Corvair Forum

Voting Now Open! And Crazy George (ctryewe) has offered to the winner for COTM February 2013 this hat/coat rack that he custom made with his very own hands.
How cool is that!

Here is my current daily driver, starting with a few pictures of it when I bought it 6 years ago this month here in Bolivia. The first 2 1/2 years were spent on the restoration. My local body guy took care of the outside after I did the mechanical. It is basically stock, except for the 14" wheels, Pertronix, alternator, electric fuel pump, and a more comfortable interior including the leather steering wheel.
You can see more details (around 900 pictures) at http://www.widman.biz/Corvair/English/index.html





This one is from one of my first drives


And a year later with daughter and her kids


These pictures are from a few weeks ago

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Here's my entry, the 1965 Monza I bought and restored as a Daily Driver in 2007, after a teenager spread my 1966 500 (which I'd just finished restoring) all over the freeway. But we both walked away from it, so take that, Nader!

Full disclosure, I just sold the Monza last month. I had to in order to pay off a relocation to Pennsylvania. As part of my mourning, I have changed my Avatar to the wreck of the '66.

If you go into the restoration link and look at the pictures there you may notice that the car has original plates before the paint job/body work, and new plates afterwards. Funny story, that. (Any by "funny" I mean extremely frustrating.) In 2008 the car was in an accident that I couldn't afford to recover it from (this time a Recycling Truck ran me off the road, the guys in my club dubbed me "Corvair Killer"), so I stored it at my Dad's place out of state. Well a couple of years later when I was ready to tackle the project again, the California DMV issued me new plates because it had crossed state lines--even though it had never been registered or driven in the other state!

I can tell you I utterly refused to surrender those old plates!

It was the 4th I've owned on my own, and the 7th I've had the pleasure to be associated with (my father had three when we were growing up, two of which were during my driving years) so I have a feeling it won't be the end of my association.

The story as I told it--with my family history and the fiasco of wrecking two cars, pre-tuneup--can be found here. When that story was written I didn't have pictures available of my father's car from when I was a child, nor of the purple "boat," but I do now. If anyone is interested I will post them.

this is my baby casper, she's a 1964 monza sedan. right now i am doing a disc brake conversion using stanard chevy parts so when i go to the parts store, i dont get raped. this is my first corvair, i traded a fully customized 69 chevy c10 for it, it needs some help, i am planning on some wire wheels after i get the disc brakes set up on it, i plan on using it to go to the rootbeer stand with my grandchildren.
so i am a newbie, anybody wanna give me some advice i welcome it.

Electrovair III by High Voltage Hot Rods

1966 Corvair Monza Convertable
8" AC Motor
21kwh Lithium Ion Phosphate Battery Pack
Owner: Larry Mills
Created by High Voltage Hot Rods.
Designer: Andrew McClary

1964 500. og interior. fronts been lower 2.5". fun cruiser. Im 19 is this is my first classuc car and i love it. Ive had to rebuild the engine and a few other things

UPDATE UPDATE here is the car now. og interior, rebuilt the motor, been lowered alot















Car gets driven alot, not garage kept.


for any votes

Nice Cars :)

I guess they will come out of order, but I've been asked some questions, so I'll add more.
Here is the rear seat area both with seat up and folded (BTW, the Chassis of my Mini fits in the back seat when folded).


Shoulder belts are out of a Nissan with fabricated fiberglass covers.


Under the carpet and padding I have a layer of eDead sound absorber.


The shift knob is original, off another shell




All the stainless trim is either original or from Corvair Ranch, straightened and polished.

I used an electric fuel pump, with steel lines going straight to each carb.


Wiring harness is home made, taking into consideration the extra outlets, relays for headlights, alternator, electric fuel pump with cut-off switch, back-up lights behind the grill, etc.


It had no rear grill or much of the panel below the bumper. At the time all I could find for a grill was a 61, so The I built the panel for a 61 grill and made a muffler that exhausts out the side.

Wow you guys,,,, the battle has set the playing field I think we know that I am a late model guy but I have to say that Richard1 car and story is such a informational inspirational out look on what a person can do and in another country.!!!!!!! ... thats deserves alot of credit people..... As I traded some emails with him and got to know more,,,,, I am giving this car my vote........ I like that electric version and being so unique, I think is a killer , it was a not easy...... you guys put alot of time in money in our corvair habits that I do like this 1960 YES ROB , I SAID IT.... please dont have a hard attack on me Rob.. your to far from here for cpr..and I am not up on it...not to say this month may take a turn on the vote guys but all that view the car of the month , please vote........ its our forum so do the right thing and lets get them numbers up higher...and join in....... Richard1 awsome good luck guy CraZy GeOrGE

Jennirw, you have to much time on your hands , dont you have to shovel some snow or something? My wife was on the computor with face book & was laughing so hard, I was trying to find out what was so funny, she finnally said that you need to talk to Rob.... I said why, she showed me what you posted....on face book...so you know I have not been feeling well and I had a weak monment.. the stark knows when to strike, your good and I said that I better go check the forummm!!!!!!!! To late , you already been there........ got me again buddy....really glad that you did not need a jump start.. but this is what makes the CORVAIR FORUM FAMILY so much fun. Hope you guys out there are smiling as I am.... Proost to you Rob . I got that from Tiki, means Cheers....I sure feel the love Guys got to stay off them cheap meds CG I got to find that Yukon Jack again... (ps. I do like Richard1's car)

nice corvairs.

by ctryewe » Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:50 am

Wow you guys,,,, the battle has set the playing field I think we know that I am a late model guy but I have to say that Richard1 car and story is such a informational inspirational out look on what a person can do and in another country.!!!!!!! ... thats deserves alot of credit people..... As I traded some emails with him and got to know more,,,,, I am giving this car my vote........ I like that electric version and being so unique, I think is a killer , it was a not easy...... you guys put alot of time in money in our corvair habits that I do like this 1960 YES ROB , I SAID IT.... please dont have a hard attack on me Rob.. your to far from here for cpr..and I am not up on it...not to say this month may take a turn on the vote guys but all that view the car of the month , please vote........ its our forum so do the right thing and lets get them numbers up higher...and join in....... Richard1 awsome good luck guy CraZy GeOrGE

When I saw that Richard Widman was entering his 1960 Corvair restoration in this competition, I was certain that he was going to get my vote. Why? Because I was already familiar with the level of dedication and commitment this car represented. I had read through his Web site, Richard's Corvair -- the Restoration of My 1960 Corvair http://www.widman.biz/Corvair/English/index.html, some months ago. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. This restoration project and it's carefully written and photographed project documentation in the form of a well-designed Web site really demonstrates a "labor of love". To accomplish all of this in South America, on a unique and rare 1960 Corvair required commitment, determination, innovation and creativity that I think represents what most Corvair owners hope that they can find in themselves as they commit themselves to the trials and difficulties that is a real part of Corvair ownership. As we purchase, restore and maintain our Corvairs, most of us touch on numerous aspects of what Richard Widman had to face when he tackled restoring his "Caveman Corvair" project car. But I think that it is safe to say that his 1960 project 4-door sedan restoration probably touched on just about all of the possible obstacles, and then some! The path he took and final outcome of his efforts is displayed here and on his Web site. His project clearly demonstrates what it can take to restore a classic Corvair. It is a little intimidating to follow him through his project, but I hope it is also inspiring to many of us to reach for a higher level of commitment so that we can overcome our own frustrations and obstacles as we work to keep our own Corvairs on the road. His is a daily driver that he can be truly proud of, and as such I think it definitely deserves to be chosen as the winner of the COTM, and perhaps later as the Corvair of the Year too.

That being said, I can't help but thinking of "Mart", Martin Reed, who not so quietly toils away in the far reaches of the United Kingdom -- trying to make right a serious wrong with restoring his Pennsylvania Bondo Bucket late model Corvair coupe. His well-documented restoration project now extends to thirteen "chapters" on this Corvair Forum, and as he points out he hasn't even had the time to take a hard look at the powertrain yet! He faces many obstacles of his own in trying to make a "bondo bucket' into a sound Corvair -- and he is making serious progress!! Lesser men might have given up and taken their Corvair to the nearest salvage yard. But not "Mart". He is determined! Another "Legend" among Corvair Forum devotees and fanatics.