Januaryhot! - HACOA Home

Meet our new Treasurer Cliff Carlino. He will collecting dues at the January meeting.
Kansas
City
Area
January
www.hacoa.org
Corvair Society
of
America
Volume 47 Issue 1
Editors Gary and Helen Moore
Happy HACOA Holiday Party
This year’s party was one of the best ever. The weather was
great, and a record setting forty-one members showed up ready to
party. It was a wonderful event starting with the many trays of Ada’s
delicious appetizers, followed by wine and several bottles of Kevin’s
homemade beer on ice. As guests came in, they found their place
cards and chose their seats in the dining room where Kevin had
arranged the tables so that all could see the opening of gifts more
easily. Missing from the event was Mike Dawson; a cold had caught
up with him and did not want to pass it on. Sandy was there, and
after the meal, we gave Mike a call and everyone wished him well.
Two Men and a Grill again catered the dinner. Karl Cozad
gave thanks for the meal, remembering those who are serving our
country in foreign lands. The ladies were served first and then the
gentlemen. The chicken was tasty and the steaks were hot and juicy.
Most agreed that it was perhaps the best meal Two Men and a Grill
had served up. After the great meal and conversation Kevin made the
announcement that the usual servers, his kids, were not there and the
most efficient way to clear the tables was for everyone to pitch in. He
was right, the tables were cleared in record time, and we were ready
for the gift exchange.
Well not quite, Don Wagner presented Helen and I with
2011
by Helen and Gary Moore
toy replicas of our two Rampsides in recognition of winning the
Newsletter award. We could not have been more surprised or pleased.
Don had spent many hours painting the toy trucks to match our real
trucks. Helen and I would like to thank him and everyone for being
so thoughtful.
The gift exchange started with Kat King, this year a new rule
went into effect, if the first person still had their gift at the end of the
night they could steal any unlocked gift. The rule proved unnecessary
as Kat’s gift contained Holiday Beer. She did not keep it long. Tools,
candles, beer, yard ornaments, and candies were exchanged and
stolen. The hit of the night came in a rather large box containing a
Mexican cowboy hat, a serape, maracas, a pint of tequila, a glass and
peanuts. Bill Bennett sat down very proud of his haul until Sheila
Rafferty stole the whole thing from him. Sheila proudly wore the hat
for only a few minutes, until Ada Koch stole the prized present for the
third time, locking it. The hat did fit Ada the best, and it must have
been a magic hat because everyone who put it on had the size of their
smile doubled.
The party brought joy and laughter to everyone attending.
Congratulations and Thanks to Kevin and Ada Koch. I know it has
been said before but a great time really was had by all.
Social Calendar at a Glance - Co-Chairs Don and Irmajean Barta
Tuesday January 11, 2011 (1/11/11): Monthly meeting, Paul and Jack’s, North Kansas City, MO.
Saturday January 22: Winter Tech Session at Mike and Sandy Dawson’s.
Tuesday February 8: Monthly meeting, Paul and Jack’s, North Kansas City, MO.
Saturday February 21: Cold Tuna, Wichita KS.
Weekend March 19-21: Corvair Performance Workshop, Indianapolis, IN.
Weekend April 15-17: Heart of Texas Reunion, Austin, TX.
July 26-30, 2011: CORSA National Convention, Denver, CO.
Weekend September 30- October 2, 2011: Great Plains Round Up, Excelsior Springs, MO.
Indoor Tech Session: January 22, 2011 (Snow Date January 29)
3:00 – Dinner To Follow
16001 Oakland Ave, Belton, MO
Nothing better to fight off winter blahs than a mid-winter
tech session complete with food, drink and great friends!
This gathering will consist of several consecutive minisessions, including a cut away torque converter. This will not
be a working tech session.
When feeding time arrives Sandy will provide two soups/
stews with tableware, soda and adult beverage. Please bring
something to compliment – veggies, chips, bread etc.
Spouses are encouraged to come.
Bring a chair to be comfortable.
RSVP to insure food and beverage supply.
