The January 2018 newsletter - Text Version Updated 23-Dec-2017 ==== Copyright (c) 2017 Corvairs of New Mexico ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== JANUARY 2018 / VOLUME 44 / NUMBER 1 / ISSUE #508 ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, First Place, 2005 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, Third Place, 2010 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, First Place, 2012 EDITOR: Jim Pittman NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 at 7:00 PM North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE THIS MONTH: President's Message .................................. John Wiker Dues Due ................................... Membership Committee December Regular Meeting (no Board meeting) ......... Your Editor Christmas Party Report .............................. Lube Lubert Treasury Report ..................................... Robert Gold Photos from the Christmas Party ..................... Vickie Hall Birthdays & Anniversaries .................... Sunshine Committee Photos from the Christmas Party ..................... Vickie Hall Report on Donations to The Storehouse ............... Vickie Hall The Future of Hard Parts .............. DENVAIR NEWS Eric Schakel Corvair Memories ....................................... Kyle Nye Calendar of Coming Events .................... Board of Directors January Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 Years Ago .. Club Historian Member List as of December 2017 .......................... Editor Nomination Form for Ike Meissner Award ................ The Board COVER ......... John Wiker's Faithful 1966 Monza Coupe Speeds Away ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS President: John Wiker 505-239-3311 wikerj63 yahoo.com Vice President: Lube Lubert 505-256-9331 dirtlube gmail.com Secretary: Art Gold 505-620-7434 rollerart gmail.com Treasurer: Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 msn.com Car Council: Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30 msn.com Membership: David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 aol.com Merchandise: Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall q.com Newsletter: Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp unm.edu Old Route 66: Lube Lubert 505-256-9331 dirtlube2 gmail.com Past President: Ray Trujillo 505-814-8373 ray bpsabq.com Past President: Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall q.com Past Vice-Pres: Tarmo Sutt 505-690-2046 tarmo juno.com MEETINGS First Wednesday of each Month at 7:00 PM North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, Wyoming & Carmel NE INTERNET CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/ CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/ Steve Gongora's page www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter871/ Larry Yoffee's home page www.corsaturbo180usa.com/ New Mexico Council of Car Clubs www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== DUES: CNM: 12 months = $25.00 -or- 26 months = $ 50.00 CORSA: 12 months = $45.00 -or- 26 months = $ 90.00 CNM & CORSA: 12 months = $70.00 -or- 26 months = $140.00 DUES DUE DATES JANUARY 2018 DUE LAST MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE 2017.12 Linda & Anthony Berbig 25-JAN-2018 2017.12 David Huntoon 25-JAN-2018 DUE THIS MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE 2018.01 Connie & Floyde Adams 25-FEB-2018 2018.01 Carolyn & Dan Palmer 25-FEB-2018 2018.01 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 25-FEB-2018 DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE 2018.02 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 25-MAR-2018 2018.02 Lilian & Timothy Shortle 25-MAR-2018 DUE MARCH 2018 ====================== INACTIVE DATE 2018.03 Anne Mae & Robert Gold 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Carl Johnson 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Kelli & Mark Morgan 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2018 2018.03 Emma & LeRoy Rogers 25-APR-2018 INACTIVE ============================ INACTIVE DATE 2017.01 Nancy & Russ McDuffie 25-FEB-2017 2017.02 Victor Sanchez 25-MAR-2017 2017.08 Kathryn & Douglas Gadomski 25-SEP-2017 2017.10 Carl Clasmeyer 25-NOV-2017 2017.10 Mary Lou & Mark Martinek 25-NOV-2017 2017.11 Leslie & Kevin Sullivan 25-DEC-2017 Send your Dues to: CNM Treasurer c/o Robert Gold 1301 Valencia NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Past due memberships become inactive after a one-month grace period. The Club will mail in your National Dues if you send us the renewal form from your Communique. As of 23-DEC-2017 we have 45 active family memberships. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE John Wiker Well another year has come and gone. Hope you all had a great holiday period of time. By the time you read this, Anne and I will probably be in Georgia with my daughter and new grandson. For such a small club, we have done a lot this year. I looked over all the attendance sheets for the events and came up with the following: * Breakfast at Jimmy's Cafe on the 21st of January; * Visit to the car/reverb/museum on the 25th of February; * The 43rd Anniversary dinner on the 11th of March; * Old Route 66 cleanup on the 8th of April; * The Corvair/ VMCCA breakfast on the 18th of April; * The Albuquerque Museum Car show on the 21st of May; * The Taos Tri-State on 2nd through 4th of June; * The Ice Cream Social on the 5th of August; * The NMCCC picnic on the 13th of August; * The State Fair Car show on the 17th of September; * The east mountains Econo Run on the 9th of October; * Bingo / Potluck / Auction Night on the 4th of November; and finally, * The Christmas luncheon on the 9th of December. Each of these events required a leader to organize the event, find a location if needed and motivate our members to attend. Now its time to start the clock again for CNM's 45th year. The first leader to step up to the challenge for January is Dave Huntoon who has arranged for us to have breakfast