The March 2023 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 27-Feb-2023 = Copyright (c) 2023 Corvairs of New Mexico
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March 2023 / VOLUME 49 / NUMBER 3 / ISSUE 570
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First Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2005 & 2012
Third Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2010
EDITOR Jim Pittman
NEXT MEETING Regular Meeting: Saturday March 4th 10:00AM
Highland Senior Center 131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
THIS MONTH:
President's Letter ......................... Gregory Nelson
Dues Due Dates ....................... Membership Committee
Marching Into Spring ................ V. P. Brenda Stickler
Treasury Report ............................. Steve Gongora
Birthdays & Anniversaries ................... Heula Pittman
Turn Signal Fix .................................. Tech Tip
Why Can't We Just Ban Ethanol ..... Jay Leno, Paul Seyforth
Rallies & Slaloms ............................. Jim Pittman
Calendar of Coming Events .............. Board of Directors
March Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Years Ago .. Club Historian
COVER: Jim's 1966 Corsa, Las Cruces Slalom, Summer 1968
OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS
President Greg Nelson 505-400-8670 fesedu @ comcast.net
Vice-President Brenda Stickler 505-856-6993 tounce66 @ msn.com
Secretary Lupe Arellanes 505-515-9897 ispeakmedicare505 @ gmail.com
Treasurer Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora @ msn.com
Newsletter Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Birthdays Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 heula @ q.com
Past President Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Past President Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin @ gmail.com
Past President David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
MEETING: Regular Meeting - Saturday March 4th, 2023 at 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
INTERNET: CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/
CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/
New Mexico Council of Car Clubs www.nmcarcouncil.com/
SCHEDULE CNM: 12 months = $25.00 or 26 months = $ 50.00
OF CORSA: 12 months = $45.00 or 26 months = $ 90.00
DUES CNM & CORSA: 12 months = $70.00 or 26 months = $140.00
DUES DUE DATES MARCH 2023
DUE LAST MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE
2023.02 ========= NONE ======== 25-MAR-2023
DUE THIS MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE
2023.03 Fred & Brenda Edeskuty 25-APR-2023
2023.03 Barbara & Gordon Johnson 25-APR-2023
2023.03 Connie & Robert McBreen 25-APR-2023
2023.03 Kelli & Mark Morgan 25-APR-2023
DUE NEXT MONTH ================== INACTIVE DATE
2023.04 Deborah & John Dinsdale 25-MAY-2023
2023.04 Terry Hall 25-MAY-2023
2023.04 Heula & Jim Pittman 25-MAY-2023
DUE MAY ========================= INACTIVE DATE
2023.05 Emma & LeRoy Rogers 25-JUN-2023
2023.05 Kay & Tarmo Sutt 25-JUN-2023
INACTIVE ======================== INACTIVE DATE
2022.02 Linda Soukup & Tony Berbig 25-MAR-2022
2022.07 Mike R Hughes 25-AUG-2022
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer
Steve Gongora
8419 Palo Duro NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111
Past due memberships become inactive after a one-month grace period. The Club
will mail in your National Dues if you send us the renewal form from your
Communique.
As of 25-Feb-2023 we have 41 active family memberships.
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Greg Nelson
Tri-State Activity
1. The website and registration for this year's event in Salida, Colorado is
up and running. If you plan on attending, please visit the Pikes Peak club's
website, and sign up. You have until April 19th to register.
2. The CNM Board has begun planning for the CNM sponsored Tri-State meet in
2024. Several of us had planned to visit Las Vegas, NM (current city choice) to
scout out hotels and banquet sites on Feb 17th. However, last week's three-day
weather event prompted Lupe and Jim Arellanes to suggest we postpone the trip.
Good idea. We are now planning on visiting on March 10th. We'll have a chance to
discuss the itinerary at the March meeting. Lupe will be asking for volunteers
for various jobs for the 2024 event. These include T-shirt design and
procurement, keeping an eye on registration and the car wash area, just to name
a few.
3. Well drat. I missed last year's Tri-State because my brother's oldest
daughter graduated from high school. Fortunately, I'm able to attend this year's
meet in Salida, Colorado. Can you hear the 'BUT' coming? My brother has another
daughter. In the same school district. And she graduates next year. I checked
the Frisco Independent School District's website, but it does not show
graduation dates for 2024. So, I emailed them. They won't make final plans until
Spring Break, but it looks like it will be May 16-19, 2024. Which means I have a
25% chance of making it to the 2024 convention if she graduates on the 16th. If
ceremonies are on the 17th, I can still fly back early next morning and make the
banquet. Silver lining: no more nephews or nieces ... until my cousin's daughter
graduates in 2027 from a different school district. Fingers crossed.
