The December 2023 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 29-Nov-2023 = Copyright (c) 2023 Corvairs of New Mexico
======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~======
Corvair Society of America --- CORSA --- Chapter 81
December 2023 / VOLUME 49 / NUMBER 12 / ISSUE 579
======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~======
PAGE01
Next Meeting: Regular Meeting: Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque,NM 87108
This Month
President's Letter .................. Gregory Nelson
Treasurer's Report ................... Steve Gongora
Meeting Notes ........................ David Huntoon
Board Meeting Notes .................. Steve Gongora
Birthdays and Anniversaries ............. Membership
Calendar of Events .............. Board of Directors
Convertible Rattle ..................... Robert Gold
Dues Due Date ................. Membership Committee
Las Vegas -- Montezuma's Castle .......... Tri-State
Greg Nelson's Retirement Photos & More .. Membership
Cover: 1961 Lakewood with Continental Tail Lens
Continental Taillights -- See Page 7
Next Meeting: Larry Blair will share his experience at the Fan Belt Toss
.............................................................................
PAGE02
-------------------------------------------------------------
Pres Greg Nelson 505-400-8670 fesedu@comcast.net
VP Robert Gold 505-268-6878 beisbol30@msn.com
Sect David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66@aol.com
Treas Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora@msn.com
------------------------------------------------------------
FROM THE PRESIDENT
GREG NELSON
CNM December 2023 Articles
Program
For this month's program Larry Blair will show pictures and discuss his
trip to the 45th Annual Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet.
2024 Highlights
2023 is winding down but don't get too comfortable, next year should be
a doozy. The club is making plans to celebrate our 50th Anniversary sometime in
March (Brenda is coordinating) and of course, Lupe is spearheading the Tri-State
in Las Vegas, NM in May. At this month's meeting Brenda will have a list of
field trips that members can vote on for next year's social events.
Continued on page 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report for CNM Treasury
Account for November 2023
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $ 3,422.78
2023.11.19 3887 +$ 70.00 Dues D.Cochran 12 m CNM,CORSA +$ 70.00 $ 3,492.78
2023.11.19 2595 -$ 45.00 CORSA D.Cochran 12 m CORSA -$ 45.00 $ 3,447.78
2023.11.28 7157 +$ 100.00 Deposit J.Green Banquet TriState 2024 +$ 100.00 $ 3,547.78
2023.11.28 1930 +$ 130.00 Deposit T.Lawyer Banquet & T-Shirt +$ 130.00 $ 3,677.78
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEETING NOTES
DAVID HUNTOON
CNM membership meeting notes, 11/4/23
15 people were present. A previous member, Ray Gonzales and his wife Lilly
dropped by. Ray having some issues with his '64 4 door. Mentioned we may be able
to help diagnose.
Treasurer reported $3422.78.
Robert Gold publishes NM Car Council newsletter and talked about a recent
account of a goal for EV cars in the next decade. As with many lofty goals
likely not possible.
Brenda has scheduled our Christmas dinner for Dec. 9th @ 11:00. location is Sals
on the westside. Other upcoming events include our 50th anniversary dinner in
March. 50 years! Other possible events for next year include a tour to Jemez
Trail, National Nuclear Museum, and perhaps visit to Ft. Union.
We are asking our members and others if they want to receive our newsletter
on-line or a paper copy through the mail. Seems mailed copies are becoming more
common for most clubs.
Meeting closed with a discussion and examples for logos and designs for our 2024
TriState event. No definite decisions as of now. David
.............................................................................
PAGE03
FROM THE PRESIDENT
GREG NELSON
Continued from Page 2
Symmetry... Not Perfection
A while back Geoff Johnson pointed out that my '64 Monza actually has
the front hood from a '61. "Not a problem", I thought "it still looks nice".
Until I realized that the '64 hood also has the CORVAIR emblem just like the
engine hood does. And since I'm a physicist and appreciate symmetry (some may
call that OCD), it became a goal to procure a '64 hood. Robert Gold mentioned it
to Alex Johnson and just last week I stopped by his house to pick up my new
hood. Next step of course is to find a painter. My 2007 Mazda Speed 3 is
currently at Maaco's. I'll ask them first and if they pass... well, then it's
back to the Yellow Pages (Google search actually).
Newsletter Survey
I sent out an email to the club members to see who would still like a
paper copy or preferred viewing it online. Most said online but those that still
want a paper copy will continue to get one. The club will save a few $ on
envelopes, printing and postage. Thanks to all that responded.
