gocc is celebrating its 44th year - 1972 to 2016! march...
TRANSCRIPT
Glass Odyssey Corvette Club, P.O. Box 124 Silverdale, WA 98383 Website: www.kitsapvettes.org
March 2016
Volume 6, Issue 3
GOCC is Celebrating its 44th Year - 1972 to 2016!
On the Following Pages:
Recap: GOCC’s Fond-of-You
Party *
Message From Our President
*
This Month's Charity:
National Corvette Museum
* Congratulations to our New Officers & Tribute
to Darrell Tanner *
Commentary:
From the Editor *
Corvette of the Month
Aaron and Stacey Scalf’s 2008 Red Coupe
*
Vett-Trivia & Vette-Tech
Check ‘em Out! *
Upcoming Events: GOCC Annual Banquet,
March 19 *
PLUS:
Next General Meeting is March 3,
Nominations for Brad Johanson’s and
President’s Award
Don’t Miss it !
There’s Still Time!
Front Page
March 19, 2016 Oxford Suites, Silverdale
Page 1
Message from the President
** We’ll be nominating candidates for the Brad C.
Johanson and President’s Awards. Please be there!
President Lance Otis
Vice-President Gary Powell
Secretary Mary Kay Welch
Treasurer Cathy Shaffer
Past President Dave Ellingson
Events Chair Drake Evans
Newsletter Editor Craig White
Website Michael Dosa
National Corvette Museum Ambassador &
NWACC Rep David Ellingson
Sunshine Patti Stoner
Historian Deedee Ellingson
Parade Coordinator Larry Ficca
Vette's for Vet's Coordinator Gary Powell
Highway Cleanup Coordinator Doug Carpenter
Refreshments Coordinator Deedee Ellingson
The Glass Odyssey Corvette Club (GOCC) is a non-profit organization, incorporated under the statutes of the state of Washington in March 1972. Members, Guests, and
fellow Corvette enthusiasts are welcome!
March, 2016 Message From the President:
Congratulations to the incoming new officers unanimously elected at the last general meeting. (See the meeting minutes for details). Because nominations were solicited via email, by the last newsletter, and at the general meeting and all of the nominations were uncontested, a vote was requested at the general meeting versus sending out ballots to the general membership, thus saving about $200 in mail. Also congrats to the Carpenters and Ellingsons who recently attended the Ron Fellows Corvette Owners School in Pahrump, Nevada.
Heads-Up:
1. Velocity Channel March 3 TV show “AmerCARna” returns with NASCAR legend Ray Evernham leading viewers through revolutionary moments in automotive culture. Ray explores the fascinating details behind the disastrous sinkhole that swallowed eight cars from the show room at the National Corvette Museum.
2. If there is any competition for the title “Corvette, America’s Super Sports car”, it has to be the SRT Viper. However, according to the proposed SCA – UAW contract in 2017 no product is been slated to replace the Viper. The Viper is manufactured at the Conner Avenue plant in Detroit and it has been rumored for some time that the plant will be closed. The plant was closed twice in 2014 to reduce production of the Viper to match lagging demand. A $15,000 price cut for the coupe eventually allowed for a sales surge but that appetite hasn’t continued. In 2015 through September, the company only sold 503 which was down 8% - still much, much less than the yearly sales for the Corvette which at the end of 2015 were in the 34,000 range. The Viper was never meant to stay around long as it has, being built largely as the first test of the AMC engineering system at the old Chrysler Corporation. So long Viper, you look good on the track, but were no competition for volume sales.
3. The Lucifer TV show that stars a black 1962 Corvette seems to be a hit. The second episode stars a Corvette presently owned by one of our GOCC members. A guy at: www.reddit.com is asking for details. Maybe the Carpenters can respond. There are also dialogues on www.corvetteforum.com and Twitter. Episodes are schedule on Fox TV at 9 PM Monday, February 22 and Saturday, February 27.
On a personal note, I handed over the keys to our home in Port Orchard to the new owners on Thursday, February 18. We are now full-time residents of a three-bedroom home in sunny Sequim Washington. Our home address has changed but not our email or phones. I’m looking forward to our first GOCC parade, which will be up here in Sequim as part of the yearly Irrigation Festival.
