Tim Mahler and Jim Colliers Corvair Coupes at the September meeting

Prairie Capital Corvair Association

P.O. Box 954Springfield, Illinois 62705

The Flat SixOctober 2019

2019 Officers President -Brian Nicholson (217) 891-0808 Vice-President Larry Jahn (217) 283-7365Secretary-Tim Mahler (217) 793-3824 Treasurer-Glen Rittenhouse (309) 472-3882Membership-Chris Hall (217) 691-6529 Historian/InventoryFlatSix Editor Tim Mahler (217) 793-3824 Email P rairieCapital@corvair.org

Board of DirectorsChris Hall (2019) (217) 691-6529 Allen Monts (2020) (309) 243-7477Jim Collier (2019) (217) 875-5841 Jim Allen (2019) (309) 361-5351

From the Prez

The editor is on substitute assignment again. President Brian Nicholson has needed eye surgerythen his mother-in-law passed away. Here’s to aspeedy recovery and Condolences to theNicholson family.

Other news – The editor still is strugglingto read a calendar. The third Tuesday of theMonth for October is OCTOBER 15 — not the22nd that he has listed for the past 3 months. TheOctober meeting is when a slate for PCCA officers and board members is presented and nominationsfrom the floor are accepted. Serving as an officer is really easy – and looks great on your resume.

September had some great car shows – the weather has been mostly cooperative albeit a tadwarm on some days. The SOS show had 5 PCCA members earn an award the first full weekend of themonth. The final week of the month featured the Scotts charity Car show at Baum’s Chevrolet Buick inClinton Illinois and the same weekend the RT 66 Festival and car show in downtown Springfield.

October will have even more car shows and cruise-ins. Of note, is the Twin Cities Cruise-inlocated in Normal Illinois outside a historic service station. PCCA is a featured guest at this cruise-in.Inside the station is a gift shop with items from local artists. Should be a great event.

Welcome to Fall 2019 – the weather is great – drive your Corvair every change you get.Tim, editor.

Calendar of Events - 2019 PCCA Home Page may be found at http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter627

NEW meeting location, time of day, day of week! PCCA will meet on the third Tuesday of each month atAbe’s Hideout is on Dirksen Parkway and Ash street in Springfield IL just down the road from the 2016convention location (Crowne Plaza). Take exit 96B (the same exit, 96A, as for the Rochester location) intoSpringfield, Turn LEFT at the first intersection, Dirksen Parkway. Abe’s Hideout is on the right hand side. Note:the Stevenson drive exit works too, drive past the Crowne Plaza and Abe’s Hideout will be on your left.

October 15, 2019 PCCA General Meeting Abe’s Hideout Springfield ILRoom will be reserved from 5-8 pm for dinner, socializing, tech talkPCCA General meeting scheduled to start at 6:30pm

October 20, 2019 Twin Cities Cruise-in featuring the PCCA. Normal Illinois. Ryburn Place (Sprague’s Super Service) 305 E. Pine St. Normal, 11am-2pm

On Sunday, the RT66 Miles of PossibilitiesConference wraps up with a Cruise-In at Ryburn Placeat Sprague’s Super Service from 11am-2pm. TheCruise-In is being hosted by the Mid-State Cruiserswith special guests, the Prairie Capital CorvairAssociation. The Blues Brothers Mobile will be ondisplay, courtesy of Ron Romero of Illinois Rock & RollMuseum on Route 66.

Sprague's Super Service was completed in theearly 1930s by local contractor William W. Sprague,with a restaurant, gas station, and garage to meet the needs of travelers along Route 66. Theupstairs owner’s quarters and a small apartment for the gas station attendant helped Sprague'sserve travelers and locals while keeping costs down. Terri Ryburn purchased the building in 2006and worked on the restoration. The Town of Normal purchased it in 2016 and plans to finish therestoration. Terri Ryburn has opened a gift shop in the building which features Route 66, vintage,collectibles, and local artists.

November 17,2019 PCCA General Meeting Abe’s Hideout Springfield ILRoom will be reserved from 5-8 pm for dinner, socializing, tech talkPCCA General meeting scheduled to start at 6:30pm

December 15, 2019 PCCA Christmas Get Together – Hasn’t been discussed – Abe’s Hideout?Place holder date is the regular third Thursday of the month.

For more Corvair Events Check the calendaron the CORSA Web site: www.corvair.org

Corvair Museum Open House 2020:Initial schedule was the 3rd weekend in June. BUT,this has been placed on indefinite hold. Discussions are still being held, but location anddate may change. There should be additionalinformation at the next PCCA Meeting.

