet) and made a comparison to a
familiar New York City tall building -- the Empire State Building. The ship,
said the story, was as long as "three Empire State buildings end to end."
Wait a minute, I thought, that can't be right. I remember from a visit to New
York in 1964 learning that the Empire State Building was "a quarter of a mile
high" and a quarter of a mile is 1,320 feet. Three times 1,320 would be 3,960
feet. That's a lot longer than the stated length of the ship. In fact, it's
about three times longer.
The height of one Empire State Building is actually about the same as the length
of the ship. How could the writer have made such a three-fold error?
I googled the actual height of the Empire State Building (1,250 feet or 381
meters to the top floor, and 1,454 feet or 443 meters to the tip of the antenna)
and the actual length of the Ever Given container ship (1,312 feet or 399.94
meters) and the mystery of the error was solved, at least to my satisfaction.
The key is, three feet is almost the same distance as one meter. The writer just
confused feet and meters.
I imagined a writer working on this story. He asks, "How long is this ship?" and
the answer comes back, "1,312 feet." The writer says, "Wow, that's a long ship!
You could carry a tall building on that ship! So, how tall is a tall building?"
The answer comes back, "Well, the Empire State is 443 meters." The writer,
obviously an arithmetic whiz, sees immediately that three times 443 is 1,329. If
three buildings totaling 1,329 units could be loaded on a ship of 1,312 units
there'd be just a few units extra. Never mind what the units are. So the writer
types "Three Empire State Buildings end to end" and goes on from there.
The newspaper editors didn't catch the error.
Leaving aside whether the ship could actually haul three tall buildings
end-to-end, the rest of the story was interesting. How did the ship get into
that fix? High winds, low visibility. What's the immediate consequence? Hundreds
of stalled ships with billions of dollars of goods going nowhere. How are they
going to fix the problem? Who knows? Several tugs and dredges have not budged it
so far.
Here is an image for you: imagine that 1,312-foot-long ship standing on its tail
in Manhattan next to the Empire State Building and the bow reaching beyond the
top floor of the building!
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MAN'S NEED
Man may live without
Poetry, Music and Art.
Man may live without Conscience
And live without Heart,
Man may live without Friends,
Man may live without Books,
But civilized Man cannot
Live without Cooks.
Anonymous
SEVEN RULES OF LIFE
1. Make peace with your past
so it won't screw up the present.
2. What others think of you
is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost everything,
give it time.
4. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge
them. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.
5. Stop thinking too much. It's all right not to know
the answers. They will come to you when
you least expect it.
6. No one is in charge of your happiness
except you.
7. Smile. You don't own all the problems
in the world.
Submitted by Vickie Hall
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| April 2021 | May 2021 | June 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 | 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
| 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |
| 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 |
| 25 26 27 28 29 30 | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 27 28 29 30 |
| | 30 31 | |
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SAT 03 APR 10:00 AM Meeting: to be held at the Gongora residence back yard.
* 8419 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque NM 87111 505-292-5570 stevegongora@msn.com
* Masks and social distancing are requested.
WED 21 APR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 23 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the May 2021 newsletter
MON 26 APR >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING MAY NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 01 MAY 10:00 AM Meeting: possibly before an EconoRun in east mountains.
WED 19 MAY 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 28 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the June 2021 newsletter
MON 31 MAY >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING JUNE NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 05 JUN 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 16 JUN 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 25 JUN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for January 2021 newsletter
MON 28 JUN >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING JULY NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 03 JUL 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 21 JUL 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 30 JUL 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the August 2021 newsletter
MON 02 AUG >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING AUGUST NEWSLETTER <<
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36TH TRI-STATE CORVAIR MEET - RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 15-16-17 DUE TO PANDEMIC
============================================================================
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.
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 03-01-2021 to 03-27-2021 =============================================
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,407.93
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2021.04.01 APR NEWSLETTER ===================================================== $7,407.93
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Happy Birthday Wishes to April CNM'ers:
Elizabeth Domzalski
Kate Johnson
Alex Johnson
Robert McBreen
David Neale
Emma Rogers
Ray Trujillo
Happy Anniversary Wishes to April CNM'ers:
Connie & Robert McBreen
Lilian & Tim Shortle
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ APRIL 2021 VOL 47 Nr 4 ISSUE 547 ]
Jim Pittman
2014 Vol 40 Nr 4 #463
COVER: Members of SOS Class 66-A, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Fall 1965. Member of the
Year was John Wiker. Robert Gold told about A GOLDen Time: our 40th Anniversary.
