FCG_June_2012 copy - Santa Clara Corvettes

June 2012
Volume 37
Number 6
the official newsletter of Santa Clara Corvettes
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From The Driver’s Seat Ron Minearo, President
Are you getting your money’s worth?
June marks the mid-point of our year and I’m reflecting on all the activities our club has
offered our membership. Back at the January club meeting I announced that the goal of our
2012 Board of Directors would be to make your membership in Santa Clara Corvettes the best
“option” you can add to your Corvette. By my count, SCC and the other WSCC clubs have
provided over 40 events for you to attend. We’ve done everything from Awards dinners, to
Social events and Fun Runs, to Car Shows, to Autocrosses. Each event has been well
organized, affordable, and packed with fun.
Ron Minearo
The credit for these successful events goes to our dedicated Event Directors. There’s a
tremendous amount of work that goes into planning these events, and our Directors take this
responsibility very seriously. Steve Bolaris, Lee Kibbler, and Mim Petersen have spent many hours of their free time
working out all the event details in order to make your experience hassle free. They deserve a huge Thank You! from
all our members for their hard work.
July will kick off the second half of the year and SCC will be hosting the WSCC Convention in Medford, Oregon. I
sincerely hope you’re planning to attend this incredible week in the Rogue River Valley. You’ll not only have a great time,
we’re counting on your help to make this the best Convention WSCC has ever seen. If you haven’t done so already,
please send in your registration soon!
Over 40 events so far this year and there’s a lot more to come. Your 2012 SCC Board of Directors is well on our way to
making your Santa Clara Corvettes membership card the single most high performance, value packed option you can add
to your Corvette!
See you in Medford!
Ron
June Cover Cars
1990 Purple Convertible ZR-1: Mary and I purchased it new in 1990 and took it with us when we
moved to England in 1999. I had Geoff Jeal of Lotus add headers, Corsa exhaust, carbon fiber air
intake, chip, cross-drilled rotors and lower it. In 2003 I missed third gear and went into first
instead, on a damp narrow road, spun it and went backwards through a beautiful English stone
wall, bumping the right front and demolishing the right rear - blimey, that hurt ...emotionally. We
got a donor '96 Collector Edition convertible off Auto Trader and had all mechanical and electrical
components of the ZR-1 transferred to the donor. Geoff Jeal who was on the design team of the
LT5 and others put the body back together using the original windshield, doors and integrating ZR-1
rear fenders while using the frame, tub and clam-shell of the donor. We had it painted a custom
purple with flecks of blue and red in the paint that makes it glow
like a jewel in the sun!
2005 LeMans Blue Convertible: While still in England we ordered this car thru military
sales for Mary's 50th birthday. She had to have an automatic, a bloody shame, but I
ordered it as a convertible with the Z51 package. Mary drives it on a regular basis when
she's not in the 4 door Corvette, our Cadillac STS-V.
2010 Jet Stream Blue ZO6: Still in England, I had been
looking for a retirement present for quite a while. I found exactly what I was looking for on
eBay. The ZO6 was less than a year old, and less than 1800 miles on it. It came with custom
seats made by Pratt and Miller and a custom steering wheel. All of these new bits are done
in three different types of leather. The car already had the leather dash and door panels from
the factory and chrome spider wheels that were all on my checklist. I bought the car from
Mershon's in Ohio (I recommend) and had it shipped to Melbourne FL to The Vette Doctor
(recommend them too). Bob, The Vette Doctor, bolted on a Magnuson supercharger, a new
hood for clearance and a fiberglass front spoiler. The car dyno'd at 707hp at the crank –
yeeha! The car was shipped to CA where I'm enjoying it in retirement bliss.
2015: I told Mary she's getting a C7 for her 60th birthday. She said, smiling, "What? Another Corvette ...again?" :-)
Gary and Mary Kramp
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First Class Glass - Santa Clara Corvettes
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WELCOME
Membership
Ken Jacksteit
Greetings All:
We had another busy night at the May General Membership meeting. We had five new members sign up and
additional two members signed up via our website. We now have a total of 177 members.
Please give a warm welcome to our new members:
Corbin Christensen: He is a proud owner of a black 2002 Z06.
David Dennis: He is a proud owner of a silver 1996 coupe.
Al & Gloria Fuerniss: Proud owners of a 2012 Cyber Gray Gran Sport coupe along with their son Scott
Steve and Kristin Wood: They are proud owners of a jewel blue 1961 roadster and a Le Mans blue 2007
Z06.
Bill Wood and Pam Curtis: They are proud owners of a white 2011 Gran Sport coupe.
Marilyn Powars: She is the wife of newcomer Charles Powars. She decided to join after a fun evening at a
recent TGIF event.
I’ve been in contact with four potential members over the past two weeks and hopefully they will be here at
the June General Membership meeting to sign up and begin to enjoy all the benefits that this club has to
offer.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call me or email me. Until then,
Save the Wave!
Ken
New Members
David Dennis
Corbin Christensen
I was born and raised in Iowa but
have lived in CA for over 20 years. I
come from a Corvette family since my
uncle had a ‘silver 68 roadster, my
dad has had a tan ’77 coupe and a
red ’95 roadster, my brother has a
black ’99 roadster and I have a silver
’ 9 6 LT 4 c o u p e w h o s e n a m e i s
Cebrina. My wife says I don’t really
like Corvettes but have one only
because evryone in my family has
one. I currently live in Santa Clara
with my lovely wife Ruth, have been
married 14 years and have 3 children
and 3 cats. I am in software admin
with California Water Service Co.
