Bought a Corvair today

I've had my eye on this car for about a year now. It's a 63 Monza 2 door that looks really solid. The only problem is that it's been sitting under a carport for a few years. The brakes are all stuck, the battery is dead, and the tires are flat. As soon as I get it home I'll post up some pictures. Any advice from the Corvair experts on here? Any things I need to look out for?

Thanks

This isn't that blue one sitting on Rt 97, is it? If so, I'm glad to hear it's found a home.

run, dont walk...

Well ignoring the Corvair part, the car is 45 years old, so you will likely need to look at and likely replace a lot of things. Brakes bearings and suspension bushing are likely candidates.

Some Corvair specific thing:

• First of all a 63 is commonly called a "early" and shares many thing in common with 60 through 64 cars.
• Rear wheel bearings are important on these cars (you do NOT want a catastrophic failure of these) so take a careful look.
• Replacing pushrod o-rings with viton o-rings is a must, but unless it is stock it is likely to have already been done (if not, it will be leaking profusely)
• If it has been sitting, consider pulling the top cover off the engine and clean out all the leaves and such that are likely there. Running a long drill bit or thin saw blade through the head cooling fins can improve cooling greatly.
• Check the steering play. It can be adjusted at bit, but new boxes are available if needed.
• Earlies are pretty good about rusting but the rocker boxes and the lower front parts of the doors possible as well as the standard wheel well areas.
• When you adjust the fan belt only make on as tight as it takes to make the alternator hard to turn with one finger. Check out the following links:

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/index.html

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/links.html

http://autoxer.skiblack.com/

http://www.corvair.org/csaindex.php

http://www.corvairunderground.com/

I like Corvairs. Good luck.

There are disc brake conversion kits out there for the front. My limited limited time with a 63 Corvair has taught me they need this mod!

How much oil does a Corvair hold? Is there a separate sump?

5qts with filter. There is a shallow oil pan.

Here is where I bought parts for my 3 Corvairs. http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/main

Tim Suddard wrote: There are disc brake conversion kits out there for the front. My limited limited time with a 63 Corvair has taught me they need this mod!

unfortunately, the only discs that fit inside stock 13" wheel have less torque output than the drums that they replace, so the only benefit to a disc conversion is that they're less sensitive to moisture and of course they don't go out of adjustment, so they make the car more directionally stable under braking. the same result can be achieved with a front-end rebuild and a brake rebuild at the same time.

Okay, someone post some motivational pics of hot Corvairs for me...er, him.

Check out the current issue of Classic Motorsports for a great article on the most legendary early competition Corvair of all time, the Bill Thomas/Doug Roe/Warren LeVeque orange car.

2nd most legendary, check the photo bub, that eVil yer dealin with

Notice I said most legendary Early Corvair, and check up on Corvair competition history. The Evil 'Vair is seriously cool, but it ain't an early car. Most legendary late model would be tough to call, between Tom Keosababian's Bonneville car, Charlie Friend's 204 mph open road racer, Jerry Thompson's SCCA National Champion SCCA D Peoduction Stinger, Charile Clark's SCCA Solo II C Prep champion, and (boy,this one's obscure) the Goose Holler Racing Pro Rally Corvair.

Lots of Corvair competition history, you just have to dig for it. Check the buyers guide a couple of years back in CMS.

Duende wrote: Okay, someone post some motivational pics of hot Corvairs for me...er, him.

Here ya go. 200MPH ORR 'Vair

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/135/

They are great for river travel: http://www.autotraderclassics.com/articles/templates/video.xhtml?articleId=46284&conversationId=62372

Congrats, the 'Vair is on my bucket list of cars to own.

I swear, one day I will get Mr. Kelly to sell me one of his 18 corvairs... Or wait for him to die and make the deal with his wife or daughter.

Someday someone is going to make a flat-8 out of two Hayabusa motors and then stick it in the back of a Corvair. Then no one will ever doubt their greatness!!!!

Finally got some pictures with the new wheels. Now as soon as I can get one of the back wheels turning, I can bring it home.

http://photobucket.com/newcorvair

Looks very clean. Nice find!

Very nice! And I swear the interior's cleaner than the 81 Alfa I just drug home.

Who on here has that wagon?

the wagon was mine. that's tucking 18's on a car that came with 13's. i sold it to when I heard a very clean 944 calling my name. the story of what happened to it next made me a sad panda. OTOH, it wasn't mine anymore so i got over it pretty quickly.