My First Helen Springfest Adventure is over...

[caraholic4life]

The 2024 Helen Springfest event is now over.
I attend for the first time this year and am glad that I had the opportunity.

Driving the Greenbrier to and from the event was an experience I will not soon forget as it was the longest distance I have driven it since purchasing it in December 2020.

My trip down was planned to be accomplished in two days.
The first day I drove from Westminster MD to Asheboro N.C. where I visited a longtime friend and Corvair enthusiast who invited me to save the Hotel costs and offered me a room.
The second day went great until I was about 35 miles from the Helen event.
I decided to stop for gas and the pump did not print out a receipt so I had to shut off the engine to go inside the store for the receipt. When I started the Greebrier it started sluggish but got out to the highway where it promptly quit on me.

I determined the Fuel Pump had probably given up even though it had less than 4,000 miles on it.
Knowing that there was a chance of a failure, I had brought two N.O.S. A/C Delco and two N.O.S. "Rebuilt" fuel pumps with me. I installed one of the "Rebuilt" pumps while on the side of the road which was not the first time I have done this to one of my Corvair's in recent years.

As some of you may know, replacing a fuel pump on a hot engine is not the easiest task but doing it with an audience makes it even more of a challenge. At one point there were three individuals watching me, one of which was a Police Officer that stopped to offer assistance but left once he saw I had things under control.

Once the fuel pump was replaced and my tools were put away, I thanked the remaining two individuals that had offered assistance and went on my way.

About ten miles later, I saw an early convertible in the parking lot of another gas station with the hood up and a folding chair set up behind it. I decided to stop and offer any assistance I might be able to help with.

As it turned out, others had already stopped by to offer assistance but then went on their way.
The vehicle owner informed me that another enthusiast was already on the way with another ignition coil which was suspected to be the issue and a trailer to haul the car if the coil was not the problem.
In the end, the coil was not the issue and a fuel pump relay became the second suspect so the car was loaded on the trailer and off we went.
Later I learned that the fuel pump was not the issue and the car may have had a gummed up carburetor (Turbo Car).
The last I heard, the car was being taken to a known Corvair mechanic for further evaluation and repair as needed..

While attending the event, I managed to spend $612..00 on parts and $25.00 for a Corvair Puzzle.
I was also awarded with the Longest Distance driven in a Corvair Award as well as the "Hard Luck" Award for having the fuel pump go out.
The couple with the Spyder Convertible I had stopped to offer assistance to said I deserved it, even though I think they should have received it since their car had to be towed then eventually taken to a shop for further repair.

I also managed to "Win" an Auction Bid for a very nice Corvair Clock made by Danny R.
Danny is a member of the Vulcan Corvair Enthusiasts whom I understand makes one each year for the event.
I will cherish the clock and hang in a place of prominence in my home as a reminder of this adventure.

I had an opportunity to see some prior acquaintances and to meet others I have communicated with but never met in person while attending this event.

Sunday morning I left Helen GA at about 7:15 A.M.with the idea I would drive as far as I could. My intention was to stop when I got tired and resume the trip on Monday if necessary but managed to make it home almost exactly twelve hours later after driving close to 650 miles.
The Greenbrier seems to be happy at 60 MPH but will run at 70 MPH when pushed to do so but it gets really noisy inside at the higher speeds. Maybe I need a better seal on the engine cover and need to secure it in place with the correct fasteners.

With the exception of one stop to add a quart of oil, two stops for Gasoline and two quick five minutes stops at "Rest Stops", I drove it non-stop from Helen Georgia through S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Virginia, W. Virginia, back into Virginia and into Maryland.

Only twice did I shut off the engine, the first was in the first hour to purchase two quarts of oil and add one to the engine, and the second was six miles from home when I stopped to pick up a pizza for dinner.

Overall, I am glad to have made the trip although I may not ever drive the Greenbrier that far in one day again. Today I will rest, go visit my parents, and hopefully be ready to return to work tomorrow.

[2LZ]

Very cool write-up and thanks for the adventure. The clock is very nice piece.

