SFBA Holiday Dinner - Saturday. Dec 9 th, 7:00 PM at Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too! in Dublin, CA. An Early Corvair Prototype? WEB

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1 The Official Publication of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Corvair Society of America --- Chapter 947 Dedicated to the enjoyment, history and preservation of the Chevrolet Corvair produced from 1960 through This unique, rear-engined, air-cooled automobile WEB grabs as much attention today as it did 50 years ago! VOLUME 292 DECEMBER 2017 Look for us on the Web! Letter From the Editor 3. How I Got Into Corvairs 3. Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule Tech Session 6.. Dean s Engine Project 7.. SFBA Holiday Dinner Map and Directions 8.. Car Talk - International Auto Show 11. Corvair Classifieds An Early Corvair Prototype? SFBA Holiday Dinner - Saturday Dec 9 th, 7:00 PM at Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too! in Dublin, CA SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 1

2 Letter From the Editor I hope you were able to attend our last meeting. The first Tech Session of the year. A little later than usual but better late than never. It was an overcast day with a. small bit of very light rain in the morning giving way to clearer skies in the afternoon. Five people showed up which was a smaller number than usual so there was plenty of coffee and donuts to go around. The first 30 to 40 minutes was spent talking cars and looking over the Corvair bumpers I brought on behalf of Marlene. Turns out these are all late model bumpers (1 front and 3 rear). I thought there was an early model bumper in there but I was wrong. One of the rear bumpers does have the bumper guards, which are not easy to find. There were no takers this day. Current SFBA Corsa Officers President Joshua Deitcher, 375 Harris Ave, Rodeo CA (510) Vice-President Harry Kypreos, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA HKypreos@epicor.com Secretary Treasurer Clark Calkins, 1907 Alvarado Ave., Walnut Creek, CA (925) CaCalkins@astound.net Paul Lacey, Blackberry Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA (408) pdmlacey@gmail.com When I stopped by Marlene s place to get the bumpers, I also looked over a bunch of chrome pieces she had but they didn t appear (to me at least) to be for Corvairs. They were too long. Possibly Hudson stuff. She also had a few Corvair books with any proceeds going to the Club. Seth bought one for $5. Thanks Marlene! See page 5 for a more detailed account of the Tech Session. Membership Library Newsletter Committees Harry Kypreos (address above) Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA (510) Clark Calkins (address above) I received a call from Mark Olsen (Dean s son) saying that he had a Corvair engine on a stand that he wanted to get rid of. He didn t know much about it. I assumed that Dean was in the process of rebuilding it (likely a 140) but who knows what shape it was in. Josh also spoke with Mark and arranged to go pick up the engine. See page 6 for his account and pictures. As mentioned last month Josh is planning on setting up some informal Corvair Bay Vairea Get Together events where those that are interested can show up and talk about Corvairs and cars in general over a cup of coffee. He has scheduled the first one for January 28th of next year, 8 AM at Aracely Café on Treasure Island. This Editor At Large Tony Richards Advertising Internet Web Paul Lacey (address above) CaCalkins@astound.net should be a lot of fun. See the flyer on page 3. And of course drive your Corvair! I was hoping to receive my copy of the new Original Parts Group (see Letter... on page 10) On The Cover: While bearing a striking resemblance to the late model Corvair rear end, this is actually a 1950 Rover. A gas turbine-powered racing car. Image borrowed from from the September 2017 issue of Engine Technology International. The Spyder Web is published twelve times a year by SFBA Corsa, Chapter 947 of the Corvair Society Of America (CORSA). The group meets monthly on the first Thursday at 7:00 PM at Black Bear Diner on Sycamore Valley Rd in Danville except for special occasions. Membership costs $25/yr (membership in CORSA, $38/yr, is encouraged). An associate membership (newsletter only) is avialable for $15/yr. Memberships begin on January 1 of each year (first year is prorated). Advertising space in the Spyder Web is available for $50/yr (1/4 page), $75/yr (1/2 page), and $100/yr (full page). Business card size ads are $25/yr but do not include a subscription to the newsletter. All material should be sent to the editor (address above) or ed to CaCalkins@astound.net. Material must be received at least two weeks prior to the next meeting date. USE OF MATERIAL: Written permission from the Editor is required for all original material for any use other than reprinting in a Chartered CORSA Chapter newsletter. Permission must be sought in advance for material reprinted herein. page 2 SFBA Corsa -December 2017