I’m currently a mechanical
engineering student at San Jose State
University, just turned 24 and live in
Fremont. I have always had a love for
cars, especially anything fast and
decided to get my Corvette (2002
Black Z06) back in December after I
car-sat a friend’s C6 Z06 for two
weeks. Learned about the club
through my grandmother who knows
a past member and suggested that I
join. Also I enjoy riding my 2005
Kawasaki 636 and play in a fast-pitch
softball league. I like to work on the
car myself and I’m looking forward to
competing in autocross and drag
racing with the club.
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Al & Gloria Fuerniss
Al & Gloria joined SCC while on
the Run to the Lake. Al is retired
after 38 years in PG&E’s
construction branch while Gloria
is a VP with Fremont Bank. Their
son Scott is also on their family
membership and also bought a
2012 Cyber Gray Gran Sport
f r o m C o u r t e s y. T h e y a r e
primarily interested in
participating in SCC many social
events.
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Social Director:
Steve Bolaris
Welcome to summer! To all of you looking for more SCC fun social events
– you’re in luck. We have a number of new events in the pipeline. In the
next few weeks we have a TGIF at Campo di Bocce as well as a second TGIF
our usual place, Bennigan’s, San Jose Giants Baseball, and our annual swim
party. First a thank you to Steve Wells and Ray and Marie Buck for
getting us up to the Lick Observatory where we got a special group tour of
the telescope and had a picnic lunch in the courtyard. Members came by Corvette and by
motorcycle – what a blast it was to see all those Corvettes lined up. At Laguna Seca, Corvettes
have broken the barrier of the last few years by winning at ALMS. Thank you to Renee Kojak for
listing attending members and for Buzz and Ruth Marston for getting our members close to the
race action at Laguna Seca.
TGIF at Campo di Bocce on Friday June 8th will be a fun atmosphere conducive to the
types of adventures that we all like. No need to order or figure out a dinner tab. That is included in
the $30 per person charge. We will have pizza and salad plus the use of the bocce court. If you
have played, well, you know it is challenging and fun. If you have not ever played, be prepared to
enjoy a pleasant non-strenuous sport, Italian style. Bring your own wine and enjoy with a
nominal corkage fee of just $15. Please see Dana Taylor to pay for your TGIF dinner and play
time. Parking should be plentiful. Thanks again to Dana for setting up this TGIF.
Next up is San Jose Giants baseball. This June 14th Thursday evening game is at the home
of the San Jose Giants, Municipal Stadium. See Keith Mendia for some of the best fun you can
have for only $10 per person. This perennial visit is always fun to watch and the food at Muni
Stadium is terrific. This is a great family venue. The stadium features close up action with future
players who will move up to the “Bigs”… the Big League… someday soon. Many of the players on
the SF Giants team played here in San Jose before being called up. A bargain event and you can
bring the family!
TGIF at Bennigan’s Santa Clara is Friday June 15th. If you have been, you know what a
great time we all have eating dinner together and talking about cars – seeing Debbie (aka
Vanna) Hutchings new yellow Gran Sport C6 at the last TGIF and more. The fun doesn’t stop
there, as the server tries to figure out which David gets which dinner check. With 30–40 attending
it is a fun evening with friends. Please join us.
July is WSCC Convention month at the start. With great events and a vacation included –
see David Wilson or Sandy Mendia for details. As if that is not enough, here is what is lined
up for the rest of the weeks to come right here at home.
Renee Kojak has set up our day at the Blackhawk Auto Museum Saturday, July 14.
Never been to the museum? It is a must see, filled with automotive art on wheels and an ever
changing display. Discounted group tickets and sign up sheet will be at both the June and July
meetings. Located in Danville, Renee has arranged for our group to fill the front circle of the
museum with beautiful machines – our Corvettes! Following the tour of the car art, we will head
out to lunch before departing for home.
Our usual TGIF follows on the 20th at Bennigan’s. Bring out your Corvette, new or old. The
other people dining at Bennigan’s always stop us to ask about a car or two. It is almost an
impromptu car show of sorts. And it is our chance to meet others who share a passion for
automotive excellence.
Better get in shape soon! The SCC Pool Party is at Rick Bronner’s home this year. More
details to follow so mark July 28 on your calendar. I better get out my swim suit and try it on to
make sure it still fits!
All the best…
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Steve
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Windows from Hell – A Tale of Power Gone Wrong
by Lou Marincovich
Since I’ve owned many 1963-67 Corvettes over the years, I've
naturally learned how to fix mechanical problems, modify parts for
better performance, or just patch things together to make it to the
next gas station. I've done more clutch and brake jobs than I can
recall, dropped differentials several times, replaced water pumps
and radiators, rebuilt carburetors, disassembled suspensions,
replaced seat covers and
carpets, even done body work
and paint. All of these repairs
are predictable when one has
owned many examples of a
particular model of car for the
past 40+ years. In a sense, this
is the cost of ownership: if it
breaks, fit it.
Early last year, however, I made
the classic car-guy blunder: I
decided to fix something that wasn't broken, that didn't need to be
replaced, that has worked well for the past decade and promised to
do so for decades more. Read my sad tale, and follow me as I
descend into self-inflicted mechanical hell with my ‘67 convertible.
So there I was one day, tooling down a coastal road in my ragtop,
sun and wind in my hair, feeling good about myself and my
wonderful old car; all was well with the world …. so, obviously
something had to change. My 1967 roadster was almost perfect,
with its powerful small-block V8, 4-speed tranny, power brakes and
steering, and factory air conditioning, all in glorious Goodwood
Green with Medium Saddle interior. Gosh, I innocently thought,
wouldn't this car be even more perfect if it had power windows, its
only missing option? Instead of having to stretch my aging body
over to laboriously crank the passenger-side window down or up,
like some kind of automotive serf, I could merely extend a pinkie
over to a console-mounted switch and watch the window ascend or
descend, like a gentleman. It seemed like an easy job, after all I was
just going to add an option the factory originally put in … how hard
could that be?
