In anticipation of a new COAL subject (a ’63 Buick Riviera) coming soon, I plan to update my fleet adventures of the past year or so. Given the propensity for my mind to wander, we’ll see how it goes.
Maintaining a small fleet of regularly-driven antique cars has a few drawbacks, and one of them is the nagging suspicion that I’m forgetting to file an extra W2 form in the spring. Perennially, there’s a bill to pay, oil to change, batteries and tires to buy, storage areas to vermin-proof, and repairs to make. And I love every minute of it…most of the time. Aside from the obvious pleasure of driving old cars for the last 28 years, I enjoy the gratification of a “clean” year, where I try to find things to repair rather than their finding me. Four cars in the fleet came close to meeting those standards in 2022, and considering that the other three most definitively did not, it’s time to share my appreciation.
The ’65 Corvair Monza was surprisingly quiet this year, given our tempestuous relationship over the past 15. I used my chassis ears to locate some driveline noise (somewhere in the transmission I threw together with new synchros over 10 years ago), and I replaced the parking brake cables and a fuel pump. Corvair fuel pumps are getting hard to find, and the quality is anecdotally questionable; because of this, I carry a spare in the trunk.
On a long freeway trip last year, the car used no oil, which is not in character; therefore, I suspected that the pump’s diaphragm had ripped and leaked fuel into the crankcase. It had not, but I disassembled the old fuel pump anyway and used the factory spring to reduce fuel pressure in the new one. Unfortunately, the new one is somewhat loud; Clark’s Corvair in Massachusetts is working on a new design that they say will be released soon. I will buy two when that happens.
Over the summer of 2021, I decided to rebuild my spare four-speed transmission to swap into the Corvair for that time when the drivetrain noise overpowers the wind noise. These are the inner workings of an early Saginaw four speed, if you’re interested.
It looks pretty good with a fresh coat of paint where nobody will ever see it. I added some oil and rotated the transmission in all directions to lubricate the bearings and gears, and then closed it in a large resealable bag for future Aaron to deal with.
The 1965 Dart chugged along all last fall/winter/spring with no major repairs. Because I hadn’t done it in a while, I played around with valve adjustments to see how the car would react. It runs best at .012 intake/.022 exhaust (set hot and running). This winter, I plan to replace the seeping front wheel cylinders and drain/refill the block and radiator. I just brought it home from storage, performed my yearly carburetor cleaning (closing the choke with the throttle cracked to stall it, along with a few shots of carb cleaner down the air bleeds), and readjusted the idle mixture. So far, it’s running well!
My longest-term member of the fleet bucked recent trends by being almost trouble-free this year. On several long trips, it returned 19-20 miles per gallon and required few repairs. I had to replace a pinion seal last fall, and I overtightened the pinion seal (my fault, but I WAS following the directions of the service manual). This spring, I had the machine shop install a new crush sleeve (new ones are very hard to start “crushing”) and reset the rotational torque to proper specifications for the used pinion bearings, which were still in good shape. (I rebuilt the differential when I was 22, which was 23 years and 50,000+ miles ago.)
Aside from that, I replaced the tires, which were 10 years old, and I changed the oil. And I waxed it. That’s it. Good job, little buddy!
Finally, we have “Old Reliable” itself, my ’65 Buick Skylark, the first old car I bought with my own money way back in 2003. I added a half quart of oil and a steering wheel cover from Wheelskins this year, because my attempt at re-expoxying the cracked steering wheel was mixed at best, and it costs $750 to have a new mold made. That’s almost a quarter of what I paid for the car, and it’s simply not that kind of car.
Regarding the oil: I’ve noticed over the last several years that it’s been using oil at higher speeds, meaning 70+ miles per hour. As far as I know, the engine is original (I did replace the seeping head gaskets a few years ago), but it’s a Buick. One of the reasons I like Buicks is that they’re really well-built old cars. My guess is that someday, when oil consumption gets out of hand, I’ll be able to hone and re-ring the engine and keep driving for the rest of my life, assuming that I can still get piston rings for a Buick 300 at that indeterminate date. The Skylark is a good car – I can’t recommend an old Skylark enough. If you get a chance to buy one and you like them, do it.
That wraps up four weeks and seven cars of fleet updates. I’ve already commented that I’ve finally, after years of looking, bought one of my “top-of-the-list” cars, a 1963 Buick Riviera, complete with 401 and Dynaflow. As you may expect, it’s been sitting around for a long time and needs a lot of work, so my next update will be an overview of that car and its myriad needs. I can’t wait to get started.
