The February 2018 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 30-Jan-2018 ==== Copyright (c) 2018 Corvairs of New Mexico
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FEBRUARY 2018 / VOLUME 44 / NUMBER 2 / ISSUE #509
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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
January Regular Meeting ........................... Anne Mae Gold
January Board Meeting .................................. Art Gold
Florence, Colorado 7th Annual Car Show ................. Web Site
A Bigfoot Sighting .................................. Robert Gold
Photos from the January 13th Breakfast with VMCCA ... Jim Pittman
With A Little Help From My Friends An Auction Saga .. Robert Gold
Happy Days Are Here Again January Car Council Report Robert Gold
Corsa Instrument Panel Checks CENTRAL VIRGINIA ..... Wade Lanning
JANUARY 13th CLUB BREAKFAST WITH VMCCA MOTOR CAR CLUB .. Reporter
Treasury Report ..................................... Robert Gold
A MILESTONE - Forty Years as Newsletter Editor ...... Jim Pittman
Birthdays & Anniversaries .................... Sunshine Committee
HISTORY LESSON ...................................... Jim Pittman
Here is the 100 year comparison I mentioned ......... Terry Price
Calendar of Coming Events .................... Board of Directors
February, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 Years Ago ........ Club Historian
COVER: Forty Years as Editor January/February 1978 - February 2018
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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
Sunshine: Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 heula @ 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/
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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 FEBRUARY 2018
DUE LAST 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 THIS MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2018.02 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 25-MAR-2018
2018.02 Lilian & Timothy Shortle 25-MAR-2018
DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== 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
DUE APRIL 2018 ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2018.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 25-MAY-2018
2018.04 Art Gold 25-MAY-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
2017.12 Linda & Anthony Berbig 25-JAN-2018
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 25-JAN-2018 we have 45 active family memberships.
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
John Wiker
How is everyone doing? I want to start out by thanking Dave Huntoon for
organizing an excellent breakfast with the VMCCA club for us on the 13th of
January. Sixteen adults and two kids showed up for us and six adults represented
their club. Four Corvairs, one early and three lates, conveyed their owners to
the event. A 1948 Pontiac brought the Johnson family. The only car I saw from
the VMCCA club was a great looking LaSalle. My wife and I had enough food for
two meals. Everyone seemed satisfied.
As we were leaving, a VMCCA member approached me with an idea for another joint
adventure including even more clubs. He suggested we gather with our cars in the
parking garage across from the Telephone Museum, downtown on Fourth Street, for
a mini-car-show and then visit the museum. He will also look for a place to have
breakfast if you want to, or just join us at the garage. Sounds like a good
social event for the month of February.
Our next event in March is the Anniversary dinner. Date and place to be
determined. Would anyone like to arrange that event at a place of their choice
or be stuck with my plan?
Speaking of social events and organizing them, the Board needs your help to come
up with ideas for the rest of the year. Help us please. We can't do it all.
Next, don't forget to fill out the Ike Meissner Award nomination form and get it
to Lube by the end of the February meeting. If you can't make it to the meeting,
call Lube at 505-256-9331 or 505-400-3680 and read your form to him or if you
have a computer, e-mail it to him at dirtlube@gmail.com .
By now, hopefully, you have answered the annual survey about how you would like
your Newsletter delivered. If, not, please let Jim Pittman know before the next
issue is put to press next month.
Well enough for now. Got to get back to test papers and lesson plans.
As some of you know, I have been asked to return to full teaching duty for the
rest of the school year until a replacement is hired over the summer. After
seven and a half years, my replacement at Del Norte abruptly resigned, so it is
"Back to the Castle" for me and the end of a lot of golf and free time.
Well, it was great while it lasted. See you soon -- John.
1. RESIGNATION: Thank you all for your support the many years I have been VP
and President of the club. Effective 1 Feb 2018 I am resigning as President.
I will continue to support the club in any way I can at as many functions as
my schedule permits. See you around.
2. ANNIVERSARY DINNER: I reserved the Party Room at the Golden Corral on North
San Mateo near McCloud for the 10th of March. To get that room to ourselves,
I had to agree to the following terms: We will arrive between 6:00 and 6:30 PM,
no earlier; everyone will pay at the cashier for their meals and leave a cash
tip on the table for the server. If this is not agreeable to the club, let me
know ASAP, so I can cancel with no cost to me or the club.
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JANUARY MEETING MINUTES -- 2018.01.03
Anne Mae Gold
Called to Order: 7:00 PM with 10 members in attendance.
Officer Reports
President: John was in Pennsylvania visiting family.
VP: Lube led the meeting.
Treasurer: Robert said current balance is $7,208.38
Secretary: Anne Mae attended for Art. She is doing fine.