President's letter continued on page 4
.............................................................................
PAGE04
FROM THE PRESIDENT
GREG NELSON
Continued:
'64 Ignition
What should have taken just a couple of hours took two weeks. Part of
that was confusion on my part about the 12 Volt line to the ignition coil. Turns
out it was already there. And I went ahead and bought a new distributor cap and
rotor from Clark's for fresh brass. After watching a few YouTube videos, I set
the timing angle from 160 to 120. I also found a convenient spot for the
condenser. And the result -- runs great now. The jerkiness and hesitation it had
is now gone and I'm very happy with it.
BOARD MEETING NOTES
STEVE GONGORA
NOVEMBER 15, 2023
Meeting started at 7:06 PM with Greg Nelson, Brenda Stickler, Lupe Arellanes,
David Huntoon and Steve Gongora
First item of discussion was mailing newsletter. Current count will be two
physical copies.
Christmas Party will be at Sal's Ristorante, 3301 Coors Blvd NW, Alb, NM 87120
on December 9, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Larry Blair will share his experience at the Annual Corvair Fan Belt Toss in
Palm Springs.
Lupe Arellanes and Greg Nelson will be checking up on things in Las Vegas for
the Tri-State
David Huntoon helped Ray and Lilly Gonzales with their Corvair issues. We need a
team to finish up the diagnosis.
Meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM
BIRTHDAYS:
Dick Cochran Dec 5
Lube Lubert Dec 21
Fred Riggs II Dec 31
ANNIVERSARIES:
Lupe & Jim Arellanes Dec 16
Maggie & Bob Kitts Dec 7
Diane and Tony Lawler Dec 5
Photo at Left: Demonstration at Fort Union at Tri-State Las Vegas, NM 1992
.............................................................................
PAGE05
============================================================================
| December 2023 | January 2024 | February 2024 |
| Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa |
| 1 2 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 |
| 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
| 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 | 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 | 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 |
| 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 | 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 |
| 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 | 28 29 30 31 | 25 26 27 28 29 |
| 31 | | |
============================================================================
SAT 02 DEC 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
SAT 09 DEC 11:00 AM CNM Christmas Dinner - Sal's Ristorante - Coors & Sequoia
WED 20 DEC 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
FRI 22 DEC 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the January newsletter
>>>>>>> EARLY DUE TO HOLIDAYS <<<<<<<<<<<<
MON 25 DEC ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING JANUARY NEWSLETTER <<
SAT 06 JAN 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
WED 17 JAN 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
WED 24 JAN 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Manzano Mesa Senior center - 501 Elizabeth St SE
FRI 26 JAN 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the xxxxxxxxx newsletter
MON 29 JAN ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING XXXXXXXXX NEWSLETTER <<
SAT 03 FEB 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: (505) 767-5210
WED 21 FEB 7:00 PM Board Meeting via Zoom
FRI 23 FEB 9:00 PM Deadline for items for the xxxxxxxxx newsletter
MON 26 FEB ******* TARGET FOR PRINTING, MAILING XXXXXXXXX NEWSLETTER <<
WED 28 FEB 7:00 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING - FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Manzano Mesa Senior center - 501 Elizabeth St SE
.............................................................................
PAGE06
THE RATTLE FROM H*LL
A STORY OF DOGGED DETERMINATION
ROBERT GOLD
I'll be the first to admit I understand that owning a 60 year old Corvair
convertible comes with rattles and squeaks at no extra cost. However, there are
some car-related noises that make me think that I should upgrade to say a new
car and stop this classic car insanity. Obviously, I don't have enough sense to
do that, so I now have a recent story to relate to you about determination and
heartbreak. Let me explain.
I'll begin at the beginning. My 1963 Monza convertible has had a tough life
before I got if from a friend a couple of years ago. You could say that the car
was "rough", both in the body and paint as well as the general condition of the
interior. I got the looks up to snuff with some upholstery, new top, and wheels
and tires. I have to admit the car doesn't look half bad if you're ok with the
"patina" look.
But then I noticed something in the interior. When I hit an average Albuquerque
bump in the road I notice a rattle somewhere to the right of me. I'm not talking
about just any rattle. I'm talking about a rattle scientifically engineered to
drive me crazy to distraction. I know many of you have dealt with just this sort
of thing. It became so serious that I almost got rid of this torture machine.
