The August 2021 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 2021-Aug-02 = Copyright (c) 2021 Corvairs of New Mexico
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August 2021 / VOLUME 47 / NUMBER 8 / ISSUE 551
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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 7th at 10:00AM
Highland Senior Center 131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
THIS MONTH
What's Up Dave? ................................ David Huntoon
Dues Due Dates .......................... Membership Committee
July Regular Meeting ................................ Kay Sutt
July Board Meeting .................................. Kay Sutt
Old Route 66 Cleanup report ...................... Greg Nelson
Treasury Report ................................ Steve Gongora
Birthdays & Anniversaries ............... Membership Committee
Route 66 Tri-State Report for August ............. Terry Price
Tri-State History (reprint from Denvair News) .. Steve Goodman
How to Run a Red Light ........................... Jim Pittman
World's Fastest Car? (Maybe) .............. George Brazil Talk
Speedy 1962 Spyder Technical Details ...... George Brazil Talk
Calendar of Coming Events ................. Board of Directors
August Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago .... Club Historian
N. M. Car Council August 7th Picnic ........... NMCCC Brochure
Photos: Fred Edeskuty's Lamps ................... July Meeting
COVER .. Steve & Rita's Lakewood on October 9th, 1983
COVER .. Corvair-themed Lamps Constructed by Fred Edeskuty
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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: Regular Meeting - Saturday August 7th 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center 131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
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 August 2021
DUE LAST MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE
2021.07 NONE 25-AUG-2021
DUE THIS MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE
2021.08 Gregory Nelson 25-SEP-2021
2021.08 Brenda Stickler 25-SEP-2021
DUE NEXT MONTH ================= INACTIVE DATE
2021.09 NONE 25-OCT-2021
DUE OCTOBER 2021 ================ INACTIVE DATE
2021.10 Debra & Jon Anderson 25-NOV-2021
2021.10 Kathy & Larry Blair 25-NOV-2021
2021.10 Anne & Geoffrey Johnson 25-NOV-2021
2021.10 William & Sharon Heil 25-NOV-2021
2021.10 Sylvia & Ray Trujillo 25-NOV-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
2021.04 Lesha Kitts 25-MAY-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
Now it is really getting closer to the Tri-State and remember we still need more
volunteers. Even just for a couple hours. Thursday thru Saturday Terry has sign
up sheets for the various jobs. After all the roadblocks in the last year we
need to make this happen smoothly.
Perhaps you saw a video on the local news of Santa Fe #2926 moving under its own
power July 24th. First time since 1953. Nice videos/history on their website,
http://nmslrhs.org Their annual open house is Sept. 25. Inspiring to see that
huge machine restored to better than new.
This year the Car Council picnic is August 7th the same day as our club
meeting. This year in Galisteo. Will include the info if you choose to attend.
Later in August, 27-29, is the NSRA show and swap meet at NM EXPO. National
Street Rod Assoc.
August 20-21 is the Jay Hertz Autumn Run to Taos. Jay was kind enough to invite
our club to visit his workshop/showroom several times. He was a big part of the
car culture here with his collection of older Chevys and Fords.
One last item: Our last Old Route 66 cleanup had 3 workers. Four is the minimum
number. Our monthly cleanup is working and lasts maybe an hour if enough people
show. The hottest part of the year is past so that should not be an obstacle.
Join the fun August 21st!
Remember, our next meeting is at the Highland Senior Center at 10am, Saturday
August 7th. Many thanks to Rita and Steve allowing us to meet at their house for
our club meetings until things opened up again. It was great!
See you at the meeting, drive those Corvairs! -- David
Anything look familiar?
Hints -- flat 12, air-cooled with horizontal fan
4.5 - 5.0 liters
Minimum 600 hp or 1600hp w / twin turbos
50 years ago
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CNM GENERAL MEETING, 07/03/2021
BY SECRETARY KAY SUTT
The meeting was called to order by President David Huntoon at 10:15 in the back
yard of Steve and Rita Gongora. A total of 17 people were present, including one
new member: Michael Hughes who has a 1963 aqua convertible.
President's Report: David reported the following from the June NMCCC meeting:
1. Jay Hertz Tours (did I understand this correctly?) will be in Taos this fall
from 09/30 until 10/2.
2.The all-club tour/picnic this year will be Saturday August 7th. Participants
will meet at Tramway and Central, in the Smith's parking lot and caravan to the
Anaya Ranch in Galisteo. This year people are asked to bring their own
food/drinks due to personal safety measures relating to the Covid pandemic.
Please note this will be the same day as the July CNM general meeting, but
information will be forwarded to members regarding this event. You can also go
to their website for details:
http://www.nmcarcouncil.com
(The NMCCC brochure is reproduced on Page 13.)
3. Collector Car Appreciation Day will be held 07/09. Meet at El Vado on Central
for a Route 66 tour followed by an ice cream social.
4. David is aware the notices for the NMCCC events are often short right now,
but they have just recently begun scheduling events again following the pandemic
shutdown. They all apologize for the short notice.
