Chevrolet Corvair - Hemmingsclubs.hemmings.com/corsanews/News1015.pdf · SFBA Corsa - October 2015...

SFBA Corsa - October 2015 page 1

The Official Publication of theSan Francisco Bay AreaChapter of the Corvair Societyof America --- Chapter 947

Dedicated to the enjoyment, history andpreservation of the Chevrolet Corvairproduced from 1960 through 1969. Thisunique, rear-engined, air-cooled automobilegrabs as much attention today as it did 50years ago! VOLUME 266 OCTOBER 2015

Look for us on the Web!http://Clubs.Hemmings.com/CorsaNews

WEB

2.. Letter From the Editor

3. Minutes of the Last Meeting

3. Treasurers Report

4.. Coming Events

4.. SFBA Corsa Meeting Schedule 2015

5.. Tech Session Directions

7. Mike & Toni Lewis Corvair Parts List

9. 2015 GWFBT & Swap Meet Entry Form

11 Corvair Classifieds

Steven’s ‘64 Spyder Coupe

Next Meeting -Tech SessionSaturday Oct 3rd 10:00AM,

7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA

SFBA Corsa - October 2015

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 thefirst Thursday at 7:00 PM at Harry’s Hofbrau in San Leandro except for special occasions. Membership costs $25/yr (membership in CORSA, $38/yr, isencouraged). 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 notinclude a subscription to the newsletter. All material should be sent to the editor (address above) or emailed to [email protected]. Material must bereceived 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.

Current SFBA Corsa OfficersPresident Tony Richards, PO Box 765, Mill Valley, CA 94942 email: [email protected]

Vice-President Harry Kypreos, 7840 Creekside Dr,Dublin, CA 94568email: [email protected]

Secretary Clark Calkins, 1907 Alvarado Ave.,Walnut Creek, CA 94597 - (925)478-8909

email: [email protected]

Treasurer Paul Lacey, 16550 Blackberry Hill Rd,Los Gatos, CA 95030 - (408)354-9393email: [email protected]

Committees

Membership Harry Kypreos (address above)

Library Dave Newell, 1481 Hamrick Lane, Hayward, CA 94544 - (510)782-4265

Newsletter Clark Calkins (address above)

Editor At Large Tony Richards (address above)

Refreshments Ed Rodrigues, 1702 Nelson St, SanLeandro, CA 94579-2203 - (510)351-1237

InternetWeb http://Clubs.Hemmings.com/CorsaNewsemail [email protected]

Letter From the Editor

On The Cover: Steven Schnier, a longstanding SFBA member is once again a Corvair owner, this time a very pretty1964Spyder coupe. If you can’t read the sticker in the window, it says “Ban low performance drivers, not high performance cars”.Looks like he also has a nice companion car!

(see Letter... on page 8)

I hope you were able to attend our last meeting. We

had about nine members this evening which wasn’t toobad. It was good to see Chuck return after a long hiatus.He sold his house in South San Francisco and moved toBrentwood.

If this newsletter looks like it was hurriedly put together,there is a reason. Last weekend I drove up to my housein Hidden Valley Lake (by Clearlake) fully expecting towork on the newsletter in a leisurely manner. I had theplace to myself. Just me and my dog Sasha. I heardthere was a fire on Cobb Mountain, it was a nasty fire butthat was 6-8 miles away. Surely they will have it undercontrol before it gets anywhere near me. But the windwas blowing pretty hard so I will keep an eye on it. Lessthan an hour later the sky was getting dark and yet itwas only 5PM so I called my wife and asked “if I have toleave, what should I bring?” Now armed with a short listof “irreplaceable” items I thought I would at least get thecar loaded. When I went upstairs looking for these itemsI could now see how close the flames actually were. Thefire had already consumed the southern entrance to thedevelopment. So I thought “that’s it, I’m out of here!” Afterall if the fire blocks the northern entrance then exiting willbe very difficult. Packing up the car and loading Sasha Iheaded out only to find a huge line of cars all having totake the same one lane road out. Had it not been forsecurity and the police it would have been chaos. As itwas they kept the cars orderly and lines moving (albeitslowly). While waiting, I could see flashes of light behindsome trees which later turned out to be the local gasstation going up in flames. It took over one hour to finallyreach Hwy 29 (all of a mile away) and at that point I couldonly go north as the fire had consumed everything to thesouth. I took my time and five hours later I arrived at myhouse in Walnut Creek. It was a long night and I am gladI got out when I did. Now we are hoping that the house issparred (after all the Corvair is in the garage!). While the

