In this issue: Steering Column Tech Session - by Dean Zawacki A Word From the President AND MORE!

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1 Spring is here is your Corvair ready? Robert Graefe does some grinding on John McPherson s 1964 Convertible during a recent tech session. It s time to get your car out and get it in shape for the 2016 show and driving season! In this issue: Steering Column Tech Session - by Dean Zawacki A Word From the President AND MORE!

2 PAGE 2 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Officers for 2016 President: Keith Klemm (240) kjklemm@hotmail.com Vice President: Steve Lepkowski (757) stevelski@cox.net Activities Chairman: Ed Hlusko (757) ehlusko@yahoo.com Secretary/Treasurer: Anne Davis (757) annie-bo@cox.net Newsletter Editor: Dean Zawacki (757) deanage5@hotmail.com Historian: Smitty Smith (757) vairologist@cox.net Phone Committee: Helen Smith Barbara Gilliland CORSA/CPF Board President Ken Hand Vice President Mike Hall Secretary Bryan Blackwell Treasurer Paul Sergeant Eastern Division Directors Bryan Blackwell bryan@skiblack.com Dean F. Gemberling pro@ihscomputers.com Karl Haaakon cityhawk@pobox.com John Nickel fivcent@tds.net Activities Schedule March 19 th Tech Session Fuel Pump Rebuild; 2901 Cardo Pl., VA Bch. 9am. Bring your old pump to refurbish. March 22 nd - Club Social Rib City, 4688 Princess Anne Rd., Virginia Beach, 6:30 pm. (757) April 12 th - TCC Business Meeting 7:00pm at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk. Refreshments Scott Cartine All Members - Please make sure you pay your Dues If you have not yet paid - please send a $12.00 check, payable to TCC, to Anne 4220 Lindberg Place, Virginia Beach, VA We want to recognize everyone's birthday! Please us and let us know your day of celebration. Penny Chance Winners: We Need Your Articles! Publication Notice: To be a full member of The Tidewater Corvair Club (TCC), you must be a member in good standing of the Corvair Society of America (CORSA). Annual dues are $12.00 for TCC and $45.00 for CORSA. Due to insurance requirements, only paid member may participate in Club Events. The Spyder s Breath Gazette is a monthly publication, published and distributed by TCC, Inc. This publication is available for a donation of $10.00 annually. The Spyder s Breath Gazette reserves all rights with the following exceptions: Any material may be reproduced or reprinted by CORSA or any CORSA Chapter only for nonprofit purposes that benefit Corvair Enthusiasts. Any such reproduction must credit both the author and the Spyder s Breath Gazette. Rights for any other use must be requested in writing from The Tidewater Corvair Club. Correspondence should be sent to: Tidewater Corvair Club, Inc. Corvair Society of America 2901 Cardo Place P.O. Box 607 Virginia Beach, VA Lemont, IL

3 PAGE 3 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE suffered serious wear, and that the splines that mated the adapter to the column were worn away to the point that the car was no longer safe to drive. The corresponding fitting in the donor column was not compatible with the aftermarket wood wheel, so the stock wheel from the replacement column would have to be used. TCC President Keith Klemm installs a new steering column bearing in Scott Cartine s 1965 Monza. Steering Column Tech Session by Dean Zawacki Scott Cartine absolutely loves the 1965 convertible he purchased from Steve Thomas. It s a beauty; when Steve was a member of the club, he would give us updates on the restoration and brought it out to several shows over the years, including the 2011 Vair Fair and the Wings and Wheels show out at the Pungo Military Aviation Museum. But the car had developed a few issues, and one of the most serious was a loose steering wheel. Steve had installed an aftermarket wooden wheel, and while it certainly complimented the dark green paint with the saddle tan interior, the steering was becoming a safety issue. A tech session was set up for February 20 at Auto Brake to address the problem. Smitty had obtained a replacement 1965 steering column for Scott, which would provide replacement parts for the ones that had worn out in Scott s car. After the wheel was removed, it was discovered that the aluminum adapter had This is the bearing that was removed from Scott s steering column. One or two of the ball bearings were missing, causing additional issues. It was also necessary to replace the bearing. One or more of the balls were missing from the bearing race. A good replacement was obtained from the donor column and installed in the Scott s car. After reinstalling the wheel and testing it out, Scott was extremely pleased with the improvement. There was some difficulty in getting the horn to work, but the car s steering was once again responsive. Scott has since been able to obtain a replacement adapter so that he can once again use the wood wheel. He is continuing to restore the stock wheel as an optional replacement.