Mike Dawson 816 322-4057, [email protected]
or at www. HACOA.org
Revamping My Rampy by Helen Moore
“We should have it in primer by the end of the week,” is a phrase I’ve learned to pretty much ignore, having heard it for the last four
weeks now. My ’61 Rampside has new metal, and no rust left anywhere, so it’s inching its way toward full primer. The doors fit and shut nicely
and they’ve even corrected a couple of factory defects in the sheet metal. They still have to get rid of whatever undercoating there is underneath
it and whatever’s hiding underneath that.
I figured the Thanksgiving deadline was too optimistic and doubted it would be ready by Christmas, but I hope they aren’t planning
to keep it until spring. The guys at the shop told me they won’t let me take it home if the roads are wet but surely there will be a few pretty
days before then. “I’m in no hurry,” is another phrase everyone should pretty much ignore.
For more pictures see our posts on the Corvair Center Forum. http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.php?1,354062,page=1
page 2
The Preventive Maintenance Series
Powerglide Drive Train Considerations
If you are going to pull the engine and drive train
from a Corvair Powerglide for whatever reason, the following
observations might be helpful depending on what you might
be contemplating. Generally speaking, replacement of all
seals and gaskets and inspection of bushings and bearings
might be desirable for 40+ year old units. However, if
you are just making swaps or repairing one thing, keep the
following in mind:
There is a difference between early (60-63) and late
(64-69) transmissions. There were upgrades done to the late
model to better accommodate the increased horsepower and
torque. The difference is easily identified by the difference in
the throttle valve lever. The early lever has a ½” accelerator
grommet hole and the late lever has a 5/8” accelerator
grommet hole. The complete transmissions interchange
with no modifications, but late is obviously better.
There is a difference between the early and late flex
plates (.070). The late style can be identified by an additional
small hole in the area of the mounting bolts. The flex plate
needs to match the crankshaft (gear) being used: 145 or 164.
Use the correct bolts to mount the flex plate – use of
flywheel bolts, which are longer, will break teeth on the cam
gear.
Adjust the low band: remove the lock nut, tighten
the bolt to 40 inch pounds, back off the bolt four full turns
and retighten the lock nut.
Replace the bushing in the converter, install a 1/8
pipe tap drain plug (before removing the engine is easiest)
to drain the converter, and dress up the stator shaft where
the bushing rides. Most stator shafts are worn and no new
ones are available, so a small fluid leak at that area can occur
even with a new bushing and seal. If possible, obtain a spare
stator shaft to check the clutches in the converter when it
is off the engine: insert the shaft in the converter and spin
it in both directions. There should be a difference in effort
required between clockwise and counter clockwise.
If you are making any changes to the differential/
transmission combination, you should check the running
clearance between the governor gear spacers and the end
of the planetary unit that protrudes from the transmission
case. Measure from the spacers to the differential face and
from the transmission face to the end of the planetary unit.
There must be between 0.025 and 0.045 difference between
the two measurements. Page 4-6 of the 1965 shop manual
illustrates what to do but they make it way too difficult. Just
follow the above instructions.
by Mike Dawson
To correctly install the
shifter cable, you must place
the selector in Drive, remove
upper and lower rods from the
transmission throttle valve lever
and rotate the lever fully counter
clockwise before inserting the
cable ball. When it is located
correctly the upper hole of the
throttle valve lever will be close
to the pan gasket line when you release it.
The shifter cable (throttle valve linkage) is adjustable.
This adjustment would be done with the transmission pan
removed and the cable hooked back up – a pictorial guide
is on page 7-32 of the 1965 shop manual. You do not need
the special tool, simply look at the illustration for the valve
relationship and then look in the end of the valve body where
they show inserting the tool. You will see the area where the
valve must have the proper location. Out of adjustment can
cause slow going into gear, flares on up shifts, and creeping
in neutral.