Mecum Auction
The next Mecum Auction is March 28 - April 1 in Glendale, Arizona. Presently
there is only one Corvair on the block: a very nice red 1964 Monza Convertible
with manual transmission with a black interior. Looks very nice. I'll pop it up
for you on the television monitor at the March meeting.
Oops. Article Correction
I mentioned in a previous newsletter how much I have spent so far on my 1964
Monza. Stop the presses and add another $1,020 to the total. The '64 really
needs dual exhaust, so I picked up the Ultimate Kit from Clarks. And I'm STILL
putting together the big engine order. Like Larry said: It's a hobby, not an
investment.
Care and Feeding Booklet
Many thanks go to Jim for updating CNM's Care and Feeding Booklet. Clark's
Corvair Parts has placed an order for 50 booklets. I'll get them shipped out
this week.
More Lonely Corvairs
My friend and colleague, Steve (his non-Corvair cars have appeared in past
newsletters) mentioned seeing Corvairs in the Skrappit junkyard lot in Jarales,
NM, near his home. I paid him a visit on President's Day and to my amazement,
there were five Corvairs waiting for the crusher or to be used as parts-cars.
There were three early models, one late and one Greenbrier, and all in bad
shape. However, the 'Rust' colored 4-door early model still had tires and wheel
covers. But as you can see from the photo, the engine is almost totally obscured
with animal droppings. I hope we didn't contract Hantavirus. There was one
additional car that caught my attention - a 1972 Fiat 128. My first car was a
1978 128 Rally Sport Sedan. If the 1972 was in better shape (everything was
missing) I would have to seriously consider buying it.
March Old Route 66 Cleanup
It's that time of year: March 11th will be our first cleanup of 2023. We'll
start out easy at the eastern end at Mile Marker 5. Look for my Mazda or Dave's
truck. We'll pluck around for an hour and then head to Roots Farm Cafe for
munchies afterwards.
New Mexico Council of Car Clubs
I managed to remember to attend the NMCCC monthly meeting. The topics
discussed were the four big shows the Council sponsors every year:
** 21 MAY -- Museum Car Show
Same weekend as Tri-State.
** 08 JULY -- Collector Car Appreciation
Day.
** 13 AUGUST -- Car Council Picnic.
Location to be decided.
** 24 SEPTEMBER -- The traditional Car Council Swap Meet will be
replaced with a low-key car show & cruise with food and music
to be held on the 24th. Stay tuned.
Another important topic discussed, especially relevant to CNM, was the City of
Albuquerque requirement that we have liability insurance for the Museum show
since it is held on city property. When we visit Las Vegas, NM on March 10th
we'll have to ask the car show organizer what Las Vegas requires since it looks
like our cars will spill out onto the city streets and not fully contained
within the hotel's parking lot (e.g. CNM's Tri-State at Marriott Pyramid Hotel).
This Month's Raffle
A friend of mine has twin daughters in Girl Scouts. Guess what the raffle
prize is this month? Yup. Cookies. There should be enough for everyone. I got
two extra boxes of Thin Mints.
March Program
Nothing formal this month. We'll take a quick peek at the Corvair up for
sale at the Mecum Auction and maybe spend a few extra minutes talking about the
Tri-State Conventions. Anyone recall when it stopped officially being a
"Tri-State" and became more of a "Tri-Club" event?
Cheers Y'all
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Marching Into Spring
Brenda Stickler
Yes, marching into Spring we look forward to ditching our coats, because we have
lots to look forward to this Spring.
If you missed going to the Wheels Museum, it was a visit enjoyed by all. It
would be worth your effort to invite someone to experience that Albuquerque Gem
with you. It only has a few collector cars now, but when the city starts working
on a larger place for future expansions, more cars will be needed. They would
love to have a Corvair. It does not need to be drivable.
I drove the riding train three times. No matter where I was, someone always made
sure I got on the train, and that was fun. They have an impressive, complex
miniature railroad set up with lots on New Mexico scenes. The collection of
travel history items is unique.The walls are covered with historical pictures,
paintings and articles. Many of them are about Albuquerque's historic Old Town
area.