I have yet to add the Bekkfest Cruise on Labor Day weekend to the calendar – those who went last year were impressed. It is a logging show, car show, and picnic with live entertainment for free up here in Sequim.
Keep checking the calendar on our website, new events are being added continuously. The Dosa’s have put together a cruise to the Iron Horse Brewery/Snoqumine Falls/Snoqualmine casino 16 Apr 16. Sign up for the cruise and our yearly banquet on March 19 at the next general meeting.
Save the Wave and Wave to Dave,
Lance
Annual Banquet – March 19, 2016 Cover Message from the President 1 Upcoming Events 2 Reminder to Vote for Awards 2 Corvette of the Month 3 Recap: Fond of You Party, Congratulations to New Officers and a Tribute to Darrell Tanner 4 NCM Ambassador's, NWACC Rep’s News, Corvette Racing, News and Information 5 Monthly Charity & Notices, From the Editor 6 New Member Information, Birthdays 7 Meeting Minutes for Last Month 8 Vette-Tech & Quiz 9 More Vette-Tech, Our Sponsors 10
Winter Weather Driving 9
Our Sponsors 9
Inside This Issue Page(s)
Page 2
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Upcoming Events (Black = GOCC, Red = Non-GOCC)
March, 2016 Thursday, March 3, 5:00pm, Pre-meeting Dinner @ Red Robin “ 6:00pm, Show & Shine Meeting, Central Kitsap Fire Station #4, Bremerton “ 7:00pm, General Meeting, Central Kitsap Fire Station #4, Bremerton (See Note Below) Sunday, March 13, Daylight Saving Time starts Tuesday, March 15, 6:30pm: Executive Board Monthly Meeting Saturday, March 19, 6:00pm: Annual Banquet, Oxford Suites, Silverdale Sunday, March 20,10:00am: Survivors’ Cruise Sunday, March 27: Easter Sunday April, 2016 Thursday, April 7, 5:00pm: Pre-meeting Dinner @ Red Robin Thursday, April 7, 7:00pm: General Meeting, Central Kitsap Fire Station #4, Bremerton Saturday, April 9, 9:00am: Highway Cleanup Wednesday, April 13: Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (uh huh) Saturday, April 16, 9:00am; Iron Horse Brewery/Snoqualmie Falls Cruise Tuesday, April 19, 6:30pm: Executive Board Monthly Meeting May, 2016 Thursday, May 5, 5:00pm: Pre-Meeting Dinner @ Red Robin “ 7:00pm General Meeting, Central Kitsap Fire Station #4, Bremerton Sunday, May 8: Mothers’ Day Saturday, May 14,10:00am: Sequim Irrigation Festival Parade Tuesday, May 17, 6:30pm: Executive Board Meeting Saturday, May 21, 10:00am: Armed Forces Day Parade, Bremerton “ 1:00pm: Viking Fest Parade, Poulsbo Monday, May 30: Memorial Day
Print This List and put it on your
Refrigerator
Another Reminder from Lance:
You need to be at the next general meeting. We will be soliciting nominees for the annual Brad Johanson “Most Inspirational” award and your suggestions for charities to support for the coming year. If you are not able to attend the next meeting, kindly forward your nominations for “Most Inspirational” member and your charity suggestion to our Secretary. Jim Walsh will count the ballots for the Brad Johanson award.
We still have a Number of GOCC Blankets to sell in both red and gray colors
The club also got a GREAT deal on these so buy one now for $20.00 (either color).
Contact Cathy Shaffer
GOCC Members gathered
together last Wednesday
(the 24th) at the Olive
Garden and caravanned
over to the Kitsap Humane
to present them with our
check in the amount of
$185.00 collected from club
members for being Feb’s
Charity of the Month !
Lance? Is that you in that
thing? Did your car
shrink?
