MARCH 2010

HEART of AMERICA CORVAIR OWNERS ASSOCIATION

WWW. HACOA.ORGCorvair Society

ofAmerica

CityKansas

Area

Volume 46 Issue 3

Day Trip to the Wichita Tuna By Gary Moore

There is nothing like a trip to Mid-Continent Corvair Association’s Cold Tuna at Terry Kalp’s workshop to help relieve the winter blues. The Tuna, as always, was fun and the lunch was incredible. Smoked ribs and chicken drumsticks, pasta salad rolls and chili. Terry was showing off the new addition to his complex. A new three bay workshop was nearly finished and waiting for the weather to clear so that a concrete floor could be poured. When construction is finished the Wichita club plans to buy and install a 4 post lift in the new garage. Mark Whitman, Scott Allison, Mike Dawson and I represented our club this year. None of us took along a project, Scott did take along his coveralls and had plans to get dirty. Mike said he was just along for the camaraderie, but when opportunity came to help he too produced a pair of coveralls. There were quite a few projects going on, an early model was up on jack stands getting a brake job. Carburetors were being rebuilt and the Wichita Gary Moore was finishing a rebuild of his late model rear wheel bearings. One project left over from the October Luna Tuna was a plum colored, but otherwise very orginal 1961Rampside. It had been diagnosed with carburetor problems on the left bank. Eddie, the owner was perplexed and asked Mike for a little advice. Mike helped the young man rebuild the carburetor but really could not find much wrong with it. The carb was reinstalled and the truck started but the engine missed badly and had no power. After checking the ignition Mike advised the next step should be a compression test. Cylinder 1 had very low compression, 3 and 5 had no compression at all. Mike donned his coveralls to crawled under the truck and removed the valve cover exposing two loose rockers. Mike pulled found that two pushrods were damaged, one was bowed and the other bent and nearly broken. Terry Kalp supplied two good pushrods from his vast inventory of used parts. Mike installed them, adjusted the valves, put the valve cover back and crossed his fingers. To the astonishment of Eddie and probably a few others the truck started easily and ran smoothly. It definitely was now running on all six cylinders. A very excited Eddie jumped in and drove the truck down the road a bit. When he returned he said he could not believe the difference. With a big smile on his face Eddie thanked Mike for restoring life back into the old truck. Later on the way back to Kansas City Mike admitted that seeing the look on peoples faces when their Corvairs roar back to live is something that gives him great pleasure. The look on Eddies face was a great example. Make plans to attend the MCCA Juna Tuna is scheduled for June 5th. You won’t regret it.

Mike giving a impromptu carb re-building lesson.

Behind Scott is Eddie’s ‘61 Rampside.

Scott and Mark had a great time at the Tuna.

Social Calendar at a glance - Co-Chairs Don and Irmajean Barta

Tuesday March 9: Monthly Meeting at Chappell’s Restaurant.Saturday March 13: Performance Corvair Group Workshop, IndianapolisWeekend April 9-11: Heart of Texas Corvair Reunion, San Marcos, TexasTuesday April 13: Monthly Meeting and Annual Auction Chappell’s Restaurant.Tuesday May 11: Monthly Meeting at Chappell’s Restaurant.Saturday May 15: Tentative date for Working Tech Session at Mike and Sandy Dawson’sSaturday June 5: Juna Tuna Mid-Continent Corvair Association, Wichita, KsTuesday June 8: Monthly Meeting at Sar-Ko Par Trails Park 87th and Lachman Lenexa, ksSunday June 13: Lake Alton All Wheels Car Show, Wichita AreaSaturday June 19: Gathering for 50th Anniversary Corvair Convention Caravan, Liberty MO.Sunday June 20: Caravan leaves Heartland Chevrolet in Liberty at 10am for Cedar Rapids.Sunday June 20: Time trails at Marshalltown Raceway sponsored by ICESunday June 21 - 25: Corvair 50th Anniversary CORSA Convention, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Weekend August 26-29: Detroit Area Corvair Club Homecoming, Detroit, Mich.Weekend September 24-26; Great Plains Round Up, Tulsa, Oklahoma

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The Alamo City Corvair Association invites you to join them and the rest of the Texas chapters at the Heart of Texas Corvair Reunion in San Marcos, Texas.

