New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
- 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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New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Hello, from a new member in the Southwest region of North Carolina. I joined the Corvair Forum a few days ago when I saw an invitation to this site while browsing the CORSA site on Facebook. Although I am new to the site, so far I am really impressed with what I see.
My wife and I live in a home that my father built in the late 1980's on the southeast shore of Lake Chatuge in North Carolina. For mailing purposes our home address is in Hayesville NC, but that town is about 9 miles from our home. Our home is about 1/4 mile north of the Georgia/North Carolina border. The nearest town is Hiawassee Georgia, which is 4 miles to the south of us. We are about 100 miles from each of the nearest major cities, which include Atlanta GA, Chattanooga TN, and Asheville NC. We moved here a few years ago from Lebanon, Pennsylvania at my father's request, since he had reached the age of 85 and felt that he could use a little help. Unfortunately he passed away several months after we moved here, but here we remain.
My relationship with Corvairs is a long one. What follows is a brief biography that I wrote, with specific emphasis on Corvairs, and how they have impacted our lives:
Our current Corvair is a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa convertible. My family has a lot of history with Corvairs, since the time my father first purchased one – a new white 1961 Monza coupe with red interior – when I was only nine years old. Then, in 1965, my parents were considering the purchase of a new Ford Mustang fastback or a Corvair convertible. The Corvair won the day and we ended up with a mist blue 1965 Corsa convertible with 140 hp engine, four-speed transmission, wire wheel style wheel covers and a black top and interior. I was only about 13 years old at the time, but a few years later I learned how to drive in that car and took my first drivers test in the Corvair. In 1969 I spent my summer watching as man first landed on the moon and rebuilding an old 1963 Corvair engine and automatic transmission. My father purchased the car for me so that I could learn how to work on cars. Armed with a shop manual and a garage full of tools I slowly learned how to remove the powertrain, tear down the engine and rebuild it, and after discovering a faulty powerglide transmission, learned to rebuild that too.
In subsequent years I later owned a 1962 Monza, a 1963 Turbo Spyder convertible, and a 1965 Corsa coupe with turbocharged engine. I dated my future bride Tracy in that last car. In 1972 I was married and we celebrated our honeymoon in the 1962 Monza. Toward the end of that year I joined the Air Force, and after graduating from a seven month tech school at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, we returned to California to visit my parents, and my father presented me with a graduation present – his beloved 1965 Corsa convertible!
So in the summer of 1973 my pregnant bride and I proceeded on our first cross-country trip in a Corvair as we drove to Warner Robins Georgia, which was my first Air Force assignment. A few years later, after I completed a one-year unaccompanied tour in Taegu, Korea, we took that Corvair convertible with us to our next assignment near Boston Massachusetts, where I did some restoration work on the car and had it repainted (Red) and had a new convertible top installed. Our next assignment, in 1980, was near Ramstein Air Base in Germany – and we took the Corvair with us. In 1981 we returned to California to visit my parents while on leave, and we obtained a white 1965 Corsa coupe, which we drove across country with our two children and then shipped the car from New Jersey to Germany. So for the next few years we had two Corvairs to drive while we lived near Kaiserslautern in Southwest Germany. In 1983 I was reassigned to a location near Los Angeles. We shipped the Corvair convertible directly to a port in Los Angeles, and shipped the coupe back to New Jersey. From there we drove the Corsa coupe south to Washington DC and Georgia and then across country in August during the hottest summer month, with our two small children tucked into the back seat. No air conditioning, of course!
So over the years we had owned nine Corvairs, and sold the last one in Pennsylvania in the early 1990s. Following our recent 40th anniversary I decided that I wanted to recapture some of our memories by becoming a Corvair owner again. When I discovered this blue Corvair on eBay I decided that now was the time! I love the color and the color scheme is very similar to the 1965 Corsa convertible my parents purchased so long ago. So we sold our 2008 Lexus GS 460 – exchanging that ownership for this 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible. Believe me, there is quite a bit of difference between the 2008 Lexus and a 1966 Corvair! But my wife and I are truly enjoying it, and it is a unique piece of transportation history that is once again a part of our family.
The photographs below provide you with a brief glimpse of our North Carolina home and the 1966 Corvair Corsa I purchased in Florida a few months ago.
My wife and I live in a home that my father built in the late 1980's on the southeast shore of Lake Chatuge in North Carolina. For mailing purposes our home address is in Hayesville NC, but that town is about 9 miles from our home. Our home is about 1/4 mile north of the Georgia/North Carolina border. The nearest town is Hiawassee Georgia, which is 4 miles to the south of us. We are about 100 miles from each of the nearest major cities, which include Atlanta GA, Chattanooga TN, and Asheville NC. We moved here a few years ago from Lebanon, Pennsylvania at my father's request, since he had reached the age of 85 and felt that he could use a little help. Unfortunately he passed away several months after we moved here, but here we remain.
