PRESIDENT S PAGE My son, Brad, and I just returned from racing in St. Paul. We met Mike Jenkins, his two boys, and Chuck Johnson at Scale Model Supply on Lexington and University. If you haven t been there, it is quite a store, located in the basement of an old strip shopping center. The store seems to go on for miles. In any event, they have a 1/25 th scale slot car track (actually three) set up in one of the rooms of the store. The six of us raced for about an hour and had a great time. This is something new for the club and even though turnout was light, we ll schedule it again. Thanks to Mike Jenkins for making the arrangements and providing the trophy. The other new thing we did for March was have our member meeting at the Auto Show in Minneapolis. Turn out was good and the meeting was short and the members who were there certainly had a great time looking at all the new cars. Again, this is something we will consider doing again. Of course, everyone seemed to have their opinion on what was hot at the show. I learned just how expensive Cara s tastes are as we ve moved from wanting a new Jeep Grand Cherokee or Buick Enclave to the Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon, with the Jaguar being the cost is no object car. As for me, the convertible formerly known as the Sebring, the Chrysler 200, was a very nice looking car (GM really needs to come out with a convertible that s not a Corvette or Camaro). April 2011 While it s comfortable to repeat the same events and meeting venues, it s also good to try different things and visit new places. One of the new items we re going to try is the Iola, WI car show, which is huge. Several members have talked about it in the past and I ve always wanted to go. So why not give it a try? The absolute worst thing that can happen is that it will be a horrible show, in which case we just don t do it again. We can t learn if we don t experiment once in a while. I m sure there are many of us who ve had an idea to do something on our Corvairs only to say that wasn t such a good idea or why didn t Chevy do that in the first place? Besides, it gets boring doing the same old thing. Highway 41 south of Chaska is closed due to flooding. That can only mean one thing; spring will be here soon and Corvairs other than Fran s will be on the road. The forever winter of 2010/11 is almost over and I say it s about time. I m taking eleven days off in April. One of those days is to fetch the boat and the 69. I m sure one or two days will be spent readying the Corvair for the road. Stay tuned, Lee Knauf CMI President The Corvair world has lost a friend; David E. Davis, founder of Automobile magazine, editor of Car and Driver, editor of the online magazine Winding Road and speaker at the CORSA convention in Lexington KY passed away on March 27 th. More: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110327/carnews/110329884
Corvair Minnesota Business Page February 2011 March 16, 2011 President Lee Knauf called the meeting to order and welcomed all members at 7 p.m. in Room 213 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This allowed the members to tour the auto show before and/or after our meeting, all while paying half price due to Senior Citizens Day. Fourteen members were in attendance. December Minutes: Approved as read with the following correction: Fran s slide show at the pancake breakfast will be silent. NOTE: Last month s Leeky Seel was the final one being sent to non-renewing members. Treasurer s Report: No report but our February 10 balance was $2238. New Business: Slot Cars: Due to the efforts of Mike Jenkins, we are renting the slot car track at University and Lexington in St. Paul on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m.. The building is in the SE quadrant of the intersection of University and Lexington Parkway, and has Railroad Crossing Arms near the door. April 12 Meeting: We are returning to the MUM in Wayzata. April 30: The pancake breakfast will be held in Buffalo and feature a video of the Iowa Convention. GMCCA: Mark your calendars for June 5. Redwood Falls Inventors Congress: We will participate in this event June 10 and 11. Fran will reserve rooms at Jackpot Junction in Morton. There were 8 hand-raisers, so he will reserve 12 rooms. With this event, the Iola Car Show, and our participation in the National Legion parade, we have a busy summer. Please mark your calendars now! (2) Treats: On Your Own at the concession counters. Tech Session: Fran and CJ are tearing apart a recently rebuilt engine which failed dramatically. Turns out a connecting rod broke, you can imagine the damage. Lesson learned: Buy magnafluxed connecting rods. The meeting was adjourned at 7:42. Respectfully submitted, Chuck Johnson ** Treasurer s Report (March, 2011) By Ray Alexander, CMI Treasurer February 10, 2001 Balance $2237.77 Income: Dues from members $200.00 Old Log Theater checks $494.00 Total Income $694.00 Expenses: Old Log Theater Tickets (Bill Cook) $494.00 St. John s Luth.Church (pancake bfst) $100.00 Albinson Repro (CMI mag. Signs) $150.00 Leeky Seel printing $94.40 Leeky Seel postage $22.00 Total Expenses -$860.40 March 11, 2011 Balance $2071.37
February 2011 General Membership Meeting The GMM was held at the Twin Cities Auto Show. The tech session was the show and treats were provided by the food vendors. Thanks to Chuck Johnson for arranging the use of an upstairs meeting room. GM engine on dynometer engine dynometer digital read outs (3) Good use for a Mustang?