Vice President's Report: Tarmo had nothing new to report.
Secretary's Report: Kay Sutt had nothing to report.
Treasurer's Report: Steve Gongora reported the balance in the account is
$8,331.46.
Sunshine Committee Report: Vickie Hall was not present, so there was no report
this month.
Newsletter Editor: Jim Pittman was present and informed members the deadline for
the next newsletter is 9 P.M. on Friday, July 30.
Old Route 66 Cleanup Report: David Huntoon reports the next cleanup will be
Saturday, July 10 at 9 A.M. at the regular place. Chair Greg will be unavailable
this month, so please consider adding an hour to your schedule to help out.
Old Business:
Terry Price and Lupe Arellanes were unable to attend the meeting, so the updates
on the Tri-State meet are minimal this month. The hotel has rented the space we
were going to use for the Hospitality Suite, substituting a suite on the 9th
floor. Also, we would like to remind people that we need your help to
successfully complete this Tri-State! Please set aside the days of October 15-17
to be available to help man the various activities, and please register for your
hotel room and for your banquet requests on www.tristatecorvairs.com.
Steve & Rita have generously offered to continue the Tri-State committee
meetings at their house.
Terry Price indicated via email he will call a meeting of the Tri-State
committee before the next general meeting. Time is getting short, Folks. Time to
put the final push on to make the Route 66 Tri-State Meet a roaring success!
Fred Edeskuty brought down the two lamps he made for the Tri-State Meet silent
auction. They are made of Corvair driveshafts (drilled down the center of the
shaft! - Remember Fred IS an engineer from Los Alamos) with air cleaner shades
covered by a hubcap. They are wonderful! These two items will make great
conversation pieces in any car-lovers' home, especially if you own a Corvair, so
start saving your money. We expect these beauties to bring big bucks!
New Business:
1. The next CNM Board meeting will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, July 21 at
7:00 P.M. Remember all members are welcome to attend these meetings. Let Kay
Sutt know so she can add your name to the Zoom link sent out prior to the
meeting (505-690-2056 or suttkay@gmail.com).
2. Ray Trujillo communicated that the Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe, NE
is reopening, so we can begin scheduling our meetings in that location once
again. Thank you, Steve & Rita, for your club support the last several months,
allowing us to meet in your lovely backyard. Thanks too to everyone who has
brought goodies to all the meetings. We appreciate your dedication to CNM! David
said he would schedule the next meeting at 9 AM at the Highland Senior Center.
(To avoid confusion, please note the meeting will begin at 10:00 AM on August 7,
since David discovered when he contacted them that Highland Center opens at
10:00.)
Finally, two quick announcements:
1. Steve has donated a mounted photo of his truck by former CNM member Jerry
Goffe to The Bite Restaurant in Santa Fe. For those of you who haven't been
there, their decor is centered around cars of all types, and now Corvairs are
represented too. (An editorial comment by the secretary - they make the best
chile cheeseburger in Santa Fe.)
2. Tarmo reported he is trying to make a connection with a man in Edgewood who
has a hood, a deck lid and an automatic transmission for a late model Corvair to
give away.
The meeting was adjourned at about 11:20 A.M.
Rita Gongora provided drinks and snacks after the meeting. Thank you Rita!
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CNM BOARD MEETING, 07/21/2021
BY SECRETARY KAY SUTT
The July CNM Board Meeting was held July 21, 2021 at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom. Present
at the meeting were David Huntoon, Tarmo Sutt, Kay Sutt, Steve Gongora and Jim
Pittman.
The August General Meeting will be in person, subject to any CDC and/or NM State
Covid guidelines in place at the time. It will be held Saturday, August 7 at
10:00 A.M., at the Highland Senior at 131 Monroe Street, NE, Albuquerque.
The July Old Route 66 Cleanup was held last Saturday, July 14, and three members
contributed their time for this task. Thank you, folks, for your work upholding
CNM's reputation! President David said more help with this project is needed, so
please consider donating an hour of your time a few times a year to help CNM
meet the demands of the agreement we made to keep our mile clean.
"Visit Albuquerque" contacted President David. This is a tourism-promoting
department in the City of Albuquerque, and they asked if our Tri-State Meet was
still going to happen and asking what they could do to help make the event a
success. Since Terry Price was not able to make this meeting, we all agreed to
let Terry decide what the City can do for us, and we will let them know. Your
tax dollars at work, Folks!
Steve Gongora has designed a dash plaque for the Tri-State Meet, and he
forwarded it to Board members for approval. Thanks for your work, Steve. We can
always count on you!
Robert Gold and Pat Hall will be in charge of the State Fair Car Show to be
held, as usual, the last Sunday of the State Fair. Robert has the stanchions and
will see they are there at the event. Robert indicated he has chaired this event
for over 20 years, and he would like to turn over the responsibility to someone
new. If you are willing to head this one event per year, please contact
President David, and he will arrange to get you trained by Robert.
