Next Meeting - Thursday April 6 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner Hwy 680

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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

http://clubs.hemmings.com/corsanews 2.. Letter From the Editor 3. Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule 2017 5.. Car Talk 5.

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 284 APRIL 2017 Look for us on the Web! Letter From the Editor 3. Treasurers Report 4.. Coming Events 4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule Car Talk 5..Ralph Nader Article in Auto Bild Klassik 11 Corvair Classifieds Joshua Deitcher, New President for SFBA Corsa Next Meeting - Thursday April 6 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner Hwy 680 at Sycamore SFBA Valley Corsa -April 2017 Rd in Danville page 1

2 Letter From the Editor I hope you were able to attend our last meeting. We had ten members and very lively discussions. Fortunately the skies were clear this evening which was nice. for those that drove a fair distance. You will notice I forgot to take a picture of the last meeting. I like to include these to let people who don t attend know what they were missing. By the way if your wife would like to come (to see what you have been up to) but she doesn t want to be the only woman, let me know and I will check to see if other women will be coming. We usually have a couple, but I will check to be sure. The big news this month is that we now have a new Club President. Joshua Deitcher will replace Tony Richards starting in April. Tony has been President for almost 8 years (he started in May 2009) and we wish to thank him for his generous support and leadership over the years! Tony is having a house built in West Marin County and has to oversee the construction putting him too far away to attend meetings on a regular schedule. He is currently in the final stages of getting his plans approved by the Home Owners Association (don t you just love em!). He was hoping for construction to begin in April but this now seems a bit optimistic with the HOA and weather and all. When done he will have room for all his cars in the garage which will be necessary because of the ocean weather they would be exposed to. 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@cs.com Committees Harry Kypreos (address above) Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA (510) Clark Calkins (address above) Editor At Large Tony Richards Advertising Paul Lacey (address above) I asked Tony for one more Car Talk article introducing Josh. You will find it on page 5. Even considering the distance, maybe I can prod Tony into coming to some meetings now-and-then and even writing more Car Talk articles. They really enhance the newsletter. Internet Web CaCalkins@astound.net The article featured in Auto Bild Klassik (a German classic car magazine) was released. The article focused on Ralph s career and included pictures of him standing in front of Harry s Corvair. At the time Ralph was attending a book sigining in Berkeley. I included some of the pictures starting on page 5. I used Google to try and translate the captions which is probably not accurate but should give you an idea of what it is about. (see Letter... on page 11) On The Cover: Joshua Deitcher from Rodeo is the new President for SFBA Corsa replacing Tony Richards. This picture was cropped out of a group photo taken at the Holiday Dinner this past December. My appologies, it was the best I had. 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 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 - April 2017

3 Minutes of the Last Meeting March 2, 2017 The meeting was called to order around 8:10 by President Tony Richards. As we have become use to, the first hour or so is taken up eating and talking shop. We had ten members attending tonight and no guests. The room was a bit noisier than usual this evening as there was another large party situated close by. This made taking notes more difficult. Treasury Report: Paul reported the bank balance stood at $ not counting renewals received this evening or the latest newsletter expenses (which Clark has not turned in yet). Membership: Harry reported that by his count we had 21 members renew for the year. There were no new members this month. This evening Paul and Seth renewed (maybe others?). Old Business: As mentioned for the last two months, Tony will be stepping down as President (this will be his last time) and we are looking for a replacement. Several possible candidates were mentioned and discussed but in the end Josh Deitcher stepped up and volunteered. Josh has been a regular at the meetings lately and has lots of energy and enthusiasm. A great fit. We are lucky! New Business: To drum up advertising for the newsletter, Seth and Tony proposed a couple ideas. Tony suggested we offer free ads for Corvair mechanics so that readers know they have a choice. Seth suggested we offer free, 1 year business card size ads to any outfit that wants to run one. Then after a year they can pay to continue the ad or not as they see fit. This was kicked around for a bit and then in the end Seth s idea was approved. Clark will send Seth a list of possible advertisers which he made up for Paul last year. Seth will draft a letter for Board approval and then send out the notices. For anyone who responds Seth will forward the ad material to Clark for the newsletter. Do to timing considerations these ads won t start until the May newsletter at the earliest. Josh reported that his Facebook page he setup has been open only a month or so but already has lots of visitors (the address was reported last month). Josh was asked how he found out about SFBA. He said that after he bought his Corvair, he checked out Facebook and Craig s list and me Chris Rogers (Chris was an SFBA member ages ago; he might even have been President I can t remember now). It turned out that Chris lived close to where Josh worked and has a good deal of Corvair knowledge and has been a great help. Clark mentioned that the Classified section of the newsletter is getting very thin. It looks like nobody is selling their Corvairs (or at least they are not letting him know). Treasurers Report March 2017 Paul Lacey Checking Acct. Cash/Checks Beginning Balance $ $00.00 Income Membership Renewals $ Expenses Newsletter (March) ($52.20)(*) Events: reported in a few months ago, Ralph Nader was in Berkeley for a lecture and book signing late last year. A reporter for a German classic car magazine was looking for a Corvair to show up as he thought the photos would enhance the article he would write. Well Harry and Steven both managed to bring their Corvairs to the event. Bernard (the reporter) wanted a picture with the top done and Harry obliged. As luck would have the pictures were taken late that evening and Harry was too tired to put the top back up for the drive home. It was a cold night and he froze while Carol, who had a coat and blanket, thought it was a nice ride home. Well the article finally came out in Auto Bild Klassik and Harry and Steven were sent copies. Steven brought Clark the copy he had for the newsletter. Clark made copies that were handed out at the meeting but of course they were in German which none of us understood (actually Marc seemed to be able make more sense of it than the rest of us). It was a rather lengthy article of nine pages and Harry s Corvair was predominately shown (Steven who was a bit late in arriving did not get his car photographed. A pity. It s a beautiful Spyder). (see Minutes... on page 10) Ending Balance $ $00.00 (*) This and the previous newsletter expense has not been turned in yet. Balance as of 03/26/2017 was $ SFBA Corsa -April 2017 page 3