Crankshaft Seal in the Rear Housing Many of you old timers have replaced this seal, over the years, maybe more than once. I just had the opportunity to look at an old engine with lots of crud around its rear end. Thick crusty stuff around the coil and the oil filter and up along the belt adjuster you couldn t see to adjust the timing as the numbers were totally covered in a quarter inch of the crusty old stuff. The solid 95HP Harmonic balancer was clean but shiny. The clues of a dead seal were plain to see. I removed a few things to get at the Seal and after replacing it did a half way decent job of cleaning up the area. The dead seal was sitting in the drain pan and I thought, what does it look like close up? So it got a washing and wiping operation. The contact lip was certainly different from the new one. It appeared there was no lip left on this old guy. Let s look at a drawing of how the seal is supposed to appear and then see a photo of a piece cut out of the worn seal, for comparison. Notice the sketch is really for any shaft seal as they all look the same in cross-section. The part that touches the shaft that makes contact with the rotating shaft - in our case the outside of the hub on the crankshaft pulley is labeled contact surface. This is the part that keeps the oil inside the engine until its leading edge leads no more! Also notice the little dent in the seal s shape which is labeled grease pocket it is very important for the life of the seal that you put some grease in that pocket to protect the seal. Seems odd to seal the seal but if any rubber seal is installed dry it can die in the first minute of operation. A very important piece of the engine sits right inside of this seal and is held tightly in place by the bolted-in pulley. It is the SLINGER. We don t usually give that guy much press but there s one on each end of the crank and both of those crankshaft seals would be hard pressed to do their duty if they weren t protected by such a common thing as a slinger. So the seal that keeps the engine s oil in is protected by grease on one side and a slinger on the other. (4) (Crankshaft Seal continued on p 7)
CMI Schedule of Events April: 12 th Meeting at MUM (Messiah United Methodist Church in Plymouth Hwy 101 & Co Rd 6) @ 7:00 p.m. 30 th Pancake Breakfast (Buffalo St John s Lutheran Church 9:00 11:00) May: 10 th Meeting Latuff s in Plymouth Outdoor Tech Session at Park Tavern June: 5 th GMCCA 10 th 11 th Summer Cruise/ Inventor s Convention Redwood Falls, MN 14 th Meeting @ Wagner s in Brooklyn Park 17 th 19 th Back to the Fifties 18 th 19 th Stone Arch Car Show CMI Pancake Breakfast St John s Lutheran Church 302 2 nd St NE Buffalo MN 9 11 a.m. Dust that winter storage dust off your Vair and meet us there! Notes: * If you plan on attending the Inventor s Congress in Redwood Falls in June; Fran has reserved 12 rooms at the Microtel Inn and Suites @ 502 East Rock St, in Springfield, which is 21 miles from Redwood Falls. Ph: (507) 723-8200 or email: microspring@newulmtel.net price is about $75; ask for a CMI group room. * Now is the time to make those reservations for the CORSA convention in Denver. * Remember also, that we need to hear from you whether you can supply and/or drive a convertible for the American Legion parade in Minneapolis on August 28 th. (5)
