Bruce and the Corvairs

Cruisin Bruce, the daily morning show host DJ on "The Pike," 100.1 FM in New England, was our guest DJ for the Saturday car show and he did a great job.

He also took photos, such as the one above, and posted them on his web site, CruisinBruce.com.  Want to see 'em?  Just click this link and scroll down to the "International Corvair Convention" photo group.  Bruce Palmer does more than 100 car shows each year and adds new events to the web site regularly, so you may have to scroll down through a few more recent shows to find the Corvairs.

Bruce is a die-hard "car guy," owning several collector cars, participating in as many car shows as his schedule will allow, and driving to his gigs in vintage cars, such as the Mercury Comet station wagon he used to come to Sturbridge.

Snapshots from Sturbridge

Just a few of the many photos taken over the past few days of Corvair owners having a fun time in Sturbridge (Click any photo for an enlarged view):

The "Back Seat Driver" game

These cars are supposedly rare!

Staging for the Road Rally

A stop along the road rally

A portion of the Concours, alongside the lake

At Old Sturbridge Village

Jay Leno and one of his two Corvairs.

Jay sent a video greeting that was shown

during Saturday evening's banquet.

Okay, we cheated, this is a publicity shot.

But Darrell (left) and Janet (2nd from right),

the Corvair-owning members of Cobblestone Crossing,

did a great job entertaining us not only with the full group

at Friday's Ice Cream Social but also informally,

at the hospitality room, on Thursday.

Cedar Pond, the lake behind the hotel, alongside which

the Concours took place, the Wednesday evening Karaoke singalong

took place, and which the Oxhead Tavern overlooked.

200 Corvairs

For Saturday’s big car show, by mid-morning the number of Corvairs in the Sturbridge Host Hotel parking lot was 184, with more still on the lawn alongside the lake and some in the general parking area -- and more were coming in!  Eventually, audits will be done, the census bureau will send canvassers into the field, and we’ll have a final number. But for now, the official tally is Wow Look At All The Corvairs!

Here’s what it looked like at one point:

New England DJ Cruisin' Bruce did a great job with the tunes, the vintage commercials, the announcements and the awards, and the Sturbridge Host Hotel nicely put a refreshment stand alongside the show. Mother Nature did her part by holding back the rain until all was over except the awards presentation, which was moved indoors when the skies opened at 3 PM.

Take the Phoenix Home

Today we secured the Fitch Phoenix to the trailer for delivery to Sturbridge. (Click the photo for an enlarged view.)

While at the convention, you can not only see this beautiful one-off car in person, you could win one of the Automodello scale models, as detailed in our earlier post here.

(Sorry, you can’t have the real car, we’ll be returning it to John Fitch following the convention!)

Time's UP!

Not really. But the time for advance convention registration is now past, so if you have not sent in your registration, don’t do it – just show up!

Registration can be accomplished on-site, beginning at 3 PM on Tuesday and continuing right through 1 PM on Saturday. (The complete schedule of registration hours is on the convention web site, here.)

In only a few days CORSA’s 2012 convention – the 42nd annual convention – will begin. Come be a part of it!

So Much to See and Do!

Previously we have mentioned such attractions as the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield and the site of the original "Alice's Restaurant" in Stockbridge.  Here are just a few more things to see and do while in New England:

The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, the only museum of armor in the western hemisphere, http://www.higgins.org/

The Slater Mill Museum in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, http://www.slatermill.org/

The EcoTarium (a great place to take the kids), a unique indoor-outdoor museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, offering such things as a chance to walk through the treetops, ride a narrow-gauge railroad, and more, http://www.ecotarium.org/

The Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, arguably the nation's leading aquarium and home of ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard and the Institute for Exploration, http://www.mysticaquarium.org/, plus the Mystic Seaport, home of the Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence, http://www.mysticseaport.org/

The Boston Museum of Science ( http://www.mos.org/ ), the New England Aquarium ( http://www.neaq.org/ ), the Boston Children’s Museum ( http://www.bostonkids.org/ ), all in Boston of course

The museums of the Rhode Island Historical Society, in Providence and in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, http://www.rihs.org/

Plimoth Plantation, the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony (the Pilgrims) established in the 1600s, http://www.plimoth.org/

And of course, Cape Cod, Lexington & Concord, The White Mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont Maple Syrup, Maine Lobstahs, and so much more.

