Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

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gbullman
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Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by gbullman »

I have been active with classic cars for a little over 10 years now and in the process of really shaking up my inventory. In the process of selling my 1955 Chevy 210 4 Dr with its original rebuilt 265 SBC and Powerglide transmission and will shortly be selling a 79 MGB roadster.

To replace those 2 cars I am purchasing a 66 Corsa Convertible (140 HP) 4 speed that has recently been gone over and is in excellent shape.

LM Corvairs are pretty special to me as my first car was a 65 Monza 4 speed, 4 door that my father gave me with the words, "if you can make it road worthy, you can have it" which started my life long relationship with cars. I learned to drive, took my driving test and pretty much drove the crap out of that car, learning much about driving and mechanics along the way. I consider buying this Corsa a little bit of going back to my roots.

I'm pretty handy mechanically but at this point tend to pick and chose which jobs I want to take on. With just the Corvair, garage space won't be an issue and I already have a couple of TLC sort of items on my list for when I get it home. No doubt this car will be driven. My wife and I are looking forward to spreading our wings a bit more than was comfortable with the MG.

Looking forward to participating in this forum. I've been a long time member of trifive.com which turned me on to communities like this and joined The MG Experience (mgexp.com) when I bought the MG in 2016. Both have been an invaluable resource as I ran into questions and issues and I've done my best to give back when I knew the information being sought by others. I hope to have a similar experience here.

I'll post some pictures once I have the car in my possession. From the browsing I've done this seems like a good place to share info and experiences. Looking forward to sharing with other members on this forum.

Gary
Gary Bullman
66 Corsa Convertible
plrgpr
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by plrgpr »

Welcome. I’ve got a 66 also and this forum is a very valuable resource. There are so many professional and knowledgeable folks here ready and willing to share their expertise!!!!!
Gary Roberson
66 Vert 140 4-sp Corsa “clone”
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flat6_musik
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by flat6_musik »

Welcome to the forum, Gary! Can't wait to see your corsa! 👍
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doug6423
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by doug6423 »

[emoji106]


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65 Monza
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by Bruins_Fan »

Welcome! Look forward to seeing pics of your Corsa.

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'66 Monza Convertible 110hp Powerglide
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glecharles
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by glecharles »

Your first Corvair is also my first Corvair! Looking forward to meeting you and your new ride at an NJ event when that's possible again.
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'65 Sedan — Sent from my moto g(7) using Corvair Forum mobile app

1965 Corvair Monza 110, Sport Sedan w/ Powerglide | New Jersey
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gbullman
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by gbullman »

I have been debating changing to Rally wheels on my Corsa, your photo leans me more in that direction.
Gary Bullman
66 Corsa Convertible
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gbullman
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by gbullman »

Drove the Corsa a little over a 100 miles to get it home yesterday but looks like I’ll have to wait until 12/21 to register it. I don’t even want to start on NJ DMV / MVC and the flat out wrong information on their web site.

Car ran great and I can see I’m going to have a lot of fun with it. A few minor issues to keep me busy and looking forward to a great season next year.
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Gary Bullman
66 Corsa Convertible
Zorm
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by Zorm »

I picked up a 65 version of your 66 2 months ago, just a white top. I agree with you, going to have fun with it!
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by bbodie52 »

:welcome: :welcome2: :wave: Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

I grew up with Corvairs, starting when my parents bought a new 1961 Monza coupe when I was about 8 years old. Over the years I owned a 1962 Monza coupe, a 1963 Turbo Spyder convertible, several 1965 and 1966 Corsa coupes and convertibles, with both the 140hp 4x1 and 180hp turbo engines. I currently have a 1966 140hp Corsa convertible and recently bought a 1966 110hp Monza 4-door sedan with a Powerglide transmission (a first for me -- to stray away from the 4-speed -- NOT BAD!) It also has original factory air conditioning, which is pretty rare. The sedan was born in Van Nuys (Los Angeles) and so was I (in 1952). It had 3 previous owners, but never left Southern California until I bought it.

