Next Meeting - Thursday Oct 4 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner:Hwy 680

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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 302 OCTOBER 2018 Look for us on the Web! Letter From the Editor 3. Tech Session Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule Tech Session Photos th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show 10. In Memorium: Finn Thore Halbo: 10/3/1929-8/2/ Corvair Classifieds Seth Leading the SFBA 2018 Tech Session Next Meeting - Thursday Oct 4 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner:Hwy 680 SFBA Corsa - October 2018 page 1 at Sycamore Valley Rd in Danville

2 Letter From the Editor I hope you were able to attend our Tech Session this September. It was a nice sunny day and we had 8 people show up. Paul came with Seth. It was good to see he. was recovering from his heart issues. I arrived about 10:00 AM with the donuts and there were already 2 or 3 enjoying coffee and talking shop. The donuts went fast! Buck had setup a convenient (and covered) meeting area. A special guest this afternoon was Herb Wimmer. Herb was an SFBA member for many years before moving to Winters, CA (up by Davis) where he has a large area and a wonderful garage for his car collection. Some pictures of his collection are shown on page 5. Herb is planning on replacing the o-rings on his 64 Spyder convertible, so he decided to come to the Tech Session. Welcome! Herb had worked for Chevron for many years and brought us up to date on the latest gasolines and additives and what we should be using in our Corvairs. For the most part, gasoline is gasoline. Regulations are so stringent these days that differences are very minor. However, additives are a different story. Herb worked in that department and spoke of many tests that were made and how Chevron s additive (now called Techron ) was very effective in reducing carbon build-up. This additive can be bought separately and added to other gasolines. I didn t catch the brand names that can be used as a replacement, but I am sure you can look them up. One idea Seth spoke of, which I should have known, is there is no good reason to run anything except premium gas in our Corvairs. But wait a minute I thought, it costs 20 or 30 cents more per gallon doesn t it? So? For the limited miles we drive and the benefits (less pinging) it only makes sense. Pinging is very detrimental to aluminum engines and, unless it is severe, you won t even be able to hear it. So even if I use 100 gallons of gas a year (which I don t), I am only saving $20 or $30. No point in risking that kind of damage for a few cents per mile. I can see that I have to change my ways as I have already cracked 2 pistons! 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 Membership Library Newsletter Clark Calkins, 1907 Alvarado Ave., Walnut Creek, CA (925) CaCalkins@astound.net Paul Lacey, Blackberry Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA (408) pdmlacey@gmail.com Committees Harry Kypreos (address above) Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA (510) Clark Calkins (address above) Editor At Large Tony Richards Advertising Internet Web Paul Lacey (address above) CaCalkins@astound.net Seth did an outstanding job of explaining the steps involved in replacing o-rings (in what order, why they were necessary, and what pit falls to avoid) and demonstrating how the various special tools make life easier. These events are what make joining SFBA fun and so worth while. Thanks Seth for leading this! (see Letter... on page 9) On The Cover: Our first Tech Session of the year was at Buck s house in Concord. This time the main subject was Replacing Push Rod Tube O-Rings. Seth conducted the demonstrations and even for those of us who have done this before, there was something new to learn. A fun BBQ followed the technical stuff. 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 - October 2018

3 Tech Session Following the usual car talk over coffee and donuts, the Tech Session started around 11:00 AM. Seth brought a partial engine so he could demonstrate and explain the steps to replace the push rob tube o-ring seals. Even for those that had done this before (15 to 20 years ago for me) there was plenty to learn. Seth went over the pros and cons of doing one whole side at once or treating each cylinder as a separate unit. When reassembling, be sure to note the orientation of the push rods and the retaining plates. The push rods have a small oil hole at one end. This must go towards the cylinder head and not the engine block. The push rods will have a worn section where it goes through the retaining plate in the head. Make sure to install it the same way. The retaining plates are not quire symmetrical and need to be installed such the stamped U is visible. The head bolts should be torqued in the familiar X pattern (check the Tech Guides or service manual for the preferred ordering). allows the rocker arms to be adjusted. For me, I used an old cover that was cut in half but you can also make, or buy, a valve cover that has access holes that allow a socket wrench to pass through. Seth said, to do the whole job, it is better if you can put the car on a lift (it saves your back!) but it can be done by just jacking up the car (note: Always use jack stands and, if possible, leave the floor jack in place as a secondary support. Better safe than sorry!). Following the demonstration while the BBQ was being made ready, we looked over Buck s latest project car. This is the 67 Coupe he acquired from Marlene after Fred passed away. He has made good progress and is getting the body in decent shape so it can be painted. He s got work to do but he is getting there. The BBQ was our usual fare, hamburgers and hot dogs. Buck had a nice table for us to sit and discuss the finer aspects of Corvair life. (see Tech Session Photos on page 5) After replaceing of the o-rings the next step is to adjust the valves. Again there is more than one approach. Seth went over the steps of positioning the cylinders (starting at TDC and following the firing order advancing the motor 1/3 of a revolution after each cylinder. For each cylinder you would loosen the rocker arm until you could twist the push rod in your fingertips. Then tighten until it just starts to bind. Then tighten ½ turn more and you are done. Alternately you could initially position the rocker arms about where they were when you started, and then start the engine and back off each rocker arm until the lifter starts clattering. Then tighten until the clattering just stops and then one ½ additional turn to preload the lifter (tighten slowly as the engine will run rough for a few seconds until the lifter adjusts). This is really messy unless you install a special valve cover that catches the oil and yet Treasurers Report September 2018 Paul Lacey Checking Acct. Cash/Checks Beginning Balance $ $00.00 Income Renewals $15.00 Expenses Newletter (Sep) ($37.64) Tech Session BBQ ($40.58) Ending Balance $ (*) $00.00 (*) Some expenses haven t been turned in yet, bank balance stands at $ as of 09/24/2018 SFBA Corsa - October 2018 page 3