Well, the first barrier was emotional: to install power windows I
would have to make TEN separate individual holes in the fiberglass
body ….. Ten! ONE hole made in my precious ‘67 by someone else
would be a big deal, TEN holes would be like practicing brain
surgery on myself! I eventually realized one has to suffer in life to
achieve anything great, so I went shopping for parts. I figured I'd
need a window regulator and electric motor for each door, a
console switch, and a wire harness to connect everything together. I
hadn't at first realized that I'd need new interior door panels
(without holes for nonexistent window cranks) --- which are really
expensive, metal conduits to conduct wires from the doors to under
the dash, miscellaneous grommets, a relay and a self-resetting
circuit breaker, Also, I had to cut a hole in the pot metal center
console to mount the operating switch, and another hole in the
transmission tunnel to accommodate the switch. The hole in the
tranny tunnel got filled with a rare and nearly unobtainable
fiberglass cup into which the switch fit . Hmmmm, this was
beginning to sound more complicated than I thought.
The second barrier was the sheer amount of work involved, work
that had to be mostly done out of sight within the confines of the
doors. Each door panel has a 6"X8" hole on its inner side, and that's
IT for inserting the bulky regulators, electric motors, wiring
harnesses, grommets, etc., as well as my XL-size hands, into and
out of the dark recesses of the doors. Not to mention having to
undo and later redo the delicate and finicky rods, clips, grommets,
washers and levers that operate the locks and door handles, and
that were right in my way. Before getting into the doors, however, I
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first had to remove the side windows, and before I could do that I
had to remove the wind wings (remember those?) along with the
yard-long vertical posts they are attached to. There is quite an array
of linkage bars, pivots, rollers, interlocking metal tracks, specialized
washers and spacers, channels, threaded adjustment rods, electrical
contacts, gears and trim bits, and only hell knows what else, living
together in tight confinement inside the doors; all these parts are
about as far apart as nuts are in a granola bar. Let's not think for
now about putting all those Tiny Tot pieces back into the Munchkin
cave door recesses in the proper order, properly greased, and
properly aligned.
The very worst part of this hellish job is also the first part that you
have to do: cut huge holes in the door posts for electrical conduits
to pass through. You know that old rule about being careful when
cutting into something really valuable: “measure twice, cut once.”
This rule is the one to use if you’re
cutting into something valuable but
not irreplaceable, like maybe a cat. If
you’re chopping into something like
MY 1967 Corvette, the rule is “don’t
**** it up!” Therefore, I measured until
my eyes bled, my hands shook, and
until I wore out three different rulers.
After measuring and drawing the
outline of the holes in the door posts,
I drilled several small holes in each
post, then connected the holes with a
small hand saw. I wouldn’t know if I’d
cut the holes in the correct places until the job was nearly done …
who invented this procedure, Rube Goldberg?
The window job got a lot easier after the hole-cutting episode. In
fact, after chopping the holes in my priceless car, I estimated that I’d
be done with the whole job in about two weeks. So much for an
inflated estimate of my talents as a mechanic! Just because I’d done
the emotionally most traumatic part of the job, didn’t mean that the
rest of this cheerless job was going to get any easier. In short, this
job kept going and going and going, for another SIX WEEKS. There
were whole days when I couldn’t bear the thought of going into the
garage and getting back to that wretched job, spending eight hours
at a time squatted down beside one door or the other, reaching into
parts- filled doors trying to manipulate isty-bitsy parts that had a
mind of their own. After a while I was convinced that the parts had
taken a dislike to me, which I think is really true, in a sense. Why
else to explain holding nine separate parts together with four
fingers, while I held a flashlight in my mouth and a mirror in my
other hand, and manipulating the final C-clip into position with my
free thumb …. then the C-slip makes a “sproing” sound and hauls
ass for parts unknown? I don’t think it went by my head, at least it
didn’t nick me, but it wasn’t in the door either. What did it do, find
a black hole in there and get squashed into quantum foam? WHERE
THE HELL WAS IT? Anyway, I never found the GD C-slip, but the
woman walking her dog by the front of my house all of a sudden
upped her pace when she heard the long string of expletives issuing
from the dark recesses of my garage. I wonder if the C-clip hit her
dog?
So, on the work went, relentlessly, week after week, Like pushing a
steel boulder up a mountain of talcum powder, progress was
uncertain. Still, the day came when the job was finished, or at least
I stopped working. I sat in my garage in stunned disbelief,
wondering what to do next, like convict who finished serving his
time and is standing at the exit gate of San Quentin wondering if
the moment is real or not.
Article is Continued at the Bottom of Page 26...
Santa Clara Corvettes
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Gambler’s Run to Laughlin, NV
This may have been a small caravan (6 cars) but what it lacked in size, it made up
for in enthusiasm. Having our own playground of back roads with only the locals
(ground squirrels) challenging us for the right of way and many miles with not even a
center line, it was indeed remote. Passing was no problem because there was no one
to pass. It was just us, the cars, the road and a lot of beautiful vistas.
After crisscrossing the San Andreas Fault Line
(a huge chasm running in our direction) several
times, we stopped for lunch at the Parkfield
Cafe and with some of the local pets just lying in and around the establishment and
not a care in the world other than to get a pat on the back, life here seemed carefree
to say the least.
Heading down Bitterwater Road just south of Highway 41 towards Highway 58 was
another roller coaster ride with broad expanses of hills and treeless terrain. Once on
Highway 58 headed east to McKittrick, we came across about the only thing that could slow us down. Construction of a
huge solar panel farm on the Carrizo plain brought out a convoy of about 30 empty big rigs ahead of us crawling back
down to the central valley. We followed them for a few miles through a winding canyon with zero percent chance to get
by until we came to a complete halt at the top of the pass. Then someone in a bright yellow shirt and hat said they were
stopping the convoy to let us pass and that we would have the road all to ourselves. So the oncoming traffic was stopped
and we proceeded around the convoy. WOW!! Let’s just say the next few miles down the canyon were quite entertaining.
