Central Valley Corvettes - July Newsletter

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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, Charlotte Renna (559)323-0153
or any officer on the following page.

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
Charlotte Renna
559-323-0153
chrenna@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
Mission Statement / Officers....2-3
A Word from our President.........4
Secretary’s Minutes....................5
Sunshine & Clouds..................6-7
Birthdays & Anniversaries...........8
In the Garage w/ Jeff L………..9-11
Cookin’ with Tom.................12-13
CVC Activities...........................14
CVC Event Flyers.................15-18
Grizzlies Den & Boat Show....19-25
Word from Home Car Show..26-30
Our Sponsor Ed Dena................31
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
Chuck Laningham (Linda)
559-304-2525
laningham@hotmail.com
RAFFLE TICKETS
Susan Walker (Del)
559-255-2613
delwalker@live.com
WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Charlie Fosnaugh (Kim)
559-299-0547
Fosnaugh@comcast.net

Hi all. This will be a short one. I got
back from a week in Alaska fishing
yesterday and am busy getting the
finishing touches done for the
Mystery Run which is in a couple
days. I really have enjoyed putting on
the Mystery Runs. The most difficult
part is coming up with a destination.
The club has been to so many places
in 25 years it can be hard to come up
with a trip that isn’t too repetitious of
something that has already been
done. That said, it is fun talking to
people at various activities, tours,
restaurants, etc. and coming up with
a trip that members will remember as
an experience worth the time and
money invested in it.
See you all at the next meeting.
I hate to cut this so short but I’ve got
phone calls to make, things to buy, a
car to get ready, so will see everyone
going on the run next Wednesday
morning.

Skip reported charity donations are on hold
until cost to club is determined for the anniv.
& Christmas party.
Gary requested driver type day runs or
overnighters.
Board meeting time has been changed to
6:00. There will be not be a board meeting in
June.
Motion was made to adjourn by Fred Parks
and a 2nd by Tom Piercy.
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 by
president Gary Pflepsen. Charlotte Renna
read the minutes for May due to Debbie
Anderson’s absence.
Minutes were approved as read.
Skip Severance gave the treasurers report
due to Mike Lebda’s absence.
Skip Severance asked for reports on past
events and upcoming events. The upcoming
are…Presidents mystery run with Gary &
Jan Pflepsen July 7th to the 9th; North by
North west with Craig & Pam Hansen, 8/27
to 9/11; and CVC 25th Anniv. Party Oct
22nd.
Lynne Henenfent spoke about a Panama
cruise April 19, 2017.
VP PR/Membership, Charlotte Renna gave
birthday & anniv. Reports.
Our guest tonight, Steve & Lydia Garcia
have completed all requirements and will
be on a ballot at July 21st membership
meeting.
Debbie Garrison, generously treated us to
our refreshments by bringing her famous
Oreo dessert. She won first place with this
at our Kroekerville lunch.
Meeting adjourned at 6:59
Respectfully submitted by,
, Secretary