Page 3
Car of the Month for March, 2016 Aaron and Stacey Scalf’s 2008 Red Coupe
Our Corvette Story
In August of 2014 as our 19th wedding anniversary was approaching Stacey and I were looking for ideas as to what to get each other. On a whim I stopped off at a local car dealership on my way home from work to look at a silver 2002 C-5 coupe they had setting out front. To be completely honest, I really just wanted to sit in a Corvette and see if I could even get into one. I really didn't think for a second that just a few days later we would be driving it off the lot. After some negotiating, I felt bad for the salesman as he dealt with Stacey, it was ours. In keeping with our family tradition of naming used cars, we named her Annie to commemorate our anniversary. We had a fun time in her, but she was an old girl and was going to need a lot of work soon. Since we had caught the Corvette Bug, and didn't want any Corvette down time, we started keeping our eyes open for another great deal. In October 2015 that deal came along. A dealership in Auburn had a great deal on a 2008 red C-6 coupe that really couldn't be beat. With a bit of a heavy heart, we traded Annie in on our new Corvette, “Scarlett”. I mean, what else does one name a red Corvette? Scarlett has everything that we had originally been looking for and so far she has been a blast. She has both the solid red top and the black tinted clear top, heated seats, that super 427 engine and a "Mild to Wild” remote control exhaust. As the winter draws to an end and we approach the spring and summer we are looking forward to the cruises, parades, car shows, and any reason to pop the top and get her on the road. Bremerton Raceway had better get ready for Scarlett to come knocking. The moral of the story is that owning a Corvette had been a dream of ours for quite some time. We never imagined that we would be able to afford one any time soon, especially with kids still in the house. We have enjoyed every second in ours so far and look forward to many more adventures with GOCC.
Page 4
Recap: GOCC’s “Fond-of You” Party
The “Fond-of-You” Valentines party at Becky and Drake Evans’s home was a success!! We all had a great time and
if you were not there you missed a lot of Great food!!😀. And great friends...😊..
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW GOCC OFFICERS!
President – Mary Kay Welch Vice President – Aaron Scalf
Treasurer – Cathy Shaffer
Secretary – Stacey Scalf
A Tribute: to Darrell Tanner
Page 5
NCM: Ambassador's Address By Dave Ellingson
The 2016 Torch Red Stingray Corvette Coupe Raffle
Was won by Pamela Crews of Killeen, TX - Ticket #10293
Drawn 02/11/2016
News & Information
Got your ticket stubs ready? Another 2016 Torch Red Corvette Stingray Convertible will be raffled off on
Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 3 pm CT
- See more at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/raffle/index.shtml#sthash.tN13zK6x.dpuf
NWACC (Northwest Association of Corvette Clubs)
Next Meeting: April 24, 2016 Kit Carson Restaurant, Chehalis WA
____________________________________________________
Corvette Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2016) – A 24-hour race came down to 0.034 seconds Sunday as Corvette Racing won the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona when the team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race cars finished 1-2 in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler drove the winning No. 4 Corvette C7.R with Gavin holding off teammate Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R. The two finished side-by-side with Gavin taking the checkered flag by a matter of inches. Each of the Corvettes completed 722 laps for 2,570.32 miles. The margin of victory set a Rolex 24 record. “We thought this was going to be a great weekend because we had a couple of additional competitors in the series this year,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors Executive Vice President, Global Product Development. “I’ll tell you, this is the second year in row we placed both Corvette C7.Rs on the podium. The No. 4 Corvette C7.R also took an early lead in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup’s GTLM standings. The competition is a four-race series of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s four long-distance events with points for segment winners that go toward an end-of-season championship.
GOCC is a Member of NWACC http://www.nwacconline.com/
Go On Surprise Us
Each month, scattered throughout the pages of our newsletter, are articles meant for your input, offering an invitation to you, dear reader, to become an active participant in this magazine. There are any number of ways to get your car, your thoughts or both onto these pages. In the interest of making it as easy as possible for you to join in the fun, I thought it might be helpful to run down a list of all the avenues we offer. Readers’ Replies: We’re always interested in your thoughts about the Newsletter: Email the editor, listed on page 1. Corvette of The Month: This is where we invite you to share your passion for your car with your fellow enthusiasts. All we need are one or two high-resolution photos of your car (or collection of cars), and a little background from you on the experience of owning the car—how long you’ve had it, where you found it, what you’ve done to it and what you love about it. Trip or Event: Do you have a great story about a trip or event you participated in, it might be a good candidate for a one-page feature. Tech Talk: If you’ discovered a missing piece of automotive history, or have some wisdom about operating or maintaining Corvettes, this is the place to come to. Vett-Trivia: Have a little-known fact about Corvettes? Send it in to the Editor. Maybe we’ll print it! For Sale: Got something you want to sell? Let us know. Got a suggestion or a comment? Email the Editor or put it up on our Facebook page. Hidden Number: Yes! There IS a hidden number somewhere in this issue! Find it and, if it is your membership number, claim first pick at the next meeting’s raffle table! It might be in a photo or somewhere in the text.