Committee Chair Reports
Editor: Newsletter deadline is Friday January 26 at 9:00 PM. Jim expects to get
the latest information from Rocky Mountain CORSA about the Tri-State. The latest
from the Denvair News is on Jim's web site under "Tri-States".
Membership: David said no new members. It was nice to see Mark and Elizabeth at
the Christmas dinner. They have renewed their membership. Dave emailed
prospective member Mike Mitchell, no reply so far.
Merchandise: Vickie decided to do a little something to begin the new year.
Everyone received a dust pan and brush from the Sunshine Committee. Then we each
received a fortune cookie and shared out our fortunes with everyone.
Car Council: Robert said the Car Council will meet at the end of January.
Upcoming Events
Saturday January 13th, 9:30 AM
Breakfast at Monroe's Restaurant 6051 Osuna Rd NE, just east of San Mateo NE.
This will be with the VMCCA.
Florence Merchants' Association Car Show in Florenece, Colorado. Date to be
announced. For more information look at http://florencecoloradocarshow.com/
Terry apologized for the club being booted out of the enclosed room at Furr's,
no one in attendance had a problem with the Christmas dinner. He also shared
some statistics from a hundred years ago, the year 1917. He mentioned that the
red Corvair that he drove to the Museum Car Show is for sale. The owner is
asking $11,000 and he's sure that the price is negotiable.
Tarmo and Kay went to Italy for three weeks. They attended the wedding of
Francesca, one of their exchange students. They were able to visit three car
museums, including the Ferrari Museum. He has a lot of pictures on his iPad.
He'd like to share them with the club. We will figure out a way to make this
happen.
We discussed selling cars on the "Bring a Trailer" auction. Check out
"bringatrailer.com" and look for familiar names.
The 50/50 was won by Tarmo. The pot was $13.00 with $7.50 for the winner and
$7.50 for the Sunshine Committee.
Going around the room: Lube LUBERT, David HUNTOON, Anne Mae GOLD, Robert GOLD,
Tarmo SUTT, Hurley WILVERT, Terry PRICE, Pat HALL, Vickie HALL, Jim PITTMAN.
Adjourned at 7:56 PM
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JANUARY BOARD MEETING - 2018.01.17
Art Gold
Meeting called to order at 5:06 PM.
John Wiker, Art Gold, David Huntoon, Jim Pittman
President - John Wiker - frustrated since we needs others to get involved with
social events. Not just the board's responsibility.
The Breakfast was a success with sixteen adults and two children. Four Covairs
showed up: Bob McBreen, Art Gold, Sally Williams, John Wiker.
Suggestion to have a joint club event to go to the Telephone Museum on 4th
Street. The club could have a mini-car show in the garage across from the museum
in February.
The Anniversary Dinner will be in March.
The Ike Meissner Award nominations are needed. Nomination forms were in the
January newsletter, and should be returned to Lube.
Southwest Soaring Museum: Dave Huntoon suggested a trip to the Museum in
Moriarity in April. Saturday the 7th? 10:00 AM?
Merchandise/Sunshine Committee: combined under leadership of Vickie Hall. John
suggested a sharing program ($100 a month) for the Sunshine committee for future
ventures (Tri-State).
Newsletter Paper Mailing: a suggestion of eliminating the hard copy of the
newsletter altogether. It would be available electronically.
Vice President - Lube Lubert - Absent
Treasurer - Robert Gold - Absent - $7192.27.
Secretary Art Gold - no report.
Committee Reports
* Membership Dave Huntoon discussed the use of Facebook by other clubs as a way
to get new members.
* Car Council -- No report. The next meeting will be January 24th.
* Editor - Jim Pittman - Newsletter deadline is Friday January 26th at 9:00 PM.
Upcoming Events
March - Anniversary dinner date/time/location TBA
Other suggestions
Econorun or road rally in October? - Dave Huntoon is looking at two different
routes.
Meeting adjourned at 5:54 PM
Additions:
Jim sees no reason to stop the mailed paper newsletter at this time. He believes
it has value as a reminder of meetings and activities. John suggested we ask
Robert to mail out a questionnaire to members. Who prefers the paper copy and
who would be pleased with only the electronic PDF?
We plan to address the question of the club continuing the Old Route 66 cleanup
in the spring. David strongly favors our keeping it. It brings kudos and
attention to the club and we should think seriously before giving that up.
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Believe it or not, when I googled "florence car show" this is the illustration
that came up. A nice early Corvair convertible! Here is the specific URL:
http://florencecoloradocarshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Carshow-banner-
2018-1400w-12-2-17.jpg
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A BIGFOOT SIGHTING?!
Robert Gold
My lovely wife, Anne Mae, is hooked on those shows where a crack team of
pseudo-scientists spend the complete hour hunting Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness
Monster, or ancient aliens. You know the drill. I, myself, a non believer,
constantly interrupt her viewing to debunk what those guys are doing.
