Newbie Question

[Bruins_Fan]

I've recently started looking into Corvairs, and have been thinking about finding a convertible model. A few questions first:

1. I am not a mechanic, or even close to one. Can I reasonably expect a local shop that typically deals with modern cars to be able to handle repairs on a Corvair? Obviously, I would ask the mechanic, too, but curious on the opinions of actual Corvair owners. Hope this isn't an overly stupid question! I'm open to learning some basic maintenance, but that would take some time to learn.

2. Would I be foolish to think I could use a Corvair as a daily driver? I don't drive far and put less than 5,000 miles on my car each year. Of course, Mass. is a cold climate. Would the heat in a Corvair convertible be sufficient to keep me warm enough for my few mile stints around town in January? We would still use my wife's 2011 Honda for the longer trips, etc.

Thanks for the input!

[Trip]

Hi there! I wouldn't really want to count on a modern mechanic to work on my Corvairs. As my father says (a mechanic from the 60's) most of today's mechanics are just parts changers.

What you can/should do is find a local air cooled VW and or Porsche mechanic. It seems like no matter where you are there is an air-cooled VW specialist nearby and they are usually fairly reasonable.

The other good thing is you can count on the online Corvair community a lot for diagnosis, and then find a decent mechanic and just ask him to change whatever part. Mention that a non-Corvair mechanic will be doing the job so we can point out any possible pitfalls to avoid him screwing something up.

Using a Corvair as a daily driver can be great or it can be troublesome. It depends a lot on the condition of the car (how much you pay) and a bit on luck but the Corvair is overall a very reliable car that rarely suffers serious problems. I'd choose a Corvair over any other antique car for reliability. You will have typical little problems as a result of age... a certain dash light stops working, an annoying squeak develops in the suspension, stuff like that.

The heat in a Corvair is not the greatest. In good condition (no major leaks) it is plenty to keep a hardtop car warm in the winter but in a Convertible I wouldn't want to count on it completely. That said there are other options.. one guy I know has been using one of these for years http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atwood-Hydrofla ... 751wt_1135 they aren't cheap but he says you can find them for under $200 used if you keep an eye out for one.

As far as convertibles go, be wary of rust in the rocker panels, especially in 65 up cars. Ask the seller if it is ok to open both doors and bounce the car a bit, then try to close the doors and see if they close ok. The early style 62-64 verts are less likely to have this problem but still check them the same way.

Good luck, hope to see you driving a Corvair soon!

Ray

[jennirw]

i drive my 60 Corvair daily, I have put over 8,000 miles on it since April 1st. As Grymm says, little things happen, turn signal indicators light don't always flash, radio comes and goes, sometime I get lifter noise then it goes away, etc. I drive it at expressway speeds often on long trips of 100 miles or more. Earlier this year I had either a vapor lock or a failed fuel pump - i replaced the pump and it has not reoccured.

[Bruins_Fan]

Ray & jennirw,

Thanks for the advice. Both of your posts are encouraging. I've been looking online at what's on the market, and prices do seem to be all over the place. Guess, I need to learn how to gauge the pricing. Anywhere good to research pricing besides NADA?

I like the look of the early models best, so I'm most focused on those, but not ruling out LM either. Still lot's of research to do.

Very interested in any other feedback/comments, too!

[cad-kid]

When you go look at one - be prepaired to walk away. There are plenty of Vairs out there - it's worth the wait for just the right one.

[Bruins_Fan]

When you go look at one - be prepaired to walk away. There are plenty of Vairs out there - it's worth the wait for just the right one.

I agree! No plans to rush into the wrong car!

[Bruins_Fan]

i drive my 60 Corvair daily, I have put over 8,000 miles on it since April 1st.

Will you drive it in the winter, too!? Those Michigan winters aren't any better than Boston as I recall (lived in MI until I was 12!)

[jennirw]

NO, I GARAGE IT IN THE WINTER & DRIVE MY 91 GMC SONOMA 4X4

[bbodie52]

Good advice from the others. There some Corvair specialty mechanics around, including Bill Cotrofeld Automotive, Inc., America's Oldest Corvair Shop, in East Arlington, VT (about 200 miles from Boston), see Web site URL below, but I have never dealt with them personally (just saw their ad in the CORSA Communique magazine. I have no idea what their charges are like.

http://cotrofeldautomotive.com/?page_id=2

There may be other mechanics in the New England area with Corvair experience. Perhaps you could locate other local Corvair owners who are members of local Corvair clubs and ask around about the mechanics they use for their cars. Check out the CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Web site for local chapters and clubs.

http://www.corvair.org/

Here is one in Massachusetts:
Colonial Corvair Club Arlington MA United States email: a65corvair@comcast.net

http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter019/

By the way, there is a listing for a 1964 Monza convertible for sale on the CORSA Web site. Although it is too far away from you to probably consider (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), it gives you a comparison of a similar car to the one in Braintree MA for you to compare in quality, condition and price. Here is the Web URL for that listing. There are also other Corvair listings for sale at the same CORSA Web site:

http://www.corvair.org/index.php?option ... Itemid=402

I left you another message over at the other Forum location concerning an eBay listing for the Craigs List (Braintree) Corvair you are looking at.

[Bruins_Fan]

Looking into the clubs as we speak

[Mountain Pilot]

Hello and welcome to the group...

I have a 1964 Sedan that I drive year round, it runs in the snow, ice and cold just great and in the summer is a whole lot of fun. It is a driving restoration and I work on restoring it all the time and next year I hope to paint it and redo the interior.

Just because it is 48 years old does not mean it is not reliable. I have owned aircraft from the 1940's and would fly them anywhere, the reason, good and continuous maintenance. The plane I fly now was built in 1966 and is just as good as the ones produced today. Same can be with a car. Just keep up on the maintenance and start with a good clean car.

Good luck and look forward to hear about your progress...

[Bruins_Fan]

I have a 1964 Sedan that I drive year round, it runs in the snow, ice and cold just great and in the summer is a whole lot of fun. It is a driving restoration and I work on restoring it all the time and next year I hope to paint it and redo the interior.

That's interesting. Is there anything you do to help keep the rust away with all that winter driving?

The plane I fly now was built in 1966 and is just as good as the ones produced today.

I haven't logged time in about 16 years , but I took my first flying lessons in a 60s vintage Cherokee back in 1984.

[PHX65CorsaHT]

Find your corvair mechanic before you purchase and have them look over the mechanicals. Expect poor trouble shooting from anybody without specific corvair experience. Not to scare you off we love our Vairs but they are unique and need attention to detail. Good luck with the search and post pics when you find it!

[flat6_musik]

I've recently started looking into Corvairs, and have been thinking about finding a convertible model. A few questions first:

1. I am not a mechanic, or even close to one. Can I reasonably expect a local shop that typically deals with modern cars to be able to handle repairs on a Corvair?

Uhhh.....I'd say maybe find a really good mechanic with some "old school" experience or find a VW mechanic. These ARE simple cars, but do have some little idiosynchrosies that a mechanic must know. Hopefully, they won't be afraid to read a shop manual.

2. Would I be foolish to think I could use a Corvair as a daily driver? I don't drive far and put less than 5,000 miles on my car each year. Of course, Mass. is a cold climate. Would the heat in a Corvair convertible be sufficient to keep me warm enough for my few mile stints around town in January?

Heck no.....not a foolish idea at all. I've done that a few times, sometimes close to 50 miles per day. I think the heater would be fine too, if you went through and replaced all the hoses, cleaned it all out and checked the blower motor operation.

[Bruins_Fan]

Saw this photo of the undercarriage of an early model for sale. I realize this is a limited photo, but curious on how bad this looks to all the Corvair veterans here? Typical? Bad? Or maybe just not enough info to tell how bad the rust has penetrated?

[PHX65CorsaHT]

Certainly not good. But you need close ups of more structural parts, rocker panels, suspension components etc.
I'd say prob typical of cars from northeast. Living in the west I'd pass on something looking like that.