Corvette Racing – Continued
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R also won the DEKRA Green Award for best performance combined with fuel efficiency in the GTLM class. Both Corvettes showed impressive reliability and performance throughout the race. The final three hours told the story, as the No. 4 Corvette rebounded from a pitlane penalty with a strategic plan that allowed Gavin to drive the final one hour, 45 minutes on one pit stop. I couldn’t be prouder of the team because they all worked so hard. They know how to win because it is a great team, and it is a great car. Honestly, that is what it is all about. It was an outstanding weekend. “This is Daytona Rising right here,” Reuss added. “I just couldn’t be prouder of everybody, our drivers and team members executed with perfection.” It is the second time Corvette Racing finished 1-2 in class at the Rolex 24; the first came in 2001 when a pair of Corvette C5-Rs placed first and fourth overall. This was the first Rolex 24 victory for the Gavin-Milner-Fässler trio.
Page 6
This Month's Charity Information:
YWCA Battered Women's Shelter
The ALIVE Shelter is a confidentially located home operated by the YWCA serving abused women and their children since 1978. 24-Hour Hotline: (360) 479-1980. Please feel free to contact a club member if you have questions concerning this shelter. Basically, if you have ANYTHING available to donate. In addition to items you bring to each month's meetings, We will make arrangements for pickup of large items, if needed. They are always interested in used cell phones, which they erase and reprogram to allow for 911 calls only. Ideas for donations include: diapers, blankets, clothes, gift cards, and toiletries. A wish list of items can be found at: http://www.ywcakitsap.org/node/5.
Charity of the Month for February, 2016
National Corvette Museum
Annual giving supports not only what is already excellent at the
National Corvette Museum; it makes possible the Museum’s bold aspirations to continue as a living, growing organization. This
support makes a tremendous difference in upgrading our equipment and enhancing exhibits and resources.
Did You Know? NCM Insurance is now licensed in
Washington State? Contact: http://www.ncminsurance.com
or 877.678.7626
Jan Magnussen set Corvette Racing's quickest time in the 15-minute session to qualify sixth in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with a lap of 1:43.568 (113.664 mph). Oliver Gavin was seventh in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R with a 1:43.797 (113.414 mph). Sunday's race is the eighth in the TUDOR Championship
The Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR is a GT-only event for the TUDOR Championship with GTLM and the GT Daytona class. It means that Chevrolet's Corvette Racing team - with 97 class victories around the world - is in prime position to win an overall event for the second time.
Notices Donations to the Meeting Raffle Table
Bring your raffle donations to the club meeting. Thank you to those who provided gifts for the Raffle Table: listed in the meeting minutes. Don’t forget to bring some items to the next meeting – without your donations we don’t get to have fun raffling prizes!
New and prospective members include:
Ron Kletti, 2016 Stingray
Welcome to all! Invite Corvette Owners to the Club Meetings or to
Visit our Web Site for more information.
TECH Help Dave Ellingson has offered his awesome and most impressive garage to do your Corvette maintenance services and help you learn more about the inner workings of your Corvette. See Dave for details.
Tour Radios For Sale $200: Contact Larry Ficca. (More information below)
GOCC Patches – Price Cut! These great shirt or jacket patches WERE $5.00 each. They are now reduced to $3.00 each or two for $5.00. Get ‘em while they last!
Are you paranoid about getting a speeding ticket in your zippity-do Corvette? I sure am – and one of mine is even RED! – A real cop-magnet. But the statistics below show something else; take a look at the cars that most commonly get cited for speeding: (Consumers Report). There’s not one ‘vette on the list!
