The Central Valley Corvette Club was

chartered in 1991 for the owners of the only

real AMERICAN sports car, the awesome

CORVETTE. It's a social organization with

activities that provide enjoyment for the true

Corvette lover.

MONTHLY MEETINGS ARE HELD

AT 6.30 P.M. ON THE 3 RD TUESDAY

OF EVERY MONTH AT YOSEMITE

FALLS CAFE, 4278 W. ASHLAN AVE,

FRESNO CALIFORNIA. INTERESTED

CORVETTE ENTHUSIATS ARE

MORE THAN WELCOME TO

ATTEND THE MEETINGS AND MEET

OUR MEMBERS.

Club activities include monthly meetings,

car shows, weekend Club activities,

overnighters, picnics, road rallies, summer

cruises, holiday get-to-gathers and more!

Eligibility for membership in CVC is

defined in Article III, section 1 of the

bylaws in part as follows: "Membership in

Central Valley Corvettes shall be open to all

Corvette owners who are sponsored by a

member in good standing. Additionally, a

prospective member must, within a three

month period , attend two consecutive

meetings, participate in two club sanctioned

social activities, pay current membership

dues and initiation fees, and be approved by

two- thirds vote of membership present at

any general membership meeting by secret

ballot

Sponsors shall be responsible for advising

prospective member of results. All members

must submit proof of personal insurance in

accordance with California State Law upon

application for membership, and all

members must be a member of the

association providing club liability insurance

for CENTRAL VALLEY CORVETTES.

A prospective member who does not have a

sponsor will be provided one by the

membership committee. Non-members may

not participate in more than three meetings

or two sanctioned activities.

CVC membership dues are $67.00 plus an

initiation fee of $35.00. Membership entitles

two members at the same address voting

privileges at meetings (provided they are in

good standing) and membership rights.

Please feel free to contact the membership

chairperson, Dick Danielsen (559) 298-5229

or any officer on the following page.

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PRESIDENT

Gary Pflepsen (Jan)

559-298-7241

gpflep@aol.com

VP-ACTIVITIES

Skip Severance (LeighAnn)

559-299-3550

skipseverance@att.net

VP-PUBLIC RELATIONS/ MEMBERSHIP

Dick Danielsen (Ruthie)

559-298-5229

redanielsenr@aol.com

SECRETARY

Debby Anderson (Terry)

559-801-7482

Debbydoo64@yahoo.com

TREASURER

Mike Lebda (Mary)

559-298-7993

mjlebda@comcast.net

PARLIMENTARIAN

Craig Hansen (Pam)

559-645-0513

hansenrt66@att.net

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

Chuck Laningham (Linda)

559-304-2525

laningham@hotmail.com

RAFFLE TICKETS

Susan Walker (Del)

559-255-2613

delwalker@live.com

WEBSITE EDITOR

Charlie Fosnaugh (Kim)

559-299-0547

Fosnaugh@comcast.net

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Speaking of runs, the club is doing a good

job coming up with runs for the New Year.

Be sure to come to the general meetings

and sign up for them. I am planning on

doing the Mystery Run October 25-29 th and

hope to keep the cost at around $800 per

couple. More to follow.

It’s been one year since we went to the

electronic format for our newsletter and I

hope everyone is going online and checking it

out every month. We have used the money

saved to pay for the annual picnic and

Christmas party and still have a healthy

positive balance in the treasury. Charlie

Fosnaugh continues to do a great job

producing it and we all thank him. He is

looking for members who would like to write

recurring articles on things like recipes,

Corvette information or anything else of

interest. If interested contact Charlie.

Skip Severance is heading up a project to

locate and inventory club property. If you

have anything that would be considered as

such give Skip a call.

The new board is getting settled in with

their new duties and it looks like the coming

year will consist of a little work and a lot of

fun. Look forward to seeing you at the

general meetings and on some of our many

runs coming up.