Our club's 49th Anniversary is the occasion for our next social gathering. It
will be on Saturday March 18th at the Tomato Cafe on San Pedro. They offer a
fine banquet of pizza (two non-gluten crusts are available) and a variety of
soups. There's a huge selection of self-serve salad combos. The last time we
were at the Tomato Cafe it was North and West of where it is located now. It is
on the south side of Paseo del Norte, on San Pedro with both a Walgreens and an
Office Depot across the street. You will want to get there between 11:20 AM and
11:30 because the special price for our banquet is $12.95 per person. At 12:00
noon the price will be $13.95 each. The address is 7900 San Pedro Dr NE
Albuquerque 87113.
I am thrilled that Anne has found a unique restaurant for for us to meet on
Saturday April 8th. It is called the Ironwood Kitchen at 5740 Night Whisper Road
NW which is in the Unser and McMahon area. We'll plan to meet there at 11:00 AM
and enjoy a great meal together.
We are starting to work hard on our plans for Tri-State 2024 and there will be a
trip to Las Vegas, NM at the beginning of March. Thanks for all who have
contacted Lupe to let her know how you plan to help. We know there are many of
you with talents and skills for this major event and she would love to hear from
you.
So, give me your input of other places you would like to explore with our
members. Of course we all love a meal out as well.
Look forward to our times as a club. Thanks for your support and your
suggestions.
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 01-28-2023 to 02-24-2023 ===============================================
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $ 4,768.80
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2023.02.01 2579 -$ 85.49 J.Pittman Print 35 Newsletters FEB 2023 -$ 56.46 $ 4,712.34
2023.02.01 J.Pittman 29 Stamps @.84 each -$ 24.36 $ 4,687.98
2023.02.01 J.Pittman 29 Envelopes @ .161 each -$ 4.67 $ 4,683.31
2023.02.08 2580 -$ 332.95 J.Pittman Print 100 CARE & FEEDING 11th -$ 332.95 $ 4,350.36
2023.02.20 8146 $ 50.00 Dues A.Wiker 26 m CORSA +$ 50.00 $ 4,400.36
2023.02.22 9454 +$ 180.00 Clark's Order 50 CARE & FEEDING books +$ 180.00 $ 4,580.36
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2023.03 MAR NEWSLETTER ============================================ BALANCE = $ 4,580.36
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Happy Birthday Wishes to March CNM'ers:
David Allin
Jim Arellanes
Linda Cochran
Art Gold
Barbara Johnson
John McMahan
Lloyd Piatt
Brenda Stickler
Evan Trujillo
Joel Yelich
Happy Anniversary Wishes to March CNM'ers:
Anne Mae & Robert Gold
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Thanks to Steve Gongora for Wheels Museum Photos.
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Sorry, I lost the original reference to these articles. They may
have come from a 2016 issue of the Tucson Corvair Club newsletter.
TURN SIGNAL SWITCH FIX
1965 - 1966 turn signal switches sometimes develop a problem where, when
activated, the rear lamp will blink and the front lamp (including the dash
indicator) will not. If a little pressure is added to the lever, the front lamp
and dash indicator will function as it should. This is a common problem even
with new switches.
The photo at the right, provided by azdave (Corvair Forum) of Phoenix, shows the
switch contacts and their associated circuits. The tabs become misshapen and
need a little tender tweaking to get them to make proper contact with the tabs.
Study the photo and the solution to the problem can be easily remedied. Dave
saves the metal parts from old switches so he has spares on hand. The old parts
sometimes work better in the new switches. He always checks new units over
before installing them just to be sure everything is working properly. Much
easier than installing twice! VP
Turn signal switch inside steering column hub.
A right turn signal command pushes in direction of black arrow and results in
disconnecting right rear lamp from the brake circuit and activating a right
turn signal.
B+ = +12V from brake pedal
TS+ = +12V from TS blinker module
LF = feed to left front turn signal
RF = feed to right front turn signal
LR = feed to left rear brake / turn
RR = feed to right rear brake/ turn xxxxxxxx 2011
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Sorry, I lost the original reference to these articles. They may
have come from a 2016 issue of the Tucson Corvair Club newsletter.
