'66 Turbo Project

[Francesco]

Hey guys,
I posted another thread a couple of months ago but never really got around to posting pictures and such so I'm going to make a new one and try to stay up to date with it. A few months ago I bought a 1966 turbo convertible that is bronze on bronze with a white top from the factory!! other options were tinted windows, rear speaker, rear antenna, deluxe custom front retractable and rear seat belts(not in car) and it is a posi car! So far what I've done is strip the car down and did some power train work. I rebuilt the front suspension, just a cleaning and painting bushings seemed okay for now, repainted the transmission, and resealed and cleaned the engine! I have some help from the previous owner, he's a great guy with more turbo convertibles than i knew existed! The engine is an assumed 67K miles, since the car hasn't been registered since '76, and we accidentally took off a piston barrel when resealing and found out i have stock pistons and bore!! I'll try and take pictures of what I've done so far and post them later but I wanted to make this topic so I could ask for help. After I sand and somehow fix the wreck of a floor pan replacement done before the guy I bought it from, I'm going to try and put the engine and tranny back in! I was looking for some tips and help and even pictures of this process because I wanna make sure I do it right! Soon I am going to get my flywheel turned and start putting on my new clarks exhaust! Then I'll fire her up on the ground and make sure everythings working! So basically just wanted to see if there were any tips and tricks to doing all this! Thanks guys! This is quite the learning experience, buying my first car and everything! I'm 16 and in the Ventura County area, are there any Corvair specialists or any sort of thing like that near by as well? I hate missing a part then having to wait for a month for Clark's to ship me one. I have a few pictures ill attach now that i have on my computer.

[Francesco]

also, from clarks i got a bunch of parts! I have basically everything to get her running! I have brake lines, brakes, exhaust(its not badly made i guess, its better than what i had!!), rebuilt carb from the carbmeister, shifter rebuild, new e brake, i found some wire rims im running, i got a windshield, temporary seats, new u joints new gas tank, new keys new a lot too much to list! I'm almost out of money though..I need a job haha, but then how do I get there? Also BIG question, has anyone seen these rims before? They look like ansen sprints, but are 13s and say "DAN GURNY INDY 500" on the inside. theyre 13x5.5s. I was going to sell them but cant find anything exactly like them, so I was thinknig about keeping them..

[AndyF]

Also BIG question, has anyone seen these rims before? They look like ansen sprints, but are 13s and say "DAN GURNY INDY 500" on the inside. theyre 13x5.5s. I was going to sell them but cant find anything exactly like them, so I was thinknig about keeping them..

they look like the 14" aluminum slotted wheels which were on some 70's Datsuns....the latter had 4 x 114.3 bolt circle and a set of 4 sells for around $150 :)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/pts/4415554243.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/4418967614.html

Andy

[bbodie52]

I will decode the body tag for you...

Here is a breakdown of the information on the body tag you provided...
BODY TAG INFO:

12B
Body Build Date: 12 = December, B = Second Week
The first two digits are numbers 01 through 12, indicating the month of manufacture. The letter is A-E, indicating the week of the month. If the letter is an "B" it indicates the second week of the month.

Interior Paint Code: Z = Bronze

ST 66-10767 WRN 1316 BODY
66 = 1966
Model 10767: 1 = Chevrolet 07 = Corsa, 67 = Convertible, WRN = Willow Run, Michigan, Production Sequence No: 1316
1966 Corvair Corsa 2-Door Convertible - 4 Passenger, Total Production: 3,142 (You've got one, and I've got one!)



TR 788-
This 3 digit codes represents the interior color and seat type.

788 = BRONZE (Interior Color)

PAINT M
M1 = Convertible with BRONZE (AZTEC BRONZE) paint and WHITE convertible top.

