Corvair Forum

Has anyone ever purchased a car there? Know anyone who has?

They seem to be big on Corvairs so I was hoping someone on here had some experience with them.

I'm not much on sight unseen purchases so I would like to know about any transactions people have had.

Please send me a PM if that is more comfortable for some reason.

Thanks in advance,

Joe

I had not heard of this firm before, but I sure like what I saw on their website! If I were in the market for a restored Corvair I would certainly check them out further. The only family-run Corvair specialists that I've heard of that are similar is JT Vairs in Des Moines, IA (about 300 miles east of Shade's Classic Cars in Hastings, Nebraska).

I don't really have a problem with organizations who specialize in finding and restoring classic cars. They provide a service for the enthusiast that can be valuable. The 1966 Corsa I bought from a classic car dealer (via eBay) in 2012 was one of those "sight unseen" purchases, but it turned out well for me. I bought the car after viewing numerous photos on the Web, and after several extensive phone calls. I jumped on a Greyhound bus in Atlanta and took it to central Florida, where I first "met" my Corvair acquisition. Within an hour I was on the road, driving the 568 miles back home in North Carolina. The trip was trouble-free and enjoyable.

You should be cautious, as with any dealer or private party purchase. But sometimes "casting your net wide" is a necessary method for finding a Corvair that will satisfy you. There is no certainty in any method, and going through a classic car dealer may cost a little more, but it just might lead you to the Corvair that is right for you. You are paying for a service that may include a "finder's fee" and restoration costs. The questions you have are certainly valid, as you want some reassurance that you are dealing with a good source. I have assisted buyers in Europe who are also searching for a good Corvair, and they are buying "sight unseen" from overseas and don't even see their purchase until it is unloaded and delivered to their country! Talk about nerve wracking!

I hope to purchase an EM Corvair in the future, and possibly a LM sedan as well. I would certainly look into purchasing from one of these vendors when that time comes. Good luck in your quest for your dream Corvair!



http://www.shadesclassiccars.com/~shadescc/

JT Vairs

http://www.jtvairs.com/

Thanks Brad. I've just been burned enough after paying for shipping cars from places like California back to Ohio that I'm really apprehensive about buying sight unseen. I could tell from 20' away looking at the car on the transport trailer after the trip from California that I got screwed and that's a horrible feeling.

I'm looking at the 62 Spyder they have listed and have already asked for some additional photos. It's obviously a repaint and needs to be painted correctly but it's a neat little car.

It would be great if someone on here was close enough to go have a look but that's a pretty big favor to ask. I'll wait till after the photos arrive and go from there, I suppose.

It's $850 to get it here so I'll have a lot in the car once in Ohio. I just need some type of secondary assurance I am spending wisely.

Chris Shade is the owner. I don't know him but appears to be a real Corvair lover. He just did a big track event last month for Corvairs according to a post I saw on the other forum. He's on Facebook too.

http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.php?1,770026

Chris is a really nice guy. I stopped out last year when I was looking for my current Vair. He has a lot of stock - also keeps several non Vairs on his lot to help support the business as a whole. He's more than willing to help out and knows what he's talking about. Prices were OK - he's honest about what's wrong with any of them. He has a Vair mechanic on staff and was setting up a paint booth when I was there last (which should be completely up and running by now). Again - very nice guy! Anyone that can deal with my questions and still have a smile on his face is a good guy in my book!

Thanks guys!

I LIKE CHRIS and he have a nice business to!

I visiting him in 2014 when i was in Nebraska on my way to Iowa (what does a dutch person in Nebraska & Iowa??.... )

I stopped at his old showroom (he just moved) and i got the grand tour of all the corvair and other cars out there. Prices seems fair to me! qualitity what i saw back then was great.

Had a great time, if i'm looking for another corvair, i will email him.

Go check out for your self, i bet it will be good

I talked to Chris a few months ago and he is a straight shooter . I was interested in a car he had and he bent over backwards to assist me . The car wasn't 100% what I wanted but I kept checking his inventory for what I wanted .
Tom C
Beverly Ma

I talked to Chris some months ago. One of his Corvairs interested me.
He is a very nice guy. Very honest. The prices of his cars seem to be firm.
No mutch nego. To do. He is also willing to help for transportation.
A guy to trust i am sure.
He is a family person.
Alain
66 corsa

I heard back from Chris via email with some nice photos of the engine compartment. The car is not the original color in or out but I like the original color and can fix that. I would appreciate some comments on photos of the engine compartment. I don't know what a Spyder is supposed to look like, I will do a Google search but you guys know I'm sure. Thanks!











