New to the site with a '63

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myred63
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Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

Hi All, I just acquired a 1963 Monza red convertible from my Dad. It is the car I learned to drive in, took my drivers test and delivered news papers in. We have owned the car since the late 70's. My mom always wanted a red convertible. That ages me but I can tell you the car is one year younger then me. My dad is getting older and doesn't want to crawl under it anymore. We have restored most everything on the car over the years. New motor, I think it is the 1964 110hp. We did that just after we bought it. I'll get the numbers off it soon and we can figure that out. New rugs, side panels, two new tops, I think new seats. I just put in a new left carb, starter and battery. So this will be a continuing project that I want to run around town in for fun. I do have some questions that I will post in the appropriate area. It has to do with timing and tuning. I did put premium fuel in it and it affected the timing. I'll get pictures up soon. It is still at my dads for now till I get it running well to run it for an hour to the Thousand Oaks, CA area. This seems like a great forum already. I have found good info just with a few times looking around. Looking forward to the ride.
myred63
MyRed63
Jerry Whitt
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Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 2:42 pm

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by Jerry Whitt »

Welcome to the Forum!!!

Most of the questions that come up will have several people here that can answer.

Hope to see some pictures!
Jerry Whitt
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN
Retired
Hemet, Callifornia
65 Monza, purchased new
65 Corsa convertible
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bbodie52
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Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by bbodie52 »

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

There are some parallels in my own Corvair story with your Corvair story... although I am about ten years older since I was born in 1952. Our first family Corvair was a new 1961 Monza coupe, and our second Corvair was a new 1965 Corsa convertible. I learned to drive and took my first driver's test in that second Corvair in 1968-1969 in San Jose, California. I rebuilt my first Corvair engine and automatic transmission during my high school summer vacation in 1969. In December 1969 we moved from San Jose to Thousand Oaks, where I graduated from high school in 1971 and was married in April 1972. The car I drove at my wedding and on my honeymoon was a 1962 Monza coupe, powered by that 1963 engine that I rebuilt in 1969. My wife and I left Thousand Oaks in late 1972-1973 at age 20 when I joined the Air Force. We did live in Ventura county again (with our Corvairs) when I received an assignment to work with the California Air National Guard in Van Nuys as a technical adviser and instructor from 1983-1987. At the time my parents still lived in Thousand Oaks and my wife and I took up residence in Camarillo, and later moved into base housing at Point Mugu — so I do have some ties to your area.

I look forward to seeing pictures of your Corvair convertible. If the engine is a 110 hp it should have a harmonic balancer on the crankshaft, rather than the solid riveted pulley found on earlier engines. It should also have a cast magnesium blower, as pictured below.

ImageImage

If you need any Corvair reference materials you can download numerous publications in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format at no cost, using website links found at the following Corvair Forum listing...

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

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


You might also choose to join CORSA (Corvair Society of America). There is a local club chapter in Ventura County.

Note: This Ventura County CORSA website seems dated, with no significant updates in almost five years! CORSA chapters vary in the level of activity, and I don't know what you will find if you contact this group. If the club is not very active, there are many others in Southern California that are quite active. A link to the CORSA national directory is also included in the list of useful websites that I provided above.

CORSA clubs offer opportunities to socialize with other Corvair owners in your area. They are family-friendly and often organize competitions, learning sessions, Corvair shows, picnics, scenic drives, and sometimes assist each other with maintenance projects as they work together to keep their Corvairs on the road and enjoy a common bond of Corvair interests. Here is some contact information on the CORSA chapter in your area...

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CORSA Chapter Locator - Ventura County Corvairs

Chapter ID: 931
Organization Name: Ventura County Corvairs
Street Address (Primary): 1364 Cottonwood Ln, Fillmore, CA
President: Robert Martyn, email: woodysbuses@yahoo.com
Vice President: Paul MacLaren (Past President), Phone: (805) 643-5257
Secretary, Webmaster: Tim Chew, email: tchew25@gmail.com, Phone: (805) 680-1495
Membership: Vanita Turner, email: venturacountycorvairs@yahoo.com, Phone: (805) 647-4826
Activities: Vanita Turner and Holly Blankenship
Newsletter Name: Corvair Chronicle
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/venturacountycorvairs/
Email (Primary): venturacountycorvairs@yahoo.com

Monthly Meetings are held every 2nd Thursday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at:

Carrow's on Seaward
2401 Harbor Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001

*PLEASE NOTE: Occasional meetings may be held at other announced locations.

:welcome:
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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myred63
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:17 pm
Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

Thanks for the welcome. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to take some pictures and post a few. Looking forward to digging into the car and getting it running smooth.
MyRed63
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myred63
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Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

Hi All, Took some pictures finally. It is still in the garage because believe it or not, it was raining in CA. I have been doing some research to find out what engine was actually put in. The tag number is T1207RB.
20150222_154021.jpg
Looking at the posts here and some searching, looks like the "T" is the same Tonawanda, New York (GM Tonawanda Engine Plant) as everyone else. Then the 1207 or I207 as it is would be Dec 7th. Now the RB was a bit hard to find but it looks like it is "6 cyl, 164 cc's and 1965-66. So it seems like the 110HP unit. Look at the top engine view picture and you see the Magnesium fan, but interesting having a look at the pulley, it is the solid riveted one from 60-63. I'll just take it as an old pulley on a new engine. At some point, I would like to swap it out for a balance one.
Well that is it for now. I'll add pictures when I have it out in the sun. I start also posting in the appropriate question area when I get into tuning up the engine to run smooth and strong.

