Presidents Thoughts - Altoona Corvette Club

April 2016
Presidents Thoughts
By Club President Randy Johnson
Hi Everyone
On occasion when I sit down at the computer to write my president’s thoughts down for our club news letter, I find it
difficult to find a subject matter to write about. The reason for that, in my opinion, is because this club runs very
smoothly due to the efforts of your board members and all the friendly members within this club. So, this requires very
little effort on my part to do the job you have given me; therefore, not much to write about.
So, just for fun I thought I would tell you all a little about myself. I enlisted in the Army on October 18 th, 1972, for a
three year tour. I was an OH-58 helicopter crew chief for my tour of service, which got me started in flying. I left the
Army in October of 1975 and in the spring of 1976 went to work as an aircraft mechanic and part time flight instructor
at the Bedford airport until June of 1984. From there, I went to the Altoona Blair County Airport as a full time flight
instructor. I received a job as a pilot for Piedmont Airlines on January 20 th, 1986, and retired from that position on
October 31st, 2011. This may explain a little bit why I enjoy my 2009 Corvette and going fast.
I am living a wonderful life and I have my loving wife, Laurie, to thank for that, as well as all my Corvette friends. I
hope to see everyone soon.
As always, I would like to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity of being president of your Altoona Corvette
Club.
Have a nice day
Randy
April Birthday’s
5th—Clay Hoover
10th—Dana Barner
6th—Phil Linn
7th—Nancy Imler
13th—Beverly Baumgartner 14th—Ed Thompson
26th—Denny Olewine
26th—Rebecca Risbon
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
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Altoona Corvette Club
Upcoming Events
ACC Officers Meeting
Tuesday, April 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.)
Club Members Meeting
Thursday, April 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.
Spring Carlisle
April 20-24, 2016
Gate Times: Wed.-Sat. 7am-6pm • Sun. 7am-3pm
Admission: Daily Wed.- Sat. $10 / Sun $7 / Event Pass $30
100+ acres of cars and car parts for sale — what you need for your project is probably there.
Dress for a variety of weather conditions, wear a good pair of walking shoes and be ready for a great day.
For more information visit: http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlisle-events/default.aspx
Altoona Corvette Club at the Altoona Curve
Saturday, April 23, 2016
12:00 Noon
Game Time is 1:00 p.m.
ACC will be getting tickets on the second level (Terrace Level) for our group.
These tickets are only $7.00 per ticket and do not include the buffet.
We will be having dinner after the game at Marzoni's in Greenwood.
The Curve will provide special parking for our Corvettes and we will be doing a lap around the track
prior to the game. If you plan to do the lap, you will need to be there by noon.
Please contact Sherry Wells by April 13, 2016, at 814-937-7106 or [email protected]
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Altoona Corvette Club
This event should get us all motivated to wake up our Corvettes from a long rest!
The breakfast bars at Prime Sirloin are loaded with a variety breakfast items,
including a made-to-order omelet station!
Cost: $12.19 per person (includes tax and gratuity)
Please RSVP to Sherry Wells by April 30, 2016, at 814-937-7106 or
email [email protected]
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Altoona Corvette Club
ACC DINNER & A MOVIE NIGHT
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Twenty-two club members enjoyed pizza, salad and desserts followed by the showing
of the new James Bond movie Spectre, at the Eldolyn Terrace in Altoona.
Special thanks to Bill Creek for coordinating the pizza and salad order/delivery, the
delicious cake and for the use of the facility, and to Nancy Imler for her now famous
chocolate chip cookies!
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Altoona Corvette Club
DRIVE YOUR CORVETTE
&
WIN DINNER FOR TWO!
ACC Members may register their odometer
reading at the ACC Kickoff Breakfast on
Saturday, May 7, 2016.
Participants should track their miles driven throughout
the year and bring their final odometer reading to the
ACC Pizza Party & Officer Election on
Saturday, November 12, 2016.
The member who logs the most miles will win
dinner for two at the ACC Annual Christmas Party .
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Altoona Corvette Club
Never Thought I Would Own Two Corvettes ~ By Bill Conway
One day after I had just finished cleaning my 2007
Corvette, my daughter from Indiana, Pa called me.
She said, “Dad, you have to come down here to Indiana and see this car”. I say, “What car”? “The
lady who lives on the street behind us has it, and it’s
a Corvette”, she said. She explained that the lady’s
husband died last year and she wanted to sell it. “I
already have a Corvette”, I tell her. She says, “No
Dad, you have to come down and see this car”! I
asked, what kind of Corvette it was and she didn’t
know. She only knew it was an older car but looked
very nice. My son-in-law thought it might be brown
in color. I wasn’t sure about a brown-colored older
Corvette but I told them I’d come look at the car.
She handed us the keys to the car and told us to
take it for a drive. First, we needed to move the riding mower that was sitting in front of the Corvette.
When I got in behind the wheel, the odometer read
21,863 miles! We took the car for a ride and I fell in
love. When we got back to her house, I told her I
was very interested in the car. She wanted to show
us the wheels that came with the car but they were
in a shed in the back. We walked around the house
to the shed and found the original rally wheels that
came with the car. The first owner had put wire
wheels on the car about a year after he bought it.
The rally wheels were in brand new, excellent condition.
I arrived at my daughter’s house about a week and
a half later. My son-in-law and I walked over to the
lady’s house and rang the doorbell. The lady answered the door and said she’d open the garage so
we could see the car. We walked to the garage
door and waited for it to open. When the door
opened, the car was sitting there with a car cover
on it. We removed the cover to find the Corvette
was black with black interior. I like black cars! It
was a 1978, 25th Anniversary Edition, manual 4
speed transmission. It looked to be in perfect condition. It looked beautiful!
She said her husband was thinking of selling it several years ago at a certain price and that is the price
she was asking for the car. I was totally surprised at
the price and told her it was a deal. She said the
car needed inspected and that she would get it inspected for me. We set a date for me to pick up the
car and bring it home.
I now have two Corvettes! A black 2007 convertible
and a 1978 black t-top coupe.
How lucky is that?
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Altoona Corvette Club
2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is Goldilocks
If the C7 Corvette Stingray is a bit too cold,
but you find the Z06 a bit too hot, Chevrolet
has the perfect solution for you; the 2017
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Debuting in
Geneva, it gives you all of the goodies you want
from the Z06, without the bonkers engine.
Under the hood of the Grand Sport is the same
LT1 V8 making 460 horsepower from the regular Corvette, but gives you all the goodies from
the Z51 standard. That means you get drysump lubrication, the performance exhaust,
and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
The electronic limited slip differential is
First, make sure the area you’re working on is free
from wax or dirt. Use rubbing alcohol to clean the
chipped area. Never use the brush that comes with
the touch-up paint– it will just cause big, nasty globs
and end up looking worse than the chip. Use a small
artist’s grade brush and gently work your paint into
the chip area.
Wait for it to dry completely (at least an hour), then
apply a little more to “fill the hole”. These steps alone
will make your chip look a lot better. If you feel even
braver, use a superfine grit sandpaper (1500+), wet,
wrapped around a small block.
standard on the Grand Sport, as is the fantastic magnetic ride control. Big Brembo brakes
bring everything to a halt.
If that’s not hot enough for you, you can opt
the Z07 package, like you can on the Z06, to
get Sport Cup 2 rubber and Earth’s-rotationstopping carbon ceramic brakes.
To further illustrate you don’t necessarily need
the Z06 to go fast, Chevrolet claims that the
Grand Sport with the Z07 package is just 1
second off the pace around the Milford Proving
Ground than the last-generation ZR1.
That’s… fast!
Go over the newly-painted chip very carefully until the
“bump” gets minimized. Use one direction, not in a
circular motion. Be very cautious here, you don’t want
to sand down too far and breach the clearcoat.
Check your work frequently as you go! After you’re
satisfied, use a high quality scratch remover and wax
to bring back the shine. This process may take several attempts. Take you time and go slow, the results
will be well worth your efforts!
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
[email protected]
Help us to Drive Membership this year by
seeking out Corvette owners. Tell them about our
great club and all of our fun events!
Please Support our Club Sponsors
David Holtz, CFP
Division Manager
322 Frankstown Rd., Altoona, PA 16602
Phone: 814-940-5600 or 800-863-8381
[email protected]
www.davidholtz.com
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.
MEMBER FINRA AND SIPC