At the hotel we had fun washing the cars at my own personal water spigot at the
hotel and had a meal brought in to the breakfast room for a group dinner. We met up
with a couple of my friends from the local Nissan Z club, one of whom (Lee) gladly
volunteered to lead us up the tight twisties towards Lake Isabella the next
morning. As Andy and Chuck can confirm, Lee
not only has one of the fastest cars on the
planet (a 535 HP 2012 GT-R) he also knew the
road very well. So again, I’ll just say it was
quite a thrill keeping those guys in my sights.
We stopped at the lake for some pics and to say goodbye to our unexpected path
finder.
With lunch at Peggy Sue’s we started seeing a lot of other Vettes all headed to the big car show in Laughlin. There
were 278 Corvettes there and the 4 cars of ours that entered the show did a fine job representing Santa Clara
Corvettes. In fact, Andy Hoepfner won Best C6 with his stunning wide body.
Andy got Best License Plate too with “You Try”. Just the beginning I’d say of a
whole lot of first place trophies for Andy to make room for!
Gordon Pun in his Yellow ALMS Tribute Z06 under inched me by ¼” to take the
“Street Sweeper” Award for the lowest car. So where’s the category for “Best
Decals”?? HA! Oh well, maybe next year.
Thanks to the Bakersfield Corvette Club for
putting on this great show. Even though they are
a small club, they put together an extraordinary effort with this huge event.
I’d like to say thanks for going to Gordon Pun, Chuck Vivian, Linda Lariz, Andy
Hoepfner, Ken Jacksteit and finally David and Victoria Wilson who kept us
updated on road conditions and kept the radio airwaves continually filled. What better
way to bond, see the country the way a lot of it is and, best of all, use our beautiful
cars the way they were intended.
Hope to see you and a few others at our Death Valley Run, September 28-30, 2012.
Jack & Yolanda Atkinson
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
AN ADVISOR WHO CAN HELP YOU
DRIVE
TOWARD OWNERSHIP.
When you want to acquire a classic, we can
help you drive toward your goal. A Merrill Lynch
Financial Advisor can talk to you about the
Loan Management Account® (LMA® account),
a flexible line of credit from Bank of America, N.A.,
available through Merrill Lynch. It can offer you
the liquidity you may need for your purchase while
you keep your investment strategy on track.
Ted Moorhead, CSNA
First Vice PresidentWealth Management
Financial Advisor
PIA Program Portfolio Advisor
(408) 554-7923
Merrill Lynch
5300 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Suite 120
San Jose, CA 95129
www.fa.ml.com/ted_moorhead
The Loan Management Account® (LMA® account) is provided by Bank of America, N.A., member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. The LMA
account requires a brokerage account at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) and sufficient eligible collateral to
support a minimum credit facility size of $100,000. All securities are subject to credit approval and Bank of America, N.A. may change its
collateral maintenance requirements at any time. Securities-based financing involves special risks and is not for everyone. When considering
a securities-based loan, consideration should be given to individual requirements, portfolio composition and risk tolerance, as well as capital
gains, portfolio performance expectations and investment time horizon. The securities or other assets in any collateral account may be sold
to meet a collateral call without notice to the client, the client is not entitled to an extension of time on the collateral call, and the client is not
entitled to choose which securities or other assets will be sold. The client can lose more funds than deposited in such collateral account.
A complete description of the loan terms can be found within the LMA agreement. Clients should consult their own independent tax and legal
advisors. Some restrictions may apply to purpose loans, and not all managed accounts are eligible as collateral. All applications for LMA
accounts are subject to approval by Bank of America, N.A.
For fixed-rate and term advances, principal payments made prior to the due date will be subject to a breakage fee.
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
(“MLPF&S”), a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC, and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”). Banking products
are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of BAC.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured
© 2012 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.
AD-02-12-0717
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Are Not Bank Guaranteed
ARH5S4G4-06-11
Santa Clara Corvettes -! First Class Glass
May Lose Value
Code 444508PM-0212
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A Blast from the Past
I’m working feverishly trying to get my car ready before “rags down” at the NCCA Car Show in Danville and this guy
comes up to me and starts talking about my window decal commemorating “Jungle Bob” Childs. Turns out he recently
bought Jungle Bob’s C5 white convertible from Bob’s sons. They both had other interests (trucks and boats) as well as
small children and therefore reluctantly sold the car to David Miller of Danville. After introducing ourselves, I began telling
him how beloved Bob was to SCC, how much he meant to us and how much he participated in all
our events. David later wrote me a touching email that I’d like to share excerpts from.
“You and the other Santa Clara Vette Club members I met last Sunday really made my day. First, I love any
car show. Second I love all Corvette car shows and to have met the people who who were friends with my car's
previous owner was an awesome experience for me! There was one lady who came over to my car (Sandy
Mendia) and she said how heart touching it was for her to see Bob's car again...she was really very emotional
and brought a tear to my eyes too.” “It was a SPECIAL treat for me to learn about Bob and a little more of my car's history. I must have told this
story 10 times this week so far. I still can't believe how loved and admired Jungle Bob was to so many of his
friends.” “For whatever it may mean to the Santa Clara Corvette Club, Bob's car will be loved and well cared for.”
“Although I never knew Bob, I feel as if his spirit is with me in the car when ever I take it out
and I love knowing this car came from good stock.”
“I knew when I saw Bob's the car it was well cared for, but to hear how Bob was held in such
high regard by his friends and fellow Corvette Club members really meant a lot to me.”
David has since gone to another car show in San Lorenzo and took First Place in “Best Sports
Car” and he wanted us to know that Jungle Bob would have been proud.