As you can guess I didn't opt for disposing of the car, but rather, began a
journey that went on for weeks, and that's the story I want to tell here. I'm an
engineer by training so I love to analyze mechanical problems. My family has had
to deal with my determination to solve problems in silence, because saying
anything wouldn't change a thing. That level of commitment was what I brought to
the rattle problem.
I want to say that I feel that after dealing with the rattle made me believe
that my car is a living, breathing thing and must be laughing at me. How else
can I explain how every time I located something to fix, say a set of loose seat
springs, my hopes were dashed after 50 feet of driving. This was the case with
the door panels, the handles, ash tray, and the bolt holding a seatbelt. My
certainty that I fixed the problem never lasted long. I'm sure my ride thought
it was really funny.
The result was that I finally convinced myself I could just ignore the problem,
after all the car looked and ran great! That didn't last long and the hunt began
again, and then it happened. I was snuggled in the back seat in the contorted
pose I needed to achieve to see things back there and my hand brushed on a top
support I had never seen before. I hit it and it rattled! Could this be what I
was searching for? A zip tie and 50 feet of driving told the story -- YES, I HAD
FOUND THE RATTLE AND STOPPED IT. After 2 weeks of searching silence was mine.
So what should be learned from this experience? I don't think I learned a thing,
'cause I'll probably do the same dumb stuff again next time. Such is life and
classic cars. -- Robert Gold
.............................................................................
PAGE07
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer
Steve Gongora
8419 Palo Duro Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111-3238
DUES DUE
Due in December
Larry Blair - inactive as of Jan 2024
David Huntoon - inactive as of Jan 2024
Ann Johnson - inactive as of Jan 2024
Due in January
Tracey & John McMahan - inactive as of Feb 2024
Due in February
Lupe & Jim Arellanes - inactive as of March 2024
Phil Finch - inactive as of March 2024
Pat Hall - inactive as of March 2024
Due in March
Steve Gongora - inactive as of April 2024
Gordon Johnson - inactive as of April 2024
Mark Morgan - inactive as of April 2024
Inactive:
LeRoy Rogers as of June 2023
Lube Lubert as of Aug 2023
Dave & Jan Allin as of Sept 2023
Clifton, Katie Trujillo as of Sept 2023
Schedule of Dues: CNM: 12 months = $25.00 or 26 months = $50.00
CORSA: 12 months = $45.00 or 26 months = $90.00
If you want to pay CNM and CORSA to Treasurer:
Both memberships 12 months = $70.00 or 26 months = $140.00
COVER STORY ON TAIL LENS
STEVE GONGORA
I can't remember how I came across these special taillights but I wanted
something special for the 1961 Lakewood that I owned at the time. I purchased
the car from Jim Gould. This particular Lakewood was special as it had a
balanced and blueprinted motor from McClintic Industries. Their company built
world class motors featured in Hot Rod Magazines.
Once I saw these taillights, I knew they had to go on this car. Kinda a fifties
throwback look. They brought a lot of attention. The bulbs would project the
entire cone and it was cool to see the red lights from the side of the car. All
this came to and end when one of my employees backed the car out of our garage
and broke one of the tail lens. Not much I could do but to go back to original
lights. I still have what is left still in the boxes. One red lens complete and
two backup lenses complete. The chrome is still in the box with the broken lens.
If anyone has a line on where to get the one lens, then it could live again on
another Corvair. The photo you see on the left was the inspiration for the
Tri-State Logo in Lake City, Colorado back in 1998.
.............................................................................
PAGE08
LAS VEGAS TRI-STATE 2024
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Montezuma Castle is a 90,000 square-foot (8,400 m2), 400 room Queen Anne
style hotel building erected just northwest of the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico
in 1886 (the site was at the time called "Las Vegas Hot Springs," but is now
known as "Montezuma"). The current castle is actually the third on the site, the
first two (dating to 1881 and 1885) were the first buildings in New Mexico to
have electric lighting, and they both burned down.
History as hotel
The castle was constructed by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad as a
luxury hotel, capitalizing on the natural hot springs on the site. These were
widely thought to ease the suffering of people with tuberculosis, "chronic
rheumatism, gout, biliary, and renal calculi." The nearby Gallinas Creek also
provided excellent trout fishing.
Guests included Theodore Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, Ulysses S. Grant,
William Tecumseh Sherman, John C. Fremont, and Jesse James (who stayed at a
predecessor hotel on the same property). Later articles would cite an improbable
array of foreign dignitaries as having been guests, including Kaiser Wilhelm of
Germany and Emperor Hirohito of Japan. However, some members of European royal
families certainly did visit, including Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland, John
Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, and his wife, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.
"The visitors to the Hot Springs represent every part of the continent of
America, and nearly every tourist from abroad who crosses the continent by the
southerly route stops there for a time."
In addition to the natural recreation available in Montezuma, the hotel provided
bowling alleys and billiard rooms. The building was designed and construction
was overseen by the Chicago architecture firm Burnham and Root.
It operated as a hotel until October 31, 1903. The building was used as a
training center by Jim Flynn when he was preparing for his 1912 boxing match
with Jack Johnson (the fight was held in nearby Las Vegas, New Mexico). The
complex was briefly owned by the YMCA, then operated as a Baptist college from
1922 until 1931. The Southern Baptist Church sold it to the Catholic Church in
1937, and it was operated as a seminary for Mexican Jesuits until 1972. The
building then sat empty for a decade and was subject to significant vandalism
and decay. The Jesuits made a little money renting the building out as the set
for the low budget horror movie The Evil in 1977.
United World College
In 1981, the castle and the surrounding 100 acres were purchased by
industrialist and philanthropist Armand Hammer for use as a United World
College. However, the building required extensive repairs before it could be
used as a new college facility. Unfortunately, funds were unavailable at the
time to make these repairs possible. However, in 1997, it was placed on the list
of America's Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, along with landmarks like Ellis Island. In 2000 and 2001, the
school invested over $10.5 million into restoring the building, and it has won
awards as one of the great historical restorations in the United States. It is
also the first historic property west of the Mississippi to be designated one of
"America's Treasures" by the White House Millennium Council.
To d a y, the Montezuma Castle, or Davis International Center as it is now
known, houses multiple college facilities including the school dining hall,
guest and dorm rooms, offices, classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and a student
center complete with a store, laundry rooms, pool tables, a dance space, and a
kitchen.
The building is not open to the public except when the Armand Hammer United
World College, also known as UWC-USA, offers student-led tours of the building
on pre-scheduled dates. A list of these dates can be found on the college's
website.
.............................................................................
PAGE09
[ REGISTRATION FORM IS ON-LINE ]
2024 TRI-STATE NEWS
... BY LUPE ARELLANES
City Selection: Las Vegas, New Mexico; Dates: May 17th-18th-19th 2024.
Host Hotels:
Banquet Hotel: The El Fidel Hotel.
Accommodations: The Castaneda Hotel & The Plaza Hotel.
Car Show Hotel: The Castaneda Hotel.
The Castaneda Hotel, a historical Fred Harvey House, has 18 rooms
reserved for out-of-state attendees with a 2-night minimum. Overflow attendees
will be directed to the historic Plaza Hotel.
Call for Reservations: (505) 425-3591 for both hotels; mention "Corvair
Tri-State" for our negotiated 15% discount; prices per night range from $84 to
$143/night; payment collected upon reservation.
Banquet/Show Cost: Early Bird $50 Adult;
Price Increase after March 1, 2024 to $65.
Seeking Silent Auction Donations. Members can bring items to any monthly
meeting. Asking for items valued at $20+.
Rita & Steve Gongora will create 5 large basket auction Items from donations and
additionally purchased items.
Seeking Keynote Speaker Ideas. Should you have any connections with someone who
you would like to see speak at our event, please email us:
tristatecorvairs@gmail.com
Seeking T-Shirt Design Ideas. Send us your rough ideas whether it be a drawing
or a picture of other shirts. If your inspiration idea is selected, you will WIN
a FREE Shirt. Your winning inspiration will be forwarded to our graphic artist
to develop further. Please email your ideas to:
tristatecorvairs@gmail.com
.............................................................................
PAGE10
CARBURETED OR TURBOCHARGED: WHICH CORVAIR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
This article was featured in the 4th Quarter Newsletter
of the Tucson Corvair Association -- Corvairsation 2023
Chevrolet gave buyers a surprising amount of variation for the rear-engined
Corvair, but those in the know seek out two con-figurations more than any
others: The tur-bocharged engines, making 150 or 180 horsepower; or the
naturally aspirated versions, cranking out 140.