Old Ironsides

Our thanks to CORSA Director and New England resident Jason Cesana for many of the suggestions on this list.

If You've Got It, Flaunt It!

Among the many traditions at CORSA conventions is the display of local club banners in the banquet hall. But often it is somewhat of a nuisance to get the banners hung and then to retrieve them following the banquet.

This year, the Sturbridge Host Hotel has offered to hang our CORSA chapter banners around the atrium of the hotel. As was noted in a prior issue of the CORSA Communique, club reps will need to drop off their banners in the convention registration room – not at the hotel front desk. This needs to be done by Wednesday afternoon, at which time we'll hand over all the banners to the hotel staff so they can hang them all at once.

Please note, neither the NECC convention committee nor CORSA cannot take responsibility for loss or damage to the banners while in the hotel hands.

So, chapter reps, please arrange to have your club’s banner taken to the convention registration room by Wednesday afternoon (July 25) so that your club’s banner can be among those displayed in the hotel’s atrium!

Memo from Iowa, Part 2

My earlier post told the story of how I acquired my 1966 Monza convertible, the car that I am driving from my home in Iowa to the Convention in Sturbridge. I also let you know there was a mystery surrounding the car. It’s a mystery that no one knows the answer to.

Last winter I decided to freshen up the engine. It ran just fine but it burned a little more oil than I felt comfortable with, so I thought I would install some new piston rings, reseal everything and inspect the rest. What I found when I pulled off the oil pan changed that plan drastically. The oil pan contained three pea sized chunks of aluminum, a couple small pieces of top cover gasket, and lots of pieces of the original valve stem seals.

I would expect the valve stem seal pieces but not the rest. Upon complete disassembly and inspection it appears that the three oil drain back holes under the camshaft were plugged with casting flash, and someone drove the flash up into the crankcase with a punch from the oil pan side. It also appears that one piston may have been changed at one time and the edge of one lifter had been damaged enough that I could not get it out until I had the cases split.

My question is, if this work had been done at a shop why didn’t they take the oil pan off and clean out the pieces?

What makes it even stranger is that I asked all the previous owners if they had ever had any major work done to the engine. They all had the same answer, "The car always ran perfectly and there was never any major work done." Couple this with the fact that my dad worked at the local dealer and did the new vehicle service. He would have been the one who would have worked on the car, but he didn’t.

The only logical explanation is that this happened at the factory. Could this have happened there? Or is someone lying? We will never know.

Come on over to the 2012 convention and have some fun and see what CORSA has to offer! The car and I will be there and I have pictures so you can see and discuss the mystery!

Jamie Reinhart
CORSA President

Important Note About NOISE!

At the 2012 convention autocross, to take place at the Stafford Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 25, strict noise restrictions will be in place.

Stafford Motor Speedway is an historic race track is located in what is today a residential area, and for this reason mufflers will be required for this event. The requirements are the same as those used for many years at the NECC’s time trial events at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park: A maximum sound level of 88dB. This limit is easily attained by virtually every street-driven Corvair, and race cars can meet this limit with readily-available performance mufflers.

Don’t risk being unable to compete, make sure that your car is equipped with adequate mufflers.

From Sturbridge it is a short trip southwest on I-84 to reach Stafford Motor Speedway. The speedway is a half-mile paved oval with a smaller inner oval and several infield roads and pit lanes, all of which we will utilize for our event. The start/ finish gates and the lane changes are on the main straight right in front of the grandstands.

To help you prepare for this event and to speed your way through tech inspection, review the autocross rules that will be included in your packet from registration, or better yet, review them in advance right here on the CORSA website.

Trophies for the autocross will be awarded during the Lakeside Picnic at the Sturbridge Host Hotel on Thursday night.

Visit Clark's Corvair Parts!

It may be obvious to many, since Clark’s Corvair Parts is located in Massachusetts, that Clark’s would be a convention sponsor. But what may not be as obvious is how great a cheerleader Cal Clark has been for this convention. He has been supportive of the plans from the very beginning, and Clark’s Corvair Parts has signed on sponsor of the convention’s Lakeside Picnic and as one of the sponsors of the convention’s hospitality room.

Clark’s Corvair Parts is the world’s largest Corvair parts supplier and is based in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. This is less than an hour and a half from the convention site, and Clark’s is opening the doors to all who wish to visit during convention week.