From the Editor
Just a Reminder:
Patti Stoner If you know of a club member who is sick, injured, hospitalized or just “down in the dumps”, Patty will send them a “ray of sunshine”! Contact Patti at: [email protected]
CARS WITH THE MOST TICKETS (car, percentage of drivers ticketed) Lexus ES 300, 33% Nissan 350Z, 33% Dodge Charger SE/SXT, 32% Volkswagen Jetta GL, 31 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS/LT, 31% Mazda 3S, 30% Volkswagen GTI, 30% Dodge Stratus SXT, 30% Acura 3.0s, 30%
Tickets Continued… Toyota Tacoma, 30% Mazda Tribute, 30% Subaru Impreza WRX, 30% Lexus LS 400 Series, 30% Subaru Impreza 2.5i, 30% Mercedes-Benz C300 4-Matic, 30% Chevrolet Malibu 2LT, 29% Lincoln LS, 29% Ford Fusion S, 29% Mazda 3i, 29% Chevrolet Tahoe K1500, 29%
Craig White
Page 7
New Member Key Information
Interested in becoming a member? Here are the requirements: 1) Be a Corvette owner, spouse, or have a purchase agreement. 2) Have a valid license. 3) Have insurance. 4) Attend 4 club activities, meetings or events within a 6 month period. 5) Be voted in and pay dues ($48 a year, prorated based on when you join). 6) Enjoy the company and the events! Membership application and brochures are available on our website: http://www.kitsapvettes.org
Club Meeting Name Tags: If you need a member badge submit a high resolution picture of your corvette, the year and color to Don Ames.
Tour Radio's: If you would like to purchase your own personal radio they are available for purchase at www.TechWholesale.com. Our radios are Motorola Model RDU2080d or Model RDU2020. The RDU2080d and RDU2020 radios have been discontinued and replaced with the RMU2080d and RMU2040 radios. These radios are 100% communication-compatible. The club also owns some for check-out during events. Members can access the Radio guide at http://kitsapvettes.org/members-only/radio-user-guide.pdf. GOCC Radio point of contact is Larry Ficca.
Copies of our current By-Laws and Membership Rosters along with Maps to event locations are available in the password protected Members area of our website. If you can't remember how to access the members-only area - contact one of the elected officers.
Glass Odyssey Corvette Club Facebook Page If you haven't, you should consider joining our GOCC Facebook Group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/243089557979/.
GOCC Club Shirts: Our Sponsor " 360 Disc Golf" has our Glass Odyssey Corvette Logo ready for
your needs. Polo shirts with our club insignia embroidered on them are available in Navy Blue, Forest Green or Burgundy. Other colors can be ordered to match the color of your car. GOCC has many great, high quality items for your purchase from coolers, shirts, jackets, umbrellas, totes and more. If it has space for our GOCC logo, your name, or anything else you would like to embroider on it you can have it added! Contact Deedee Ellingson or call her at 779-4414, to check out the catalog, to ask questions, or to get your orders placed.
March, 2016
3rd: Cathy Shaffer
5th: DeeDee Ellingson 7th: Donald Sandstrom
15th: Susan Lykken 16th: Chuck Williams
17th: Craig White 20th: Rich Culley 20th: Bub Golitz 21st: Byron Kane
31st: Dave Ellingson 31st: Bill Paulbitski
We hope you all have a GREAT day!
Are you on FACEBOOK? Then join our GOCC Facebook Group Page at:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/243089557979
Glass Odyssey Corvette Club P.O. Box 124
Silverdale, WA 98383 E-Mail:
We’re on the Web! Visit us at:
www.kitsapvettes.org
Page 8
Glass Odyssey Corvette Club
Meeting Minutes
From Last Month: February, 2016
Call to order – – Meeting held at CK Fire Station #41. 7:02pm
Roll call –Board members in attendance. President-Lance Otis, V.P. – Gary Powell, Secretary-Mary Kay Welch. Treasurer – Cathy Shaffer, Past president – Dave Ellingson, Newsletter Editor – Craig White, Event Coordinator – Drake Evans. 41 members in attendance.
Approval of minutes from last meeting – moved and 2nd. Approved as is.
V.P. Report –
Prospective members – Ron Kletti is a new prospective member. He has a 2016 Stingray.
Ed Hacckstedde is a returning member from a few years ago. He was automatically voted in.