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR MESSAGES – AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO
PUT THEM TOGETHER.
1. FROM SKIP AND LEIGHANN: THEY HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM 3 DAYS AT
NIAGARA FALLS AND 2 DAYS IN TORONTO. THEY HAD A GREAT TIME LOTS OF
GOOD SITE SEEING. ANOTHER ITEM CROSSED OFF THEIR BUCKET LIST.
2. THIS MESSAGE IS FROM MIKE AND MARYLOU LEBDA. THEY ARE CELEBRATING
THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A CRUISE TO THE CARIBBEAN SEA. THEY HAD
A BIT OF TROUBLE WITH FLIGHTS BUT THEY MADE IT TO THE SHIP BEFORE IT
SAILED. THEY ENJOYED THEIR ANNIVERSARY DINNER WEARING THE SAME
CLOTHES FOR 2 DAYS. DINNER WAS LOVELY. WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THEIR
ROOM THEIR CLOTHES (BAGS) ARRIVED. NOW, ALL IS WELL.
3. PAM AND CRAIG HANSEN HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH THEIR
GRANDDAUGHTER ISABELLA. FOR HER 8TH GRADE GRADUATION THEY TOOK
HER ON A MYSTERY TRIP. THEY WENT TO SEATTLE AND SAW ALL OF THE
POPULAR SIGHTS SUCH AS THE SPACE NEEDLE, EMP MUSEUM, AQUARIUM,
CHIHULY GLASS MUSEUM, FISH MARKET, THE BIG FARRIS WHEEL AND WHIDBEY
ISLAND, PORT TOWNSEND ETC. WE ALL KNOW HOW DETAILED CRAIG’S TRIPS
ARE. ONE OF THE BIG HIGHLIGHTS WAS THE STAR TREK EXHIBIT AT THE EMP
(EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT).
4. CHARLOTTE RENNA IS NOT LETTING ANY GRASS GROW UNDER HER FEET! SHE
AND BOB TRAVELED TO SIMI VALLEY ON JUNE 09 THROUGH JUNE 12TH. THEY
STARTED OUT WITH DINNER TO CELEBRATE THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER
SISTER ROSEMARY AND BOB. ON FRIDAY THEY WERE JOINED CHARLOTT’S
DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND FOR A VISIT TO REAGAN LIBRARY FOLLOWED BY
DINNER OUT IN FILLMORE. ON SATURDAY THEY ATTENDED A WEDDING FOR
HER GREAT NIECE ALONG WITH ALL OF HER AND THEIR SPOUSES. SUNDAY WAS
BRUNCH AT THE WEDDING HOUSE AND THEY THEN RETURNED HOME. IT WAS
A WONDERFUL 4 DAYS.

5. MIKE AND LYNN HENENFENT ENJOYED A GREAT FATHER’S DAY IN MERCED
WITH THEIR SON, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND 2 GRANDCHILDREN. THE
HENENFENTS AND THE ANDERSONS WILL BE ENJOYING THE COOL BREEZES
NEXT WEEK ON THEIR 4 DAY BAJA CRUISE. THEY WON’T MISS THE 100
DEGREEDAYS THAT ARE EXPECTED HERE IN THE VALLEY.
6. TERRY AND DEBBIE ANDERSON HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY BUSY. THEY RECEIVED A
MESSAGE FROM THEIR SON WHO LIVES IN CHINA. HE IS GETTING MARRIED
AND WANTS TO DO THIS IN FIREBAUGH. THEN THEY GET A CALL FROM THEIR
DAUGHTER IN WASHINGTON STATE – SHE SAYS THERE ARE COMING FOR THEIR
SON’S GRADUATION. SOOOO – DEBBIE SAYS THEY DID THE UNTHINKABLE AND
DECIDED TO HAVE THE GRADUATION AND WEDDING AT THE SAME TIME!!
AND THEN, AT 3:30 THE DAY OF THE GRADUATION, DEBBIE GETS A CALL TO
REPORT TO THE SUPERINTENDENTS OFFICE TO SIGN HER NEW EMPLOYMENT
CONTRACT. OFF SHE GOES!!! GRADUATION WAS WONDERFUL; TERRY GAVE
HIS SON THE DIPLOMA WITH A HANDSHAKE AND A BIG HUG. THE NEXT DAY,
TERRY PERFORMED THE WEDDING CEREMONY IN THE GAZEBO BY THE RIVER IN
FIREBAUGH. THAT’S WHEN THEY GAINED A LOVELY NEW DTR IN LAW, CONG
CONG PRONOUNCED SONG. TERRY AND DEBBIE WERE EXHAUSTED THE NEXT
WEEK BUT REALLY ENJOYED HAVING THEIR GROWN CHILDREN AND
GRANDCHILDREN WITH THEM. IT WAS A LONG WEEK WITH FUN AND
CELEBRATION!!
7. ON JUNE 16TH THROUGH THE 18TH GARY AND DICK JOHNSON PARTICIPATED
IN THE ANNUAL INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AT BELMONT COUNTRY
CLUB. IT WAS 3 DAYS OF GOLF, LOTS OF FOOD, A PUTTING CONTEST, A
HORSERACE, AND A LOVELY DINNER AND DANCING WITH SPOUSES ON
SATURDAY NITE. NO THEY DID NOT WIN THE TOURNAMENT, BUT TRULY
ENJOYED THEMSELVES. APPROXIMATELY 120 MEN PARTICIPATED. GARY DID
LEARN THAT DICK IS A PRETTY GOOD GOLFER!!!
8. AND FINALLY SOME INTERESTING NEWS ABOUT YOUR PRESIDENT, GARY.
TONIGHT AT THE CLOSE OF THE CVC MEETING, HE WILL JUMP IN HIS LITTLE TOY
CAR (IT IS A FIAT) AND DRIVE TO BAKERSFIELD TO JOIN HIS FRIENDS FOR A 10
DAY FISHING EXCURSION IN ALASKA. HE IS VERY EXCITED AND HAS PROMISED
TO BRING HOME LOTS OF SALMON AND HALIBUT. SO BE SAFE GARY, AND HAVE
LOTS OF FUN……

