Presidents Thoughts - Altoona Corvette Club

January 2016
Presidents Thoughts
By Club President Randy Johnson
Hi Everyone
It is my hope that all of you have had a wonderful Christmas Day with your family and friends just as Laurie
and I have had. With all the great food and of course the cookies, candy, and desserts I managed to put on a
few extra pounds around my waist. Now we are entering another new year and we are enjoying the company
of family and friends and I have made a promise, to myself, to lose the weight that I added to my waistline
over the holidays.
I want to take this opportunity to let all of our club members know that we now have a news editor for our
club news letter. Scott and Cindy Mighells joined our club in 2014 after they participated in our club poker run
that September to raise money for WALY WARMTH. I had a nice talk with Cindy and she has agreed to the
position of news editor. She will be a valuable asset to the club as well as to the board members in preparing
for the upcoming year. Thank you Cindy.
Our calendar of events for 2016 is coming along nicely and I believe it will be another great year for the club.
You will be receiving your event cards in the mail before the end of January.
On Saturday, January 16th, we will have our first event of the year with bowling and pizza starting at 6:00
pm at the Pleasant Valley Recreation Center in Altoona. The club will supply the pizza and soda and all you
will need to bring is a strong arm and a lot of enthusiasm to have fun bowling, along with the desire for great
conversation and friendship among corvette owners.
As always I would like to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity of being president of your Altoona
Corvette Club.
From our house to yours, Laurie and I would like to wish everyone and your families a very safe and Happy
New Year.
Have a great day
Randy
January Birthday’s
4th—Jim Kiser
5th—Allen Cecchine
9th—Jack Rawlings
11th—Beverly Laratonda
12th—Ed Soltz
16th—John Lees
18th—David Dillow
19th—James Vaughn
20th—Joseph Nevling
25th—Kathy Cecchine
31st—Kristen Davis
31st—Scott Mighells
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
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Altoona Corvette Club
Upcoming Events
ACC Officers Meeting
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
7:00 p.m. until ?
Hoss's Corporate Office, 170 Patch Way Road, Duncansville, PA 16635
(Hoss's Corporate office is behind the Marzoni's and Hoss's Restaurants in Duncansville.)
Pizza Party & Bowling
Saturday, January 16, 2016
6:00 p.m.
Pleasant Valley Recreation Center—1801 Logan Avenue, Altoona
Please join us for a great evening of bowling and pizza.
The club will provide the pizza and soda.
We have reserved 4 lanes for the evening.
There will be a charge to the members who will be bowling of $3.50 per game.
For event information contact Bill Creek at 814-215-3902.
Club Members Meeting
Thursday, January 21, 2016
6:30 p.m.—Social Time
7:30 p.m.—Business Meeting Begins
Marzoni's Restaurant in Duncansville, PA
Please come out for a great social evening with wonderful food and good friends.
Pittsburgh World of Wheels
January 22—24, 2016
Friday
3:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m.
Sunday
11:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m.
David Lawrence Convention Center, 1004 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222
For information about the show click here
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Altoona Corvette Club
The ACC Annual Christmas Party was held on Friday, December 4,2015,
in Liberty Hall at the U.S. Hotel and Tavern in Hollidaysburg.
Over 50 ACC members and guests had a wonderful evening celebrating
the season with a great meal, socializing and dancing.
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Altoona Corvette Club
ACC Annual Valentine’s Dinner
Saturday, February 6, 2016
6:30 p.m.
The Allegro Restaurant
3926 Broad Avenue, Altoona, PA
1-800-372-5534
Please RSVP to Sherry Wells by Saturday, January 30, 2015
at 814-937-7106 or [email protected]
Getting to know…..
New club members, David and Cindy Dillow
The Dillow’s live just south of Bedford, on a small farmette complete with multiple dogs, cats and
horses. (In other words, they work for food!) David works for ATK , a company in West Virginia
that makes defense products, and Cindy is a nurse who works with diabetics. They’ve been
married for 36 yrs. David has dreamed of owning a vintage Corvette since he was a teenager
and finally got his dream car on 9/15. He has been happily enjoying this warm fall and mild
winter shifting her gears. David and Cindy note, “The members of the corvette club have been
incredibly welcoming to us, and we look forward to getting to know all of you better in 2016!”
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Altoona Corvette Club
ACC club member, Bob Beck, recently took delivery of a new Z06.
Since the weather in December was mild, we were able to meet Bob
while he was out for a drive and take the photos below to share.
Congratulations, Bob! Everyone is looking forward to seeing your car this spring!
Want to be featured in an upcoming Member Spotlight?
Please email photos of your car, along with a brief
description, to Cindy at [email protected]
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Altoona Corvette Club
Winter Storage Tips From The Corvette Experts

Change your oil before storage.
