Newb to all

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Megabeccatron
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2017 6:48 am

Newb to all

Post by Megabeccatron »

:wave:
I am a Newb to it all: forums and cars!
I recently purchased a '62 coup. I have always wanted to learn how to work on my own car and figured and oldie but goodie would be the way to go. I started shopping around and fell in love with the EM Corvair body styles... So I took the plunge. My hope is to use it as an everyday driver. I've got some work to do. Keep in mind, I know absolutely nothing about cars. This forum seems like an awesome source of info and help! I have some people to help, time permitting, but otherwise I am on my own. :eek:
I appologize now for the pure ignorance of my questions in the future.
Thanks for having this forum available and to all that contribute!
Jerry Whitt
Posts: 887
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 2:42 pm

Re: Newb to all

Post by Jerry Whitt »

Welcome! Lots of folks here willing to help!
Jerry Whitt
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN
Retired
Hemet, Callifornia
65 Monza, purchased new
65 Corsa convertible
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bbodie52
Corvair of the Month
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Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:33 pm
Location: Lake Chatuge Hayesville, NC
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Re: Newb to all

Post by bbodie52 »

:wave: :welcome2: :wave: Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

You did not say whether or not your car has been driven regularly, or has been out of service and in storage for a long time. If it has been sitting and is not currently running...

Removing your car from storage/Reviving a Dead Corvair

:link: viewtopic.php?f=225&t=5030

The link below will provide you with a list of useful websites that are Corvair-related. Some of the links will lead you to an extensive technical library that will allow you to download shop manuals and other technical references in Adobe Reader format at no cost. There is also a link that will help you to locate nearby CORSA (Corvair Society of America) club chapters. While the Corvair Forum can be very helpful as you work on your Corvair, having local friends and contacts in your region who are knowledgeable about the Corvair can also be very helpful. These family-friendly CORSA chapters often offer picnics, group scenic drives, technical training and assistance, car shows, and competition events that can greatly enhance your enjoyment of Corvair ownership. You will also find a list of essential Corvair parts suppliers. Clark's Corvair Parts is the biggest and oldest Corvair supplier in the world. You will find a link that can provide you with a series of videos that amount to a tour of the Clark's Corvair Parts facilities. I think you will be amazed at the quality of the reproduction components they offer — particularly the interior carpeting and re-upholstery items. Parts suppliers such as this truly make our Corvair hobby possible.

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

:link: viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

:dontknow: I would like to encourage you to expand on your earlier post and tell us more about yourself. 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. Also, do you have a garage to work in and hand tools, jack stands and a floor jack, etc. to support Corvair maintenance and restoration projects? Helping us to know more about you will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities. If you can post some photographs of your Corvair we would love to see your car, too.

:welcome:
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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bbodie52
Corvair of the Month
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Posts: 11872
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:33 pm
Location: Lake Chatuge Hayesville, NC
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Re: Newb to all

Post by bbodie52 »

Megabeccatron wrote:Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:44 pm

I am a Newb to it all: forums and cars!

...Keep in mind, I know absolutely nothing about cars. This forum seems like an awesome source of info and help! I have some people to help, time permitting, but otherwise I am on my own. :eek:
I appologize now for the pure ignorance of my questions in the future.
I rebuilt my first Corvair engine in 1969 when I was 16 years old. I spent my high school summer vacation learning how to remove the engine and powertrain, completely dismantle, clean, and inspect the engine, and go through the process of purchasing and replacing worn components and getting the necessary machine shop work done. I was also on my own. There was no Internet, no Corvair Forum, no Clark's Corvair Parts, or anything else to guide me except for the factory Corvair Shop Manuals. I studied the shop manuals extensively, but at first I really didn't understand much of what I was seeing and reading. My father had been transferred to Southern California, and the family would not be joining him for some months. He had purchased in 1963 Corvair 500 for me to play with. The engine was frozen. I had a garage to work in and access to all of his tools. My father would provide funding for parts and machine shop work, but I had to work through the process of learning how to work on a Corvair. I hoped that I would not drop the engine on my head or anything like that, and I tried to be careful and work methodically. The shop manual was my Bible, and I relied on it extensively to guide me in everything that I did.

