New Guy from Hanover PA

[jwarren3768]

Hello everyone. Dropping in here to say hello and show off what is not only my first foray into Corvair ownership but my first foray into classic car ownership. Please say hello to Ringo, a 1961 927 Coupe (did I say that right?) that i recently brought home from Baltimore. I don't know what my long term plans are for Ringo. He needs paint, new carpet, and a good cleaning but the important thing is - - he runs.

His previous owner is a great guy (Hi Tommy if you're here) and currently owns several other Corvairs. Luckily for me, he had done alot (and I mean alot) of the heaving lifting here, making Ringo run and purr like a proverbial kitten.

PA title work is, well, overly compicated, but it's finally done and now the wait begins for tags from Harrisburg so I can take him out for a spin.

I'll limit the photos to 3 so you can have a taste of Ringo. He wants to start a new blog to share his adventures. Once I decide on that, I'll share the link.

Any questions for me, I'll do my best to answer.

J.

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

My very first family Corvair was also a 1961 — a brand-new 1961 Monza coupe (I was 8 years old when my parents purchased it in San Jose, California). Our Corvair was white with a red interior and a 4-speed transmission. My parent's purchase of that Corvair, and its replacement in 1965 with a new 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible, set the stage for my lifetime affair with Corvairs!


Left-click the image with your mouse to enlarge for better viewing...

I lived in Lebanon, Pennsylvania and worked at Fort Indiantown Gap and in Harrisburg (after I retired from the Air Force in 1996) from 1993 until 2008. We then relocated to western North Carolina to take care of my aging father.

In looking at the body of your 1961 Monza, it does appear that it suffers from the all-too-common disease of body rot and body cancer brought on by years of exposure to road salt in the Baltimore and Pennsylvania area. Unless you are familiar with body repair, sheet metal welding, etc. you may find that the cost of bring your 1961 Monza body into solid, serviceable condition (if that is your goal) may be prohibitive. Corvair bodies are of unibody construction, which means that few body components can be removed and replaced, except through sheet metal cutting, welding, etc. Before you spend a great deal of cash on mechanical repairs and upgrades, interior cosmetic improvement, etc. it might be wise to have the body of your Corvair evaluated by a reputable body shop to give you an idea of the true condition of your Corvair body. An evaluation and estimate of your Corvair's sheet metal may help you to gauge the true value of the car, and to determine whether it is restorable or begins to fall into the category of being a parts donor.

Your location puts you only less than 10 miles from a valuable resource — The Corvair Ranch in Gettysburg.

1079 Bon-Ox Road, ​Gettysburg, ​PA. 17325
​Phone: 717-624-2805
fax us by the same number... ask us to hook up the machine
​Email: corvairranch@embarqmail.com
Our hours are Monday thru Friday, 9 to 5, Saturday 9 to 12. or contact us for an appointment.
http://www.corvairranch.com/home.html

They can be a valuable resource for mechanical parts, interior components, body parts, etc. If you take your car there they might also be able to offer you some advice concerning your car's future, based on their years of experience! They also may be able to suggest local Corvair contacts, such as members of CORSA (Corvair Society of America). A local CORSA club chapter may prove to be a valuable resource to you as a new Corvair owner. Such clubs offer technical guidance and training, family-friendly social events such as car shows, picnics, scenic group Corvair drives, competition events, car shows, etc.


The websites listed in the following link may be useful to you...

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

Corvair Forum viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

I would like to encourage you to expand on your initial post and tell us more about yourself, your Corvair, and your goals for your Corvair. If you can describe your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities, that would help a lot. Members of the Corvair Forum love to be helpful in assisting other Corvair owners with technical support and advice, but it helps a lot if we have some understanding of your technical background and mechanical abilities, Corvair-related knowledge, etc. Helping us to know more about you and your Corvair will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Pictures are great too, because pictures of your Corvair will help us to visualize where you are with your Corvair and its condition at the present time. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities to resolve some issues or problems.

[jwarren3768]

Thank you for such a comprehensive reply. And for your thoughts and ideas. Please allow me to address them in hopes of starting to round things out (although are they ever totally rounded out?)

"suffers from the all-too-common disease of body rot and body cancer brought on by years of exposure to road salt in the Baltimore and Pennsylvania are"

Yup. The body is rough. I was well aware that the body was rough and that was reflected in the purchase price. You pointed out two major areas, the trunk and drivers door. It also has bubbling under the paint around the wheel wells. Tommy was kind enough to include a nice solid hood to replace the one currently in place. As for the remainder of the rot, I guess I wont' truly know until I get the paint off, right?