4 PAGE 4 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE This just goes to illustrate that even systems we have recently looked into are not immune to issues. My recommendation to all... including myself, is to get out in the garage and start, if possible drive, your car once a week. This will enable the heat cycles in the engine and transmission as well as the oil to circulate. The Car Show/Parade/Summer Driving Season is almost upon us! Time to get your Corvair out and show it off! A Word From the President by Keith Klemm Hope all are doing well and are starting to get spring fever. We have had a good peek at spring with the recent weather and events are already on the horizon; Safety Inspection; Landstown starts back 9 April; Vair Fair; Pungo Strawberry Festival; and the CORSA Convention. We are getting back into the car season and need to be ready. The Safety Inspection is a great event to get a hard look at your Corvair to see what she might need. It doesn't take long for a car to develop issues when she isn't used. The longer they sit the more they age. Smitty brought up his Spyder and how he had recently run though the entire brake system. Only a few short months of setting, in a nice garage, and the brakes were acting up. He found a few wheel cylinders that were frozen solid. Even if you can't drive your Corvair you can still cycle the brakes either standing still or gently moving her back and forth. Kick on your heater, wipers, lights, reverse lights, and blinkers. Keeping the electrical contacts in use will insure their cleanliness and performance when you need them. When was the last time you cycled the windshield squirter? The rubber diaphragm in the pump is very fragile and if not used will harden up to a useless piece of junk. I say all this because I can't wait to see the Vairs on the road again. There is a special feeling about driving them around and especially when we can get a few caravanning together. If we take the time to encourage each other to drive and use our Corvairs it will increase the enjoyment we all get out of the Corvair hobby. It is one of those things: the more you enjoy it... the more you enjoy it. We all have the ability to increase each other s enjoyment with the car we all love. Get out there and DRIVE! March Birthdays Hank Horton 3/29

5 PAGE 5 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE March Minutes Meeting of March 9, 2016 called to order 7:07pm by our President Keith Klemm. No new members or guests. For Show and Tell, Scott Cartine brought in the worn steering parts that were replaced during the recent Tech Session. He was able to obtain a replacement adaptor for his aftermarket wood wheel, and is continuing to restore the 1965 stock wheel. Bill Hubbell showed us a complete-in-thebox 1964 Corvair radio and housing kit, which he bought at the Convention and plans to install in the John Glenn. It even has speakers to go with it. Godspeed, Bill! Smitty related his experiences at Robling Roads and at the Corvair Performance Workshop in Kokomo, Indiana. He found the Electronic Ignition and Wood Steering wheel seminars of particular interest and timely, since Scott s Steering wheel repair was going on at about the same time! He went on to tell the Club about his visit to the Haynes Museum and the Haynes-Apperson Company, who produced one of the first automobiles manufactured in the U.S. Elwood Haynes also developed stellite, a cobalt/tungsten alloy and stainless steel. His car was the first built from blueprints without the fabrication of a prototype. Smitty also told us that Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is considering holding an all-corvair race in the future, as well as a race for Stingers only. The Club Facebook Page and Website was discussed, as well as Club exposure in the Virginian-Pilot. It was suggested that we try to be more of a presence at local cruise-ins such as the Cars and Coffee event at Hilltop and the Landstown Cruise-In which starts next month. These are great places to hand out the tri-folds! As a future activity, it was suggested we take another tour of FantomWorks restoration shop in Hampton. Ed said he would make the contact. Since Anne was not at the meeting, no Penny Chance drawing was held. The 3 restaurants suggested for the social were Outback, Pirate s Cove and Rib City, with Rib City the winner. Meeting adjourned at 8:05pm. Submitted by Dean Zawacki. Upcoming Activities 04/02/16: Landstown Cruise-In begins. Attend on Saturdays. Across from Farmers Market. 04/09-10/16: Spring Autofair, Charlotte, NC. Corsa Communique 04/16/16: Cars Safety Inspection at Rob s garage. 05/13-15/16: Virginia Vair Fair, Leesburg, Va. Corsa Communique 05/28/16: Pungo Strawberry Festival, Pungo. Assemble well before 9am at the Coast Guard entrance. Visit for an online listing of area activities.