But I felt that I needed more. I needed more basic knowledge about how engines and carburetors and ignition systems worked. I began to read through a series of basic publications that helped me to develop an understanding of the basic design and function of the modern (1960s) automobile. I discovered that the more I read in these basic books, the better I understood what I was trying to accomplish when working on the Corvair. My understanding of the material in the shop manuals also improved.

If you are serious about wanting to learn how to work on cars, you need to be willing to invest time to learn the basics. Nobody automatically knows this material. Your work will progress slowly as you learn. I would encourage you to consider buying some of these inexpensive reference books to teach you some of the basics. Members of the Corvair Forum can and will certainly try to assist you and answer your questions. But there is some expectation that you will be relying on the same shop manuals that we rely on.

The Corvair engine contains a lot of aluminum components. The threads in aluminum are soft and easily damaged. You should become familiar with the use of a torque wrench and anti-seize compound when assembling components of your Corvair engine. You must also learn to work safely, carefully, and methodically. Never rely on a jack to hold your car up when you're going to be working under it. The use of jack stands and an investment in proper hand tools, a hydraulic service station type floor jack, etc. will be part of your investment in your Corvair.

There is nothing like the reward of the successful effort in repairing your car and being able to drive it safely and successfully. Your reward for your study, reading, research, and hard work will turn out to be a reliable Corvair that you can consider to be a daily driver.
bbodie52 wrote:Classic cars had a different way of doing things in the 1950s, 1960s and earlier, when compared to modern techniques utilizing sensors and computer technology to control fuel injection and ignition systems. There was a series of books that were published in the 1960s and 1970s that focus on basic principles of automobile design and function. These books covered basics associated with carburetors, ignition systems, suspension and brakes systems, etc. When I was a teenager I read through many of these books and they gave me a good understanding of the principles and functional designs that were common in the cars that I was interested in, including the Corvair. Once I read through these books, the shop manuals made a lot more sense to me as I began to understand how things function and what I was trying to accomplish in working on my Corvair. This series was published long ago (1960s-1970s) by Petersen Publishing Company, which was also associated with Hot Rod Magazine. With titles like Petersen's Basic Cams, Valves and Exhaust Systems, Petersen's Basic Ignition and Electrical Systems, and Petersen's Basic Carburetion and Fuel Systems, I was a teenager that found myself devouring much of the series to teach myself the basics that could be applied to most 1970s and earlier vehicles. The material in those books are now somewhat dated because of the change to computer-controlled electronic fuel injection and other sophisticated technologies that have been introduced in the subsequent decades. But I do feel a Corvair owner or any classic car owner could benefit from the material in these books. Many of them are listed as available on Amazon.com. If you would like to consider the possibility of reading through some of this material, the following link may help you to find what you're looking for. The cost of these books is low, and the investment in time that you might make in reading them may help you to develop a foundation of knowledge that will help you to leap ahead in your DIY maintenance efforts on your Corvair.

:link: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... pany+basic

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Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Megabeccatron
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2017 6:48 am

Re: Newb to all

Post by Megabeccatron »

When I say Newb, I mean it. I have zero mechanical experience. :rolling:

I joined the local chapter, KC area. Everyone in the group seems super awesome!
I got a Clark's catalogue, Clark's Corvair Basics book, assembly manual, and shop manual. I have some family friends with more experience working on cars that can help me... When they have time. A couple of them have extensive professional experience with body, mechanical, and electrical automotive work. I can get help with more difficult problems, but most problems I really want to dive in and try my best to figure out.
The only tools I own to date are a socket and wrench set. :tongue: I am buying and borrowing as I go. I do have a garage. Other than that, all I have is my unending love of research and my relentless desire to learn.
The car has been running. I have driven to work for a couple of weeks. As winter approaches it will be in the garage getting stuff done. So far I have gotten help replacing the windshield, replacing the left exhaust manifold and installing new exhaust, replacing the gas tank and sending unit, and properly bracing the alternator.
It goes.
Here are some pictures. I have a bunch of better ones, but I'm still figuring out the forum.
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Megabeccatron
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2017 6:48 am

Re: Newb to all

Post by Megabeccatron »

Cool! Thanks for refernce material list. So far I have just started with reading "How Cars Work," and comparing the assembly and shop manual. I will definitely check those out!
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