Cad-kid's 65 Monza - my first Corvair

[zeiss150]

Great car. Great project. I can't wait to get my 66 running. Thanks for all the awesome photos.

[Lgbpop]

Makes me want one of my own again! Great pics, nice work. REALLY sweet work on rebuilding the 140. It must run great now.

I never saw this asked or answered, though....this is a Monza, who painted the taillight cove silver? That was exclusive to Corsas in 1965. It looks great, but it keeps throwing me off.

[cad-kid]

Thanks for looking at my post Lgbpop - is your user name something do to with trains? (LGB)

-Carbs - still working on them - I haven't gotten it to run as good as I want to on the primaries yet...so the second set of carbs is currently disconnected (but not for much longer). I have Seth's new distributor ready to install and that should help most of my car's problems. But I didn't let a little poor running set me back as I put about 3k on the odometer last year

This year I have new pushrods and lifters to install, rear wheel bearings, and Seth's distributor. Then it should run and drive better (I am very picky)

- The PO painted the cove. When I first got the car it bugged me but the contrast of it and the fact the PO installed a Corsa lower rear air grill, the look has grown on me.

[cad-kid]

UPDATE TIME!

It has been quite a while since I posted an update- now I have some worthy progress!
These last few weeks there have been major improvements with how this Corvair runs and drives

The first major improvement came with the installation of Seth's Electronic Distributor
This excellent piece fixed my ailing ignition system by completely replacing it - (distributor, coil, and no more resistance wire!). I went with the HEI style cap which necessitated the purchase of new wires. At the same time I took out the AC44 spark plugs and went with NGK BR8HS-10 plugs (cooler heat range). Now the car starts and runs like it should. I was also having a major pinging problem (caused in part by weak spark) - this really cured that issue and now I have the initial timing set where it should be.




Another thing I did was to replace the lifters and push rods. I didn't do this when I rebuilt the top end of the motor (due to my wallet). But I was having an issue of one or more collapsed lifters and a few lifters that would pump up and not let down. The replacement lifters are working excellently.

The second issue big issue with the car was a vibration at highway speed. Several things contributed to this issue. First was the installation of rebuilt rear wheel bearings. I purchased the complete units (with backing plate) from Clarks. The swap was straight forward and no special tools or pullers required. I chose the complete unit because I wanted the car down for a short time versus sending out the hubs for a rebuild. The Clark hubs are excellent! They even have new wheel studs installed. (photo below taken after a few hundred miles)-



The front shocks were also replaced - I went with the "red riders". I am glad to have purchased the special top shock bushings as the old shocks didn't have them!

The final bit was replacement of the LH rear brake drum. Someone long ago decided to use a hammer on the edge of the drum as it was missing several chunks from the outer edge (the braking surface was good though).




The made in China one fit well. But it's not as nice as the factory style (no knockout to back down the brake adjuster).

Here's another thing that reared it's head shortly after driving it this year - the 1 year old fuel sender.



It showed empty with a full tank and after fiddling with the wire it worked for a day then quit. I also noticed the sender wire attachment point was weeping fuel. I figure the seal went bad due to the excessive force I had to use with the rock hard original connector (to get it seated).




Upon removal of the old sender I also found the float was full of fuel! Now with the new sender installed and a used pigtail obtained from a helpful Corvair owner things are looking much better.

In closing, the new ignition system along with the suspension work has restored the trust in my summer driver

[PressurizedPancake]

Congratulations on getting all of your winter updates done. Sounds like you are in for a nice long summer of enjoyment. Bummer on the float! At least you knew it was going to be easier to take out!

Enjoy your car, love the Olds rims. I'll be on the lookout for you on the road and at shows!

[cad-kid]

Thank you! The Olds rims are heavy but the price was good and many people think they are stock.

I'm more of a go-er than a show-er. I will be in the Appleton area once a month for pinball league so you just might see me on the road

[91blaze]

Glad to see you made progress. Feels good being able to drive it reliably, isn't it.

[BobWitt]

Jeremy - I just reviewed your thread again, this is where I learned to try to address lash before I freak out about my one low cylinder compression... Good to hear everything is running well and you are getting some drive time...

Where did you get your drum? I'm always looking for sources, don't know what all paths my project will take me...

My best...

[cad-kid]

Glad to see you made progress. Feels good being able to drive it reliably, isn't it.

Thanks Blaze. It certainly is a great feeling to get the feeling of reliability back

[cad-kid]

Jeremy - I just reviewed your thread again, this is where I learned to try to address lash before I freak out about my one low cylinder compression... Good to hear everything is running well and you are getting some drive time...

Where did you get your drum? I'm always looking for sources, don't know what all paths my project will take me...

My best...

Thanks Bob, I want to get more driving time (like in the rain) but I have some small rust issues in the wheel wells to address first I bought this car as a project and it hasn't disappointed

For the drum - all the chains I checked had a listing ( car quest, Napa, O'Riley's, advanced, & auto zone). All were about the same price ($50 ish). No one had it in stock. I called auto zone and they told me 1 to 2 days. It came on the next day

I will keep an eye out for a good original drum as I like having the slot to back off the adjuster if needed.

