Considering purchasing a 66 Corvair Corsa Convertable

[Jermthejerm]

Hi everyone, I'm Jerime, I just signed up in order to get some input/help on these fine vehicles. I've never owned one before and now have the opportunity to trade for one in nice shape. Only issue that I'm aware of is there is no vinyl for the convertible
It's a 66 corsa with the 140hp 4 barrel, non turbo. 65,000 miles, new paint, red on red interior, car is red as well.

I was just curious as to what should I look for good or bad in this year that could hurt the value.
I'm also curious of the value as well. I've seen a variety of prices, I'm curious what makes it a $9000 car or a $$20,000 car.
I appreciate any input or help possible.
I do have pics of it as well.
Thank you for your time

[turnert7696]

I would suggest posting any pictures you have of the car so that the Corvair wizards on this site can give you more detailed help.

What kind of shape is it in? Any rust? Does it run and drive? How's the interior? Any additional information that you may have will help with someone giving you an estimate as to what it's worth.

[terribleted]

Detailed photos of exterior, engine bay, and interior would be best. If it indeed has a 4 barrel carb setup that could add or subtract significantly from its value. The 140HP motor in stock form uses 4 single barrel carbs not a 4 barrel ( there are a number of these motors around with aftermarket center mount 4 barrel setups....some done well and some very poorly).

[subdude17349]

And consider adding your location. Many folks here will be glad to go look at a car with / for you.

[66vairguy]

I've been rebuilding a 66 convertible. A Western car if fairly good shape. What area are you in? Back east you have to be very careful about corrosion issues.

A car is worth what the buyer and seller agree on. A sharp well informed buyer will avoid modifications and shoddy work that detract from the originality. That said, Corvairs are not like Camaros and Corvettes with "correct" to original build increases value considerably. You have to ask yourself if you want a show car or a driver to enjoy, or maybe a project car if you like working on them.

Beware, there are a lot of "Corsa" cars that started life as a "Monza". If you know that (read the body tag) and it's fine with you, then there is nothing wrong with a "Corsarized" Corvair, but it will not sell for concurs money.

The other issue with ANY convertible is corrosion. The Corvair is a uni-body car and the convertible has a number of body reinforcements to deal with no roof structure. Three problem area's 1) The rocker panels are heavy gauge steel with a center section - if corroded they are difficult to repair. 2) The door hinge and cowl member corrosion. 3) Remove the back seat lower cushion to check for floor pan rust - convertibles leak and water gets trapped under the seat. BTW - convertible lower seat frames tend to rust away and replacements are not available and folks tend to cut down a sedan seat to work. Fine, but it lower the value.

You said "there is no vinyl for the convertible" - not sure what you meant as the factory interiors were ALL vinyl and they are reproduced by Clark's Corvair.

Corvairs are fun cars, but like any old car it's best to know what you are getting into. Join a Corvair club, do some reading. There are some good cars out there, but you need to know what to look for or you may end up disappointed.

[Jermthejerm]

I'm in PA, under Williamsport. I will see the car in the morning, it has fresh paint and clean interior. No mechanical issues, it's a daily driver as in a trip to the store n back a week.
If I make the deal I'd be invested around 5k, I'm comfortable with that due to the coolness factor. It's a sweet looking car, I was just curious of any power issues, or any other issues I might need to look out for.

[Jermthejerm]

Sorry trying to figure out how to load pics

[Jermthejerm]

It has the 4 carbs, I miss understood,

[Jermthejerm]

This all I have till morning.
Thanks for looking

[bbodie52]

Welcome, Jerime, to the Corvair Forum!

I am familiar with your location near Williamsport. I used to live about 100 miles south of you in Lebanon, Pennsylvania from 1993-2008. I was in the Air Force, and my final assignment had me working as an active duty Air Force Technical Advisor with an Air National Guard unit at Fort indiantown Gap until I retired in 1996 after serving in the military for 24 years. I then worked as a network administrator and computer technician in Harrisburg until we relocated to North Carolina. My father-in-law was raised on a farm in Bellefonte, about 55 miles from you.

Your primary concern with this Corvair should be hidden rust and body rot in the door frames, rocker panels, floor pans, etc. The car has been repainted and many Corsa trim components are missing. The recently applied paint could cover a lot of body flaws buried under plastic body filler (Bondo). The Corvair is of unibody construction, meaning that the body also serves as the primary frame structure. Convertibles, in particular, are subject to hidden decay in the central sections around the door frame and floor pan. Without a roof structure, the door frame area had to be reinforced at the factory to provide necessary strength. Hidden decay in these areas can be dangerous, and if bad-enough may be irreparable. Body rot is difficult for the amateur DIY mechanic to repair, and expensive to have done by a professional body and restoration shop.

A magnet can sometimes help you to identify areas under the surface paint that may be plastic body filler. Extending the convertible top to within an inch or so of the windshield frame area (to serve as a marker) and then applying up and down pressure to the open doors may also reveal body flexing if the gap between the top of the windshield and the convertible top changes significantly as up and down pressure is applied to the open doors. Body flaws can be difficult for the inexperienced amateur to spot. If you suspect hidden problems may exist, it might be worthwhile to pay a reputable professional auto restoration body shop technician to evaluate the car body for you, to point out hidden weaknesses and to give you repair estimate costs, if needed. Used car buyers often pay mechanics to evaluate a prospective purchase mechanically, just as a professional inspector might be paid to evaluate a used house for hidden flaws. In a Corvair, an amateur DIY "shade tree mechanic" can perform many mechanical repairs, and the learning curve is often not too difficult to master. Sources of replacement mechanical parts (new or used) for Corvairs are good to excellent, and costs are reasonable. But body repair often means extensive sheet metal work and welding, requiring skills often beyond the reach and capabilities of the amateur. It is best to find out the condition of the body and to avoid extensive body rot problems. A Corvair that is to be purchased from a location like Pennsylvania may have been exposed to extensive road salt damage over its 50 or so years of existence. Buy with caution!

The 4-carburetor 140 hp engine was standard on the Corsa, and optional on other 1965-1969 Corvairs. The Corsa instrument panel was found only in 1965-66 Corsas, but are now sometimes found transplanted into Corvair 500 and Corvair Monzas. If this Corvair is a true Corsa the VIN should begin with "107676...", indicating a Chevrolet (1) Corvair Corsa (07) Convertible (67) 1966 (6). The metal VIN tag is riveted to the chassis in the engine compartment, next to the battery.

This Corvair appears to be a Corsa that is fitted with a rare telescoping steering column. The factory radio also appears to be a rare AM/FM Delco unit, and if it works it can be a valuable, rare component. Interior restoration by the DIY mechanic is very possible, as Clark's Corvair Parts is an excellent provider of terrific replacement upholstery and carpeting components.

The engine oil filler cap has been modified by attaching a crankcase breather. The crankcase is supposed to be sealed and vented via the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system that vents normal piston blowby gasses and recycles them through the carburetors and intake manifold. Excessive piston blowby may indicate worn pistons, piston rings and cylinder barrels. If crankcase pressure buildup is excessive, and cannot be handled by the normal PCV system, excess pressure often vents through the oil dipstick tube (and forces oil to blow out of that tube as well). Owners will sometimes add a crankcase vent to relieve excess pressure, and that may be the reason for the modified oil filler cap. The fact that a previous owner installed such a device may indicate a worn engine, or it might simply be a clogged PCV system that needs to be cleaned. Running a compression test on each cylinder, and possibly a cylinder leakdown test, should reveal worn cylinders and pistons — if they exist — that might be an indicator of a need for an engine overhaul. I noticed that two of the carburetors are also missing the air cleaner attachment "J" bolts (shown below). The missing bolts could possibly allow unfiltered air to enter the primary carburetors, which could contribute to piston ring wear.



The upper heater hose appears to be torn (behind the air cleaner). This allows engine cooling air to escape from the main top shroud, rather than being forced down past the engine cooling fins on the heads and cylinder barrels. It is a special molded shape hose and is available through Clark's Corvair Parts.

http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... w_page=102

Convertible top components are readily available through Clark's Corvair Parts...

http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... graygo.y=0


It may be to your advantage to contact and join the local CORSA (Corvair Society of America) club chapter in the Harrisburg area. Depending on the membership, these CORSA clubs are often family friendly and may offer technical assistance and training, competition events, car shows, Corvair-based scenic drives, picnics and other social events.



CORSA Chapter Locator - Central Pennsylvania Corvair



http://www.centralpacorvairclub.org/

The Central Pennsylvania Corvair Club (CPCC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Corvair and Corvair powered vehicles. We provide knowledge about the Corvair to our members and other car enthusiasts, as well as hold monthly meetings, events, and social gatherings for the enjoyment of our members.

The websites listed in the following link may be useful to you...

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. 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.

[Jermthejerm]

Thank you for all the information, I will hopefully know more today. I'm not very familiar with the corvair, I'm just hoping to make a good investment, I'm not sure at this point if I would keep the car or not.

[notched]

The thing that scares me is all that overspray in the engine compartment near the air intake which is a sure sign of a cheap paint job. The emblems are missing from the sides of the cars. If the car is from the north east and really a Corsa then there should be emblems on the front fenders and rear 1/4 panels. These areas are known for rusting..........as a matter of fact, all the lower extremities, the pillars, rockers, etc are known for rusting. Wrong wheel covers, missing horn button, missing rear air grille, etc are just what I see in the pictures. That car is in Painted Post, NY and has been for sale since the summer. A 66 Corsa convertible is a desirable car and if it was something decent a Corvair guy would have picked it up by now. I am not saying this to dash your hopes, but so you don't overpay for something that was glossed over with new paint, seat covers and carpet that still needs a lot of work. But from the sounds of your last response you are looking to buy this to flip it for profit. Which with all the things I pointed out will really be nit picked by Corvair people if you try asking a lot of money.

[flat6_musik]

A very desirable car, a '66 corsa convertible.......but my spidey-sense tells me that this may be a flipper type of deal here. The Re-sale Red color, and evidence of what was mentioned, a quicky paint job.....maybe even some slathered-on bondo in all the previously rusty locations. I'm not condemning it, just saying look very closely and climb under the car and look along the rocker panels, quarter panels and peer down into the inside of the doors and quarter window areas, looking for rust or bondo. Unless the price is just too amazingly cheap.....

[Jermthejerm]

Here are some more pics, I'm on the fence as to keep it or not, it all depends on how I feel driving it.
I would be into the car for around $5000, if I do sell it, Is there room to make a few bucks or do I stand a chance of breaking even or losing money?
I also have the option to take it to Florida and sell it there if that would make more sense. If the smart move is to keep it and hold on to it for awhile I could do that as well.

[Jermthejerm]

Drivers rocker

[notched]

You bought it?