The summer picnic for CMI is being held in Southeastern MN on August 21 this year and CMI is sending an open invitation to ICE (Iowa Corvair Enthusiasts) to attend - - to be with us. Plainview MN is exactly 100 miles straight North of Cresco IA. Plainview celebrates what they call "Corn on the Cob Days" where they have a Tractor show and Tractor games and free Corn on the Cob - - on the Curb! and a PARADE. It would be fun to wave the flag and rev the engines and chew the kernels in a great show of CORVAIR solidarity. Subject: Annual meeting of the Corvair Minnesota, Southwest division. Meeting started out at Wild Berry Restaurant for dinner. We all went to Buratto's at TowerPoint Resort, Toured the Resorts common area and then to the Buratto's patio for some good conversation and the news from the Midwest. Members present were Buratto's, Berge's, Lucas, Doty's, and Cook's (and Sasha). Good time was had by all. It was decided that it was too warm to have a Chili Party this year. Meeting adjourned. Reported by Rich Buratto, Photo's by Jerry Berge (6)
(Crankshaft Seal continued from p 4) WOW! what a system. Anyway here s a photo of a section of the rubber cut out of the worn-out seal. The round portion is where the spring had been located the spring that forces the rubber tightly against the shaft. You can see the spring in this broken-rubber photo. Also notice the heavy black lines I have drawn into the photo of the worn rubber, showing the part that is worn away! In an additional photo you can see how to make a separate determination of the seal s wear. The ID of a new seal is 1.515 and our worn-out guy had a girth of 1.595 - - a significant difference of 0.080 especially in light of the diameter of the pulley s hub being 1.600! The microscope you see on the right is what I use to get really close-up photos. Fran (7)
OLD TIRES! Remember when we had the Tech session last year on old tires? Remember also that I had occasion to buy a 66 2dr last fall with OLD tires on it! As I am working on the car it is sitting on those OLD tires. One of them keeps leaking down so I am constantly filling it back up of course. Sure, I am going to change them out but for now I just keep filling up that left rear tire. Today I had the thought - - as I was filling it, once again - - that the valve core may be loose and all I would need do is to tighten it a bit. I made the ten step trip to get my valve core removal tool and stuck it in the valve stem. The core was tightly embedded in the stem but let me repeat BUT the stem turned when I was tightening the core. I thought, what did I just see? the stem turned in the hole in the rim!! With 32 PSI air inside!!! The only way that could ever happen would be if the rubber were so old that it dried up and shrunk in the hole.hhhmmm these are pretty old skins - - NEW, but OLD! I gotta believe the valve stem is at least as old and hard as these tires. Actually these tires are so OLD their size is listed on the side of the tire as BR78-13!!! Now, how old is that?!?!?! You are right - - TOO OLD! Just to show you that the valve stem actually turned I put a piece of tape on it and took two pictures. Take a look. (8)