Dave Johnston
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
2012 WSCC Convention is
on!
July 1 - 6
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This Convention is an event you will not
want to miss! It will be held in Medford,
Oregon, where we will explore some of the
beautiful countryside during and between
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events.
There will be a Car Show at
Hawthorne Park, Auto-x at the Fairgrounds,
Drag Race at Champion Raceway, Jet Boats
on the Rogue River, Hospitality Competition
at the Red Lion Hotel, Ralley, Tri-Challenge
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Competition and much more! More info will
be posted on the website very soon. In the
meantime, save the dates and start
planning for the Hospitality Competition!
The event is being hosted by Santa Clara
Corvettes.
Download your Convention Registration
form here:
http://www.wscc.ws/Convention/tabid/86/
Default.aspx
High performance street
and racing parts & service
Corvette maintenance and performance upgrades
Call or Visit Today
527345
Charcot
Ave.,
331, San
Jose 95131
Lincoln
AveSuite
San Jose,
CA 95126
(408) 295-0930
http://goodies-speedshop.com/p-7939-santa-clara-corvettes.html
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
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The Phoenix, The Final Chapter
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As you may recall from the April and May issues of First Class
Glass, a 2001 black over black, 6 speed, Corvette convertible had been in
a serious accident and the insurance companies wanted to “total” it. The
car’s owner, John Melko, maintained that the offered settlement of
$18,000 did not reflect the condition of the car and that he had been
offered over $25,000 before the accident and turned that offer down. Although the car had
350,000 miles it had been maintained in near-perfect condition mechanically (by Courtesy
Chevrolet) as well as cosmetically (by Automotive Enterprise). Melko had all the
receipts and related documentation to prove his point(s). As further proof of his meticulous
care, he received $5,000 over Blue Book price for his ’91 Vette that had 326,000 miles on
the odometer. The “bottom line” of this situation is not the restoration of the car (no
problem if the owner has the funds and the work is performed by a reputable shop) but
the options available to insure your car so that you receive adequate compensation should
disaster occur.
While the battle over compensation for this car rages on, there are some points worth
noting to those of you who qualify. The available options depend upon the insurance
company chosen. Although it would not have benefitted Melko in our story because his
Corvette was his “daily driver”, there are policies available that might benefit some Santa
Clara Corvettes members who only drive their Vettes to car shows, club events, parades
or the occasional pleasure use. The National Corvette Museum has an in-house
Insurance Agency that is a collector car insurance specialist and they do not write standard
auto coverage. They write the majority of their business on an “Agreed Value” basis.
This coverage pays you the agreed upon amount. You and the agent come to an agreement
before the policy is written on what the car is worth. Once the value is agreed upon, that’s
what you get in the event of a total loss. There is no depreciation or questions asked
regarding the vehicles value. After the accident, would you rather be in for a long battle or
smooth sailing? It all depends upon your chosen coverage.
One common misconception is that collector car insurance is only for vehicles 25
years or older. NCM will insure your brand new Corvette (if you qualify). They are one of
the few companies to offer a “9-5 Endorsement” that allows you to drive your Corvette
to work up to two times a week. Typically the cost of this type of
policy is much cheaper than the standard policy because of the
usage. There are several options to choose from such as multiple
mileage plans and deductible options to help you save money.
Also, if you are a member of NCM you may qualify for a discount!
NCM Insurance may be contacted via www.ncminsurance.com or
give them a call at (877) 678-7626.
If your Corvette is your daily driver, make sure that your insurance company is
reputable, your premiums are current, your coverage is adequate, you are extremely
vigilant and that you don’t drive faster than your guardian angel can fly. If your Corvette is
not your daily driver or used for errands, you may want to contact the NCM Insurance
Agency.
Dave Johnston
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Marina Mayhem
photos courtesy of Arlene Bell
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Run to the Lake
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Competition: Racing
Mim Petersen
The first SCC autocross of the season was held the weekend of May 19th and 20th at the Marina
airport. Many thanks to the Autocross Army for help and thanks to Rick Bronner for running
the event in my absence. Chris and I attended our daughter's graduation at Chico State that same
weekend. NBCA and VVV held another event in Solano.
So far Rick Bronner has 2 or 3 Top Time of the Day awards. He beat out both Speedy Knudsen
and Rich Willhoff at Solano on the 29th, and Rick got his best time running in the first run group.
Victoria Wilson and Chuck Vivian have also picked up TTOD awards for women and men.
Congrats to all of our winners!
Upcoming events in June are Vette Magic car show and drags, Solano autocross 2-day event June 9th and 10th, and a 2day SCC autocross at Marina on June 23rd and 24th. I will reminders to the SCC Yahoo Group email.
See you at the track!
Mim
Competition: Car Shows
Lee Kibbler
Car show season is in full swing with the first show already in the books. We had 15 cars at the
“Legends on Display” out in Danville and took home club par by one car over DVC!
Congratulations are due David & Cyndy Jacobson, David Johnston, Chuck Vivian & Linda
Lariz and Leon & Graciela Smith all of whom took home a first place trophy! Club members
receiving second place awards were Keith & Sandy Mendia and myself.
For all you car show fans, I am going to continue my tips this month with a few more of the
ways I’ve developed to keep my Corvette always looking its best.
