Here I was just telling Ed that I hardly ever troll Craigslist. But as you know, a ’63 white Monza was my first car, although it was the four door sedan. So when I did open CL and almost instantly saw this, I had to take a closer look. Hmm, looks pretty decent from the outside…
But then I took a look inside. Uh oh. And that’s just starting with the front seat upholstery.
The seller did say: Has some floorboard spots that need some minor rust repair, but overall body is very nice and solid. Well, I guess everything is relative, and to some of you Rust Belters, this might look pretty good. Actually, those floors are more solid than the ones in my poor old truck, which are getting mighty porous, and breezy. And a full set of original wheel covers!
That stump of a shifter looks a bit disconcerting, and it’s shedding some sort of white flakes. Well, at least it’s a manual, and not a PG, but it doesn’t say if it’s the undesirable three-speed or the four speed. What it does have is the quite common Spyder instrument cluster (and glove box lid) swap. Every Spyder that ever ended up in the junkyard almost instantly gave up its very desirable round gauge cluster. Not surprisingly, the boost gauge is gone, as it’s a bit useless without a turbo. Maybe use it as a barometer?
Here’s the pancake six, sporting non-original blue paint on its cooling shroud. That’s not making it look any more attractive. Nor does the seller’s disclosure on it: Engine turns over. But that is as far as I have messed with it. I’m not feeling a lot of motivation to mess with it either. How about you? Of course, it might just purr like a kitten…
Needs someone who has more time to take it the rest of the way. And that’s not going to be me. Of course, given the shape it’s in maybe a creative drive train swap might be the way to go? How about a transverse 4.9 V8/transaxle out of a Cadillac? Or even one of the better-running Buick V6s? Or? That would improve the weight distribution, never mind the get up and go.
I generally prefer originality, but with something like this, I wouldn’t wag any fingers at a bit of creativity.
Is the ’67 Barracuda for sale?
If my competency in mechanics only extended beyond bicycles . . .
In what world is that a rusty floor? Certainly not in mine – which is a world lived in the salt belt and where time is spent looking at old Studebakers offered for sale online, cars which had floors that looked like this in 1965.
I get leery of cars like this where people have messed with things that generally do not require messing with – like painting parts of the engine blue. But it looks solid and mostly there, and the price isn’t bad. If it were a Studebaker Lark at this condition/price, I would start tamping down excitement. But a Corvair – nah.
Having dealt with a rusty, neglected Corvair for the last 12 years, I can honestly say to buy a nice one if you’re in the market. Normally, I think that’s condescending advice, but nice Corvairs are so inexpensive that it makes almost no sense not to. I like learning new mechanical things, so I’m not too upset about mine, but even I’m aware of how financially stupid I’ve been about it. At any rate, it’s good to do a lot of research before buying, just to get used to the common foibles before you are forced to deal with them. On the other hand, parts are available and reasonable, so you could probably get this one on the road and driving inexpensively. Just don’t start worrying too much about cosmetics.
Additionally, unless the car in the ad has had some rhinoplasty performed, it’s a ’62. The ’63 had “grille” trim that extended across the nose with no breaks; see the attached photo (from Bring a Trailer). Obviously, anything can happen over the course of 56 or 57 years.
I’m with Paul on this, let’s talk about that Barracuda fastback!
Most Corvair people I’ve met have a distinct preference for either early or late models; there are factions. I’m a gen2 guy (make mine the forgotten ’67 four door hardtop with 4 speed, must have A/C), so I’ll pass on this one.
As for drivetrain swaps, I Subaru boxer engines are popular swaps for rear-engine VW Transporters so I thought maybe they’d be for Corvairs too. Doesn’t seem that way; the reverse-spinning crankshaft and the need to install a radiator apparently complicate things.
Nice, and fun to look at but not so nice that I’d be tempted even at $1,950. Corvairs aren’t particularly rare nor particularly desirable so better to find an example in much better shape for not much more money.
There’s more old cars like this out there than people willing to take them on, methinks. 🙁
How about the Jag-U-aur V12 swap you wrote up previously?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/builder-of-the-v12-jaguair-dies-one-of-those-rare-persons-who-made-their-wildest-ideas-come-true/
Oh my. Based on the strange corrosion of that pot-metal shifter housing, the missing carpets, and kluged door panels, I’d say this poor little Corvair spent some time under water.
If you’re interested in buying an old Corvair – especially an unrestored Corvair – I’d advise you to get a copy of “Corvair Basics”. With 196 pages and containing 35 chapters, this book covers several topics such as: Introduction to Corvair, How to Buy a Corvair, Maintenance, and more.
The Corvair Society of America is offering Corvair Basics for free to first-time members. http://www.corvair.org
Allan Lacki
Member of the Board of Directors
Corvair Society of America
The supply of Corvairs for sale says a lot about the appeal of this car.
Here’s an east Texas beaut. $2000. Bring your own motor. And everything else.
Another Craigslist nut case. They are a dime a dozen…