Larry Yoffee had last-minutes for the Chama Tri-State. Tarmo previewed a
breakfast in Santa Fe. Pat Hall did a 100,000-Mile Repair. We had many photos of
the Anniversary Luncheon.
2007 V.33 N.4 #379
COVER: Wendell's Ford GT-40 was poised to race, in Wendy's dreams, at least.
Mark & Elizabeth were in D.C. for awhile. At our Anniversary Party, Tarmo Sutt
presented the 2007 Ike Meissner Award to David Huntoon. Robert Gold told about
the brand-new Car Council web page, finally up and running. Steve Goodman
invited all to attend the 2007 Tri-State in Monte Vista, Colorado in May. In the
For Sale section, someone out in the internet offered a nice 1965 coupe body for
free, just come pick it up. Finally, your Editor wrote one of his best car
stories, centered on the adventures of Windy, Breezy, Hurricane, Typhoon,
Mistral, Tornado, Cyclone, Zephyr, Chicago and Sirocco Jones at a secret Arizona
race track.
2000 V.26 N.4 #295
COVER: photos of members, events or vehicles. Your editor filled a page with a
clever Chaucer-inspired poem. A garage tour, a Tri-State, an August picnic, a
trip to the War Eagles museum, cleanup of old Route 66, the Museum car show,
Wheels Museum activities were in our future. Dennis Pleau made a home for our
web site. The Sticklers told us they were getting out of the Corvair parts
business. Anne Mae Gold reported for CNM Ladies. We reprinted an article from
Newsweek, "It's okay to touch this car" by Donna Cunningham who found the motto
enhanced their enjoyment of showing their 1952 Jaguar XK-120. Rich Thompson told
about a perfect paint for the inside bezel of a 1964 instrument panel:
DupliColor's Low Gloss Black Engine Enamel. Use genuine GM steering gear lube in
your steering box. Jim Burkhard told why the secondaries on a 140 engine are NOT
open all the time. He also reminded us how useful the "How to Hot-Rod Your
Corvair" book by Bill Fisher can be. Finally, we had a photo of Wayne
Christgau's world-famous 1967 Monza coupe parked next to the Surf Ballroom in
Iowa.
1993 V.19 N.4 #211
COVER: Sylvan says "Many people laugh when I tell them that carburetors have
feelings too." Our meeting was held at the Three-R Museum AKA the Tool Museum.
We had $1,012 in the bank. Plans for future events included a picnic at Cochiti
Lake, a car show at the Albuquerque Museum and the Tri-State at Alamosa,
Colorado. Last month's late sedan cover car had the following "wrong" features:
no steering wheel, no exhaust pipe, no seat backs, gas door on the wrong side.
How many did you see? Mark Morgan was working as a park ranger at the Vicksburg
National Military Park and gave us a great article on Driving in Mississippi.
Rather to his surprise, he liked driving there, even if he never saw any
Corvairs. For those who like crossword puzzles, we had a nice big Corvair
Crossword: 41 definitions across and 35 down. Tech tips this months included
removing a rusted exhaust system, storing engine parts and getting good used
Saginaw transmission parts. The secret? Look for 1966 or later Chevy IIs, Novas,
Chevelles or Camaros. Cartoons included Otto Mechanic reading to his son from
"Pintonocchio" "... and every time the little Ford told a lie his nose grew and
grew and grew until he looked just like a '74 Monte Carlo!"
1986 V.12 N.4 #127
COVER: a "backwards" April Fool's joke. Mark Morgan drove a huge Greenbrier next
to a tiny Diahatsu, illustrating his "Driving in Japan" article. At our meeting
we had a raffle for heirloom coffee mugs that added $22.50 to the $658 in the
bank. Bill Reider said that fully half of our members drove a Corvair every day.
