Brake Adjustment

[Greinert]

Hi Folks

I am about to buy 69 Monza. It is all in good working order, the only problem is that it pulls to the right when it breaks. I have been told that this is just a simple adjustment. I don't do a lot of break work but, the corvair only has drums all around and I think those would be simpler than disk breaks. Do I need any special tools or things to do this? can anyone provide pictures or instructions on what to do?

Cheers
-Greg

[bbodie52]

While "pulling to the right is likely a brake issue, it could also have something to do with wheel alignment or front suspension problems. I would check out the brakes first, and see where that takes you. I would also look at tire pressures and tire tread wear patterns to see if there is any indication of uneven wear that might indicate an imbalance in the front suspension. Badly worn brake shoes, or a brake fluid leak or grease contamination of one set of brake shoes could cause uneven brake application, so the brakes and drums should be inspected for any such indication. Air in the brake line cold also cause uneven brake application, as could a corroded brake wheel cylinder or sticking piston in a wheel brake cylinder. The 1969 Monza is also equipped with a dual master cylinder, so the front and rear brake hydraulic systems are somewhat isolated from each other. However, the left and right sides of the hydraulic system are not independent, so it is unlikely that the cause of uneven left/right brake application would be related to the master cylinder.

I have been told that this is just a simple adjustment.

1969 brakes had automatic adjusters. It is possible that one of these units is "hung up" or stuck, causing one brake assembly to not automatically adjust itself as the brake shoes wear. The attached shop manual will show you how to check this and correct it, if necessary.

I have attached the sections of the Corvair Chassis Shop Manual (in Adobe Reader format) associated with the front suspension and brake systems for your reference, if you don't already have a copy of the shop manual.

Good luck with your fault isolation and troubleshooting, and let us know what you find.

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 3 - FRONT SUSPENSION.pdf

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 3 - FRONT SUSPENSION

(4.67 MiB) Downloaded 77 times

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 5 - BRAKES.pdf

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 5 - BRAKES

(4.6 MiB) Downloaded 160 times

Here are some good Internet sources, and some additional links for Corvair-related information:

Downloadable Corvair Shop Manuals, Parts Manuals, Service Manuals, etc.
http://1969corvair.com/techpages/Corvai ... Index.html

Early Model Corvair Shop Manual & Other Useful Manuals
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/manuals.php

Clark's Corvair Parts
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/pages.cgi

Rafee Corvair
http://www.rafeecorvair.com/

Corvair Ranch (Used Parts, Machine Shop, etc.)
http://www.corvairranch.com/

[bbodie52]

Greg,

As I mentioned in an earlier welcome message to you, contacting and joining a local Corvair club can be an enormous help in assisting you to locate and evaluate a prospective Corvair to make your own. There is such a chapter of CORSA (Corvair Society of America in the Chicago area, about 60 miles south of you. If you are interested in contacting them and looking to their experience with Corvairs for some help and guidance, here are the details...


CORSA Chapter Locator - Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts
https://www.corvair.org/index.php?optio ... =582&gid=9
Chapter ID: 605
Organization Name: Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts
Primary Address: P.O. Box 704, Matteson, IL
President: Jerry Berger
Vice President: Ray Morales
Secretary: John Meyer
Treasurer: Al Huston
Newsletter Editor: Charley Biddle
Newsletter Name: Airhorn
Website: http://www.ccecorvair.com
Email (Primary): clbiddle@comcast.net

For current monthly CCE information call our hotline 877-CORVAIR.

Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts

From its introduction in 1960 the Corvair has enjoyed the distinction of being an enthusiasts automobile. In 1968 a group began meeting regularly in a Corvair owners Oak Park living room. As the group grew, monthly meetings were organized at a local bar. As the club reached a membership of 100 in the mid 70's the General Motors Training Center in Hinsdale became the venue for years of fun and informative meetings. Today the club has grown to over 200 members.

Meetings are currently held at the VFW Hall in Villa Park, Illinois at 7:30 PM on the third Wednesday of every month. Club business is presented and discussed during the first half of the meetings. The latter portion of the meetings are devoted to Corvair related entertainment ranging from movie nights to tech sessions and an annual Corvair parts auction. Above all the meetings are a chance for everyone to be with their fellow members and friends.

