New Member

[OldnSlow]

Hi, my name is Tony.
After being out of restoring old rides for 30+ years, I picked up a 1963 Corvair Convertible. Been sitting for 30-40 years. I have been slowly picking away at it since last fall. A lot of fun, really cool cars. Located in Northern Utah.

Have a good one,
Tony

[jimbrandberg]

It looks like a solid 63 and I hope you'll post some more about it as you go along. I wonder if it's a 64 engine or just the air cleaner. I can't see the fan or the crankshaft pulley in the picture.
Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com

[County98]

Welcome!

[skizz]

Earlies rule!

[jimbrandberg]

When I enlarge the engine picture it looks like a magnesium fan which is a 64 thing. A lot can happen in 60 years like an engine change or just the fan.
Telling a 64 from a 63 can be difficult since they used the same crankcase suffix letters. The crankcase number is down in the valley behind the fan shroud and ahead of the oil filler tube. You often have to scrape crud away with a screwdriver. It's the last letter or two that identify it.
On a 63 the crankcase pulley is smooth steel. On a 64 it's either 3 spoke cast iron on a 95 HP or harmonic balancer with rubber ring on 110 HP.
The fan and the pulley are not conclusive because they are interchangeable but they are clues.
Another clue is the distributor number. It's on the outside of the distributor body clockwise from the vacuum advance bracket. Something in the neighborhood of 290 is '63, something in the neighborhood of 310 is '64.
Head numbers are a really good clue but they're hard to get at behind the shrouding, on the rear of the right head and the front of the left head.
A '63 engine is 145 CI and 80, 84 or 110 HP. A '64 engine is 164 CI and 95 or 110 HP. It's good to know what you have.

I like to run them out of a gas can to begin with in case the gas and/or gas tank is bad. The carburetors almost always need new accelerator pump cups but sometimes they come back after they soak in gas for a while.

You might check the brake fluid level before depressing the pedal.

It's good to make sure the oil pressure light is working in the dash before you try to turn it over or start it.

The initial period of discovery is a fun part of the journey although maybe I have a warped perspective of what fun is.

There's a ton of stuff that's unique to Corvairs but you've worked on other cars so you'll figure it out. Looks like you got a sidekick there. The '61 Service Manual is the big one and then there's annual updates through '64, then another big one in '65. The '61 has most of what you need to get started.

Corvairs are fun to have out and about, everyone wants to talk about them. You might be sort of a Corvair lone ranger in Utah but there's probably some other folks around.

Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com

[OldnSlow]

Thanks a bunch Jim, that is some great info. I was looking into carbs and wondered the same thing. The case has a ZF, which I believe is indicative of a 63,64 auto, this has a 4-speed so it must be a swap. I dug into the head numbers, 3813516, which if they are original to the case, indicate a 63, 102 horse if I’m reading correctly. I did not know about the pulley and fan. Here are some more current pics, maybe you can confirm.

Sounds like I’m on the right path with your suggestions, these pics are a few months old from when I picked it up. I have since replaced the fuel tank, deleted the pump, and installed an electric fuel pump.
I converted to a dual master cylinder and replaced all of the steel and rubber lines and new components in the drums too. Told my Grandson and Son in the pic that we “need the whoa before the go”
Thanks for the advice, keep it coming
Tony

[OldnSlow]

Thanks a bunch Jim, that is some great info. I was looking into carbs and wondered the same thing. The case has a ZF, which I believe is indicative of a 63,64 auto, this has a 4-speed so it must be a swap. I dug into the head numbers, 3813516, which if they are original to the case, indicate a 63, 102 horse if I’m reading correctly. I did not know about the pulley and fan. Here are some more current pics, maybe you can confirm.

IMG_1641.jpeg

IMG_1642.jpeg

Sounds like I’m on the right path with your suggestions, these pics are a few months old from when I picked it up. I have since replaced the fuel tank, deleted the pump, and installed an electric fuel pump.
I converted to a dual master cylinder and replaced all of the steel and rubber lines and new components in the drums too. Told my Grandson and Son in the pic that we “need the whoa before the go”
Thanks for the advice, keep it coming
Tony

[jimbrandberg]

You are correct that it's probably a '63 102 with those 3813516 heads. That looks like a '63 crankshaft pulley. Someone probably just changed to a '64 magnesium fan. Another clue to a '64 crankcase is 3 stiffening ribs ahead of #5 cylinder.
It's just good to know since if you take the displacement of a '64 crankshaft and put it into the combustion chamber of a '63 head you have a pretty high compression ratio.

The distributor number is good to have for setting the timing. Some Corvair distributors are quite a bit different with their advance curves. Sometimes an improper distributor gets swapped in by someone thinking they're all the same. If you have a distributor made for 6 degrees initial and set it to 14 you get too much advance at high RPMs, like instead of 36 degrees total it's way over 40. The number on yours is over by the idler pulley and fan belt. It's a number with 7 digits and the last 3 mean something. The data for '63 102s may be a little fuzzy in the CORSA Tech Guide.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things in a systematic manner and this Corvair waif has a good home now.

Sorry I tend to ramble on and on.

Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com

[Dennis66]

Looks like a lot of potential. They've pretty much already indicated the engine - someone must have swapped up the fan and the air filter system. It also looks like you may have a 12 plate oil cooler (sticking out past the cover). If so, there is a special cover made for them, kind of hard to get, but they do show up from time to time. There were a couple on evilbay a few weeks ago.
One thing not mentioned yet (and I used to do this all the time): It's not good to jack the rear with a floor jack under the differential or especially the engine oil pan. Using differential puts stress on the engine and transmission mounts. Oil pan will easily smash up (guessing you didn't do that). I have a '62 convertible. EM convertibles ROCK! Dennis

[OldnSlow]

Good advice, thanks Dennis. Beautiful car you have there!