My relationship with Corvairs is a long one. What follows is a brief biography that I wrote, with specific emphasis on Corvairs, and how they have impacted our lives:
Our current Corvair is a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa convertible. My family has a lot of history with Corvairs, since the time my father first purchased one – a new white 1961 Monza coupe with red interior – when I was only nine years old. Then, in 1965, my parents were considering the purchase of a new Ford Mustang fastback or a Corvair convertible. The Corvair won the day and we ended up with a mist blue 1965 Corsa convertible with 140 hp engine, four-speed transmission, wire wheel style wheel covers and a black top and interior. I was only about 13 years old at the time, but a few years later I learned how to drive in that car and took my first drivers test in the Corvair. In 1969 I spent my summer watching as man first landed on the moon and rebuilding an old 1963 Corvair engine and automatic transmission. My father purchased the car for me so that I could learn how to work on cars. Armed with a shop manual and a garage full of tools I slowly learned how to remove the powertrain, tear down the engine and rebuild it, and after discovering a faulty powerglide transmission, learned to rebuild that too.
In subsequent years I later owned a 1962 Monza, a 1963 Turbo Spyder convertible, and a 1965 Corsa coupe with turbocharged engine. I dated my future bride Tracy in that last car. In 1972 I was married and we celebrated our honeymoon in the 1962 Monza. Toward the end of that year I joined the Air Force, and after graduating from a seven month tech school at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, we returned to California to visit my parents, and my father presented me with a graduation present – his beloved 1965 Corsa convertible!
So in the summer of 1973 my pregnant bride and I proceeded on our first cross-country trip in a Corvair as we drove to Warner Robins Georgia, which was my first Air Force assignment. A few years later, after I completed a one-year unaccompanied tour in Taegu, Korea, we took that Corvair convertible with us to our next assignment near Boston Massachusetts, where I did some restoration work on the car and had it repainted (Red) and had a new convertible top installed. Our next assignment, in 1980, was near Ramstein Air Base in Germany – and we took the Corvair with us. In 1981 we returned to California to visit my parents while on leave, and we obtained a white 1965 Corsa coupe, which we drove across country with our two children and then shipped the car from New Jersey to Germany. So for the next few years we had two Corvairs to drive while we lived near Kaiserslautern in Southwest Germany. In 1983 I was reassigned to a location near Los Angeles. We shipped the Corvair convertible directly to a port in Los Angeles, and shipped the coupe back to New Jersey. From there we drove the Corsa coupe south to Washington DC and Georgia and then across country in August during the hottest summer month, with our two small children tucked into the back seat. No air conditioning, of course!
So over the years we had owned nine Corvairs, and sold the last one in Pennsylvania in the early 1990s. Following our recent 40th anniversary I decided that I wanted to recapture some of our memories by becoming a Corvair owner again. When I discovered this blue Corvair on eBay I decided that now was the time! I love the color and the color scheme is very similar to the 1965 Corsa convertible my parents purchased so long ago. So we sold our 2008 Lexus GS 460 – exchanging that ownership for this 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible. Believe me, there is quite a bit of difference between the 2008 Lexus and a 1966 Corvair! But my wife and I are truly enjoying it, and it is a unique piece of transportation history that is once again a part of our family.
The photographs below provide you with a brief glimpse of our North Carolina home and the 1966 Corvair Corsa I purchased in Florida a few months ago.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
- Bruins_Fan
- Corvair of the Month
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:45 am
- Location: North Shore, MA
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Beautiful car! Welcome from a real newbie.
'66 Monza Convertible 110hp Powerglide
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
nice car, and story, i remember seeing this one on ebay a while ago
Drive it like you stole it
65 Turbo Monza Coupe
64 monza convertible 4 spd
Grand Ledge, Michigan
65 Turbo Monza Coupe
64 monza convertible 4 spd
Grand Ledge, Michigan
- ncwitte
- Corvair of the Month
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2012 4:32 am
- Location: Lansing, Michigan
- Contact:
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Brad, nice to see you over here, and welcome to the forum. I have dreams of maybe retiring on a lake in the Carolinas one day. My mom grew up in Charlotte and I spent a lot of time on Lake Wylie as a kid. Nice part of the country.
That's a sharp looking car you have there. I hope you have a wonderful time with her.
That's a sharp looking car you have there. I hope you have a wonderful time with her.
Norm Witte
Lansing, Michigan
'65 Corsas: 140 coupe and 180 convertible
http://www.wittelaw.com/personal
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=4208
Lansing, Michigan
'65 Corsas: 140 coupe and 180 convertible
http://www.wittelaw.com/personal
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=4208
- Vaircooled
- Posts: 94
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:16 am
- Location: Plano, Texas
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Welcome and thanks for sharing your story!