y Charlotte Renna
Skip Garrison, 7/5 – Jan Pflepsen, 7/10 – Lance Pit, 7/24
Andy & Connie Anderson, 7/14/62 – 54 Years
Ed & Joyce Kroeker, 7/17/59 – 57 Years
PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR NAME BADGES TO:
ALL MEETINGS, CLUB EVENTS AND RUNS (25₵ FINE ea. without it)
SUPPORT YOUR CLUB RAFFLE AND BRING A RAFFLE PRIZE!
AND BE SURE AND RECOMEND OUR WEB SITE REGULARY
AT:
www.CentralValleyCorvettes.com

‘In the Garage’ by Jeff Levine
The secret code to a race-ready
Corvette in the late 60s. Code L88 – Part 1
The L88 Corvette is a car that, for the
most part, hid in the shadows. But it
actually cast a big shadow on the
American muscle car scene as well. Oh, if
you were keeping a close ear to the
ground, you knew about it. But if you
didn’t pay attention, it came and went in
a flash. The reason for its existence was
that Zora Arkus-Duntov, the chief Corvette engineer, was chagrined that Ford
got all this publicity for winning the 24 Hours of LeMans. Yet he knew that
Chevrolet had a durable engine in the 427 and yearned to make it available
for racing. But he had one problem – Chevrolet, officially, was not in racing.
They had their heavy duty parts lists you could peruse at a dealership, and buy
stronger parts than normal over-the-counter, but didn’t have a ready-to-race
model like Ford had with the Cobra 427 S/C, or even GT40s (of which they only
sold a handful). So Duntov pushed and shoved and surreptitiously developed
the package known as “L88.”
The 1967 Model
You have to figure they only sold 20 of
them in 1967 – the first year it was
available (you could call it a half year
model because it was only available in
Feb. ’67), so very few people knew about
it. Part of the Corporation’s problem with
the car is that it didn’t meet any of the
usual standards for
noise/vibration/harshness. It exceeded
the maximum in all areas. It idled like the
heartbeat of a thoroughbred racehorse
at the opening bell of the Kentucky Derby. It had a buckboard stiff ride. There
was no air conditioning available. In some states, the car might not have been