We talked about lining up all our cars to spell "CORSA" for an aerial
photograph. We talked about this year's Tri-State in Montrose, Colorado. We
planned a money-raising flea market sale to get rid of junk, er, treasures. Our
speaker was Chuck Rumschlag of "The Color Works" in Los Lunas who talked about
car restoration as an investment. President Clayborne suggested we take our
Corvairs to the mini-convention in Phoenix. Bill Hector previewed our Blue and
Gray Rally and invited members to come out to his place in Tijeras Canyon where
the skies were dark to look for Halley's Comet on April 26th. Bill Reider gave
us a letter from Larry Claypool with additional information on steering box
rebuilding. An article from the San Diego club advocated adding convertible
weights to the front of a hardtop or sedan to make the car better balanced. Our
editor disagreed, saying that a front air dam or "spoiler" was worth far more
than added trunk weight to gain stability at highway speeds. Other tips were:
twist a fan belt into a small triple loop so it will take up less space in the
trunk; enlarge stock small exhaust manifolds so they can be used on 140-HP
heads; adjust your carb floats slightly high or low to fine-tune your gasoline
mixture.
1979 V.5 N.4 #43
COVER: another Mark Morgan drawing: a race-prepared late coupe. Meeting minutes:
we had $384 in the bank (but that was real money back then) and we were planning
a Winrock Mall car show. A guest speaker, George Brazil, told about driving his
slightly modified turbo Spyder against unsuspecting Mustangs, Corvettes and
other muscle cars. He claimed he usually beat them. Secretary Les Campbell wrote
about how to get a good but inexpensive paint job for your Corvair by doing a
thorough preparation and taking your car to a good shop. An article on Spring
Cleaning by Ike Meissner told how to get rid of the oil, dust and grime in the
engine compartment. Tech tips: be sure the jam nut on your fuel pump is tight so
the pump can't move up and down; getting 3.89 gears in a late differential;
checking for a stuck choke or an inoperative choke pull-off; tools to use to
remove fin flash.
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APRIL FIRST SECTION OF NEWSLETTER
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Corsairs of New Mexico -- Corsair Society of North America Chapter 871
Enhanced Coravairs Newsletter
Aprril 2021 -- Vollume 47 -- Nummer 4 -- Isssue 547
First Plaque, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newletter Accord, 2005 & 2012
Corsairs of New Mexico -- Enchanted Corsas Newsletters
April Material Stolen From Only the Best Chapters
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EDITOR Jem Puttman 1112 Westchesterfield NNE Albuquerque NM 81111
MEETING: Aprille real (not-virtual) meeeting: April 3rd at 10:00 AM
The Gongoras: 8419 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque NM 87111 505-292-5570
THIS MONTH
President's Literary Littering .......................... David Huntoon
Dues May be Coming Due Dates Soon ............... Member Ship Committed
Marched Regular Meeting ...................................... Kay Sutt
Marching Board Zoomie Meeting ................................ Kay Sutt
AlbuQuerQue "Old Route 66" Triple-Stakes .................. Terry Price
Can You Really Believe What You Read in this Newsletter? ....... Editor
Rules of Another More Successful Life ...... Contributed by Vickie Hall
Calendar of Possible Events .............. Various Members in Authority
Treasury Status Representation ................ Treasurer Steve Gongora
Birthdays & Anniversaries & Other Dates .......... Membership Committee
April Fantasies, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 or More Years Ago ... Club Historian
Special April Fool Section ................. Your Definitely Mad Editor
The Club Gets a New Name: "Corsairs of New Mexico" ............. Editor
Unknown Secrets of the April 1999 Board Meeting Revealed ....... Editor
Where Did the Best Rock-and-Roll Group Get its Name? ......... Internet
Actual Year 2000 Article: "Fulla Gas / Mr Murphy" .......... Del Patten
Actual 1997 Book Review: "Unsafe at Any Speed" ........... Norm Helmkay
Rear Engine, Air-Cooled in 1916 ................. Stolen from Somewhere
Ran When Parked in Sumatra ............. Liberated from Another Chapter
COVER: Our March meeting, with 1963 Corvair and 1943 Corsair
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ILLUSTRATION: At a previously secret Board meeting in 1999, our President,
aka The Red Queen, dictates policy changes to unhappy Board leader Mad Hatter
while Alice attempts to discipline several unruly and inattentive visiting club
members and city government officials. Meanwhile, club members' attention is
distracted by the trumpeting March Hare.
