Post by rockpickerforever on May 22, 2013 17:06:21 GMT -5
In the summer of 1977, my dad bought me a 1964 Corvair, two door with automatic (2 speed!) transmission. He paid the whopping sum of $75 for it, since it needed some repairs. The previous owner had been having it serviced at a gas station, and some of the spark plug holes were stripped. They don't run very well with a plug or two missing. Allthough, if I recall, we did manage to drive it home that way.
The deal was, he paid for the car and the parts, and I supplied the labor. I rebuilt the motor (top end only, except since they are a flat motor, they don't really have a "top" or "bottom" end - lol! What I mean is I didn't split the case and replace the main bearings), put new viton o-rings on the push rod tubes and got her running again. Then I repainted it the original color (except painted the roof white) in the garage, and replaced the seats. Sometime during the 14 years that I owned it, the transmission quit shifting into 2nd gear. So with two transmissions to work with and a reseal kit (all the o-rings/seals that are in the trans), I put together a transmission that worked well. I ended up selling it because we got a third vehicle (a '72 Ford 4X4), and could not have more than two at our space. I sometimes think about it, and miss it. But it was to the point that it felt like I was constantly repairing this or that (had a front ball joint break once, thankfully it happened at home!) and was getting tired of working on it.
Me and my old Corvair, dressed up for a Flag Day parade in 1979. The red stripes on the roof and the white stars were just vinyl stickers. It was a very dark metallic blue.
My 1964 Corvair next to my dad's 1963.
My dad's Corvair has been "aging" in his garage for the past 20 years or better. On top of its car cover, it is piled high with "stuff." You can't even see it, you'd never know it was even there! A couple weeks ago, my dad offered me his Corvair, with the same generous offer. He'd help pay for the parts it needs. He bought it new in 1963 in San Diego, probably cost less than $2K at the time. I'm not sure how many miles are on it, but I'm sure it is less than 100,000. He quitr driving it when he retired and bought a BMW. It has been sitting in his garage for probably the last 20 years or so. Will have to drain the old gas, change oil and gear oil (4 speed trans), and replace the wheel cylinders. But no coolant or radiator worries - HA! - since it is an air-cooled motor. It was running when it was parked for the final time, but just sitting for that long will cause some problems.
He has told me that I can fix it up and keep it, or fix it up and sell it. So that is my dilemma - should I keep it, or get something newer that gets better mileage, with more safety features than just seal belts? Jean
The deal was, he paid for the car and the parts, and I supplied the labor. I rebuilt the motor (top end only, except since they are a flat motor, they don't really have a "top" or "bottom" end - lol! What I mean is I didn't split the case and replace the main bearings), put new viton o-rings on the push rod tubes and got her running again. Then I repainted it the original color (except painted the roof white) in the garage, and replaced the seats. Sometime during the 14 years that I owned it, the transmission quit shifting into 2nd gear. So with two transmissions to work with and a reseal kit (all the o-rings/seals that are in the trans), I put together a transmission that worked well. I ended up selling it because we got a third vehicle (a '72 Ford 4X4), and could not have more than two at our space. I sometimes think about it, and miss it. But it was to the point that it felt like I was constantly repairing this or that (had a front ball joint break once, thankfully it happened at home!) and was getting tired of working on it.
Me and my old Corvair, dressed up for a Flag Day parade in 1979. The red stripes on the roof and the white stars were just vinyl stickers. It was a very dark metallic blue.
My 1964 Corvair next to my dad's 1963.
My dad's Corvair has been "aging" in his garage for the past 20 years or better. On top of its car cover, it is piled high with "stuff." You can't even see it, you'd never know it was even there! A couple weeks ago, my dad offered me his Corvair, with the same generous offer. He'd help pay for the parts it needs. He bought it new in 1963 in San Diego, probably cost less than $2K at the time. I'm not sure how many miles are on it, but I'm sure it is less than 100,000. He quitr driving it when he retired and bought a BMW. It has been sitting in his garage for probably the last 20 years or so. Will have to drain the old gas, change oil and gear oil (4 speed trans), and replace the wheel cylinders. But no coolant or radiator worries - HA! - since it is an air-cooled motor. It was running when it was parked for the final time, but just sitting for that long will cause some problems.
He has told me that I can fix it up and keep it, or fix it up and sell it. So that is my dilemma - should I keep it, or get something newer that gets better mileage, with more safety features than just seal belts? Jean