WHY CAN'T WE JUST BAN ETHANOL?
Jay Leno -- edited by Paul Seyforth, Rocky Mountain Corsa
At one of our RMC meetings this last fall an article by Jay Leno was
passed around. It seems that Jay was made aware of several car fires of his
friends' collector cars. He blames it on the ethanol that is added to the
gasoline. The ethanol is so corrosive that it eats thru the rubber fuel lines
and fuel pump diaphragms causing gasoline leaks into areas that are hot enough
to start fires. Modern cars (the last thirty years or so) have been adapted to
handle the 10% ethanol that is in the gasoline we buy at the pumps. Things like
sealed gasoline delivery systems, fuel injection, electronic ignition make the
average car driver oblivious to the problems of ethanol laced gasoline.
However, ethanol causes many problems with older (like collector)
vehicles, off road equipment, boats, chain saws and any other motor driven
machinery that has to sit unused for a period of time. It will pick up water
from the air at a higher rate causing problems with condensation. It can loosen
sludge and dirt as well as varnish anywhere in the fuel system causing blocked
fuel lines and jets. This is in addition to eating away at older fuel lines with
its accompany fire hazard. One problem we in the Corvair community experience is
difficulty starting our cars after they have sat for some time, or when the air
temperature is high. That problem is caused by the ethanol's high evaporation.
But why was ethanol added in the first place? It does not seem to add
more power to the motor nor does it contribute to lower exhaust emissions. It's
sort of used as a filler. When Congress passed the Renewable Fuel standard in
2005 it was part of Energy policy of that year. Our consumption of gasoline was
increasing to the point where we were importing most our fuel. Adding 10%
ethanol to the gas made it seem like we were using 10% less fuel. But not
really, because ethanol's thermal efficiency is lower than gasoline. Nope, the
real reason for adding ethanol to the gas was to help the agriculture industry
upping the demand for corn which is processed into alcohol (ethanol). It has
done that increasing the price of corn and also the price of food in general. A
lot of money has been made by our food growing community.
So what can we as a collector car community do about this problem? I'm
not sure what the Collector Car Council of Colorado is doing for us (RMC does
not belong). However that is how we are going to change the minds of our
representatives in Congress. Jay recommends that we write our representatives
requesting that they eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard entirely. In the
meantime the recommendation is to drain and clean the car's fuel tank (this
should only take a weekend or two), replace the fuel filters, and add a can of
Stabilizer to the tank whenever it is stored for a period of time. Driving the
car from time to time would help but the tank of gas would need to be turned
over at least every 3 months to be safe.
And then there is "real" gas. That is gasoline that does not contain
ethanol. Yes, there are gas stations in Colorado that sell gasoline free of
ethanol. If you want to be sure your car will not suffer the ravages of ethanol
while being stored or by low use then maybe that the way to go. Check the
website www.pure-gas.org. for locations. Oh yeah, they recommend calling before
driving out to pick it up. Happy motoring.
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RALLIES AND SLALOMS
JIM PITTMAN
When Ford introduced the Mustang in April 1964 my reliable Ford Fairlane
immediately became dull and boring and I wanted a new Mustang. I started making
plans to buy one. But a chance test drive in a used TR-4 changed my mind. I
decided I should buy a "real" sports car and the best one for me seemed to be an
Austin-Healey 3000. This purchase instantly made me a "sports car person" and
now I had to live up to that status. As I met other sports car owners I found
that some assumed the look of an English gentleman driving around in his MG or
Jaguar with tweeds, vest and Sherlock cap, smoking a pipe. Others lived to show
off their driving skills with fancy gear shifts and "drifting" through corners.
I was not into the country squire image but I did want to master the skills of
driving a high-performance machine: how to make quick smooth gear shifts and how
to handle curves on twisty country roads. I wanted to drive fast safely in the
spirit of the MG motto of the time, "Safety Fast." This was near Dayton in
southwestern Ohio where there were many miles of curvy, well-paved country
roads, just perfect for sports car drivers. And there were plenty of young
sports car owners, many looking for weekend events where they could show off
their British or German cars. There were at least four major sports car clubs in
the area, and a major interest was going on rallies. If there was racing going
on nearby, I never found out about it.
