Heart of America Corvair Owners Association

December 2012
Volume 49 Issue 1
www.hacoa.org
Editors Gary and Helen Moore
H eart of A merica C orvair O wners Association
by Gary Moore
Kevin and Ada deserve our thanks for all their hard work
making the annual Holiday Party as awesome as ever. They have
been arranging and/or hosting the Holiday Party for at least the
last eight years. HACOA has now grown too large for them
to host the party in their house. The Matt Ross Community
Center’s Hearth Room was an excellent alternate choice, what
with the hearth, the comfortable seating, and the large room
that made the gift exchange much easier. Even so, I still missed
Ada and Kevin’s home—the little bags with candles on the front
steps, the beautifully decorated rooms, and the annual trip to
Kevin’s garage. (I have heard the rest of the house is pretty too.)
Ada and Kevin arranged the Hearth Room very wisely; the
first table when entering the room was used as the gift table. On
its right was the wine and beer bar, and to the left the caterers
arranged the feast. The caterers were both professional and
friendly. Ada brightened up the Hearth Room with decorations
she had brought from home and I am pretty sure she was
responsible for the divine hors d’oeuvres too.
The Hearth Room came complete with a big screen TV
that was easily set up to run the slide show of nearly 700 photos
from the past year's events. I would like to thank everyone who
contributed to the show.
Everyone
was
on
time, save Kat and Charles
King—seems there was an
accident on I-29 that made
them a few minutes late.
The dinner was started on
time with plenty of good
food for all. The food critics
in the bunch praised the
brisket in particular.
After dinner Wes Mellies presented Dorothy Morris with a
birdhouse that he and Gary Lehnen had built, the roof was made
from the license plate of Morris’ 1960 Corvair that had been
involved in an accident earlier in 2012. (See story on page 5.)
The gift exchange and thievery followed. Beer, of course, was
given and stolen as usual; Travis Bolton chose a gift
containing a carton of Boulevard Smokestack Series
for serious beer lovers. It was quickly stolen; Travis
mentioned sadly that it was, “only the nicest gift
I’ve ever received,” which brought a raised eyebrow
from Marcia Bolton. Travis then opened a 12-pack
of Corona as a replacement. The Corona was stolen
later allowing Travis to re-steal his Boulevard. Steel
garage signs, chocolate peanut clusters, wine, Coke
collectables, tools, Corvair parts, and car detail kits
were just a few of the gifts that changed hands. This
year’s best gift: a motion-sensing, singing snowman
for the bathroom opened by Kathy Lankford. As
she removed it from its
box, it sang a few bars
of “Ho-Ho-Ho Who’s
Gotta Go?” Kathy knew
immediately that it would
never actually be seen in her bathroom.
The night passed quickly and soon
it was time to say our Merry Christmases
and wish each other Happy New Year. I
think everyone will agree, “A good time
was had by all.”
Page 2 January 2013
Social Calendar at a Glance
Co-Chairs Linda and John Mellies
Date
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday , February 12
Saturday, February 16
Event
Monthly HACOA meeting, Paul and Jack's, North Kansas City, MO
Monthly HACOA meeting, Paul and Jack's, North Kansas City, MO
Cold Tuna, Terry Kalp's Corvair Complex, Valley Center, KS
Your Event Here
July 16 -July 20 CORSA National Convention, Kalamazoo, Michigan
September 27-29 Great Plains Corvair Round Up, Wichita, KS
More photos on page 9.
January 2013
Corvair Alignment
Page 3
By Mike Dawson
Rear Alignment
Aligning a Corvair is like all the other mechanical procedures,
not that bad of a job if all the necessary parts come loose. Many
alignment shops will no longer
accept old cars for the reason
that torch work and new parts are
necessary in many cases. If you
have a Corvair with an original
front and rear suspension and
are contemplating alignment,
the following may provide some
useful information.
Camber at the rear of early model and FC vehicles is determined
by the springs and is not adjustable other than spring height.
All late model cars do have rear camber adjustments giving
you the ability to maximize tire life or improve high speed
handling as your driving style dictates. Again, toe determines
what rate the tire wear occurs and camber determines where it
will occur.
