Corvair

[TC Chris]

YouTube has helped me understand addiction (that, and Peanut M&Ms). A U-M email had a link to a YouTube video of an 1832 animated image of George Washington accompanied by a 1902 Edison cylinder recording of The Stars and Stripes Forever. I could not resist. But then over on the right side was a Hagerty video about whether the Corvair was unsafe. I could not resist. An experienced driver pushed the limits in a '62 Monza once owned by Ralph Nader. He had fun and didn't tip over.

Ah, nostalgia! For a year in 1970 I drove a $150 Monza 2-dr., a wonderful little car that I pushed mercilessly and that never let me down. It did leave puddles of oil everywhere. I would have towed it home behind the '65 Olds if my Mom, already storing the '38 Buick and '61 Chevy for me, hadn't said "Don't bother coming if you're bringing another car." Home is where when you show up, they have to take you in, right? But she sounded serous, so I sold it for what I had paid for it.

I broke the chain of addiction by not watching any more videos. But they were tempting.

Any other Corvair drivers out there?

Chris Campbell

[William]

I have a friend who has a yellow Corvair convertible. I can't remember the year for sure, but it is the new body style. He loves that car, takes it to all the car shows, and just plain enjoys owning it.

Bill

[electra225]

My dad bought a new "Shevallay" every year. In '61 the Chevy dealer convinced him he needed a Corvair. He had it about three months. It wouldn't run when it rained or when it was damp outside. He traded it in on a '62 Chevy II, a much better car. My stepdad put a turbocharged Corvair engine in an airplane. He used it for a stunt plane.

[19&41]

I never saw a Corvair of any model without a gallon jug of motor oil in it.

[Firedome]

My brother had a pale yellow ‘64 Spyder coupe w/ 4 spd, a fun car for a sporty driver. The Turbo had been removed and the multi-carb set up installed, so it ran well. He called it “Pierre” and we drove around while getting stoned and drinking Schaeffer beer in that car listening to stuff like Jethro Tull in the early ‘70s….Good times!

[electra225]

The oil leaks on Corvair engines were from the pushrod tubes and the valve cover gaskets. I remember reading somewhere that the Corvair collectors have pretty much got a handle on the oil leaks. Otherwise, they were smooth-running engines. They had unique generators and alternators that ran the opposite direction from anything else, due to how the belt was routed. If there was a lot of oily debris around the spark plugs, they could be a bear to change. Corvairs were a step above a Falcon with the 144 cid six and Fordomatic transmission. This may have been the second slowest car ever built. The SLOWEST was a '63 Ford Galaxie with the 223 six and Fordomatic. A customer of mine had one.

[TC Chris]

My '62 carbureted model was fairly zippy. I advanced the timing and bought premium gas to keep it from knocking. And it had the 4-speed manual transmission. Altogether a cool little car. But then I'm a sucker for almost any car. Except for German high-end models. They always seem pretentious and are commonly driven by jerks.

Chris Campbell