Jim Pittman, Newsletter Editor, set Friday, July 30 at 9:00 P.M. as the
newsletter deadline.
VP Tarmo has tried to contact John Howe, the man with the Corvair parts
discussed at the last meeting, but he has been unable to talk to him. He left a
message and will forward any information to the club.
Finally, our club is growing again, Folks! Steve reported he has received an
application and dues from Troy Ward, who was referred to CNM by Pat Hall.
Thanks, Pat. You are a great PR man!
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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OLD ROUTE 66 CLEANUP
GREG NELSON
You will notice that the monthly Old Route 66 Trash Day for August is the third
Saturday (21st) instead of the Saturday following the club meeting. That is
because I will be in Las Vegas for the annual Star Trek Convention. The meeting
reminder postcard says the start time is 9:00 am. We can decide at the club
meeting whether to start at 8:00 am or 9:00 am depending on how hot it is that
week.
At a previous meeting, the club asked for an inventory of the First Aid Kit. I
replaced three items that expired. In addition, during my last shopping trip to
Sam's Club I picked up a well-stocked First Aid Kit so that we may have two on
hand for the Tri-State Convention.
David, Tony and I attended the monthly New Mexico Council of Car Clubs meeting
on July 28. I recommend visiting the website for the latest news on car shows,
swap meets and picnics: nmcarcouncil.com.
The highlight event is the All Clubs Picnic on August 7. A flier with map is on
the website. You will need to bring your own food.
On a personal note, my 1964 Monza 900 is in the garage and I continue toiling
away on removing the very old weather stripping adhesive around both doors and
the engine trunk. I bought a set (5) of correct-size tires. I will get those
installed within the next few months. I also found a website that decodes the
engine plate. It decodes the Style, Body, Trim, Paint and Accessory codes so now
I finally know what it is I bought last August!
Cheers. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. -- Greg
Gregory S. Nelson, Ph.D., DR-III
Senior Research Physicist
505-846-6055, DSN 246-6055
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 06-26-2021 to 07-31-2021 =============================================
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,821.46
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2021.06.27 1567 +$ 80.00 Deposit Mark,Mary Lou Martinek TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $7,901.46
2021.06.27 172 +$ 80.00 Deposit Richardson / Zelli TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $7,981.46
2021.06.27 7027 +$ 95.00 Deposit Jon & Debra Anderson TRI-STATE +$ 95.00 $8,076.46
2021.06.27 2751 +$ 150.00 Deposit Dave & Brenna Olwine TRI-STATE +$150.00 $8,226.46
2021.07.03 7152 +$ 80.00 Deposit B.Kitts M.Kitts TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $8,306.46
2021.07.03 5478 +$ 80.00 Deposit L.Blair K.Blair TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $8,386.46
2021.07.03 cash +$ 40.00 Deposit P.Finch TRI-STATE +$ 40.00 $8,426.46
2021.07.03 cash +$ 50.00 Deposit M.Hughes T-SHIRT & TRI-STATE +$ 50.00 $8,476.46
2021.07.03 cash +$ 50.00 Dues M.Hughes 12 m CNM +$ 25.00 $8,501.46
2021.07.04 2405 -$ J.Pittman Newsletter Printing JUL 2021 -$ $8,501.46
2021.07.04 2405 -$ J.Pittman 38 Newsletters -$ 46.43 $8,455.03
2021.07.04 2405 -$ J.Pittman 35 Stamps at $0.70 each -$ 24.50 $8,430.53
2021.07.04 2405 -$ 76.57 J.Pittman 35 envelopes at $0.161 each -$ 5.64 $8,424.89
2021.07.04 7764 +$ 40.00 Deposit L.Reider TRI-STATE +$ 40.00 $8,464.89
2021.07.11 1580 +$ 80.00 Deposit W.Heil TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $8,544.89
2021.07.14 3257 +$ 80.00 Deposit P.Seyforth TRI-STATE +$ 80.00 $8,624.89
2021.07.21 1005 +$ 50.00 Dues T.Ward 26 m CNM +$ 50.00 $8,674.89
2021.07.21 1006 +$ 90.00 Dues T.Ward 26 m CORSA +$ 90.00 $8,764.89
2021.07.27 1291 +$ 70.00 Dues T.Price 26 m CNM + CORSA +$ 70.00 $8,834.89
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2021.08.01 AUG NEWSLETTER ===================================================== $8,834.89
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TRI-STATE 2021 EXPENSE FUND
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2021.04.30 +$1,031.47 Tri-State 2021 Fund Donation Jim Pittman $1,031.47
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Happy Birthday Wishes to August CNM'ers:
Sharon Heil
Geoffrey Johnson
Steve Johnson
Mark L Morgan
Sarah Price
Lee Reider
Happy Anniversary Wishes to August CNM'ers:
Anne & Geoffrey Johnson
Sylvia & Ray Trujillo
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AUGUST REPORT - ROUTE 66 TRI-STATE
TERRY PRICE
Hope to see you all at the Route 66 Tri-State on October 15-17 this year.
