Fiberglass

Bulletin The Newsletter of the Crescent City Corvette Club New Orleans, Louisiana

Our Website: www.crescentcitycorvetteclub.com Our Sister Club: www.capitalcorvette.org.nz

Volume 9 Issue 5 May 2016 Page 1

2016 Officers Announcements President: Bob Darcey [email protected] Vice President: Gordon Willhoft [email protected] General Membership meeting Secretary: Lisa Sansoni [email protected] Friday, May 20th, 2016, at the Treasurer: Elisha Darcey [email protected] Italian Pie, 5650 Jefferson Hwy, Harahan. Dinner at 6:00 2016 Board of Directors PM and meeting will start at 7:00PM.

Joe Mesa [email protected] Burning Up the Beaches at James Boudreaux [email protected] Destin & Ft. Waltin. May 5-7 Michael Leeds [email protected] Page 19 Bill Folse [email protected] Robert Leeds [email protected] Grand Isle Style Car Show at the Jimmy Herod [email protected] Tarpon Rodeo Pavillion. May 7th. Mac Besnard [email protected] Set up prior to 2:00pm. Page 20 Bill Matthews [email protected] Legends Open Car Show. May Stanley Kenney [email protected] th 14 at Boomtown Casino. Set up starts at 7:00AM. Immediate Past President: Felix Famularo

President Emeritus: Terry Gilbert CCCC Crawfish Boil. May 15th at Webmaster: Wayne Latour the Knights of Columbus Hall in Membership Director: Bill Folse Slidell, LA. RSVP required. See info Newsletter Editor: Bob Darcey on page 9. Postmaster: Dusty Portie

To see the USA in a see Corvette Events: Check for our sponsor: upcoming events on the Confederation Calendar: http://www.localcalendar.com/pu blic/confederation

Page 2 President’s Signals May Birthdays May 2016

Hello Everyone!

Our Legends Open Car Show is scheduled for May 14th! Pre-registrations will be extended to May 6th. This will be a “rain or shine” event! We need everyone’s help to make this a success. It takes a lot of work to plan and execute a show like this. If you haven’t already volunteered contact our show Chairman, Gordon Wilhoft, to Violet Ertel May 5 see where you can be of service to the club and our charity, Children’s Hospital. Edna Centola May 6 Last weekend we traveled to Plaquemine, LA for Baton Rouge Corvette Club’s Labor of Love car show that benefitted the St. Jude Medical System. The weather Lori LaFrance May 6 was beautiful as we joined Bob & Jimmie Leeds for the drive up. We met Linda & Stanley Kenny on the way and Mary & Felix met us at the venue. There were lots of great cars and we got to meet Rodie Sanchez, from the Discovery Channel’s “Killing Sue Gegenheimer May 9 Field” series. See the pictures in this newsletter. Mary Sue Oehlke May 19 Charlie Horton is setting up a trip to a High Performance Driving Event at Road Atlanta. The dates for the trip are September 23rd – 25th. You will have an instructor Lydia Ruiz May 23 in your car and three hours of track time interspersed with classroom sessions. If you are interested contact Charlie at 504-495-5379 or [email protected].

My physical recovery continues. I was able to drive all the way to, and from, Baton Rouge last weekend without much discomfort. That’s my longest stint behind the wheel since my surgery in January. I have come to the realization that I will never get all of the range of motion back in my cervical spine and I’m OK with that. It’s an adjustment, that’s all. Man I love driving the Corvette!

As I mentioned last month, a recent CT Scan has revealed three growths on my left kidney, the same one that was partially removed due to renal cancer in 2013. It is believed that my cancer has returned. Surgery has been scheduled for May 10th to remove the rest of the Kidney. The CT Scan also showed a tiny anomaly in my right kidney, but it is too small to determine what it is. It will be under close observation. Elisha & I ask for your prayers as we have many choices to make that may affect our lifestyle.

Enjoy your Corvettes!

Wave at ‘em. Wave even if they don’t wave back. They might not know any better.

