Corvair Forum

When it is 60 below, you should have pulled the battery and put it in a warm garage on a trickle charger to preserve its life. Anything below freezing will slowly take the life out of a battery. 3 winters at those temps and your battery is a goner, if you didn't take any precautions to protect it w...

You folks have sharp eyesight. I've NEVER seen the block numbers crooked on a Corvair engine. The spacing is off too. Definitely suspect. I've seen this sort of fakery with other GM blocks and I suppose someone saw the high prices of the Corvair RR block sale and decided to try and make some money. ...

On any car I've replaced a crank on, even my old customers cars, I cranked the window all the way up and mounted the handle pointing away from my arm on the arm rest, so it didn't bug them or be in the way. It only took one complaint (come back) to learn the lesson. On my LM the window winder handl...

gbullman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 5:42 pm Think you’re making good choices, just make sure the front springs don’t have any helpers. I was going to do the same but discovered my left front had helpers in it.

Agreed - that is why I mentioned to check for "cut" front springs. If cut, then I find a good pair of original springs.

I look at it this way, you generally want the window to stay up when you have it closed. So I crank the window up until it is closed and then position the handle so the handle weight helps keep the window closed. On the driver's side this is generally anywhere between the 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock po...

Al -- I noticed the "WHITE" LED bulbs were bright and tended to "wash out" the orange needles. I fixed that issue by going with the "WARM WHITE" LED bulbs that emit a light color similar to an incandescent bulb. Now all the gauge and needle colors look good and have the...

That all makes sense. Guess I'm really wondering how stiff their Heavy Duty convertible shocks are. I do not know who stiff they are, I bet someone here has the factory load rating. IF the front springs are NOT cut then I don't change them. Corvairs sat a little high in the front when new to meet t...

Glad you found the problem. It takes a "skilled" hand to fix a gauge as they are fragile. I found some pictures of a couple EM fuel gauges I worked on decades ago. They show two different designs. One used rivets to attach the rear resistor, the other does not. Be careful installing the in...

I run stiffer shocks on my 4 door 66 (the old Clark's adjustable no longer made), but I run stock springs. Handles well, but a little harsh on rough roads. On my 66 convertible I set the shocks on the SOFTER setting and use stock springs. The convertible body is not as torsionally stiff as the fixed...

That trunk looks great. Just a suggestion. If you haven't cleaned and lubed the trunk latch mechanism, then I suggest doing it. Just something that makes the car nicer everytime you open the trunk with the key. I soak the door and trunk latches in solvent (gasoline is fine IF done outside). I follow...

Brad - I do us dielectric grease on contacts, but I'm reluctant to use it on the dimmer rheostat wire as it is nichrome wire and it can get warm, ever hot. That said I've never measured the wire temperature with the lights dimmed. Not sure how warm the wire gets, but the wire is in a cerarmic holder...

If you do decide to put in a new 10SI alternator, use a three wire, not a one wire. The latter sometimes have trouble self energizing at low speeds. To "turn on" at idle speeds (after just starting the car) the alternator circuit needs electrical power. Different schemes, but the GM desig...

Yes a lot of information. Do pick a wheel YOU like. I run period Camaro Rally wheels since a buddy gave me two sets decades back. They are 14" with a 4.5" backspace (that is mounting side to edge of rim) and 7" wide (that is bead to bead, NOT rim to rim edge) On the front I run a 205/...

The headlight "grinding" as you turn the knob is typical. There is a metal blade that moves across the resistance wire coil. After decades the wire and blade get corroded. Simply rotating it back and forth can clean up the contact if not badly worn. DO NOT lubricate the blade and wire! Cor...

Nate - I did not notice a mention what year your Corvair is! The advice given here has been good. Running a LONG wire from the engine compartment for ground is not advised. Better to find a good body ground close to the gauge. Usually the gauges are reliable, BUT after decades corrosion can affect t...

So far the comments to your problem have been excellent. I did NOT notice what alternator you are using? Is it the 10DN external regulated alternator, the 10SI internally regulated alternator and is it the ONE WIRE, or THREE wire design? Does the instrument cluster FAN/GEN warning light come on when...