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VVEETTTTEE NNEEWWSS Volume 31, Issue 02 Feb 2012

President’s Corner dfag The January meeting ran well making my job as President easy because we got through the meeting in a timely manner . The credit goes to the membership and hopefully it will continue the rest of the year. One of the many benefits of a smooth running meeting would be that we could cruise to a local ice cream stand like Paulter's or wherever the members decide. Our meetings have such good attendance that we could choose more than one location . I would like to try something new this winter called "Winter Cruise Nights," for COBers to get through the colder non Corvette months. Starting Wednesday, February 22 at 6:30PM those who want to get out of the house meet at the Hillview ,6135 Transit Rood, for food and good company .If this works out we could change the location to wherever the attendees want. Continued p2 Top

What’s Happening Gf COB Installation Dinner March 31 Saturday, March 31, is Corvettes of Buffalo’s 31st Installation Dinner. The event will take place at Kotecki's Grandview Grove located at 4685 Seneca St., West Seneca, NY 14224. This is a formal wear event. We will have a one hour open bar for beer, wine, and pop, along with hors d'oeuvres. We will have a sit down family style dinner and dessert. A cash bar, presentations, music/dancing, club memorabilia, gifts and door prizes will also be part of a fun- filled memorable event. The cost is $15.00 per person . To date, we have 64 members signed up to attend. The sign up sheet will also be at February's meeting. All checks are made payable to Corvettes of Buffalo and given to Debbie Schafer or Diane Breen. If you are not signed up and will not be at the February meeting and would like to attend, Continued p2 Bottom

www.corvettesofbuffalo.com

OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF

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Officers President Pete Ricigliano 716-634-6101 Vice President Lowell Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Secretary Skip Polowy 716-741-7677 Treasurer Larry Ienco 716-570-7110 Board of Directors Sue Brownlee 716-693-4654 Mike Buccilli 716-648-2037 Reas Graber 716-830-7500 Sam Iraci 716-837-8623 Mel Skeide 716-876-1194 Dan Wroblewski 716-430-4238 Rich Zahner 716-225-1188

Committees Carshow Harry Kwiek 716-655-4530 Bob Tkach 716-937-9874 Membership Barbara Lipome 716-691-8845 Newsletter Dave Hall 716-632-9094 Parlimentarian Jim Lawson 716-838-2920 Activities Patti Kirkland 716-304-1818 Phone Comm. Donna Biggie 585-492-2927 Sunshine Comm. Karen Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Webmaster Jim Bonus 716-695-7643 Club Photographer Dan Krakowski

Meeting every second Saturday of the month at

First Presbyterian Church 9675 Main St. Clarence, NY

Meeting starts 7:00 p.m.

Corvettes of Buffalo is open to all Corvette owners and enthusiasts over the age of 21 Visit us at http://www.corvettesofbuffalo.com/ Send Articles To: Dave Hall 126 Milton St. Williamsville, NY 14221 E-Mail : dah41748@hotmail.com Submissions must be in by 24th

I am looking forward to the Sleigh Ride set up by Lee Buccilli and Skip Polowy on Feb. 4 th . Don't forget to dress warmly and bring a snack to pass. Our Feb. 11th meeting will be a free pizza party set up by Maureen and Skip Polowy. My thanks go out to Nancy G. and Barb L. for volunteering to host the meetings.and to Sue K. for making the great cookies every month .We need a co-chairman to run our Salvatore's Car Show, with the help of the Board if needed . This is one of the events that raises money for the Dinner Dance, Christmas Brunch, Picnic, and all the events we all love .. In closing, let’s try to keep busy with new events until the weather clears so we can drive our Corvettes again. If you have any new events that the club could try please talk to me or the Board . Pete R

please send your check to: Debbie Schafer, 48 Zollars Ave., Buffalo, NY 14220, and I will sign you up. Also, if you have any questions, you may call me after 6:00 pm or leave me a message (826-1728) and I will get back to you. Plan on bringing pictures, plaques, anything you want to show at the Installation Dinner. Continued p3

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Kotecki's will accommodate our need for space. I will have more detailed information at the February meeting as I will be fine tuning everything with Kotecki's this week. Kotecki's Grandview Grove is a beautiful, spacious, reputable and efficient landmark with ample parking. Thank you everyone- hoping to see you all there! "Revive the Wave!" Debbie Schafer

COB BIRTHDAYS 2nd John Biggie 2nd Vinny Ricchiazzi 5th Donna Kolbas 7th Carole Rotando 6th Marian Wolfe 12th Dan Hess 15th Lori Lynch 19th Pat Mangan 19th Ray Zelinski 20th Skip Polowy 22nd Debbie Schafer 24th Maureen Polowy

COB ANNIVERSARIES 21st Rose & Peter Ricigliano

1972 CORVETTE RESTORATION The Rag joint that connects the steering to the steering box will be one of the units to be refurbished this month. The problems with the Rage joint are caused by age and usage that cause the rubber cloth joint to rot out and come apart. If not corrected the handling of the car will be greatly affected . I bought a rebuilding kit and was able to use the old steel parts to complete this rebuild. There are a lot of parts that need to be cleaned and assembled to make this joint work and look like new. There are rebuilding kits available for just about everything on my Vette which makes it easer to restore a car now than it did 20 years ago . Continued p4

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!

