Permian Basin Corvette Club Newsletter
JANUARY – FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010
EVENTS
OFFICER ELECTIONS – It’s a new year and time for electing officers. I am pleased to announce the following officers for 2010: President – Bob Young Vice President – Harold Gredory Treasurer – Lynn Lynch Secretary – Nita Evans A complete list of officers and chairs are listed at the bottom of this newsletter. We want to thank George Nesrsta for serving as our club treasurer and Joe Lynch for serving as our club secretary for 2009. After a cold start for 2010, the club has had some fun events. This year looks like a busy one with lots of cruises and Corvette events. Stay tuned to your email and don’t miss out. VALENTINE’S DINNER – One of the best parts of this club is the involvement of the spouses. When I first joined the PBCC my wife thought it was just a bunch of guys sitting around and talking about cars. Well we do that but we also do things as couples. The PBCC celebrated Valentines this year at The Barn Door restaurant in Odessa. We had over 30 people attend for a little romantic dinner. ARTESIA CAR SHOW – Friday, March 26, a group of Vettes left Odessa to Artesia, NM to participate in a car show put on by the Artesia Car Enthusiast Car Club. Kathy Young found a great bed and breakfast in Artesia. It was two days of cars, hot rods, food, and music. The show included quite a few Mustangs, hot rods, street rods, Camaros, muscle cars, Corvettes (Thanks PBCC for filling out the category), motorcycles and a big block Chevy tractor.  The woody complete with surf boards was neat...but this is the desert.  Three of the club members placed in the show. Great showing Nita and Bob!  And NO I do not know how they judged anything since it seemed as strange to me as everyone else.  How do you select two thirds and a second but no first in class?  Why did some classes have a first and second only while others have three places and about the same number of cars?  The show was very nice anyway.   Thanks for putting this together Holt and Kathy. It’s good to see more shows in our area.
RACING CORNER
Racing season is here once again. The Corvette was made to go fast and handle like a race car. There are several ways you can “get your speed on”…. AUTOCROSS – Have you ever wanted to find out how well your Corvette handles but were afraid to “let it all hang out” on the public streets? Not quite ready to hit the race track? Then you ought to check out autocrossing. The local Porsche Club of America puts on an autocross event at the Big Spring airport just about every month this year. The events draw twenty to thirty cars. Entry fee is $30. Bob and Daniel Young are regular attendees. Contact them for more information on how you can get started. NASA TIME TRIALS – Scott Sparkman, Bob & Theresa Halford, and Troy Messer competed in NASA Time Trials at Motorsport Ranch – Cresson in March. This was Troy’s first Time Trial event and was smoking the track in his white lightning Corvette. Troy turned fastest laps of all cars both Saturday and Sunday. The rest of us were there too. Lots of fun. HPDE – So you’ve got a Corvette and you know it’s fast. But do you know how to drive it fast – safely? HPDE is a great way to learn how to drive your car safely and quickly. You get one-on-one instruction with an instructor in your car teaching you how to drive it correctly. Plus excellent classroom instruction. Get out and stretch your Vette’s legs. You don’t need to do anything special to your car to get started. You just need a helmet. You can rent them at the track or get your own. Talk to one of the PBCC racing directors for information on how you can get started. You don’t know what you’re missing.
NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM
Did you know you can get insurance coverage on your collector Corvette (or even your new Corvette or other special vehicle)? Why is insurance through the NCM better than going through your regular insurance? One reason is the coverage is agreed value. This means if your car is totaled or stolen, the insurance will pay the value of the car listed in the policy – not the depreciated value like regular insurance. Also, you only pay for liability coverage one time. Most regular auto policies charge for liability on each car. To find out more information, go to http://www.ncminsurance.org/ Not only do you get great insurance, you will also support the National Corvette Museum. (NOTE: The author, the PBCC officers, or the PBCC are not affiliated with the NCM or NCM Insurance Agency. Any statements made in this newsletter are not binding on the NCM or NCM Insurance Agency. Please check with the NCM Insurance Agency for specifics and to obtain a quote.)
