<VV> ROLL CALL? What did you drive

[Jeffrey B. Aronson]

This past week my usually reliable Monza had thrown some tantrums. The 
threads in the #4 spark plug hole had disappeared and I had to tap it 
and insert a heli-coil. The right rear wheel cylinder had to be rebuilt 
in order to get the brakes up to snuff. I managed to get it accomplished 
in time for Saturday morning's ferry trip.

Yesterday, I drove my '66 Monza Coupe 110/4 onto the ferry and 90 
minutes later arrived on the mainland in Rockland, ME.. There I met up 
with Dana and his far-more-stunning LM coupe. Dana had already driven 45 
miles from Bucksport, ME.

After a gas stop for my Monza [finally - premium gas!] and a Dunkin 
Donuts stop for Dana and I, we headed
60 miles to Brunswick, ME, where Ron Tinkham had arranged for Goodwin 
Chevrolet to host the Dirigo Corvairs 50th anniversary celebration. By 
the time we all arrived, the rains had started in earnest and waves of 
squalls hit us throughout the day.

Nevertheless, a great group of enthusiasts and a very pleasant staff at 
Goodwin Chevrolet enjoyed this lineup:

Yenko Stinger
Lakewood 700
EM sedan
EM Monza coupe [2]
LM 140 convertible
LM customized convertible
LM coupes [2]

Ron and his sons erected a Corvair sales banner and we shared period 
advertisement with the sales staff. They feted us by firing up the 
grill, sharing good stories and keeping us dry. We wandered in and out 
of the rain, diagnosed engine issues [pinging problems on one car, valve 
problems on mine], swapped car talk with the sales staff, and examined 
the new Camaro. A Land Rover buddy who lives in Brunswick stopped by the 
admire the cars.

As the rains increased in the mid-afternoon, we headed northeast and 
southwest from Brunswick, in my case, another 60 miles plus the 15 mile 
ferry trip; in Dana's case, another 45 miles east to Bucksport.

Yes, the weather was lousy and the economy is lousy, but Goodwin's is a 
major Chevrolet - Mazda dealership in a major market town for midcoast 
Maine. Yet it was striking to note that we seemed to be the largest 
group of people who showed up all mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Even the 
used car operation looked quiet. Frankly, I believe we were the most 
entertaining part of the day for the sales and service staff working 
that day.

As my car lacked its usual smoothness, I had a sneaking suspicion that 
something is not right with my #4 cylinder. Ron Moller of Maplewood 
Motors listened to it at low rpm. His aural diagnosis is a valve not 
operating [lifter, rocker arm, valve?]. Looks like it's time for a spark 
and compression check - yikes!

Jeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME
www.landroverwriter.com

'66 Monza Coupe 110/4
'66 Land Rover Series II-A [2]
'80 Triumph TR-7 Spider