Our monthly newsletter, the Airhorn, is second to none. The tireless efforts of the editor and the contributions of material and stories from members make the Airhorn one of the finest newsletters produced by a collector car club.

CCE is also active in organizing events throughout the course of the year. Spring and Fall tours are a fun way to see many of the interesting sites in Illinois and its adjoining states. The tours are well organized and are always enjoyed by everyone who participates. There is nothing more fun than seeing the reaction of the people along the way as a "Cor-a-van" of gleaming Corvairs pass through their town.

The third Sunday in August is reserved for CCE's Orphan Auto Picnic. The picnic is a day for good food, friends and family and over 100 uncommon cars and trucks that gather in a beautiful setting on the banks of the Fox River. The Orphan Auto Picnic is open to any make or model that has not been produced in the past ten years. This picnic attracts some of the most interesting and meticulously restored automobiles in northern Illinois.

The Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts is a diverse club that offers the opportunity for members to enjoy their cars and the company of others who share their love of Chevrolet Corvair cars and trucks.

According to their Web site, there next scheduled general meeting will be held about 34 miles from you. Details are as follows...
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Monthly General Meeting
Villa Park VFW, 39 E. St. Charles Rd., Villa Park, IL
St. Valentine's Day Sweets Auction.

Meeting Information

CCE monthly Membership and Board Meetings are now held at the

Villa Park VFW at 39 E. St. Charles Road, Villa Park, IL.

Membership meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Doors Open at 7:00 PM, meetings begin at 7:30 PM . Board meetings begin at 7:00 PM sharp on the second Wednesday of the month. Guests are always welcome.

Yes, the VFW has a BAR and is centrally located so members from all points in the Chicago area, Wisconsin and Indiana can get to the meetings easily. So far everyone is pleased with our new meeting venue. The hall is well kept and the beer is cold and cheap.

Hey! and welcome from another new 19 year old!

Q: What is the drinking age in Illinois?

A: The drinking age in Illinois is 21 for all alcoholic beverages.

That's OK, I don't drink alcohol either, and I'm 60 years old! You should go to the CORSA club meeting anyway. I'm sure they will have soft drinks for the non-drinkers.

[cad-kid]

Good luck Greg on your purchase. Brakes are pretty straight forward. Post a pic or two when you get a chance.

[bbodie52]

Good luck Greg on your purchase. Brakes are pretty straight forward.

An unintended pun???

In this case, the brakes are not "pretty straight forward" They pull to the right! After they are fixed they should be "pretty straight forward".

[Greinert]

Greg,

As I mentioned in an earlier welcome message to you, contacting and joining a local Corvair club can be an enormous help in assisting you to locate and evaluate a prospective Corvair to make your own. There is such a chapter of CORSA (Corvair Society of America in the Chicago area, about 60 miles south of you. If you are interested in contacting them and looking to

Hey! and welcome from another new 19 year old!

Q: What is the drinking age in Illinois?

A: The drinking age in Illinois is 21 for all alcoholic beverages.

That's OK, I don't drink alcohol either, and I'm 60 years old! You should go to the CORSA club meeting anyway. I'm sure they will have soft drinks for the non-drinkers.

I should have also said where I go to school, I am in the U.P. of Michigan at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Marie Studying Criminal Justice (Future Cop) it is most likely on the website but is there a closer club to me? Drinking age is 19 in Canada But I hate the idea of drinking, it is just not for me.

[bbodie52]

The Corvair club meeting location I mentioned is only about 34 miles from your home location in Lake Forest, IL.

I should have also said where I go to school, I am in the U.P. of Michigan at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Marie Studying Criminal Justice (Future Cop) it is most likely on the website but is there a closer club to me? Drinking age is 19 in Canada But I hate the idea of drinking, it is just not for me.

Sault Ste Marie is relatively isolated from other communities in Michigan. The population was 14,144 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous city in the Upper Peninsula.

Sault Ste Marie sounds like a beautiful, but isolated location. Unfortunately the nearest Corvair club chapters, in Michigan or Wisconsin, are hundreds of miles from Sault Ste Marie! I realized that you had mentioned that you would be travelling a long distance in the Corvair when you traveled from school to your home in Illinois, but my reason for mentioning connecting with a Corvair club -- especially the one near Chicago, because it has a lot of members and a lot of Corvairs -- was the possibility of you getting a chance to see a wide range of Corvair examples and having an opportunity of discussing them with experienced Corvair owners. I don't know where the Corvair you are considering buying is located, but sometimes it is possible to get one or more club members to take a look at your prospective purchase before you buy. Their experience with Corvairs might be very valuable in assessing the condition of the Corvair you are considering purchasing. Buying a Corvair that is in sound mechanical condition would be important to you -- especially considering the lengthy "commute" you are planning from Sault Ste Marie to Illinois from time to time!

My comment about the beer drinking was my attempt at a bit of humor. At age 60 it had been a long time since I had to be concerned with age restrictions! The only "age restriction" I have to deal with right now is that I'm not quite old enough to qualify for a "senior discount" at most restaurants and movie theaters yet! Also, after being a non-drinker in the Air Force for 24 years, I know a little about not quite "fitting in" when comments are made about bars and cold beer, as were made in the Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts Corvair club web site.

Good luck with finding a good, solid Corvair to serve as your primary transportation while attending school in Sault Ste Marie. I sincerely hope you have an enjoyable time with it while you are away at school. If you choose to contact the Corvair club in the Chicago area, I hope that their advice and assistance will be useful in your quest to locate the right Corvair for you!

By the way, have you considered utilizing a commercial Greyhound bus for long-distance travel instead of driving? With advance purchase of round trip tickets the fare appears to be only $158. Student discounts may be a possibility. With about a 1000 mile round-trip in your Corvair, I was estimating about 50 gallons or gasoline per round-trip. At about $3.50 per gallon (depending on the Corvair, some require a mid-grade or Premium-grade gas), fuel for each round-trip would cost you about $172.00. At current prices a commercial bus trip might be cheaper, and safer, than driving yourself. You might want to do some numbers crunching. The buses are quiet and restful, and you could sleep, read, etc. while travelling, arriving more rested than if you drove yourself and saving the wear on your car. Air fare is over $300, but bus fare would get you home in the same amount of time with less stress and cost. Your need for local transportation while in Illinois might be the main issue. You might want to consider using the bus instead.

[Greinert]

Thank you for the Encouragement :) I will join a club of some sort , I have taken the Bus Before, it is okay. I like to have a car because I usually take a few days on the journey home, I have relatives I like to visit along the way. Plus I only make the trip 4 or 5 times in the 9 months I am up here. But I have access to a garage I am going to keep it in so the car will be happy. I am really suffering from not having a car up her mainly because I like to work on them... Plus it is hard to take a girl out on a date if you don't have a car.

No worries about any jokes, I'm not your normal teenage, I don't text or do that kind of thing even being on this forum is new for me, It just seems people come off the wrong way, because 83% of communication is lost in text. (I thought it was funny)

and if only it looked like those pictures year round

[bbodie52]

My wife and I are hoping to take a cross-country trip in our 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible next summer, if we can be ready and manage the finances. We will travel north to New England and through Maine and on to Newfoundland. Then west to Michigan, to try to attend the CORSA convention that is being hosted by the West Michigan Corvair Club and will be located in Kalamazoo, MI July 16-19 2013. After that we will make our way west to visit some friends in Utah, and then on to Montana, Idaho, Washington and the British Columbia and Alberta region. Then south through Oregon, the giant redwoods area and Lake Tahoe in Northern California, and then down to the San Francisco Bay Area to spend some time with a friend there. Then south via the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles and finally San Diego. We will return to L.A and then pick up Route 66 to travel it's length back to Illinois, and then finally home to North Carolina again.

http://www.facebook.com/bbodiefamily

The northern part of Michigan looks pretty nice, so we might include some time exploring in your area and then visit my mother's birthplace in Frankfort before attending the CORSA convention.

I know how you feel about written communication. It is mostly one-way and subject to loads of misunderstanding. I try to communicate with my 18 year old granddaughter via Facebook and sometimes I think 100% of the communication is lost using that format!

I understand the enjoyment of driving and just taking your time. But at least you have the option of leaving the Corvair in Michigan and taking the bus, if that seems more appropriate from time to time.