Next Meeting, July 10 th 7:00 PM at Denny s, Hwy 680 Sycamore Valley Rd in Danville

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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 grabs as much attention today as it did 50 years ago! VOLUME 251 JULY 2014 WEB Look for us on the Web! Letter From the Editor 3.. Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule Dave Newell s Corvair Memomabilia Collection 9.. Corvair Classifieds Dave Newell s MONZA SS JUNIOR Go-Kart Next Meeting, July 10 th 7:00 PM at Denny s, Hwy 680 Sycamore Valley Rd in Danville SFBA Corsa July 2014 page 1

2 Letter From the Editor I hope you were able to attend our last meeting. As usual Tony conducted the meeting but this time, in my absence, he took the minutes as well. Great job Tony! From reading the minutes it seems I missed a very informative meeting and there were several Corvairs in the parking lot. Things are looking up! Current SFBA Corsa Officers President Tony Richards, PO Box 765, Mill Valley, CA (415) Lonetree12@yahoo.com Vice-President Harry Kypreos, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA HKypreos@epicor.com A month or so ago Tony paid Dave Newell a visit at his home in Fremont. For those that don t know Dave, he is a Corvair Preservation Foundation historian with an amazing collection of Chevrolet literature which he provides to Corvair fans through his business, Chevrobilia Corvair Literature. Tony very graciously has written up his visit and has provided many photographs that appear on page 5. Without Tony s help this would have been a very short newsletter! Thanks Tony. Secretary Treasurer Clark Calkins, 1907 Alvarado Ave., Walnut Creek, CA (925) CaCalkins@astound.net Fred Garrity, 113 Alamatos Drive, Danville, CA Committees I received a note from Dee Smirlis (former SFBA member). He was relaying a message from Finn Halbo regarding his Rampside that was now for sale and Finn wanted to run an ad in the Spyder Web. But a few days later I received word that Finn had already sold the Rampside. Apparently someone drove up from LA and bought it on the spot. This was a pretty car and Finn took awful good care of it. Someone got a good deal! Unfortunately I missed the last meeting and I will be missing the next. I have a two month hiatus in Loma Linda (Southern California) where I am undergoing Proton Beam Therapy for Prostate Cancer. Actually this is more like a vacation than anything else. I expect to be finished in mid-july so I will back for the August Picnic! I appreciate all of the support I have received and look forward to returning home. Our next meeting will be at Denny s again. But note that the date is July 10th rather than July 3rd (which Membership Library Newsletter Harry Kypreos (address above) Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA (510) Clark Calkins (address above) Editor At Large Tony Richards (address above) Refreshments Internet Web Ed Rodrigues, 1702 Nelson St, San Leandro, CA (510) CaCalkins@astound.net would be our usual date). This is to avoid the July 4th Holiday which would certainly cut into attendance. Be sure to come. We are getting more members all of the time and more Corvairs are showing up (see Letter... on page 3) On The Cover: The Monza Junior prototype go-kart was based on a scaled down version of the GM show car the Monza SS. The first styling of the Monza Jr. was made at the GM styling center for Bill Mitchell as a gift to his stepson. These were later produced by Rupp for various GM promotions and for general sale (colors varied). 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 Denny s 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 until September). 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 CorsaNews@Bigfoot.com. 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 - July 2014

