In this issue: Brakes on the Spyder - by Smitty Smith Fixing Oil Leaks - by Ed Hlusko Polar Bear Run - by Smitty Smith Facebook Page Update AND MORE!

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Preston Greene
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1 Smitty and John McPherson check out a beautiful Dodge coupe at the Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia at the conclusion of the 2016 Polar Bear Run. More details and pictures can be found later in this issue. In this issue: Brakes on the Spyder - by Smitty Smith Fixing Oil Leaks - by Ed Hlusko Polar Bear Run - by Smitty Smith Facebook Page Update AND MORE!

PAGE 2 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Officers for 2016 President: Keith Klemm (240) 298-8629 kjklemm@hotmail.com Vice President: Steve Lepkowski (757) 581-3273 stevelski@cox.

com Historian: Smitty Smith (757) 468-2726 vairologist@cox.

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 February 20 th Tech Session LM Steering Column; Auto Brake, 7512 Avenue J, Norfolk. 9am. February 23 rd - Club Social Cheeseburger in Paradise, 739 Lynnhaven Pky, Virginia Beach, 6:30 pm. (757) March 8 th - TCC Business Meeting 7:00pm at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk. Refreshments Dean Zawacki 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 Second go around I had an AFT drip (being a sailor type). Seems I forgot the Oil Cooler gaskets. The drip pan came in handy as the engine oil just came running out, once it was removed. Contending With Oil Leaks by Ed Hlusko I was aboard a helicopter many years ago and noticed this drip of oil in front of me. The crew member I pointed it out to hands me a rag and shouts in my ear, DO TELL ME IF IT STOPS! No, it didn t stop so I needn t worry him. Stopped and well, I figure I had no worries. The water landing would be Not Good, either way. My Corvair dripped oil to a distance of 5 feet when I got it. Get within 5 feet and oil was on a shoe. Put an arm under the engine and, oil on the arm. Back, front, left or right side was all the same. It dripped oil. I removed it just to clean off the oil and dirt to find the problem. This was, back, front, left, or right side. So, I narrowed it down to these areas. Clark s Parts gives you just enough lifter tube Viton seals to do the engine. If you get stupid and tear one, well, Clark s will sell you more, so you have spares; 11, in fact. People will over-tighten the valve gasket and so crush one little area. It will drip over time; best to buy two, again. Best thing is to get the ENTIRE engine gasket set, take the thing out and do them all. The engine is only, what, 50 years old? No telling what gaskets, seals, and what not might be worn out. I d just say, ALL of them. Go Figure, on a 50 Year Old Car. Do not forget the front and back crank seals. Oh, they might not drip NOW. Just wait, they will, after you have the car on the road for some miles, being only 50 years old. The top fan cover does still cause a drip on the front, top. Two gaskets later I still have that one area to whip. Gasket for the fuel pump gives a slight bit, to the touch. If you ever remove the Dip Stick when the engine is running, you will get some Up The Tube. The crank shaft splashes oil all over to keep things lubed down there. Old cars did leak a bit of oil; engineers thought this was the normal thing, back then. Finally got all but the normal drips stopped and still had this drip in the drip pan; just a drop in the front area. Now, after I had changed out the front crank seal, oil pan gasket three times, and the bell housing twice, still a drip. At 5K of driving I changed the oil. Ok, put a pan under and drain the oil. Drain bolt just goes on the capture device and wait till the oil is out, Right. Seems in the overhaul gasket set there is this little, Teflon washer provided. Oh, never knew where that went, with some others. Just for nothing better to do, watching the oil drain, I whipped the bolt clean. Here, the gasket was cracked. Nope, didn t look in the overhaul kit for one. Who d have thought of providing one?

please ask for some at the next meeting. We need to get our name out there and recruit! Oh, I found that Teflon gasket, the next time I looked in the engine gasket kit.

4 PAGE 4 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Took the bolt to Ace Hardware and got a large flat washer. Next, I went to the plumbing section and found a rubber gasket the size of the washer and bolt. Less than a saw buck later I turned the oil drain bolt and stuff into place. please ask for some at the next meeting. We need to get our name out there and recruit! Oh, I found that Teflon gasket, the next time I looked in the engine gasket kit. Yep, right there, cream color as you please. Nope, I will stick with my washer and rubber gasket. Last drip cured. Come 50 years, well, that rubber gasket just might need to be replaced. A Word From the President by Keith Klemm As we settle in for the New Year, we can see in the not too distant future Spring, which brings us to car shows! Now we have a number of tech sessions on the horizon to get us ready for the season ahead, but most importantly will be the Spring Safety Inspection. I believe we are shooting for the March 19 tech session to get the cars out to Rob's and raise them up on the lift. It's amazing what you can find under your car that a couple of jack stands won't let you see. Aside from getting the Corvairs out and enjoying them, I put a task out there for everyone in Recruit, recruit, recruit! We have our TCC Tri- Folds/business cards printed up and in the hands of many of you. Let s get these out in circulation at car shows and keep them handy in your car glove boxes too! And not just the Corvair glove box either! If you didn't get 20 Tri-folds and Business cards When working on your brakes, it s always a good idea to leave the other wheel assembled so you can see how it all goes together! Brakes on the Spyder by Smitty Smith At the meeting the other day I talked about the miserable condition of the brakes on my Spyder even though I had been through them about 3 years ago. Mostly just corrosion and stuck pistons. That condition was probably from not driving the car, since I didn t even take it out of the garage last summer. Working on one of the rear assemblies I was throwing parts together and working pretty quickly because it was so cold.

5 PAGE 5 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE A lot of people have a problem with putting all the parts in place and in the proper order. Not me. It has been quite a while since I even had to think when building up a brake assembly. Being of superior intelligence and possessing a photographic memory I was on autopilot, until just before putting the drum on. I noticed that the two curved ends of the shoes that rest against the anchor bolt at the top were not touching it. So I pushed the shoes around a bit and made sure the pistons were all the way in and checked the emergency brake strut that goes between the shoes as installed correctly. I checked to insure that the emergency brake cable was relaxed and not interfering with normal movement. I took the whole thing apart again and rebuilt it. Gotcha now you bugger. Nope, still the same. I pulled the bleeder out of the cylinder so Hydraulics couldn t be holding the shoes apart. After much prying and looking I determined that the strut was keeping the shoes apart. I double checked and triple checked the squashed spring that goes on the end of the bar. It was not interfering and both ends were bottomed out in their slots. Just so I wouldn t take it out on the Spyder with a tire iron I folded up my tent to regroup another day. I was moaning about my problem to John G on the phone. He offered to come over and add another pair of eyes. We re-did everything I had done before. Finally I went to the shed where my junk box of brake parts resides and got some other struts, thinking that I might possibly have a late model strut. Nope, they are all the same. Back to the brake again, pulling springs and trying this and that. That was when I started really looking at things minutely. I examined the strut notches in the ends. One side is longer than the other. I wonder if I were to turn the bar around end for end, would that give me the 1/8th of an inch I need? I tried it and it worked. Everything went together as advertised. I m wondering if somebody took away my photographic memory and left me a pornographic memory to work with. Lots of classics braved the cold weather for the 2016 Polar Bear Run, which took place January Polar Bear Run by Smitty Smith Not much interest was generated for the Polar Bear Run but some of us went anyway. The weather was cold but clear and no salt on the roads was encountered. Lots of snow piled up here and there and back in the trees. This time the Run ended at the Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg. Due to the normal turnover of cars on consignment and in storage there were very few cars that I recognized from previous trips there.

PAGE 6 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE There was an evening orchid 1965 Corvair coupe in the lobby for sale.

The take-it-home price was $19,000 and you wouldn t even need a trailer.

Another Lobby Car was about a 27-28 T roadster that had been converted into a runabout.

I took a side trip back over to Wade Lanning s House in Prince George to pick up a late steering column for Scott.

6 PAGE 6 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE There was an evening orchid 1965 Corvair coupe in the lobby for sale. It had nice paint and decent interior, but it was not up to Concours standards. The engine compartment was as-driven and the chassis was the same. The take-it-home price was $19,000 and you wouldn t even need a trailer. There are still barn find cars in the world as they were just starting on what appeared to be a 31 Model-A roadster in as-found condition. Another Lobby Car was about a T roadster that had been converted into a runabout. What a great cruise-in car that would be for $19,000 (same as the Corvair). I took a side trip back over to Wade Lanning s House in Prince George to pick up a late steering column for Scott. Maybe he can get the ex-steve Thomas car steering gear back to the way it belongs. All in all it was a pretty nice day. Looking forward to doing it again when they run out of places where I have already been. Back in the restoration area there was a 1936 Mercedes roadster that was in an out of this world state of restoration. I don t even care for those cars but it was beautiful in glossy black and chrome.

7 PAGE 7 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE If a post is getting a lot of reaction, we have the option of boosting the post. This turns the post into an ad, and places it on more peoples News Feeds, according to their interests as determined by Facebook. In other words, people who did not specifically like the page will see an example of what we post. These may be people who are already subscribed to other automotive pages, for example. This may draw them to our page if they like what they see, and will boost our visibility. Facebook charges a fee for this, and if the club decides it is worth it, we may discuss doing it in the future. All of the attention we have gotten so far has been completely without assistance. The Facebook page has, in my opinion, been quite successful so far. TCC Facebook Page Update by Dean Zawacki The Tidewater Corvair Club Facebook page has been up and running since September of 2012, and the visibility of the page has been steadily increasing. Just since publication of the last newsletter, about 20 more people liked the page. This means that now whenever I or someone else adds a post to the page, it will show up on the person s News Feed. Also, if anyone comments on a previous post, they will see that as well. So the visibility of the club increases with each post and each like. As long as we keep posting fresh material and pictures or videos, interest in the page will increase. February Birthdays Dean Zawacki 2/5

8 PAGE 8 February 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE February Minutes Meeting of February 9, 2016 called to order 7:05pm by our President Keith Klemm. There will be a tech session at Rob s on Saturday, 9:00 am to address work needed on Scott Cartine s car, which needs steering column work. This project may run over to another session but at this time the extent of work needed is not fully known. Smitty will not be in town but gave cautions to think about when doing this job. The club has received 400 tri folds for advertising our club. These will be handed out at events like the Cruise-Ins at Landstown Commons on Saturday afternoons. Hopefully these, along with the business cards we also received, will bring new members to our group along with interest in Corvairs. The Cruise-Ins will begin in April at Landstown Commons as well as other location in the Hampton Roads area. More details of times and places will be announced. Ed shared other upcoming activities and Dean will be posting these in the newsletter. We now have over 200 likes on our Face book page. Pete Jacobson will update us on the web site. There were only two locations selected for our social on the 6:30pm. Tripp s on Independence as well as Golden Corral on Independence. Vote was carried for Tripp s. (Editor s note: The recent closing of Tripp s Restaurant made it necessary for another location to be chosen. Since Scott chose Tripp s and was making the arrangements, we let Scott choose the replacement. Our Social will be held at Chesseburger In Paradise, on Lynnhaven Parkway directly in front of Lynnhaven Mall at 6:30pm.) Scott Cartine was the winner of the 50/50. Meeting adjourned at 7:50pm Upcoming Activities 02/20/16: Tech session at Rob s. Steering Wheel repair. 9am. 03/11-13/16: Myrtle Beach Car Show. 03/12/16: Tidewater Region AACA Annual Automotive Swap Meet. Pungo Aviation Museum. 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.

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

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