Charity of the Month –Kitsap Humane Society. We raised $185.00
Treasurers Report – See Treasurer’s Desk
Newsletter - Craig needs articles for the newsletter. Please send him an article about your Corvette or any item you would like to share,
Committee Reports –
Events Report – Please see the website for more events. It has been updated with events through the year.
Feb 20 – Fond-of-U party at Becky and Drake Evans
March 19 – GOCC Annual Banquet at Oxford Suites in Silverdale.
March 20 Survivors Cruise
Annual Show & Shine – Stacey Scalf is in charge of the show. Please consider volunteering to help. There was a meeting before the membership meeting to get started on details of the show.
NWACC Report - Next meeting on Feb 6 at high performance meet.
NCM Ambassador Report –
David has raffle tickets for sale.
Presidents Report –
Byron and Sally Kane celebrate their 10th year in owning their Corvette.
We are looking for someone to take over the Women’s Shelter donations since Trenna cannot continue to do it. Michael Dosa said Christine would be interested in taking it.
New Business –
Annual Dues – Motion made to have the annual dues stay at $48 a year per couple. Discussion on this issue. Motion 2nd and carried. 2 opposed and 39 carried.
At the March meeting we will give out ballots for the Brad Johanson award. Please attend to vote for the most inspirational person for 2015.
Annual banquet is on March 19 at Oxford Suites in Silverdale. It will be $30 per person. Please sign up or email Gary Powell if you will be attending. The entrée will be either Salmon or Filet.
The Survivors cruise is the following day after the banquet. Please sign up for that or email Mary Kay if you will be attending.
Old Business –
Cathy is selling blankets at $20 each and patches 2 for $5.
Nominations for executive board were made and voted on. Motion made to accept all of those nominated. Motion carried.
New executive board will consist of:
President – Mary Kay Welch
Vice President – Aaron Scalf
Treasurer – Cathy Shaffer
Secretary – Stacey Scalf
Pill Drawing –$ 203.50 Larry and Ida Ficca won. Congrats!!!
Refreshments provided by – Thank You to The Ficca’s, Michelle Roberts, Jim Walsh, Marti Whitlock, and Allysa Lynhart.
Raffle Table – Thank you to Gary Powell, Michele Roberts, Art Greenberg and Lance Otis for bringing items to the raffle table. Good of the order –
Meeting adjourned - 8:53pm. Respectfully Submitted;
Mary K. Welch
Secretary
Newsletter QR Code
Page 9
Vette-Tech
License Plate + Novistretch Mask
Contributedby Michael Dosa A couple of things I like on my Corvette are a Novistretch mask and a smoke plastic license plate cover. Put the two together and you can barely read the license plate number. So I decided to see if I could put the license plate over the mask and this is how I did it. I got a couple of high-powered magnets from cannibalized hard drives and glued (epoxy) them to the back slots of the license plate holder.
I then cut two 1-1/2” strapping-steel bars and tapped 10-32 screw holes for mounting the license plate. Since the magnets sit about 1/16” below the license plate frame, I added two slot inserts to facilitate metal-to-metal contact. The slot inserts are glued on to the bars with epoxy.
Put it all together and it looks like the bottom picture. The license plate snaps into position and cannot be removed with a perpendicular motion, you must roll the plate left to right or right to left to break the contact points, the magnets are unbelievably powerful. I can now remove the license plate and then the Novistretch mask when I want to wash the car.