[flamingchariots]

Did you take apart your failed fuel pump? Just curious if it was internal failure or vapor lock...

Glad for your good report. An adventure for sure!




Kevin
Medina, OH

[whenim64]

"The Greenbrier... will run at 70 MPH when pushed to do so but it gets really noisy inside at the higher speeds. Maybe I need a better seal on the engine cover and need to secure it in place with the correct fasteners."

As a veteran of innumerable long-distance Greenbrier trips, I will endorse both of these steps. But, remarkably enough, the one that reaps the best benefit is putting all ten cover screws in the engine compartment cover. That alone makes an unexpectedly large difference.

Yes, it can be a PITA to remove and re-install them each time you want to get to the engine, but the improved noise level is worth it.

[bbodie52]

I enjoy reading about these Corvair-based "adventures". It does take an adventuresome soul to take such risks and to place your trust in your "trusty" but aging Corvair!

I thought you might enjoy reading about some similar Corvair-based travels, so here are a couple of Corvair traveling tales...

From Stan Darke...

Anyone in Asheville NC that could lend a hand?
viewtopic.php?p=62927&hilit=asheville#p62927






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You might enjoy reading this saga about a first time Corvair buyer who took a chance and drove a newly purchased Corvair from North Carolina to Texas...

Doug & Joey's Great 'Mercun Road Trip 2013
http://www.corvairforum.com/forum/viewt ... 074#p41520






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As for me, I have been driving Corvairs since I took my first driver's license test in my parent's 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible in San Jose, California in 1969. My first cross-country journey also took place in that same Corsa convertible in the summer of 1973, when I graduated from a 7-month long USAF electronics tech school at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. My pregnant wife and I flew back to Southern California to visit my parents, and they gifted that 1965 Corsa convertible to us as a graduation present. We packed all of our belongings in that Corvair and drove it from Thousand Oaks, California to Warner Robins, Georgia... with stops in Tucson, AZ, San Antonio, TX, and Biloxi, MS. (2,412 miles)


Tracy Ann Bodie with our 1965 Corvair Corsa - Fall 1973 - Warner Robins, GA

After my assignment in Massachusetts, we shipped this freshly painted (from dark green to red) Corsa from Bayonne, New Jersey to our next assignment in Germany...

1965 Corvair Corsa Convertible 140hp 4x1 - Spring 1980 - Base Housing - Hanscom AFB, MA



My 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa coupe with 140HP 164 CI engine. Photo taken in front of my parent's home at 124 Whitworth Street, Thousand Oaks, California in 1981, just before we began a long journey to Lake Tahoe, and then Bayonne, NJ to ship the car to West Germany.

In 1981 we (me, my wife, and our two young sons) drove a 1965 Corsa coupe from Thousand Oaks, California to Lake Tahoe, NV. After a visit with my father-in-law, we continued our journey from Lake Tahoe to Salt Lake City, UT, Cheyenne, WY, Indianapolis, IN, and finally McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where we shipped the Corvair to the port in Bremerhaven, Germany. (I managed to receive TWO speeding tickets in that Corvair on the same say in Iowa!) When the car was delivered to Germany, I continued the journey south 405 Miles to Ramstein Air Base.

In the summer of 1983, our tour of duty in Germany ended. I drove our 1965 Corvair convertible 405 miles back to Bremerhaven to ship it directly to Los Angeles. Then I made a second 405 mile trip in the 1965 Corsa coupe to Bremerhaven, to ship it to the port in Bayonne, New Jersey. A few weeks later the four of us travelled to Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany to catch a flight to McGuire AFB, New Jersey. Our 1965 Corsa coupe was waiting in New Jersey for us. We reunited with our Corvair and drove to Washington DC to spend a few days sightseeing in our nation's capital, and then continued our journey to visit with family in Georgia. Then it was on to Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, and finally we reached our destination in Southern California, where I was assigned to a special duty position as an Air National Guard Technical Advisor in Van Nuys, California.