GARY

Craig Hansen is at it again. He has a two

week run called North by Northwest Tour III

in the planning for the fall of 2016. In the

past he put on Southwest Tour I in 2011 and

Southwest Tour II in 2014. As anyone who

went on either of these runs will tell you they

were chock full of information, history,

sightseeing and just plain fun. Some of the

places on this Tour will be Banff Glacier and

Yellowstone National Parks, the Custer

Battlefield Cemetery and Little Bighorn

Battlefield Monument, and Cody and Jackson

Wyoming. The dates are September 3-18

2016.

---

Parliamentarian, Craig Hansen taking a break.

Sergeant of Arms, Don Conley collected

$1.80 in badge fines, filling in for Chuck

Laningham.

VP Public Relations/Membership, Dick

Danielson gave the anniversary & birthday

report for the month. He also said that we

currently have 81 members and 51 cars in

our club. There were no guests tonight.

Sunshine Report was given by Jan Pflepsen.

Central Valley Corvettes

General Meeting Minutes

January 20, 2015

The General Meeting was called to order at

6:31 by President Gary Pflepsen.

Gary gave Craig Hansen a Mallet inscribed

with his years as President and thanked him

for his service.

The minutes from the December general

meeting were read by Debby Anderson.

Motion to accept was made by Fred Parks

and seconded by John Bird.

Treasurer’s report was given by Mike Lebda.

Vice President of activities, Skip Severance

was happy to announce we have 13

upcoming runs:

1. Feb, 1 st Super Bowl Party

2. Feb, 5 th Fifties Place

3. Feb, 21 st Di Cicco’s

4. March 14 th Lunch & a Tiger

5. Apr, 11 & 12 Nether Cup Museum

6. Apr, 17 to 19 Space Shuttle

7. May 2 nd Cam Twisters(benefits Autism)

8. May 3 rd Club Picnic

9. July 24 to 26 Ventura

10. Oct. 25 – 29 Mystery Tour

11. Dec. 10 Christmas Party

12. Dec. 13 Hay Ride

13. Sept. 3 rd to 18 th 2016 North by North

West Tour III

Old Business:

Inventory: Skip is trying to find all of the

club property so he asked that if anyone has

anything they should call him and let him

know what you have.

Gary wanted more runs and we got several

new ones already.

New Business:

Charlie Fosnaugh wants to add to the

Newsletter. He is looking for a reporter and

possibly recipes and a car feature. Charlotte

agreed to do the Recipe Corner. Skip also

said that if we have a run then he would like

to have Fliers so that he can include them in

the Newsletter.

The next General meeting will be February

17 th.

The next board meeting will be January 27 th .

Meeting was adjourned at 7:16. No motion

was made.

Respectfully submitted by,

Debby Anderson, Secretary

Raffle: Thank you to the following members

for donating raffle prizes: A & C Anderson,

Bird, Condley, Danielson, Dawson,

Garrahan, Garrison, Hall, Henderson,

Henefent, Levine, Null, Parks, Percy,

Pflepson, Severance, Walker, Whitson.

---

`

SUNSHINE & CLOUDS

Jan De Mello-Pflepsen

Jan. 20, 2015

THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR NEWS WITH ALL OF OUR CVC MEMBERS.

1. JOYCE KROECKER TELLS US THAT STEVE AND JILL DROVE HER AND ED TO PALO ALTO TO

A HEART SPECIALIST. TESTS RESULTS REVEALED D HAD NO CARDIAC INCIDENTS ON

FIBRILLATOR. THE NEW MEDICINE MUST BE HELPING. ED CONTINUES TO HAVE PAIN

WITH WALKING DUE TO HIS HIP. NOWTHE VERY GOOD NEWS IN THE KROECKER FAMILY.

AFTER MANY YEARS OF WAITING, THE KROECKERS HAVE A STREET NAMED AFTER THEM.

IT IS E. KROEKER STREET LOCATED OFF OF FRIANT NEAR COPPER RIVER COUNTRY

CLUB. IT IS QUITE AN HONOR TO ED AND THE REST OF THE KROEKER FAMILY.

2. FROM DALE AND SUE COMER: THEY ARE IN MORRO BAY AND UNABLE TO ATTEND THE

MEETING. THEY ARE PREPARING TO LEAVE ON A MISSISSIPPI RIVER CRUISE WITH THE

AGARS, NULLS, AND LEBDAS IN FEBRUARY AND THEN DRIVING TO MEMPHIS, NASHVILLE,

AND THE CORVETTE MUSEUM.

3. GAIL TAVARES SENT AN UPDATE: IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO THAT RICK WAS DIAGNOSED

WITH MULTIPLE MYELOMA CANCER. RICKS DOCTOR HAS STARTED HIM WITH A NEW

CHEMO REC ENTLY. HE SEEMS TO BE RESPONDING WELL TO THE DRUG. THE TAVARES

ARE STAYING IN PISMO MOST OF THE TIME SINCE RICK SEEMS TO FEEL BETTER THERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE PRAYERS AND GOOD WISHES.

4. AND NOW ABOUT OUR FRIEND DEL WALKER. ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, DEL BEGAN TO

FEEL LIKE HE WAS GETTING THE FLU. HIS SYMPTOMS WERE BACK PAIN, LEFT ARM PAIN,

AND CHEST PRESSURE. SUSAN CALLED 911 AND AT 7:00 PM DEL UNDERWENT A TRIPLE

CARDIAC BYPASS. HIS ARTERIES WERE 98% OCCLUDED WHICH MEANS THEY WERE

CLOSED 98%. DEL IS NOW DOING MUCH BETTER AND SUSAN AS WELL.

5. THE WEEK OF NEW YEARS CELEBRATION, GARY AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SPENDING

THE WEEK WITH THE COMERS AND CRAIG AND PAM HANSEN AND THEIR FRIENDS. WHAT

A FUN TIME!!!! WE SHOPPED, ENJOYED DINNER AT THE “SEACHEST” RESTAURANT AND OF

ALL THINGS, WE ALL WENT ZIP LINING!!!! HOW OLD ARE WE!!!! IT WAS SUCH FUN, WE

ALL WANT TO DO IT AGAIN……. THANKS TO ALL FOR SHARING………….. JAN

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BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARIES

Skip Severance Feb 1 st Chuck & Linda Laningham Feb 4 th 48 yrs.

Sue Comer Feb 2 nd Bob & Kathy Marine Feb 9 th 41 yrs.

Steve Rosen Feb 5 th Allyn & Marilyn Goodall Feb 16 th 24 yrs.

Ruthie Danielsen

Rennie Campos

Feb 13 th

Feb 22 nd

Linda Laningham, Lori Cameron and Rudy Hernandez - Birthdays all on Feb 25 th

PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR NAME BADGES TO:

ALL MEETINGS, CLUB EVENTS AND RUNS (25µ FINE EA.)

SUPPORT YOUR CLUB RAFFLE AND BRING A RAFFLE PRIZE!

AND BE SURE AND RECOMEND OUR WEB SITE REGULARY

AT: www.CentralValleyCorvettes.com

---

`

Cooking with Charlotte

by Charlotte Renna

Here are a few cute recipes for

February. I hope you enjoy them.

---

‘In the Garage’ with Keith Garrison

The LT4: Another Legendary Corvette Engine

C

Chevy and GM engineers have developed and manufactured their most powerful production

engine ever for the heart of the Supercharged 2015 Corvette Z06 Stingray.

The 2015 Corvette Z06 will be powered by a fuel-injected small-block engine, the 376-in (6.2-l) LT4,

that generates up to 650 hp and 650 ft-lb of torque. The engine gives the roadster a top speed of

over 200 mph and a 0-to-60 time of 2.95 sec. It can also deliver 15 mpg driving in the city and 24

mpg out on the highway, according to the EPA.

Feeding it fuel

An electric pump in the 2015 Corvette’s fuel tank sends fuel (premium) to the engine at about 400 to

500 KPa (58 to 72 psi). This would be enough gas pressure for a port-fuel-injected (or non-direct

injected) engine, but not for the LT4 and its direct fuel injection. Instead, the pre-pressurized gas

goes to a compact megapump, in Chevy parlance. It mounts on the back of the engine and a

camshaft running through the engine block drives it. A lifter mechanism inside the megapump

translates the rotation of the three peaks or lobes on the end of the camshaft into the up-and-down

motion of a piston that compresses the gas. It delivers outgoing fuel pressures up to 20 MPa (2,900

psi), according to John Rydzewski, Assistant Chief Engineer on Chevy’s small-block engines.

The pressurized gas travels into a fuel rail that consists of two arms, one for each row of fuel

injectors above both cylinder banks. The rail holds gas at 2,900 psi until it is needed by the injectors.

The interior of the fuel rail, as well as the access holes to the injectors, were shaped and placed

using CFD and computer simulations to eliminate hydraulic pulsations in the fuel. This ensures fuel

pressure is equal and consistent at all eight injector locations when each injector fires.

The injectors had to be made larger than those in the previous LT1

engine to increase the amount of fuel needed by the higher airflow. The

shape and geometry of the injector nozzles were carefully sculpted to

generate a proven spray pattern of precisely sized fuel droplets that burn

thoroughly and fast when mixed with the incoming air and spark.

---

Supercharging the engine

That incoming air, in most cases, gets a 9.71-psi boost from the Eaton R1740

supercharger/intercooler assembly mounted in the valley between the cylinder heads. The 1.7-liter

supercharger delivers 37% more horsepower and 40% more torque than the LT1’s supercharger, yet

is only one inch taller. It’s also 20 lb lighter than the earlier

supercharger. The R1740 was custom built for the LT4. The

serpentine belt running off the crankshaft powers it.

It was important the supercharger be as compact as possible so that

the finished roadster would meet pedestrian protection regulations

enforced mainly in Europe. Those regulations call for some give or

compliance in the hood so that if a pedestrian is hit and falls on the

hood, they are not falling on the unforgiving surface of the hood

backed up by the engine. Instead, space between the hood and

engine lets the hood give or dent a little and cushion the

pedestrian’s impact.

Inside the supercharger, a pair of four-lobed rotors spins at 20,000 rpm. The rotors each have a 160°

helix (or twist) that broadens their effectiveness by letting them push more air, create more torque at

lower rpms, and sustain the boost at higher rpms for more horsepower.

The rotors are also shorter and have a smaller diameter than those in the previous LS9 supercharger.

This gives them less mass and inertia, making it easier for the engine to spin them. But because so

much air goes through the supercharger at such high speeds, Eaton and Chevy had to stiffen the

housing with ribs and add dampeners to reduce resonance effects which can create vibrations and a

loud whine.

To make the supercharger/intercooler as efficient as possible, Chevy engineers crafted the intake

and output side to be as airtight as possible, and the airflow passageways to be as unrestricted as

possible. This includes the pathway from the induction equipment, through the throttle body, and to

the supercharger, as well as the discharge port coming out of the rear of the supercharger.

When air exits the supercharger, it travels through a V-shaped window and bends back up and over

the intercooler and into the upper portion of the manifold. The design team again used CFD to

minimize losses, reduce turbulence and heating, and let the air flow as fast as possible. Results from

CFD were used to subtly alter the shape of the window, where it’s located, and how the path is

contoured to smoothly take the air where the engineers wanted it to go. The supercharger only

comes on when the engine computer determines there is a demand for it, otherwise, it is bypassed.

Drivers cannot force it on or off. If drivers want the best mileage, they can set the transmission in

the “Econ” mode (as opposed to the Street or Track modes). When in the Econ mode and there is

little demand on the engine, as when cruising at 55 mph on a highway, Active Fuel Management

(AFM) kicks in. AFM closes off a set of hydraulic valves and deactivates the lifters in four of the

cylinders. The lifters still go up and down on the camshaft lobes, and the pistons rise and fall inside

the cylinders as they remain attached to the crankshaft, says Rydzewski. But the pushrods remain

inactive, so no fuel or air is let in, and the exhaust port does not open. The other four cylinders are

working normally and receive a bit more gas than if all eight were working, but overall, AFM reduces

the amount of fuel burned per mile.

