In this issue: Bucket List Item Checked by Steve Dunn TCC Planning Meeting by Dean Zawacki Polar Bear Run Upcoming Activities AND MORE!

Transcription

1 Steve Dunn poses beside a beautiful Corsa coupe at this year s Barrett- Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Steve says attending the event was a thrill of a lifetime. He tells more about it in this issue. In this issue: Bucket List Item Checked by Steve Dunn TCC Planning Meeting by Dean Zawacki Polar Bear Run Upcoming Activities AND MORE!

2 PAGE 2 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Officers for 2017 President: Scott Cartine (757) nygiantfn1@msn.com Vice President: John McPherson (757) jdmcpherson45@gmail.com Activities Chairman: Dean Zawacki (757) deanage5@hotmail.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 Mike Hall Vice President Dave Dewald Secretary Bryan Blackwell Treasurer Paul Sergeant Eastern Division Directors Bryan Blackwell bryan@skiblack.com Allan Lacki redbat01@verizon.net Karl Haakonsen cityhawk@pobox.com John Nickel fivcent@tds.net Activities Schedule Feb. 17th Tech Session Join us for the first Tech Session of the year at Auto Brake, Avenue J in Norfolk. We ll be looking at New Member Adrian s car to make sure it s ready for the road. Also will be looking to correct the stance of Dean Zawacki s We suspect the springs have been incorrectly installed. Tech Session gets underway at 9:15 am. Feb. 12 th - TCC Business Meeting 7:00pm at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk. Refreshments John McPherson 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: The Avalon Train Corvair Show is an Society annual destination of America for many in the community, including the Tidewater Corvair Club. There s always so much to see! Tidewater Corvair Club, Inc Cardo Place P.O. Box 607 Virginia Beach, VA Lemont, IL

3 PAGE 3 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Bucket List Item Checked By Steve Dunn My wife and I recently had the opportunity to visit a friend who relocated back to the Phoenix area a year ago. To make it possible, we decided we would give each other a plane ticket for Christmas in lieu of gifts. Somewhere in our planning, I remembered that Barrett Jackson holds their auction in Scottsdale each January. My man senses were tingling. So with a little arm twisting, I secured auction tickets and one day on our agenda. If you have never been to a large car auction, there are a ton of people, vendors and cars, cars, cars! We had to park at one of the well-marked remote parking sites and ride a new, well equipped bus to the site. I have to admit I was impressed with how well they transported the hordes of tire kickers like me. Dropped off and picked up near the Bidder s tent entrance. I did not obtain a Bidder s pass to avoid any temptation to raise my hand but the temptation was strong. The one benefit of getting a Bidder s pass was you were allowed to sit one section closer to the stage. Trust me, it ain t necessary as you can preview literally hundreds of cars that are shining like jewelry. Every car you ever wanted to see up close and in person. Some were restored to pristine original condition while others were heavily modified. Paint so deep you can see into it and soft, soft leather seats. What truly caught my eye was the wide selection of McLarens presented for sale. I have always eyed the McLarens though I have never driven one. My wife asked me Why did you restore the Corvair if you really wanted one of those? Because they cost a quarter million dollars!! Steve Dunn checks out the sleek, sexy McLaren at the Barrett-Jackson Auction. The highlight of the day was getting to see the Corvair that sold for $25,000. It was a nice car even up close. I didn t survey every inch but I certainly wouldn t mind adding it to my garage. Some online Corvair people have balked at the high price for a mid-level collectable car, but I appreciate the fact that other people are starting to see the Corvair as something other than Nader s nightmare. We all know the Corvair as an honest, affordable, quirky car that was simply presented ahead of its time. So the next time you find yourself complaining about the cost and availability of a unique part, remember that someone else is trying to keep these wonderful classic cars alive and on the road as well. Send them the check with a thank you note and go back to enjoying your Corvair once again. If you ever have an opportunity to attend one of the big auctions, go for it! We enjoyed the experience by spending the day with a long - time friend and you can t put a price on that!!!

4 PAGE 4 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE January Birthdays 1/ 4 - Ronald Nelson 1/6 - Stephanie Jacobsen 1/12 - Martha Mitchell 1/13 - Theresa Bryant 1/22 - Kenny Bryant January Anniversaries 1/25 - Theresa & Kenny Bryant Angie McPherson proudly displays her trophy after winning the 2018 Chili Cook-Off. Planning Meeting Recap By Dean Zawacki This year s first planning meeting started off with a Chili Cook-Off. Six dishes were entered in the competition, each giving a slightly different variation on the chili theme. After much tasting and deliberating, Angie McPherson s offering won the popular vote. She took possession of the Valvolene Trophy previously won by Barbara Gilliland and her delicious chili a few years back. As we usually do, activities were mapped out for the first half of the year. Club members updated their calendars as they were made aware of upcoming car shows and swap meets, and tech sessions were planned out. It won t be long before the March 10 AACA Swap Meet at the Military Aviation Museum and the York High School Car show later that month. This year promises to be a busy one! The club was pleased to welcome a new member to our first official event of the year. Adrian Ochipinti has recently purchased Steve Serio s 1965 Monza convertible, and is