The Iowa Corvair Enthusiasts invite all CORSA members to join them for the Golden Anniver-sary celebration of the Corvair in Cedar Rapids June 21st through the 25. For more information go to:http://conventions.corvair.org/2010/index.htm

Wichita Area Council of Car ClubsPresents the 38th Annual

LAKE AFTON ALL WHEELSCAR SHOW

Sunday, 11A.M.-4P.M.June 13, 2010“The Largest FREE

Open Car Show in the World”Vendors & Food Concessions Available

This year featuring

Teddy Bear Collection Site for

EMS, Sheriff, & Fire Departments

For more infoDoug Schoemaker

316-729-6645carnutz1@cox.net

RAIN DATE: JUNE 20

RAIN DATE: JUNE 20

This year featuring

Mid Continent Corvair AssociationMid Continent Corvair AssociationCelebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Corvair launch

Per Sheriff & County rules: NO alcohol; NO open fires; NO burnouts; golf carts ONLY for handicapped usage.

Mid-Continent Corvair Association of Wichita was able to get the Corvair as the featured car at the Lake Afton All Wheels Car Show. The show is scheduled for Sunday June 13. Terry Kalp invites his fellow HACOA members to join in the festivities.

The PCG is presenting the Performance Workshop March 13 in Indianapolis. For more info go to:http://www.corvair.org/chapters/pcg/

Great Plains Round Up

Working Tech Session May 15th

at Mike and Sandy’s

Iowa Corvair Enthusiasts announced that the Marshalltown Raceway will be available Sunday June 20th before the National Convention. Contact Bob Dunahugh at yenko108@hotmail.com.

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Dues are due January 2010! If you haven’t filled out a membership form in awhile or your information has changed please fill out a new form. Interactive form can be filled out online at HACOA.org, print out the form and send it along with your $15 check to:Heart of America Corvair Owners Association16001 Oakland AvenueBelton, MO 64012

were

THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SERIES By Mike Dawson

Clutch Inspection and Maintenance (Part 2) Continued from the February VairCor

1. Crankshaft Main Seal: Use only a CCP reproduction, the late replacement GM seals leaked and there were some aftermarket seals with a metal press fit area (they fell out when the engine was hot). The crankshaft hub must be inspected carefully and polished where the seal mates. If there is a groove worn in the hub, you can change housings (late/early) or use a spacer to locate the seal lips in a new area. Press the new seal in completely and carefully. Do not use washers on the bottom two bolts and do not use replacement bolts with thick heads – the flywheel comes very close to them. The original bolt lengths were 7 at 1-3/8 shank, 2 at 1 5/8 shank. Torque to 30 ft lbs.

2. Lubrication: The clutch disc has to slide on the splines, so lightly lube this area. Do not grease the pilot bushing; oil as noted above. Lightly lube the crankshaft hub seal area, the clutch shaft seal area, the release bearing shaft, the fingers on the fork, the face of the bearing, the pivot and the pin where the pull rod attaches to the fork.

3. Flywheel & Clutch Installation: Use thread sealer on the flywheel bolts, install the reinforcement ring and torque to 40 ft lbs. Install welded hub clutch disc with “flywheel side” installed towards the flywheel. Use the special shouldered bolts with lock washers on the pressure plate. The fingers of the clutch fork go inside the bearing sleeve and be sure the small fork is fitted on the pivot.

4. Differential: As long as you are this close, make a couple of checks. Separate the transmission and check the internal splines in the differential pinion shaft by using a flashlight. This is a common wear area and if they are more than 50% missing you should consider replacement. Pull the top cover and check the fit of the pinion gear on the shaft – look for a loose gear and play in the shaft at the bearings and consider how much wear shows on the pinion gear; different ratios have different thicknesses. Make the proper preload adjustment on the pinion bearings. If you change the side sleeve o-rings and seals, make the proper side bearing preload adjustments (actually do this in the proper order).

5. Transaxle Lubricant: If you have a ’64 or later transmission & differential you may want to change the gear oil while the units are out of the car, since they do not have drain plugs like the ’60 – ’63 models did. If you drive your car in cold weather you may want to consider synthetic lubricant to aid in shifting.