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ILLUSTRATION: Crosby, Stills & Nash
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Del Patten was president in 1992-1993 and he called his monthly column "FULLA
GAS." He used the same title for other articles -- such as this one.
"FULLA GAS" MR. MURPHY'S IN THE HOUSE
DEL PATTEN - DECEMBER 2000
As many of you already know, Mr. Murphy and I are pretty good friends and I have
in the past shared these times of fun and adventure with you. This latest
opportunity to visit with Mr. Murphy was a singular experience though, as with
every turn, I found him sitting calmly as he awaited my next decision. In fact,
this last experience made me wonder if he wasn't really a woman after all. Seems
he takes great delight in changing the circumstances enough so you never know
what is going to happen next!
So as we start the weekend, I find I have a chattering clutch and the parts from
Clark's have arrived. Actually the clutch has been chattering since the 110
engine stopped and I stuck in the 102 from the convertible. I _assumed_ at the
time that since the clutch was good 15 years ago when I parked it, that it would
still be good! Twasn't so, of course, and that is where Mr. Murphy takes his
first shot at me. Anyway, out with the fluids in the tranny and diff and all the
rest of the hookups. Comes out easy enough and I soon (that's all relative you
understand) have the flywheel in front of me. So far so good. Off comes the
clutch pack and I have the new pilot bushing in hand to replace the old worn out
one. The old one is too wobbled out though to use the simple tricks for removal
so I resort to the chisel and hammer. Still pretty easy and I soon have the new
bushing and clutch in place and have slid the differential back in place.
Since the old tranny was not running as smooth as one would like, I thought to
myself that now is the time to slip one of my _newer_ spares on. No problems
there (not yet!) and I stick the whole thing back in the van and was soon to the
point where I could turn the wheels to be sure I had everything hooked up! But
that is when Mr. Murphy smiles on me and I find that just because a tranny bolts
up, that is no reason to _assume_ that I have the right input shaft in there
(actually it took me awhile to remember about the input shafts)! At that point I
wander into the house and break the news to Kim who advises that perhaps I
should consider a real car! Actually her words were much stronger than advice
but you probably guessed that. And you probably have guessed my answer even if
it was uttered under my breath as I retired to my _den_ -- NEVER!
So I take the next weekend off but then get into the mood again the week after
and I drop everything all over again and switch out the trannies opting for the
old one again. It works pretty good if you double clutch so I'll be fine,
fingers crossed. Since that went so well, I decided to fix the leak from the top
cover seals and push rod tubes on one side. Already had the parts and the
weekend was young!
Enter Mr. Murphy to spoil the fun! The first problem is so simple that I can
believe I fell for it! I forgot to install the push rod guides! And the next
problem is even simpler! I installed all of them with the U looking out at me -
all but one. Yes, there's only three per side in the first place and how did I
forget it again? Must have been the excitement of the moment! And hey, I'm not
the immediate past president of the DoM club for nothing! At least I figured it
out before I had the valve cover back on! And well, two out of three isn't bad
for someone as (un)skilled in auto mechanics as I am!
So there is still time for the top cover gaskets. Now I have done these several
times and on this very same engine as I remember. Lots of chances here for Mr.
Murphy but he lulls me into a false sense of security with the only problem
being that the adapter cover gasket had a leak I didn't know about till after I
got everything back together. No, I didn't change that gasket, OK? Yes, I had a
spare but the old one came off clean and had no tears so - well, you get pretty
good at taking the alternator off after a couple of tries in the same afternoon!
And no lie, I did NOT forget the fan!
But wait, we aren't done yet! Having seemingly left for better subjects
(personally I was hoping he would move on to Larry's house), Mr. Murphy found
more time for me the next day! At least he let me walk around for most of the
day thinking I had finally won the battle! The guy is sneaky though (even more
signs he must be a woman) and as I was pulling out of the parking lot at work to
go home, I heard this awful sound. This was not good (no kidding?) but it went
away and I continued on down the road! Then the power to the wheels suddenly
went away even though the engine was still running strong!