Collage of Larry Jahn’s wagon

Brian Nicholson, Jim Allen and Larry Jahn

Allen Mont’s Spyder

The 2019 SOS Auto ShowPhotos are by Bill and Shelby Berta . Additional photos from the SOS Car show FB page

Early Closed CorvairLarry Jahn red 62 station wagonJim Allen blue 61 Lakewood wagon

Late OpenBryan Seyller green 65 Monza convertibleDave Wilson blue 65 Monza convertible

Early OpenAllen Monts red 64 Spyder convertible with white top

The CPF Raffle Car was on display with a poster solicitingraffle tickets – $10 per ticket. Mike Hall is the likely driverof the car to the show – is Display class.

Spotted - Sixth Corvair was seen by Jim Allen andothers. The Corvair left the show field before it could be judged.

The editor missed the show this yearbecause of his poor calendar reading. A marathonwas cancelled and he spotted on in ElroyWisconsin called the Apple Dumpling Marathon.Oooh, that sounds like fun. He signed up and amonth later realized it was the same day as the SOSshow.

And this year, it was SUNNY and NICE atthe show. Based on all the pictures - sent byShelby Berta and found on the SOS ShowFacebook page, the day was beautiful with manywonderful cars on display.

Larry Jahn and Jim Allen both showcased Corvairstation wagons. Larry’s is a 62 wagon that he just completedin time for the CORSA convention. Jim’s is a 61 Lakewoodthat has been his driver for several years. Both are wonderful.

Late open was the other Corvair class with twoCorvairs. Brian Sellyer showed his green Monza while fellowPCCA member Dave Wilson drove up from KirkwoodMissouri in his blue convertible. Both are very nice Corvairs.

Finally, and definitely note least, Allen Monts drovehis 64 Spyder convertible to the show. Allen was the only Corvair at last year’s rainy day SOS show.

A sixth Corvair was reportedly at the show but left the show field before judging commenced.

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Dave Wilson’s convertible

The CPF Raffle Car. A great cruise-in car - and driver!Brian Sellyer’s Convertible with Jim Allen’s wagontucked behind it.

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Note: the RT 66 Festival in Springfield September 28, 2019

The editor did took a walk through the RT 66 Car showlooking for interesting vehicles to share –and found a singleCorvair. A white 1963 coupe that was recently done by agentleman from Sherman Illinois. He was invited to the nextPCCA meeting as was another youngster (teenager it think) whojust acquired a Corvair to restore. The youngster was quiteknowledgeable about the Corvair and its history and was moreenthusiastic about staying with Corvairs than the older gent. WithLuck, the visit to downtown Springfield will net 1 more CorvairEnthusiast and another Club member.

Apple 'n Pork Festival

Scott’s 14th Annual Charity Car Show Sunday September 29, 2019

The show is hosted by is Baum Chevrolet Buick inClinton Illinois, home turf for PCCA member ChuckDunning. Glen Rittenhouse should his award winning 1966Corsa coupe. Glen sent me a brief recap and some photos.Below is from Glen.

“The Baum Charity Sar Show went pretty well. Iheard that 170 cars showed up. We had 3 quick showers inthe afternoon. I know there were a number of people whodidn’t come due to the weather. I don’t blame them,though for the most part, it was a nice day. They raisedover $9,000 to benefit Alzheimer’s of Central Illiniois.Ours was the only Corvair that showed up. Mike andRhona (Hall) showed up about 2:30 as they were giving out awards.

The Corvair was the first awarded in its class (don’t know if that means it was #1 or not). On theother hand, it did receive “Best of Show”. The little car is getting a bit of a reputation.”

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PCCA Elections - Volunteers?It is that time of year again to request volunteers to serve on PCCA’s Board of Directors and to serve as a

PCCA officer. The duties are not strenuous and for the most part do not take up a lot of your time. The boardusually meets 4 times a year right before the general PCCA meeting.

This year, as in most years, PCCA needs two new 1 year term board members, and one new 2 year boardmember. The current Treasurer and Secretary, per by-laws, is not eligible to run for re-election. However, bothhave expressed a willingness to serve another year.

The current secretary, Tim, has already been trying to get aslate together for the October meeting, A few hands have been raised– Thank you – but more are definitely welcomed. Just let Tim know.

Any questions – ask a current officer or board member, oranother PCCA member as most of us hasserved in one or more of these positions in the past. It really isn’t ahard task. PCCA is a car club so we do try tokeep things on the light side.

CPF Raffle 1966 CorvairThe Corvair Preservation Foundation is holding araffle and the lucky winner will receive afreshly-restored 1966 Corvair Monza Sport Coupe! The drawing for this car will be held May 15, 2020 inthe Great State of Minnesota, USA. MN Lic.#GA19-000002. You need not be present for thedrawing. The proceeds from the raffle will supportthe new Corvair Museum in Decatur, Illinois.