Positive caster in a Corvair helps steering wheel return on
corners and provides stability, which is helpful with the light
front end. Un-equal caster will make the car drift and be more
susceptible to side winds. Decreasing caster will make steering
easier but with the light front end that a Corvair has it is almost
insignificant; stability is more important. Caster does not affect
tire wear.
Front camber is adjusted by adding or removing shims from
the upper A-arm mount at the cross member. This requires
releasing the upper ball joint with impact tools and torch work
may be necessary to free up the two nuts and bolts where the
shims reside. Add or subtract the same number of shims under
both mounting bolts or you will change caster.
Toe is adjustable on the rear of all Corvair models and is set
as toe in. As noted above, the tires will attempt to toe out as
the car moves down the road bringing the actual alignment
during driving close to zero. This provides optimal tire life,
Alignment requirements are steering, and handling.
divided up according to early
Early Model Cars
model, late model, FC models
Caster
is
adjusted
by
means of the left and right struts, which
and then front and rear. Thanks to
Corvair vendors, all replacement are threaded and adjustable. Loosening the nuts may require
parts that might be required are torch work and that area is close to the gas tank. The struts
available. You must inspect and replace any defective steering themselves may have rusted badly in the middle of the sleeve
and suspension parts before doing an alignment and you need inside the bushings and require replacement since there will
to adjust front wheel bearings and inflate tires correctly. Keep be no threads to move the nuts onto. If you do need to replace
in mind that some parts may be working just fine but freeing up the struts, try to salvage the original nuts since the replacement
nuts being sold are jam nuts and difficult to work with. Also,
adjustment points may make them no longer serviceable.
early model cars have different left and right struts. Once the
struts are freed up or replaced, caster adjustment is quick.
Front Alignment
Positive camber is designed into the Corvair front end to keep the
maximum amount of tire contact with the pavement during wheel
travel. Unequal camber from side to side will cause steering pull,
but in general, camber does not cause tire wear; only where the
wear will occur on the tire tread area. For example, a significant
amount of negative camber (with perfect toe-in) will concentrate
all the normal wear on the inside if the tread area and this shows
up as premature wear even though toe-in is correct.
Toe-In, when set correctly, will provide maximum tire life and
best steering and handling characteristics. As the car moves down
the road the overall force applied to the various parts will cause
the tires to toe-out, hence the toe-in setting will become close to
zero under driving conditions. Toe adjustment is always the
last procedure done during alignment.
Setting front toe-in is accomplished by loosening up the four
clamps and turning the tie rod sleeves; torch work is almost
always necessary. If your tie rod ends and ball joints are good
and you use the torch correctly, the only parts you may need
are nuts and bolts. Be sure you set the toe in with the steering
wheel locked straight ahead and the steering box adjusted
correctly. If you do use a torch, grease the tie rod ends after
they have cooled.
Continued on page 4 see Corvair Alignment
Page 4 January 2013
If you actually need to change the camber and toe, loosen up
the smaller struts that attach between the trailing arm and the
Continued from page 3
transmission cross mount. Tighten them when you are finished
and the car is sitting normal. Be sure to use a new grade 8 nut
Setting rear toe-in is accomplished by adding or removing shims (or lug nut) on the camber adjusting bolt and torque correctly.
from the bolts that attach the cross mount to the transmission Rear toe in is accomplished by loosening the four bolts that
while allowing the rear motor mount stud to move in the slotted hold each trailing arm forward to the body and moving the
hole at the rear motor mount bracket. You are moving the drive slotted bracket within the index marks. This allows you to adjust
train either forward or backward which changes the angle of the toe independently on each side. Freeing up these bolts requires
axles—thus changing the toe.
care; the two lower bolt ends can be shot with penetrating oil
If a change is necessary, you will need to remove the four steel through two holes provided vertically but the upper two are
strips that hold the engine perimeter seals to the body so that the boxed in the body. Use of an impact wrench on low power
drive train can move. In addition, use of a floor jack is necessary and working back and forth is helpful in breaking them loose.
to take the strain off of the parts. If you move the drive train very I have had to use a torch (through the two holes mentioned
much you may need to adjust the accelerator linkage or clutch above) to get the two bottom bolts loose and in some cases
linkage.
it has been necessary to cut a window in the body under the
rear seat to heat up the upper two welded nuts and release the
FC Vehicles
bolts. Rear toe can change radically if the trailing arm bushing
Caster is adjusted by uneven shimming of the upper A-arm and moves in its shell; be sure to inspect it. Any alignment parts
will require removing the upper ball joint stud from the steering that have been replaced or freed up must be torqued to the
knuckle. Also, torch work may be required to free up the nuts required value—consult the shop manual.
and bolts holding the A-arm to the cross member.
Camber is adjusted by adding or removing shims from the Always recheck your numbers after you complete a test drive
upper A-arm mount to the cross member so you can adjust as components may shift or adjust slightly.
caster and camber at the same time if necessary. You will need to
release the upper ball joint stud and probably use a torch to free Next month: Tips, suggestions, and specifications
up the nuts and bolts. The 1961 Shop Manual has a good guide for home alignments or to pass on to your preferred
to determining what shims you may need. Again: removing or alignment shop.
adding the same number of shims front and back on one side will
change camber—removing or adding an uneven number front to
back will change caster.
Powerglide Tech Session Handouts
Corvair Alignment
Front toe-in adjustment is the same as early model cars.
Rear toe-in adjustment is the same as early model cars except
that you would not need to check clutch or accelerator linkage
if you change the rear toe.
Late Model Cars
Caster adjustment is identical to early model cars.
Camber adjustment in the front is accomplished by using the
cam action of the bolt which secures the lower control arm
bushing—much easier than shimming upper A-arms but in
order to free up the adjustment bolt you may need a torch and
an impact hammer. In some cases, the bushing and bolt may be
rusted so badly that they need replacement before adjustments
can be made. Once the parts are free, adjustment is quick.
Front toe-in adjustment is identical to early model cars.
Rear camber adjustment is made before rear toe-in is adjusted
and is accomplished by the cam action of the outer mounting
bolt for the rear strut rod. You may need to use a torch to free
up the nut and an air hammer to free up the bolt. In some cases
the adjusting bolt may need replacement (special bolt) and you
may need to replace the bushings (usually just the inner set).
:
Anyone who could not attend the December
session and would like a copy of the handouts can
email me and I will send them back to you.
Mike Dawson [email protected]
1964 - 2012
Celebrating
our
49
th Year
Oldest, continuously active
single marque Corvair Club.
Incorporated April 7 1964
January 2013
Page 5
Story and Photos by Wes and Kim Mellies
Chuck and Dorothy Morris' '60 was in sad shape
and totaled by his insurance. Photo by Dorothy
Morris.
Wes Mellies thought that
the crash was only skin
deep and a front clip graft
was all that was needed.
Wes and his skilled crew of
"rocket surgeons" went to
work installing and fitting
the replacement clip that
Wes got from Jerry Lentz.
With some pushing, pulling,
hammering, welding,
unwelding, rewelding,
grinding and filling, the
front clip took shape.
Sealed and
primed the
car is ready
for the next
step.
Worn out by a hard
days work and full
of hamburgers Gary
Wolfe takes a well
deserved nap.
Back in June, on the way home from Dawson’s
Working Tech Session, Chuck and Dorothy Morris’
1960 Corvair was involved in an accident. (See July
2012 VairCor in which Chuck says to install and use
seatbelts in your Corvair.) The front end was crumpled
badly and the insurance company totaled the car.
Chuck was allowed to buy the car back at a greatly
reduced price but, after months of thinking about it,
Chuck decided he didn’t really want to re-restore the
car. In stepped Wes Mellies. Wes, only having about
eight other Corvair projects going, decided the car was
worth saving. He and Chuck worked out a deal for the
car.
At the Holiday Party a handful of HACOA
members discussed getting together to fix the front
on the 1960. The following Saturday, three Garys—
Jones, Lehnen and Wolfe, Don Cory and Wes Mellies
got together at Wes’s place. In true HACOA style the
welled oiled crew spent the day bringing the ‘60 back
to life, getting dirty and having fun. Wes spent most
of the day welding. Panels were custom made to fit
and body parts were worked into their new home.
Scott Allison showed up later for a quality control
inspection, which it must have passed, judging by the
smile on his face. Kim Mellies made hamburgers for
lunch and no one went hungry. After lunch, the crew
finished up welding and even had time for a nap. The
workday brought the car a huge step toward being
back on the road. When finished Wes will christen the
car "Dorothy".
“Thank you to everyone who made it out to help. I
had a great time.” Wes
Page 6 January 2013
Story and Photos by Wes and Kim Mellies with contributions by Scott Allison
Once again, we had a great time with the Mystery Machine on the Plaza. Wes and Kim Mellies, Gary and Sharon Wolfe,
Gary and Bonnie Lehnen, Mike and Sandy Dawson, and Scott Allison met at Winsteads for dinner. When it came time to find a
place to position Scooby, the Plaza was more crowded than we expected so the Dawsons and Lehnens called it a night. After a few
laps, the rest of us found a great spot and it turned out to be a nice night for Scooby to appear. The club members that were there
made it a great night. We are really glad that the paint on the Mystery Machine could stand up to all the flashes that were going off;
Scooby has a lot of followers! We finally had to push Scooby back into the van so we could all head home. We want to thank everyone
that could attend dinner at Winsteads and the Plaza experience. Hopefully, we can do it again next year.
Club dues are still just $15, send money and any changes in your contact information to:
HACOA
16001 Oakland Ave
Belton, MO 64012
Please include your CORSA membership ID. It can be found on your Communique label, first number on the second line.
January 2013
Page 7
by Gary Moore
Mike Dawson continued his Tech Session Series, this one
focusing on PowerGlide transmissions. This one was also well attended
with 14 HACOA members, including Terry Kalp from Wichita and
Keith Hammett from Springfield and two visitors, Larry Sherwood
of Olathe and Michael Horman of Basehor. Larry and Michael own
recently purchased Corvairs.
Unlike the hands-on session with the differentials, this session was
purely informational. Mike started by going over the handouts he had
prepared. These handouts covered troubleshooting, and how to identify
the four different models of Corvair PowerGlide transmissions. After
the lecture, he turned our attention to a used, grease and dirt covered
PowerGlide. Mike knew nothing of the history of the transmission, so
as he disassembled it he inspected
each part with the group. He
showed the proper order to remove
parts so that the guts would not
fall out all at once, and small
parts were not overlooked or lost.
As he proceeded, he highlighted
certain things that were common
wear problems. The transmission
that looked so dirty on the
outside was surprisingly clean
on the inside. The only part that
needed immediate replacement
was a broken low servo piston
spring. Not bad for a 50-year-old
transmission that probably still
This is Mike's new 40-ton press.
had the original fluid in it.
After the session, while we waited for pizza, Mike demonstrated
(or showed off) his new 40-ton press. After the pizza arrived and
disappeared, several impromptu mini-sessions on a variety of Corvair
topics broke out
(reminiscent of after
meeting parking lot
sessions).
We would like
to thank Mike for
taking the time to
educate us all. This
is a big part of what
makes
HACOA
such a great club to
belong to.
Mike describes one method of telling an early model powerglide
from a late by the size of the hole on the shift lever.
Mike shows how to identify small differences in the valve bodies
for the different models.
The donor transmission was separated as-is, greasy and grimy from the
rest of the drive train. Mike did not know what was hidden inside.
Disassembled and cleaned the transmission
was laid out ready to be re-assembled.
Page 8 January 2013
CLARK’S
MORE THAN PARTS.
The Tool Crib
club tools for rent
Tool
Deposit
Rental Fee
Harmonic Balancer Puller
$3.00
$1.00
Ramps, Auto
$4.00
$1.00
Torque Wrenches:
1. ½” drive 20-150 ft/lb
$15.00
$2.00
2. 3/8” drive 100-1000 in/lb
$15.00
$2.00
Floor Jacks and Stands
$25.00
$3.50
Ring Groove Cleaner
$3.00
$1.00
Dwell-Tach Meter
$5.00
$1.00
Fan bearing and idler pulley
$5.00
$1.00
Hubs:
Rear Towing for LM Powerglide
$5.00
$1.00
Get control over your computer!
