Activities Schedule. Penny Chance Winners: We Need Your Articles!

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1 Yenko Stingers line up in the Pace lap for the Road America 50-Year Reunion at Elkhart Lake. Smitty Smith was on hand to witness the action and gives us a play-by-play account from his trackside vantage point elsewhere in this issue! In this issue: 2016 Shriners Show by Dean Zawacki Meeting Minutes and Activities Road America Stinger Reunion by Smitty Smith Choo Choo Corvair Show by Smitty Smith 2017 Vair Fair Appeal AND MORE!

2 PAGE 2 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Officers for 2016 President: Keith Klemm (240) kjklemm@hotmail.com Vice President: Steve Lepkowski (757) stevelski@cox.net Activities Chairman: Ed Hlusko (757) ehlusko@yahoo.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 Ken Hand Vice President Mike Hall Secretary Bryan Blackwell Treasurer Paul Sergeant Eastern Division Directors Bryan Blackwell bryan@skiblack.com Dean F. Gemberling pro@ihscomputers.com Karl Haaakon cityhawk@pobox.com John Nickel fivcent@tds.net Activities Schedule August 23rd - Club Social Olive Garden, 683 Lynnhaven Pkwy, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, 6:30 pm. (757) August 27 th Tech Session Front brakes on Dean s car, at Auto Brake at 9am. September 13 th - TCC Business Meeting 7:00pm at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk. Refreshments Steve Lepkowski September 17 th Field Day of the Past Goochland, VA. 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: Tidewater Corvair Club, Inc. Corvair Society of America 2901 Cardo Place P.O. Box 607 Virginia Beach, VA Lemont, IL

3 PAGE 3 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE around the complex for people more interested in comfort than nostalgia. Corvair Choo-Choo Classic By Smitty Smith Helen and I made the trip to Chattanooga for the annual Corvair show, not so much to see the cars but more to experience the atmosphere of the show. As I have mentioned, the show is held in the gardens of the Choo Choo Complex. It is the location of the old Cincinnati Southern train depot in Chattanooga. Most of you have seen Corvairs before, so when I took pictures I tried to get the feel of the gardens rather than the standard Corvair pictures. I must admit that though I once was an avid photographer I have lost my touch and don t feel I met my objective. On the tracks leading up to the depot there are dozens and dozens of old Pullman cars that have been converted into hotel suites--two suites to a car. We visited one of the cars to check out the accommodations: very plush and long but not too wide. Large hotel structures have been built

4 PAGE 4 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE 2017 Vair Fair Preparations The next Vair Fair will be here before you know it, and it is Tidewater s turn at the helm. We need input and help from each and every club member if we are going to make next year s event a success. What can I do, you ask? For starters, we need a slogan that we can use that reflects the theme of the event: the 50 th anniversary of the 1967 model Corvair. We will feature the 67 with a Car Show category all its own. So a slogan that mentions the 67 model is top priority, so that we can begin to promote the event and get to work on T-shirts and dash plaque designs. We are asking that you come to the next meeting with one or two slogan ideas ready to share. Vair Fair in general so that we can get moving! The Stingers at Elkhart Lake By Smitty Smith Hoo boy, where to begin! The event at Elkhart was one of those life experiences that will be hard to top. We arrived to find that the Stingers had been given one of the choicest pit installations at the track. A place called the Lester Garage which was a long lean-to type building with about 20 pit stalls. It was a welcome place to be when the downpours came and again when the sun was very hot. Also, please come with some T-shirt design ideas. These don t have to be refined, just give us a place to start and an idea that we can build on. These things can take on a life of their own as everyone adds their input, but it s easiest when we have a general idea to start with. So please, put on your thinking cap and help get the ball rolling. Several areas of Vair Fair organization need committee chairs and helpers. We need people to work with the Show n Shine, the Rally, Games, Hospitality Room, Door Prizes, Registration, Valve Cover Race and more. Most importantly, we need someone to be Vair Fair Chairman, to keep up with the progress of the individual committees and keep everyone on track. The success of this event depends on you! Please volunteer to head up a committee or the The first couple of days were utilized running heats of maybe 10 laps to establish grid positions and give the guys a chance to work through engine and driveline problems before the big race. There were several engine changes made with Jim Shardt changing three. Almost everyone had a backup engine so all but one of the 13 Stingers were able to make the big race on the last day.

