Two years ago, I picked up a 1964 Corvair Monza 4-door out of a 33 year garage storage. The body was straight and almost rust-free. After cleaning, it looked pretty good. Then, for personal reasons, the project stalled. Last weekend's SE PA HAMB and Eggs meeting got my juices flowing again, and it's time to get moving on the 'Vair. One of the nice things about Corvairs is that most everything you need is obtainable through the various Corvair specialists: engine, brakes, etc. And the Corvair Ranch (600+ Corvairs) is just down the road in Gettysburg, PA. My Monza has a nice bucket seat interior, which I will keep. I like the nice low seating, and the leg-to-pedals reach is good. Steering wheel angle and height are OK. However, the steering wheel is about three inches too close to me. The stock wheel is a deep-dish affair, so I thought of swapping in a flat or shallow style like a '60s 'Vette or Jag (Motolita or similar): new wheel, and proper reach in one swap. Then I hit a snag. The '64 Corvairs had a new, two-year-only hub style. Almost nothing fits, except a few old EMPI wheels. New adapters are available for about $100, but they would move the flat wheel out three or four inches, and I would be back where I started! So I started thinking... The Monza has the automatic shift stalk mounted in the dash. The only thing on the steering column is the turn signal indicator. If I swapped the steering column for, say a Speedway Hot Rod column (at whatever length I specified) I could get the reach right and have my choice of steering wheels. Does this make sense? If anyone has a cheaper junkyard alternative I'd like to hear it. Thanks.
Just My Opinion... Find the wheel you want, have just the inner shaft made to fit. Keep the original column housing/turn switch and all. OR will an earlier/later shaft swap in? Enjoy every little problem. It is the journey that matters. MIZ
or you could swap it for another year column. You said it was a new 2 year column in '64, so I would guess you could swap a '60 - '63 Column. I also happen to have a '63 I am going to part out.
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