4 Coming Events April 6 th April rd May 4 th May 21st June th June 27- July 1st Regular SFBA meeting, Black Bear Diner, 807 Camino Ramon, Danville,CA Capital City Spring Fling, Sutter Creek, CA. More info at Regular SFBA meeting, Black Bear Diner, 807 Camino Ramon, Danville,CA Friendship Day car show. #3 Lagoon Dr, Redwood Shores. Gates open at 8:00 AM with the usual $15 fee. VairFest Corvair Car Show in Arroyo Grande hosted by Central Coast CORSA. Corvair Society of America International Convention The Vairs Stop Here to be held in Independence, MO. Sponsored by Heart of America Corvair Owners Assn. See convention SFBA CORSA Meeting Schedule 2017 Thursday Jan 5, 7:00 PM Thursday Feb 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Mar 2, 7:00 PM Thursday Apr 6, 7:00 PM Thursday May 4, 7:00 PM Thursday Jun 1, 7:00 PM Thursday Jul 6, 7:00 PM Saturday Aug 5, 12:00PM Thursday Sep 7, 7:00 PM Thursday Oct 5, 7:00 PM Thursday Nov 2, 7:00 PM Saturday Dec 9, 7:00 PM SFBA/Valley Club Picnic at Quarry Lakes Park, Fremont, CA SFBA Holiday Dinner, Location & Date to be determined. page 4 SFBA Corsa - April 2017

CAR TALK -by Tony Richards It is with some reluctance that I have decided to step down from being your Club president, partly due to my recent relocation to Petaluma from San Francisco.

After holding office for over five years and seeing the club thru it s 45th anniversary right about now, I feel like I have done all I can do.

5 CAR TALK -by Tony Richards It is with some reluctance that I have decided to step down from being your Club president, partly due to my recent relocation to Petaluma from San Francisco. Ultimately, by next year, I will be even further away in a small beach community in northwest Marin County. This puts a strain on my future attendance at meetings and events because of the distance. After holding office for over five years and seeing the club thru it s 45th anniversary right about now, I feel like I have done all I can do. I have struggled with low attendance at meetings and a declining membership. One thing I wanted to accomplish, with moderate success, was offering free charter membership to northern California CORSA members who were not already club members. The club needs some new blood and I am confident that my successor, Josh Deitcher, is enthusiastic enough to breathe some new life into the club. Josh has already started a Facebook page for Bay Area Corvair Owners, which has been met with lots of response. I want to thank everyone who is in our core group who regularly attend the meetings and especially Clark for holding the club together by arranging the meeting space and keeping the Spyder Web coming every month. Best wishes to our new president, Josh Deitcher! Ralph Nader Article in Auto Bild Klassik (Das Magazin fur Oldtimer und Youngtimer) Photo by Lori Eanes The Advocate of the Drivers Hardly anybody changed the car world and later even the whole world more than the lawyer Ralph Nader. We talked to him. SFBA Corsa -April 2017 page 5

Auto Bild Klassik (continued) The Corvair advertising praised the critical pendulum axis as

.. Today, the Chevrolet Corvair is particularly a convertible of the first generation,a

8 bar) it is even presumably safe. I was a bicycle type. But I had a car, a 49 Studebaker.