with the VMCCA (Vintage Motor Car Club of America) club at Monroe's on Osuna at 09:30 Saturday morning 13 January. A few years ago we decided to have one social non-meeting activity per month, so we need more ideas. Bring them with you to the January meeting or if you can't make it to the meeting, e-mail them to Anne Mae Gold or Art Gold so they can present them to our members. Unfortunately, I will still be in Georgia on the 3rd of January meeting night. Thanks again to the 27 folks who showed up at the Christmas event at Furr's Cafeteria and put up with the last minute location change. At least it earned us free drinks all afternoon and if you did not get enough to eat, it was your fault as the serving areas were never lacking for food. It's not often that I can get 5 types of seafood at one setting. The noise level was such that I had to eliminate a portion of the program where each of you was to tell us one unique thing that happened at Christmas at your house when you were still a child. I bet we would have heard some interesting tales that kids today would not believe. That's all for now, see you soon. -- John ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== REGULAR DECEMBER MEETING -- 2017.12.06 Your Editor Cold wind and blustery blowing leaves accompanied us to our austere and serene meeting place. Twelve members arrived. Robert showed around a very nice plaque that we think may reappear at the Christmas Party. There was some kind of discussion about an ongoing sports event -- your editor tuned out, cannot report details. Approval of last month's minutes was not addressed and since Lube was not present to tell about it, John jumped directly into plans for the Saturday Christmas Party. Everyone buys his or her meal, $10.99 per person, no money collection by CNM. Christmas songs will be sung. Matchbox cars may be available. Tell your favorite childhood Christmas memories. Bring your donations for The Storehouse charity. Robert said we had a comfortable $7,389.54 and described how a mistake was made with a check sent by one of our members. Correction of the mistake is ongoing. Art was not able to attend due to a friend's mother's death. Anne Mae was not able to attend due to ongoing surgeries and recoveries. One more surgery and she's done! Will she retire from teaching? Will she assume substitute teaching duties? Stay tuned. David not being present, we did not discuss new (or old) members. Vickie said she had sold nothing this month. However, she reported seeing a Corvair on "Let's Make A Deal" on TV and the fender fell off. Why? There were comments about the by-now infamous and error-filled State Farm Insurance television advertisement featuring two different burning Corvairs. Jim said due to our printer being closed for Christmas week, we had to print the newsletter early, so the deadline is Tuesday December 19th. He mentioned his Veterans' Day story from last month's newsletter and remarked that we all heard stories as children from friends and family who lived through events we did not, and maybe keeping those memories was important. John asked everyone for stories of their latest adventures. Gordon said he would soon have a Corvair for sale: a 1965 convertible (nice) or a 1966 Coupe (even nicer) and was having a hard time deciding which to sell. Steve said he now worked at the airport instead of at Double Eagle and it was busier and more hectic there. Hurley said he finally had to replace his venerable F-150 with a new Ford pickup, a 2015 with everything, and it was really nice and ran great with a 6-cylinder twin-turbo engine. Robert said he was facing the need to sell his red super Lakewood, but said his Chrysler Hemi was perfect to drive to the meeting on a blustery cold night. Jim mentioned Eric Shackel's article on unavailability of quality parts for Corvairs, and recommended going to Rocky Mountain Corsa's web site to check out recent issues of the Denvair News. Larry said his insurance company was pulling out of New Mexico and asked what company people used for their Corvairs? Answers included USAA's old car coverage, J.C. Taylor and Hagerty. The group agreed to adjourn, so we did, while John reported the score of the ongoing sports event, derived from his trusty iPad. Attendance around the room counterclockwise: Gordon JOHNSON, Steve JOHNSON, Hurley WILVERT, Natalie ROBISON, Vickie HALL, Pat HALL, LeRoy ROGERS, Robert GOLD, Jim PITTMAN, Dave HUTCHINSON, Larry BLAIR, John WIKER. Did I miss anyone? Oh, right, I should mention the GHOST OF CHRISTMASES PAST who flitted in and out of the room during the meeting. There was no December Board Meeting. We did not see each other for that purpose on December 20th but communicated via email, telephone or smoke signals. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== CHRISTMAS PARTY Lube Lubert It was December 9th 2017 at about 2:00 PM and my brother Bill and I arrived at Furr's just a little late. We saw three or four Corvairs in the parking lot but there may have been more. When we went in, John Wiker informed us that we had been bumped from the big room we thought we had reserved. But, no problem, Ben the Manager reserved several tables for the club. The cost of the meal was $10.99 with free drinks. We started out by singing one Christmas song but I can't remember now what the song was. Maybe it was Jingle Bells? When all had arrived, half our group went for food first while the rest waited until the first group returned to their tables. It was pretty noisy and that prevented our singing more songs. John said he had planned to ask for stories of childhood Christmases from the group, but the busy environment made him drop that idea. We had a nice time anyway. Bill and I sat across from Carolyn and Dan Palmer. I am thinking that everyone enjoyed the food and the conversations. John showed everyone a very nice plaque that the Board made up for the Gongoras. We wanted to thank Steve and Rita for many years of hosting the Potluck, Auction and Bingo parties at their