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NCCC CORNER In the past month or so, several people have asked me how does the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) benefit COB? Over the next few months I will submit articles giving my perspective on how NCCC has helped our club in the past and continues to benefit COB. Continued p5

The starter was next in line to be rebuilt even thou it looked like new .I found a rebuilt date on the side that was Jan. 27 1986 ,so we had to look inside. I found the brushes were worn and need replacement. My local Napa Auto Store had them in stock for $5.10. I cleaned the armature with sand paper so that the new brushes had a good surface to make contact with. After cleaning inside and out, I painted and bench tested it . I know that when the starter is mounted to the engine and wired properly it will start and run for years to come . Pete R

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The fact is now with the expanded

insurance coverage for Officers and Directors NCCC is a great deal.On the plane ride to Florida, a couple of weeks ago, I brought along my latest copy of Blue Bars, Fall 2011. I must confess that I do not usually read Blue Bars cover to cover but I had two hours to kill and wanted to evaluate the entire content of the magazine. I must say that I was pleased with what I read and two of the articles spoke specifically to the diversity of two of our sister NCCC clubs. One is the “Tulsa Vette Set” and the other is ”Corvettes of Battle Creek” (See Blue Bars pages 21 and 25 Fall 2011). Tulsa Vette Set (TVS), currently the largest NCCC club with 408 members, just celebrated their 40th anniversary. Even back in 1985 when Nicolet and I attended the NCCC Convention hosted by TVS, they had over 250 members. TVS, by remaining in NCCC with their formidable numbers, has made it possible for clubs just starting out or those clubs with smaller numbers to obtain insurance at a reasonable cost. One of those smaller clubs may have even been COB during our rebuilding phase. Continued p6 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

The first thing and possibly the last thing people think about when NCCC is mentioned is the insurance coverage we get through them. However, COB might look a lot different or may not even exist if it was not for NCCC. When Nicolet and I joined COB in 1995 total COB membership was about 30 and only 10 to 15 members were present at our monthly meeting. We found it difficult to secure a place to have our regular meetings and when we did one of the first questions that was asked is, did we have liability insurance coverage? This was also true when we had our car shows, especially the indoor shows like Boulevard Mall. Without insurance our ability to secure venues for our activities as well as attract sponsors would be severely limited. In those lean membership years there was no questioning whether we were getting our money’s worth from NCCC dues on the insurance value alone. A bare bones insurance policy for COB would cost about $1500.00 a year, divided by 30 members, the club would be looking at $50.00 a member. An NCCC membership for the same 30 members, which included greater insurance coverage, was $25.00 per member or $750.00. It was not until our membership started to grow and the check written to NCCC became larger that our affiliation with NCCC was brought into question.

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FOR SALE Deep red, 1975 T-top. An original car that has low mileage, kept in excellent condition, owner has original papers and protecto-plate! A 4sp, close ratio trans.(which is somewhat rare), along with original FE7 Gymkhana suspension option which are both on the original window sticker! Original drivetrain! Owner asking $17,900 which is high end, but owner will negotiate. Car runs and drives beautifully. Contact me if interested. John M.

Dear Sirs: I am a Corvette owner living in Orchard Park and will soon be relocating to China for several years. I am not sure if your club accepts used Corvette parts but I have the following available to a good home at no charge: 1. Original 1966 Harrison radiator for a 427. It seems to have a very, very slow pinhole leak and may require recoring. 2. 454 harmonic balancer These parts have been following me around the country for years and I'm tired of moving them. If there is any interest by your members, please let me know. Regards, Lindsey Smith cell 716-228-4695 lindsey.smith@vesuvius.com

. . With our current numbers, which continue to increase, perhaps we can help new clubs or struggling older clubs from going under in order to perpetuate “America’s Sports Car.” One of those smaller clubs may have even been COB during our rebuilding phase. With our current numbers, which continue to increase, perhaps we can help new clubs or struggling older clubs from going under in order to perpetuate “America’s Sports Car.” Let’s not forget Corvettes of Battle Creek with their 40 members, all of whom are NCCC members, that just celebrated their 52nd anniversary. In their article they stated that: “One benefit of NCCC membership happened this past summer. Cont: next column top

Michigan International Speedway (MIS) needed Corvettes with NCCC affiliation to take NASCAR drivers around the track in a parade lap.” No doubt one factor that played a part in this event was the club’s ability to have adequate insurance. I hope you take the time to read the articles in the Blue Bars, I believe you will find them worthwhile. Also, don’t forget about early registration for convention. It opens on February 1st. Jim Brett

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COB SPONSORS

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COB SPONSORS

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COB SPONSORS

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P. O. Box 161 West Seneca,  NY  14224

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

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