BobD

Membership Notes:

52 Regular Members

4 Auxiliary Members

11 Honorary Members

GM Student Intern/Muscle-Car Lover In Awe Of GM’s Heritage Center

JULY 31, 2015 POSTED BY Ron In Corvette Enthusiasts, Corvette History, Corvette Museum, Corvette News and tagged Corvette, GM Heritage Center, Matick Chevrolet

A pair of 1963 Corvettes, one a and one with hard top, both with a 327 under the hood.

Guest post by Mitchell Bergslien

Growing up, my dad always took me to local (and not so local) muscle-car shows, which only grew my love and appreciation for American muscle cars —where they came from, why they were important and the heritage that they represented.

GM Intern Mitchell Bergslien. Page 3 When muscle cars were hot, it was a simpler time — it was all about who had the biggest V8 and things like the “radio delete” option, checked off to save weight for your quarter-mile time. One of the most important vehicles, I think, that represents heritage, speed, V8s and pure Detroit Muscle is the .

As a intern this summer and muscle-car lover, I (and fellow interns) was given the amazing opportunity to visit the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich. Walking in, the first car you see is a perfect-condition 1956 Chevy pickup, beautiful in black with black wheels and chrome hubcaps — the epitome of what every Chevy truck guy would love to own.

That truck was just the tip of the iceberg in the GM North American Heritage Collection. In addition to a facility full of 600 concept vehicles, rare and classic muscle cars, and experimental vehicles, a very cool part of the museum features archives that contain records of every GM car and truck going back forever.

A visitor could look up, for example, the marketing campaign for the original Corvette from 1953, which is amazing compared to the modern-day marketing for the current C7 Corvette. (Ok, it was cool for me, anyway, considering that I am a marketing major/intern at GM's world headquarters in Detroit this summer.)

After touring all of that, we were invited to the museum’s warehouse. It was GM muscle-car heaven — a dream come true for me to see all these cars in perfect condition, and with such great heritage.

You could see anything from a 1957 Bel-Air or 1996 SS to a 1970 Nova SS or a 1939 Buick Roadmaster. There is a full line of Chevy and GMC trucks from the first Chevy Suburban and 1902 Cadillac. The progression of cars is amazing — it’s exciting to see how far we’ve come.

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Here's the rear view of the beautiful pair, got to love that split window styling! They don’t make them like that anymore.

By far the coolest section was the Corvette line-up, including a perfect Sebring Silver 1963 split-window 327 4-speed with a black interior. Prominently on display next to her is the 1963 convertible 327 4-speed, fashioned in tuxedo black with a gorgeous red interior.

Those two were my personal favorites — the split window was the coolest thing that Chevy ever designed! Of course, the holy-grail Corvette would have to be the 327 fuel injection, 360 horsepower engine, but beggars can’t be choosers. Still, it’s a beautiful car to look at and it is in good hands! I’m so glad that these cars are preserved and kept as a piece of Chevy history.

Two Mako Shark Corvette concepts – painted with the fade from dark blue to light gray just like the Mako Shark itself.

Right next to those two beauties sat a pair of 1973 C3 Corvettes, one in classic white and the other in pace car spec. It was really cool to see the progression of the Corvette in just 10 years. The biggest surprise is the amount of horsepower coming out of those engines.

In 1963, the 327 made more than 300 horsepower. Fast forward to 1973 through the gas/oil crisis, a Chevy small block 350 can’t even make 200 horsepower. As cool as the 1973 Stingray looked, it just didn’t have the performance to match it.

Page 5

A display of Corvette racing memorabilia.

The next generation C6 Corvette was much farther ahead in 2006 — a beautiful car painted in the classic Lemans blue with a black interior. Today’s Corvettes share similar qualities with their older generations, but are still very different, long, low and lean with a big engine.

A C3 interior. Even in today’s C7 you can now get an all-red leather interior, but with much more gadgets and technology.

The most important feature shared was the four circular taillights. Corvette has stayed true to those taillights throughout the years. While other things have changed, including the exterior styling, the interiors and even the Corvette badge, one thing that stayed for a long time was the four round taillights ... until the big change with the C7 generation.

