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Welcome to the Corvair Forum!
I have been around Corvairs since my parents bought their first new Corvair in 1961 — a 4-speed Monza coupe. (I was 8 years old at the time). They later bought a new 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible, and I learned to drive in that car and took my first driver's test in it. We have driven Corvairs for decades all over the USA and in Germany while serving with the U.S. Air Force, and at age 64 my wife and I still own a 1966 Corsa convertible.
Warren and son Brad Bodie in 1965, soon after he bought our Mist Blue 1965 Corsa convertible. This Corvair remained in our family from 1965 to 1995. It was later painted dark green (1969), and then red 1979)
Our 1962 Corvair Monza Coupe - On Our Wedding Day - April 1972 - Thousand Oaks, CA
Congratulations on your beautiful 1964 convertible acquisition! I hope you will post additional pictures of the car from other angles, the interior, trunk, and engine compartment. (The backup light lenses are from a 1963 Corvair).
Here are a few tips that might be useful to a new Corvair owner...
When working on the Corvair engine, you will need to develop good habits with regard to working with aluminum components. Much of the Corvair engine was manufactured using aluminum, which is a relatively soft and easily damaged material. Bolts that screw into aluminum threads should be carefully threaded by hand to avoid the possibility of cross-threading. The use of anti-seize compound to coat the threads is recommended. A torque wrench should be utilized to properly tighten all fasteners using specifications listed in the Corvair shop manual. This will help you to avoid damaging any threads in the Corvair engine.
All suspension components should be examined. Ball joints and other front suspension components with grease fittings should be lubricated. Front wheel bearings should be cleaned, inspected, repacked and adjusted. With regard to the rear axle bearings (which are difficult to maintain and service, and are often neglected), here's a quote from the Clark's Corvair Parts catalog…
Clark's Corvair Parts Online Catalog, Page 165 wrote:REAR AXLE (WHEEL) BEARINGS — 1960-1964 CARS
The rear axle bearings are probably the most dangerous part of the whole car. It is not uncommon for the axle shaft to pull right out. In some cases the axle shaft just worked out and others the bearing has failed. The 1965-69 style fixed this but people with the earlier style should not ignore any possible bearing noises!
Rear axle universal joints also tend to be neglected — especially if they are not equipped with grease fittings. These also should be inspected and serviced or replaced, if needed.
The Corvair Powerglide transmission has a good reputation for reliability, but fluid levels must be properly maintained. Overfilling can cause the rotating planetary gearset and clutches to spin in a bath of fluid, causing air entrainment (foaming). Low fluid levels can cause low oil pressure, clutch slipping and burning, etc. The automatic transmission is basically a fluid-based computer. Your transmission fluid should be clean and red in color, and should not show a brown discoloration or have a burned smell. Also, the vacuum modulator on the right side of the transmission depends on a good vacuum line from the engine. The rubber hoses should be checked for cracks or wear. If oil appears to be present in the vacuum line, the vacuum modulator diaphragm may be worn out — permitting transmission fluid to be drawn from the transmission to the engine. Clark's Corvair Parts says "if your vacuum modulator is over 10 years old, you are running on borrowed time." A bad vacuum modulator should be replaced — it cannot be repaired.
There is a long parking brake cable that is routed through several pulleys to the rear of the car, and another cable at the rear that crosses over between the two rear brakes. The condition of these cables and pulleys must be inspected and repairs made, as needed. The plastic pulleys may crack or break with age.
The condition of the parking brake system is particularly important in automatic transmission equipped Corvairs, because Corvair Powerglide automatic transmissions do not have a PARK position in the shift lever to lock the transmission. The emergency brake system is the only way to secure the car and prevent it from rolling away when parked! The aging parking brake cable can fray and snap without warning.
Removing your car from storage/Reviving a Dead Corvair
http://www.corvairforum.com/forum/viewt ... 225&t=5030
I would recommend that you contact and perhaps join the nearest CORSA (Corvair Society of America) club chapter to help you to gain knowledge about Corvairs. CORSA club members can offer knowledge, recommendations and contact information that may help you. Membership in a CORSA club can also enhance your enjoyment of Corvair ownership. Clubs are usually family-friendly and offer technical assistance and training, competition events, picnics and scenic drives, and other social events.
![Image](http://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/files/global/corsa.gif)
Heart of America Corvair Owners Association
(Kansas City Area, About 80 Miles)
http://www.hacoa.org/
SAMPLE NEWSLETTER:
Common and Useful Corvair Websites
http://www.corvairforum.com/forum/viewt ... 225&t=6007
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I would like to encourage you to expand on your initial post and tell us more about yourself, your Corvair, and your goals for the 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 will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities.
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