If the differential and transmission are separated,
you should check the differential pinion bearing adjusting
sleeve to make sure the pinion shaft has correct preload –
many are loose and will shorten differential life as well as
being noisy. If you cannot tighten the adjusting sleeve, it is
probably fine. If you can tighten it, you should remove the
cover and check the pinion gear for looseness on the shaft.
Finally you should re-adjust all the preloads.
If you are replacing the seal in the pinion bearing
adjusting sleeve, note that the lips face the transmission, not
the differential, and that it is only installed about half of its
depth into the sleeve. Pressing it in all the way will block oil
passage to the pinion bearing.
Be careful with the transmission pump shaft tip –
the opposite end which is in the transmission has two small
snap rings that locate the pump drive. Bumping the end of
the shaft can pop a snap ring off and you will have a no drive
situation when you finish the project.
Check the vacuum modulator for fluid in the vacuum
port and that the actual valve moves freely.
Check the governor teeth for wear and the outer
shell of the valve for wear. Use a small screwdriver to make
sure the valve moves inside the shell.
If you haven’t paid your dues, please do. Membership forms will be available at the January meeting.
page 3
January Members of the Month
Helen and I interviewed this month’s Members of the
Month, Chuck and Dorothy Morris at their home in rural Cass
County. The light was good so we started off with a quick photo
shoot in front of Chuck’s white, 1963 Monza Convertible with a
Continental kit and their green ’60 four door. This was followed by
a tour of the barn, which Chuck built. Chuck showed us the Zenith
601XL aircraft he is building from a kit. In his back lot he had his
parts car, engines and a lift under a carport. The weather was sunny
and nice for December but a bit nippy, so we continued the interview
indoors after lunch at a local diner. (Pat’s Diner rocks!)
Dorothy putting their son Gary into the ‘57 Austin_Healey’s
jumpseat while visiting the beautiful French countryside.
When we asked Chuck what sparked his interest in Corvairs
he told us it was the air-cooled engines. While he and Dorothy were
stationed in Germany, they purchased an Austin Healey and brought
it back with them. Gary, their oldest child, could fit in the jump
seat, but when Tricia was born in 1961, the Austin Healey had to
be replaced. They chose a 1961 Corvair Lakewood 735 (high end)
station wagon, partly because he was a trained airplane mechanic,
which gave him plenty of experience with air-cooled engines, and
partly because they liked the size and the sportiness of the car.
Dorothy said the Lakewood was her favorite Corvair because it was
new and they took the kids everywhere in it.
Chuck and Dorothy met in the summer of 1952, when
Chuck’s family moved to Rhinehart a small community near Metz,
MO. Its not on a map so don’t look. Chuck was a city boy, and in
school that fall he was a bit of a sensation. Most boys wore overalls or
dungarees and button down shirts but Chuck had a ducktail haircut
and wore tight pants, wide belts, and t-shirts with the sleeves rolled
up to show off his muscles acquired from working in the sod fields
By Gary and Helen Moore
that summer. He dated most of
the girls, even Dorothy’s best
friend, but when Dorothy came
along something clicked. After a
month they were steadies, and
after another month he proposed.
When his family moved back
to Kansas City they discussed
breaking up. Instead they stayed
in touch and saw each other
when they could. Dorothy, a
junior in high school, got a post
card from Chuck in November
of ‘54 telling her he was on his
way to Parks AFB in California.
Dorothy and Chuck 1955
He had enlisted in the Air Force.
He said he loved her and that the Air Force would train him for a
good job to support them in the future. She still has the post card, as
well as all of Chuck’s letters to her. They were engaged in February
1955. She was only 17, so she needed her parent’s permission to get
married. They would only agree if Dorothy finished high school.
They got married on June 28, 1955. After a month long honeymoon
Chuck left for Spangdahlem AFB in Germany.
After graduating in May, 1956 Dorothy rode a train to
New York, sailed on the SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever,
to Le Havre, France where Chuck met her on the dock. They lived
in Europe for two and half years. Their first apartment was a tworoom affair in an attic with a wood stove, no phone, no TV, and no
refrigerator. But it had running water; Dorothy had carried water
from the well back home so this was an improvement. They saved
their money and purchased the Austin Healey, and traveled in Italy
and Spain sleeping in pup tents. They really learned to depend on
each other during this time.