So, with that in mind, I just experienced a Corvair-version of the hunt for
Bigfoot. It has to do with the mythic Rampside that was produced with two ramps.
I've talked to several people over the years who claim the factory did indeed
produce such a creature. However, no one I talked to had actually seen such a
truck. I do know of a guy up in Colorado who fabricated a two-ramper but I veiw
that in the same category as those genuine jackalopes that I've spotted in
various shops around town.
I still have not seen such a Rampside in the wild, but I just had a talk with a
guy over at Tanny's Upholstery Shop, who, in th midst of swapping car stories
with me, dropped the bombshell that he indeed saw a two-ramp 95 up in Everett,
Washingston in the early 60's. The truck was being used by an appliance store.
The guy named Steve had none of the characteristics of the Bigfoot hunters. He
totally lacked the religious conviction I saw in the eyes of those true
believers. His statement was made in passing, sorta just offhand. I did take his
picture and I ask you to take a look at him and do you think he's a guy who
could have seen the Corvair Bigfoot for real? Maybe someone of you know more
about this type of 95? As for me, I wish I had a time machine and a bus ticket
to Everett. -- Robert Gold
What's this? Is it a genuine photo of Robert's mythical two-ramp Rampside? Or is
it a cleverly photoshopped photo of a regular Rampside? Is it a see-through prop
for a magician? Is it a Roswell alien flying saucer artifact? Or is it an
illustration lifted from the pages of the November 2017 San Diego VAIRMAIL
newsletter?
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WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS -- An Auction Saga
Robert Gold
Way back in 1982 when I joined Corvairs of New Mexico I never could have
imagined all the wonderful things that I would experience because of our car
club. The latest event may have been the best and I want to tell you about it.
As many of you know, I own a red 1961 Lakewood, dubbed "Radio Flyer" by the guy
who restored it in Houston. I haven't driven it much in the ten years since I
bought it from fellow CNM'er Geoff Johnson, but when I did, I really enjoyed it.
However, I have a problem with really nice cars -- I'm scared to drive them
anywhere because they are just too nice. Because of that phobia most of Radio
Flyer's time has either been spent in my garage or being admired at some car
show.
Recently I reacaquired from Bob McBreen, also a CNM member, the 1966 Monza that
got me started in this hobby. That caused a problem since I didn't want to own
any more cars than I have now. My lovely wife, Anne Mae, keeps me true to that
standard. I didn't want to get rid of any of the cars I drive regularly, so
Radio Flyer went to the top of the sale list. There was one problem with that...
I HATE TO SELL CARS. The whole experience of selling cars gives me the "willies"
and in fact, just thinking of selling cars as I write this is making me light
headed. So my dilemma was, how do I sell the Lakewood?
As it turns out, I didn't need to worry. All I needed to do was draw on the
talents in CNM and let things take care of themselves. This is the saga of how
several fellow members sold my car for me.
It all started with my bro, Alan. He's a secret member of the club, since he
very seldom attends club functions. Some of you have may have seen him gassing
up my son, Art's, car at John Wiker's highly successful econorun. Anyway, for
years Alan has followed an online auction called "Bring a Trailer" or BAT for
short. He would tell me tales of the interesting cars he would see for sale.
This became step one in Radio Flyers' sale. On to step two....
One day I got an email from Alan and he said that fellow CNM'er, Steve Gongora,
had sold his iconic Rampside on the BAT site for BIG MONEY. So much money that I
can't count that high. As they say, "My mom didn't raise no fool" and so I
decided to list my car there. On to step three....
Once I decided to list the car online I was faced with the task of coming up
with the pictures that would entice the public to bid on it. It was then that I
turned to two more CNM'ers... Larry Yoffee and Geoff Johnson. Geoff has shots of
the restoration in Texas. Many years ago, Larry had chosen to feature the
Lakewood on his website. As part of that he did a photo shoot of it in the south
valley. Thanks to him I had those very important "glamour shots" of Radio Flyer.
You can therefore say my listing, was the result of four CNM'ers, Alan Gold,
Steve Gongora, Larry Yoffee, and Geoff Johnson. And so as a result of their
efforts I was able to sell Radio Flyer for BIG BUCKS and it was all possible
with a little help from my CNM friends. THANKS everybody. My wallet is full and
I'm very happy.
-- Robert Gold
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HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN -- JANUARY CAR COUNCIL REPORT
Robert Gold
The first regular meeting of the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs was held on a
frosty evening on January 24 at the Old Car Garage. There had been a meeting of
the Council Board a week earlier, but I was unable to attend that meeting. The
beginning of 2018 has not been very kind to me. I found myself at the ER with a
painful medical problem. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better and
ready to return to my duties as your Council Rep.
Unlike the last few meetings of 2017, I was greeted by a full parking lot when I
arrived. I'm usually among the first to show up, but happily not this month.