Installation Tips

1. Double check: Think back, did you torque all bolts, check the slide of the disc on the clutch shaft splines, change the clutch shaft seal and pilot bushing, install the disc with the words “flywheel side” towards the flywheel, check the clutch fork installation and release bearing movement on the shaft.

2. Cut two pieces of 3/8 -16 threaded rod about 5 inches long and saw screwdriver slots in one end. Use these as guide pins and once the transaxle is mated to the engine you can remove them with a screwdriver and install bolts. Cut screwdriver slots in the ends of the mounting bolts to aid in installation (this can be done prior to removal if there is enough of the bolt end sticking out).

3. Once the transaxle is bolted up, check the movement of the clutch fork to make sure it was not displaced during installation. It is easier to add any lost gear lube to the transmission or differential at this point before installation. If you have an early model the turn signal flashers, Corvair gas tank floats etc., make good plugs for preventing spills from the differential.

The March Member of the Month By Gary Moore

Travis Bolton traveled along with me to interview Charlie Clark at his business in the Geospace Center Cave Complex in Independence MO. Charlie owns and operates KC Raceware a one stop racing supply store. He rents out spaces to fellow racecar owners for storage and a place to work on their cars. Charlie deals in just about every facet of racing from helmets to trailer supplies. He is an Amsoil dealer and a Goodyear tire supplier, offering racetrack delivery and installation. So if you are in need of safety harnesses, suspension design and parts, a protective driving suit or just about any racing component, KC Raceware is the place to go. Being underground Charlie’s business is not one that can be found using a GPS. I found the complex easily but drove into the wrong cave at first. With Travis as my guide we found the correct cave entrance, but just inside the main entrance we found a KC Raceware sign pointing to a sealed off branch of the cave. Luckily it took only a little wandering to find another sign with an open entrance. With a little snaking around and a bit of back tracking we found the door to KC Raceware. Now if you are imagining the cave as dark and dirty with loud machinery running, abandoned machinery and vehicles strewn about, everything covered with several layers of dust and looking like a scene from a post apocalyptic movie , you are imagining correctly.

But all that is left behind when you enter Charlie’s shop. It is bright, the air is clean and there are racecars everywhere. The place is filled with everything you need to compete in SCCA racing. There is a small machine shop, body repair equipment, and a knowledgeable proprietor. This is a “Man Cave” that the character Tim Taylor of Tool Time would be envious of. When Travis and I walked in Charlie welcomed us to the shop. Just inside the door was a very beautiful 1965 Corvair 500 Coupe with a Turbo-charged engine, which I mistakenly thought was Charlie’s. The car’s owner was having Charlie look into a problem with its turbo. The car had once belonged to Karl Cozad, before he sold it to Terry Kalp in Wichita. The car is now back in KC and hopefully the new owner will become a member of HACOA.

The thing I most wanted to see was Charlie’s Yenko Stinger #125. I had seen photos of it but not the real thing. Charlie pointed toward a Corvette on a lift not far from where we were standing. I was very impressed by the Corvette, but I wanted to see the Stinger. Charlie redirected my gaze to below the Corvette and there was the Stinger. Well, the passenger compartment anyway. The car was disassembled; the fenders, trunk lid and various other body parts were stacked just behind the car. The hood, rear quarter panels, doors, cove panel and front fenders were being stored in various places around the shop. An engine was under a tarp not too far away. While I was getting photos of the Stinger Travis was checking out the roll cage and looking very much like he wanted to climb in and get behind the wheel.