map maintained by CAL FIRE is encouraging (it shows our wholestreet escaping the fire), the fire is a not under control and is only50% contained.


Treasurers Report – September 2015(*)

Fred Garrity

Checking Acct. Cash/ChecksBeginning Balance $3151.47 $00.00

Income Renewals $50.00 Valley BBQ contribution $20.00

Expenses Newsletter (August) (43.43)

Ending Balance $3178.04 $00.00

(*) Not all expenses have not been turned in yet. Bank bal-ance still shows $3374.50 as of 09/20/2015.

Minutes of the Last MeetingSeptember 3, 2015

The meeting was called to order

around 7:30 PM by President TonyRichards. This evening we had ninemembers and but no guests.

Treasurers Report: The bank balancestood at $3304.50. Unchanged from lastmonth.

Membership: No new members.

Old Business: Nothing discussed.

New business: Next month we will behaving our first Tech Session of the yearat Harry’s house in Dublin (map anddirections will be in the newsletter.Fred indicated that he cannot continueas Club Treasurer. Clark will send outa notice looking for volunteers.

Events: The Picnic last month was agreat success. Good weather and niceturnout and several Corvairs. SiliconValley Corsa kicked in $20. Thanks!Classic Car Show coming up inAlameda, Saturday Oct 10. Cost toenter is $25 includes a t-shirt.Fan Belt Toss coming up in October.Raffle tickets are available for $5 (or 5for $20). The main prize this year is anEZcarlift and they will deliver it (Sethreally likes his). But there will be manyother prizes.

Tech Session: Next month we will behaving a Tech Session at Harry’s housein Dublin. We discussed two possibletopics. Corvair cooling system main-tenance and minor body work. In theend most people felt that cooling sys-tem maintenance would be more infor-mative. Seth volunteered to setup ademo for us.

Tech: The subject of headlightsbrought many questions and answers.Tony says when replacing headlights,replace all four. That way they will all

have the same brightness. Lights dimwith age. To replace a light, remove themetal bank that holds the light bulb inplace. Do not turn the adjust screwsby mistake or you will have to re-ad-just the lights. To adjust the lights, Sethsays find a blank wall where you candrive your car right up to (like at theMall after stores have closed). Markthe wall where the lights should bepointing (use chalk not spray paint).Position the car per specs and thenturn the adjusting screws until the lightscenter on your marks. Note that theadjusting screws go into plastic hold-ers and it is suggested that you spraysome WD-40 to avoid breaking the plas-tic if screws are corroded.Tony asked if the Corvair steering wheelwas originally round. His measures 16”by 15” and looks “oval”. Seth says thatthey were round but two spoke wheelshave a tendency to deform with use.But 1” difference is a lot. Tony willchuck his wheel.Seth mentioned that someone was try-

ing to put a horn ring on an FC (mynotes might not be correct here - Edi-tor). The only one that came with thiswas a ’64 with the deluxe package. Ifyou don’t care about looks, go findmost any GM car of the era as the samespline was used for many models overmany years. Then you only have towork out the horn & canceling cam.When discussing possible body workthemes for the Tech Session, Seth re-called just after purchasing his ChevyAvalanche he got hit by a golf ball. Lefta nice ding (and the truck was lessthan 3 month old). He took it to DentWizard in Campbell. For $75 the dentwas completely gone (the guy wouldn’tlet Seth watch to see how this wasdone).Harry asked about adjusting the PowerGlide transmission. There isn’t muchto adjust. The Tech Guides cover thisquite well. If the vacuum modulator isfaulty (vacuum leaks) then you will no-tice smoke from the engine as the in-

(see Minutes... on page 8)


Coming Events…Oct 3 SFBA Tech Session, 7840 Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA 94568. Starting

at 10:00 AM. Coffee & donuts and a BBQ to follow.

