Shared By Members
On The Flipside
At the October General Membership Meeting I mentioned that an article had been written for the Sparrow associate newsletter about my connection
with the Capital City Corvette Club and the things our club has done in the community. I pulled that page from the newsletter to share with everyone.
Sandy called the article On the Flipside - A National Award Winner.
(Shared by Gloria Reiffer)
Family Helping Family Program
The National Council of Corvette Clubs is putting together a new program for members called
Family Helping Family. NCCC is asking for our assistance to make this program successful. I will be looking for two or more club members
to be on the contact list for other NCCC members traveling through our area. The hope is to have someone that has mechanical knowledge, someone with
a trailer, someone with a spare bed and if someone wanted to stop and have a cup of coffee and conversation that we would have someone that might sign
up just for that. Let me know if you are interested in finding out more about the program.
(Shared by Simon Reiffer)
43 Named Master Ambassador
Each Labor Day weekend, during the Anniversary Celebration at the National Corvette Museum, the "Master Ambassador" status is awarded to those Ambassadors
who accrue 200 or more points during the previous year (July-June).
At this year's event the NCM had 43 individuals and couples earning that recognition:
Edward Huck (Cruisin' Corvettes of Tallahassee), Michele Cantelmo (Pocono Mountains), Ed Clark (Corvette Atlanta),
Brenda & Mac McDonagh (Coastal Carolina), George Sipprell (Connecticut-at-large), Mike Furman (Frederick County),
Paul & Barbara Mariano (Queen City), Jack DeLong (Skyline Drive), Charley Robertson (Circle City), Paul Pearson (Corvettes Limited of BG),
Len Tucker (Classical Glass), John & Colette Killebrew (East TN), Judy & Marty Dooley (St. Louis), David & Janice Raven (Corvettes of Durham),
Randall Shinn (NCM Fighter Squadron), Janet & Nick Polasek (Ontario-at-Large), Don Nabors (Bluegrass), Ernie Naugle (North Central PA),
Ed Snell (Central IL), Glenn & Andrea Johnson (Tri-City), Steve & Paulette Blunk (Circle City), Frank & Laura Sancineto (RTP Corvettes),
Carl & Marie Stover (Perry), Charlie & Debbie Meade (Myrtle Beach), Bobbie & Bill Weir (Texas-at-large), Jeff McQuade (Calhoun County),
Jerry Pelton (Emerald Coast), Tuna & Susan Dobins (Central Oklahoma), Johnny & Edie Downs (Lone Star), John & Helen Jensen (NC-at-large),
Richard Loch (Down the Road), Joe Moncado (Kansas City), Fred & Glenda Hale (Classic Glass), Berry Pinney (Corvette Cleveland),
Bruce & Donna Bronsema (Lookingglass), Frank LoMonaco (Santa Barbara), Joe Thomas (Capital
City Corvette Club & Corvette Club of Michigan), John Bieglecki (Spirits of '53),
Dave Putz (Florida), Jim Egan (Pace Car Registry), Dennis Morrill (Long Island), Doug John & Francie Denis (Central CA).
(Shared by Sue Keith)
Tony Kannan and Helio crash at Baltimore
You've got to see this. This is the difference between oval courses and street courses in open wheeled racing.
Expect to see the unexpected as
Tony Kanaan and Helio Crash at Baltimore.
(Shared by Simon Reiffer)
Corvettes at MIS - What an Experience!
Sunday, August 21, 8:30 a.m.,
VFW Hall, Onsted, Michigan — 50 Corvettes are sitting in the rain awaiting the signal to line up behind a Michigan State Trooper to be escorted to
Michigan International Speedway. Everyone milling about waiting for the rain to stop to dry of our cars. Although most cars are from the Jackson
Corvette Club, three are member cars from the Capital City Corvette Club. Bill Bratschi, son of Rich & Colleen, in a 1999 white convertible,
Terry and Chris Burke in their 2000 red convertible and Scott and his father Fred in Scott’s 1998 white convertible.
Click here to read more about the event and find out who rode with Scott and his father.
(Shared by Scott Bauries)
Dominique Gets Bricked
Dominique gets Bricked at Back to the Bricks Corvette reunion in Flint on Saturday, August 20, 2011 She won two back to the bricks trophies with real bricks.
