Projects Fly in, Drive home in my late Dads car. Attempting 2000 miles

That's when you tried everything to fix it and it still won't work......hmm, should have come with Mopar matches also.

 

Take a wad of cash. Some of the older places won't take a card.
Good Luck. Will follow along.

 

Good luck on the trip. I'm sure there'll be plenty of HAMBers along the way to help you out if needed.

 

Gonna be epic....3 generations road trip.
Yes I included your Father's spirit too^.
Corvair Looks to be cleaning up nice.

 

Gotta get GM lighter fluid for those early ones, or maybe bring a dial type cell phone?

Turn signals....they suck. If it's the early style switch that is remote (further down the colum), operated by a cable, then you probably won't get it working right. See if any of the other cars have an aftermarket clamp on switch--that's what I did with the Corvair I had.

 

Clean up all the gazillion connectors and SAE plugs and pin blocks/receptacle at firewall. A wire brush and kerosene is traditional. With the voltage drop at the tail it's a wonder turn signals or stop lights work at all sometimes. Old wire splices and (rodent damage) are also great for causing trouble.

One forum, maybe it was here I dunno, somebody asked "What should I bring on a road trip?", the answers ranged from sensible to extreme. Some people bring enough stuff for a complete engine & transmission overhaul by the side of the road, apparently. Maybe they tow a trailer to haul it all.

Another guy said the only thing he takes on a road trip is "A credit card, a 9 mm, and a bag of weed"

LOL

 

If you have insurance with Hagerty you can get their roadside assistance tacked on, it's like AAA for old cars kinda, might be nice to have on such a long trip in case something does go bad. Good idea to have insurance on the car anyway.

I hope this goes really well and you guys have an adventure to remember, I'll be following along.

 

So sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad.
It’s really nice that you have those pleasant memories to carry with you.
May God comfort you and bless you not only during the tribute trip, but all the time as you deal with your loss.

 

One day I'll have to look up what is likeable about Corvairs as so far I've only read what's not to like. They weren't available down here so I don't know much except that Ralph Nader wasn't their biggest fan?
I'm a fan of early Holdens but I'll be the first to say they had some of the shittiest engineering in them but you either love 'em or hate them.

 

"Unsafe At Any Speed" was Ralph's tome on the Corvair at the time.

I remember my dad thought Ralph was a bit of a douchebag. Good enough for me, I'll take his word for it,

 

Ralph Nader was just a socialist and hater of any big American corporation, including GM. The Corvair was an easy target because it was unconventional. He just wanted to hurt GM, that's all he was doing. Compare what he claimed to be the design faults of the Corvair with the design of the VW beetle. Exact same thing, yet the Beatles sold by the millions and nobody made a peep about it.

 

I have only driven a Corvair about 20 miles in my whole life. And that was about 30 years ago. I don't have a long list of things that I like about them. But my dad drove them for 60 years and he liked them very much. Things I remember from driving one in the past was very good visibility all around, very light and nimble feeling and it drove well. After I drive this one home I'll have a lot stronger opinion, one way or the other. Haha!

 

You might hate the car by the time you get home and think "What did Dad see in these things?" but you'll have stories to tell when your mates come 'round for a few ales and to check it out.

 

Yeah but the Beatles had a better sound and more interesting lyrics! LOL

 

May the wind and sun be at your back during your trip. The Corvair was supposed to be the car of the future and would save chevy. Ralph Nader put an end the the future and doomed chevy to this day. Those flat six air cooled engines were good and got decent mileage unlike the soon to be ended sbc of the day. It is a shame what a communist can do to a free enterprise system.

 

I'm rooting for you...go man go.
I have a complete, stocked with tools, large mechanics truck. I will cover you from border to border in New Mexico.
I'll PM you contact information so that you won't need it.
Larry

 

Way ta go, Larry.

Ben

 

God bless your Dad and your family.

 

Ask Moriarty. He'll know.

 

Larry, that is such a wonderful and generous offer! Hopefully we won't need you, but it's good to know that you are therefore is. Thank you!

 

A boner. if we do go up to Denver to visit my uncle on the way. Do you have a truckers route for that?

 

If you make it to Denver I'll buy you and your son a beer.
If you have issues with the car in the Denver area I'll help ya as best I can. There are a few corvair nuts in co springs I know of too. All else fails, I know places we can store it for you if youre down to plan ZZ by then

 

@A Boner

 

Our neighbors had one. Practically the only one I ever remember seeing. They said it got around really well in the snow and ice, this was way back before FWD and all that became popular. RWD really sucks in that regard, unless dedicated snow tires, or studded tires, chains, lots of weight in the back.

 

Before you leave, if you can finalize your trip route and post it on here, with a request for some private message replies, you may be able to get some Hambers who live near your trip route to send you contact numbers. That way you have a ready made phone list if trouble arises. You also might try to get your hands on one of those booklets that the NSRA has which shows NSRA contacts in different states. I'd pack a blanket just in case.

You mentioned 60mph at 2800 rpms. Is that what you plan to shoot for along the way?

 

Joel, Looks like you have most things covered. I would be avalible if you were heading to Seattle or Spokane! O well, have a good trip!
No one mentioned fan belts, the older models threw belts if you rev'd them to fast. The Corvair over steers so you will soon learn to lean your body into the turns. It moves your arms just right if you on slick roads. Also, if on slick roads, the car will want to continue strait if a sharp turn is tried at to fast of speed. Just some things to be aware of. Please keep us informed!

 

I drove a 66 Monza Sport Coupe for several years. It was my work commute car from Santa Fe to Los Alamos. It was great in the wintertime, snow was no problem. I do remember the set screw for the fuel pump tended to back out. I fixed it with a taper on the end of the screw and a lock nut. The bellows that operate the engine vent doors fail. When they fail they fail with the doors in the open position. Don't know why your doors are not operating, but check for bad bellows or binding linkage. Clark's Corvair Parts is the go to place for parts and advice. Good luck.

 

I liked my '61... Until it threw the belt the night of the high school dance, and I was all dressed up going to pick up my date. It was so fucking hot that night that my English Leather couldn't mask the pissed off greasy sweat smell I carried all night. Or maybe it was Hai Karate.

 

Nope...the trucker route is sort of like the bird flies. Going to Denver is a longer distance, as it squares the route off instead being a diagonal short cut. It would also be all interstate hi-way, and I-80 is quite boring to put it politely.

 

The belt should stay on if it's tensioned properly...which is on the loose side. You should be able to turn the generator pulley just barely, without the belt moving, when it's right. The heat doors...probably it's not hot enough for them to open yet. Like he said, if the thermostat breaks, they stay open. I don't know how the temp gauge should read, only the turbo models had a gauge, I think. Most had an idiot light, and it has to get pretty hot to turn that on.