The local sports car club I joined was a branch of the SCCA, Sports Car Club of
America. I soon had friends who owned MG-As, MG-Bs, Alpines, Sprites, Midgets,
TR-4s and Spitfires. There were challenging rallies nearby on most weekends. On
my very first rally (I recruited another lieutenant to be my navigator) I had my
very first failed clutch hydraulic cylinder. Fortunately I had learned enough
about "double-clutching" by this time to be able to limp home. Now I had a real
problem: where to get the clutch fixed? My friends said, "Don't go to the
dealer, go to Big Larry's."
Everyone who owned an English sports car longer than a month back in the sixties
surely knows about the Big Larrys of the sports car world. When I went to his
shop I found Big Larry tinkering with the Weber carburetors from a somewhat
mistreated Lotus Elan. He knew instantly what to do about my clutch: "Dust in
the slave cylinder caused a leak, have it ready for you by Wednesday," he said.
This was not my last visit to Big Larry. I'd imagine the engine wasn't pulling
well in the middle of a rally and my friends would argue about whether it was
the Lucas electrics or the SU's fuel mix needles or the level of the damper oil.
Back to Big Larry's I go for another lesson on what British sports cars needed
to keep running.
One day I complained about the performance of the car just as an older black
Healey pulled in to the lot. Big Larry called to the driver, told him I was
bitching about my new Austin-Healey and suggested he take me for a ride to show
me what a real Austin-Healey could do. The driver was willing and I buckled up
in the passenger seat. I now had a demonstration of acceleration, handling and
braking such as I was only to experience once more on my entire sports car
career. When we returned safely to Big Larry's shop I not only had a new respect
for the capabilities of the Healey, I had a determination to learn how to do
that kind of driving myself.
I learned some of the techniques of high-performance driving from other owners
of sports cars and from reading. There were books on competition driving in the
library. There were magazine articles. I subscribed to Road & Track and Car and
Driver. And what I learned, I went out on the roads to practice. I imagined that
curvy southwestern Ohio country roads were less dangerous late at night: there
was less traffic and you could see oncoming cars by their headlights. So at
night I'd find handy curves to practice "drifting" and "double-declutching" and
"heel-and-toe" downshifts. Often I'd find myself on the wrong side of the road
when I went into a right-hand turn a little too fast, but I never slid into the
ditch. Gradually I gained skill at getting more speed out of the Healey and I
was able to avoid doing anything stupid enough to wreck the car.
I went on a lot of rallies. One club had members who were only interested in
motoring around the countryside in their English cars and retiring to a pub for
tea and crumpets. Another club had members who wanted to put on complex rallies
with fiendishly tricky but precise instructions that had to be followed to the
letter for success. Another club was made up of speed demons who just wanted an
excuse to drive around the country roads as fast as their exotic cars would take
them. I usually went with the second group, but occasionally I got into the
third kind of rally. I always wanted to drive, but if I couldn't get a navigator
I was willing to navigate for another driver.
One weekend I had no navigator and agreed to navigate for Herzlich, a
pipe-smoking MG-B owner. The weather was drizzly and somewhere along the way we
took a wrong turn, had to double back and had to make up lost time. With my head
in my calculations I said, "We should be further along here." Herzlich said,
"Well, I don't want to go much faster in this rain." Ready to protest that we
really needed more speed, I looked up at the wet road and looked over at the
speedometer -- 95 miles per hour. I shut up and let the driver do the driving.
At another rally I got a ride in a Fiat 850. The owner wanted to try his hand at
navigating. I was happy to drive. Now I discovered the charms of an Italian
sports car that would just "go where you think" rather than having to be forced
into turns. It felt like, once I got the little car up to 60 miles an hour, I'd
be able to go around any curve on any Ohio road without having to slow down!
When I got a chance to be assigned to a four-year tour of duty in Alaska I
decided to trade the Austin-Healey for a 1966 Corsa coupe with turbocharged
engine. The Corvair turned out to be a remarkably satisfactory sports car for
me. There were no rallies for me in Alaska but after a year the Air Force closed
the lab and I was able to get assigned to Holloman AFB near Alamogordo in
southern New Mexico.
Possibly due to a lack of curvy country roads, the Otero Sports Car Association
people didn't do rallies. Some were racers and the rest were enthused for
slaloms. Okay, no rallies, I'm willing to try this. My Corsa already had
heavy-duty suspension, fast steering and a turbo engine so all it needed was
metallic brakes, Koni shocks and better tires.