This particular C6 had the 400 horsepower LS2 6.0L V8. One thing I don’t like that all the manufacturers did was switch to liters instead of cubic inches. “Cubic inches” just sounds way cooler than liters, but that’s just me.

Either way, the new Corvette engines are monsters and if they had put this kind of power into a classic ’63 Corvette, it would be beauty-meets-the-beast and it would definitely own the street.

Page 6

Check this mid-engine 1990 Corvette prototype car. Look how low that is to the ground!

On top of all the cool production Corvettes, the museum features a handful of experimental and concept Corvettes that were really cool to see. One that stuck out in particular was the 1961 Mako Shark Corvette. Inspired by the Mako Shark itself, this looker has the 427 V8 and is even painted like a shark — dark blue on top fading down to a grayish white on the bottom. And of course, it features huge side exhaust pipes.

C6 Corvette when they were first introduced in 2005. Oh how far they have come with the styling! For better or worse?

Having the opportunity to experience GM’s entire heritage and to see how far the company has come was just amazing. The progression of cars is fantastic and technology is great, but it’s important to know from where you came.

I would love to go again and would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go!

Page 7

A prototype Corvette, no motor in this, just a cool concept body that would be amazing if they ever put into production!

Access to the GM Heritage Center is limited to GM internal groups and external organizations seeking a unique and exclusive venue that was designed to create an ideal setting for a variety of events. Information about reserving the venue for a special event, meeting, or group tour can be found here.

Mitchell Bergslien, of Oswego, Ill., is a marketing major at Northern Illinois University who is spending the summer in Detroit as a GM marketing intern working in Dealer Network Planning and Investments.

1. What does the term “Blue Devil” refer to? 2009 ZR1 Prototype 2. In what year did corvette first offer fuel injection and 4 speed transmission? 1957 3. In what year was the 427 cubic inch engine first offered? 1966 4. In what year did Corvettes first use R-134 refrigerant? 1994 5. What two special edition Corvettes were introduced on February 1, 2007? Ron Fellows ALMS GT-1 Z06 and Atomic Orange Indy Pace Car Replica 6. What was the base price for a Corvette Coupe in 2013? $50,575.00

1. In what year was the 35th Anniversary Edition offered? How many were produced? 2. In what model year were catalytic converters first added to the Corvette? 3. In what year was the 350 cu.in. engine and steering column ignition switch introduced? 4. In what year was the Corvette built in two different locations? 5. What federally mandated safety item was added to the Corvette in 1986? 6. What colors were used for the 1988 Indy Pace Car Replica?

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When: May 15th , 12:00 to 5:00 PM

Where: Knights of Columbus Hall, 1578 W. Hall Ave., Slidell, LA

You must RSVP to [email protected]

This event is free to club members,

If you don’t eat crawfish please mention this in your RSVP, We will have Roast chicken, Cole Slaw, Beans & Bread for those who cannot eat Crawfish

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Bob Leeds presents the Joan Leeds Memorial Award to Don Tusa of CCCC Sponsor Award presented to Jimmy Menard of Lafayette, 1966 GNOCC Nova SS

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Service Active Handling - Consumer Action

Fellow C6 Owners of Corvette forum,

Doing a search on the term "Service Active Handling" brings up a litany of titles such as "wiped out on the highway" or "brakes seized" in your search results. After becoming a victim of a light speed incident of this failure I decided to do my homework. The information below is not intended to alarm anyone, but please take this thread seriously as your car may be fine, but it may be the life of a fellow Corvette brother you save by taking action.

GM made an "effort" to address the AH/TCS concern by releasing Technical Service Bulletin 06-02-35- 002B THE BULLETIN WAS INTENDED TO CORRECT A FRETTING CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR CONNECTOR C202. This went from installing a zip tie to now inserting a "clip" to ensure the wire is not frayed or pulled taught.