able to be registered due to “Off Road” labeling (but now, one could expect
them to be “grandfathered in” since they have been on the road for 45 years).
An interesting note is that on the ’67
Corvette, the humongous hood scoop
was a “dummy”. However, if you ordered
the L88, that scoop was made functional,
feeding cold air to the carburetor. That
first year, the L88 was not listed among
the available choices on the option list.
And Chevrolet resorted to a ruse to keep
sales down, a sort of feint-left to weed
out the true cognoscenti from the
wanna-be-racers. Chevy listed the L88 at
5 horsepower less than the 435 horse L71 427 in order to discourage buyers
wanting to order the fastest Corvette available. The non-savvy thought the L71
was the more powerful of the two, going by the advertised horsepower rating.
But they didn’t reckon on all the go-fast heavy-duty parts in the L88 that made
it a superior engine for race work.
There were a few mandatory heavy duty parts you had to order with the L88
option, including a heavy duty F41 front and rear suspension, the J50 vacuum
power brakes, the J56 special heavy duty brakes, the K66 transistor ignition,
and the M22 heavy duty close ratio manual gearbox.
There were no special L88 emblems, and you had to look real hard at the car
to note the hood was open in the back of the hood blister. It also had 6” wide
wheels, which you needed. If you lifted the hood, you might have been able to
spot the improved radiator—an aluminum cross-flow with a Harrison
expansion tank, where other ’67 big-block Corvettes had brass radiators. The
’67s were also the only year the L88’s block and heads came painted Chevy
Orange. The M22 gearbox was nicknamed the “Rock Crusher”. It might have
got that nickname due to its noisiness. The gears were cut at a much lower
angle – closer to straight – for a much higher torque rating. This design made
it very noisy, but allowed it to handle really powerful motors. The gear ratios
were: 1 – 2.20, 2 – 1.64, 3 – 1.27, 4 – 1.00. The ’67 L88 was just the start of
Duntov’s war against the Cobras. The package was carried over in ’68 in the
new “Mako Shark” inspired body and was phased out during the following
year (calendar year 1969). There was no chance it would be offered in
production in the future as all kinds of emissions laws were coming into being
in the early ’70s. In the new-for-’68 body, the L88 accounted for 80 units. One
way of checking on the number made is by the use of the heavy duty options.

The records show that in ’68 only 80 M-22 “Rock Crusher” gearboxes were
ordered, so they probably all went on L88 Corvettes. A bit odder is the fact that
81 1968 Corvettes were built with the heavy duty J56 special performance
brakes – which means 80 L88s got them and one non-L88 car did as well. The
last year of its offering, 1969, shows a change in sales. Word must have spread
because that year, its final year of production, it recorded sales of 116 units.
While Chevrolet acquitted themselves
well on the sports car racetrack with the
L88, they also did well in drag racing,
where they could regularly run in the low
11 second range at over 120 mph. If you
ran in a modified class where you could
choose gears (a stump pulling 4.56 was
available), stickier slicks, headers and
open sidepipes, you could rule the track.
Almost unbelievably, in the final year of
production, 1969, there was even an automatic available (one figure bandied
about on Corvette websites is that 17 were sold with automatics). The
automatic had a 3-element torque converter, compound planetary gearset,
and had the following ratios: 1 – 2.48, 2 – 1.48 and 3 – 1.00. Ironically, for all
of its thundering legend, the L88 didn’t seem to record very high top speeds –
below 155 mph certainly. Even the 427 Cobra could top that, though it too had
dicey aerodynamics (but the advantage of much less weight).
Surprising to many is the fact that the L88 came with an iron block. Iron was
heavy, but had one big advantage over aluminum – if you overheat an iron
block engine, you can usually count on no “core shift” or cylinder barrel shape
changes once it cools off. You can’t say that for aluminum blocks. The L88 did
use aluminum cylinder heads, and you had to cope with a difficult 12.5:1
compression ratio. If you didn’t have Sunoco 260 fuel in your neighborhood,
you were in trouble.
If you were to look at an L88 for possible purchase, the most important thing
to find is the RPO code on the engine, located on a machined plate in front of
the passenger side head. This tells you what year the engine was built, what
engine it is, and usually what transmission was attached to the engine. It also
reveals what manufacturing plant Chevy used to build the engine (L88 engines
were built on a special assembly line at the Tonawanda, NY, plant), what year
the engine is, and its horsepower rating. Article from:Eckler’s Pitstop Blog

Cooking with Tom !
`
We had two
recipes sent in
this month, one
from Debbie
Garrison (next
page) and one
from Patricia
Garrahan.
Unfortunately
PG’s got lost in
the emails
between Tom &
Charlie and will
be in next
month’s
newsletter!
Thanks for your
input and
support!

