newbie question from over the pond

[petrocelli]

Embarrassed to admit I have only just discovered the series 2 Corvair,wow what a beautiful car,could have come straight out of an Italian design
studio.
I cannot remember seeing one over here on the road although I expect there are a few that turn up at the shows.
Am putting one of these on the bucket list to bring one over as the prices look reasonable.
Having said that the Pound has just fallen through the floor against the Dollar so will probably wait until all this Coronavirus nonsense is over and things get back to normal (hope that's not wishful thinking).
Purpose of this post is to check out the spares situation.
I will not be buying a project car so body panels and interior bits should not be needed but am curious about the oily bits ,anything that is not available would be useful to know.
For background,I am retired and currently house bound as don't want to get the dreaded bug, so doing a few jobs on the Porsche 944 to get it back on the road after the winter lay up.Spring seems to be happening so am looking at the Boxster as well but might leave that for a couple more weeks just to make sure winter is over.
Hope you all keep well and any feedback on the spares situation for the series 2 would be most appreciated.

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

i » Sat Mar 21, 2020 11:15 am

Embarrassed to admit I have only just discovered the series 2 Corvair,wow what a beautiful car,could have come straight out of an Italian design
studio...

My first and only visit to Europe ran from 1980-1983. In the spring of that year I was transferred by the Air Force from Hanscom AFB (near Boston, Massachusetts) to a new assignment near Kaiserslautern, Germany and Ramstein Air Base. The 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible in the above photograph was the car that I brought with me to my new assignment in Germany. Your comment that the style of the late-model Corvairs "could have come straight out of an Italian design studio" reminded me of a young man who approached me at a military gas station in Germany while I was refueling my Corvair. The young man was a teenager who had been born around the time my 1965 Corvair hit the new car showroom. He wanted to know what kind of car I had. He mentioned that he thought it was some kind of Italian sports car! He was very surprised when I told him that it was a Chevy — specifically a Corvair. By then I was getting used to the reactions that people had to my "exotic American sports car". The German vehicle inspectors at the port in Bremerhaven had a similar reaction to my Corvair when they inspected it upon arrival in 1980. 40 years later my current 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible continues to draw similar reactions. I recently drove it through a McDonald's restaurant drive-through, and some of the McDonald's employees were hanging out of the drive-through window to take pictures of my Corvair on their cell phones!

There are a limited number of Corvair owners in Europe. Several of them are members of the Corvair Forum and post their comments here from time to time. You did not mention your specific location, but since you stated that the Pound had fallen in value I'm assuming that you live in the UK.

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 club 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.

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

Even in the USA, spare parts for Corvairs are somewhat rare. A few tuneup parts, brake components, etc. can be found in local auto parts stores, but most Corvair-specific components will not be in stock, and many cannot be special ordered either. Corvair vendors like Clark's Corvair Parts provide excellent support, and are essential to Corvair owners around the world. I know that import fees and taxes, plus shipping costs can be a terrible burden for Corvair owners in Europe. But unfortunately the need to special order parts from the USA Corvair vendors is a burden that is common to all Corvair owners in Europe.

A number of Corvair buyers in Europe have found it useful and helpful to solicit support from members of the Corvair Forum and/or CORSA (Corvair Society of America). If you search Internet resources that sell used classic cars (I will list some of these vendors at the end of this post) you may find some opportunities to purchase clean, solid and apparently rust-free late-model Corvairs via the Internet. Since it is unlikely that you will be able to visit and road test any car that you are considering, you may be able to recruit some assistance from a nearby CORSA club chapter or from members of the Corvair Forum. Sometimes one or more Corvair enthusiasts will volunteer to act as third party to act as your representative to examine a car that you are considering for purchase.

Since Corvair parts are expensive to import, I would recommend that you purchase the cleanest Corvair you can afford to avoid the process of trying to repair and restore a Corvair that is not quite ready for regular driving in Europe. The extra investment up front can save you many headaches in the future. You may also wish to send Private Messages to some of the European Corvair owners listed below so that you can establish a dialogue with them to get some advice on importing a Corvair to Europe. You may even be able to locate a good example that is already in Europe.