5 PAGE 5 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Of course they ran all kinds of classes of cars from Formula cars to Cobras and Vettes to Vintage Alfas, Aston Martins, Jags and ancient MGs. When they ran a MG class for cars prior to the A series it was almost funny to see them come roaring down the straight at maybe mph, dead serious about beating the others. I walked over to the infamous turn 5 and watched them doing two wheel drifts on their little 3 wide tires at maybe 30 mph, Sawing away at their huge steering wheels trying to maintain control. Fortunately my Buddy Chuck Sadek s #73 ran like a Swiss watch. His big problem was getting his new metallic brakes dialed in so he could stop straight. Not good when contesting a corner with someone who wants the same corner. The only car that didn t make the Big One was Ken Klingaman s which snapped a connecting rod just below the piston and made sawdust out of the engine. Our pit was right alongside the main straight so we got full benefit of the great thundering Can- Am cars screaming by just yards away. Those 302 (yeah right) engines were so strong that if you watched closely you could see the smoke from under the tires as they lost traction on the uphill a quarter of a mile into the straight. The hill was about a 300ft. rise from the flat. The track had all kinds of tricks built into it, such as, at the end of the curve coming into the straight and just before the end of the curve the track surface dropped about 6 inches. Doesn t sound like much except the drivers would be set up on the curve and right on the limit, all at once the track would drop away and they would lose lateral traction right about when they thought they could get on the gas. It was fun watching them step sideways and then fight to stay on the pavement before they could accelerate. I must say something about the track. It is absolutely world class. The facilities were very clean and well maintained. The restaurant had everything from sandwiches to full meals available. Prices were a little high but none of the captive price gouging we were used to seeing at other tracks. For instance, a 16 ounce cup of coffee was a dollar. One of the breakfasts was an omelet, two big links of bratwurst sausage, and hash browns and coffee for under $5. Restrooms were clean and well maintained. There was a blacktop pedestrian walk just inside the wall surrounding the track. I don t think there was any place around the track where you couldn t find a good spot to watch the cars. Considering there was over three miles of track per lap that is really saying something.

6 PAGE 6 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE Years ago after a race the drivers all migrated to a big bar downtown to party. Of course they all drove their race cars. Over the years the event evolved into a concourse held at one of the big tourist complexes. It was a real sight to see all the racers parade into town; awesome racers that maybe had never run at 25 mph for 10 miles in their existence. Engines roaring three or four feet away with wives or girlfriends hanging on precariously to the roll cages and waving to the crowd. I mentioned the infamous turn 5 earlier. This is a steep downhill coming to the 90 degree left corner making it deceptively easy to bring on too much speed before turning. The turn is flat with no camber. You can see where over the years they have added width to the outside of the turn and even added a concrete apron to extend it even farther. The apron was paved with hundreds of tire skid marks where drivers spun out or went off track trying to negotiate the corner too fast. One of the track staff members was heard to say, you will never go slow enough for turn 5.The evening before the Big Stinger race the Vintage concourse was held in downtown Elkhart. The town of 670 citizens plays host to upwards of 5 thousand spectators for that event. (Which I think is a low estimate.) The next day, morning broke with tire pressures being checked one more time. Lug nuts checked, windshields cleaned, fan belts slathered with silicon oil, and all the other things that nobody wanted to see go awry. When Stinger race time came the drivers had got together and planned a stunt that will be remembered for a long time. The Stingers got out on schedule, soon spreading out as the faster cars pulled away. The drivers were racing serious and hard with even a little fender contact. A couple of the faster cars were the Group 8 cars of James Reeves and David Clemons. James car is the original Think Pink Stinger of Donna Mae Mims. The best part of the race for me was seeing all the Stingers in a pack coming down the straight for the green flag. At the end on the next to last lap the two