5 PAGE 5 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE looking for advice on keeping it running. Adrian joined us at the Planning Meeting and we got acquainted. The first Tech Session of the year will be dedicated to having a look at Adrian s car to make sure it is running well, and getting him to know his way around the car. We will also be looking at the suspension on Dean Zawacki s The car has always leaned a bit on the driver s side and the tires are wearing unevenly. Dean thought it was due to old, tired coil springs, but the theory was put forward that since the springs are different from front to back and side to side, it is quite possible that the springs are installed in the wrong location. We will attempt to determine as best we can the proper location for each spring. Looking ahead at the first half of the year, the club is planning a trip to Hatteras in June and a possible outing to Fort Monroe. We are getting ready for the Landstown Dust-Off on Saturday, April 21, and of course the Vair Fair in Winchester, Virginia May 18 20, and the Pungo Strawberry Festival on May 26. At least one Tech Session has been scheduled for each month, and many of the topics have been left to be determined. Scott is planning on doing a Session on Car Detailing tips and tricks as car show season approaches, and we are considering doing another safety inspection in the spring. If you have something that needs done on your car, why not involve the club? Two or more sets of eyes are always better than one, and many hands make light work. Besides, we will all benefit from the knowledge and experience. Let Scott Cartine or one of the other club officers know if you would like us to look at your car. Together, let s make 2018 a banner year for the Tidewater Corvair Club! The 2018 CVCCC Polar Bear Run started out from the Walmart parking lot in Petersburg, Virginia. Dozens of beautiful classics turned out for the event Polar Bear Run By Dean Zawacki The Car Club Council of Central Virginia hosted its 19 th annual Polar Bear Run on Saturday, January 27. Sunny skies and temperatures that approached 60 degrees brought classic car enthusiasts out in larger numbers than usual, and a few intrepid souls even dropped their convertible tops. Scott Cartine drove his 1965 Corvair to the event, and I rode along with him. Smitty and Helen Smith took Smitty s 64 Wagon. We probably should have left a bit earlier, because as we got to the gathering place in Petersburg, the caravan was leaving. We took our place at the end of the line without receiving our driving instructions for the first leg of the trip. Well, it was an adventure we were after, and that s what we got. We drove on through the Central Virginia countryside, southward past farms and fields, and we noticed that we hadn t passed any gas stations. Since we arrived just as the group was leaving, we didn t have a chance to fill up

6 PAGE 6 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE from our nearly two-hour trip to Petersburg. We drove on as Scott watched the gas gauge get closer and closer to E. The caravan didn t give the slightest impression of stopping or even slowing down. Finally we approached a 7-11, the first gas opportunity since we left the starting point, and Scott didn t want to risk continuing and running out of gas. He pulled over as we watched the caravan drive out of sight. University in Murfreesboro and into a museum called the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum. An old former high school housed the personal collection of the late Mr. Jefcoat, The Peanut Patch, our first stop. Thank goodness for cell phones! After playing phone tag back and forth with Smitty and Helen, we learned that the caravan had stopped just ahead on Route 58 and east to a little tourist trap called the Peanut Patch. Hoping to pick up a tasty snack, I soon discovered the place was designed to skim as many tourist dollars as possible from hapless souvenir seekers. We went next door to the Dairy Queen and got a breakfast of sorts, being careful to first secure our driving instructions for the second leg of the trip. Soon the caravan was ready to move out, and this time we were prepared. We drove east on 58 toward Franklin, then exited and drove south toward Murfreesboro, North Carolina. When we stopped again at our final destination, it was just past Chowan The 2018 CVCCC Polar Bear Run final destination. who, by all indications, never threw anything away. I couldn t guess where he stored this stuff before the high school became available. The halls and former classrooms were filled with collections of toasters, teapots and taxidermy. There were several rooms filled with victrolas, Edison wax cylinder players, barrell washing machines, BB guns and butter churns. A Jefcoat Museum staff member discusses the finer points of Mr. Jefcoat s toilet and bedpan collection.

7 PAGE 7 January 2018 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE One room contained pencil sharpeners, inkwells, and had an entire wall dedicated to bedpans and toilets through the ages. Normally, museum patronage is small enough that visitors are escorted on a guided tour. (Go figure.) However, the size of our group overwhelmed the staff, and the best they could do was post a docent in each of the rooms to point out items of interest and answer questions. Following Smitty and Helen back to Virginia. One of the rooms containing Victrolas, radios and music boxes. On the first floor, they had a giant statue of the RCA Victor dog. All too soon, it was time to head back ( Will you look at the time! ) and the group relocated to a barbecue restaurant just down the street. We opted for a lunch a little closer to home, so we drove back and stopped just outside of Suffolk. Everyone seemed to have a very good time, and if the weather is close to being this nice next year, I will be making the run in my car. Next year will be the 20 th annual Polar Bear Run, so they are bound to have something really special planned. I encourage everyone to come out for this unique event. The field behind the museum was filled with over 50 classic vehicles. This 1935 Buick made the trip in style.