The 150-hp turbo was introduced in the 1962 model year as the new "Spyder"
option. It was the first time Chevrolet put a turbocharger on a production car,
and it was an admittedly rudimentary system by today's standards. The Carter YH
carbure-tor was placed before the turbocharger as a draw through arrangement.
This limited boost only to what air could be pulled through the relatively small
Carter carb and then compressed into the long intake runner that spanned the
aluminum cylinder heads on opposite sides of the flat-six engine. As such, a
turbo car is known for not being able to take advantage of its boost until third
or fourth gear, even when it's perfectly tuned and set up. This can make these
Corvairs a little lackluster in stop-and-go traffic, but they come on strong
once rolling and spooled up.
On the other side of the coin is the 140-hp engine that came out in 1965. The
turbo cars may have been literally breathing through a straw, but the 140-hp
engine had to drink from a fire hose. A quartet of Rochester carbs--HV-model
primaries and H-model secondaries--are operated with a progressive linkage that
gives a second kick in the pants as the driver presses the throttle to the
floor, opening up all four throttle blades Each Rochester is capable of roughly
100cfm airflow, which is a whole lot of carburetor-400cfm total--on a relatively
small 164-cubic inch engine. It's a tried-and-true system, though, and the
theory that an engine will only pull what it needs comes from situations like
this. Just like the turbocharged engines, the 140-hp models have their weak
points. The 140-hp engines had the largest valves of any Corvair engine and thus
the valve seats pressed into the head have a tendency to drop out and cause
chaos in the combustion chamber. Both have similar power and some compromise on
performance and reliability.
So why choose one over the other? Having spent over 16 years in the Cor-vair
community myself, and owning the white, naturally aspirated '65 Corsa you see
here for six of them, I think the answer comes down to two factors: drivability
and history. Buyers of "driver" cars often shop for the 140-hp cars due to their
motor's flatter torque curve and easier tuning compared to the mills of the
turbo cars. This leaves the boosted engines for those who want to own a
milestone of unique tech that was cutting-edge for its time Even if they are
choosing the comparatively boring engine, like I did, the Corvair is still a
great driving car with character and history to spare. Fortunately, cost is not
a significant factor for those weighing their Corvair engine choices.
In order to be as apples-to-apples as possible, we took a look at values for
1966 Corvairs in the same Corsa trim, with the engines being the only major
difference. An Excellent, #2-condition, 180-hp turbo car only carries a $1200
premium over its same-condition, carbed sibling, while the delta shrinks to only
$500 between #3 (Good) condition, driver-quality cars. Corvairs have long been
the affordable little brother to the heavy-hitter big-body cars of the 1960s,
though that doesn't seem to have endeared them to younger generations looking
for an entry point into American cars from the '60s.
Those who count themselves among the Corvair faithful are drawn to its history
and misunderstood nature. Their die-hard enthusiasm and taste for intricate and
unique details is a big part of what's kept the community for this outcast
Chevrolet thriving. The choice between turbocharging or carburetion merely adds
another layer to how the Corvair is appreciated.
From Kyle Smith's article in the April 20, 2023 Hagerty Insider
.............................................................................
PAGE11
GREG NELSON'S RETIREMENT CEREMONY
DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
PRESENTS THE
AWARD FOR MERITORIOUS CIVILIAN SERVICE
TO
Dr. Gregory S. Nelson
CITATION:
In recognition of his distinguished performance as a High-Power Microwave
subject matter expert, Branch Technical Advisor, and Futures Deputy Program
Manager, High Power Electromagnetics Division, Directed Energy Directorate, Air
Force Research Laboratory. Air Force Materiel Command. Kirtland Air Force Base.
New Mexico from 12 November 1995 to 16 December 2023. During this period, Dr.
Nelson was instrumental in effects testing of many crucial programs, resulting
in numerous awards. He expertly managed multiple Futures Programs and eased
requirements and improved safety protocols due to his Human Cell and Small
Mammal Experiment that redefined the safe Radio Frequency Permissible Exposure
Limit for personnel. As a result of his efforts and leadership throughout his
career, Dr. Nelson's work had a significant impact on the Department of the Air
Force's capabilities and allowed the Air Force Research Laboratory to advance
the field of high-power electromagnetics. The distinctive accomplishments of Dr.
Nelson reflects great credit upon himself and the Department of the Air Force.
CLARK L. ALLRED, Colonel, USAF
Deputy Director. AFRL Directed Energy
November Meeting Photos
======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~======
======~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~=====~======
=END=