New to me '65 Corvair Corsa.

[Reindeer]

I just picked up a '65 Corvair Corsa convertible. Its a 4 speed turbo car. To be honest, I've never had much of an interest in Corvairs, but this one just kind of spoke to me and the price was right. I don't know much about the car, or Corvairs in general, but I've learned a lot in the last couple days. Its a blast to drive and gets a lot of attention.

I'm not really sure what my plans are with the car. The body is in great shape, its painted flat black with a rattle can. The turbo and carb are freshly rebuilt. It doesn't have much of an interior, none of the gauges really work, and it doesn't have any canvas on the convertible top frame.



I'll definitely get a top of some kind on it, and I need to get at least the speedo/odometer working. Other than that I'm just going to drive it and enjoy it.

This forum seems like a great resource. Looking forward to working on the car and sharing what I've learned here, and I'm sure asking for plenty of advice along the way.

[Reindeer]

Couple more pics

[azdave]

Welcome! Where you located?

I see the telescopic steering option included and a simulated wood wheel. Nice score! Rims are sweet too.

[Reindeer]

I'm in the Minneapolis metro area.

Telescoping column? Is that what the knob in the center of the steering wheel is for? I was trying to figure out why you'd need to loosen the steering wheel...

[flat6_musik]

That's really nice. Good score.

[azdave]

Telescoping column? Is that what the knob in the center of the steering wheel is for? I was trying to figure out why you'd need to loosen the steering wheel...

Yup. Turn the knob to loosen and the wheel should move in and out. Practically worthless to me in function but some collectors pay $800-$1000 for them in good condition on ebay if you have the full collection of parts. Some of those columns interchange to early Corvettes too.

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

There is one CORSA (Corvair Society of America) club chapter in Minnesota, and it is based only about six miles from your location. Joining such a club chapter is also a great way to socialize with like-minded Corvair owners and a good way to learn more about these cars. Members often organize social gatherings, picnics, scenic drives, competitions, etc.


CORSA Chapter Locator - Corvair Minnesota

Chapter ID: 554
Organization Name: Corvair Minnesota
Street Address (Primary): 3370 Library Lane, St. Louis Park, MN 55426-4224
President: Lee Knauf, 1340 Broadview Ave, Chaska, MN 55318-1704, Phone: (952) 448-6983,
e-mail: vairy69@comcast.net
Vice President: Gary Nelson, 6916 Russell Ave S., Richfield, MN 55423-2024, Phone: (612) 866-3247
Treasurer: Ray Alexander, 901 Woodlawn Ct, Burnsville, MN 55337-3627, Phone: (651) 334-8473,
e-mail: fleetcap@aol.com
Secretary: Chuck Johnson, 9632 Wyoming Terrace, Bloomington, MN 55438-1640 Phone: (952) 947-9106,
e-mail: cljohnson99@gmail.com
Club Contact: Phone: 763-475-0350
Coordinator, Technical Editor: Fran Schmit, 3370 Library Ln, St. Louis Park, MN 55426-4224, Phone: 952-929-9174
e-mail: schmfran@hotmail.com
Newsletter Editor: John Herkenratt, 408 7th St. S, Hopkins, MN 55343-7722, e-mail: Jherken1@netzero.net
Newsletter Name: The Leeky Seel
Sample Newsletter:

Leeky Seel - August 2014.pdf

Leeky Seel - August 2014

(5.03 MiB) Downloaded 37 times

Website: http://www.corvairminnesota.com

Our club meets on the second Tuesday of each month. See the calendar for location. Visitors are always welcome!

There is also a Corvair repair shop in Isanti, MN (about 38 miles north of your location).
Jim Brandberg, 763-444-9334, Jim@Corvairrepair.com
http://www.corvairrepair.com/

This link can provide you with numerous technical references and parts sources...

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

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

[Reindeer]

Thanks for all the info!

Anybody have suggestions on convertible top replacement? I've found a few online, seems to be a couple different options, main difference being vinyl or canvas.

[bbodie52]

The consensus seems that a kit from a source like Clark's Corvair Parts can be pretty good, but it is a lot of DIY work and professionals probably do it better, because of the unique learning curve and they have the experience and know the "tricks of the trade". I had one done professionally in 1980 but that was my only experience in this arena. Since I still own a Corsa convertible I suppose my time is coming, but it is one area where I think I will defer to the professionals.

Clark's Corvair Parts has an excellent reputation for good interior and upholstery items. There are a number of videos on this site that will take you on a tour of their facilities, and you might enjoy watching them to learn something about what it takes to reproduce so many critical items that help us to keep our Corvairs alive.

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=6004

I've watched them a couple of times and have found them to be very informative. If you are planning a DIY effort to restore your car's interior you might want to watch the video that covers interior reproduction parts — the upholstery tour.

I have not done this work myself, but some time ago I did a little research to find out what is involved. The material I looked at is shown below. Some of it is not Corvair-specific and is more generic in nature, but it should help you to gauge the effort and to see if you feel that you are up for it.

The Clark's Corvair Parts online catalog pages 291-295 covers their convertible top materials. I would suggest clicking on the link below and then browsing through the pages to get a feel for the items that are offered. When browsing their online catalog, just click on any part number to display pricing and availability details.