Tougher and lighter

The performance figures for the LT4 engine are an indication of how

much stress the engine components must withstand. Some parts are

moving incredibly quickly, and temperatures and pressures are high. But

Chevy engineers want parts to be light so that it takes little energy from

the engine to move them. They must also stay relatively cool so they do

not wear or weaken. Here are some of the technological highlights of the

engine components:

• Rotocast aluminum cylinder heads. Rotating the mold during casting

eliminates porosity in the metal, creating a denser, more accurate head.

---

The heads are stronger and better able to handle heat than conventionally cast aluminum heads.

• Combustion chambers are larger than those in the LT1: 65.47 cc rather than 59.02 cc.

• Solid titanium intake valves are strong, lightweight, and have exceptional heat resistance.

• Exhaust valves have a sodium center to improve cooling.

• Connecting rods are machined out of forged powder-metal steel, which reduces the amount of

reciprocating mass in the engine and lets the engine rev quicker.

• The camshaft has a longer exhaust duration, which holds the exhaust valve open longer to let the

greater volume of combustion products escape.

• Lightweight balancer is made of aluminum.

• The crankshaft is forged out of steel and has tungsten balancing inserts and ground collar pins.

• Cast austenitic stainless-steel exhaust manifolds provide more strength at high temperatures than

cast-iron manifolds on earlier engines.

• Dry-sump oiling subsystem has a dual-pressure-control oil pump for more efficient cooling and

lubrication.

• Eight oil spraying jets, one for the underside of each piston, keeps cylinder and pistons cool and

lubricated. The extra layer of oil also dampens any noises emanating from the pistons.

The LT4 is assembled in the U.S. at the new Performance Build Center at GM’s Bowling Green

Assembly Plant and at GM’s Tonawanda engine plant in New York. It is matched with a standard

seven-speed manual transmission or an all-new, paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission also

built in America (Toledo, Ohio).

A convertible version of the 2015 Corvette Z06 costs $84K while a coupe goes for $79K. The standard

convertible 2015 Corvette runs $55K and the standard convertible carries a $60K price tag.

Source URL: http://machinedesign.com/automotive/lt4-another-legendary-corvette-engine

Thanks to Keith Garrison for submitting this article.

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‘In the Garage’ with Jeff Levine

Secrets of the Corvette Z06

The Z06 Corvette option has typically

had a single purpose: To humble wouldbe

Corvette competitors foreign and

domestic, offering supercar performance

and handling at a price point that can’t

be achieved by any other manuf. Here

are a few of our favorite facts about the

Corvette Z06:

1. The first Z06 was built in 1963. The second-generation — or C2 — Corvette was the first to offer

the Z06 package. Corvette godfather Zora Arkus-Duntov conceived the option package that mated

Chevy’s fuel injected 327 V-8 with uprated brakes and suspension (and in most cases a larger,

competition-ready fuel tank) to give privateer racers a leg up in competition during a time when GM

couldn’t field a factory race team. Simply called an RPO (“regular production order”) Z06, it was pricey

and consequently selected mostly by owners who intended to take their Corvettes racing. Today 1963

“big tank” Z06s are among the most collectible Corvettes.

2. The option was dormant for 28 years. There was no C3 or C4 Z06, and the name finally returned

for 2001 in a very special C5. Offered only in the most rigid and lightest-weight hardtop body style, the

2001 model came with an LS6 small block rated at 385 hp. It was quickly uprated to 405 hp for the

2002 model year — as if the official ratings mattered. In a fine Corvette tradition going back to the 1967

L88, it was found that Chevy had underrated the horsepower significantly; north of 425 hp was closer to

the truth.

3. Since 2001, only model years 2005 and 2014 have been without a Z06. In every iteration but

the C2, there has been at least a one-model-year lag to let the new vintage breathe before shocking the

crap out of enthusiasts with the introduction of the Z06. The C6 Z06 arrived as a 2006 model and the C7

Z06 will be a 2015 model.