Quick & Easy:
Rocket Dog Brats and Brew, 88 E Shaw Ave, Fresno – 283-8096
Special Ingredients:
Garlic Wine Vinegar – Star Itialian Kitchen,
Restaurant of the Month:
TOFAS Mediterranean Grill, 1095 Herndon Ave, Clovis – 297-8632
Opening soon next to MAYA Cinemas
Corvette Foodies, please send me your suggestions on all of the above.
Thanks Tom Jarvis, kg6kyu@comcast.net

CVC Activities Schedule
Runs scheduled for the rest of the year. Call me with your ideas.
Jul 6-9 Presidents Mystery Tour Pflepsen
Jul 27 Movie Night – Star Trek, Beyond Fosnaugh
Jul 31 Soup and Scoops Hall’s
Aug 27-Sep 11 North by North West Tour Hansen’s
Sep 24 A Day at Huntington Lake Tjerrild
Oct 14 Queen Escort Clovis East Severance
Oct 22 CVC 25 th Anniversary Party Garrahan’s
Dec 8 Christmas Party Garrison’s
Dec 11 Hay Ride Renna
Dec ? Coastal Zip Line Hansen’s
Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Lunch Severance
GENERAL MEETING ALWAYS 3 RD TUESDAY 6:30pm
BOARD MEETING NORMALLY 4 TH TUESDAY 6:00pm
Dominos 2 nd & 4 th Thursday of the Month

PRESIDENT’S
MYSTERY RUN
JULY 6-9
COST: $650 PER COUPLE, DUE BY MAY 17 TH
DESTINATION: YOU’RE LOOKING AT IT!!!
Here's some info on the run. We will meet Wednesday, July 6th at 7:30am. The
meeting place is the McDonalds at Shaw and Hwy 99 (North East corner). The
address is 5222 West Shaw. There is plenty of parking alongside and behind the
restaurant. Bring walking shoes, shorts, pants, light jacket and clothes to go out
to dinner. Bring your club shirts. Please be on time with a full tank of gas.
Have a great 4th and see you Wednesday.
.

Lunch Run, Sunday ,
July 31 st , Meet at 1:00pm
@ Scoops, Soups & More
433 Pollasky in Old Town Clovis, 299-9606
(East side, between 4 th Street & 5 th Street)
Contact Chuck & Sharon Hall to let them know
if you are coming at 226-0168 or 301-4795.
Park on the street, or at EECU across the street, meet at the restaurant by 1pm.

Another great CVC road trip is now booked and we will be
on our way August 27 th 2016. Here’s part of the preview show.
This marks our third great road trip. The first adventure with 10 Corvettes was to the Southwest in October
of 2011 where we visited Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Durango and the Silverton Railroad,
Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chilly, Monument Valley and our old friend Angel Delgadillo in Seligman. In April
of 2014 with 13 Corvettes in tow, we ventured into Sedona, Santa Fe, New Mexico, the 1945 Trinity site where
the atomic bomb was first tested in 1945, Carlsbad Caverns, Tombstone, Tucson, Yuma and more.
Now, the direction heads to the great Northwest with over 20 Corvettes signed up to explore Canada, Glacier
National Park, Custer Battlefield, Yellowstone National Park and Golden Spike National Monument as some
of the highlights. For those that have been on all three trips, you will have driven your Corvette into all 11
western contiguous states (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado,
New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada) plus the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Southwest Tour I
Southwest Tour II

Central Valley Corvettes turns 25!
Come Celebrate on October 22, 2016
In 1991, a group of corvette enthusiast gathered together
to make a better world for themselves & fellow corvette
lovers. During this year, up to Oct, when this wonderful
event happened, you will read articles to remind you of
how this came to be and you will hear about events and
the people that made them happen.
The committee for our 25th anniversary party had their
first meeting. The Committee is: Charlotte Renna, Connie
& Andy Anderson, Debbie & Keith Garrison, Patricia &
Patrick Garrahan & Robert Peluso. The event location
was chosen. Comm. members will be contacting various
food vendors for prices. Next month we will meet again
to continue our planning.

Photos by
Diane Tjerrild

Photos by
Diane Tjerrild,
Charlotte Renna and
Pam Hansen

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