Corvairs are somewhat rare in Europe, but you are not alone in your enthusiasm for the "Waterless Wonder from Willow Run" (Michigan Corvair production plant). Here are a few other British Corvair aficionados that are members of the Corvair Forum...

mildrover, Mark Dixon, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4556

TexasUK, Church Crookham, Hampshire, UK
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2677

Mart, Martin Reed, Norton, Cleveland , UK
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=888

Roastbeef, UK, but not sure where.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=3265

UKCORVAIR, Owns a rare 180 hp Corsa (turbocharged Corvair)
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1389

rustbucket, Lives near Mart, joined the Corvair Forum in July, 2011, but hasn't been heard from since October, 2011. ???
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1784

"Mildrover",

I'm a Brit and am new to the Corvair world, although I've been a classic car journo for nearly 25 years and I'm currently deputy editor of Octane magazine.

I've fallen in love with a Greenbrier as the thinking man's alternative to a VW Type 2 and am looking for a nice original or restored example to take back to the UK. My ideal would be a camper conversion that has some history to it, but I know how scarce these are so I'd be happy to find a regular bus – and I'm not averse to a bit of a road trip to collect it. Before I was a journo I was an archaeologist, so I love a bit of patina and would always prefer to conserve rather than restore

"TexasUK", lives in Church Crookham, Hampshire, UK. I got involved with trying to help him to locate some Corvair-knowledgeable people in the Grand Junction, Colorado area to help him with evaluating a Corvair Greenbrier back in October 2012. He was considering a purchase for export to the UK, and was basically looking for a third party who would evaluate the Greenbrier in person before he made his final decision.

"Mart" (Martin Reed), purchased a Corvair from an unscrupulous dealer in Pennsylvania and had it shipped to England. After he received it, he discovered that the "nice" car was loaded with hidden and covered-up body problems. His is something of an ongoing nightmare story of what can go wrong. He has been determined to make the most of a bad situation, and I suspect that many have learned from his experiences and accomplishments. You can see his extensive thread by clicking on this link: pensylvania bondo bucket viewtopic.php?f=52&t=2512.



"Roastbeef", Recently (in November 2013) imported an early model 1962 white four-door Corvair sedan to the UK. It had belonged to his late brother, and he had it shipped from California. I don't know where he lives in the UK.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4700&p=32054&hilit=england#p32054




"UKCORVAIR" Joined the Corvair Forum in January, 2011, but hasn't visited the Corvair Forum since September, 2012.



"rustbucket"

Hello UK Corvair, I'm the guy with the brown Corvan who lives near Mart.
No I've never been to Americanna but intend to pencil it in for next year.

There are also numerous Corvair Forum members in the Scandinavian countries, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.

[bbodie52]

Here are several Corvair For Sale websites that may be useful...

eBay is one possibility. There are several specialized used car dealers who focus on finding and selling classic cars. Many are in very good condition. You pay a little more for this "finder's fee", but many of these dealers focus on classic car enthusiasts and the dealers value their reputations. In fact, my current 1966 Corsa convertible was initially spotted on eBay, and I bought it from a Florida classic car dealer in Lakeland, Florida. I took a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, closed the deal in Florida, and drove the car home (571 miles) without any problem in 2012. As with all classic Corvairs, the buyer must be cautious. Sometimes CORSA club members or Corvair Forum members will assist potential buyers by acting as a "third party" to examine local Corvairs that were initially located on eBay. Several Corvair buyers in England and Italy bought their Corvairs in this way with the assistance of Corvair enthusiasts in the USA who helped them (since there was no practical way for the prospective buyer to personally examine the Corvairs before closing the deal and shipping the cars to Europe).


CORVAIRS FOR SALE
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/pages.c ... =buyorsell


Just Listed!
https://www.corvair.org/go-shopping


Chevrolet Corvair for Sale
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/car ... et/corvair


Classifieds for Classic Chevrolet Corvair
http://classiccars.com/listings/find/al ... et/corvair


http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/che ... rvair.html


Corvairs for Sale
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Corvairs ... 7975069947

Even a for "Corvairs for Sale" will produce many leads.

[petrocelli]

Brad,thanks for taking the time to send me that really helpful and comprehensive post.
I will work my way through it tomorrow.
Yes I am in the UK,I live near a little town called Henley about 20 miles west of London.
Buying sight unseen is always a lottery so I will either try and get a local Corvair owner to look at any potential car or pay for a professional inspection.
Thanks again
P

[joelsplace]

Corvairs have better parts availability than any vehicle I've looked into that is more than 10 years old. There aren't as many different sources as something like a Corvette but more parts are available.
An example - I haven't been able to find front control arm shaft washers for my Corvette but if I needed them for my Corvair I'll bet there are a dozen different sources.