Corvair progress! 

Kinja'd!!! by "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
Published 08/29/2017 at 12:38

Tags: #ReidusandCletus
STARS: 8


Kinja'd!!!

So I still can’t get it to run from the tank but I’ve been making progress! Mostly making a giant shopping list and buying a bunch of stuff for it. See list:

Kinja'd!!!

I was really debating full headers and HD shocks, but given how much of a turd this thing is, I decided to just do everything the cheap way. I also tracked down free rear glass and I’ll be buying some 14" wheels for it soon too. (It currently wears 13" wheels)

This is all stuff I know I’ll need. I haven’t even touched the brakes yet so I’ll have to probably buy wheel cylinders for the drums too. Hopefully this thing can get on the road soon!


Replies (32)

Kinja'd!!! "TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/29/2017 at 12:42, STARS: 4

You should put side pipes on it to really confuse people.

Kinja'd!!! "lone_liberal" (token-liberal)
08/29/2017 at 12:46, STARS: 0

Kinja'd!!!

Need parts?

Kinja'd!!! "BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
08/29/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 0

Great to see it’s getting resurrected this quickly. Let me know if you need some free labor! ;)

Also, quick question. What would be the best way to get from Pearson Airport to the place I rented? Would a taxi be expensive?

Kinja'd!!! "Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street." (demon-xanth)
08/29/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 0

California Corvair is a good vendor.

The pumps often go bad, but replacing them is really easy. Just undo the two lines going to the T, crank off the tube, pull the inlet line, undo the set screw, pop it off, pop it back on. Make sure your bronze filters are clean. Though with your center carb you probably don’t even have a T. You can go to an electric, but you’ll want to have a plug for the mechanical pump or you can do what others do and fab up a tube inside and gut the pump so it looks like it’s there, but doesn’t do anything.

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 0

EDIT: I got the bolt pattern wrong.

Kinja'd!!! "diplodicus" (diplodicus)
08/29/2017 at 12:59, STARS: 0

2 oil filters?

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 13:03, STARS: 1

Hang on, what’s the bolt circle, actually? Is it 5x4.75?

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 13:16, STARS: 0

Typical 5-lug GM (5*4.75) - anything that fits other period GM cars will fit this.

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 13:17, STARS: 1

You always buy a couple because you can’t get them in Canada.

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 13:19, STARS: 0

Ah, okay. I do have a set of wheels that would fit on it.

(Hope it doesn’t sound like I’m trying to push them. I think they’d look sweet on it. 1960s chrome slots. Bought them for the Chevelle but decided to just stick with the Rallys I have on it.)

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 13:21, STARS: 0

Corvair Ranch as well - they have just about everything and prices are good. This car should live off used parts where possible.

Kinja'd!!! "diplodicus" (diplodicus)
08/29/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 0

That’s a bummer, do corvairs have really odd thread size for the filter or something?

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 1

It’s just an oddball non-standard size that nothing else seems to use. Even Fram stopped making them a good 10 years ago. There are WIX and NAPA equivalents but they are barely stocked here and cost anywhere between $25-50 if you can find one. Corvair vendors in the US (or any half-decent auto parts store) have them typically for $8-10. So when you buy, you buy a few to save on shipping.

There’s no good reason you can’t get them in Canada. They just aren’t here.

They use a bolt that runs right down the centre.

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 14:01, STARS: 0

I had a set of mid-70s Camaro wheels that were OK. The only issue with Corvairs is the backspacing, but again, anything meant for GM is likely fine. At the end I was running a set of AR wheels and they did rub when cornering in reverse. Never figured out what they were hitting.

The early Corvairs were a 4-lug wheel. Those are trickier.

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 1

1960s chrome slots would look really good on a Corvair.

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 0

That’s what threw me off. I Google’d it and found results for a 1964. I didn’t know they’d changed it. It makes sense since they were trying to shake off the Nader image.

Kinja'd!!! "Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street." (demon-xanth)
08/29/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 0

I still maintain that 90% of Corvairs on the road are there because of Clark’s though.

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 0

My thoughts as well. They’d look perfect on it, and they wouldn’t take up space in my garage.

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 14:08, STARS: 0

For sure. Corvair Underground was really good for a while, too. Anything restored owes a lot to Clark’s.

Kinja'd!!! "Corkscrew'd" (corkscrewd)
08/29/2017 at 14:10, STARS: 1

Nice progress!

Where are you ordering the stuff from?

Kinja'd!!! "1967ers - lover of dead auto marques" (1967ers)
08/29/2017 at 14:10, STARS: 0

All my carb rebuild kits came from Clark’s, turbo rebuild kits, fuel lines, sensors, shift couplers,

Corvair Ranch I used for shift linkage bits, trim bits, a rebuildable diff, bezels - anything I could get away with being used.

Kinja'd!!! "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
08/29/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 0

Sending you a FB message re airport.

Kinja'd!!! "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
08/29/2017 at 15:20, STARS: 0

Hmmm have a picture of those wheels?

Kinja'd!!! "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
08/29/2017 at 15:46, STARS: 0

California Corvairs

Kinja'd!!! "Corkscrew'd" (corkscrewd)
08/29/2017 at 17:18, STARS: 0

Cool, thanks! I might be able to actually budget a build!

Do you think they make roll bars for early convertibles?

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/29/2017 at 17:51, STARS: 0

Kinja'd!!!

Yep. I’m near Detroit, by the way.

Kinja'd!!! "MM54" (mm54mk2)
08/29/2017 at 20:28, STARS: 0

What, running rear-to-front?

Kinja'd!!! "TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/29/2017 at 21:25, STARS: 0

I was thinking front to back like normal. Side pipes would just be really odd to everyone who knows the Corvair is rear engined.

Kinja'd!!! "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
08/29/2017 at 23:42, STARS: 0

Those look very cool! How much?

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
08/30/2017 at 05:21, STARS: 0

I really don’t know. $400? I don’t know what they’re worth, so I’m not super firm

Kinja'd!!! "MM54" (mm54mk2)
08/30/2017 at 19:15, STARS: 0

So... pipe the exhaust up to the front, then out under the fenders, then back along sidepipes?

Kinja'd!!! "TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/30/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 1

Yes. Or just do decorative pipe along the side under the doors and have the actual exhaust meet it right in front of the rear wheels to exit out the tip.