Their son Gary was born in Bitburg, Germany at the base
hospital in March 1958. A year later they returned to the USA and
purchased a 10 x 45 mobile home. Tricia was born in January 1960.
Chuck went through eight jobs in six months, finally landing a job as
a civil service technician at Richards-Gebaur AFB in Belton in 1961.
Chuck, Dorothy and the kids heading for North Carolina.
They no sooner moved their trailer than Chuck was recalled to
active service during the Berlin Crisis. He was assigned to the 442nd
Continental Air Command in Greenville, North Carolina. So he
loaded the family into the Lakewood and headed south. On the
trip down they stayed at a lodge and rented a cabin for $9. It was
page 4
late, it was cold, and the cabin’s heater was not working. Chuck told
Dorothy, who was three months pregnant with Cindy, to get in bed
with the kids while he fixed the heater. With the heater fixed he took
off his shoes, ran to the bed and dove under the covers. When he
landed the legs of the bed broke through the cabin’s floorboards. After
the initial scare they laughed, Chuck lifted the bed and found some
boards to cover the holes.
After returning to Kansas City they bought some land
outside the small community of Peculiar, MO. A friend allowed them
to park their trailer on his land while Chuck built their house. He
worked at Richards-Gebaur during the day and on the house in the
evening. After finishing the house they settled in. Through the years
Chuck was sent to hot spots around the globe by the military. He
finished his Airframe and Powerplant courses, went on to become a
flight engineer and finally got his pilot’s license in a Piper Tri-Pacer
aircraft that he restored himself. Dorothy had several jobs mostly in
insurance administration and mostly with Farmers Insurance Co.
Joseph. His third Corvair is a white, 1963 Monza Convertible with a
Continental kit that they bought in Arizona when they were visiting
Bob and Jean St. John. Bob told Chuck about the car so Chuck,
Dorothy and another friend drove over to have a look. Chuck said
he wouldn’t pay full price, he was going to negotiate a better deal.
While watching Chuck look at the car, Dorothy rolled her eyes and
told their friend, “It is really going to be hard to negotiate with that
much drool coming out of his mouth.” Chuck bought the car and
drives it to many club functions, though he does say the green ‘60 is
his favorite because it is so easy to drive. Recently he purchased a ‘64
convertible with factory air and is restoring it. He says he bought it
because Dorothy needed A/C.
Chuck is definitely a early model Corvair fan.
Chuck’s Piper Tri-Pacer
In 1981 all three of their kids married. Tricia in May, Cindy
in October and Gary in November. In December, Chuck accepted
a job with the FAA at their New York Headquarters. Cindy and her
husband Tim became house sitters while they went off on his new
career. In 1987, when they were transferred back to Kansas City, they
repossessed their home and did some remodeling, which included
central air and a dishwasher. They celebrated their 35th wedding
anniversary in 1990 with a trip back to Europe where they managed
to see all the apartments they had lived in and many of the places they
had visit during their first years of marriage.
Chuck retired from the FAA in 1994 and partnered with
Roy Rogers in M&R Aircraft Maintenance Consulting Company.
In 1995 he became involved with the Save the Connie project at the
downtown airport. He served as director of maintenance and was the
flight engineer during the restoration of the Lockheed Constellation
Airliner.
In 2005 they celebrated their 50th anniversary in Maui.
Chuck started a new aircraft project that year, a Zenith 601XL.
Instead of using the standard engine, he decided to use a Corvair
engine, and since he was using that engine, he figured he should also
drive a Corvair. So he bought his second Corvair, a 1962 that had
lived in a chicken coop for the past 20 years—it was not a keeper. He
joined HACOA to see if he could learn a little more before buying
his next Corvair. He found his current 1960 Corvair in April of 2007
and began its restoration. It was finished just in time to be featured at
the Corvair 50th Anniversary display that HACOA sponsored in St.