Contaminants in old oil can cause erosion of seals and gaskets. It’s best to have fresh, clean oil in the engine. Old oil that sits all winter can corrode engine parts. So unless you are driving your car regularly in winter, you shouldn’t worry about doing another oil change in the spring.
 Add a fuel stabilizer to keep your fuel fresh.
I’ve heard some Corvette owners add half of the recommended amount of stabilizer to a quarter tank of gas
and then fill the tank until it’s almost full and then add the other half of the stabilizer. But running your car
for about 5 to 10 minutes after adding the stabilizer to your tank should treat the entire fuel system. The important thing is to make sure you have a full tank before putting your Corvette into storage.
 Maintain the battery while your car is stored.
I use a battery-maintaining device, such as Battery Tender, during the time that my Corvettes are stored.
This will not only keep your battery charged, but it has what is called float capability. Battery Tender reduces the voltage when the battery is fully charged and prevents damage to the Corvette battery. The Corvette
battery will last a lot longer this way because life-shortening battery damage due to a “dead” battery will be
avoided. Another option is to just remove the battery altogether or disconnect the ground cable from the
battery.
 Avoid parking on flat surfaces.
Leaving your Corvette on a hard flat surface for long periods can lead to “flat spots” on the tires, which can
give your car symptoms of an unbalanced wheel and create extra noise while driving. Some Corvette owners will overinflate their tires to avoid this, usually filling them to just under the maximum PSI shown on the
tire’s sidewall. With today’s tires, flat spotting is becoming less and less of an issue. My experience is that
the flat spotting, which happens during storage, is temporary. When the Corvette is taken out of storage,
drive a few miles at lower speeds until the flat spotting goes away and then resume normal driving. Avoid
using blocks as one of the problems with putting your Corvette on blocks is shock absorber leakage. If the
suspension is allowed to droop completely with the shock absorbers fully extended, the seals in the shock
absorber can be compressed for a long time. This could result in leakage when the Corvette is taken out of
storage. If you are worried about permanent flat spotting and don’t want to risk damaging your suspension,
a product such as Race Ramps FlatStoppers might be a good solution. These provide a more even weight
distribution and do not conduct heat or cold into your tires despite the changing floor temperatures in your
storage area.
 Clean your Corvette inside and outside.
This helps to keep it looking like new. Protecting treasure from scratches and other potential problems with
a quality cover is another good idea. The most important consideration is selecting the right kind of fabric
for your specific storage application. Cotton flannel fabrics breathe and allow air to circulate through them
as well as being soft and easy on your cars paint and wax. Cotton/polyester fabrics have poor fluid resistance and trap heat and moisture. Plastic films should be avoided because they don't breathe.
 Additional tips:
 Place several mothballs on plates around and under your Corvette to keep mice away. You can also
add dryer sheets to the interior and trunk to keep critters away.
 Put a couple of boxes of baking soda out around your car to absorb moisture and crack the windows in
your Corvette to allow circulation.
 Put steel wool in the exhaust pipes to keep animals out, but make sure you remember to remove it in
the spring before driving your Corvette.
 It might seem like a good idea to start your car up every once in a while, but letting your car idle for any
amount of time does not get rid of the condensation that is created in the exhaust system and engine.
Do not start the car unless you are going to drive it. Start up is the hardest thing on the engine, especially when the car sits for an extended period of time. Doing it once in the spring is better than many
times during the winter.
 Place a “Dry Pac” moisture bag in the interior and engine bay to keep the moisture levels down. Rest
them on small plastic bags so they do not come into direct contact with your Corvette.
Posted by Dan on corvetteblog.com—November 18, 2014
Altoona Corvette Club
PO Box 2346
Altoona, PA 16603
www.altoonacorvetteclub.com
2016 Club Officers
Randy Johnson—President
814-224-5222
[email protected]
Tom May—Vice President
814-695-9206
[email protected]
Don Imler—Treasure
814-695-0712
[email protected]
Jim Wainwright—Secretary
814-942-2758
[email protected]
Sherry Wells—Social Director
814-934-9472
[email protected]
Bill Creek—Events Director
814-569-7804
Jeff Ingram—Publicity Director
814-696-1260
[email protected]
Cindy Mighells—Newsletter Editor
814-946-4096
Help us to Drive Membership this year by
Seeking out Corvette Owners. Tell them about our
Great Club and all of our Fun Events.
[email protected]
Please Support our Club Sponsors
David L. Holtz, CFP
Financial Planner
NEXT Financial Group, Inc.
322 Frankstown Rd
Altoona, PA 16602
Phone: 814-940-5600 or 800-863-8381
www.davidholtz.com
[email protected]
Zeigler’s offers a 10% discount to ACC Members for parts and labor
Dennis L. Olewine
Contractor
408 Alta Vista Drive
Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 946-9277
In Business since 1979, does all phases of remodeling and
new construction, both residential and light construction.
Works only with quality subcontractors, to provide a complete job package. Fully insured and provides free estimates.