3 Minutes of the Last Meeting June 5th, 2014 The meeting was called to order at: 7:28 PM by president Tony Richards. Clark was out of town this month. There were 8 people in attendance; no guests. There were two Corvairs in the parking lot: Roger drove his very nice '67 Monza coupe; Harry & Carol drove their pretty '62 Monza convertible with the top down. Treasure s Report: Fred forgot the bank statements, but assured us that there was over $3,000. in our account. Membership: Harry reported that there were no new members and four letters were sent out to tardy dues payers. While on the subject of people not renewing their membership, a discussion ensued about starting a membership drive. It was noted that a couple of years ago, Tony had suggested that we the Spyder web link to all Northern California national CORSA members in the hopes that some might become interested in joining. That idea never went anywhere. This time it was discussed to get a roster of national CORSA members in our jurisdiction and contact them about joining our chapter. (Apparently CORSA has designated specific geographical areas for each chapter.) Seth agreed to get a list from the national club and Harry volunteered to compose a letter to send out. The idea is to increase membership (and our treasury). Old Business: On old business, Fred reported that he was offered $300. for his '67 "500" coupe which was the focus of our tech session in April. No deal. Topics for our next tech session were kicked around, most notably a session on pushrod tube seal replacement. No date has been set for this nor was there a decision on where to have a tech session. New Business: In new business, Seth reported that Valley Corsa will be willing to provide tri-tip for our annual picnic at Quarry Lakes. Our club will provide hamburgers and hot dogs. Tech: Powerglide fluid leaks were discussed. If your car sits for a long time, transmission fluid will leak. This is normal but you need to add more fluid. Other discussions centered around oil pan gasket leaks and fuel pumps. A bad batch of fuel pumps were manufactured in the '80's and reached the marketplace. Some may be sitting around in auto parts stores. Harry said he bought a new fuel pump from Clark's and it's fine. The consensus was to buy one from Clark's. Swap & Sell: Seth had some old issues of Fred Johnson manuals and "Vair Tips" for sale. Chuck and Roger bought a few. Chuck also purchased a reconditioned wire set from Seth. No cars were offered for sale. As we were winding down, a friendly guy named "Jeff" poked his head into the room and asked if this was a Corvair club. He had noticed two Corvairs in the lot and said he owned two Corsa Treasurers Report June 2014 Fred Garrity Checking Acct. Cash/Checks Beginning Balance $ $00.00 Income (none) Expenses Newsletter ($42.45) convertibles and lived nearby. We went out to see his car; it was a beautiful black '65 turbo convertible with a stunning burgundy interior. Jeff also mentioned he was the road manager for the RED HOT CHILI PEP- PERS. Meeting was adjourned at 8:47. Respectfully submitted, Tony Richards, President CORSA SFBA Letter... (it must be Summer!). Also our annual SFBA/Valley Picnic is planned for August 9th at Quarry Lakes Park in Fremont (same place as the last few years). SFBA will be providing hamburgers and hot dogs and Valley will bring a tri-tip. Please bring a side dish to share (salad, dessert, etc.). Hopefully we will fill the parking lot with Corvairs! Ending Balance $ $00.00 SFBA Corsa July 2014 page 3

4 Coming Events July 10 th Regular SFBA Corsa Meeting at Denny s in Danville 7:00 PM. Hwy 680 at Sycamore Valley Rd. July th August 9 th CORSA International Convention, Tacoma, WA. Join Corvanantics for Corvair Expo where the LeMay Auto Museum will be the center of Convention events and activities celebrating the Corvair. Annual SFBA/Valley Picnic at Quarry Lakes Park, Fremont, CA. BBQ should be ready by noon. Come early and enjoy the comradery! SFBA CORSA Meeting Schedule 2014 Thursday Jan 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Feb 6, 7:00 PM Thursday Mar 6, 7:00 PM Saturday Apr 5, 10:00AM SFBA Tech Session. Fred Garrity s house, 113 Alamatos Drive, Danville, CA Thursday May 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Jun 5, 7:00 PM Thursday Jul 10, 7:00 PMSFBA Regular meeting, Denny s in Danville, CA - Hwy 680 at Sycamore Valley Rd. Saturday Aug 9, 12:00PM Thursday Sep 4, 7:00 PM Thursday Oct 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Nov, 6 10 AM Saturday Dec 6, 7:00 PM SFBA/Valley Club picnic at Quarry Lakes park, Fremont, CA SFBA Holiday Dinner, Harry s Hofbrau, E. 14th Ave, San Leandro, CA. page 4 SFBA Corsa - July 2014