The Raffle Car:• 1966 Corvair Monza Sport Coupe.

• 140 hp 4-carb Super Turbo-Aire engine. Powerglide automatic transmission.• Thoroughly reconditioned throughout with new paint, upholstery and many NOS parts

• Ready to drive!

$10 per ticket – Help support the CPF

Tickets available online at the CORSA web site – www.corvair.org Direct link is https://www.corvair.org/index.php/corvair-raffle There is also a paper version available.PCCA member and CPF President Mike Hall may also have tickets available.

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Note: This article appeared long ago in the VairCor - I found it on the Heart of America Corvair Owners Association web siteunder Mike Dawson Technical articles. This is one of several listed as “mulitple diagnosis items” these are part 2 and 3,article number 46 and 47 on the web site. Mike Dawson is an excellent Corvair mechanic and tech writer.

The Preventive Maintenance Series Mike Dawson

Continued from last month, 10 more things that can happen:

1. An over full reading on the fuel gage can be caused by a loose or broken ground wire on the outsideof the sending unit. It can also be the connector behind the center defroster duct on a late model or in thesending unit itself on any vehicle.

2. Check the outside diameter of your generator/alternator pulley. It must be exactly 3 inches. Anythingmore or less will cause your belt to operate at the wrong angles; pulleys get changed during rebuilding.Also remember that the belt should be 56” by 3/8” to match the original. (3V560 from Gates). The actualbelt length of a GM belt was 55 ¾”. Check your fan hub installation by putting a straightedge on top ofthe fan pulley and measuring down to the top of the head next to the carburetor – it should be exactly 6”.

3. A brake pedal that gives the sensation of slowly going to the floor at a stop is a bad master cylinderinternal seal (unless you have a leak somewhere). Change it soon, they will fail. If you bench bleed areplacement, you can bolt it on, pump it a couple of times and you are done.

4. Valve lifter noise: starting up a cold Corvair engine and quickly shutting it off will almost guaranteelifter noise after the second or third time. Lifter noise cold that goes away hot is not an adjustmentproblem. Lifter noise that only shows up when the engine is hot is probably adjustment. A lifter that isadjusted too tight will hold a valve open when cold but work properly when hot. A bad exhaust guidewill make an almost metallic noise that imitates a lifter and can change as you adjust the valve.

5. Pull the rear seat on late models and check the accelerator pivot welded bolt. Many have rusted badlyfrom water in the depression.

6. Don’t use car covers out side in Missouri/Kansas humidity – terminal mildew and rusted brake lineswill be the result.

7. Blowing automatic transmission fluid out of the vent after hours on the highway is probably causedby high temperature and cheap fluid (as well as internal clearances). Install a drain plug in the torqueconverter and replace all of the fluid with synthetic. It has a higher boiling point and will usually cure theproblem.

8. A battery will only have 30% of its cranking power at zero degrees. Take a battery inside overnightand notice the wonderful difference. Check cranking with a voltmeter, the reading should always beabove 9.6 (Corvairs should be over 10). Engines crank slow in extreme weather because of the battery,not the oil (unless it is dirty).

9. Only use the brand of winter gas treatment that contains isopropyl alcohol. Read the label, the yellowbottle of HEET is worthless, use the red (Isoheet) product. It costs more: you get what you pay for.

10. Don’t use starting fluid, the accompanying knocking noise is trying break your top piston rings andloosen the intake seats.

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Continued from last month, 10 more things that can happen:

1. Many Corvairs have slow blower speeds because of poor grounds at the blower box to body mount.With the blower running, use a voltmeter to check for a potential difference between the motor body anda good engine or body ground. Another method: with the blower motor on high speed, temporarilyconnect a jumper wire from the motor to a good ground and see if the motor speeds up. If it does, simplymake the jumper permanent.

2. If you have an early model car, check the horn relay in the trunk, driver’s side. It is a water leak areaand if the relay is wet for a period of time it will short out and ruin wiring all the way to the batterybecause there is no fuse or breaker in the circuit; the horn relay is hot all the time.

3. No headlight function is usually a bad dimmer switch. Water leaks corrode the switch and theconnector melts from high resistance. Replacement switches and wiring connectors are available fromvendors – head off a potential problem by checking it.

4. A loud squawk that occurs briefly as you push in or let out the clutch pedal is a pilot bushing. Thebushing is only used during engagement or disengagement. A clutch release bearing would be noisy aslong as you kept the clutch disengaged.

5. A knocking noise in a manual transmission car at idle that disappears when you depress the clutch orincrease RPM is a loose flywheel. They are a three piece design with rivets that loosen.