"Corvair bodies are of unibody construction...have the body of your Corvair evaluated by a reputable body shop to give you an idea of the true condition of your Corvair body

Excellent point.

"The Corvair Ranch in Gettysburg."

This! I've heard nothing but good things about TCR and its owner and as soon as I have a free Saturday morning, I plan to take a trip over. Quite handy that they are practically in my backyard.

"tell us more about yourself"

I'm not sure how to tell more about myself without turning this into an on-line dating profile! Let's just say that I have no experience with Corvairs other than liking the way they look.

"tell us more about your Corvair"

Ringo's VIN 10927W268808 and Body Tag (Style 61-097; Body WR55297, Trim 881, Paint 936-5) confirm to me at least that he is a 1961 Monza, built at Willow Run, maybe half way through the year(?) and was originally white with a red interior. I have not gotten under the hood long enough to find the stampings on the engine, but I do know that it is a relatively (within 7 years) new rebuild of a non-61 engine. I understand that the trim is also not original to 61 Monza's and that the seats are from a 1964.

Luckily, or maybe not(?) Tommy kept a blog about all of his cars and Ringo's is here http://61corvair.blogspot.com/. I've not parsed through the entire blog, but i do want to catalog what was done, you know for history.

"tell us more about your goals for your Corvair. "

Right now, I don't have goals for the car. But because he is a bit of a Franken-Vair, cobbled together with bits and pieces from a number of different model years, I have no expectations of ever creating a trophy winning restoration. Ultimately, I think I want a nice driver that I can have a little fun with on warm weekends. But until I am able to sort the body, I don't want to set my expectations too high only to disappoint myself. However, because the car seems to be mechanically sound and does in fact, drive, stop, have all of its glass and not leave a trail of fluids, bits and pieces, and rust behind it, my immediate plans are to play with it for a bit, and decide whether I want to commit the time, energy and resources to it.

"If you can describe your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities"

As for my mechanical skills and abilities, I would think that I am somewhat more advanced than your average weekend warrior. I've done a significant amount of engine work (all external) (water pumps, powersteering, etc.) along with brake work (maintenance, brake lines) on my old Tahoe. Also, as my father used to say, "I can read" -- or in 2016 parlance "Youtube & google" enough to stay out of trouble. I've also done significant small engine repairs (tractors, lawn mowers & such).

Glad to be here.

J.

[philter39]

Welcome. My first thought when I saw you named your 61 Ringo is you need 3 more and name them Paul.John,and George. You will then be a normal Corvair owner. Enjoy the drive. My only comments are. Make the car how you want it. Do not be concerned that the parts are "correct " or not. As you drive and show your Corvair around you'll find that people love it the way it is and will share with you their Corvair story.


Phil Levering ParkerFord,PA

[caraholic4life]

jwarren3768 Welcome to the site.

For what it is worth, I got know Tom through local owners here in Maryland several years ago and he is one of the good guys.
I hope you get many miles of enjoyment from the '61.

If you are unaware of it, there is a great source for parts and knowledge at The Corvair Ranch in Gettysburg Pa.

[Steve62]

Welcome from Southern California! Enjoy the new toy/project/lifestyle...!!!

[lostboy]

Ah.... the famous Corvair fleet ringo?


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[jwarren3768]

jwarren3768 Welcome to the site.
For what it is worth, I got know Tom through local owners here in Maryland several years ago and he is one of the good guys.
I hope you get many miles of enjoyment from the '61.
If you are unaware of it, there is a great source for parts and knowledge at The Corvair Ranch in Gettysburg Pa.

I agree. Tom seemed like a genuinely nice guy and the fact that he'd documented just about everything he'd done to the car went miles in my eyes. If the weather holds this weekend (sunny & 63 on Saturday) I may take a ride over to Gettysburg and have a look around.

Ah.... the famous Corvair fleet ringo?
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The one and only.

Welcome. My first thought when I saw you named your 61 Ringo is you need 3 more and name them Paul.John,and George. You will then be a normal Corvair owner. Enjoy the drive. My only comments are. Make the car how you want it. Do not be concerned that the parts are "correct " or not. As you drive and show your Corvair around you'll find that people love it the way it is and will share with you their Corvair story.
Phil Levering ParkerFord,PA

Well I didn't name him, but it fits! Plus if he turns out to be half as fun as I hope, who knows, perhaps a ~vert a Van and a Lakewood? Shhh, don't tell the wife what the bills for all these new storage units are for!

[lostboy]

Cool! Yeah his blog is good. Awesome that he got a new generation into these cars. (His daughters.)