MyRed63
Attachments
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MyRed63
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bbodie52
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Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by bbodie52 »

It looks like your engine is a transplant from a 1965-66 Corsa.

Here is the breakdown for that engine serial number...

T1207RB
Image
T = Tonawanda, New York (GM Tonawanda Engine Plant)
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/comp ... wanda.html
1207 = Engine manufacturing date of December 7 (The year is never included in this date, unfortunately)
RB = 1965-1966 140 hp 164 Cubic Inch Displacement - Manual Transmission - Corsa ONLY

Your engine was apparently a 4-carburetor engine that received a head transplant. Unless the camshaft and crankshaft was changed the bottom end is likely still a 164 CI engine with a 110 hp / 140 hp camshaft. The cylinder heads could be from a 95 hp (8.25:1 CR) or a 110 hp (9:1 or 9.25:1 CR) engine — the difference being the compression ratio. There are cylinder head casting numbers at the end of each head, next to the valve cover. I have attached an extract from the CORSA Corvair Technical Guide 1+2 that will help you to decode the casting numbers.

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Sample cylinder head casting number

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If your engine does have a 164 CI crankshaft and 110 hp heads, it should also be fitted with a harmonic balancer. Your engine is fitted with an early model 1960-1963 riveted crankshaft pulley. Harmonic balancers were fitted in 1964 to all but the 95 hp engine to help protect the crankshaft from forming cracks. You may want to consider obtaining a harmonic balancer for your engine.

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Your engine is also fitted with an early design air cleaner assembly and a PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system using a PCV valve, instead of the later design with a fixed orifice.

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Attachments
CORSA Corvair Technical Guide 1+2 - Corvair Code Numbers.PDF
CORSA Corvair Technical Guide 1+2 - Corvair Code Numbers
(1.25 MiB) Downloaded 19 times
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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myred63
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:17 pm
Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

Hi, good stuff. When the engine was changed, we really didn't know about all the options. It leaked really bad an a guy drove up in a Corvair truck and swapped out the engine in the street. Could have swapped out the block and put the old head back on. Well, I think i'll look into changing out the pulley to a balance one soon after I get it tuned up. Once it is running good, I can pick a choose what is next. I guess I'd have to take off the covering to see the cylinder head casting numbers.
Thanks,
MyRed63
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bbodie52
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Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by bbodie52 »

This video may help as a guide in swapping the pulley for a harmonic balancer. Procedures for your 1963 will be slightly different than the late model Corvair in the video, but overall it is very similar. A special engine jack is used in the video, but a standard service station hydraulic floor jack may be substituted. I usually use a 3/4" piece of plywood to protect the underside of the engine from the jack lifting platform...



The harmonic balancers are not inexpensive, but buying a used one may not be a good idea because the rubber that bonds the metal components together does decay with age and as they wear out the outer section can begin to slip and will eventually fail. They do last a long time, but there is no way to really know how much "life" may be left in a used harmonic balancer.

:link: http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... ge=OTTO-23
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:link: http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... ow_page=11
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Part number C9871A: HARMONIC BALANCER-REPRO ORIGINAL STYLE *SUGGEST SEAL C483/C483V

Weight: 6 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 11(43),OT,23
Price: $ 214.95


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Part number C1438: NEW HARMONIC BALANCER ** SUGGEST SEAL C483/C483V

Weight: 6 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 11(43),OT,23,SUP,40
Price: $ 149.00


Image

Part number C483: SEAL,CRANK PULLEY REAR HOUSING

Weight: 0 lbs 4 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 7A,12(46),157A
Price:
1 - 1 $ 6.60


Part number C483V (Other): SEAL,CRANK PULLEY REAR HOUSING-VITON

Weight: 0 lbs 4 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 7A,12(46)
Price:
1 - 1 $ 9.70

MyRed63 wrote:...When the engine was changed, we really didn't know about all the options. It leaked really bad an a guy drove up in a Corvair truck and swapped out the engine in the street...
The mechanic you mentioned who swapped the engine was probably Dave Statland, who had a mobile business in Southern California repairing Corvairs. It appears that his website is no longer active.

Image
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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myred63
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:17 pm
Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

I'll look into changing the pulley down the road. Thanks for the information. Do these post stay on here forever? So I can refer back to them when I need them?

The guy who swapped out the engine was in the Bay area, CA. We lived in Mountain View, CA and it was done in the late 1970's.
MyRed63
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flat6_musik
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Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by flat6_musik »

:welcomeparty: to the forum!
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bbodie52
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Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by bbodie52 »

Except for the "for sale" section, all posts are eternal and everlasting, to serve as perpetual Corvair reference material.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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myred63
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:17 pm
Location: Newbury Park, CA 91320

Re: New to the site with a '63

Post by myred63 »

Good to hear all posts will stay. I am sure there is a wealth of info one can dig into.

Thanks for the welcome guys, Jerry Whitt and flat6_musik
I'll have to figure out a salutation soon for fun and an avatar.
JDD
MyRed63
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