Activities are abundant and the banquet looks to be shaping up. Not only do we
have a good place for the Corvair show and competition, but we also are located
just a block from the HELLO DELI parking lot. Many people, with very nice cars
including some exotics, meet there every Saturday morning. There are also a
number of restaurants in the same area. A dinner at EL PINTO RESTAURANT, a
popular southwest cuisine eatery in Albuquerque, is planned on Thursday evening
for those who want to get an early start.
Astronaut HARRISON SCHMITT, the last man to walk on the moon, should be a very
interesting speaker at the banquet. Food should be excellent at the banquet,
prepared by the fine Marriott chefs.
The awards for the Corvair competition, designed by Kay Sutt, will have to be
fantastic. The event already has 50 registered attendees and 22 cars entered. A
silent auction is also planned and there are a number of very nice items
available, and don't forget about the quilt, made by Kay Sutt, always a
beautiful creation. Snacks will be available in the hospitality suite and a
raffle is in the works.
Concerning arrangements for the event with the Marriott Pyramid North, things
are working out. That is a bit surprising considering I will now be working with
the sixth representative of the Marriott to make sure everything is set up for
us. We are having a bit of a problem concerning our hospitality room.
Originally, the room was to be located on the first floor next to the parking
lot. Presently, it has been moved to the 9th floor, the Presidential Suite. I am
working to get that moved back to the first floor. Steve Gongora and I are
working on dash plaques and will be placing an order in the near future. Thanks
Steve for the work you have done. Rita is working on the silent auction. I am
hoping to get some help after the August meeting from the Tri-State committee.
We are planning on going to Steve and Rita's home for a meeting and maybe
working on the silent auction items.
If you are planning on attending the ROUTE 66 TRI-STATE please register on line
as soon as possible. The web site is very user friendly. The address is:
http://tristatecorvairs.com
After you register, you can then reserve a room with the hotel on the same site.
You can also call in your room reservation at 505-821-3333. You must mention the
"CORVAIR TRI-STATE" to get the special $109.00 rate.
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Reprinted from the July 2021 DENVAIR NEWS of Rocky Mountain CORSA
TRI-STATE HISTORY
BY STEVE GOODMAN
When the 1976 CORSA national convention location was announced it was not
necessarily the place of choice for some members and clubs. It was Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in July 1976. Not only a long hot drive across Kansas and places
east but July 1976 was a birthday year, the bi-centennial celebration of the USA
and Philadelphia was a center point of much of that. That meant costs would be
greater for food / lodging etc too.
Rocky Mountain Corsa / Corvairs of New Mexico and Bonneville Corvair Club in
Salt Lake City got together and decided to do a mini-convention for us and
anyone else who would rather be in the Rocky Mountain high country in July
instead of traveling across country. It was dubbed "Tri-State Corvair meet."
When the insurance request and article for the COMMUNIQUE were submitted to
CORSA the three clubs received a letter of admonishment from CORSA but they did
honor the insurance. (CNM member Sylvan Zuercher kept the CNM copy and hopefully
it is still in the club archives.)
The location was Montrose, Colorado which was fairly equal distance between the
three clubs. It was the typical three day weekend. Drive in on Friday and events
on Saturday and banquet on Saturday evening then Sunday breakfast and say
goodbye to all new found friends and head home. The events that year was a drive
to Ouray Falls and a show-n-shine on Saturday and some sightseeing adventures
for all. Now remember please, this was intended to be a ONE TIME weekend.
Attendance was good and a fun time for all and lots of Corvairs were running
around on the streets of Montrose.
Now let's go forward to 1985 and the CORSA convention in Houston. CNM members
had hatched a plan to resurrect the event and pass hosting each year between the
three states in the same manner as the Fan Belt Toss in Palm Springs. LeRoy
Rogers and a couple other CNM members caught up with me in Houston and outlined
the plan and I kinda volunteered RMC without asking for club approval. CNM host
city choice again was Montrose due to equal driving times. Luckily when I
outlined the CNM plan at the next RMC meeting everyone thought it was good so no
lynching occurred.
The time of year selected was late May due to the fact the tourist season hadn't
begun, so the town was fairly empty and the businesses looked forward to having
100 or more visitors. Sadly the Bonneville club showed little interest, BUT
Pikes Peak Corvair Club in Colorado Springs had formed and there were numerous
PPCC members in attendance. The name "Tri-State" however was maintained and
there were hopes that SLC would come back into the group.
For 1987 RMC took a turn and it was held in Ouray, Colorado, but again no
interest from the Bonneville club. PPCC didn't hide, however, and in 1988 they
fell into line and hosted the event in Canon City, Colorado. The three clubs
have rotated since then. I will say that occasionally Bonneville members have
attended but they have never gotten enough interest within their club to host a
year.