I started by entering a slalom in El Paso and the officials put my car in the
"modified" class because of the turbo engine. I protested that it came from the
factory like that. Maybe they had never seen a turbo before, but they wouldn't
budge. I did not press the point as I just wanted to see how this slalom thing
worked and was competing against myself.
It was fun to learn this new thing, and I quickly found racing around a
pylon-bedecked course was very different from driving on actual highways. The
thing was, you could go as fast as you dared and you only risked being
embarrassed if you plowed over a few rubber pylons. And there were lots of
curves!
The turbo Corsa had no torque at low speeds. It needed to be hot and you needed
lots of revs to get any boost out of the turbo. I found that the courses were
usually laid out for cornering, not for high speeds, and once I shifted from
first to second I could run the rest of the course without shifting to third.
The idea was to slow for a curve as little and as late as you dared, then use
power to "drift" the rear end out and then power out of the curve.
I read about a modification to help turbo Corvairs keep the exhaust heated up
for more boost: wrapping the exhaust pipes with insulation held in place by
heavy-gauge aluminum foil. I bought a kit and installed it. I am not sure that
it made any difference in slaloms, and eventually the insulation resulted in the
exhaust pipes rusting out!
Another lesson I learned at these slaloms was, don't let your friends drive your
car. I saw not a few people who lent their cars to friends for a slalom and
their friends turned in much better times. Maybe the friends were more willing
to abuse the car than the owner! Certainly I did not want to abuse my car. Go
fast, yes; damage the transmission or brakes, no. This was my transportation,
not my race car. I did not care to have anyone else drive it.
Once I asked Dr Farr, whose mid-life-crisis toy was a race-prepared
Austin-Healey 100, how to do better at slaloming. "Have you ever spun out in
your Corvair?" he asked. I said, "No, I never have." "If you don't spin out you
don't know how fast your car can corner. Next run, deliberately spin out so
you'll know what it feels like." I tried, but I never was able to spin the
Corvair on a paved surface.
My MG-B, yes, I was able to spin it. Keeping it just this side of an actual spin
took practice but that was the way to go fast. I thought my Corvair and my MG
were pretty evenly matched for slalom speed. I could beat an average driver of
an MG-B, but a good driver in an MG-B could beat me.
Metallic brakes made quite a difference in stopping power and I can't recall
ever having brake fade once I installed them. In later years when I bought
Corvairs, I always installed metallic brakes.
Tires were another matter. I bought Michelin tires before I went to Alaska and
they were excellent for highway driving, but not good at all for slaloming. I
read about wider wheels and "stickier" tires and tried two or three kinds of
tires. At Holloman AFB I drove about seven miles to work at our remote lab every
day and I really enjoyed taking the deserted road around the west side of the
runways. It had a few curves and a long straight and no one was ever around to
complain about speeding. I'd put on a new set of tires and see how they felt on
the way to work. It amazed me how different the car felt with different tires as
I went around the curves. One kind of tire made the car feel like it was "riding
on rails" while another felt like the rear suspension would rise a couple of
inches as the car went around a curve.
I could mention another advantage of going to work "the long way" because from
the back side of the base there was an incredible view of the Sacramento
mountains and over toward the north was Sierra Blanca, always snow-covered
during the winter months.
After installing the "blueprinted" 140-HP 4-carb engine my slaloming days were
pretty much over. I did a few tweaks to the carburetors to prevent fuel
starvation while cornering, but the charm of slaloming gradually went away. I
eventually got wider wheels to put on the rear of the Corvair: they were 6-inch
wide Camaro wheels. I put Michelin 185-13 tires on the front and 195-14 tires on
the rear and this seemed to be an ideal combination for highway driving.
Back when I was an avid performance driving enthusiast I imagined that getting a
lot of practice with slaloms would improve my speed and safety when driving on
the highway, but I could never fully believe it. Driving a Corvair in a slalom
required you to be in "oversteer" mode essentially the whole time, but ordinary
highway driving was almost always in "understeer" mode. I thought that driving
on the highway was so different from slaloming that in case of an emergency I
would not be able to make the transition quickly enough. Fortunately I never had
any highway accidents that proved or disproved this theory.
Sylvan used to say that his dad taught him to always look ahead when driving to
visualize an escape plan, just in case a sudden dangerous situation developed.
Good advice! I have tried to follow it but it is not easy to do.
