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 1969. This unique, rear-engined, air-cooled automobile WEB grabs as much attention today as it did 50 years ago! VOLUME 254 OCTOBER 2014 Look for us on the Web! http://clubs.hemmings.com/corsanews 2.. Letter From the Editor 3.. Minutes of the Last Meeting 3.. Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule 2014 5.. SFBA Membership Form 6.. Tech Session Directions 11.. Corvair Classifieds Rob Massari s 64 Spyder Project Next Meeting -Tech Session! Saturday, Oct 11 th 7840 Creekside Dr., Dublin, CA 94568 SFBA Corsa October 2014 page 1
Letter From the Editor I hope you were able to attend our last meeting. We had seven members which was a bit on the light side. As usual there was lots of car talk prior to the meeting formally starting. Tony, and others, pointed out that I got the year of all the cars wrong in the last newsletter. Sarah has a 63, Harry has a 62, and Roger has a 67 (well at least I m consistent - consistently wrong!). Sorry about that. As mentioned in the last newsletter, Tony went to pick up the literature donated by Dave Gomberg of San Francisco and deliver it to Dave Newell. This turned out to be a lot of Milestone Car Society material, a couple of Corvair books (Corvair Decade and Corvair Affair) and Mercedes brochures (not worth much). Milestone Car Society was a group started by Richard Langworth who previously started CORSA (the surviving entity is The Milestone Car Society of California). Mr Gomberg use to have a 65 Corvair convertible which he sold in the 70s. Marc was wondering if it is the same one as he current owns? He got it from his father who bought it used about that same time in Daily City which is close to Glomberg s house. You never know. Rob Massari sent in a couple of picture of his 64 Spyder (the car is on the cover and the engine is shown below) that he has been working on. Current SFBA Corsa Officers President Tony Richards, PO Box 765, Mill Valley, CA 94942 - (415)261-4762 email: Lonetree12@yahoo.com Vice-President Harry Kypreos, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA 94568 email: HKypreos@epicor.com Secretary Treasurer Membership Library Newsletter Clark Calkins, 1907 Alvarado Ave., Walnut Creek, CA 94597 - (925)478-8909 email: CaCalkins@astound.net Fred Garrity, 113 Alamatos Drive, Danville, CA 94526 Committees Harry Kypreos (address above) Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA 94544 - (510)782-4265 Clark Calkins (address above) Editor At Large Tony Richards (address above) Refreshments Internet Web email Ed Rodrigues, 1702 Nelson St, San Leandro, CA 94579-2203 - (510)351-1237 http://clubs.hemmings.com/corsanews CaCalkins@astound.net How do you like using the internal gas tank screen filter for the crank case breather filter? Rob thinks it looked ok. He'll have to see how well it works. (see Letter... on page 6) On The Cover: Rob Massari is restoring this 64 Spyder he obtained from Skip a year or so ago. He is installing a 65 140 hp engine and getting the car in tip-top shape. Looks good. Can t wait to have him drive it to a meeting! 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 emailed 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 - October 2014
Minutes of the Last Meeting September 4, 2014 The meeting was called to order around 7:30 by President Tony Richards. There were seven members and no guests this evening. Because of the picnic last month, there was no meeting so no minutes to approve this time. Tony pointed out errors I made in the last newsletter. I got the year wrong on the cars at the picnic. Treasurer s Report: Fred was not here but the back balance stood at $3223 as of August 31. Membership: One new member, Ray Welter, since our July meeting. Welcome! Harry put together a letter introducing the Club and offering a free email newsletter. This will be sent to Northern California CORSA members that are not (as yet) SFBA members. Seth will compile the list so Harry can send them out. A copy of the proposed letter was reviewed and commented on by the attendees. This is an attempt to increase our membership by showing the value to Corvair people that might not know about us. New Business: Marc gave us an update on his car s restoration. It is currently at Foss Upholstery in Alameda where they will be doing any necessary body work (mainly window pillars) and the upholstery. Seth mentioned that if they replace any metal parts, those parts should be painted to protect them (especially the back sides which are impossible to get to later). Rustolium Red Primer is a good product for this. Marc expected the total