6 Auto Bild Klassik (continued) The Corvair advertising praised the critical pendulum axis as "radically advanced". The reputation is ruined... Today, the Chevrolet Corvair is particularly a convertible of the first generation,a popular classic. With the right air pressure (front 1.0, rear 1.8 bar) it is even presumably safe. I was a bicycle type. But I had a car, a 49 Studebaker. Vanquisher of the low-cost vehicles, critic of the convertible, enemy of the sharp-edged interior: Ralph Nader assured safety in the car. page 6 SFBA Corsa - April 2017

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10 Minutes... The VairFest is coming up. This will again be held in Arroyo Grande (by Pismo Beach) which is a bit of a drive for some of us. This will be June (Friday & Saturday). This year the Raffle features a rebuilt 110 motor. Can be setup for either a manual or automatic trans. And they will ship it up to 500 miles. A good deal for those who would like a spare. Raffle tickets are only $5 each and you don t have to be present to win. There will be more information as we get closer. The Capital City Spring Fling is scheduled for April rd in Sutter Creek. Those that went last year reported on a very enjoyable event. This will held in a park in the old down town district. Seth reported he will be there with a swap space. Josh will try to make it. Sutter Creek is a nice little old town with lots of shops to keep the wife busy (just like Arroyo Grande). Swap & Sell: Steve is looking for a front-end for his 65. He wants one that he can tear down and rebuild. Paul thinks he might have one. Steve is also looking for a late model bumper hitch. Tech: Steve was a bit late this evening as after going half way he had to turn back and switch cars. The Corvair started shaking at over 45 mph and he didn t want to risk it. He recently had the alignment set at Wheel Works (or Wheel Jerks as he called them) and he thinks they did not know what they were doing. They are supposed to test drive the cars to verify the alignment, but I hope we will hear more about this next month. Also he reported on having a hard time finding a shop to do his brakes. Apparently a lot of places won t do drum brakes any more. Who knew? Marc reported he had a vacuum leak which was proving hard to find. An old time mechanic found it by spraying brake fluid around the manifold listen- (see More Minutes on page 11) page 10 SFBA Corsa - April 2017

11 Corvair Classifieds CORVAIRS FOR SALE 65 Corsa 140 Coupe. Original paint, little rust. Asking $1400. Red Bluff area. Call Skip Polacchi (530) (04/ 17) CORVAIR PARTS FOR SALE Walt Anderson has the following parts for sale. These are NOS GM parts in original boxes. He is located in Oakland, call for details (510) , cwnet.com (04/16) License Lamp Housings, FC & Lakewood. Part # (2) $50/pair Exhaust Valves (2) with keepers fir FC and Turbo. Part # $20 Oil Cooler - 8 Plate Part # $25 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. F/C Turned brake drums (2) - $20 F/C Hub caps (4) - $20 F/C Front door NOS L&R lock latch - $30 Spyder Dash - has wooden face - $75 Corsa Communiqués + Quarterlies, $ Rear Air Grill (NOS) $ Read Air Grill, very good. $ Rear Axles with good bearings. $55 each 1964 Turbo Carb Kit, NOS major kit. $65 Early Bumper Guards, Reconditioned 4 complete sets. $180 per set 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. Late 164 Rebuilt Motor, TRW STO pistons, long block no carbs, dist, alt $800. Letter... Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 6th at Black Bear Diner in Danville. The meeting will start around 7:00 PM. I will get there early so we can grab a table in the back room where it is quieter and we can take our time. Let s have a good turnout to welcome our new President with hopefully several Corvairs in the parking lot! Hope to see you there! More Minutes ing for a slight increase in rpms. Marc said that his Corvair developed an oil leak which he wants to track down. It s not losing a lot of oil, but there is a spot the size of the whole engine compartment. Seth suggested tightening the oil pan screws (they can work loose over time). Then wipe up all the oil you can find and try to determine if it is coming from the oil pan, oil cooler, left or right valve covers or push rod tubes, or front or rear engine seals. Those are about the only places where significant oil leakage can occur. From his description the oil pan is most likely the culprit. Josh mentioned that he has had good luck dealing with Jeff at California Corvairs. He has been very helpful. Tony use to use Corvair Underground (he liked the idea of multiple vendors) but has switched to Clark s because of delivery problems with Undergound. Rob is looking for a thermistor adapter he can use for his 140. His broke (he sent Clark a picture that was passes around). The adapter lets the fine thread thermistor be used in a head with course threads. What s strange is that, according to Seth, all turbo and 140 heads had fine threads to begin with. It was only the 110 heads which had course threads. So according to this, Rob shouldn t need an adapter? Strange. In any case they are available from Clark s and do break easily as they are made out of thin brass. Meeting was adjourned about 9:20. Respectively submitted, Clark Calkins, secretary SFBA Corsa -April 2017 page 11

12 SFBA CORSA 1907 Alvarado Ave Walnut Creek, CA FIRST CLASS To: page 12 SFBA Corsa - April 2017

Merry Christmas! Next Meeting - Thursday Jan 5 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner Hwy 680. from SFBA Corsa! WEB

Merry Christmas! Next Meeting - Thursday Jan 5 th 7:00PM - Black Bear Diner Hwy 680. from SFBA Corsa! WEB 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