The pictures and 14"/17" wheel and tire info below may be helpful in developing ideas concerning tires, wheels, styles and sizes for your Corvair.

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My earlier 1965 Corsa coupe and convertible, fitted with Ansen Sprint 7x14" rims

My current Corsa convertible is fitted with 14" Chevy Rally wheels, and the current tires are BF Goodrich Radial T/A p205/70 R14 tires (front) and P235/60 R14 tires on the rear. (if you want to be able to rotate the tires for maximum longevity and better tire wear patterns, the front size will do well on all four corners).
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My1966 Corsa convertible originally was fitted with Goodyear Eagle ST tires (no longer available)


I bought this 1966 Monza Sedan with 110 hp engine, factory A/C and Powerglide transmission from a Southern California BMW dealership in September (the seller was the General Manager of the BMW dealership). I switched wheels to a set of Foose Knuckle 17" x 7" wheels fitted with Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate 215/45ZR17 Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires. The original chrome wheels and Federal SS-657 205/60R14 All Season tires were almost new, but I wanted 17" aluminum rims and the Goodyear tires, so I will likely sell the chrome wheels and tires that the car came with.

The Foose 17" wheels have a 4" backspacing that works well with the late model Corvair. Fitted with the Goodyear 215/45ZR17 tires, there was only a minor clearance problem on the right-front wheel, with the tire rubbing the lower front corner of the body with the tire barely rubbing the body as the wheel is steering to the right. A small sheet metal modification to the bottom of the wheel well opening will increase the clearance and resolve the problem. The low sidewall profile of the modern 17" tire produces an outside diameter that is a very close match to the original 13" tire outside diameter. This is reflected by the Corvair speedometer, which displays speeds that are an exact match in accuracy to my TomTom Satellite GPS speed readout (which also exactly matches local speed radar displays on digital speed signs). The Corvair body slight clearance problem is caused by the increased tread width in comparison to the original narrow 13" tire tread.

The Monza sedan was originally a California car (built at the Van Nuys, CA plant) and had 3 previous owners (all in Southern California). This means a body with no road salt exposure over its 54 years!

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The Monza Sedan came with Chrome rims and Federal Super Steel 657 205 R60x14 tires (which I intend to sell).

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Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by plrgpr »

Is that color Aztec Bronze. If so, that’s mine also except mine is an off white top.
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Gary Roberson
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by gbullman »

It has taken me a while to figure out the whole posting pictures thing but here goes. These were actually taken by the seller but are very recent. It is raining here today so not a good day for outdoor pictures. Intend to get some of this with the 55 before that car leaves the stable.
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Gary Bullman
66 Corsa Convertible
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by gbullman »

I had possession of all three cars for less than a week but did manage to get this shot. Delivered 55 Chevy to the shipper last Thursday so it is on its way to Sweden. MG will be on the market soon and the Corvair will be my sole Classic. Everything I’ve touched on the Corvair so far is in great shape. I was told the car was always kept in a garage and everything I’m seeing supports that type of care.

Looks like winter is coming this week in the northeast so may be a while before I get to put some miles on it, looking forward to a fun Spring & Summer.
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Gary Bullman
66 Corsa Convertible
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by plrgpr »

Nice cars!
Gary Roberson
66 Vert 140 4-sp Corsa “clone”
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by mdh157 »

Nice looking car. I have been looking for a '66 Corsa or later monza with factory 140-4 but no luck. Nothing close enough for me to look at/drive myself before buying. Either junk or pristine, neither of which I want.
61SuperMonza
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Re: Picking up a 66 Corsa Convertible on Friday

Post by 61SuperMonza »

A set of rally wheels would look great on your Corsa. I would go with staggered tire sizes. Go with alittle more meat on the rear. Your going to love your Corvair.
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First corvair in 1985
Have owned 4 corvairs since
65 Corsa coupe 180 turbo
66 Monza coupe 110 PG
66 Monza coupe 140 PG
61 Monza club coupe w/ 150 turbo
Anchorage,AK
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