Shane
1960 700 Sedan
1960 700 Sedan
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Livin the life. Welcome to CF. And thank you for your service.
Kevin, Plainfield IL
'63 Corvan
'63 Custom Bug.
'63 Corvan
'63 Custom Bug.
- flat6_musik
- Posts: 2659
- Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:03 am
- Location: Hesperia, CA
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Neat story, BB! Yes, you certainly have some 'vair heritage, that's for sure! I'm loving that house on the lake too. I'm a big fan of those Magnum 500 style wheels (you rarely see them on 'vairs) and I just noticed the different color paintwork/graphics on the side of your car. Very nice, very clean looking.
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Welcome! Nice blue color.
Jeremy (cad-kid)
Kronenwetter, WI (Central Wisconsin)
SOLD 9-2016 65 Monza 4spd/140
My 65 Monza thread
My YouTube page
Kronenwetter, WI (Central Wisconsin)
SOLD 9-2016 65 Monza 4spd/140
My 65 Monza thread
My YouTube page
- croderique
- Corvair of the Month
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:43 pm
- Location: Buckeye, AZ
- Contact:
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
I know what you mean about the Lexus vs. Corvair. As I put in my other post, I sold a 2009 BMW 3 Series hardtop convertible and bought 2 LM Corvair convertibles. Fun but a lot of work. Hope to have them on the road soon and will post some pics then. Check out my friend Ron M's posts of his restoration of a '66 Corsa, Aztec Bronze. viewtopic.php?t=5210" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
I saw it a couple of weeks ago when it came back from paint and it is going to be amazing. He is meticulous as shown by his 58 Chevy Impala with plenty of trophies.
Chuck
I saw it a couple of weeks ago when it came back from paint and it is going to be amazing. He is meticulous as shown by his 58 Chevy Impala with plenty of trophies.
Chuck
Chuck Roderique
1966 Corvair Monza Convertible, 110 H.P. 4 sp, Aztec Bronze with Bronze Interior
1966 Corvair Monza Convertible, 110 H.P. 4 sp, Aztec Bronze with Bronze Interior
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
I see you have a lot of faith in these Corvairs driving across country many times! I feel better already only driving from Florida to NY. Beautiful house.
PS Thanks for serving for our country!
PS Thanks for serving for our country!
- bbodie52
- Corvair of the Month
- Posts: 11908
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:33 pm
- Location: Lake Chatuge Hayesville, NC
- Contact:
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Thanks. I have my father to thank for much of the path my life took. He got me hooked on Corvairs when I was a child and taught me much about automotive maintenance and repair. He convinced me to join the Air Force soon after I was married at age 19, and that career path worked well for us (going on 42 years of marriage). He and my mother (who passed away in 1989) built this house on Lake Chatuge when he retired from Lockheed, and when he passed away at age 85 we inherited it -- a far better house than I would ever have been able to hope for as a retired Air Force Master Sergeant!
The Corvair is aging and so are we, but we have much to be grateful for. We will continue to enjoy driving our Corvair as we have through most of our adult lives.
The Corvair is aging and so are we, but we have much to be grateful for. We will continue to enjoy driving our Corvair as we have through most of our adult lives.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Sounds and looks great. I have a place close by in Scaly Mt. NC. You should come to the show in Helen Ga. the 18th and 19th. I live un the Atlanta area now.
GAPOP
GAPOP
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Small world. My parents who got me into corvairs during my high school years in the 80s, retired very close to you! They live just off 64 and Cold Branch. I was there just last week visiting from Raleigh. We had 7 corvairs at our peak in Texas - - he has the sole remaining one now. We are working on finding a way to get it trailered in my direction so I can get back into the hobby after a 20 yr hiatus. [attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1397239888247.jpg[/attachment]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
- bbodie52
- Corvair of the Month
- Posts: 11908
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:33 pm
- Location: Lake Chatuge Hayesville, NC
- Contact:
Re: New from Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
What a beautiful 1964 Corvair convertible. I love the color scheme and the wire wheels, and I can only dream of owning another EM Corvair like that one someday!
The location you mentioned is only about five miles from our home. Good luck with reentering the Corvair world after your lengthy hiatus. I went almost 18 years without a Corvair, and when I put the top down and started driving my '66 Corsa back to North Carolina from Florida in 2012 all I could do was giggle like a teenager driving is first car!
I dream of owning another EM coupe or convertible someday, and your posted picture has me looking to realize that dream in the near future.
The location you mentioned is only about five miles from our home. Good luck with reentering the Corvair world after your lengthy hiatus. I went almost 18 years without a Corvair, and when I put the top down and started driving my '66 Corsa back to North Carolina from Florida in 2012 all I could do was giggle like a teenager driving is first car!
I dream of owning another EM coupe or convertible someday, and your posted picture has me looking to realize that dream in the near future.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible