Diving Back In

[erco]

First time poster, just joined. Greetings from Torrance, near Los Angeles. I bought my '67 Monza in 1980, my first car. It's been dormant and buried in my garage for 19 years, but I'm about to move it outside and start working on it: 140 engine 4-speed. It will need tons of work, I'm sure the gas tank & lines are all varnished up, wheels & brakes, front suspension rebuild etc. It's an east coast rustbucket but she's my first car and I'll never get rid of her. Looking forward to getting my hands dirty and reporting some progress soon. I'm fortunate to have several parts suppliers in the vicinity, so it's just a matter of time & money now. Cheers all!

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum! Being "at rest" for decades is not unusual for the Corvair.

It's been dormant and buried in my garage for 19 years...It's an east coast rustbucket but she's my first car and I'll never get rid of her. Looking forward to getting my hands dirty and reporting some progress soon. I'm fortunate to have several parts suppliers in the vicinity, so it's just a matter of time & money now.

Before you invest a great deal of time and money in the car, be sure to carefully evaluate the body (or have it evaluated by a qualified body shop) to determine just how serviceable and restorable your car is. Corvairs are unibody vehicles, and as such the body serves as the chassis/frame. There is a subframe bolted to the body that supports the front and rear suspension and powertrain to some extent, but most of the car is attached to the body, and the body is a critical element. Few body parts are "bolt on", so rust and body rot can be a real "deal breaker". Late Model (LM) Corvairs (1965-1969) were a little-more thin-skinned than Early Model (EM) vehicles (1960-1964), and convertibles are more problematic than coupes and sedans. Body rust repair can mean a lot of cutting and welding, and the costs can mount quickly. You must determine if your "east coast rustbucket" is really a good candidate for a restoration project, or if it is better to search for a solid body as a basis for merging your "parts car" with a serviceable chassis. A realistic evaluation of your Corvair will help you to develop a good plan and budget that can produce a drive-able classic Corvair that will keep you motivated and will produce a good outcome that is emotionally rewarding in a reasonable amount of time.

There are a lot of CORSA (Corvair Society of America) car club chapters in Southern California. I would strongly recommend doing a little research and possibly joining one of them. The members can provide valuable advice and experienced assistance as you move forward. The combination of CORSA membership and active participation here on the Corvair Forum, coupled with excellent parts suppliers like Clark's Corvair Parts can go a long way to helping your dream to become a reality.

I would like to encourage you to expand on your post and tell us more about yourself, as well as about your Corvair. Your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities 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 if we have some understanding of your technical background and mechanical abilities, your Corvair-related knowledge, etc. Helping us to know more about you, your Corvair, and you plans for your Corvair will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Knowing where you live also helps, as your location may suggest some possibilities or solutions. Detailed photographs of your Corvair, including interior, trunk, and engine compartment would be great!

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 (.pdf) 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

Removing your car from storage/Reviving a Dead Corvair
viewtopic.php?f=225&t=5030

Useful YouTube Corvair "How To" Videos from Dave Motohead...

https://www.youtube.com/user/davemotohead1/videos

[erco]

Thanks for all the info, Brad. Re: "Being "at rest" for decades is not unusual for the Corvair." I'm sure everyone here has heard of Group Red.

http://www.wittelaw.com/personal/groupred/

[erco]

Just yesterday I rolled my '67 Monza 140 out of the garage she's been in for 19 years. Pretty rough but she's my first car (1980) and still beautiful to me. Much to do. Big summer ahead for me and "Corvaired-19".

[bbodie52]

[flat6_musik]

Welcome to the forums, and glad to see you bringing it back! Let us know how it all goes! Are you in with the South Coast Corvair guys?

(I bought my 2nd corvair in Torrance, a cypress green '65 corsa.....back in 86!)

[erco]

Yeah, I'll probably join SCC. I keep meeting them in various venues, might as well make it official! Mike of Mike's Corvair Parts is a member, I gotta stay on his good side. :)

[erco]

My 67 Monza's steering wheel chrome was pretty bad but daughter Amy did a nice job cleaning it up.