Regarding the Corvair fuel pumps, I purchased two new Airtex pumps a year or so ago, and both were defective, defective to the point where with a casual glance you see major issues. Airtex used to be a good product, but not any more.
My ’66 Corvair Corsa coupe has been sidelined for a number of years because of this issue. I nearly had an engine fire. Fortunately is was idling in the driveway with the deck lid open. The pump started gushing gasoline on the harmonic balancer, which in turned sprayed all over the engine. Had I been driving it, it could have gone up in flames and burned to the ground.
While I hold Clark’s Corvair Parts in high regard as they’ve been great for service for the 40 years I’ve owned the car, I’ve grown really disgusted with the cheap garbage for parts actually made. Airtex blamed it on the market claiming that the Corvair uses a unique design. And compared to Ford and Chevy V8’s and other engines, the demand just isn’t there to make a profit on a decent Corvair fuel pump.
Incidentally Clark’s makes 1st class interiors and carpet for Corvairs. These are made by Clark’s in house. They are of very good quality but they are not cheap. I’m okay with that and my Corvair has an interior by Clark’s. My Corvair as well as many others surviving aren’t cheap throwaway beaters anymore. We want to preserve and enjoy these now. And I’m willing to pony up a few extra dollars for good quality parts.
Clark’s mentioned in their spring (?) newsletter that they were in the process of manufacturing a higher quality fuel pump, as they are aware of the issues with those that are available. Last I checked, you can’t even get one from them right now. I hope they can get it right.
I too have used Clark’s upholstery in my Corvair, and I’m happy that I can also get Riviera parts from them.
Thank you for letting me know. I miss driving that car! It is like no other American car from the ’60’s for handling, save the Corvette. I look forward to this.
You’re welcome, Bob. I can tell you that a lot of Corvair owners have switched to an electric fuel pump. I’d personally rather run a mechanical pump, but if we can no longer get a good one, we might be forced to switch.
Well an electric fuel pump is not out of the question. I may go that route too. But I look forward to hear what Clark’s comes up with. We’ll see. Thank you.
I really should do a COAL in the care. I’ve had it for over half my life.
Lol. My car. Between spellcheck and a cat jumping on my lap.
The ’65 Skylark must have been one of the few American cars of the mid 60s to have a standup hood ornament. Our ’68 just had a center chrome strip, another thing I miss on health and safety cars. We never sliced a pedestrian with it, despite temptation and manual brakes.
Where do people put their collections? Good places can’t be cheap.
I can fit four cars in my garage, and I keep another four in a big old pole shed I rent from a local farmer. It’s quite inexpensive, but also quite damp, which is another reason I don’t want anything too nice.
Lots of cars had stand-up hood ornaments in the ’60s. Lincolns, Mercedes, Buicks, 1967 AMC Ambassadors. Then they mostly disappeared, but reappeared with required spring-loaded versions (and less injurious to unfortunate pedestrians) in about the late ’70s.
I am impressed at your ability to keep your fleet going like this and add a new member too. But then I remembered that I have a fleet too, of 14 rental units (ten houses, four with a second unit), our own house and the new addition in Port Orford. Fortunately, most of them seem to require fewer repairs and maintenance than your cars. 🙂
And our fleet of vehicles is currently at five.
I have never done the slightest thing (like cleaning) to the carb in the F100, for now…35 years, and it always starts right up and runs just fine. Am I missing something?
Yep, if you like doing something, it’s not really a chore. Sure, there are days when I want to scream, but that’s the case with anything. I think the repairs and maintenance I’m always doing are less “I have to do this now” than “I don’t like this little noise” stuff. I’m also fastidious about flushing brake lines every few years, cooling system flushes, driveline fluid changes, etc. And then some of the cars are just lemons, or maybe I’m just doing it all wrong!
Regarding your luck with carburetors – you are lucky!
I agree with Aaron, for the most part you have been lucky. Although there might also might be a slow degradation over time in performance that you haven’t noticed. A freshening of the carb and tune-up might surprise you on how much better it can run. That said, I have seen several cars over the years that have basically gone untouched for many years and miles contrary to what is recommended, and they seem to hold up ok and run ok too.
I suspect some it has to do with his Ford being quite active. Sitting does not do seals and such good in old cars. It’s probably about as simple as a carb gets too.