4. The 2004 C5 Z06 and 2012 C6 Z06 are among the elite group of street cars ever to have

broken an eight-minute time around the Nordschleife, part of the Nürburgring complex

near Cologne, Germany. The 2015 Z06 will almost certainly join this group (probably with the A/C

blasting, the stereo on and not otherwise breaking a sweat). Nicknamed “The Green Hell” by F1 pilot Sir

Jackie Stewart, the Nürburgring is acknowledged to be one of the toughest and most dangerous circuits

in the world.

5. The 2015 C7 Z06 is the first factory supercharged Z06 and the first to offer an automatic

transmission. Reputable aftermarket suppliers like Mid America Motorworks have long offered various

superchargers to Corvette owners who want a blower, but the 2015 Z06 is the first to come with a

supercharger — and the accompanying wail — straight from the factory. We have to admit, however, to

being less-than-enthused about the new two-pedal option. The prospect of Z06 ownership by manual

transmission-challenged twits like Justin Bieber and Kanye West is somewhat depressing. Thankfully,

the insanely reasonable base price of under 80 grand will likely be terminally off-putting to the Cristalsnorting,

Veblen good-obsessed crowd.

Source URL: http://www.hagerty.com/Articles-Videos/Articles/2015/01/19/Secrets-of-the-Corvette-

Z06utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Ha

gerty%20Weekly%20News%201-21-2015

Thanks to Jeff Levine for submitting this article.

---

CVC Activities Schedule

Here are the runs that are currently scheduled.

Feb 1 Super Bowl Anderson’s

Feb 5 Dinner and Show with Elvis Henenfent’s

Feb 21 DiCicco’s Dinner Run Sanger Garrison’s

Mar 14 Lunch & Tigers, Lions, Cheetahs Severance’s

Apr 17-19 Space Shuttle Capurro’s

May 2 Cam Twisters Car Show Renna

May 3 CVC Picnic Kroekerville Board

July 24-26 Ventura Anderson’s/Garrahan’s

Oct 25-29 Presidents Mystery Tour Pflepsen’s

Dec 10 th Christmas Party Hall’s

Dec 13 th Hay Ride Renna

Sep 3-16 2016 North by NorthWest Hansen’s

GENERAL MEETING ALWAYS 3 RD TUESDAY

BOARD MEETING ALWAYS 4 TH TUESDAY

And don’t forget Dominos

And Movies

for the Ladies (Contact Frieda Null)

(Contact Charlie Fosnaugh)

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LUNCH THEN LIONS AND TIGERS

Sat March 14th

We will drive up to Twin Valley’s Restaurant in Dunlap for lunch. After lunch we

will take a short drive up to the Cat Haven on Hwy 180 for a tour of the Lions,

Tigers, etc. Cost is $8.00 per person if we have 20 or more. Tour is about 1 and

½ hours. Wear tennis or hiking shoes. Following the tour we will head down the

hill and stop at Bear Mtn. Pizza for ice cream, then home. Be sure and sign up at

the meeting. We will start at the gas station at the SE corner of Hwy 180 and

Academy since we have some coming from different directions. Must enter the

gas station off of Academy. No entrance from Hwy 180. Be there at 11:00am and

we will leave as soon as everyone arrives.

Cat Haven web site if you want to check it out: www.cathaven.com

Skip & LeighAnn

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CVC 2 nd Annual Picnic at Kroekerville

Sunday May 3 rd at 1:00 pm

Back by popular demand, Mexican buffet by Corina,

DJ music, desert contest, games & more.

More details to follow.

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Since we didn’t have any pictures this month, I

copied some I got from Jeff Levine from the 50’s!

If you want to see more of these go here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blast_of_the_past/

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C7

3LT

Z51

• Torch Red Convertable

• Jet Black Interior

• Fully Loaded

• less than 100 Miles on it

• MSRP $80,410

• CVC Price, only $73,637