She took a Trophy for top fifty Corvettes at the show, with over 300 Corvettes in attendance. She was also was presented with a trophy and certificate for
top 30 Corvettes for nomination for selection for the Motor City Corvette Concours Metro Detroit Premier Corvette Event in September.
Visit the Back to the Bricks Website to see what the event was all about.
(Shared by Jerry Palacios)
Corvettes America Winner!
Dominique won top prize at Corvettes America with over three hundred and fifty corvettes from as far as California, Texas, Florida,
and Canada. Best of show For C6 corvettes and 2nd place for show and shine she left a speck on one of the wheels. She was asked by one
of the GM engineers of the ZR1 to do graphics for his own personal Corvette but she declined the offer. (P.S. Trophy almost bigger than her.)
Watch the Corvettes America Website for additional pictures of this national event, which took place on August 13, 2011 in White Lake, Michigan.
(Shared by Jerry Palacios)
Watch a video of Corvettes America by Quickie Films
on YouTube. Jerry and Dominique's new ZR1 is featured at 1:13 and 9:14 in all its glory.
(Shared by Milton Scales)
NCRS DUNTOV Mark of Excellence Award
Harold Twining won the NCRS Duntov award with his 1959 Crown Sapphire Coupe at the 2011 NCRS convention! This award was created by the
National Corvette Restorers Society in 1985, in honor of Mr. Zora Arkus-Duntov, long-time Chief Engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette,
who retired from General Motors in 1975. The Duntov Award recognizes individuals for the restoration and preservation of 1953 -1974 Corvettes.
To achieve this coveted award, an owner must attain a judging score of at least 97% out of 100 % based on an original "as manufactured" standard
at a National or Regional NCRS event; as well as present the car for a rigorous performance test of all vehicle mechanical components and functions,
all of which must operate as those of a new car, without a single failure. Finally, the car must again score at least 97%, at a National NCRS
Convention, to receive the Duntov Award. The process of achieving the Duntov Award requires attendance at a minimum of three events, and must be
completed within a three year period. Only 1,525 Corvettes have achieved the NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence Award.
(Shared at the August Membership Meeting)
Corvettes at the Summit
On Saturday, July 9, 2011, I attended the eighth annual "Corvettes at the Summit"
show with the Michigan Chapter of the Solid Axle Corvette Club, which I am a member of, in Heritage Park, Canton, MI. The show is sponsored
by the Corvette Legends Club. Tom Gamache, with his beautiful '54 Corvette is also a member of the Michigan Chapter of the SACC. As you can
see in the pictures, the setting for the Show is gorgeous. Every Corvette parks on grass, surrounding a large pond. There are food, ice cream
and other Vendors there, also a Photographer on site to take a picture of you in your Vette as you enter the Park. I would be happy to lead a
group of our members to attend the show next year for its ninth annual gathering, for the experience of a very enjoyable Corvette day.
(Shared by Patrick Lickfeldt)
Dramatic Vintage Racing Crashes from Yester Year
Only sissies used roll cages, safety harnesses, or any other safety devices. These guys were nuts.
Click here four four minutes of flying driver's bodies, mayhem and death. This information was shared with me by David Lint,
a local Corvette owner.
(Shared by Gloria Reiffer)
2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Laps the Nürburgring
To demonstrate the improvements on the
2012 Corvette, Chevrolet has returned to the Nürburgring with the range-topping ZR1. As the
video shows, the car - which features a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine with 638 hp (476 kW / 647 PS) and 604 lb-ft (818 Nm) of torque -
lapped the legendary Nordschleife in 7:19.63 which is more than six seconds faster than the previous Corvette record that was set back in
2008. To get the improved time, the ZR1 was equipped with the new PDE performance package which has a full-width rear spoiler and
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires that are "optimized for warm, dry conditions to increase cornering and handling capability."
This information was shared with me by David Lint, a local Corvette owner. Chevrolet is the source of the information.
(Shared by Gloria Reiffer)
Issues and Laws Regarding Work Zones
A recent article in the Grand Rapids Press addressed the issues and laws regarding work zones. The article recommended
viewing the MI State Police trooper training video. It provides an interesting perspective on what the MSP is trained to look for.
It can be found at www.michigan.gov/msp. Select "Specialized Divisions" from the
menu on the left side of the page. Next select "Traffic Safety Division" from the menu on the left. Under that heading select
"Traffic Services" Scroll down to the "Resources" heading and select "Work Zone Speed Enforcement Video."
