1966 Corsa Convertible

[JohnDB]

It's been cold and I've been putting off dealing with an oil leak, but today I decided to take the next step. The leak I'm trying to solve is pretty high up it seems, the engine number area gets covered in oil. I've replaced the alternator mount and gasket previously, several times in fact, and today I went after the oil cooler seals. This is about the last step before I rebuild a rear housing and swap it over. I pulled the alternator for some extra working room, and there was oil between the alternator and the mount, hard to see in the picture:

Some more stuff out of the way:

And it's out:

I think some of the oil on the outside of the cooler was from the removal process, but it looks like it might have been leaking some. Seals were very hard.

All cleaned up and ready to go back in:

Everything back in place, aside from a clean oil cooler it looks like nothing happened:

I used the Viton seals from Clark's and a tiny little bit of Permatex #2 to keep them in place while I put the cooler back in. Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow and I can take a test drive.

[JohnDB]

It's a nice, sunny day in PA today, and I was able to get about 50 miles on the Corsa today. I'm not ready to call this one solved, but the leak seems to be very much improved so far. I did a mix of local and highway, and while at the grocery store for about 45 minutes I didn't even mark my spot! We'll see how in goes in the next few weeks.

[gbullman]

I like your method of measuring (didn’t mark its spot).

It appears I was pretty successful with my last round of oil leak fixes. First photo was accumulated drips from Fall 2022 until June 2023. Second photo is accumulated drips from August 2023 to present (yes, I am cheap enough to cover the only wet spot on an otherwise good piece of cardboard last August).

Still a bit of a mystery where the oil is going but it is manageable so I’m living with it for now.

[doug6423]

Looked like mine used to look.

[Project65]

Hey, fingers crossed John. Hoping you got that leak solved. Yeah, we’ve had some great weather up here in NW PA also. Car is looking great!

[JohnDB]

I've been able to put about 200 miles on the car in the past weeks despite the lousy weather. So far things are still looking good and I've even put down a fresh piece of cardboard that seems to be staying clean!

I'm also going to need a set of tires soon, and somehow that turned into looking for different wheels (as it often does). I've always liked the Firebird GTA wheels and found a nice set of replicas on Craigslist for a great price. Hopefully I can get some tires next week and get them swapped over!

Anyone looking for a set of 15x7 Z28 wheels?

[JohnDB]

I was able to get tires mounted this morning, and even though it has been pouring rain all day, I had to get the new wheels on the car. The wheels have the “standard” GTA offsets and I put the rears on the front and the fronts on the rear, all with 205/55/16. I’ve seen online where some folks are running a 225 in the rear, but I didn’t want to take a chance with having to roll fender lips. So far I’m really happy with the new look! Terrible stuck in the garage picture:

Hopefully it dries up a bit tomorrow and I can put some miles on!

[JohnDB]

Got out this morning and it drives well with the new wheels and tires. Speedo is slow by 1 or 2 mph compared to gps, I can live with that. Looks good out in the sun!

[Project65]

Hey John. Glad to see that you’ve fixed the oil leak and that you’ve scored a nice set of wheels! Great to see your continuous improvement efforts. How’s the ride and handling with the new wheels and tires?

[JohnDB]

The weather was pretty decent today, so I drove the Corsa to work, ends up being about 60 miles round trip. Wheels and tires seem perfectly happy on side roads and the turnpike, no issues and the ride is pretty much the same as with the 195/60/15 I was previously running. Need to re-torque all the wheels but otherwise it's all good!

[KenHenry]

Wow, that looks great, and the wheels look right at home in my opinion! Ken

[JohnDB]

Excellent weather in PA over the past few days, so it only made sense to drive the Corsa to work today. Had a nice drive into work, a nice run for lunch, and it all was looking good on the way home until the GEN/FAN light came on. Luckily I was on the PA Turnpike and there was a nice wide spot to pull over and shutdown. I wasn't too surprised when I opened the engine lid:

Well, maybe not surprised that the belt was off, but a little surprised that the belt was broken like that and not just thrown.

I don't think this one will make a good spare any more:

I was able to swap a spare belt on in about 15 minutes and was back on the road. The broken belt had been off a few times and re-tensioned after being reinstalled a few times, not sure if that was what caused it to come apart or not. Need to see what new 3V560 belts I have in the garage, the spare on there now is one of the wider, incorrect, part-store belts (but it still got me home no problem).

[gbullman]

Bummer on the belt but good you recognized what was happening and had a spare to put on. I just got some gates belts as spares but luckily still running the one that came on the car.

Hopefully see you in Gettysburg in May.

[JohnDB]

I need to put a pair of gloves in my trunk - when I put the spare belt back in, was a bit warm trying the get the belt tensioned.

I just saw the details a few days ago about the Corvair Ranch open house in May, we're planning to attend. I need to call or send an email and see if they will pull some parts for me ahead, or if we can pull items while we are there. Not sure which car we'll bring yet, but if the weather is good it could be both!

[caraholic4life]

I need to put a pair of gloves in my trunk - when I put the spare belt back in, was a bit warm trying the get the belt tensioned.

I just saw the details a few days ago about the Corvair Ranch open house in May, we're planning to attend. I need to call or send an email and see if they will pull some parts for me ahead, or if we can pull items while we are there. Not sure which car we'll bring yet, but if the weather is good it could be both!

I will agree that working on a warm Corvair engine when on the side of a roadway can be a bit uncomfortable. I have had to do that in the past couple of years to replace a Fuel Pump that had been replaced only a few month's earlier....Yes it was a warm job too... In addition to carrying tools and an extra fan belt, I have started carrying an extra fuel pump and oil pressure sending unit in any Corvair I am driving.

[gbullman]

I need to put a pair of gloves in my trunk - when I put the spare belt back in, was a bit warm trying the get the belt tensioned.

I just saw the details a few days ago about the Corvair Ranch open house in May, we're planning to attend. I need to call or send an email and see if they will pull some parts for me ahead, or if we can pull items while we are there. Not sure which car we'll bring yet, but if the weather is good it could be both!

A couple of us from Northern NJ are planning to go to Open House as well, hopefully see you there.