Example of reported incident: Quote:

Defect Investigations Summary

Make: CHEVROLET Model: CORVETTE Year: 2005-2008 NHTSA Action Number: PE08056

Summary: ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2008, ODI OPENED PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE08-056 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF INAPPROPRIATE ACTIVATION OF THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) SYSTEM IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2005 AND 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE VEHICLES. SOME REPORTS RECEIVED BY ODI AND SOME REPORTS TO GENERAL MOTORS (GM) CONTAINED IN GM'S RESPONSE TO PE08-056 ALLEGE THAT THE ESC SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING A SUDDEN AND INAPPROPRIATE BRAKING ACTION WITHOUT ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE LEFT OR RIGHT UNEXPECTEDLY. GM ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN JANUARY 2006, LATER REVISED IN OCTOBER 2007 (BULLETIN NO. 06-02-35-002B) CONCERNING ESC PROBLEMS IN MY 2005 AND 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE VEHICLES WITH THE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL OPTION. THE BULLETIN WAS INTENDED TO CORRECT A FRETTING CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR CONNECTOR C202. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS HAS BEEN OPENED (EA09-002) TO CONTINUE TO ASSES THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, AND SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT.

I recommend any one with any concern with their Electronic Stability Control (Traction Control / Active Handling) system contact the Office of Defect and Investigation (ODI) both informally through the contact link and formally with an official reporting link. Also, for those that have not yet had an issue, but still drive a 2005-2008 model year; it may be in your future interest to also send a letter of concern to the ODI.

Here is the OFFICIAL report the ODI currently is operating with: http://nhthqnwws111.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...9002-32761.pdf

As you can see they have only a few limited reports of this incident when this forum alone has twice as many. If this is a systemic engineer problem the number of incidents will only increase as our cars age and wear.

Please be sure to address your concerns to the Engineer currently working on the case, Stephen McHenry [email protected] (202) 366-4883 and the Office Director, Kathleen C DeMeter [email protected]. Page 13 Use this form to contact ODI: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/contact.cfm Please be sure to include the current investigation number EA09-002

Complete a formal complaint form here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Deep vibration at 75 and above...

Hey guys I have an 09 m6 with 30k miles on it. Car's been great, but noticing now(which it didn't used to) a really low deep vibration coming from the car... it's noticeable at 80 and above. Also, the vibration is still there with the engine at idle and clutch disengaged at that speed. The steering wheel doesn't shutter, and this doesn't really feel like unbalanced tires as I know what that feels like. Also, I've noticed vibration when accelerating hard, especially if I'm changing lanes and the car loads that side(can feel the vibration come from that side) which at the time was the passenger side... It's not exactly the same vibration at cruise but think they may be related since they are a very low frequency... Anyone have an opinion? It seems to be coming from the rear, so I'm thinking rear axle, bent hub, or bent rim... maybe the differential...

Wheel bearings are first that comes to mind.

Easy enough to check each one. Just jack up the wheel. Front wheels can be checked at the 12:00 & 6:00 position on the tire. PUSH PULL the tire and see if you can feel any SLOP in the wheel hub assembly. Theoretically, you should NOT feel any lost motion but you may feel a very little bit.

On the rear wheels, you can also PUSH PULL at the 3:00 & 9:00 position.

Rotate each front tire/rim assy and see if you feel any abnormal vibration/roughness or noise. The rear tires can not easily be rotated unless both tires are off the ground and drivetrain in out of gear.

Even though they may pass the above test, doesn't always mean that they are NOT still an issue as the bearing inside the HUB could be damaged and the issues only show up when the wheel is dynamic.

This statement points directly at a wheel hub/bearing issue!

" especially if I'm changing lanes and the car loads that side(can feel the vibration come from that side)"

IMPORTANT ELECTRICAL INFORMATION (Long!)

Many of you have asked me for help on solving electrical problems and I thought this would be VERY interesting!

My 98 coupe would get the infamous "REDUCED ENGINE POWER", "TRACTION CONTROL FAILURE" and a host of random failure codes. After many, many hours of troubleshooting, replacing the BCM and TAC module, I solved most of the driveability issues. Still getting the random DTC failure codes, I thought that I may be having ground issues. Back in June I cleaned ALL of the chassis grounds and the car virtually stopped throwing the "RANDOM" DTC failure codes. Just moving the wires in the chassis ground connector was enough to change the indications and make the issues stop happening.