That’s right, on Tuesday, July 24, convention-goers can stop in for an Open House at Clark’s Corvair Parts, between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM. Clark’s is located on the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) in Shelburne Falls, a short distance east of town and very easy to find.

Tuesday, July 24, is the preferred day for this, because it is the day before the convention officially begins and so there are no direct scheduling conflicts. But, Cal Clark knows that not every convention visitor will be able to make it on that day, so Cal has said, "if you are not able to visit on Tuesday, we will welcome you during those hours any day that week." So between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM on any day, Monday, July 23, through Friday, July 27, convention-goers can visit Clark’s Corvair Parts.

This is a great opportunity for Corvair owners from other parts of the country who may otherwise never be in the area or be able to participate in the biennial Fall Classic at Clark's car show.  Clark's is not a "walk in" business and so opportunities to visit are few.

Of course, Clark's Corvair Parts will have a big display at the convention itself, so even if you can't make it to the Open House you can still see the latest products and get the best deals.  Whether you visit Clark's in Shelburne Falls or in Sturbridge, be sure to thank them for all they do to keep our Corvairs going!

The Revolutionary Corvair in Stained Glass

Greg Gorski, a member of one of the NECC member clubs, has reproduced several popular Corvair styles in stained glass, using the Tiffany copper foil method.  Each reproduction is hand made using a variety of semi-transparent and opalescent stained glass colors.  The finished size is 14” x 18” framed with the 2012 Convention logo adjacent to the vehicle.

Photos appear below.  Click any photo for an enlarged view.

Greg has four styles of Corvairs available, each in several colors of stained glass:  Early Model Coupe, Late Model Coupe, Greenbrier, and Rampside.  He has sold several already at $100 each, and once his current stock is depleted he will be taking orders for more, with delivery at Sturbridge.  Greg will be in Sturbridge on Friday, July 27th and Saturday, July 28th.

Interested?  To learn more, contact Greg here.

Lifemobile

Among the events taking place alongside the big Saturday car show at Sturbridge will be a book-signing for a wonderful new book, Lifemobile.

Lifemobile is a novel written by CORSA member Jonathan Rintels. Mr Rintels has been a writer for film and television, and this is his first novel. We’ve been able to read an excerpt and it is nothing less than funny, moving, and inspirational.

Lifemobile is based on Mr Rintels’ experiences with his special-needs son, and how he became fascinated – obsessed, really – with his father’s Corvair, and its features, history, and controversy. In many ways, the Corvair experience changed his life.

Readers don’t need to be Corvair enthusiasts to become engaged with this book, but it seems obvious that the Corvair community will respond to it enthusiastically. The book is to be published in June by Prospecta Press, and at Sturbridge in July we’ll have a traditional book-signing event where Mr Rintels will read from the book, answer questions, and sign copies that will be available on-site.

Cruisin' Bruce!

In the photo is our convention's Saturday car show event emcee, Bruce Palmer.

Bruce Palmer isn't your typical DJ.  He's a dyed-in-the-wool car guy and an asset to any car show in southeastern New England. Besides being the morning DJ voice of 100.1 FM, "The Pike", Worcester's #1 morning show, he hosts a different cruise night five nights a week, including the largest cruise night in the northeast (some nights over 2500 cars) held every other Thursday at Patriot Place, next to Gillette Stadium.

Not just that, he's booked up to host and DJ at various car shows and events every weekend through the whole car show season. He takes photos at all his shows and posts them on his website, cruisinbruce.com, each night after each gig. Then he's up before dawn each morning heading from his home in Coventry, Rhode Island, to Worcester for his morning radio show.

Convention deputy chairman Ray Bombardier says, "I honestly don't know when this guy sleeps but he's always on top of his game!"

He’s got a garage full of collector cars, including this uncommon 1959 Plymouth wagon.

Bruce Palmer has been a great friend to all the car clubs in the region through the years, including the Bay State Corvair Club. He's always quick to play Paul Revere & the Raiders' tune, "Corvair Baby" at any show where Corvairs are gathered.

Around New England, if you see that Cruisin' Bruce is hosting an event you know it's going to be first rate. In Sturbridge you'll agree after the first few minutes you hear him.