Good point, David. Sitting does a car no good, and between Michigan’s changeable climate and the fact that I’m an idiot with ten cars (if you count my wife’s), and my cars sit more than they move for sure.
Thanks for the update Aaron. I always enjoy reading about your great collection of vehicles. Since I probably will never be able to own such a large fleet of classics, I will live vicariously though you. I commend you for your dedication and time to keep them up and running. I know how much work four cars can be, with two of them modern, so I can only imagine the work you have to put in for your fleet.
I have had the same issue with finding a good fuel pump too for Ford 335 series engines, which isn’t shared with any other Ford V8. There are very few options produced today. It took me three pumps to get a decent one after I overhauled my engine. It is still just adequate. I may look at getting a pump from this guy here, which are true works of art:
https://www.robbmcperformance.com/products/ford550.html
Your maintenance regimes sounds pretty close to mine. I am lucky that both of my old cars are pretty rock solid reliable. Even still, like you having that extra transmission for your Corvair ready to go, I also sock away spare parts that I know may fail or are difficult to find.
The count down is on to the Riv reveal…
Next Monday for the Riviera. 🙂
Wow, that’s quite the fleet, goodness! REALLY excited for the Riv! I would be tempted to purge some of those and focus efforts on the Riv, I know you’ve wanted one for some time!
Yeah, I sometimes feel like apologizing for not shutting up about it for the last 10 years. 🙂
Nice update. You are certainly an excellent caretaker for the fleet.
Good on you for tackling the Corvair transmission. Any internal work on a gearbox is where I tap out. The fuel pump issue sounds rather frustrating. A Corvair has always been on my list of ‘would like to own’.
I’m not sure what I’d swap out for the 1963 Buick Riviera. The Mustang or the Skylark seem to cover a similar role, but they were mostly trouble free.
It’s unlikely I’ll sell anything unless things get dire for some reason, but I think the T-Bird would be the first to go, just because it’s been a stinker since I’ve bought it. The Mustang is an heirloom, so it would be among the last. I’d probably live in it first. 🙂
Interesting about both you and Jim having somewhat similar negative/challenging issues with your T-Birds. I have this deep-seated memory of being about ten or so and hanging out one summer day at the Ford dealership garage (as I often did) with one mechanic who befriended me. One day he was working on one of these, and complained about how miserable they were to work on. Just looking into the very crowded engine compartment made that very obvious.
It’s one of the reasons I wanted a six in my F100: I can literally stand on either side of it in the engine compartment with my feet on the floor, there’s so much room on either side.
Drive like a Flintstone!
The logical part of me likes simple, option-free cars like Darts, Falcons, and Novas (and ’60s F100s), but T-Birds and Rivieras just look so good, I can’t resist.
I’ve not had a chance to play around too much with the Riviera yet, but I can already tell that it’s worlds easier to work on than the T-Bird. But it’s nothing like the “cheap” cars in the fleet.
I am in awe of your skills and dedication. I remember when I had a mere 3 old cars, and I could never find the kind of time you shower on these. Which is why I didn’t keep 3 old cars all that long.
Bad fuel pumps – this is just one more good reason for me to look for another Model A. Nothing ever goes wrong with gravity. 🙂
I am really looking forward to reading about the new Riv!
Thanks JP! I’m lucky that I have set myself up with enough spare time in my life to enjoy my hobby to the extent I do; I know not everyone has that luxury.
I still wouldn’t mind having a Model A.
Impressed at the range of skills you’ve shown, the knowledge and the end results.
Keep it up!
Thanks Roger,
As long as I have a car, a garage, and I know where both of them are, I’ll be out there. 🙂
I thought Chevrolet switched from Muncie to Saginaw four speed transmissions in Corvairs in ’66. The only reason I remember this is because Crown advertisements used to say that the stronger ’66-up Saginaw was the only trans to use in a V8 conversion.
I had an identical ’65 Monza 110hp convertible when I was 16-17 years old, dark blue. It was a good car for a teenager. Not fast but it handled really well.
The ’61 to ’65 four speeds were unique to the Corvair and were (apparently) built by Saginaw (although even they had some running changes, so some parts won’t interchange among those model years). Some disagree on the “Saginaw” nomenclature and origin, but in reality it’s just a Corvair transmission.
The ’66-’69 transmissions had some things in common with the light-duty conventional Saginaw four speeds used in rear wheel drive cars, but still had some Corvair-only components (I’ve never messed with one in any way).