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Charlie then showed us around the Man Cave. Charlie rents out spaces for SCCA racers to store their cars and work on them. Most of the work is done on weekends so there wasn’t much happening the day Travis and I were there, but Charlie uncovered several cars to show us some of the different types of cars that are raced in SCCA events. Mazda RX7s, a Ford Mustang that was once a factory sponsored racecar, open wheel racers, closed wheel racers and a couple of Radio Flyers. While the cars captivated me, Travis was in his element; he was shooting off questions as fast as Charlie could answer them. Questions on class requirements, tire size and how to make a car more competitive. We were given a quick tour of the machine shop and shown the clutch assemblies they had machined for use in the racecars. The clutches are smaller than the ones used on everyday automobiles. Instead of 10 and 12 inch flywheels they machine 7.25 inch assemblies and even tried 5 inch. Charlie had examples of the cylinder heads and brake components that they produced or improved. In his office Charlie produced some photos of his and other Stingers at racing events. I asked Charlie if he was planning to attend the National Convention in Cedar Rapids. He said, and I am going to hold him to it, his plans were to have the Stinger ready to race at the convention’s autocross competition. As you can see from the photos he has his work cut out for him. As a note to Charlie, since the interview the Iowa Corvair Enthusiasts have announced that the Marshalltown raceway will be open to the first 40 Corvairs on the Sunday, June 20th before the convention. Travis and I reluctantly left Charlie’s Man Cave and went back out in the main cave. Travis had one last look around and with a sigh got back into the truck for the return trip to the surface. On his lap was a pair of manifolds as a souvenir of the trip. More information visit KCRaceware.com

153 W Geospace DrIndependence, MO

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Calendar Photos Got an idea for a calendar photo? Take some time to look around for winter time or early spring scenes for photos for next years calendar. Cliff Carlino captured his Spyder in this winter scene after the last snow storm. Take a look at around your area for a scene that would be a candi-date for the calendar. Give me a call or drop me an email if you would like a little help with the photo. Gary Moore hacoanews@gmail.com

Yenko Stingers in Action

Three Stingers roaring around the track in the 1980s. Jim German, Charlie Clark and in front the late Joe Burch.

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To move or not to move By Mark Whitman, Scott Allison and Gary Moore

A good part of the February meeting was spent discussing alternate meeting places for the club. A group of volunteers headed by Mark Whitman traveled to and evaluated the merits of prospective restaurants that had been suggested by club members. We plan to vote on this issue at the March meeting.The group was looking for specific things at each site which include:

A location that has a private or semi-private meeting room that has a comfortable environment to meet where everyone can feel a part 1. of the meeting A location with a safe well lighted parking area, where we can park in close proximity.2. A location with good food, a well rounded menu, and a good selection of adult beverages.3. A location with friendly, prompt and flexible customer service.4. A location with easy access to major highway and centrally located.5. A location with large screen TV for use in presentations and available wifi internet connection. 6.

Here is a summary of the findings of the committee:

Chappell’s has much going for it, good food and a large variety of beer. It has a large screen TV that can be used for presentations. Our usual server is very good and keeps things well organized. The restrooms are the best of any of the considered restaurants. The reasons for leaving Chappell’s are the narrow meeting room and parking that does not allow us to park together. Also there is not a wireless internet connection. Paul and Jack’s Tavern is just three blocks from Chappell’s. Mark McNelly the owner met the group and gave a tour. He offered us a private room that easily sits 40 that has a projector with a 9 ft screen that drops from the ceiling. The room also has a big screen TV that can be used for presentations. A Wireless internet connection is available. The food was as good or better than Chappell’s and there is a large selection of beer. Parking is in a large public parking lot a half block from Paul and Jack’s. Street parking is available in front of the restaurant on a first come first serve basis. The Kansas City MG Club meets in P & J’ss on the same night in a different room. The Corvette club meets there the following Friday. Both these clubs are very satisfied with the service they have received. The downfall of P & J’s is their restrooms. While clean they are in need of upgrading to make them, well, more user friendly. The owner stated that plans forimproving the restrooms are in the works. At Bandana’s BBQ on Noland Road just south of I-70 we were met by the restaurant’s manager. Parking at Bandana’s was its best selling point. He offered reserve the parking lot on the north side of his restaurant for Corvairs on meeting nights, giving the cars passing by on I-70 and Noland Road a good view of our cars. The food is pretty good, but bar-be-que is the only thing offered. Beer selection is limited. The manager has offered us half of the restaurant, but only a half wall separates the meeting from the rest of the customers. There is a large screen TV hanging from the ceiling that can be used for presentations, but no wireless internet connection. Restrooms were clean and well laid out. Rush hour and ballpark traffic on I-70 may be a concern. O’Bryan’s Pub and Grill at the corner of 291 and 150 highways south of Lees Summit. Again the manager met with us and gave a tour of the restaurant. The restaurant offers a large private meeting room, equipped with big screen TVs and the manager offered the use of a projector for presentations, wireless connection is available. The manager said that he would rope off part of the parking lot for us. The food was reported as being very good to not so good by members of the group, the restaurant has recently changed hands and was in the midst of of a menu change. O’Bryan’s beer selection was huge. The restrooms were clean for the most part but in need of attention. The other concern was that the restrooms are situated far from our meeting room and we had to walk through a crowded game room to get to them. O’Bryan’s is the farthest south of the restaurants. While it would make a much longer trip for those living on the north and west side of the city, members living in the southern areas may be motivated to start attending meetings. Paul and Jack’s, Bandana’s and O’Bryan’s all offer an outdoor dining area. Paul and Jacks is a locally owned and operated business. O’Bryan’s is locally owned with two restaurants in the KC area. Bandana’s is a Midwest area franchise with 30 restaurants in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. None of the locations are perfect, but all should be considered.