7 PAGE 7 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE lead cars went side by side and slowed to let the slower cars catch up. As they caught up they paired up side by side and finished the race in a tight pack to the cheers of the spectators and I am sure to the amazement of the track promotors. August Minutes T.C.C. meeting of August 9, 2016 called to order at 7:04PM by Keith Klemm, President. Thanks sent out to Scott Cartine for the tech session at his house on detailing of our vehicles. Only Dean Zawacki brought his car and it left the place looking like it just came off the showroom floor. Weather was not the best and as the rain started, the session ended but not before lessons were learned and practice with the equipment at Scott s was completed. Good session! Smitty shared his latest adventures on the travel circuit. More racing, not Smitty, but he did have stories to share. Pitted right next to us was the blue # 99 of Chris Langley. About the second or third day and around noon time He came into the pits saying he and his wife had set up a hot brisket with rolls and BBQ sauce between a couple of the car trailers. Not understanding what that was all about I wandered over to see. There on a cutting board was the biggest slab of meat I have ever seen ready to eat, about 11 inches by 18 inches and over 2 inches thick. They said they got it from one of their favorite restaurants in New Orleans and it had been in the smoker 23 or 28 hours. When they started slicing it the meat was just slightly pink and had a crust of marinade on the outside a good quarter inch thick. I don t know what it weighed raw but after cooking it was still 11 pounds. I know you have probably had brisket and I have had my share of it. This was a whole other ballgame, as tender as a ribeye and tasted a whole lot better. The next day they topped that act by serving salmon steaks. I felt bad about the poor common folks who had to go to the restaurant to eat. We have several events taking place in the area in the next few weeks. All of these will be shared again through the newsletter. Thanks, Dean! Top concern is the Vair Fair in It will be in celebration of the 1967 Corvair. Any location ideas, slogans, design for t-shirts, etc. must take care of as soon possible. Steve is looking into a location and hopefully that can be worked out. Please plan on attending the next meeting so we can get this event in action. Anyone wanting to chair the event, please speak up! Reminder given about the Landstown Cruise every Saturday and articles are always needed for the newsletter. Also, if your annual dues are not paid, please do so as soon as possible. Locations for the Social on August 23rd were No Frills Grill on Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach; Hotrodders Café on Mt Pleasant Rd., Chesapeake and Olive Garden on Lynnhaven Pkwy., Virginia Beach. Olive Garden was

8 PAGE 8 August 2016 THE SPYDERS BREATH GAZETTE chosen and John Gilliland will call to make arrangements. See you there at 6:30 on the 23rd. Scott Cartine won the 50/50. engine quit and wouldn t re-start. We suspected that he had issues with a recentlyinstalled Pertronix unit. Meeting adjourned at 8:10PM Shriners Show 2016 By Dean Zawacki The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, August 20, for the 25 th Annual Khedive Auto Show at the Shriners Hall on Woodlake Drive in Chesapeake. Cars of just about every description came out, from the rare Super Bird to Hondas of just a few years back. I got pretty well baked by the sun, and was getting ready to head home, when as luck would have it, I won a door prize: a case of oil from NAPA that you really shouldn t use in a flat-tappet engine. When I collected my prize, the lady told me to be sure and stick around for the trophy ceremony. Wouldn t you know, I walked out of there with a Second Place in the GM 58 and Up category! Not bad for a beginner! This was my first Khedive show, and there was lots to see. One of the highlights for me was a beautiful Auburn boattail speedster. There were plenty of Corvettes, from 1962 all the way up to the latest model. Ed Hlusko and I represented the Tidewater Corvair Club that day; Ed with his 1966 Canadian-built Monza and me with my coupe. Another gentleman from outside the club arrived in a yellow 1965 Monza, but only made it as far as the front gate when the

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