I’m not an expert on Corvair transmissions, but I have had to do a little research to ensure I’m using the right components, and that’s what I’ve found along the way.
Thank you for the clarification, Aaron65. I’ve never owned a ’66 or later 4 speed Corvair. I did buy a ’68 PG coupe to swap the engine/trans into my ’71 Westfalia. Both the engine and trans were drop dead reliable, crossing the US and Canada several times. It was quite the offroader too.
This Corvair shows why GM design was without doubt at its’ best in the 1960s. Imo it’s one of the most timeless cars they ever built, a masterpiece of small car design, a particularly difficult achievement.
The coupe was the prettiest of all… sheer genius. I’d love to know the ID of the person most responsible.
Ron Hill was in charge of the second-gen Corvair from what I’ve read. Of course, it has some influence from the Corvair Monza GT, among other things (like the Riviera).
Hey, that somewhat bare Buick engine looks just like one of mine as of yesterday. This is how a simple job morphs into a bigger one. I can tell you one thing and that is don’t try to remove a cylinder head + exhaust manifold by yourself too often.
On the Skylark, I tried putting the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds back on the block as a unit (in the car). Nope, I couldn’t get them lined up with the alignment dowels. Off came the manifolds.
That’s nothing like the ’53 Buick’s cylinder head; I used my engine hoist for that one.
RE : alignment of heavy assemblies like trannies, cylinder heads and so on :
One of the many nifty tips/tricks they taught us in GM Dealer training was : get one or two extra bolts, lop the heads off, round off the sharp edges on the grinder wheel and maybe cut a slot in it .
Install the bolt(s) in the cylinder block, bell housing whatever and use these as guide pins as you offer up the heavy part ~ no bent clutch discs, no dinged / dimpled head gaskets to weep/seep/leak and they’ll hold the two assemblies in proper position whilst you scramble to install the other bolts loosely, the slot you cut makes it easier to remove with a screwdriver .
I’m ass-U–me’ing you wanted to install the cylinder head with exhaust manifold attached because of tight clearances ? .
-Nate
Great idea Nate! I use similar homemade studs for installing the Corvair’s transaxle. Regarding the cylinder heads on the Buick: I was just being lazy and I thought I could muscle the whole works in. I couldn’t. 🙂
All very good Aaron .
I was wondering if you’d decide to use a low pressure electric fuel pump, most get a 10# one and then a restriction device and blame the car for never running right again .
I remember being young enough to keep this many vehicles, keep at it, as you said if you enjoy it it’s not a chore .
-Nate
Thanks Nate! It seems that most mechanical fuel pumps are putting out 10 psi these days.
I have a fair goodly bit of factory and dealer training an never once has more than 4 PSI been the spec. for any carburetor .
Electric fuel pumps that are high volume and lose pressure are out there but you have to go looking .
Of course, this is your car so feel free to ignore or modify anything I suggest .
Once in a while I miss my 1961 Corvair Coupe, I never had any troubles with the built in over steer but I also like driving performance cars .
-Nate
Thanks for the updates.
I was going to say something about an electric fuel pump for the Corvair, but I see others discussed that already. I have seen two adaptations. Some people leave the original fuel pump housing in place, so the engine looks right. One guy discovered a coin, I forget whether it was a penny or a nickel, was a very good fit for the pump driveshaft hole, so welded the coin in place and omitted the pump entirely.
Good luck with the wheel cylinders on the Dart. Thinking about that gives me flashbacks to about 1973, a 66 Belvedere, and a broken bleeder. Of course, one of the bolts on the wheel cylinder did not want to come out. Gramps dug out his 3/4″ drive Snap-on ratchet (he was a retired truck mechanic, so his tools ran on the big side). Then we put about a 4 foot long pipe on the ratchet handle to get some leverage. Spent a day, maybe two, wiggling that bolt, about one click on the ratchet each way, until it finally loosened. And it was an antique ratchet too. No lever to reverse it. You had to push the shaft out, and push it back in on the other side of the ratchet to reverse it. Discovered a new universe of tedium on that job.
Hi Steve,
The wheel cylinders should come out easily enough; they’ve been replaced before by a previous owner. There’s a reason a lot of people switch to DOT 5 fluid; even with flushing, DOT 3 attracts moisture, and you end up replacing a random wheel cylinder or two every 10 years or so. I could probably just get a set of seals, but you never know what the bore is like.
I have indeed been on the journey of an eighth of a turn at a time though. 🙂