6. A persistent squeak (usually Powerglide cars) that only occurs at a stop, in gear with your foot on thebrake may be the parking brake cable at its support brackets in the rear. To check; slightly pull theparking brake to see if the noise stops. The clips may be missing and/or require lube at the support pointsin the rear.

7. A chirping noise from the engine only on acceleration may be a loose head. Retorque the headimmediately or you risk blowing a head gasket. You may have a pulled upper head stud which requiresan insert (not a Helicoil).

8. A four speed transmission noise which is a whine loudest in first gear and is silent in fourth gear iscaused by worn out needle bearings and counter gear shaft.

9. A 66-69 four speed that suddenly grinds all the time going into two or more gears has a broken thrustwave washer on the main shaft, not bad synchronizers.

10. The new 189 brake shoes sold by O’Reilly (Made In China) for early model cars may not allow thedrums to fit. The material is too thick and the steel frame may need to be ground down at the anchor pinand the star wheel mounts. Also the holes for the parking brake actuator and adjuster lever may need tobe enlarged. Once installed, it takes a long time for the circumference of the shoe to match the drumwhich causes a hard brake pedal. When they are finally seated, they should last a long time!

Editor’s Note: over the years, Mike Dawson has written many tech articles for HACOA which I have been able to re-printhere for PCCA. Mike also sells some parts, the ad is from the HACOA newsletter but may be difficult for some to read – theon-line newsletter has better clarity. The ad has 63amp internally regulated alternators $85 w/exchange; Rebuilt harmonicbalancer $90 w/exchange; Rebuilt Starter with Solenoid (non 60) $90 w/exchange. And end-plates for your oil cooler - 8 or12 plate - $10 each.

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Minutes of the General Meeting - September 17, 2019 PRAIRIE CAPITAL CORVAIR ASSOCIATION

Secretary Tim Mahler led the meeting – PCCA By-laws state“At least five members in good standing (other than officers) must bepresent to conduct a meeting.” With just 5 members present, one beingan officer no official business was conducted. However, the group hada good discussion on several topics of interest.

Two Corvairs graced the parking lot. Jim and Beulah Collierarrived from Decatur in their 65 maroon coupe. Tim Mahler arrived,from across town, in his red 66 Sprint coupe.

Treasurer Glen Rittenhouse did submit a treasurer’s report which member Jim Allen had ready topresent. Club expenses were $83.70 for newsletter and stamps for the newsletter. 50/50 drawing from Augustnetted $5 for the club. Starting balance, all accounts was $4,230.74. Ending balance, all accounts was $4,152.04 Old Business: Corvair Museum Event - Jim Allen reported that the 2020 Mini for the Corvair Museum hasbeen placed on hold. The hotel has not been officially booked so neither PCCA nor CPF is on the hook foranything. When additional details are available, the membership will be duly informed.

Jim also was able to provide the editor with the 5 award winners in the Corvair classes at the SOS show.A sixth Corvair was present but left the show field before it couldbe judged.Tour to Casey Illinois?: A tour to Casey was discussed at the lastmeeting but no actual plans have been put into place. Given thelateness of the year for a Fall tour, it was suggested that this may bea good Spring tour.New Business: The Apple and Pork festival in Clinton Illinois isSaturday and Sunday September 28 and 29. The car show at BaumChevrolet Buick is Sunday the 29th. (The editor sent a flyer to theemail list).

Meeting adjoined aroung 7:30pm. Attendance: 5 members. 2 Corvairs.

Prairie Capital Corvair Association (PCCA) Membership Form

March 1, 2019 thru February 28, 2020Type of Membership Individual ___ $17

Family ___ $20 (2 adults at one address plus children under 18)___ Apply a $5 discount for receiving the electronic version of the newsletter and other correspondence.

If joining after August 31, dues are: Individual $8.50, Family $10.00. If applicable, the discount is $2.50.

Name _______________________________ Spouse/ 2nd Adult _______________________________

Street Address ________________________________________________________________________City, ST ZIP _________________________________________________________________________

Home Phone ____________________________ CORSA Membership ID _______________________Cell Phone(s) ____________________________ Spouse/ 2nd Adult ____________________________

e-Mail Address(es) __________________________ Spouse/ 2nd Adult ___________________________

Cars, Corvair and other _________________________________________________________________

Other interests ________________________________________________________________________PCCA strongly encourages membership in CORSA. Do you want/need information about CORSA? Y / NReturn the completed form and dues to:Glen Rittenhouse, PCCA Treasurer 1804 Columbus Dr, Pekin IL 61554

Please make checks payable to Prairie Capital Corvair Association or PCCA

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Prairie CapitalCorvair AssociationP.O. Box 954Springfield, IL 62705