Normally the locations have always been in Southern Colorado or northern New
Mexico. Obviously to keep driving times fairly equal and also most of the host
cities have been small mountain towns with scenery and attractions for those who
have never been in the mountains before. Also as stated above the small towns
enjoyed the money being brought into their area and the event also brought local
residents to town to see the cars too. Once the event was held in Grand Junction
as a tempting gesture to Bonneville members and once in the past it was in
Albuquerque due to a large car event taking place at the same time. To view
every location look at the CNM website please. Jim Pittman has kept track of
every event and has records of attendance and even years and models of all
Corvairs registered. Thank you Jim for your dedication.
Through the years Corvairs have regularly shown up from Kansas / Oklahoma /
Wyoming / Arizona / Iowa and even California and Washington state. One other
short note: Montrose as host city has been a tradition from the beginning on the
years ending with a "6" -- 1976-1986-1996-2006-2016.
The original vision of CNM members such as Sylvan Zuercher / Bill Reider /
Francis Boydston was to have a very relaxed weekend with minimal events and lots
of time to look at the Corvairs and look at mountain scenery and visit with each
other and make new friends plus chat with the local residents about their
Corvair experiences too because every town has had Corvairs "back in the day."
Thanks to CNM for getting through the difficult times of 2020 and hopefully the
interest and attendance will be great as always this year.
Note: Steve Goodman and Steve Gongora are the two members of CNM / PPCC / RMC
who have attended every Tri-State.
Steve and Ruth Goodman received the Boydston Award at the 2001 Tri-State in
Manitu Springs, Colorado.
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HOW TO RUN A RED LIGHT
JIM PITTMAN
It's about 7:20 AM on a Tuesday and I am going north on Parsifal, intending to
turn right (east) on Constitution. I stop, look left (west) and see no traffic
at least as far as the light at Moon, and look right where the coast is clear.
Accelerating on Constitution toward Eubank, I see the traffic light is green,
but I expect it to turn red before I get there. I become aware of the roar of an
engine and in my side mirror I see a black pickup blasting past me. (1) It is
somewhat unusual to see such reckless speed on Constitution and my guess is he
must be going at least twice the speed limit. He approaches the now-red light at
Eubank but makes a sharp left turn (2) into a 7-11 at the NW corner of Eubank
and Constitution, just missing a vehicle waiting to exit the 7-11 lot. I lose
sight of the black pickup for a few seconds as I slow and stop at the Eubank red
light, then I see that he has exited the 7-11 (3) onto Eubank, now heading
south, and has stopped in the left-turn lane. (4) A north-bound car slows him
down for just a moment, then he turns left (east) and races (5) on Constitution
and disappears in the distance. I am still sitting at the Eubank red light
trying to decide if I believe what I just saw. Did he succeed in legally running
a red traffic light?
Well, first, this guy was a scofflaw for speeding and was reckless for turning
abruptly into the 7-11. But it was not illegal for him to exit the 7-11 onto
Eubank, and he was in the correct turn lane, and he waited for a car to go by so
he could make a legal left turn on a green light. The whole maneuver saved him
sitting at the red light, as I was now doing, waiting for the end of the
60-something seconds cycle to get a green light.
I don't know what lesson there is for this story. I'm not even sure why I'm
telling it. When I drive in Albuquerque these days I always keep watch for
speeders, carelessness, thoughtlessness and downright stupidity, and I'm always
rewarded. Sometimes I see amazing high-speed maneuvers that narrowly miss
becoming instant tragedies. I do not think the pandemic improved Albuquerque's
bad drivers; in fact, just the reverse. During the early lockdown when there
were many fewer drivers on the streets, the ones who were there went faster and
seemed to become more reckless. When traffic density soon increased to more or
less "normal" levels, it seemed that everyone kept those speeding, thoughtless,
careless and stupid habits.
The ubiquity of speeding and late-night or early-morning loud un-muffled
motorcycles and muscle cars everywhere makes it clear: there is no way
Albuquerque is going to put a stop to scofflaw driving. If you drive, you just
have to know you are putting your life on the line, any where and any time. Now
maybe more than ever before.
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WORLD'S FASTEST STREET CAR, MAYBE? GEORGE BRAZIL'S 1962 SPYDER
JIM PITTMAN -- ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER -- APRIL 1979
Picture this: It's a street in Albuquerque in the mid sixties, it's night and
there's little traffic. A car waits for the green light. It is a typical muscle
car of the time, maybe a Ford or Dodge or Oldsmobile. Whatever, its owner bought
it with a big V-8 and a four-barrel and with the expectation that a push on the
gas would result in lots of moving-out-right-now. The owner has seldom been
disappointed in that expectation.
Another car pulls up to the stop light and stops next to the V-8. It's a smaller
car, yellow, not particularly flashy. If the other driver pays it any attention
he may recognize it as a compact car, one of those cheap jobs Detroit put out as
a pathetic try at slowing the rate of importation of Volkswagens. Nothing
interesting here.