It has been a long time since I drove in a slalom. I remember in 1981 taking my
Corsa convertible to Los Alamos to a slalom but I didn't drive. The convertible
was not a good car for slaloming.
Did my slaloming experiences make me a better driver? Maybe, and it was a lot of
fun trying.
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| 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 | 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
| 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 |
| 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
| 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 |
| 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 28 29 30 31 |
| | 30 | |
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SAT 04 MAR 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
FRI 10 MAR early? Tri-State Planning Committee -- visit to Las Vegas, NM
SAT 11 MAR 9:00 AM First Old Route 66 Cleanup of the year. Mile Marker 5
WED 15 MAR 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
SAT 18 MAR 11:30 AM THE TOMATO CAFE - Our 49th Anniversary Party - $12.95
LOCATION: 7900 San Pedro NE in Palomas Plaza. That is
South of Paseo Del Norte, on the East side of the street.
WED 22 MAR 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Manzano Mesa Senior center - 501 Elizabeth St SE
FRI 24 MAR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the April newsletter
MON 27 MAR ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING APRIL NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 01 APR 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
SAT 08 APR 11:00 AM Breakfast at Ironwood Kitchen, 5740 Night Whisper Road NW
WED 19 APR 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
WED 26 APR 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Manzano Mesa Senior center - 501 Elizabeth St SE
FRI 28 APR 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the May newsletter
MON 01 MAY ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING MAY NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 06 MAY 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
WED 17 MAY 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
SUN 21 MAY xxxx AM Albuquerque Museum / NMCCC Car Show
FRI-SAT-SUN 19-20-21 38th TRI-STATE - SALIDA, CO - PIKES PEAK CORVAIRS
Register on the Pikes Peak web site:
https://pikespeakcorvairclub.wixsite.com/ppcc
Click: "2023 TRI-STATE"
Click: "Tri-State Hotel Registration" for accomodations
Click: "On-line Registration" register for events, car show, banquet
SUN xx MAY xx:xx AM NMCCC / ALBUQUERQUE MUSEUM Car Show -- Albuquerque Old Town
WED 24 MAY 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Manzano Mesa Senior center - 501 Elizabeth St SE
FRI 26 MAY 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the June newsletter
MON 29 MAY ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING JUNE NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 03 JUN 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
WED 21 JUN 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
FRI 23 JUN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the July newsletter
MON 26 JUN ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING JULY NEWSLETTER <<
WED 28 JUN 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======================
SUGGESTION: A visit to the new WEATHER LAB at the Balloon Museum
SUGGESTION: A visit to the Soaring Museum in Moriarty
SUGGESTION: Activities with other clubs such as VMCCA
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ MARCH 2023 VOL 49 Nr 3 ISSUE 570 ] Jim Pittman
2016 Vol 42 Nr 3 #486
The cover: A Loadside joins other Corvairs at the Unser Racing Museum. President
Ray Trujillo praised March Madness and told us to take advantage of the "Spring
Thaw" tune-up session at Old Car Garage. Larry Yoffe was setting up a couple of
Corvair-only car shows. Terry Price and committee picked Taos over Pagosa
Springs for our 2017 Tri-State. Kevin Sullivan reported on the outstanding visit
to the Unser Racing Museum, an Albuquerque treasure for car racing fans. Ike
Meissner's 1978 article on fixing a "hexed" Corvair with a Hex wrench was
reprinted. Steve Goodman provided several "Do's and Don't's" tech tips.
2009 Vol 35 Nr 3 #402
The cover: early Corvairs on a road trip. Ruth Boydston shows off the Sunshine
Committee quilt, destined for the Taos Tri-State. Visitor Rich Youmans spoke on
fuel pumps. Robert said we had $3,464.35 to spend. Art reported that the
legislature wanted the tax on buying a used car to be based on the blue book
value. New member James O'Connell sent us a photo of his Cord 8/10, yes, power
by Corvair. President Mike told how his son Kyle was mobbed by admiring
classmates when he drove to high school in Mike's "way cool" Greenbrier. Kim
Patten previewed our anniversary dinner at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Heula's "Can You Identify This Member" contest continued with a photo of Ruth
Boydston. Dan Palmer reported on the fuel pump talk, giving both history and
technical details. Finally, two pages of tech tips were printed, thanks to Ollie
Scheflow.
