newbie from southwest Ohio

[twtool1994]

I am the proud owner of a 1963 Monza 900 survivor. A little history on the car. My uncle bought it from the original owner in the 1980's with 48,000 miles.
He put about 9,000 miles on it in 15 years as a casual sunny day driver. He died in 1998 and my dad ended up with the car. My dad never drove it. He died in 2001 and the car went into my mothers name. She never drove it she was a Park Avenue gal. She died March 2016 and the car went into probate. I bought it from the estate, I had two sisters I had to pay 1/3 appraised value each to get the car. Last weekend I went to get the car. It had not been started in 19 years. It has been in a heated garage and never seen a temp below 50 degrees in 19 years. I pulled the dip sticks and the trans and engine were full. The gas tank had been drained and the carbs were dry. I bought a new battery, by the way it came with a NOS Delco 557A still in the box complete with the cells still plugged and battery activation instructions. I have not and probably will not ever use the battery. I put 5 gallons premium gas in the car. It took about 20 minutes to get it to start. It ran rough, understandably but I got it home about 8 miles. I did a full tune up even new wires. It has fuel problems so I am in the process of getting new carbs. Should be delivered a week from tomorrow. The car is white with red interior. It has the wire wheel covers with spinners. The wife and I are excited and hope to put a lot of fun miles on it this summer.
I was excited to find this forum because I already have a couple questions

[bmwtodd1]

Welcome,you will have a great time on this club website. Have fun, keep it positive and enjoy, There are so many resources here to glean from.

[MtnVairMike]

Nice!
Photos please

Mike


Sent from my iPad using Corvair Forum mobile app

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum! I'm sure you will find much of the support you will want here on the Corvair Forum as you are building a new "relationship" with your Corvair. I once wrote...

Corvairs are popular and affordable classic cars, and enjoy a good infrastructure of maintenance supporters, owner's clubs, and parts suppliers — and that REALLY helps! But I suspect that most happy Corvair owners are something of "shade-tree mechanics" and hobbyists who are prepared to deal with the risks and problems related to Corvair ownership. It requires a long-term commitment and a dose of reality to happily own a classic Corvair. The "first date" infatuation with the attractiveness and uniqueness of a Corvair will not sustain you in a long-term relationship with a Corvair.

Part of the difficulty we may have with answering your future questions on the Internet is that we know little about you. I would like to encourage you to expand on your initial post and tell us more about yourself, your Corvair, and your goals for that Corvair. If you can describe your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities, that would help a lot. Members of the Corvair Forum love to be helpful in assisting other Corvair owners with technical support and advice, but it helps a lot if we have some understanding of your technical background and mechanical abilities, Corvair-related knowledge, etc. Helping us to know more about you and the Corvair will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Pictures are great too, because pictures of your Corvair will help us to visualize where you are with your Corvair and its condition at the present time. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities to resolve some issues or problems.

Using your Corvair as a daily driver is certainly a possibility, if that is what you desire. I have been doing the daily driver Corvair thing all over the USA and in Germany since the 1960's, and at age 64 my wife and I are still plugging along with enjoying Corvair ownership and driving it regularly.

The cars are certainly capable — they have been survivairs as daily drivers with owners all over the USA and Canada, and we have Corvair Forum members who drive them regularly in South Africa, many European countries, Australia, South America, Japan, etc. The cars survive because the owners generally take the time to become DIY mechanics and hobbyists. It requires some monetary investment, but not nearly as much as many other classic car breeds. In that sense it is still something of an economy car. They can be a money pit if the body and sheet metal are in poor shape, so it is important that the car is carefully inspected so that cars suffering from extensive body rot and rust, and perhaps many patches with plastic body filler will be avoided. A DIY "shade tree mechanic" can master almost any mechanical repair. Parts suppliers are good, and generally make all things possible on the mechanical end. Local Corvair-specific parts sources are not a reality for most people, as few auto parts supply stores can support Corvairs adequately. But Corvair specialists like Clark's Corvair Parts have been highly successful supplying Corvair owners for decades. Without them most Corvairs would have disappeared from the road long ago. The supply is good and the prices are reasonable.

As I mentioned, the other side of the coin is the Corvair body. It is of unibody construction and subject to rust and body rot — especially if the car has been driven extensively in Winter months in areas that use road salt. Few body parts are bolt-on in nature, so welding and sheet metal skills are essential for Corvair body repair. Owners who have adequate body repair skills are relatively rare, and it is an art form that is difficult to master.

You should realistically assess your own abilities, financial and time commitment, etc. While a Corvair can certainly be a good daily driver, you should have a backup plan if something breaks — since even a minor breakdown can mean several days awaiting delivery of replacement part(s).

Joining CORSA (Corvair Society of America) and a local Corvair club chapter is another good way to see and to learn more about Corvairs. You might check out the CORSA chapter in your area. Contacting a local club and making Corvair-knowledgeable friends can often be a big help.


CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Chapter Locator
Locating a local CORSA chapter near you can be very helpful, and attending meetings, parties, Corvair shows, etc. can greatly add to the enjoyment of your Corvair

NOTE: Information on the CORSA Chapter Locator is generally badly out of date. Names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. are often inaccurate. Your best bet is to find the nearest club chapter on the list, and then use the chapter website link to move on to the club website. Contact information on the actual club website is often much-more accurate and up to date!
https://www.corvair.org/index.php? opti ... crmSID=3_u

Mid-Ohio Vair Force Ostrander, OH — 4673 Northwest Pkwy, Hilliard, OH 43026 or 2976 Russell Road, Ostrander, OH, Email: martzo@live.com

Friends of Corvair 9134 Cadiz Road, Cambridge, OH http://friendsofcorvair.com

"Friends of Corvair" is just that - a friendly club dedicated to fun, fellowship, and the enjoyment of the Corvair. Our nearly 100 members hail from all over north east and east central Ohio, with the Canton area as a central hub. We do things! Monthly gatherings are hosted by our various members, and can range from a simple dinner meeting to a road trip, picnic, museum tour, or any number of interesting activities. One thing's for sure....all of them include food! All age groups are represented, and families are encouraged to participate. Many of our members travel to regional and national CORSA meets to participate, compete, and show their cars. In Friends of Corvair, people are the focus; our common interest in the Corvair is the vehicle to bring us together. We welcome you as a Friend!

Vacationland Corvairs Painesville, OH — 560 Lindberg Blvd, Berea, OH 44017, Telephone: (440) 243-8747 or 11903 Concord Hambden Road, Painesville, OH, Email: rampside@ncweb.com

Corvair Club of Cincinnati 2440 Brenda Dr., Hamilton, OH http://cincinnaticorvairclub.com/

Dayton Corvair Club Dayton Corvair Club, Dayton, OH — http://daytoncorvairclub.wix.com/daytoncorvairclub or https://www.facebook.com/daytoncorvairclub.ohio

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

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[twtool1994]

I appreciate all the replies. As requested , a little bio. I will check out the Dayton Corvair Club. I am not a certified auto mechanic but I do know my way around a garage. I have actually been a Pontiac enthusiast most of my life. I'm 61 years old and started wrenching at about 14 years old, my first car 1963 Corvair convertible.
I went from that to a 1969 GTO. Big difference. I currently have a 1976 Trans Am I did a total frame off restore on. Every nut and bolt was replaced or restored. The body had been Ziebarted so it was rust free. The frame was so well coated it took American Metal Stripping in Cincinnati 3 weeks to strip it.
I hired out engine block refurbishing and machining. 455 bored .060 and I had the 98 cc 400 c.i.d heads reworked. I put everything together using a Lunati ram air III cam with matching springs. The rest of the valve train parts were Comp Cam with Magnum roller tip rockers. The Super T-10 4 speed was inspected and in great shape. I hire out the body paint job, factory GM 11 cameo white and an upholstery shop to rebuild the foam I the seat and recover with the cover I bought from PUI. the only interior piece kept was the head liner. Other than the motor build with Hooker Super Comp headers and Pypes exhaust the only major change I made in the car was I did an A/C delete including changing interior A/C controls. Even put all the graphic on myself. I restored this car in 2 years. This car looks totally stock. This is just my latest project. Like I said I'm 61 and have been wrenching a long time.
Cars I currently have.
1936 Chevy pick up, for sale if anyone is interested
1986 Pontiac Fiero
1988 Chevy S-10 Blazer low miles and Ziebart treated when new, still looks new except for a little paint fade from age.
1976 Trans Am restored by myself
2001 Trans Am heavy modified, bought new in Sept 2001 just after 9/11. All mods done my myself, 19,000 original miles
2014 Impala
2015 Enclave, wife ride
2015 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Duramax
Married 41 years, 2 daughters, 4 grand kids.
Self employed 24 years, I own a tool and die machine shop
Well this is a little about me.

[bbodie52]

WOW!

It sounds like you are over-qualified and well-prepared for Corvair ownership!!

Would love to see some pictures of your Corvair and your pride and joy Pontiac too! I'm fairly certain that the local CORSA chapter would love to have you join them. The information exchange would likely be of benefit on both sides!

Congratulations on 41 years of marriage. My wife and I just celebrated our 45th anniversary (had a daughter and two sons, three granddaughters, and one great grandson). I'm 64 and started with Corvairs in 1961, when I was 8 and my parents purchased a new Monza coupe. My first Corvair was a 1963 Corvair 500 coupe, which my father bought for me as a project car when I was 16 — it was my first engine rebuild. Our 1966 Corsa convertible is our tenth family Corvair, and the only Corvair we currently own.