place, House of Covers. Among those attending were George and Sandy Morin who were members long ago. They have joined us for club activities in the past. Terry Price should get seventy five percent of the credit for setting up this party. When the two of us went to see the Furr's management, Terry did most of the talking and I took notes. I'd like to thank everyone who attended, and I'd like to wish all our members a "Vairy" Merry Christmas, and I hope everyone will have a Happy New Year in 2018! That's all for now. And I hope we'll be seeing you all at the January meeting. -- Lube ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== TREASURY REPORT FOR 11-26-2017 to 12-14-2017 DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,419.54 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= 2017.11.28 2303 -$ 135.00 Dues S.Gongora 12 m CORSA -$ 45.00 2017.11.28 2303 -$ Dues F.Riggs 26 m CORSA -$ 90.00 2017.12.02 +$ 105.00 Dues M.Domzalski 26 m CNM $ 50.00 2017.12.02 +$ Donation CNM Donation $ 55.00 2017.12.11 2307 -$ 45.40 J.Wiker Plaque: Rita & Steve Gongora -$ 45.40 2017.12.11 2306 -$ 135.76 H.Pittman Newsletter Printing DEC 2017 -$ 36.01 2017.12.11 -$ H.Pittman Newsletter Postage 42 x $0.70 -$ 29.40 2017.12.11 -$ H.Pittman Stamps for Sunshine Committee -$ 70.35 ========== ==== ========== =========== ========================================= 2018.01.01 JAN NEWSLETTER ========================================== $7,208.38 ================================================================================ ====== If you have any concerns or questions about this report please ===== ====== contact Robert Gold at 505-268-6878 or email: beisbol30 msn.com ===== ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Happy January Birthday Wishes to six CNM'ers: Jenny Finch Javier Gold Steve Gongora Carolyn Palmer LeRoy Rogers Lilian Shortle January Anniversaries: Vickie & Pat Hall ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== THE STOREHOUSE DONATIONS Vickie Hall Donated items brought to CNM's Christmas Party for The Storehouse included one large bag of baby items plus one case of diapers, two boxes of personal items for men and women, one box of canned goods totaling 23 pounds, one large box of prepackaged food. Also, I added a few boxes of miscellaneous items that I have collected throughout the year for CNM's Charity. Monetary donations totaled $50.00. THANK YOU, EVERYONE Vickie Hall Merchandise Chairperson ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== Reprinted from ROCKY MOUNTAIN CORSA -- DENVAIR NEWS -- DECEMBER 2017 THE FUTURE OF HARD PARTS Eric Schakel Basic rebuild parts we need for our Corvair engines are under assault by Father Time. Availability of mechanical components is changing rapidly, and will affect the future of the Corvair hobby in a number of interesting ways. More than 50 years have passed since General Motors halted engineering development of the Corvair. The aftermarket stepped in when GM stepped out, with OEM Tier 2 or 3 suppliers such as TRW, Delco-Remy, Sealed Power, Clevite, and others providing OE-quality replacement parts, often built using tooling and equipment that supported GM during Corvair production. Today, though, the mainstream OEM suppliers have largely moved on. The Corvair market was never large in comparison with other models like the Chevy II or Camaro, and they do not have the aftermarket following of the ubiquitous VW air cooled engines. Fortunately, Corvair engines enjoyed a commonality with the durable GM engine architectures, which helped maintain the availability of OE-quality parts for years thanks to similarity of tooling and production equipment. That has changed dramatically in the past decade, though, and the OE Tier 2 and 3 suppliers have consolidated around the current OEM requirements. This is just a partial list of parts disappearing from the Tier 2 and 3 catalogs: * Hydraulic flat tappet lifters. In the 1980s these were almost universally replaced by roller-tip versions in pushrod engine applications. Simple in function, these have incredibly tight tolerances and metallurgy requirement. The venerable Chevy small-block V8 has maintained the availability of flat tappet lifters, but the universal acceptance of the Gen III (LS) architecture is threatening the availability of these high-precision parts in the near future. * OEM adoption of roller tappet camshafts also threatens the cast iron camshaft blanks -- new OE shafts are made of machined steel. Corvair cam blanks, and cam grinds, are now only available through non-OE vendors. * To wrap up the valve train, Corvair rocker arms use a stamped steel body with a hardened ball pivot, like millions of small-block V8s. Durable and forgiving as long as the metallurgy is correct, the design lasted into the 1990s. Today, die-cast rocker arms with roller bearings have eliminated steel stampings. Again, new Corvair replacements are only made by non-OE vendors. * Engine bearing shells are unique to the Corvair. Clevite, a long-time Tier 2 supplier, has discontinued production. Clarks Corvair Parts has stepped in, and has secured a supplier, but durability is unproven in comparison with the Clevite offerings. * Melling, GM's Tier2 supplier of oil pump gears for a half-century, has recently stopped offering Corvair replacement gear sets. Replacement parts from an unknown source are suspect in metallurgy and dimensional tolerance. * Synchro rings are no longer the high-density cast brass from the GM OE vendors, but are now machined from a softer brass alloy, and are not burnished for fit. OEMs have seen manual transmissions dry up in the new car marketplace, and those that remain use low-inertia carbon/Kevlar synchro cones. * Components for our breaker point ignitions and multiple carburetor layouts are equally impacted by the discontinuation of the OE vendors, but at least they are external to the drivetrain, and can be replaced or maintained more easily. * Ball Joints are seemingly simple parts, but the metallurgy of the socket