4 Coming Events October 4 th October th November 8 th December 8th Regular SFBA meeting, Black Bear Diner, 807 Camino Ramon, Danville,CA 2018 Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet + Concours d Elegance at Sunrise Park in Palm Springs, CA. Hosted by the San Diego Corvair Club. Special guest speaker Mike Hall, Pres CPF. The host hotel is the Travelodge, 1269 E. Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs. Call (760) , mention Corvair Club Event for special pricing. Regular SFBA meeting, Black Bear Diner, 807 Camino Ramon, Danville,CA SFBA Holiday Dinner. Location to be announced. As always, Silicon Valley Corsa is welcome as are family and friends. SFBA CORSA Meeting Schedule 2018 Thursday Jan 4, 7:00 PM Thursday Feb 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Mar 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Apr 5, 7:00 PM Thursay May 3, 7:00 PM Thursday Jun 7, 7:00 PM Thursday Jul 12, 7:00 PM Saturday Aug 4, 12:00PM SFBA/Valley Club Picnic at Quarry Lakes Park, Fremont, CA Saturday Sept 15, 10:00 AM Tech Session, Buck s house, 4644 Lincoln Dr, Concord, CA Thursday Oct 4, 7:00 PM Thursday Nov 8, 7:00 PM Saturday Dec 8, 7:00 PM SFBA Holiday Dinner, location to be announced. page 4 SFBA Corsa - October 2018

5 Tech Session Photos Everybody gather around... Seth ready to start the demo Check out Buck s progress on Freds 67 Coupe In the front garage, Buck s driver takes the brunt of moving day! A couple of pictures of Herb s pretty 64 Spyder convertible and a shot of his Model-A in his envious garage! A lift like that makes working on cars so much easier. I don t see too many garages around that are anywhere near this clean and neatly organized! SFBA Corsa - October 2018 page 5

6 14 th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show The Orinda Classic Car Show was held on Saturday, September 8 in downtown Orinda. In years past a few nice cars would show up so I was not expecting too many. Was I surprised! There must have close to 200 cars entered that took over most of the town. It went on for blocks. There was everything from full blown race cars (from old ones to the newest), tons of specialty cars (McLarens, Ferraris, Cobras, etc.) to collector cars (Porsches, Camaros, Mustangs, VWs and one Corvair Steve Schnier s 64 Spyder Coupe). And there were lots of people. While I was looking at the Spyder and taking pictures I heard lots of passers by saving my grandpa had one of those! It used to be I would hear my father had one of those. I guess I am getting OLD. While I was walking around, I heard this lady mention something to her husband about Corvairs. I stopped, and asked Excuse me, did I hear you say you had a Corvair? She said Yes, we have a 63 Monza Coupe with a 140 engine but it s not in the show. This was Bill and Chris from Sacramento. They just moved to Alameda and were discussing places to take their Corvair for a tune-up. I mentioned the places I had heard about but if all they needed was a tune-up they could go to almost any place that dealt with older cars I would think. Before heading home, I stopped at the food court for a quick bite to eat. Enjoy the pictures I took. Beautiful day, nice turn out with lots of cars. Steve Schnier s very nice 64 Spyder. Drew lots of attention. Have a few full blown race cars! Here was a gorgous 48 Cad Coupe Fastback page 6 SFBA Corsa - October 2018