Clean Machines

At a CORSA Convention, pretty much everyone wants to wash their car. The Concours participants are practically obsessive about this, but those entering the People’s Choice Car Display want a clean car, too. And this year, since the Concours cars will remain on the field during the Car Display and we are encouraging every Corvair owner to put their car in the Car Display, we expect that everyone will want to wash their car.

At the Sturbridge Host Hotel we will have four garden hose connections for vehicle hand washing, located outside the Exhibit Hall and adjacent to the Concours classification area. But even with four available hoses, demand could be high and some persons prefer a commercial car wash.

Unfortunately, according to Concours coordinator Ken Schifftner there appear to be no coin-operated car washes within a reasonable distance of the hotel. There is one about four miles east of the hotel, but it appears to not be operational at this time. The next nearest one is about 20 miles away.

However, Ken found a drive-through car wash right on Main Street in Sturbridge, about three or four miles west of the hotel. It is part of a gas/tire center with multiple service bays. Ken has spoken with the owner to alert him to the convention.

At the moment it appears that your best option for washing your car will be to bring your own bucket and sponge and be patient and cooperative with your fellow Corvair owners at the wash station at the hotel.

Get Your Name Out There!

Upwards of 800 Corvair enthusiasts and their families will gather at the Sturbridge Host Hotel this summer for the convention of the Corvair Society of America, the first time this annual event has been held in New England. It's a great opportunity for you to put your name in front of a receptive and loyal audience.

Opportunities range from advertising in the convention souvenir program booklet (given to all registrants) to sponsoring individual events, activities, and more.

Click here to download a pdf document providing all the details, including our prices for ad space, sponsorship opportunities, and instructions. Check out the choices and contact us today to secure your place.

Ad space is limited and sponsorship opportunities are first-come first-served, so don't wait to get on board! Deadline and contact information appears on the 2nd page of the pdf!

The Engine Room

Here is an overhead shot of the engine compartment of Cal Clark’s under-restoration Rampside, taken this past weekend. Cal is still on target for having this truck at Sturbridge this summer.

Click the photo for an enlarged view.  We note a few things:

First, see how the floor of the loadbed is painted gray while the sides are red? This is the correct configuration. Many owners paint the loadbed either entirely body color or entirely a contrasting color, but Cal’s scheme is original.

Second, note the exposed primer in the open area ahead of the engine, where the heater blower housing is located. This exposed primer is also correct. We don’t know whether Cal was intentionally replicating the original overspray patterns, but he did.

What Corvair are you bringing to Sturbridge? Send a photo or two to us here, with some information, and we’ll post some of them right here on the blog!

The Last Corvair

Revised April 3, 2012:  We hope you enjoyed our April Fool's post about 1969 Corvair #6000, the last car built, which disappeared shortly after being photographed at the assembly plant on the day it was built. Despite some dogged investigation by Corvair historian Dave Newell and others, there has never turned up any evidence of the car's fate.  There has been much conjecture through the years – the most commonly accepted one being that it was simply destroyed so as to not create a fuss over the "last Corvair" – but even that is only conjecture.

We posted a fanciful story about new information and documentation on the car, asserting its survival into the 1980s and announcing a display to be presented at the convention.

It was all hogwash, as you found out if you clicked through to the page that was purportedly going to show you some of the evidence.

But even without new evidence of #6000, there will be plenty to see and do at this summer's convention.  No fooling!

What's the Diff?

At CORSA Conventions there are two car shows, the "Concours" (Concours d’Elegance) and the "Car Display" (the Peoples’ Choice Car Display). What’s the difference?

Nothing. And Everything.

The "nothing" is that all convention participants are free to enter either one. If you are a registered convention attendee with your Corvair you can enter the car in your choice of the Concours or the Car Display.

The "everything" is that the two events are not at all alike.

The Concours is a formal judged event. Exacting and precise criteria are used to classify and judge the cars, and the resulting scores are an accurate measure of each vehicle’s condition and a yardstick against which each vehicle can be compared to others.

The Car Display is an informal show in which awards in several categories are selected by popular choice. A winning car may not necessarily be the "best" but it will be the one that people like the most.

While CORSA has held a Concours at every convention since the first one in 1971 (in fact, the Concours is a convention requirement per the CORSA by-laws), the Car Display was added in 1984 to provide an alternative. Some Corvair owners felt that their cars might not be of sufficient quality to be entered in the Concours, while others simply did not wish to go through the preparation and processes necessary for the Concours.