and ball components is absolutely critical for long life and strength. Moog, another Tier 2, dropped the Corvair parts from their line 10 years ago. New ball joints come from contract manufacturers. That's not the whole list, and it changes monthly. Since Corvair owners are relatively normal human beings, changes like this can be alarming. We want to take it for granted that when we buy off-the-shelf new parts, we'll have OEM quality and life. It's always been that way. Get used to the new world order -- GM doesn't care about Corvair quality assurance in this day and age. At first glance, that's really depressing. But if we dive a bit deeper, it's perhaps not so bad after all. Consider these points: FIRST, very few of us drive our Corvairs as daily commuters or family trucksters. That was their role back in the 1960s, maybe through the 1980s. Now, though, they are show cars, cruisers for sunny days, and occasional long-trip cars to a Tri-State or Corsa Convention. How many people put more than 3,000 miles a year on their Corvairs? Normal wear and tear from usage is down as a result, as is exposure to extremes of the elements, and that nasty of all nasties: road salt (or "ice slicer", as we genteel Coloradans say). With reasonable maintenance, our show cars and cruisers will outlast our driving privileges. Those of us with more extreme requirements, such as daily driving in all conditions, or any type of regular racing activity, are going to experience more wear. The parts we use to replace the worn ones will be statistically less reliable in coming years; if we simply buy off-the-shelf. Racers and driving zealots are the ones who will suffer the most with the decline of quality control. SECOND, our hobby is fortunate to have Clarks Corvair Parts and a handful of other vendors who are dedicated to keeping our Corvairs alive. In particular, Clarks has sought out contract manufacturers for many of the hard parts and ponied up the resources to have the parts reproduced. Many also carry race-ready alternates, such as Harland Sharp aluminum roller rocker arms and performance valve train components- Their hearts are in the right places. The challenge of dealing with smaller non-OE manufacturers is that they rarely have the same resources and quality assurance accreditation as the Tier 1, 2, or 3 manufacturers. Without solid QA support, they have a higher escape rate of faulty parts. Vendors could offset this by staffing SAE-certified QA departments in house, but costs would go up dramatically, and supply delays would become more prevalent. The conclusion is that we're going to get more "Is it good enough?" parts than we're used to when buying off-the-shelf. THIRD, the rise of programmable CNC equipment for small volume custom manufacturing runs has given rise to a plethora of cottage industry specialty automotive suppliers. They can accommodate many of the hard parts, and often have very capable QA controls for their areas of machining expertise. The downside of the cottage industry suppliers is that the buyer often must supply technical specifications. For a Corvair hobbyist seeking a rebuilt engine, this is probably not the best path forward. But for a dedicated racer or enthusiastic sporting driver, the cottage industry can help to expand a very old envelope with some slick custom parts. Iskenderian still grinds Corvair race cams, and custom forged pistons are available from Ross and Arias, to name two. Seek out the Corvair-conscious vendors, and good things can happen. FOURTH, with fewer Corvairs on the roads, and fewer Corvair enthusiasts rebuilding them, the hoarders will be more likely to part with their precious New Old Stock (NOS) parts. E-Bay and other online resources can yield many treasures, often at reasonable prices. Good used parts are also a viable choice for mechanical pieces. Just because yours are worn out doesn't mean they all are. But again, you must be very vigilant about what you are buying. Acquiring used parts from someone in your local circle of Corvair friends is much safer than online buying. Using online sources to search for parts consumes more time, and there is a greater risk of fraud. New Old Stock may have been produced under more stringent quality control, but the storage conditions, such as high humidity or poor stacking can leave you with a corroded or warped paper weight. Another risk of NOS parts is simply the interpretation of the part numbers -- without access to a GM catalog, you can't be certain that the bearing shells or pistons actually fit your application. Caveat emptor. Still, there are piles of NOS Corvair parts across North America, and they will be a gold mine for the future generations of Corvair owners. Use them wisely, but carefully. Conclusions At the end of the day, Corvair owners are still able to find nearly all key parts; but the out-of-the-box reliability and fitness for use is not what it was when General Motors established the specifications in the 1960s. By supporting Clarks and other specialty vendors who supply mechanical parts, we help to keep them viable, and ensure sources of the basic parts in the future. The performance aftermarket can provide critical parts for the racers, but owners must dig deeper to find the shops that are aware of the specific needs of Corvair engines. The experimental aircraft market also has expertise in Corvair engines, and many of the parts interchange. The quality levels in the custom performance aftermarket are typically quite good in their areas of expertise. Plan ahead for your Corvair mechanical project, and look at all avenues for the best fit for your intended use. If you use custom aftermarket vendors, make sure you understand what you are ordering. Ditto NOS parts -- have a GM part reference manual handy. Finally, be patient, and check the functionality carefully before you button up your project. If it doesn't fit right, fix it or replace it -- things that aren't right do not have a good record for fixing themselves in operation. Your