Lowcountry Corvair Association

Charleston, South Carolina

09/08/08

 

WELCOME TO THE LOWCOUNTRY CORVAIR ASSOCIATION - CORSA CHAPTER 294 - CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

 

For over 25 years, the Lowcountry Corvair Association (LCA) has been a car club for those who appreciate the Chevrolet Corvair in its many forms. 

As a member of the Corvair Society of America (CORSA), the Lowcountry Corvair Association has access to a wide assortment of parts, knowledge, and experience to help the Corvair enthusiast keep his or her pride and joy on the road.  Normally, our club meetings are the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. (come early for socializing) at Ryan's Steakhouse on Rivers Avenue (HWY 52) in North Charleston, SC.  

Everyone with an interest is welcome to attend!

 

For more information on meetings, shows, or membership opportunities, please contact Club President Donn Pittman HERE.

 

Why a Corvair?  Owning a classic or antique car is usually a fairly expensive hobby reserved for those with serious cash to invest. 

The benefits of this expense are a satisfaction in owning something many others admire, family and club activities that center around the car of choice,

and just taking a Sunday drive in a vehicle that is unlike all the other cookie-cutter vehicles on the road today. 

The great thing about Chevrolet Corvairs is that they are one of the most practical, least expensive collectible cars on the market! 

Body styles ran the gambit during production (1960-1969) of cars, vans, & trucks. 

Because they were produced for an entire decade, today vehicle and parts availability are very plentiful. 

Check out your local newspaper, do a web search, look into e-bay, or drop me a line at SteveJY@aol.com - we'll help find you a car that will

get you off your couch and involved in the fun and satisfying hobby of collectible (affordable!) cars!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

BEST WISHES TO OUR OWN CHARLES KING AND HIS BRIDE-TO-BE VALERIE RUSSELL

WHO WILL BE MARRIED LATER THIS MONTH.   THE MEMBERS OF THE

LOWCOUNTRY CORVAIR ASSOCIATION WISH THEM A LIFETIME

OF JOY AND PROSPERITY TOGETHER!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

TO OUR BELOVED MEMBERS:

 

"PRINT IS DEAD!" - Character 'Egon' in Ghostbusters (1984):

As a cost-saving measure due to today's extortion-level cost of postage, the LCA's Executive Committee has decided that as of September 2008,

the heretofore publication of the monthly  Air Cooled News will be published and mailed bi-monthly. 

Thus, the schedule for publication will now be the 25th of:  February / April / June / August / October / December.  

As an English major graduated from the College of Charleston (class of 1994), I cringe, but I also understand basic economics. 

It costs approximately $40.00 per edition, so if anyone knows of a good benefactor, or anyone who would like to advertise for an amazingly reasonable sum,

please have them contact the publisher of our famed newsletter HERE.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Check out a few web links below!

Current Weather

______________________________________________

CORVAIR SITES

______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

NON-CORVAIR SITES

____________________________________________________

 

 

Click for Charleston, South Carolina Forecast

Click here to view the Lowcountry Corvair Association on-line Photo Album

(Members - send me cool pics of your ride!)

LOWCOUNTRY CORVAIR ASSOCIATION NEWS:

Take a look at what's happening in and around Charleston!

YOUTUBE AND OTHER VIDEO LINKS:

 

Click HERE to see a Chevrolet promotional video on the original Corvair!

 

Click HERE to see YouTube video of the 2008 Springfest in Helen, GA

 

Click HERE to see some awesome Corvair Autocross Racing!

______________________________________________________________________

 

The Lowcountry Corvair Association is a local chapter (#294) of the Corvair Society of America (CORSA)

 

The following pictures of the Wal-Mart car show courtesy of George Goodyear:

 

The LCA Gang at the recent Wal-Mart car show on Saturday, August 23rd.

 

Bring your house with 'ya - that's the way to stay cool in the summer!

 

As always, the LCA brought some fine Corvair examples to the Wal-Mart show.

 

A great day for a car show!

 

One in every color!

 

 

Dave and Amy Pastre's newborn son Otto - sorry it took so long to get these on-line!

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Unsung at Any Speed – The Corvair 95, by Albert Mroz

Condensed from an article in This Old Truck September/October 1999


Contributed by David Bristol
See full article on our webpage www.corvair/chapters/southcoast/


The recession of 1957/58 prompted motor vehicle manufacturers to introduce compact, efficient,
affordable vehicles in 1959 for model year 1960. The public turned out with wallets in hand as 685,000
Corvairs were sold that first model year. Almost immediately, Chevy introduced a pickup and van
platform based on the Corvair for 1961. The Corvair 95, as it was called, was named for its wheelbase.
It used the air-cooled, "pancake" six-cylinder engine from the Corvair passenger car with minor
modifications.


For 1961 10,787 Corvair Rampside (Model R1254) pickups left the factory. That would be the largest
production for Corvair in the four years the pickup version was produced. For all practical purposes,
the Corvair Rampside was quite attractive as a light truck when compared to the only other forward
control light commercial vehicles at that time, which was the Ford Econoline series.
The Corvair's payload was rated at 1900 pounds, which was 250 pounds more than the Ford. The cargo box was twenty inches longer due to the efficient forward control design. The interior was much
roomier because the motor and transmission were between the rear wheels, not inside the cab like the
Ford. The Corvair 95's height was 68.5 inches - a full ten inches lower than the Econoline. Styling was
elegant when compared to the Econoline. The body construction was semi-unitized, meaning that is
was both bolted and welded. The body was rigid enough for the large openings of the Rampside, or the
doors of the van, which could be ordered on one, either, or both sides.

All Corvair 95 models (Rampside, Loadside, Corvan, and Greenbriar) came with two-tone paint with a
white accent stripe as the standard paint scheme. The white body had a red accent stripe. Fleet
purchasers could specify any color whatsoever. Pacific Bell bought large numbers of Corvans. The
vehicles were efficient, affordable, and durable if adequate maintenance was provided.
Unfortunately, the Corvair 95 faced stiff competition from Ford. The Rampside model was priced at
$2133 in 1963; about $200 more than the Ford Econoline pickup. The Corvair engine, which had the
same displacement as the in-line six of the Fords, had 80 hp, five less than the Econoline. Another
problem was the shift linkage, which ran nearly the full length of its wheelbase and had to negotiate its
way under the fuel tank. A later design involved using tubes that went directly through the fuel tank.
The Rampside idea was well received, but the Loadside pickups (Model R1205) were not popular at all
because the lower payload area behind the cab was not very accessible. Originally, they were to have a
level floor with a lockable storage compartment in front of the engine (behind the cab) but the
Loadside was never produced with this arrangement except for car shows. After 2475 Loadside
Corvairs rolled off the assembly line in 1961, only 369 saw the light of day for 1962, making this the
rarest of all Corvair light commercial vehicles. Production of the Rampside plummeted to 4102 in
1962, 3046 for 1963 and a meager 851 for the final year of manufacture in 1964. Only the Greenbriar
van survived in 1965. Total 95 production was 127,221 - only seven percent of all Corvairs. The
Corvair Rampside was a very promising design, but the typical prospective American ready to buy a
truck at that time was not willing to go out on a limb when the tried and true was available at about the
same price in the same showroom or just across the street. (Production numbers based on The Corvair
Decade by Anthony Fiore).


Reprinted from the May 2008 The Spyder’s Breath Gazette, the newsletter of the Tidewater Corvair Club.

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Yes, it's a Corvair!   Check it out at William Wynne's www.flycorvair.com listed above.

 

 

 

Air Cooled Flying at it's Best!

 

September 11 - LCA meeting at Ryan's Steak House in North Charleston - 7:30pm

 

September 13 - Corvette Club open car show @ Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Savannah Hwy - 11am - 3pm

 

December 5-7 - Carolina Open Car Classic (www.crippledog.com for more information):

 

                            

 

___________________________________________________

 

The following pictures of the Tangier Outlet car show courtesy of your humble webmaster:

 

That's a bunch of 'Vairs!

 

The LCA recently visited the NASCAR museum in Charlotte, NC

 

LCA won the award for the largest single marquis turnout at the recent Palmetto State

Ford Club open car show at Tangier Outlet

 

There were some great looking Corvairs representing the LCA

 

Otto already deep in thought - thinking how he's gonna get the keys to his dad's Corvair!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Dear Corvair Friends,
 
It's been almost forty-nine years since the Corvair was introduced and cars haven't been the same since. Neither have race tracks, twisty roads, and other automobile venues. Never before have people had so much fun driving their cars. Corvairs have run virtually every race track and roadway in the world: Daytona, Bristol, Pocono, Lime Rock, Summit Point, and VIR, not to mention Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, and Elkart Lake. They've dared the Darien, won rallye championships, road racing championships, the Mobile Gas Economy Run, drag racing crowns, and even conquered Chimney Rock, Eagle's Nest, and other hill climb venues.    
 
There's only one road yet to challenge the Corvair; one frontier left; one adventure to go.
 
On the weekend of Saturday, November 15th, and Sunday, November 16th, 2008, after the Indy Corvair Olympics, Eagle's Nest, Crow Mountain, the Runoffs, the Fall Affair, St. Augustine, and the nineteenth annual "Corvairs in the Curves", the guys and gals of CORSA South Carolina will take you there... 
 
The last adventure...
 
The last frontier...
 
The final challenge....
 
The Tail of the Dragon
 
Are you up to it?
 
Can you stand the fun?
 
"Corvairs Drive the Tail of the Dragon" 
 
The Tail of the Dragon is an incredible road that has been written up in all of the car and motorcycle magazines. It has 318 curves in 11 miles. Yes, 318 curves in 11 miles!  It is located South of Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Southwest edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near Fontana Lake. It is 11 miles of Hwy 129 going from North Carolina into Tennessee.  Go to: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/   and look around. Be sure and look at the Event Calendar to see all the other marques that have events here; everything from Ferraris to Miatas and now.... Corvairs!!!
 
We will be staying at the Fontana Village Resort, where we have a great rate on rooms and cabins. Go to: http://www.fontanavillage.com/
 
We will also be taking in Fontana Dam and the $100,000,000 Cherohala Skyway which, along with the Dragon, is rated as one of the great drives in our country:   http://www.cherohalaskyway.com/
 
"Corvairs Drive the Tail of the Dragon" is not a race or a rallye. It is just a good time with your Corvair friends driving these beautiful roads, visiting with each other, and kicking tires. November 15, 2008. Circle it on your calendar. "Corvairs Drive the Tail of the Dragon". The moon will be nearly full and the air will be cool. The sinuous curves of The Tail of the Dragon beckon. Plan to come if you're near to us.
 
For registration information e-mail BWSchug@Charter.net or call: 864-268-2884

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

[IMAGE]

A Corvair-Powered Boat!  Click HERE!

 

 

Ready to hit the waves!
   

 

Hit Counter

This site was last updated 09/08/08

Dogpile Search