Chuck is currently serving on the HACOA board of
directors, and enjoyed being a concours judge at Cedar Rapids and
Tulsa this year. Dorothy doesn’t hold any offices, yet, but is very active
socially in the club. She, like most wives, was a little leery about
attending meetings at first, but it only took a few minutes to discover
that our club is just as much fun for the spouses, sometimes more.
She enjoys taking pictures of Corvair outings, and has helped out by
providing photos and write-ups of events for the VairCor.
When asked if he ever had a head-slap mechanical goof
on a Corvair, he said, “not that I can think of.” However, his worse
goof as a mechanic happened in 1955. When he was doing a hot
section inspection on an aircraft engine with two other technicians,
he pulled the pin from the motor mount and the engine fell pinching
off the end of his middle finger. He said to the others, “I cut off my
finger.” The tech in charge said, “Quit messing around and lets get
this done.” Chuck looked at the guy and said, “No, really,” and held
up his bloody hand as proof. The guy took one look and fainted.
Chuck still has the finger in a jar; the grandkids think it’s cool.
page 5
Racing Corvairs at the SCCA 2010 Solo Nationals
By Dick Berger
Not much gets written about Corvairs and “on track”
competition, so this may be a break from the norm. HACOA
members Charlie Clark and Dick Berger spent the week after Labor
Day in Lincoln, Nebraska, contesting the 38th annual SCCA Solo
National Championships. Driving one of only two Corvairs in the
entire 1176 driver event, both HACOA-ites were in Dick’s 1968
Monza convertible in the C-Prepared class, while the other Corvair
belonged to Harlan Colburn, a long time competitor from the
Denver area in a V-8, mid-engined “roadster” in the E-Modified class.
The Solo Nationals is an autocross competition that has
been going on for 38 years (hence the name above) and both Dick
and Charlie have competed in all 38 events, (something only six
other people besides them have accomplished). Charlie has won four
national titles, with one in D-Prepared, and three in a row from 1986
through 1988 in C-Prepared. Dick’s wife Suzanne won three in a
row from 1985 through 1987 in C-Prepared Ladies, and then Dick’s
daughter Liz won twice more in the ladies class, once in 1991 and
then again in 1995. In that 38 year time span, only one other Corvair
has ever won a national title, that belonging to Garwood Anderson
from (coincidence) Lincoln, Nebraska. The hard part of any winning
effort is that the competition is so tough, being V6 and V8 powered
Camaros, Mustangs, Firebirds, and Chrysler pony cars. While the
Corvair gets a weight break, it’s hard to overcome the horsepower of
the competition.
Charlie and Dick were supported by Dick’s wife Suzanne
and daughter Liz, both of whom were not driving (Suzanne retired
in 1987 after her last win, and Liz has been recovering from a torn
rotator cuff/work injury this year).
Dick’s car is a 1968 Monza convertible bought new by
former HACOA member Bill Cook back in 1968. It is an original
4-speed, heavy-duty suspension, quick steering, positraction, radiodelete convertible, bought to become a racecar. Bill drove it on the
street for a while, then put it in the garage to begin its next life as the
“racecar”. A couple years into the rebirth, a job change necessitated
a thorough garage “cleaning” and Bill sold it. Charlie got the drive
line while Dick got the body. While the type of racing that Bill Cook
intended for his car may never be known, its history as a racecar is
secure, at least as far as autocrossing goes.
Modifications to the car include a Charlie-designed three
link rear suspension, Weber two barrel carburetors (2), smaller fan
for less horsepower drag, giant front
swaybar, stiff short springs, numerous
fiberglass parts (hood and trunk), and
the necessary safety rollover protection. Removal of the convertible
top and mechanisms, along with 16 inch diameter, 10 inch wide
racing wheels and slick tires has relegated the car to garage/trailer
queen status. Over the years, the car has competed in six different
classes, depending on the modifications and the classing structure at
any given time.