Oct 23-25 38th Annual Fan Belt Toss & Swap Meet hosted by Corsa West of LosAngeles, Sunrise Park, Palm Springs, CA.

Nov 5 Regular SFBA meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, SanLeandro, CA.

December 5th SFBA Corsa Holiday Dinner at Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th Ave,San Leandro, CA.

SFBA CORSA Meeting Schedule 2015Thursday Jan 8, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Thursday Feb 5, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Round Table Pizza, 7841 Amador Valley Blvd, Dublin, CA

Thursday Mar 5, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Saturday Apr 11, 7:00 PM SFBA 43rd Anniversary Dinner. Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Thursday May 7, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Thursday Jun 4, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Thursday Jul 9, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Saturday Aug 8, 12:00PM SFBA/Valley Club Picnic at Quarry Lakes park, Fremont, CA

Thursday Sep 3, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Saturday Oct 3, 10:00 AM SFBA Tech Session, Harry & Carol Kypreos’ house, 7840Creekside Dr, Dublin, CA 94568.

Thursday Nov 5, 7:00 PM SFBA Regular meeting, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.

Saturday Dec 5, 7:00 PM SFBA Holiday Dinner, Harry’s Hofbrau, 14900 E. 14th St, San Leandro, CA.


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’shouse 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

Tech Session Directions(Saturday, October 3rd at 10:00AM)


Toni sent me the fiollowing parts list to go with the photos.

Unfortunately this came a bit late for the last newsletter. Theyare anxious to sell these parts and reclaim the space. I askedhow they wanted to sell the parts and what they were lookingto get. Toni responded...

As you can see they really want to get rid of the parts anddon’t want to take it to the recyclers. They prefer to put theseparts in Corvair enthusiasts hands.

From left to right on the pictures….1 early gas tank – needs cleaning4 NOS hub caps- blue center – not sure of year3 Monza 900 Hub caps3 Moon style Chev. Corvair hub caps1 Chev. Bow Tie hub cap – good condition2 magnesium fans1 steel fanEarly automatic transmission shifter cable64 transfer spring and hardware2 early front bumpers, 1 rear with brackets – fair condition2 late rear drums2 64 front drums2 110 heads – cores1 early spare tire mount1 early gas filler neck2 64 rear fake air outlets5 140 heads- 2 good1 used exhaust Y pipe2 140 exhaust logs6 110 exhaust logsVarious tin and trim, dip sticks, fuel lines, throttle linkage 140& 110Early exhaust heat shield2 early lower A frames10 carburetors 140 and 11033 cylinders

Mike & Toni Lewis Corvair Parts List12 pistons and rods2 early engine top covers with baffles10 valve coversClutch and brake shoe coresFC air cleanerBlack 140 air cleanerChrome 140 air cleaner2 oil filters 90 degree mounts110 air filter3 12 plate oil coolers1 8 plate oil coolerPush rods and tubes3 distributers2 harmonic balancers1 air conditioner balancer3 top engine blower covers (shrouds)2 late rear axils3 early dash boards and glove boxesTurbo intake cross – chrome1 Bell housing1 Case – has FC PlugNumerous small parts- too many to list!Various tail light assemblies Couple of hood propsSet of heater cablesVarious door handles, ash trays, truck lock, Ignition lock withkeys

“Hi Clark, Mike would love for someone to just buy it alland take it away!! But in reality, it’s not going to happen.Let’s just put it out there and see if there is any interest.Don’t know what the prices should be, but they will becheap! He just doesn’t want to throw it away. We’d rathersee someone use them. We are in Lafayette, so we couldhave interested parties come by.

Ugh, I am so done with this. Thanks for your help andany suggestions. Mike says no trip to Palm Springs forus! We are out of space and need to have these gonebefore we start work on our brewery!! That work is tostart real soon!

