New Member 1st Corvair 1965 Corsa Turbo Need Advice

700clubny · Post by **700clubny** » Sun May 29, 2011 6:23 am

Hi there!!! my name is Rob from long island ny & i am the new owner of a 1965 corsa convertible 4 speed turbo!! this is my first corvair & i don't know much about them!! so i appreciate all the help in advance!!! the car is a frame up restoration that is at the 90% mark that someone gave up on!! not much left to do but install all the chrome!! AND get it running again!!! the engine was rebuilt & has like 200 miles on it according to the previous owner. BUT the car has been sitting in his garage for 5 years!!! first thing I noticed was the brakes seem gone!!?? bleed them?? new cylinders?? and i am not sure if you need to prime the turbo or anything before attempting to start it!! pls advise!!! Pics to follow.

Post by **TikiRalf** » Sun May 29, 2011 9:50 am

Welkom tot he world of corvairs

!!

Post by **Corvair.crazy** » Sun May 29, 2011 9:52 am

Hello, Let me be the first (well second) from cyber space to congratulate you on your Corvair. That is a awesome car to cut your teeth on.

Here on the forum love pictures so we can't wait til you post yours.

As far as your car goes, I will get you started but the are some better minds on here than me.

First is the gas in the tank 5 years old? If so you may need to get rid of the gas or even drop the tank and clean it. It is hard to say without seeing the car. On a ground up restore you would imagine the tank is new or good shape but gunk builds up in gas especially when going through winters and summers. you shouldn't take a chance.

You should prime the engine not the turbo before attempting to start it. What I mean is after sitting all the oil drains to the pan. So therefore all the cylinders are dry. There are ways to get oil to the cylinders before you crank the engine. You can watch Dave's video on You tube.http://www.youtube.com/user/davemotohea ... bkQs8nYNn0 it is a start.

About the brakes, again if it is a ground up restore you would image all the rubber would be new as well as the wheel and master cylinders. I would take all the wheels off and do an inspection of the brake components. making sure all looks good, everything should be dry and clean. Then adjust the brakes properly ( the shoe to drum clearence) after that check the fuild level in the master cylinder. and then after pumping the brakes make sure you don't have any leaks. If that looks good then I would try bleeding them. It could just be air in the lines. Just make sure all the rubber going to the wheels aren't cracked and dry.

Good luck and again nice car.

700clubny · Post by **700clubny** » Sun May 29, 2011 11:09 am

thx for the reply!!! these were things i've been thinking about for sure!!1 is there anything regarding the turbo or fuel system other than cleaning the tank that needs attention before i start her up?? we are so exited that we found this car & everyone in my neighborhood is stopping by to check her out!!!she rolls into my shop today for completion!!! this is my first classic car i usually do boats!! thx for letting me pick your brain!!! your the best!!!

Post by **Gregory_Miller** » Sun May 29, 2011 11:46 am

Congrats on the purchase. I would contact the local "or local-est" Corvair club, there are many who would love to give you some pointers, often in person!! http://www.corvair.org/csaindex.php?csaact=chplist You can filter for "NY". Best of luck getting her started with no issues.

Post by **Corvair.crazy** » Sun May 29, 2011 1:50 pm

[quote="700clubny"]thx for the reply!!! these were things i've been thinking about for sure!!1 is there anything regarding the turbo or fuel system other than cleaning the tank that needs attention before i start her up?? quote]
No the turbo should be fine.I am assuming it was fresh Five years ago, so it is probably not frozen. Some like to disconnect the fuel line at the carb and flush the lines with fresh gas. The carb may or may not need to rebuilt. The stale gas could gum up the passages. You could start it up without the rebuild you will know soon enough whether it will need work or not.

I get the same response from people in my neighborhood, thats one of the fun things about Corvairs they get plenty of attention.

Post by **Trip** » Sun May 29, 2011 2:01 pm

Welcome to the community and congrats on the awesome car! I've been into Corvairs for 10 years now and I just finally got my first turbo (also a 65 coupe) and I'm incredibly excited to get it restored and on the road.

That is a heck of a first Corvair, the Turbo cars are really neat and the 65'-66' (late model) turbo's are considerably less common then the also desirable 62'-64' Turbo (Sypder) cars. Just don't expect the car to be "fast" or very powerful by modern standards! Stock I believe the base Corsa (140) was in the mid 17's on the 1/4 mile and the turbo about the same though it really doesn't kick in the power till over 60 mph.

Corvair is a great car to play with, simple and fun, and they get a TON of attention compared to other (much more expensive) collector cars.

