by "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
Published 11/07/2017 at 16:58
by "cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
Published 11/07/2017 at 16:58
Tags: #ReidusandCletus
STARS: 8
Here’s an update on the Cletus Fleet! (Trademark pending) I’ve been busy with all three of my Chevys this month. Let’s start with the most recent piece of work.
The ‘99 Suburban had developed a leak in the windshield frame and it was driving me nuts. I removed the glass without cracking it and cleaned the channel thoroughly and removed a little bit of rust. I also hammered the track straighter and painted the whole thing in the pewter metallic paint that it originally came with. Now its ready for the glass to go back in and my $300 280,000 mile daily driver will be ready for the road once again.
Ah the poor Corvette. The Corvette was running and driving fine until I mangled the driveshaft u-joint. I guess hole-shotting every stoplight at 4,000 rpm has its price. It’s currently sitting outside my girlfriend’s house but It’ll be in the garage as soon as the Burb gets glass back in it. Poor thing.
Holy shit this thing is fighting me. The bad news keeps coming. I found rust at the base of the a-pillars and left rear jack point. it also has a completely dead cylinder with zero compression. The bad news is so thick I’m debating scrapping the idea of fixing this thing. Corvairs are over the place for $3k so seems silly to me to kill myself for 2 years to make a $1,000 Corvair run and drive. If I were to fix it, it would need both floor pans, the aforementioned rust, a full engine rebuild + brakes and other nastiness. Not impossible, just economically challenging. MIlling the heads on a Corvair costs $1,500 alone.
And that’s the fleet!
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/07/2017 at 17:02, STARS: 8
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
11/07/2017 at 17:03, STARS: 1
The Suburban looks good, hope it lasts for another 7 years again.
Which cylinder is dead on the Corvair? Did the sparkplugs decide to leave the head in the end?
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
11/07/2017 at 17:06, STARS: 1
Sparkplugs were removed eventually and the dead cylinder is #5 at the far right towards the front.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
11/07/2017 at 17:06, STARS: 3
The Cleet Fleet.
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
11/07/2017 at 17:11, STARS: 0
Okay, good to here they came out at least. For some reason I was expecting the problem would be on the left bank, instead of the right bank. Sorry to hear the head is that bad :(
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
11/07/2017 at 17:12, STARS: 0
Got pics of the pillar rust?
I wonder if the $3k Corvairs are really that much better... or are they also thrashed, just a little less so.
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
11/07/2017 at 17:15, STARS: 0
Eh it’s hard to photograph. it had been fiberglassed and “repaired” before but no new steel.
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
11/07/2017 at 19:28, STARS: 0
I’m saving up for a ’67 4-speed for around $10k, which will take some time, but it’s fine, since 4-speeds seem to be hard to find anyways.
"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
11/07/2017 at 19:42, STARS: 0
I sold my Corvair for $2300 and while it was a cool one, it was NOT a nice one. Ran and drove, good interior, pop riveted floor panels, many dents and lots of surface rust. Also a blue door. For the $800 I paid for it it was awesome, I wouldn’t have paid me $2300 for it but that’s somebody else’s problem.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
11/07/2017 at 21:56, STARS: 0
Sorry to hear the bad news about the Corvair :(
"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
11/07/2017 at 23:20, STARS: 0
911 swap the Corvair.
"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
11/08/2017 at 05:11, STARS: 0
Bummer about the Corvair (and the ‘vette!). It does seem a little pointless to fix up that one when other ones are so damn cheap. I mean, it sounds like something I’d do because I make questionable decisions...
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
11/08/2017 at 06:23, STARS: 0
The thought has crossed my mind. But cost and lack of torque are big drawbacks
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
11/08/2017 at 16:01, STARS: 1
Shame about the Corvair...keep us apprised! You could always put 3 Citroen 2CV engines back there instead! Same thing, right?