(Shared by Sue Keith)
Electric Car Drag Race
This is a must see! If a little guy in a home garage can make this, what are all the big car makers doing in all their giant labs?
What have all the Detroit automakers been doing? Watch
as John Wayland's electric car, the White Zombie leaves high powered gas cars in the dust as Portland makes a home for the National
Electric Drag Racing Association. John claims that his car is the world's fastest accelerating street legal electric car. See this
1972 Datsun time and time again take advantage of the electric motor's full torque in the first instant and continue to break world records.
(Shared by Mike Britz)
Everything you may or may not want to know about Gasoline and Octane Rating
When teaching about hydrocarbons in chemistry classes, I sometimes get questions about Octane. I also hear of people using higher octane in
their car than recommended by the manufacturer. That is not always good, and can cause other problems in the long run. Some of the following
information may help you understand the octane levels in the gasoline used in our Corvettes and other vehicles. Text was compiled from various
sources, including class notes and from my personal experience in the lab. (More...)
(Shared by Craig Iansiti)
Motorwatch's Tips for Seasonal Storage
If you need to store your vehicle for a few months or even years, here are some
recommended procedures for protecting your investment. This information was is on the Hagerty Insurance Website, courtesy of Motorwatch.
Visit the motorwatch.com Website for more car related information.
(Shared by Craig Iansiti)
Paving Daytona Speedway
Most of you know, Daytona International Speedway is being completely re-paved due to chunks of asphalt coming up, even during the races.
These are some incredible pictures of how to pave 2 ½ miles of 33 degree
banked turns and long super stretches of strait-a-ways. Definitely, a very difficult task, but could you imagine the cost of the contract?
(Shared by David Pursel)
1960 #3 Le Mans Corvette History Return
Automotive history was made when the #3 Cunningham 1960 Corvette
was returned to LeMans, France... the site of the car's win at the legendary 24 hour endurance race. It was restored to its race day
configuration of a half-century ago and is now owned by the Chip Miller family.
(Shared by Craig Iansiti)
Full of Curves
A couple of these would make for a testy drive. View pictures of some of the
strangest and most beautiful streets in the world.
(Shared by David Pursel)
Woodward Dream Cruise
View pictures from the
2010 Woodward Dream Cruise.
View pictures from the
2009 Woodward Dream Cruise.
(Shared by Ted Lasher)
Remember Slot Car Racing?
Remember the electric slot car tracks when you were a teenager? Check out these
slot car videos on YouTube for a trip down memory lane. I had a Jaguar XKE and a 1965 Barracuda that I raced on slot car tracks in Grand Rapids.
(Shared by Simon Reiffer)
Corvette ZR-1 at GM Milford Proving Grounds
Raw footage taken from an external camera mounted on the 2009 Corvette ZR1
at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. This is raw footage so wind noise is still present. A second
in-car video shows the ZR1 driven by GM test engineer Jim Mero at the "Lutz Ring" otherwise known as Milford Road Course.
(Shared by Ted Lasher)
Exhaust System 101
Since I was so bored yesterday, I thought I would finally get my new cat back exhaust system installed before the touring season starts. I so love these little Vette projects which you think are going to be simple and bring joy to your day. I mean by that, that you would think hanging a new exhaust system, cat back, on an 84 would be a rather simple 1-2 hour task. Right? Wrong!
A friend of mine has a workshop/barn down in Eaton Rapids. 40 miles away from home sweet home here in Laingsburg. He has a lift, compressor,
torch, etc., which makes working there a real pleasure. It took just a couple of hours to get the old one off. Only because the heat shields
surrounding the cat were a pain.
I spent an hour getting the old muffler hanger off. It would have been a lot easier if the last shop/people that worked on it, hadn't welded the bolt to the hanger bracket. I was going to install the new hangers I purchased but the new design just didn't set well with me. So after close to an hour I finally managed to salvage the old one. It's amazing what an air chisel, hack saw and file can do. Had I found the Milwaukee SeeSaw sooner it probably would have taken 10 minutes. Thankfully the other hanger was perfectly fine.
When removing the old cat, I snapped the bolts off, but no big deal since I was replacing it. Or so I thought. You know how helpless it is to get your exhaust system off after two hours only to discover that the new cat has flanges that are not perpendicular to each other? Also, it turned out it was a half inch shorter which would have created problems trying to get the heat shields back on.
Corvette America asked me to send them some photos, so I attached them such that you can see how far off the flanges are. This is the last time
I'm ordering anything exhaust related from them. I had a problem last fall with the front y pipe which was a Walker made pipe as well.
I had to send that back because of very poor parts positioning prior to welding. Since I ordered the cat last fall it'll be interesting to
see what they are going to do about it.
So there I was, wondering how mad Kathy would be to have to drive down and pick me up. The only way to keep that from happening was to reuse the old cat with the new pipes and muffler. I had to wait for Rob to get home from work and eye appointment and see if any of his automotive expertise would come in handy. He said we could torch them out of there. So he gave me a refresher on using a torch. I mean it's only been since high school since I took my welding/torch class. Of course his eyes were still dilated and he couldn't see. But he showed me how to get one of the old bolts out of the old cat and I was then able to get the last three out so I could reuse it temporary. Finally got it done about six hours later so I could drive home.
I keep thinking about the comment a friend made at the zoo last year about why would I want to put a new cat back in. He said to take it out
completely and just shoot it straight back. Still don't know why I'm obsessed with trying to keep it original. But it sure would have been
easier had I taken his advice.
(Shared by David Pursel)
World's Most Beautiful Garages - and some cars
Check out what have to be the worlds most beautiful
garages and cars. These garages are amazing. Anyone got a spare million or two???
(Shared by David Pursel)
Cadillac V Day in Shanghai
On May 9, 2009, thousands of spectators gathered at
Shanghai's Formula 1 Circuit to watch a team of professional stunt drivers perform daring maneuvers with
Cadillac's in celebration
of the car's introduction to China. Be sure to watch John Heinricy and the Cadillac CTS-V set the production sedan record at the F1 course
with a lap of 2:32.80.
(Shared by Simon Reiffer)
Portage Point Inn
Portage Point Inn is positioned on a wooded peninsula with miles of sandy Lake Michigan dunes and beaches to the West and the clear,
protected waters of Portage Lake to the East. The two lakes are connected by a wide navigable channel, located just 3/8 mile South
of the resort. Greg has suggested this as a great place for a fall or spring getaway. Find out more by visiting their Website at
www.portagepointinn.com. Talk with Jeff, at Portage Point Inn
about getting low spring or fall rates if you decide to check it out.
(Shared by Greg Kapp)
C5 Computer Diagnostic Codes
The ability to view engine operating data such as oil pressure and coolant temperature, in digital form on the instrument panel has been a feature of Corvettes since 1984. Starting in 1992, the instrument panel could display limited diagnostic data relating to the car's on-board computer systems.
A Corvette Forum member provided a list of
C-5 diagnostic codes that can help you out. The code list is towards the end of the article.
(Shared by Ed Politza)
Vehicular "You're Doing It Wrong" Moments
Below are links to a "You're doing it wrong" photo feature from Jalopnik.com. They have some extremely interesting pictures.
Part One -
Part Two -
Part Three -
Part Four
(Shared by Ted Lasher)
Reminder of Proper Caravan Procedure
This is for our new members and a reminder for members that have been in the club for a while.
Leader: The leaders job is to make sure the caravan stays together. This usually means driving the speed limit and some times slowing to less than the speed limit to allow members to keep up. When pulling out onto busy roads you will often have to drive slow until everyone gets out. Those not in the caravan will most likely choose to pass the group. If you have a need for speed the leader spot is not the place for it. There are several speed events offered around the state. That would be the place to exercise that need.
Caravan Members: It is your job to try a keep up to maintain the caravan. If you are following someone who chooses to drive slower it is not bad form to pass when it is safe. That member should not be offended, as you have taken the pressure off them to drive faster than they want to.
I hope these reminders help. If we don't follow these procedures there is no reason to caravan. Just announce the destination and what time
to meet there.
(Shared by Greg Kapp)
The History of Jake: Corvette Racing's Mascot
Racing liveries come and go, but there are some so iconic, so recognizable, they'll be remembered forever.
For example, Gulf and Martini Racing. There's now a new one to add to that list.
Meet "Jake.
(Shared by Ted Lasher)
Corvette ZR-1
See a video of a Corvette ZR-1
being driven at Nürburgring at speeds of up to 178 mph. They take you through an entire lap with driver Jim Mero.
(Sorry, I can't remember who shared this one.)
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