TECH TIPS:
Dear Tom and Ray: I have a question that doesn't involve a car problem. I am currently going to school to earn an associate of applied science in the automotive field. Ever since high-school auto class, I have heard the names Snap-on, Matco and Mac as the only options for tools. However, I find it hard to believe that mechanics pay 14,000-dollar for a toolbox and 100-dollar for a ratchet. So my question is, is it REALLY worth the money? Or is it smarter to just get Craftsman or other cheaper tools, and just replace them when they break? I'd rather not owe my life to a guy on a tool truck if I can help it. Thanks. -- Ryan TOM: It's a good question, Ryan. When we first started out, we did exactly what you suggest. We went to Sears, and we bought one of everything they had. RAY: Including a five-piece dinette set and a fishing boat with a 7.5-hp outboard motor. You know, they have very good salesmen at Sears. TOM: Why did we buy our tools at Sears? Because we'd used them as amateurs, and it was the only way we could afford to equip the garage. RAY: Sears Craftsman does make good tools. But over time, as those tools broke or wore out, and as our success allowed us to wean ourselves off our dog-food diets, we gradually switched over to Snap-on and Matco tools. Because when you use the tools every day, the professional tools do seem better. TOM: They tend to fit a little tighter, they hold up better and if they ever do fail, you know that the guy in the Snap-on truck is going to be stopping by next week, and he'll give you a new one. He has a vested interest in keeping you working, since he has the second mortgage on your house. RAY: The professional tools are expensive. And the guys on the truck do suck you into an expensive credit program where you pay a little bit every week. But once you pay them off, you have tools that'll last a lifetime. TOM: And you'll find that there are some jobs you simply can't do without the professional tools. There are a lot of specialized tools that a company like Sears does not make. It doesn't make the tool you need, for example, to hold the camshafts in place on a Subaru when you're replacing a timing belt. RAY: Or tools for installing engine seals on Volvos and Saabs. The pro companies also stay up to date on new equipment, so in order to work on newer cars, you may have no choice but to buy from them instead of waiting for a new tool to trickle down to the do-it-yourself market. TOM: So unless you're planning on sticking to pretty basic repairs -- oil changes, tire rotations, fuel filters and brakes, for example -- I think you'll find that eventually, you'll need to deal with the Matco and Snap-on guys. RAY: But you certainly don't have to start with them. You can start with the Sears Craftsman stuff. And when you're ready to owe the big bucks, you can switch over gradually, one painfully expensive tool at a time.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOME HOT NEW C5 OR C6 CORVETTE PARTS OR ACCESSORIES, DON’T FORGET WEST COAST CORVETTES. www.westcoastcorvette.com PBCC members receive a 10% discount. Give them a call and tell them you are with the Permian Basin Corvette Club.
TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF PBCC EVENTS
For more information on these and other events – make sure you visit the calendar page on our website. Also check the calendar for racing events and other Corvette events happening this year.
MEMBER UPDATES
BUSINESS MEETING
Next business meeting is April 8, 2010 at Cattle Baron’s.
If you are new to the Club and would like to order a PBCC name badge, please contact Harold Gregory at (432) 889-0580 for information.
PBCC CLASSIFIEDS
OFFICER CONTACTS
President: Vice-President: NCM Ambassador: Secretary: Treasurer: Asst. Treasurer Event Coordinator: Racing Events: Club Merchandise Raffle / Fundraising Name Tags Newsletter: Web Master:		Bob Young Harold Gregory Scott Sparkman Nita Evans Lynn Lynch Scott Sparkman Rick Heckler Malcolm Davis Bob Halford Harold Gregory Harold Gregory Scott Sparkman Scott Sparkman	Email Email Email Email Email Email Email Email Email Email Email
Dues are $25.00 per year for members joining January 1 – September 30 of any year, which includes two memberships. Members joining October 1^st or later will not pay dues until January of the following year. Annual dues are due the first meeting of the Calendar Year. Please mail application with check payable to PBCC to: PBCC PO Box 60394 Midland, TX 79711-0394 For additional Club information please visit www.permianbasinvettes.com