New member, New to Corvairs

[Gridlockd]

Hello to all,

I'm John and Have recently purchased a 64 monza PG vert. I am new to corvairs, never worked on one, sat in one, seen one in person until i bought this one. My wife and I have always wanted a classic car, but never could agree on what suited us both. we saw this corvair and were both on board from the start. I am looking forward to the challenge that comes with this restoration, and am looking forward to seeing what i can do with it. I'm sure I will have tons of questions as I progress, so hopefully I wont be too much of a nuisance to you all. As you can see from the pictures, I have my work cut out for me, but I am positive I can put some life back into it!
Just to be clear, My wife and I are not interested in making this project a factory restoration to sit in our garage and be trailered to car shows. We wanna drive it and enjoy it for what it is! I'd want it to be nice, but not to the point of being afraid to drive it around.
I hope to learn a lot here and maybe, eventually share some knowledge of my own.


Thanks,
John

[cad-kid]

Welcome! Nice project you have there.

[1949chevy]

Looks like you are off to a great start....gotta love those 64 convertibles....you made a very smart choice.

[GasDaddy140]

You have a great attitude. I hope that you and your wife drive the wheels off that revolutionary Corvair dream car!

[Freejax]

Nice choice on the car, you will find a lot of knowledgeable and nice people on the forum. I started a project last year and everyone here is a wealth of information, welcome aboard and happy building.

[Fast Eddie]

Welcome John. Where are you located?

[BIGTWIN]

Welcome John. That doesn't look so bad, I think you can do it. Be sure to check for rust under those covers under the doors, they're notorious for that. Lots of help available here. You might also consider finding a Corvair club for local support.

[bbodie52]

Welcome, John, to the Corvair Forum!

Although you both decided to move ahead and to "take the plunge" without asking questions first, I would urge you to take full advantage of the Corvair Forum, additional Internet research, and — depending on your location — possibly local CORSA (Corvair Society of America) chapter club members as you "dig in" and begin your self-educated exploration of Corvair ownership. A DIY "shade tree mechanic" approach on a Corvair is certainly possible. I overhauled my first Corvair engine and automatic transmission by myself in 1969 at age 16 during my high school summer vacation. I had access to my father's garage, hand tools, jack stands, a hydraulic floor jack, and a Corvair Shop Manual (all essential elements). I did not have the benefit of the Internet, local Corvair clubs, or excellent parts suppliers like Clark's Corvair Parts — because they did not exist. I did read a lot — studying books like a series of Petersen's Publications with titles like Basic Carburetors and Fuel Systems, Basic Suspensions and Brake Systems and Basic Clutches and Transmissions. I also took some high school auto shop classes, and made full use of the Corvair shop manual. It was a self-taught slow-going effort that ended up being highly successful. You have many support systems available to you today that I could not have dreamed of, and if you take full advantage of Internet resources and perhaps like-minded local Corvair enthusiasts (if they exist in your area) you can have a successful, cost-effective and enjoyable project in your future.

With regard to the Corvair Forum, I urge you to begin a project thread on this website. Post lots of pictures and questions as you proceed. The Corvair Forum represents a tremendous knowledge and experience base with many Corvair owners anxious to answer your questions and to help you along with your project car. Making full use of the Corvair Forum and CORSA club members can eliminate much of the "error" from "trial and error" car restoration. Carefully follow the shop manuals, use safe practices when working on your car so that nobody gets hurt, and keep a dialogue going on the Corvair Forum with lots of supporting photographs. The outcome can be a very successful one!

With regard to obtaining parts, get used to obtaining most of your parts and supplies from the excellent parts sources listed in the Internet link below. Very little in the way of Corvair-specific parts can be located locally. Take some time to view the online video tour of Clark's Corvair Parts and browse their online catalog — you will be inspired and amazed! Some of the other Corvair parts suppliers are smaller and less-established than Clark's, but they are certainly worth checking for the items you will need. Download the shop manuals and supplements and numerous other technical manuals that are available for free, and build up your reference library on your computer. You may also want to buy hard copies of some of the books and manuals as well — they are essential elements to your success. Organize your inventory of parts removed from your Corvair. Bag and tag everything so that you can find the parts when you need them! Buy a good service-station type hydraulic floor jack and a set of jack stands. They are essential, as well as a good set of hand tools. You will need a foot-pound , ½-inch drive and an inch-pound 3/8" drive torque wrench, and a can of anti-seize compound, because you are dealing with many soft aluminum threads in the Corvair engine that you need to protect. Six-point sockets grip old nuts and bolts better than 12-point sockets. Flare-nut wrenches grip brake and fuel lines better than open-end wrenches, and the proper use of tools can help you to dismantle things with less damage to old components.

Since most of the parts you will need will have to come via mail order, you can save some money by consolidating your parts orders into larger shipments, rather than numerous small shipments.

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

Corvair Forum viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

I would like to encourage you to expand on your initial post and tell us more about yourself, your Corvair, and your goals for your Corvair. If you can describe your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities, that 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 a lot if we have some understanding of your technical background and mechanical abilities, Corvair-related knowledge, etc. Helping us to know more about you and your Corvair will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Communicating clearly via the Internet will help to avoid misunderstandings and communication errors. Pictures are great too, because pictures of your Corvair will help us to visualize where you are with your Corvair and its condition at the present time. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities to resolve some issues or problems.

[Gridlockd]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome, I'll try to answer the questions the best I can. I am located in Florence, AL. (Northwestern part of the state, for those not familiar with Alabama.) I have done a search for a CORSA chapter close to my location, the closest two are Vulcan Corvair Enthusiasts in Chelsea, AL, which doesn't appear to have been active since 2011 based on their website. the other is in Franklin, TN which doesn't seem to have a website. Both of these are +/- 2 hrs away from me.
My mechanical skills are middle of the road, i'd say. I'm not an auto mechanic by trade, I am actually a network admin for a local hospital, but I am a 3rd generation woodworker/cabinet maker and am mechanically minded and detail oriented. I can weld, have access to a mig welder. I have done a fair amount of mechanical work on my 1992 f150 that I and a friend rebuilt to be my son's first vehicle. As far as the corvair goes, my father in law is familiar with them, (he owned several in his younger days) and luckily he lives about 500 yds from me. admittedly, he hasn't worked on one in a couple decades though.

I will be sure to post pictures and keep a journal of progress here as I go, I haven't taken many other than what I've posted so far, but i'll make it a necessity from her on. I have already ordered several items from Clarks that I knew were must haves, (gas tank kit, floor pan kit, etc.) I have no doubt that I will be very familiar with Clark's website before I am done with this car! I did download and print the repair manual from convanatics.com, and it has been helpful, but I am going to need more detailed information as I progress, i'll be getting an assembly, chassis, and body manuals as my next purchases.

A little more info on the car. it's a 64 convertible, powerglide, with factory a/c (i'm told that's rare). I bought the car at a local auction for $900. according to the auctioneer it's een sitting in a barn for 20+ yrs. floorboards are rusted through, no gas tank, engine is not locked, needs new top, rodents opened an apt complex under the seats. I've got a good deal of work to do, but i felt it was worth $900.

As for my goals for my corvair, we want to drive it! I have no desire at the present to make it a show car. We bought it with the the intention of using it to have some fun and enjoyment of the ownership of a classic car. I hold no illusions of this being an easy or quick process, but I am focused on the ultimate end goal of having a neat, fun car that we as a family can have pride in the fact that "we did this".

I hope this provides a bit more information, i'll be happy to answer any other questions i can.

John