Championship 2010 for Dick and Suzanne began with an
uneventful trip to Lincoln, without any side trips around the Nebraska
state prison. (Last year included more than one loop around the area,
from different directions). Socializing both Sunday and Monday
consumed most of the days and evenings, including a welcome party
at the Museum of American Speed – a place that is open to the public
and has cars, motors and all sorts of “speed” paraphernalia – we saw a
real Tucker, and my favorite, a “Shogun” which is a Ford Festiva with
a six cylinder Ford SHO motor with a bazillion horsepower mounted
in place of the rear seat. (Supposedly, this was an American answer to
the Renault “Le Car/R 5” that also was an ugly car with a giant motor
moved from the front to the back for “improved performance”).
Charlie arrived on Tuesday, and the real partying began.
Tuesday night featured the C P class party, the highlight of which is a
chrome plated margarita machine made from a garbage disposal and
polished stainless steel plumbing. Many tremendous margaritas were
consumed on this night.
Actual competition started on Thursday, and an early
afternoon rain shower dried out enough that rain tires weren’t
necessary, and probably hindered the finishing position of the
Corvair, as Charlie had brought brand new Goodyear rain tires for
just such inclement weather, and their use would certainly have
helped improve our times. Charlie (soundly) whipped Dick on
both days, with neither finishing last and Charlie getting a top 20
position, while Dick was a “top 30 something” out of the 40 + drivers
in the class. Dick’s car started every lap (without any help from the
“pushers” who lined up in case the car refused to start), and may even
get new spark plugs and distributor cap for next year. There just isn’t
anything as much fun as driving a Corvair, at speed, knowing that the
car is capable of more than (me) the driver can ask it for. I’m already
planning on championship number 39 next year….
page 6
The Short Trip to Casey’s
By Reid Miermaster
On the online forum, Corvair Center, Reid Miermaster posted the story of an unplanned cruise that he and Marina
enjoyed just before Christmas in their 1965 Monza. We thought it merited being reprinted in the VairCor.
It’s Saturday morning and we were out of cigarettes. Good time to stop smoking I hear some of you say. It’s about 35 outside and
overcast but there’s no immediate threat of rain or snow so it’s a great chance to take the Corvair out for some fresh air. Marina spots me getting
ready to head out and decides to join me.
After a quick stop at our mailbox we headed up the road to the local Casey’s. I changed my mind and
headed to the smoke shop uptown to save a few pennies. After accomplishing what we set out to do, we headed
over the railroad tracks and cruised up Main Street in Belton. We turned left and cruised past the cemetery
where Carrie Nation is buried.
Marina seemed in no hurry, so I headed down Y Hwy going south. At the intersection of YY, we took
a left and headed towards Peculiar. We stopped at the local Sonic to grab a bite and the server said she LOVED
our car. We considered heading east over the highway toward Chuck & Dorothy’ Morris’ place to go back
home, but decided we weren’t quite ready for the drive to be over yet.
So we headed west instead and jumped back on Y heading South. Eventually we ran into D (Holmes) at Cleveland and decided to
continue south rather than turning north toward home. At 2 Hwy, we decided to head east to Freeman to see the Bowling Ball Field. We never
fail to find something interesting when we’re out running around, but the Bowling Ball field is definitely one of the stranger ones.
At Freemen Marina suggested heading to Louisburg Cider
Mill to, “see what’s going on.” Maybe we’d find that last minute gift.
I doubted we’d really look for gifts, but I wasn’t in the mood to stop
driving, so we continued on into Kansas.
The Cider Mill was obviously crowded so I didn’t even slow
down. Marina just looked over and smiled and we continued on toward
Paola. It was about this time that I commented (again) on how incredible
the view is out of our Corvair, 360 degrees of glass and absolutely NO
blind spots. These cars truly were designed to be touring vehicles. We
both said how great it would be to spend some time in the mountains.
But on this day, even brown Kansas fields looked pretty nice through
the winter haze from within our warm glass bubble.
At the Paola roundabout, we decided to continue on west to Ottawa. With a
colorful downtown, Victorian era homes, and old rock churches Ottawa is always a blast.