Post by **Trip** » Sun May 29, 2011 2:02 pm

Oh and I second the motion.....

POST PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm only about 2 hours from the Island, if it weren't for current gas prices I'd be quick to come out and lend a hand when needed! That is assuming you don't mind the company of a 31 y/o "kid"... most Corvair enthusiasts are twice my age =P

65Ragtop · Post by **65Ragtop** » Sun May 29, 2011 7:29 pm

Welcome. Sounds like a sweet ride. Looking forward to some pictures.

Butcher&Vairs · Post by **Butcher&Vairs** » Sun May 29, 2011 9:55 pm

cad-kid · Post by **cad-kid** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:07 am

welcome!

700clubny · Post by **700clubny** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:31 pm

Hi all!!! Sooo here's the deal!!! This car basically fell into my lap!! I must admit I was not looking for a corvair or any classic car for that matter!! Anyway my wife fell in love w/ it as did I & wants me to finish it. No problem!!?? I'm a boat guy more than a car guy but pretty handy anyhow!! I've been working on things like draining the fuel tank,bleeding the brake system,(problem solved by the way!!) I squirted marvel mystery oil into all the cylinders & slowly tuned her over by hand until i try to start her up.The next question I have is where should I look to find where the chrome & logos go!!?? Also the ballasts??? or counter weights??as well as a few other things that I'm sure will come up!!! thx!!! Robbie

: 65 Corvair

Post by **Corvair.crazy** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:27 pm

WOW.. that is pretty funny. My story is almost the same. I posted it in introductions, but our car fell into our laps and my wife fell in love with it as well. In fact I didn't even get to drive it the first week. She overseed the interior restore and is very much a big part of the project.

Have fun.

: Before

: After

My wife says I not done yet.

Post by **Trip** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 7:49 pm

wow that is a good looking car man!

Let's see.. on the trim.... I see the grill bar is installed already. On a 65' you have a "corvair" script logo on the front drivers corner of the hood, "Corsa" lettering just in front of the door on the fender slightly below the body line, then the Corsa emblem with the "C" in the center goes right in front of the rear wheels on the lower half of the panel. On the engine lid you have "Corvair" script logo on the passenger rear corner, and the round turbocharged emblem goes in the center. The silver painted tail pan is correct and is a feature of the "Corsa" model. There should be a pair of bright aluminum grills for the rear bottom panel also (this is unique to 65' Corsa cars). The windshield, rain gutter, rear cove, rocker panel, and rear window bright trim parts are pretty self explanatory. For the windshield and back window trim buy a set of the clips from Rafee Corvair parts (www.rafeecorvair.com) or Clarks Corvair (http://www.corvair.com). You might want to avoid Corvair underground, there have been some issues with them... do your own research (on this site) if you want to know more about that.

What about the interior? Is it assembled? I can help with that too if need be. I've got two 65' Corsa's myself so I've got samples to look at =)... mine are coupes though.

I can't help with the counterweights, I'm not a convertible guy and they are unique to late model (when we say that we mean second generation 65-69 cars) convertibles.

Post by **Trip** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:01 pm

oh and another thing, "turbo lag" is HUGE on these cars, remember this was only the fourth year that a factory turbo car even existed! The technology wasn't what it is today... so don't expect to see boost on the gauge until probably near 60MPH when you are accelerating hard... this is NORMAL not a bad turbo!

Best way to test the turbo is on the interstate cruising at around 65 mph or so put your left foot lightly on the brake and floor the gas... after a few seconds it should build up to somewhere close to 10psi... of course that assumes an accurate/working boost gauge etc. 10psi is about the max expected from a stock turbo Vair'.

Also I see you have the optional wood grain wheel, a very nice option. Doesn't look like a telescopic column, which is worth a good bit of money. Rear mount antenna is a nice option too, though it doesn't affect the cars value very much.

700clubny · Post by **700clubny** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 12:28 pm

Thx grymm!! seems you know a thing or two bout this!!! as for the interior it is all there and in nice shape except one seem popped on the passenger seat!!!I haven't really had a chance to actually sit behind the wheel for more than a sec yet so I haven't noticed if it has a telescopic wheel!& when you mentioned rear mounted antenna, is it mounted elsewhere on other models?? as far as turbo lag, i read online somewhere not to drive this car very fast because they are supposed to be "unsafe at any speed!!" so is it safe to push it past 65?? I'm like a sunday driver anyway!! My friends all call me "right lane rob!!" "the 55 mile an hour man!!!" lol!!! i'll post a few interior pics & engine now!! thx for being there!! Also i'm looking for a shop manual!! i was thinking e bay . got a better suggestion??