Corvair will thank you. -- Eric ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== CORVAIR MEMORIES Kyle Nye "I am not a member of the Corvair Club, but my son-in-law, Joel Yelich, is a member and thought the club might like a little article about my experiences as a Corvair owner many years ago. So, I am attaching an article along with some photos. The one with me perched on the hood is of the 1962 Monza; there are four photos of the exterior and interior of the 1964 Spyder, and one of the Porsche 968 referenced in the article. I believe I do not have a picture of the 1965 model that I owned for only a short time." In my lifetime, which encompasses more years than I like to think about, I have owned just seven cars for my personal use (aside from the family sedans and RVs, which have really been family vehicles). Three of the seven were Corvairs, one was a 1974 Chevy Vega, and three more were Porsches, a 1982 924, a 1988 944 and my current 1994 968 cabriolet that I purchased in 1998. I bought my first Corvair in 1964. It was a 1962 Monza coupe with the standard engine and a "four on the floor" transmission. None of that two-speed automatic stuff for me! It was white with a red vinyl interior. If my memory is correct, I paid about $1,200 at Ed Black's Chevrolet in Albuquerque. I "customized" it by installing seat belts, which were not standard equipment in 1962, gauges to monitor oil pressure and amperage, and a special oil filter that used a roll of toilet paper as the filtering element. That car took me on dates with my future wife and took us on our honeymoon in 1966. In 1967 it took us on our first two-week vacation to California, where we visited Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, the San Diego Zoo and other points in the state, as well as Las Vegas, NV, and the Grand Canyon. In Yosemite National Park the gas pump failed, but the park garage had a replacement in stock, so we were on our way after only about an hour's work by the garage mechanic. In 1968 it took us to the World's Fair in San Antonio. In about 1969 my father, who had purchased a 1965 Corvair (new, I think), wanted to get another car and suggested that I sell the '62, and give him the money from that sale in return for the '65, a pretty good bargain for me. I sold the '62 to my brother-in-law, who used it for several years to travel to school at ENMU in Portales, NM. I don't remember what he paid me for it. I only kept the '65 a short period of time, because, although the 110-hp engine made it more responsive in acceleration than the 95-hp engine in the '62, the brakes were, in my opinion, very poor, to the extent that I did not really feel safe driving the car at, say, freeway speeds, because I was afraid that it might not stop quickly enough in an emergency. I didn't really care much for the more-sculpted styling, either. So I started looking for another car and, back at Ed Black's used car lot, I spotted what at the time was sort-of my dream car: a pale yellow, 1964 Monza Spyder coupe with the turbo-charged engine, black vinyl interior and "fake" wire wheel covers. The car had come from the factory with a white paint job, but a previous owner had opted to change to color to pale yellow. When I went back to look at the car again a few days later, it was no longer on the lot. I inquired what had become of the car and was told that they had "wholesaled" it to another dealer. I found that other dealer and was eventually able to purchase the car for, I think, about $500. I modestly "customized" that one, too, by adding wood trim around the instrument cluster, radio, and glove box, replacing the plastic shifter knob with a wooden one, and adding fancy floor mats. Shortly thereafter, the car was broken into while parked one evening at an event at Albuquerque's Civic Auditorium. Besides the broken window, the only damage to the car was that the fancy floor mats had been stolen! I was able to get the broken window fixed and the fancy floor mats replaced. On hard acceleration there was a noticeable turbo lag. However, acceleration with the lag was really quite exhilarating, because the faster the car went, the faster it accelerated. I have been reminded of that factor whenever I have accelerated hard in my Porsches. Apparently the German engineers like to have a somewhat uneven power band, where more torque is available at higher RPM, so, again, the faster one goes, the faster one seems to accelerate. A great feeling, however it is achieved! During the early 1970s one could purchase fiberglass-belted radial tires, so I had a set installed on the Spyder. Big mistake! Unlike steel-belted radials, cheaper radials with fiberglass belts had a tendency to go flat on one side when parked for a while, so, not being able to finance the purchase of another set of new tires, from that time on I had a bumpy ride every time I started out after having parked the car for a few hours. A growing family and problems with the Spyder, including seemingly inevitable, growing and somewhat massive oil leaks, eventually forced me to resort to other transportation, so in 1974 I purchased my "bright orange" Chevy Vega notchback. The saga of that poor little car is a whole 'nother story for some other time. When I purchased the Vega in 1974, I sold the Spyder. Even though by that time the car was ten years old and had something like 100,000 miles on the odometer, the cachet of the Corvair had begun to catch on, so I was able to sell it to a Corvair enthusiast for the same $500 that I had purchased it for five years earlier! Would I trade my current ride to go back to any of those now-ancient Corvairs? I don't think so. More modern cars have safety features, handling characteristics and air conditioning that were just generally not available in the 1960s. No matter how lovingly the older cars have been updated or maintained, they still have those somewhat unfavorable 1960s characteristics. And I have really loved my three Porsches, especially the 968 that currently sits in my garage. But the memories of those "olden" days with pretty unique and interesting vehicles at the start of my driving experience are very important, and I will treasure those memories forever. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== ============================================================================ | January 2018 | February 2018 | March 2018 | | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | | 28 29 30 31 | 25 26 27 28 | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | ============================================================================ WED 03 JAN 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER, at Wyoming & Carmel, north of Wyoming & Paseo del Norte NE. After the meeting, we may go to "JASON'S DELI" at 5920 Holly Ave. NE. SAT 13 JAN 9:30 AM Club Breakfast with VMCCA at Monroe's Restaurant. 6051 Osuna Rd NE -- just east of San Mateo NE. VMCCA = Vintage Motor Car Club of America. WED 17 JAN 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE WED 24 JAN 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE FRI 26 JAN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for February 2018 newsletter ============================================================================ WED 07 FEB 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. WED 07 FEB 9:00 PM Nominations for the IKE MEISSNER Award are due tonight. WED 21 FEB 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 23 FEB 9:00 PM Deadline for items for March 2018 newsletter WED 28 FEB 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE ============================================================================ WED 07 MAR 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. SAT xx MAR ...... The Club's 43rd Anniversary Party. IKE MEISSNER AWARD. SUN 11 MAR 2:00 AM --- Set your clocks ahead an hour. Yes, you'll lose an hour out of your life. Don't worry, you'll get it back in November. WED 21 MAR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 23 MAR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for April 2018 newsletter WED 28 MAR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE ============================================================================ WED 04 APR 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER. WED 18 APR 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE FRI 20 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for May 2018 newsletter WED 18 APR 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE ============================================================================ See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities ======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ====================== ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== =-=-= CNM MEMBER LIST =-= 20 DECEMBER 2017 =-=-= 2018.01 Connie & Floyde ADAMS floydeadams @ gmail.com 575-536-3131 : 000-000-0000 : Mimbres : NM 2018.10 Debra & Jon ANDERSON jbanderson65 @ hotmail.com 719-572-6747 : 000-000-0000 : Colorado Springs : CO 2017.12 Linda Soukup, Anthony BERBIG studeboytony @ gmail.com 952-955-2848 : 000-000-0000 : Mayer : MN 2019.08 Kathy & Larry BLAIR blairylar @ hotmail.com 505-821-1386 : 505-249-1035 : Albuquerque : NM 2099.99 Ruth BOYDSTON sg730 @ comcast.net 505-401-7970 Sherry Gray=505-350-6003 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.11 Linda & Dick COCHRAN email @ unknown 505-287-8403 : 000-000-0000 : Grants : NM 2018.04 Deborah & John DINSDALE john_dinsdale @ adp.com 000-000-0000 : 000-000-0000 : Aurora : CO 2020.01 Elizabeth & Mark DOMZALSKI mdomzalski @ aol.com 505-867-0030 : 505-665-1529 : Placitas : NM 2018.11 Fred & Brenda EDESKUTY fred @ totavimotors.com 575-829-3889 : 000-000-0000 : Jemez Springs : NM 2019.10 Jenny & Phil FINCH finchbook @ gmail.com 971-207-2308 : 541-662-0987 : Portland : OR 2019.10 Alan GOLD alanmgold @ sbcglobal.net 505-268-6878 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.03 Anne Mae & Robert GOLD beisbol30 @ msn.com 505-268-6878 : R=505-450-3098 AM=505-620-0409 Albuquerque : NM 2018.04 Art GOLD rollerart @ gmail.com 505-620-7434 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2019.11 Rita & Steve GONGORA steve @ houseofcovers.com 505-292-5570 : 505-256-0551 505-220-7401 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.10 Lilly & Ray GONZALES ray.gonzales.worksched @ gmail.com : 505-463-1831 : Rio Rancho : NM 2019.10 Vickie & Pat HALL patandvickiehall @ q.com 505-865-5574 P=505-620-5574 : V=505-917-3745 : Los Lunas : NM 2020.01 Cheryl & Ed HALPIN halpinem @ comcast.net 303-619-0080 : 000-000-0000 : Castle Rock : CO 2018.07 Carol & Larry HAYNES lhaynes99 @ gmail.com 505-670-3949 : 000-000-0000 : Santa Fe : NM 2017.12 David HUNTOON corvair66 @ aol.com 505-281-9616 : 000-000-0000 : Cedar Crest : NM 2018.08 David HUTCHINSON idc.certify @ yahoo.com 505-307-9710 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2019.06 Anne & Geoffrey JOHNSON gejohnson @ salud.unm.edu 505-730-6601 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.02 Barbara & Gordon JOHNSON gjohnson @ unm.edu 505-898-7688 : 000-000-0000 : Corrales : NM 2018.03 Carl B JOHNSON email @ unknown 505-344-3178 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2019.02 Janet & Steve JOHNSON steven.johnson @ flybode.com 505-864-6278 : 000-000-0000 : Belen : NM 2019.03 H. C. "Lube" LUBERT williamlubert @ gmail.com 505-256-9331 : 505-400-3680 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.11 Connie & Robert McBREEN email @ unknown 505-265-2808 : pager=505-229-5880 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.09 Tracey & John McMAHAN jmcmahan49 @ gmail.com 828-606-1101 : 000-000-0000 : Hendersonville : NC 2018.03 Kelli & Mark MORGAN rangermk @ sbcglobal.net 636-227-2662 : 000-000-0000 : Manchester : MO 2018.01 Carolyn & Dan PALMER danpal @ swcp.com 505-281-7275 : 000-000-0000 : Tijeras : NM 2018.12 Heula & Jim PITTMAN jimp @ unm.edu 505-275-2195 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.07 Sarah & Terry PRICE nmfloorinspections @ yahoo.com 505-328-8827 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.10 Lee & Bill REIDER br236425 @ gmail.com 505-299-4597 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2020.02 Fred RIGGS II email @ unknown 505-425-3126 : 000-000-0000 : Las Vegas : NM 2018.03 Natalie ROBISON alaska58 @ hotmail.com 505-294-0623 : 000-000-0000 : San Antonio : NM 2018.03 Emma & LeRoy ROGERS 004873 @ q.com 505-294-0623 : 505-238-7302 : Albuquerque : NM 2019.10 Curtis L SHIMP clshimp @ q.com 575-534-9576 : 000-000-0000 : Silver City : NM 2018.02 Lilian & Timothy SHORTLE shortle556 @ earthlink.net 970-903-2127 : 000-000-0000 : Durango : CO 2019.06 Brenda STICKLER tounce66 @ msn.com 505-856-6993 : 000-000-0000 : Corrales : NM 2017.11 Leslie & Kevin SULLIVAN tildekevins @ yahoo.com 505-417-2481 : 000-000-0000 : Corrales : NM 2018.01 Kay & Tarmo SUTT tarmo @ juno.com 505-471-1153 : 505-690-2046 505-827-6190 : Santa Fe : NM 2018.10 Sylvia & Ray TRUJILLO ray @ bpsabq.com 505-814-8373 : 505-266-4011 : Albuquerque : NM 2018.07 Anne & John WIKER wikerj63 @ yahoo.com 505-239-3311 : 000-000-0000 : Edgewood : NM 2019.03 Brenda & Hurley WILVERT wilverth @ q.com 505-281-1732 : 000-000-0000 : Sandia Park : NM 2019.09 Val NYE & Joel YELICH joelyelich @ gmail.com 505-474-6680 : 000-000-0000 : Santa Fe : NM 2020.02 Elisa & Larry YOFFEE corsa180 @ gmail.com 505-321-5909 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM RECENTLY INACTIVE: 2017.10 Carl CLASMEYER clasmeyer @ aol.com 505-699-9304 : 000-000-0000 : Santa Fe : NM 2017.03 Mary Ellen & David FEASEL d2corvair @ yahoo.com 719-494-1456 : DO NOT RENEW : Peyton : CO 2017.08 Kathryn & Douglas GADOMSKI gadomski @ unm.edu 505-265-8345 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2017.10 Mary Lou & Mark MARTINEK mjmartinek @ juno.com 360-896-3807 : 360-909-8406 : Vancouver : WA 2017.01 Nancy & Russ McDUFFIE russ.mcd @ msn.com 505-400-5526 : 000-000-0000 : Albuquerque : NM 2017.02 Victor SANCHEZ vsanchez @ abcwua.org 505-382-2911 : 000-000-0000 : Rio Rancho : NM ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== SEVEN YEARS AGO [ JANUARY 2018 VOL 44 Nr 1 ISSUE 508 ] Jim Pittman 2011 Vol 37 Nr 1 # 424 Bernie Urbassik's 1963 Spyder brings Sylvan Zuercher to a meeting. Billiken by Mark Morgan celebrated Sylvan's life as our Ace Mechanic. We published obituaries for Sylvan (1924 - 2010) and for Walter Huntoon (1922 - 2010). Ray Trujillo took over for president David Huntoon while he recovered from heart surgery. John Wiker announced our new CNM Activity Award. Vickie Hall asked if it was possible to have too many Corvairs. Robert Gold reported that the treasury's two accounts had been combined into one. Bill Reider and LeRoy Rogers volunteered for the daunting task of organizing Sylvan's car parts, tools, books and magazines. Brenda Stickler gave a summary of plans for our 2011 Tri-State in Red River. History-minded editor Jim Pittman described the CNM Newsletter CD Project which turned out to be a failure. He thought members would like to have an annual CD with all the newsletter material in full color. Members apparently did not agree and the project was eventually abandoned for lack of interest. Also, it turned out to take far more effort and time than editing the newsletter and maintaining Jim's web page. Finally, we published the nomination form for the 2011 Ike Meissner Award. 2004 Vol 30 Nr 1 #340 COVER: Buffalo graze near Taos Pueblo, August 1970. We had tech tips on cleaning windows and at the December meeting there were demos of different ways to cut sheet metal. Thanks, Geoff. VP Sally Johnson ran our December meeting featuring 19 members. Wendy reported $6035 in our accounts. A trip to Bosque del Apache was planned. Our Christmas party was called one of the best and CNM founder Mark Morgan was present. An article by your editor told why "I'm Glad I've Got Positraction" when he made the 1970 trip to where the bison photo was made. An article reprinted from the DENVAIR NEWS told more than we ever thought there was to learn about railroad locomotive oil changes. Richard Finch donated a copy of his new book "How to Air Condition Any Corvair" for a raffle at our next meeting. Our annual member list showed 58 families not counting Joe Trujillo, our Galles Chevrolet sponsor. 1997 Vol 23 Nr 1 #256 COVER: Corvair vans would take over the world in 1997. Sylvan Zuercher reported a new member, 1965 owner Raymond Burns of Taos, and we heard that Fred Edeskuty was planning to rejoin the club. President Mark Domzalski ran our meeting. Treasurer Will Davis reported $7,369,71 in our various bank accounts. We looked into putting part of our money into a mutual fund and the Board decided on $5000 to go into the Dow-5 starting in January. The final tally for the Michelle Goffe foundation contributions was $900. Thanks to Steve and Rita Gongora for hosting our "Ethnic" Pot-luck Dinner. Bob Beasley showed us the tie rod that fell off his Starfire - at 5 MPH in a parking lot, not at 65 MPH on the highway. After the meeting adjourned, Sylvan demonstrated the fine art of disassembling your carburetor. On Saturday we planned a session on putting it back together again. Mark Domzalski told how to get modern sound in your FC with a new AM/FM/CD unit and door-mounted speakers. Kent Wall told how to get better defroster heat by adding a baffle plate. Jim Pittman gave us a chronology of the precursors, the founding and the development of the club to date. Finally, our member list had 61 names. 