CMI Classifieds FOR SALE '64 steering box (core value $145.00) rebuilt $185.00 '62 3 piece front trim NOS $250.00 '65 front grill - very good $100.00 '63 700 rocker trim (narrow) NOS '62 500/700 (narrow) rocker trim NOS '61 - '64 headlight bezels Pair NOS $150.00 '61 - '63 car steering box - used (core value $125.00) $125.00 '65 - '66 steering box - used (core value $125.00) $125.00 '65 - '69 headlight bezels NOS (2 right, 1 left) '64 rear exhaust air grill NOS Jerry Berge 480-250-8816 1966 corvair 2 door hard top, automatic, motor bad, have other motor, has 4-1 barrel carbs, been in storage for 33 yrs, no room to store must sell, rolling car clean title. Call 218-231-2247 ask for mike (Hibbing) $1500 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Spyder Turbo Conv, 4 speed, Trades/Offers?- $14900 Unique Specialty & Classic Cars; 1000 South Victory Dr, Mankato MN (507)386-1726 1) 4 nice Rally wheels. Complete with Chevrolet Motor division center caps and beauty rings. These are 14 inc and include a nice set of Bridgestone SF475 205 75 SR14.see picture Asking $420 for everything. 2) White convertible top and boot for late. Top is new and does not have a window. Boot fits well and is padded. $100 EACH $150 takes both, Kenny. 507-269-4909 Parts For Sale: Too many Corvairs again. Parting out 64 Coupe, 64 Convertible, 63 Van and 61 Wagon. Call soon or they'll be gone. Jimbrandberg@aol.com; H-763-444-9334; C-763-772-5650 * Brand New AC Delco coil (Clark s #C142 @ $61.40) will sell for $40.00 * Used late side mirror (Clark's #C1234R @ $64.65) (very good condition) - will sell for $30.00 * Used early arm rest bases (no cracks) - 2 for $10.00 * Used early steering wheel (blue) - $5.00 * Used '62 full wheel covers (very good condition) - 4 for $20.00 * Used early "baby moon" style wheel covers (very good condition) - 4 for $20.00 BILL COOK 612-940-9179 or 763-682-4094 CARS/PARTS WANTED Wanted Late Driver side front fender must be rust free. Ron Lucas (763) 420-2569 Wanted Black steel 15 x 7 wheels. GM: 80 s Chevy Caprice, e.g. Tony Berbig (952) 955-2848 Part Cleaning Soda Blasting, Sand Blasting Powder coating Vince Rohr vincerohr@hotmail.com Corvair Repair In Minnesota Your Place or Mine Part Time Casual, Off Season Is Best Mobile Service, Trailering Service, Reasonable Rates CORSA, Corvair Minnesota and SCCA Member Jim Brandberg 2214-293 ½ Av. NW, Isanti, MN 55040 763-444-9334 jimbrandberg@aol.com (9)
WEBSITE: http://www.corvairminnesota.com/ OFFICERS: COORDINATORS: PRESIDENT WANTADS Lee Knauf Rod Basham 1340 Broadview Ave 651.484.8969 Chaska, MN 55318-1704 rodbasham@comcast.net 952.448.6983 vairy69@comcast.net GMCCA TREASURER Mike Gaynor Ray Alexander 763.434.0322 901 Woodlawn Ct Mdgaynor@msn.com Burnsville, MN 55337-3627 Bruce Hubbard 651.334.8473 952.473.3864 fleetcap@aol.com donnadh@aol.com VICE-PRESIDENT CLUB PARTS Gary Nelson Paul Sergeant 6916 Russell Ave S 763.420.4495 Richfield, MN 55423-2024 TECHNICAL EDITOR 612.866.3247 Fran Schmit SECRETARY 3370 Library Lane Chuck Johnson St. Louis Park, MN 9632 Wyoming Terrace 55426-4224 Bloomington MN 55438-1640 952.929.9174 952.947.9106 schmfran@hotmail.com cljohnson99@gmail.com CLUB WEAR HISTORIAN Bill Cook Cara Knauf 612.940-9179 952.448.6983 wdcacook@yahoo.com EDITOR John Herkenratt 952-935-4596 Jherken1@netzero.net Corvair display engine CMI is a non-profit corporation, chartered with The CORVAIR Society of America. Send CORVAIR Minnesota s $20.00 annual dues, payable by Jan 01, to the CMI Treasurer. Membership in CORVAIR Minnesota entitles you to the monthly newsletter, The Leeky Seel, with free ads for members, a club window sticker, discounts on club activities, information on parts availability, and good advice on the preservation and enjoyment of the CORVAIR automobile. Yeah! THE LEEKY SEEL 3370 Library Lane St. Louis Park, MN 55426-4224 Ph: 763.475.0350 TEMP RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED