<VV> next generation/pekin show

[J R Read_HML]

Well, Tim beat me too it.  Yes I was late, but they fed me anyway.  Wanted 
me to eat more than I possibly could just so they "wouldn't have to carry it 
home".  What a great group at PCCA and what a great bunch of cars!  I knew a 
few of the folks before I got there.  Now I know a whole bunch more.

Larry Jahn took me under his wing for a while as we went from car to car for 
careful inspection and I got a couple of stories on the owners as well.  No, 
I'm not going into that.  I also found out that his wife had my cousin 
(Hoopeston - Read's - GM branded car dealer) in one of her classes during 
his senior year.  Neither of us are talking about how long ago that was.

I got off track a bit on the way there.  In line with the thread on goofy 
things said about Corvairs,  I was at a traffic light in Peoria - trying to 
find my way back to the East side of the river - and a couple of fellows in 
a pickup were speaking in loud voices and dissing my car.  Talk of the gas 
tank being unsafe and how the cars are not worth what you would have to pay 
for them.  I said absolutely nothing.  Let them think that way - keeps the 
prices down.  If I have the correct info - I think I do - only the '60 
models had a problem with the tank and it was because the filler neck and 
tank were essentially all one piece.  In certain types of collisions, the 
filler neck could rip loose creating sparks and igniting the fuel.  GM fixed 
that by putting the rubber filler neck piece with the hose clamps between 
the top of the neck and the tank.  No more sparks.  I'm not sure just when 
that fix went in, so maybe some of the later '60s have the rubber piece?  I 
don't know a lot about EMs.

Round trip - 360 miles - on a perfectly beautiful day (top down and visors 
up).  Free lunch.  Friendly folk.  Pretty cars.  Just a great day!  Part way 
down, I wondered if they might do a long distance award.  Well, if they had, 
I think it would have gone to Bill Pierson.  As we were leaving he mentioned 
that he had a 4 hour drive.  My drive (with no stops) was just about 3 
hours.  Hmmm, I wonder what speed he drives at?  BIG GRIN  Man, that PCCA 
group is sure spread out in terms of the distance between many of the 
members.

Thanks to the PCCA group for allowing me to visit with them!

Later, JR
CCE and CORSA member
'61 Rampside Standard 4/110
'65 Monza Convertible 4/140
'66 beater 500 Coupe "icemobile" 4/140 (50%)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tim mahler" <flat6vair at insightbb.com>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Re: the next generation/pekin Car show


> JR  made it to the Pekin Car display,  as did 18 other  Corvairs.  He was 
> late,  but we fed him anyway.   Wonderful day in a nice park,  plenty of 
> on-lookers including one possible new member.

BIG SNIP
>
> Life is good.
>
> tim mahler
> PCCA editor