The Car Display was created also to ensure that every Corvair at a convention, from work-in-progress to show-winner, was put on display. This goal remains paramount for Sturbridge this summer and is why the Car Display is scheduled for Saturday, when the greatest number of participants and spectators are likely to attend.

A further distinction is that the Concours is limited to pre-registered participants, only. It is not possible simply to show up the day of the event and enter. CORSA policy dictates that while the formal judging takes place on Friday, all Concours cars must go through a rigorous classification process that begins Thursday afternoon, and there is a Concours participants’ meeting on the schedule as well. So all Concours entrants must be signed up and on-site in advance.

This is not to say that the Concours committee will not accommodate individual hardships or other special cases, but suffice to say that entering the Concours takes a level of commitment that is distinct from what is required for the Car Display.

The Car Display is open not only to those who register in advance, but also to those who sign up on-site. Come Saturday morning, unregistered arrivals will be welcomed – at least, to the point where we run out of room to park the cars! Given the high concentration of Corvair owners in the Northeast, we are expecting – and striving for – the largest gathering of Corvairs in one place since they left the factory. Plan on being a part of it!

As an added bonus, at the Sturbridge Host Hotel it will not be necessary to move the Concours cars from their Friday location on the lawn once the judging is complete, so the Concours cars can be viewed alongside the Car Display entries all day on Saturday.

So whether your own a Corvair that you wish to be judged to CORSA’s high standards, or a Corvair that you simply want to put on display for everyone to enjoy, this convention offers you that choice.

Now THAT’S a Meeting!

At each CORSA Convention there is an item on the schedule, described as the "CORSA Annual Meeting." This is the annual general membership meeting that is required under the laws that govern not-for-profit membership organizations such as ours.

And this year the meeting will be anything but perfunctory. This year we are making it worthwhile for all CORSA members to attend, not only because it is an important opportunity for the members and the officers to interact, but also because this year the meeting will offer dessert and entertainment!

The dessert is our "Ice Cream Social."

The entertainment is "Cobblestone Crossing."

Immediately following the business portion of the meeting, our Ice Cream Social will begin, where you can create your own special dessert from an assortment of ice creams and toppings. Then, sit back and enjoy the music of Cobblestone Crossing, a great group of musicians with CORSA members at its core.

Cobblestone Crossing has been performing for about fourteen years in front of audiences ranging from intimate gatherings to more than 4000. Their repertoire comprises mostly American nostalgic folk, with a  touch of bluegrass, country, Irish and even an up-tempo spiritual or two.

They’ll play familiar songs from such icon folk groups as the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Denver, The New Christy Minstrels, Woody Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot, the Limeliters, the Irish Rovers, and the ever-popular Weavers.

The members are Brian Schendel on bass, John Tobias on guitar, Janet Varley on mandolin and tenor guitar, and Darrell Varley on banjo and everything else. Janet and Darrell are CORSA members and members of the Central NY Corvair Club in Syracuse. They own a red ‘67 convertible, but Darrell tells us "it is very hard squeezing a banjo and guitar into the trunk of our Monza... a Greenbrier would do the trick... and carry all our and all our equipment as well!"

Cobblestone Crossing will entertain us with some silly stories and some great sing-along tunes. For the convention they have prepared a few additional songs that relate to the occasion and the area. You can learn more about the group at their web site, http://www.cobblestone-crossing.com, and where you can hear a sampling of their music as well.

Needless to say, the "CORSA Annual Meeting" at this convention will be a special occasion! Don’t miss it!

Corvair Campin'

If your preference is to camp during the convention, be it in a modest tent or an opulent RV , there are several choices of campgrounds in the area. Here are some of the ones closest to the host hotel:

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, Sturbridge
(about 2.5 miles from the host hotel)
508-347-9570

Wells State Park, Sturbridge
(about 5 miles from the host hotel)
508-347-9257

Oak Haven Family Campground, Wales
(about 11 miles from the host hotel)
413-245-7148

In addition, about 4.2 miles from the host hotel is the Village Green Campground, in Brimfield. However, this campground suffered a direct hit from the 2011 tornado, causing extensive damage, and, tragically, one fatality. The campground was closed for the balance of 2011 but plans to open for 2012. The number is 413-245-3504

There are still more campgrounds in the region and one of the best resources for finding one is Woodall’s, online at http://www.woodalls.com