2002 Vol 28 Nr 3 #318
The cover: We toured the Doll Museum. Geoff Johnson was a new member. Sylvan had
a new pacemaker to tune up his heart. We considered putting part of our $5,701
bank account into a GMAC account. Mark Domzalski reported on preparations for
the 2002 CORSA Convention in Flagstaff. We planned a carburetor workshop. "Care
and Feeding" by Bill Reider was intended for new members. Any income from sales
was a by-product. Bill was working on a revision. Part numbers needed to be
re-checked and details of the club Awards should be added. Did we need to revise
our Constitution? Anne Mae told us about plans by the Corvair Ladies group,
including a progressive dinner and a visit to the Boydston cabin in the Pecos.
An article by Elvis King (Arkansas Corvair Club) told how to set up to do powder
coating in your shop. Not easy, but definitely worthwhile if you want a
great-looking, durable coating on metal parts.
1995 Vol 21 Nr 3 #234
The cover: a cutaway drawing of a 1960 Corvair engine from THE AUTOCAR, October
1959. Sylvan ran the meeting: both president and V.P. were absent. Later both
V.P. Beasley and president Blair arrived. A guest was Steve Schultheis. Our bank
balance of $1,259 included $125 earmarked for the convention. Bill Reider
reported on the Car Council meeting. We received $50 for our work at the last
swap meet. We made plans for the Tri-State at Red River. Sylvan reported on a
group purchase of harmonic balancers at $45.16 plus shipping and core. The club
purchase would result in a cost of $52 each. Bill Reider gave a talk on
rebuilding differentials. President Larry praised the talk on differentials.
Larry said working on Corvairs was very therapeutic and worked wonders for
relieving stress buildup from his day job. Billiken was about to leave for
Tucson, Arizona where he planned to look for a Corvair to buy. But did he?
Sylvan outlined plans for Red River Rendezvous II coming up in May. Debbie told
about convention committee activities. A tech tip told what to do for a car that
would be in storage for the winter. An article described the interesting Cord
8/10 replicar. It featured the styling of a 1936 810 Cord at eight/tenths scale,
front-wheel-drive with Corvair drive train, and a body made of rust-proof
Royalex plastic.
1988 Vol 14 Nr 3 #150
The cover: the Club's 14th birthday! We learned of the death of Marlee Meissner;
her husband Ike Meissner died eight years earlier. We had $456 in the bank. We
planned a "see and be seen" safety session to check out lights and turn signals
on our cars. We raised our dues to $12 per year or $25 for 26 months. We had
another "LeRoy Auction." Tech tips included a quick emergency fix for a broken
clutch cable, and a quick way to tell which fuse had blown out.
1981 Vol 7 Nr 3 # 66
The cover: our happy CNM dragon munched on a birthday cake: we were seven years
old. We were about to buy $14 jackets and $1 name tags. Robin DeVore gave a talk
on generators and alternators and advised installing an alternator in an early
model. Sylvan told about diagnosing clutch problems caused by a loose clutch
cable pulley anchor. Bill wrote that you could have clutch release problems if
you put a thick insulating pad under the carpet! Our Ladies' Day found a small
but enthusiastic crowd who came to learn about basic tools and car care. CORSA
asked for help with judging at the Denver convention. Tech tips addressed
squeaks and rattles.
Forty-nine years ago: Sunday 17 March 1974. Invited by Pete Colburn, Corvair
owners gathered at Carl Johnson's house on Griegos Road. We showed off our
Corvairs and decided we should meet again soon to start a CORVAIR CLUB.
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Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico,
chartered Chapter #871 of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Copyright by
the Authors and by Corvairs of New Mexico. Articles may be reprinted in any
CORSA publication as a service to CORSA members, provided credit to the Author
and this Newsletter is clearly stated. All opinions are those of the Author or
Editor and are not necessarily endorsed by Corvairs of New Mexico or CORSA.
Material for publication should reach the Editor by the 15th of the month. Send
material via e-mail ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or submit a readable manuscript. I prefer
ASCII TEXT, but MS Word or RTF are fine. Photographs are welcome. The newsletter
is composed using Apple computers. Software includes Mac OS-X, AppleWorks,
Photoshop CS, GraphicConverter, BBEdit and InDesign CS. If you care, ask for
more details. When I'm 64, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
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