Thanks, Toni”


Minutes...take manifold will be pulling in sometransmission fluid. Also this can causeharsh shifting as the PG will think youare pressing hard on the acceleratorpedal. If the PG shifts at the wrong time(like way too soon) then the governorway not be working correctly. Thevacuum modulator and governor areexternal to the PG. Internally the shiftband is adjustable (may be necessaryif the PG slips under high loads). Sethmentioned that the Shop Manuals callout special tools (like J-12345) and theTech Guides offer alternative tools thatare easier to obtain. A word of cautionregarding the transmission oil pan. Donot over tighten the bolts. This candeform the sheet metal and causeleaks.Chuck mentioned that his PG leakedbut the leaks were dripping from themiddle of the car not back by the PG.In his case oil was seeping through theshift cable and wicked up to where itfound a crack in the plastic covering

material. Also it was mentioned thatyou should drive the car once in a whileto insure that the fluid is evenly distrib-uted. If the car sits a long time, thetorque converter can drain causing thefluid to over-fill the pan and leak.The subject of distributors came up.Chuck mentioned that he has a dis-tributor testing machine (doesn’t every-body?). This is essential for setting upsome distributors that have 2 and 3lobed cams. These special cams wereused by some manufacturers (likeMallory) to smooth out the lifting forceat high rpms. The same thing wasdone with camshafts. Someone cameout with a ¼ speed camshaft (normallythe camshaft turns at ½ the enginerpm). These special camshafts usedtwo lobed cams which had a gentlerslope to prevent (or delay) valve float.Seth said he came out with a new dis-tributor with a blue cap (he also hasblue wires to match).

Swap & Sell: Tony knows someonelooking for an early convertible.Mike Lewis still has lots of parts hedesperately needs to get rid of. Clarkmade up a special supplement to thelast newsletter which included a partslist and larger photos. Hopefully some-one is in need of these parts (mostlyengine parts but some chrome too).Paul brought in Corvair headlights heis selling. He has lots and they are $15each (he said that Clark’s sell usedones for $12). These are the correctbulb but are not the original Delco part(that Tony was looking for). Both highand low beam.

The meeting broke up around 8:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Clark Calkins, secretary

Letter...At the last meeting Fred indicated thathe could not continue as Club Trea-surer. I contacted those I felt might bewilling to take over. Paul Lacey steppedup and volunteered. Now we have towork on the transition. I wish to thankPaul for taking on this responsibility. Itreally helps the Club when severalpeople share the work involved.

I received the following note from StevenSchnier I thought I would pass along.

attached. This leads me to a ques-tion: are there any Walnut Creekor other Contra Costa County me-chanics you could recommend forregular maintenance and, perhaps,the occasional serious but not fa-tal mishap. I was told that CentralAutomotive Service Center in Wal-nut Creek might be one, but I havenot yet contacted the mechanic(Chuck?). Any information would beappreciated, and I hope begin at-tending the Chapter's meetings, asI gain more confidence in theSpyder's roadworthiness. Steve”

“Dear Clark: I am a longstandingmember of CORSA and the BayArea Chapter, beginning when ourgroup used to meet in the OrindaLibrary. My interest was a productof the fact that in 1963-1967, whilein college, I owned a 1963 Spydercoupe. Now, I am pleased to statethat I once again am a Corvairowner in the present, this time a1964 Spyder coupe. Please see

You can see his car on the cover. Verynice! I suggested that Steve contactPhill who has had his Corvair workedon by Central Automotive and see whathe says. They are certainly close by.

I just heard from Ed that Faye washaving some serious health issues thatwould require his full attention and hewon’t be able to participate in Clubactivities. We certainly hope for thebest and our thoughts and prayers arewith you!

Our next meeting is a Tech Session atHarry’s house in Dublin. The theme thistime will be on maintaining Corvair cool-ing. Seth will be conducting this. Hewill bring some demo materials (“…butnot a whole engine!”). This is some-thing we don’t think too much aboutas it’s easy to take it for granted. Therewill be coffee and donuts in the morn-ing and a BBQ following the demon-strations. Hope to see you there, thisshould be fun!