5 Dave Newell s Corvair Memorabilia Collection Tony Richards Last Saturday I went over to see Dave Newell. I hadn't been there in a while and I wanted to see how his projects were coming along. One of the things he is working on is maintaining his house and he just had new gutters installed. He has been back in the Hayward house since 2007 and still has boxes of memorabilia to unpack and organize. Since I was there last time, he has made progress with his library and has his car books are all organized. He is still working on several display cases and shelf areas. Dave has the largest collection of Corvair memorabilia and literature in the world and you'd have to see it to believe it. His latest big project is restoring his 8' long "CORVAIR" neon sign, which he found at a dealer in the Midwest about 30 years ago. He had recently got it back from the neon restoration guy and is redoing the metal case. The sign, when completed, will be mounted on the wall in his Corvair Library above his engine display. One of the engines is a full-scale working model of a Corvair engine. The other is an experimental GM engine. Only three like it are known to exist. One is in the Corvair Museum. The third one's whereabouts are unknown. MONZA SS JUNIOR Hand built at General Motors Styling Staff during the Winter of 1963, this sleek Corvair concept car became the star of Chevrolet's 1964 New York Auto Show exhibit...at least for the car crazed pre-driver's license set. A jewellike miniature of the 1963 Monza SS experimental Corvair, the "Monza Junior" embodied the soul and spirit of its creators, Styling VP Bill Mitchell and his favored designer, Larry Shinoda. Planned as an elaborate gift at Chevrolet's expense, the Monza Jr. played a lead role in Bill's legacy until a bitter fate intervened. But in its second role -- as a concept car -- the "Monza Junior" was the prototype for less exotic production versions which brought dreams to life for approximately 5,000 very lucky youngsters...as their first Corvair. The Junior now resides in Hayward as a centerpiece for Dave's vast collection of Corvair literature and memorabilia, the GM 1964 Monza Junior concept car sparkles under spot lights. All original, it still bears some nicks and wear imposed by Bill Mitchell's stepson, Tony, for whom it was made. The Junior's body, hand laid over a clay model at GM Styling, almost totally envelopes Shinoda's former Rupp racing go-kart chassis with its chrome plated two cycle twin Italian carbureted West Bend screamer, hydraulic disc brake, carpeting, real gauges, teak steering wheel and all. Every emblem and molding is carefully crafted chromed brass. The Plexiglas windshield and molded-in headrest are unique to this car, as are the sand-cast Pontiac Grand Prix type wheels (Larry designed the full-size ones!) and the body's original Cardinal Red gel coating. SFBA Corsa July 2014 page 5

6 Experimental GM engine Full-scale working model of a Corvair engine. Part of Dave's vast toy collection (all Corvairs) Dave's promotional model collection: These were available at Chevy dealers, made by AMT. Dave has an example of every model and color ever offered over the years. page 6 SFBA Corsa - July 2014

7 Promotional model overflow; not enough room left in the main display case Close up of promotional models. Close up view of a display case about Willow Run. Dave's 1961 Chevrolet literature rack. SFBA Corsa July 2014 page 7

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9 Corvair Classifieds CORVAIR CARS FOR SALE '66 Corsa Coupe - 4 sp. Bought from Ben Mozzetti in 2012 so you know it runs! Telescopic steering - completely rebuilt. Quick steering arms. Mechanically sound: rebuilt carbs, many new items. Rear wheel bearings and u-joints replaced. New tires w/ mag wheels. Interior 90% completely restored. Needs headlight switch, bodywork, paint (minor dings and dents), minor rust behind wheels. Nothing major that some TLC won't fix. $6800 or best offer. Lots of new parts available for purchase (bumpers, door handles, mirrors, etc).located near Redwood City. Marc (650) (04/14) '63 Monza convertible. Original owner. Straight car. Has been stored on blocks for 15+ years. Best offer. Marty or Carolyn (925) Loadside, Ben Mozzetti has the following car for sale. I believe this is located in Bethel Island. It runs of course. Ben loves to show how all of his cars will start right up! Contact Ben at PO BOX 486, Bethel Island, CA or (925) (09/12) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE Corvair Engine Parts: Been in my garage for 34 years and have never used them. Starters, generators, alternator, cams, heads, cranks, pistons, cases, trans, turbo unit, engine, etc. Jesse Cruz, Clayton, CA (925) home (925) cell, (07/14) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE (not local) Skip Polachi 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 Good brake drums (2) with linings & springs - $20 F/C Hub caps (4) - $20 F/C Rear overload spring kit (new) - $100 F/C Front door NOS L&R lock latch - $30 F/C Complete Front & rear bumper guards (NOS) - $325 Spyder Front dash harness to fuse box for F/C - (price not listed) Spyder Dashes (3) - one is wooden face - $100 each Corsa Communiqués $150 Tires R14 on rims for F/C (2) - $ Wood wheels with hubs, horn & contacts. - (2) at $300 each, (1) at $200 SFBA Corsa July 2014 page 9

10 SFBA CORSA PO BOX 422 ORINDA, CA FIRST CLASS To: page 10 SFBA Corsa - July 2014