photo by Marie Bolton

CLASSYFIEDSFor sale: Get Ready for Spring!!Internally regulated 63 amp Corvair Alternators $75.00Rebuilt Corvair starters with solenoid $85.00Installation Available Call Mike Dawson 816-322-4057

Club Tool Crib

Tool Harmonic Balancer Puller Ramps, Auto Torque Wrenches:1. 1/2” drive 20-150 ft.lb 2. 3/8” drive 100-1000 in.lb. Floor Jacks and Stands Ring Grove Cleaner Dwell-Tach Meter Greaser:Blower Motor and Idler Pulley Hubs:Rear Towing for LM Power-glide

$3.00 $4.00

$15.00$15.00$25.00 $3.00$5.00

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$10.00

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$2.00$2.00$3.50

$1.00$1.00

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Deposit Rental Fee

Contact: Ken Ragan

Ragan Enterprises212 Warner Rd

Bonner Springs KS 66012913-422-5778

E-mail: kenragan@sbcglobal.net

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Rafee Corvair Parts and Service2695 Bengal Rd. 918-753-2486Wister, OK 74966

Parts, Ken has parts. Oil, he has Amsoil. Tools, he rents tools. Ad-vice, he has truck loads at March Madness clearance prices. Contact Ken Ragan 913-422-5778

Send your items for the classifieds HACOAnews@gmail.com

CLARK’S- MORE THAN PARTS.

Clark’s Corvair Parts® CATALOG SALE Over 650 pages; 3+ Lbs.; over 15,000 parts. Regularly $6 US.You need the 2007-2012 catalog.

The following offers are good February, March & April 2010:$1 with a parts order over $20

$3 In USA (shipping included). Order by phone, fax, mail or email.

$5 To Canada (shipping included). Order by phone, fax, mail or email.

Clark’s Corvair Parts®400 Mohawk Trail, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 413-625-9776 FAX: 413-625-8498 www.corvair.com email: clarks@corvair.com

http://www.rafeecorvair.com

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The President’s Corner By Scott AllisonThere was a good turnout for the February meeting regardless of the local weather. Thanks to all of those that were able to make it. There was a lot discussed on various topics which I will not recap here. In addition, due to a technical error and an unusually long meeting, there was a great social following the meeting. If you weren’t able to make in February you have another chance to see pictures from Don and Barb’s latest cruise. Don’t miss it! The Tulsa group has set a date for the Round Up as September 24th to the 26th. Brochures are being created with registration and hotel information. Once this information is available Tulsa has asked that we do our best to provide advance registration, so please do what you can when the information is made available. A link from our website can be found for the Tulsa club if you would like to check it out. The host hotel for the 2010 CORSA National Convention is now taking reservations so if you would like to be in the host hotel you may want to make plans early. CORSA has not