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9 Letter... The Tech Session broke up around 1:30 and we packed up the left-overs, chairs, etc. and headed on our way. I wish to thank Buck for hosting this event and his wife for providing the coffee and the wonderful brownies for desert! We all enjoyed ourselves. I received a sad note from Dee Smirlis from Classic Corvairs of River City in Sacramento. Long time Corvair enthusiast Finn Halbo passed away in August. According to Tony, Finn was one of the early SFBA founding members and had been very active in the Corvair community. This is all I know at the moment, see the obituary on page 10. Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 4 th at Black Bear Diner in Danville. Typically we get there around 7:00 PM and talk cars over dinner with a more formal meeting starting around 8. Either Josh or I will get there early to reserve a suitable table in the back (if possible). Come on by and, by all means, drive your Corvair! SFBA Corsa - October 2018 page 9

10 In Memorium: Finn Thore Halbo October 3, 1929 ~ August 2, 2018 (age 88) Finn was born in Staten Island, N.Y. but was raised in Stockholm, Sweden for 14 years. He returned to the USA in 1949 and in 1950, started college at General Motors Institute (now called Kettering University) in Flint, MI. It was a cooperative college and he alternated working for Fisher Body for 4 weeks and attending college for 4 weeks. In 1954, he married Irene E. Mahler in Detroit. After graduating in 1955 with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, he joined the US Navy and had duty on Guam and Port Hueneme, CA, for 4 years. He subsequently served in the Naval Reserve and retired as Lieutenant Commander, Civil Engineering Core, United States Naval Reserve. After 3 years with the Fisher Body plant in Oakland, CA, in 1963, Finn started work at the Stanford Linear Accelerator and did not retire completely until the year For most of his 37 years on the job he was the Mechanical Installation Manager in the Research Yard. Finn and Irene built a house from the ground up in Warm Springs, CA, and with that experience under their belts, in 1965, decided to add 1450 sq. ft to a house they bought in Menlo Park, CA. They raised their two daughters in that house and remained there until 2011, when they moved to the University Retirement Community in Davis, CA. Their daughter Lisa lives in Hartford, CT, and their daughter Karen is married to Mark Perlberger, and they live in Sacramento, CA. Karen and Mark are the parents of Finn s two granddaughters, LilyAnn and Rachel, and his bonus granddaughter, Megan Ferris. Finn spent 24 years as an elected member to the board of Directors of the West Bay Sanitary District and was immediately appointed to the board of the South Bayside System Authority that operated a 24 mg sewage treatment plant. Finn was a longtime member of several Corvair clubs and a longtime member of the Earthquake Engineering Institute until 2011 (when he and Irene moved to URC). Finn also traveled extensively in the last 20 years, and particularly enjoyed Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Finn is survived by his wife, daughters and granddaughters, his devoted sister Sonja Lindstrom Halbo, nephews Rolf, Steig, and Lars Lindstrom, and nieces Inger Lindstrom and Tanya Pederson. page 10 SFBA Corsa - October 2018

11 Corvair Classifieds CORVAIRS FOR SALE 63 Corvair Monza Sedan 110, 4-sp. Runs well. Body solid. Good paint & chrome (head light bezzel has some dents). Gas heater. Interior needs work. Asking $3000 OBO. Contact Allan Salsa (707) Birds Landing area (outside Rio Vista). (04/18) '63 Corvair Pickup model 95 Ranch Side, also side load ramp. 112k miles, been stored since 73, rebuilt motor. Nada book 56K, average 30-35K values. Fair to good condition. $6,500/ OBO/Trade (916) (Pollock Pindes area) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE Bumpers, Marlene has these bumpers for sale. These two all thats left now. Both late model rear. Asking $50 or $35 for one with slight dents. OBO. Contact Clark at (925) (Walnut Creek area). Can bring to meetings. 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 Rear Trim + End, C pieces. Complete set NOS - $ Wheel Well Trim & Skirt pieces. Complete set NOS - $250 Late Bumpers, new set front & rear w/ guards. Rechromed. $ Tail/Back Lenses. Complete set. NOS - $ Original Tissue Dispenser, not NOS - $75 Corsa Communiqués + Quarterlies, $ Rear Air Grill (NOS) $ Rear Air Grill, very good. $ Rear Axles with good bearings. $55 each 1964 Turbo Carb Kit, NOS major kit. $65 Early Bumper Guards, used - very good, 4 complete sets. $100-$120 per set. 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. MISC CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE - OUT OF AREA Eight Corvairs and 6 shipping containers of NOS and used parts. Must be purchased as a lot. No picking! $18,500. Located in Willits Contact Josh Deitcher (510) vondeitch@gmail.com for more info. (08/18) FC parts in Cloverdale. Various parts. Contact Brian Osborne for prices & details. Call or text (707) (08/18) Early Bumper Guards, Reconditioned 4 complete sets. $180 per set SFBA Corsa - October 2018 page 11

12 SFBA CORSA 1907 Alvarado Ave Walnut Creek, CA FIRST CLASS To: Corvairs Bought & Sold - Always in Stock! page 12 SFBA Corsa - October 2018