Here is a link to the car.

http://www.shadesclassiccars.net/1962_C ... 582790.veh" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And also, any thoughts on actually driving a turbo Spyder would be welcomed. Turbos on gas engines can be sort of peaky, the turbo on my Cummins truck and VW TDI's I've owned have been really solid but we're talking a diesel with a high torque at low RPM's.

Thanks in advance for any input!

They are a hoot to drive, but boost isn't like a modern turbo, there is no wastegate so the boost is controlled by the diameter of the YH carb body. Boost does not come on heavy until higher speeds and higher RPMs. The YH carb can be temperamental, but I think many people blame the carb for what is really deeper engine problems. Everything must be perfect and tight for the turbo engine to run correctly w/ the stock carb setup. Some people have converted to other carbs b/c they are more forgiving, but I'm an originality guy so not a fan of that. An EM Spyder is arguably one of the most desirable Corvairs so you would have the most valuable possible car. 64's are the most sought after, but I think 62 is cool b/c it was the first year for the Turbo. Keep in mind this was the Worlds first turbocharged passenger car, so that's a neat fact/conversation piece as well.

It is also temperamental to tune properly, and expensive to operate (poor gas mileage and expensive Premium fuel REQUIRED. A 1965 Corsa coupe with turbo is the only Corvair in which I ever melted a hole in the piston. (I was driving up a long highway grade on the Ventura freeway in 1971, on the Conejo Grade coming from Camarillo to Newbury Park on a hot summer afternoon. All windows rolled down at about 70 mph, enjoying the day and the feel of the car under boost — right up until the moment when the piston let go.

Basically I over-taxed the engine and kept the turbocharger doing its thing for too long. I never heard the detonation, but it was there, as evidenced by the hole in one!

The turbo Corvair was not intended to operate under boost for extended periods. There is only the pressure retard device on the distributor to provide some control, and they don't have a very good reputation for reliability or accuracy. There is no computer-controlled, sensor based anything in a Corvair.

I guess that is why you might see turbo Corvairs drag racing, but not necessarily road racing. A normally aspirated Corvair might have better performance and reliability in a road racing environment.

Thanks for the input. I thought it might take premium, a lot of turbo cars do.

From what I've read somewhere, the Corvair turbo engine had some upgrades to handle the strain from the turbo? Here are some examples:

Because of the heat generated by the system, super-strength materials were specified for many internal applications: chrome steel for the crankshaft, for example. The entire induction and exhaust system was tailored to the engine.

By using a special reverse-flow muffler, a tuned air cleaner, and a tailpipe exactly nine inches long, Chevrolet not only successfully kept maximum pressure down to a safe limit, but also obtained a throaty exhaust note.

Impeller speed remained constant after 4,600 rpm, but if the muffler was removed the low restriction and increased output could exceed the engine's strength.

It looks like one is missing the tuned air cleaner and maybe some other bits. I don't know how hard that is to find but my main question is exactly how much is turbo specific on the engine itself.

Do the turbo specific items make NA conversion impossible in case there are turbo bits I can't find?

I imagine Google will answer my questions. If anyone knows offhand, please comment.

I used to mess with VW 1.6 diesels and people killed the NA diesel engine by installing a turbo and not realizing that the turbodiesel engine had sodium filled valves and piston squirters. You could make a turbo engine an NA but not vice versa. The turbo specific stuff is getting pretty hard to find and we're talking VW Rabbits here, not Corvairs, thus my question.

If you want a Turbo EM go with a 63, or even better, a 64 (bigger engine, revised rear suspension). Typical of GM the Turbo cars were revised and refined every year.

BTW - Steve Goodman at Rear Engine Specialists in Colorado http://www.rearenginespecialists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has a lot of experience with Turbo Corvairs.

A car in our club simply would not run well and had horrible fuel mileage after everything had been rebuilt. It was a 62. Steve advised us to do a few things, the main change was installing a GOOD aftermarket fuel pressure regulator set to 2.5PSI per Steve's calculations for altitude. What a difference!!! The car ran great and the mileage improved dramatically.

66vairguy wrote:If you want a Turbo EM go with a 63, or even better, a 64 (bigger engine, revised rear suspension). Typical of GM the Turbo cars were revised and refined every year.

BTW - Steve Goodman at Rear Engine Specialists in Colorado http://www.rearenginespecialists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has a lot of experience with Turbo Corvairs.

A car in our club simply would not run well and had horrible fuel mileage after everything had been rebuilt. It was a 62. Steve advised us to do a few things, the main change was installing a GOOD aftermarket fuel pressure regulator set to 2.5PSI per Steve's calculations for altitude. What a difference!!! The car ran great and the mileage improved dramatically.

Thanks for the advice! I didn't think about the 62 being the first year.