New 1962 Barn "find"

[fatpad00]

greetings!
I am a new Corvair owner; I was gifted a 1962 Corvair 700 coupe by my wife's grandparents. To quote my wife's grandmother "Yes! Please get it out of my barn!"
from what I understand, the original owner died in the late 60s or early 70s, and the car sat for some time, then my wife's grandfather bought it with the intention of getting it back on the road. Apparently while it sat the first time, rats or mice nested on the engine, seriously corroding the heads and block. He took that motor out and put in a 1965 110hp motor, got it to run, but never got around to getting it tuned and on the road proper. It was parked sometime i believe in the '80s, until it was pulled out of the barn for me to take home! It still bears the 1972 registration sticker and license plate.

It is honestly in surprisingly good shape for sitting for 40+ years. The body has light surface rust, as does most of the underbody components, but anything that was remotely sealed looks to be in good shape. The 'frunk' has essentially zero rust inside, same for the underbody tunnel. Just joking around while loading it on the trailer, I checked the dip-stick and I was shocked to see it still had oil! The exceptions are the gas tank and battery tray, both of which rusted through, as well as the hood, which is rusted in/around the vents. So far I have removed the gas tank and disconnected everything from the engine (so I can pull it out) and I have only had an issue with 2 fasteners: one of the gas tank strap bolts and a upper engine shroud screw. every other nut and bolt has come free with minimal extra effort. The motor turns free and everything I've been able to operate appears to move freely.

The interior is almost entirely intact, save for a hole roughly the size of a half-dollar in the headliner and a tiny bit of rust on the kickplates. It does look like at some point, squirrels nested under the rear seat, having got in by chewing through the heater duct. I think it will look pretty good with a good shampoo and scrub down.

My general plan for the car is to just restore the car to a daily driver, prioritizing function over form. I want to get it at least running and driving first, then i can worry about comfort and aesthetics.

aside from cleaning everything up, what is essential for a car that has been sitting this long?

so far, (at least to begin with) I'm planning to replace the gas tank and fuel lines, some or all of the brake system, and some or all engine gaskets. I have heard the pushrod tube o-rings are liable to disintegrate, but are any other seals/gaskets critical to replace?

also, what upgrades are recommended?
Is a Generator to Alternator conversion worth it?

[Dennis66]

Welcome. The words "barn find" always get my attention. Bringing something to life that has been sitting is always an interesting challenge. I have a '62 as well. Mine only sat since 2005. Engine wise, if it were the old rubber pushrod tube seals, while they typically don't just disintegrate, they did tend to get hard, brittle and wouldn't seal. If the engine had been "rebuilt" and just sat, they might hold up for a short test run (I ran my engine on a cart after rebuilding it - video on my build thread). I do suggest with a rebuild or any engine that has been sitting long, that you remove the distributor (mark everything first), get a long flat blade screwdriver, maybe 3/8 tip, round shank, cut it off, chuck the shank in a drill, and prime the oil system with the drill. You might want to slightly round off any square or sharp edges on the tip so it doesn't scratch anything down in the hole.
Carbs are probably dried out. Mine had a little sediment in the bottoms. I bought ethanol proof cups for the accelerator pumps (California Corvairs), and ended up getting new gaskets and improved float valves (Clark's Corvair Parts). Bob Helt's Corvair carb book has been a real help as well (about 30.00 on ebay)
Start a build thread, post a picture, and we can all join in with any help you may need. Dennis

[rcavictor]

Welcome to the Corvair Community and congratulations on your ’barn find’! You find lots of knowledgeable folks here and willing to help.

Post a few pics when you can.