The light changes and the muscle car peels out, not really in a hurry but with
authority and a chirp of wheelspin. Halfway down the block the driver becomes
aware of the little yellow car. Not only hasn't it been left behind in a cloud
of dust, it is right beside and actually pulling ahead. The astonished driver
reacts instantly to this absurd challenge: foot to the floor, wheels squeal as
they try to grip the pavement. The V-8 leaps ahead. But a sideways glance at the
compact's driver reveals a sly grin that shows that he wasn't even being serious
about racing up to now. The little car gains distance. Soon the big car is going
far too fast for comfort, but the other is rapidly disappearing from view. The
unhappy driver slows. Who would believe I could be beat so badly by that little
thing?
Another scene. An almost deserted road at the east edge of the city. A man
drives by rather hurriedly; he's anxious to get some car parts home so he can
get to work on a race car for tomorrow. Ahead he sees the road blocked: a couple
of kids are out side by side in two Mustangs, about to have an impromptu drag
race. The little yellow car (yes, it's the same one) slows and comes up behind
the two hot cars just as they blast off. He follows, wanting to pass to go on
home. The Mustangs are pretty evenly matched so they are going nearly a hundred
miles an hour before one clearly gets ahead of the other. As the lead car opens
a bit more distance, the Mustang drivers are scared almost off the road by the
sight of a small yellow car passing the rear car, then whipping to the other
side of the road to pass the lead Mustang. The two try to keep up, but soon slow
and stop. They get out of their pony cars and stare ahead at the disappearing
taillights. I don't believe that, one says. I won't tell anybody we were passed
by a Corvair if you won't, the other says.
These stories and many more were offered to the happy members who attended this
month's club meeting by George Brazil, who claimed no one ever beat him in his
turbocharged 1962 Corvair Spyder. George has a store of tales of Corvair
performance that would tickle the hearts of Mustang-haters anywhere, and we were
a most appreciative audience. Most of George's stories concerned speed, pure and
simple, but not just speed: there was always another car to outrun, another big
Detroit iron to put down in defeat.
George Brazil is a racer and his exploits on the open road in his Spyder are the
stuff of racing. Along with the technical details of modifications to the car
and its running gear, there is the ultimate goal: speed, acceleration, handling,
and beating the big at their own game.
George bought the '62 turbocharged Corvair because it was sick and the owner
didn't want it anymore, but instead of just repairing it, he thought he could
improve it a bit. He soon found the car a delight in two ways. First, the basic
design was sound and responded well to minor tuning and modifications, becoming
a real performer. Second, it looked just like any other ordinary compact car.
Take an innocent-looking car that can go awfully fast, add a man who loves speed
and competition, and you have an instant recipe for giving headaches to a lot of
owners of big Chevys, Fords, Firebirds, Roadrunner Hemis, or what have you.
George was happy to take any of them on, and he always won. And a lot of the fun
in winning was that the drivers of those 400-cubic-inch cars just couldn't
believe what was happening to them.
It is 1979, the on-again, off-again fuel crisis may return any day now, the
national speed limit is 55 MPH, and cars are designed with crash-proof bumpers
and air-bag restraint systems. Our cars are getting to be old relics. Listening
to George Brazil the other night, we didn't care in the slightest. He brought to
our minds the legends of the American automotive scene, of asking, "How fast
will she go?" and looking at the speedometer to see whether this year's model
had a bigger number on the right end than last year's model, and finding out
what powerful, expensive and exotic parts lurked under the skin of that shiny
engine. Every kid who's ever hankered for a hotrod to blast through the night on
the road to fame and glory would understand George's stories. We Corvair
fanatics reverted to being kids and enjoyed the stories all the more because
that car, maybe the world's fastest street Corvair, that was one of OUR cars,
that was a CORVAIR!
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TECHNICAL DETAILS MENTIONED IN GEORGE BRAZIL'S TALK TO CNM
JIM PITTMAN -- ENCHANTED CORVAIRS NEWSLETTER -- MAY 1979
George Brazil's talk on his 1962 Spyder included a lot more than just racing war
stories. He mentioned many details of the modifications that helped make his
turbocharged Corvair so fast. No, his engine may have been a streetable one but
it definitely wasn't stock! Still, the changes were not so radical that many of
us couldn't benefit from hearing about them.
First, he installed a long-stroke crankshaft from a 164-cu.in. engine in the
'62. This required removing a lot of metal from the block so the rods wouldn't
hit. Then he installed TRW forged pistons, dual-port (i.e., 140 HP) heads and a
'65 exhaust turbine. This combination produced impressive amounts of horsepower,
but George didn't like the stock Carter YH carburetor, so he designed an adapter
to mount a 500-cfm Holley. Later he installed an E-type turbo housing, after
careful machine work to keep the housing clear of the turbine blades. Going
slowly with this set-up, George conceded, was a bit of a problem because the
carb was too big to give efficient air-fuel mixing at low flow rates. But at
full throttle and healthy RPMs it would beat anybody in sight. It didn't matter
much that by five miles or so the engine was seriously overheating -- by then
any would-be competitors would have been left
In response to questions, George said he used a special cam and special
high-performance, high-RPM lifters. He said a big mistake on any Corvair engine
was to install a too-wild cam with solid lifters. The different rates of
expansion for iron and aluminum in an air-cooled engine mean that solid lifters
can only be adjusted to operate in a very narrow temperature range; anything
hotter or colder will result in poor performance and burned or peened valves.