So from these examples you can see that I have never doubted the reliability of our Corvairs as we drove them all over the USA and on the Autobahn in Germany. When I purchased my current Corsa convertible from a classic car dealer in Lakeland, Florida, I took a Greyhound bus from Atlanta Georgia to Lakeland, completed the purchase transaction, with the dealership, and jumped in the Corsa convertible to drive it home in North Carolina (561 miles). All of my 1965 and 1966 Corsas were powered by big valve 140hp 4 carburetor engines. Recently these engines have developed something of a bad reputation for developing loose valve seats, but so far I have never had that problem with any of my Corvairs, and have found them to be very reliable. (I have had two right side rear axle wheel bearings fail over the years, though). Never even had a fan belt failure, but I have had some mechanical fuel pumps fail. After many years of trusting those mechanical fuel pumps, I finally abandoned them and switched to electric fuel pumps in my Corvairs.

[caraholic4life]

"The Greenbrier... will run at 70 MPH when pushed to do so but it gets really noisy inside at the higher speeds. Maybe I need a better seal on the engine cover and need to secure it in place with the correct fasteners."

As a veteran of innumerable long-distance Greenbrier trips, I will endorse both of these steps. But, remarkably enough, the one that reaps the best benefit is putting all ten cover screws in the engine compartment cover. That alone makes an unexpectedly large difference.

Yes, it can be a PITA to remove and re-install them each time you want to get to the engine, but the improved noise level is worth it.

Among the many parts I have purchased from you in the past year or two, I seem to recall purchasing a set of the original screws that hold the engine cover in place..Now all I need to do is find them.

[County98]

Awesome adventure, to be sure. Good memories.

[Auto Anatomy]

Great story and it was nice meeting you and seeing your van. I'm impressed at how well the van did and gives me confidence about driving our Flooded Corvair up the the nationals in Dayton this year!

Glad you made it home safe

Sean & Christie

[vairmech]

I have to say it was very nice to be able to spend some quality time with you. While we have spent untold time on the internet it is still nice to see someone in person.

We even kept the politics to a minimum!!!! LOL

[fred bagnall]

I have never made it to Helen for the Springfest. I have it on my bucket list. I would definitely would be driving one of my vairs. Did anyone get any pics of the event for those of us that couldn't make it ?

[cnicol]

That's quite a story, thanks for posting. As for the clock, I find my eyes drawn to the inlaid wood table; that's cool. You mention the increased difficulty of working with an audience, I try to avoid that as much as possible. I'm sure there are those among the onlookers who want to lend an (unneeded) hand. I wonder what words you use to convince them you "Have it covered"?

[MtnVairMike]

So glad to make your acquaintance as well. From the moment I saw the Corvair Forum tshirt you were wearing I had to startup a conversation. When you said your alias was "caraholic4life" I had to laugh out loud to meet one of my long time forum Corvair stars!

Enjoy the photo of our in person meeting. See you again down the road....

Mike

[ihscomputers]

This is the link to the slideshow photos that were shown during the awards banquet:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/n8mAKep4fuBxU9MA9

[caraholic4life]

So glad to make your acquaintance as well. From the moment I saw the Corvair Forum tshirt you were wearing I had to startup a conversation. When you said your alias was "caraholic4life" I had to laugh out loud to meet one of my long time forum Corvair stars!

Enjoy the photo of our in person meeting. See you again down the road....

Mike
Helen GA 2024.jpg

Mike,
It was nice meeting you and talking with you on Saturday. Your support is appreciated and I thought that wearing my ten year old CORVAIR FORUM Tee Shirt was good advertising for Scott.

[fred bagnall]

Thanks for the link . It looks like I missed a great gathering of Corvairs and Corvair people. Maybe next time

[Lane66Monza]

Andrea: it was very nice to see you again after all these years since your visit to my home. I am glad you made the trip from Maryland to the Springfest to see this fun gathering of Vair owners. Nice that you won a couple awards for your effort though having the bad luck award is not one to strive for. You need to post that award also, so all can see what you got for your troubles.