cost to approach $15k. Harry mentioned that there was a Yahoo video comparing Corvair with Pontiac Fiero. Specifically this compared a 67 Corvair Convertible with an 88, 4 cylinder Fiero. This was from a collectable point of view since each has its own loyal fan base. Old Business: Tony drove to SF to pick up the Corvair related material Dave Gomberg was giving away (as reported last month). He brought the material to Dave Newell who is always interested in classic car literature. Events: Seth reported on the Convention in Tacoma Washington. This was small (as all West Coast conventions seem to be) and held in an urban area. The host hotel was a long walk (or short transit ride) from the LeMay Auto Museum where most of the events were held. Less than 25 cars were entered in the concourse event but the car display, a People s Choice, was much larger with at least 15 FC s (this convention was sponsored by Corvanatics). The autocross was on Thursday held at the Bremerton Motorsports Park (about 30 miles away across the Tacoma Narrows bridge). It was a fun convention and the host hotel was quite nice. Seth towed his race car. A long tow even with a stop-over in Grants Pass, Oregon. Both Seth and his wife, Barbara had booths at the swap meet. Barbara, who sold jewelry, had a sign saying Most Everything Less than Corvair Parts. The vendor Treasurers Report September 2014 Fred Garrity Checking Acct. Cash/Checks Beginning Balance $3223.61 $00.00 Income New Member Dues 30.00 Expenses Newsletter (3 months) (115.00) Picnic (45.00) area ended a day early (on Thursday) giving vendors all day Friday to partake in the other events. Next year s Convention will be Knoxville, Tn and then Springfield, Il the year after. The Fan Belt Toss is coming up the end of October. Seth and Skip, at least, are intending to go. This is about an 8 hour drive. For us the most preferred route is to take Hwy 5 down to Gorman and then take Hwy 138 east through Lancaster/Palmdale over to Hwy 15 and then down to San Bernardino where you can catch Hwy 10 east to Palm Springs. This route avoids going through Pasadena which a nightmare at commute time. The Fan Belt Toss is always a fun event and there are lots of things to do in the area. The unique rotating tram to Mt San Jacinto is especially enjoyable (bring a jacket, there may be snow up there!). Seth and Hal went to the Driven Car & Bike Show in San Jose. Seth towed his race car and Hal drove his Rampside. Ken couldn t make it this year. Tech Session: Harry volunteered to host a Tech Session at his house in Dublin. This will be either Oct 4th or (see Minutes... on page 10) Ending Balance $3093.61 (*) $00.00 (*) Estimated balance, outstanding expenses have not been finalized. - Clark SFBA Corsa October 2014 page 3
Coming Events October 11 th October 24-26 th SFBA Tech Session atharry s house in Dublin10:00 AM (see map on page 6). The topic of interest this time will be brakes. A BBQ follows thedemonstration! 37 th Annual Great Western Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet, Sunrise Park, Palm Springs, CA November 6 th Regular SFBA Corsa Meeting at Denny s in Danville 7:00 PM. Hwy 680 at Sycamore Valley Rd. December 6 th SFBA Corsa Holiday Dinner at Harry s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th Ave, San Leandro, CA. 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 94526. Thursday May 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Jun 5, 7:00 PM Thursday Jul 10, 7:00 PM Saturday Aug 9, 12:00PM Thursday Sep 4, 7:00 PM SFBA/Valley Club picnic at Quarry Lakes park, Fremont, CA Saturday Oct 11, 10:00 AM SFBA Tech Session. Harry Kypreos house, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA Thursday Nov, 6 10 AM Saturday Dec 6, 7:00 PM SFBA Holiday Dinner, Harry s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th Ave, San Leandro, CA. page 4 SFBA Corsa - October 2014
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Tech Session Directions (Saturday, October 11th at 10:00AM) To get to Harry s, take Foothill/San Ramon Rd off of Hwy 580 and go North one block. Make a left turn at the light on Dublin Blvd and go three blocks. Turn right at the stop light on Silvergate Dr. Go about nine blocks and turn left on Creekside Dr. Harry s house is a block and a half on the left (three houses past Wildcat Ct next to an un-built parcel). Harry Kypreos, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA (925)875-1408 Letter... In place of an October meeting we will be having our second Tech Session of the year at Harry s house in Dublin (see directions on this page). This time we will focus on brakes and any other topic members wish to bring up. Seth thinks he has a front spindle and brake setup he can bring to demonstrate with. This will be on Saturday, October 11th starting around 10:00 AM. The Club will provide coffee and donuts with a BBQ following the technical stuff. Valley Corsa and friends are invited. Classifieds... 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 1970-2000 - $150 Tires 205 75R14 on rims for F/C (2) - $75 1964 Wood wheels with hubs, horn & contacts. - (2) at $300 each, (1) at $200 page 6 SFBA Corsa - October 2014