3 How I Got Into Corvairs - Josh Deitcher I have always had an affinity for misfit cars. Orphans, oddballs, forgotten makes and models have always piqued my interest. I would go to car shows and see the usual suspects of deuces, tri fives, Mustangs, Camaro s and Chargers ad nauseam. Nothing wrong with these cars and their preservation is just as important as any other. But what about the Rambler American? What about the Studebaker Hawk? What about the Mercury Comet? Most importantly... What about the Chevrolet Corvair?!!!!! I, like you, had heard all the stories. They re dangerous. They ll flip over. They ll catch on fire. They were banned!!! More than scare me away, this made me curious about them. My first brush of almost getting a Corvair happened was when I lived in Monterey about 15 years ago. I found one on Craigslist in Moro Bay. The price was right and it was a red 64 Monza convertible. When I got down there, I found that the red was covering a substantial amount of rust. So, I passed. bug bit me again. This time for a different reason. My young son had just been diagnosed with autism. One of the things with autism is sensory sensitivity. I thought that getting a convertible to cruise around with him in would comfort him and make him happy. Selfishly, it would make me happy too! I had just about landed a 65 Rambler American convertible when the seller got cold feet and backed out. The very next day, a 64 Corvair Silver Blue convertible came up for sale in Napa, about 5 miles from where I work. I called the seller and took an early lunch to look at the car. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it. He showed me a binder of the cars history including receipts for all of the items replaced and upgraded. I paid him the asking price and drove it home on its cracked bias ply tires. Since owning the car, I have been privileged to become a part of the Corvair community. I believe that the people that own these cars are just as special as the cars themselves. I have made a number of great friends and traveled all over in my Corvair. The support of Corvair people is unmatched in the hobby, in my opinion. It has been a great ride that I hope continues for many years to come. Fast forward about ten years later. I was at the Rodeo wrecking yard looking at an International Scout. The Scout wasn t quite what I was looking for. See, I am picky and cheap which makes for a lousy buyer. The fella that ran the yard told me, Wait! Before you go, have a look at this Corvair. I was going to rebuild it for my granddaughter, but her mom says no, so it s for sale. It was a black 64 convertible. The car was right, but the time was wrong, so I passed. I couldn t stop thinking about that car and started researching Corvairs and joined the Corvair Forum and Corvair Center Phorum, even though I didn t have one and knew very little. About two years later, the convertible Treasurers Report November 2017 Paul Lacey Checking Acct. Cash/Checks Beginning Balance $ $00.00 Income Book sale 5.00 Expenses Newsletters (Oct,Nov) ($101.79)(*) Tech Session BBQ ($41.96)(*) Ending Balance $ $00.00 (*) Expenses have not been turned in. Bank balance still shows $ SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 3

4 Coming Events Dec 9 th Jan 4 th 2018 Jan 28 th 2018 SFBA Holiday Dinner, Frankie, Johnnie, & Luigi Too!, Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA Regular SFBA meeting, Black Bear Diner, 807 Camino Ramon, Danville,CA Bay Vairea Get Together, 8:00 AM Aracely Cafe, Treasure Island,CA. Come on out, grab a cup of coffee, share Corvair stories and stay for the Flea Market. SFBA CORSA Meeting Schedule 2017 Thursday Jan 5, 7:00 PM Thursday Feb 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Mar 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Apr 6, 7:00 PM Thursday May 4, 7:00 PM Thursday Jun 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Jul 6, 7:00 PM Saturday Aug 5, 12:00PM Thursday Sept 7, 7:00 PM Thursday Oct 5, 7:00 PM SFBA/Valley Club Picnic at Quarry Lakes Park, Fremont, CA Saturday Nov 4, 10:00 AM Tech Session, Harry s house, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA Saturday Dec 9, 7:00 PM SFBA Holiday Dinner, Frankie, Johnnie, & Luigi Too! Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA page 4 SFBA Corsa -December 2017

5 2017 Tech Session The main theme for this Tech Session was to help Harry with a steering issue on his 62 coupe. There was LOTS of play in the steering wheel. It looks like the Pitman Arm bushing had lost most of the rubber! So the task was to replace the bushing. I have to confess that I forgot my camera so there are no pictures. My bad! Seth conducted the demo and even brought some spare steering linkage parts so we could easily see where the Pitman Arm bushing was what would be required to replace it. On the work bench Seth demo d using a Pickle Fork to separate the tapered bolt from the linkage. This takes a little persuasion but does come apart. The Pitman Arm bushing has a steel sleeve which is pressed in place. To remove this, Seth used a piece of steel turned to match the outside diameter of the sleeve and a press (which looked like a large C clamp). While this can be done with the linkage still on the car, it s a lot easier if the linkage is removed and Seth showed what bolts to undo (and which ones to not touch so the alignment stays the same). It actually looked quite simple. Clark s sells replacement Pitman Arm bushings of two types, either with a rubber or hard plastic insert. Seth said the rubber bushing was probably best for regular driving as it gives some cushion for bumpy roads. The hard plastic insert is available separately allowing you to replace just the insert when the bolt and sleeve are still good. A real time saver if you don t mind a slightly harsher riding car. When Harry s car was raised on jack stands, we could crawl under and see that the Pitman Arm bushing was completely void of any rubber. We actually found bits and pieces of the rubber under the car that must have fallen when it was raised. No wonder Harry thought the steering was loose. You could turn the steering wheel at least ½ turn in either direction without moving the tires! Of course this is after all of the rubber fell out. Before it wouldn t be quite this bad but still very loose. Under the car Seth separated the Pitman Arm bolt from the linkage using the Pickle Fork as in the demo. More than usual amount of persuasion was required because this hasn t been separated in 55 years. When the bolt was removed it was found to be in good shape (not corroded and the threads were good) meaning, in this case if we wanted we could just replace the insert. In the interest of time (and being less work) this is just what we did. A new hard plastic insert was installed and the bolt was replaced and tightened. Ideally a new cotter pin would be installed. But in this case there wasn t one handy so the old cotter pin was reused. Harry would replace it the next time he is at the hardware store. With the new Pitman Arm bushing installed, there was NO play in the steering wheel. A big difference. Harry test drove the car and was delighted with the results. Afterwards he said I can definitely see now that I need to have my front end aligned. With my steering so loose it was hard to tell what was going on. Now that it is tight it handles much better but as I said it definitely needs an alignment as I can now tell that it veers toward the left. After we got everything buttoned up (around noon or a little after) we went out back for a BBQ. Seth and Roger had to leave (prior commitments), but three of us remained for lunch. We had Costco hamburgers and Caspers hot dogs. There were chips and Harry provided water and sodas. Just for the record, Harry had some copper mesh sheets (an as seen on TV item ), which made grilling the burgers real easy. I have to remember this for our Annual Picnic as the grills at Quarry Lakes Park have a wide spacing making it hard to flip burgers as the patties can slip through the cracks! These copper mesh sheets would be perfect! I wish to thank Harry for letting us have a Tech Session at his house and especially thank Seth for setting up the demo and doing most of the work (not to mention driving 40 to 50 miles to get here). It was very helpful to see the steering linkage on the bench and how it went together. And we all learned something (that s what Tech Session are about). I think the next time one of us has a steering issue, we will think twice before just taking the car to a mechanic. We will thing back on this demo and say to ourselves maybe I can fix this. Possibly saving $200 to $300 to boot. Summing up, Harry ed me Clark, the car drives so much better now that you and Seth replaced the drag link pin bushing (if that is what it is called). I meant to send you both a note thanking you not only for the lesson, I now know how to replace the bushing sleeve and for that matter have a better understanding how the steering mechanics work and I believe the others in attendance have a better understanding as well. So thank you both again for the training and the work you did on my car. SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 5

6 Dean s Engine Project -Josh Deitcher Glad to hear the tech session went well and that Harry's car is handling better. I bet he is over the moon! Bummed that I missed it. I am currently taking a HVAC certification course, and every Saturday for the last month to the end of this month are our "skills" days. Kind of a four hour tech session every Saturday, so to speak. So, after the class, I shot down to Fremont to grab the engine. Mark's brother was at the storage facility to meet me and let me in. They both couldn't have been nicer guys. If I lived closer, I would have asked to rent a shed from them. Anyway, about the engine. It appears that it was in the process of a teardown. No heads or carbs. Three of the pistons are shot. One of them even had the dreaded "happy face" stamped into it. Other than that, it appears to be somewhat complete. When I got it home, I checked the engine stamp and found that it is a 65/ turbo engine case. The strange thing about this is that the engine has a torque converter on it. I assumed it was a 110 or 140 PG when I picked it up. Surprise! I called Chris Rogers to let him know I picked it up. He mentioned to me that Dean and another guy in the club were LM guys and used to run real hot PG engines in their cars. Dean's sons really had no knowledge about this engine or Corvair engines, in general. They told me it was the last one he was working on and they just didn't want to throw it out. They also gave me a couple of two ton floor jacks. They are older, but work real well and have large surface area. Perfect size for cradling an engine or transaxle. Chris' jack gave out on him so he gets one. I would like to give the other one to someone in the club that could use one and maybe is limited on funds. Maybe even someone new to the hobby. As far as the engine goes, I'm not sure how to move forward. It's got some usable parts and a great engine core. I would venture to guess that the crank and cam are in excellent shape. I am not opposed to tearing it down and holding the parts for members that may need them. I am also not opposed to selling off the parts and giving the proceeds to the club. Or, just rebuilding the engine and having a Corsa Turbo ready to go. (This option seems the most expensive and labor intensive. Ha ha!) Good topic for a future meeting. Definately a work-in-progress! Is this what happens when drop a valve seat? page 6 SFBA Corsa -December 2017

7 SFBA Holiday Dinner 12/9/17 7:00 PM - Map and Directions Directions From San Jose: Take Hwy 680 North to Hwy 580, go West on 580. Take first off ramp (San Ramon Rd). Go North one block. Turn left on Dublin Blvd. Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too! is on your left next to the Shell station (you will have to go one block and turn around as there is no left turn into the restaurant). From Hayward: Take Hwy 580 East and exit on San Ramon Rd (or Foothill). Go left (North) to Dublin Blvd. Follow directions above. From Stockton: Same as above but head West on 580. From Walnut Creek: Take Hwy 680 South to Hwy 580, go West on 580. Now follow From San Jose directions... Frankie, Johnnie, & Luigi Too!, Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA (925) SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 7

8 Car Talk - International Auto Show Tony Richards On Thanksgiving Day I followed one of my traditions and went to the International Auto Show at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Out front there were numerous cars of different makes available for a test drive. A car salesman offered me a test drive in a new Jaguar. I politely declined and went inside. I made a beeline straight for the Chevy display. After sitting in various Chevies, I determined that the only one for me would be the new Impala, for comfort and price point of $40,000. I had trouble fitting into most Chevies and usually my knees got stuck under the steering column. The one model I was most shocked by was the big Suburban (fully loaded) for $80,000. Too much money. I also checked out the Buick lineup. I guess they discontinued the Lucerne, as the biggest Buick sedan was the Lacrosse. They also had a smaller Regal on display. I searched all over for the Cadillac display, but this year there were no Cadillacs. Go figure. I checked out most other domestic makes, including Ford. I didn't waste my time with any imported cars but rather spent my time looking at the extensive collector car exhibit from the Academy of Art. The Academy owns quite a collection that usually can be seen in a former auto showroom on Van Ness Avenue in The City. After a couple of hours I was tired and it was time to leave. It's always fun to look at the new cars, but for now, I will keep driving the cars I already have. This is the new Chevy Impala. It was fully loaded and roomy. The only passenger car I could find I was comfortable in. About $40,000. A sporty Camero for $32,000 This seemed like a bargin. Style plus fuel economy with its 4 cylinder engine and good looks. Chevy Traverse for $54,000. About average for a mid-size SUV. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was equivalent. The big Chevy Suburban was close to $80,000! page 8 SFBA Corsa -December 2017

9 Car Talk - continued Chevy VOLT hybred. $40,000 and I could not fit inside. For the same price I would rather have the Impala. New Coevette convertible with red leather seats was $66,500. Seemed like a good value. Red leather seats in the Corvette. The retro center console is cool. The all-electric Chevy BOLT. $42,500, shocking. Buick Cascada, the somewhat frumpy yet sporty convertible from Buick. Four bucket seats. $38,000. Buick Encalve. A premium version of the Chevy Traverse, but for a few dollars more. $60,000. SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 9

10 Letter... Corvair catalog so I could report on what they would have available. But alas it s still listed as coming soon. Maybe next month. Josh also reported that there is a guy in Sonoma that is giving away a FREE 1966 Corsa Turbo body. The car is titled but hasn t been registered since The owner is going to scrap it if he can t give it away by the end of December. No engine, seats or dash cluster, but straight body. He mentioned that it had Koni shocks and upgraded suspension put in at one point. It does appear to have the diff and transmission. I will send over some pictures. The interested party would have to go out with a trailer and load it themselves, but it shouldn t be too difficult to load. I get the feeling he wants it to go to a Corvair person. Contact Josh if you are interested. On the cover this month I have a picture of a Rover (because it kind of looks like a Corvair). Built in 1950 the Rover- BRM was a prototype gas turbine-powered racing car, jointly developed by the British companies Rover and British Racing Motors (BRM). Development continued into the 1960s and early 1970s. At the same time Chrysler and General Motors were also working on gas-turbine powered cars. This came from an interesting article Caught In A Spin from the September 2017 issue of Engine Technology International. In this same issue there is also an article Mystery Machine detailing the development of the Electrovair, an electric 1964 Corvair using a Ag-Zn battery, and the Electrovan, a Hydrogen Fuel- Cell powered GM Handivan. Remember there is no meeting next month. Our Holiday Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, December 9th, at Frankie, Johnnie, & Luigi Too! in Dublin (see page 7 for map & directions). This is a very nice Italian restaurant we have eaten at several times before. Bring your whole family and enjoy the food and fun. If you are planning on coming, shoot me an as I want to bring them an approximate head count a few days before. Oh, and the rumor is there will be cake for dessert! For our January meeting will be back at Black Bear Diner in Danville on our usual Thursday night (Jan 4th). Classifieds... Bill Thomas 4 carb heads (1 pr), angle port exhaust, all new parts $ R+L Rear Control Arms (1 pr) w/rebuilt axle bearings w/backing plate. $300 both. All New Engine parts from crank to heads for a 145 cu motor $650. Late 110 Rebuilt Motor, TRW STO pistons, long block no carbs, dist, alt $800. page 10 SFBA Corsa -December 2017

11 Corvair Classifieds CORVAIRS FOR SALE '63 Corvair Monza Cvrt ( 62 Interior/ Trim, 64 Suspension). New '65 140, 4 carb Engine. New battery, custom exhaust, and Alternator. New powder coated cvrt top w/ canvas, disk brakes w/ new master cylinder. New Paint, 15" wheels, new trans and front/rear suspension. Still needs: lt/rt fender scratches, cvrt top trim/clips/seals, fuzzies, emblems, other minor issues ( for more info). Less than 500 miles on it since restore. Needs TLC. Contact Chuck & Sherry Jensen at sherry.jensen@att.net (9/17) 63 Monza convertible. PG/140hp engine. Minimal rust. Needs full restoration. $2,500/bo (415) (05/17) 65 Corsa Coupe. Turbo body with 140 motor. Original black paint, dropped valve seat, new seats & carpet, suspension upgrades. Asking $1450. Red Bluff area. Call Skip Polacchi (530) (04/17) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE Bumpers, Marlene has these bumpers for sale. Three Late model rears (one has bumper guards) and one front. Asking $50/each or $75 a pair OBO. Contact Marlene at (925) Danville area (09/17) CORVAIR PARTS WANTED 140 NOS GM Exhaust valves. Part # Need 1 or more.contact Ed Connolly (650) ( edconnolly@ earthlink.net) (10/17) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE Skip Polacchi has the following parts for sale. Parts are located in Red Bluff & Santa Rosa. Best to call evenings (530) Besides these listed parts Skip also has many more engine parts, heads, cams, cranks, posi, turbo. All new or rebuilt. F/C Turned brake drums (2) - $20 F/C Front door NOS L&R lock latch - $30 Corsa Communiqués + Quarterlies, $ Rear Air Grill (NOS) $ Read Air Grill, very good. $ Rear Axles with good bearings. $55 each 1964 Turbo Carb Kit, NOS major kit. $65 Early Bumper Guards, Reconditioned 4 complete sets. $180 per set Early Bumper Guards, used - very good, 4 complete sets. $100-$120 per set. (see Classifieds... page 10) SFBA Corsa -December 2017 page 11

12 SFBA CORSA 1907 Alvarado Ave Walnut Creek, CA FIRST CLASS To: Corvairs Bought & Sold - Always in Stock! page 12 SFBA Corsa -December 2017