1990 Vol 16 Nr 1 #172 COVER: Corvairs are good for any time zone. Was a major race track to be built north of town? Jerry Goffe reported that the November Medal of Honor parade was most impressive. Brian Zolna announced he was leaving the Air Force and would go back to Pennsylvania, so we'd need a new treasurer. Val Vaughn's company was to take over our newsletter printing. New or recycled members this month included Chris Baca, Wayne Christgau, Dick Cochran, Bill Denison, Fred Edeskuty, Nicole James and Randy Knoblauch. Tom Martin's La Ventana column explored the life of Bill Reider from Chicago to Korea to Albuquerque. A member list was published and there were 57 names. Finally, a full page ad told us that Francis Boydston was getting out of the Corvair parts business and Mike and Brenda Stickler were taking it over. 1983 Vol 9 Nr 1 # 88 COVER: an early coupe zipping around an autocross course. We voted to continue to meet at Ed Black's instead of moving to a restaurant - the best vote the club ever made. George Morin gave a great talk on re-lining your brakes and Bill Reider evaluated an engine compartment lock. 1976 Vol 2 Nr 1 # 12 COVER: Mark Morgan's "What do you mean, not a REAL Monza" cartoon. We had new "Corvairs of New Mexico" license plates. We had 42 members. Jim reported the results of our first Club questionnaire. Fourteen people with 44 Corvairs responded. He provided an article on improving your shifting with a Clark's bushing kit. Terry Gray told us about the 1960 Corvair being rated Car of the Year by Motor Trend, and the 1962-1964 Spyder being rated a Milestone Car by the Milestone Car Society. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== 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. I still print mailing labels with a 1989 Apple IIgs on a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIIp. The newsletter is composed using Apple computers. Software includes OSX, 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. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== The IKE MEISSNER AWARD is presented annually to a Corvairs of New Mexico (CNM) member in good standing who best exemplifies a spirit of camaraderie and fellowship, in the Corvair realm, with other CNM members and other Corvair enthusiasts. To commemorate the occasion, the recipient shall be awarded a plaque suitable for prominent display. The award shall read: YEAR Corvairs of New Mexico IKE MEISSNER AWARD AWARD RECIPIENT NAME The selection committee for the awards shall be comprised of three CNM members appointed by the CNM President, within two months of the last presentation, who will work with and report to the CNM Vice-President. It is recommended that at least two of the three members be immediate past award recipients. It is preferable for the last three immediate recipients to serve on the selection committee. The CNM Vice-President shall achieve approval of the award by concurrence with a quorum of the officers of CNM. (i.e., Three of the four CNM officers must concur to approve the award.) Guidelines for consideration for the Ike Meissner Award, in order of priority, shall be: 1. Attend meetings and plan, coordinate or organize CNM activities or events 2. Share Corvair knowledge, contribute technical information and tips to the CNM newsletter or other CORSA publications. 3. Encourage owners to preserve, maintain and share in the lore of the Corvair. 4. Serve in CNM as a committee person, chair, director and/or officer. 5. Attend an official CORSA event and/or serve with CORSA in an officially recognized capacity. 6. Recruit at least one new member. The presentation of the Ike Meissner Award shall be made at the annual CNM Anniversary Banquet or at a time and place designated by the CNM President. The presentation shall be made by the CNM Vice President or an alternate designated by the CNM President. The content of the oral award presentation shall be scripted in advance and have achieved concurrence of the Ike Meissner Award Committee and the CNM Vice President or an alternate designated by the CNM President. The oral award presentation and engraved plaque shall be prepared no later than one week prior to the annual CNM Anniversary Banquet or the otherwise designated time and place. Recipients of the IKE MEISSNER AWARD to date: 01. 1987 Dec 2 Bill Hector 02. 1988 Dec 7 Jerry Goffe 03. 1989 Dec 6 LeRoy Rogers 04. 1990 Dec 5 Jim Pittman 05. 1991 Dec 4 Sylvan Zuercher 06. 1992 Dec 2 Bill Reider 07. 1993 Dec 1 Steve Gongora 08. 1994 Dec 7 Michael Stickler 09. 1995 Dec 9 Charles Vertrees 10. 1996 Dec 7 Debbie Pleau 11. 1997 Dec 6 Mark Domzalski 12. 1998 Dec 6 Wendell Walker 13. 1999 Dec 5 Dennis Pleau 14. 2000 Dec 3 Rita Gongora 15. 2001 Dec 2 Oliver Scheflow ... 2002 (We moved the award date from December to March) 16. 2003 Mar 9 Anne Mae Gold 17. 2004 Mar 27 Larry Blair 18. 2005 Mar 26 Robert Gold 19. 2006 Mar 18 Tarmo Sutt 20. 2007 Mar 10 Dave Huntoon 21. 2008 Mar 15 Heula Pittman 22. 2009 Mar 7 Ray Trujillo 23. 2010 Mar 21 Ruth Boydston 24. 2011 Mar 6 Brenda Stickler ... 2012 No Meissner Award this year. ... 2013 No Meissner Award this year. ... 2014 No Meissner Award this year. 25. 2015 Mar 21 Larry Yoffee 26. 2016 Mar 12 Vickie Hall 27. 2017 Mar 11 Pat Hall 28. 2018 ... .. ..... .......... If you wish to nominate a CNM member for the IKE MEISSNER AWARD, fill out the form below and get it to the President or other board member no later than the end of the February 2018 meeting. ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== A chartered chapter of CORSA-(Corvair Society of America) Ike Meissner Award Nomination The Ike Meissner Award is presented annually to a Corvairs of New Mexico (CNM) member, in good standing who best exemplifies a spirit of camaraderie and fellowship, in the Corvair realm, with other CNM members and other Corvair enthusiasts. Keep this nomination confidential and submit your entry to the CNM Vice President. Nomination form is available in both the January issue of the Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter and the Membership meeting. The deadline of the nomination will be by the end of the February Meeting. Nominee: ______________________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: _____________________________________________________ Main reason for nomination: ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Nominated by: __________________________________ Date: ________________ (Please Print) ======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~====== =END=