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Minutes... the 11th (note this has been subsequently finalized on the 11th! - Clark). The topic of interest will be Brakes this time and there will be a BBQ after. Should be fun. Tech: The subject of magnesium fans came up (apparently there is a YouTube video showing one on fire lighting up the neighborhood!). These were used on the 64 and later Corvairs. Originally Chevy planned to make these out of plastic but interaction with battery fumes caused the plastic to out-gas some toxic vapors so they changed to Mg. These are coated to prevent corrosion. If you get a chip in yours or somehow expose the bare metal be sure to coat this with something (maybe a clear coat?) or you will see a white powder forming in short order. Marc mentioned that he suspects poor grounding to be the cause of his gas gauge issues. Seth mentioned that on Late model Corvairs the dash is primarily grounded by a special bracket on the left side. If this particular bolt is loose or missing then other routes provide an alternate, but poorer, path to ground effecting the gauges and lights. If you notice the lights on your dash are rather dim, check this ground connection to be sure its solid. Seth mentioned that he saw an ad in the Penny Saver for BMW 320i wheels & tires - 5 for $100. Some BMW wheels are very similar to Corvair (bolt circle is about 1/2 mm different) so he went and checked them out. They turned out to be TSX wheels which are a special breed. You can still get tires for these, but at a cost. Coker has them for $500+ each! Seth decided to pass. Swap & Sell: Tony mentioned the 61 Monza Coupe (see Classifieds) was a particularly rare find (3-speed with a straight shifter). Some funky aftermarket seat covers. Respectfully submitted, Clark Calkins, secretary page 10 SFBA Corsa - October 2014
Corvair Classifieds CORVAIR CARS FOR SALE '63 Monza convertible. Original owner. Straight car. Has been stored on blocks for 15+ years. Best offer. Marty or Carolyn 925.820.1740 (07/14) 61 Monza Coupe Garage Find - $1,000. 69102 miles, last registered in 1991. Non-op status since then and carefully stored in weather tight garage. Body, paint and chrome in very good condition. Fawn Beige paint isn't even dull...car looks great. One-year-only 1961 rear grille excellent. All original except for excellent 62-63 wire wheel covers, AM/FM cassette and replacement interior done in fawn velour before repro interiors were available. Padded Dash, 98 hp engine. 3-speed with rare straight shift lever used only on 60-61 3-speed Monzas. Engine never been apart, turns over with fan belt pull. Three out of four tires still have air in them. Car was bought new by the late Lloyd Green from Central Chevrolet in Fremont (car still has its original Central license frames and gasoline record book since day one). Lloyd was a transport truck driver for the Oakland Chevrolet assembly plant and both he and his wife Jean became models for Chevy publicity photos starting in 1956. Both Dave Newell and Finn Halbo have looked the car over and recommend it highly...it'll be a bargain for the right person. Call Dave for pictures or specific details about the car at 510-782- 4265, chevrobilia@yahoo.com. Contact Jean Green, 1947 Winchester Place, Fairfield, CA, Ph.707-422- 5938 1961 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 94511 or (925)684-2738 (09/12) 1960 4 door. Approx 80k miles. Auto, new interior (seat covers, carpets, door panels,headliner). New rear window. Fresh paint. Been in the family since new and always garaged. No rust. Les Schwaub tires. Downsizing move forces sale. $4,500. Contact Gary 503-784-7713. (08/14) 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)672-0503 home (925) 68-4405 cell, chumacruz @gmail.com (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)474-4227. 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 (see Classifieds on page 6) SFBA Corsa October 2014 page 11
SFBA CORSA PO BOX 422 ORINDA, CA 94563 FIRST CLASS To: www.californiacorvairparts.com page 12 SFBA Corsa - October 2014