When I got to the meeting room (which was comfortably warm -- thanks Bob Agnew!)
I quickly realized there were lots of new faces among the crowd. It seems that
several new member car clubs were in attendance and ready to get down to work.
Jamie Saavedra called the meeting to order promptly at 7:30. Our new attendees
then introduced themselves. This included members from the Camero and Challenger
car clubs. One visitor of note was from Hub City Brewery down in Belen who was
touting his place as a nice setting for car events. Our future Tri-State came to
mind. It could be the destination for a fun little cruise. They seem to have
access to a lot of parking, a real plus.
A rep from the Wheels Musuem was next up. She requested the Council's support
for a possible fundraiser later in the year. I just wish Wendy Walker was
around, he really enjoyed participating in the museum's events. The rep made
reference to the musuem's web page. I need to take a look at it.
We then continued on into the business part of the meeting. This was brief, but
important. The Treasurer, Joe Ballengee, went over the budget for the coming
year that was approved by the Board. The total budget was down a couple of
thousand dollars from last year due to the scaled back swap meet. Overall, the
Council is in good shape financially.
Joyce Clements then told us about the plans for the Museum Car Show, scheduled
for Sunday, May 20. This year's event will feature imported cars. Let me know if
you have an imported classic you would like to have featured at the show. Joyce
added that there would be a meeting at the museum on February 13 at 2:00 PM to
discuss the event.
Jamie noted that Collector Car Appreciation Day would be celebrated on July 14.
Plans are still being made for that event. Be assurred it will be a fun time,
just like last year. The annual Car Council Picinic will be held on August 12 at
the Oak Flats picnic grounds. We've already paid to reserve the spot.
The meeting wrapped up with Joyce's report on the swap meet. The roller coaster
is finally at an end. The event WILL take place September 28-30 in Los Lunas.
Though Joyce will no longer head up the effort, we anticipate a successfull
event headed by a committee of dedicated club reps. I volunteered to be part of
that effort. If anyone in CNM would be interested in helping, let me know.
Before I knew it, Jamie was adjourning the meeting. It was a great start to a
fun year.
-- Robert Gold
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REPRINTED FROM CENTRAL VIRGINIA CORVAIR CLUB NEWSLETTER -- JANUARY 2018
CORSA INSTRUMENT PANEL CHECKS
Wade Lanning
This article was published in our newsletter back in 2010. There are no updates,
but I thought club members that have joined since then might be interested. I
wanted to check the operation of the gauges in a Corsa instrument panel while it
was not installed in a car, With some key electrical advice from Frank DuVal,
here is how I ended up doing it. The same procedures should apply to Spyder
panels, except they do not have a clock and the gas gauge uses a different
sender resistance as noted below.
Speedometer: With a spare speedometer cable connected to the speedometer, use a
variable speed drill motor running in reverse to run the speedometer up and
down. The drill must be run in reverse for the speedometer to run up in speed,
otherwise it will show zero mph and the odometer will run backwards. Start
slowly in event the speedometer is locked up. Watch the needle operation and
listen for unusual noises in the unit. Run it about a mile, and observe the main
and trip odometers for proper function. I also found it helpful to hold the
speedometer cable fender clamp in a vice to keep it from flopping around.
Manifold Pressure: Apply vacuum to gauge port with engine vacuum from a running
car, an electric vacuum pump or hand operated vacuum pump. If you use a running
engine, note the carburetor distributor advance port does not have any vacuum
until the rpm's are raised. Instead you can use the carburetor choke vacuum pull
off line for full vacuum. Use a low pressure source of air pressure (less that
30 psi) to check the gauge in pressure function.
Clock: Ground the instrument panel to a battery's negative side with the factory
grounding strip (you know the strip that is held in place to the dash structure
with a screw under the dash). Apply 12 volts to the clock's only terminal and
see if it runs. Not many original clocks still work, however if it does not you
might get it to work by cleaning the contact points inside the clock mechanism.
Tach: This normally requires a running car to check, however I saw in "The
Classic Corvair" by Bob Helt that this can also be done with certain battery
chargers, but I'll not describe that here. "With a car, connect the instrument
panel grounding strip to the car's negative battery post. Run a wire from the
tach positive terminal to the battery positive post. Run another wire from the
tach's coil terminal (stamped beside the terminal) to the negative terminal on
the car's coil. This is the same terminal that has a wire going to the
distributor. Crank up the car and observe the tach. Vary the engine rpm and see
if the tach needle varies.
Cylinder Temperature: Before hooking up any wires, first understand that when in
a car the temperature sender (thermistor) in the cylinder head has about 1000
ohms resistance at 200 deg F and about 250 ohms resistance at 400 deg F, thus it
is helpful to obtain 250 and 1000 ohm resistors before you start. Also before
you start, determine which terminal on the gauge receives 12 volts from the
battery and which terminal goes to the sender. This is best done by referring to
the wire color codes from the wiring diagram in the shop manual. Connect the
instrument panel grounding strip to the battery's negative post. Run a wire from
the gauge's sender terminal to one of the resistors and a wire from the other
side of the resistor to the battery's negative post. Run another wire from the
battery's positive post to the positive terminal on the gauge and watch the
gauge for response. It should read approximately the temperature corresponding
to the resistor being used as listed above. Replace the resistor with the other
and see how the gauge responds. Instead of using the individual resistors, you
can use a 1000 ohm potentiometer and thus vary the resistance.
Gas Gauge: As with the temperature gauge, before you start use the shop manual
wiring diagram to determine which terminal on the gauge receives 12 volts from
the battery and which terminal goes to the sender. Connect the instrument panel
grounding strip to the battery negative post. Run a wire from the battery
negative post to the sender housing ground wire of a spare gas tank sending
unit. Run another wire from the gauge's sender terminal to the sender's gauge
terminal. Connect a wire from the battery positive post to the positive terminal
of the gauge. Move the sender arm up and down while watching the gauge. You may
want to make sure the sender provides proper resistance over the range of arm's
movement before you start. Note that late models used senders with 0-90 ohms
resistance whereas early models used 0-45 ohm senders, so a Spyder dash will
require a different sender than a Corsa dash to check with this method. Instead
of using a sender, you can use a 45 or 90 ohm resistor in place of the sender to
check the gauge.
Non-Corsa & non-Spyder speedometers and gas gauges can be checked using the
methods above too. Bad gauges might be repairable. Clocks that can not be made
to work by cleaning the original contacts can be upgraded with kits available
from Corvair parts vendors such as Clark's. Speedometers and tachometers can be
fixed by repair shops advertised in the CORSA Communique. It is probably best to
deal with a repair shop that has experience with Corvair gauges. For a bad
pressure, temperature or gas gauge, it may be easier to replace them with a good
gauge instead of trying to repair them, unless you are good at these repairs
yourself. Some Corvair owners are now using aftermarket non-Corvair gauges to
replace all the gauges in their Corsa & Spyder instrument panels.
REPRINTED FROM CENTRAL VIRGINIA CORVAIR CLUB NEWSLETTER -- JANUARY 2018
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JANUARY 13th CLUB BREAKFAST WITH VMCCA MOTOR CAR CLUB
We met at Monroe's on Osuna just east of San Mateo. A few interesting classic
cars showed up. The one I could identify was Bill Sullivan's La Salle. Geoff
Johnson arrived in his 1948 Pontiac.
Corvair-affiliated people were:
Alan Gold
Art Gold .............................. 1966 red Corvair Monza coupe
Vickie & Pat Hall
David Huntoon
Anne & Geoffrey Johnson, Kate & Alex .. 1948 Pontiac
Lube Lubert
Robert McBreen ........................ Early red Corvair Monza conv.
Heula & Jim Pittman
Anne & John Wiker ..................... 1966 yellow Corvair coupe
Brenda & Hurley Wilvert
Sally Williams ........................ 1966 white Corvair "500" sedan
Members of VMCCA:
Bill Sulllivan ........................ 1940 La Salle
Bill Gilmore
Christee Street
Larry Lower
Ric Tafoya
Bob Jones
Tom Rostowski
The morning started cool and became perfect for a Saturday Club Breakfast.
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 12-15-2017 to 01-25-2018 Robert Gold
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $7,208.38
========== ==== ========== =========== =========================================
2018.01.05 2308 -$ 66.11 H.Pittman Newsletter Printing JAN 2018 -$ 36.01
2018.01.05 -$ H.Pittman Newsletter Postage 43 x $0.70 -$ 30.10
2018.01.16 +$ 50.00 Dues D.Huntoon 12 m CNM $ 25.00
2018.01.16 +$ Dues M.Butler (NEW) 12 m CNM $ 25.00
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2018.02.01 FEB NEWSLETTER ========================================== $7,192.27
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====== If you have any concerns or questions about this report please =====
====== contact Robert Gold at 505-268-6878 or email: beisbol30 msn.com =====
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A MILESTONE
Jim Pittman
The January 2018 issue completed my fortieth year as editor. My first CNM
newsletter was Issue #29 dated January/February 1978. This issue, February 2018,
is number 509. If I count right, that makes 480 issues, without missing
a month, since the first one I edited.
Not one of these 480 issues could have been done without the help of several
faithful members. So the record is not mine alone.
I will name just a few of the individuals who have helped make this newsletter
possible during the last 43 years:
* Mark Morgan
Started the newsletter in December 1974.
* Steve Gongora
Edited several issues -- without taking credit.
* Sylvan Zuercher
Printed, labeled, stamped, mailed issues.
* Bill Reider
Technical articles and publishing support.
* Larry Blair
Technical articles and club tech talks.
* Heula Pittman
Proofread, labeled, stamped, mailed issues.
Thanks to the twenty-two presidents of the club who provided a column each
month:
Larry Blair, Francis Boydston, Norm Brand, Mark Domzalski, Robert Gold,
Steve Gongora, Pat Hall, Bill Hector, Dale Housley, David Huntoon, Mark Morgan,
Joel Nash, Del Patten, Dennis Pleau, Bill Reider, LeRoy Rogers, Clayborne Souza,
Mike Stickler, Ray Trujillo, John Wiker, Hurley Wilvert, Sylvan Zuercher.
Thanks to the nine secretaries who provided meeting minutes each month:
Les Campbell, Art Gold, Anne Mae Gold, Steve Gongora, Bill Hector,
George Morin, Heula Pittman, Chuck Vertrees (26 years!), Sylvan Zuercher
Thanks to all the active members who help by attending meetings, providing tech
talks, organizing activities, driving their Corvairs to events, providing
articles for the newsletter, and providing photographs and news for the
newsletter. The future is uncertain. This will all end someday. But maybe not
today. I'm already working on the edition for next month!
From 1978 to 1980 I typed up the newsletter on an IBM Selectric electric
typewriter.
In 1980 I started using an Apple II computer and an NEC letter-quality printer
to lay out and print the newsletter.
Mary Lou Martinek is using my Apple II to enter data at the 2000 Tri-State.
Working on the March 2000 Newsletter. I was editing our 26th Anniversary
newsletter using Adobe PageMaker on a 1999 Macintosh G3. Digital photos were
collected on a Mac PowerBook G3.
Working on this month's Newsletter. Since 2004 I have been using Adobe inDesign
for page layout. This is a slightly newer (2010) Macintosh.
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Happy Birthday wishes to two CNM'ers:
Alan Gold
Anthony Shortle
Happy Anniversary wishes to one Couple:
Rita & Steve Gongora
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HISTORY LESSON
Jim Pittman
In 1967 the Air Force transferred me from the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory at
Fort Wainwright, Alaska to the Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Holloman AFB,
Alamogordo, New Mexico. In August I drove my 1966 Corsa 5,000 miles from
Fairbanks to Albuquerque. I came to my new assignment knowing almost nothing
about the state or the Southwest in general. My first impression was that it was
very different from anywhere I had been. I was eager to learn all about it: the
wide-open spaces with desert vastness and majestic mountains, the people from
American Indians to the descendants of Spanish settlers to ranchers and cowboys
to Anglos like me who came from "back east" or in my case, by way of a detour to
the Arctic north. On weekends I traveled everywhere: Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, Las
Cruces, El Paso, Carlsbad, Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, the Four Corners,
Gallup, the Navajo nation, the Hopi mesas, nearby pueblos: Acoma, Laguna, Santa
Ana, Zia. I remember in the Albuquerque Plaza in Old Town seeing several
flagpoles flying colorful flags and I guessed why: just like "Six Flags over
Texas" they were the flags of countries or states that had been in charge here
over historical times.
I saw an unexpected flag with two red stripes separated by a white stripe with a
blue field and a circle of white stars. Of course as a born-and-raised Louisiana
boy I know that it was the original national flag of the Confederate States, and
I wondered what it could possibly be doing so far from the famous battles of the
Civil War. Seeing that flag was one of many novelties I saw while starting to
learn about New Mexico and it added to my wish to know more of the history of
this remarkable place.
Fortunately for me, when I was growing up I was not immersed in heroic stories
of battles by my ancestors or the romantic notions of "the South Shall Rise
Again" or the glories of life in the antebellum South. I read a lot about the
Civil War but little of it struck me personally. The many statues, monuments,
museums and military parks I saw were ancient history to me. They were
everywhere in the South and you just took them for granted.
Eventually I learned why that flag was in the Plaza in Albuquerque's Old Town.
In 1861 New Mexico was an American territory and a distant, sleepy, far west
frontier at that. It had nothing to do with the conflict between the "Yankees"
and the "Rebels" back east. But part of the Rebel plan was to expand their new
country west and south. The Confederacy claimed what is now southern New Mexico
and Arizona as their own and sent military forces to secure it for the South and
deny it to the Union.
New Mexicans had recently been part of Mexico and were still adapting to being
annexed into the Unites States. They wanted no part of secession from the Union.
If the Confederates were to get the New Mexico Territory, they would have to
take it by force. In 1861 Rebel forces occupied Mesilla near Las Cruces and made
it the capital of their "Arizona Territory" as a stepping stone to Colorado,
California and Mexico. Confederate forces advanced north along the Rio Grande
and occupied Albuquerque in February 1862 but after the Battle of Glorieta Pass
in March they were forced to retreat back down the Rio Grande and eventually to
Texas.