[Edz]

I can't wait for when I reach the point I can take mine out fir a drive! Thank you for the inspirational update.

[cad-kid]

I can't wait for when I reach the point I can take mine out fir a drive! Thank you for the inspirational update.

You're most welcome Ed. Keep up the good work on your car. I enjoy the Nevada Corsa updates

[bbodie52]

Yours is the first consumer feedback that I've seen on the Seth Emerson distributor that hit the market this year.

The electronic distributor offered by Performance Corvairs is apparently a Pertronix unit that has been tailored specifically to specifications established by Seth Emerson for the Corvair. It contains a Pertronix trigger module similar to the unit marketed separately to modify an old Corvair distributor. The price from Seth Emerson seems very reasonable for a complete new distributor with the Pertronix ignition system included. The distributor from Seth Emerson sells for only $180! The rebuilt Corvair distributor shown below includes no points, condenser, cap or rotor, and sells for $170.15 with a core exchange distributor. An Ignitor II conversion kit would add another $118.15 to the overhauled stock Corvair distributor, and if you add a new high performance cap and rotor ($23.70) the total cost of an overhauled stock distributor, with Pertronix II electronics and a new cap and rotor is approximately $312.00! That is $132 more than a new Pertronix billet distributor from Seth Emerson — complete with Pertronix electronic components and new HEI cap and rotor. New plug wires from Seth Emerson add $35 to the cost of the distributor. That would seem to be a real bargain!

Part number C5745E: REBUILT DIST 65-69 140HP*CORE MUST BE * *140 OR NO CORE REFUND!-NO VACUUM ADVANCE

NOTICE: Price includes core value: $90.00. You will be issued a refund of $90.00 when you return the used part.

Weight: 4 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 79
Price: $ 258.00

Part number C5746E: REBUILT DIST 65-69 140HP-CORE SENT PROB! RECEIVED CORE?(IF NOT=C5745E)NO ADVANCE

Notice: Review this part carefully for additional information or a possible "Problem".

Weight: 4 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 79
Price: $ 170.15


Part number C11400: IGNITOR II *!*! FLAME THROWER II COILS MUST BE USED -C11401,C11402,C11403

Weight: 1 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 74
Price: $ 118.15

With the billet distributor, no pressure retard device is available. The centrifugal advance curve must be modified to work on a turbocharged engine, according to the application notes.



http://www.perfvair.com/

Pertronix Flame Thrower Billet Distributor Catalog.pdf

Pertronix Flame Thrower Billet Distributor Catalog

(1.9 MiB) Downloaded 52 times

[cad-kid]

Here's a little more info on the "guts" of Seth's distributor taken from two CC threads.

On October 30 2014 Seth wrote "A few notes. This has been a 10 year project. After working with the MSD guys to try to get a product out for the Corvair, they determined, "no market" and didn't want to pursue it (about 8-9 units were converted and delivered). Then I worked with Pertronix and received the same basic response. So I found a company in Southern California who would work with me and make a dedicated Corvair unit. They make several other HEI-style conversions (Fords and Chryslers!!) Not hiding anything - the units are, indeed, built in China. I do not import them, (My Mandarin is a bit non-existent), but the back and forth is one reason it took so long to get the product finished. I tested three successive prototypes, both for performance and fit. The final unit was raced at a Road-racing event, run on a bunch of autocrosses and street driven. The physical design is based on the Pre-HEI GM distributors, so many aftermarket accessories will work. The on-board electronics have powered thousands of distributors, but as yet, are not available at your corner NAPA store. I hope to have piece parts available as replacements soon. The unit is similar in design to MSD's ready to run, but uses no MSD parts - though many interchange. The Black well-type cap is a mid 60s GM V6 cap for a specific motor. They cannot supply them with those caps, only the HEI-style (pin-type) is standard. I think the unit could be modified to send the magnetic pulse directly out to feed a aftermarket box.

On Jan 22nd 2015 Seth wrote "The new distributor has a complete ignition system built-in, triggered, internally, by a magnetic pulse. The actual pick-up in the new distributor is identical to the one used in many MSD distributors, but the wiring is a bit different."

[bbodie52]

Thanks for the clarification. It looked so similar to the units shown in the Pertronix catalog I thought that Seth Emerson was procuring them from Pertronix.

Obviously Seth Emerson has put a lot of effort into producing these distributors. They appear to be a quality product, and I hope that the Corvair owners will give his distributor serious consideration. It seems light years ahead of the stock GM distributor, and considering the cost of bringing a stock Corvair distributor anywhere close to the Seth Emerson product, his new distributor seems to be the way to go (at least for non-turbo engines). The ignition system needs for a turbo engine is a much-more complex issue.

Seth Emerson has put out quality products for years, and deserves serious consideration and support from the Corvair crowd.

[cad-kid]

Glad to help Brad. Thank you for all the time you spend helping others on this forum.