Automotive Hose Application Basics
Contributed by David Ellingson
If you turn down your radio, you might hear the faint groans coming from the power steering system in your Corvette or family car. The power steering fluid could be low because the one of the pressure hoses is soft and oozing fluid. On many cars, the power steering return hose is just a short length of straight hose. If you dig through a "hose drawer" in your garage hunting for an appropriate hose piece, just picking a random hose might not be the best choice. A hose drawer may include everything from surplus silicone tubing to spare molded heater hoses and more. Don’t just grab the first chunk of black hose that catches your eye because it is important to use hose designed for specific automotive applications including power steering fluid in the family sedan. Hoses are designed to work with specific types of chemicals, pressures and temperatures. Hose fittings and clamps can even vary between hose types. If you try using a radiator hose in the wrong application, it would quickly turn to mush if it were regularly exposed to transmission fluid, motor oil, gasoline or old acidic coolant. Hoses for harsher chemicals are made with higher concentrations of synthetic nitrile rubber. Nitrile rubber makes stronger, more chemical resistant hoses, but it is also less flexible than natural rubber. Higher concentrations of natural rubber may still be the best choice for some parts like the flexible diaphragm inside a power brake booster. Beginning in the early '80s, most automotive hoses vastly improved thanks to commercial production of hydrogenated nitrile rubber. "Hydrogenated" means hydrogen gas is part of the manufacturing process. You will have to ask a chemistry teacher exactly how all that works! Hydrogenated nitrile rubber makes hoses stronger and better able to withstand acids and solvents.They also age more slowly by better resisting ozone in the air.
Hoses made since the '80s are less likely to turn to mush if they occasionally get splashed with a few drops of engine oil. But, it is still as important as ever to use only the hose designed (temperature, pressure, flexibility, etc.) for use in a specific application/system. A fuel hose might be able to withstand cold power steering fluid, but may not be designed to handle high temperature fluids. Perhaps a power steering hose can resist gasoline, but it may not be reinforced to handle high fuel line pressures. Using the wrong hose from a "hose drawer" might cause leaks simply because the internal and/or external hose diameter is not quite correct. Prices are similar for most types of hoses. There is no reason to buy and install the wrong hose. Using the proper hose will save you a lot of grief!
Vette-Quiz: What is piston slap? (Contrib. by David Ellingson) A. The sound of a piston banging against the wall of the cylinder. This noise might indicate the piston is heavily worn, or with some engine designs, it might go away once the engine warms up and the piston expands to better match the shape of the cylinder. B. The rattling sound caused by excessive play in the wrist pin that holds the piston on the connecting rod. The wrist pin and/or the hole in the connecting rod may be worn or the snap ring(s) that hold the wrist pin in place may have fallen out.
C. The sound of the piston hitting the cylinder head, spark plug or a valve. Causes include a connecting rod that overheated and stretched, installation of the wrong spark plug, or a broken valve spring. Answer: A. The sound of a piston banging against the wall of the cylinder. This noise might indicate the piston is heavily worn, or with some engine designs, it might go away once the engine warms up and the piston expands to better match the shape of the cylinder.
Page 10
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR MONTHLY MEETING Held the First THURSDAY of EACH MONTH at 7PM at: Central Kitsap Fire Station
41- Meadowdale, 7600 Old Military Road NE, Bremerton, WA 98311
Vette-Tech - continued:
Our Sponsors If you are interested in sponsoring us, please contact our GOCC President or Vice-President.
Benchmark Auto: Schedule an Appointment Today!
360 Disk Golf
plus Screen Printing & Embroidery
4217 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
360-479-2131
Benchmark Auto: Schedule an Appointment Today!
Distributor Alignment (Contributed by David Ellingson)
From the “don’t let this happen to you department…” If you own a Chevy small block with a distributor type ignition system, this is for you. Adding high-performance parts, including an aluminum intake manifold not only makes your engine look good, but it also will increase engine performance. If you do the work yourself, you need to be mindful of how the distributor shaft engages the engine oil pump during reassembly. On a small block Chevy engine, it is necessary to remove the distributor to replace the intake manifold. But, if you try to re-install the distributor and cannot get it to seat all the way down, perhaps you could rationalize that maybe it didn’t matter; after all, the rotor will turn when you crank the engine. And when the engine fires up, you may feel pretty confident that you completed a performance upgrade on your small block. Of course, if you take a quick look at your oil pressure gauge, you would see the engine running without any oil pressure. That is because the bottom of the distributor shaft engages the oil pump driveshaft! When the distributor is removed, the oil pump shaft does not turn all the way to align correctly with the distributor shaft, so you need to turn the oil pump shaft with a screwdriver slightly to get the distributor shaft to engage the oil pump shaft, then the distributor will properly seat all the way in and tight against the intake manifold. If you run the engine for a while with the distributor not full seated and no oil pressure, you will become the proud owner of a seized Chevy engine with a brand new aluminum intake manifold. See pictures below.