From there we headed northeast on 59 Hwy and turned right on 56 Hwy toward Baldwin,
through Edgerton, and then on to Gardner where we stopped briefly to grab a soft drink.
Marina stayed in the car while I headed inside. Two men followed me in smiling and asked
if that was my car outside. When I said yes, one of the men (who looked a bit like Santa)
said he thought the car looked great but wouldn’t drive the car if he owned it. I told him,
“What’s the point of owning one if you’re not going to be out enjoying it?” When I got
back to the car, Marina was smiling. She had heard the two men trying to figure out what
kind of car it was before they went inside.
We started up the Corvair again and headed north on 7 Hwy towards Olathe.
We ended up on I-35 for a short time, but it didn’t fit well with our 55-60 mph preferred pace, so we exited and took 150 Hwy east toward
home. By the time we arrived back home, we had driven 130 miles in 4 hours to get a pack of smokes. Many times the next day we both
commented about how much we had enjoyed our drive.
We absolutely LOVE being out in our Corvair and can’t wait for the next “short trip” to the convenience store. We’ll be watching
for you the next time we’re out running around!
page 7
CLARK’S- MORE THAN PARTS.
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
Tool
I sell:
Tubes
Speakers
Vibrators
NOS Parts
Get control over your computer!
Clark’s Corvair Parts®
400 Mohawk Trail,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
413-625-9776 FAX: 413-625-8498
www.corvair.com
email: [email protected]
The Tool Crib
Fred's Classic Auto Radios & Clocks
RAY CURTIS
Computer repair
Digial Imaging
Desktop and Laptop Repair
Network Installation
Hardware and Software Upgrades
Photograph Repair
Video Tape to DVD conversions
Windows Linux
Mac
phone:816-868-9906 email:[email protected]
Deposit
Rental Fee
Harmonic Balancer Puller
$3.00
$1.00
Ramps, Auto
$4.00
$1.00
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
Lower Motor and Idler Pulley
$5.00
$1.00
Hubs:
Rear Towing for LM Powerglide
$5.00
$1.00
Torque Wrenches:
Greaser:
http://www.rafeecorvair.com
Rafee Corvair
2695 Bengal Rd.
Wister, OK 74966
918-753-2486
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
John and Linda Mellies’ Mystery Machine
Contact: Ken Ragan
Ragan Enterprises
212 Warner Rd
Bonner Springs, KS 66012
913-422-5778
E-mail: [email protected]
by Linda Mellies
Here are some photos of our Corvan “Mystery
Machine” inspired by the cartoon Scooby Doo. The whole
purpose of this van is as a parade vehicle. To stay “in theme,”
we are trying to keep everything blue, green, and black. We
are trying to give it a cartoon effect. The kids should love it
and it should be an attention-getter. We even have the dog to
ride in it!
The “Mystery Machine’s” progress, it is slow but steady. As you can see, the
front is finished. The dash is 80% finished. We have the rims painted blue to match
the van and the tires are installed. We will finish them out with baby moons. The
top is stripped; the holes are fixed, and ready for primer. At the end of January, the
front and back seat will go to a good friend of ours to be reupholstered in the same
theme colors.
Some of the upgrades to the “Mystery Machine” are driving lights and, you won’t believe this, power windows. NOT IN A
CORVAN!!! It also has triple colored gauges, an AM/FM/CD player, and a rosewood steering wheel. Also on the slate to be done, due to
John having to use a scooter, we are adding power door locks on the right hand side, and a subfloor with a built-in ramp. Special thanks to
Ken Ramigan for all his help on the project so far.
We hope to have it ready by the spring dust-off. It should be a crowd-pleaser!!
page 8
President’s Corner
by Scott Allison
Once again, we topped last year’s numbers by having the largest attendance at the
Annual HACOA Holiday Party. We had lots of great company, food, gift swapping, and
even a few surprises. The meal was again superb and the hosts and the accommodations were
delightful. Thank you Kevin and Ada for allowing us into your home again this year, it was a
treat. Don Wagner presented Gary and Helen with a couple of model Rampside toys, painted
to look like their trucks, as a thank you from the club for their many efforts with the newsletter
and the many other things we often ask of them.
