posted 07-11-2020 06:01 PM                  

It is a 1965 Corvair Monza Convertible. The current owner has had it for 36 years and is now in his early 70's.
While it is nowhere close to perfect and the body "Waves" at me when I look at it, it is something I can get into and enjoy almost immediately this summer.

posted 07-11-2020 07:40 PM                  

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Originally posted by Simonsez:
At 30mph going down the road...

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posted 07-11-2020 09:04 PM                  

I have always wanted one.. 1st car I drive at 10 yo was my brothers 62

Tried to buy a 65 convertible 140 hp 4 speed in 72 but dad wouldn't let me spend the $125 Mr. Harper wanted and he would come down to the $100 dad said I could pay..... hey I was 14 and had the money

Hope you get to enjoy it some this summer

posted 07-12-2020 05:55 AM                  

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Originally posted by ed monahan:
I knew you had the blue one. I hope you get it completed before I croak.

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Well then,....I still have PLENTY of time, don't I.

posted 07-12-2020 06:15 AM                  

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Originally posted by WildCat:
Looks good to me

I have always wanted one.. 1st car I drive at 10 yo was my brothers 62

Tried to buy a 65 convertible 140 hp 4 speed in 72 but dad wouldn't let me spend the $125 Mr. Harper wanted and he would come down to the $100 dad said I could pay..... hey I was 14 and had the money

Hope you get to enjoy it some this summer

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This is a photo of the second and third cars I owned.
The second is the Red one on the left of the photo up on jack stands. It was the first convertible I owned.
It had a good drivetrain but the body had issues.
The Maroon one is the third car I owned and the second convertible. It was also the first car I got legally tagged and insured for the road.
It had a blown engine when I bought it. I combined both of these convertibles into one decent car that I drove through high school and beyond. I paid $125.00 for each of them back in 1973.

In this photo is the fourth Corvair convertible I owned. It was originally a Turbocharged car but that was long gone by the time I bought it in the 1980's.
I sold it in the late 80's to the guy I bought the Prowler, the Blue Corvair and Van from.
As it turns out, the engine that was in it, is now in my blue car. It was removed from the convertible when a correct turbo engine was installed in it.
The third convertible I owned was a Yellow 1965 Monza with a Powerglide transmission.
I enjoyed that car very much and it may be part of the reason for my recent purchase
The Black 1963 500 coupe is my first car after I bought it back.
Regretfully circumstances mandated letting it go in 1989 or I might still have it.

posted 07-12-2020 08:18 AM                  

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Originally posted by Landscape Doctor:
WOW, you know alot about Corvairs. Very nice Andria. Is it mechanically sound or does it need some work? Looks like a great driver.

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I had no real intention on buying the car when I went to look at it. It was simply something to do on a Saturday and an opportunity to exercise the Prowler.

As for mechanical, the Pitman Arm bushing, Tie Rod Ends, Idler Arm, and Rubber components related to the rear suspension all appear original to the car at 71K miles. They will probably show their age quickly if I start driving the car a lot so they will need replaced. I did this on the Blue car which is why it is up in the air with the suspension and driveline removed. The powerglide is leaking fluid but that should be a relatively simple fix where the shift cable is sealed with an "O" Ring.

The car was painted in Imron about 35 years ago and some of the body work was not the best. There are obvious imperfections and I found bondo in places I expected to find it. On the up side, the door jambs and rockers seemed to be solid which is becoming difficult to find in these cars at this age.

The seller is 71 and has owned the car for 36 years. He had it painted and put the top on it. The top will need replaced sooner than later if I put it down frequently.
The engine seems to run acceptably as it is for now.
When I test drove it, I did an abrupt stop deliberately. The front wheels grabbed and locked up so I am thinking I may need shoes and wheel cylinders, it would not surprise me if I need to go through the brakes and suspension just as a precaution.

I figure I could easily put another five grand into the car without increasing it's value one red cent but that is not why I bought it. I simply wanted something else to drive and enjoy that I don't need to be concerned about to much.
The interior for the most part is original to the car but the driver's seat has been replaced as was the carpet.
I believe this car probably has an honest 71K mile on it.
It has been driven less than 10K miles in the past 36 years according to the seller, garage kept, and not driven in crappy weather but who knows the actual story besides the seller.

Now all I need to do is figure where I will park it. It looks like my daily drive may lose it's garage space for a while.

P.S.
In the photo that showed the commercial building and the Black Corvair in it....This was a Corvair specific repair shop in Rockville MD that I worked at in the late 1970's for a couple years before finding a career I mostly stuck with.

I took the owner of another Corvair specific shop from Gettysburg PA with me to look at this car yesterday since he was conveniently located between me and the car. He was able to offer me his opinions on it and acknowledged it had been at his shop for work in the past.

posted 07-12-2020 04:22 PM                  

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Originally posted by padroo:
Congratulations Andria, enjoy you new car.

How old are the tires, I see they are white walls?

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At least ten years old, maybe closer to twenty, possibly older. They will be the first thing to be changed after the title.

The back ones are Kuhmo and the front are Michelin.
Since 13" tire choices are virtually non existent these days, I will be using a set of 14" or 15" used Western Wheels I already have.

These are Western Bullet wheels I had polished last year.
I have another set that still need polished.

This is a set of Western Wheels I recently picked up. The are similar to the Minilite wheels.
IF I choose these, they will be cleaned up and polished first.

posted 07-13-2020 04:07 PM                  

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Originally posted by Bob Miller:
Congratulations! You gonna put headers on it???

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Headers, I don't need no stinking Headers.
Headers are a pain in the arse more often than not.
When I was young, I did have Headers on the Corvair I drove in High School but soon replaced them with nice quiet stock dual exhaust.
The only car I ever owned that had headers was my '69 Camaro and they were Hooker Sidepipe Heders.
The were installed correctly, had thick flanges at the block, and were never over tightened. They never leaked or rattled loose.

This car currently has a nice quiet stock single exhaust system on it. It will stay as it is.

posted 07-13-2020 04:32 PM                  

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Originally posted by Landscape Doctor:
If you do a new top,,, black and the black center wheels.

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The top will probably last one or maybe two more seasons before I elect to replace it. White tops are extremely difficult to keep clean so I would probably go with a Black one.

As for the wheels, I am leaning toward the Minilite style set with the Black center but, I will clean them up first and maybe leave them as raw aluminum spokes in the center with polished outer edges.

posted 07-13-2020 04:56 PM                  

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Originally posted by alrtg:

I am debating on Black Wall or Raised White Letter for the tires. IF I go Raised White Letter, I will likely need to go with BFG Radial T/A's. I have always run Goodyear GT or Eagle GT's in the past but Goodyear appears to have left the market for these tires.

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posted 07-13-2020 05:16 PM                  

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Originally posted by alprowl:
My blackwall Continental tires, have Goodyear Eagle GT lettering from TredWear.com...

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I have seen others with something like that on their tires.
It is something to look into. Thanks for the thought. http://tredwear.com/