Even I know what that means, having experienced this phenomenon on at least one
occasion! Yep, differential is kaput! But I just rebuilt the darn thing and Mark
even set the lash and all! I _assume_ that all the chattering had hammered the
spider gears into submission and the drive to work finished off the job. Knowing
the problem didn't change a thing though and so I called AAA to the rescue. The
fun isn't over yet though as they claim I wasn't where I said I was and after
two hours wait and numerous phone calls, they finally found me right where I had
been all the time (it isn't like a Greenbrier with a kaput differential can go
very far, now is it?) and we get home with no further adventure.
And in time the differential gets new innards and everything goes back together
without a visit from you know who! I think he must have taken a vacation after
all the time he spent at 66 Kiva Place. And so far he hasn't been back but we
all know he will be. I think he likes us Corvair folks don't you?!
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REAL BOOK REVIEW, REPRINTED FROM ENCHANTED CORVAIRS -- DECEMBER 1997
* With all the new people on Virtual Vairs, I guess it's time to post
* my review of Nader's book. The review has been published in Old Autos
* newspaper and in several magazines. Feel free to use it in chapter
* newsletters or send it to your local newspaper. We need to get the
* word out. Regards, Norm Helmkay (corvair@fan.net)
"UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED" IN RETROSPECT
BY NORM HELMKAY *
For over thirty years, those of us who have a love affair with the automobile
and a particular feeling for old cars (especially the Corvair) have heard on TV
or read in the daily press how Ralph Nader killed the Corvair with his 1965 book
"Unsafe at any Speed."
I've written rebuttals to this notion in several publications by pointing out,
it was the Ford Mustang that prompted GM to sound the Corvair death-knell in
April 1965, six months before Nader's book was published. GM management, to whom
this unique vehicle was just another car, ordered by internal memo: "No more
development, just do enough to keep it (the Corvair) up with the safety
standards." This was just a year after the Mustang was introduced. Surprisingly,
the death was slow as production continued on for four more years until May
1969.
While I have no particular axe to grind or love for Ralph Nader, it is entirely
possible his crusade did a lot of good. Few are aware that his book had a
sub-title, "The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile," which in fact
is the real problem Nader's organization was trying to address.
It's clearly time to set the record straight and get the media to look at the
facts, without the sensationalism the book generated in the last half of the
sixties. It's also incumbent on those of us with old car interests to be able to
talk knowledgeably on what the book really is about and explode the myth of the
"Corvair Killing." Very few are aware that a U. S. Senate Committee and the
National Safety Board investigated Nader's accusations and found those
attributed to the Corvair to be "without merit."
Nader's book tells how the American auto industry in general made cars for
years, based on style and cost cutting, with little regard for safety. His focus
might have zeroed in on any one of a number of cars that over the years had
inherent design faults (like the Ford Pinto gas tank, the '53 Buick Roadmaster
brakes, the '65 Ford rear suspension, the '64 Chrysler Corporation steering gear
brackets, the pre-'66 GM Hydramatic shift pattern, etc) that all resulted in
potential safety hazards.
However, it took a particularly unusual design (for North America) by the
industry giant, on which to focus and drive home the point loud enough for the
public and government to listen. Enthusiasts, always eternal optimists, have
turned some of the controversial problem areas into fun names for their Corvair
events, like; the xxth Annual Corvair Recall or the Great Western Fan-Belt Toss
(a reference to the early Corvair propensity for throwing off the blower belt)
or the "O" Ring Flip (making fun of leaky early engines). Ralph Nader even spoke
at the 1991 Corvair Society of America convention in Washington, DC.
In the book's five page preface, the word Corvair is not even used. But, in the
41 pages of Chapter 1 (the "Sporty Corvair"), the only part of the book people
remember, "Corvair" appears 153 times, many of which are in a reference context
to the point where, at nearly four times per page, it at best becomes boring
repetition.
Chapter 2 ("Disaster Deferred") mentions the Corvair four times and uses in one
place a generic "Corvair-type design" as though the suspension was a Corvair
first, which of course it was not. Robert Schilling, the German born suspension
engineer, used a much earlier Fiat 600 design as the inspiration for his Corvair
adaptation.