Classifieds...1) 1961 700 Sedan: 8600 miles believedto be correct. Powerglide, Tinted Wind-shield, Manual Radio, Padded dash(cracked). Bought new in Long Beachby Ted's aunt and later used for errandson her ranch. Runs excellent. Had re-cent carb rebuild. Original ErmineWhite paint on hood & decklid needrepainting (from bad storage in a barn)& LF fender has mild dent. Gray inte-rior is original, fabric OK but needs vi-nyl on top of front seat replaced & newkick panels. Make reasonable offer. Caris in Los Gatos. Call Ted at 408-204-6447 or email Dave Newell for picturesat [email protected] (01/15)

2) Vallejo wrecking yard dating backto the 1960s still has many Corvairs,all for sale complete or will sell parts:Half dozen 65-66 Coupes; 1 late 4dr; 2vans/Greenbriers; several 64 coupes;2 1960s; 3 early convertibles; 5 or 6early coupes (one is a Spyder); blueLakewood that ran when it came in; 1rough wagon; plus engines, transaxles,turbo & carb. All undisturbed for 30+years. Yard isn't normally open...callCharles Baker, 707-642-9903 (01/15)


ClassifiedsCorvairCORVAIR CARS FOR SALE

‘61 Rampside, Original condition. Re-built motor w/ 4k miles. Asking $4kOBO. Also have early engine/transaxle& misc early parts. Contact DaleTeubert, PO Box 233, Sierra City, CA96125 (11/14)

CORVAIR PARTS FORSALE

Corvair Engine Parts: Mike Lewishas LOTS of Corvair parts (mainly en-gine parts) that he needs to get rid of.

As you can see they take up a lot ofspace. Of particular note are the 140stuff. Mike did not mention a price andhe is working on a parts list. He is lo-cated in Lafayette, CA. Contact him at(925)299-1027 or [email protected]. (09/15)

CORVAIR PARTS WANTED

110 Hp Engine: Rebuilding a ForwardControl. Looking for a ‘64 or ‘65 FC

engine. Call Todd Lyly (707)462-1369(Ukiah area). (11/14)

CORVAIR PARTS FORSALE (not local)

Skip Polachi has the following partsfor sale. Parts are located in Red Bluff& Santa Rosa. Best to call evenings(530)474-4227. Besides these listedparts Skip also has many more en-gine parts, heads, cams, cranks,posi, turbo. All new or rebuilt.

F/C Fuel Tank, boiled, sealed &painted. Asking $135.

F/C Turned brake drums (2) - $20

F/C Hub caps (4) - $20

F/C Front door NOS L&R lock latch- $30

F/C Complete Front & rear bumperguards (NOS) - $325

Spyder Front dash harness to fusebox for F/C - (price not listed)

Spyder Dashes (3) - one is woodenface - $100 eachCorsa 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

Dave Newell contributedthese two Corvairs for sale

Here are a couple more that peoplehave called me about. I think the '61

sedan's mileage is correct, though thecar's had some bad storage and wassubject to a lot of short trips, driven bythe local reservation's Native Ameri-cans who helped out Ted's aunt on herranch in San Jacinto. The delicate 700seat fabric on the bottom cushion ofthe driver's seat isn't torn, which it surelywould be if the mileage was 108600. Acouple pics are attached.

The Vairs in the wrecking yard havebeen there for over 30 years and manyaren't easily accessible but Charlessaid that the 65-66 coupes and sedanplus both vans can be gotten to easily.

(see Classifieds... on page 8)


FIRST CLASS

To:

SFBA CORSAPO BOX 422ORINDA, CA 94563

www.CaliforniaCorvairParts.com

Chevrolet Corvair - Hemmingsclubs.hemmings.com/corsanews/News1015.pdf · SFBA Corsa - October 2015...

Documents

Transcript of Chevrolet Corvair - Hemmingsclubs.hemmings.com/corsanews/News1015.pdf · SFBA Corsa - October 2015...