I have to confess that I don’t actually wax my car that often but she spends most of her life clean and covered in my
garage. If you have to keep your ‘Vette outside or if it is your daily driver then you should wax it at least twice a year. I
am not going to recommend any particular brand or type of paint protectant system as there are many different products
that work and this is a personal choice. If you are using one of the newer polymer type protectant systems (like Zaino)
then follow the instructions of the manufacturer. I like to use good old fashioned carnauba wax and will just say that all
those expensive (anything above $50 a jar) special blend waxes are just marketing hype. As long as you have at least 5%
to 7% carnauba content in it you will be dealing with good wax. One thing I will tell you to save a lot of work after the
waxing is to always clean and dress all of your rubber trim around the doors and windows before you wax then when
you’re done the wax that got on the trim will wipe right off easily. If you don’t do this make sure that you clean off the
trim before the wax cures on the rubber or you will have a hard time getting it off. Before waxing it is a good idea to
check the surface of your paint to see if it is rough. I find a good way to judge the condition of the surface is to put my
hand inside a baggie and gently feel the painted surfaces with my fingertips. The baggie amplifies the feeling in your
fingertips. If it feels rough then I like to use a clay bar first then wax the car. Don’t forget after waxing to go over every
crack, crevice and screw head removing any wax residue. This can be done with cloths, Q-tips and even toothpicks for the
cracks and screw heads (this is probably why I don’t wax that often).
One place that I feel is often neglected even on some hardcore car show people’s ‘Vettes is the exhaust tips. When my car
was new I used metal polish and a conical 3” buffing wheel in my cordless drill to buff the inside and outside of my stock
stainless steel tips to a high luster. I keep them clean much like I do my wheels and simply use a wadded up cotton cloth
to wipe them when I park and they are still hot. If you wipe them as soon as you park the soot never hardens on the
metal and wipes right off and the wadded up cloth protects your hands from getting burned on the hot tips. This is easy
and only takes about 30 seconds to do but makes a big difference in the rear view in my opinion. I keep the exhaust wipe
cloth in the back of my ‘Vette with my “Swiffer Dusters” for the wheels.
Until next month remember to always keep it clean and have a great time at convention!
Lee
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Racer Safety Equipment and
Accessories For All Ages.
KEEPING YOU SAFE
WHEN YOU NEED IT
THE MOST!
HELMETS, DRIVING SUITS,
DRIVING GLOVES, SHOES, SEAT BELTS,
HEAD and NECK RESTRAINT SYSTEMS and
MORE!
408 • 410 • 9352 www.cs-gear.com
What is it???
Come enjoy TGIF with us!
4150 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA. 95054
1 Block North of Highway 101
(408) 748-0378
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Congratulations to David Wilson who
correctly guessed last month’s photo as
the underside of a C1 trunk emblem. Two
others also correctly guessed it but David
drew the lucky strip. Each month we will
take a photo of some portion of a Corvette
of any generation and you guess what it is.
There will be slips of paper on the tables at the General
Meetings for your names and guesses. If there is more than
one member with the correct answer then a drawing will
determine the winner.
The prize: a bottle of wine! (last month generously
provided by Ray & Dana Taylor)
Steve Bolaris
Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Historian: Keith Mendia
As I am looking in
our “Rear View
Mirror” I see the
year 1987 and
what Santa Clara
Corvettes was up
to 25 years ago.
We started the year
with around 90 members and finished with 115. Our
General Business meetings were held the first Wednesday
of each month at Mercury Savings located at 19376
Stevens Creek Blvd. between Lawrence and Wolfe Rd.
The meetings started at 7:30pm and lasted between 1 ½
- 2 hours. Hal Malone was our President.
The WSCC Awards Banquet was held in Santa Cruz
and our club won the following awards:
Most Participating: Rallye, AutoX, & Concours
Most Competitive: Rallye & AutoX
Most Participating Club
Most Competitive Club
In addition we took Club Par at the following WSCC
events:
North Bay Corvettes rallye
Rear View Mirror
Vette Magic #12
Napa Vettes car show
Some of our Social Events were:
Sonoma car show
Champagne Brunch @ Charley Brown’s, 8 members
attended
Moosemilk Run rallye
Opry House, Almaden, 26 members attended
Annual Picnic @ Oak Dell Park, Morgan Hill, 74 members
attended
Bowling Party, 20 members attended
Chowder Run to Monterey, 24 members attended
Holiday Party @ Anita’s, Mtn. View.
Some of the Competition events Santa Clara
Corvettes put on were:
Our club decided to sponsor the 1988 WSCC
Convention and Tom McGee was the Chairperson. A
committee was formed mid year to begin putting the
event together and the Hyatt in Palo Alto was to be the
central location and “Corvettes by the Bay” was to be
the theme.
In 1987 we raised $1,192 for charity and donated it to
Cystic Fibrosis, part of this was raised by the sale of
candy bars ($800 in sales).
Foolish Fun Rallye, Evergreen College
Turkey Run AutoX, Pleasanton Fairgrounds ( $11/person)
SCC Grudge Nights (Baylands Raceway)
Heartbeat of America Car Show ( Courtesy Chevrolet)
Corvette Spectacular
County Fairgrounds on
anniversary of our show).
people attended the show
money.
was held at the Santa Clara
Sept. 19th (it was the 10th
149 cars were entered. 1,000
and we took in $1,700 in raffle
It cost $9 to enter Car Show or $13 to enter Concours.
John Day was the Chairperson.
WSCC Convention was held in Lancaster, CA.
sponsored by the Antelope Valley Corvette Club and
featured Drags, AutoX, Car show, Concours, Rallye and
PARTIES.
Santa Clara Corvettes won the “Most
Competitive Club” and “Best Hospitality Suite”
awards with their theme “Come Fly with Me”.
Some of the more interesting Corvettes for sale in the
newsletter were:
1969 L88
$13,000
1961
$9,400
1972 LT-1
$15,500
1973 454
$7,500
If you like looking back into our club’s history, you can
find information like this in the “Club History” section of
our website. To visit go to our Home Page and click on
Club Info, then click on Club History, then click on the
year of interest. There you can then choose between
“Documents, Newsletters and Pictures”. We are
continually adding material and information to the site.
The Historian Committee hopes you enjoy this new
feature to our website.
Santa Clara Corvettes Awards Banquet was held at
the San Jose Hyatt House on First Street in January.
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Keith
3D
Television
is HERE!!!
Support the
sponsors of
First Class Glass!
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
ALMS at Laguna Seca
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
A Legend on Display 32
Chef Florene fixes breakfast for
everyone then goes back to bed
enjoying the beautiful day
the “Winged Duo” makes a
car show appearance
Andy showing off his halo
headlamps to Monica
Ray is excited waiting for the
judges to complete their rounds
David & Sandy announce WSCC
Convention to the crowd
Darwin couldn’t care less
the crowd anxiously awaits
the show results
CLUB PAR!!!
First Place Winners
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
GM/National Corvette Museum:
Buzz Marston
IN THE COCKPIT by Oliver Gavin, Monterey
Tommy Milner and I, driving our No. 4 Chevy Corvette C6.R, won what people are saying was one of the
most exciting GT battles ever seen at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca...
Well I’m very, very happy to be writing this on the back of another ALMS win, and even
more so because of the way we had to work for it – the harder ones are always the
sweetest. Tommy Milner and I, driving our No. 4 Chevy Corvette C6.R, won what
people are saying was one of the most exciting GT battles ever seen at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca yesterday and a mark of just how competitive it was is that seven cars finished within 10 seconds of each
other after six hours of nose-to-tail racing.
It was edge-of-the-seat racing throughout, no matter whether you were competing or spectating, and to get a back-toback victory after Long Beach was great. There was a bit of rubbing and bumping along the way and the last 90 minutes
were unbelievably entertaining with some up close and personal racing.
There was always something going on, with lots of chopping and changing positions, and we weren’t racing any one car
but maybe five or six and always one with different characteristics – our sister car, Jan and Antonio’s Corvette (which
eventually finished a great second behind us), both the BMWs, the Flying Lizard Porsche at times and the Aston Martin at
the start. You had to think really carefully about how to pass and make it stick and every lap was a challenge which kept you on your toes the
whole time.
I started from the front row, after a mega qualifying effort by Tommy on Friday, and had a pretty trouble-free first couple of hours. The first round
of stops, which took place under the first of six full course caution periods, set us on the right road for a win as our No. 4 crew were mega quick
and slick and managed to get us out ahead of everyone else. I then had a fairly quiet time holding position until our third pit stop when a fueling
problem delayed us massively and dropped us back to seventh in class.
It would have been easy to let your head drop after something like that, but Tommy set about clawing back the deficit and had a very solid
middle stint which kept us in the hunt, gaining back some places and always part of the GT train.
We both said afterwards that it was mad; you’d have a fairly quiet time then all of a sudden it would go crazy for an hour or two with stuff flying
everywhere from other cars, sand on the track, a gaggle of slower GTC or PC cars to get past. You could never relax as the car was sliding
around constantly underneath you.
I was back in the car for the last two hours but it wasn’t until the final round of pit stops – with just over an hour left to run – that the tables
really turned back in our favor. Our pit crew, led by Brian Hoye, gave us another flawlessly fast turnaround and a re-shuffle of the whole GT
field gave us the chance we needed.
I had a drag race with Joerg Bergmeister out of the pits for second place but had to yield to him at the last minute as there was an abandoned
P2 car parked in the blend line and it was a case of either hit Jorg, hit the other car or let it go and worry about it later! Ultimately luck had a
part to play (good for us and bad for them) as the Lizard Porsche had a penalty for a pit infringement.
With just Wolf Henzler’s Falken Porsche ahead of me, I had to go for it and had another drag race all the way from T11 to T2 before I muscled
past him. He was hard but fair, and gave me just enough room to get by… just! I then had 40 minutes of the race left to run and started to eke
out a bit of a gap but, as through the whole race, every time you managed to do that there’d be a caution period and it would be taken away
again.
Anyway, we caught the breaks this time around and fastest race lap and the GT championship lead were definitely icing on the cake. The wins
also give us a huge boost of confidence going forward to Le Mans which is our next race. What are the chances of a triple? We’ll certainly be
going for it!
~Olly
A former British F3 Champion and Formula One test driver, Oliver Gavin has raced in North America for the last decade for Corvette Racing,
representing General Motors. He has achieved three American Le Mans Series GT1 Championship titles and four GT1 class wins at the 24
Hours of Le Mans, and in 2012 will also be racing in select races with Spirit of Daytona in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
For more information, visit: www.olivergavin.com, Facebook Oliver Gavin, or Twitter @OliverGavin
Buzz
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=============================================
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Santa Clara Corvettes
2012 Board of Directors
and Associates
President: Ron Minearo
408-859-8302 [email protected]
Vice-President: Tim Kennedy
408-793-5034 [email protected]
Secretary: Debbie Hutchings
408-757-7224 [email protected]
Publications Director: David Johnston
408-255-2183
[email protected]
Treasurer: Doug Johnson
650-726-1326 [email protected]
Social Director: Steve Bolaris
408-465-7321 [email protected]
B & B Custom Designs
Custom Screen Printing
Yolanda & Jack Atkinson
621 Hillside Blvd
So. San Francisco, CA. 94080
(650) 873-5552
FIRST CLASS GLASS
The monthly publication of the Santa Clara Corvettes club
Incorporated in 1975
Mailing Address:
Santa Clara Corvettes
P.O. Box 2634
Santa Clara, CA 95055-2634
Statements appearing in FIRST CLASS GLASS are those of the authors
and do not necessarily constitute an opinion of SCC, officers, or editors.
Permission to reprint any material herein is granted provided full credit is
given to First Class Glass, SCC, and the author(s). First Class Glass is not
affiliated with General Motors. “Corvette” and the Corvette emblem are
registered trademarks of General Motors, Inc.