Unlike the flags of Spain, Mexico, the United States and New Mexico that are
displayed in the Albuquerque Plaza, the Confederate flag was present as the
emblem of an invading army and was soon removed. It did not represent a
recognized government. But, it certainly represented an important part of
Albuquerque's history.
In 2015 there was popular demand to remove the Confederate battle flag and
statues of Confederate heroes from public places through the country but
particularly through the South. Mayor Berry removed the Confederate flag from
the plaza and replaced it with the City of Albuquerque flag. Plaques deemed
historically inaccurate in their description of the Rebel occupation of the city
in 1862 were also removed.
You may say that the flag and plaques, not to mention the replica cannon in the
plaza, are a legitimate part of the history of the city. Or you may say that the
Confederate flag represents an ideology we emphatically do not believe in. Mayor
Berry's speech included these words: "Those who consider the flag and artifacts
to be nothing more than markers of history, should consider those who are deeply
offended by the Confederate flag flying in Old Town because they view it as a
celebration of an ideology that did not recognize all men as equal and an
affront to those who died to ensure freedom for all."
I left the South long ago, never to return. I am indeed offended by attempts to
glorify the Confederacy. Nevertheless, for me, seeing that flag in the Plaza was
a real part of my education about the history of my new state.
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HERE IS THE 100 YEAR COMPARISON I MENTIONED...
Terry Price
What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics:
The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores.
Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year.
A dentist earned about $2,500 per year.
A veterinarian, between $1,500 and $4,000 per year.
A mechanical engineer, about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
Ninety percent of all Doctors had no college education! Instead, they attended
so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the
government as "substandard."
* Sugar cost four cents a pound.
* Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
* Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Women typically washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for
shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country
for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.
Two out of every ten adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at local
corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the
mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of
health!"
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic
help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.!
I'm now going to forward this from my personal computer (something not imagined
in 1917) to someone else without typing it myself. From there, it will be sent
to others all over the world, all in a matter of seconds!
What a difference a century makes!
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SURVEY OF EMAIL AND NEWSLETTER PRINTING
We wanted to conduct a survey to determine:
(A) members who would get the newsletter on-line, and NOT get printed copies
(B) members who wanted email notification, but still get a printed copy
(E) non-members who still wanted to be on the notification email list
(R) anyone who wanted their address removed from the email list
(C) some members have not told me their email address, if they have one
As of 2018-JAN-26 07:30 AM here are the statistics:
Number of members count is 45
Members with email count is 41
Secondary addresses count is 11
Total member email addresses 52
Those who have replied so far:
"A" CNM MEMBER count is 20
"B" CNM MEMBER count is 10
"E" NON MEMBER count is 30 (this includes "secondary" CNM addresses)
"R" REMOVE EMAIL count is 7
Members without known email addresses:
"C" MEMBER NO EMAIL count is 4
Members with email addresses who have not replied so far:
"_" no reply yet count is 12
We hope to reduce the number of mailed newsletters and correct our mailing list.
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| February 2018 | March 2018 | April 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 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
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| 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 |
| 25 26 27 28 | 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 29 30 |
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SUGGESTION: A visit with other clubs to the Telephone Museum on Fourth Street?
WED 07 FEB 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.
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
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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 because the government
is stealing an hour out of your life. Don't worry, you'll get it back
in November, only slightly degraded. Why is it that EVERYONE you ask
thinks that changing into and out of daylight time is a BAD IDEA, but
year after year WE KEEP ON DOING IT?! Why??
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
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SUGGESTION: A visit to the Soaring Museum in Moriarty?
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
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WED 02 MAY 7:00 PM Meeting: NORTH DOMINGO BACA MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER.
WED 16 MAY 5:00 PM Board Meeting: HIGHLAND SENIOR CENTER at 131 Monroe NE
SUN 20 MAY 10:00 AM NMCCC / Albuquerque Museum Car Show
WED 23 MAY 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 25 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for June 2018 newsletter
JUNE 8-10 Tri-State at Crested Butte, Colorado -- Rocky Mountain CORSA
http://www.rockymountaincorsa.org/2018-tri-state-ralley-promo/
SUGGESTION: Let's do another east mountains Econo-Run or Road Rally.
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See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======================
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ FEBRUARY 2018 VOL 44 Nr 2 ISSUE 509 ]
Jim Pittman
2011 Vol 37 Nr 2 # 425
COVER: A 1966 Corsa cruises through Nevada in July 1967. Vickie Hall showed
photos from the Los Lunas Poker Run. Brenda Stickler discussed our Red River
Tri-State. Larry Yoffee told of CNM cars featured on his web site. Robert Gold
discussed "bubbletop" styling, as in late Corvair sedans. A note from the
Denvair News said since Corvairs do not have ABS you should remember to "pump
your brakes" in slippery conditions. Bob Helt (of the other Las Vegas) discussed
the odds and ends of engine number codes. Richard Stolzmann discussed safety
mods to your harmonic balancer.