I had a chance to speak with some GM C5 Trouble Desk Engineers when I went to Bowling Green KY in April and they pointed out that MANY of the C5 electrical issues can be directly linked to chassis ground problems. The engineer even went as far as to recommending that I chop off the factory under hood chassis ground connectors and combine all of the wires into a single ground lug. Not wanting to just LOP off the factory connector, I took a chance and disassembled one of the ground plug connectors and to my surprise it was indeed full of corroded connections. I strongly recommend that any C5 owner that has had or who are having electrical issues, examine and clean the chassis ground connectors. This may save you from needlessly replacing expensive electronics modules. Each ground connector can be disassembled and cleaned in about 20 min.

Just cleaning the metal ground connection between the chassis and the plug is only a band aid solution. Now that I look back, when I cleaned my chassis grounds and initially solved my issues, I believe that when the connector is being removed to clean the connection between chassis and the connector, just the wires being moved inside the plug is what changed the indications and made everything work better. Disassembly of the chassis ground plug and cleaning the contacts inside the connector is the correct method of solving the issue!

I took some pictures of the under hood chassis ground connector and the corrosion that was in it. I cleaned the two connections on the frame rails and the left one was significantly corroded! Taking it apart and cleaning it is a very straight forward procedure and I believe that if you follow this recommendation, you will be on the way to solving the many of the electrical issues.

Here are some detailed pictures of the ground connector and the corrosion that was found inside it!

Picture of under hood Chassis Ground connector G-101

Corrosion inside connector! (You ain't seen nothing yet!) [IMG]

Page 14 [/IMG]

Next three photos are of the corrosion found on the connector terminals!

[IMG] [/IMG] [IMG] Page 15 [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG] Page 16

Self tapping ground screw and star washer. This is what you will need if the ground stud breaks off during removal!

[IMG] [/IMG] [IMG][IMG]

Here are where the chassis ground points are on a C5:

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Lots to choose from…

Page 18 Page 19 th 4 Annual Car & Bike Show Cruising the Beach “Grand Isle Style” Saturday, May 7, 2016

Grand Isle Tarpon Pavilion, 4500 LA Highway 1

Pre-Registration $25 before April 25, 2016 Registration Day of Show $30/Vehicles Set Up/Shirt Pickup (one per vehicle) 12:00 AM-2:00 PM Please circle T-Shirt Size L XL XXL DASH PLAQUES FIRST 50 REGISTERED Awards presented 5:00 PM $500 Best of Show & Mayor’s Award 50/50 – Music and Food Mail to: Grand Isle Rotary Club. Checks payable to GIRC-Car Show P.O. Box 426, Grand Isle, LA 70358 Pre-Registration $25 (Before April 25, 2016) and Day of Show $30 Any questions call 504-418-3865 David Terrebonne

Name ______Phone ______

Address ______City /State______Zip______

Vehicle Make ______Model ______Year ______

E-Mail______Distance Traveled ______miles

LIABILITY RELEASE: In consideration of the acceptance of the right to participate I, the undersigned, do hereby release and discharge the Grand Isle Rotary Club, their governing body, agents, volunteers, the Town of Grand Isle, Jefferson Parish Department of Parks and Recreation and their governing bodies and anyone else connected with the car show from any and all known or unknown damages, injuries, losses, judgments and/or claims from any cause whatsoever that maybe suffered by me or my property.

Signature of Entrant ______Date ______

Page 20 Page 13 th st nd May 20 , 21 , 22 , 2016

 Friday – May 20th: While some of you are test your skills at the Autocross, others will want to join Dawn Stokes with Total Driving Experience as she conducts seminars to help you gain Road Course knowledge for Sunday’s Track Day. Or you might want to tour the Bureau of Engraving Western Currency Facility, to watch and learn how money is printed. Fort Worth is home to world class museums, The Kimbell Art Museum, The Amon Carter Museum of American Art , and The Sid Richardson Museum of Western Art.