I personally have a few Corvair projects planned between now and the next meeting
date, and hope to completely immerse myself in them during a well-needed vacation. There are
a lot of events already planned for next year and I want to make sure I’m ready when they arrive. For example: the Performance
Corvair Group is meeting in March, a Dust Off sometime in early spring, the Corvair Olympics in June, the CORSA National
Convention in July, and the Round Up in September/October to just name a few. The parade chair is already looking into next
year, along with the annual events that so many of us look forward to (Dawson Tune-Ups, the Auction, the Park, Thunder in the
Valley, and Wichita Tunas just to name a few). If there is a project that you need a nudge with, or something that you aren’t sure
you can tackle, there are members that you can turn to for assistance, so please don’t hesitate to ask.
If you have an idea for a social, something you would like to see the club begin doing, and/or would like to help out
with an event at the Round Up, please let anyone on the Board know. Please begin thinking now of what we would like to do
with the Auction proceeds this year, and if you have any program ideas for the meetings Kevin would enjoy hearing from you.
I hope that everyone had a nice Christmas Holiday and that a safe and happy New Year is on tap. I look forward to
seeing everyone at the meeting in January and then later in the month at the Dawson Winter Tech Session. I look forward to
what HACOA can accomplish and do for you in 2011.
Vairy best wishes, Scott
Communique Changes and CORSA Cruise Announcement
All, For some time now I have been talking about some of the challenges that CORSA is facing in
these changing times. Today I am announcing one of the changes the CORSA Board has made to help with
these issues. Starting in January of 2011 CORSA will publish (9) 32 page issues of the Communique. The
production schedule will be as follows: January-February, March, April, May, June, July-August, September,
October, November-December. This is an exciting and innovative approach to how we communicate in this
organization, and it will not only save CORSA a significant amount of money in 2011, but will present us with
the opportunity to include more content in each magazine.
In addition to the new production schedule, CORSA has a new Feature Editor. Terry Kalp has
stepped forward and volunteered to take on the position and will add a fresh, new perspective to the look and
feel of the Communique.
Also, the CORSA Board members, along with the website committee and other individuals are at this
time alpha testing the new website. The site looks and feels completely different than the old site and I know
you will be very happy with the end results. I am hoping that sometime in early 2011 we will be able to go live
with the new site. I will keep you posted.
It is with much excitement that I announce to you the first ever CORSA “C” Cruise. Daniel Lupton, long time member of Mid
Ohio Vair Force, Friends of Corvair and CORSA has provided Corvair enthusiasts with this great opportunity to enjoy a 7 night western
Caribbean Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s new cruise ship Allure of the Seas. Dan has reserved 30 cabins of various price levels to provide
the accommodations that suit you best. The ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and sails to several ports of call including Lebadee, (Royal
Caribbean’s private resort), Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica and Cozumel. The dates for the cruise are October 23rd thru the 30th 2011 and will
not only give you a different venue to spend time with friends but will also be a fundraiser for CORSA. Part of the proceeds from the cruise
will be paid back to CORSA by Royal Caribbean and provides a new way to help with CORSA’s budget expenditures. There are plans to hold
a Corvair Photo Concours on board the ship and there is so much more to do on board that you cannot see nor do it all in a week.
For more cruise information contact Daniel Lupton and Associates (800) 344-9283 - (740) 366-9670. There will also be a full page
ad in the January Communique and a registration form printed on the dust cover. Please feel free to distribute this information to all your
corvair friends and we hope to see you in October aboard the ship. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Jamie Reinhart CORSA President
page 9
Dorothy and Chuck Morris and their 1963 Monza convertible with the Continental kit.
Winner of the 2010 Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award
Heart of America Corvair Owners Association
16001 Oakland Ave.
Belton, MO 64012
Corvair Club of Cincinnati
678 East Rahn Rd
Dayton, OH 45429
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.