RAY CURTIS
Computer repair
Digial Imaging
Clark’s Corvair Parts®
400 Mohawk Trail,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
413-625-9776
FAX: 413-625-8498
Desktop and Laptop Repair
Network Installation
Hardware and Software Upgrades
Digital Photograph Repair
Video Tape to DVD conversions
Windows Linux
Mac
phone:816-868-9906 email:[email protected]
www.corvair.com
email: [email protected]
Greaser:
Contact: Ken Ragan
Ragan Enterprises
212 Warner Rd
Bonner Springs, KS 66012
913-422-5778
E-mail: [email protected]
SERVICES
Members list your
items for free at
WWW.HACOA.ORG
See more items for sale at
WWW.HACOA.ORG
For Sale: Reproduced end plates for the 12 plate oil cooler. These
are the two pieces of sheet metal that help keep all the hot air from
the oil cooler moving out the bottom instead of back in to the
engine compartment. Many are missing because folks could not
figure out how to install them or forgot them when they had the
cooler off. $10.00 each.
For sale: Internally regulated
63 amp Corvair Alternators
$85.00 Exchange price
Rebuilt Corvair starters
with solenoid $90.00
Exchange price
Professionally rebuilt Corvair clutch disc
on a welded center Borg & Beck core
with a thickness of .325”.
$45.00 exchange price with same core.
Mike Dawson
[email protected]
816 322-4057
C
L
A
S
S
Y
F
I
E
D
S
Fred's Classic Auto Radios & Clocks
7908 Gillette St. Lenexa, KS 66215-2515
913-599-2303
www.FredsClassicRadios.com
SALES & SERVICE
I buy:
1947 thru 1979 (no imports)
Radios-Clocks-Parts
Clock Movements Repaired
or Converted to Quartz
I sell:
Tubes
Speakers
Vibrators
NOS Parts
BENNETT PRO SOUND
DJ SERVICE
Experienced Disc Jockeys specializing in
Wedding Receptions, Class Reunions,
Company Parties, or any special occassion
MUSIC FOR ALL AGES
Cell: (816) 810-4300 Bus. Phone (816) 767-1960
Leave Message
•Corvair Crankshaft
•Corvair Cylinder Boring
Clay County
Rebuilders
816-454-0932
46 East 69 Hiway • Claycomo, Mo 64119
"IN BUSINESS SINCE 1966"
January 2013
By Don Barta
Page 9
For me it will be good to get back into the routine of club meetings and
activities in the new year. Our club ended the year with a wonderful Christmas
party hosted by Ada and Kevin Koch. The setting, food, drink, gift exchange, and
fellowship were outstanding. On behalf of our club, I want to thank the Kochs
for all they have done for our club ranging from the Christmas parties to quality
programs at our meetings.
As announced at our Christmas Party/Meeting the officers/board for the
2013 year are: Don Barta, President; Bill Bennett, Vice President; Mike Dawson,
Treasurer; Dorothy Morris, Secretary; Scott Allison, Wes Mellies, Mark Whitman
and Gary Wolfe, Board Members.
At the next meeting the club will decide whether or not we want to host
a Round Up in 2014 that coincides with the 50th Anniversary of our club. I’d
like to remind all members that your dues are due now. Please make a check out
to HACOA for $15.00, complete a membership form and give it to Mike Dawson at the next meeting. Membership in CORSA is
required to be a member of HACOA. If you have suggestions for a program or wish to present a program, contact Bill Bennett.
Finally, it is an honor to be the president of the club for a second year; 2013 will be a great year for our Corvair Family.
Happy Corvairing! Don
The Hearth Room at the Matt Ross Community Center
was an excellent place for our Holiday Party.
Winner of the 2009.75 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award
Heart of America Corvair Owners Association
16001 Oakland Ave.
Belton, MO 64012
Editors Gary and Helen Moore
VairCor is the official publication of the Heart of America Corvair Owners Association, the oldest incorporated, continuously active
single marquee Corvair club and Chapter 640 of the Corvair Society of America. The HACOA membership fee is $15.00 annually,
payable January 1. CORSA membership is required.
Heart of America Corvair Owners Association monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday of each
month at 7:30 pm at Paul and Jack’s Restaurant, 1808 Clay Street, North Kansas City, MO 64116. Social
time begins at 7:00.