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Competition Director Racing: Mim Petersen
408-313-8990 [email protected]
Competition Director Car Shows: Lee Kibbler
(650) 212-0098 [email protected]
Membership Director: Ken Jacksteit
408-425-8511 [email protected]
Appointed Positions
SCC Historian: Keith Mendia
408-268-7411 [email protected]
WSCC Representative: Rick Bronner
408-591-0137 [email protected]
National Corvette Museum: Buzz Marston
408-353-3500 [email protected]
Web Master: Andy Hoepfner
510-449-2639 [email protected]
Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
Rick’s Racing
Rants
It all started at 5:00 am Friday. Hours before the sun was up I was on my
way to Laguna Seca to be a volunteer worker for the ALMS race. I was prepared for the typical cold and
foggy conditions but to everyone’s surprise the sun was out and by 7:00am-shorts and t-shirts were the order
of the day. The morning was spent directing traffic into the Corvette Corral. I’m pretty sure we had close to
200 cars on Friday. At lunch, which was very kindly provided by GM, Doug Fehan gave a little talk about the
race team that included a Q & A session. Doug explained how in a 6 hour race the pit stops can be the make
or break issue. He also answered questions about the race team and the upcoming 24 Hours of LeMans.
After lunch I got the privilege, with 99 other Corvettes, to participate in 2 parade laps. Driving on the course
was a blast I tried to duplicate the line at the famous corkscrew by hitting the rumble strip on the left and
then the rumble strip on the right. It really is like falling off a cliff as you can’t see the track until you are on
your way down. Saturday started off a little differently as it was completely fogged in and very cold. Keith
Mendia and I would tell the arriving drivers to just drive straight ahead to find a parking place. In no less
than 50’ their taillights would disappear into the fog. We just figured as long as we didn’t hear a crash
everything was allright! The sun finally broke through before noon and things began to warm up. GM again
hosted a nice lunch for everyone and there was an autograph session with the drivers. After lunch I made it
over to the pits for the before race grid walk. I had a nice talk with Tommy Milner about the conditions as
compared to last year. Tommy said he was quite happy with the car and compared to last year the tires were
holding up just fine. I also asked how he dealt with the heat in the car and Tommy explained that the cars
have air conditioning now and they don’t even need a cool suit anymore! The race was the closest I’ve seen in
years as for hours a train of six to seven GT class cars went around and around. In the end Corvettes
finished 1-2. I want to thank the WSCC and NCM for letting me volunteer. I had a great time and can’t
wait until next year!
Rick
WSCC Chatter: Rick Bronner
I’ll have an updated WSCC report next month in our July edition. I’ll be
reporting on any updates held at the June meeting during Vette Magic in
Sacramento.
Rick
Lou’s Article Continued from Page 18...
I sat in my ’67, running the windows silently up and down. OK, it wasn’t exactly “silent” … the window
motors were making quite a loud stripped-gear sound that I’m not sure was factory-original or not, but
would have to do for now. Up and down, up and down, up and down. It was awesome to have such power at
my finger tips, at least while it lasted. The driver side window stopped working after a few minutes. It seems
the cheap Chinese repro window switches are not beefy enough for repeated operation, or so I was told later.
I’d finally had enough; the power windows had won. My head sagged, I got out of my once-beloved ’67,
turned out the lights and closed the garage door.
The lesson I learned from this educational experience is to get every option you want when you buy a car.
Don’t look at your C6 40 years from now and think “You know, I bet I could pop a Z06 motor to my 2006
Vette if I put my mind to it. After all, it was once a factory option. It probably wouldn’t take more than a
couple of weeks to do.”
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SCC Calendar of Events
JUNE 2012
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Vette Magic Car Show!
Vette Magic Drags!!
General Meeting! !
Campo de Bocce! !
Onion Peel-Nord Fjord!
San Jose Giants! !
TGIF @ Bennigan’s!
Vette-O-Rama Car Show
Marina Auto-X!
Sun
8:00
8:00
7:00
6:00
8:00
5:00
5:00
8:00
8:00
Mon Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
31
30
Wed
4
Thu
5
Fri
6
Sat
7
JULY 2012
Sun
1
Mon Tue
2
3
1-6 ! !
WSCC Convention!!
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7:00
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
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Blackhawk Museum
11:30
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
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5:00
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
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8:00
29
30
31
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SCC Pool Party!
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11:00
June
+
3
Marilyn Powars
1995
Renee & Bill Kojak
4
Sue Kennedy
2002
Rick & Liz Bronner
5
Andy Hoepfner
10
Donna Courtney
2003
Pete Dyer
15
Ray Gee
2003
Cheryl & Lee Klynn
16
Gloria Fuerniss
19
Vince Alomia
2006
Cher McGrath
20
Walt Kimball
30
Diane McDonald
2009
Dave Thomas & Bunny McDonald
2010
Ray & Marie Buck
If anyone has any corrections, additions or deletions to the dates above please advise Publications
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Santa Clara Corvettes - First Class Glass
To:
Postage
P.O. Box 2634
Santa Clara, CA
95055-2634
Mount Hamilton Run
TGIF
Santa Clara Corvettes is a not-for-profit organization formed to appreciate a truly great
car, the Corvette. Our monthly business meetings are held on the first Wednesday of
each month at the Los Altos Masonic Building, 146 Main Street in downtown Los Altos
(1/2 block up from San Antonio Rd.) Meetings start at 7:00 PM. All interested Corvette
owners and enthusiasts are invited to attend. For more information, contact anyone on
the Board of Directors, or write to: Santa Clara Corvettes, P.O. Box 2634, Santa Clara,
CA 95055-2634. Visit us on the internet at www.sccorvettes.org for info, pictures, and
the latest events.
Send contributing articles and photos to: [email protected]
Best Newsletter
2011 WSCC
3rd
NCM-2011
Place NCM
Best
Newsletter
Third
Place