yet posted details for event registration but we will watch that and announce when it is available. A link from our website has been created for ICE (Iowa Corvair Enthusiasts) from which you can obtain hotel, camping, and event information. There was a lengthy discussion on the possible new meeting places. Mark and Gary, working with many of the members who made suggestions, had lots of information to provide. There was a presentation of the 4 locations previously considered and even an additional location suggested as well as a regional map illustrating every member and their relation to the various meeting places. A description of each prospective meeting spot is published in this newsletter. I encourage each member to try out any location that interests them, and if you want to try them out with a group, a phone call or an email could result in an impromptu social gathering. If you have any additional suggestions please get them to Mark Whitman as soon as possible at which time he will be able to suggest a list of questions that have been considered for the current list of locations. We will vote at the March meeting and put this topic to rest so please try to attend if you would like your voice heard in the final voting. There will two opportunities to vote at the meeting. When you arrive we will ask everyone to cast a vote into a hat for their first option. During the meeting a second vote of the top two will be taken for the final decision. This will give everyone present the opportunity to vote twice. If you are unable to attend the meeting feel free to email or call me with your vote and it will be cast in the first round of voting. The auction is shaping up to be another great event with Bill Bennett volunteering to try his hand as our alternate auctioneer. We have a couple of ideas already on the table for the recipient of the proceeds. We will be voting on this at the March meeting so that the April meeting can be limited, as much as possible, to the fun of the auction. If you have any suggestions please bring them to the meeting, if you can’t make the meeting please call or email me with details and I will present the idea on your behalf. Don’t forget to get Gary pictures of our cars in fun and exciting places as well as contact Don and Irmajean Barta with social event ideas. We also still need a committee chairman for the 2011 Round Up so please contact me if you are interested in helping with this upcoming event.

While serving in the U.S Navy as a Aviation Support Equipment Tech aboard the soon to be decommissioned Yorktown Aircraft Carrier in 1969 HACOA member Rodney Rom came up with an idea. Rodney a Corvair enthusiast since their introduction made a 6” by 13” Corvair logo from borrowed reflective tape from the Parachute Riggers. This is the same tape pilots use to decorate their helmets. Shortly after that, the Airframe Shop received a piece of test equipment that came in a watertight aluminum-framed fiberglass case, 20” across x 14” tall x 11” deep. After setting up the tester they had no need for the case, so he talked them out of it. He cut the back of the case around the perimeter, repositioning the cut-off portion inside the back frame (it had a slight taper, so it fit perfectly once it was cut), then sealed it with silicone and riveted it in place. This reduced the depth to an easier-to-carry 8”. Now he had something to put his reflectorized Corvair logo on. He then had what he called his ’69 Corvair suitcase. Of his suitcase Rodney says,”The nicest thing about this is that back in that era, a hitchhiker in uniform had a ticket to anywhere, I actually did use this as my suitcase. Even if it were raining and I got wet (which was rare, because I usually got a ride quickly), my belongings and change of clothes stayed dry. It even did an outstanding job of protecting my dress clothes, especially when I took along my tie and custom Corvair tie-clasp. More than once, the bright yellow, Corvair-logo suitcase helped me get a ride from other car nuts, even if they weren’t Corvair enthusiasts. More than once, they just wanted to give me a hard time about my choice of vehicles, but it beat walking! I still have my now-40th-Anniversary case, even if I don’t get to use it much.” Rodney, who lives near Butler, MO, is an avid mountain biker and has been nominated to the “Mountain Bike Hall of Fame”. In 1966 he designed and built his first mountain bike by widening and strengthening the frame of his regular bike and using off the shelf gearing and brakes from racing and tandem bikes. To check out his interesting story go to http://www.mountainbikehalloffame.com and search for Rodney Rom.

Improving on Design, or making something you need from things you have.

Rodney’s home- built 1966 ChROMer mountain bike

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Heart of America Corvair Owners Association16001 Oakland Ave.Belton, MO 64012

VairCor is the official publication of the Heart of America Corvair Owners Association, the oldest incorporated continuously active marquee Corvair club and Chapter 640 of the Corvair Society of America. The HACOA membership fee is $15.00 annually, payable January 1. CORSA membership is required.

Heart of America Corvair Owners Association monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Chappell’s, 323 Armour Rd North Kansas City, MO 64116. Social time begins at 7:00.

Charlie Clark with his race dedicated Yenko Stinger #125