 But whatever you do during the day, be sure you’re at the Speedway by 6:00 PM. The Friday Cruise & Dinner will be a BBQ Dinner and a cruise thru the country returning to the track. We will park our Vettes and flashback to our younger days with an old fashion, or as close as we can get, "DRIVE-IN MOVIE" on "Big Hoss" at the TMS Infield.

 Saturday – May 21st: The Show N Shine Car Show will once again be a Top 100 Format. The Top 50 cars in each Division – Member and Non-Member – will be awarded. The Judged Car Show will be by class with judging done by experienced LSCC Club members (it is not NCRS level judging) who are looking primarily for cleanliness. Both Member and Non-Member Best of Show awards will be given as well as a Judges Choice Award and several Specialty Awards and Picks.

Wil Cooksey, former Corvette Plant Manager is scheduled to attend plus other special guests will be announced at the show and in the Event Program. The Speedway staff will be conducting tours of the Speedway. As always, our wide array of vendors will have lots of new items at great prices. GM and Classic Chevrolet will have the latest models on display and GM will also bring out some great cars for test-drives during the day. Christian Classic Cruisers will be playing old favorites from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.

All activities at TMS will end at 3:00 PM to give you plenty of time to get ready for a fun filled Saturday evening at the Marriott Hotel

 Saturday Evening: Starting off with Happy Hour, we’ll serve a plated dinner. The Live Auction will feature our old friend and previous auctioneer Weldon Floyd. As in the past there will be several activities at the same time after the Live Auction. For those entered in the car shows, awards will be presented in the Main Ballroom, starting with Special Awards. There will also be a Poker setup in the Hallway, while the Silent Auction will continue until approximately 9:30 PM in meeting rooms across rom the Main Ballroom. A cash bar will be available in the Hallway for those who want to meet and greet old friends.

 Sunday – May 22nd: It’s Track Day, with lots of ‘Vette driving activities. Enjoy some of laps around the TMS Oval Track or head to the Road Course to test your driving skills or do both! You can also enjoy the antics of our special “Golf Cart Derby.”

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Track Day Saturday May 28, 2016

May 27 & 28, 2016

   Page 23 501 (c)(3) Foundation

 Featuring Corvettes & Owners

 Supporting Veterans Directly

 Supporting Foundations Helping Veterans

 $200,000 Plus To Help Veterans

 Sold Out Every Year

 Vettes4Vets.org

We are Driven to Helping Veterans! Putting the Pedal to the Metal for Veterans

Vettes-4-Vets signature Memorial Day weekend fundraiser draws over 250 Corvette owners from coast to coast, and international. Overall attendance exceeds 7 diehard Corvette owners with a sprinkling of muscle car enthusiasts...

Vettes-4-Vets’ Social Show & Shine Friday, May 27, 2016 is sponsored by Hendrick Chevrolet at their dealership in Hoover , AL and Team Corvette is hosting Track Day at Talladega Superspeedway.

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Membership Application

New Renewal

Name:______, ______, ______Last First Middle

Address: ______

City: ______State: ______Zip: ______

Home Phone: ( _____ ) ______- ______Please check off the Bus. Phone: ( _____ ) ______- ______phone numbers that Cell Phone: ( _____ ) ______- ______you would like CCCC to contact you with. Pager: ( _____ ) ______- ______Email Address: ______Birthday: ______/ ______Month Day

Spouse / Associate: ______, ______, ______Last First Middle Bus. Phone: ( _____ ) ______- ______Please check off the Cell Phone: ( _____ ) ______- ______phone numbers that you would like CCCC to Email Address: ______contact you with. Birthday: ______/ ______Month Day

Corvette Information Year: ______Color:______Coupe: Roadster: :

Year: ______Color:______Coupe: Roadster: Hardtop:

Membership Classification Member - $55.00 per year ● (Includes one Associate Member) Auxiliary Member - $15.00 per year ● Club Affiliation ______

● (Receives Bulletin; but must pay to attend all CCCC functions) Junior Member - $5.00 per year

Mail to: Crescent City Corvette Club 7229 Zimpel Street New Orleans, LA 70118

New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 Show rescheduled for May 14th due to bad weather

Pre-registration extended until May 6th!