Handling, said George, was no problem because there were only two "secrets" to
know about: alignment of both front and rear to GM specs, and installation of
radial tires. Good radial tires are the single most important and effective
thing one can add to any Corvair for outstanding handling.
Since some of his modifications required expensive parts or extensive machine
work, George had a run-down of things he'd do if he were building a
high-performance turbocharged Corvair engine today:
* Don't use a wild cam; use a stock '64 - '66 turbo cam.
* Use stock hydraulic lifters (or Isky anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters).
* Use 4-port (140 HP) heads for the larger valve area.
* Stake the valve seats by using an ordinary sharp ice pick.
* Use forged pistons, not stock cast pistons.
* Use a larger oil cooler.
* Use early ('62) exhaust manifolds (they will have to be ground out to fit the
140 head exhaust stacks) and crossover pipes so as to have the smallest volume
of exhaust gasses to keep the pressure, temperature and velocity up.
* Do not wrap the exhaust pipes with insulation unless you want to see the steel
burned right through from the hot exhaust gas.
* Use a '65 - '66 Carter YH carb instead of the smaller-venturi '62 - '64 ones,
or bore out the venturi, or install a larger carburetor. A problem with the
Carter YH is the tendency to boil fuel when hot, resulting in starting
difficulties.
* Use the best premium fuel you can get.
After his talk was over, George talked with several CNM members who gathered
around to discuss technical details of his car and to ask questions related to
their cars. Not only did club members get an interesting and entertaining talk,
it appears there has been a considerable increase in plans to modify and drive
all those neglected or recalcitrant turbocharged cars in people's backyards. Who
knows, by this time next year we may be having talks by CNM members of their
turbo modifications and their drag racing exploits with their Spyders and
Corsas. And, who knows, we may owe it all to George Brazil.
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| August 2021 | September 2021 | October 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 7 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 |
| 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
| 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 |
| 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 |
| 29 30 31 | 26 27 28 29 30 | 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
| | | 31 |
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SAT 07 AUG 9:00 AM - All-Clubs Picnic is a tour to Galisteo, New Mexico.
Bring your own lunch. Meet at the Smith's at Tramway and Central SE.
SAT 07 AUG 10:00 AM Meeting Highland Senior Center: our old meeting place
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
WED 18 AUG 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> Meet via Zoom
SAT-SUN 14-15 AUG -- Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada
SAT 21 AUG 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Cleanup -- meet at the I-40/NM333 "triangle"
Meet after the cleanup at the ROOTS FARM CAFE in Tijeras.
WED 25 AUG 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 27 AUG 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the September newsletter
MON 30 AUG >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
WED 01 SEP early? Round Trip on the Rail Runner between Santa Fe and Belen
SAT 04 SEP 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 15 SEP 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
SUN 19 SEP very early! Line up for the Car Show at the State Fair
WED 25 SEP 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 24 SEP 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the October newsletter
MON 27 SEP >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING OCTOBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 02 OCT 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
36TH ANNUAL TRI-STATE CORVAIR MEET
Dates: OCTOBER 15-16-17, 2021
Hosted by: CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO
Host hotel: Marriott Pyramid North
Location: 5151 San Francisco Rd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
Phone: (505) 821-3333
WED 20 OCT 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 27 OCT 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 29 OCT 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the November newsletter
MON 01 NOV >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SUN 07 NOV 2:00 AM - Set your clocks BACK an hour due to Daylight Time. Neither
the Legislature nor the Congress is willing to stop the insanity of
having a disruption of our sleep patterns twice a year.
SAT 06 NOV 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 17 NOV 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 24 NOV 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 26 NOV 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the December 2020 newsletter
MON 29 NOV >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING DECEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities:
========================= http://nmcarcouncil.net/ =========================
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ AUGUST 2021 VOL 47 NR 8 ISSUE 551 ]
JIM PITTMAN
2014 Vol 40 Nr 8 #467
LeRoy's Rampside was at the CNM campus and a Monza convertible at a club
breakfast. Hemmings Classic Car magazine in 1970 gave a history of Corvairs.
Robert Gold told of troubles with the Car Council web site but said the Classic
Car Appreciation Day was fabulous. Heula told about activities of the Sunshine
Committee including birthday cards and new member packets. Elizabeth Domzalski
described Mark's new super garage. Jim wanted to know where you were on the 45th
anniversary of the first landing on the moon. Jim was finishing up a sports car
rally in Ohio when "The Eagle" landed. Finally, news that the one-of-a-kind
Fitch Phoenix brought $230,000 at auction. Seems like not much for a major piece
of Corvair history.