-1 = WHITE (Convertible Top Color)

922 = Bronze - "Aztec Bronze" Lucite No. 4707L, Rinshed-Mason No. A1817R,
Ditzler No. DDL 71525



ACC: E2SR4FO5Y
The Letters are listed in groups. Letters following a number are in that group.
1st Group
E = RPO A01 Tinted Glass ( Soft Ray glass in all windows)

2nd Group
S = RPO U73 Rear ant.
R = RPO U80 Rear speaker

3rd Group
NONE

4th Group
F = Remote outside mirror / updated CC group (lighting grp, door guards)
O = RPO L87 Turbo engine

5th Group
Y = RPO A49 Deluxe Seatbelts ( Stainless Steel Push-button Buckles)

[bbodie52]

The wheels I had on my two 1965 Corsas — coupe and convertible — were genuine Ansen Sprints in size 14" x 7". There were a lot of imitators back then of the Ansen Sprint style. I seem to remember some interchangeable wheel lug hole inserts that wuld permit them to fit a variety of wheel lug spacings. Both cars were fitted with Ansen Sprints while we were living in Thousand Oaks.

[Francesco]

Okay so I finally got a phone working so here are a few pictures. I don't have too many before pictures, due to my phone being out of commission for a while Now, I'll be taking quite a few and posting as I go. All of my rust repair will be done hopefully next year, I need to purchase a welder for my self, as I live in the area where nobody owns tools or even knows what welding is. (Thousand Oaks). Luckily, my rockers are in fantastic shape, and so is my windshield! I have a little rot around the turn signals, and the exhaust, as well as a hole on one fender. The rest seems just to be surface rust. I also have some extremely ghetto-rigged floors. Still working on how to fix those. Ill take pictures!

[Francesco]

I have to rebuild my rear suspension, bushing-wise, so I am going to disassemble it all and clean it up as well. If I take off the drum housing, will I have to reseat the bearing?

[Francesco]

finished the last wheel well today. Any advice on painting the rest of the bottom? Also again about the rear suspension. Should I just clean it up and run it or take it apart? Will the bearing come out or am I okay?

[Scott V]

1966 Corvair Corsa 2-Door Convertible - 4 Passenger, Total Production: 3,142 (You've got one, and I've got one!)

yup - they made 3142 corsa verts in '66 - most are 140s.......they made approx 550 turbo verts. Francesco thats a rare vert you have. if you put it back to stock - almost stock - its worth more than modified.

-Scott V.

[Francesco]

1966 Corvair Corsa 2-Door Convertible - 4 Passenger, Total Production: 3,142 (You've got one, and I've got one!)

yup - they made 3142 corsa verts in '66 - most are 140s.......they made approx 550 turbo verts. Francesco thats a rare vert you have. if you put it back to stock - almost stock - its worth more than modified.

-Scott V.

Thank you Scott. I plan on being 100% stock.

[Francesco]

Or, just really close. Anything I modify will be revertable to stock. No cutting or anything except to repair rust. A few minor things I am upgrading like an electric choke, and stainless brake lines. But mainly I am trying to stay as close to stock as possible.

[CorsaFreak66]

Francesco, Nice ride. I just bought mine and it is the same color paint and interior as yours but a black top. Your showing me how much work I have to expect. Keep the posts coming. Thanks

[Francesco]

Didn't get any work done today, as I have school...Tomorrow or Friday I am going to pick up some foam brushes to finish painting the bottom of the car. After that I am going to install my new brake lines and repair my rear suspension, as my front is already done. Ill take a picture of that for you guys. Still waiting on some advice on the rear suspension.

[Francesco]

Francesco, Nice ride. I just bought mine and it is the same color paint and interior as yours but a black top. Your showing me how much work I have to expect. Keep the posts coming. Thanks

Its my favorite color! I am planning on doing a black cloth top, and cloning mine to be a Fitch Sprint. Meaning just paint for now. Hopefully going to eventually one day get a set of Hands wheels, a quick steer kit, and a headlight flasher. Those are the Fitch parts I want most. Congratulations on the new car! If you ever have questions, PM me, as I have learned a lot of short cuts for things, and have a very knowledgeable friend whom I bought my car from.

[Francesco]

Front Suspension. It's a little dusty from sitting for so long. It was sanded down and reassembled after being painted with Zero Rust and an Enamel paint as a top coat.

[Francesco]

Also, my resealed and cleaned engine:

And a question: I got the flywheel resurfaced, but nobody does the pressure plate side it seems. Is it okay to just run it? It seems very smooth and not warped, but not an expert on those.