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[cad-kid]

Welcome to the forum.

[subdude17349]

Howdy, and welcome neighbor! I'm 30 minutes east of you.

Just to echo a few of the already posted things, Tom is indeed a great guy and you've got a good introduction to the Corvair world with Ringo.

By all means stop in and see Jeff at the Ranch. You won't find a nicer, more knowledgeable guy around. I'm proud to say that I've been doing business with Jeff since he took the place over from John in the early 80's. He's helped me out numerous times with parts and services, and I consider myself fortunate to have him as a local resource.

Check out Central PA Corvair Club, great people and they meet in York.

I'm sure we'll run into each other sometime at the local meets. Again, welcome to the clan!

Jim

[PaulR]

Hello everyone. Dropping in here to say hello and show off what is not only my first foray into Corvair ownership but my first foray into classic car ownership. Please say hello to Ringo, a 1961 927 Coupe (did I say that right?) that i recently brought home from Baltimore. I don't know what my long term plans are for Ringo. He needs paint, new carpet, and a good cleaning but the important thing is - - he runs.

His previous owner is a great guy (Hi Tommy if you're here) and currently owns several other Corvairs. Luckily for me, he had done alot (and I mean alot) of the heaving lifting here, making Ringo run and purr like a proverbial kitten.

PA title work is, well, overly compicated, but it's finally done and now the wait begins for tags from Harrisburg so I can take him out for a spin.

I'll limit the photos to 3 so you can have a taste of Ringo. He wants to start a new blog to share his adventures. Once I decide on that, I'll share the link.

Any questions for me, I'll do my best to answer.

J.

Welcome. My '64 Monza had rust on the hood of the car like yours, not all that common in Corvairs, but you can easily replace it with a better one like I did. A Corvair does not have to be perfect, just be enjoyed.

[GriffinGuru]

Hi Jwarren,
Nice car, I always thought the EM coupes look great. I myself have a 64 convertible that I'm learning body work as I go and it is still rough looking, but "road worthy" and fun to drive. You mentioned about removing paint, does that mean you are going for a re-paint rather than fixing/blending the rust spots as is? Perhaps it is better that way.

Glad to see a few locals here as I am also in the south central PA area. Good luck and someday I hope to see your coupe out on the road!

[lostboy]

Hello everyone. Dropping in here to say hello and show off what is not only my first foray into Corvair ownership but my first foray into classic car ownership. Please say hello to Ringo, a 1961 927 Coupe (did I say that right?) that i recently brought home from Baltimore. I don't know what my long term plans are for Ringo. He needs paint, new carpet, and a good cleaning but the important thing is - - he runs.

His previous owner is a great guy (Hi Tommy if you're here) and currently owns several other Corvairs. Luckily for me, he had done alot (and I mean alot) of the heaving lifting here, making Ringo run and purr like a proverbial kitten.

PA title work is, well, overly compicated, but it's finally done and now the wait begins for tags from Harrisburg so I can take him out for a spin.

I'll limit the photos to 3 so you can have a taste of Ringo. He wants to start a new blog to share his adventures. Once I decide on that, I'll share the link.

Any questions for me, I'll do my best to answer.

J.

Welcome. My '64 Monza had rust on the hood of the car like yours, not all that common in Corvairs, but you can easily replace it with a better one like I did. A Corvair does not have to be perfect, just be enjoyed.

That is so true.


Daily driver on the right.


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[jwarren3768]

Welcome. My '64 Monza had rust on the hood of the car like yours, not all that common in Corvairs, but you can easily replace it with a better one like I did. A Corvair does not have to be perfect, just be enjoyed.

PaulR, Ringo's hood is, to understate it, crusty. Definitely needs to be replaced and luckily for my Tom supplied a nice straight, clean, rust free 64 hood. Apparently the only difference between the 61 & the 64 hoods are the CORVAIR script on the lip of the hood. I kinda like it so.....

Nice car, I always thought the EM coupes look great. I myself have a 64 convertible that I'm learning body work as I go and it is still rough looking, but "road worthy" and fun to drive. You mentioned about removing paint, does that mean you are going for a re-paint rather than fixing/blending the rust spots as is? Perhaps it is better that way.

GG, I think eventually he'll get a repaint. I polished the paint a little bit and wow did that make a difference, but the paint is still on the old side. Right now Ringo is more in the RatRod category than even in the 20-footer category. The good thing is, and I'll continue to say this, he runs solid. So I don't feel compelled to rush into a ton of body work until I can formulate a long term plan.