As you can see below, Clark's indicates that a DIY installation is "not easy" but that 40-60% of their customers do it themselves in 6-8 hours.

http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... N&page=291


CORVAIR CENTER: Replacing Convertible Top
http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.ph ... 305,354414

Here is a link to a Car Craft magazine article that discusses a DIY installation at home, entitled: Install A New Convertible Top At Home

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/cc ... ewall.html

Here is a video that discusses this issue when performing a convertible top replacement, in this case on a 1969/1970 Cougar / Mustang



This Web site may also be helpful...


http://www.convertibletopguys.com/static/topmanual

I have extracted the section of the 1966 Fisher Body Service Manual that applies to folding top work. I had to divide it into two parts to make the file size in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format small enough to upload to the Corvair Forum website. The information it contains may be useful to you.

I suspect that there are not a lot of members of the Corvair Forum who have tackled such a project. So if you decide to attempt this DIY project on your Corvair, here is my unofficial invitation to be a volunteer Corvair Forum Guinea Pig. If you decide to do it yourself, might I suggest that you consider providing us with some feedback as you complete your project. We would love to see you document your effort in pictures, video, and perhaps post a detailed write-up telling us of your experience. Such feedback could provide some valuable guidelines and information from your experience for other Corvair owners!

[Reindeer]

Ordered a black top from Clarks. One of my wife's cousins does interiors, so he's going to help me with the top.

Also waiting for the rebuilt turbo. Original turbo blew a seal, pumped a bunch of oil into the exhaust. Good thing the car came with an extra rebuilt turbo, should have it in the next few days.

I'm hoping I get to put a few more miles on it before winter actually gets here. The fact that is has no heater, no top, and blows a lot of smoke out of the exhaust makes it a little impractical to drive to work right now.

[1Seedy65]

I'm picking up a '65 Corsa next week...the engine may've been swapped out or the turbo removed.

[1Seedy65]

I saw somebody's posting about a honda turbo charger...are the original units hard to find that would be the preferred route but if they are hard to get I could try something else that might work better?

[bbodie52]

...It doesn't have much of an interior, none of the gauges really work...and I need to get at least the speedo/odometer working.

Except for the speedometer and manifold vacuum/pressure gauge, all of the other gauges (tachometer, fuel level, clock, cylinder head temperature) are electrical. Those gauges need a good ground to function, and grounding of the instrument panel runs through a single ground strap that attaches to the chassis ground by one screw. The illustrations below show this grounding arrangement in the LM Corsa and Monza. While wiring harness problems could be disrupting power and signal connections to the instruments, I would check the ground connection first to see if that is OK. If the instruments turn out to be properly grounded, check the multi-connector at the instrument panel. Unplug it, examine the metal contacts in both halves to make sure they are in good condition, not corroded or loose, etc. to ensure a good electrical connection, and then firmly re-seat the two halves of the connector. Checking this connector and confirming a good ground for the instruments may clear the malfunctions in the electrical instruments. If the ground and multi-connector are good, check the wiring schematic and look for the common power source that supplies all of the electrical instruments. If power is not being supplied that would be the common thread that is preventing the electrical instruments from working.


1965-66 Corvair Instrument Panel Detail (Corsa)


1965-69 Corvair Instrument Panel Detail (Monza)


1965-1969 Corvair - Instrument Cluster and Body Harness (CORRECTED)


1965-1969 Corvair Interior Compartment Wiring Diagram


Instrument Panel Multi-connector Location (1965-1969 Monza)

If the manifold vacuum/pressure gauge is not working, it is not an electrical instrument. Check the plastic tubing that connects the gauge to the engine vacuum balance tube (non-turbo) or intake manifold (turbo).

The speedometer is also not electrical, but mechanical. The fault may be the speedometer cable between the left front wheel bearing dust cap and the speedometer. But if the cable is intact and functioning properly, the problem may be an internal malfunction inside the speedometer. The attached article was published in the CORSA Communiqué in May 2012. It describes Corsa speedometer repair in detail...

Corsa Speedometer Repair - Communique - 2012 May - Vol 34 - No 4.pdf

Corsa Speedometer Repair - Communique - 2012 May - Vol 34 - No 4

(785.62 KiB) Downloaded 41 times

[thewolfe]

I saw somebody's posting about a honda turbo charger...are the original units hard to find that would be the preferred route but if they are hard to get I could try something else that might work better?

You don't want to use a Honda turbo. You need one with a carbon seal so it doesn't suck oil into the intake. Most modern turbos do not have carbon seals and also require water for cooloing. Any turbo other than the stock unit will not bolt up to the stock carb and outlet pipe. If you want to do a blow through then that opens up some turbo options. But for stock, stick with the rajay unit. There are things you can do to them for better performance. The parts are out there, you just have to find them!

[notched]

Miniman on here usually has stock turbo parts. You can also try Ken Hand of Handy Car Car in Michigan or Steve Goodman of Rear Engine Specialists in Colorado. All great to deal with.

[1Seedy65]

Thanks for the replies...I checked that article and I see he's putting in the whole Honda turbocharged engine.