2004 Vol 30 Nr 2 #341
The cover featured a photo of the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge which Jim & Heula
toured last November. We had breakfast at the Owl Cafe. Anne Mae discussed CNM
Ladies' activities. Mark Domzalski suggested that we spend a day in the spring
getting our Corvairs tuned up for summer driving. Wendell wrote about our visit
to Bosque del Apache. Jerry Goffe organized a terrific tour.
There was $5718 in the treasury. We planned a garage tour to Dan Palmer's,
commented on the upcoming re-write of our constitution. Tech: how to adjust
Corvair thermostats, why is it important. We formed yet another "awards
committee" and discussed a special 30th anniversary edition of the newsletter.
1997 Vol 23 Nr 2 #257
COVER: a drawing of an early coupe - borrowed from the August 1996 Fanbelt
Flyer, Cactus Corvair Club. President Domzalski called the meeting to order at
7:30. Treasurer Will Davis was moving to Florida and Wendell Walker agreed to
take over the job. We had $7543 in the bank. Sylvan said, no new members; Bill
said, no Car Council meeting. We all said, thanks to Rita for organizing the
successful Christmas party. Congregation Albert Synagogue and the YMCA thanked
the club for contributions to Michelle Goffe memorials.
We planned a carb rebuild session at Larry's and later in the newsletter Jim
reported on how it went... it went great. Jerry, Mark and Wendy drove their
Corvairs in a Christmas parade, only to hear an announcer call them Mustangs. Oh
the shame.
Among many tech tips this month, Steve Goodman had an article on Smelly Heaters
which we cheerfully plundered from one of the Colorado newsletters, and we stole
another on what may happen to cause you to "lose" reverse, and how to find it
again. Other tips told how to do a proper repair on a battery clamp, how to keep
your engine cool with aluminum valve covers, how to install an electric fuel
pump, and make your long-stored car run much better by installing a new fuel
tank.
1990 Vol 16 Nr 2 #173
COVER: a rear view drawing of a late coupe. Interim Treasurer Sylvan said we had
$755 to spend. We planned an auction for March, a cheese & wine tour, a picnic,
an econorun, an aspencade, a trip to Trinity site and a Christmas party. A lot
to do in March! President Dale Housley told us the story of how his wife bought
a new Corvair for him while he was overseas with the Army.
Tom Martin gave us the life story of member Milton Sanchez, our sponsor at Ed
Black's Chevrolet. The best car salesman ever? We thought so. Tom also told
about a fun encounter at midnight with a herd of horses on a remote highway near
Anthony, New Mexico.
We reprinted an article listing cars with the best and worst heaters. The best
was a tie between a 1946 Oldsmobile and a 1960 Corvair with gasoline heater.
Worst was a tie between the VW Beetle and the standard-heater 1961-1969 Corvair.
Some of us who have driven Corvairs with oil leaks in the winter have repeatedly
cursed the designers of the Corvair heater.
1983 Vol 9 Nr 2 # 89
COVER: a map of the Albuquerque Sun-Tran's bus system. Your editor suggested you
should follow his example and save wear & tear on your Corvair by riding the
bus. Yes, in 2003 Jim was still saving wear & tear on my Corvair by riding the
bus to work. Probably few other Corvair owners took this step.
Jerry Goffe told about his misadventures going to Phoenix when everything went
wrong with his 1962 Greenbrier. Rumor has it that the Greenbrier is still out in
the Painted Desert somewhere. Or at least its soul is lost out there. Chuck
Hollingsworth gave us the part number for a replacement high-capacity fan for
our heaters.
For our January garage tour we saw Joe Lite's 1963 Avanti, a 1961 Lakewood, a
1953 Packard and a 1930 Model-A. Francis showed off a newly-painted Ultravan.
Bud Knapp showed a 1906 Cadillac, a 1956 Cadillac, a 1953 Buick and a 1930
Indian motorcycle. Last but certainly not least, LeRoy's collection of Chrysler
iron included a beautiful 1929 DeSoto. All in all, a record-setting garage tour.
1976 Vol 2 Nr 2 # 13
COVER: one of Francis Boydston's Corvairs sitting next to a Porsche 911. The
Corvair was a low mileage 1964 coupe that he went back to Nebraska to get. It
was a terrific car and he bragged about it for years. President Mark Morgan told
us how Francis got started in the Corvair hobby. We learned that CNM was now an
official CORSA chapter. We planned activities for the year and discussed ways to
raise money. Ike Meissner described a high-performance ignition system for
Corvairs: it had three ignition coils and no points. This was a joke, right?
Well, no.
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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. 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.
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