The main theme in the third chapter ("The Second Collision") calls out the
Corvair six times (four on page 94 alone). All but one of these relate to
steering column safety (a problem of the times in all cars), the dashboard and
all other things unrestrained occupants could hit in a crash. Even though
American Motors claimed they were the first to make seat belts standard,
Studebaker (in February 1963) was the first car maker to actually do it, and
within a year the whole industry followed.
The Automotive Crash Injury Research program at Cornell University started by
Hugh DeHaven is covered by 13 of the 65 pages in Chapter 3. Canada has a unique
part in auto safety as a result of a 1917 mid-air crash of two Canadian-made
Curtis JN-4 airplanes. DeHaven was the only survivor and began to wonder why he
alone was not killed. This led to the founding of a crash research program at
Cornell 1952.
The last mention of the Corvair in the book is on page 103 and the next 262
pages (72 percent of the book) deals with all manner of other automotive
subjects. Chapter 4 ("The Power To Pollute") covers automotive contribution to
air pollution. Chrysler actually gets a pat-on-the-back for their 1962 "Cleaner
Air Package".
In Chapter 5 ("The Engineers") the automotive engineers are taken to task for
their lack of development of safer cars (remember, this was in 1965). One
engineer, Ken Stonex, a GM mathematician, did a paper on some comparisons
between a 1910 Oldsmobile Limited (a humongous sized car) and the 1955, 1960 and
1964 models, to show how much safer the newer cars had become in the fifty-odd
year interval. Nader concedes that all companies had adopted: better brakes,
easier starting, safer glass, longer lasting tires, smoother reliable suspension
and in general a much safer car than our grandfathers knew in the early years of
the 20th century. The engineers get 40 of the book's 365 pages, with no mention
of the Corvair or its innovations.
"The Stylists" get their lashes in the 22 pages of Chapter 6. The list of cars
covered is a run-down of the industry, like the Cadillac tail fins. Buick,
Chevelle, Chevy II, Oldsmobile, the old La Salle, Plymouth Satellite, Lincoln
Continental, Fords Model A, Model T, Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang are all there,
but nary a mention of the Corvair, which in 1965 was voted in the top 10 best
styled cars ever.
Chapter 7, ("The Traffic Safety Establishment") with 63 pages, and Chapter 8,
("The Coming Struggle For Safety") with 52 pages, cover nearly one-third of the
whole book. These two chapters cover highways, traffic control, driver behavior,
education, maintenance, inspections, state laws, accident statistics; how
lawyers, medical profession and insurance industry benefit; and the inaction of
groups like the American Automobile Association (AAA), but there's not a
disparaging word about the Corvair.
The last chapter actually begins with an inaccurate statement that the first
recorded traffic fatality happened in New York in September, 1899. There are
published reports of five people being killed in 1834 when a steam carriage
overturned in Glasgow, Scotland. What makes this report a travesty is that the
accident was caused by the Turnpike Trustees (the authorities) who had an
18-inch bank of stone dumped across the road to stop the horseless steam
carriage service the public enjoyed.
The final irony of all, in Nader's book "Unsafe at any Speed" the Corvair does
not even appear in the index.
Some excellent nostalgic reading on the Corvair is an article in the Automobile
Quarterly (Vol 8, No. 4) by Karl Ludvigsen, written in 1970 just a year after
the demise of the Corvair titled, "Remember The Corvair? - Here's A Look At What
We Lost." How prophetic he was!
* Author, Norm Helmkay is a Past President (1971) of the Historic Automobile
Society of Canada, a Director of the WOKR Sleeve Valve Club since 1977, a
Director of the Group Ultra Chapter of CORSA and is the Eastern Director of the
Ultra Van Motor Coach Club. The Helmkays have four Ultra Vans (3 Corvair-powered
and a V-8).
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PHOTO: Rear-engine, Air-cooled Avant-guarde Vehicle, Gallant French Soldiers
Well-Equipped with Champaign, Overcoats, Berets and Gauloises Cigarettes,
possibly circa 1916.
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PHOTO: Ran When Parked. A Farcebook post asserts that these ancient and
neglected Greenbriers, located on a tea plantation in Sumatra, are
available for sale. Shipping via the Suez Canal via high-speed
container ship is not expected to be available until sometime
early next year.
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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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