2007 V.33 N.8 #383
Members at a fireworks party. Sylvan Zuercher said Paul West and Don Heath were
prospective members. A First Aid kit for the Old Route 66 cleanup crew was ready
to use. President Ray asked where the phrase "the dog days of summer" came from.
Richard Finch previewed an Ultra Van rally and an airplane fly-in. Robert
reported on a Car Council talk about zoning rules about parking extra cars on
our property. More than two may be a problem. We had photos of exotic cars in a
Coast-to-Coast race. Steve Goodman reported on "Mightaswell Disease" where a
minor tuneup escalates into a major restoration project. Mark Martinek
remembered a "Frostbite Tour" when Mary Lou's 1963 Monza quit running. Many
helped resuscitate it. Christy Barden of Boulder, Colorado provided a biography
of Herb Berkman, a long-time Corvair enthusiast who died recently in an airplane
crash. Herb was active in Rocky Mountain CORSA for many years. Finally, Jim
reviewed the book "Where Have All the Leaders Gone" by Lee Iococca, a sharp
critique of American business and government.
2000 V.26 N.8 #299
Photos at a recent Route 66 clean-up party. Billiken said we were lucky to have
such a wide range of mechanical skills in our club. We met at Galles Chevrolet.
Mark Martinek reviewed topics discussed at the Car Council meeting. Plans for a
summer camping trip encountered the no-burn rules due to the drought. A tech
talk was on converting your early model from generator to alternator. Your
editor fantasized about his adventures at the latest trash pickup day on Old
Route 66. Some of what he told about true. There was a sober tale of unintended
acceleration; fortunately it did not end in mishap. Virtual Vairs discussed just
who or what was responsible for the demise of the Corvair. No, it wasn't Ralph
Nader. Finally, there was a map showing how to get to Ruth's place in the Pecos,
and the copy of the famous swimming pool picture Del supposedly found.
1993 V.19 N.8 #215
A map to our summer campout, Villanueva State Park. President Del presided.
Bill's book, Care and Feeding of Your Corvair, was now in its second edition.
New club jackets arrived. Debbie Pleau reported our proposal for the 1996
convention. We had a presentation on synthetic oil. Kim previewed the Villanueva
campout. Del reported on the Tri-State at Alamosa, particularly enjoyed by the
mosquitoes. Four Corvairs were on display at the Santa Fe Fourth of July show,
plus a big gray Bugatti. After the car show we found that jackets in July were a
good idea at a picnic at the Santa Fe ski area. Tech tips included how to repair
your gas gauge sending unit and using a Ford Granada muffler for your FC. Some
Corvair truck trivia was provided by Tim Palmer of CORSA Northwest.
1986 V.12 N.8 #131
A Chevrolet ad for a 1963 Monza coupe. President Claybourne told us about the
phenomenon of getting half our yearly supply of rain in a five-minute
thunderstorm. Does your Corvair float? A picnic and a couple of car shows made
up our Car Council news. A "new" member was Dale Housley who was one of the CNM
founders back in 1974, retired and back in Albuquerque with a sharp 1965 Monza
coupe. Dale found a Corsa coupe to restore and sold the Monza to your editor.
LeRoy was in the hospital for angioplasty. Sylvan claimed higher gas mileage
than was reported in last month's newsletter and claimed his Corvair had a
record-breaking number of dents. Your editor reported on the econo-run to El
Morro and Grants. National Park rangers told us about "Inscription Rock" and its
place in the settlement of the West. Fine examples of graffiti from the last
four or five hundred years are on the cliff face. Don't add yours, though. We
hiked up to the top of the cliff to see ancient pueblo ruins and a marvelous
view over the landscape. After filling up and calculating the winning mileages
(my yellow 1966 Corsa 140 got 33.7 MPG) some of us headed home while others went
looking for the natural arch on NM 117. Carved on the rocks were some definitely
twentieth-century graffiti. A truly memorable tour.
1979 V.5 N.8 #47
A Mark Morgan drawing showed a Yenko Stinger race car. There was no July meeting
but we reported on the Moriarty Fourth of July trip which included nine
Corvairs. Sylvan said Fred Yuricic (eleven years old) had a sweet-running engine
he rebuilt. Dan Simpson rebuilt a Powerglide transmission and what he learned.
We had a great dinner party at Bella Vista. The magazine Car Collector & Car
Classics featured the Corvair in its August 1979 issue. Ike Meissner provided an
article on the ammeter and its uses. Jim had an article on what you can tell
about your car's electrical system with a voltmeter. A tech tip from Houston
told where to look for those pesky bell housing leaks. Jim editorialized about
the national energy crisis and what we all can do to survive. Heed this quote
from Patrick Bedard of CAR AND DRIVER magazine: Don't worry about acceleration,
worry about braking. You have to accelerate to go anywhere, but every touch of
the brake is wasted gasoline. Therefore, always drive so as to minimize braking!
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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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=END=